Vinyl and Octavia: Ponyville Duet

Chapters

Chapter 1: A Cliché Encounter (A Canterlot Wedding Reception Pt. 1)
Chapter 3: The Road to Ponyville
Chapter 4: Berries and that Tiny Voice (Into the Scratch Household Pt. 1)
Chapter 5: Apples and a Clever Girl (Into the Scratch Household Pt. 2)
Chapter 6: Red (Into the Scratch Household Pt. 3)
Chapter 7: The Music That Moved Her
Chapter 8: Laughter
Chapter 9: The Significance of Nothing
Chapter 10: Reading is Magic
Chapter 11: Dragons, Tea and Cider (Reading is Magic Pt. 2)
Chapter 12: Discoveries
Chapter 13: The Mourning Afterwards
Chapter 14: Moments Before...
Chapter 15: ...The Crash
Chapter 16: ...The Crash Pt. 2
Chapter 17: Generosity
Chapter 18: It's a Date, Then
Chapter 19: A Date and Encounters of Fate
Intermission
Chapter 20: In the Eyes of the Pinkie Storm
Chapter 21: An Unexpected Visit
Chapter 23: Honesty
Chapter 24: A Short Respite
Chapter 25: Finally Together
Chapter 26: Up to Eleven (Finally Together Pt. 2)
Chapter 27: The Burden of Knowledge
Chapter 28: An Old Story (The Burden of Knowledge Pt. 2)
Chapter 29: Motion and Friction (An Old Story Pt. 2)
Chapter 30: Unforgivable?
Prelude to the Wedding
Chapter 2: The Lunar Event (A Canterlot Wedding Reception Pt. 2)
Chapter 22: An Even Less Expected Visit and the Great Revelation

Chapter 1: A Cliché Encounter (A Canterlot Wedding Reception Pt. 1)

Chapter 1: A Cliché Encounter

(A Canterlot Wedding Reception Pt. 1)

It was chaos: chaos to the ears. A deafening roar of excited chatter echoed through the massive Canterlot Castle. There were ponies... everywhere! Socialite ponies talked about seeing the Princesses and how this was the event to be at this year. Fashionistas discussed their predictions on the wedding gown and criticized the attire of the ponies around them. Eager, non-privileged ponies, who had camped out overnight just to get inside, marveled at the castle decor. Servant ponies pushed their way through the hordes, trying to get everything ready and in its proper place. Even the spacious ceiling was filled to the brim with pegasi, who hovered over the masses with nowhere in particular to land. In the middle of this packed mob stood a gray earth pony with a flowing black mane, purple treble clef cutie mark, and a simple pink bowtie. The cello player Octavia Melody was beginning to regret her decision to come in here.

There was a painful pressure from all around her as Octavia tried to squeeze through the congestion of colorful ponyfolk. It was a useless endeavor; all efforts to move were halted by well-dressed flanks and educated conversations.

‘How in Equestria did I manage to get this far in?’ she thought, as she winced in pain.

The cellist was right to question it. It didn't seem like anything she did had gotten her through. It was, in fact, the pushiness of plenty of previous ponies that had practically propelled her progressively past posh pony posteriors.

(...ahem. Pardon...)

(Anyway,) Octavia searched desperately for the exit. She only wanted to see the wedding reception and this replacement... "DJ," (whatever that was) that the Princess had recruited. She had no interest in the wedding itself. Octavia was, of course, happy for Princess Cadence, like everypony was. It's just that weddings weren't really her thing.

‘This is not worth getting suffocated,’ she quickly convinced herself.

With that, she spotted it: an edge to the sea of ponies. There, past an archway, the crowd diluted. With glorious newfound energy, she trudged through, whispering muffled apologies for every hoof she stepped on. The resistance against her was unbearable as it seemed she was pushing the opposite direction that everypony else was determined to go. After eons of travel, her goal was finally in sight: Octavia had reached the end of the mob. The room before her was still densely populated, but there was more breathing room. However, before she could take one eloquent step into that wonderful space, she stumbled ungracefully out from the crowd and crashed smack into the head of another pony.

She collided with an unsuspecting unicorn mare, who lost control of a case she was magically hovering beside her. The two ponies fell into a third who, in turn, fell into a fourth, and then a fifth... What occurred then was the second most splendid domino effect Canterlot Castle had ever seen. It was truly a spectacular sight to behold. (Too bad you only get to read about it.)

Despite a dizzy head and a sharp pain, Octavia managed to shakily rise to her hooves. She automatically began to apologize as she dusted herself off.

"Oh, I am terribly sorry! I did not mean to-"

Her apology was cut short upon seeing what had transpired. She caused a disaster! Hors d'oeuvre platters were scattered amongst fallen ponies. Wedding presents lay crushed beneath toppled mares. About thirty guests and servants groaned from the floor, while the rest looked on with a mixture of amusement and concern (but mostly amusement.) Flooded with embarrassment and unsure what to do, Octavia looked down at the first pony she ran into.

The mare before her had just finished magically readjusting some absurd purple sunglasses and turned menacingly towards the cellist. She was a white unicorn with a neon blue mane styled in overconfident spikes, coupled with a short tail that received the same exact treatment. Her cutie mark bore the musical symbol of two beamed eighth notes, which Octavia would have noticed if it weren't for the fact that this unicorn was positively livid.

"What the hay was that!?" shouted the unicorn. The words stabbed at Octavia and she backed up defensively. She wasn't accustomed to being on the receiving end of a shouting. The strange looking unicorn was deadly serious and looked ready for battle.

"I- I'm sorry! I- I-" Octavia struggled to get the words out. What could she possibly say to make this situation any better? She briefly considered telling a joke, like thespian ponies do in those comedy plays when a goofy character got in trouble. The audience would laugh, the character would grin stupidly, and all would be forgiven. But the angry unicorn didn't wait for Octavia's poorly thought out plan to come to fruition and stepped closer to her. Octavia instinctively ducked down and shielded her head with her hooves. Her life was about to end (or, at least, it seemed.)

"Hey! Dumbflank! I'm talking to you!"

The white unicorn magically grabbed the ascot of an aristocratic stallion who was pushing his way through the crowd behind Octavia. With great magical force, she dragged him out and brought him face to face. The monocle of the shocked stallion popped off in the process.

"I say! Get your hooves off me!" He proclaimed, smacking the magic glow holding him with his hoof and effectively dispersing it. "What is the meaning of this!?"

"Don't act stupid! I saw you push her down so you could sneak in!" The unicorn pointed down at Octavia who, despite still shielding her head, peeked up at the scene with utter disbelief. "You knocked us all over and I think you owe her, and us, an apology!" The entirety of the room had their eyes on those three. Every fallen pony watched angrily, now aware to the source of the crash. Some ponies, however, were still busy mourning over drinks spilled on their expensive dresses. (Seriously, those outfits cost a lot of bits, even for them.)

The accused aristocrat smugly turned his head and stated, "Hmph. Well, she should've gotten out of my way. I am trying to get to the wedding hall, you see."

"What? Dude, I don't care what your reason was. Apologize!" the unicorn pressed.

"A-Apologi-!? Certainly not! Do you even know who I am?" The aristocrat tried to place his monocle back, but was stopped by the unicorn. She magically seized his neckwear again and brought his face dangerously close to hers. The motion was so aggressive that it startled Octavia into letting out a little squeak. The stallion could now feel red hot anger seething out from behind the unicorn's sunglasses. She spoke through gritted teeth.

"I know who you're going to be: the pony with an ascot stuffed down his bucking throat."

The threat of violence breaking out silenced the last of the murmurs in the room. The aristocrat's eyes widened, and he began to sweat nervously. His well-being was in danger now. That changed everything. ...Everything had just changed.

"Ah, well. Of course," he started off slowly. "How rude of me. I'm sorry," he projected those last words down to Octavia. "Sorry. Sorry everypony," he called out to nopony in particular. He returned a sheepish grin to his unicorn assaulter. She eyed him suspiciously before releasing her magic grip.

"Pssh. Fine, good enough. That’s probably all I’ll get out of you anyway."

With the confrontation over, and a collective sigh of relief given by everypony, the recovery of the scene could begin. Octavia rose from her fetal position to survey the room. Everypony who had been part of the great domino effect had gotten to their hooves and were cleaning themselves off. The offending stallion slunk out of sight when nopony was looking.

"You okay?"

The sudden question from the unicorn startled Octavia, whose nerves were shot from the whole experience. This was not a normal kind of occurrence for her.

"Oh, I'm… fine. I- I am fine," she replied bashfully. Even with her innocence proven, she was still quite embarrassed. The two ponies met eyes for the first time. (Well, Octavia couldn't really see her eyes through those ridiculous shades the unicorn was wearing, but still.)

"Awesome!" beamed the unicorn. She wore the most radical grin Octavia had ever seen, a complete one-eighty from her disposition mere moments ago.

"I did not even realize he had pushed me. I felt certain I had caused this. I must thank you for sorting everything out, Miss... err?"

"Name’s Vinyl. Vinyl Scratch," answered the unicorn, flipping her mane up in a way that said: "You should have known that, but I’m awesome so I forgive you.”

"Well then, Miss Vinyl Scratch, thank you. I, um... you are... not going to get in trouble for causing a commotion, are you?"

The two ponies looked in unison at the nearest castle servant who was busy cleaning up the messy floor. He promptly met their gaze and shrugged before returning to his task.

"Guess not! Haha!" Vinyl laughed.

The mare's cheerfulness caused Octavia to crack a smile. But now that she had a moment to look at her, Octavia realized that Vinyl Scratch didn't fit in. Everypony present at the wedding was dressed in the fanciest suits and dresses bits could buy. Octavia glanced at her measly pink bowtie. (Well... almost everypony.) But Vinyl didn't wear any clothes besides her odd sunglasses. Not to mention her electric mane was just about the wildest thing Octavia had ever seen. Surely this pony wasn't from Canterlot. It was then she finally noticed Vinyl Scratch's cutie mark.

‘Eighth notes? Is she a musician?' Octavia thought to herself.

"If you do not mind me asking," Octavia started, "what are you... doing here?" The question suddenly sounded stupid as it came out; it was obvious she was here for the wedding. (Like everypony else. Duh.)

"Huh? I'm doing the-… MOTHER OF CELESTIA, MY RECORDS!" Vinyl exclaimed before suddenly bolting away from Octavia and visually sweeping the floor in desperation. "Nononononononono!" She spotted her missing belongings behind two ponies still dusting themselves off. "GAH!" she cried upon arrival. Her record case laid busted open, and a multitude of records had spilled out.

Octavia watched with confusion and concern (but mostly confusion) as Vinyl rushed around, weaving in and out between ponies, magically levitating each record she found. Intrigued, Octavia trotted after Vinyl. The cellist didn't recognize any of the album sleeves she spotted. It certainly didn't look like the unicorn carried any music by Beehoofen or Joshoof Hay-den around, or anything remotely conventional.

"Is everything-" Octavia started to ask, but was immediately cut off.

"NOOOOOOOOOOO!!!" Vinyl's scream caused all ponies in the room to set their eyes on her for the second time that evening. “My… my… Darren Hay album!” She shooed off a startled pony that was standing on the broken pieces of a record. Vinyl held back tears as she levitated the pieces and fruitlessly tried to place them together. Octavia rushed over to the down-heartened pony.

“What is the matter? Was that record important?”

“Uuugggh!!” In frustration Vinyl tossed all the broken pieces away.

“Sweet Celestia, what is it!?” begged Octavia.

“Song! Wedding! Reception! Album! Replacement! Gotta buy! Gotta go! Gah!” With that, Vinyl Scratch sped off, taking her record case with her. Octavia stood in astonishment as the mare disappeared behind a column.

'From out of town... cutie mark... song... reception...'

The suspicious pieces began to fit together in Octavia’s mind.

'Is... she the "DJ"?’

Author's Note

The grand appearance of Vinyl and Octavia interactions! Did you doubt it would happen after the first chapter? Well, you were wrong. And I'm sorry.

I was considering using Britneigh Spears or Maredonna as the broken record joke but I ended up going with an artist I actually listen to. :( Sorry Brit.

If you can find all four of the musical artist references in this chapter I will reward you with... I dunno- cookie points I guess.* Three are easy, one is not. :3

*Cookie points are redeemable at your local McDonald's or Wal-Mart.

Chapter 3: The Road to Ponyville

Without thought, Octavia started to hum a familiar tune. The day-to-day clatter of the train station assured that nopony could hear it but her. She was laying flat on her back on a bench, hoof to her forehead, staring up at the aging wood planks above her. Her hind legs casually rocked back and forth as they hung over the edge of the bench, each swing synchronized to the rhythm of her song. She began to softly sing.

“Love is in bloom… a beautiful bride… a handsome groom…”

Octavia turned to see a train conductor glance as he passed. Flushed with embarrassment, Octavia sat up to a more respectable position and readjusted her trademark bowtie. Beside her, a handful of suitcases, handbags, and other luggage containers, each branded with her own purple treble clef, shaded her from Celestia's rising sun. The cases sat in a disorganized pile, except for the only one that appeared to have been handled with any sort of care: her cello case.

‘What am I doing?’ Octavia asked herself as she rubbed her temples. The question was rhetorical. She knew exactly what she was doing. ...Sorta. The more important question was: why? Why did she lie awake all of last night? Why did those songs keep repeating over and over in her head? Why did she send a letter to her friends letting them know that she would be gone for a while? Why was she going to an unknown town to look for a pony she hardly knew? Why did Vinyl Scratch interest her so...?

Sighing, Octavia turned to gingerly caress her cello case and began to think back on last night (for the umpteenth friggin' time.) She was startled; that’s how it began. She was startled to hear something so completely different. The music that came out of Vinyl Scratch's strange record player was unlike anything Octavia had heard in Canterlot in all her years of schooling and professional music playing. The music was different, but it was also very… captivating, as Octavia soon discovered. The melodies entranced her like she never expected. The rhythms jarred her body and caused her hoof to subconsciously tap along. It was upbeat, driven. Everypony around her danced with ease, like they knew the song by heart. The lyrics were simple, yet found a way to be dynamic in their use. (Also you must give credit to the purple unicorn with the beautiful singing voice.) They intertwined with the music flawlessly as words and melodies flowed as one. The uplifting chorus of sounds made Octavia... feel happy, for a reason she couldn't explain. And for the first time in her life since getting her cutie mark, music truly moved Octavia.

(In all honesty, it was a really good song. Too bad you only get to read about it.)

But that was just the first one! Vinyl Scratch had no shortage of good music to play that night, and the DJ enjoyed blasting out each and every good song she had. When she wasn't showing off her master skills on the turntables, she was banging her head to the bass or pumping her hooves up ecstatically. The courtyard surged with energy and joy, and she was the source. And that grin... That grin was a thousand times more radiant than it was when Octavia saw it before. This was a pony who loved what she was doing, and the bouncing crowd around her was vindication that she succeeded in doing it right.

"ALL ABOARD!"

A conductor's voice snapped Octavia out of her pleasant fantasies of the unicorn, and she scrambled to get her many belongings on the train. It was rather empty that early in the morning, so she had no difficulty finding a vacant car. After securing her luggage, she plopped herself facedown into a booth in the most unladylike way possible. Exhausted and nervous, Octavia began to take on some troublesome doubts.

'Oh Celestia, this is simply not going to work,' she thought, burying her head in the not-so-comfortable cushion. 'How will I even find her? Is Ponyville a large place? Could I just ask anypony and they would know her? Wait a moment... is Ponyville even the right town!? That is what that unicorn said... right? Oh! She is going to think I am weird, isn't she? I mean, I do not know her in the slightest, but I am tracking her down and... Wait, does that make me a stalker!?!?'

Octavia lifted her head in a panic at her own thoughts just as the train jolted forward and began its slow trek to Ponyville. After listening to the sounds of the wheels chugging along for a few moments, the tired cellist rested her head down again. Knowing the car was empty, she decided to stay laying there and rest for a bit. However, her brief relief was utterly destroyed mere seconds later in a most comedic way.

"Oh, mare... Pinks sure can party..." Vinyl Scratch yawned to herself before she jumped face first with a thud onto the seat opposite of Octavia. "Ow," she mumbled from her facedown position. "Thought it'd be bouncier..."

Octavia turned red; her face boiled. (Too soon. It was too soon, Vinyl.)

'What is she doing here!? Wait, this is the train to Ponyville, of course she is on this train! No, no! I have not decided what to say to her!'

Hearing Octavia emit a nervous squeak, Vinyl turned up to face the cellist. The unicorn still wore her large purple sunglasses and probably was in a bit of pain from landing face first with them on. Both ponies lain on their cushions, flat on their stomachs, and stared at each other. Octavia desperately wanted to sit up straight, but, to her horror, a wave of indecisiveness paralyzed her from making a move.

"Sorry. Thought the booth was empty," Vinyl bluntly stated before turning her face back into the cushion. After a brief pause, a muffled snore filled the air.

'Did- did she fall asleep!?'

Octavia didn't have to wait long for an answer. The exhausted DJ snapped back to reality and turned once again to Octavia. Vinyl's face scrunched as the pony across from her had triggered some sort of flicker in her brain. Panicking, but finally able to move, Octavia jumped back to a normal sitting position, hoping Vinyl wouldn't notice the awkward way she had been lying. (She did notice.)

"Wait up..." Vinyl muttered after a moment, "do I know you?"

"Ah, hello! Good evening!" Octavia replied in her panic. 'Agh! That's not right!' After mentally kicking herself in the flank, she took a deep breath. It was about time she returned to her more composed demeanor; she had been flustered far too much recently. "I mean: yes. Yes, we met at the wedding last night," she said with the sophistication of a pony who had spent a lifetime mingling with the elite of Canterlot.

Vinyl Scratch sat up and rubbed her chin, checking her hazy and scattered memories of last night for the inclusion of the gray pony Octavia.

"Oh!" Vinyl said with definitive recognition. "You're that mare that fell over."

"Yes, well. *ahem* You proved I was shoved and saved me from being made the fool. Granted, it was still quite embarrassing, but you certainly helped me out by identifying the culprit."

"Not really. That tightwad had nothing to do with you falling over. I just wanted to cause a scene, so I randomly picked somepony."

...

"WHAT!?" shrieked Octavia, loud enough to startle the ponies in the adjacent cars. Octavia bolted up and simultaneously activated her lecture mode. "He was innocent!? You picked a fight with a stranger and ostracized him in public!?" Vinyl just snorted and covered her grinning mouth with her hoof to keep chuckles from escaping from her puffed red cheeks. "You cannot just go around blaming somepony for incidents they did not cause! You made him a scapegoat! I cannot believe this! I expected better of you! To think that-" She was cut off by an unrelenting chorus of laughter from the DJ.

"Wait! Bwhaha!~ Wait!" Vinyl gasped between chuckles. "It was a joke! It was just a joke!" She gestured to Octavia to calm down while continuing to howl like a maniac.

"W-what?" the cellist stammered, clearly not catching the hint.

"Filly, I was just messing with you! He pushed you down for real. But, mare alive, you fell for that easily!" Vinyl wiped a tear out from behind her sunglasses. "Heehee! I didn't expect a high class pony like you to yell like that! You're pretty awesome!"

Face flushed red for the third time that day, Octavia slunk down into her seat. She coughed and turned her head pompously to avoid the DJ. Her eyes strained shut as she tried to erase the last 30 seconds of history from ever happening.

'I cannot believe I yelled at somepony who is not my brother...' she thought, surprised and upset at her own actions. "Well... you should not play such tricks. It is uncouth," she finally spouted, still facing away from Vinyl.

"Okay," Vinyl said simply before giggling some more. The two sat in silence for a minute, during which Octavia's mind raced to figure out her next move. She hadn't even decided how to approach Vinyl in Ponyville, let alone how to handle this fated encounter on the train. After coming up with a grand total of zero ideas, Octavia took a peek back at Vinyl. The unicorn hadn't stopped looking her way. Octavia could almost swear she saw the shrouded eyes behind those shades flicker up and down, as if Vinyl was checking her body over.

"Hey, what's your name anyway?" the DJ asked cheerfully after catching her peek.

"Oh, I am sorry. I never properly introduced myself," Octavia replied slowly, as she felt the tension around them start to gradually dissipate. "My name is Octavia Melody, and I am a cello player in the Horseshoepin Quartet of Canterlot." Vinyl didn't seem surprised to the revelation that Octavia was a fellow musician. Well, she had already been eyeing the region around her cutie mark for a while now.

"Octy, huh?" Vinyl piped with a quirky head tilt.

"Wha- Oct- ...I am sorry, beg pardon?" stuttered the confused cellist. The last time she had heard that nickname was when she was five and that was nearly (*mumblemumble*) years ago.

"Yeah! 'Octavia' has like six syllables, so it's easier to say 'Octy,' ya know?"

...

'What?' the cellist thought, unsure that she had heard correctly. Octavia hesitated before responding, but her lecture mode slowly booted back up and overpowered her reason. "I am... terribly sorry to correct you, but my name has four syllables... 'Ahk - tae - vee - ah.'"

Vinyl's bottom lip pouted out as she thought on this.

"Nah, filly. I'm pretty sure it's six." She replied. "'Ah - ka - tae - vuh - ee - ah.' See?"

"No, I do not see. That is incorrect and does not sound even remotely right."

"No, I'm preeeeetty sure I'm right about this, Octy. I know all about words."

"Well, you are mistaken," Octavia snapped despite herself.

"Oh, so you think you aren't?" Vinyl spat defensively. Their casual conversation had devolved into an argument. Both ponies got to their hooves and tempers began rising. Quickly. It was like chemistry. (Such beautiful chemistry!)

"Why, yes. I did finish class valedictorian and always had perfect marks in Ponyish," defended Octavia.

"Oh, is that a fact?" huffed Vinyl. "So you think that because you are soooooo much smarter than everypony else that you know everything?"

"No! Of course not! But I do know about this!"

"Well, I think you're wrong!"

"Well, I know you are wrong!"

"How can you tell, huh!?"

"My education!"

"Oh, please! Just can it, you snob!"

"*GASP* You had better retract that this instant, you troglodyte!"

"WHY DON'T YOU MAKE ME!? Wait, troglah-what?"

"TROGLODYTE!!! IT MEANS BRUTE!!!" Octavia screeched. Vinyl's jaw dropped at the volume level of the shriek that nearly broke her ears. It was silent for the first time in the car, save for the heavy breathing from the two of them and the constant stutter of the train as it trudged along, unimpressed by their conflict.

"Pfffffttt!!" Vinyl burst. She collapsed to her seat and rolled to the floor, laughing hysterically. "You- HAHA! You- you're even fun to fight with, Octy! Bwahahaha-hic!" She began to hiccup as she pounded the ground, trying to contain herself.

Octavia had a hard time just trying to catch her breath. Her eyes darted from side to side as she tried to figure out what in Equestria just happened. Her throat was hoarse, her hooves were quivering and her neck had goose bumps. This was absurd.

"Oh, my... did... did we just argue over... syllables...?" she managed to ask in her daze.

"Yep!" Vinyl answered from the floor between hiccups. Octavia sat down and stared into her shaking hooves and began to laugh nervously.

'Did I just ruin my chance? ...I think I just ruined my chance...'

"Hey, are you going to Ponyville, Octy?" Vinyl asked as she crawled back into her seat, giggling as usual.

"Wha?" Octavia was put off by the sudden question, but graciously recovered. "Yes, I- planned to visit for- a few days..."

"Where you staying?"

"At the- inn...?" It was a lie. She had no idea. Did Ponyville even have an inn? She hadn't thought that far ahead. Vinyl stopped giggling and leaned forward so that they were face to face. Octavia could almost make out her eyes through the thick sunglasses.

"Can you cook?" Vinyl asked with the most serious of expressions. This surprised Octavia, of course, but what else was new? This whole incident had been ridiculous.

"I- of course?"

"Sweet!" Vinyl jumped onto Octavia's seat and wrapped her hoof around Octavia's neck. "It's settled! You'll be staying with me!"

Octavia blushed redder than she had all day.

'...It's going to be that easy?'

(Yep.)

Author's Note

Did you like the English lesson?

Chapter 2.5 is during Vinyl's performance at the wedding, and it's nothing but 50 paragraphs of Octavia banging her head and screaming, "OMG I LUV THIS SONG!!"

~~Also: Vinyl uses 'mane' like you would use 'man.' Like saying "What's up, man?" ---> "What's up, mane?" Do you think that works? /ponyshruggif~~ Edit: Ugh, this stupid idea has ben retconned! All stupid instances of 'mane' as 'man' are now 'mare.' Because it was stupid. ~generalsnaz, circa 2015

Also thirdly: How is my story is like the Hobbit movie? ...it takes way too long to get started! NYUCK NYUCK NYUCK!

10 cookie points to whoever finds the Warcraft reference and the Mario reference.

Chapter 4: Berries and that Tiny Voice (Into the Scratch Household Pt. 1)

Chapter 4: Berries and that Tiny Voice

(Into the Scratch Household Pt. 1)

"Are you absolutely positive you do not mind me staying with you?" the gray earth pony Octavia posed the query to the white unicorn Vinyl as they stepped off the train at Ponyville Station late that morning.

"I was 'absolutely positive' earlier, now I'm 'absolutely' starting to rethink it," Vinyl Scratch jabbed playfully at her companion, enunciating her words to mimic Octavia's sophisticated manner of speaking.

"Oh! I- I am sorry. I did not mean to impose. Of course I will find my own lodgings," Octavia whimpered, (once again) not catching the hint.

"Ugggh... that was a joke, Octy," groaned Vinyl. "'Course you're staying with me! It'll be a riot being in the same house, I just know it. 'Sides, no reason for you to waste bits at the inn."

"Oh, well... I suppose... if you are alright with it... Thank you for the hospitality." Octavia had started to warm up to the DJ's enigmatic behaviors on the trip, but still didn't quite fully understand her intentions when they spoke. (She also wasn't accustomed to hearing her baby name so often.) Octavia grinned despite herself.

'I cannot believe this is going so well!' she thought. A great feeling of giddiness had been bubbling inside of her ever since Vinyl's proclamation. Octavia no longer had to worry about how to introduce herself as the two of them had shared very basic information about themselves on the relatively short train ride. She felt that the hardest part of her journey was over. Vinyl had practically inserted herself into the cellist's life with ease.

The pair of ponies stepped down off the train platform and Octavia couldn't help but notice the station building was far more... simple... than Canterlot Station. It incorporated much more wood and a lot less stone. (It also had absolutely no gaudy sculptures, which is a plus.) The cellist glanced back at the various bits luggage magically hovering behind them. They followed as Vinyl's horn commanded them. All of the bags belonged to Octavia, except for two: a case containing Vinyl's records (the very same from their wedding collision) and another that Vinyl explained had her "turntables." (Which was literally gibberish to the Canterlot pony.) The luggage stuttered in the air and Octavia began to worry.

"Miss Vinyl Scratch, would you like help with those-"

"NOPE! I got this," Vinyl interrupted, proudly.

"But, they are mine and surely carrying so much is stressful on your horn-"

"It's cool, I said!" She gave Octavia an impressive grin that failed to hide the stinging pain she felt on her head as she struggled to keep the load levitated. (Such a show off.)

"Very well then..." Octavia replied, still as unsure. The pair of musicians rounded the side of the station and Octavia got her first look at Ponyville, as she was far too entranced in her conversation with Vinyl to notice the town from inside the train.

Her first impressions were as follows: It was spacious. Spacious and yellow. Wooden homes lined the street sides and each one followed similar designs. Excessive straw roofs covered each lightly colored abode that featured prominent dark wood patterns that varied from house to house. Every building furnished a welcoming display of flowers, cloth drapes, or pink windows. Shop signs dangled in the breeze iconizing the talents of their shop owners. (Also: there were trees!)

The colorful ponies walking the streets caught Octavia's attention. She first noticed that, unlike the high class and fashionable in Canterlot, most ponies didn't bother wearing clothes here. (Any dress shop owner living here would certainly have a hard time making ends meet.) She secondly noticed that the race distribution was much more even. There were quite a lot more pegasi in Ponyville than in Canterlot. Pegasi were rarely part of high class society and the elite of Canterlot was significantly proportioned in the favor of unicorns over earth ponies. Octavia had never really considered why this was true. The third distinction between Ponyville residents and those from Canterlot was that Ponyville ponies looked... happy. All the time. Everypony's default expression was a smile.

Vinyl waited patiently for Octavia to soak in the sights before gesturing her head down the market street.

"Come on, I live this way." The two ponies trotted down the dirt road in silence and Octavia occupied herself observing the day-to-day doings of the experienced market-folk. Stands of all sorts were shaded under colorful tents of various colors. Customers haggled for prices and vendors haggled for sales. There was constant activity all around. Fruits, vegetables, and bits passed hooves faster then Octavia could keep track. It was surprising, and completely different from the high quality grocers she experienced in Canterlot. Louder too. Not to mention the language being used here was much more... colorful, when a pony didn't get the price they wanted.

"Why'd you come to Ponyville anyway?" Vinyl asked, breaking the silence between the two of them. "Doesn't seem like the kind of place a high class dainty would choose to be at." Vinyl briefly thought of a certain purple-haired unicorn she knew when she asked the question.

"Oh, I um..." Octavia kicked herself for not thinking of an excuse. She wasn't prepared to tell Vinyl why she was there. It might... put her off. Octavia wasn't even sure how to explain it herself. She had seen Vinyl's performance and was... amazed? Blown away? Captivated? How could she possibly admit that she had boarded that train to come look for her? She hoped Vinyl would teach her about all this music she had been missing out on. Where did it come from? How did it start? How is it made? She wanted to discover artists with Vinyl and buy records together. She wanted to chat about the songs with her and to sing along together.

She wanted to see Vinyl perform again. She wanted to see Vinyl's smile radiate from behind the turntables. She wanted to tell her the reason it had to be Vinyl Scratch, the very pony she stayed up thinking about all night. The real real reason. The reason she didn't want to admit to herself.

'Quiet, you,' Octavia commanded her own thoughts. 'Do not go down that road.'

'Why not?' they responded.

"Gah!" Octavia exclaimed, shaking her head vigorously in response to her own mind talking back to her.

"Huh? There a mosquito or something?" the DJ asked casually.

"No, I-"

"Oh, horse apples! Hide!" Vinyl's sudden exclamation saved Octavia from having to fumble out an answer. The unicorn released her magic hold on Octavia's belongings and darted to the safety behind the small pile of luggage that had fallen to the ground. Squatting down, she frantically motioned to a confused Octavia to join her. When the cellist replied with a vacant stare, the DJ smacked the ground and whispered as loud as she could, "Come 'ere!"

"What is going on?" Octavia asked as she reluctantly trotted over and joined her uncomfortably on the dirt.

"Shhhh!!! I don't wanna deal with her right now," Vinyl explained pressing her hoof to Octavia's lips. (Obviously this cleared nothing up for Octavia, but it did make her blush.)

"Deal with who?"

"Berry! Just- just check to see when she's gone!" Vinyl motioned to her to peek over their defensive pile of luggage. Octavia complied. Sweeping the market she saw no pony who looked particularly dangerous.

"Miss Vinyl, I do not-," she reported as she turned back around, but stopped upon catching the gaze of the grumpy market vendor whose stand was being blocked by two suspicious mares and a pile of luggage. The annoyed red haired earth pony stared down at Octavia over a cart full of flowers.

"Um, do you mind?" the vendor asked, directing her question more towards Vinyl.

"Oh, I am terribly sorry. We were just-" Octavia tried to explain.

"Chill, Rosey," Vinyl replied flatly. "We'll be gone in a minute. Just- go eat a sandwich or something." Vinyl shooed her away. Roseluck, as the pony was named, rolled her eyes and reluctantly walked off, mumbling something about sandwiches. Octavia was both impressed and confused.

"Oh. She was quite... lenient."

"Yeah, ponies 'round here are pretty laid back. Listen: is she gone?" Vinyl pointed back to the marketplace.

Octavia took a look and still not perceiving a threat, answered, "Um. Yes?" Vinyl poked her head up before quickly retreating.

"She's still there! What the hay Octy!?"

"I am sorry, you did not describe who you meant!"

"I shouldn't have to! Her name is 'Berry,' for Celestia's sake. Take it from there!"

"What are you talking about? How does that help me identify her?"

"Obviously she's got fruit on her cutie mark and she's like- berry colored!" Octavia was still rightfully confounded. That literally described half the ponies she saw. Luckily for her (but not so much for Vinyl) the mare in question had overheard the sudden argument and upon recognizing Vinyl's voice, approached.

"Hi, Vinyl," Berry Punch coldly interrupted the two as she towered over their pathetic luggage defense line. Her voice shot a shock through Vinyl's spine. The anxious DJ jumped up to face her attacker, but utilized the camouflage of her sunglasses to avoid direct eye contact.

"Oh, hey BP! How's it going?" Vinyl cracked out nervously. The plum colored earth pony with a raspberry mane eyed Vinyl with almost... discontentment. Octavia had gotten up as well and backed away from the confrontation with worry. It seemed like there was something subtly uncomfortable between the two ponies.

"Were you hiding?" Berry asked rhetorically.

"What? No! Nah, we were just- uh... resting! Just got back from Canterlot you know? Long train ride."

"Uh-huh," she replied, thoroughly unconvinced. The three ponies stood awkwardly there for a moment and Octavia thought about introducing herself, but was too uncomfortable to pipe up. Berry took a quick glance at Octavia, and flashed a sarcastic smirk. "Is this your new fillyfri-"

"OH HEY LOOK AT THAT!" Vinyl interrupted desperately, "It's getting kinda late and I promised this mare that I just met on the train that I'd help get her luggage to the inn! Well, nice talking with you BP, gotta go!" She levitated Octavia's belongings and trotted past her, hissing a whisper as she did, "Come on, let's go."

"Mm-hm. See you later then, Vinyl," Berry called after her with a grin, before facing Octavia. The cellist flustered her a quick smile and performed a brief curtsey.

"It's been a pleasure," Octavia managed to say, then she trotted after Vinyl. Berry Punch just shook her head as they left and continued down the market.

"What was that all about? Who was she?" Octavia asked Vinyl when she caught up.

"Nothing. She's nopony. I mean- she's a friend... sorta. Listen, maybe I'll tell you later...." Vinyl accelerated her pace to prevent Octavia from seeing her red cheeks.

The cellist tried to figure out what possibly could have happened between the two of them, but with so little information to go on, she couldn't conclude much of anything. What was that word Berry almost called her? Vinyl had interrupted so she couldn't quite hear it. But it almost sounded like... ...fillyfriend?

Octavia blushed at the possibility.

'No, that cannot be it. Do not go there, do not even think it,' she told her thoughts.

'Why not?' they responded again.

Octavia just groaned.

The two arrived at Vinyl's house shortly after without any further incident. The DJ's residence appeared no different than the other houses Octavia had seen thus far. However, it did border a large open space with a tree in the middle that- (wait, are those windows on that tree?)

"*cough* Well, here we are," Vinyl declared trying to push the encounter at the market out of her mind. The unicorn brought the cellist's belongings inside and set them down, much to the relief of her horn. Octavia followed, unsure of what she'd find inside, but then immediately found out.)

It was dreadful; Octavia was mortified. Pizza boxes lined the floor, most still containing a few (probably moldy) slices. Empty drink cups laid adjacent to stains on the floor. In one corner there were several stacks of records, not so neatly lined up and plenty had fallen over, scattering the sleeves and their contents. To one side of the room, was a singular bit of furniture: a couch that looked like it had sat through several hurricanes... and a mudslide. But there was one part of the room that was (relatively) clean. A large sound system that was similar to the one Vinyl had used at the wedding stood parallel to the couch. Beside it was a strange mechanical setup with a keyboard. Granted, to any other pony of Ponyville, this would appear to be simply "just a bit messy," but to Octavia of Canterlot, who had lived her entire life in perpetually sterile environments, it was a pig sty (no offense.)

"Oh dear," was all Octavia could squeak out.

"Yep, sure is something," Vinyl declared confidently. She then turned to Octavia and put one hoof on the cellist's terrified shoulder. "Okay, Octy: listen. Listen. Now that I'm home, there's something I really need to tell you, and there's something I really need you to do."

Octavia blushed a little and responded nervously, "Oh- al-alright. What is it?"

Vinyl leaned in closer. Her expression was so positively serious, it drew the quivering Octavia in.

"I have not slept. In like three days," Vinyl stated. "I'm going to collapse on that couch in like 5 seconds, and I need you to make yourself at home, because I'm gonna be out... like a candle... for a few hours..." Vinyl let go of the shocked cellist, hobbled over to the couch and promptly fell onto it, flat on her face. "Ow," she mumbled, then slowly pulled her sunglasses out from between her face and the cushion. Her hoof dangled over the couch side, holding her sunglasses slightly above the carpet before she dropped them. Unsurprisingly, she began snoring moments later.

Octavia just stood in a stunned state. Before long, she began to giggle. This unicorn was ridiculous! Who lets a complete stranger come into their home, then falls asleep on them?

'Apparently Vinyl Scratch.'

Octavia walked over to the sleeping DJ (careful not to step in moldy pizza) and picked up the fallen sunglasses with her mouth. She set them on the hoof rest beside Vinyl and took a look at the sleeping pony. She was face down in the dirty couch snoring up a storm. Octavia giggled some more, then started to investigate Vinyl's home.

The kitchen was adjacent to the first room, but it looked like it had never been utilized for cooking. Rather, it seemed to be a place to toss trash. She grimaced and continued her investigation. She found the bathroom and after embarrassingly realizing she needed to go, made use of it. After washing up (of course), she followed the staircase up.

The entire second floor was one large room. The walls were plastered with posters of angry looking musician ponies in outfits that desperately needed stitching. It was significantly less messy up here, though the floor was covered with used T-shirts. There was a small record player of some design next to the DJ's bed.

Octavia yawned. The sight of that comfy spread made her remember that, she too, had been up the entirety of the previous night and was exhausted. With little thought and the excuse of, 'She said to make myself at home,' Octavia happily snuggled into the bed.

Everything had happened so fast. Just yesterday she was preparing for another performance with her ensemble and now she was in a strange town, miles away from her home, taking a nap in the bed of a pony she barely knew. This was completely unlike her. Had Vinyl's performance moved her that much? Was it really just the music that caused her to up and abandon everything she worked for in Canterlot? Was Vinyl herself the real reason-

'That is enough, brain,' she commanded to her thoughts once again. 'You need to stop that.'

'Why?' they asked.

...

'You know why.'

-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~ :heart: ~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-

The gray earth pony softly breathed in and out with barely a sound, and wore a look of complete contentedness on her face.

'She even sleeps pretty.'

The white unicorn watched the sleeping pony for a moment longer before sighing. She carefully levitated the covers and crawled into the bed beside her.

Author's Note

Ugh, I hope all my chapters aren't this long.

I'd like to dedicate the rest of my story to Thesaurus.com because I totally can never remember the words I want to use.

Also: HA! You thought I was lying when I put Berry Punch on the tag for important characters! Serves you right for doubting me. >:)

Chapter 5: Apples and a Clever Girl (Into the Scratch Household Pt. 2)

Chapter 5: Apples and a Clever Girl

(Into the Scratch Household Pt. 2)

Octavia had never awoken to the sound of snoring. This was a first. She had never awoken to the sight of another pony's face. This was also a first. Both of these firsts combined equaled Octavia Melody waking up to the sight of a snoring Vinyl Scratch.

'Oh..... dear,' was Octavia's very intelligent and sophisticated initial reaction.

"Octy..." Vinyl began to mumble.

'Ohdear-ohdear-ohdear-ohdear!'

Vinyl grinned stupidly in her sleep, "Hee... hee... harder please..."

'OHDEAR-OHDEAR-OHDEAR-OHDEAR!!!'

Octavia squirmed in reverse to distance herself from the sleeping mare. Much to her unpleasant surprise, the bed was smaller than she anticipated and with a glorious THUD! she collided with the floor. Panic stricken, Octavia scrambled out of the covers, bounded sideways and cracked her head against the wall. Squealing in agony, she uselessly rubbed her head to numb the pain.

'What is happening? Why is Miss Vinyl in my bed!? What was she saying!?'

Octavia shivered in her fetal position, patiently waiting for the aching to subside and tried to sort her situation out.

'She is not in my bed,' Octavia remembered calmly. 'I was in her bed.'

Peeking up from her position on the floor, Octavia could barely make out the still-sleeping pony over the blockade of disheveled sheets. Continuing to rub her head, she got to her hooves and readjusted. Vinyl had apparently woken up from her nap and decided to finish it in her own bed, resulting in a rather flustered Octavia. (Sharing a bed isn't normal for acquaintances, you see. Yes: that is the only reason.)

Vinyl's features weren't properly visible in the dimly lit room, Octavia discovered after some serious squinting. The cellist retrieved the sheets she dragged with her during her tremendous fall and covered the grumbling unicorn.

"...no other pony... drop the... bass... Vinyl... licious..." the grinning pony murmured before turning in her sleep.

The illogical mumblings caused a smile to appear on Octavia. It did very much remind her of her little brother, who slept in a peculiar way as well. She rounded the bed and opened the window, for it was far too dingy to continue her investigations further. Light poured in from a late afternoon or an early evening sky; Octavia couldn't tell exactly which, simply because Vinyl didn't appear to own a clock. Yawning gracefully, she turned and beheld the sleepy DJ covered with the light. It was then that Octavia finally got to see Vinyl without her trademark shades.

Watching the snoozing unicorn from afar, Octavia began to finally sort through some bothersome thoughts.

'Alright then. Let us begin: I am miles from home, in a quaint town, in a filthy house, with the mare I was looking for. She appears to like me, but I have not told her I loved her performance at the wedding. I believe she will appreciate that. ...But should I tell her that I came to Ponyville to find her? I do not want to come off as a... stalker. Is it strange that I hoped to become... friends? Who in their right mind does this? ...Oh, am I starting to regret coming? ...If I just heard her play once more... maybe everything will become clear.' Octavia rubbed her temples before giving up in an exasperated groan. A particularly loud snore brought her attention back to Vinyl. Octavia cautiously moved in on the slumbering pony and inspected her peaceful face.

'Oh... my. She is... quite pretty...' Octavia mentally kicked herself. 'Brain? I believe we discussed this earlier.'

A grumbling belly cut her inner argument short and she came to a devastating epiphany.

'I have not eaten since yesterday...'

Octavia decided that 'food would be good,' and started to cross Vinyl's wreck of a bedroom. Carefully sidestepping the sweat soiled clothes (gross) strewn about the floor, she almost tripped over a ruggedly patched top hat. Successfully dodging the rest of the DJ's mess, she took one last look at the curiously out of place hat before descending to the kitchen.

Not surprisingly, but much to her disappointment, there was nothing to eat. Anywhere. Octavia searched every cabinet and drawer. Each was completely bare and she didn't even find any silverware or cooking utensils. No pots, no pans. The icebox had no ice, but did contain a few half empty (or half full) bottles of cider.

'My goodness! Does she bring in carry-out for every meal?'

There was no sense in looking any more, Octavia knew the only way to get some sustenance was to leave Vinyl's house. After considering waking Vinyl, she became uncomfortable at the idea, for various reasons. So, unsure about finding her way in an unknown town and worried whether or not a restaurant would be close by, she decided to try the market, feeling confident she could find her way back from there. Octavia unpacked her saddlebags and filled them with bits. After saddling up, she headed out into Ponyville, alone.

Octavia found the market street without any difficulty; Vinyl had taken her on the straightest route. To her disappointment, the market was closing. It was obviously closer to evening than she anticipated. Most everypony had cleared out and there were just a few stragglers around. Octavia quickly trotted over to a vacant apple stand, behind which she could see the flank of an orange pony wiggling.

"Excuse me! I am sorry to interrupt, but do you still have any apples I might purchase?" she called out as she approached.

"Sure do, sugarcube!" piped a blonde earth pony mare as she popped up, quickly pulling a bushel of apples along with her. She placed the delicacies in the stand for Octavia to see. "Yer pretty lucky, I was about to pack 'em up and head on home," she continued with a lovely southern drawl. The pony absolutely beamed 'customer satisfaction' at Octavia, who was incredibly appreciative.

"Oh, thank you! I am terribly famished and I do not know my way around. I was afraid the marketplace would be empty at this hour." Octavia looked over the apples: each one looked delicious (especially since her stomach simply wouldn't stop kicking her in defiance.)

"Well, shoot! You don't need ta worry 'bout that none. If ya ever need directions or sumthin' ta eat, just about anypony in this town would lend you a helping hoof. Just gotta ask fer it," the cheerful mare said with a wink.

"Really? I- Oh!" Octavia stopped after noticing the pony's hat. It was huge. Plain, brown and huge. Being polite, she decided to compliment it. "Oh my, that is quite the hat. I do not believe I have seen anything like it." (This was true.)

"Well, that's mighty kind of ya! This here's my favorite hat and my name's Applejack," the pony extended a hoof.

"Oh!" Octavia was startled by the sudden introduction, but extended a hoof to meet hers. "I am Octavia. It is a pleasure to meet you."

"Pleasure's all mine, sugarcube!" Applejack said while shaking the cellist's hoof vigorously. After letting her go, the pleasant apple vendor eyed Octavia suspiciously. "Do you, uh, know Rarity?" she asked with concern.

"No, I um... I am afraid I do not," Octavia replied, holding her now aching hoof and pretending to smile.

"Strange, you sure do sound like her. You don't look like the small town type, neither. Yer not from around these parts, are ya?"

"No, I come from Canterlot," Octavia stroked her mane and hungrily eyed the apples before her.

"Canterlot, huh? You go to the weddin' yesterday, too?" Applejack asked, now determined to have a conversation with the sophisticated mare, completely forgetting she was 'famished.' (Take the hint, AJ.)

"Yes. Well, no... I actually only saw the reception, but... wait you were there?"

"Eeyup. Princess Celestia asked me and my kin ta help cater. 'Course, we had ta cook everythin' twice because of that... Queen Chrysalis character, but it sure was a good time, anyhow. And- Ooo-whee! Pinkie sure threw a wild party afterward," Applejack laughed, fondly recalling the events of that night.

Octavia was stunned, to say the least. (Also: she was confused as to what 'ooo-whee' meant.)

'The Princess asked her?'

"So what brings you ta Ponyville?" Applejack inquired. "We don't get many visitors from Canterlot, less they're just passin' through."

"I, um-" Octavia was still rather confused to the true identity of this mare, but her empty stomach decided enough was enough and she was just going to accept it. This strange farm pony knows the Princess, and that's that. Besides, there was something about the mare that made it easy to believe as truth.

Octavia cleared her throat before responding, "I am here to visit Miss Vinyl Scratch." She figured there was no reason why she needed to lie to a stranger. (Plus, she wanted to test her "everypony in a small town knows each other" theory.) (Which ends up being true.)

"Oh, you know Vinyl? She sure is a strange one. Real friendly, though! But I can't recall her ever mentionin' a friend from Canterlot." Applejack rubbed her chin thoughtfully.

"Oh, well... we just met last night..." Octavia sheepishly replied.

"Really? That sure is a short time ta know somepony. Why are ya visitin' so soon?" The farm pony was now plum confused.

'Oh dear! She's right!' the cellist thought in a panic.

"Well, I really just saw her perform at the reception... and I quite enjoyed her music..." Octavia found herself saying.

'...Wait, what are you doing?' she asked herself as the words kept coming out of her mouth.

"...so I got on the train to Ponyville to come find her..."

'Why are you saying this?'

"...but she was on the train too. We struck up a conversation and she invited me to stay with her..."

'Stop!'

"...but I have yet to tell her my reason for coming because I'm certain she will think I'm odd..."

'You need to stop!'

"...and after desiring to be close to her I'm frightened she will push me away..."

'Oh, Celestia...'

"...and that would be just dreadful because I really really like her!"

'...'

The two earth ponies stood in silence (awkward, awkward silence) before Octavia fell down on her flank.

"Huh...? I- I'm, sorry I- I- don't-" Octavia wiped away a small tear that had formed without her permission. "I do not know why I- told you that. Forgive me, I must look like a mess." Applejack quickly rounded her stand, joined Octavia on the ground and planted the warmest of hugs on her.

"Calm down sugarcube, it'll be okay," Applejack soothed Octavia, gently patting her back.

Octavia accepted the cozy embrace without a thought: her mind was on other things.

'What in Equestria just happened? I told a complete stranger everything?'

'Well, almost everything...' the annoying little voice in her head sneered.

A definite rumbling from Octavia's stomach ended their embrace. Octavia laughed nervously and rubbed her eyes. Applejack didn't laugh, but instead reached to her cart to procure a few apples.

"Here you go, hun," Applejack said as she handed them to Octavia. "On the house."

The starving cellist didn't need a confirmation on the price; she dug in. Applejack waited patiently and didn't seem to mind the unsophisticated way Octavia gobbled them up.

"These are delicious," she sniffled after having two.

"Thank ya kindly. Feel any better gettin' all that off yer chest?"

"Yes... thank you." The two got to their hooves, but Octavia averted Applejack's eyes. She was right embarrassed. So many unusual things had occurred in the last 24 hours, and much of it hadn't been sorted out in her head. But, Octavia felt strangely comfortable talking to this market mare and the truth just came out.

"If ya ask me..." Applejack said slowly after a pause, "you need ta tell all that ta Vinyl. Somethin' tells me you'll get the response yer lookin' fer." Octavia glanced quizzically at the orange pony as she rounded back to the vendor side of the stall. "Trust me darlin', they don't call me 'Honest Applejack' fer nuthin'," she said with a wink.

"OCTY!" Vinyl suddenly called from down the road, much to the surprise of a shaken Octavia.

"Vinyl?" Octavia desperately wiped away the remainder of her red eyed disposition.

"Filly, I was looking everywhere for you!" Vinyl approached the two ponies with worry. "I thought you were lost! Oh, hey AJ. What's happenin'?"

"Howdy, Vinyl," Applejack called. "Me and Octavia here just finished havin' a pleasant conversation."

"Oh, you met AJ?" Vinyl beamed through her purple shades to Octavia, relieved to hear 'Octy' had been in capable hooves.

"Yes, she... sold me some apples," Octavia said with a sweet smile.

"Cool, I'm actually kinda hungry too. Hey AJ, put these on my tab." Vinyl magically levitated the last of Applejack's apples. She picked one at random and started to munch.

"Yes, ma'am," Applejack complied pleasantly.

"Come on Octy," the hungry DJ spouted through bites, flinging apple chunks as she spoke. "Later, AJ!" She wobbled one leg in the air as an ineffective goodbye gesture to Applejack.

Applejack and Octavia met eyes and the country pony gave her a warm smile.

"See ya'll 'round."

Octavia returned the smile. "It has been a pleasure," she said softly and the two musicians trotted away from the apple stand.

"So Octy, you want to hang out or somethin'?" Vinyl continued, flinging tiny bits of apple.

"Honestly," Octavia started as she dodged the fruity projectiles, "must you chew like that?"

"Yep! Aw, mare these are good," Vinyl answered, slurping up her drool.

"Disgusting. You do know it is bad manners to speak while eating?"

"Duh! That's why I'm doing it!"

"...You are trying to annoy me on purpose, aren't you?"

"Yep!" Vinyl jabbed, before breaking into giggles. Octavia just rolled her eyes and cocked a grin. Why was it so fun to argue with her? "Anyway," Vinyl continued, biting into a new apple, "you maybe want to hit up a movie or something?"

"Not until you straighten up your chewing habits,"

Vinyl stopped chomping and turned to Octavia with bloated cheeks (and a tongue sticking slightly out.) She swallowed slowly and gave a sheepish grin.

"That better?"

Octavia giggled, "Much. I might consider it now."

"Oh come on! What else are you going to- Wait... " Vinyl had a realization. "You never did tell me why you came to town. Do you have time to hang out? Is there someplace you need to go? Do you need help getting there? I can probably show you the way."

"About that..." Octavia said as she glanced back at the farmpony fading into the distance.

Author's Note

BAM.

AJ has Honesty powers. o_O

And yes, waking up next to someone you didn't expect is cliché. ...but it's so much fun to write!!! XD

Chapter 6: Red (Into the Scratch Household Pt. 3)

Chapter 6: Red

(Into the Scratch Household Pt. 3)

"Ugh... Miss Vinyl... we simply must fix your living conditions if I am to stay here for any period of time," Octavia protested to Vinyl as they entered the unicorn's home.

"What!? What's wrong with how it is?" Vinyl defended her house, while simultaneously dropping her uneaten apples in some vacant corner of the room.

"Well- just look at it!" Octavia presented Vinyl with the obvious mess before them with a hoof gesture.

"Yeah... it's pretty comfy, isn't it?" Vinyl dismissed the irritated cellist.

"It is positively filthy, Miss Vinyl."

"Filthy?" Vinyl kicked a pizza box open and saw a green slice of... something. She rubbed her chin thoughtfully and squinted her eyes as she looked around through her trademark purple shades. "Nah," she decided. "Doesn't need cleaning for another three weeks, at least."

"Well, I am afraid that schedule has been changed. I am cleaning it now..." Octavia started.

"You... you can't do that," Vinyl interjected.

"...and you are helping me," Octavia finished.

"What? Nooo! Come oooon, Octy! Let's go see a movie instead!" Vinyl pouted, prancing on her hoof tips. "There's this really bad one I wanna see again, and we can like, make fun of it through the whole thing! It'll be fun! I swear you'll have a good time!"

"Hmmm. I suppose I might enjoy that." Octavia crisscrossed through the mess to the closet. The high class mare had never actually seen a film before (too busy with theatre, opera, symphonies and all that), so going to the movies seemed like an interesting idea. "But first thing's first. We are going to clean your house!" she said triumphantly, opening the closet in expectation of finding cleaning tools. There were none, of course.

"Miss Vinyl... where is your broom?"

"Um... under something?" Vinyl answered sheepishly, not actually knowing herself.

Octavia let out an exasperated sigh, "I cannot believe this..."

Vinyl began to worry. If the sophisticated Octavia got too annoyed with her, she could very well end up leaving. (That wouldn't do.) So she reluctantly gave in.

"Okay, okay," Vinyl sighed. "I'll find the broom and we can clean up." The DJ gave the cellist a far-from-happy smile.

"Wonderful!" Octavia beamed. Having the homeowner's blessing made her task much simpler. "I shall clean this area. Miss Vinyl, could you possibly clean your bedroom by yourself? I wouldn't want to intrude on your private space." It was true, she felt pretty guilty about sleeping there earlier. (Too tired at the time to care, though.)

"Yeah, okay. Sure..." Vinyl groaned. Luckily, the mare remembered some items of significant embarrassment and her face turned red. "YES! I should probably do the bedroom by myself! OH HEY! The broom might be up there too, I'll just go get it!" She galloped up the stairs before Octavia could respond.

'She is acting odd,' Octavia thought. 'Then again... that seems to be normal for her.' Promptly, she put it out of mind.

The two ponies began the cleaning process. Vinyl discovered the long lost broom, as well as buckets and wash cloths (all of which were covered with pizza grease.) Vinyl primarily stayed upstairs, but occasionally went outside to wash her clothes in a bucket. Octavia cleaned the main room and kitchen, but avoided Vinyl's musical equipment, not having a clue what was what with it. Aside from scrubbing and organizing, Octavia had the lovely task of removing all the trash from the premises, so she used her thoughts to distract herself from the... smell. However, those thoughts turned uncomfortably toward convincing herself to tell Vinyl the truth.

'It needs to be done. Miss Applejack is right; she will not mind that I had an odd reason to seek her out. I must confess as to why I came to Ponyville. I must, or else this trip will be for naught. Have confidence Octavia Melody. You have performed before thousands; you can confide in one pony.' She breathed deep with every self-encouraging thought.

"Nice, Octy! It actually looks pretty good down here!" Vinyl interrupted the cellist's inner pep talk as she came down the stairs. Octavia had just about finished removing all the garbage and had straightened up the record pile. Most of the stains had been scrubbed away as well. Vinyl absentmindedly levitated the sunglasses she was always wearing off her face to get a better look. "Way better than when I clean it by myself."

"Yes, I believe I did a bang-up job. I- oh... Celestia..." The unsuspecting Octavia had looked into Vinyl's now exposed eyes.

They were red. They were so incredibly red. Octavia had never seen such an impossible color. It was deep. It was sharp, like the color itself could cut you. It was beautiful. It pulled her in. She felt like she was falling forward. She couldn't see Vinyl's face, all she could hope to focus on were those eyes. Glowing. Burning. It was... unsettling. Unnatural, almost. It made Octavia uneasy. Her stomach suddenly churned. Her throat closed. Sweat rolled down her neck. Her head began to ache. She tried to recoil and take several steps back, but her body refused to move.

A flash of purple sealed off the flaming eyes when Vinyl put her shades back on. Octavia snapped back to her senses and fell to her flank.

"I'm sorry!" a suddenly distraught Vinyl cried. "You weren't supposed to see them! I- I didn't mean to freak you out!"

'What... just happened...?' Octavia thought in shock. She took several gasping breaths as she regained control of her own lungs.

"Look, please don't scream, okay?" Vinyl begged desperately. "I- I won't take them off again, I swear! I swear! Just- just don't run away, okay!? Please, please don't run away!"

There was something wrong with Vinyl, Octavia realized. With her eyes. Some part of her unicorn magic? A curse? Octavia knew nothing about the world of magic, being an earth pony. The only thing she knew for sure was... Vinyl was upset.

"Please don't hate me! Please don't leave!" Vinyl continued to plead through forming tears.

In that moment, time became frozen for Octavia. The stillness of the universe silenced the hundreds of thoughts that had been wreaking havoc inside her all day. All the stress and worry was gone and in one instant... a singular concept was all that appeared to her. It was all she ever needed to understand.

'She was keeping a secret too. She was afraid I would push her away. Neither one of us... wanted the other to leave. In a way, we are... the same.'

As the muted world faded and reality returned, Octavia made her decision.

"Vinyl," Octavia calmly said, but Vinyl continued to panic, spouting apologizes and begging forgiveness. "Vinyl," Octavia tried again, a little louder. Still no effect. "VINYL!" she finally shouted at her loudest. It worked: Vinyl froze and with her legs buckling, fell to her flank.

"W....what?" Vinyl croaked as tears began to trickle out from under those violet shades. The two musicians sat not too far apart, both on their rears like young fillies playing in the dirt.

Taking the advice of a certain apple farmer, Octavia gave Vinyl the warmest of smiles and confessed.

"I saw you perform yesterday."

"...What?" Vinyl rubbed her face. "You did?"

"Mmmhmm," Octavia nodded, still smiling brightly. "And I loved it."

"R-really?" Vinyl responded, beginning to calm down.

"Yes, Vinyl. In fact I came to Ponyville... specifically to find you. You see, I hoped we could talk about music together, and... well, become friends, to be perfectly honest."

"You... came after me? You wanted to be friends?" Vinyl asked, scooting towards Octavia.

"That is correct, Vinyl. I hope you do not find that odd," Octavia said, glancing away for a moment. "I hope you do not find me odd."

"No! No, that's not weird! You're not weird," Vinyl defended, getting closer.

"Good. I was beginning to think I was," Octavia giggled a little. "We can be friends then?" The two ponies now sat across from each other.

"Of course! I... kinda thought we already were..." Vinyl scratched the back of her neck sheepishly.

'She accepts me. I shall accept her.' Octavia thought. "Well, Vinyl my friend, may I please see your eyes again?" she asked sweetly.

"What!? No! Octavia, my eyes- they freak ponies out for some reason. They even make me sick when I see them in the mirror." Vinyl curled up. "Almost everypony who's seen my eyes screamed, or ran away, or ..." Vinyl trailed off, trying to forget something.

"Your eyes are powerful, Vinyl. I have seen that. I do not know why, but they are. However, they are also beautiful. They are your eyes, and I wish to see them again." The cellist's voice was soothing and Vinyl couldn't help but hang on every word.

"You... do?" Vinyl sniffled.

"Yes. What is wrong with wanting to see your friend's eyes? I will not be frightened. I promise." Octavia waited for Vinyl to remove the sunglasses herself, but the unicorn didn't make any moves. Taking the initiative, Octavia slowly reached over. She lightly brushed Vinyl's cheek before taking the glasses. The DJ didn't resist, but kept her eyes shut tight as her protective shades floated away. "Vinyl... please..." Octavia started.

"Okay! ...okay..." Vinyl blurted. The reluctant unicorn took a deep breath and, upon releasing it, opened her eyes.

From Octavia's perspective, Vinyl, and everything around her, simply faded away and was replaced by those eyes. Those monstrously red eyes. They were reality. They were the universe now. They pulled at Octavia with a force she couldn't comprehend. Nopony could possibly comprehend this. A monstrous wind blew in reverse, sucking her very being towards those eyes, though her body never moved an inch. They were beautiful... and it hurt. But she wasn't scared of them. Not anymore. She couldn't be; the face they were attached to belonged to her friend. A friend she desperately wanted to be with. A friend who was more worried than Octavia could ever imagine.

The two stared into each other's eyes for the longest time. Neither spoke a word. Octavia was determined to beat this, somehow. She had to. Even when her stomach began to heave, she commanded it to stop. Even when her throat threatened to close, she forced it open. Even when her head split and the pain became unbearable, she continued. The seconds passed like hours, days, eternities... but Octavia stood her ground.

In the end... she prevailed.

Slowly but surely, the pulling subsided, her body began to feel relief and to Octavia, Vinyl reappeared. The cellist heaved a heavy sigh of relief. Her pain ended and the world around her became clear. Had it worn off? Did she adjust to it somehow? She didn't know, nor did she care. All that mattered is she could now see her friend... An extremely worried looking friend. A friend with gorgeous red eyes.

"Octavia... are you okay?" Vinyl whimpered, seeing her friend finally move.

Although she was sore and aching, Octavia just gave a smile and said with a raspy voice, "Yes, I am quite alright. As I told you earlier, Vinyl, you have beautiful eyes."

Vinyl couldn't hold back the tears that swelled up. It was simply too much. A mountain of painful memories had just been beaten down in that moment and one very pleasant thought remained.

She grabbed Octavia and kissed her.

(Oh, my!)

So there Octavia was, sitting in a house far from her home in Canterlot, kissing a mare she didn't know existed nearly a day ago. It was absolutely absurd, but she accepted it.

(Just briefly.)

Their wonderful embrace didn't last long. After a moment both ponies realized what was happening and they separated in shock.

"Oh my Celestia! I'm sorry, Octavia!" Vinyl pleaded, blushing madly. "I didn't mean to! I'm just- really, really happy someone could stand to look at me, and- and- and I just lost it!"

"Oh, that is... quite alright," Octavia replied, beet red. She cleared her throat. "It is understandable."

"...You're not mad at me... are you?" Vinyl asked sheepishly. "We're... still friends right?"

"After everything I just went through, we had better be," Octavia giggled. Vinyl soon joined her.

'Wasn't that nice?' a nasty little voice in Octavia's head commented.

'Now is not the time, you,' she told it.

-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~ :heart: ~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-

"Are you absolutely certain you do not mind me sleeping here, Vinyl?" Octavia asked, already wrapped up in the blanket on Vinyl's bed.

"Of course I don't mind! I would never make you sleep on that couch! ...And I don't really want to sleep on it either," Vinyl confessed from the other side of the bed. The two ponies giggled in the darkness, both blushing ridiculously.

"Do not forget, you promised to teach me about those songs you played sometime tomorrow. You will remember, will you not?" Octavia asked, looking into her friend's eyes, completely unaffected by their strange power.

"I won't forget, Octavia. Promise," Vinyl replied, looking straight back into hers.

"Oh! You... stopped calling me Octy?" Octavia finally noticed.

"Well, you didn't look like you liked it..." Vinyl admitted. (It was true, she didn't like it.) "And you stopped calling me 'Miss Vinyl,' didn't you?"

Octavia thought for moment.

"I suppose I did."

Author's Note

OH SNAP! What was that all about!?

And yes, I know Vinyl's canon eye color is purple, not red. But they're red in Vinyl and Octavia: University Days which I highly respect, so I decided from the get go they'd be red in this.

But you know...I could let the story end here and be satisfied...

..... BUT HELL NO I'M WRITING AN EPIC. WE JUST GETTING STARTED IN HERE.

Chapter 7: The Music That Moved Her

It was the second time in her life Octavia woke up next to a snoring pony, and it wouldn't be the last at the rate things were going. However, this time she didn't flinch and run away, but instead just smiled and giggled to herself. It was like a sleep-over, and she had never participated in one before. Her school filly days were filled with acquaintances her age, but they never associated outside of class. It was uptown Canterlot, after all, and a slumber party would be unheard of. In her adult life, the friends Octavia made in the ensemble certainly didn't enjoy that brand of fun either. They had plentiful tea parties, visited art galleries and theatre performances and other such (super fancy) activities, but the way Octavia spent time with her Canterlot friends was fundamentally different than what she had experienced with Vinyl so far. Beauty Brass and the others seemed to simply... want to be in each other's company. Just having another pony there was plentiful enjoyment enough. It been enough for Octavia as well; her only relationships in Canterlot had been of mutual respect and relative silence.

Being with Vinyl was different. Completely, totally different. Vinyl had to engage. Small talk wasn't near enough for her: she would tell you her opinion and if you didn't agree, she would demand to know why. If there was silence, she would be the one to break it. If you mentioned something boring, she would dismiss it and talk about something exciting. If there was anything she wanted to do, she would make you join her, and wouldn't take "no" for an answer.

And she would constantly have that radical smile.

Contemplating on all this, Octavia rose from Vinyl's bed. The thought of her Canterlot friends and her home made her a little uneasy. She hadn't been gone long, but she still missed them. The letter she sent yesterday morning would probably arrive at Frederick's door that day. It simply stated she would be leaving town for a (possibly) extended period of time. Octavia wasn't sure what would happen when she came to Ponyville, or how long this... whatever she had with Vinyl, would last.

What did she have with Vinyl? She briefly thought of the kiss she received last night, but shook it off with haste.

'I am sorry brain, but I am simply not going to engage in frivolous arguments with you. Vinyl and I are going to spend today talking about music, and that is all that is going to occur. Have I made myself clear?'

Her thoughts didn't respond. (I'm beginning to think Octavia is a bit crazy.)

Satisfied, the cellist descended to the main room and beamed at the cleanliness of it all. The house simply sparkled and reflected the hard work she put into fixing it up. Although the kitchen had been cleaned as well, it was still frighteningly empty. Without any food in the house, Octavia feared Vinyl would resort to eating pizza every day again... and she'd probably make her join in. The thought of that much grease made the cellist sick, and encouraged her to go shopping.

And that she did! After ensuring she had plentiful bits, she took an outing to the market street (still the only place she knew the location of.) The market was just as busy as it was yesterday, even in the morning. There were stalls for just about everything a pony could ask for, and shoppers traveled between them buying goods. Octavia utilized her finely tuned pony-avoiding skills she learned at the wedding to make her way through the masses of small town residents. She quite easily found everything needed to stock a respectable kitchen: ice for the icebox, pots and pans, eating utensils, plates, milk, cooking necessities, and enough food for a week or so. Although she had several conversations with the friendly Ponyville vendors (none of which were interesting enough to repeat), she didn't sight Applejack anywhere in the market. There was an apple stand that looked identical to the one she manned yesterday, but a large soft-spoken red stallion was watching it instead.

Her mission a success, Octavia returned to Vinyl's house and unpacked. Stomach growling, she began to make a suitable breakfast. Soon a heavenly aroma rose from the kitchen and made its way to the second floor. Shortly thereafter, a messy-haired Vinyl Scratch tumbled down the stairs (literally.)

"Octavia, you making food!?" Vinyl said hungrily as she came into the kitchen, rubbing the bump on her head.

"Yes, well... Your original intention was for me to prepare your meals during my visit, was it not?" Octavia replied, remembering the train trip. After a quick glance, she noticed that Vinyl had put her purple shades on.

"That's not the only reason I wanted you here..." Vinyl admitted, blushing a little.

"Oh, is that so? It certainly seemed to be the deciding factor, and I must say I do not mind at all. ...But Vinyl... you can take those glasses off. It will not bother me, and I simply do not understand how you can see at all with them on," Octavia spoke definitively as she continued her cooking.

"You, uh... get used to it," Vinyl said, sheepishly taking them off. "You're sure it's okay? That you're okay?"

Octavia took a quick look at Vinyl's vibrant eyes before smiling and shrugging it off, "It appears so." This seemed to relax the DJ quite a bit. She bounded over to the stove to look at Octavia's fixings.

"Aw, nice! Flapjacks! Haven't had these in forever!" Vinyl's eyes gleamed with joy.

"Flap-whats? I am making hotcakes, Vinyl," the cello player pointed out. (They were both wrong. They're called pancakes.) "I have an assortment of fruits to put in the batter and cream to put on top."

"Huh? I don't need all that fancy junk in it, Octavia. Just gimmie plain ol' flapjacks! And throw some butter and syrup on 'em while you're at it." (...they're not flapjacks. They're called pancakes.)

"Was that a command I just heard come from your mouth?" Octavia asked shrewdly.

"Nah, of course not! I'm just askin' politely," Vinyl wrapped her hoof around Octavia giving her a side hug. "Please, friend?"

"Oh alright..." Octavia admitted defeat with that double combo of a hug and the 'friend' line. "I will make your... 'flapper-jacks' plain." (Pancakes! They're called pancakes! Get it right, you two!)

"Sweet!" Vinyl celebrated her victory.

Not too much later, Octavia finished the cooking. "Um, Vinyl... where should we eat?" she asked as there was no table for them to sit at. In fact there was only one piece of furniture in the house besides the bed.

"On the couch, duh," Vinyl replied, as if it couldn't be more obvious.

"Lovely..." Octavia mumbled as she settled onto the old worn out couch with her pancakes. It was more comfortable than she expected, and definitely had the support. She must have made a noise as she came to that realization, because Vinyl responded.

"Nice, isn't it?" The unicorn grinned like someone had given her an award. "Good for sitting, not for sleeping." Using her magic, she picked up several records from the (now neatly organized) stacks across the room. She brought them over and began to look them over.

"Oh, are you going to play music?" Octavia asked excitedly. It was honestly what she had been waiting for.

"Yep. I always have something on when I'm not working." The DJ picked out a record and hovered it over to her sound system.

"You... work from home?"

"Well, sorta... sometimes," Vinyl set the record down and moved the needle into place. With a glorious burst of energy from her horn, the machine activated and lo and behold, music began to play.

"Your large phonograph runs on magic?" Octavia asked, astounded at the ingenious invention.

"Yeah, these systems are kind of a 'unicorns-only' thing. Same with my keyboard," Vinyl explained as she bit into her breakfast.

Before Octavia could inquire further, a very soothing guitar melody filled the room, and a mare with a beautiful voice started to sing. The words she formed spoke of her love, the pony of her affections. She was meant for this pony, and she knew it from the first moment she saw their face. Each note she hit perfectly complimented the musical accompaniment. Soft, but steady percussion began as the mare began to recite idioms about love and how they were wonderfully true. The chorus began as another mare joined in the singing, both confident in the power of love to get you through any hardships. (It was a pretty darn beautiful song. Too bad you only get to- *cough* err... uh... Nevermind.)

The song was enthralling and just as wonderful as Octavia remembered. She closed her eyes and swayed her head to the beat. The rhythmic drumming kept tempo, as the words and melodies spoke to her softly and simply. It wasn't a grand and lengthy masterpiece like Octavia was used to. Like what she had performed for years. It didn't need to be: it was good without being overly ambitious. It still resonated with the heart, and it felt warm, comfortable, and wonderful. Octavia felt like she could fall asleep right then and there, and let the song be the soundtrack to her dreams.

"Oh, my. This is a lovely song," Octavia said after a minute or two. "You played this one at the wedding."

"Uh-huh. Yeah, it's pretty sweet," Vinyl mumbled through her pancake filled mouth. "Your food's getting cold."

"What genre is this? Who is this artist?" Octavia asked excitedly, eyes glimmering with pure enthusiasm.

"Uh, it's pop, of course? And it's Tegantail and Saramane. They're these twin sisters who play music together, but the unusual thing is they're both into mares, so they're-" Vinyl stopped and her eyes widened. Their situation as two musician mares who barely knew each other sitting together listening to song about love at first sight by a pair of gay musician mares must have appeared awfully suspicious, especially after that accidental kiss. (Real smooth, Vinyl.)

Luckily for her, Octavia's mind was on something else for a change. "What is 'pop?' How did it originate?" she asked.

"Huh?" Vinyl blushed, a little stunned Octavia didn't start throwing accusations at her. "Oh, it's- wait, you don't know what pop is!?"

"No, I do not!" Octavia squealed happily.

"It's 'popular' music, Octavia! It's what most ponies listen to!" Vinyl explained, understandably upset that her friend didn't know this very basic music fact.

"Oh, that is so fascinating!" Octavia clapped her hooves excitedly.

"What in the world of Equestria have you been listening to your whole life?" Vinyl asked as she watched Octavia finally take the first dainty bite of her pancake. The cellist chewed slowly and dabbed her lips with a napkin before responding in a cheerful, but rather sophisticated manner.

"Canterlot is home to a wide variety of orchestral musical ensembles, and I am confident to say I have been in attendance to at least one performance of each. I have also been witness to every opera or musical that has been performed in Canterlot. When I am not attending such performances, I enjoy listening to the classical works of Beehoofen, Clop-pan, Hay-den, or my absolute favorite: Timberwolfgang Amadeus Mozart." Octavia beamed with confidence that her musical tastes were impressive.

"Oh my Celestia... I have a hay of a lot to teach you..." Vinyl said, stunned beyond all belief.

"Precisely! I cannot wait," Octavia wiggled with excitement and took another bite. The song finished and another started while Octavia was busy chewing. Panicked, she struggled to swallow as fast as she could and even forgot the napkin when she was done. "Vinyl, may we listen to that song again, please?" she asked quickly.

"Huh? Why? This next song's good too," Vinyl said dismissively.

"I did not get to hear all of that song though, and I really quite enjoyed it," Octavia pouted. (So unladylike.)

"Yeah, but you'll enjoy this one too. We can go back later."

"But, because of our conversation, I missed much of the message of the song, and couldn't appreciate the craftsmanship of the music," Octavia thoroughly explained.

"Um. No, it's okay," Vinyl proclaimed, finishing off her pancake. "Just let the music run in the background. Don't think about it."

"My apologies, but I would like to hear that song once more, Miss Vinyl," Octavia stated coldly.

"Well, I want to move on, Octy. And I control the magic," Vinyl pointed to her horn, smugly.

"I am your guest, and I feel you are being a bit stubborn and inhospitable," the cellist complained, starting to feel irritated.

"Filly, this is my house and these are my rules and ain't no pony gonna tell this DJ what song to play! That's my job!" Vinyl raised her voice, her short fuse now blown. Octavia quickly matched her in volume.

"Well I would imagine a disc jockey of any sort of caliber would consider the requests of her audience, lest they be spat out and replaced as any useless piece of refuse would!" Octavia had gone on the offensive with those insults.

"Oh! So you want to see some spitting, huh!? I'll show you some spitting if you want, Octy!" Vinyl got to her hooves and the glow from her horn intensified with her anger.

"Miss Vinyl, please! I would like- to- see- you- try!" Octavia followed suit and rose to a standing position.

"Fine then! Here's what I think of your prissy high class food!" Vinyl then proceeded to hock a nasty spit wad directly at Octavia's plate, landing directly on her unfinished fruity and whipped cream covered pancake. (Holy crap, things just hit the fan.)

"WHAT IN EQUESTRIA DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING!?" Octavia screamed. "I have never, in all my years, seen such disgraceful, disrespectful, disgusting behavior! After all I did for you, how dare you treat me this way!?"

"Don't think you didn't buckin' deserve it! You came into MY LIFE and came into MY HOUSE like you owned the buckin' place and told ME WHAT TO DO!!!"

"Oh, so THAT'S how you TRULY FEEL, is it?" Octavia accused, hurt.

"MAYBE IT IS!!!" Vinyl's horn grew dangerously bright.

"Well I wouldn't HAVE to fix EVERY LITTLE MESS if you hadn't MADE THEM IN THE FIRST PLACE!!! If I was your mother, I would have taught you HOW TO LIVE YOUR LIFE WITH AT LEAST ONE SHRED OF DECENCY!!!"

"IF YOU WERE MY MOTHER, AT LEAST I'D FINALLY HAVE A BUCKIN' MOTHER!!!" With that, Vinyl's magic peaked, and with a tremendous crash, the music player exploded, shattering the record and utterly destroying the speakers. Both ponies instinctively ducked at the noise, and the shrapnel scarcely missed them both. After the initial shock was over, they looked to see what had happened.

"No... no... no no no no no!" Vinyl rushed over to the chaotic and smoky mess. The explosion had taken out her keyboard as well and the whole back side of the room was charred. She frantically tried to do something... anything. But to no avail. It was in ruins.

"Vinyl, I- I-" Octavia was at a loss for words, though her heartbeat still had plenty to say. The anger in her dissipated almost as quickly as it had risen due to the shockwave and the sight of so much destruction. And she had already begun to cry moments ago, so there was no need to form new tears.

'Oh my Celestia, what just happened? How could I let a petty argument turn so vile? How could I get so angry? Enough to make Vinyl do this?'

"Vinyl," she began again, "I didn't-"

"JUST GET OUT!!!" Vinyl screeched, through tears. "JUST LEAVE LIKE EVERYPONY ELSE!!!"

It was what Octavia wanted to do anyway. Run away. And she did.

She ran out that door and into the town she didn't know, away from the pony she wished she did.

Author's Note

OH WOW. What have I done!?

~~And bad news kids: my drawRing tablet is erm broken. I'm hoping my brother can solder the problem and fix it, but he won't be in town until next weekend so... no bonus pictures until I get it fixed... or replaced... ugh I hope not.~~

some notes:

Last time I use that joke, I swear! You know the one I'm talking about.

Tegan and Sara are a real musical sister duo (who are also both lesbians, how cool is that?) And their newest album Heartthrob is fantastic. The song I was referencing was "Love They Say" (one of my favorite songs of all time.) I would have used the actual lyrics to convey the message better, but then I'd be breaking the law and have to write Chapter 9 from a jail cell. :(

Yeah, so "Clop-pan" is a horse-pun of Chopin (pronounced sho-pan). I was first just going to change the "Chop" to "clop", but then it'd say "Clopin" and well, you know...

~~Edit: Ah, yes... the pancake/crepe chapter! Rage against me! I want to hear your tormented cries of agony about the difference between pancakes and crepes in the comments! In a pony world where they stick carrots in hot dog buns, I will feast on your articulate complaints with glee!!! #evilauthor~~ I have failed as an evil author and have removed the word crepe from this chapter. :'(

Chapter 8: Laughter

Vinyl Scratch sat alone in that room, staring blankly at the remains of her most prized possession. She continuously knocked away a piece of charred metal that refused to leave and came rolling back. The slight "thunk" it made was the only noise in the house.

An unbearable amount of time passed before the DJ moved her head at all. She finally turned slightly; her eye caught a neatly stacked pile of unopened suitcases. After several moments of hesitation, she magically levitated one over. Not caring what she was doing, Vinyl opened the case and slowly began to sort through the objects. The first noteworthy item she found inside was a picture. The carefully carved wood frame held a glass shielded photograph of Octavia. She stood gracefully beside a blue coated mare, and the both of them were between two stallions, one brown, the other dark purple. They had an air of sophistication and wore matching ties. The group of ponies were all smiling ever so slightly, like they didn't mean it or couldn't be bothered to try harder.

Vinyl stared at Octavia for a lengthy period of time.

'It doesn't matter,' Vinyl told herself. 'It wasn't going to be real anyway...' She squeezed a peculiar old top hat tightly. 'It was stupid of me to think it could be different this time.'

Vinyl curled up in a ball and her dry eyes began to wet again. Her horn magically surged and deliberately cracked the glass of the photograph. The jagged lines covered the faces of all the ponies, except for one.

The gray coated mare with the flowing black mane still stared blankly forward.

-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~ :heart: ~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-

Ponyville Park was a cheerful place that day, if you didn't notice the pony crying under a tree. Octavia Melody was curled up, her face securely planted in between her forelegs as if she could shield herself from the world. Her bottom lip trembled as she bit it fiercely, nearly breaking the skin. A river of tears fell from one eye to the next, down her cheek, to the grass. The past two days had been a rollercoaster of unfamiliar emotions for Octavia, and this was most definitively the lowest point in the ride so far. Unable to help herself, she replayed the fight over and over in her mind.

'How could I let a simple argument escalate so quickly?' Octavia thought. It had been that way on the train as well. When the two musicians disagreed, their stubbornness wouldn't allow either to budge. It was the stubbornness of two ponies who had always gotten their way, even if it was for two very different reasons. The result had been disastrous this time. 'I should not have called her garbage. I should have just given in and let her have her way. It is far too late now. She hates me. I have tarnished the most intimate friendship I have ever been a part of... I should have never come to Ponyville.'

Octavia raised her head and sniffled, "I want to go home." Her voice was soft and pitiful like a little lost filly.

"Go home!? Why in the world would you want to go home, when you can come with me to SUGARCUBE CORNER!?" A jittery pink pony with a ridiculously frizzy mane jumped in front of Octavia and began to bounce about. "It's just about the bestest place to be in all of Ponyville! It's got cakes, and ice creams, and candies and *GASP* I bet Mrs. Cake baked some raspberry rainbow chocolate muffins this morning! She always bakes raspberry rainbow chocolate muffins on Tuesdays! And you know what today is!? It's Tuesday!" The pony finished with her proclamation and stood on her hooftips, stretching her neck to get as close to Octavia's face as possible. With a *squee* she radiated the most cheerful smile in all of creation and her eyes sparkled with the purity of a thousand fillies and colts on Hearth's Warming Eve.

Octavia had watched the performance with surprise, but shook it off. She rose to her hooves and wiped her eyes.

"I am sorry," Octavia said to the pony with a sniffle, "but I simply do not have time to listen to your advertisements, I- I have to catch a train..." With that she trotted away, sure the confrontation was over. (It wasn't.)

"*Gasp*! You can't leave now!" The pink pony bolted with ungodly speed to block Octavia from moving any further, effectively stopping her in her tracks. "Just this morning Applejack told me there was a pony from Canterlot in town that I never met before! And if I never met her before, then she hadn't been welcomed to Ponyville yet!"

"You- know Applejack-?" Octavia tried to interject, but was drowned out.

"And if she hadn't been welcomed to Ponyville yet," the pink pony continued, "then she must not know how great Ponyville is and she might not even know about Sugarcube Corner! And I couldn't stand for that, no-sir-ee bob! But then Applejack said she was staying with Vinyl, so I went to Vinyl's house to see if she was there, but then I realized 'HEY!', maybe since she knows Vinyl, she already knows about Sugarcube Corner and if she knows about Sugarcube Corner, then that's where she'd probably be!"

Octavia couldn't get a word in edgewise as the ravenous pony advanced, forcing her to back up slowly to avoid being consumed by the excitement.

"But she wasn't at Sugarcube Corner, and if she wasn't at Vinyl's or Sugarcube Corner, then there was only one place she'd be! At the park! And so I came to the park to find her. And you're her! And here you are! I found you! So I can finally finally finally give you your welcome to Ponyville!" The pink pony leapt into the air doing multiple back-flips and landed several yards back in an explosion of confetti and balloons. "WELCOME TO PONYVILLE OCTAVIA!!!" she shouted to the heavens while wiggling her arms.

Awestruck and dumbfounded, Octavia's jaw hit the floor. (Figuratively.) Of all the strange things that had happened since the wedding, this was... The most. Absolutely. Ridiculous. But there was something about this pony that nudged a memory at the back of Octavia's mind. A memory long sealed away.

"I- I- do not know what to say," Octavia blurted out. (It was true.)

"Duh! You don't have to say anything, just follow me to Sugarcube Corner where there's a great big party waiting for you!" The pony stretched over to Octavia and grabbed a foreleg. She bolted into town faster than any pony would think was possible, dragging the extremely bewildered cellist from Canterlot behind her.

The doors to Sugarcube Corner burst open and the cheers of party ponies and confetti flooded out. "SURPRISE!" the pink pony exclaimed, presenting the party to Octavia. "Well, it's not really a surprise party since I told you about it, but still: it's a party JUST FOR YOU!!!" The pony pulled Octavia inside and set her down at a table, and with incredible speed produced a piece of cake in front of her, descended from the ceiling (somehow) to put a party hat on her, and then appeared by her side to blow a party horn under her nose, causing a sneeze. "Great party, huh?"

Octavia assessed her situation, her mind far from thinking about Vinyl anymore. She had been captured by a bizarre pony who trapped her in a candy dungeon filled with her sinister minions. (Wait, that wasn't right.) This was no entrapment; it was a party. Octavia looked around and discovered it was very different than Canterlot social gatherings, but it was a party nonetheless. There were bright and festive decorations, plenty of sweet and tasty entrées, dance music and a large crowd of party goers. Only a couple ponies were even looking her way, most were too caught up in their own conversations or dancing to even notice the stunned (and frankly out of place) mare. But it was all for her, as the pink pony said. A large banner, hastily painted, read "Welcome to Ponyville, Octavia!"

"Well this is... wonderful, but why in Equestria would you do all this for me?" Octavia asked flabbergasted. "We have never been introduced. You have never even seen me before." Just as she said that last line, that bothersome memory in the back of her mind kicked at her. She couldn't quite place it, however.

"Because I'm Pinkie Pie, and Pinkie Pie loves to make her friends happy and what better way to make your friends happy then with a party!!!" A chorus of happy cheers and party horns from the party guests erupted in approval of Pinkie's declaration. This pony certainly had quite... a following. Pinkie bolted up to Octavia. "Have you tried the cake yet? It's super dooper delicious!" She then proceeded to snap up the entire cake slice that she had put down for Octavia with her mouth, leaving a blob of icing stuck to her nose that she didn't notice. "Mmmm! Tasty!" she mumbled through chewing. After swallowing, Pinkie gasped at what she had done, then dashed off and returned with another slice of cake for Octavia. "Oops! Sorry! It's just really really good! I couldn't resist!" The pink pony nervously tapped her hooves together. "You're not mad are you?"

"...No... No, it is fine, Miss... Pinkie Pie, was it?" Octavia responded, a smile began to creep onto her lips. That memory kicked a little harder. What was it about that name? What was it about this pony?

"Phew!" Pinkie wiped her brow with relief. "For a second there I thought I ruined everything!" She returned to her cheerful demeanor and smiled brightly at the cellist, icing blob still hanging off her nose. Immediately afterward, Pinkie began to shiver and sweat as her eyes darted back and forth between Octavia and the replacement cake slice. "You gonna eat that?" the party pony asked, pointing sheepishly at the heavenly slice.

Octavia couldn't contain it anymore. She let loose an unladylike laugh, snorted and covered her mouth to hold back the next one. How ridiculous this pony was! Thankfully, Pinkie Pie finished the laughing for her.

"Hahaheeheehee!!! *snort*" Pinkie Pie fell on her back kicking her legs in the air when she realized Octavia was finally having a good time. "Ooooh!" she straightened up and bounced back to her hooves at a change in the music. "Ooh, I love this song! Come on everypony! Let's do the Pony Pokey!"

"Pony Pokey..." Octavia mumbled, wiping away a joyful tear.

'Pony Pokey... Pony... Pokey... Pony Pokey, PONY POKEY!!!' (That memory she couldn't remember? Yeah, she remembered it.)

"YOU!!!" Octavia shouted. Her outburst was so loud it put an end to every conversation in the room and the record player scratched silent. After a couple gasps, all eyes were on her. Octavia marched angrily on Pinkie Pie who backed up in confusion. "I KNOW YOU!!! YOU were at the Grand Galloping Gala last year! YOU ruined my ensemble's performance! YOU made us play that ridiculous Pony Pokey! YOU knocked my cello down and nearly broke it! YOU and your friends ruined the Gala, destroyed the ballroom, and nearly had everypony trampled by woodland creatures! It was absolutely the worst night of my life and it was ALL YOUR FAULT!!!" Octavia had now pinned Pinkie Pie up against a wall and the pink pony shivered defensively on the ground.

"Um... So... you'd rather play Pin the Tail on the Pony then?" Pinkie asked sheepishly holding up the pin and tail.

"UGH!" Octavia just shook her head and began to storm out. "I am going home, I have had enough of the ponies in this town!"

"Wait! Don't go!" Pinkie Pie bolted in front of her and got to her knees begging, "I'm so sorry about the Gala! I really really am!" Octavia just walked past her. Pinkie grabbed the cellist's tail, but Octavia just pressed on, dragging Pinkie along behind. "I didn't mean to hurt anypony, I promise! I'm really really really really sorry! Can you ever forgive me?"

Octavia glanced once at the incredibly cute puppy dog eyes and pouty lip Pinkie was giving her, but just rolled her own eyes and continued on.

"Absolutely not," Octavia stated coldly. Before she could reach the door however, a familiar farm pony trotted through it.

"Woah, Nelly! It's as quiet as a barn mouse in here!" Applejack looked around at all the silent ponies in the store. "Thought you were throwing a party, Pinkie?"

"Applejack..." Octavia said softly, relieved to see a friendly (and level-headed) face.

"Oh, Applejack! Thank goodness you're here!" Pinkie exclaimed as she dashed over to Applejack, got on her knees (again), and started begging (again.) "Octavia was looking really super sad so I threw this wonderific party to cheer her up, and it was about to work but then she got all mad at me for messing up the Gala and I tried apologizing but she won't forgive me and I tried really hard to make her happy and now she doesn't want to be my friend anymore!" Pinkie's eyes swelled with legitimate tears.

"Uh... what now?" Applejack asked, not catching all that. She looked up at Octavia who appeared rather frustrated with the pink pony for intercepting her chance to talk to the one pony in this town she hadn't had a fight with. Applejack sighed, "Alright, just... let me talk to her, okay Pinkie?"

"Okie... *sniff* dokie lokie..." Pinkie whimpered from the floor.

Applejack walked over to Octavia who avoided looking at her out of some sort of shame. The farm pony got beside her and put one arm around the cellist.

"You okay, sugarcube? Did sumthin' happen?" Applejack asked softly, almost whispering.

"Well... yes..." Octavia replied, equally as quiet. She only looked down at the floor. Seeing Applejack made her remember what she had forgotten. The memories of Vinyl's distraught, the anger between them, the destruction. "I... got into a fight..."

"You did? With Pinkie?" Applejack inquired.

"No, it was... with Vinyl..."

"Was it over what we talked about?" Applejack asked with worry.

"No... no it was after that... It was over something... absolutely stupid..." Octavia finally turned, with eyes starting to tear up, to the orange mare. She only saw Applejack's concerned face for a brief moment before a large wad of cake came crashing up against it. The farm pony fell to the floor from the impact and Octavia backed up instinctively.

"Consarn it, Pinkie! Now is not the time!" Applejack yelled from the floor, wiping off as much of the delectable mush as she could. Pinkie stayed sinisterly silent, though the room was filled with gasps once again. Octavia watched as Applejack got to her hooves just in time for Pinkie to launch another plate of cake, directly hitting AJ's face. Pinkie Pie had apparently come to the conclusion that she would ~~cake batter~~ take matters into her own hooves. Applejack shook the mess off. "Okay, Pinkie... you asked fer it... and you can bet yer bottom bits I will oblige!" Applejack reached over to the closest plate of food she could find and, with her teeth, hurled it at Pinkie Pie. The pink mare couldn't dodge it in time and the collision knocked her out of Sugarcube Corner into the street.

After a moment, Pinkie appeared in the window with a pie and launched it inside at Applejack. The farm mare saw it coming and with athletic ease, avoided it. The two began to hurl food at each other, faster and faster. However, one particularly funny collision knocked AJ to her flank, and Pinkie finally broke her silence. She snorted out a burst of laughter.

"*SNORT* HAHAHAHEEHEEHEEHAHA!!!" she wiggled her hooves through the window at the fallen pony.

"Hoo-boy! Yer in fer it now, Pinkie!" Applejack grinned as she pulled out a lasso and tossed it to a large intact cake, securing it in its entirety. With a quick whip, and a "YEE-HAW!", she slung the cake at Pinkie and it collided splendidly into the pink pony. All the party guests in the room watched with awe, unsure what to do. As for Octavia... she watched too.

Her eyes darted back and forth, following the edible projectiles. Each splat of food made the corners of her lips creep upwards just a tiny bit until... she was smiling. Octavia didn't know what came over her, she couldn't explain it... but it happened. All those horrible thoughts, her anger, her sadness, her guilt. All that unpleasantness was shoved aside for an instant as she grabbed some cake and tossed it.... at Applejack.

It hit the unsuspecting farm pony square on the side of her head.

"What in tarnation!?" Applejack and all the ponies in the shop turned in surprise to Octavia, who wore the most ridiculous grin on her face. Octavia, the sophisticated Canterlot cellist, started to giggle and she started to laugh.

Pinkie Pie followed suit, laughing like a maniac at the scene inside. Until, that is, she got hit by Octavia's cake missile too. This time Applejack joined Octavia in laughter. Several other ponies around the store all began to crack smiles and some even started to chuckle as well.

Pinkie Pie jumped inside, wiped off some cake, and shouted, "Come on everypony! Food fight!"

It was chaos. It was joyous chaos. There was a chorus of shouting and laughing as ponies all wastefully hurled cake and cookies and candy and punch and anything they could find at each other. Defending herself from attack, Octavia jumped behind a fallen table, laughing. To her surprise, Applejack was already crouched there waiting for her. She casually shoved a pie right into the Octavia's face. After a moment's pause the two burst into chuckles.

"Aha!" Pinkie Pie peeked over their table shield menacingly. "Found you!" Before she could launch an attack at the two ponies, a rapid barrage of food hit her from behind, knocking her over the table to land on her back between Applejack and Octavia. All three burst into laughter as projectiles soared through the air above them. Octavia had to hold her sides they hurt so much.

"I really am sorry about the Gala," Pinkie said suddenly. She anxiously grinned up at Octavia. "Can you forgive me?"

The cellist looked down at the sincere pony and pondered it for a moment. She proceeded to take the pie that had struck her face, and plopped it straight down on Pinkie Pie.

"Yes," Octavia giggled, "I suppose I can."

-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~ :heart: ~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-

Octavia slowly pushed open the door. The creaking it made alerted the white unicorn inside to her presence.

"Octavia..." Vinyl croaked after seeing her friend in the doorway. "Why are you-? ...You... should've just gone home!" After standing up and wiping her face, Vinyl got a good look at Octavia, who was dreadfully soaked from head to hoof in punch and covered in cake and pie blobs. "What the-!?"

Octavia just chuckled and took a wad of cake and smashed it into her own face.

"Tah-dah," Octavia said as she grinned sheepishly.

Vinyl stared for a moment then, despite herself, snorted out a laugh. "What in the world are you doing?"

Seizing the opportunity, Octavia pulled out the pie she had been concealing. Smiling sinisterly, she readied it to fire.

"Wait... what are you doing!?" Vinyl exclaimed. It was too late, the pie had been launched and into the DJ's face it went. Octavia burst into laughter at the sight of the pie covered unicorn.

"That's it. Now you're gonna get it," Vinyl stated coldly as she magically removed the pie, and returned fire. Octavia had learned some dodging techniques so she avoided it, but she couldn't avoid Vinyl jumping at her. The two collided and did a few rolls before stopping with Vinyl successfully pinning Octavia down. Vinyl was furious and Octavia was shocked at her friend's aggression, but she didn't falter. She wiped off some of her cake and placed it on Vinyl's nose.

"Boop," Octavia said as she did, proceeding to chuckle. After looking at the cake wad (with crossed eyes), Vinyl couldn't help herself: she began to bust a gut. She belted out laughs and, with great relief, the dark thoughts she had endured up to that moment faded from her mind. Octavia joined her and the two laughed together there on the cake smeared floor. It was though the conflict between them never existed in the first place, and they just had the greatest day of their lives. For a while it seemed like laughing would be all they'd ever do, but finally Octavia leaned up and embraced her friend.

"I am so sorry," Octavia said, squeezing tightly with her sticky hooves. "I said such horrible things to you. I did not mean a single word of it. And I am so terribly, terribly sorry about your equipment. If I had not been so stubborn you would not have lost it."

Vinyl blushed brightly and returned the hug; she closed her eyes, squeezed tight and murmured, "Yeah, well... I spit in your food..."

Octavia snorted and laughed a little before responding, "You're supposed to apologize as well, Vinyl."

Vinyl pulled them apart to look into Octavia's eyes. "No! What I mean is- I- I'm sorry too..." The two stared at each other. Vinyl's intense gaze caused Octavia to blush too, but that fact was covered up by cake. "You... look terrible, Octavia," Vinyl smirked, wiping away some of the mush.

"And you look ridiculous, Vinyl."

"What happened, anyway?"

"I took part in a food brawl," Octavia proudly beamed.

"You!? A food fight!? ...You... you met Pinks, didn't you?" Vinyl facehoofed.

"If you mean Miss Pinkie Pie, indeed I did," Octavia said warmly as she went in for another hug (to which Vinyl happily complied.) "Although I must say, I have barely known you for two days, and we have already had so much peculiar trouble just being together. I am beginning to think our friendship is going to take some hard work, from both our parts. Would you not agree?"

"Mmmhmm..." Vinyl mumbled as she dug her face into Octavia's shoulder.

'...Maybe it can be different this time...' Vinyl thought.

"...You're gonna make me clean up this mess, aren't you?" Vinyl muttered.

"Of course," Octavia giggled.

Author's Note

Dude that was some beautiful sh!t right there.

omg writing Pinkie.... is hard. And you can blame her for making this chapter so long.

And also, her Pinkie Powers are canon. Deal with it. /sunglasses

Who here read Octavia's line about 'advertisements' with a British accent! I did!

Also: thanks FiM Fiction for applying some sort of update while I was working, preventing me from saving, and consequently causing me to rewrite a bunch of it.

Chapter 9: The Significance of Nothing

"I am beginning to think you only invited me here to do your menial labor. Do you intend to make me your maid?" Octavia shouted from the kitchen as she scraped a cold, spit-covered pancake into the trash.

"Yeah, dude! It'll be awesome! You can like, do all the shopping and cleaning for me!" Vinyl hollered excitedly from the living room. "And, OH! We could get you one of those frilly French outfits! And when I come home, you could be like, 'Welcome home, master. Would you like a hoof massage?' and I'd be all, 'Buck yes, I want a hoof massage!' You know how to give a hoof massage, right Octavia?"

"...Surely you jest," Octavia countered sharply, just loud enough for the unicorn to hear.

"No way! Why do you think I was so happy you came crawling back?"

"VINYL!!!"

"Hahahahahahahaha!" Vinyl rolled around on the floor howling at her own joke. That is, until Octavia rounded the corner with a frying pan in hoof, ready for a smacking. Vinyl frantically crawled in reverse away from the advancing mare, one hoof up in futile defense. "No, wait! I'm joking! Haha- It was a joke, Octavia!" she pleaded.

"Oh... Is that so...? Then why am I not amused, Vinyl?" Octavia cornered Vinyl and raised up the pan menacingly.

"Um... 'cause you have bad taste?" Vinyl shrugged sheepishly. Octavia's eyes shimmered with violence as she reared the frying pan back, preparing to strike. "NO WAIT! 'Cause I have bad taste!" Vinyl shouted as the pan came down. She tried to shield herself, but Octavia's attack slowed to a near stop anyway.

"Precisely." Octavia lightly bonked the tip of Vinyl's horn.

"Ow! Unicorn horns are sensitive you know..." Vinyl whimpered, reaching up to rub it.

"Oh, I am sorry! I assumed you could not feel it," Octavia apologized, setting down the offending pan.

"*Sniff* Octy gave me a boo-boo..." Vinyl teased.

"You child. Here." Octavia leaned over and tapped a kiss on the sore spot. "There. All better, yes?"

...

Well, Vinyl didn't have a response to that. How could she give one? Her mouth was agape and simply wouldn't budge. The constant shaking didn't help either. Her normally white complexion turned red as the stockings on Hearth's Warming Eve and those mysterious eyes of hers shrunk down to the size of a pea.

"Wh- wh- wh- what are you doing!?!?" Vinyl finally managed to stutter out, despite her chattering teeth.

"...Oh? ... Oh, goodness! I do apologize!" Octavia blushed, and covered her mouth. "It is just... you remind me of my brother, sometimes. So I- I tend to respond to you as I would with him. He would come to me with his scrapes and bruises, you see? I am so embarrassed... I did not mean to treat you like a child..."

'That's not why you're blushing,' that small voice in Octavia's head jabbed.

'Silence, you,' she commanded it.

"Oh... Okay. *AHEM* That's- that's fine then," Vinyl replied, clearing her throat to shake off the awkwardness. It was a relief to hear that Octavia didn't realize what she had actually just done when she planted that kiss. However, the thought of Octavia doing more to her horn than just lightly smooching it made Vinyl shiver with delight. (Kinky.) But the abashed DJ took a page from a certain purple librarian's book, and steadied herself with a deep calming breath.

"Is everything alright, Vinyl?" the equally embarrassed Octavia asked her friend when she noticed Vinyl's efforts to calm down.

"Yeah- yeah. I'm fine, just..." Vinyl started. She finished by muttering to herself, "...not ready for that again..."

"I beg your pardon? Ready for what?"

"Nothing! Just- Celestia, it's nothing!" Vinyl blurted, trying to cover the innuendo up. (Real smooth, Vinyl.) The unicorn scrambled to her feet and quickly changed the subject. "So um, *AHEM* you got a brother?"

"Y-Yes, indeed I do," Octavia answered, off put slightly by her friend's erratic behavior. "However, Currency is much younger than me. He actually only received his cutie mark this past year. As I told you just now, he acts- ...well... he used to act quite a lot like you. In fact, I... I have never really shouted at anypony besides him before I met you," Octavia looked away, still embarrassed. "I suppose that means I feel calm around you..."

"How the hay is yelling at me calming?" Vinyl pointed out, thoroughly unconvinced of this revelation.

"It is- Well..." Octavia couldn't say it. She didn't know how to. She simply hadn't put much active thought into it. It was there, however, like an unexplainable truth that couldn't be denied. All those school years, those sophisticated gatherings, those droll tea parties, those refined operas... All that time, Octavia would simply nod in agreement and only speak a few select words, but never the truth. She felt like she wasn't even there, but was simply watching a play unfold right before her eyes.

And all those times she stood up on that stage and smiled blankly while the audience applauded. She never could state her opinion... How she really felt... What she really thought of herself...

Holding it all in was stressful.

But there was a time when she was charged with caring for her brother and she had to voice herself out of necessity. The childish colt simply would not cooperate under normal circumstances, so Octavia learned to be a bit more forceful with her words- and her tone. It was aggravating at times, for sure, but Octavia also felt real, like this was how ponies were supposed to interact: at a personal level. It was the one time in her life Octavia could finally say what she thought, and it... It was a relief.

With Vinyl, it was similar but had a different effect. The arrogant DJ would constantly rebut the cellist, causing a tension that Octavia had only ever experienced with her brother. She responded in kind, the only way she knew how. The arguments that ensued made Octavia feel real. Alive even. She felt like... herself, or how she is supposed to be. To disagree, something that never happened in the "yes, of course" world of high class Canterlot, was to experience real life and Vinyl delivered on that. It relieved Octavia's stress to be able to get on such a personal level with somepony. Especially a pony who ended every little conflict with that big beautiful smile.

If only there was some way she could feel alive around Vinyl without fighting...

...

Sighing, Octavia answered Vinyl the best she could, "I suppose it is just amusing to argue with you."

"Well, your amusement is gonna cost me a lot of bits," Vinyl flatly presented the destroyed equipment to Octavia. The DJ had been working on cleaning up the mess caused by their little... tiff. She had formed a neat pile (well, neat by Vinyl's standards) for the formally strewn about wreckage. The main body of the machine still laid where it fell, a tragic remnant of its former glory.

Octavia shrunk and her ears drew back ashamed as she apologized, "I am so terribly sorry, Vinyl... I never intended to aggravate you so..."

"I'm joking, filly!" Vinyl bounded over to Octavia's side and wrapped a hoof around her. She squeezed tight, causing a squeak and a blush. "It was mostly my fault anyway. ...Though it is gonna cost me a lot," she finished with a mutter.

"Oh, dear. Is any of it salvageable? Can it be repaired?" Octavia asked, afraid of the answer.

Vinyl sighed, surveyed the pile of parts and responded, "Well... not really... It's all kinds of bucked up."

"Language, Vinyl."

"Sorry, sis." Vinyl rolled her eyes and missed Octavia's discontented stare. "Keyboard's probably okay, though," Vinyl motioned, continuing the conversation. The keyboard had been set back up and halfheartedly wiped off. It had a large crack in the side where the explosion had hit it, and several keys were missing. "Didn't seem to do any real damage. I think it can be fixed up and the keys replaced," Vinyl said hopefully. "To be honest, its files are more important than the record player or the speakers."

"Files?" Octavia asked perplexed. "It holds papers?"

"No, it's different. They're like- important music things," Vinyl unsuccessfully explained, unsure how to finish properly. (Technology is confusing!)

"Oh... well that is good news then!" Octavia replied, relieved.

"Yep."

Vinyl still had her hoof wrapped around Octavia and the both of them stood awkwardly for a moment. The conversation had obviously concluded, but neither made a move to separate. Their half-embrace was so comfortable and warm, it only fueled Octavia's red cheeks. She always blushed whenever Vinyl touched her, but she couldn't figure out why.

'I think you know why,' Octavia's inner voice squeaked.

'Enough,' she told it. "Um..." Octavia finally mumbled, looking at Vinyl.

"Hm?" Vinyl turned to face her. They were very close: nearly muzzle to muzzle. It was the closest they had ever been face-to-face. It was actually the closest Octavia had ever been to the face of anypony outside her family. Vinyl's deep red eyes began to tug Octavia again, but not like they did before. It wasn't a magical force that tugged at her, it was just... Vinyl that she felt like falling into... that she started inching towards.

*GRRROOWWWWLLL* Octavia turned even further red at the sound of her stomach's hungry protest.

"Pffft!! Hahahaha!" Vinyl burst and released her flustered friend in order to roll around on the floor again.

"Yes, well... *ahem* I suppose I have not had a proper meal in two days..." Octavia realized to her discomfort. "You did ruin my breakfast after all."

"Hahahee hee. R-Right... Sorry. But didn't you eat at Pinks'?"

"No... I... tossed it all..." Octavia admitted shamefully.

"Hahaha! What!? You were covered in all that food and- and you didn't get any!?" Vinyl found this highly amusing. "You could've- Haha! You could've held your mouth open, and somepony would've just thrown some in! Hahahaha!" Vinyl's laughter was rewarded with an annoyed glare. "Aw! Somepony's grumpy they didn't get any cake!" Vinyl reached over and with much amusement, started squishing both of Octavia's cheeks and properly accompanied this action by making baby faces of her own. "Awwww! Look at widdle Octy, she wanted some cakey-wakey! Poor baby!"

Octavia's eye twitched a few times before she casually grabbed the frying pan and once again held it up.

"Your final words, Vinyl?" Octavia asked coldly as Vinyl continuously played with her cheeks.

"Totally worth it!" Vinyl giggled as the frying pan came down.

-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~ :heart: ~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-

"We do not have to dine out, Vinyl. I am willing to prepare us a meal," Octavia protested as the two ponies strolled down a nondescript Ponyville alley together.

"No way! You bought all that stuff for my house, I gotta repay you somehow," Vinyl replied, rubbing the bump on her freshly bandaged head. "Plus you've been putting up with me, so I figure you earned it."

"But... I struck you..." Octavia asserted sheepishly, lowering her head to the dirt street.

"Filly, I deserved it!" Vinyl reached over and once again side-hugged her friend. "You gotta put me in my place when I start teasin' you too much." The unicorn abruptly rubbed her cheek against Octavia's, causing the cellist to blush bright red (for the millionth time in recent history.)

"Y-yes... *ahem* very well then..." Octavia paused for a moment, enjoying the close contact, but decided to speak up on something she'd been thinking on. "Um, Vinyl... you've been... um... quite physical with me recently..." Octavia pointed out before the pleasant cheek rubbing came to a halt. Both ponies stopped trotting and stood side by side in the alleyway, isolated from the rest of the world.

"Yeah..." Vinyl glanced away, the distant look in her eyes was conveniently shielded by her re-equipped sunglasses. "I'm just... showing my affection."

"Affection?" Octavia heart's jumped at the word as she was released from the embrace.

"Yeah. Heh heh," the DJ laughed half-heartedly and rubbed the back of her neck. "You, uh- have no idea what it meant to me... what you did when you saw my uh... my eyes... and when you came back after our fight..." Vinyl's speech was slow and sincere, a tone Octavia had never heard from her before. She honestly didn't know how to respond.

"Oh, that was- nothing significant..." the unsure Octavia blurted out.

"Well, it was pretty significant to me, Octavia," Vinyl replied warmly with a smile. "Actually, I- uh..." Vinyl paused for a moment and pushed aside a painful memory. "I consider you my best friend because of that."

...

Best friend. Those two words had never been uttered like that in her direction before, and she certainly never had the opportunity to use them herself. Her Canterlot friends had been so polite... so distant. The thought of using such a combination of words to describe their friendship was laughable. But here in Ponyville, this unicorn she met two days ago just used them so easily, so confidently.

'...I am her... best friend?' Octavia's heart raced as she tried to put this situation together. 'It was really that meaningful a gesture to her? I have become... that important to her?' With rational thought failing Octavia, her instincts kicked in and responded, "Thank you, Vinyl."

"Sure, no problem!" Vinyl beamed back, returning to her upbeat personality. "Come on, we're almost there." The two continued on their trek, but Octavia's mind was elsewhere. She recapped every event she encountered since the wedding night, trying to put it all in perspective and to understand Vinyl's feelings. To understand her own feelings. She didn't even notice when they arrived at the restaurant until she was sitting down.

Looking around Octavia established that they were seated at tables outside. There were several pony couples dining there, and relatively sophisticated waiters slowly walking about. She panned around the scene until she finally stopped on the white unicorn sitting across from her, magically flipping through a menu.

Octavia deeply wanted to continue the conversation about their friendship, but certain... criticisms took the forefront of her thoughts and she was compelled to speak on them.

"This table is shaped like a mushroom, Vinyl," Octavia pointed out suddenly as she poked the oddly shaped table (made of Celestia-knows-what) before her. "And we are sitting on hay. It is neither stable nor comfortable. Is there someplace... normal we could go?"

"This ain't Canterlot, filly," Vinyl retorted. "We got one fancy restaurant, and this is it. Ponyville's an old school earth pony town so you'd better get used to all the 'down and dirty' stuff around here," the DJ teased, enjoying the fact that Octavia was out of her comfort zone.

Octavia desperately wanted to comment on the irony of a unicorn telling an earth pony to get used to dirt, but passed. Giving a lecture on racial history to Vinyl probably wouldn't end well. Either with a shouting match or Vinyl falling asleep. The thought of Vinyl face down, snoring on a giant mushroom, with drool running out made Octavia giggle.

Vinyl grinned at Octavia's sudden laughter and pointed to the menu before her friend.

"It's fine, I promise! Pick whatever you want. It's on me."

"Oh, so you are paying for my meal? I assumed you would simply pretend you forgot to bring enough bits and force me to handle the bill," Octavia snidely teased.

"I'm hurt Octavia! What makes you think I'm some sort of cheapskate?"

"You let me do your shopping."

"Hey! I make sure I repay my maids," Vinyl shot with much amusement.

"Vinyl!"

"Hahahaha!" The DJ reared back in laughter and Octavia chuckled despite herself. After her friend finished laughing, the cellist picked up her menu. She stared through the pictures of various lowbrow meals dressed up fancily. Her mind was elsewhere again, making life changing choices. She had come to a decision, and glanced up at Vinyl who went back to food browsing. Lacking appropriate courage, she raised the menu as a defense to avoid further eye contact. Octavia spoke up from her hiding place.

"Vinyl..."

"Yeah-huh?" the preoccupied unicorn responded, looking up to find Octavia's shield blocking her from view.

"...Is it alright... if... I say you're my best friend, too?"

They both were silent for a moment. The chatter of the restaurant patrons around them didn't even resonate in Octavia's blushed red ears. From behind her paper shield, she only heard Vinyl's response.

"Of course!"

-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~ :heart: ~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-

The brown stallion closed his front door at the correct speed. Not too fast and not too slow. The soft clicking it made assured him he had succeeded. With a mouth full of letters and mailings, he trotted over to a hallway countertop. He placed them down neatly and began the careful process of opening them. Each one must be thoroughly examined and either discarded or appropriately responded to. The contents were to be expected: bills, invitations, advertisements, etc. However, the very last letter was out of place amongst the usual mail, much to his surprise.

The gray envelope with the purple treble clef in the corner was addressed as such:

To: Frederick Horseshoepin

From: Octavia Melody

Author's Note

okaerinasai goshujin sama! ~ :heart:

After the last 3 chapters, I thought I'd make one where nothing of terrible importance happens, but we just get some slice of life moments between our two favorite musicians. Plus it gave me an opportunity to cover some things I've alluded to about them both in previous chapters. I probably spent more time revising this chapter than any other one, though. :/

Made some revisions to Chapter 9 while I worked on this. I fixed up the paragraph before Octavia apologizes... made it much more poetic. It's so much better. /somanytears Go back and check it out!

Also, I kind of feel like I'm getting carried away with Octavia talking to herself. It was originally just meant to be a one time joke but it developed into a way to constantly communicate Octy's "true" feelings and her struggle with them. Think I'm over doing it? It'd feel weird to stop it now though, since it's happened too many times already.

MY TABLET'S PERMANENTLY BROKE. ~~No comics until I get a replacement. :'(~~
Send me bits.

Chapter 10: Reading is Magic

"You didn't bring much of anything, did you?" Vinyl Scratch pointed out as she watched Octavia sort through her belongings. The earth pony finally had a moment to settle down and unpack her suitcases. It was the first time since she arrived in Ponyville that she wasn't fighting, shopping, eating, cleaning, ~~kissing,~~ or sleeping. Octavia arranged everything neatly on the floor and upon close inspection, she shamefully agreed with Vinyl. Besides her treasured cello, she hadn't packed anything appropriate. As if to illustrate this, she held up an empty flower vase with a roll of tape rattling around inside and sighed. (Nope. Nothing appropriate at all.)

"In my defense, I was terribly flustered and exhausted when I was gathering this all, Vinyl." It was true, the Canterlot pony had spent the early morning after the wedding trotting around her home in a hapless daze shoving whatever she could find into her suitcases. A soul-changing experience coupled with sleep deprivation kept her from making rational choices. "It was a rash decision to travel, and I had stayed awake all night thinking about you." Octavia flinched. "...Your music! I- I was thinking about your music, I mean. I didn't sleep a wink..." Octavia fumbled, trying to cover up her slip. (Real smooth, Octavia.)

"Mmhmm," Vinyl mumbled in response, not catching her mistake. The DJ was preoccupied looking at the various useless knick-knacks Octavia had laid out upon her floor. There was a stapler, a bathroom rug, half a tea set, a yearbook, decorative porcelain ponies, a pile of old concert tickets, to name a few of the pointless things. Vinyl snorted as she saw a hoof fan laying by a scarf (it was spring.) "You didn't even bring a toothbrush, did you?"

Octavia stared blankly at her friend as she contemplated. Finding no recollection of it in her hazy memory, she frantically searched for this very basic travel necessity and found nothing. She moaned at her fruitless search and planted her face on the wood floor with a little *thunk!*

"Haha! I made that big of an impression on you, huh?" Vinyl confidently declared, proud of herself to have shocked a pony to absentmindedness.

"I suppose you did..." Octavia mumbled. After raising her head, she searched around once more. "Although I do recall packing a photograph of my ensemble... But it does not seem to be present. I hope it has not been lost."

"Oh..." Vinyl responded. She began to sweat bullets as she remembered the broken picture she had hidden/crammed under the couch. "It'll probably turn up somewhere..." she shrugged.

"I am sure it will..." Octavia smiled half-heartedly.

"We need to get you some stuff if you're gonna stay long. I know Minny will probably give us a toothbrush for free. Let's see, what else do you need... Guess it'll depend on how long you're here," Vinyl mumbled to herself. "How long were you staying again?" she asked shrewdly.

"Um... I do not know," Octavia admitted. After securing the position of 'best friend,' Octavia realized she shouldn't hold anything back, or keep any secrets anymore. "I was not sure what would happen when I came looking for you. And I... had not planned anything out. I was not thinking clearly, I suppose..." (No, really? You think?)

"Oh. Well, uh... Hmmm," Vinyl pondered, tapping her chin. "Stay as long as you want," she announced with a grin.

"Are you sure that's alright?" Octavia was a bit shocked to be allowed to stay for such an indefinite period of time.

"Yep! It's not like I got anything better going on anyway." Vinyl plopped down beside Octavia, and gave her a familiar side-hug (usual blushes from both ponies included.) "Besides, I can always use a maid!"

"Oh, is that so? I will need my frying pan then."

"Hahahahahahahaha!" Vinyl laughed and squeezed tighter causing an amusing squeak from her friend.

"Oh, alright," Octavia chuckled softly with a smile. "If I am staying here for an extended period of time, I might as well keep the kitchen stocked and the floors clean. For my personal comfort only, of course." She added that last bit sharply.

"You tease," Vinyl giggled. "Just think of it as a promotion! Going from musician to servant is pretty awesome! ...Wait up... What about your job, Octavia? Did you take a break from that band of yours? Are you gonna be okay on bits?"

"Oh, um... Yes... I... took vacation leave... and I just- received my... weekly funds... I have enough money for now." Octavia broke her 'never lie to my best friend' rule quite quickly. She didn't want to, but she felt this was one last secret she needed to keep. Octavia didn't even need her job to stay in comfort and she was too ashamed to tell that to a pony that apparently lived close to poverty.

"At least you managed to bring bits with you," Vinyl taunted with a playful grin.

"I was not that preoccupied, Vinyl. But I must ask about your profession. It has been two whole days and you have yet to mention anything about having to work," Octavia pointed out. In response, the DJ just stared solemnly forward for a good ten seconds.

"What... day is it?" Vinyl finally spoke.

"T-Tuesday?" Octavia answered.

"BUCKING PONY-FEATHERS!!! I have a gig tonight! Crap! Craaaaap! What time is it!? Auggghhh!!" The frantic DJ scrambled to her hooves and magically levitated up nearly every record in the room. She quickly scanned their covers as they flew by her. "How could you do this to me, Octavia!? I didn't have time to get anything ready!"

"What!? Ludicrous! How is this my fault!?" Octavia responded, flabbergasted.

"You threw off my schedule!" Vinyl accused as she selected out a hoofull of music to bring.

"You adhere to a schedule?"

"...Well, no, but at least I usually know what day I have to DJ! If you weren't here-"

"You invited me to stay, it is your responsibility to take care of your own personal-"

"Okay, okay!" Vinyl cut Octavia off. "Look. I gotta get to the club, just- just stay here and make yourself comfortable until I get back, okay?"

"I beg your pardon!? Why in Equestria can I not go with you!? I wish to see you perform again. That is why I made this journey to Ponyville," Octavia pouted, hurt that she wasn't invited.

"Uh..." Vinyl stopped looking at records, tossed the unselected ones down and faced her friend. "Well... it's... um...." Vinyl looked around frantically, trying to come up with a clever excuse to hide the truth. An album sleeve of one of her chosen records caught her eye: Skrillequine. "The music! I'm playing some pretty hardcore music, Octavia! You wouldn't like it."

"Hard... core? What is that?" Octavia asked, with a mixture of confusion and anger.

"Oh, come on! It's- ugh," Vinyl moaned, forgetting Octavia knew nothing outside of classical music. The ever so late DJ started to fill her record case up with vinyl discs. "Look, I played some really nice stuff at the wedding, right? That was all pop and easy listening. That stuff's good for anypony. But down at the club, they like to listen to heavier music. Some of it's pretty dark. It's just nasty, nasty stuff and I don't think you could handle it."

"...I did not... know that type of music existed..." Octavia felt a little sick at the realization. To think that music, the one thing she loved most in all the world, had a sinister side. "Do you enjoy it, Vinyl?"

"Yeah, I do. Listen, I need to get going, so-"

"If you enjoy that style of music, I can learn to appreciate it as well," Octavia interjected confidently. "I wish to see you perform again!"

Vinyl cursed to herself as she put on her over-sized trademark shades. Through those purple lenses she watched her friend whose determined eyes couldn't hide the hurt pony underneath. The DJ sighed and decided on telling the truth.

Then changed her mind.

"Okay, it's not just the music, Octavia. It's the ponies there. Sometimes... really bad stallions come to the club. I mean really bad. Jerks, you know? You could get hurt if you're not careful. When I'm on the turntables, I won't be able to look out for you..."

"Bad ponies? Everyone I have met in this town thus far has been so incredibly friendly, how could-"

"They come out at night, okay!? Like, outta the woodwork and crap. I'm just worried for your safety... Octavia, please... I'm sorry, but please just stay here." Vinyl put one hoof on Octavia's shoulder and took her glasses off to show her friend a truly worried expression. After an intense staring session, Octavia reluctantly gave in.

"Oh, alright... If it is that dangerous, I will stay here..."

"Thanks, Octavia. I'm really sorry." Vinyl gave her a full-on frontal hug that ended far to soon. "Listen, you can use the record player upstairs. Listen to some pop or something. Pretty much anything that doesn't have, um, something scary looking on the cover is okay. I'll be back later tonight!" Vinyl magically picked up her record case and her turntable case and headed out the door.

Vinyl didn't even hear Octavia's farewell as she dashed out into the evening streets of Ponyville, tugging her luggage behind her. (Such dedication to get to work on time!) As she ran, a flood of unpleasant memories resurfaced as Vinyl cursed herself for lying to her best friend: the one thing she never wanted to do in her life again.

It wasn't Vinyl's place to tell Octavia where she could and could not go, but she did anyway. The unicorn was too stubborn and embarrassed to tell the truth.

Vinyl wasn't afraid of the stallions at the club hurting Octavia... she was afraid of them hitting on her.

'Octavia is mine.'

-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~ :heart: ~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-

Octavia softly tapped her hoof as she waited. If Vinyl bothered to own a clock, it's ticking would be the only sound in the house. Occasionally Octavia nervously fiddled with her bow tie, but other than that didn't move from her spot on the couch. It was comfier than it looked (and it looked like dirt.)

'How long has it been? An hour? She did not say exactly when she would return... How long are dance clubs open?'

The Canterlot mare had finished unpacking her assorted useless belongings quickly, made a list of items she would need to purchase, and spent the rest of the time waiting for Vinyl to return. It was getting late, and Octavia didn't want to go out on an extended shopping spree without a guide. She briefly thought of trying out some records on the phonograph upstairs, but decided that (and I quote), 'I did not travel all the way to Ponyville to listen to music by myself.' If she didn't have Vinyl with her, she didn't want to hear it. Octavia chewed her bottom lip, she desperately wanted to follow Vinyl to the club, but really didn't want to get into another serious fight. Vinyl was adamant she stay behind, after all. She contemplated on playing her cello, but... she hadn't felt like playing anything herself since the wedding. The idea seemed so distant and uncomfortable. She elected in the end to just sit and wait.

But it was soooooo booooring.

Octavia's hoof tapping accelerated rapidly until her leg hurt and she finally burst.

"Gaauuuuggh!!! I simply cannot take any more! Who am I? Some newlywed mare patiently waiting for her stallion!? Of course not! I am Octavia Melody, and I do not have to just sit here!" Octavia snorted with pride at her declaration that nopony heard. "I have several hobbies that interest me, and I am not bound to one! If I cannot play music, then I will read a book!" Caught up in her frustration, Octavia got off the couch and started towards her bookshelf before quickly realizing that she wasn't even in her own house ...and that she didn't bring any literature. The cellist groaned and rubbed her temples.

'Fine. I will go purchase a novel, and then come back. I will not be out long.'

Vinyl had shown the cellist around Ponyville a little bit after their meal at the restaurant (which didn't end in a food fight,) so Octavia was a little more confident about heading into the town by herself. She didn't know the location of a book store, but counted on Applejack's advice that anypony would help her with directions if she just asked. Securing her packs, she trotted out of the safety of Vinyl's house and into the evening air.

The out-of-town mare looked around for anypony she might ask for directions from. The first ones she sighted were a pair of suited stallions with dark sunglasses and fedoras who shot her a grimace for looking their way. Octavia lowered her head nervously.

'Could they be the bad ponies Vinyl was talking about?'

Starting to get scared after being outside for no more than three seconds, Octavia trotted the opposite direction from the stallions and kept her head down.

'It is fine. Everything is fine. I am simply imagining things,' she convinced herself. Octavia glanced back at the stallions who, to her relief, went back to their own business. Looking ahead again, she found herself heading towards that large tree/house/thing with windows that neighbored Vinyl's home. Octavia noticed a friendly looking female pegasus leaving it.

"Excuse me, miss?" Octavia called out as she trotted up to her. The yellow Pegasus with long pink hair turned and acknowledged Octavia by squeaking and backing up defensively. By the time Octavia had reached the appropriate distance for normal conversation, the pegasus had shrunk down to a near fetal position. Her ears were down in fear and she avoided looking at Octavia in the eyes. "I, um, beg your pardon," Octavia said, trying to adjust to the absolute terror this pony was going through just meeting her. "I am not from Ponyville, and I need some directions. Do you know where I might find a bookstore or a library?"

The pony whimpered something unintelligible. Octavia waited for more words to come out, but none did.

"Um... Do you think you may be able to help me?" Octavia tried again.

The pegasus mumbled, "...igh... ehi... ou..." (or something.)

"...Terribly sorry, I did not quite catch that. Could you repeat it?" Octavia asked, starting to get worried that she'd done something to offend this pony.

"Righ... ehi... you.."

"...I am sorry, but you simply must speak louder if I am to hear you correctly..."

The yellow pony squeaked again, but finally answered loud enough to hear, "Right behind you!"

Octavia paused momentarily before turning slightly to her right to see a large wooden sign with a book painted on it standing no more than two paces from her. Turning further back she spotted several bookshelves through the glass windows in the tree.

"Oh," Octavia piped. She was red again when she returned to face the pegasus mare. "...*ahem* Thank you. Have a pleasant evening."

The yellow pony smiled with a slight *squee* and Octavia awkwardly returned the gesture in kind. The pegasus backed up for a several paces before turning to leave properly. As she left, Octavia smacked her own face.

'I cannot believe that just happened... She must not think much of my intelligence... ' (You did kinda look like an idiot, Octavia.)

Sighing, Octavia opened the door to the tree-building and stepped inside, nearly knocking over a dragon brushing his teeth.

Author's Note

HA! Cliché Fluttershy intro! But that's okay to be cliché, because it was my favorite thing Flutters ever did was when she met Twilight. I love love love it.

Yeah, so Skrillequine---> Skrillex. If anyone's got a better pony pun for that let me know and I'll retcon it! I don't know that many horse words.

Hallelujah~ I almost finally have a solid plot for the rest of the story! I haven't been writing blind, but my ideas were all in a rough draft stage for the narrative's future. Unfortunately, my influences are Shonen animes (Bleach, Naruto, One Piece) so... like in those stories, it'll take a while to cover everything, and all those little details I've lovingly scattered about (that you've read right over and didn't notice) will come together to ALL MAKE SENSE! But it'll (supposedly) be worth the wait!

Comics are back! I dug up my old tablet and added comics to the chapters missing them. I also revised all the existing ones to bring them up to par. Go check 'em out! I'm serious. They're all better now.

Chapter 11: Dragons, Tea and Cider (Reading is Magic Pt. 2)

Chapter 11: Dragons, Tea and Cider

(Reading is Magic Pt. 2)

Dragons are really rare, you see. Like, so rare that you can expect to live out your miserable little pony life and never see one. In fact, if you even tried to find one, you probably wouldn't.

(I'm required by the Canterlot Safety Commission to state that actively seeking out dragons is not sanctioned by the Equestrian government, can be hazardous to your well-being, and that insurance providers are not required to cover damages by dragon attack.)

So, you can't really blame Octavia for screaming like a baby foal when she was staring at the fangs of a dragon inside the Ponyville library.

"EEEEEEYYYAAAAAAHHHH!!!" Octavia screeched, kicking over the little purple dragon in a panic.

"Hey!" the dragon yelped as he hit the floor with a *THUNK!*

"Ohmygoodness! Ohmygoodness! WhatdoIdo!? WhatdoIdo!? WhatdoIdo!?" Octavia frantically circled around, like a dog chasing its tail. "Dragon! Help! Somepony, help!"

"Good grief, Spike! What's going on in here!?" a purple unicorn announced dramatically like a policepony as she sprinted down the circular stairs of the library to arrive at the scene.

"It's a dragon!" Octavia screamed, rushing over to the unicorn as if she was her savior. The trembling cellist hid behind the purple pony and pointed over to the tiny dragon. "He tried to eat me!"

"Spike? What did you do?" the angry unicorn scolded the little offending lizard.

"It's not my fault, Twilight!" Spike the dragon defended, as he got up off the ground. "She just barged in and started screaming!" He pointed to Octavia with his toothbrush. The cellist responded by squeaking and dropping to the floor to defend herself. "She also knocked me over..." Spike muttered and rubbed the back of his head. Twilight the unicorn gazed down at Octavia, who was shaking in terror, and was able to quickly deduce that Spike was telling the truth. (Spike couldn't possibly scare somepony to this extent by himself.)

"Excuse me, miss? It's alright. Spike's not going to eat you," Twilight said, trying to soothe the stranger. "He's just a baby dragon and he wouldn't hurt a fly. Actually, I don't even think he's physically capable of hurting a fly."

"Hey!" Spike countered, but Octavia wasn't listening to him. She was watching the friendly unicorn whose smooth, attention grabbing voice helped relieve her fear. Octavia's took another look at the little purple dragon, who was dusting himself off.

"But... he was about to bite me... He had his fangs out..." Octavia pointed with much accusation at Spike.

"Yeah, I was brushing my teeth," Spike replied, holding up his toothbrush to prove himself. "How in the world would I eat you? You're like, fifty times bigger than me."

"Remind me to help you work on your math, Spike," Twilight said flatly.

"Whatever," Spike responded equally as flat. (Touché!)

"See?" Twilight turned to Octavia. "He's not dangerous, he's just sarcastic," she said proudly. The dragon rolled his green eyes and helped vindicate this. Octavia slowly rose to her hooves. Her fear was gone, but she still wasn't convinced.

"Why were you brushing your teeth by the front door?" Octavia accused once more. "That's suspicious."

"Because Twilight here makes me brush for three whole minutes, for 'hygienic reasons,'" Spike explained, with sarcastic air quotes. "I was walking around to pass the time. I heard Fluttershy talking to somepony outside, I was just going to see who it was."

Right on cue, a timid yellow pegasus poked her head in the open door, and softly spoke, "Twilight? Is everything alright? Are you arguing? I heard a scream..."

"It's fine, Fluttershy," answered Twilight, walking up to her. "She just had a little shock meeting Spike." Octavia blushed red upon seeing Fluttershy, who responded the same. They averted each other's eyes.

'Oh, Celestia... she must think I am such a fool...' Octavia miserably thought.

"Oh... okay... Um, Twilight? Did you say something about an injured fly?" Fluttershy's eyes shimmered with worry.

"No, Fluttershy," Twilight rolled her eyes. "There are no hurt flies in here."

"Oh... good... I'll see you tomorrow, Twilight," Fluttershy shrunk out the door.

"Good night, Fluttershy," Twilight called before Spike closed the door behind her. Twilight then turned to Octavia, who had her face in her hoof in failure and embarrassment. "Um. Are you alright?"

"...I am fine..." Octavia took a deep breath and put her hoof down, revealing red cheeks.

'Apparently the dragon is not an issue here. Nopony seems bothered by him.'

"Good," Twilight responded cheerfully. "Now what can I help you with? You came to see me?"

"Oh," Octavia remembered her goal. She regained her elegant Canterlot composure before speaking again. "This is a bookstore, correct?"

"Oh, no. But it is a library," Twilight answered happily.

"Ah. That will be fine, as well. I know the hour is late, but do you mind terribly if I browse the collection? I'm looking for some personal reading materials for the evening."

"...You... want to borrow a book?" a dumbfounded Twilight asked slowly.

"Y-yes? That is correct... You lend out books here, do you not?" Octavia replied unsure. The two ponies exchanged stares for a moment, neither saying a word. Spike glanced at Twilight with a perfect 'what the heck is wrong with you' look. Breaking the silence, he nudged her.

"Twilight..." he whispered.

"Oh! Sorry!" Twilight shot up at the dragon's poking. "I don't- normally get any visitors who come just to look for books..."

"But- this is a library... isn't it?" Octavia pointed out, confused at the other pony's confusion.

"It is, but... I live here. The only ponies who ever borrow any books are my friends. I never have... strangers coming in asking for them," Twilight admitted sheepishly. The two confused ponies paused their conversation, again continuing the silence for a few additional moments. (Awkward...)

'She lives in the library? She's friends with a dragon? ...I have a feeling everypony in this town is bizarre...'

"Oh... well, perhaps we should introduce ourselves... so we will not be strangers anymore," Octavia offered. "Do you suppose then you could help me?"

Twilight gasped, "That's a great idea!" With a completely natural 'I love making friends' smile, she introduced herself. "I'm Twilight Sparkle. And this is Spike." She pointed down at the baby dragon, who waved a little.

"It is a pleasure to meet you. I am Octavia Melody, cello player in the Horseshoepin Quartet of Canterlot," Octavia replied with an elegant bow. (Her standard introduction.)

"Canterlot!? You're from Canterlot, too?" Twilight joyously bounced over to the cellist, Spike eagerly following her.

"Y-yes. You are as well?" Octavia replied, recoiling to the sudden closeness of the unicorn.

"We both are!" Spike piped up.

"Oh, this is so wonderful! Another pony from Canterlot who likes to read! We're going to get along great, I just know it!" Twilight beamed.

"You ever been to Donut Joe's!?" Spike asked excitedly. "He makes the best donuts in Equestria!"

"Have you seen the royal library? They have a fantastic section on Starswirl the Bearded!" Twilight pressed.

'...so bizarre...' Octavia thought as she was drowned in the sea of questions.

-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~ :heart: ~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-

Octavia sat silently next to Twilight Sparkle, both with their heads deep into books. They had finished the array of introductions and explanations earlier. Twilight found out who Octavia was staying with (and proved once again that everypony in a small town knows each other.) Twilight helped Octavia pick out an appropriate light historical drama (Octy's favorite kind) and the unicorn insisted that the two spend some time reading together. Octavia didn't complain: in Canterlot she was used to spending time with her friends in such a quiet, impersonal manner. Besides an occasional giggle from Spike, who was reading comics, there was silence in the tree.

Until Twilight broke it.

"Octavia, would you like some tea?" she suddenly asked, interrupting Octavia's concentration on a rather romantic scene in her story. (Not too steamy, mind you.)

"Oh, that would be lovely, Miss Sparkle," Octavia answered politely.

"You can just call me Twilight," the unicorn replied with a smile.

"Very well then. That would be lovely, Twilight."

"Spike, could you make us some tea?" Twilight called to her ~~servant~~ dragon.

"Umm~! Hold on!" Spike answered, not looking up from his action-packed story (Power Ponies: the Fillysecond Paradox.) "After I read one more issue! It's getting exciting!"

Twilight giggled, "Spike, I think your story can wait."

"Oh come on, Twilight! It's just one more!" the baby dragon pouted, turning on his back to hold the comic up in the air. He kicked his feet excitedly.

"If I let you read another one, you're going to postpone it for one more after you've finished it, aren't you?" Twilight lovingly accused.

Spike replied after a pause, "Fine. You caught me." He got up and begrudgingly headed to the kitchen. Twilight just giggled some more. The warm sibling-like scene caused Octavia to crack a smile as well.

"How did you ever come across a baby dragon, if you do not mind explaining?" Octavia posed to Twilight after Spike had left the room.

"Spike was my entrance exam to Princess Celestia's School for Gifted Unicorns," Twilight explained. "I was told I had to hatch him from an egg. It... didn't go well at first... but because of my friend indirectly helping me, I was able to do it." Twilight paused for a moment to recollect on the moment with a smile. "After he hatched, Princess Celestia tasked me with taking care of him, and Spike's been by my side ever since." Twilight tapped her hooves together lightly. "He's... like a little brother to me, I guess."

The sweet sentiment went right over Octavia's head. She was stuck on a different part of that story.

"You... went to the Princess's school? You know her personally?" Octavia asked, stunned beyond belief.

"Well, yes. Actually," Twilight blushed sheepishly. "I was her personal protégé at school. I still report to her directly from here and she comes to visit occasionally, too."

Octavia would have just stared forward dumbfounded for hours if it wasn't for the fact that it'd be rude. (Apparently Ponyville is full of ponies who know the Princess. Who knew?)

"Oh- that is... quite impressive," Octavia managed to blurt out after a moment or two.

"Yeah, sorry. I don't mean to brag, or anything. It's such a great honor to be acknowledged by her, but I'm just so used to it now, I sometimes forget how strange it sounds when I say it out loud."

"T-that is alright," Octavia responded. "If you were selected for your talents, then there is no reason to be ashamed of... your... accomplishments..." Octavia drifted off. The talk of success and adoration made her uneasy.

The cellist couldn't help herself. She suddenly pictured herself onstage; a crowd of faceless Canterlot ponies applauded in approval around her. The chorus of stopping hooves filled the concert hall. Her stomach turned and she lowered her ears as she pictured the cello in her quivering hooves.

"Are... you okay?" Twilight called from somewhere in the distance.

"Mmhmm," Octavia mumbled, giving a stale smile to the floor. The same smile she always gave her audience.

"Are you sure, you look sick?" Twilight put her hoof on the cellist's shoulder, breaking the self-inflicted vision. Octavia brought her face up to the worried unicorn.

"I am sorry, Twilight. I am perfectly fine. Perhaps it was something I ate..." Octavia shifted uncomfortably.

"Oh! I have some herbal teas I got from Zecora, I'm sure they'd help calm your stomach. I'll go tell Spike to make some," Twilight assured her as she rose to leave.

Not much later, Octavia had her soothing tea (even without being sick, that stuff felt gooood.) After a few sips she stared into the rippling cup. Something was on her mind. Perhaps it was a longshot, but it would be worth taking.

"Twilight... do you... know Princess Luna, as well?" Octavia asked without moving her head an inch.

"Yeah, I know her," Twilight answered. Octavia's heart skipped several beats at those words. "But I haven't spoken to her as much as Celestia. It's only been a year since she returned after all... ..........." Twilight's mumbling words faded out as a buzzing in Octavia's head grew deafeningly loud.

Princess Luna. The Princess of the Night. The graceful. The elegant. The mystifying. The powerful. Her idol. The one pony she wanted to talk to most in all the world. Twilight knew her on a personal level. Just sitting next to the purple unicorn made Octavia feel like she was sitting next to Luna. A terribly uneasy feeling developed in her stomach. Oh, the possibilities... if Twilight could just...

"Twilight," Octavia unknowingly interrupted Twilight's rambling. "When... do you expect to see Princess Luna again?"

"Oh, well I usually see her when I go to Canterlot. Why?" Twilight noticed Octavia's shaking, and the fact that she was still staring blankly at her tea cup.

"Um... it... um... it's..." Octavia couldn't bear to say it. How could she possibly ask for such a thing?

"Did... you want to meet her, or something?" Twilight asked, taking the shivering for nervousness. (Bingo!) Before Twilight could realize it, Octavia's face warped directly into her vision. Twilight jumped at the sudden closeness and speed of this appearance.

"Mmhmm! Mmhmm! Mmhmm!" Octavia hummed as she nodded vigorously. Twilight caught onto the obvious 'yes' this pony was giving her.

"Oh! Well, I can arrange for you to meet her next time I'm in Canterlot, if you want," Twilight offered.

"You would do that!?" Octavia blurted out.

"Sure, it's not a problem," Twilight smiled. Octavia couldn't contain herself. She lost all remnants of sophistication. Abandoning her maturity, she tackled Twilight and gave her the biggest hug she could muster. "Thank you thank you thank you!!!"

'This town... has the most bizarre... and wonderful ponies.'

-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~ :heart: ~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-

Octavia waved goodbye to Twilight as she left the library. It was dark, but Vinyl's house wasn't far. Octavia had acquired several books for later reading from her new friend and was skipping along in an extremely pleasant mood. She closed her eyes and started humming one of the songs from the wedding, unaware she had just spoken to the pony who originally sang it. When she finally bothered to open them again, she didn't recognize the street she was on. Turning back to the tree, she realized she had left in the wrong direction. Before she could correct her course, a pony shouted from behind her.

"Hey~! Hey, you~! *hic*!" A plum colored pony called, while hiccuping, from beneath a street lamp. Octavia turned to face her properly as the pony quickly stumbled up, nearly causing a collision. "I know you~! Yer Vinyl's new... fr-*hic*-end, right?" Berry Punch gave her a warm (and fairly stupid looking) smile. The pony appeared to be either half-asleep, delirious, or intoxicated.

"Y-yes. My name is Octavia Melody. You are... Miss Berry Punch, if I recall correctly," Octavia said as she recoiled. Berry's breath reeked of cider. (Intoxicated it is.)

"Hey! You remember me~! *hic*!" Berry cheered. She suddenly wrapped her hooves around Octavia, squeezing tight. "Aw, you're sush a naish pony~! I like you~! *hic*!" She patted Octavia's back repeatedly, like she was comforting a dear friend.

Octavia was stunned at the sudden embrace. Berry was acting completely different than when they met previously. Octavia could only conclude it was the alcohol.

"Oh, well. Thank you," Octavia replied, carefully returning the hug. "You are... quite nice too." Berry ended the embrace and put her hooves on Octavia's shoulders. She stared some-what deeply into the cellist's eyes before shaking the Canterlot pony vigorously.

"Lishen," she said. "Lishen to me~ *hic*, okay?"

"O-okay, alright, yes, of course!" Octavia spat out nervously.

"I gotta tell you shumthin'~! Itsh real important~ *hic* and itsh not just the shider talking, okay~? Itsh not the shider~" Berry stressed the non-involvement of the cider.

"Very well, what is it?" Octavia asked, beginning to grow concerned at the whole situation.

"Itsh about Vinyl," Berry said. She leaned in close to Octavia's side.

The bubbliness of Berry's voice ended in that moment. The warm, fuzzy part of her died in an instant as she whispered coldly into Octavia's ears. The words she hissed out cut like daggers and stung like venom:

"Vinyl's a freeeeeeeeak. She'll ruin you."

Author's Note

Uh-oh! Say hello to the first major hint of conflicts to come! I have been dying to write that Berry part. You have no idea how giddy it makes me!

I find it weird that no one freaks out over Spike in the show when they meet him. :applejackunsure:

Oh hey! Look at that! That point I make in Chapter 3 about Luna came around again! Hmmm... how suspicious.

Chapter 12: Discoveries

Freak

The word had the indecency to keep repeating itself in Octavia's head. Around and around it went, never sounding any less horrible than before. It was cold... and unforgiving.

Vinyl's a freeeeeeeeak.

Berry Punch had whispered these poisonous words into Octavia's unsuspecting ears. Her tone was full of malice and bitterness, as if there was nothing in this world more foul and vile than Vinyl Scratch.

She'll ruin you.

Never before had the privileged Octavia Melody been witness to such passionate loathing so intimately. Even during her arguments with Vinyl, there was more frustration than actual animosity coming from the DJ. But this... this was hate. Pure and simple.

Before Octavia could fully process the words, Berry Punch abruptly released her, subsequently giving her a bubbly smile that was completely devoid of the intense contempt she had just shown.

"Have a naish *hic* night~ Octy-tavia~!" The drunk pony stumbled away, hiccupping occasionally and singing some out of tune song between giggles.

Octavia's mind seemed to have simply turned her off, perhaps to protect her from doing something barbaric that she might regret later, like throwing a punch. After an unknown amount of time being numb, she came to her senses. Immediately she had to cover her mouth and lean over to prevent her stomach from committing treason by vomiting. The smell of alcohol lingering in the night air only exacerbated the problem.

'Oh my goodness, oh my goodness!' Octavia tightly closed her eyes and forced her body to stop shivering. She recently came to the unpleasant realization that a monotonous, privileged Canterlot life never prepared her to deal with intense unfamiliar circumstances and emotions. The events of the past few days made that painfully obvious, as she freaked out at every little thing. A deep breath stabilized the treacherous nausea in her gut. Glancing upwards, she saw that Berry Punch was gone; nothing remained underneath the streetlamp besides a sea of moths dancing around to the tempo of their impending death. (Hey, that's pretty poetic!)

'It's alright, Octavia. Calm yourself,' she told herself. Using her finely developed deducing skills, Octavia set her mind to unraveling the strange occurrence. 'Miss Berry has much more ill-will towards Vinyl than I previously ascertained.' Octavia recalled her first encounter with Berry Punch. Vinyl hadn't wanted to speak to the fruit colored pony, but Berry wasn't at all vicious back then. She did seem however, to have some hidden issue with Vinyl. 'Perhaps she was simply being courteous enough to not allow their personal conflict to arise in public. She... seems to be a relatively nice pony under normal circumstances...' Octavia backed up her conclusion with the fact that Berry had hugged her out of the blue. (Objection, your honor! She was drunk!)

Octavia's nose cringed at the recollection of Berry's breath. 'She must have been drinking heavily. ...Maybe her intoxication caused her to fabricate or misconstrue an event in her memory?' Octavia tried to give the pony the benefit of the doubt, but she couldn't deny the truth: Berry Punch's words were as sober as they were cruel. The out of place Canterlot cellist tapped her head while sitting by herself in the street in the middle of the night. 'However, if Miss Berry was fully aware of what she was saying, then she really does consider Vinyl a... "freak." But why in Equestria would she-?'

The obvious answer came to mind before she could finish asking the question to herself. Octavia clearly remembered how she felt when Vinyl first revealed her eyes. Those red eyes. The cellist was struck with the realization of how horrifying it really was, to feel like there was a terrible force trying to crush her and wipe her smeared existence off the face of Equestria. It strangled her throat, it punctured her skull, and it twisted her organs. If she didn't become so determined to befriend Vinyl at that moment, Octavia realized she would've run away in fear, if she could have even moved. Anypony would have. Berry Punch must have.

'Miss Berry must know about Vinyl's secret then, and she must have rejected her,' Octavia concluded. She recalled how Vinyl was so relieved when she didn't flee at the sight of her eyes. With a blush, Octavia remembered how Vinyl even, um... "rewarded" her when she endured it. 'Vinyl did say it meant a lot to her,' the cellist thought, remembering the conversation earlier that day. She sighed in relief, believing to have figured it out.

But the last part of what Berry said... Octavia didn't understand it. She almost forgot since the "freak" bit was so striking. '"She'll ruin you." ...Does Miss Berry think Vinyl is dangerous? Was she simply trying to warn me? She did stress how important is was to tell me.'

Octavia shifted uncomfortably; her packs were carrying several books from Twilight that were weighing her down. She looked up at the moon, shining indifferently down on her. But she didn't fantasize about Princess Luna at that moment, she was far too preoccupied with her best friend. Aware of her surroundings once again, she shivered. It was cold that night.

Exhausted from a hectic day, Octavia trotted back to Vinyl's abode, sure to find the promised warmth and company of her friend. Arriving after a short time, she opened the still creaky front door (somepony needs to oil that thing). It was dark inside, but she remembered where the lamps were and soon enough the room glowed warm.

But Octavia didn't find Vinyl there. She didn't even find the house she spent cleaning the past two days. Instead she was greeted with a disaster and her stomach sunk.

The room was wrecked! The couch was on it's head; the cushions were misplaced. The record stacks were gone: instead, somepony had opened every single sleeve and tossed aside the contents as evidenced of the pile of partially broken records across the room. The remains of Vinyl's equipment had been pushed down. Loose pieces of scrap and wire were scattered around the room. Even Octavia's own suitcases were open, and the useless items inside were dumped on top of the other wreckage.

"V-Vinyl!?" Octavia called after several moments of shock.

Vinyl's a freak. She'll ruin you.

'Did Vinyl do this? Is she upset?' Octavia thought, swallowing nervously, but she quickly shook the accusing thoughts off. 'Vinyl is my best friend! She is not a freak! She is not dangerous!,' she convinced herself. 'But what in Equestria what happened here? Was there an intruder?' Was it the bad stallions Vinyl warned me about!?' Octavia's stomach sunk further than before at the thought of facing a criminal. She stood for what seemed like ages listening for any hoofsteps or creaking boards. She unconfidently concluded whoever did this was no longer present. Octavia cautiously inspected the rest of the house, keeping her ears perked and readying herself to gallop away at a moment's notice. The kitchen fared no better than the living room. Each neatly put away pot or pan was now laying on the floor. Several plates had broken at the impact of being thrown aside. The sight of broken dishes put more butterflies in Octavia's stomach. 'My cello!' In a panic, she bolted upstairs and lit the lamps.

Vinyl's room was the worst. Her mattress was across the room, the bedframe turned upside down. The posters lining the wall were torn down. Her dresser was knocked over, the dresser drawers were emptied on the floor, each article of clothing was strewn about. A chest near the staircase was toppled open, its contents scattered. Octavia quickly sighted her cello, laying on top of the various band-endorsed t-shirts the DJ owned. Octavia rushed over to check the condition. Luckily it seemed the perpetrator had thrown the cello onto the pile of clothes, softening the fall. After giving her precious possession a hug, she turned to the rest of the mess. Deciding to use those fantastic deduction powers again, she set out to solve the mystery.

'Nothing appears to be missing, but absolutely everything has been disturbed,' Octavia realized. 'Somepony was searching for a specific item?' (Nice deduction, Sherlock!) She started checking for clues in the rubble. She quickly spotted a collection of bits near the open chest by the stairs. Trotting over she inspected the scene. 'They were not interested in the money?' This would have disturbed her further except the bits were sitting on something that greatly caught her attention.

It was a magazine. On the cover was a picture of an incredibly beautiful and seductively posed mare. With minimal thinking, she picked up the issue. The bits slid off it as she raised the magazine up revealing the title: Playpony. Blood rushed to Octavia's face at realization of what she held. Forgetting every single thing she believed in about privacy, she opened the pamphlet to confirm her suspicions and was validated instantly.

'Oh... my... Celestia...'

Octavia knew of the concept of pornography well enough, but hadn't had any... interest (*cough*) to view any herself. It was a shocking sight for an uncorrupted pony. Each page was more suggestive than the last: the gorgeous mares promptly put their personal business on display for the reader's enjoyment and Octavia subconsciously let out a squeak/gasp at every new image. The sophisticated pony's face burned red as she flipped through the booklet finding acts she never imagined before.

All thoughts of the burglar investigation were gone. Octavia looked down at the floor beneath her, there were several different issues of the magazine before her. Each one would surely hold the same obscene imagery and Octavia felt tempted to check each one to affirm it. As she reached for the next one, she found it was a different magazine entirely. She only saw the title briefly before becoming entranced by the cover: Mare Meets Mare. The words hovered above the photograph of two gorgeous ponies of the female persuasion entwined together, performing a rather gratuitous kiss (with excessive tongue use.)

Octavia's mind raced faster than it ever had before, creating jumbled and incomprehensible thoughts, yet somehow it managed to command her trembling hoof to open the mysterious magazine. Never before had Octavia's face burned so red. Never before had anypony's face burned so red. A world unbeknownst to the innocent Canterlot cellist had opened up in front of her. A lewd world of improper acts between mares shimmered up from glossy ink covered pages. Octavia stared intently at each photograph, at each absurdly erotic position, and at each ecstasy-filled face. Her eyes devoured each image like a starving pony looking at a full-course meal. Her shallow breathing filled the silent room. An electric tingling ran through her body. A tingling that originated from a certain place between her cutie marks.

Octavia's legs wobbled for a moment before she full-on collapsed on the floor. A mixture of exhaustion, stress, and excitement left her without any energy to stand with. Octavia looked desperately over the magazines before her. There was no denying it: they belonged to Vinyl. Supposedly there was nothing wrong with a young adult pony owning pornography, but... there were no stallions in them. There was nothing but pretty mares. Pretty mares kissing each other on the lips (and other places.)

'Oh, Celestia... Vinyl is gay.'

Octavia buried her face in her hooves. She remembered every encounter she had with Vinyl, checking over every detail. She remembered how Vinyl was admiring her body from behind her shades on the train. She remembered sharing a bed and how Vinyl was having a sensual dream about her. She remembered how Berry Punch quite nearly accused her of being Vinyl's "fillyfriend." She remembered every time Vinyl squeezed her tight and didn't want to let go.

She remembered how Vinyl kissed her.

"OH BUCK ME!" Octavia screamed in frustration and smacked her face into the floor. The simplistic act removed all pretense of privilege to reveal a rare sight of the raw emotion underneath.

Then that voice spoke up. That annoying, wretched voice that had pestered her for years. That voice that seemed keen on Vinyl the past two days. That voice that reared it's ugly head every time Octavia saw a pretty mare.

'...But you enjoyed that kiss.'

'SHUT UP! SHUT UP! SHUT UP! SHUT UP! SHUT UP! SHUT UP! JUST SHUT THE BUCK UP!'

Never before did Octavia want to silence that voice in her head so intensely. Never before did she want to claw open her skull, rip the screeching thing out, and stomp it to a bloody pulp so madly. It plagued her and she hated it. She hated how it taunted her. She hated how it made her feel. She hated how the pony behind the voice was none other than herself... and she hated what that meant.

'I don't want to deal with this right now... I can't...' she whimpered to herself as a stream of tears ran their regular course down her face. 'I'm just... so tired...' It was very late and she had several stressful experiences in one day. Unfortunately for her, the stress wasn't over yet. Miss Vinyl had returned.

"What the buck!?!?" Vinyl cried out below at the discovery of her trashed house. The unicorn's distinctive voice shot a jolt through Octavia, even through the muffling of the floor. Panic-stricken, she jumped up and wiped her eyes. The calling from downstairs continued as Vinyl became flustered, "Octavia!? Where are you!?"

"Upstairs!" Octavia weakly replied after clearing her throat. "I will be right down!" Thinking on her hooves, she grabbed several of the DJ's t-shirts and tossed them over the magazines. With any luck, Vinyl wouldn't realize she had seen them. It was a conversation she did not want to have right then (or ever, actually.) She frantically tried to straighten her mane and regain her composure, Vinyl mustn't think anything was amiss with her, or she'd start asking questions.

After deep breaths and swallowing her fear, Octavia descended the stairs to face Vinyl. The cellist arrived on the scene; it was the same as before except with the addition of a white unicorn mournfully sorting through several broken records. At her arrival, Vinyl instantly bolted up and nearly galloped over to her. The Canterlot pony tried to look away, but no amount of gaze averting could stop the collision and embracing hug that followed.

"Filly, are you okay? What happened? Are you hurt?" Vinyl muffled questions as she buried her face into Octavia's mane. Every single hair on Octavia's body shot up as the well-intentioned squeezing terrified the poor cellist. The first instinct of her body told her to push Vinyl away. Far away. She wasn't afraid of the DJ, but she wasn't comfortable being so close to her anymore. She hadn't had any time to sort everything out, to make sense of it, to make her decisions. On the other hoof, she also didn't want to lose her best friend either. Together they had the most intimate friendship Octavia had ever experienced. It was wonderful and fun and she didn't want to push her away. In the end, she nervously waited for Vinyl to finish.

"I am fine, Vinyl," Octavia muttered as she was released.

"Thank Celestia! But what the buck happened in here? Why is my place trashed?" Vinyl asked.

"I do not know, I just returned from Twilight's..." Octavia said, deliberately avoiding Vinyl's worried gaze. "It was like this when I- ..."

"Wait, what? You were at Twilight's? For how long!? What for!?" This unexpected response prompted a startled Octavia to actually peer into Vinyl's face. The white unicorn certainly looked worried, but that expression... was there a hint of anger? Vinyl almost immediately lowered her ears in embarrassment, and glanced away. "Oh, um... sorry, I meant... You met Twi, huh?"

"Yes, I just borrowed some books from her collection..." Octavia murmured shamefully.

"Really? Was that it?" Vinyl sighed in relief.

"Yes, they're right over there, see?" Octavia pointed to the packs she dropped by the door, but immediately caught sight of something. Vinyl saw it too as she followed Octavia's gaze. They both missed it on the way in (and good thing too! It's much more dramatic for them to see it at the same time.)

Fastened to the door was a parchment, on which a warning in red ink soaked the page:

I SAW THEM. DO NOT RUN.

-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~ :heart: ~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-

Octavia shifted uncomfortably under the covers on the freshly realigned bed. Behind her snored a unicorn who occasionally murmured something ridiculous in her sleep.

The gray Earth pony stared blankly towards Vinyl's wall at the shredded remains of a poster. She couldn't fall asleep and she hardly even tried. Her mind was abuzz. But it wasn't fantasies of incredible music that kept Octavia awake. Nor was it despair over the argument she had that morning, or happy memories of the food fight at Pinkie's. It was neither joy at being called a "best friend' for the first time in her life, or embarrassment over making a fool of herself at the library. It wasn't excitement at the prospect of meeting Princess Luna. She did not dwell on the mystery of Berry Punch, nor on the intruder and the strange message they left behind. There was only one thing on her mind that night.

Octavia took a cautious glance at Vinyl before looking towards the shirts that covered those buried magazines.

It was the longest night in Octavia's life.

Author's Note

Whelp. Things have officially gotten weird. I guess I knew it'd get to this point eventually when I started this story, but it sure felt strange to write regardless. I tried to keep it teen-rated, simply to keep myself semi-comfortable while writing it. In other words, don't ever expect a clopfic from me. :unsuresweetie:

I was also a bit worried about finally putting some concrete writing on Octavia's issue with her sexuality, which I've been dropping many regular hints at (and let's face it, you knew which way she'd eventually swing when you clicked on this story.) I really wanted to make her struggle as "real" as I could. Yes I know, she's a magical pony and I could make her do whatever the flip I want, but I wanted to be respectful about it, but I really didn't know how. I don't have a lesbian sitting next to me giving me advice, so I'm stuck with watching "coming out stories" on youtube for perspective. :ajbemused:

In other news: Sorry for the long delay in getting the new chapter up! (1 month exactly!)
I took a break from writing after the new year, mainly because I was a bit burnt out from writing 12 chapters in a month for a story I pulled out of my ass. I had planned to get back to working on it earlier, but... I took two trips to see my brother this month which cut into the time I would have spent writing. I also managed to finally get my friend to play Diablo 3 with me, and we've been kicking demon ass almost every evening, cutting even MORE into my writing time. Plus as I said in my recent blog, one of my important typing fingers got severely (and I DO mean severely) bitten by a cat, and I didn't want to try write while it was healing.

Chapter 13: The Mourning Afterwards

By the time Octavia had fallen asleep, it was too late: the majority of the night had been spent. Her restless nerves and constant glances at her snoozing companion wasted the hours away until it was nearly daybreak. When all her worry and stress had taken the very last remnants of energy she had, she finally embraced the pleasant darkness. The silent, but warm, void of sleep could've taken her comfortably into the morning, but instead took her right into the arms of a dream.

It began like any dream (you can't remember how it started) and it ended like every other one (suddenly and without a satisfying conclusion.) Octavia wouldn't be able to remember even half of the events in it to ever relay it properly to anypony (but since I am omniscient, I don't have that problem. So here it is. Enjoy.)

----{{{{Octavia was looking around her room for something. It was very important that she find it, but she couldn't remember what it was she was looking for. Luckily when she pulled back the covers of her bed, Pinkie Pie was there to give it to her. It was a slice of cherry pie. "Applejack said to give this to you," Pinkie said. "I'm sorry I didn't eat any of it," Pinkie went on. Octavia thought that was okay because she didn't actually want Pinkie to eat the pie, but she couldn't bear to tell her. Octavia pulled the covers back over Pinkie Pie, hoping she could find her way out from under them eventually. Taking the slice, she hurried out the door and down the hallway. At the end of the tunnel of darkness, Vinyl stood on a stage and Octavia slowed to a stop. The cellist peeked around the corner to see if the audience was enjoying Vinyl's performance. In the back row, she sighted Spike carrying around a little chest. Frantic to warn everypony, Octavia ran onstage; but she had to give Vinyl her pie first. However, Vinyl had been replaced by her cello. Octavia knew that she couldn't feed the cello pie, so she'd have to play it instead. As she began to play with her bare hooves, she looked into the audience for her mother. She found her in the front row, smiling proudly as she usually did. Beside her sat Octavia's fellow ensemble members, all drinking tea lazily. It was quite rude of them to ignore her performance, and Octavia wanted to cry out so they wouldn't get in trouble, but she couldn't move. There was a pony hiding behind her and if she moved, everypony would see it. Octavia had to keep it out of sight. The mare behind her leaned up to her ear and whispered,

~"You're a freeeeeak."~}}}}----

Octavia opened her groggy eyes at the sound of activity just outside the window. It took a few moments of delirious contemplation for her to realize that she was now awake and the events she had just experienced where simply hallucinations of a sleeping mind. After staring at the blank wall for a moment or two, she rolled to her other side expecting to find the pony she was almost getting used to seeing in her bed. However, the space beside her was vacant. Casting her sleepy gaze over the disheveled sheets, Octavia saw no other pony in the bedroom. Once she sat up, Octavia could see why; Vinyl had been busy.

The room had been cleaned. Everything that the intruder had displaced had returned to its proper place. All the shirts were sorted back into their drawers and Vinyl even moved the heavy dresser back by her lonesome (unicorn magic is overpowered.) The walls that once held posters no longer bore their shredded remains, as the last remnants had been pealed and trashed. Octavia admired the spotlessness of it all with disbelief.

'Vinyl awoke before me? And she cleaned the house? Surely I am dreaming still.' Octavia rubbed her temples in response to the light humming of a headache she developed last night. The pain affirmed that this was reality. With a heavy sigh, Octavia climbed off the bed and stretched, ungracefully cracking her joints to awaken her sore and tired body. Once she was done, the Canterlot pony trotted to the stairs. Unfortunately for her, Vinyl hadn't moved the chest that had haunted her all night and it sat innocently to the side of her path. Though she was determined to never look at it, Octavia failed miserably and shot it several quick glances as she passed. No traces of the disturbing magazines were left: Vinyl must have put them securely back inside. Atop the chest sat that raggedy old top hat with the lop-sided patches, but Octavia took no notice of it that day.

"Vinyl?" Octavia called quietly, as she entered the living area on the first floor. There was no response. However, the room glowed with cleanliness. Not only had Vinyl reorganized all the scattered items, she removed the entire wreckage of the speaker system by herself (magic is op I tell you!) Octavia peeked in the kitchen, searching for Vinyl, but found nothing but clean floors and organized cabinets.

"Vinyl..." Octavia knocked hesitantly on the bathroom door, the last unchecked spot in the house. With no response, she slowly opened the door to take care of her own personal business inside. Octavia's appearance was a disaster, as she soon noticed in the mirror's mocking reflection. The dark curls and unfortunate cowlicks of her mane complimented her scruffy gray coat. Octavia stared at herself in a lackluster daze with those haggard purple eyes of hers for a moment, before opting to have a shower.

---[Note to self: Insert overly sensual shower scene before finishing chapter. Do not forget!]---

After her amazing shower, Octavia felt a smidgen better. She brushed her mane into proper form and reequipped her bowtie. Feeling strangely comfortable in somepony else's kitchen, she foraged for her own breakfast. Electing to skip cooking for the day, she simply grabbed a few carrots and berries. Munching them comfortably on the couch, she surveyed the vacant living room. Without Vinyl's equipment, it was nearly bare. The stacks of records were notably smaller; many had been destroyed in the intrusion and were promptly disposed of by the homeowner.

That's when Octavia noticed her own possessions grouped neatly together. Atop them sat a broken picture frame. Trotting over, Octavia realized it was the photograph of her ensemble that she was looking for earlier. She picked it up, with pieces of glass chipping off as she did. After a moment of sorrow, she realized that her possession had obviously been a victim of the intruder (*coughwrongcough.*) The faces of her Canterlot friends were distorted by jagged cracks: only her own silent stare was recognizable. Octavia used to frequently see the photograph at her home, as it was positioned in a commonly trot area. However, when glancing at it, she would normally just look at her friends, and not herself. The sight of them made her solitary house feel a bit fuller and warmer. But now, she could only see herself in the lonely picture. She studied her own solemn stare. It was cold and empty.

'Have I always looked so... somber?' the troubled cellist pondered. She couldn't remember the particular day this photo was taken, but she didn't imagine she was having a significantly bad time. 'I have... haven't I?' Octavia remembered. This was her, or how she used to be, staring up at her. That version of her had existed just a few days ago, but she felt so distant. As if all those years she had been asleep, and Vinyl had finally woken her up to a reality in which she could smile and laugh for real.

'Oh, Vinyl...'

Octavia instantly shivered and quickly put the broken picture down a little too forcibly, knocking more glass loose. Thinking about Vinyl was something she desperately wished to avoid. Since her discovery, Octavia wasn't sure how to act towards her best friend anymore. Last night, the both of them were so tired they didn't have much of a conversation: even about the intrusion. They had unanimously decided to 'deal with it later' (like responsible adults.) But Octavia couldn't help herself: she had to think about Vinyl. They were friends. Best friends, even. Not to mention Octavia was practically living with her at the moment. Such a thing couldn't be avoided. With a heavy sigh, Octavia returned to the couch to finish her makeshift breakfast and begin some deep personal thinking.

'Vinyl is gay. I simply cannot deny it, after all I have seen. I... I am not entirely comfortable with that... but...' Octavia nervously played with her food. 'If I want to stay her friend, and I desperately want to, I have to accept it... I have to accept her, no matter how it makes me feel.' The canterlot pony made her decision, but that begged a new question. 'How should I tell Vinyl?' she asked herself. 'Will she be angry I found out? ...I do not imagine she would be... Perhaps she will be relieved to confine in somepony about her secret... Celestia, what if she's overjoyed!? What if- what if she... confesses feelings for me!?' Octavia nervously swallowed at the thought of Vinyl dropping all pretense of simple friendship and announcing an unquenchable attraction she'd been harboring for days. 'Is it arrogant to assume that she feels... that way towards me? She- she has been so... peculiar around me... so physical... I don't- I do not know what it means. I do not know what to do... Maybe... I should just return home... and forget all this...' Octavia grimaced, dropping a nearly finished carrot.

Going home was the last thing Octavia wanted to do, however. Being in Ponyville with Vinyl had been the most interesting, fulfilling and fun experience of her life. It was anypony's guess how a conversation with Vinyl would end: Would either pony learn something new? Would it end in a fight over something frivolous? Would it end in laughter and tears? Would Vinyl end it with a big smile and a hug? To leave all the opportunity behind over this, to leave scared and bitter... defeated. Octavia never wanted to do that. She didn't want to lose that feeling she had around Vinyl. She didn't want it to change, for everything to become awkward between them. For it to stay the same, Octavia would have to treat Vinyl as if she didn't know. It was then she was struck with the obvious solution.

'There is no need... to say anything...' Octavia realized with growing enthusiasm. 'If we never speak of it, she will never realize I know! We could- we could continue on how we were!' A great weight had been lifted from Octavia's shoulders, or so it seemed. But, as the burden of one problem vanished, another appeared in its place. 'I will simply have to- ...pretend I do not know... Keep it a secret... Keep it locked up...'

'But can you?' it asked.

'...I do not know...' she answered.

A newly formed nauseous feeling in her gut threatened to undo her work eating breakfast, so Octavia simply shoved the unfinished plate of food away. If she didn't start thinking about something else, she'd be too stressed out to act normal around Vinyl when she came back. Determined to find something to keep her mind occupied, Octavia reached for the library books she borrowed from Twilight. A few pages into a normally interesting story, the cello player buckled under the realization that she wasn't focusing on it at all.

"Ugh..." she sighed, anxiously closing the book. Pushing it aside, she collapsed on the floor. The earth pony was content to simply lay there for a few moments. As she occasionally kicked the flaps of the couch, her mind began to wander dangerously towards Vinyl's secret. "No, no, no!" She got up, shaking her head. "You must absolutely not think about it," she told herself aloud. "I will be fine once Vinyl returns from... wherever it is she ran off to. Once I have a normal conversation with her, everything will fall into place. I simply must keep myself busy until then." But with what? What was there to do that could hold her interest? (You need more hobbies, Octy.) Looking around, the picture of her ensemble caught her attention again. She was struck with an idea for something she hadn't considered in days... something she used to do all the time. Something she suddenly desired to do again.

Quickly arriving upstairs, Octavia hurried over to her cello (after cursing herself for glancing at the magazine chest.) The cellist removed the beautiful instrument from its case and gave it a loving caress. Octavia hadn't touched her cello with the intent to play it for a while, not since before the wedding. The massive wooden instrument was larger than the musician raising it, and Octavia had to stand on her hind legs to even hold it. With elegant posture, the poised pony precisely put her prized possession in a perfect playing position, as she had done a thousand times before. Taking a deep breath and closing her eyes, she readied her hoof on the neck and with great precision, she began to play.

As Octavia drew the bow across the strings, music began to fill the empty house. Notes and melodies resonated from the instrument as the master cellist drew from her lifetime of expertise. She didn't play anything in particular, but simply let her experience guide her as her emotions expressed themselves in the form of movements of the bow. The tune was somber, slow and mournful, but it was masterful nonetheless. Octavia worked the hoofboard with a precision that seemed impossible without magic. Seconds turned to minutes as she continued to weave a musical story that needed no end, but would eventually have to.

When Octavia drew her bow for the final note, she let it resonate briefly before exhaling and opening her eyes. The space around her held pure silence for a moment. Suddenly, a frantic stomping of hooves beside her caused Octavia's heart to jump. Vinyl Scratch was laying on the bed, hanging off slightly and stomping the floor with her forelegs in applause.

"Rock it girl! That was epic! I never thought you'd be that good!" Vinyl cheered at her shocked friend.

"Vinyl! When did you get here!?" Octavia exclaimed, after her heart landed from its metaphorical leap.

Vinyl widened her eyes, grinned evilly, and answered, "Oh, I've been here since you woke up. I've been following right behind you all morning."

"...Wait, what!? How could-!?"

"Pffffttt! Hahahahaha!" Vinyl rolled around on the bed, laughing hysterically and kicking her legs in the air. (It's not that funny.)

"Oh... you are joking. Right, of course..."

"Hahaha. I came in a while ago," Vinyl explained, bouncing on the bed once to launch herself off it. "I snuck up to watch you play when I heard you. You were so busy, you didn't notice me walk in." With a grin, the DJ trotted up to Octavia and pointed at the cello. "Why didn't you tell me how good you are at playing the violin?"

"Violin-? This is a cello, Vinyl... I explained this to you when we met..." Octavia replied, a little hurt her friend didn't remember. Vinyl tilted her head quizzically.

"Huh? Really? They all kinda look the same to me. Anyway, you were really good at it!" Vinyl beamed at her friend before awkwardly asking, "Um, what do you fancy ponies say in Canterlot when you like someone's gig, again?"

"...Bravo?" Octavia answered after a brief moment of contemplation and linguistic conversion.

"Yeah! That's it! Bravo! Bravo!" Vinyl started the stomping applause once again.

Octavia then did what she always did when she received recognition: she smiled. Plainly and insincerely. It happened instinctively: a habit she developed after a certain experience years ago. She was faking appreciation for the applause. It was the proper thing to do after a performance, even though she desperately didn't want to hear it.

'...Even when it's from Vinyl...' Octavia thought, disappointed.

Vinyl slowed her stomping to a halt when she noticed Octavia's odd, lifeless smile. Her joy changed to concern. Stepping forward, she examined her almost emotionless friend.

"You... okay, Octavia?"

Octavia instantly forgot her past troubles when she realized how close Vinyl was to her own face and remembered certain other troubles. When the unicorn reached up to poke her muzzle, Octavia jumped back with a jolt, losing her hold on the cello and bow. The instrument fell towards the floor and would have collided if not for the split-second thinking of Vinyl, who caught it with her magical grip.

"Woah! Careful!" Vinyl set the cello down before turning to her friend, who now was on all fours and clearing her throat. "It'd suck to have your favorite thing break too!" (Referring, of course, to her broken stereo. Geez, pay more attention, reader.) Octavia just stared at her in response. "I mean, I'm guessing it's your favorite thing," Vinyl explained, a little nervous that she may have misjudged. Surely a fancy pony like Octavia had more than one instrument.

"Oh, no. I am sorry. I fear I am still a little tired and 'out of it,' as one might say," Octavia smiled nervously, trying to forget a certain secret that she promised herself she wouldn't think of when Vinyl came home. "Thank you, Vinyl. I cherish my cello and would dread if something were to happen to it." She gracefully took the cello and started to return it to the case.

"Okay, cool," Vinyl replied, relieved that there didn't seem to be anything wrong with her new friend.

"So... you... enjoyed my performance, did you?" Octavia asked, focusing on her task so she could avoid looking Vinyl in the eyes.

"Octavia. I said you were good at playing. I didn't say I enjoyed listening."

"Vinyl!"

"Hahahahahaha!"

-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~ :heart: ~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-

KNOCK! KNOCK! KNOCK!

It was the second time the pony at the door tried to get her attention, but Berry Punch just moaned from under her covers. Her head was pounding and her stomach was turning. (Hangovers are not pleasant!)

KNOCK! KNOCK! KNOCK!

"GO AWAY!" Berry cried out with her hoarse voice. (Haha. Puns.) The knocking continued, unabated, until the plum pony gave up. "For the love of Celestia! Alright, alright!" Berry slugged out from her semi-comfortable hiding place and slid off her bed. Her legs nearly buckled on contact with the floor and her stomach squirmed. "Ugggh..." Berry moaned as she trudged to her front door. She had to shield her eyes as she opened it. "What?" she asked bluntly, not actually able to make out the two nearly identical light blue stallions at the door through her squinting eyes. The two of them wore matching suits, sunglasses and sported fashionable black fedoras.

"Miss Berry Punch?" one of the stallions asked.

"Yeah, what do you want?" Berry replied coldly.

"It has come to our attention that you are close friends with Miss Vinyl Scratch," the second stallion answered.

"Pfft. Not anymore," Berry interrupted. She rubbed her head at a spike in her headache. The two stallions shot each other glances.

"We need to ask you some... questions about her," the first stallion pressed. Berry just groaned obnoxiously and started to close the door.

"Yeah, well... I can't help you with that," she said irritated. "Bye bye, now." One stallion stuck his hoof inside to block the door from closing. With determination, he advanced, forcing Berry to stumble backwards and land on her flank. "UGH!" she cried as she hit the ground, falling over to clench at her already troublesome stomach.

"I am afraid you misunderstand. We need you to answer our questions. In fact, we insist," he said with dangerous authority, as his comrade joined him inside the doorway. Berry looked up at the two menacing-looking stallions, who now had so rudely forced their way inside her house. Moaning from the floor, Berry managed to measure the situation and realized things might get messy if she didn't give these fine gentlecolts what they wanted so they could be on their way.

"Okay, okay, okay!" she said weakly from the floor, not daring to stand up again. "What did you want to know about Vinyl?"

One of the stallions looked down at Berry Punch as the other slowly closed the door, drowning the room in near darkness.

"Everything, Miss Punch. Absolutely everything."

Author's Note

OMG WHAT. What's happening to my slice-of-life love story? Why so much intrigue!? I dunno!

Ugh, I've been writing so much narration, glad to get some conversation going again. Lots more of that next chapter.

I just fixed like 6 typos and grammatical errors in chapter 12 that I never noticed before. Y'all got to call me out on that stuff! I have no editor! :duck:

Okay so I'm just a little disappointed that Vinyl didn't make a cameo appearance in the Pinkie's Pride episode during the party. I mean come on, she was the one obviously playing that music. :twilightangry2: I'm also a little confused by her random crowd appearance in Simple Ways and the strange lack of Octavia during the fancy party at the end. WTF DHX GET IT TOGETHER. MISSED OPPORTUNITIES. COME ON NOW.

I wrote a sequel to my Fritter Jacked short story, you can read it here, if you don't mind lesbian pony incest romance comedy.

Chapter 14: Moments Before...

There was much to do that day for our two musical ponies. Vinyl Scratch needed replacement records for the ones that had been destroyed in the home invasion. She also needed to consider buying a new speaker system and repairing her keyboard. Money, however, would be an obstruction to her plans. For Octavia Melody, simple living necessities needed to be purchased, as she left everything behind in Canterlot. It was simply unacceptable to her to have gone so long without any makeup or changing her horseshoes. Although money would not be a problem for Octavia, she had a much bigger issue to deal with. Discovering Vinyl's orientation towards mares created a rift in Octavia's trust towards her. But instead of facing it like a grown mare, Octavia decided to pretend she never found out. A friendship with such a shaky foundation might not survive another earthquake of emotion and conflict. Or at least, that's what Octavia feared. (Such drama! Well, enough exposition. Let's listen in!)

"So, if I am to understand correctly," Octavia began, in her typical lecturing tone, "you intend to replace your records, yet you haven't the faintest idea which ones are broken?"

"Pretty much!" Vinyl answered enthusiastically.

"So, you never once elected to jot down the titles as you disposed of them?"

"Nope," Vinyl proudly declared as she magically levitated a toothbrush. She spun the object effortlessly and amused herself by performing aerial tricks with it. The two ponies were strolling down a Ponyville street on their way to Vinyl's favorite record shop: the only one in town. Though it was scheduled to be a clear day, it was still cloudy above the town. Whenever sunlight did find its way down, it reflected off Vinyl's purple sunglasses that she wore confidently. The DJ continued her conversation and clarified, "Never even crossed my mind!"

"Never?" Octavia asked her with a perfectly timed eyebrow raising.

"Never."

"Your foresight is amazing."

"Thanks!"

"That was sarcasm, Vinyl."

"Thanks for the sarcasm, Octavia!" Vinyl responded sarcastically. Octavia glared at her with a mixture of disdain and confusion, but Vinyl just puffed out her cheeks and held in a laugh. Octavia rolled her eyes and waved her hoof in dismissal of the nonsense.

"We are going nowhere with this; let us change the subject."

"Yes ma'am!" Vinyl stated astutely, making her magic flying toothbrush perform a salute.

"I suppose I must commend you for straightening out the mess at the house without my supervision. You must have done it quietly, I did not hear a single noise that would have roused me from my slumber."

"Heh-heh. Well, I am pretty awesome when I try!" Vinyl vainly explained. She continued her dramatic display of toothbrush acrobatics, as if to illustrate her claim. (Like it would impress anypony.) "But I was actually pretty loud. And I totally tried to wake you, you know! You wouldn't get up no matter how much I shook or shouted. Or poked. It was like you were dead, but still snoring."

"Ugggh," Octavia groaned, in an impolite manner. Envisioning herself sleeping in like a slob while Vinyl was being punctual was disheartening, to say the least.

'Wait a moment...' Octavia caught herself thinking. 'I snore!?'

"You were sleeping like a log, so I was thinkin' about drawing on your face," Vinyl mentioned, innocently. "Maybe give you a moustache." :moustache:

"You are... so sinister," Octavia accused as she squinted her eyes at her friend in antipathy. The two giggled briefly after their exchange. The playful banter with Vinyl raised Octavia's spirit, as it always did. But no amount of high spirits would erase the plethora of problems on her mind. Old worries, new concerns. Each one was difficult to tackle for her and taunted her with many possible disastrous outcomes. Hoping for some support, she decided to pick the easiest one and discuss it with Vinyl. "Speaking of this morning, did you report the break-in?"

"Oh, um... report? You mean like... tell the town guard?" Vinyl mused in an obviously guilty way; her magic floating toothbrush faltered in its flight for a moment.

"...You did not... did you?" Octavia asked coldly at her friend's suspicious response.

"Well... I didn't so much as tell the guards... as... ...avoid them entirely and pretend nothing happened," Vinyl admitted shamefully. (But she grinned, nonetheless.)

"Vinyl, I am shocked at you! This is a serious matter! Your home was invaded! They left a threat!" Octavia asserted.

"Yeah, but they didn't take nothing! It was probably just some colts playin' a prank, alright? No need to go and involve anypony else!"

"Unbelievable..." Octavia was none too impressed with Vinyl's lack of responsibility, although she's come to expect it. "Simply unbelievable. Let us hope that decision does not come back to bite you in the flank."

"Octavia, darling!" Vinyl exclaimed with pretend shock and a faux Canterlot accent. "Such language! I know I raised you better than that!" Octavia just rolled her eyes at the jeer. "Biting somepony in the flank is far too naughty for a mare of your class!"

The real Canterlot pony blushed and grimaced.

'Oh, Celestia... I am best friends with this pony... What has my life come to?'

Vinyl nudged her friend casually, "Hey, I'm pretty good at being a stuck up Canterlite, huh?"

"I would not count your acting skills as a positive attribute."

"Uh-huh. Well. It doesn't matter. I got some techno and pop records in mind for you. Soon we'll be rocking out and you'll forget all about Canterlot!" Vinyl announced gleefully. "To the record shop, tally ho!"

"Hmm..." Octavia hummed at the prospect. "You know what? I am looking forward to it! It is high time we do what I came here to do. I am counting on your expertise and advice, Vinyl. There is so much music I have not yet experienced, and I- ENOUGH WITH THE TOOTHBRUSH!!!" Octavia snapped forward and snatched the cleaning utensil as it tried to magically buzz around her head for the 15th time.

Vinyl snickered at her friend finally responding to her masterful plan (which was appropriately titled: "Annoy Octavia With a Magic Flying Toothbrush.")

"Honestly," Octavia muttered through her teeth as she secured the flying annoyance, "do you not have any respect for personal property?"

"Only when it's mine! 'Cause I always got the best stuff!" Vinyl answered with a stupid grin, sticking out her tongue playfully.

"Ah, what a presumptuous narcissist you are," Octavia casually insulted as she tucked the toothbrush into her pack. It was actually an expensive brand that had been forced upon her mere minutes ago. Vinyl's dentist friend, Colgate, had happily given it to her for free.

(Well folks... I've received several angry "cease and desist" letters from Colgate-Palmolive Co., so I must rephrase that last sentence.)

(Ahem.)

Vinyl's dentist friend, ~~Colgate~~ Minuette, had happily given it to her for free. The blue unicorn seemed to have an obsession with brushing and had plenty to spare.

"I'm a what?" Vinyl asked, bewildered to Octavia's wordy insult.

"A presumptuous narcissist," Octavia repeated snidely. She knew what was coming next.

"I don't- know... I don't know what either of those words mean..." Vinyl stated bluntly, as she turned to face her friend with an oblivious stare.

"How unfortunate for you," Octavia nonchalantly replied. The two ponies continued on their stroll; the conversation didn't hinder their pace in the least.

"Wait, what were they? Pres- Presnar- Presnarump?"

"Not even close, Vinyl," Octavia giggled.

"Hey, at least I know 'troglodyte' now!"

"Oh, you are capable of recalling words from two days ago! I see your IQ level has significantly risen since my arrival. This is fantastic news!" The cellist was smiling brightly at this point.

"Haha! That's right! I'm a presnarump troglodyte now!" Vinyl declared confidently. "Presnarump! Presnarump troglodyte!" she hollered wildly, garnering attention from several ponies on the street.

"What are you doing? Keep your voice down! Everypony can hear you!" Octavia begged in a panic, her cheeks starting to pink up.

"No way! Vinyl Scratch is always the life of the party!" Vinyl replied with a smirk. This was her little revenge against Octavia's education. "Presnarump troglodyte!"

"This is not a party! We are in public, for pony's sake!" Octavia tried to reason with her friend, but it was obviously pointless.

"Presnaaaaaarump! Trooooooglooooodyte!"

A stallion from across the street called over, "Huh!? What does that mean!?"

Vinyl turned to him and shouted back, "I have no idea! But it's what I am! All thanks to her!" She pointed to her terrified companion.

"Oh, Celestia." Octavia buried her head in her hoof to hide her face. Despite her embarrassment, she couldn't help but giggle. When the two of them were engaged in silly conversation, Octavia found it easy to forget her discomfort regarding Vinyl's sexuality. Perhaps if they continued to just have a good time, and no more absurdly strange events occur, she could forget about it altogether. (But that'd be such an unsatisfying fanfic.)

"Presnarump!" Vinyl shouted once more for good measure, ensuring Octavia was thoroughly embarrassed.

"Good grief, I never said that! It was 'pre-sump-tu-ous nar-ci-ssist!'" Octavia corrected, sounding it out for her companion.

"Huh... You're right, that's not even close," Vinyl said, finally returning to normal speaking levels. "Well, since you're so smart, what's that mean?"

"It means you are self-absorbed," Octavia answered with relief that the outburst was over.

"Absorbed? ...Like a sponge? Haha! That's such a weird insult, Octavia!" Before the cellist could provide a correction, the DJ latched onto her, wrapping one hoof around her neck to prevent escape. "I'm a sponge! Squishy, squishy!" Vinyl squeezed hard against Octavia's side. The heated contact further flustered the gray pony's face. "I'll suck you all up, Octavia!" Vinyl teased playfully. But then, without warning, Vinyl did the unthinkable: she pressed her lips directly on Octavia's cheek and started to suck.

"WHAT IN CELESTIA'S NAME!?" Octavia shrieked and forcibly shoved her affectionate attacker off before the narrator could even get a chance to describe the scene further! Responding with a "Hey!" and followed by a splendid "Oof!," Vinyl crashed into a passing pegasus. The scene was reminiscent of the moment the two musicians met, as Vinyl and the pegasus hit the dirt. Octavia backed up and vigorously tried to wipe away the spot on her face where Vinyl had planted her suction kiss.

'No, no, no, no! Why? Why did she do that!? It was supposed to stay a secret!'

"Ow," Vinyl moaned from the two-pony pile up she found herself a part of in the middle of the street. "Octy!? What the hay?" she yelled, bolting up. Vinyl immediately began to lose balance and quickly realized she was standing on the chest of the gray pegasus. "Ah! Pony feathers! Sorry, Derps!" The DJ lifted the dizzy blonde pegasus up and turned her attention to her friend. "Octavia!? What the hay was that for!?" She had to shout because Octavia had put significant distance between them.

"DON'T DO THAT!!!" Octavia shrieked, as she trembled wildly in her own little bubble of panic.

"Huh!? Filly, what are you talking about?" Vinyl trotted over to her frightened friend, who tried to retreat in response, but backed into the side of a building. "Octavia, what's wrong?" the DJ asked as she closed the distance between them.

"You kissed me! Don't do that! Don't kiss me!"

"WHAT!?" Vinyl shouted, far louder than Octavia did. Looking around, Vinyl saw they had gathered the attention of several ponyfolk, most of which had been watching since "Presnarump." Blushing wildly and blatantly confused, the DJ turned back to Octavia. She kept her voice low, to keep the conversation private as she could, as she responded. "Filly, I do NOT know what you're talking about! I didn't kiss you, okay!?"

"Yeah! Yeah, you did!" Octavia's blubbering reduced her to the intellectual level of a pouting foal.

"All I did was hug you! Like I've been doing for days! That's all!"

"Then- then you kissed my cheek!" Octavia cried out.

"Would you quit saying that!?" Vinyl looked around frantically as more and more ponies began to watch the panicked scene. "What's gotten into you, Octavia!? I was just teasin' and I poked your cheek, alright? With my hoof, see?" Vinyl displayed her hoof to her friend. Both of them were confused and blushing, wishing they could be somewhere else. All thoughts of a pleasant, uneventful day were gone and the gathering crowd only fueled the agony of embarrassment.

"What? No! No, you- you were sucking on- my cheek..." Octavia claimed, slowly starting to doubt herself. Vinyl squirmed at the accusation. The pegasus, Derpy, appeared from behind Vinyl as she wandered over to check on the scene. "You!" Octavia pointed to her. "You saw! She was kissing me inappropriately, wasn't she!?"

Derpy gave her an expression of sincere concern and responded by definitively shaking her head, as if to say: "No, she didn't."

"See?" Vinyl pressed, "I don't know what's going through your head, but it isn't what happened, alright? So, could we... maybe talk about this somewhere else?"

'What? Could I have been imagining it? But I could swear to Celestia she- ...she kissed me... but she says she didn't... she didn't kiss me...'

'But you wish she did,' a dirty little voice in the back of her head said coyly.

At that moment, a raspy voice called out from above, garnering everypony's attention, "Ooookay, folks! Nothing else to see here!" In a bolt of rainbow colors, a dashing young pegasus mare flew down and hovered between the crowd of ponies and the two musicians. Before Octavia could get a good look at the blue pegasus, she felt her chest collide with something. It almost winded her, and she barely had time to comprehend what had happened as the scenery suddenly flew away before her very eyes. A great wind blew against the back of her body as she watched the crowded street of ponies shrink in size and disappear in front of her. The straw roofs of Ponyville houses came into view suddenly and dropped away just as fast. Soon, Octavia was surrounded by an excess of clouds zipping past. Looking down at the pressure on her chest, Octavia saw a blue foreleg holding her tightly. Trying to move her head against the wind on her back, she turned to see the vigorously flapping wings of a pegasus and streak of rainbow colors running along behind them.

As clouds flew by her, Octavia had enough information to finally compose a hypothesis to her situation, despite her spinning head: the pegasus had grabbed her and flew into the sky, very quickly. (Such an astute observation!) But just as this realization dawned upon her, Octavia's abrupt chauffer dove, collided violently with the dirt and screeched to a halt as dust and debris blew up behind her. After the landing, the pegasus released Octavia, who fell, flabbergasted, onto her side. The cellist didn't even try to rise to her hooves, but simply struggled on the ground to catch her breath. She wasn't hurt, but she was certainly panting for air.

"You guys okay?" the same sudden raspy voice asked.

Octavia finally looked up at the pegasus to see a grinning face shadowed underneath unruly, rainbow-colored bangs.

"Celestia, RD! Why'd you go that fast!? I almost lost my shades!" Vinyl coughed beside Octavia, who noticed the DJ's presence for the first time. Vinyl was partially collapsed on the ground and was vigorously fixing her sunglasses. The pegasus had obviously brought the both of them along for the abrupt ride. Quickly discerning her surroundings, the cellist found her group in the shade of a building on the edge of town. There were no other ponies around to see them.

"Heh heh! Sorry, but 'fast' is my only speed!" the rainbow pony chuckled as her wings began to flap again. She lifted off slightly and hovered before Octavia. "Need a hoof?" She reached down for the Canterlot pony, who, after a moment, cautiously gave her hoof to her. The pegasus yanked Octavia up a little faster than she was comfortable with, but it got her to her hooves nonetheless. Hovering over to Vinyl, she offered the same. Vinyl waved her hoof in defiance to shoo the pegasus away.

"I'm fine," the stubborn unicorn said as she rose, wobbling, to her feet.

"Eh, suit yourself," the rainbow colored pegasus shrugged.

"Excuse me," Octavia began, finding her confidence after losing it in front of all those ponies, "but explain yourself! What just happened? Who are you?" The other two ponies gave each other a glance, before Vinyl tried to answer.

"This is-"

"Name's Rainbow Dash!" the blue pegasus interrupted, both verbally and physically, when she flew in front of Octavia's face to block Vinyl from view. "I was busy clearing the sky when I saw you guys having a fight, so I SHZOOM!!! dashed down there and grabbed the two of you. I figured you didn't want to have that crowd watching, so I hightailed you guys outta there." Rainbow whipped her own tail at the expression to demonstrate.

"Oh, well-" Octavia tried to begin.

"No, no! No need to thank me! Heh heh!" Rainbow flew up quickly to gain an altitude advantage. "Just make sure you mention to everypony in Canterlot how much of a hero I am."

"Canterlot? How did-" Octavia began again.

"If word gets around Canterlot that I helped out one of their own, maybe the Wonderbolts will hear about it! Heeheeeee!" Rainbow squealed like an adorable fanfilly. Without warning, she flew behind Octavia and shoved her forcefully towards Vinyl, stopping after about half the distance. Octavia fell flat on her flank, and in that instant, Rainbow bolted to behind Vinyl. She pushed her the rest of the way towards Octavia, until the two friends were touching and Vinyl too, fell to her rear. "Okay you two, time to make up!" Rainbow announced, crossing her arms. "I'll get out of your manes now. I got clouds to bust anyway. Catch ya later, Vinyl!" With that, the pegasus bolted into the sky in a brilliant streak of rainbow, leaving a flabbergasted cellist behind.

With the energetic Rainbow Dash gone, there was an awkward silence between the two musical ponies, as they sat uncomfortably close to one another. They averted each other's gaze, but neither made a move to separate.

"Vinyl..." Octavia said, breaking the quiet, "how did she know I was from Canterlot?" Octavia looked to the sky, but saw no sign of the pegasus.

"Oh, uh... RD goes to the club I played at last night. I guess I- kinda told her about you," Vinyl explained, still avoiding eye contact. She added, "And she's friends with AJ... and Twi... and Pinks..."

'Another nickname,' Octavia thought. 'AJ, RD, Twi, Pinks, BP, Rosey, Minny, Derps... ...Octy...'

"You... give everypony you know a nickname, don't you?" the observant cellist asked, recalling back to her memories of everypony she's heard Vinyl interact with.

"Huh? Yeah... I guess," Vinyl scratched the dirt with her hoof.

"But you no longer use mine." Octavia proposed this matter-of-factly, but Vinyl didn't reply. The silence between them lingered for a moment. Octavia swallowed before continuing, "Why is that?"

"You said you didn't like it, remember?"

"I do remember." Octavia contemplated for a moment before adding, "However, that's not the real reason, is it Vinyl?" Knowing what she knew now, her instincts told her there was a different reason. But she didn't know why she was pressing the issue so, fully aware it would lead towards some dangerous territory. Did... she actually want to hear Vinyl say it?

"Well... no..." Vinyl admitted slowly, awkwardly shuffling her position on the ground. The two of them were barely touching hooves as they sat in the place Rainbow Dash had put them. "It's 'cause... you're my only- err, I mean... you're my best friend... using your real name... means you're special to me..."

It's not exactly what she expected to hear, but Octavia still blushed at that and her heart jumped. She already knew her status, but being reminded of it gave her joy. She felt comfortable with Vinyl. Everything between them always worked itself out, no matter how silly or how serious. It was natural they would stay so close.

Octavia turned to face her friend with confidence, "I do not know what to say, Vinyl. You are my best friend, as well."

Vinyl spun around immediately, raised up her hooves in expectance of an embrace and exclaimed, "I'm so happy! Can we hug it out now!?" She pouted with tearful puppy-dog eyes to entice Octavia to humor her. The cellist chuckled and followed her cue. The two ponies squeezed each other ~~like sponges~~ like good friends as Vinyl grinned. "Does this mean you forgive me for... whatever happened back there?" she asked.

Octavia pulled out of the hug quickly, but still held Vinyl's shoulders. "No, it was my fault, Vinyl." Octavia quickly ran an excuse-making program in her brain to explain herself. "I am just- a bit overwhelmed right now and was feeling dizzy. I must have imagined it. I am so sorry." The truth, of course, was different. Her mind would go wild whenever Vinyl touched her, causing many such imaginary situations to run amok in her head. Even though she tried to destroy every fantasy as they appeared, one slipped out and she confused it with reality.

"Dizzy?" Vinyl placed her hoof on Octavia's forehead. "You're not sick or nothing, are ya? Should we just go home? Do you need to lie down?"

"No, I'm-" Octavia took a deep breath. "I am fine, Vinyl. Let us forget this business and go to the musical store; I think we have delayed enough." She got up, finally letting go of her friend. "Where... is it exactly?"

"Um," Vinyl got up as well, and looked around for any landmarks. All she could see from the edge of town was an open field. She wasn't even sure if that forest in the distance was Everfree or not and Canterlot mountain was simply not in view from their place behind a building. "RD brought us to- uh... ...um... ...I have no idea."

"For pony's sake," Octavia murmured as she face-hooved.

"Hey, don't worry! Ponyville's not that big. Come on!" Vinyl picked a random direction back into town and casually motioned to her friend to follow. The unicorn and the earth pony walked for a while and had a delightful conversation about Vinyl's sense of direction (or lack thereof.) As they found their way back to a route that Vinyl knew, she became uncharacteristically quiet. There was silence between them for a few moments as they traveled until the DJ spoke up. "So... you kinda freaked out back there."

"I told you to forget that business," Octavia replied quickly. "There is nothing to be gained by pursuing it," she added, trying to end the discussion.

"Right, but... I mean. All 'cause you thought I kissed you, haha. It's kind of funny." Vinyl's voice started to crack as she spoke, and Octavia became silent. After clearing her throat, Vinyl continued. "What I mean is... even if- if I had... done that... it... wouldn't have been so bad... right?"

The both of them stopped in their tracks. The distance between the two ponies seemed to stretch into miles and the silence turned from awkward to painful. Vinyl had just taken a tremendously bold step: a step Octavia had been dreading would eventually happen. Neither of the two dared to look at each other. The classical cellist kept to studying the dirt beneath their hooves and the contemporary DJ kept her attention on some far off street.

A sinking feeling in her gut weighed her down, and Octavia's lips never moved to say the words in her head:

'Maybe not...'

Author's Note

Whaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaat took me so long?

Depression. Apathy.

Blame my meds for not doing their job. CURSE YOU MEEEEEDS!!! Also I'm kind of a perfectionist, and I'll linger on my writing if it doesn't feel right. Yet, I miss so many grammar errors. So annoying.

I had to go back and retcon some things to make the 'nickname' point in this chapter work. Nothing major, just changed "Pinkie Pie" to "~~Pinkie-P~~," (now its Pinks. I can't make up my mind) etc. On that note, the "Minny" in Octavia's thoughts was Minuette. Just because you didn't read Vinyl talking to her, doesn't mean Octavia didn't see it, and therefore heard the nickname! Just like that, I BLEW YOUR MIND. :coolphoto:

I'll try to have the next chapter done in reasonable time.

WHOOPS! This was the biggest chapter I've done. Yikes!

Chapter 15: ...The Crash

"If I had kissed you, would it have been so bad?"

Vinyl Scratch cleared her throat. Her companion, Octavia Melody, hadn't answered the question that lingered in the air around them.

"Um, Octavia?" the DJ prodded awkwardly, hoping for some sort of response.

"My apologies, Vinyl. My mind was elsewhere. Did you say something?" the unflinching cellist asked in a distant tone.

"Oh- um. I was- um. I was just asking if- well if- ...*mumble*" Vinyl trailed off, too embarrassed to ask again.

'Please... just give up...' Octavia begged in her mind.

'You should give up and just answer her,' a devilish little voice in her head commented.

"It was not anything of importance, I hope," Octavia stated, desperate to change the course of the conversation. "I am eager to arrive at our destination, and I fear we have done quite enough side-tracking for today."

"Oh, no... it... it wasn't important," Vinyl shook it off. Her attempt to break the ice on that subject had failed miserably. Disappointed, but not showing it visibly, the DJ strode ahead, shepherding her friend along. "Come on, it's this way."

'Oh, thank you, Celestia!' Octavia thought, relieved. The two ponies continued their stroll towards the record shop. The awkward tension still hung between them. Octavia had clearly heard Vinyl's question and knew what must have been on the unicorn's mind in that very moment. She clenched her teeth as this led her to an uncomfortable conclusion. It was the very fear she'd been dreading all night. 'Vinyl is interested in me... She likes me like...that.' The cellist locked her eyes on Vinyl, who was leading the way in front of her. She stared intently at the back of the DJ's head and a queasy sensation boiled up in her stomach. 'Oh, no... No. No. No! No! What am I to do?'

'Maybe you should have answered her,' the voice pointed out.

'.......maybe I should have.......' Octavia responded quietly, with the tiniest glimmer of hope amongst the turmoil of guilt and shame that constantly circled her head. The tiny thought shot a bolt through her, turning her stomach even further. 'No!' she immediately cried, as she physically shook her head to chase the thoughts out. 'No- I can't- I cannot be like that... It is not proper, it is not appropriate... It is not what mother wants from me.'

'But what about what you want?'

'What... I want...?' Octavia found herself beginning to listen to the voice that had bugged her for many years. She fought it and ignored it all that time, but with Vinyl... Why did its words suddenly become so convincing? Did it bother her because this time... this time, was it worth listening to?

(Yes. Yes is the answer to that.)

The two arrived at the music store and Octavia still hadn't found an answer. (Well, after a lifetime of searching, odds are she's not going to find it on a stroll down the street.)

"Well, here it is: Harmonic's Music," Vinyl announced as they approached. "The best and only music store in Ponyville. They got everything a musical pony needs from albums to instruments to- HOOOOOOLY CELESTIAAAAAAAAAA!!" Vinyl's exclamation startled Octavia, who was still lost in thought. Vinyl then galloped up to the window pane that displayed Harmonic's newest merchandise to passersby and put her hooves up to the glass. She veritably drooled in delight to the splendor and awe of what she beheld. "It's... so bucking beautiful..."

Octavia joined her at the window in a casual attempt to see what the fuss was about. Behind the glass stood the most massive and awe-inspiring stereo system on the face of Equestria. The two large dark speakers sported jagged and diagonal metal designs on their sides. Both of them had several circular drivers that vigorously pumped out some radical beat as neon lights flashed along. A flat controller box with innumerable buttons and switches of incomprehensible arrangement sat between the speakers. The design of the whole thing was daring and aggressive (and so very modern.) Despite her friend's elation at the system, Octavia didn't quite get why it was so spectacular. To her, it looked the same as the one Vinyl blew up. (Which was, for the record, old and nasty.)

"Is this... a suitable replacement for your broken system?" Octavia asked, trying to reestablish normal conversations with the DJ. Her tone was somber and uninterested as she asked, as she couldn't hide the fact that she was deeply troubled.

"Suitable!? Filly, this is the FiM-9001X!" Vinyl exclaimed, never looking away from the system and not catching Octavia's worrisome demeanor. "It's the newest design by Tweeter Woofer himself! State of the art, 9,000 watt power, distortion filtering crystals, subwoofers the size of a colt, magical memory drive compatible, not to mention it has the DiaMand™ battery system! I don't even have to use my own magic to run it!"

"So... it is good, then?" Octavia replied with an unconvinced look.

Inside the store, a young filly had heard the commotion and wandered over to the window. The filly paused when she saw the full-grown white unicorn pressing her whole body up against the glass, rubbing it and moaning, "It's perfect... I want it sooo baaaaad..." The filly recoiled uncomfortably, and backed up slowly out of the story.

"Well, if it is truly that wonderful, perhaps you should purchase it, Vinyl," Octavia stated matter-of-factly. She gave a weak smile to support her half-interested statement.

"Maybe... maybe I should..." Vinyl's eyes spun around in a hypnotic daze behind her shades. The speakers were calling to her and, well, she couldn't resist. She slowly dragged her eyes down to the price tag.

...

At that moment, it was if the incredible number of zeroes on that price tag leapt off the paper, skyrocketed through the air and, in a vicious rapid fire motion, smacked Vinyl across the face. In slow motion, she recoiled from the pain and fell backwards to the dirt from the (very descriptive) attack.

"Vinyl!?" Octavia cried, baffled.

"I... I can't afford it..." Vinyl replied while she covered her face with her hooves and began to rock back and forth on the ground like a child. Octavia glanced at the price and grimaced. It was pretty expensive, even for her. After a few moments of her little pouting episode, Vinyl laid still. She sighed and stared up at the sky. Before long, Octavia stood over her, looking down and frowning slightly. Vinyl smiled. "Even if I don't have the FiM-9000, at least I got you."

Octavia blushed and turn away quickly.

"Perhaps there is something inside you can afford," she coldly proclaimed as she walked over to the door.

Vinyl bolted up and exclaimed, "Oh, come on! That was the sweetest thing I've ever said, EVER! Can't a best friend at least get a sympathy hug!?" Octavia closed the door behind her and the jingling of the entrance bell became Vinyl's only answer. "What's with that filly today?" the DJ muttered to herself.

'She is not going to stop, is she?' Octavia groaned mentally.

Upon entering the shop, Octavia, the very sophisticated Canterlot cellist, was blown away by the immensity of strange sights. There were rows of records filling up the majority of the main area. Each album cover had something different to see on it: bizarre artistic designs, musicians wearing odd fashions in uncomfortable poses, and the most unusual of names for albums and bands in interesting typefaces. The far wall of the shop was lined with speakers and other audio equipment that was far too modern for the concert-attending pony to understand. At the right side of the store, a bored looking unicorn stallion sat at a counter reading a magazine. His horn glowed as it powered a stereo that blasted out some aggressive rock song that was more for his entertainment than the customers'. To Octavia's left, there were glass cases lined with both classical and modern instruments. She spotted some percussion, brass, and woodwind instruments as well as something that looked like a hoofheld piano. And guitars of course. Lots and lots of guitars.

Octavia looked around to see what kind of other ponies shopped there and was pleasantly surprised. Mostly normal looking citizens perused store, with one or two exceptions among them. Not that there were many customers that day, but Octavia was glad to see that there weren't any gangs of angry delinquent ponies like she secretly feared.

The door chime jingled behind her to signal Vinyl's entrance to the store. Still feeling uncomfortable about everything, Octavia started to trot down the aisles to get away from Vinyl. Not so swift as to appear as if she was avoiding her, but not so slow Vinyl could catch up. (It's a tricky speed to achieve!) As she evaded Vinyl, Octavia quickly browsed the tags that sectioned off different areas of musical genres. She began to grow excited at the unfamiliar categories and rapidly tried to ascertain what each could be.

Rock

'Rock? Music made by rock farmers? Music made for rock farmers?' Octavia thought quizzically.

Metal

'Music made with only metallic instruments? Brass instruments are metal, I suppose.'

Punk

'Hoodlums must gather around these! I had best be careful.'

Rap

'To rap is to hit lightly... Like... harp strings? How obscure. They should rename it "Pluck." Much more appropriate.'

Country

'Oh, those must contain Equestria-themed compositions, like the national anthem! ...I would imagine that would be fairly repetitive, but... that section is enormous!'

Trance

'Does that kind hypnotize you into a trance!? Why? How is that achieved!? Is it magical? Who would listen to it!?'

Techno

'...Tech...nology? Is that even a genre? Shouldn't this label be next to the stereo systems?'

Dubstep

'...As in dubbing a knight? Why- What does that have to do with stepping? I am thoroughly confused. These categories are becoming bizarre. I must ask Vinyl about them.'

And thus, as if by some cosmic coincidence, the thought of Vinyl stopped Octavia in her tracks and her unplanned gaze ended upon a certain record. Far above it stood the tag labeling the genre.

Pop

The cellist picked up the artsy album cover featuring two twin mares with brown manes. Large letters protruded out from the white designs spelling out the title and artist: Tegantail and Saramane: Hearttrotter.

'This is... the album Vinyl and I argued over yesterday...'

Octavia caressed the cover as if it contained the most precious item in the world. A flood of unpleasant memories came crashing down upon her. Excitement was replaced with nervousness, once again.

'I promised myself... I would forget about Vinyl's... issue... However, it keeps coming up... Every time we talk, I think about it. Every time I see her... And... she is always trying to get close to me...' Octavia squeezed the album close to her chest. 'And she likes me... Oh Celestia, she wanted us to kiss...'

'And what do you want?' the voice asked her, right on cue. But Octavia didn't have a snappy response to silence that voice. She listened to it.

'What I want...' Octavia flashed back to the emotional moment when she had overcome Vinyl's eyes. In her joy, Vinyl had planted a kiss on Octavia's lips. And Octavia... for that very brief moment... how did it make her feel?

"I do not know what I want..." Octavia muttered aloud.

"Really? 'Cause this one's pretty good," Vinyl stated abruptly as she reached around Octavia to point at the Tegantail and Saramane record she was holding.

"Gah!" Octavia bounced sideways at the ninja-like appearance of her friend.

"Woah! You are so jumpy today, Octavia," Vinyl noted. "Or, wait... maybe you're just jumpy in general...?" She pondered deeply for a moment in an attempt at humor. Octavia groaned lightly and turned away. Vinyl waited for Octavia to make a clever comeback, but the Canterlot pony just stared down at the record she held. "Um..." Vinyl started to inch closer, but Octavia quickly placed the album back on the shelf.

"On second thought, I do not really want this..." Octavia mumbled loudly before trotting down the aisle away from Vinyl. She stopped to look at a different selection, hoping her unicorn friend would walk the other way.

After staring at Octavia for a moment, Vinyl caught up, "Octavia... are you sure you're okay? You're acting kinda weird."

"I assure you, I am fine," Octavia answered as she took a step to the side to distance herself from Vinyl. The usually unobservant DJ noticed this movement. She raised her eyebrow in disbelief and moved in closer to Octavia. The cellist repeated herself, scooting away from her friend.

"Nothing wrong with you, my flank!" Vinyl grumbled, inaudibly.

"Well, I am going to look over there," Octavia stated as casually as she could, and started to trot off again. Before she could get far, however, Vinyl pounced on her.

"SURPRISE HUG!" Vinyl cried, as she squeezed tight. "Come on, Octavia! Gimmie a hug!" The unicorn looked to her friend hoping to see the same embarrassed smile that she would always see before Octavia reciprocated the affection. She hoped to see the same Octavia that had always been so sweet to her, the same Octavia that put up with her antics and teasing. However, there was no cheerful mare there when she looked. All she saw was a pony with a cold, distant fog hanging over her eyes.

"...Do you mind?" Octavia muttered.

Vinyl didn't release Octavia, but instead held her in place. Her baffled expression slowly changed to anger and her cheeks turned red.

"Okay, that's it!" the unicorn bellowed out. She forcibly grabbed one of Octavia's forelegs and tugged her away. "Come on, filly! We're gonna talk!"

"Wait, Vinyl!" Octavia cried as Vinyl dragged her down the aisle. The cellist hobbled along to keep pace with the DJ. She began to sweat nervously, both because of Vinyl's aggressiveness and her fear of what would come next. She didn't even notice the gossiping of the other customers as they watched her exit the store. The two of them ended up behind the shop in a small back-alley before Vinyl released Octavia.

"What is the meaning of this!?" Octavia shouted nervously, backing away from Vinyl.

"Octavia, you've been acting really weird all day," the unicorn pressed. "I mean, weirder than usual. Normally you're just uptight and stuff, but what was with that freak-out? Now it's like you're avoiding me, even after we made up!"

"I'm not avoiding you," Octavia blurted, ignoring the DJ's subtle jabs. "I'm- I am- I was... just trying to choose some records for myself, and you- you just dragged me out here, abruptly and rudely." The Canterlot pony turned her head snobbishly. "I am going back inside."

"No," Vinyl stated authoritatively. "You're being cold to me, and you're gonna tell me why."

"I am not being cold," Octavia replied, in a very cold manner. "I am leaving."

"For Celestia's sake, please just talk to me! You haven't been yourself."

"And how would YOU know?" Octavia snapped loudly, causing Vinyl to recoil. The cellist reversed her direction, started approaching Vinyl and continued to shout, "We have barely known each other for two days! How could you possibly understand what I am like! Maybe this is how I normally am! Have you ever considered that?" Octavia didn't even know what kind of things she was yelling. With a rapidly beating heart pressuring her, she was just desperately trying to end the conversation, although the words she chose weren't helping.

Vinyl looked Octavia over in disbelief at this aggressive outburst. "Octavia..." Vinyl stated calmly, "We haven't known each other long, but... that was enough time for me to learn what kind of pony you are. And this... this isn't you."

"Oh, ho-ho!" Octavia laughed antagonistically. "Pray tell, what kind of pony is that, HMMM?"

"...The kind I want to be my best friend..."

Best...

...friend.

That particular combination of words would have meant nothing to Octavia just a few days ago. But now... they resonated, like nothing else Vinyl had said.

'My best friend...' Octavia thought mournfully. Her eyes began to water as they darted around trying to find something to focus on. 'I am fighting with my best friend again... I do not want to... I do not want to be this mad at my best friend again. I do not want to be so afraid of her... So afraid to talk to her... So afraid to even be near her...' The pony closed her eyes. 'I do not want to ever feel this sick inside when I think of her again.' Octavia sat down on her flank and just breathed slowly for a short while.

With worry furrowing her brows, Vinyl stared intently at Octavia who sat very still in front of her. The DJ could tell her friend was thinking deeply, so she didn't interrupt to pry any further. She waited with uncharacteristically good patience for a reply.

'If I tell Vinyl what has happened... everything I have seen and heard... She will confess to me... Perhaps not right now, but she will... but what is the alternative? Hide it forever? I cannot keep running from it like this. Even if I avoid it today, tomorrow it will come up again... and again after that. I cannot keep this charade up indefinitely... So do I only have one choice...........?'

'.......'

'.....'

'...'

"Alright, Vinyl," Octavia said softly. "...I will tell you." Vinyl's ears perked up at this quiet voice. She sighed out in relief and sat down, placing herself across from Octavia.

"Tell me what, exactly?" Vinyl asked, as comfortingly as she could.

With great worry, and a nervous sweat, Octavia answered, "...Everything I have been keeping from you..."

"...Okay," Vinyl replied simply.

Octavia looked at the ground for a while, contemplating how to word all the things she was about to say.

'I suppose I should start with...'

"Well, Vinyl... to begin, last night I was... confronted... by Miss Berry Punch," Octavia started to explain slowly. Vinyl's eyes widened behind her shades for a moment, but she didn't say a word. "She was... intoxicated, it seemed... and she told me that you were a... well, a 'freak,' as she put it." Octavia waited for Vinyl to respond, but the DJ kept quiet. "She said you would 'ruin' me. ...She was... full of so much hatred, Vinyl... It scared me."

"That... doesn't surprise me," Vinyl finally commented, rubbing her neck in shame. "BP and me had a... well, let's just say I had a weird relationship with her... Heh." Vinyl tried to laugh, but it came out plain and desperate.

"You loved her?" Octavia asked without hesitation. A spike of nervous horror struck her heart in the moments after she spoke. She had just blurted out the one thing she was most afraid of revealing, completely by accident! It was an unthinkable slip up, yet it had just occurred as simply one would say "Good morning." Octavia's face burned red at what she had just done. Her gaze, slowly but surely, drew up towards Vinyl.

It was now Vinyl's turn to be flushed red and sweating nervously. The words had stung her just as they had with Octavia. She was undeniably taken aback and caught off guard. This was not the conversation she was expecting to have, at least not this soon. Vinyl had hoped to keep her history with Berry away from Octavia for as long as she could. If Octavia ever found out the truth...

(Well, she's already found out the first part of the truth, Vinyl.)

"Love is... a pretty strong word..." Vinyl found herself stuttering as she stared down at the dirt.

"But you liked her, didn't you, Vinyl?" Octavia accused. She had no idea where the courage to continue to say such things was coming from, but it was there nonetheless and it pressured her to continue. "You were... a couple."

"Where are you getting these ideas, Octy!?" Vinyl spouted in a panic, flailing her arms to try to shake this all away. "Heh, heh! You- you can be pretty funny, if you try, you know!?"

"It is not a joke," Octavia whimpered. "You are attracted to mares... such as Berry Punch..."

'Or... me...' Octavia finished the thought silently in the privacy of her own head.

"No! I- I-..." Vinyl started to defend, but once she saw the look in Octavia's eyes, she knew it was useless. It was over. Octavia was not playing around. She was serious. She obviously knew.

"Well?" Octavia asked. "I want the truth, Vinyl."

The truth...

The word haunted Vinyl. It was a guilty word. It was a word she once tried to hide. But it became a word she grew ashamed of. She never wanted to lie to her best friend again.

Not after Berry...

Vinyl took a long pause (a long long pause) before she decided to respond. She inhaled deeply. She hadn't ever prepared for this speech, but she knew it would have to be said eventually. And this pony in front of her... this pony was the one to say it to.

"You know what, Octavia? Yeah! Yeah, it's true! I like mares! I like girls!" Vinyl stood up proudly and removed her sunglasses. She met Octavia's eyes as she confessed. Her deep red eyes burned with a passion Octavia hadn't seen in her before. "I once liked Berry! I'm not ashamed that I'm gay!" Octavia's gaze never left Vinyl's. In her heart, the cellist knew all this was coming, but she wasn't prepared to hear it all come out. Her lips quivered as if to tempt her to interrupt, but Octavia stayed silent. "I've been keeping it to myself ever since I came to this town, because it was nopony's business but my own. But the one time, the one bucking time I acted on it- Berry... she just- ...and I just- ...we... we never were a couple, okay? It never got that far." Vinyl swallowed nervously. There was no stopping her now and there was no need to hide anything anymore. "But you know what, Octavia? You know what? I want to be a couple with you."

Octavia's already rapidly beating heart sped up tremendously at those words. It had come down to the very moment she dreaded. Her eyes were on Vinyl. Her ears were on Vinyl. Her heart was focused on Vinyl. These were the words she feared to hear... or were they the ones she desperately wanted?

Vinyl continued and began to tear up, "I don't just... like you, Octavia. I think I love you! You are... the most beautiful pony I have ever seen, and I've spent time with Celestia, okay? I can hardly hold myself back when you're around! Every inch of your body tempts me in ways I don't understand and I just want to touch you, hold you, even kiss you! But it's not just about how you look, Octavia, or how you walk with the grace of an alicorn, or how every time you breathe, my heart skips a beat! You're also so sweet and kind and... you have this passion for music that'd make anypony envious! You know so much and you care about all these tiny little things I'm too stupid to ever think of! But you're also so innocent and naïve about the silliest things and sometimes I can't stop myself from hugging you just to hear that cute embarrassed squeak you make!"

Octavia began to form tears of her own throughout this confession. It was not how she ever imagined it would be. Vinyl was being more passionate and poetic than she thought possible. It was overwhelming.

"I want you to be there every morning when I wake up, Octavia! And I want you to want to be there beside me! I want you to feel about me how I feel about you. I know I annoy you... I know you've been frustrated with me... And I'm sorry I've kept all this from you, but I've been so afraid that you'd run away like Berry did! I don't want to make the same mistake I made with her, I want you to love me back!"

Vinyl moved in close to Octavia and took her hooves, gripping them tightly as if she was afraid the cellist would vanish before her eyes if she let go.

"Please, please give me a chance, Octavia! Go out with me!"

The two of them sat in their little private space behind the record store in the silence after the confession. Nopony was around besides the two of them. There was no need for anypony else. This was between the two musicians who were, not too long ago, just strangers, but had become such fast and irreplaceable friends. Octavia had finally heard everything straight from Vinyl's mouth. All that she was dreading came to bear in front of her. It was more powerful than she anticipated; she had no clue what to do. How does onepony prepare for such a point in their lives? How does a pony so young answer such a declaration when she has so much growing still to do? Will what she says in response be a true reflection of how she feels now, or how she will continue to feel in the future?

Octavia turned to her inner voice. She had nopony else to ask in that moment. She begged with it, she pleaded. She needed help, some direction, an answer. It was quiet. She knew why.

Octavia slowly opened her mouth and, in a small voice riddled with nervousness, she answered with the only thing she could in that moment:

"No."

Author's Note

Uh-Oh! It's not a cliffhanger, it's a "fall off the cliff to crash and burn!"er!

Long wait, huh? What's that? I promised to update more often? Haha! You believed me!?

Just so you have an idea how much longer this story will be, I have... (brace yourself) approx. 20 more chapters planned out. So, we're not even halfway done! So there is plenty of time for Octavia and Vinyl to make with the happys! And yes, there is actual plot happening besides their relationship. Perhaps you've seen hints of it! :moustache: I'm so clever.

WAT R GUD STEREO SPECS. I NOT KNO.

Chapter 16: ...The Crash Pt. 2

Vinyl Scratch slept on the couch; that was simply what occurred. You see, the two ponies couldn't share a bed together anymore and Vinyl didn't want to make her guest sleep on her nasty old couch (despite how comfy it was.) So, there Vinyl lay... all night... tossing and turning... dozing off maybe once or twice only to be reawakened by some noisy cat fight outside. During her struggles, she never once glanced up at the ceiling. It's not that she was avoiding looking at the pizza stain that was (somehow) up there, it's that there was a pony sleeping above that ceiling. It was a pony she liked. A pony that kept her awake all night.

A pony that rejected her.

-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~ :heart: ~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-

"No."

Vinyl stopped breathing. "Time stood still" may be a cliché, but to Vinyl, it felt like there was nothing happening anymore. There was no breathing because there was no more air. If there were blood vessels in her body that once moved, they stopped. The pumping that had kept them going was gone. There was no sound because sound couldn't exist anymore. The very atoms whose shaking kept the universe changing and evolving refused to budge. The concept of movement had become abstract; it was no longer possible.

Whatever intense power that radiated from Vinyl's eyes, that once poisoned any and everything that looked at them, was sunken. The overwhelming red was now a dull pink.

They were empty eyes.

"I can't, Vinyl," Octavia whimpered as she tried to wipe the tears from her own eyes. "I can't."

-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~ :heart: ~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-

Vinyl groaned as the chattering of birds outside her home signaled that Celestia had finally moved the sun and begun the morning. There wasn't a real reason to get out of bed for Vinyl; there wasn't anything good to come of it. Despite this, she rolled off the couch and planted herself upright. She stretched out her body, cracking joints awake and shaking off the morning aches. Her house was practically empty. Her stereo was gone, her record pile was tiny, there was no more trash and her keyboard took up little space as it leaned carefully up against the wall alongside her turntables. She stood alone beside the couch. It had never felt so lonely in there before.

Vinyl wandered into the kitchen. It was uncomfortably barren there as well. For the longest time, she had only used the place for discarding trash and decaying leftovers. Now, however, through the miracle of cleaners and elbow grease, it was spotless. Vinyl had Octavia to thank for that. The mare had made herself quite at home and fixed every dirty little problem in the house. She even stocked the kitchen with real food. (What an abstract concept.) But Vinyl hadn't come to the kitchen to admire the cleanliness or even grab herself a bite. On the counter sat a tiny pile of mail. The DJ pushed aside the envelopes to find one that seemed unimportant (just a water bill.) As she levitated it up, she unearthed a piece of parchment with letters dripping in vibrant red.

I SAW THEM. DO NOT RUN.

The strange warning had been stuck to her door by some intruder two nights before. Vinyl had been fairly apprehensive about the message upon first seeing it and had a foreboding feeling as to what it meant, but kept it around nonetheless. She did her best to hide her fear from Octavia, to keep the home comfortable for her friend. But at that moment, Vinyl wasn't concerned about the villain behind the message, she was focused on the last three words on the paper.

"I'm not the one running away," Vinyl muttered as she used her magic to crumple up the parchment.

-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~ :heart: ~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-

"I can't," Octavia sniffed while tears and unsavory nose fluids dripped out of her.

"But- but we get along so well!" Vinyl desperately tried to explain as she shook Octavia's shoulders. Shock and disbelief ran through her, controlling her movements and words. "I thought- I thought you liked me! You've put so much effort into just being here with me! I thought we could- be something more together!"

"I like you, Vinyl," Octavia mumbled out miserably. "I really do, but I can't- I can't- have a relationship with you."

"Why not!?" Vinyl cried.

"You know why!" Octavia shouted, launching her tears off her face. "You're a-... a lesbian! But I'm not-! I'm not like you, Vinyl!"

"I DON'T CARE!!" Vinyl replied, shouting even louder. "I don't care about that! I will make you happier than any bucking stallion you'd ever meet! You've been so happy with me, Octavia! I can tell! You were sad and pathetic when I met you, but I've seen how I've lit up your eyes! You can't deny that!"

"It's because you were my friend, Vinyl!" Octavia contradicted. "I've never had a friend like you before! I just want to stay friends! Why can't we just be-"

"BECAUSE IT HURTS ME TO BE AROUND YOU AND KNOW I CAN'T HAVE YOU!!!" Vinyl faced the dirt as she shouted. Her draping neon bangs blocked out the sweaty, struggling face of the brokenhearted pony underneath.

"I'm sorry, Vinyl! I'm sorry!" Octavia pushed Vinyl aside and bolted. She galloped away as fast as her four legs could take her.

"OCTAVIA, WAIT!!!" Vinyl cried out in desperation behind her, but Octavia kept running. It hurt her too much to stay.

-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~ :heart: ~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-

There was a faint creaking above Vinyl's head and she looked up instinctively. Octavia had awoken, apparently, and was wandering around Vinyl's bedroom.

Vinyl breathed in deep and exhaled slowly. Returning to the couch, she levitated her sunglasses off the place on the floor where she dropped them. She put them on quickly. The house looked different behind the shades; Vinyl normally kept them off inside her home. Octavia descended the stairs shortly afterward. The cellist had a pathetic smile on her face.

"...Good morning," Octavia said softly. A casual greeting had never before sounded so unsure.

"Hey," Vinyl replied plainly, just as unsure. The two stood far apart and both were as stiff as boards. After a moment's pause, Vinyl asked, "Sleep okay?" She looked away as she said it, trying to make the motion seem as nonchalant as possible.

"...I slept fine," Octavia answered. There was another pause between them. They didn't dare look at each other's faces. "Ah, shall I make us breakfast?" Octavia asked suddenly, ending the silence.

"Um, sure," Vinyl said with little certainty.

"Alright," Octavia acknowledged, as she headed towards the kitchen. "Is there anything... in particular you would like to eat?" she asked as she passed her friend.

"Um, no," Vinyl told her. "...Not pancakes, though..." she added quietly.

"...Right. ...Of course..." Octavia somberly replied.

Vinyl waited until she heard the faint noises of the cellist working the kitchen before she moved. She wandered over to her pile of albums. Plopping herself down, she pulled out a dull pencil and the envelope she had snatched from the kitchen. Using the back of the envelope, the DJ began to jot down some artist names as she shifted through her records.

"Shoulda done this yesterday," she muttered to nopony in particular.

-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~ :heart: ~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-

Vinyl opened the door to her home slowly. It was late; the moon was already rising. She had spent many hours, the greater part of the day, running around trying to locate Octavia. Exhausted and emotionally drained, she hobbled inside. The mournful sound of a cello greeted her from the second floor. Vinyl gazed up as the soulful strings permeated the dark and empty house. Both relief and trepidation filled her as the sound flowed through her.

"Octavia," Vinyl whispered. She carefully climbed the stairs and entered the bedroom. The pony in question stood before the window drawing her bow. Vinyl watched for a moment as moonlight shone down on the master cellist. Soon after, the somber tune came to a close.

"You came back here?" Vinyl asked from across the room.

"...After some time, I did," Octavia responded. She still stared out the window at the perfect view of the moon rising just above the rooftops of Ponyville.

Neither pony had anything they could say to make their situation okay. Their emotions peaked earlier and had long since settled. They both experienced enough time to think things through, consider themselves, their friend. But to voice their feelings, it was tough. Vinyl spoke first.

"I'm so sorry, Octavia," she said, mustering all her strength just to speak the words. "I'm so sorry. I made a fool of myself... trying to force you like that... I hurt you didn't I? Your feelings?" Octavia was quiet and kept to the window. "...Do you hate me? Because I'd understand if you did." Vinyl wasn't expecting anything other than hate. After all, wasn't that how Berry responded?

"...I would never hate you, Vinyl. I like you. I do." Octavia's words sounded kind, but as she stared out at the moon, they felt distant.

"But... you'll never like me in the way I like you...?" Vinyl didn't notice as Octavia twitched slightly before she answered.

"...No."

"...Can we still be friends?" Vinyl asked, hopefully.

Octavia took a cold pause before responding, "...I do not know..."

"But- you said you wanted to stay friends? Octavia, you said that!"

"I like you... but I do not know if I can be around you anymore, Vinyl... I'm sorry."

Her words turned the dark gloom that hung menacingly above Vinyl's head even darker. The empty sadness spread to her hooves as if there was now an abyss of despair that she stood teetering on the edge of. Octavia was on the verge of leaving forever. And Vinyl knew, it was all her fault.

-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~ :heart: ~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-

One pony sat at one end of the couch and the other, of course, sat at the other end. It was a small couch, but on that day, the distance between each end felt like miles. (Or kilometers. I'm not picky.)

Vinyl usually ate food with great ferocity and hunger, as manners were not a concern of hers. But on this day, she munched her bland bran muffins quietly, for reasons other than the sake of being polite. Her soft crunching was accompanied by Octavia's, as the two uncomfortably ate their breakfast together.

"Your plate?" Octavia asked after both had finished their meals. She extended her hoof to Vinyl.

"Thanks." Vinyl's voice cracked a little as she handed the crumb-covered plate over. Octavia nodded slightly as she took the tableware to the kitchen. Vinyl could hear the soft sound of running water as her guest did the cleaning up.

The white unicorn sighed and walked up to the small closet on the other side of the room. Rummaging through it for a moment, she uncovered her packs. After checking that they still had the meager pile of bits she put in them the day before, Vinyl saddled them on and headed towards the door.

"Are you... going somewhere?" Octavia asked carefully as she peeked around the corner, watching her friend leave.

"Harmonic's. Got a gig in Manehatten tonight. Need some stuff."

"Oh," Octavia acknowledged, plainly. Vinyl magically opened the front door and the bright lights of the morning came flooding in. She stood still at the entrance for an unbearably long time.

"...Did you... want to come?" Vinyl finally asked as she glanced back at her friend, who was still peaking around the corner. It was the first time all morning Vinyl had dared look at Octavia's face. But she was in shadow. Octavia hid from the light in the semi-darkness of the kitchen.

"No... Not there. Not today... I think," Octavia answered with melancholy.

-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~ :heart: ~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-

"Octavia, look at me," Vinyl spoke sternly. Octavia finally moved her unrelenting gaze from the moon's light to comply. Her tears had been wiped and dried, but it was easy to see they still haunted the pony.

The chest beside the bedroom staircase was open. Dirty magazines of various sorts floated beside Vinyl in her magical grip. Her sunglasses were off and she looked to Octavia with determination. The red eyes didn't terrorize Octavia as they once did, but she still desperately wanted to avert her gaze from them. They hurt her in new ways.

"You know what these are?" Vinyl asked with her cheeks pinking up at the uncomfortable topic.

"Yes," Octavia replied, a little disgusted at the sight of the explicit materials. She too, turned a little red. "I found out about you through them."

"That makes this simpler then," Vinyl sighed. With a grunt, her horn surged with energy as she magically tore the handful of periodicals in two. Octavia stared in disbelief as Vinyl continued to shred the papers asunder until there was nothing recognizable left. The pieces floated to the floor, broken, a remnant of their former glory. (R.I.P.)

"I'll give it up," Vinyl declared defiantly as she dropped the final shreds before her. "Not just these, I'll give it all up. I won't look at mares ever again. At least, not the way I used to." She took solemn, but determined, steps towards Octavia. "I won't think of you as anything other than my friend, if you'll at least be that much. If you'll just stay my friend."

"Vinyl..." Octavia said softly as the strange declaration ended. "Why? Why would you go so far for me?"

"Because... You're my best friend. If my being gay hurts you, then... I'll throw it away. I'll give it up. I'll just forget. I don't want to make you hurt again... ...I won't ever make you hurt again."

-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~ :heart: ~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-

"You have something you can do by yourself?" Vinyl asked awkwardly.

"...Perhaps. I can visit Twilight..." Octavia said from the back of the room, still hiding from more than just the morning light.

"Sounds good," Vinyl said with a bleak, uncomfortable smile from the doorway. "I'll see you after I get back then, I guess."

"You will... be gone all day?" Octavia asked.

"Um, yeah," Vinyl said as she closed the door. "...Bye."

"...Bye..."

Vinyl Scratch walked away from her home alone; that was simply what occurred. You see, the two ponies weren't fighting anymore, but they couldn't do much of anything else either. So there Vinyl walked, with these kinds of thoughts troubling her mind so much that she hardly noticed the two light blue stallions wearing suits and fedoras on the corner, watching her every move.

Author's Note

(Writing this as I begin the chapter): Come on, short chapter! Come on, come on! Come out short, pleeeeease! No more 4,000 word monsters! (As I finish:) YES!

Oh hey, look at that: we switched from Octavia's perspective to Vinyl's. Why? Why did you do that?
Because reasons, I guess. /#:shrug:

Noooooo! Bloom & Gloom dashed my hopes for Season 5! Noooooo! Curse you season 5 teaser for tricking me!! TRICKING ME!!!
...Ah well... Hopefully the Batman v Superman teaser will pay off... What am I saying? Hollywood rarely delivers. Guuuuuuugggggh...

Good news though: Mom's first chemo session went well, so I probably won't be all depressed and thus, I'll be able to write.

OMG I'm soooo excited for the next 3 chapters! It's gonna be.... SOOO AWESOME! :rainbowkiss: But um, bad news: I'm working on a side project, a one-shot short shtory. It's gonna be big, but it won't have the feelings and descriptions I try to put into Ponyville Duet, so it'll be written faster. It's action! But there's reasons why I want to write it right now, but I promise I'll come back to this as soon as I can.

Chapter 17: Generosity

Octavia passed out after Vinyl left for the record store and, subsequently, Manehattan. Exhaustion finally hit her like the Friendship Express. It was still early morning, but Octavia didn't get any rest the preceding night. She lay awake, staring, thinking, worrying. Vinyl had shocked the cellist with her confession. She then astounded Octavia when she declared she'd abandon her feelings for Octavia's sake. Octavia had half-heartedly accepted it, but it plagued her all night. So when Vinyl finally departed, she collapsed.

And she dreamed:

----{{{{Octavia fidgeted as she stood in the storefront window. She was small. There was nopony outside the display, but she needed to look her best regardless. Her hair was sticking up a bit. She couldn't fix it because she forgot her toothbrush at home. Vinyl came up to the window and tapped on it, startling Octavia. Vinyl started to rub up against the glass and moaned, "It's perfect! I want it soooo bad!" Octavia started to sweat. 'What if she's talking about me!?' Octavia thought. Vinyl came inside the store and asked, "How much is that one!?" Octavia couldn't turn around to see if Vinyl was pointing at her. She couldn't move at all. Berry Punch answered Vinyl, "She's a discontinued model. She's on sale for 70 bits." Vinyl picked the tiny Octavia up and put her on the counter. "I'll pay 69 bits and give you a kiss!" Vinyl bartered. "Sold!" Berry Punch declared. Vinyl knocked Octavia off the counter into a bag. Octavia heard Berry Punch and Vinyl kiss and she felt sick. Vinyl pulled her back out of the bag. "Excuse me, but it's defective. It hurts me to be with her," Vinyl complained. Berry Punch picked Octavia up and frowned. "What a freak. I'll ruin her for you," Berry Punch said. She put Octavia's head between her teeth and bit. She bit and bit and bit. Pain filled Octavia's head. She still couldn't move.}}}}----

Octavia woke up in a sweat.

-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~ :heart: ~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-

Octavia stared blankly up towards the sky. If her brain had bothered to acknowledge what she was looking at, she would have seen pegasus ponies rushing around with gray clouds, placing them here and there, preparing Ponyville for a storm.

"What in Equestria am I doing?" Octavia asked herself aloud.

"...Bu- .....Buying... roses?" Roseluck answered with confusion after a brief pause.

"Sorry?" Octavia asked as a reflex in the general direction the voice came from.

"You're buying roses. That's what your doing," Roseluck, the flower vendor, answered again. She pointed down to Octavia's hoof as it held the bundle of finely wrapped flowers. Roseluck had just handed them over to her. "Unless I'm misinterpreting this situation," she added sarcastically.

Octavia looked down; she was indeed standing at Roseluck's market stall and she had indeed picked out some roses. She had also laid out some bits for the purchase. It certainly appeared as though she was buying roses.

"Oh, right! Of course... How terribly silly of me..." Octavia mumbled.

"You don't look so good. Vinyl's not dragging you around today?" Roseluck asked skeptically as she swiped the bits off her stand into a jar.

"Huh? Who? Which pony?" Octavia responded, baffled, lost in her daze once again.

"VI-NYL," Roseluck stated plainly and loudly so Octavia could understand. "You're usually running around with her."

"Oh... Oh, no. I am not with Vinyl today..." Octavia answered sorrowfully. She left Roseluck quickly and wandered down the market street. She held the bundle of roses in one foreleg and eventually stopped in the middle of the road to look at the bright red flowers. They were reminiscent of Vinyl's eyes.

'Why... did I purchase these, again?' she asked herself. She pondered hazily for about a minute before coming to a realization. 'I did not have a reason... did I?' She dropped the flowers and looked up at the sky again, still not noticing the pegasus ponies putting a rainstorm together above her.

"What in Equestria am I doing?" Octavia asked herself aloud once again. She had repeated those words and stared blankly in some direction several times that day as she stumbled around. It was now late afternoon and she had accomplished zero useful things so far. Returning her unfocused gaze back to earth, Octavia spotted Applejack minding her apple stand. She was chatting with the pegasus, Derpy, but Octavia couldn't hear a word they exchanged. Her first instinct was to run to Applejack and express all her troubles and problems to the comforting farm pony.

'What problems?' Octavia asked herself. 'What troubles? Am I not where I wanted? I am still friends with Vinyl. She has agreed to only think of me as a friend. I should be thrilled. This is exactly what I had hoped for.'

"Then why do I feel so wrong?" she muttered aloud.

'I could tell you why,' the voice in her head replied.

Octavia groaned a little, as she was tired and worn of the little voice. She picked up the bundle of roses she had let fall to the dirt. (Depression is no excuse for littering.) The market was beginning to empty as the rainstorm above it was almost finished forming. Frantic ponies rushed about, trying to get home with their wares and goods before they got caught in the rain. Octavia took no notice of them and casually went about her way.

Little bullets of water finally fell from the sky, gently tickling the earth's cheeks with their tiny, momentary dance. (Such poetry!) Some of the raindrops didn't hit the ground, but instead hit Octavia. Gradually at first, they began to fall relentlessly on the gray pony. They drenched her silky mane and coat and soaked whatever random things she had bought in her packs. Even in her daze, Octavia could at least notice she was now wet. She looked up with purpose and finally realized it was raining. She sighed and hung her head. She pressed on slowly, her hooves squishing down on the newly formed mud. As she took one step, the dazed pony slipped and fell down in the mud.

'Oh, good grief...' she thought as she got up and tried, fruitlessly, to wipe off the mud. After it became clear that it wasn't possible, she sighed again and continued on her way. She looked rather pathetic trudging through the rain, head hanging in despair, half covered in mud, which is why she caught the eye of a particular pony.

A trendy white unicorn with a gorgeously styled purple mane trotted urgently, yet gracefully, up to Octavia.

"Octavia, darling! You are getting horrendously drenched! And- Oh my! You're covered in mud!" The unicorn magically levitated her amazing, spectacular, dazzling, diamond-encrusted saddle/parasol off her own back and placed it on Octavia's.

"Huh?" Octavia looked around in her disoriented state as the unicorn shuffled her along in some new direction.

"You simply CAN'T stay out here! Come, come! My boutique is just around the corner, darling," the unicorn said with a delightful hum, as she brought Octavia up to a large pink and purple building that was (just a little) too fancy for the small town of Ponyville.

As she burst open the door triumphantly, the unicorn announced, "Welcome to Rarity's Carousel Boutique, where everything is chic, unique- actually we don't have time for that: we must get you cleaned up, Octavia! Do come along!" Rarity shoved Octavia through the front room of the store. Octavia glanced at the pale mannequins that wore gorgeous and fashionable attire and finally spoke.

"I-I'm sorry, what is going on? Do I know you?" Octavia asked as she was being pushed up a set of stairs. Her daze had begun to fade as she was now being essentially ponynapped.

"Oh, no. We have not been properly introduced," Rarity explained, "but you may have seen me at Sugarcube Corner during the party Pinkie Pie threw for you."

"During the... party...?" Octavia mumbled trying to recall anything other than the food fight. Her memory was a blur of pies and cakes. And cupcake missiles.

"We never had a chance to speak due to the uh- hmmm- 'festivities' that ensued. And dearest Pinkie forgot to mention you were from Canterlot until you had long since departed. Ahehah! Ah! Ahem." Rarity's face twitched a little at the notion she had been kept out of the loop about such juicy gossip. She opened the door to her washroom and scooted Octavia inside. "But then again, that's Pinkie for you; she'll tell you all about things you haven't the slightest interest in and won't mention the important things." With that, she showed Octavia to the bathtub, turned on the water, and poured in some luxurious bath salts and a bubble formula. "Which reminds me, I'll have to tell you all about what she did during the incident with the parasprites!"

"Um..." Octavia paused as she stood helplessly in the home of another strange Ponyville pony as her captor prepared a bath before her. "I am not entirely comfortable-" she began to interject.

"Nonsense!" Rarity turned to her after finishing the tub. "Now, be a dear and strip."

"I BEG YOUR PARDON!?" Octavia shrieked, her voice cracking.

"Your packs and your bowtie, darling," Rarity pointed out. "You don't want them to get even more wet than they already are, do you? I'll have them properly cleaned and dried in no time."

"Oh... Oh, right," Octavia mumbled as she undressed, taking what little she had on, off. Rarity magically took hold of her belongings and inspected the purple bowtie for a moment before commenting.

"Ah, yes. I recognize this from Poney des Pins' Simple Stallions collection from several years ago. He used such a fine thread I haven't been able to acquire myself. The color is bold, yet élégant at the same time. Truly magnifique! Could probably use some gemstones though... right here in the center..."

Octavia wasn't listening. Instead, she was rubbing her hind legs together nervously. She wasn't any more naked than normal, but she had begun to feel self-conscious about her body ever since she found out the way Vinyl had been looking at her all this time.

'Vinyl...' she thought with her usual anxiety.

"Oh, dear. You really need this bath for more reasons than one," Rarity said contemplatively when she saw the depression in Octavia's face. "Well, I'll give you some privacy as I need to go and, hmmm, how do I put this? Clean up that disgusting trail of mud you left in my boutique." With that, Rarity stepped out of the room with Octavia's belongings, abruptly leaving the cellist alone.

Octavia felt a bit offended before looking down and seeing that she had indeed tracked mud over Rarity's house. She was also soaking wet and the warm mist of the bubbling bath before her sure was tempting.

'Wait a moment, am I really going to wash myself in a strange pony's home?' Octavia questioned briefly. Her body answered her when she shivered and sneezed. 'Well... I guess...' Blushing and feeling awkward, she got into the bathtub. She instantly felt the warmth and comfort rush over her and wash away her original doubts.

"Ahhhh..." she moaned delightfully as she soaked up to her shoulders. 'When was the last time I had a nice long bath?' Octavia wondered. She stared up at the pink architecture on the bathroom ceiling for a few moments. "...Doesn't matter, I guess..." she answered herself aloud as she drifted off into bliss.

After several wonderful minutes of soaking peacefully, she got down to the business of scrubbing herself off. (And that's all she did.) When she was done, she lazily hung her forelegs out of the tub, too comfortable to get out completely. She casually stared at a peculiar porcelain alligator decoration sitting on the counter next to some expensive-looking conditioner bottles. As she looked deep into its mysterious wide eyes, she found herself thinking...

'What is life?'

Octavia didn't contemplate long, however, as the porcelain alligator suddenly blinked and opened its tiny toothless mouth to yawn. It was then Octavia realized that no decoration could do such things. (This led to only one possible conclusion.)

'It's alive,' Octavia thought, almost matter-of-factly. Then, with a terrified squeak, she pushed back to the far end of the tub. "A-A-lligator!" she stuttered, pointing at it. 'What's it doing here!? It's small and toothless! Is it dangerous!? Will it bite? ...Can it talk? Perhaps it is like Spike...' she thought, recalling her embarrassing encounter with the tiny dragon. The bathing cellist stared at the creature from a safe distance for a comically long time before attempting communication.

"H-hello there," she waved casually at it. The alligator blinked, one eye at a time, and turned to her. "My name is Octavia Melody, and you are?" The little green creature didn't respond. "Hmm..." Octavia continued. "Are you an alligator or a crocodile? I am afraid I do not know the difference." Still no response (of course.) Octavia blushed and sunk down into the water, embarrassed she had just tried to have an actual conversation with an animal. She sighed, giggled a little and continued to talk to it, "Well, I am not that bothered if you want to sit there and watch, but stay on your side of the bathroom, if you would please." With that, the alligator began to waddle in her direction. "Oh. Oh, my," Octavia said nervously as it grew creepily closer. "On second thought, I believe I have stayed in too long!"

Octavia hopped out of the tub and trotted over to the exit, glancing back at the alligator as it fell face-first off the counter into the water. She grimaced at the thought of being in the tub with it. Keeping a watchful eye on the little creature, she grabbed a towel with a diamond sewn emblem on it and began to dry herself off.

A knock on the door was quickly followed by Rarity bursting in.

"Are you finished in here, darling?" Rarity asked after her sudden (and kinda rude) arrival.

"Yeff, fank fou," Octavia replied, her voice muffled awkwardly by the towel in her mouth. She immediately spit it out in embarrassment. "*Ahem* Sorry... What I meant to say was: yes, thank you."

"Here, let me help you with that," Rarity said as she magically levitated the towel and wiped up the remaining water on Octavia's backside. Octavia smiled uncomfortably as the gesture was kind, but made her feel incapable.

"I must thank you. It is very generous of you to offer me shelter and a warm bath during this storm."

"No, no. Think nothing of it." Rarity smiled as she tossed the lumpy, soaked cloth into a lovely pink hamper and magically brought over a purple cotton robe. Her horn glowed with magical energy as the robe disappeared in a flash and reappeared on Octavia, fitting perfectly.

"Oh! How convenient!" Octavia said, surprised, as she admired the comfortable garment.

"One of the many perks of having fashion-based magic, my dear. Now, would you like to join me for tea downstairs?"

"That- that would be wonderful," Octavia said, her face lighting up at the prospect. The two of them left the bathroom before Octavia realized something more prudent than having a sip of leaf water. "Oh, um... before that," she started. "Might I ask why... you have an alligator in your washroom?"

Rarity turned to Octavia with a stupefied look.

"Alliga-? Whatever do you- Oh! Oh dear! I forgot about Gummy! He didn't bite you or anything, did he? Well... he doesn't have any teeth, but still-!"

"No, everything was fine. He was content to just... stare," Octavia assured.

"Yes, he does that a lot. The truth is I'm taking care of him for Pinkie Pie," Rarity explained. It made perfect sense to Octavia that the alligator belonged to Pinkie. Because Pinkie Pie. "She went out of town to visit her family, you see, and Fluttershy was too busy with a previous engagement..." Rarity continued as she peeked into the bathroom and looked around for the small green animal. "Now- now don't get me wrong, he certainly is a pleasant little... lizard... but I must confess he does creep me out a bit..." Rarity spotted Gummy poking his head up from the water in the tub. He then hiccupped a bubble that floated off. Rarity grimaced and slowly shut the door. "I've been keeping him in the bathroom because he likes it so much in there. I'm so sorry, it just slipped my mind."

"It is alright, really. Facing off against an alligator is one of the least eventful things that has happened to me in recent days," Octavia murmured half-heartedly.

"Oh! Well, we'll have to talk all about it. After all, we're friends now!" Rarity said as she patted Octavia's shoulder.

"We are!?" Octavia blurted without thinking.

"Well, of course we are, darling. You've already become acquainted with Twilight and all my other friends so it's only natural that we too get to know each other. Besides, it's still raining and I'm not letting you get your hooves dirty all over again."

"O-okay. Well, it certainly is wonderful to meet you, ...uh... oh... What- what was your name again?" Octavia asked sheepishly.

-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~ :heart: ~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-

"You designed Princess Cadence's wedding dress?" Octavia asked with interest, as she sipped her tea on a luxurious purple chair in Rarity's den. Octavia wasn't surprised by this revelation at all; she had come to accept that a group of particularly important ponies, that seemed to be friendly with all the Princesses, lived in Ponyville. (So keen.)

"Well, I don't mean to brag, but- teehee! I can't help it!" Rarity exclaimed, blushing with excitement and wiggling in her chair. "To sew a wedding dress for a Princess! Oh, it was a dream come true!"

"I would imagine so!" Octavia replied to affirm Rarity's delight. She then put down her fancy tea cup and took a few more strokes on the back of the white cat, Opalescence, purring in the chair beside her. The heat of the fire, crackling nearby, warmed Opal's fur to the delight of Octavia's touch. The two ponies had spent the last hour or so chatting casually in this comfortable setting. Rarity was a perfect conversationalist. She radiated a mixture of small town warmth and the charm of a Canterlot socialite. The den was also finely garnished in fancy décor, much to the comfort of Octavia. Vinyl's home, and frankly every other place in Ponyville, had felt so bare, she was starting to miss her own homestead.

Rarity's horn glowed as she levitated a magazine over to her guest and exclaimed, "Look, they even featured it on the cover of Pony Style Today!" Octavia took the periodical and looked it over.

"Oh my! I had not seen the dress yet. She is stunning in it, Rarity!" Octavia complimented without thinking. Rarity beamed from the appreciation, but paused afterward when she was about to take a sip of tea.

"Didn't... you say you were at the wedding? Surely you saw it there?" Rarity questioned with hesitation.

"Oh- I... I was preoccupied..." Octavia responded sheepishly as she put the magazine down.

"Ah, yes. The whole thing with Vinyl," Rarity said shrewdly. Octavia had already explained the story of how she came to be in Ponyville. The basic parts, at least. (She left out the important parts, though.) "I suppose I can understand that. She does know how to get a crowd moving! She has DJ'd my fashion shows before, you know?"

"Mmm..." Octavia mumbled as she took a few more comforting strokes on Opalescence.

Rarity noticed the change in Octavia's tone. The cellist had suddenly turned melancholic at the mention of Vinyl and it wasn't the first time during the conversation. Rarity had easily picked up that there was something of importance going on between the two.

"Speaking of Vinyl," Rarity started slowly, "she can be a bit crass at times, much like Rainbow Dash. She hasn't done something to offend you has she?"

Octavia looked up at Rarity, who was waiting with empathetic eyes. The white unicorn was fascinatingly beautiful. She could have easily earned the romantic affections of any pony in town if she willed it. Although Octavia was not entirely unaffected by this, Rarity didn't command the ability to make Octavia spill her heart out like Applejack had, so the cellist remained quiet on her troubles.

"No, Vinyl has been most polite. We are getting along fine. Although, your concern is appreciated."

"Hmm..." Rarity hummed with a know-it-all smile. "You're such a terrible liar," she whispered to herself. Octavia didn't hear her and took another elegant sip of tea.

"So, what additional ensembles have you created?" Octavia asked, trying to change the course of the conversation. "Are there any other well-known ponies I might have seen wearing your work?"

Rarity's eye sparked at the opportunity that had just presented itself. She leapt out of her chair.

"Well, darling, I could show you my past works..." Rarity began coolly, as she plotted. "After all, I have designed wardrobes for Sapphire Shores and Hoity Toity..." She mentioned this sneakily before getting to her main point. "However, I think it'd be better to show you a brand new one, because I'm going to make an ensemble for you!"

Octavia nearly did a spit take with her tea, but didn't succumb to the comic temptation.

"I can't ask you to do that!" Octavia exclaimed, scaring Opalescence off the chair.

"Well, you're not asking me! ...I'm just insisting for you. And while you are certainly free to say 'no,' I won't take 'no' for an answer. Come along, the sewing room is this way! Hurry, hurry! Inspiration cannot wait!"

Octavia protested some more as she followed Rarity, but was met with much resistance. Rarity was a very persuasive pony and, in the end, Octavia agreed.

"Well, at least let me pay your standard rate for this," Octavia said as she stood helplessly in the middle of a disorganized room filled with multi-colored fabric and sewing materials. (And gemstones. Lots of those.)

"Nonsense! I make dresses for my friends and will not accept one bit of compensation!" Rarity defiantly declared as she dropped a heap of fabric in front of Octavia. She adjusted her freshly equipped sewing glasses and took the measuring tape around her neck in her magical grip. "Besides, this'll be fun for me as well. First we'll get your measurements... Do stand still, darling."

Octavia groaned a little at being pushed around so easily as the measuring tape worked its way around her.

"Tell me, what kind of style would you like? I have several ideas in mind, but I'll take your interests... into consideration," Rarity said generously as she worked.

'So, I essentially get no say in the matter?' Octavia thought to herself sarcastically. "Well... I do not have any particular fashion interests..." she ended up mumbling. "I will defer to your expertise."

Octavia waited patiently as Rarity finished measuring. After she was done, and without a word to Octavia, Rarity began to sketch out ideas. Octavia noticed how diligently Rarity was working. The seamstress concentrated intently as she drew, constantly mumbling something in a fashion-based dialect. Occasionally she would shake her head as she scrapped the bad ideas, each time muttering about how it, "Wasn't right," or "Not a good fit for her."

"You certainly go at your work with great fervor," Octavia suddenly pointed out.

"... ...ifn ... icly put... gems... tones..... No, no! This won't do at all!" Rarity exclaimed with drama as she crumpled up her paper, not hearing Octavia, of course.

"May I ask why?" Octavia asked, not realizing she was interrupting Rarity's outburst, for she was lost in her own thoughts.

"Hmm?" Rarity poked her head up. "Because I don't think you'd look very good in yellow, darling. I must admit I haven't worked with very many gray ponies before, but have no fear! I will-"

"No, no. Not that," Octavia interrupted, trying to find the words. "Why are you working so hard on my behalf? I am no customer, I am simply an acquaintance. You have invited me into your home, offered me a warm bath, tea and company; now you are designing an entirely new dress specifically for me! Why are you being so generous? Not only you and- and Vinyl, but Miss Pinkie Pie, Applejack, Twilight, and Rainbow Dash... They all gave me support in various ways! I just don't understand... I had not known any of these ponies for more than a few moments before they all became so charitable with me! Why is every pony in this town like this?"

Rarity took in all of Octavia's questions and statements. She pondered for a moment and abruptly had to hold in a laugh. She cleared her throat and responded.

"Octavia, although I adore Canterlot, I think you may have spent far too much of your time there. You see, although Canterlot excels at fashion, class, culture, regality, arts, et cetera, et cetera... they seem to lack one thing: the simplicity of friendship! Octavia, everypony's doing nice things for you because you are our friend now, and that's simply what friends do!"

"But surely making an entire ensemble, free of charge, is a burden on you?" Octavia asked. "It is certainly a bit more than doing your friend a favor!"

"Oh, I don't like the idea of favors," Rarity answered. "Favors imply that you're expecting somepony to return that favor eventually. It's like you're expecting a reward in return for your efforts. I don't think true friends need to do favors when they can just do nice things for each other simply because they are friends. And well, yes, it can sometimes be a burden or bothersome, for instance: I wasn't exactly thrilled that Pinkie needed me to watch Gummy. However, she's a good friend of mine and I love her dearly, so I didn't hesitate to say yes. Even though Gummy may creep me out, I wanted to do everything I could for my friend, despite my personal feelings." Rarity walked up to Octavia and took hold of her hoof. "I think being generous to your friends is the best way to show them how much you care and how much they mean to you."

"It... is?"

"Mmhmm!"

Octavia thought back; Vinyl had been quite generous to her. The DJ stood up for her at the wedding. She opened up the door to a world of music for Octavia. She had given her new experiences, laughter, happiness, friendship and even a place to stay. And she was always ready to give away that beautiful smile. But what had Octavia done for her? Had she ever done anything for Vinyl? She cleaned and cooked for her certainly, but that was more for her own benefit, wasn't it? To make herself more comfortable in a different home, in a strange town?

'This cannot be...' Octavia thought as she couldn't come up with anything. 'Despite everything, I'm Vinyl's best friend! Surely I've done things for her! That one time I- Or when I- When we- ...Oh... Oh, no... No, no, no!' A growing panic swelled up in the mentally strained Octavia as she remembered all she did. Every. Single. Thing. She fought Vinyl over petty things like what song she wanted to listen to. She tried to change Vinyl's life to fit her own design. She avoided Vinyl when she was uncomfortable with her sexuality. She rejected Vinyl because she wanted to just stay friends. When Vinyl confessed her feelings, Octavia only thought of how much trouble it was. When Vinyl made the painful decision to give up her own desires to make Octavia happy, Octavia only thought of how it was a relief. The sickening sensation began to overwhelm Octavia as a terrible realization came to heart. She had only been thinking of herself this whole time. She had been acting solely on her own behalf this whole time. She had been taking advantage of Vinyl this whole time.

But surely there was something good? Surely she had done something, anything for Vinyl?

She broke that strange magical gaze of Vinyl's eyes, didn't she? No. No, it wasn't for Vinyl's sake, not truly. The only reason she endured that red gaze was because she wanted to have Vinyl as a friend. Vinyl was a thing for her to acquire. She wanted to enter a new world and Vinyl was the key to that. Her reasons for every single nice thing she had done were purely selfish and had always been ever since Canterlot. And how had Vinyl responded to this abhorrent behavior? With grace, of course. The clownish Vinyl had shown more compassion and understanding in these past few days than Octavia ever did.

This devastating truth felt like a sledgehammer slamming into the wedge that was sticking out of Octavia's core identity. It cracked it wide open, like an epiphany: a realization of pain. Every single pathetic, overdramatic, self-pitying thought she had those past few days felt like nothing compared to the weight of this guilt.

"She's... willing to give up everything she is for me... and I've never even once thought about doing anything for her..." Octavia said aloud, voice stuttering with emotion. "What have I done? I'm... I'm a terrible friend... I'm a monster..."

"No, no! I-I'm sure you're not!" Rarity responded in a panic as she fumbled about. Octavia had begun to cry quite suddenly. "Whatever is troubling you, sweetness, I'm sure we can work out a solution, okay?"

"I am the most vile pony in Equestria... After everything she has done for me- I- I-" Octavia stumbled forward and fell on Rarity. Catching her, Rarity inadvertently returned the hug she found herself receiving. Octavia squeezed the seamstress tight and began to bawl out uncontrollably. "I used her! I hurt her! I yelled at her! I took everything she gave me and I spat in her face!"

"Surely you didn't do all that!?" Rarity cried out in a comedic panic.

"No! It's true! She gave me friendship and kindness and forgiveness and I returned it all with cruelty! I took her feelings, I took that love she was so afraid to show me and I used it against her! She should despise me, she should loathe me, but she loves me! She loves me when I've been so horrible to her! She loves me! She loves me! Oh, Celestia, what have I done!?" Octavia screamed out as she buried her head in Rarity's shoulder. She didn't care or even think about revealing all this to Rarity. This was no time for secrets; it was a time for facing the truth.

"Oh, dear, you are a mess," Rarity said softly as she tried to comfort the crying pony. This outburst went on for quite some time before Octavia had finally drained out all her anguish. She wiped the last of her tears away and released Rarity from the emotional hug.

"I... have... had it with this," Octavia said with hesitation, at first. She turned away and started to walk. She hobbled around Rarity's sewing room as she spoke, with no particular purpose or direction. "I have had it with this... this selfish, self-pitying coward I have become." With every step she took, her confidence slightly grew; a new sense of strength began to run through her as her direction became clear. "I foolishly did damage I was not aware of... I cannot undo what I have done... but I must become stronger. I have to be better. I must beg her for forgiveness... I am Octavia Melody! And I must make this right!"

"That- sounds like a good idea!" Rarity, who didn't quite understand the cause of all the stress, offered in an attempt to help.

"Rarity!" Octavia whisked over to the seamstress. "I must implore your aid! I regret having to ask this of you under these circumstances, but-"

"Nonsense! We just went over this! I'm happy to help with- whatever this is all about," Rarity responded giving a broad smile.

"Thank you, Rarity! I need a favor- Oh! I mean... not a favor, but can you make something for me- ...erm, I should say, not for me, but for Vinyl...?"

"You'll get the hang of it soon enough, darling," Rarity said as she giggled.

-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~ :heart: ~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-

Vinyl trudged home along the empty streets of Ponyville. It was late; everypony was asleep. She had just gotten back from Manehatten on the midnight train and she was exhausted, mentally and physically. She dragged her belongings slowly behind her, leaving a trail in the damp dirt path. The DJ wore her shades even in the darkness. A small light from her horn was the only thing illuminating the path, except for the occasional firefly fluttering by. She wasn't expecting a warm welcome when she got home; she hadn't ever expected one in her life. It's just, these past few days, she had hoped that maybe that would change. But that hope had died recently.

Sighing, Vinyl turned the corner to find her house was surprisingly well lit. She stared for a moment, knowing it must mean Octavia was still up, despite the late hour. She took a deep breath and focused.

'We're just friends. Just friends. Just friends. Just friends. Just friends.' Vinyl repeated this over and over as she smacked her head until she felt confident enough to face Octavia again. The truth was, she wasn't confident enough, but she stepped up to the house and opened the door regardless.

There was a song playing, the very same song Vinyl had played for Octavia just the other morning. It was the one she had used at Princess Cadence's wedding. Vinyl had picked that song because of what it says about love. Even though love can be crazy, sudden or blind, it can also lift you up, make you stronger, get you through troubled times together. She felt a song such as that was perfect for Cadence and Shining Armor, considering their hardships preceding the wedding.

Vinyl looked around for the source of the music. Right where her old stereo system used to be, a brand new one sat. The massive thing covered half her room. Although the volume was turned down low, it looked like it could easily blast the entire town's ears out if anypony turned it up. A couple wires with no discernible purpose were strewn about and packing material littered the once barren room.

Octavia sat with her back to Vinyl, in front of the system, messing with the buttons and muttering to herself. She was wearing something black, but Vinyl didn't notice it, she was too dumbstruck.

"Let us see now... this square stands for 'stop,' for some bizarre reason..." Octavia mused aloud, unaware of Vinyl's presence. "And the little triangle is 'start,' correct? Now, what in Equestria do two triangles together mean again?" She pressed the button in question and a squeaking noise came out of the machine, making her jump back and exclaim, "Gah!" Vinyl didn't notice her comical fiddling however, she was too mesmerized by what she saw.

Vinyl, stunned as she was, could only sputter grunts until she finally managed to yell out, "The- the FiM-9001X! OH MY CELESTIAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!!!!" It was true: the FiM-9001X stood triumphantly before her, like it was a lost piece of the universe that had finally settled into its rightful place in her living room.

"Vinyl! You're home!" Octavia spun around in shock.

After dropping all her gear, and her sunglasses, Vinyl bounded over to the machine. She carefully stretched out a shaking hoof to stroke the metal casing gently.

"This... This isn't possible... ...How? ...How did it get in here???" Vinyl asked, her eyes spinning as if hypnotized. She was entranced by the equipment. The lustrous sheen, the intricate circuitry, the magic pulse: it all called out to her inner passion for music and seriously loud noise. She caressed it intimately, as if it was her lover. (She probably would have licked the thing if Octavia didn't speak up.)

"Oh- I- Um- Well... I- I got it for you, Vinyl," Octavia laughed nervously as she tried to explain herself. "I- I had planned to have it prepared for you, but it- well, having no experience in the matter, it became a bit more complicated than I had anticipated..."

"What?" Vinyl turned her head cautiously toward Octavia, her hooves still touching the FiM-9001X. Her expression was blank; she couldn't come up with the appropriate emotion to display. She stared at Octavia as if she didn't recognize the cellist. "What did you say?"

"I- got it. For you..." Octavia said anxiously. "I intended to surprise you..."

"But- I can't have this..." Vinyl stated in her daze, somehow coming up with some sort of rudimentary logic. "I don't have enough bits..."

"What? No, Vinyl. I purchased it. I spent my own money. It is a gift. For you."

"A gift? ...For... ... ...me?"

"Yes, of course," Octavia said, giving the confused unicorn a genuine smile. "It is for my best friend."

"For- me-..." Vinyl finally took her hoof off the machine in order to cover her mouth as she welled up with emotion. She looked at Octavia in a way she never had before. And then, she cried. She cried like a child. But the tears fell like they should, with happiness instead of sorrow. "~Oct~ta~vi~a~!!" She blubbered out through gasps as she bent over. Too shocked to move, she beckoned Octavia over with a feeble wave of her hoof. Octavia giggled and trotted over, landing herself right into an affectionate hug from Vinyl.

The two friends embraced each other much like they had on many occasions before. However this time, Vinyl squeezed with much more love... and Octavia squeezed with much more sincerity.

After getting some nonsensical, incoherent wailing out, Vinyl finally started to calm down. Once she had, she realized there was something off about this hug she was in. Patting Octavia's back, she felt something frilly and soft.

Vinyl backed up and finally noticed Octavia wasn't dressed as normal. Instead of a barren back and measly bowtie, Octavia was adorned in frilly black and white maid's attire, complete even with the cap and apron.

"Octavia...!?" Vinyl started to say before she laughed and wiped away her teary face. "What are you wearing!?"

"This!?" Octavia blushed red and turned away to try to hide the embarrassment. "Rarity made it for me. You had mentioned something about... me dressing like this before. And well I- I imagined it would be something you'd enjoy..." Vinyl started to chuckle as her smile grew wider. Octavia shifted her weight uncomfortably and continued, despite herself. "My original plan was to open the door when you returned... and... welcome you back... ...as a... ...maid..."

"And what- pffft!- What would you have said?" Vinyl pried, resisting the temptation to burst into laughter. Octavia bit her lip and looked around like she was checking to make sure nopony else saw.

Octavia then lowered her head and said, "W-welcome home, master?" She looked up to Vinyl with the most blushed red face anypony had ever seen. She wore the most adorable expression of shyness and embarrassment and courage. Her eyes glimmered with hope and repentance. (It really was the cutest thing ever. Too bad you only get to read about it.)

"PWAAAAAAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!!" Vinyl fell to the floor kicking and flailing with great humor as she typically did when something this amusing happened. Octavia straightened up and cleared her throat, casting aside the embarrassment as best she could.

Vinyl coughed and hacked after her laugh attack before getting back up. "We can- haha! We can set it back up! I'll go outside and you can do it again! I wanna see this right!" She was practically bouncing on her hooftips from her giddiness.

Octavia smirked and responded, "No, I think the opportunity has passed us by."

Vinyl stared at her briefly.

"So... you won't do it again?" Vinyl asked.

"No, I am afraid not."

"OH CRAP!!! I just missed my chance to live out one of my fantasies!" Vinyl cried out as she fell down again. "OHH NOOOOOOO!!!" Vinyl rolled about the floor, hooves covering her face. Octavia couldn't tell if she was serious or just making a jest, but giggled anyway.

"Perhaps on your next excursion from town I will..." Octavia said under her breath, but Vinyl didn't hear.

Vinyl stopped her play-crying. After a second, she barrel-rolled over to the musical equipment and embraced it much like a pillow, and said, "Oh! The FiM-9001X! Losing the 360pV was worth it, because now I have you!" The machine was pulsing out music still, vibrating Vinyl's voice as she spoke. After more caressing, the DJ popped up and turned to her friend. "You have no idea how awesome this is, Octavia! You've made me so happy! I owe you big time for this!"

"That's not- anything you need to worry about, Vinyl," Octavia pressed, interrupting all talk of being paid back. "I just wanted- no, I needed to do something for my friend, who has been so generous with me. Which... actually brings me to the final present...."

"*GASP!* There's more!?" Vinyl squeaked excitedly.

"Yes, Vinyl... and I hope this one makes you even happier," Octavia gulped. She became red again. She had rehearsed this part for hours in preparation for this moment, but all her efforts seemed to fail her as she tried to get her speech out, so it ended up being shorter than expected. "But for this one... well, I need your help. You see... if you do this specific something for me, I will give you something specific in return. ...How does that sound?"

"O...kay..." Vinyl answered with confusion. "What's this 'thing' I need to do?"

"Take me on a date... and I'll give you a chance."

Author's Note

Whoops! Almost went on hiatus there for a minute. Or a month. ...Or a few months. Or half a year. Apologizes all around! It's... been one heck of a year for me and my family, so I haven't been feeling up for MLP stuff. I haven't even finished Season 5 or seen the 3rd EG movie. But I think the wait gave me time to think of how to go about writing this. It's an important turning point in the story and I wanted to get it right. The first draft of that last scene was dreadful when I stopped writing last year. Octavia was like, "Oh, here you go. Check out this stuff I got you." And Vinyl was like, "Oh, hey. Thanks. This is great." :rainbowhuh:

Yes. Vinyl screamed "Oh my Celestiaaaaa" like the Troll 2 Guy. Search your feelings. You know it to be true.

Also I resurrected.... THE JOKE. MUHAHAHAHAHAHA. I'm so sinister.

Chapter 18: It's a Date, Then

"Take me on a date... and I'll give you a chance."

How Octavia had tossed and turned as she deliberated on that very sentence earlier that day. Was it generous enough to simply buy Vinyl expensive stereos and outlandish dresses? No. No, those presents were just the beginning, the icing on the cake, the tip of the iceberg, the two peas in the pod. (Wait... That last one doesn't-) Gifts can be a wonderful way to express your feelings for a dear friend, but it wasn't enough. At least, for Octavia. To do a truly meaningful act for her friend, Octavia had to do something she never thought she ever could. She was offering Vinyl an opportunity to win her heart, her mind, even her body. Just the thought of being with Vinyl in that fashion used to send her into a panic. But now, here she was, taking the first step herself. "Would you do that for me, Vinyl?" Octavia asked. "Will you take me on a date?" She was embarrassed and unsure as she said it. She wasn't unsure of what she was offering, she was unsure of Vinyl's answer. Would Vinyl accept her attempt to set things right, or had she already ruined the chance of a relationship between them with her self-centered way of thinking?

Well, Vinyl's response was to stare, mouth slightly ajar, with an empty expression. Octavia had already given her two fantastic gifts in one sitting, how could she also be asking this? She wanted to date now? Vinyl didn't believe she heard right. She thought about it, she pondered on it, she struggled with it and she came to the conclusion she had heard correctly. Vinyl's mouth changed from somewhat open to gaping wide as she finally understood.

"Yes," Vinyl said. Her voice was uncharacteristically soft, but it grew louder with each word as she continued. "Yes, obviously yes. A thousand times yes!" Excitement burst out of her, much like it does with Pinkie Pie. "Octavia, are you serious!? If this is some kind of joke-"

"It is no joke," Octavia quickly interrupted. "I would never trick you like this. I am completely sincere." Even as nervous as she was, Octavia was confident in her sincerity. She'd thought long and hard about this.

"Octavia!!!" Vinyl exclaimed as she grabbed her friend in affection once again. But it wasn't so much hugging her this time as it was clasping her. Squeezing Octavia's helpless forelegs to her side, Vinyl twirled around, taking Octavia with her for a spin. Vinyl buried her face as deeply as she could into Octavia's chest and screamed, "I can't believe it! I can't believe this! Aaaaaahhahahahaha! Hahahaha!!!" Her emotions peaked and she started to laugh. She couldn't remember when she had last been this happy. Maybe there had never been a time this joyous. "This is so unreal!"

"I assure you, this is very real!" Octavia responded as the endless spiraling started to make her dizzy, but luckily not nauseous.

"Ahahahaha!!! Ahaha! Aha. Ha... Wait...?" Vinyl slowed her spinning down to a stop, much to the relief of Octavia, as she realized something. "But... Octavia... You... You said you could never feel that way about me? And you're not gay... so why would... ..."

"Well, I admit I said those things..." Octavia started to explain, but Vinyl let her go, and the unicorn started to back away.

"You- ...Is this about pity?" Vinyl asked with an accusatory gaze coming from her dangerous red eyes. "Is this all about pity? Are you pitying me?"

"What? No, Vinyl..."

"'Cause if you're just gonna pretend to date me because you feel sorry for me-"

"Vinyl, that is not what-"

"That's what it is, isn't it? Poor little Vinyl gets rejected by every girl she opens up to! Well, you can just forget it! I'm not gonna-!"

"VINYL!!!" Octavia shouted as she slapped Vinyl across the face. The resounding SMACK! attack stopped Vinyl's nonsense spouting rant, leaving her stunned. She turned to Octavia, unbelievably shocked. Octavia softly grabbed Vinyl's cheeks and placed her forehead against Vinyl's. They were muzzle to muzzle and looking deep into each other's eyes. Vinyl became entranced in Octavia's beautiful purple ones. "You listen to me, Vinyl Scratch: this offer is genuine. I do not pity you," Octavia lectured with heartfelt purity. "It took an immense amount of courage for me to propose this. If being in a relationship with me makes you happy, then I am willing to participate. I am giving you the opportunity to earn my heart, Vinyl... If you succeed and this relationship makes me happy too... then... then maybe..." Octavia trailed off and looked away blushing.

"...Maybe?" Vinyl asked timidly.

"...Maybe I can fall in love with you, as well," Octavia answered as she released Vinyl and backed up a little, giving them both space to breathe. There was silence for a moment. The stereo was still playing, but neither pony could hear it, even though they were standing right next to it.

"Okay..." Vinyl said plainly. It wasn't a very eloquent response.

"Quite," Octavia replied.

There was more silence.

"So... we're dating now?" Vinyl asked, hope slowly returning to her voice.

"*Ahem*" Octavia cleared her throat. "Well, not quite yet, I am afraid. You see, you have not even invited me to an outing," Octavia pointed out. "If we are going to see this through, it must be done properly. Go on then." Octavia waved her hoof at Vinyl like she was giving an order to fetch a drink or something less immense.

"...Oh. Oh! Okay! Um-!" Vinyl's behavior became peppy as she thought about how to go about inviting Octavia on a date. "Um-! Hold on! ...Okay! Um-! *Ahem!* Octavia! You are more beautiful than the sun and the moon and all the flowers in Equestria!" Vinyl exclaimed, putting on some sort of stage persona and dramatically twirling her hoof. "I must... um... implore you to grant me... um.... courtship in the uh, eve of the morrow!"

"What was that!? Heehee-!" Octavia asked, muffling her laugher with a hoof. "That did not sound at all like anything you would ever say!"

"Yeah, but... I thought you'd rather have a fancy proposal?" Vinyl admitted sheepishly.

"Just do it like yourself, Vinyl! I would not have it any other way," Octavia encouraged. "Proceed."

"Okay..." Vinyl thought for a moment, then bluntly said, "Octavia you are so totes hot. Date me."

"Pfffftt!" Octavia nearly burst from the ridiculous confession. "I cannot tell which version was worse! Ha ha ha ha!" Her uncouth laughter made Vinyl blush.

"Cut me some slack! I've never asked anypony out before..."

"Heehee! It's okay, it's okay! *Ahem* I mean, it is alright, Vinyl. I accept," Octavia said after regaining her composure. (Such a truly fancy pony.)

"YES!" Vinyl celebrated like she didn't already know the answer. "Awesome! Let's um, go to a movie and have dinner, or something! Right? Is that what we're supposed to do?" she asked.

"Well, I do not know for certain, Vinyl. I have never been courted before," Octavia pointed out. "I suppose it varies between individuals... Perhaps we should do whatever comes to mind naturally..."

"Sweet! We'll just figure it out as we go along! That's my kind of style!" Vinyl's casual smile turned to childish giddiness. "Hahaha! Omigosh, this is the best thing that's ever happened to me!" Vinyl danced on the tips of her hooves as she expressed herself and leapt at Octavia for another hug. "This is... this is better than the FiM-9001X!"

Octavia blushed as she received the adoration. She smiled. She smiled for real.

"I am pleased to have made you so happy, Vinyl," Octavia said as she was being crushed by affection.

"But, I gotta ask..." Vinyl questioned as she stopped bouncing and hugging at the same time. "Why'd you change your mind? Not to ruin the mood, but you were SO against it yesterday."

"Ah, well... the truth is I had an experience with Miss Rarity, and it... it made me realize some things of importance," Octavia summarized, not wanting to explain all the intricacies of her thought process at the moment.

"An... an experience? With Rari?" Vinyl asked warily. The joy in her face drained quite suddenly. The happiness in her voice stopped. Her tone was now cold. "What, uh... what kind of experience would make you okay with dating another mare?"

"She... showed me some kindness during a storm by offering me shelter," Octavia answered, unsure about the mood of this situation they found themselves in.

"Really...? Just shelter, huh?" Vinyl tapped her hoof anxiously. "Are you sure it wasn't something else you did with her?"

"What... what exactly are you accusing me of?"

Vinyl stared angrily at Octavia, trying to pry the truth she feared existed out of her. However, the cellist only returned the assault with sincerity and concern. Vinyl had seen Octavia's troubled expression many times before. It seems Vinyl's friend/soon to be fillyfriend was prone to worries and maybe even depression. She was fragile and that fact suddenly struck Vinyl's heart.

'What am I saying?' Vinyl thought, her ears dropping in disappointment. 'She finally opened up to me and I... I...'

"... I... Octavia, I'm sorry," Vinyl said abruptly, as she lowered her head in shame. "I'm just- just so excited, I'm imagining things..."

"There is nothing to forgive, Vinyl... you have done nothing wrong," Octavia comforted, not fully grasping what Vinyl was upset about.

"Okay..." Vinyl replied, smiling slightly. She glanced at her new stereo system. "Hey, wanna help me set this baby up!?" she asked excitedly, pointing to the FiM-9001X. "You got it started, but I think you may have messed up a bit. Like, no offense."

"I would, but it is pretty late..." Octavia pointed out, looking at the clock on the wall. (The one she bought, 'cause Vinyl's way to lazy to get one herself.) "Perhaps in the morning, after we get some rest?"

"Oh, pffft! Yeah, right," Vinyl scoffed dismissively. "There's no way I'm gonna be able to sleep now! Come on, help me out! We can bond over manual labor!"

"Heehee. Oh, alright, you win." Octavia rolled her eyes as she giggled. She was relieved at how easy this was. After some soul-searching, she had become determined to do whatever it took to make Vinyl happy, no matter how much it would hurt to generously offer her heart up. But the funny thing was, it didn't hurt at all. It felt natural when it was happening. It felt so right. There was no doubt in her actions. And for once, that persistent little voice in her head didn't have a thing to say. Perhaps it was... content for once? Octavia smiled and sat down next to Vinyl, who was concentrating on unplugging several wires. "Actually, while we are working, there are some other things I need to talk about."

-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~ :heart: ~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-

"I'm telling you, you weren't that bad. You definitely don't have to call yourself 'the most vile pony in Equestria,'" Vinyl pointed out with air quotes before she jumped onto the bed.

"But... I was so horrible to you... and everypony else. I never showed anypony my appreciation for how well they have treated me. I just took what they had to offer like I deserved it," Octavia mumbled from under her blanket covers. She fidgeted on the bed as Vinyl got comfortable beside her.

"You're overthinking it," Vinyl said, rolling her eyes. "You were just looking out for yourself, Octavia, and there's nothing really wrong with that. We all do it. It's not a crime, for pony's sake,"

"But- but-"

"Just tone it down a bit, and you'll be better with-" Vinyl started to explain as she got under the covers on her side of the bed.

"So you admit I was being selfish!" Octavia asked as she sat up, distressed.

"No! ...Well... yeah. Kinda," Vinyl admitted after a moment of consideration.

"Oh! I knew it!" Octavia exclaimed as she covered herself in the blanket completely to hide from the shame.

"Come oooon, Octavia!" Vinyl called, as if she was asking a friend out to play. She nudged the blanket with her hoof, shaking Octavia gently. "Come out from there!" Octavia mumbled something incomprehensible. "It's fiiiine. I'll help you make things right with everypony, okay?"

Octavia poked her muzzle through the covers. Her features were barely visible.

"You promise?"

"Absolutely! As long as you take others into consideration, you'll be fine. That's what friends do," Vinyl explained, being the lecturer this time. "And you can start with yours truly, 'cause if we're gonna be dating, you're gonna have to think about me over yourself sometimes. Do things my way occasionally. You know, compromise."

"I will! I will!" Octavia proclaimed, emerging from the blanket. "Vinyl, you are my top priority! And I learned from my mistake. From this moment on, Octavia Melody will be genuine with her friends!"

"Well done, student!" Vinyl said with praise, patting her friend on the head.

Octavia laid back down and giggled. She closed her eyes and began to doze off, but Vinyl still had something to say.

'...It's now or never, I guess,' Vinyl thought nervously.

"Octavia...?" Vinyl asked sternly. "Since we'll be dating... does that mean... I get to kiss you?"

Octavia's eyes shot open. She blushed, turned to the ceiling and was dead quiet.

'.........Calm yourself, Octavia... You have already made your decision about this...' Octavia thought to herself. She took a deep breath, which didn't help her shivering, and began to answer, stuttering as she did, "O-o-o-of course! Having a ph-ph-physical connection is a signi-ni-nificant part of a-a-any romantic relationship..."

"When?" Vinyl asked bluntly.

"When!? Wh-wh-when what?"

"When can I kiss you?"

"... ...When the time is right," Octavia said as the stuttering in her voice ended and was replaced by sincerity.

"You promise?" Vinyl asked.

"...Absolutely."

Vinyl giggled and yawned.

"Okay. Well... see you in the morning, Octavia."

"...Goodnight, Vinyl."

The two actually slept well that night. Vinyl had been up for nearly two days and was well exhausted. And Octavia... well, she didn't have any nightmares. Perhaps they slept too well, because when they woke up, it was noon.

Author's Note

This chapter was supposed to include the actual date, but I decided to make that a separate chapter, but publish them at the same time. I guess that means two drawings for you to ogle at! Geud fur ewe.

Chapter 19: A Date and Encounters of Fate

"Vinyl, have you awoken?" Octavia asked sleepily as she rolled over to find her friend on the bed next to her. Vinyl was snoozing dreamily and didn't respond. Feeling silly, Octavia poked Vinyl's nose and giggled.

"Meh mmrm..." Vinyl mumbled as she groaned and kicked her front hooves about, to which Octavia smirked and giggled some more. The cellist poked again, prompting several additional semi-conscious complaints from Vinyl. It was all very adorable. With one particularly lengthy thrust, Octavia held her hoof to Vinyl's nose long enough to finally wake the sleepy unicorn.

"Mm! Huh!? What?" Vinyl snorted out as she woke up from the playful suffocating. Octavia's giggling turned to laughter as Vinyl's bemused expression amused her. Vinyl shook her head to become fully conscious. "Morning, Octavia. What's so funny?" she asked in her semi-raspy voice.

"Nothing of note," Octavia dismissed, hiding the fact she had played with Vinyl's sleeping face. "What do you have on your mind for breakfast?"

"Hmm..." Vinyl hummed as she pretended to think about it. Leaning on her side, she looked Octavia over and smiled.

"What?" Octavia asked, subconsciously pulling the covers further up her body.

"I just like seeing you in my bed," Vinyl said with a satisfying grin.

"Eeyah!" Octavia shrieked as she purposely pushed herself off the side of the mattress and crashed onto the hard wood floor. It was reminiscent of the first time she awoke to find Vinyl sleeping on that bed.

"Octavia!?"

The striking pain in her back was fierce, but it was nothing compared to Octavia's embarrassment. Having closed her eyes on impact, Octavia carefully opened one to see Vinyl peaking down from the mattress. The white unicorn reached a hoof down to offer help, but Octavia bolted to her own hooves quickly instead.

"You alright?" Vinyl asked.

"I am! Sorry! So sorry!" Octavia blurted out, laughing with humiliation as she dusted herself off. She briefly thought about making an excuse, but that was the old Octavia: the one who would dodge around topics that made her uncomfortable. It was better to just voice her feelings, wasn't it? Her laughter stopped as she tried to address Vinyl sincerely. "I am sorry, I acted on instinct. I guess I am... not yet comfortable hearing that sort of thing, but I promise I will do better. For you." Octavia said, smiling.

"Thanks, Octavia," Vinyl said in appreciation. Her expression showed gratitude, but also disbelief that she could ever be with such a beautiful and understanding pony. Quickly shifting gears, Vinyl exclaimed, "By the way, I want popcorn!" in regards to Octavia's aforementioned question about their first meal of the day.

"Pop- corn? Are you referring to those starchy overheated corn kernels coated in butter?" Octavia asked, unsure if she understood correctly. The concept was not foreign to her, but she had yet to ever taste it. It seemed ghastly.

"No, I mean popcorn," Vinyl responded bluntly.

"...I do not feel like I would much enjoy that," Octavia disagreed, as she stuck her tongue out in disgust. "Besides, one could hardly call that an appropriate breakfast."

"We ain't having an 'appropriate breakfast,' dummy: it's date time and we're going to the movies!" Vinyl proclaimed, wresting Octavia's hold on their schedule. She then yelled, "Incoming!" as she leapt off the bed and tackled Octavia.

"OOF!" Octavia coughed after the second collision of the day almost winded her. It was Vinyl's turn to giggle as she held her down. The intimate contact was warm and appealing (but there's no time for that now!)

"Date-!? What!? Right now!?" Octavia exclaimed, ignoring the affectionate attack that left her pinned.

"Yeah! Right now!"

"But- but without proper nutritional nourishment in the morning-" Octavia glanced at the clock (the second one she got for Vinyl) and saw that the hour was past noon. "Oh, it is midday... But still, I protest that we consume-!" Vinyl elbowed the cellist's stomach, cutting her useless complaining (not whining) short.

"Octavia! Remember 'bout last night? We're gonna do things MY way occasionally, right?" Vinyl said, playfully nudging some more. "Remember, it's called compromise!"

"Wha-! ...You... you are correct," Octavia relinquished, hanging her head in defeat.

"Hey, I'll make it up to you," Vinyl offered as she stepped off Octavia and helped her up. "We can have a nice fancy dinner later, deal? Besides, you'll love the popcorn."

"I suppose I shall give it a try," Octavia gave in, blushing, "but do we need proper dress to attend the movie? I do have my theatre attire." (One of the few things she actually did bring.)

"Um... no. You don't need nothing like that," Vinyl said, as she rolled her eyes dismissively. After being struck by an idea, she sneakily added, "Although... you should probably wear that maid get up, just to be safe."

"Ha. Ha. Vinyl," Octavia said with a displeased look, not falling for the trick.

"Pretty please! You got it for me, didn't you?"

"Yes, however it was a one time occurrence," Octavia pointed out defiantly. She turned her nose up and walked off. "A gesture of goodwill, if you will. I do not intend to wear it again." She glanced back, expecting to see her friend's playful reaction, but Vinyl had slumped down in disappointment. Shocked that she might have actually upset her, Octavia sighed and relinquished. "Alright, I will wear it again at a later time, but it is only to be enjoyed in private. I believe it is called... compromise." She smirked slyly at getting payback for this breakfast fiasco.

Brightening up, Vinyl grinned and exclaimed, "Too-shay!"

"I believe you mean 'touché,' Vinyl," Octavia mocked confidently.

"That's what I said..."

"Yes, but I am certain you misspelled it."

"Hey!" Vinyl responded instinctively. "...Wait... You can't misspell things you say! ... ...Can you?"

-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~ :heart: ~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-

"I've been dying to show you this one ever since you got here! Remember, I asked you if you wanted to the day we met?" Vinyl reminded her friend as she literally bounced along with glee. She and Octavia made their way down the street as various multi-colored ponies passed by around them. The weather was pleasant outside; the sogginess of the previous day's rain had all but dried up in the morning sun. Despite the warmth, Vinyl was determined to spend the day cooped up in the cold, dark old movie theater.

"No, I do not recall," Octavia said as she admired the exterior of the theater when it came into view ahead of them. The building was wider than most of its neighbors and didn't have a straw roof. A large white sign listed several movie titles in dark print. Multiple unlit lights bordered the sign; a couple were straight up busted. Below that sat an octagonal box with a window and pony sitting in it, flanked on both sides by rotating doors.

"Hah! Liar! I know you're smart enough to remember everything that ever happens to you," Vinyl pointed out with certainty.

"Well, I would not go so far as to say-"

"Two tickets for The Dusk Saga: New Luna!" Vinyl interrupted as she flung far too many bits at the startled pony in the box office booth. Most of the bits hit the glass and ricocheted to the ground. Vinyl quickly levitated them and put them in the small hole that connected to the pony inside. (That's where they're supposed to go.)

"Oh, is that the title of the film we are viewing?" Octavia asked, unfazed by Vinyl's pointless actions.

"Yep!" Vinyl took the tickets from the admissions pony and handed one to Octavia, who read the little stub, astutely noticing it was similar to a ticket to the theater in Canterlot.

"'New Luna?' Does... does this film have something to do with Princess Luna!?" Octavia asked with giddiness. A movie about her idol! There had been many plays and books about Luna's descent into darkness published and Octavia quite enjoyed reading and seeing them, even before the Princess of the Night made her return. (Her redemption brought about several more publications.) Octavia was quite hopeful to see her in a new media form, perhaps even more realistic-looking than the performances she was accustomed to.

"ErmnosorryOctavia," Vinyl said in one breath as she took her change from the box office booth.

"Oh..." Octavia hung her head in disappointment. (Well, that hope's dead now.) The two ponies entered the main door of the theatre and arrived in the lobby.

"It's actually about vampire bat ponies and wereponies and a romance of this young mare," Vinyl explained, waving her hoof like she didn't approve of the plot.

"Ro-romance!?" Octavia shrieked. The few ponies in the lobby all looked at her. Being flushed red, she cleared her throat and whispered, "Oh, I- I suppose we are dating now. So, seeing a romantic film should be expect-"

"It's HILARIOUS!" Vinyl interrupted, nudging her.

"Eh!? It's a comedy!?"

"No, it's just so bad, it's funny! Trust me," Vinyl said with a wink. "Come on, let's get some of that popcorn!" She licked her lips and galloped over to the food stand. While she did, Octavia took the opportunity to observe her surroundings. The lobby was smaller than the theater lobbies in Canterlot, and a lot less fancy. (As expected.) There were only a few other ponies there, given the hour and day of the week. Posters of the most recent features and upcoming releases lined the wall. Each one displayed too much or far too little information. To the left, a bored, acne-riddled young stallion minded the food stand and Vinyl excitedly pointed at stuff she wanted as she talked to him.

"Good heavens, that's expensive!" Octavia cried as she approached the counter and saw the amount of bits Vinyl laid out. "What are you purchasing, a golden chariot!?" Vinyl slapped her hoof onto Octavia's mouth to interrupt her, much to the shock and annoyance of Octavia.

"Nope, just buying popcorn and drinks, and this certainly is a reasonable price!" Vinyl said nervously as she grinned at the young stallion making the transaction. She turned to Octavia, still covering the cellist's mouth, and whispered, "Shhh!! Don't complain about how much it costs! I did that once and got thrown out!" She returned another cheap grin to the stallion.

Irritated, Octavia also glanced at the employee who looked like he couldn't care less what either of them said. He was scrawny and didn't look like he'd throw them out. In fact, he didn't even look physically capable of it.

'I have a feeling you must have been causing a scene,' Octavia thought, contemplating on Vinyl's usual erratic behavior. But instead of saying it, she just rolled her eyes and let Vinyl finish the transaction. The unicorn levitated the drinks then offered Octavia to take a bite of the popcorn.

"Go on! Try iiiiiiit!" Vinyl pressed, eager to see Octavia's reaction.

Octavia grimaced as she looked at the bucket. The "food" inside was puffy and white and dripping in melted butter. She took a quick sniff of them; she could tell some were burnt.

"Ah. Aaaaah," Vinyl made some baby noises as she gestured with the popcorn to entice Octavia to take a bite. The cellist finally gave in and delicately took a single piece with her teeth. Sighing, Octavia finally popped the piece into her mouth and chewed it up.

"Oh!" Octavia squeaked with surprise after she swallowed. "That... was quite a tasteful experience."

"'Tasteful experience?' I don't know if I've said this before, but you got the weirdest way of talking, Octavia," Vinyl said. "You need to relax and just... talk normal, for a change."

"Nonsense," Octavia replied as she grabbed several more popcorns and stuffed them in her mouth. "It if fou whoff feeffs fo fexfand fheir focafuffary. Mmmmf! Mmmm..."

Vinyl snickered as she reasonably contained her laughter. She levitated the popcorn bucket away from Octavia, who fell for the lure and followed it, as the gray pony was now entranced by the taste. They both headed into the theater proper. It was dark and the glow from Vinyl's magical horn helped them find their seats in the back row. By then, Octavia had taken several more mouthfuls of popcorn.

"Oh! What!? What is this?" Octavia said suddenly after swallowing as they took their seats. She grimaced as she opened her mouth and desperately rammed her tongue against her teeth. A kernel shard, lodged between her molars, taunted her with its irritating sensation.

"Yeah, popcorn has a dangerous side," Vinyl said, giggling.

"Almost... I almost have it..." Octavia struggled a bit more before emerging from the encounter victorious. She held out her tongue with the troublesome piece on the tip of it and exclaimed, "Aha!" Taking the kernel piece with her hoof, she looked around for a way to dispose of it. "Vinyl, do you have a handkerchief?"

"Here's a napkin," Vinyl said as she handed it over. After Octavia was finished and reaching for another bite of popcorn, Vinyl levitated it away from her. "Hey, save some for me!"

"Eh!? Oh, right. You are right," Octavia said sheepishly. The two stared at each other for a moment as Vinyl smirked.

"Is that all you have to say?"

"I beg your pardon?"

"Well," Vinyl began. "Let's see... You ate without sitting at a table, talked with your mouth full aaand you rubbed your tongue all over your teeth in public! This is so unlike you! Oh, for shame, Octavia!"

Octavia turned red and squeaked, "You are right! I have brought disgrace upon myself." She buried her face as best she could in her hooves.

"Lighten up! I'm kidding!" Vinyl nudged her. "I'm always kidding. Like 80% of the time."

"I am aware of that, but it does not make it any less true... I- uh, you? " Octavia stopped as she noticed Vinyl had put her shades atop her horn, revealing her red eyes. They looked like they would have glowed in the dark, but they didn't. However, Octavia could see them clearly. "You do not cover your eyes here? Is that... safe?"

"Huh? Oh, yeah. Usually. It's so dark and I never come when it's crowded so it's fine. Just gotta be careful when somepony comes down the aisle to leave." Vinyl grinned and gave a half-hearted laugh.

"Oh... alright then. If you are sure." Octavia turned to look at the screen and the pre-movie advertisements, but her mind was elsewhere (what else is new?) She had never really thought about it before, but... Vinyl's strange eyes must severely limit her interactions with other ponies. Her very gaze was venom and she could never make eye contact with anypony: they couldn't ever see past those thick sunglasses. Could you really speak to somepony with heartfelt sincerity without looking them in the eyes? For that matter, who knew about Vinyl's eyes besides herself, Octavia wondered. Vinyl's parents? Had she been this way since birth? Her mother... Octavia vaguely recalled something Vinyl said... or yelled, about her mother. What was it? (See, she doesn't remember everything.) Berry Punch might know. They never got around to discussing Berry much, but Octavia considered it a strong possibility.

Octavia also came to the conclusion that she hardly knew anything about Vinyl. Her past, that is. Who Vinyl Scratch truly was. She never asked, had she? They were just constantly having fun or... well, fighting, to be honest. But, they had finally gotten past that point, right? At least, Octavia hoped so. Perhaps it was time to find out about Vinyl's history. A relationship was much deeper than just having a good time together. But that would also mean Octavia would need to share her own past as well...

That thought was unpleasant. Octavia's past wasn't tragic, or horrible. Quite the opposite: she was very privileged growing up. She had success, praise, admiration. But had she earned it? She was unsure if she truly had. It still troubled her... that fake smile she always gave at the end of every performance. Would Vinyl understand how she felt about it? She was even more unsure about that.

'I will require more time to consider this...' Octavia thought in the end.

"Oooooh! Filly, it's starting! It's starting!" Vinyl exclaimed in a soft voice, bouncing up and down in her seat.

-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~ :heart: ~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-

"Oooooh! Show me what you bought, Filly! Show me what you bought!" Vinyl exclaimed in a loud voice, bouncing up and down on her hay bundle of a seat. She and Octavia were sitting around a mushroom table outside at the fanciest restaurant in Ponyville. It was the same one they went to when they decided they were best friends three days prior. (Same table too, but that's not important. No, that's not important at all. Not even worth mentioning, really. Kind of a waste of words. But, there you have it.)

"Calm yourself, Vinyl," Octavia responded as she reached into a large plastic bag sitting by her side. "I took the majority of your suggestions, but chose a few of my own." Fiddling around inside the bag, she pulled out one musical album sleeve and set it on the table, facing Vinyl. The sleeve bore a portrait of a suave stallion with fantastic hair. A collage of objects and colors with some sort of well-thought-out meaning surrounded his head. "Darren Hay," Octavia said clearly, displaying it to her friend.

"Voice like butter," Vinyl said with satisfaction as a succinct description of the artist. "Next."

"Very well. The next one is..." Octavia put the record back and, after briefly rummaging, pulled out another. "The Buckcorral Colts," she said, placing it as she did with the previous.

"A little out of style, but cool," Vinyl critiqued, waving her hoof.

"Saddle Ravine," Octavia said as she continued the process.

"Spunky."

"Maredonna."

"Classic."

"Hoofsunny Miracle."

"...Never heard of her."

"Oh, well how about... Britneigh Polearm?"

"Totally gorgeous. A little crazy, though."

"Hooflly Stream."

"She's smooooth."

"Candles."

"Pretty enchanting."

"Valkyries & Couriers."

"What? ...How in Equestria did you find that one?" Vinyl asked, reaching over and grabbing the experimental rock album.

"I do not know, it looks fantastic though," Octavia squealed with delight.

"Yeah, well. It is awesome, but I was just gonna keep you strictly with Pop music for a while," Vinyl admitted, passing the record back after looking it over. "Maybe branch out later."

"I am sure it will be lovely," Octavia said as she squeezed the album and closed her eyes in glorious devotion. "This is the first time I have purchased music with you, Vinyl! I will hold each one dear! Never will a scratch or blemish stain these vinyl discs!"

"Yeah, okay," Vinyl said, giggling and rolling her eyes.

"Why do you scoff!?" Octavia demanded. "Surely a music enthusiast such as yourself should understand cherishing your collection?"

"Mmmm... Yeah, but..." Vinyl struggled to find the words. "It's not really the record that's important to me, you know? It's the music inside it. I don't care much about the physical copy as I do the songs themselves. You saw the condition I kept them in before you cleaned up, right?" Vinyl said this proudly, like it was an accomplishment to be so dirty and haphazard. "Shouldn't get so attached to material things, Octavia."

"While that sounds very noble, I do recall several instances where you lost your temper when a possession of yours was destroyed, Vinyl. Perhaps you remember the wedding? Your album was crushed and you lost all control. Furthermore, you demolished your stereo and was quite distraught afterward."

"... ...See! You remember EVERY little detail! It's ridiculous!" Vinyl complained.

"Perhaps I do," Octavia said cheekily.

"Ugh. Alright you caught me. I'm VERY attached to my stuff. I was just trying to look cool," Vinyl admitted as she hung her head.

"Ah, but you failed," Octavia said pleasantly.

"Don't rub it in. Hey, what do you think Twilight was shouting about earlier?" Vinyl asked, abruptly changing the subject to avoid further scrutiny.

"I do not know, she seemed rather distressed about a test of some sort," Octavia wondered, as she thought back on the brief encounter with Twilight after their viewing of the movie. They didn't even have a moment to exchange words as Twilight rushed past with Spike hanging on desperately to her tail.

"Your supper, mademoiselles," the mustached waiter who had served them earlier said. He appeared suddenly as the two friends were so engaged in their own conversation that they failed to notice his approach. He placed down their plates, as well as additional refills of their drinks. Vinyl's plate had two carrot dogs. (It's like a carrot... in a hot dog bun... Ponies are weird.) Octavia had ordered the exquisite salad. (Not the regular salad. The exquisite salad.)

"Why, thank you sir," Octavia said with delight to the waiter. She leaned down and took a tantalizing bit of lettuce and chewed it up. Vinyl admired at the daintily way she ate.

"You got the same thing as last time, huh?" Vinyl asked as she watched.

"Hmm? Yes, it was quite enjoyable," Octavia explained. She remembered to swallow before talking this time, as fancy dinners were more her forte.

"Yeah, but that doesn't mean that's the only thing you can eat!"

"I understand that, but why should I not simply choose what I know I enjoy?"

"You need to try different things someti-!" Vinyl stopped her complaint in its tracks. After pausing to consider, she chuckled and explained, "You know what? This is how I lost my stereo, so maybe we should stop." Octavia giggled and agreed.

The two ponies laughed together and began to eat like normal. The day had been quite normal. The movie had been normal. The expedition to the record store had been normal. Their conversations were normal. It was normal. Too normal.

"Hey, wait a sec!" Vinyl exclaimed suddenly, spitting out nearly chewed bits of carrot. "This isn't a date!"

"It's- not?" Octavia asked, glancing around confused.

"No! It's not! We're just hanging out and talking about stuff! This is the exact same as just being friends!" Vinyl pointed out angrily. She crossed her forelegs in disgust like she had just been wronged and there was somepony to blame.

"This has been rather pleasant, but you are right, I suppose," Octavia admitted, upon thinking about it. Their day together had been nearly identical to the time before Octavia found out about Vinyl's sexuality. Besides calling it a date, there was nothing unique happening between them, nothing to indicate their new relationship status. "What should we do to make it more, um... *ahem* ...romantic?"

"I... uh. I don't know," Vinyl said, clearly fazed when questioned. They sat in silence as the diners around them chatted casually, unaware of the situation the two ponies found themselves in.

"Well... what have you fantasized you would do with me on a date?" Octavia asked, legitimately unaware of the mistake she just made: giving Vinyl consent to blurt out whatever she wanted.

"*Gasp!* Make out!" Vinyl answered immediately with great excitement.

"AHH! NO! I meant-!" Octavia blushed, shielded her face, and bent down close to the table. Her two hooves blocked out vision on both sides of her periphery, like that somehow mattered or would help clear the embarrassment. She groaned as she tried to remain calm. "Sorry, but we're not doing that!" she eventually hissed.

"Okay, okay!" Vinyl said, hooves up in admittance. "I didn't even think you'd say 'yes.'"

Octavia sighed deeply and whispered, "Pick something a little lower on your fantasy list."

"Uhhhhh... Hold hooves?"

"Oh! I could do that!" Octavia said with relief, coming out of her little hoof-made shelter. She reached over the table and laid her hoof out for Vinyl. "Go on then."

"That was a quick turn around," Vinyl said quizzically, reaching over and grabbing Octavia's hooves. There was silence again as they just sat and waited for something to happen.

"Is this doing anything for you?" Octavia asked.

"...You know what? It is," Vinyl said, turning just the slightest bit red. "This is... nice. It's like a smaller version of hugging you. But it feels more intimate. I mean, Pinks hugs me all the time, but she's never done this."

"Oh, good then," Octavia said. They just stared at each other for some time. Octavia soon found herself blushing too. The two started to giggle at their own incompetence.

"Are... are you enjoying it too?" Vinyl asked, wiping a small laughter tear from her eye.

"...I am..." Octavia said, smiling sincerely.

"YES! Make out session here I come!" Vinyl cheered.

Octavia retracted her hoof and instead smacked Vinyl's, like she was disciplining a dog, and shouted, "No! Noooo, Vinyl! Not yet." She was of course, blushing again.

"Okay! Okay! Yeesh... What's next! What should we talk about?" Vinyl asked excitedly, glad that the hoof-holding was a relative success.

"Well, let's see..." Octavia pondered. She thought back to the many romance novels she's read. Usually in them the stallion would speak paragraphs of descriptions of how much they loved their mare. Octavia wasn't quite ready to say those kinds of things, but got the gist of it. "In a relationship, you must speak about... what you like about your partner. "

"Easy. Done," Vinyl said, leaning back with her hooves behind her head. "You're good-looking, smart, beautiful, talented, cute, kind, gorgeous, fun, pretty, aaaand you're rich."

"Pfft!" Octavia snorted as she contained a laugh at the last one, which was obviously just to tease her. "That's quite a lot of adulation," Octavia said as she shyly looked away. "However, I could not help but notice you repeatedly complimented my appearance many times," Octavia pointed out as she nervously stroked her hair. "Am I... really that attractive to you?"

"Yeah, Octavia. Why do you think I want to kiss you so bad?" Vinyl said playfully, but sincerely at the same time. Octavia buried her face in her hooves once again in embarrassment. But it was the good kind of embarrassment. "Okay, I told you what I like about you, what about me?" Vinyl pressed, fishing for a compliment.

"Hmmm? Oh, right. Of course. You are loud," Octavia said, plainly. "You are obnoxious, arrogant, possessive, persistently annoying and you are quite the sloppy homeowner."

"...Those are the parts about me you like?" Vinyl asked, extremely skeptical.

"No, I am simply clearing the terrible parts of you off the list so I can try to find if there is anything left," Octavia teased.

"Hey!"

Octavia giggled and continued, "And I've found that you are sweet, Vinyl... You are caring... Inspiring... Strong... Generous... Supportive... and full of love..."

"Oh, wow..." Vinyl said blushing. She hadn't ever received such nice words before, at least not like this. Vinyl couldn't help but laugh: a natural response to feeling something unfamiliar. For once, her boisterous tone lowered and she asked, "You really think I'm all those things?"

"Of course, Vinyl. I would not say them otherwise."

Vinyl and Octavia sat and basked in each other's glow. They both bubbled with pleasant emotions and sensations. However, Vinyl was struck by a particularly different sensation.

"I thought of something else I am," Vinyl said, grinning with awkwardness. "I am in need of the little filly's room, right about now." Vinyl hopped out off of her hay seat.

"Oh, and you are amusing," Octavia added, giggling.

"Heh heh. Be right back," Vinyl said as she trotted off.

Octavia watched Vinyl leave. She sighed, rested her elbows on the table and propped her head up on her forelegs as she waited for Vinyl. Everything that had happened, it felt so unreal, like a dream. She couldn't wait for Vinyl to return. This life was so different, so new, so exciting. When would Vinyl be back? Octavia closed her eyes and began to hum happily. Vinyl would be back soon. Everything had been much better once they agreed to date. She could hear Vinyl's hoofsteps as she approached. She was happy now. Vinyl was almost there.

'Wait a moment...' Octavia paused as the thoughts crept up on her. 'Am I falling for... ... ...already?'

"Hi, Octavia!" a voice from behind her snapped Octavia out of her fantasies. She turned around and beheld the true owner of the hoofsteps that had been approaching her: Berry Punch. The purple pony was smiling warmly and had a pleasantly normal demeanor. However, Octavia couldn't help but leave her jaw agape in shock and awe, like she had just witnessed a war crime. Totally unsure of what to do as she stared face to face with the pony, memories of her encounter with Berry flooded back to her. The meeting in the market. Her drunken stupor. Her poisonous words. Along with the memories came the few lines she'd heard about her from Vinyl: She liked her. They never dated. It never got that far. Berry snorted in amusement as Octavia continued to stare. "Haha! You look funny!" Berry motioned to Octavia's wide open mouth.

Octavia blushed and, in a panic, covered her mouth and managed to sputter out, "Miss Berry Punch. Good evening."

"Please, drop the 'Miss'. Just call me Berry Punch," Berry said nonchalantly as she wandered over to Vinyl's seat and sat down on it. "Or just Berry, if you want. You enjoying your time in Ponyville?"

"I...? Yes... Yes, as a matter of fact I am having a wonderful time." Octavia was struggling with this. It was a simple conversation, yet she was sweating bullets and panicking nonetheless.

'What do I do? What should I say? Should I tell her about Vinyl and I?'

"Good, good," Berry said pleasantly before she took a sip of Vinyl's mug.

"I beg your pardon, but that is Vinyl's beverage..." Octavia said, despite herself. Berry put the mug down and stared with no expression at Octavia for ages. At least, it felt like it.

"I know. She won't mind," Berry said confidently, with a smile back on her face. Her words stung at Octavia for some reason. "She won't mind if I drink this or eat her food. She wouldn't mind if I did anything to her. In fact, I could probably break every bone in that body of hers, and she'd let me." The sudden malice shocked Octavia. "Not that I ever would," Berry added quickly before she took another sip, finishing the mug.

"I... see..." Octavia said timidly. She was uncomfortable. Berry Punch was making everything uncomfortable. It was unreal.

"Hey, are you two dating?" Berry Punch abruptly asked.

"What!? I-!? No-! We-!" Octavia fumbled out, unable to use words she was supposed to know.

"Hahahaha!!!" Berry Punch earnestly laughed at Octavia's reaction. "You don't need to say anything! Your face says it all! Well, here's to you two!" She raised Vinyl's second mug and began to drink. It was full and she slowly took it all in, constantly gulping the liquid down. Octavia watched, somehow horrified by the act. When she was done, Berry slammed the mug down forcefully, sending a small jolt through Octavia. Berry and Octavia continued to stare at each other in absolute silence. "Grape juice, huh?" Berry said suddenly, lifting up Vinyl's drink to look into it. "Vinyl never did like hard cider. What a shame. I could use a warm fuzzy one right about now."

"Are- are you sure you should be drinking alcohol?" Octavia said, managing to speak. "Last time we spoke, you-"

"Last time we spoke, hmm? That was when you first came to town, wasn't it?" Berry recalled.

"No... It..."

"No? When was... Ah... Ah, I remember now," Berry said smiling. "The other night. I was certainly drunk then, huh?" she admitted, laughing a bit.

"Ah. ...Mmm..." Octavia nodded quietly.

"I honestly don't remember much of anything about it," Berry said as she got up and strolled over to Octavia. "I was probably just spouting nonsense anyway. I hope I didn't say anything funny?"

"No... You did not," Octavia lied softly.

"Great! Well, I'll see you around," Berry turned to leave, but stopped before straying too far. "Oh, before I go, I have a quick question." She trotted back up and leaned in close to one of Octavia's ears. She was closer than she needed to be. Her lips were a speck of dust away from touching the inside of the ear. Licking her lips succulently, she whispered, "Has that freak ruined you yet?"

In a fit of uncontrolled rage, Octavia slammed her hooves down on the table and bolted up. She glared angrily at Berry who simply stared back with a smirk. Their faces were so close. There was no friendship here. No ounce of love. Just hatred. Berry had brought it upon herself to interfere with Vinyl and Octavia's evening and Octavia couldn't stand for it anymore: a line had been crossed. The uncertainty and anxiety swirling inside Octavia turned to anger in that moment, and she burst. She wanted to punch Berry Punch. The passive Canterlot pony had never wanted to commit violence so desperately in her life. But she contained herself aside from the table-slamming and simply spoke instead.

"No. She wouldn't do such a thing," Octavia defended, her voice trembling from adrenaline and fear. "I know everything about Vinyl. Everything. So you needn't worry about me."

"Do you now? ...I think you'll find there are some dangerous things you don't know about her, that I do." Berry leaned over to Octavia's ear again and hissed, "And it's got nothing to do with her eyes."

With that, Berry flicked her tail in Octavia's face and swaggered off. Octavia turned back to her table, propping her head up with hooves. Vinyl came prancing back at just the right moment to rejoin her, narrowly missing the exit of Berry Punch.

"Everything okay, Octavia?" Vinyl asked, upon seeing her friend's stressed out appearance.

"...Yes. Everything. Is. Fine."

"Mmm... Okay," Vinyl said, shrugging. "Hey, what happened to my drink!?" However, Octavia wasn't listening to her question. Her blood was boiling, fuming with anger. Her teeth were scraping together, a habit she thought she lost as a child. Her hooves clenched together tightly. (It looked as though cartoon steam should be coming out of her ears.)

'This... this is a first," Octavia thought, miserably. 'I think I hate that pony. Berry Punch is the first pony who I hate...'

-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~ :heart: ~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-

Unbeknownst to Octavia, Berry intended to leave the café after the encounter, but a certain sight caught her attention. She slowed to a stop as recognition lit her face. But she didn't recognize something pleasant; on the contrary, it stopped her dead in her tracks, paralyzing her with fear. The upper hand she had displayed versus Octavia vanished, leaving her to plummet to the metaphorical bottom. The two stallions who intruded into her home sat nonchalantly by a table on the outskirts of the dining area. They both were wearing their dark fedoras and sunglasses that stood out against their light blue skin and curly orange hair. One held up a newspaper and pretended to read it. The other was looking dead straight at Berry Punch's face. He was smiling slightly. As the alarming sight struck her incapable of moving, Berry's eyes darted around instinctively. She quickly found a pair of town guards chatting casually at a nearby table. She looked back to the blue stallion, who turned to glance at the guards as well. He took off his sunglasses and returned Berry's gaze, but now he was frowning. They locked eyes. Sweat rolled down Berry's brow, though she was too terrified to feel it. The stallion slowly shook his head, never letting his eyes move from their deadly piercing gaze on Berry. The movement would have looked normal to an outsider, but it held a terribly menacing meaning for Berry. She swallowed a nervous gulp and lowered her ears and head as far down as she could in defeat. She began to walk, inching forward, past the two stallions, eyes staring straight down. She bit her bottom lip as she felt the stallion's watchful gaze burrowing into her back. Once she was out of the café grounds, her slow walk turned to a quick trot, then to a gallop as she ran far, far away.

The first blue stallion, Merits, put his sunglasses back on and turned to his companion, Benefits. Benefits was keeping a close watch on Octavia and Vinyl's table from the shield of his newspaper. Without moving at all, Benefits calmly said, "I believe we have all we can obtain at this point. I will stay and continue to observe. Go report."

Merits nodded and said, "Agreed."

Author's Note

Oh no! Just when things are starting to go right, trouble rears it's... cute adorable head!

If you can seriously name all the names of the artists I ponified, you get 100 cookie points. I'm serious. You can take those cookie points and redeem them at McDonald's. No joke. In fact, you can all have 3 cookie points just for reading this. Take them down and get 'em redeemed. It'll be fun. I swear.

~~Whatchy'all think about making the narrator's (Aside text) in a different color, so those of you that don't like them can just avoid them when they see the color? I'm thinking about it. Like so:~~

~~Octavia had feelings.~~ (Took her long enough, sheesh.) ~~Then she cried because reasons.~~

~~Thoughts? Opinions? Would the color make it a worse distraction? ...What's that? You want me to stop with the asides all together? Well, hold on now! Let's not get crazy here.~~ Idea deleted. Story will continue as normal.

Intermission

Merits flipped through his folder as he sat in the waiting chair. His report was thorough and professional, yet it lacked much substance. It was a fact he couldn't help though; he was used to tracking business and government ponies. They always had far more dirt on them, far more secrets. This was his first assignment following somepony... normal. (Normal, of course, is relative.) He knew, however, that it could well be his most important mission yet.

The secretary across from him tapped slowly on her two buttoned typewriter. (How those things work, I'll never know.) She never looked his way, even when he approached her earlier to ask permission to see the boss. Merits utilized his fedora to avert looking her direction. She was kind of creepy.

Merits didn't have to wait much longer, as a colorful conversation from behind the boss's door quickly approached. He stood up at attention as the door opened and his unicorn boss emerged. Alongside his employer was a blue-haired white unicorn stallion as well as a slender pink-haired white unicorn mare; all three were laughing like the posh ponies they were.

"Oh, how dreadfully dull, Fancy Pants. Mmmyes. Ha. Haha," Merits' boss said as he shared a sophisticated chuckle with the white unicorns.

"Ha, ha. Yes, it was. Hmm, now we will see you again on Saturday for dinner with the Duke of Buckraine, then? Yes? Hmm?" Fancy Pants asked, raising an eyebrow as he expected a favorable answer.

"Of course. Until then," the boss responded, before he took the hoof of the mare and kissed it tenderly. "Miss Dis Lee."

"Quite. Shall we, Fleur?" Fancy Pants asked his female companion, who took his foreleg as he led her away.

"Ta ta, my friends. Ta ta," the boss said as he barely moved his hoof in a restrained wave goodbye.

Merits stood patiently as the high-class conversation ended and Fancy Pants walked down the hall and out of sight. The boss turned to his secretary to say something important, but Merits caught his eye instead. He levitated his monocle from his front pocket to get a better look at the blue stallion. Nopony spoke as the boss looked him over.

"Ah!" the boss said pleasantly as he remembered who Merits was. Without another word, he went back into his office and closed the door. Several moments passed where Merits stood awkwardly as the secretary still typed. A small buzzer box on her desk buzzed suddenly and the boss's voice was magically transmitted to it. His words came out crackling, but still audible, "Send him in."

The secretary addressed Merits and smugly said, "He'll see you now."

Merits nodded and headed into his employer's office. Inside, the space was... spacious. It was wide and very white. Slick porcelain statues of equines lined the red carpet that led to a desk at the far end. Behind that desk, a large, oval, golden decorated window looked down over the city. Both sides of the room had fountains and small pools where sometimes attractive mares would splash each other with no purpose other than to be appealing to the eyes. However, there were none tonight: this meeting was too important to have well-paid eavesdroppers. Extremely expensive paintings that weren't worth their cost hung on every wall, covering every inch of space. Merits wasn't intimidated by the imposing environment, however; he was used to all the décor and the grandeur. Having walked the great distance to the desk, Merits sat in the first of many comfy and elegant chairs lined up before the desk.

The desk was wide as well, and just as white as everything else in the room. Though it had business documents in various places, it also had a tray of dainty appetizers and several glasses of wine. There was also a tiny statuette of Princess Celestia placed directly next to the boss's name plate. The plate read: Mogul Banks, CEO.

"It is good to see you again, Benefits Hounderhoof!" Mogul Banks said joyously as he addressed the blue stallion. "It has been many days since you left for that ghastly little suburb, yes?"

"I beg your pardon, sir, but I am Merits Hounderhoof," Merits pointed out as politely as he could.

"Oh?" Mogul used his monocle and squinted, looking over Merits again. "That you are! You and your brother do so look alike. Now, on to business. Did you leave that nasty little girl the message, as I instructed?"

"Of course."

"Splendid! I should say this news has made me quite exuberant!" Mogul reached into a drawer and brought out a small bag of coins. He slid it across the top of the desk to Merits' side. "A small bonus for you and your brother, for success in this little side-endeavor of mine. If only I could have seen the look on her arrogant little face when she saw the parchment! Mmmyes... Hmm... Ha! Hmm." Mogul hummed as he absentmindedly imagined to himself. "Now, let us move on to more important discussions, shall we? What did you find of value?"

"Well... there was nothing of note in her home," Merits admitted as he pocketed the coins, pulled out his folder and opened it up for Mogul to see. "It's apparent she is a disc jockey, has few possessions, little to no wealth, her magical ability is baseline, she um... how shall I say it? 'Plays for the same croquet team,' if you will..." Merits said, as he blushed a little, trying to be subtle about the sexual orientation of the subject of his investigation.

"How kinky," Mogul interrupted with a devilish smile.

"Yes. *Ahem* Although she frequently leaves the town for jobs," Merits continued, "she is well known by most of the ponies there, but she has had only one close friendship in the past, a relationship which has since ended. However, she has recently become close to a new acquaintance, a pony of some renown, actually." Merits flipped to the page and showed the photograph to his boss.

"Her!?" Mogul exclaimed upon seeing the picture, nearly popping off his monocle.

"Yes, they have begun dating," Merits said, rubbing his neck in embarrassment.

"Are you sure?" Mogul asked quickly.

"Yes. It was... actually quite moving to hear her confess her feelings..." Merits recalled, taking his hat off and looking away in fond remembrance.

"Hmm... Interesting..." Mogul pondered, holding up the picture and rubbing his chin. "Now... personal identity aside, what about the DeSe-DeCe?" His voice was cold now; the pleasant conversationalist had been replaced by a darker, more ruthless schemer. Mogul put the photograph down and picked up his little statuette of Princess Celestia. He played with it, rocking it back and forth, as it rested on the palm of his hoof. "Did she have any information regarding it?"

"No, sir," Merits admitted shamefully.

"No records then? No data? No history?"

"No. But... it is still effective," Merits said, hoping it would help. "She is aware of what it does, but I am confident she is unsure why."

"Hmm..." Mogul pondered before sighing. "An unlucky occurrence, unfortunately. But it was the likely outcome all along... She must be brought here then."

"Shall we... take her?"

"No. No... If she is a prominent member of their community, ponynapping would be too risky. If you are caught, then they will trace it back to me. If that occurs, then it is all over." Mogul got up out of his chair and nonchalantly walked over to his grandiose window. He looked down past the glass at the vacant streets below as they were partially lit by the rising moon. "She must come to us willingly."

"How will we get her to do that?" Merits asked.

Mogul returned to his chair and reviewed the information before him. It was all very basic data about the pony in question. Tapping his hoof in thought, he suddenly realized he was tapping on the picture he had put down earlier. He slowly pulled the photograph of Octavia up and a smile crept up his face.

"I believe I may have some ideas, my friend. I do believe I have some ideas..."

Author's Note

What.

Whaaaat.

Chapter 20: In the Eyes of the Pinkie Storm

A week passed. (You read that right.) After an extraordinarily eventful first five days in Ponyville, Octavia survived a full seven days of nothing of note happening as she and Vinyl continued to live together and date. Well, I mean, besides the multiple times Vinyl tried to initiate a casual kiss, which caused Octavia to scream and punch her in the face. Of course, there was also the time when Vinyl introduced Octavia to her favorite pizza parlor and Octavia critiqued it so viciously that the owner almost quit in despair and shut the place down. And it was kinda funny when Octavia tried to play an opera record and Vinyl thought she was being attacked by timberwolves. And you can't forget the time Vinyl ran out of a store in a panic with the fancy clothes Octavia made her try on, causing them to be accused of theft by the town guard. It was also memorable when Vinyl left town for a job, leaving Octavia behind, and they both sang this beautiful song about missing each other up at the moon. Oh, and also, there was this thing when a long-forgotten empire that had vanished for a thousand years in the frozen north appeared and Twilight and her friends defended it against an ancient dark ruler, spreading light and love all across Equestria and now crystal ponies come through Ponyville occasionally. That happened, too. (Actually, all of that sounds pretty interesting. Maybe we shouldn't skip ahead like this?)

(...Too late.)

Octavia closed her eyes and breathed in the allergy-causing, pollen-filled air deeply as the beautiful spring day enticed her to do so. Ponyville was full of life and Octavia felt alive with them. She hadn't traveled back to Canterlot since leaving but, despite having almost none of her possessions, she felt so comfortable and welcome it didn't matter. It had been so dull in the big city; she rarely even left her home except in the evenings for dinners or performances. But Vinyl always had the two of them out and about, trying to get this "dating" thing right. Picnics at the park, dinners under the stars, boat rides on the lake, parties (like Pinkie-level parties) and such.

Octavia had been introduced to about half the town by this point, simply by standing beside Vinyl. Although her familiarity with Ponyville and its inhabitants grew, her familiarity with Vinyl didn't. She never asked the DJ anything about her eyes, or her past, or her family. Their date conversations had been pretty much all about music, current events (like an empire made of crystals) or how pathetically bad they were at romance. Afraid to ask about her history, Octavia avoided it every normal day they spent together. But this day was no ordinary day. This day was about to get wild and very memorable.

"Fun!?" a loud, sharp voice exclaimed while Octavia was breathing in that very delightful allergy-causing, pollen-filled air.

"What?" Octavia asked as she opened her eyes and beheld Pinkie Pie, whose face was far too close to her own. (Personal space please, Pinkie.)

"Fun! Where is it!?" Pinkie asked, excitement gushing out of her.

"Oh, miss Pinkie. You startled me," Octavia replied with relief as Pinkie hopped away to stick her face in something else. "I did not realize it was you."

"Where's the fun!?" Pinkie pressed, looking around for something exciting.

"No fun here, I am afraid," Octavia admitted. She pointed to the business in front of them. "I was just about to browse the selection at this... quill and sofa shop. Hmm... What an odd combination. Regardless, I feel Vinyl's home needs additional furni-"

"Sounds fun!" Pinkie interrupted excitedly.

"Uh, well I... I suppose you could join-"

"I heard fun! Is there fun!?" another voice shrieked from behind Octavia. The owner of that voice jumped beside her, revealing itself to be an identical copy of Pinkie Pie.

"Ah!" Octavia recoiled at seeing the random doppelganger.

"She said it's fun!" Pinkie said to her newly arrived twin.

"Wow! Fun!?" the second Pinkie exclaimed.

"Um!? Miss Pinkie, who is-" Octavia tried to ask as the two Pinkies bounced with giddiness.

"Fun! Fun! Fun! Fun!" the two Pinkies repeated over and over. Octavia couldn't pry an explanation out of them before another identical Pinkie landed on her back and yelled, "Fun!"

"Oh! I beg your-!?" Octavia exclaimed as she turned around in a panic to try to catch a glimpse of what hopped on her. She barely had time to make out the legs of the Pinkie on her back before it leapt away, leaving her with a sight she couldn't believe. A mass of bouncing pink Pinkie Pies was coming her direction from behind. Each one was shouting, "Fun! Fun!" louder than the one next to it as they hopped, skipped and galloped, destroying everything in their path.

"What the what in the Equestria!?" Octavia screamed with incorrect grammar as she instinctively backed up. She didn't have a moment to scream as the flood of ponies engulfed Octavia. The Pinkies burst into the quill and sofa shop before her, breaking windows and knocking down the door. Octavia fell to the floor inside as the group dispersed to run amok. Several Pinkies jumped on the sofas or flipped them over. Another group got into the quills and either started gnawing on them or sticking them in each other's hair. Octavia got up from the trampling and, after taking a moment to shake her head in disbelief, tried her best to reason with them. "Oh! Miss Pinkie! Or... Pinkies, I should say? Stop! Please, stop!" But it was no use, the horde was already lost in chaos. Octavia stepped aside as some frightened customers ran out. "Oh, dear... What is this?" Octavia began to back out of the store. This was way too much craziness, way too quickly. Should she try harder to calm them? She had experience with her younger brother, but in this situation, she was outnumbered.

"*Gasp!* She knows where there's fun!" one of the Pinkies (probably the first one) shouted and pointed to Octavia before she could decide what to do.

"Fun?"

"Fun!?"

"Fun!!!"

"Gyaaaah!!!" Octavia let out a un-ladylike scream and started to gallop out of the store, frantic to escape. The flock of Pinkies seemed to lock-on to her as they all began following her with great speed and excitement. "What is going on!?!? Stop chasing me this instant!" though her words were stern, Octavia's voice was cracking with fear. "V- VIIINYYYYLLL!!!!" she called out her fillyfriend's name as a cry for help. Octavia had parted ways with Vinyl at the market street because she wanted to sneak off and surprise her with a new sofa, so that's where she headed with the gang of ponies on her tail.

Hearing Octavia's distant voice, Vinyl turned from her conversation with Roseluck and said, "Hey, Octavia! Where've you- WHAT THE BUCK!?" Obviously the startling sight interrupted her sentence. Octavia entered the market sanctuary and the Pinkies immediately began wrecking it. They bounced into stalls and threw food and put pots on their heads and stuck flowers up their nose and every other crazy thing you could think of (cause I can't think of any more.) Of course, every normal pony there screamed and panicked.

"This is a disaster! A horrible, horrible disaster!" Roseluck screamed as she was joined by two other flower marked ponies (but there's no time to describe that!)

"Octavia, where'd all these Pinks come from!?" Vinyl cried out as Octavia immediately jumped behind her to shield herself from the storm of pink.

"I don't know! Can we go home!?" Octavia replied as she trembled behind Vinyl, grasping her hind legs for protection.

"Um..." Vinyl looked around at the chaos and all the other ponies running for their lives. "Good idea, let's go!" The two ponies quickly scrambled away from the market. Octavia glanced back several times to make sure she wasn't being followed. Luckily the Pinkies were too enticed by their own havoc to notice her disappearance. Relieved, the two ponies arrived back at Vinyl's house and bolted inside. They locked the door and collapsed on the floor. Vinyl turned to her friend and took off her sunglasses. "You okay, Octavia?"

"Yeah, I-... I think so..." Octavia barely managed to say, panting in exhaustion. (Sprinting wasn't really her special talent.)

"Good. That was kinda the craziest thing I've ever seen," Vinyl continued with a halfhearted laugh. She rubbed her head with disbelief before pointing to Octavia's flank. "Hey, what's that?" Octavia turned around to find a Pinkie latched onto her own flank. How in the world they didn't notice her there earlier is a mystery. A Pinkie mystery.

"GAH!" Octavia shrieked and leapt up, knocking the Pinkie off.

"Oof!" the Pinkie exclaimed as she hit the floor. "That was fun! Fun! Fun!" she quickly rebounded with joy.

"One followed us!" Vinyl exclaimed as she moved into position to shield Octavia again, which was difficult as the Pinkie started hopping around the room, constantly changing her direction of attack.

"Vinyl, your stereo!" Octavia screamed as the Pinkie bounded directly towards the very expensive and meaningful gift she had given Vinyl.

"Oh, hay no!" Vinyl shouted as she turned on her magic and grasped Pinkie, a moment before the giddy pink doppelganger would've collided with the machine. She cranked up the magic as she pulled Pinkie away with levitation and slammed her against the front door. "You're not touching that!!!" she shouted. The Pinkie tried to wrest itself from Vinyl's grasp, grunting and saying "Fun!", as it did. But it couldn't break Vinyl's magical hold.

"Vinyl, do you have it? Erm... her?" Octavia asked timidly from behind.

"I... I think so..." Vinyl said as she struggled to hold it still. "Now talk! What are you Pinks? Where'd you come from?" Vinyl looked menacingly down at her unwelcome house guest. Pinkie looked back at her, was about to say, "Fun!" but suddenly stopped moving. Her smiling expression turned blank and her limbs went limp. Her eyes dilated as she stared at Vinyl's face. She stared straight into Vinyl's eyes and her mouth dropped open. "...What?" Vinyl asked at the sudden change in behavior. "What's it doing? What are you doing?" she demanded. Instead of answering, the Pinkie began to moan.

"Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa......" the Pinkie groaned with a low, guttural sound. Vinyl watched with confusion as it began to gurgle when saliva built up in its mouth. It bubbled with a disgusting noise as the Pinkie began to choke on its own liquid.

"...Vinyl... VINYL!!! YOUR EYES!" Octavia screamed when she realized. Vinyl had taken her sunglasses off when they arrived, and in her panic to fight off the Pinkie...

"Oh, buck!" Vinyl exclaimed as she quickly averted her gaze and magically let go of the Pinkie. But it was too late: the Pinkie collapsed on the floor and began to spasm. Its limbs flicked and popped; its eyes curled up into the back of its head. Foam poured out of its mouth in an unsightly manner, spilling onto the floor. As saliva filled its lungs, its throat throbbed, trying to collect any air that it could. The noises it made were sickening: the sounds of death. Vinyl now watched with sunglasses on, but the purple shades didn't make the scene any less terrifying. Both Vinyl and Octavia backed away at the horrible sight until the poor thing finally stopped convulsing. They both stared for a moment to see if it moved again. One of its legs kicked one final time before it finally rested, laying stone cold on the floor.

"...Pinkie...?" Octavia asked with a whisper, tears welling up in her eyes. "Vinyl... did... did she...?"

"...I killed her..." Vinyl whispered, voice raspy with disbelief. "I... I didn't... I wasn't... she... she was..." Unable to get a sentence out through her horror, she began to tear up as well. Suddenly, the dead Pinkie swelled up like a balloon and popped! All that was left was some magical dust that swirled down to the crack at the bottom of the door and siphoned out. Gasping, Vinyl ran to the door, unlocked it and opened it. They both went outside to see the magical dust fly off in the distance towards the Everfree Forest. Stunned and baffled, they both stared for a moment. Vinyl eventually hung her head and went back inside. She galloped upstairs without a word to Octavia.

"Vinyl!" Octavia called after her. A distant cry of, "Fun! Fun!" caught Octavia's ear as she looked in the distance and spotted a glimpse of bouncing pink frizzled hair. Quickly shutting the door, she bolted it shut. Rushing to the windows, Octavia closed the blinds (another thing she bought for Vinyl's house.) "Vinyl!?" Octavia called again. No response. She headed upstairs to locate her friend.

When Octavia entered Vinyl's bedroom, she found Vinyl huddled on the bed, clasping the old patchy top hat and sniffling. Octavia slowly approached her and joined her on the bed. Instead of acknowledging her presence, Vinyl just buried her face deeper into the hat. Octavia wrapped her hooves around Vinyl and hugged her tight. They waited in silence as Vinyl continued to sniffle out some tears. Octavia's face was furrowed with worry the entire time, especially when the, "Funs!" from outside were close to the house. However, they eventually passed and Vinyl's tears eventually stopped falling.

"Thanks, Octavia..." Vinyl said as she raised her head up.

"For what?" Octavia asked as she let her friend go. "I have not said a word."

"For just being here..." Vinyl said with a sad smirk as she wiped her eyes.

"...My pleasure..." Octavia said with a smile.

Vinyl fiddled with the top hat for moment before speaking again, "You know, Patched Hat told me to never show my eyes or else this might happen. That I might hurt somepony."

"...You may have been responsible for the demise of that Pinkie, but... that was definitely not our friend." Octavia quickly added, "I don't think..." under her breath before continuing, "It was just some kind of magical apparition, was it not?

"I know, but I... I... ...It felt like I had killed Pinkie... I wanted to throw up, Octavia."

"Please do not do that..." Octavia said with a half-hearted laugh. Vinyl sighed and collapsed onto the bed. She still held the top hat but just blankly stared up at the ceiling. Octavia soon joined in beside her.

'Who was that pony she mentioned?' Octavia contemplated as they lay in silence. 'A friend? An older pony? They obviously know about her eyes... This may be my opportunity to find out more about Vinyl!' she realized. '...Be bold, Octavia Melody. Be bold.'

After a few more moments of silence, Octavia finally asked, "Vinyl, who is Patched Hat?" Vinyl turned to Octavia and saw that she was legitimately interested.

Vinyl smiled and said, "You know, I've never told anypony about him."

"Well, can I be the first? I desire to know more about you. ...Your past... Your family... What was your relationship with this pony?"

"Eh..." Vinyl contemplated for a few brief moments. "Alright, alright. I guess I can tell you. You are the love of my life after all," Vinyl teased as she grinned.

Octavia blushed and pushed her a little playfully, saying "Oh, you..." They both then sat up. Vinyl spun the raggedy top hat on her hooftip before speaking.

"Patched Hat... raised me. Back in Manehatten. He wasn't my father or uncle or anything, but he was the only family I ever had. As a foal, me and Patched lived on the streets. He taught me how to speak and read and all that stuff. We had to fend for ourselves in the beginning. You know, looking for scraps and begging for bits.

"You... you were homeless?" Octavia asked, astounded at this revelation.

"Mmhmm. We ain't all born with silver spoons in our mouths and diamond tiaras on our heads," Vinyl jabbed as she nudged Octavia's side.

"I wasn't born with-!"

"Anyway! It wasn't so bad. I mean, Manehatten's a big place. For every hundred ponies that passed us by, one might spit at us, but at least one would toss us a bit. I had to wear sunglasses back then, too. 'Cept all we could get were old broken ones we found in the trash. Patched would tape up the parts without glass, so I couldn't see too well half the time."

"So, your eyes have always been... um... like this?" Octavia interrupted to ask, unsure how to describe it. How would one describe Vinyl's eyes. Powerful? Cursed? Poisonous? Terrifying? ...Red?

"Uh-huh. Since birth, he said. He kept telling me that it meant I was special or something, but I always knew I was a freak or a monster. I remember how he caught sight of them once or twice... it was terrifying to see him suffering because of me. Even though it hurt him, he told me they were as bright as the sun, so he used to call me 'Sun Eyes.' 'Course, he only used that nickname when giving me a 'serious' talk, like when I picked fights with those rich school kids." Vinyl chuckled a bit. "I may have been a bit rougher, back then."

"You currently initiate conflicts all the time," Octavia pointed out smugly.

"Yeah, but I don't bite anymore!" Vinyl protested. Octavia grimaced a little. "Hey, I was just a filly! I didn't know what life was like, or how I should have acted. All I knew was: I loved music. We'd occasionally settle in some back alley near a club, and I'd stay up half the night listening to the bass from outside. I think Patched took me there on purpose, once he found out that I liked it so much. He dug up this old broken guitar that he jimmy rigged back together with old clotheslines and gave it to me."

"Oh, how sweet of him," Octavia interrupted.

"Didn't work though," Vinyl said bluntly. "But that didn't stop us from performing on corners for bits to get by. He'd wear this stupid hat and sing some horrible out-of-tune song and I'd try to play the guitar. We never got much for it, but it was enough to buy bread occasionally. It was a fun time for me, despite having almost nothing to my name. All I had was Patched. He meant everything to me. ...Until I met you, of course."

"What happened to him?" Octavia asked after making note of the compliment.

"He died. You know, it happens. He was pretty old and sick a lot." Despite describing it with plain terms, Vinyl obviously looked upset at the memory. "He caught something terrible and could hardly move for a week. Or maybe it was something he always had that finally caught up to him, but I... never found out. He wouldn't hardly eat or drink or nothing. Worst week of my life... seeing him waste away like that." Vinyl slowly spun the top hat around and poked at several lose threads that held the patches on.

"I am sorry to hear that..." Octavia said comfortingly.

"Yeah, well he was gone after that and I had to move on. Before he died though he... he handed me this old hat and told me to read the message within. I didn't understand at the time and was too busy crying to care, you know? But after some time on my own, I did look his old hat over and I found a note." Vinyl showed Octavia a hidden pouch concealed by a patch and pulled out the note. She handed it to Octavia. "I've kept it to remember him."

Taking the paper, Octavia began to read it aloud:

"My dear little Sun Eyes, if you're reading this then my times up. That, or you're snooping around my stuff. If that's so, put this back and expect a whooping! If I'm gone, I may not have gotten a chance to tell you the truth about your real parents. I was a professor once and both your mother and father were my students many moons before you were born. I had not seen your mother in ages when she came to me with you in her hooves. Terrible ponies had killed your father and tried to come after you. She knew they'd follow her without realizing that you had been entrusted to me. After much contemplation, I decided to raise you among the homeless, hidden from their watchful eyes. I have no family of my own left, so the rest of the world wouldn't mind me missing. I won't tell you who they were because I know the fire that burns in your little heart, Sun Eyes. I don't want you to seek them out with thoughts of revenge. You would fall right into their hooves. But if my time's up, then you must make your own decisions from now on. I'm leaving directions to where I hid my life-savings. Take it and enter society if you want, or stay hidden and safe. I only hope they have given up the search by now. Either way, please, heed this last warning from old Patched Hat: do not ever show your eyes. Do not ever go to Canterlot.

Goodbye, Vinyl."

Octavia put the letter down and saw to Vinyl who was sniffling all over again. "Vinyl, I don't know what to say. ...This is amazing."

"Yeah..." Vinyl sniffed. Octavia scooted over and hugged Vinyl tightly.

"Do you think this is the truth?" Octavia asked, examining up the letter.

"Probably. Patched Hat wasn't really one to lie. Besides, he was right about the money he left me. I don't see any reason to doubt the rest, you know? Even though it sounds crazy."

"So... you never found out anything about these ponies who were after you? Or what happened to your mother?"

"No. Patched didn't want me to, so I didn't," Vinyl shrugged. "I owe him more than I could ever understand, I guess."

"Wow..." Octavia said as she looked over the last message. After waiting for Vinyl to become stable, she joked, "You are aware you disobeyed the last two direct orders he gave you, correct?"

"Pfft!" Vinyl snorted as she held in a laugh. "Yeah, but it was an accident! You saw my eyes by mistake!"

"And Canterlot?" Octavia asked with skepticism.

"That was-! Pinkie really needed me to DJ the wedding! I owed her big time and I couldn't say no! I never went before that! It's fine. Whatever he was warning me about didn't happen, alright?"

"I suppose..." Octavia handed the letter back to Vinyl. "You acquired this house with his money didn't you?"

"Yeah, it's like his final gift to me," Vinyl said, looking around.

"You should take better care of it," Octavia pointed out sternly.

"Yes, ma'am." Vinyl hung her head and Octavia giggled. Smirking, Vinyl nudged Octavia's ribs. "Okay, what about you? What was great Octavia Melody like before I cast my spell on her?"

"Me? I, uh-..." Octavia didn't want to talk about it. It wasn't nearly as sorrowful as Vinyl's, but her fillyhood left her with her own problems she didn't want to admit. But seeing Vinyl's beautiful grinning face made her comfortable and safe, so she gave in. "Alright, calm yourself. How to start...? I was born at Saint Hollyhoof Hospital and raised in the Polotail District of uptown Canterlot. I lived with my father, Mint Coin, and my mother, Softtune Melody. Father worked for several high-end firms and mother was a singer for different musical troupes. I have two siblings. My elder brother, Dollared Notes, is an examiner at Princess Celestia's School for Gifted Unicorns, but I very rarely see him, even to this day. You and I spoke briefly of my younger brother, Currency Melody, who is still in school. I had to foal sit him when mother was away performing when he was younger. As for myself, I went to school at-"

"You can skip to the good stuff now," Vinyl interrupted, obviously bored.

Octavia shot her an annoyed glare before continuing. "Oh, I was about to get there, Vinyl. Hmmph. My mother was very supportive of my endeavors to learn the cello, even from the beginning. She was so enthusiastic to have a daughter follow in her hoofsteps in the musical arts. The day I received my cutie mark, Vinyl, I... I have never seen mother more elated than at that moment. I was her pride and joy. I still am, actually. She always referred to me as if I was perfect. The perfect student. The perfect musician. The perfect daughter. She constantly showered me with praise from the moment I understood language. It was so much that... well, I believed it."

"....You what?" Vinyl asked.

"I believed I was literally perfect, alright? I thought that nopony could ever best me. I treated my peers with politeness, but secretly viewed them as lesser beings. I expected them all to fall before me as I got the highest marks in school. When I won musical competitions, I thought it was only natural. If I ever lost at anything, I thought somepony else had made an error in judging me. After all: they were imperfect and I wasn't. Mother would call me perfect either way, so my thinking was consistently reinforced."

"No offense, but it sounds like you were a brat," Vinyl pointed out.

"Yes, Vinyl. I was pompous, I will admit that. However, my attitude did not last much longer when I attended university. I received a... rude awakening there. My peers were no longer the average fillies and colts you would find in any town; I was now standing among the elite. The best and the brightest in Equestria came to Canterlot for their education. I performed at my highest capacity, but to my horror, my highest level came up short compared to my talented and enthusiastic classmates. They were... better than me, even though they were supposedly beneath me. I was suddenly inferior to so many, it couldn't possibly be some mistake or an error. The idea that I was superior to everypony started to crumble. This truth shocked me to my core. ...I had been lied to. How could my mother say I was perfect my entire life when I obviously wasn't? I was such a fool! How could I have believed such a fabrication!? I began to doubt everything I had ever done! Every grade, every award, every trophy. Were they all lies too? Were all my accomplishments worth nothing when somepony else could have performed better than me had they been there in my place?"

"Octavia..." Vinyl had stayed quiet, but Octavia was started to bawl out tears as she spilt her heart out. These were words she never told anypony and once the valve was turned, everything came out.

"The fact that I was worth nothing hurt me so much! I didn't want to continue, I didn't want to suffer in the shadows of my superiors anymore! But my mother, she never gave up praising me! Perfect. Perfect. Perfect! Her lies! I hated it! I hated her! I resented her love because I knew how wrong she was! ...But I still loved her... I was so hurt and confused. I just aimlessly continued on the path I thought I wanted... The path she was so joyous I undertook... I couldn't bare to let her down. The very love that haunted me pushed me forward... and so I... I smiled when she told me how perfect I was. I smiled when I performed and the crowd applauded me. This... sickeningly forced smile I have... I don't believe a word of praise any of them say, but I can't bare to... to disappoint mother... and I don't know... I don't know... how... how to stop... " Octavia's blubbering became incoherent and Vinyl took hold of her head and held it to her chest. She stroked Octavia's mane comfortingly the cellist stopped trying to talk and just cried. They sat for a while as Octavia got her repressed feelings out. (Sounds like somepony should've gone to a psychologist.)

"You know you don't have to be the best or perfect, right?" Vinyl asked as Octavia came back up and wiped her sniveling face after she ran clean out of tears.

"Yeah... I know..." Octavia answered. "I know that rationally..." Octavia leaned over and rested her head on Vinyl's shoulders. It was a comforting move, for both their sakes.

"But it still bugs you, huh?"

"Mmm," Octavia hummed to acknowledge as she closed her eyes, like she was intending to sleep there with Vinyl's shoulder as her pillow. Vinyl let her own head rest against Octavia's and did the same. They did nothing but breathe as they both got lost in their own private thoughts.

That is until Vinyl said, "Just wondering: Do you think you're superior to me?"

"Mm!" Octavia jerked a little when she heard that. She slid off Vinyl's shoulder and instead wrapped around her waist, squeezing tight. She buried her face into Vinyl's chest and admitted, "...Not anymore..."

"Haha. I'll take it," Vinyl smirked. "Well, thanks for opening up, Octavia."

"I am not yet done, Vinyl," Octavia pressed as she let go of her friend and continued her story. "...My smile was so fake in Canterlot and whenever I play my cello. But... well... to be honest, you light a spark in me, Vinyl... I smile for real here, with you. And it's that grand beautiful smile of yours that inspires me to do so. I have envied that honest, enthusiastic, astounding grin you have ever since we first met. It is full of life and brings me such joy... and hope."

"Oh... really? I thought it was just my incredible DJ-ing that got you interested in me!"

"There is that, too," Octavia said with a laugh.

"Wow," Vinyl said. She gave her vibrant smile to Octavia who smiled back, blushing. "I sure am something, aren't I?"

Octavia giggled and said, "And very modest, as well. I am beginning to see why you smile with so much passion now that I know a bit more about you."

"Oh, figured me out have you?" Vinyl teased.

"Perhaps because your youth was so scarce, you appreciate every piece of good fortune that comes your way," Octavia contemplated. "You live life to the fullest, because you know what it's like to not be able to. I suppose I never came to a similar conclusion for myself. Perhaps I should have."

"You wanna live life to the fullest?" Vinyl asked. "Yeah, I can't picture you doing that. It's not your style, no offense."

"Well, maybe not as much as you, but I would like to be filled with some variety of passion for living."

"Hmmm... Maybe I could show you how, since I'm so good at it. Which you said I am. I'm not bragging! You said it!"

Octavia giggled and said, "I suppose we could give that a try. Very well, what is your first lesson, Professor Vinyl?"

"Ooh, I like that title! Well... what I do most is... follow my heart? That's probably how I make most of my decisions. That or a coin toss. What's your heart saying to you right now? What's it want most of all?"

Octavia thought on this. She had followed her heart and that led her to Ponyville and to Vinyl, so it seemed like a good piece of advice. She looked to Vinyl who waited for a response. They were next to each other on the bed as they hadn't moved since first sitting there. Their flanks were side by side, touching cutie marks. That spot next to Vinyl was comfortable and oh so satisfying. Her friend, her roommate, her fillyfriend. Well... was she really her fillyfriend? Octavia had given 100% of what she was comfortable with to the relationship with Vinyl. (For Vinyl's sake, of course.) She tried her best, but she was still leaving out a significant portion of what she could do. It felt like it wasn't enough, because it wasn't. She was falling short, despite her efforts. Just like in university... What Vinyl wanted was something more. What Octavia's heart was telling her... was to fill that gap for Vinyl... Give her that something more.

"What I want..." Octavia muttered as she went in. She inched closer to Vinyl's lips and her breathing hastened. Her cheeks flushed up as she closed her eyes and hoped Vinyl would do the same as they made contact. Her world went dark as she focused on the sensations as they kissed. It was moist and warm. Octavia felt Vinyl's mouth open and close again and wondered if she should do the same. This was the first intentional kiss she had ever experienced, besides a quick peck on the cheek for family. This was much longer than that. She worried if she was performing alright as she accidently let out a slight moan. Octavia felt Vinyl's pressure increase as she made the noise. Her body arched as she leaned back, unable to stand up to Vinyl's passion, until she fell down on the bed. She opened her eyes in shock from falling. Vinyl was hovering over her breathing heavily.

"...Wow..." Vinyl said. "Heh... heha.... heh." She laughed a little like she had just dodged a bullet or survived some intense near-death experience.

"My... my words exactly..." Octavia said, astounded at what had just happened. Her cheeks were probably redder than was possible and Vinyl's were the same.

Vinyl grinned and, voice raspy with nervousness, said, "So, uh... How was your first taste of living life to the fullest?"

"It... it was intense... I'll admit that..." Octavia replied, trying to catch her breath.

"...Is it worth a second try...?" Vinyl asked, hopeful.

"... ... ...Sure..." Octavia said softly. Vinyl giggled and descended. She laid on Octavia, pressing her down on the bed and kissed her. Octavia shut her eyes and began to feel the sensations again. Maybe she'd be better the second time around, she hoped. But as Vinyl kissed, the DJ's hoof started to rub Octavia side. It startled Octavia and she wanted to move away, but Vinyl was pinning her down. Vinyl's lip motions became more vigorous too. The wandering hoof crept down until it tried to wrap around Octavia's flank. Octavia panicked. "Wait, stop, stop!" she shrieked as she stopped kissing. Vinyl pulled back in response, shocked.

"Whoa, what? What's wrong?"

"I, um... I don't know if I'm ready for any more than that..." Octavia said as turned to avoid Vinyl's face.

Vinyl stared for a moment at the rejection, a little dumbfounded. She eventually got up off of Octavia though, and softly whispered, "Okay."

"Right. *Ahem*" Octavia said, as she cleared her throat and sat up on the bed.

"...Sorry, I was just so excited. I didn't mean to push further than you'd have liked," Vinyl admitted, her ears down in shame.

"That is alright, Vinyl. I did initiate after all," Octavia pointed out as she relieved Vinyl of blame.

Vinyl perked up. "You did, didn't you? You were the one that kissed me! Hah!"

"That... that I did..." Octavia said as the reality finally struck her. She suddenly felt a sickening drop in her stomach. She had just kissed Vinyl. A lesbian. On purpose. And she wanted to.

'...Oh no...' Octavia thought with a familiar uneasiness bubbling up inside. '...What have I done?'

"Can we... can we maybe try again later?" Vinyl asked.

"I, um... That's not..." Octavia wanted to stop the idea of kissing altogether. She was beginning to panic again. She was supposed to be ready if their relationship ever got to this point, but that didn't stop her from fretting over it and questioning everything all over again. Octavia turned to Vinyl, prepared to deny her. But, with one look at Vinyl's face and that grin... she instead said softly, "...Of course... ...we are dating, after all..."

SPLAT!!!! A Pinkie clone suddenly slammed up against the second floor window, startling the two romantic ponies inside and interrupting their fantastic moment together. "Fun!" It yelled as it looked around inside at Vinyl and Octavia.

"Ahh! I forgot about them!" Vinyl screamed, recoiling off the bed. The Pinkie peeled off the window like a sticker and floated down to the street below.

"Should we do something?" Octavia asked as the two of them looked down at the mob of Pinkies bouncing around the streets of Ponyville.

Vinyl thought for a moment. "No... Let's just, um... wait for Twilight and her friends to fix this..."

Author's Note

Yay they kissed. Only... *hold on a sec* ...22 chapters later! Your patience is rewarded with a crappy drawing by meh.

This is the "Oh yeah, this story happened just before Season 3. I forgot," chapter. Shame on you for forgetting! Also, it's reveal the past chapter! Yay! Now we have some more pieces of the bigger picture.

I'm anxious to see how y'all respond to the pasts I've devised for these two ponies. I've been throwing in hints about Octavia for the majority of the story. And a little about Vinyl, congrats if you remembered about the top hat I only mentioned like 3 times. Same with the smiling. *Waits patiently for those who didn't notice any of that to reread entire story* Ah, they were there all along, huh? Sneaky, sneaky author.

Also, I marked the story as Drama now. Probably should've done that from the get-go. /ponyshrug.gif

Edit, July 7, 2017: Did some re-hauling of this chapter. Was very depressed when I first published it. It was riddled, RIDDLED I say, with poor sentences and mistakes.

Chapter 21: An Unexpected Visit

----{{{{Octavia walked down the street. She held her mother's hoof. They traveled towards the giant cello in the distance. Octavia turned and saw Vinyl in an alleyway. Vinyl played her guitar but her eyes were taped shut. Octavia trotted over to her and from her satchel pulled out three miniscule Pinkie Pies. Octavia dropped them into the patched hat turned up in front of Vinyl. "Thanks for the tip! I need some new sunglasses," Vinyl said as she continued to play. "Your music is lovely," Octavia said. "Thanks! Your mommy is leaving!" Vinyl said. Octavia turned and saw her mother was gone. "I cannot leave yet!" Octavia said. She reached to Vinyl's face and ripped the tape off. Vinyl opened her eyes and said, "Thanks!" Vinyl's eyes were so beautiful that Octavia had to kiss her. Octavia kissed Vinyl and her skin began to feel hot. Octavia boiled. Vinyl melted. Octavia was shocked and ran away. She ran back to her mother but her mother lay dead in the street. A large shadow of a pony stood over her. The large cello was broken. "MOTHER!!!" Octavia screamed.}}}}----

"M... ther..." Octavia mouthed aloud with hardly a sound coming out as she regained consciousness. Bolting up in bed, she quickly covered her mouth after having thought she might have actually screamed the word in real life. Glancing over to her partner, she saw Vinyl was snoring next to her and laying in some hilarious position that would have surely been uncomfortable had she been awake. Octavia sighed in relief. The dream had terrified her in its last moments and her heart was still beating rapidly.

-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~ :heart: ~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-

"Oh! Oh! Put in that wubba wubba sound there!" Octavia said gleefully as she sat next to Vinyl, playfully shoving her.

"The whatzitwhat?" Vinyl asked, perplexed. She was working on her keyboard, adding effects to a song. Or at least she was trying to, but Octavia was pestering her like a giddy filly.

"Oh, Vinyl, you must know what I am talking about," Octavia said as she explained herself. "I do not know the technical name of the effect, however, in the Buckcorral Colt's song, Mare with the Amazing Mane for example, after the pre-chorus line, 'Filly you are everything to me,' there is an energetic tempo change succeeded by a sound that goes wubba wubba dew dewdew dew DEW bwaaah! You, of course, know to what I am referring?" It was incredible how sophisticated and juvenile Octavia was sounding at the same time.

"Right... I... think I know what you mean," Vinyl said cautiously, utterly dumbfounded.

"Oh, this is so much fun! Why did you not tell me you create your own music with this device earlier! This has been most fascinating! Not to mention enjoyable and fun! Did I say fun twice? Oh, I am beginning to sound like Miss Pinkie Pie!" Octavia giggled and squirmed, contrasting Vinyl, who was the calm, collected one for once. Vinyl had let it slip that she occasionally created her own tracks for use while DJ-ing. Of course, she then had to explain how her keyboard kept the music as a 'file' that could be saved and accessed with magic and how she was able to add layers of sounds and replay it. All of this was captivating to Octavia who was accustomed to pen, ink and paper. She ushered Vinyl to continue at every turn so they had been at it for 4 hours straight.

"Pretty sure I mentioned it at some point," Vinyl mumbled as she tried to follow Octavia's request of adding the wubs. It was at lot more complicated now that Vinyl could work in sync with the FiM-9001X and get more complex sounds. Octavia was thoroughly enjoying watching her figure it out, though Vinyl was struggling.

"It would have garnered my interest, if you had. Is the adjustment finished? Play it back, please," Octavia commanded with politeness.

"Hold your horses, filly! This is harder than it looks," Vinyl complained as she concentrated the magic in her horn to finish up. "There!" She hit play and the two ponies were quiet as they listened to the track. Vinyl's song was very upbeat and had no input from traditional instruments. Octavia had become acquainted to those kinds of artificial sounds from the albums she'd been listening to. It was completely different from what she was accustomed to hearing in Canterlot. Physical instruments versus digital. Old versus new. Each had their own strengths and weaknesses. But they both had the same underlying concept: a love of music. Vinyl's song definitely exemplified that love. Each note had been painstakingly crafted to the right position to have the piece flow as was envisioned by the creator. Despite its vision, the song still stood on the shoulders of all of Vinyl's musical influences: borrowing techniques and learning from them. (That's okay, though. It's hard to be original!)

"Mmm... It is not quite what I imagined..." Octavia said with disappointment, after the track finished playing. "I am afraid the wubba wubba did not add the finesse I was expecting."

"Did you really just say those words in that order?" Vinyl asked, smirking. Despite the pestering, she was enjoying seeing Octavia so silly. "I thought it sounded fine."

"Hmmm..." Octavia pondered as she leaned over and rested her head on Vinyl's shoulder.

"Whatcha thinkin'?" Vinyl asked casually after a few moments.

"How to improve the song quality..." Octavia muttered.

"Well... can I take a break while you're thinking?" Vinyl asked sheepishly as she pointed to her sore-looking horn. "I'm getting kinda tired. I'm not normally at it for this long."

Octavia bolted up and said, "Oh dear! How long has it been? Of course, Vinyl! This must be harder on you! By all means, do whatever you need to rest."

"Whatever I need, huh?" Vinyl coyly said. She magically saved her progress and turned off the keyboard before swiftly swooping in to peck a quick kiss on Octavia's lips.

"Mm!" Octavia recoiled a little in shock. Vinyl smirked and watched her friend's expression for permission to continue. When Octavia's face became relaxed and approachable, Vinyl went in for a more passionate series of kisses. Vinyl slowly wrapped her hooves around Octavia's waist and, even though they were side-by-side already, pulled her even closer. Octavia responded by wrapping her hooves around Vinyl's neck as they swayed.

'This is for Vinyl. This is for Vinyl. This is for Vinyl,' Octavia repeated in her head. 'This is not for me. This is for Vinyl. But... should... should I be doing this???' She thought with nervous concern as she opened and closed her mouth against Vinyl.

'Why shouldn't you?' her voice asked.

'Because... because... mother... would not...'

'Wouldn't what?'

Octavia moaned. On that queue, Vinyl took them to the floor as they both took a moment to breathe.

"Are you- are you quite sure this is helping you rest?" Octavia asked softly as she laid against the wooden floor, Vinyl above her. Her lips were barely an inch away from Vinyl's as they panted together. "It seems to be doing the opposite for me."

"Believe me, you're the best thing for me," Vinyl answered seductively as she started the kissing up again.

'Mother would not approve...' Octavia thought.

'Why wouldn't she?'

'Because... ...this isn't how I'm supposed to be... How can I be a perfect daughter if I do this?'

'That is irrelevant.'

'No, it's not...'

'Yes, it is!'

'I can't do this!'

'You can!'

Octavia moaned again. She tugged tightly and rolled on top of Vinyl. She let gravity force her against Vinyl's chest and belly, but Vinyl's grip held her tighter than gravity ever could.

'I... I want this so bad...'

'Then take it.'

KNOCK KNOCK!!! The tapping of a hoof on the door to Vinyl's home interrupted the smacking sounds of the make-out session. (Smacky smack!) They were only a few feet from the door so Octavia was startled by the noise.

"Mmmff!" Octavia tried to speak with Vinyl's lips still connected to hers. She lifted her head a bit and whispered in a panic, "Vinyl, the door!"

"Don't care," Vinyl said as she leaned up to continue, but Octavia resisted her by pulling away.

"What if they look in the window!?" Octavia pointed out softly. "What if they see us!?" Vinyl stopped but pleaded with her eyes for more, however Octavia was too stern.

"Nnnnn!" Vinyl groaned and let her head fall to the floor in defeat. "...Alright, alright. Fine..." Octavia got up quickly and tried to franticly straighten her hair. Vinyl ruffled her own hair as she got up, but it was so messy all the time anyway nopony would have noticed.

"I'll... I will be right back..." Octavia muttered as she quickly left for the bathroom.

"...So close..." Vinyl whispered under her breath as she watched her partner leave. After sighing, she cracked her neck and looked around for her sunglasses. She levitated them back on as she opened the door to greet the mystery visitor.

In the bathroom, Octavia panted and splashed her face with water. Hooves shaking on the counter, she looked to the mirror and saw how flushed red she was blushing in its reflection. She wasn't entirely sure she recognized the mare staring back at her.

'If that pony did not interrupt... how far would Vinyl and I have gone?' Octavia thought with dread. How far was she really willing to go just for Vinyl's sake? She rubbed her face and breathed deep to calm herself. After quickly patting herself dry and brushing her hair, she returned to the front room just in time to hear Vinyl call out to her.

"Hey, Octavia! This guy who talks a lot says he knows you?"

"Oh, who could-? Fr- FREDERICK!?" Octavia gasped as Vinyl stepped aside to reveal Frederick Horseshoepin.

"Ah, there you are, Octavia," Frederick responded with his calm and sophisticated Canterlot bred demeanor. "It is good to finally see you again." The tall pony with a casual smile stood at the door, waiting. He had an identical bowtie to Octavia's, except the color was a pale pink.

"Heavens! What in Equestria are you doing here?" Octavia asked with excitement as she skipped up to her friend and embraced him in a posh hug. "It is good to see you, as well!"

"Uh... what is this?" Vinyl asked with startled worry as she watched the hug, but the two classy ponies were too distracted by their reunion to hear her.

"How did you know I was here?" Octavia asked, not even waiting for an answer to her first question. "How are you? How is Beauty and dear Parish?"

"One question at a time, my dear," Frederick said calmly as he patted Octavia gently on the shoulder. "I have come to simply see how you are faring. Your letter indicated you would be visiting Ponyville, but you did not give a time frame for your return."

"What letter?" Vinyl asked while still being ignored. "What's happening?"

"Letter? ...Oh, goodness, I almost forgot," Octavia said as she remembered. "I did send you notice of my leave of absence upon my departure from Canterlot. ...That was so long ago, it must have been..."

"Just under two weeks," Frederick finished for her.

"Is... is that all? I was confident it had been longer..." Octavia pondered. Time had been moving so strangely for her recently.

"We had not ever received word you had returned and, well, you know how much Beauty Brass worries about you," Frederick continued. "I must admit I was frightfully worried it would be difficult to locate you but I did find that the citizens in this quaint little village were fascinatingly helpful on indicating your whereabouts. It seems you have made quite the impression on them. Now, not to be intrusive, but may I enter this abode?"

"Of course, of course!" Octavia beamed offering Frederick entrance to Vinyl's home. He trotted inside with dignity and Octavia attempted to follow, but Vinyl had had enough and grabbed her shoulder, holding her back.

"Octavia, who is this guy?" Vinyl whispered aggressively.

"Oh, Vinyl! I forgot!" Octavia blurted, almost dumbfounded that the pony she was making-out with not a minute ago was still present. "Allow me to introduce you. Frederick!" she called to her old friend. Frederick was inspecting the inside of Vinyl's home with much more interest than criticism as the two mares came inside as well. "Dear Frederick, may I introduce you to Miss Vinyl Scratch? She is the owner of this lovely little abode and has been my guide in Ponyville. She and I have become fast... erm... Friends... *Ahem* Yes. And Vinyl? This is Frederick Horseshoepin, leader and pianist of the Horseshoepin Quartet of Canterlot. He is a dear old friend of mine."

"Ah, it is indeed a pleasure to make your acquaintance, Miss Scratch," Frederick said with such rehearsed demeanor he had obviously said those words a thousand times before. Bowing slightly, he extended his posh hoof for a customary hoofshake.

"...Like-wise... Freddy," Vinyl replied with malice lining her words as she cautiously shook Freddy's genial hoof.

"Please, Vinyl. It's FredERICK," Octavia scolded. "Here, have a seat. Have a seat," Octavia offered as she motioned to a modest wooden table and chairs. The little setup was, of course, one of Octavia's additions to the house. (Vinyl's getting all sorts of free stuff out of this arrangement!) Frederick seated himself and Octavia joined him. Vinyl came over as well, but the two chairs were already taken so she just stood beside Octavia, glaring daggers at Frederick.

Frederick eyed Vinyl's equipment and keyboard and asked her, "Would it be presumptuous to assume you practice the musical arts as well, Miss Scratch?"

"Something like that..." Vinyl replied coldly.

"Vinyl is a 'disc jockey,' or a 'DJ' if you are keen on the vernacular," Octavia explained, bubbling up with excitement. "It is a fascinating profession, you must allow me to tell you all about it!"

"Ah, a 'Dee-Jay'," Frederick said as he recognized the word. "Would it be correct to presume Miss Scratch here was the replacement for our quartet at Princess Cadence's wedding reception?" His question was innocent enough, but to Vinyl, it appeared smug beyond measure.

"Yeah, I was," Vinyl defiantly answered with a triumphant grin. "Got a problem with that?"

"No, no. I hold no ill-will. It is all water under the bridge, as they say," Frederick mused. "It is well that the wedding concluded without further incident."

"Oh yes, those changelings were dreadful!" Octavia said, remembering the events of the first wedding attempt. "Do you recall how Parish tried to fend them off with a chair?"

"Yes, I still remember the expletives he hurled at the beast as he did!" Frederick replied, chuckling.

"Oh, and you were so brave defending Beauty and I! Throwing yourself against them so we might flee," Octavia said dreamily. Vinyl's jaw dropped as Octavia praised her friend.

"Yes, well. One must rise to the occasion, when the situation demands it," Frederick explained as he straightened his bowtie. "Miss Scratch, how did you fare during that vicious attack?"

"...Wasn't there," Vinyl hissed. "...Heard it was bad, though."

"Oh, it was," Octavia explained, unable to pick up on Vinyl's condescending attitude at that moment. "Now, where are my manners? I have not offered you a drink yet. Vinyl, could you make us some tea?"

"...Uh... Tea?" Vinyl turned to Octavia, confused.

"Yes, be a dear, would you?" Octavia dismissed Vinyl with a wave and continued to converse with her older friend. "Now, Frederick, how has Beauty been?" Vinyl groaned as she complied and headed into the kitchen, eyeing them both from behind her sunglasses as she went.

"Beauty is well, as always," Frederick answered. "She was especially enthusiastic about our excursion to the Crystal Empire. She veritably howled in delight when we arrived. It was a most charming side of her, I must say."

"The Crystal Empire!?" Octavia inquired, astounded. "It has been the talk of the town! You have been there already?"

"Yes, to attend the ball Princess Cadence hosted to help reacquaint the crystal ponies with modern day Equestrians. I believe the Princess felt responsible for turning us away at her wedding, so she offered us the exquisite honor of performing alongside an array of traditional crystal musicians. Splendid performers, they were, though I must say their prized flugelhorn was quite, erm... how to describe it..., ...outlandish in its sound."

"Oh dear, you mustn't be so crass!" Octavia jested with a posh chuckle.

"Yeah, Freddy. Don't be a jerk," Vinyl exclaimed as she returned, magically slamming a glass of water down in front of Frederick, splashing a little bit of the liquid on the new table.

"Vinyl? This is tap water," Octavia pointed out as Vinyl gingerly placed her cup in front of her. "I believe I requested tea."

"I dunno how to make tea," Vinyl stated matter-of-factly as she stared Frederick down.

"For goodness sake, Vinyl. It is not that difficult. Let me explain: you simply..." Octavia started to explain, but gave up. Standing up, she changed her tune. "Never you mind, I will prepare the tea myself. Be a dear and entertain Frederick until I return, would you?"

"Yeah, okay," Vinyl huffed as she rolled her eyes.

"Pardon me, I will return shortly," Octavia spoke gingerly to Frederick.

"Take your time, my dear," Frederick responded pleasantly.

Vinyl waited for Octavia to enter the kitchen before turning to the uninvited guest in her house. "So, Freddy! How long you and Octavia known each other?" She asked her question aggressively, though she beamed a smile.

"Oh, it has been many years. I suppose I knew her before she was born..." Frederick mused a little.

"YOU WHAT!?" Vinyl snapped viciously.

"Indeed. Shall I regale you with the tale?"

"Sure! Why not!? This has GOT to be good," Vinyl pouted, hooves crossed.

"Very well," Frederick continued, seemingly immune to Vinyl's attitude. "I was but a young colt in Softtune's musical theory class years ago ...Eh, Softtune Melody. Octavia's mother?" Frederick pointed out, making sure Vinyl was up to speed.

"I KNOW who she is..." Vinyl mumbled aggressively loud. 'I didn't know her name before yesterday though.' Vinyl thought secretly. 'But I'll keep that to myself.'

"Ah, well. Being the young impressionable colt that I was, I became quite keen on Softtune. I admired the spark and energy she had for music. It permeated her every being, inspiring me to do the same. After my classes with her were done, I voluntarily followed her career with great interest during the rest of my schooling years. Kind mare that she is, she recognized me after one performance of hers. It became customary for us to speak briefly at every event. During this time, I learned she had given birth to a filly and named her Octavia."

Vinyl frowned.

Frederick continued, unhindered, "Softtune entertained me with stories of young Octavia as she grew over the years. I finally met Octavia myself when I was attending university. Softtune had come to the school to chaperone a special exhibition performance by her current class, which young Octavia was a part of. I, of course, was in attendance and saw Octavia for the first time. She was such a timid filly at that age. As you know, that was the event where she received her cutie mark during her solo. ...Oh, she has told you that story, correct?"

"...N-no," Vinyl said, befuddled. "Not really... She never told me how she got her cutie mark... but you were there to see it..." Vinyl's teeth began to grind. 'This old prick's been following Octavia her whole life!' Vinyl furiously thought. 'PLUS he saw her get her cutie mark!'

"Well, you must ask her to share with you the details," Frederick continued. "After I had witnessed Octavia's gift for music, I kept an eye on her progress. Softtune even invited me to help her along with private lessons when she did not have the time herself. I suppose I became a mentor to her until years later when she herself had graduated from university and I was able to invite her to join my quartet as an equal. Oh, I have a hundred different stories I could tell from that time."

"I bet you do," Vinyl said bluntly. 'I don't like this guy,' she thought.

"Vinyl, why did you hide the teabags with the baking sheets?" Octavia interrupted as she emerged from the kitchen bearing a tray with glasses of tea. "I apologize for the delay, Frederick," she said as she placed one before him.

"Ah, there is not need to apologize Octavia, my dear," Frederick spoke with delight. "I had just finished telling Miss Scratch here about our history together."

"Oh? Perhaps you can also give her a lesson in civility?" Octavia said with a playful smirk to Vinyl as Frederick took a sip of tea. The DJ, however, was not amused by the nudge, nor of anything that had happened today (after the kissing, of course.)

"Octavia, I don't like this guy," Vinyl said, uninhibited.

"Huh?" Octavia responded, unsure if she heard correctly.

"I don't like this guy!" Vinyl shouted.

"Oh, dear. Did I do something to offend?" Frederick asked.

"Yeah! Lots of stuff!" Vinyl responded as she pounded the table, knocking Frederick's glass over. The tea ran down an indent in the wood before dripping to the floor.

"What in Equestria is wrong, Vinyl!?" Octavia asked, flabbergasted at this outburst.

"Octavia, you need to get away from him!" Vinyl demanded as she magically grabbed Octavia and scooted her aside. She then stepped up to Frederick with menace. "He's a creep! I don't want his crusty old pony hooves anywhere near you!"

"Whatever gave you that impression!?" Octavia desperately tried to ask, but Vinyl ignored her.

"Listen you!" Vinyl addressed Frederick. "She's with ME now, got it!?"

Frederick simply watched Vinyl's aggression with a cool temperament before responding, "...It seems that I am not welcome in your home. I shall take my leave, then?" As he stood up from his chair, his towering physique dwarfed his aggressor.

"Vinyl, stop this ridiculousness!" Octavia protested.

"No, no. I shall not intrude further," Frederick insisted. "It would be rude to overstay my welcome. Octavia. Miss Scratch." Frederick courtly bowed and turned to leave.

"Yeah, you better leave. Little colt," Vinyl muttered before Octavia shoved her angrily.

"VINYL! I'm ashamed of you!" Octavia lectured. "You apologize to Frederick this instant!

"No way, Octavia! He wants you! He's trying to take you away from me!"

"He's made no such assertion! Your claim is baseless! You-!" Octavia paused as Frederick opened the door to leave. "...You stay here and THINK about what you have done. I am taking a walk with Frederick." She assertively turned from Vinyl and caught up with Frederick.

"FINE! Take your walk! But stay in public where he can't do nothing!" Vinyl hollered after them as Octavia and Frederick stepped out of the stressed house. Octavia gestured to have them walk towards the main roads of Ponyville.

"I'm so terribly sorry about Vinyl's behavior, Frederick..." Octavia puttered, trying to rationalize what just happened as they went.

"It is... alright my dear," Frederick said halfheartedly. "Although, I am startled by her outlandish claims... I do not mean to criticize the ponies you choose to keep company with but..."

"She's not normally like that!" Octavia interrupted with determination. "She's normally very sweet, full of compassion and jubilation. Of course, we've had our little spats, but I've never seen her explode at anypony besides me..." Frederick eyed her with curious worry. Octavia kicked herself for making it seem like Vinyl was violent towards her. "I don't- I mean, I do not mean to say she snaps at me much, we just- have differing opinions and butt heads every now and then. That is all."

"...Are you very sure this 'Miss Scratch' is safe? She seems very harsh..."

"I know she appears that way, but..." Octavia sighed. How best to describe it? Vinyl had so very little in this world to call her own. She felt like she could not reveal her true self, lest she receive scorn. Octavia was the first to accept her. To Vinyl, that must of meant everything. "She is just overprotective. I think- ... No, I know that I am a very important pony to her. I mean more to her than I can disclose to you."

"...Very well, it is your decision," Frederick said, still unsatisfied but keeping it to himself. "I shall not pry any further." The pair walked in silence for a few brief moments. The day around them was bright as it usually was, but an air of heavy unease hung over both of them.

"...So how have you been?" Octavia asked, mostly to break the silence, but she was genuinely curious as well.

Frederick huffed a little in amusement before he replied, "I am doing fine Octavia. The days come and go without complication. However, we were all disheartened when you could not join us in the Crystal Empire. We had no method of contacting you."

"Oh... I... I am terribly sorry... I did not think about how my exodus would affect the quartet..." Octavia apologized, with a sullen heart. "I did not realize how inconvenient it must of been for all of you."

"No inconvenience, my dear. We managed well enough. I do have associates whom I can call on to play the cello for us, you know. Though they are not nearly as extraordinary as you," Frederick praised, blushing a little and looking away. Octavia was quiet. She didn't believe the compliment. "...Not to pry further into your personal matters, Octavia, but... why did you leave? So suddenly and with barely a word?"

Octavia contemplated for a moment, before answering softly, "...To find something important I wanted... I think. I am not sure,"

"I see..." Frederick paused extensively. "...Did you find it here, in Ponyville?"

Octavia chuckled, then replied with a sheepish smile, repeating, "I am not sure."

Frederick smiled a little as well, before growing concern filled his face. "...Since you have been away from Canterlot, have you not heard the news?"

"Oh? Whatever are you speaking of?" Octavia asked, blatantly unaware of the goings on in Canterlot.

"Well, I believe it is churlish to gossip, however... it is in regards to your family, Octavia."

"...What?" Octavia stopped their little journey around Ponyville. "What of my family?"

"Well... there have been... rumors. Rumors of the 'Fall of the Mint Coin Fortune,'" Frederick explained in a hushed tone.

"...F-father?" Octavia asked, worry beginning to boil in her stomach (for a reason other than Vinyl, for once.)

"Just rumors mind you, but there is talk of stock plummets, sour investments, debt collectors... bankruptcy."

"Bankruptcy!?" Octavia exclaimed loudly.

"Rumors, my dear, just rumors!" Frederick tried to calm her down with a gentle pat on the shoulder. "...And maybe some accusations of bribery and tax evasion..." he added quickly.

"What!? Father would never-!"

"I am sure he would not either," Frederick assured. "If I know anything about your mother, it is that she is not the type of pony to marry a criminal. This is all speculation of the aristocracy. This hearsay will fade in time, I assure you."

"Mmm..." Octavia paused, deeply troubled despite the reassurance.

"I might advise you to return home, however," Frederick added. "I am certain your family would appreciate the visit. These rumors must surely be afflicting them with stress, as well."

"Return... home? But..." Octavia asked with confusion blocking her thoughts. 'That's right... my home is in Canterlot...' she remembered. She looked back towards Vinyl's house, though it was long out of view. 'For a moment I thought...' With more troubling concerns on her mind, she smiled to Frederick. "I will... think about it. Maybe if it is for just a day..."

"I see," Frederick sighed, disappointed. "I suppose this means we should not expect you to return to the quartet anytime soon, then?"

"I am sorry, Frederick... I do not feel like I am done here."

"I understand. Take your time finding that 'thing' that is so important to you," Frederick said with an earnest smile. Octavia replied in kind. Frederick had been mentoring her for years, in areas besides just music. Like a second father, or an uncle. Although there was much about herself she had never revealed to him, she always felt he knew more than he let on.

"Thank you, Frederick. I do not suppose Vinyl will be too upset if we share a quick luncheon, to lighten the mood. Will you join me?" Octavia posed to the question to her old friend.

"I would be delighted, my dear," Frederick replied.

"Excellent. I would like to hear about your trip to the Crystal Empire!"

"Of course. Where shall we dine? Any recommendations?"

"I know just the place!" Octavia beamed.

Frederick smiled. Octavia was different than he was used to. It was the same pony he had monitored all those years, but... more energetic. More upbeat. More vocal. Her journey to Ponyville had changed her in ways visible and invisible. It was like sunlight had finally shined down on a shadowed place for the first time, revealing a golden flower, eager to bloom. It was satisfying to see Octavia blossoming, for sure. Although, for Frederick, it was a little sad... ...and lonely.

-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~ :heart: ~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-

"I messed up big time, didn't I?" Vinyl asked as she lay moping on the floor when Octavia walked into the house.

"You certainly did," Octavia responded, with an annoyed twitch in her eye.

"Oooohhh..." Vinyl moaned, covering her face and scrunching up to the fetal position. "I knoooow..."

"What on Equestria made you act that way?" Octavia demanded to know, as she approached her.

"I... ........maybe I was a tiny, itsy bitsy bit jealous..." Vinyl muttered, admitting guilt.

"I am afraid I do not know the 'itsy bitsy' unit of measurement," Octavia verbally jabbed as she physically poked Vinyl playfully.

"It's-" Vinyl bolted up. "It's kinda... *sigh* You know what? It's actually a pretty big amount."

"So you were very jealous, I take it?" Octavia said as she sat next to Vinyl.

"Yeah... You were just so... happy to see him. You got along with him so well. It's like you two were meant to be together or something..."

Octavia was shocked. She hadn't ever thought of Frederick other than a mentor, friend, and colleague. "You need not be jealous of Frederick. He's..." Octavia paused, struggling to explain Frederick to a pony that obviously felt suspicious of him. "He is much like my version of Patched Hat," she concluded.

Vinyl contemplated for a moment before reaching an epiphany and exclaiming, "Oh. OH! I get it! Patched would never do anything weird to me."

"Neither would Frederick," Octavia pointed out, with relief.

"Oh, HORSESHOES! I need to apologize! Where is he?"

"I am afraid he is already on the train back to Canterlot," Octavia explained. Vinyl pouted in defeat. Taking pity on her, Octavia rested a hoof comfortingly on her and suggested, "Perhaps you can write him a letter?"

"A letter? ...I've never written a letter," Vinyl grimaced, apprehensively.

"Even you should be able to do it. I will show you the basics," Octavia offered, with a tease.

Vinyl scooted over to Octavia and squeezed her, mumbling, "You're so good to me!"

"And you to me," Octavia softly said. "When you are not being a complete lunatic." Vinyl just giggled.

After some time gathering the stationary, the two ponies sat at the table were the outburst had occurred. After explaining the proper format several times, Octavia watched as Vinyl licked her quill and started.

"Dear... Freddy-H," Vinyl read slowly as she magically controlled the quill writing the text on the light brown parchment.

"His name is Frederick, I have told you many times already," Octavia pointed out.

"Come on, you know I use nicknames for everypony. Everypony but you," Vinyl reminded her as she continued to scribble.

'Because I am special to you,' Octavia thought without hesitation. 'I am the most important pony to you. And you... you are undoubtedly the most important pony to me.' Octavia didn't need to waver on that. But... 'When I am with you, Vinyl, I feel... at home. But... for how long? How long am I going to stay here? How far are we going to go together? How far can I go for you?'

She did not have the answer.

Author's Note

"I am afraid the wubba wubba did not add the finesse I was expecting." <--- I want this on a T-Shirt

Remember ol' Freddy? From the Prelude? Oh, if only I knew what I was going to do with this story when I was writing that chapter. Sigh. I was so young and naïve back then. #MemoriesAndTreasures Anyway, he's quite the ~~cock~~tacoblocker, isn't he? Also, don't look for any hints of him being Octavia's mentor when she was younger in earlier chapters, 'cause I just now thought of it. >< This is why normal authors finish their books before publishing.

I know all about the business world. Check out my wicked rad use of terms like "investments" and "bankruptcy."

Good news: Octavia's just about done with all this wavering on their relationship. I think its waaay past time! Story won't stop there, though. Don't you fret about that. Next two chapters are just about done. I know, I know. It's been a long time since my last update. I made a blog post about it if you're interested to know why. It boils down to "unhappy things happen."

Chapter 23: Honesty

Vinyl was having a pleasant dream:

----{{{{Flying yeti with dragon wings pulled a chariot through the sky with Vinyl riding in it. She was kicked back, relaxed and sipping soda from a bottle that kept refilling itself. The sun was a stereo that was playing all the newest and coolest tracks. The mountain in the distance was carved to look like Octavia, but there were hundreds of fire-breathing pigeons loitering all over it! Vinyl had to take action! She leaped through the air, did several amazing somersaults and landed at the summit of Mt. Octavia with a ninja headband now on her head. She pulled out a large vinyl record, jumped on it like a snowboard and rode it down the cliff-side. The record spun and began playing the best song in the universe. As it spun, blades made of chainsaws popped out the sides. Vinyl maneuvered the record board to collide with the pigeons, cutting them in half! But instead of blood, gore and guts, the pigeons exploded into money as they died! Pinkie came soaring down alongside Vinyl, surfing a flying guitar and playing another guitar as Vinyl slayed the pigeons! It was extremely awesome!}}}}----

"Vinyl! Wake up! I have something important to tell you!" Octavia said gleefully as she shook Vinyl, breaking her away from the pleasant and radical slumber.

"Ah---, buck, wha'!?" Vinyl murmured sleepily as she awoke. "Octavia, whazz going on?" The cellist was above her, on the bed, almost pinning her down. (It was a nice view to wake up to.)

"Vinyl, it's so important! I can't believe it! I need to tell you about- ...about- ...about..." Octavia started excitedly before slowing to a halt. Her poorly lit expression changed to worry as she hesitated.

"About what?" Vinyl questioned as she yawned.

"About the... ... immune system...?" Octavia said slowly, making up a topic. "...It's fantastic. It really is. Have I told you about it?"

"... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ...Filly, WHAT!?!?" Vinyl exclaimed at the randomness.

"Ah, I guess I have! Very well! Goodnight then!" Octavia spouted nervously as she slid off of Vinyl and back to her side of the small bed.

"Goodnight!? It's already the middle of the night!" Vinyl complained bitterly.

"Well then, we had better get some sleep!" Octavia replied promptly, wrapping herself in covers and facing away from Vinyl.

"Ugh... alright, whatever," Vinyl moaned as she rubbed her face. 'I want to finish that dream!' she thought miserably.

Octavia was thinking something else. 'Oh dear, how do I tell Vinyl?'

-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~ :heart: ~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-

Octavia paced in circles on the dirt and grass streets of Ponyville, biting her hoof nervously. 'Gah! It was so easy to tell Twilight! I just blurted it out! Why is it suddenly more difficult to tell Vinyl?' Octavia thought. It was late morning and she had fumbled through breakfast with Vinyl, missing several opportunities to admit her feelings. They even went to the record store, which would have been the perfect place for her to confess, since that is where Vinyl confessed, but noooo. Octavia was too chicken. 'Why is this so hard? This is nothing but good news! This is great news! I am not hesitating about how I feel, but... I cannot bring myself to say it aloud, because... well, because...' Octavia stopped pacing and buried her face in her hooves and shouted into their muffling comfort, "Love is just soooooo embarrassing!!!"

There was an "Eep!" that Octavia noticed and she turned to see that she had startled Fluttershy with her sudden outburst. The yellow pegasus had been walking nearby with a basket of baby ducks in her teeth (well, before she dropped them.) With the basket fallen to the ground, the ducklings began to scatter away from Fluttershy. "Oh, no!" Fluttershy cried in a panic. "Don't wander! You'll get lost!"

"Oh, goodness! Let me help!" Octavia exclaimed as she galloped over to help Fluttershy corral the tiny birds. The little ducks were quick, but they also stopped and started enough for Octavia to catch a few. Between her and Fluttershy they rounded them up safely. (+5 friendship points for Octavia.) When the ducklings were returned, they all chirped in approval from inside their basket. "They're so cute!" Octavia exclaimed as she put her muzzle down to one of the ducks who pecked a little kiss on the tip of her nose. :heart:

"Oh, thank you," Fluttershy said, addressing Octavia. She motioned down to the ducklings, "They were just so excited to move to Ponyville. I promised their parents I'd get them back safe and sound after a sightseeing tour of the town. It would have been just awful if they had gotten lost!"

'Eh? A sightseeing tour, for ducks?' Octavia thought quizzically for a moment, but didn't linger on it. "Ah, well you are very welcome. I am sorry I startled you so much you dropped them," Octavia tittered a little sheepishly.

"Hm? I dropped them because I stepped on a tack," Fluttershy stated as she lifted her hoof to show Octavia. Indeed, there was a tiny nail sticking out of her hoof. (Ow.)

"Oh! How presumptuous of me!" Octavia exclaimed at the realization. Fluttershy bit the tack and pulled it loose with a tiny Eek! as Octavia continued, "I assumed you were startled because I was shouting something embarrassing. Ha ha. How silly of me."

"You were? What were you shouting?" Fluttershy asked without hesitation after she spit the tack out.

"Um-! Something... ...embarrassing?" Octavia repeated, blushing up.

"...Oh, I see!" Fluttershy realized, turning red as well. "If it was embarrassing, then you wouldn't want to say it again... Of course." She began backing up nervously.

"Right, heh heh," Octavia laughed a little. Octavia had learned that Fluttershy was one of Twilight Sparkle's inner circle of friends during her stay in Ponyville. But Octavia hadn't spoken to her before aside from the first time she needed directions to the town's library and totally embarrassed herself. (This situation wasn't looking any better, either.) Fluttershy was one of the special ponies who had achieved incredible feats, (despite how much she didn't look like she could.) Knowing this, Octavia wondered if she might help with her problem. It stands to reason, since Applejack, Pinkie Pie, Rarity and Princess Luna had all offered up their own advice before, Fluttershy would surely do the same. 'Well, it couldn't hurt to ask...' Octavia decided. "*Ahem* By the way, Miss Fluttershy, I was wondering if you might assist me with something," Octavia said, blatantly holding up a hoof in gesture.

"W-who? Me?" Fluttershy asked, looking around for some other pony who might take responsibility. "Well, I suppose, I mean, I could. I'm not sure I would be that helpful, though. I mean, it's not that I don't want to, it's that I'm not that good at most things. I can still try, if that's okay." Fluttershy was backing up slowly, holding her basket of ducklings. "I have to get these little guys home first, if that's okay. I did make a promise, after all. It's not that I don't want to help. It's not that at all."

Octavia slowly lowered her hoof as Fluttershy continued to sputter. 'Perhaps Fluttershy is not the pony I need to talk to right now...' Octavia thought. "That's- that's okay." Octavia said, retracting her question. "I can see that you are quite busy. I wouldn't want to bother you. Um, perhaps you could simply give me some directions instead?"

Fluttershy perked up and said, "Oh! I could probably do that."

-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~ :heart: ~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-

The road to Sweet Apple Acres was plain path dotted with a few bushes. Just an old dirt road. (The oldest road in Ponyville, to be precise.) Octavia was accustomed to dirt now, though she had to clean her hooves more vigorously than when she lived in Canterlot after a walk. The path was lined with a white picket fence that, by normal accounts, should have been rickety and aged based on the location, but it was surprisingly well kept. Behind the fence's fresh coat of paint were fields of apple trees. They were well trimmed and all full of savory apples, waiting patiently to be picked. Octavia trotted along this path, admiring the scenery. She hadn't been this far out of Ponyville proper before, and it was the first time Octavia had been surrounded by so much green.

Fluttershy had gladly pointed Octavia to the home of Applejack, the one pony Octavia figured would be able to give her normal, un-cryptic advice. She hadn't spoken to Applejack in a while either, so catching up couldn't hurt.

Octavia finally arrived at Sweet Apple Acres, Applejack's home, a little tired (it's quite the hike.) The vague idea of "farm" had always existed in Octavia's head, so nothing was too surprising about what she saw. Several large buildings that housed either animals or equipment dotted the area. There was a bustle of noise of those animals, various sounds littered the air from the pigs, chickens and sheep. Several stacks of hay were nearby, ready for a needle to be dropped in them at a moment's notice. Octavia passed under an arc with a wooden sign of an apple carved on it and stepped onto the property. As she did, a small white and brown dog came running up to Octavia.

The dog barked and wagged its tail upon meeting the stranger. "Aw!" Octavia swooned as she carefully raised her hoof for the dog. "Don't bite me please," Octavia joked as the dog sniffed her hoof. Satisfied, the dog ran off. Octavia looked around, but didn't see Applejack or any of the family she heard lived there. She came up to the old house that also looked like it had been covered with a fresh coat of paint recently as well. After she knocked, an old green pony mare came to the door, silver strands of hair sticking up from her white mane. 'Oh, what was her name again? 'Gravy Smitts?' I think Miss Pinkie called her...' Octavia thought, desperately trying to recall that time Pinkie Pie listed every pony who has ever lived in Ponyville to her.

"Whatzat? Who's there?" the old pony (who's real name was Granny Smith) asked, squinting. "Yer not lil' Babs Seed!"

"Um, no. Good morning, Miss Smitts. My name is Octavia-"

"Oh! What's a pretty young thang like you doin' here?" Granny Smith interrupted before Octavia could explain. "Yer 'ere ta court my grandson, Big Mac, aren't ya?" she accused, slyly nudging Octavia like they were friends already.

"What? No!" Octavia gasped, a little repulsed.

"Well, shoot! Dang shame! That boy could use the company of a young lady! He spends too much time playin' that Ogres & Oublibobs thingymajig. Needs ta socialize, I swear. Murrgin figgle. " Granny mumbled incoherently to herself before asking, "Whatchu want then?"

"If I could speak with Applejack...?" Octavia started.

"If you could what now?" Granny asked.

"...If I could speak with Applejack?" Octavia repeated.

Granny stared at her for a couple moments. "Well, what'll happen if you could speak to her? I need to know, you've gotten me all excited!"

"What? No- I? ...Allow me to rephrase: May I please speak to Applejack?"

"Oh, sure. She's out back choppin' wood. Now if'n you'll excuse me, we're expectin' some other company and I'm makin' my special Granny Smith's Special Secret Apple Cobbler! Or G.S.S.S.A.C. fer short!" Granny hooted and hollered as she returned inside and shut the door behind her.

Octavia just giggled and shook her head. This was not the strangest pony she had met in Ponyville. (Not by a long shot.) She headed around to the back side of the house. The little dog returned, happily meeting her halfway, and accompanied her to the spot where Applejack was. A definitive kathunk sound rattled the air as Octavia approached. The orange farm pony split a log clean in two with an axe gripped tightly in her teeth.

"Hello, Applejack!" Octavia said as she came up to her, admiring the clean cut of the log.

"Oh, howdy, Awktavia!" Applejack greeted, her accent deforming Octavia's name. She took off her hat to fan herself from the heat. She was dripping wet with sweat and propping herself up with the axe. The dog circled her several times barking before bolting off again. "What brings you to the farm?"

"I simply wanted to visit, and 'catch up,' as they say," Octavia explained. "...Would you like some help?" she asked, pointing to all the un-split logs Applejack still had left.

"Well, that's mighty kind of ya," Applejack said, amused. "Didn't think farm work was yer thing."

"Well, I have never tried it," Octavia admitted. "But I have watched theatre productions of settler ponies chopping wood. I suppose I understand the concept, and I would love to help!" Having learnt a lesson about doing things for her friends several chapters ago, Octavia was more open to help out than she would have been normally. (+3 friendship points.)

"Hoo-boy are you in fer a surprise," Applejack grinned. She handed the axe to Octavia. "Here: give this a whirl."

"Rike riss?" Octavia mumbled as she gripped the axe's handle in her teeth. It was heavier than she was expecting, and she had to strain her neck to keep from toppling over.

Applejack smirked as she watched Octavia struggle. "Just stay like that for a sec," she instructed as she hoisted another log up and set it upright on the stump. "Now line up the axe..." Applejack said as she carefully took control of Octavia's head and the axe and guided them to their mark. "Now lift it straight up... that's right. Now, bring it down as hard as ya can!"

Octavia grunted as she tried to bring the axe down, completely missing the log and landing on the stump. The impact rattled her teeth and brain so she let go of the handle immediately. She shook her head and yelped.

"Phaahaa!" Applejack burst.

"I came straight down! The log moved! I swear!" Octavia cried out in embarrassment, holding her aching teeth.

"Don't fret, I couldn't hit it back when I started either," Applejack assured, grinning stupidly. "'Course, that was when I was jus' a filly."

"I- I will get it!" Octavia protested, huffing. She struggled a little to get the axe out of the stump and set up for round two. This time as she brought the weapon down, it hit the log! But, instead of splitting it, the blade just got stuck partially in, and rattled the handle as it did before. Octavia had to let go again.

"Ha-haa! You call yerself an Earth Pony!?" Applejack laughed. "You know we're supposed to be the brawn of the three pony types, right?"

"Well, at least I tried!" Octavia pouted, a few petty tears forming in her eyes.

"I know you did, sugarcube," Applejack assured as she comforted Octavia with a hoof around the shoulder. "I appreciate the thought, but maybe you should leave the choppin' to me."

"Is... there anything else I could do to help?" Octavia asked, ashamed.

"Uh, well, I'm sure we can find sumthin' fer ya to do," Applejack mused. In the end, Octavia helped Applejack by setting the logs up for her and helping stack the chopped ones neatly in a pile. Octavia was exhausted; the farm pony made flinging chunks of wood around look easy, but they were heavy things. "Thanks fer the help, Awktavia," Applejack said when they were finished. Octavia was breathing too heavily to muster a response. "Come on in, and we'll have some lemonade or sumthin'." Applejack motioned to her to follow as they went to the barn. Inside the barn there was a large contraption. A flat wooden base was being held up by three wooden wheels. Some complicated steering mechanics were stationed at the head of the vehicle. Construction of a wooden shell to cover the interior had begun. A few curved planks were sticking up, indicating the size of the completed project would be massive; it already took up a large chunk of the space in the barn. A pile of wood planks, nails, hammers and paint among other things were resting beside it. Octavia stared at the thing as Applejack put the axe away on a rack of other tools.

"Oh, that's Applebloom and her friends' float," Applejack explained, after she noticed Octavia noticing the very noticeable vehicle. "Fer the Harvest Parade. She insisted that they make it themselves. And they're makin' it a pumpkin, instead of an apple! Can you imagine?"

"Harvest Parade?" Octavia questioned, once she had caught her breath, and brought her attention back to Applejack.

"Mmmhmm. In a few days. So what's new with you? Yer stickin' round Ponyville lot longer than I thought you would." Applejack pointed out.

"Oh, right. I have encountered some... unexpected developments that have prolonged my stay," Octavia began to explain as she fidgeted with her hooves.

"What kind of developments?" Applejack asked.

"Ah, right. Well, it is in relation to the reason for my visit," Octavia said, rubbing her legs nervously. 'Be strong Octavia and say it! Applejack is kind; she will help you without a doubt! You can do this! You can do this!' She continued, "I actually need to tell you something..."

"Really? Well, I'm all ears. Shoot," Applejack replied.

"You see, I have realized something about myself recently..." Octavia continued, trying to contain her jittery nerves. "Mind you, this is a brand new realization, as of last night even, but I am certain of it, so... well, I am just going to say it: I..." Bracing for impact, she shouted, "I'M GAY!" There was silence in that barn for a few very long moments, except for the distant clucking of some chickens. Though her eyes had widened, Applejack didn't move a single muscle after her mouth popped open slightly. She was frozen still for this duration, completely dumbfounded.

"... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... OKAY...!?!?!?" Applejack finally blurted out in exasperation, unaware of what exactly to say.

"Right, well..." Octavia continued as she fidgeted with her hooves some more. "I realized this after I fell in love with... a certain pony. You can imagine who, right...?" Octavia asked timidly, her eyes displaying more vulnerability and embarrassment than she intended. Her gaze caused Applejack to sweat again as she stepped closer to the farm pony. "I never thought I'd fall in love with her, but she has... stolen my heart, they might say."

"Oh... has she?" Applejack sputtered nervously as she took a step back when Octavia approached her.

"Yes! Her way of life is so different than my own, but it is exhilarating to experience it with her! Even if it's difficult!" Octavia stepped forward again, swept up in her emotions, and Applejack stepped back. "But I have been mulling over telling her. I really want her to know how I feel, so we can be in love together! Much a like a fantasy, I suppose," Octavia continued as she inched closer, blushing red and forcing Applejack to back up into the barn wall. "It makes sense, doesn't it? She's so special to me, so I want to be... closer to her! So... so... Applejack... please..."

"WAIT WAIT WAIT!!!" Applejack shouted once she had reached her limit. She took her hat off and covered her mouth with it as she shyly turned away from Octavia's desperate and amorous gaze. Breathing heavily she tried to sputter out a response, "Hold on a minute, now! This is all so sudden! I mean, it's not like I haven't thought about it before, sure... But- we- we barely know each other and- and-! Oh, it sure is temptin'... But what would Granny think? She's so old fashioned..."

"...I beg your pardon?" Octavia asked, backing off.

"Huh? Beg pardon?" Applejack echoed. They were silent for moments. Applejack squinted and instead asked, "Who's... this pony yer talkin' bout?"

"Vinyl, of course," Octavia admitted.

"... ...Oh. OOOOH! Hoo-whee! That makes sense! Fer a second there-" Applejack said joyously, fanning herself with her hat. "Ah, never you mind! So, yer uh... havin' trouble tellin' her, huh? Is that it?"

"I cannot seem to find the words every time I try! I am unsure what to say!" Octavia explained, melodramatically.

"Well, shoot! I ain't no expert on the matters of the heart, but I am probably the pony you need to talk to about bein' honest. Not to toot my own horn, or nuthin'," Applejack explained, putting her rustic brown hat back on.

"Yes! Yes, that is why I have come to you! Please, I could use your help!"

"Well, alright. Listen close: and I'll let you in on my full-proof trick." Applejack wrapped one hoof around Octavia, glanced around like she was expecting eavesdroppers and leaned in close. She whispered, "Here's whatcha do... ...Just tell her the truth."

"...What?" Octavia said, disappointed, after Applejack let her go. "...That is it?"

"Yep," Applejack replied simply.

"But- but- That's obvious!"

"Sure is."

"But- but- but-"

"Listen, sugarcube," Applejack explained. "It ain't like science or fancy math. There ain't no thinkin' involved here. As long as you know the truth, there ain't nuthin' to it. And it sounds like you do, so yer halfway there!"

"Yes, but- how should I tell her!?" Octavia protested.

"However you want."

"When should I tell her?"

"Whenever you want."

"What should I say?"

"If you want somepony to write you a speech to use or sumthin'," Applejack answered, "maybe you should talk to Twilight. If yer askin' me: you don't need to make this so complicated. Just open your mouth and whatever you need to say will come out. If you let it."

Octavia was stunned for a moment. Thinking about how stupidly simple this advice was, she smirked which then led to giggles. Applejack's straightforward solution cleared out the mess in Octavia's head. With clarity, she realized she never had a problem to begin with. Her overly critical thoughts just tripped her up, once again. If she had the determination to tell Vinyl the truth, it would happen. "Oh... Oh, dear. I was thinking far too much about this... wasn't I?"

"Probably. Now, let's get that lemonade," Applejack said cheerfully. "I'm plum parched."

"...Thank you, but- I'm going to go to find Vinyl and tell her right now!" Octavia exclaimed as she hopped over to Applejack and squeezed her tight. "Farewell, Applejack! Thank you!" she hollered as she galloped excitedly out of the barn, relieved of her worries.

"Okay! See ya 'round!" Applejack called back as she waved her hat in goodbye until Octavia was well gone, before collapsing on the hay-covered barn floor. She buried her face in her hat and mumbled, "Landsakes! That nearly gave me a heart attack..."

-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~ :heart: ~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-

"Vinyl!" Octavia called as she galloped up to her DJ friend. Vinyl was strolling down the road to Sweet Apple Acres when the two met. "What are you doing out here?"

"Lookin' for you, filly! Flutters said you came this way," Vinyl explained. Her voice, slightly raspy as always, complimented her cheerful demeanor.

Octavia quite nearly jumped on her to give a hug, but stopped when she noticed Vinyl's misshapen hair, strands of colorful paper stuck in it, and a long silky streamer hanging off her sunglasses. Pointing to the mess and smirking, Octavia asked, "Why is there confetti in your mane?"

"Huh? Oh!" Vinyl said, shaking her head to try to rattle loose the little bits. "Thought I got them all out! Pinks hit me in the face with her party cannon. She was all excited about the Summer Harvest Parade, so I think it was packed with more confetti than- *BLEGH!* *PATOOEY*!"

Octavia giggled as a singular piece of confetti floated onto Vinyl's tongue as she was talking. The unicorn spat it out in a most undignified manner. "That was most undignified," Octavia pointed out.

"What?" Vinyl responded, wiping her mouth.

Bursting with confidence, Octavia proposed, "Nothing! Come, walk with me Vinyl! Let us have an impromptu outing!"

"Huh? Okay, but I look like a mess," Vinyl pointed out as she ruffled her hair.

"Nonsense, you look beautiful!" Octavia swooned as she swiftly swooped in and interlocked her foreleg with Vinyl's.

"Aaaaagh!" Vinyl exclaimed at the unexpected forwardness. "Oh, um. Thanks!" Vinyl replied, nervousness bubbling up as Octavia pressed into her side. The contact sparked a pleasant reaction in Vinyl. They hadn't tried walking together like this before and Octavia took the first step. Vinyl pulled tight, holding Octavia's foreleg to her side and the cellist replied in kind. They traveled, three legs to a pony, fourth hooked together, for a distance in silence.

"Where shall we go?" Octavia asked as they approached the end of the dirt road and the beginning of Ponyville.

"Well, this was your idea. Where do you want to go?"

"Hmm... the park is always pleasant," Octavia offered. Vinyl agreed and they headed that direction. The DJ was expecting to see other ponies and was prepared to let go of Octavia's leg if they were spotted. It wasn't public knowledge they were dating, or that she was even gay. Vinyl felt there was no reason to share this around and she knew Octavia understood that and wouldn't be offended if they had to disengage. Luckily, it did not come to that. Ponyville Park was uncharacteristically empty. Out for summer, the commonly seen fillies and colts were elsewhere, working on their floats for the parade and every adult pony was either helping them or preparing for the festival in other ways.

Vinyl didn't mind doing this, even though it wasn't that appealing to her as an activity. The quiet stroll, the inner contemplation that comes with a lack of discussion, the pleasant feeling of being next to somepony you love. It was fine, but it was... so un-rad. But that's the kind of thing Octavia liked to do and Vinyl understood that. They were closer than ever before, but they still had their differences. Vinyl liked loud, energetic good times and Octavia preferred the finer things. Since the Canterlot pony was attempting to experience Vinyl's kind of life, Vinyl decided to at least do the bare minimum and try out Octavia's.

Despite her constant upbeat attitude, Vinyl was still holding onto doubts about Octavia. This... experiment Octavia was conducting. Dating Vinyl just because she wanted to make her happy... This "chance" she was given. How real was it? Could Octavia eventually fall in love with her, like she had hinted? Vinyl was overjoyed to have Octavia trying to be with her, (the kissing was a major perk) but could a straight pony really fall for the same sex? Vinyl thought about how unappealing stallions are to her and wondered what she would do if she were in Octavia's (horse)shoes. Trying to fall for a pony she had no desire for? There would have to be such a strong connection between them that it would overrule her natural instincts. Vinyl had once attempted to do the opposite, to not view Octavia with the desire in her heart. But it was monstrously more complicated for Octavia to act than for Vinyl to refrain.

While Vinyl was lost in thought, Octavia rested her head on Vinyl's shoulder. It was exactly what Vinyl wanted, yet she blushed and turned away. They began crossing a small wooden bridge in Ponyville Park. The shallow creek that ran underneath it shimmered in the summer sun and Vinyl caught a glimpse of her reflection. Then she noticed there was a streamer still hanging off her sunglasses.

"Octavia!" Vinyl said as she swatted the streamer loose! "Why didn't you tell me that was there!?"

"My own amusement," Octavia giggled.

"Eh, I'm still covered," Vinyl pouted as she looked over the reflection. "Hmmm..." she hummed to herself before she checked around for anypony else nearby. After confirming there were none, she hopped up onto the bridge railing.

"Vinyl?" Octavia questioned.

"Think I'll take a quick dip!" Vinyl exclaimed as she levitated her sunglasses off, set them on the railing and hopped into the stream! With a small splash, she collided with the water and, shortly, the muddy bottom. Octavia looked on in amazement as Vinyl grinned and dipped her mane in the water. The ripping waves weren't tall enough to even reach her knees, but Vinyl swished her head around to loose all the confetti. Flipping her mane up, she sighed, "Aw, that's better! Octavia you should-!" Before she could finish the thought, Octavia splashed down into the creek beside her. The displaced water splashed onto Vinyl ever so slightly. "Hey!"

"Heehee!" Octavia exclaimed after her leap. "That was most exhilarating! Although, I have a sinking feeling I will need to wash my hooves after this," Octavia mentioned as she noticed the mud.

"Filly, you'll need a whole bath!" Vinyl mentioned slyly as she bent down and scooped up as much water in her forelegs as she could hold and flung the miniature pond at Octavia. Not expecting the attack, Octavia took the full hit of the dirty water.

"Eek! What was that for!?" Octavia shrieked as she surveyed her now damp body over.

"For splashing me! It's called 'revenge!'" Vinyl taunted. She bent down and repeated the process, flinging more of the creek at Octavia.

"That was unnecessary! You have already retaliated once!" Octavia claimed, shielding herself from the splashes. Her efforts were futile, the attack soaked her anyway.

"That one was just for fun!" Vinyl beamed.

"Oh!" Octavia giggled and kicked some water at Vinyl. "En garde, then!"

Vinyl laughed as the water made contact with her. They were both wet now and the stream was greatly disturbed by their antics. The water surface rippled and waved at every step they took and assault they made. The two ponies laughed and played for a while. Attacking and dodging, they traveled downstream a ways during their battle. Vinyl smiled evilly as her horn glowed. She scooped up a large amount of water with her magic and carefully levitated it above Octavia.

"Unfair!" Octavia protested upon seeing the danger above her. "I have no magic to counter you!"

"Filly, they say all's fair in love and war!" Vinyl smirked cruelly (like she was the villain in this story.)

"So they do...!" Octavia replied slyly as she launched herself at Vinyl. Their bodies collided, to Vinyl's surprise. The impact cut Vinyl's magic off and released the tide of water. As Octavia lay triumphant on Vinyl in the creek, the glob fell upon them both, utterly soaking them. Stunned for a moment, they both began to laugh.

"Pffft! Haaahaaa!" Vinyl chortled.

"Heehee haa hee!" Octavia chuckled, trying to cover her mouth to salvage her normally sophisticated composure. She looked down at Vinyl, who was pinned below her. This was what life was. As Vinyl lay, water up to her ears, Octavia knew what she wanted to do. She didn't need to hesitate. She didn't need to think about it. She didn't need to fear she would regret it. She didn't need to worry, agonize about how this would look to her mother. This was what she wanted to do. This was what would finally make her happy.

And so she did it.

Octavia leaned down and kissed Vinyl, and she was aggressive. She let go of her inhibitions and let loose on Vinyl. Opening and closing her lips with haste and pressure, she moaned a little. Vinyl didn't take long to react; she reached up and wrapped her hooves around Octavia's head. Octavia did the same to Vinyl, plunging her trembling hooves into the water to clasp onto her lover's head. Vinyl's lips tasted different due to the presence of creek water, but Octavia didn't mind: she pushed in regardless. She had denied herself for so long, the liberation unleashed her passion onto Vinyl. Her hind legs buckled, and she let herself rest completely on Vinyl's form. (+25 friendship points.)

As for Vinyl, she returned the fervor in kind. She pulled Octavia down into her. Her ears were submerged in the stream that rippled as they moved together, so she could clearly hear her own grunts and puffs for air in the echo of the water. Octavia's soaked hair tumbled over and down onto Vinyl's face, gently touching it as Octavia waved to and fro. Octavia's body lay perfectly against her. Her body was hot, unlike the moderate temperature of the creek, as Vinyl's stammered breathing lifted it up and brought it down. Unhindered by Octavia's earlier rejection at this attempt, Vinyl slowly took her hoof down Octavia's back, caressing it until it came to her flank. It was there she pulled in, bringing Octavia's belly tight against hers.

Octavia squealed, but didn't stop kissing. Instead, she rolled. The two were now entwined, laying equally in the water, bodies lightly caked in mud. Neither minded the dirtiness, they were two enthralled in their passion. However, the sneaky water infiltrated their mouths as they opened. Before long, they had to succumb to their bodies demands that they cough up the liquid, interrupting their session. They both leaned up simultaneously and coughed away from their lover.

"*COUGH* Celestia! *COUGH*" Vinyl exclaimed as she spat.

"Goodness, *cough* *cough*" Octavia exclaimed as well. Her choking sounds were much daintier than Vinyl's. They both took a moment to catch their breaths because of the hacking and the intensity of their making out.

"Well, that was *cough* fun," Vinyl pointed out, grinning when she could.

"...It was. Wasn't it?" Octavia said, more to herself than to Vinyl. She closed her eyes and placed her hoof on her heart that kept pumping blood for her red cheeks. She had gone to Vinyl's lips with no remorse or regret. No struggling with an inner voice. And how had she come out of it? Completely satisfied. Denial was no longer an option. It was hardly even a concept anymore. Octavia leaned over and hugged Vinyl, who reciprocated. After a moment of squeezing she leaned back just enough to be able to whisper in Vinyl's ears. She spoke softly, sincerely. "I am so sorry Vinyl."

"Huh? ...What for?" Vinyl asked, almost as softly.

"I am so sorry I have deceived you for so long. I was deceiving myself, and because of that I was deceiving you..."

"...About what?" Vinyl asked. "...Are you not really from Canterlot?" She asked that last question with comic sincerity and impeccable timing. Octavia laughed and leaned back to face her lover. Vinyl was waiting patiently with eyebrows curved in concern. Her blazing red eyes looked forward, darting between places on Octavia's face. Her mane was soaked, it's normally vertical spikes were sunken low by the weight of the water.

"Vinyl, I'm gay. I am a lesbian," Octavia explained. She was smiling wildly as she said it, but holding back tears nonetheless. Vinyl's face became contorted with confusion, but Octavia didn't wait for her to interrupt or ask questions. "I have been all along. My whole life. I was just... so afraid of it. For a stupid reason. I see that now. You've given me love and attention and it's... freed me. Because of you I'm free to be the pony I always knew I was supposed to be. Thank you, Vinyl. I'm so sorry it took so long for me to reciprocate your affection... I'm so sorry I told you 'no.' I'm so sorry I made you wait. Vinyl... you are my best friend, my fillyfriend and I love you."

Vinyl reached over and wiped a tear from Octavia's face, taking drops of creek water running down her skin as she did. She knew the time for lust was done for now. Instead of kissing Octavia, she hugged her tightly as Octavia sobbed. Vinyl couldn't stop the tears forming in her eyes either. "I love you, too."

'Finally. Finally.' Their thoughts were mutual.

-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~ :heart: ~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-

Octavia and Vinyl walked along the stream back towards the park. They had traveled quite the distance when they were splashing and playing. Their steps were squishy as their bodies were covered with mud and still damp. They were giggling, blushing and chatting about their personal lives when they approached the small wooden bridge that crossed the creek. A bare light blue stallion with curly orange hair was standing on that bridge. When Vinyl saw him, she quickly averted her gaze, as her deadly eyes were openly exposed.

"Excuse me," the stallion with a magnifying glass on his cutie mark called to the two of them, "do you know whose sunglasses these are?" He held up a pair of radical purple shades. Vinyl had left them on the bridge when she first jumped in. "They were just sitting here."

"Ah, those are mine. Thanks, dude," Vinyl said, still looking away. She magically took the shades from the stallion and levitated them over and back onto her face. "Come on, Octavia. I think we need showers."

They turned to leave and Octavia nudged Vinyl and whispered, "Perhaps we could share one?"

Vinyl turned pinker as the two walked away. The light blue stallion smirked. But he hadn't heard Octavia's erotic suggestion. He was thinking about something else. Merits Hounderhoof picked up his saddle packs and put them on his back. The innocent looking packs, that contained his shades, suit, hat, tie, binoculars, notepad and Vinyl's real sunglasses, jiggled along as he trotted away from the two ponies who had no clue about the enchanted item that was just given to them.

-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~ :heart: ~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-

Downstream, Fluttershy was scooping up a net full of streamers and confetti that were floating around in an annoyed-looking duck family's pond.

"Oh, who would do such a thing?" Fluttershy mumbled sadly as she cleared the litter. (-50 friendship points.)

Author's Note

You thought Vinyl's dream would be confined in your imagination, never to see the light of creation. Well, now it's real! AND it's on the internet! It will OUTLIVE US ALL.

Chapter 24: A Short Respite

The humid air was trapped in the room as the door was tightly shut and locked. Thunk! The mist from the falling water filled up the mirror. The steam turned the reflective glass into a white sheet. Thunk! There were several beauty products resting by the sink, undisturbed and unaffected. In that sink, rested a slightly muddy bow tie. It wasn't nearly as crumpled as the towel hanging haphazardly on the rack, but it was dirtier. It would have to be washed later. Thunk! It was dim, the lights were unable to pierce the fog that had built up. The hot water had been running for quite some time; the water heater would be out soon.

Thunk! The sound of two bodies hitting the plastic wall of the shower resonated. Octavia lustfully coated Vinyl's neck with saliva as she clung with both hooves to it. Traveling upwards, she planted several kisses on Vinyl's cheek as Vinyl returned the favor on Octavia's neck. Returning down, Octavia licked between Vinyl's clavicle and let her hooves run down her lover's back. She then traveled upwards, as she ran her tongue along Vinyl's neck, and let out a moan before returning her lips to Vinyl's.

Vinyl picked up Octavia, hoof firmly holding Octavia's flank, and slammed her against the wall. Thunk! Vinyl was forceful as she pressed up against her. She plunged her tongue into Octavia's mouth with ferocity. Octavia accepted the invasion and her tongue danced with the intruder with exuberance. After her tongue slipped back out of Octavia's mouth, Vinyl lifted Octavia again and put her to the shower's floor.

It was forceful, but Octavia didn't mind. Her blood was racing from the lust and excitement. Water was flowing down off of both of them, making dripping noises that were hopelessly drowned out by their erotic moans. Vinyl flipped Octavia over so she was on her knees in the cramped confines of the bathtub. Vinyl mounted on top of her, and wrapped her hooves around Octavia's belly. As she pulled her up, she pressed her body down. They felt wild and alive as their bodies rubbed. Vinyl leaned over to Octavia and licked her ear. Octavia turned her neck to kiss Vinyl and their mouths danced again.

-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~ :heart: ~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-

The train felt rickety as it passed over well-worn tracks on the way up Canterlot Mountain. It clunked along without difficulty though. However, the passengers were occasionally jostled. Octavia Melody was one of those passengers. She didn't take notice of the bumpy ride. She was humming thoughtfully to herself instead. It could have been the hum of any number of different songs; she had most of them memorized. Her whole body swayed back and forth like a cobra in the seat as she moved to the tempo in her head. Her smile was diminutive, but sincere. Her hind-legs kicked jovially, like she was a young filly again, playing on a swing.

It had been a day since the last incident of note. Vinyl and Octavia had spent their (very close) time together and it ate up the hours until Luna and Celestia had both completed their respective duties. Octavia was reminiscing pleasantly as she continued to hum that tune. Her cheeks turned ever so pink. It was the blushing of embarrassment, but not the kind she felt guilty about. Not anymore. The train would be coming upon Canterlot Station in moments and she paid no mind. She would have to get off, but surely she could snap out of her fantasies when that time came. (Hopefully.)

Several rows down on that same train car sat Benefits Hounderhoof. He was not sitting there with a pleasant demeanor, unlike the subject of his attention. His was of impatience and disappointment. Octavia had come alone. The boss would be unhappy with this.

-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~ :heart: ~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-

The key clicked the intricate inner-workings of the lock into position as Octavia turned it. With ease, she pushed the door in and light finally reentered Octavia's Canterlot home. She flicked on the lights, the very expensive 'magic-electric' lights she had installed years ago. Candles and lanterns were for lesser privileged ponies. At least, Octavia once thought that. She was greeted by the empty foyer. She had almost forgotten the colors on the carpet and walls. Some of it was purple. Some of it was gray. She used to see it all everyday. How things had changed. Bending down, she bit the rope and hauled up the heavy stack of mail that had been waiting, stuffed in her mailbox, a few minutes prior. Grunting, she brought the letters to the closest table, a silvery metal and glass one, and dropped the envelopes. The roped snapped and they spilled everywhere. Octavia didn't try to catch any of them. She just rolled her eyes. Most were invitations to events that had already come and gone. Some were bills. There was even a letter or two from sophisticated friends. Octavia would have to sort them all out before she left.

Leaving the letters, Octavia took a stroll around the home. She had been gone for exactly two weeks but the place was as spotless as she left it, though a bit heavier in the dust department. She would have dusted, but she had a limited about of time and she wouldn't be staying long anyway. There were very fancy paintings of fruit, landscapes, wildlife and famous historical ponies along the walls in Octavia's home. She quickly contemplated on each one to decide whether or not it would look good at Vinyl's place. There was far less wall space there and the color scheme was different. She eventually would settle on a couple she liked as well as some other pieces of decor: vases and some small furniture.

Her first actual stop was her bedroom. She ignored the shelves of books and the music stand with some sheet music still opened up to the page she had been working on. Instead, she opened up the lacy purple curtains and collapsed onto her bed. She disturbed nothing, for it was still messy from that night she tossed and turned after Princess Cadence's wedding, thinking of Vinyl and what she had seen and heard. She never even made the bed before she fled Canterlot that fateful morning. Octavia squirmed in delight, to feel the softness it once provided her every night. Oh, how she had missed that feeling. How nostalgic it was. She reminded herself to convince Vinyl to switch out their bed for this one. After resting her weary eyes first, she got back up and looked around the room. She checked her reputable sized collection of literature and sheet music for those of interest and, while keeping the quantity to a conservative amount, set some aside for packing.

When she arrived to the kitchen, she was greeted by a repugnant smell. There, in the sink, were unwashed plates of half-eaten food. Holding in her nausea, Octavia quickly disposed of the smelly mess. She had to step outside for some fresh air afterward. Though, it wasn't much better when she returned and opened the icebox and checked the cabinets. Most everything was expired or starting to mold. Disappointed to waste so much, Octavia had to throw out most of the contents. Although, there were a couple that were just a hair past the expiration date. Maybe Octavia had a bite or two. It couldn't hurt, right?

As she worked in silence, Octavia considered how much her life had changed. Just how much she had changed. All it took was a last second decision to enter that wedding when she could have so easily just gone with her friends. Octavia felt petite tears form as she realized how easily she could have missed her opportunity to meet Vinyl. She might not have ever left Canterlot had she not. She might not have ever accepted who she really was. She didn't hate her old life, here in the city, but... she sure did remember feeling lonely more often than not.

After spending several hours boxing up everything she could possibly need that would fit in Vinyl's house, she hoisted them onto her cart, parked just outside. It was exhausting, but supposedly nothing a normal earth pony couldn't handle. Although, she did curse herself for not hiring some help, during her fifth water break. After fully packing, she locked up and took one last look at her home. The house was simpler in construction compared to some of the more extravagant architecture in Canterlot, but it was larger than it needed to be for Octavia. Built for a much bigger family. Compared to Vinyl's, it was practically a mansion. Octavia hadn't bought the home solely by herself. She was fresh out of university and her father helped her with the details of the purchase. This experience would come in handy when she came back again to sell the place. She wouldn't need it now she was saying goodbye to Canterlot and moving in with Vinyl.

-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~ :heart: ~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-

The street wasn't empty, but it was mostly bare. Octavia looked across the delicately paved white cobblestone to her parent's home. It was far superior to her own. A fare lady mare passed her by, obscuring her vision with an elegant hat for just a moment, but it didn't break Octavia's concentration. After breathing deeply, several times, Octavia reminded herself what Luna had shown her. Regardless, she was nervous. The rumors Frederick had mentioned also tugged on her heart. She crossed that street, leaving her cart behind for a moment, when she was ready, took the gold door knocker on the finely varnished door and hit it several slow, but distinct, times.

Silence. Octavia was patient, but the silence was unnerving her. She could have opened the door with the key she was entrusted with, but chose to wait politely instead, after all, they weren't expecting her. No pony came to answer the door. She knocked again. Her family wouldn't have likely been home at this hour. Her father should be working at his business(es) and her mother would be off with whatever ensemble she was currently playing around with. Her brother would be taking summer lessons. ...But the butler should have answered. If not him, the maids would. But no pony came.

Octavia was more nervous now. She tried to rationalize it. Her father, being the kind pony that he is, must have given their housekeepers the day off! Surely! It definitely wasn't because all his finances failed and had to relieve them of their services! No, no, no! That was ludicrous! Nonsensical! Ridiculous! ...But exactly what Frederick said was happening. Octavia shook her head to chase out the terrifying thoughts.

Octavia nervously bit her hoof. She could wait on her parents to return... She needed to see them. Ask them to clarify what was happening. Tell them about herself... Her discovery. Vinyl. ...Oh, Vinyl. Octavia missed her already. The DJ could've come with her to Canterlot, but she was too adamant about her pseudo-father's warning about the place. Her heart ached from just being apart for a few hours. It wasn't like before when Vinyl left for a job in Manehatten or elsewhere. This time, Octavia knew what Vinyl meant to her. And she craved it. Thinking of Vinyl cheered Octavia's spirit, but fired up her desires, as well. She blushed up thinking of how much she wanted to kiss her, hold her tight, rest her head on her shoulder, lay beside her at night, laugh, sing...

Octavia finally couldn't take it anymore. She left for the train station. Her parents would just... have to wait. She could not wait for Vinyl any longer. She had waited her whole life to be liberated. Now she was, and spending another second away from her lover was unbearable.

Author's Note

⏫When you want to draw a pony kneeling, but your art style doesn't involve them having legs. Also, I think this might be my favorite bonus comic I've drawn. It makes me giggle for some reason.

Howdy. Hope the first part makes up for the shower scene I forget to write in Chapter 13 *winkwink* I hope that it doesn't warrant a Mature rating... I might have to change some things if it does. This ain't no smut story! ....it just has a little smut.

I think we can all appreciate a short chapter with no dialogue. Can't we?

Chapter 25: Finally Together

BA-NA-NA-NA NAA NAA!!! DA-NA-NA-DA DAAA!!! BA-NA-NA DAAN DAAN DAAAAAAN!!! The house was shaking from the force of the bass and treble. The flimsy wooden foundations of Vinyl's small home quite nearly collapsed. Thunderous vibrations came from the FiM-9001X as it played its track at the highest possible volume. (It was way past 11!) Vinyl swayed in the living room next to the speakers, rocking her head up and down with the beat, rhythmically tapping her hoof, completely unaffected by the volume. She was so entwined with the music, she didn't notice the banging on her front door (which would have been inaudible to anypony else) and continued unhindered. Only when a very bright flash of light caught her eyes, though through her shades, did Vinyl stop. The peculiar flash came from the window and the DJ immediately glanced that direction. A very grumpy looking Twilight Sparkle banging on the window, her horn still aglow from the signal she sent in, greeted her. Twilight motioned angrily to her ears and mouthed something that she was actually probably shouting, but her voice was completely decimated by the music. Vinyl smirked, but shrugged to Twilight in confusion before the purple unicorn face-hoofed and pointed to the door. Complying, Vinyl opened it for her. Twilight shouted right into Vinyl's face when they were finally in front of each other, yet Twilight couldn't even hear herself. Smirking, Vinyl flicked off the stereo with a quick glow of magic from her horn.

"-AND ANOTHER THING, I'VE GOT A HEADACHE! --! Oh, *ahem* well," Twilight cleared her throat as she was now the loudest thing around.

Being pesky, Vinyl snickered and in a high-pitched cutesy voice said, "Hello, Twilight Sparkle! Can I help you? ~<3:"

"...I was TRYING to tell you to turn your music down. If you didn't realize, it carries all the way to my house. I can hear it up in my bedroom, with the windows shut, plugs in my ears, AND a pillow around my head! NOT TO MENTION I have a headache, and it's making it worse!"

"Golly gee! I'm awfully sorry, neighbor! I'll certainly be more careful in the future! It would be just awful if I upset you!" Vinyl continued with the "adorable" act, covering her mouth in shock, showing fake concern.

"Cute," Twilight muttered venomously as she frowned, unimpressed and unsatisfied.

"...Okay, okay!" Vinyl continued in her normal voice, "Being serious, now. I'll keep it down, Twi. I promise. I just wanted to crank it up to maximum just once!"

"That's fine and all, but the rest of us who live around here have to deal with the noise," Twilight explained, relieved a little that Vinyl wasn't playing stupid anymore. "It's a public disturbance."

"I bet Spike was enjoying it," Vinyl whistled slyly as she motioned Twilight to come inside.

"--! How did-!? ...Okay, maybe he did, but he's got dragon ears," Twilight pointed out as she followed Vinyl into the living room. "They can withstand lava and your music."

"Nice!"

"For him maybe, but not for everypony else. How in Equestria do you not lose your hearing standing so close to it?"

"Huh? Oh, I have this spell that places a little bubble around my ear drums," Vinyl pointed to her ear that she flicked a little to demonstrate. "It protects it without muffling the sound. I can rock out at full volume, filly!"

"Really? I've never heard of that spell. Can you show me how you do it?"

"Sure. Later, though," Vinyl said dismissively.

"Okay, thanks! To be honest, I never thought of you as the type of pony to take precautions," Twilight mentioned.

"For these babies I do," Vinyl claimed pointing again to her ears. "They're my most important asset! Aside from my radical personality, of course."

Twilight rolled her eyes. "Did you also cast that spell on Octavia? I'm surprised she didn't make you turn it down already..." She looked around at this, looking for the cellist in question.

"Octavia's not here. She went back to Canterlot," Vinyl explained casually.

"...Oh... I thought for sure she'd be staying longer. Now that she's out, I figured you two would, you know, get together officially."

"... ... ... ...I'm... I'm sorry... Just what are you talking about...?" Vinyl asked apprehensively. She was frozen still except for her furrowed brow. Twilight had just dropped a truth cannon ball she was not prepared for.

"Hmm? About you and Octavia being fillyfriends. She told me you two were 'madly' in love, as she put it. Did something come between you two? You can't let petty things ruin a good relationship! If you need help-"

"Uh-! Wha-! De-! Ma-! Ju-!" Vinyl blubbered incoherently trying to interrupt Twilight. Her head was abuzz with terrifying phrases like, 'How'd she know!? Get her out! Make her leave! Octavia told her!? We'll get caught!' Through the noise, she managed to stutter out, "It- it's fine! Me and Octavia are friends!"

"Oh, good! That's a relief! Speaking of, I was wondering if you might let me do a little bit of social research on you and Octavia?" Twilight started, not letting Vinyl say another word. "I know Princess Celestia has made great strides recently to encourage the normalization of homosexual relationships in Equestria, but there are still some holdouts of old thought out there. I was hoping you two might share your experiences with me? It would certainly help my friendship studies. After all-"

"No! You don't understand!" Vinyl interrupted finally. "I... I... don't know what you heard... but I'm not gay," she stated, blatantly lying. "Me and Octavia are friends. Octavia's just a friend."

"Huh? But, the other night Octavia said..."

"You misheard her!" Vinyl shouted angrily. She stomped up to the open door and pointed aggressively out. "Now, I'll keep the noise down, so could you please leave?"

"Alright, alright... No need to get so testy," Twilight relented.

"I'm back, Vinyl!" Octavia's charming voice abruptly entered the home just as she did. The cellist veritably leaped at Vinyl and clung to her neck, spinning around it like it was a pole. Before she even landed, she planted a long succulent kiss on the surprised unicorn's lips before noticing Twilight and happily saying, "Oh, hi Twilight!"

Twilight raised one eyebrow slyly at Vinyl before addressing the cellist, "Hello, Octavia. Back from Canterlot?"

"Indeed! It was wonderful to see my old house again, but I feel much more at home here now!" Octavia answered before letting go of her lover and sternly addressing her. "Vinyl, we must discuss the volume at which you play that stereo. I could hear it all the way to the train station!"

"O-O-Octavia! Welcome back-!" Vinyl said, stumbling over her words, trying to explain the smooch away. "I see you're practicing the traditional Canterlot greeting kiss! That's how ponies greet each other in Canterlot! You told me!"

"I never saw that when I lived there," Twilight mentioned shrewdly.

"It's- It's a new tradition! You were just leaving, right Twilight!?" Vinyl grunted at her.

"Of course. So long, Vinyl. Nice to see you again, Octavia," Twilight said pleasantly as she left.

"...Uh... Goodbye, Twilight!" Octavia said gleefully after a moment of confusion. Vinyl shut the door and rested her head against it. She cast her gaze downward to the floor. Octavia waited for her to turn around and address her, but she never did. Before long, Octavia spoke anyway and asked, "Vinyl, what was that nonsense you were telling Twilight? There's no traditional Canterlot whatever kiss..."

Vinyl had her own question, but she didn't ask it casually. There was sternness in her voice. "Octavia, did you tell Twilight about us?"

"Us?"

"Our relationship! That we're lesbians!"

"Oh-! Well... It was sort of an accident," Octavia admitted. "However, I did tell her. But I don't-"

Vinyl cringed, still pressing her head against the door. She wanted to punch that door, release the pressure building up in her, but she managed to refrain. Her face was covered in shadow as Octavia crept carefully around to the side to try to get a good look at her. "Don't do that. Please, please, don't do that..." Vinyl said, hurt in her voice.

"--! I'm... sorry, Vinyl..." Octavia recoiled, ears down in shame.

Vinyl took a heavy breath. "Did you tell anypony else on accident?"

"... ...Well, I... told Applejack... but it was on purpose... not an accident," Octavia admitted, becoming more ashamed as the minute went on. "And I'm pretty sure Rarity and Princess Luna know..." At this, Vinyl turned to Octavia, face filled with horror and disbelief. Their secret had been spread around so much without her knowledge. (And to a Princess even!) "And Spike," Octavia added, suddenly remembering.

"You- you- what?"

Octavia quickly tried to quell the mess she made by explaining, "It was just those five! Nopony else!"

Vinyl took her sunglasses off her face so she could properly shove her hoof into it. "I can't- I can't- even! This! This is-!" She spun around to pace aggressively around the room. She started muttering incoherent things as the situation spun out of control. She thought they had an understanding. She thought Octavia was more level-headed than this.

Octavia whimpered, "Did I do something wrong? Are... are you angry with me?"

Vinyl immediately stopped her pacing and rushed up to Octavia at the accusation. She took her lover's head carefully in her hooves. "NO! It's not that! I'm not mad! I'm not mad at you, at all!"

"Then what is it?" Octavia asked softly, taking her hoof to hold one of Vinyl's. It was shaking.

"They can't know. Nopony can know about us..." Vinyl said.

"Why on earth not?" Octavia asked, like it was nothing. "They were all fine with it. I don't underst-"

"It's my business! Not their's!" Vinyl pointed out. "Well, ...I guess its yours now, too, but... please, we need to keep this quiet! I am begging you Octavia... Let's keep this private. Just between us, you know?"

"I... do not know how I feel about keeping this secret from our friends..." Octavia replied, softly as she could. "I've been lying to myself all this time... I don't want to lie to anypony else."

"Please, Octavia! For me...?"

"... ... ...I- ...Alright," Octavia relented. "For how long? How long would you make us pretend?"

"... ...You're not gonna take 'forever' as an answer, will you?" Vinyl asked sheepishly.

"Absolutely not," Octavia answered sternly.

"Okay, okay... We'll tell them... later... sometime... eventually..." Vinyl admitted, making the date as vague as possible.

"Ugh. That's probably all I'm going to get out of you," Octavia said, ending negotiations. "...Alright... I'll keep it quiet. I am sure Princess Luna is not the type to gossip... and, well, I can talk to the other four... make sure they don't mention it again... If that's what you really want."

"It is!" Vinyl seemed to calm at this. "Thank you, Octavia!" Vinyl hugged her friend tightly. Octavia hugged back, but felt something was wrong. It didn't seem at all like Vinyl to want to be private and secluded. This was about something more, she could tell. Her thoughts were cut short, however, when Vinyl asked, "Wait... ...When the hay did you meet Princess Luna?"

-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~ :heart: ~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-

Vinyl and Octavia sat, heads leaning against each other as the track finished playing. The volume was much lower now (at like a 3) to respect the neighbors who had probably already gone to bed. The crickets were chirping now, but they didn't disturb the listening abilities of the two musicians.

"I think it is much better now!" Octavia said gleefully after the music stopped.

"Yeah, it is. But it's still not done," Vinyl pointed out as she tapped on the keyboard thoughtfully. Their song was coming along. The two of them had been working on creating a track together since days prior, when they had time (in between making out, that is.) A joint project between the DJ of Ponyville and a cellist of Canterlot! Surely this was the most important song in existence.

"I agree. It is lacking something. Oh, I wish I could provide more help!" Octavia pouted.

"It's fine, I told you. It's enough you're giving me ideas and feedback," Vinyl explained.

"It's not really our song, though! I am just sitting here while you are doing all the manual work!" (It was true.)

"...Okay, well. I might be hitting the keys and twisting the knobs, but we're doing this together! I promise," Vinyl assured. "When I play this at the club, it'll be announced as the newest hit by Vinyl Scratch & Octavia Melody!"

Octavia blushed at the concept. She was quite thrilled with the progress they made on the track. "You're going to play this while DJ-ing?"

"Sure! I always play the best songs," Vinyl said with a wink. "That's mah job."

"Brilliant! ...Speaking of... do you think you might allow me to visit this club next time you are performing?" Octavia asked, nervously. She hadn't had a favorable response to this question in the past... but that was before. "I know you've constantly said no, but..."

"Okay," Vinyl said easily.

"-! Really?"

"Of course," the DJ confirmed.

"Oh, most wonderful!" Octavia squealed and hugged Vinyl tight. "I am sooo looking forward to it!"

"I won't let you down!" Vinyl said playfully. It was okay to have Octavia come to the club now. She was guaranteed. There was no way Octavia would leave with a stallion now. She probably wouldn't even let them finish chatting her up. Vinyl smiled, beaming with confidence.

The room around them was starting to look unfamiliar to Vinyl. It was her house, but now, Octavia had brought so much of her own belongings. However, most of Octavia's items were still unpacked, resting in their brown cardboard shells, waiting to join the mishmash of styles that the interior of Vinyl's home was becoming. Vinyl didn't mind the change. On the contrary: she was embracing it. Every unfamiliar object reminded her of her lover. Octavia. The only pony she would let change her life in this way.

Well, there was another pony, before all this, that she might of let do something similar. But, the opportunity had passed her by and the very thought made Vinyl sick.

-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~ :heart: ~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-

Vinyl was lying on her bed, casually hanging her head and forelegs off. They dangled as she waited for Octavia. Her body was tired. She and Octavia had been passionately entangled for the greater part of the day. Octavia was unleashed, as far as Vinyl could tell, and she was on the receiving end of so much pent up desire; it was exhausting. But, well, Vinyl enjoyed it immensely, so there was no need to pace themselves. Her heart was elated. Vinyl had been dating Octavia for a little over a week, but she knew in her heart that Octavia wasn't totally committed to it before. She joyously accepted the beautiful cellist's invitation, but always figured the whole concept to be nothing more than a generous gesture from a friend. She couldn't fathom it lasting and would never believe it would change to what it was now. She thought, at best, Octavia would eventually grow tired of her and leave. But Vinyl had never been so happy to be so wrong.

She was the tired one now, but for physical reasons, not emotional. The night was growing long and they both agreed to stop for now and get some sleep. Vinyl strained her neck to look up across the room. Octavia's cello sat alone beside the dresser, patiently waiting for its owner who was downstairs freshening up. Vinyl stared at it for moments, trying to remember. She had only seen Octavia play it twice, and both times were when she was upset. With magical levitation, she carefully brought the instrument over for closer inspection.

The wood was slick and pristine. Vinyl wasn't familiar with the parts of classical instruments, but admired the expert craftsmanship of it. She plucked one of the four strings, but the sound wasn't very satisfying, so she also levitated the nearby bow. She took a moment to try to line up the tool with the strings in the way she thought might be correct. Just before attempting to draw the bow, it dawned on her how expensive all of it probably was and how Octavia might react if she accidentally broke it. Vinyl decided it'd be best to stop and put the bow down just as Octavia came upstairs.

"Oh, how curious," Octavia said softly as she trotted over to the bed. "Are you admiring my cello?"

"Mmmhmm," Vinyl hummed in recognition as Octavia crawled onto the bed and, subsequently, onto her back. Octavia giggled as she went in for a passionate kiss on her cheek. The cellist had one hoof wrapped around Vinyl's neck and laid with her body effortless on top of her lover. It would have sent Vinyl into a wild frenzy if she hadn't already experienced the same sensation many times that day already.

"It was a gift from my mother," Octavia explained, reaching her free hoof over to her floating cello.

"...You should play it more," Vinyl stated. "Maybe I can fall for your performance like you fell for mine."

"Oh, stop it!" Octavia giggled as she tickled Vinyl (as best she could with hooves.)

"Nooo!" Vinyl cried out, unable to defend herself from her pinned position. "Stop-! Stop-! Hahaha!! Haaahaaa! Wait! Octavia!!!" Octavia eventually released her from the ticklish attack after she was satisfied Vinyl had suffered enough. Laughing from the uncomfortable pain, Vinyl managed to put the cello back before she dropped it. "Hoooooh! Ahah! Ah..." Vinyl contemplated as Octavia laid back on her back and kissed her cheek again, but Vinyl, for once, was focused on the cello. "You don't have much here, do you?" She quietly spoke.

"...I have you," Octavia retorted, lustfully.

"Hmm," Vinyl huffed. "What I mean is... this is still just my house. You're like a guest..."

"I suppose that's still true," Octavia said.

Vinyl fidgeted with her hooves for a moment before asking, in a hushed and sincere tone, "...Are you... going back to Canterlot...?"

"... ...Whatever do you mean?" Octavia asked, apprehension choking her voice, as she slid off Vinyl to lay beside her on the bed.

"I mean, like, when... are you going home? To your home, I mean... "

"I-! I... don't..." Octavia hesitated. Her lover was here in Ponyville, but her home, her family, everything she knew from before was in Canterlot. She'd have to eventually go home, right? What were she and Vinyl going to do? Have a long-distance relationship? Octavia didn't want that, but she didn't have an answer either. How could she tell Vinyl that she wanted to...

"Stay here in Ponyville."

"...What?" Octavia asked, unsure if she heard correctly.

"I don't want you to leave. I want you to stay here. I want you to live here," Vinyl explained, her voice strengthened by conviction. With determination in her ruby eyes, she turned to Octavia. "Move in with me, Octavia."

It was five words Octavia wasn't expecting, but it hit her hard. She had no idea how badly she wanted to hear them. Gushing with emotion, and without even waiting for her tears to develop, Octavia hugged Vinyl and buried her face into her as tightly as she could. She valiantly tried to contain her fits of sniffling and giggling but failed at both. "O-okay! *sniff* Okay! I- I will!" Vinyl didn't need to respond in words, just the gesture of embracing Octavia back and laughing a little herself was enough. Once she had calmed down, Octavia pulled back and explained, "I will need to go back to Canterlot to get some things. *sniff* In the morning. That will be alright, won't it?"

"Of course. I can wait," Vinyl answered with a smile.

-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~ :heart: ~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-

"Octaaaaviaaaa! Hurry uuuupp!" Vinyl moaned, tapping her hooves impatiently. She was waiting by the front door, ready to leave for the Summer Harvest Parade. "The longer we wait, the longer the lines for the deep-fried good stuff will be!"

"Just a moment longer!" Octavia hollered from the bathroom. "I am still applying my makeup."

"Make-!? You don't need makeup!" Vinyl protested. "It's a parade and a festival, not some fancy dinner party!"

Octavia grimaced in the mirror as she finished applying mascara. "This is our first outing to a public gathering together as an official couple, even if nopony else knows it. I intend to look my best." She inspected herself in the mirror, double-checking everything. Once she was satisfied, she put on her hat and left the restroom.

"But I already know you're beautiful, it doesn't matter how you dress yourself up to look- Holy Tartarus, you look amazing!" Vinyl abruptly changed her tune when Octavia emerged, in a flowing pink and white sundress, pink sunhat tantalizingly tilted to one side on her head and white gloves on her hooves. She wasn't wearing her normal bow tie as it would have clashed, but Vinyl was smitten anyway. (There's something about a pretty pony in a pink dress.)

"Why, thank you! It was worth the wait then, I take it?" Octavia said, blushing as she walked up to her lover.

"Well, I- uh-! You-!" Vinyl beamed, too stunned for more words. As Vinyl looked Octavia over in delight, Octavia looked her over in disappointment.

"What is that for? Are you going to ignore me and listen to that all day?" Octavia asked, pointing at the pair of headphones clenched on Vinyl's neck. The neon blue contraption had the potential to play music even without a vinyl record (some technology is beyond comprehension.) Vinyl used to walk around town with them on, listening to her favorite songs. But, that was before she had somepony to walk alongside her.

"Nah, they just make me look cool," Vinyl replied, pointing to indicate they were turned off.

"Uh-huh," Octavia muttered, unimpressed by the claim. "And why, pray tell, is that necessary?"

"Well, uh, I wanted to, you know... look cool for... for you." Vinyl explained, scratching her cheek in embarrassment. Octavia took another look at Vinyl, realizing that Vinyl looked cleaner than usual and her hair wasn't as messy (still ridiculously spiked, though.) "...You fell in love with a stunning and mysterious DJ, so I thought I'd look the part."

"Oh, so you fundamentally agree with me about looking proper when going out? Is that what I am hearing?" Octavia nudged, realizing she had won this particular moment.

"Sorta! Kinda! ...Okay, fine, you're right," Vinyl begrudgingly admitted. "But at least I didn't need to spend 20 minutes doing my makeup to pull it off!"

"Vinyl!"

"Kidding! Kidding! Let's go!" After more playful teasing back and forth, the two finally headed out. The Summer Harvest Parade was taking place throughout Ponyville. Traditionally ponies of all ages, though especially the young ones, made floats displaying the fruits and vegetables harvested in summer. Although, nowadays, most ponies just made whatever kind of float they wanted. Aside from the main attraction of the parade, there were carnival style stalls everywhere selling unhealthy delicacies (most of them deep-fried), or rigged games you could play to try to win cheaply-made merchandise.

Arriving on time, Vinyl and Octavia waded through the crowds of ponies (and a couple donkeys) just to size up their options. Octavia was startled to see so much commotion in the familiar landscape of the town. It was certainly hectic, but unlike every crowded event she was used to, it was also chaotic. In the sophisticated world of Canterlot, when ponies gathered, it was for a single occasion: a single dinner party, a single opera, a single play, a single royal wedding. This fair was madness. Some portion of the ponies were trying to find a good place to watch the parade, others were trying to find food booths to their tastes, some were unsuccessfully looking for an outhouse, others lost their friends already, but most were just wandering while dragging around whatever nonsense they had bought. And EVERYPONY was talking.

Instead of shouting at Vinyl, Octavia leaned over to her ear and tried to speak clearly, "What should we do first?"

"Funnel cake!" Vinyl replied, not returning the favor and just shouting her answer. "'Eat funnel cake' is the first, second and last thing you do at a fair!"

"Is this not an odd place to eat cake?" Octavia pondered aloud, thinking of the spongy dessert she was accustomed to. (Though, who can resist cake at any occasion?)

"Wrong kinda cake. You're in for a surprise," Vinyl teased. And that she was. Once the two of them found the correct stand, waited in line and received the treat, Octavia tasted the funnel cake. A explosion of happiness that dwarfed the liberation she felt coming out surged through her! Much like her first taste of popcorn, Octavia couldn't get enough.

"What IS this!?" Octavia squealed in delight in between breaking off pieces of the tasty treat. She licked up the doughy goodness without noticing a dash of powdered sugar stuck to her muzzle.

"It's some of that deep-fried good stuff I was talking about," Vinyl pointed out. (Funnel cake has nothing to do with the summer harvest, by the way.) "Hey, let me have some!" she pouted as Octavia had wolfed down more than half of it

"Oh, of course!" Octavia answered, resisting her selfish desire to keep it all to herself and relinquishing the rest of it for Vinyl. They walked around as Vinyl levitated the paper plate with the funnel cake on it beside them. She occasionally popped off a piece for herself, showing more restraint for the morsels than Octavia.

"Wanna play a game or something?" Vinyl asked after they had seen most of the sights without stopping.

"Sure! Which booth should we attend... Um... Oh, my Celestia! Vinyl, Vinyl! Look!" Octavia squealed as she pointed to one of the booths. There was a long and colorful wooden counter, but it was worn, old and dirty like it had traveled to many a fair in its day. There was a scruffy-looking stallion behind it, taking bits from a little filly and giving her a small ball. Behind him, on the back side of the booth, were several stacks of tin cans, with their labels not totally torn off and slight dents in them. The ponies at the front were tossing balls at the cans, missing terribly. But Octavia wasn't pointing to any of that. Hanging above all of them, but below the purple tent, were a plethora of stuffed animals and figures dangling from the ceiling. The one in particular the cellist was focused on was a large stuffed plushy of, the one, the only, Princess Luna.

"What? What is it?" Vinyl asked, unsure to what Octavia was picking out in the mess in front of them.

Without answering, Octavia rushed up to the stall and demanded, "Excuse me sir, I would like to purchase that Princess Luna doll," to the stallion behind the counter. Her tail was wagging like an excited dog.

The stallion gave her a grumpy stare and crudely stated, "Not for sale. You want it? You have to play."

"Excuse me?" Octavia asked. This was no time for games! Not with a Luna doll on the line.

"It's a prize! You gotta toss the ball and knock over the cans," Vinyl explained once she caught up.

"Oh, what an odd arrangement. I would like to play, then."

"Two Bits," the stallion stated plainly. After paying, Octavia took one of the three balls she was given. Three balls. Three shots. Zero actual chances of winning. Octavia carefully aimed with the ball in her mouth before reeling back and launching. A miss! She steadied her posture and reassured herself in her head before trying again. No success.

"This is more difficult that I anticipated," Octavia commented, disappointed.

"Hey, lemme try," Vinyl offered. She levitated the last ball and, with one eye closed and her tongue out in a goofy manner, lined it up with the cans. With a succinct push of magic, the ball flew in a straight line at the cans, without deviating at all. Hitting the middle of the cans, the stack completely collapsed. "YES!" Vinyl exclaimed.

"HEY HEY HEY!" the stallion shouted from the other end of the counter. "Can't you read!? No magic!" He pointed angrily to a poster with a red cross over a icon of a unicorn levitating a ball.

"What!? Oh, come on!" Vinyl exclaimed. "Why not!?"

"It's unfair to the other customers," the scruffy stallion said, with a surprisingly genteel voice, as he motioned to a young earth pony filly who tried to toss a ball that fell to the ground comically a few inches in front of her. Vinyl rolled her eyes in disgust at this.

"That's alright, Vinyl. Thanks for trying," Octavia encouraged with a nudge.

"We'll win the old-fashioned way, then!" Vinyl said, pulling out a few bits from nowhere and slamming them on the counter. "Gimmie another round!" Octavia paid as well, as both ponies got three more balls for their second attempt. Vinyl carefully tried to aim with her mouth, but was horribly uncomfortable tossing something without her magic. So she missed terribly, of course. Angrily, she tried again, but this time she used her hoof. Balancing the ball, she took aim and tried a miserable toss. Furious, she took the last one in her gritted teeth and threw it haphazardly and aggressively. The ball flew past the cans and ricocheted off the back wall and into the head of the pegasus Derpy, who was walking by, unassumingly. Vinyl gasped in horror at hitting her friend, and rushed over to check on the collateral damage.

Meanwhile, Octavia tried twice to no avail. But on her third, her ball of destiny flew true and collided with the tower of cans, knocking them all over. "YES! I DID IT!" Octavia squeaked.

"Congrats. Pick your prize," the stallion said as he came over.

"I would like that Luna doll," Octavia said with bravado and self-righteousness as she pointed up at the plush.

"That's for first place, only. You got third. You can have any one of these," the stallion pointed to the small little toys and key-chains that were available for third place ~~losers~~ winners.

"But, how do I win the Luna doll!?" Octavia pouted. "How do I achieve first place?"

"Knock over three stacks in a row," the stallion said plainly.

"Very well-" Octavia started before Vinyl jumped her from behind.

Finishing for her, Vinyl said, "challenge accepted!" The two took a meaningful nod at each other, as if to say 'let's do this!', and paid for another attempt. They both continued to try to win that prize. They tossed and threw and flung and hurled and launched and other words! But they continued to fail. Occasionally hitting a stack or two, the combined powers of the two ponies could not topple the impossible task of hitting an immobile stack of cans three times in a row. Exhausted and frustrated, they collapsed. "We're so close!" Vinyl pouted.

"Oh, forget it, Vinyl. Let's just go elsewhere," Octavia said, disappointed.

"Come on, don't give up!" Vinyl tried to encourage, but Octavia was too crestfallen. Determined, Vinyl jumped up and crept over to the stallion. Checking around to make sure there was nopony listening, she whispered, "Pssst! Hey buddy! Come 'ere!"

The grumpy stallion complied. "What?"

"What would it take for you to give up that doll she wants? Hmmmm? You know... Under the table," Vinyl stated slyly.

"Not for sale. You have to play," the stallion repeated.

"Oh, come on buddy! Everything has a price," Vinyl prodded with a suspicious eyebrow raising. The stallion rolled his eyes before looking around slowly. There was nopony else besides these two at his stand at the moment.

He leaned in and whispered, "Okay, okay. One hundred bits."

"ONE HUNDRED!!! That's highway robbery! That's crazy talk! I was thinking of like, six! Ten, tops!"

"That's the price for me to break the rules," the stallion stated, leaning back and resting one foreleg on the counter.

"I don't have a hundred bits..." Vinyl blurted.

"...I do..." Octavia said sneakily as she appeared beside Vinyl, leaning in to the conversation.

"Octavia, don't waste your money on this-!" Vinyl tried to convince, but it was too late: Octavia plopped a plump brown bag of bits on the counter. "Holy Celestia," Vinyl muttered, dumbfounded at the heavy sack of cash.

The stallion stared at the bag for a brief moment, opened it slightly to see the piles of yellow coinage and plainly spoke, "Woah. You're serious."

"That I am," Octavia mused.

"Look," the stallion said, as he pushed the bag back to Octavia, rejecting the offer, "I don't want your money. I ain't no crook. ...Eh... You two played enough, you can have the doll." As he turned to pick up a rod with a hook that was leaning up near him, Octavia and Vinyl exchanged glances.

"Uh, you sure?" Vinyl asked. "I didn't think you'd just give it to us."

"Well, I didn't think you'd actually have a hundred bits!" the stallion said as he lowered the Luna doll, which swung gracefully on the hook. "Congrats on winning first prize."

"Oh, thank you, sir!" Octavia grabbed the plushy with delight. "I very much appreciate it!"

"Yeah, sure. Go on and enjoy the rest of the fair," the stallion waved them off.

As they turned to leave, Octavia squeezed the doll and exclaimed giddily, "It's softer than I thought!"

"Wow... you, uh... You were gonna pay a hundred bits." Vinyl stated, a little in shock still.

"If there is something your heart desires, you must brave the difficult path to obtain it, no matter the losses! I have learned this from being with you, Vinyl," Octavia explained, blushing a little.

"Really? I've learned a different lesson from you," Vinyl replied.

"Oh, what is that?"

"You can do anything when you have money, holy Celestia..."

-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~ :heart: ~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-

Octavia held on to the Luna plushy as Vinyl and her stood watching the parade. The floats that went by were large and were being driven by some mechanical ingenuity that neither pony understood. About half the floats were done by school fillies and colts, and it showed in the quality of the construction and shabby paint jobs. The floats made by adults were much better. Octavia was delighted in seeing the floats and bands marching along joyfully. The ponies watching were cheering and waving flags or holding balloons. It summed up the energetic and happy vibes she got from Ponyville in one event.

"Hey, don't let it fall in the dirt," Vinyl said as she levitated the Luna plushy that had slipped slightly in Octavia's distracted grip.

"Oh! Thanks!" Octavia said, squeezing tighter to secure it. "I feel conflicted about getting this, though," the good Octavia admitted.

"'Cause of what it could have cost?" Vinyl asked, a distant and hollow look in her poverty accustomed eyes.

"No, because we did not successfully win through the proper method."

"...Eh, well. It's not like we cheated. We just... tried an alternative way of getting it. We didn't hurt nopony and everypony's happy."

"...Maybe. But I feel so... naughty."

"Well that's a new feeling for you!" Vinyl pointed out. "It's not so bad, once in a while." A large Golden Apple float passed them by, being driven by some dark orange filly they'd never seen before.

"Hmmm..." Octavia pondered aloud. A devilish grin appeared on her face as she murmured, "I have another naughty idea." She grabbed Vinyl's foreleg and pulled her back through the crowd of parade watchers. "Follow me, Vinyl!"

"Whoa! What's the rush?" Vinyl asked as she was dragged along. Octavia brought the two of them back to the street of concession and game booths. Spotting a space between too tents, Octavia slipped between them. Arriving on the vacant back alley of stalls, Vinyl asked, "What're we doing? There's nothing back here."

Octavia rested the Luna down on a nearby crate. Taking her hat off, she placed it on the doll, which was far too small to wear it properly. "We're here for... this!" As Octavia said the words, she turned to Vinyl and kissed her. Vinyl was startled by the aggressive embrace. As Octavia pressed in, she instinctively returned the passion. Lips smacked against lips for moments before Octavia pulled back ever so slightly and moaned, "Oh... Vinyl..."

"...Octavia..." Vinyl moaned the same and Octavia pushed up against her as they leaned against the backside of a tent. Vinyl was pinned against the cloth and wood, inches from the ponies on the inside. 'This feels like a dream...' Vinyl thought as her lover's body leaned on her. 'I've wanted this for so long... and now... Octavia and me get to do this all the time...' Vinyl wanted to smile, but her mouth was busy pushing against Octavia's moist lips. Vinyl felt Octavia relinquish some force before she landed down hard against Vinyl. Their bodies made a thud! against the wood stall. Luckily the ponies on the other side did not hear it, they were too busy observing the commotion near the parade as a float ran off a hill in the distance.

The noise, however, did snap Vinyl out of her lust. 'Wait... This isn't a dream...! BUCK! If anypony saw-! Buck, buck, buck!' After cursing in her head, she managed to command her mouth to stop kissing for a moment and say, "Octavia! Stop! We have to stop!"

"What? What is it!?" the dumbfounded Octavia asked. Never had she seen Vinyl refuse making out. Vinyl pushed her away with startling force.

"We can't do this! Not here!" Vinyl said, exasperated.

"-! Whatever's the matter? It's vacant back here. Nopony will find us."

"They might! They might come around the corner, see us, tell everypony in town, then Be- ...then..." Vinyl couldn't quite finish that sentence. She never could. It would hurt too much.

"You know, you didn't act like this when we were in the middle of the park the other day," Octavia pointed out.

"That-! That was-!"

"AND, when Frederick was knocking at your door, you didn't care at all if he looked in and saw us," Octavia pressed.

"MISTAKES," Vinyl blurted. "I messed up being so haphat- haphas- hap...?"

"Haphazard."

"Right! Haphazard with us. Look, Octavia. You make me go wild... I do things I shouldn't when we're together."

"You... shouldn't have kissed me...?" Octavia asked, sunken.

"No, no, no! I mean, we shouldn't have done it where we could be seen!" Vinyl explained. "It should just be between us. Privacy, right?"

Octavia waited a moment, biting her lip in thought. "This isn't just about privacy, is it?"

"...Yeah, it is," Vinyl tried to fib.

"You can't fool me with that anymore, Vinyl," Octavia confidently stated. "I know you too well, you are not one to keep private. You are the epitome of 'center of attention.' You will explain to me why you insist that we stay secret. And you will explain to me right now! Is that clear?"

"Come on, Octavia, I-" Vinyl was about to start a whole defensive argument, but Octavia's stern look stopped her. But it wasn't just the look, it was the pony doing the looking. Vinyl couldn't lie to that face anymore. "I... I... aw... Aw, buck it... I guess I can't lie to you... Okay, okay. It's not because of me being private... But... but I can't tell you the real reason, either. I can't," Vinyl admitted.

"We are not going to keep secrets between us anymore, Vinyl!"

"... ..."

"Vinyl, I need an explanation!"

Vinyl bit her lip and turned away. The memories were already flooding her head at this point. Octavia was pressing on something that Vinyl just couldn't tell her right now. Her desperation to answer Octavia but keep the secret were too much. Tears ran down her white cheeks behind her sunglasses, though she was trying her hardest to hold them back. She hung her head before whispering, "... ... ...Octavia, I'm scared..."

"-! Of what?" Octavia asked, startled by this. She had never seen Vinyl afraid of anything, aside from that army of Pinkie Pie clones. But that was life-threatening. This wasn't. So what was the problem?

"...I don't want them to hate me..." Vinyl whispered.

"They're not going to hate you," Octavia offered. "Why would you think that?"

"...I. Can't. Tell. You," Vinyl stated as sternly as she could through tears.

Unable to coax out an explanation, Octavia wrapped her hooves around her trembling lover and hugged her. It was all she could think to do.

Author's Note

Okay, so, the last two comics were a pain to draw, so I DID cop out on this one. But you can't blame me! You're no better! Leave me alone! I'm an ARTEEEST!

Why, yes! There was a small The Room reference in this chapter! Thanks for asking.

Let's see, in my story so far we've mentioned the events of "A Canterlot Wedding," "The Crystal Empire," "Too Many Pinkie Pies," and now "One Bad Apple." Remind me, what was next in the show's chronology...? I can't seem to remember... It's on the tip of my tongue. :trixieshiftright:

But, well. How should I put this? Things are gonna hit the fan first.

Chapter 26: Up to Eleven (Finally Together Pt. 2)

Chapter 26: Up to Eleven

(Finally Together Pt. 2)

Vinyl eventually recovered. They had some more funnel cake at the parade and Vinyl cheered up. Octavia had given up on getting an answer from Vinyl, at least for the moment. How could Vinyl still be keeping something from her? After all this time? It still nagged at her, at both of them, as they tried to forget it and have fun for the rest of the day. But even the fluffy and soft Princess Luna plushy couldn't quite erase the worry in Octavia's heart. But, on the surface, Vinyl was back to her bubbly self at least. After the parade was over, the stalls began closing as ponies filtered out and back to their homes.

"I am looking forward to a nice quiet evening at home," Octavia said, exhausted, as the two of them trotted along. "I believe I have had enough clamor for one day."

"You're not coming to the club? I thought you wanted to go the next time I was working?" Vinyl asked.

"You're playing tonight?" Octavia questioned, excitement building in her tired body. "You never said that!"

"...Didn't I?" Vinyl wondered aloud.

"No!"

"...Oh, well. Yeah. The club owner is decorating the place for a little summer harvest after-parade party. Actually, I got to get going soon to set up," Vinyl explained, looking up at the setting sun.

"Oh...! Oh, I want to rest at home... I'm so tired... but, I want to come with you, too!" Octavia pouted, stamping her hooves in anxiety. "What should I do!?"

"Well, its your call. It's not like I won't be going back."

"I know, I know... Errr... Uh... Oh!!! ... ...That's it! I have decided! I will go!" Octavia stated decisively. "I am so excited! Which way is it!? Is it this way!?" She grabbed Vinyl's hoof and started taking her some random direction.

"Wait, wait!" Vinyl shouted as she pulled back on Octavia to stop her. "I have to go home first!"

-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~ :heart: ~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-

"What should I wear? What should I wear?" Octavia contemplated as she tossed outfit after outfit out of a box. Vinyl's bedroom was now stuffed with several boxes that contained items from Octavia's Canterlot residence. She had taken off her lovely sundress and was trying to come up with something more appropriate. "What does one wear to a club? How does everypony else dress?" As she asked the question, she removed a bonnet from her collection and held it up for a suspiciously long moment or two. "Definitely not." She tossed it aside and, deferring to an expert, cried out, "Vinyl! Come help me, please!"

"What, what, what!?" Vinyl shouted from downstairs. The DJ down below had been picking out records for her job, but stopped at Octavia's behest. She came up and Octavia explained her problem. "Look, nothing in those boxes will make you fit in," Vinyl pointed out when Octavia was finished. "Here, just wear one of my t-shirts." At this, she magically opened her drawer and walked over to it.

"Oh, can I?" Octavia asked, leaping over to Vinyl's attire. She had never worn such a... manestream outfit before. She had seen a few ponies around Ponyville with them, and had been dying to give it a go. She didn't have the nerve to go get one of her own, though.

"I insist, m'lady," Vinyl said with faux grace and a polite bow. "Why don't you pick one out for me too? I gotta finish getting ready."

"Very well!" Octavia replied. With that, Vinyl retreated downstairs and Octavia went to looking through her options. All the t-shirts were each a singular color with only a design on the front or back deviating from that hue. Most were names of bands or musical groups, or even finely printed pictures of them. Some were symbols that meant nothing if you didn't know the artist they represented. The wear and tear on Vinyl's collection was significant, to Octavia's dismay, but she pressed on, regardless. She ended up choosing between a Countess Coloratura shirt or one with a silhouette of Britneigh Polearm with small text reading simply, "Britneigh." She had become a fan of both but she ultimately went with the Countess, and wore the white cotton tee, with a replication of the Countess's cutie mark in the center, proudly. For Vinyl, she thought the contrast of a black t-shirt would look splendid against her lover's white coat. She picked one for a band she didn't know, but looked nice.

Pulling the collar open on her own shirt, Octavia sniffed the fabric. It smelled like detergent, but it also had a hint of Vinyl. She blushed. Octavia felt like this was what a real fillyfriend would do, wear their stallion's-- err... other mare's clothes. She was a real fillyfriend to Vinyl now, but it still felt like a surprise every time she remembered.

After swooning a bit, Octavia called, "Okay, I'm ready!" down. Meeting Vinyl below, she asked "What do you think?"

Vinyl eyed her over, impressed, before commenting, "You're almost there, just one more thing." She went into the bathroom and came out with a brush. "Lemme just fix this," Vinyl mumbled as she took the brush to Octavia's mane. With magic, she forcibly pushed down Octavia's natural pompadour and brushed it to the side.

"Agh! What are you doing?" Octavia asked, afraid to move.

"Making you look like a bad-flank," Vinyl replied, matter-of-factly. "There! Take a look at that!"

Octavia rushed to the mirror in the bathroom, once Vinyl was finished. Her normally free face was now half-covered in her bangs. Without her bowtie, in a t-shirt, with a different mane style, she definitely didn't quite recognize herself. 'Oh, wow,' she thought upon seeing this version of her.

"Just put some black makeup on, and a spiked collar and you'd pass for a goth!" Vinyl said when she came in and joined her at the mirror.

"I do not know what that is, and I do not think I want to. I think this is plenty," Octavia said.

"Errr... You're right: you don't want to know. Let's go!"

-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~ :heart: ~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-

Octavia was staring. The club wasn't a strange looking building. It would have been largely inconspicuous if it wasn't made from brick unlike the rest of the wooden ponyville houses and shops. It was flat and had a small, magically-lit sign that read: "The Horseshoe." Fuzzy ropes, dangling between smooth metal poles, were placed in front, indicating the location to line up if you sought entry. That line was currently empty, but a buff pony with sunglasses and a black shirt guarded the door regardless. But Octavia wasn't looking at any of that. She was looking at the board with interchangeable letters that read, "Tonite's DJ: DJ-P0N3"

"Vinyl... shouldn't your name be here?" Octavia asked, pointing to the sign. "They also misspelled 'tonight.'"

Vinyl, who had finished convincing the buff stallion at the door to let Octavia come in, spun around and asked, "Whazzat?"

"Shouldn't your name be here? I can't even read this pony's name," Octavia clarified.

Vinyl took a glance at it, grinned widely and answered proudly, "That's me, alright. That's my stage name."

"Your... stage name? Is that anything like a pen name?" Octavia wondered aloud.

"Uh-huh."

"How... How do you pronounce it?"

"DJ-P0N3."

"PFFFTTT!!!" Octavia nearly burst trying to hold her laugh.

"Hey, what was that for?" Vinyl demanded, stamping her hoof.

"Really? That's your stage name? You came up with that? You must be jesting!" Octavia continued with glee.

"...No, I'm not!" Vinyl clarified. "It's a cool name."

"On the contrary, it's... it is... so silly!" Octavia countered.

"What!? Nuh-uh!" Vinyl pouted.

"Did you consult with anypony when you thought of it? Surely they would... hee hee! They would have told you the same!"

"N-no! You're wrong!" Vinyl retorted, becoming upset. She turned to the stallion bouncer standing nearby, who she knew personally, and demanded, "Tell her! DJ-P0N3's not a silly name! Right?"

The bouncer waited a moment and simply replied in a gruff and un-poetic voice, "Kinda."

Octavia couldn't hold her laugh in anymore. "HAHAHAHAHAAA! HEE HEE! Ha!"

"Unbelievable," Vinyl mumbled as she stomped inside, levitating her gear along with her.

"Vinyl! Come back, please!" Octavia called as she chased after her. Inside the club was an open dance floor to one side, and an area with table booths to the other. Near the booths was a fully-stocked bar and a grinning bartender behind it. Mechanical contraptions, painted black, dotted the ceiling. They each housed multi-colored lights and would be working very soon. The walls had some temporary paper harvest festival decorations that didn't really match the atmosphere of the club. Vinyl huffed as she traveled to the dance area and crossed it to the back. The floor there was checkered and looked like it might be able to light up. There, up on a small stage, Vinyl laid down her DJ set and stacks of records as she had done many times before, but, at this moment, an apologetic lover was trailing her.

"Come now, Vinyl. I was merely teasing!" Octavia rationalized to her grumpy friend.

"...I'll show them... it is a cool name... They'll see..." Vinyl mumbled to herself, ignoring Octavia. She began hooking up her DJ set to various cords.

"Do you realize how many times you have teased me? And I had no choice but to shrug it off?" Octavia pointed out, unhindered by the lack of reaction.

Vinyl lurched at those words. She slowly turned her squeaky neck to face Octavia, a look of restraint and anxiety on her face. "Yeah... but... this is my job. My stage name is my legacy..."

"My, my. How important," Octavia sarcastically replied, before quickly being struck by guilt. "Oh, alright. You are correct. I should not tease about something so important to you. I sincerely apologize, Vinyl."

"...Meh..." Vinyl pouted.

"Do you accept my apology?"

"...Okay. Sure."

"You don't sound convinced."

"Eh..." Vinyl shrugged, surely not in the mood anymore.

Octavia took a look around the empty club. The only other ponies present were the bartender, who had his face down in the cupboards and two others, chatting at the far end, near the "employees only" area. "Perhaps this will cheer you up," Octavia said after checking to make sure the coast was clear. She leaned over and planted a passion-filled kiss on Vinyl's lips. Vinyl, not expecting the sudden affection, was taken aback, but her cheeks blushed up anyway. "How was that?" Octavia asked slyly.

"Gee, well..." Vinyl gushed, embarrassed, but giddy.

"And nopony saw us, either," Octavia assured with a wink.

Vinyl took a quick nervous look at the other ponies, before relaxing. "Yeah, I guess not."

"Since we have limitations here, perhaps we could continue that thought after you are all done and we've returned home?" Octavia suggested with a nudge.

Burning red, Vinyl nervously fiddled with the turntables before her. "It'll be pretty late by then..."

"Oh, I think we'll be able to stay awake..." Octavia mused.

"...Hoooboy!" Vinyl gasped under her breath. Excited now by Octavia's frisky thoughts, she began to address Octavia normally, fully recovering from the name defamation incident. They conversed as Vinyl explained, at Octavia's behest, what all her job as DJ entailed and what all the buttons on her set did. Eventually the club's owner came over and, after meeting with Octavia, uneventfully talked to Vinyl about the evening's playlist. Octavia stood next to Vinyl and watched with interest, absorbing all the details. It wasn't too much longer that the lights in the club went down and Vinyl started up her first record, her horn glowing with power. She played to an empty club for only a few moments as a couple ponies started to wander in.

Octavia stood grinning as the beat of the music filled her. She knew this song. Sapphire Shores. Though she closed her eyes to listen, she eventually peaked out to the dance floor. The dark silhouettes of ponies were illuminated by glows coming from the floor and lines of colored laser lights flashing for an instant.

"OH WOW!!!" Octavia shouted at the display. She had never seen anything like it. It was if she was standing in front of an exploding firework. "Vinyl! Vinyl! What's all this!?" Octavia called over to Vinyl, who turned and replied something that Octavia couldn't make out with all the noise. "What did you say!?" Octavia shouted.

Vinyl was struck with a thought and her horn's glow intensified as she cast a spell. Octavia felt a cool feeling wrap around some inside part of her head, below her ears. At that moment, the music changed for her. It didn't lessen in volume, but it became clear and separate. For whatever magical reason, all noises she heard were now divided into distinct, but equal sections in her mind. She now very clearly heard Vinyl speak as well as the conversations from the ponies on the dance floor.

"How's that?" Vinyl asked. She wasn't shouting, but speaking at a normal volume. The blasting, thunderous music should have drowned her voice out, but Octavia heard it clearly.

"...Much better... What did you do?" Octavia replied, just as normally.

"Just a little spell," Vinyl explained. "It also protects your ears."

"How clever!" Octavia commented, (just a little) envious of Vinyl's free use of magic. She noticed that her eardrums weren't throbbing before she took a leisurely glance down at the ponies dancing. "So... what exactly do ponies do at a club?" Octavia asked, which caused Vinyl to perform a spit-take with a bottled water she had just started to drink.

"You don't know that!?" Vinyl asked, horrified. She multi-tasked, wiping her dripping mouth as she worked her magic on the turntables, effortlessly switching to a new song without dropping the tempo for the partying ponies below her. "They- dance... And drink... And meet other ponies. Mostly."

"Oh, should I be doing those things then?"

"Uh, well..." Vinyl thought for a moment. 'I want Octavia to stay here with me... Just having her near... But I can't make her miss out on the fun...' As she thought, she heard a familiar voice amongst the chorus of noises in her head.

"Aw, yeah! This is my jaaaaam!" Rainbow Dash shouted as she flew in the club, blazing past other ponies to the dance floor. As Rainbow started headbanging by herself, Vinyl grabbed Octavia's hoof and led her down off the stand.

"Follow me!" Vinyl said to her before Octavia could question. "Hey, RD!" Vinyl called out to the blue pegasus Rainbow.

"'Sup, Vinyl?" Rainbow replied, moving her body to the beat.

"This is Octavia's first time here!" Vinyl shouted.

"Huh?" Rainbow replied, unable to hear correctly.

Vinyl rolled her eyes behind her thick, purple shades and pulled out more magical energy to cast her spell on Rainbow.

"Hey, what's this!?" Rainbow stopped and picked her ear as the magic made a tingly sensation far deeper than she could scratch.

"RD, this is Octy's first time here," Vinyl explained, motioning to Octavia, who flinched at the first use of her nickname in awhile.

"That's cool!" Rainbow shouted, unaware the DJ could hear clearly with the magic. The pegasus started dancing again, despite the conversation.

"Could you, maybe, stay with her and keep an eye on her?"

"Huh? Sure! Why not?" Rainbow replied.

"Great!" Vinyl shouted, despite herself. She turned to Octavia. "RD's gonna hang out with you, she can show you the ropes."

"Alright, that should be acceptable," Octavia said, pleased.

"Great! Look, I can't keep this spell up at a distance and I gotta head back up. Have fun! I'll see you later," Vinyl said. She patted Octavia platonically on the shoulder instead of hugging or kissing her (which she should have done). Vinyl disabled the spell on her friends and returned to her job.

As the thundering bass being pumped out the speakers returned to its maximum power for Octavia, she turned to Rainbow Dash, who was bouncing to the beat of what was, apparently, her jaaaaam. "Good evening, Miss Rainbow Dash!" Octavia called out, as loud as she could.

"Hey, Octivale!" Rainbow replied.

"It's Octavia, actually!" she corrected.

"Oh! Sorry! It's hard to hear in here!" Rainbow said.

"I can tell!" Octavia shouted back. The room was beginning to get packed with ponies. Groups of stallions came in waves, looking for mares. And chatty mare groups came in to look for stallions. They all had one thing on their collective minds.

"You wanna dance!?" Rainbow hollered.

"Okay!" Octavia placed one hoof on Rainbow's shoulder and grabbed Rainbow's foreleg with her other. "Should I lead, or should you?"

"Huh!?" Rainbow shouted. "No! Not that kind of dance! Like this!" Rainbow released herself and began to spasm on the dance floor. At least that's kind of what it looked like. "Just do whatever your body feels like!"

"Oh... I will give it my best try, then!" And that she did, at least, she attempted to. Octavia let the music decide how her body swung and wiggled, though she looked to Rainbow for inspiration. She felt silly, making the pointless motions, but not truly embarrassed; the dance floor around them was filling up with cheerful ponies doing the same. She couldn't feel self-conscious when nopony could recognize anypony else in the dark, among the flashing strobe lights.

Before they knew it, the two dancers were totally surrounded by other ponies all bouncing in sync with the music. Rainbow took the queue and joined in and Octavia followed suit. She looked up to Vinyl who was enthusiastically working her DJ board, pumping her hoof up as the crowd hopped. She synced up the next track and the song changed without missing a beat or putting a pause in the dancing. Without realizing it, Octavia's eyes glittered. Vinyl was afire. She practically fell in love all over again.

Octavia laughed and cheered along with the ponies around her. "I think I am getting the hang of it!" Octavia shouted at Rainbow.

"Cool!" Rainbow replied with a smile.

Pressed up against Rainbow on one side and a sea of dancers on the other, Octavia felt a little cramped, but it was still exhilarating. So much so that, after an especially enthusiastic hop, she knocked into the stallion next to her. Before she could respond with an inaudible apology, a wave of ponies to the other side of the stallion reciprocated and pushed her back into Rainbow Dash. "Augh!" she cried out, though nopony could hear in that chaos, except maybe Vinyl with her magic.

"Woah! Watch out!" Rainbow said as Octavia had to instinctively grab hold of her neck to keep from falling over. Octavia was now being shoved into Rainbow and almost couldn't let go.

Regardless, she began to laugh. "It's very crowded in here!"

"You alright!?" Rainbow replied, using her wing to try to wedge between Octavia and the stallion.

"Yeah! I'm fine!" Octavia pulled up to Rainbow's ear so she wouldn't have to shout as loud. (I mean, she was already holding onto her neck, so why not?) "Hee hee!" she began to giggle. "Heeeheee!"

Rainbow smiled, looking back at her. "What's gotten into you?"

"A month ago I wouldn't of dreamed I'd be in a place like this!"

"It's pretty fun, isn't it!" Rainbow replied.

"It is! If it weren't so loud, I'd probably like it more," Octavia laughed, still trying to separate from the pegasus. Taking a look back up to Vinyl, she expected to see the DJ pumping her hoof, or spinning the discs, or messing with whatever doohicky she was supposed to. But Vinyl wasn't doing any of that. She was still, dead still, and staring at Octavia. She wasn't smiling. She was frowning. The sight froze Octavia. If she could have seen through the dark, through the laser lights, through those sunglasses, she would have seen Vinyl's curiously blazing red eyes darting back and forth between Octavia and Rainbow.

Sure, Vinyl had originally been worried about taking Octavia to this club because she was afraid that some stallion might try to pick her up. Or even worse: succeed at it. But things were different now. She let her guard down. She didn't even consider the possibility that the other type of pony might make a move on her lover. The kind of pony that was more like herself and Octavia. The kind of pony that... Rainbow might be.

'What's wrong with Vinyl?' Octavia thought as she and Rainbow Dash finally let go of each other at an ease in the crowd. After she separated, Vinyl looked back down to her discs and began to bounce to the music again, though it was obviously halfhearted. Octavia tried to get back into the groove, but couldn't find the heart after seeing Vinyl so worried. She wanted to rush up the stage and talk to her, but didn't want to interrupt her work. After all, everypony else was having a good time. After a few more minutes of dancing, Octavia turned to Rainbow and shouted, "I'm gonna get a drink!"

"Aw, come on! I want to keep dancing!" Rainbow pouted.

"...You don't have to follow me!" Octavia responded.

"I'm supposed to keep an eye on you!"

"I'll be alright!" Octavia protested.

"...Okay, if you say so!" Rainbow shouted.

Octavia retreated through the dancing mobs, taking great care not to fall and be trampled. Once she was off the dance floor, she saw that the booths were full of ponies now, drinking drinks and chatting each other up. A couple were making out and Octavia couldn't help but stare. She, of course, bumped into a pony or two while staring. Apologizing profusely, she hurried over to the bar. After taking a seat, the bartender approached her.

"What'll it be?" he said with a smile that was way too friendly. "We got some great summer harvest specials!"

"Um..." Octavia hesitated. She knew that bars were mostly for getting intoxicated. "Do you have anything that does not contain alcohol?"

The bartender quickly frowned, dropping his act. "Yeah, water."

"Could I have some water then please?" Octavia asked sheepishly.

The stallion rolled his eyes and filled a mug with the only free item on the menu for this mare in front of him. Octavia took a sip and turned back to watch the dancers. She couldn't make out any particular pony in the darkness. The laser lights only illuminated their silhouettes. She couldn't see Vinyl either, though she could tell the general direction.

Then Berry Punch walked by.

Berry's plum body passed right through Octavia's sight, like a disaster in slow-motion. The bouncing ponies in the distance were now jumping to silence and their movements were tempered. Octavia felt the world swallow her up and her heart dropped, as an avalanche sunk it lower than the depths of Tartarus. Berry moved by slowly; Octavia could watch each string of hair on Berry's curly mane flow and bob casually as she passed. The slight smirk on that mare's face withheld the terrible thoughts. Her singular visible eye slyly glanced at Octavia, amused by her presence. With a slow-motion blink, Berry returned focus to her course as she left Octavia's field of vision.

Octavia turned, just as slowly, to follow Berry. The purple mare took one last sip of her mug of cider and placed it casually on the bar counter. She trotted off, never looking back. Octavia should have let her go. She should have gone back to dancing. What did it matter that Berry was here? She was just some pony. Some pony who Octavia hated. Her ears were ringing from the hatred, suppressing the sounds of the club around her. She gritted her teeth and hopped off her stool. She would follow Berry.

Octavia slipped through the loitering ponies, following Berry's trail. With a flash of a curly and distinctly colored tail, Octavia caught sight of her. There! Near the little mare's room. Octavia accelerated her pace and came upon the restroom just as the door was swinging back into place. Bracing herself and taking a deep breath, she entered.

It was much brighter in the restroom and the noise from Vinyl's music was dulled behind those walls. Octavia had to shield her eyes from the sudden light before stepping aside to allow another mare to exit. Entering the room, it was deserted. To the left was a mirror wall and sinks for washing hooves. None of the soap dispensers looked like they had been filled in forever. The stalls were all cracked open.

Octavia cautiously stepped forward, keeping her head low like she was expecting some arrow-fire. Staying close to the sinks, she peaked around the corner of each stall. But the attack came from behind!

"Hi, Octavia!" the voice said. Octavia whirled around to behold Berry Punch, smiling lightheartedly as she blocked the door. Eyeing her suspiciously, Octavia raised her defenses. She didn't respond to Berry's greeting. "I said, hello!" Berry insisted. Still nothing from Octavia. Berry's words were harmless, but they felt like daggers. "Hmph. Some ponies. No wonder you and Vinyl get along," Berry said, rolling her eyes.

"Shut up," Octavia demanded, uncharacteristically. "You do not talk about Vinyl." Her heart was racing against her desire to stay in control of the situation. She felt the rush of blood tingling on her neck and head, preparing her body for fight or flight. With luck, she wouldn't have to do either.

"Woah, woah! No need for such attitude," Berry smirked. "Alright, if we're not going to talk about Vinyl, what should we talk about? The weather? The pegasus ponies sure do a good job around here, don'tcha think?"

Octavia didn't have an answer to that, it was all so irrelevant, so instead she demanded, "You are going to leave us alone." She didn't know what exactly she hoped to accomplish in confronting Berry, but, with adrenaline pumping, she began to say all the things she kept locked in her head. All the things she wanted to say to this nasty mare.

"Leave you alone?" Berry repeated. "Silly! I don't know what you're talking about." She walked over to Octavia and started to circle her. Octavia stood her ground, and kept her guard up. Berry's voice was casual, calm, kind, but Octavia wasn't fooled. Not anymore. Her breath smelled of cider, but she didn't have the demeanor of a drunk pony. "We haven't spoken in, what is it? Over a week?" Berry asked, as she stopped her shark-like circling. She pondered for a moment. With a smile and a voice like burning venom, she continued, "I mean, I'm not the one who followed somepony to the bathroom..."

"Do not pretend to feign ignorance!" Octavia shouted at the snarky quip. "You are not to approach me ever again. I do not want to hear you tell any more horrible lies about Vinyl!"

"Oh, sweetie... Is that what you think? Oh dear..." Berry sighed. "Well then, maybe I should stop beating around the bush. Maybe you and me should have a real talk about Vinyl," Berry said, with a coy little grin. She strolled back to the restroom entrance and effortlessly clicked the lock on the door. "...For privacy," she mentioned when Octavia eyed the lock. "Wouldn't want anypony to come in on us, would we?" Octavia just growled at this. Smirking, Berry swaggered up to Octavia until they were nearly muzzle to muzzle. Berry stood with shrewdness and confidence as Octavia trembled with anger. They stared for a few moments before Berry spoke, "My, my. You are gorgeous. I love what you've done with your hair." She reached up and touched Octavia's cheek. Octavia backed up at that. A mistake. Berry laughed at having thrown her off. "You seem afraid of me! But... you must understand, I'm not the pony you should be afraid of."

Octavia straightened herself out and retorted, "Vinyl, you mean? She is going to ruin me, is she? Whatever you mean by that is preposterous. Vinyl and I are in love. Did you hear that? WE. ARE. IN. LOVE. We are happy, despite every detestable thing you say about her."

"...I'd say 'congratulations,' but mostly I'm just surprised," Berry replied after a moment. "Falling in love with that... dangerous thing," Berry huffed in both amusement and contempt.

"She's not dangerous!" Octavia cried out re-actively.

"Oh, honey... If only you knew about the deadly secret she's hiding..."

"What, her eyes? I know about that. I know they hurt. I know they hurt you," Octavia defended, thinking she had the upper hoof now. "But they don't hurt me anymore. I didn't run away from them. Not like you! I stared straight at them through the pain. And Vinyl loves me for it."

"Oh-! You think-? Ha! Hahaha!" Berry started to chuckle. "Oh, dear. You know: I already told you this has nothing to do with her eyes. ...Though, I can't blame you for thinking that. They are a... how should I put this? ...A sickening deformity, after all." Berry's own eyes turned hollow as she muttered, "I'd stab them out if I could..."

"YOU WOULDN'T DARE!" Octavia exclaimed in disgust upon hearing the subtle threat.

"Just musing to myself, sweetie," Berry gracefully smiled, returning to a more charming, yet threatening disposition. "I would never..." she trailed off.

"Her eyes are beautiful," Octavia explained, no longer shouting, but still seething with rage. "She is beautiful. Unlike you. Who is ugly to your core."

"Oh, was that really necessary?" Berry replied at the burn. "You seem to be a little misguided; you know I am trying to help you here."

"Help me?" Octavia mimicked, un-amused. "All you do is spout ridiculous lies. You're crazy. I shouldn't even be talking to you."

"I'm not as crazy as you think!" Berry said aggressively, closing the distance between them. She leaned in close to Octavia, who stayed guarded and didn't give an inch. Berry breathed deeply for moments and lowered her voice to a near whisper. Turning her head downward she gazed at the nothingness above the tiles below her and softly spoke, "But, maybe I am. You know, I don't even know myself anymore... Vinyl ruined me, and I've never been the same. ...It's only a matter of time until it happens to you."

Octavia flinched and gritted her teeth. "You are lying. I don't care what you think she did to you," Octavia retorted, with a soft, but stern, voice. "She is valiant and kind-hearted. Resolute and giving. You're speaking in nonsense and fabrications."

"Oh, come on, girl!" Berry exclaimed raising her hooves up in disbelief as she took a step back. A different approach to her normally sly demeanor. "Look, I know you think she's all coolness and sunshine, but her true nature is... SO much worse than you can imagine!"

"Enough!" Octavia stomped. "I have said my peace. I am so DONE with this. Goodbye, Berry Punch. I hope the rest of your evening is pleasant." Attempting to rid herself of this confrontation, Octavia pushed past Berry. She tried to stomp off angrily, but a hoof from her opponent whisked her back around.

"YOU JUST DON'T UNDERSTAND!!!" Berry hissed. Her hooves were latched onto Octavia's shoulders, causing a jolt through the gray pony's spine.

"What are you-!?" Octavia almost exclaimed, but was cut short by the horrid look in Berry Punch's eyes. They were empty. Hollow. Dead. All the words you could think of to describe a broken soul could describe those eyes. Only a pony who lost everything could have those eyes. Octavia didn't understand. Berry was the antagonist, right? She was the problem, right? She was the one in the wrong, right?

Berry spoke hastily. No longer was she sly and coy. She was desperate. "Listen to me: Vinyl and cancer are the same. She will hurt you. She will break you. ...And you will be ruined."

"You stop right-!" Octavia tried to interrupt, but Berry just clutched on tighter and grew more aggressive.

"THAT'S just the beginning... Octavia, do you even know what pain is? What REAL betrayal feels like?" Berry didn't wait for an answer. She simply grew more aggressive. "No. No, you don't. I doubt your pretty little Canterlot heart could ever prepare you for what's going to happen. I truly envy your naiveté, doomed though you are. And I will tell you this: cherish your own heart, for you will miss it after that freak's done with you. And 'freak' isn't enough. I can't think of enough words to describe her! Fiend! Degenerate! Scoundrel! Monster! Criminal!" She spat in rage at every word she spoke.

"CRIMINAL? HOW DARE YOU!" Octavia shouted, finally having enough. She slapped one hoof off her shoulder, stopping Berry's tirade. "You're the one who broke into Vinyl's house! You destroyed everything she had out of spite! You're the criminal! I should have you arrested!" Octavia had her suspicions. Vinyl had put aside thoughts about the incident, that mess of a house they both discovered, but Octavia did not. Who would have reason to trash Vinyl's home? Berry would. This angry, desperate ex-fillyfriend. Despite how wrong she was, Octavia was sure of it, now more than ever.

"Really!? You got some wild imagination there, pretty filly," Berry huffed, disgusted, and turned away. "I honestly didn't even know that happened."

"Liar!"

"LIAR!? ME!? HA! Have you met Vinyl!? That's another good word for her." Berry shook her head. "I only WISH I could have been there! I would have loved to see Vinyl lose everything! It's a shame that whoever it was didn't set fire to the place on their way out. What I'd give to see that wretch's house burn to the ground!"

At that, Octavia shoved Berry. An understandable first act of aggression. She'd nearly had enough of this Berry Punch pony. "Don't you dare say horrible things like that!" She didn't understand. How could this pony hate Vinyl so much? How could anypony hate the pony she fell in love with. The kind and boisterous Vinyl. The one who brought life and energy into her lonely world. Her lover, and the holder of that wonderful smile.

Berry whirled around and shouted, "I'll say what I want! About you, about Vinyl! That miserable little beast-!" Berry shoved Octavia, the lid on her inhibitions blowing off as well.

"WHY!?" Octavia shrieked, pushing Berry back. "Why do you hate her so much!?!?!?"

"You wanna know why? Oh, maybe I should tell you. Tell you all the juicy details. Tell you what you've gotten yourself into. Oh, but I shouldn't, I did make a promise after all." Berry shoved Octavia again. Her temper was beyond helping now. Both were. Things were about to get violent.

"Celestia help you if you don't tell me-!" Octavia cried at one last shove.

"Fine!" Berry stated, hooves up in acceptance. "Fine! If you're SO desperate to know, maybe I'll REWARD you! I'll tell you why! Why I despise everything about her! Why I so love to see her suffer! It's because she bucking deserves it! It's her punishment! What she did to me was UNFORGIVEABLE!!!"

"WHAT DID SHE DO!?"

"SHE RAPED ME!!!" Berry screamed.

"LIES!!!" Octavia tackled Berry Punch. They traveled back with fervor and collided with the door; Octavia felt her shoulders hit Berry's rib-cage. She wanted to snap those bones. If only she could tear Berry apart and rip them out. She pressed as hard as she could, grunting and forcing Berry into the wood door, but felt resistance. Berry pushed back from above and they fell. After Octavia hit her head on the floor, she didn't look at Berry's furious face, but threw a wild punch at her anyway. Her hoof hit Berry's cheek with force.

"Gaagh!" Berry recoiled, but quickly recovered. She started beating on Octavia's face, screaming as she did. Octavia tried to hold her hooves up to defend, but Berry was flailing too wildly. She felt her face getting pummeled again and again. She had never experienced such pain before. Reaching up, she managed to grab hold of one of Berry's forelegs. Before Berry could beat her loose, she bit into the leg with all the force her jaw could muster. "AAAAGHH! LET GO!!!" Berry shrieked at the shock.

Berry stood up and dragged Octavia as she still held on, now drawing blood as she broke the skin. Taking her other hoof to grab hold of Octavia's body, she slammed the pony against the pipes below the faucet as hard as she could. The collision hit Octavia's skull and she released the leg. But without missing a beat, she furiously scrambled to her hooves and tackled Berry again, this time at her hind legs. The attack caused Berry to buckle backwards and fall on Octavia. She rolled down Octavia's back and hit the wall, nearly missing the pipes. Trying to get up, Berry hit her head painfully on the porcelain sink above her.

Octavia scrambled to turn around and face her nemesis. She charged without sympathy as Berry clamored out from under the sink. Hurling herself against her, Octavia knocked Berry's side into the porcelain. Berry cried out as pain filled her sides. Octavia wrapped one hoof quickly around her neck and pulled her down. Rage filling her, Octavia started punching rapidly into Berry's stomach and ribs.

"HOW DARE YOU ACCUSE HER OF THAT!!!" Octavia screamed. The pounding music outside muffled their conflict from the rest of the ponies in the club. It didn't matter. It didn't matter. It didn't matter anymore. She needed to hurt Berry. She needed to damage Berry. She needed to ki-

...

...kill...

But she couldn't: Octavia felt her legs grow weak as she continued to beat Berry Punch. She wasn't used to this. She had hit her head. She was fuzzy. Berry took advantage of her fading strength and pushed Octavia away. With speed, she kicked Octavia's hind legs, causing her to trip.

As Octavia fell to the dirty floor, Berry shouted, "IT'S TRUE, YOU BUCKING IDIOT!!!" Octavia tried to get up, but Berry pushed her face back down into a puddle. "She RAPED me! And I WARNED you about her!" Berry got on Octavia's back and squeezed her skull, causing pressure to build in the cellist's already aching head. She started to slam it against the tiled floor, breaking skin and drawing blood. "Don't you get it!? You're WRONG! She's THE VILLAIN!!! I'M the GOOD GUY here!!!"

The pain was unbearable as Octavia received Berry's beating. Her head couldn't fathom what was happening. Berry released her and stood up, but it was no time for relief. Crying now, Octavia started to crawl to the toilet stall. She needed to get behind that door. To somehow shield herself. She was so tired. She couldn't win. Berry grabbed Octavia's mane and dragged her into the stall. "If you don't believe me..." Berry said through gasps. She was tired as well, but still strong enough to finish this. "You can ask her yourself..." She held Octavia's head above the toilet and plunged her face into the water. She held down for several moments as Octavia flailed in panic, then let her up to breathe. Octavia tried to get away, but Berry held her steady so her face was just above the water. Gasping and panting, Octavia couldn't push herself away any further than that. The rippling waves below her distorted the reflection of her attacker.

Though her breath was stifled, Berry leaned in and whispered, her voice frigid, callous and poisonous, "Take a good look... you whore... ...This is where Vinyl belongs... And you do too if you stay with her..." With that, Berry pulled Octavia back and threw her against the stall wall. It was finally enough: Octavia blacked out.

Author's Note

...Oh.

Chapter 27: The Burden of Knowledge

It wasn't warm like Vinyl's bed. That was the first thing Octavia realized. It didn't smell like it. It certainly didn't feel like it, either. The covers were much more thin and cheaply made. The pillows she was resting on must have been manufactured to maximize discomfort. Vinyl's ceiling wasn't green either, Octavia noticed as she stared up at it. She couldn't think, only receive sensory data. She inspected her environment as best she could lying on her back. An unfamiliar wooden headboard. Distant conversations. Constant beeping.

'Where am... I?' Octavia finally thought, her brain able to activate rudimentary processes again. Taking heavy breaths, she turned to her right. Several feet away was a window. Sitting below the glass that showcased the rising sun over Ponyville were several plastic chairs. Curled up on one of them was Vinyl Scratch. With one of her legs sloppily hanging off the chair that was far too small, Vinyl breathed steadily as she slept.

"...Vinyl..." Octavia murmured. Grunting, her body ached as she sat up. Immediately her brain started to swirl and she had to take a hoof to support her own head from falling. She slowly blinked several times, trying to regain focus as she stared down at the fabric of the blanket. 'Hospital. I'm in a hospital.' Straining her neck to keep her head attached, she looked around the sterilized room. This was definitely a hospital. Machines of a medical nature sat around on wheels, unused. A curtain beside her was partially constricted, revealing another empty bed. Octavia looked down. She was wearing a light green hospital gown. But what was she doing here? She couldn't quite remember.

Vinyl loudly huffed something in her slumber, causing Octavia to jolt a little. As Octavia watched Vinyl return to a peaceful trance, she began to smile. 'At least I remember Vinyl,' she thought with relief. 'But what about yesterday...? I... the parade, right? We went... ...Right, we did. And afterward...' As she remembered, Octavia placed her hoof on her forehead as her brain was still woozy. But instead of giving support, she felt a jolt of pain as she placed pressure there. "Augh!" she yelped. She carefully checked her head again and found that it was wrapped in a bandage. 'My head...? When did I...? ... ... ...Oh... Oh, Celestia...' The thought of her head injury brought back images of Berry Punch, feelings of rage, blurry visions of hitting the floor, words that sickened her.

She raped me.

"No, that can't be," Octavia murmured under her breath. She shook her head in defiance, though it jostled her brain. "It's not true."

Vinyl's a freak. She raped me. She'll ruin you.

"Grrrr! Be quiet!" Octavia grunted, covering her ears and falling back into the bed.

"Gooood morning!" a calm voice called. A white earth pony mare with pink hair, nurse's hat and a red cross cutie mark walked into the room, smiling politely. "Finally woken up I see! How are you feeling?"

"...I'm fine," Octavia replied without thought, squirming a little in her bed.

"Gooood! My name is Redheart, and I'll be taking care of you this morning," Nurse Redheart explained as she took a clipboard hanging off Octavia's bed and scribbled something on it. "Do you know why you're here, Miss Melody?"

'Berry beat me to a pulp...' Octavia remembered miserably. But should she say it? She gritted her teeth instead, and clenched her hooves. Berry must have walked out of that restroom and told nopony what had transpired. She probably went home and gloated to herself. Berry... that vile little motherbu- 'No! I shall not use such vulgar words! I will not stoop,' Octavia proudly but unnecessarily censored her inner monologue. 'That pony is simply a liar. I should not give anything she says one second of thought. I want nothing to do with her. I am done.' Shrugging her off, Octavia bit her lip and answered, "No."

"Well, that's no gooood! You were found unconscious in a restroom. It appears you hit your head! Do you remember anything about what happened?"

"No, I am afraid not..."

"I see. Your friend doesn't know either. She rushed you right over after you were found." Redheart motioned to the sleeping mare in the chair.

"Vinyl did...?" Octavia smiled a little, impressed.

"... ...pumkins... heh... Huh!?" Vinyl murmured as she stirred and slowly opened her eyes. "Sumpony say... my name...? ...OCTAVIA!!! YOU'RE UP!!!" Upon seeing her conscious lover through her shades, Vinyl snapped awake and rushed over. She leaped to the bed and wrapped her hooves around Octavia in a worried embrace. "OH, CELESTIA! THANK YOU! I WAS SO WORRIED! I THOUGHT YOU'D NEVER WAKE UP! YOU WERE JUST LYING THERE! THERE WAS BLOOD ON YOUR HEAD! I WAS SO SCARED!" Through her screams of relief, tears and snot found their way out of her face.

"...Calm down, Vinyl. I am fine..." Octavia comforted, returning the hug with joy.

"She's gonna be fine, right!?" Vinyl turned to the nurse and asked.

"Well, let me just see here," Nurse Redheart replied. She walked over to Octavia's side and pulled out a small flashlight. Taking it in her teeth, she held open Octavia's eyes and shined the light in them. Satisfied, she held up a hoof and said, "How many hooves am I holding up?"

"Um... one?" Octavia answered.

"Perfect! She'll be just fine. She just had a slight concussion and a little contusion on her head there."

"OH CELESTIA WHAT DOES THAT MEAN!?" Vinyl gasped.

"Vinyl, she said I'd be fine," Octavia tried to interject.

"We're just going to keep her here for a day or so for observation, then she'll be gooood to go!" Redheart explained.

"YOU CAN'T CUT OFF HER LEGS, I WON'T LET YOU!!!" Vinyl screeched in a protective hysteria.

"Don't be ridiculous!" Octavia shouted, bonking Vinyl on her skull to snap her out of it. "I don't need an amputation!"

"Goodness, no!" Redheart continued. "She just had a little bump is all."

"...Really!? Is that true!?" Vinyl asked, rubbing her own head now that it was hurting from Octavia's playful hitting. "Is that what happened, Octavia!?"

"...Yes... I... seem to recall slipping on something in the restroom and hitting my head on... the toilet..." Octavia lied. Maybe if she had told the truth, she thought, there could be some punishment for Berry. But then again, Octavia did attack first. Berry could claim self-defense... But then again again, she did take it a little too far in return. Then again again again, Octavia was the one who stalked her in the first place. 'I do not care what she did. I am done with her. Not another thought. She is not worth it,' Octavia resolved.

"Well, the doctor will be in shortly to double-check, but in the meantime I'll see about getting you some breakfast," Nurse Redheart said, leaving the room. When she was gone, Vinyl returned to hugging Octavia, though she wasn't nearly as upset.

After wiping her sniffling face, Vinyl said, "I'm so glad you're okay..."

"Thank you, Vinyl..." Octavia said. "For bringing me here, and staying with me..."

"Oh, it *sniff* it's nothing," Vinyl acknowledged, leaning back. She was still covered in snot and tears, although her sunglasses hid some of them.

"You're filthy," Octavia giggled, using her sheets to wipe Vinyl's mess up like a doting parent.

"Uuggghh!" Vinyl moaned as her lover forcefully cleaned her face. "I'm not a little filly, I can wipe it myself."

"You can clean our house on your own too, but you still expect me to do it," Octavia sniped, her wit still intact.

"...Duly noted," Vinyl muttered, before laughing slightly. A laugh of relief. "Haha. ...I'm so sorry you got hurt, Octavia. I shouldn't have brought you to the club... I was so stupid, stupid, stupid!" As she cursed herself aloud, she also cursed in her thoughts. 'And it was stupid to ever think she and Rainbow might have a thing! I'm a terrible fillyfriend...'

"You're not stupid, Vinyl!" Octavia expressed. "Well, generally, yes, sometimes, but not in regards to this incident!"

"Rude!" Vinyl pouted, totally offended.

"What I mean is: I am glad you took me. It was wonderful to see you work. I had a lovely time..." Octavia explained. She hesitated and, against her better judgement and because she couldn't help herself, said, "At least I did, up until I became unconscious."

"Oh!" Vinyl collapsed on the bed in disappointment. 'This is my fault...' she moaned in her mind, much as she did all night long.

"Heehee. I am teasing, Vinyl," Octavia comforted as she rested a hoof on Vinyl. They were quiet for a moment. "It seems I am going to be here for a while..." she mentioned, moving her hoof to the damaged spot on her head.

"Don't worry! I'll stay with you!" Vinyl offered, leaping up. "I'll be here all day and all night!"

"Oh, thank you, Vinyl!" Octavia beamed. It was a comfort to have Vinyl there, but Octavia couldn't quite ignore that nagging accusation at the back of her mind. Octavia crushed it every time it popped up, but it always returned, in a new place. Much like one of the games she played at the parade. (Whack-a-Diamond-Dog!)

The two of them chatted for a while. Eventually somepony came with Octavia's breakfast, which looked inedible. The doctor came as well, and looked Octavia over. He confirmed the diagnosis, bought Octavia's story about slipping and informed her how to treat the bruise on her forehead after she was released. By this time, Vinyl was starting to get hungry. There were audible growls coming from her insides when the doctor was speaking, so by the time he left, Vinyl was in pain.

"I... I know I said I'd stay all day... but can I go grab a bite?" Vinyl asked, puppy-dog eyes and all.

"Oh, sure Vinyl. Go ahead. I certainly can't offer you any of this," Octavia said, motioning to the remnants of the... (let's call it 'dreadful') hospital food she had managed to stomach. She added, "If you need to run any chores, while you're out, I understand."

"...Well, I kinda left all my stuff at the club when I rushed you here. I need to get that home... Oh, hey! While I'm there, I can bring my headphones! We can listen to music and stuff!"

"That would be lovely. Do you think you might bring me a book or two?" Octavia asked. "You know the one I was reading? It's by our bed."

"Sure, sure!" Vinyl said, trotting over to the exit. "I'll be back in a bit!" After taking a few steps out, she screeched to a halt. Looking around to make sure the hallway was clear, she darted back inside and shut the door, to Octavia's surprise. Vinyl then rushed up to Octavia and quickly leaned in close.

"What is it?" Octavia asked.

"I almost forgot: I love you," Vinyl whispered as she went in for a kiss. It wasn't a passionate kiss. Octavia had taken and given many of those by now. This was... different. It was a loving kiss. It was affection, not lust that drove it. And... it was the first time since Octavia confessed that Vinyl had said the word "love" when referring to her. It was almost shocking... to hear such a powerful word being used in an everyday setting. Was it not meant to be used only in a fantasy world of passion and romance? Obviously not. Somehow it seemed silly to deify that word. it wasn't just for a moments of confession and heightened stress, as had been the case so far. It was a true bond between ponies. An everyday word. Hearing it now almost solidified her relationship with Vinyl. It was real.

"...I love you, too," Octavia replied in a hushed tone afterward, almost startled how easily the words came out. (Aw!)

"See ya!" Vinyl stated, winking behind her shades and heading out for real this time.

"Bye," Octavia called before resting her back down on the semi-fluffy bed. As Vinyl's hoofsteps disappeared down the hall, Octavia closed her eyes. Vinyl loved Octavia and Octavia loved Vinyl.

Love has an opposite, however. There is, of course, hate. Octavia was not supposed to give her a thought, but Berry's rage-filled face appeared again and again in her head. Octavia hated it. She hated her. She was furious. She had lost. Berry probably left Octavia unconscious and bleeding with a smirk on her face. Thinking of her own body, laying motionless, helpless on the floor, with Berry Punch standing over it suddenly terrified Octavia. Berry... Berry could've killed her, if she had willed it. The thought of that nearly made Octavia vomit. She had been closer to death than she realized upon awaking. She held a hoof to her mouth, trembling. She remembered. In her own rage, she almost wanted to bring death to Berry. It sickened her even more. But the thought of Berry's words...

I'm the good guy. I warned you. She's the villain.

-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~ :heart: ~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-

Vinyl had a delicious and unhealthy breakfast at a local joint. (Octavia had been on her about eating healthy lately, so now was her chance.) She returned to what she used to call 'her home' but now was 'their home', after that. She gathered up anything she thought would be useful to have at the hospital. Books, magazines, headphones, games, and the Luna plushy. Vinyl beamed at having thought of the doll. Surely that would cheer Octavia up. Though, she wasn't sure why Octavia wanted it so badly. I mean, she met the Princess briefly, according to her, but that didn't seem like too much of a big deal, right?

Levitating everything in a bag, she headed out back towards Ponyville General Hospital. Lightened by the relief of Octavia's awakening, she started to beat-box a rhythm as she walked. With expert skill, she rippled and flexed her lips to make the unreal sounds. She bobbed her head with the beat and her steps swayed and stuttered as if she was dancing.

Preoccupied by the tune and her own good mood, Vinyl didn't notice that the streets of Ponyville were bare along the way. when she had left the hospital, everypony was out as usual, a lot even cleaning up after the parade. But between that time and this one, Ponyville had cleared out. It took many moments and several more sick beats from Vinyl's lips before she noticed the emptiness.

"Um... where's everypony at?" Vinyl asked herself aloud as she looked around. Confused, she heard a distant speck of noise in the distance. She found her answer soon enough as she followed it and rounded a corner: a crowd had gathered around Town Hall. Vinyl traveled the perimeter of the mess of ponies with interest. 'What's going on?' She desperately wanted to get back to Octavia, but well, it couldn't hurt to check this out first, right? I mean, it might be something awesome. Putting the bag down, she waded through the group of ponies. Unlike Octavia, she didn't apologize any as she traveled: it's just the business of crowds to push and shove, as long as you don't knock anypony down, of course. As she reached the front of the pack, she found herself right behind Pinkie Pie, as indicated by the distinct fluffy pink tail. "Hey Pinks, what's all this?" Vinyl asked, poking Pinkie's back.

Pinkie whirled around and... HER FACE WAS HALF GONE! "Mmmmpphh! Mmmm! MmMmMMMMpph!" The smile-less Pinkie tried to communicate, but her voice couldn't leave her throat now that there was no mouth for it to escape through.

"Oh my Celestia you have no muzzle HOW ARE YOU BREATHING?!?!?" Vinyl shouted at the unreal sight. Pinkie comically slapped Vinyl to stop the exasperation. The party pony then sternly held up a hoof to "ssshhhhh!" the DJ, though she had no mouth to actually make the sound. Stunned and confused, Vinyl followed Pinkie as she pointed to the center of the crowd. There, in front of town hall: Twilight Sparkle was facing off against a blue unicorn...

Trixie.

Vinyl remembered her name, but just barely. Trixie was a traveling magician who had come to Ponyville a long time ago. There had been a kerfuffle with Twilight's friends when she tried to put on an act. Vinyl was there and saw the whole thing. Later, the magician inadvertently caused a terrible monster, an Ursa Minor, to terrorize Ponyville, through her thoughtless boasting. Vinyl couldn't forget that... It was... kinda awesome to have a giant monster attack. But Trixie had left after that and Vinyl had never given her another thought. But that... well, that was about to change.

"...But, how could you do an age spell!?" Twilight asked, confounded. "That's only for the highest level unicorns!" Vinyl tried to catch up to the conversation. She had no idea what was going on, like she had joined a movie (or an episode) halfway through. But she didn't realize something truly terrible was happening right here, right now. Between Twilight and Trixie sat a newborn foal and an ancient rickety stallion. Trixie was garbed in a black cloak and upon her neck... an amulet laced in obsidian in the shape of an alicorn, housing a gem as red as blood.

Trixie arrogantly shined the amulet and inspected her hoof. "Well, Twilight... Give up?" She spoke, coaxing her nemesis into more defeat.

Twilight sighed, looking worried. With determination, she attempted a spell of her own on the two opposite aged ponies, that were obviously some sort of guinea pigs. The two floated up and Vinyl heard Spike say, "Come on, Twilight... You can do it!" Vinyl hadn't seen the short little dragon earlier, but noticed him with Twilight's friends. Beside the (somehow still alive) Pinkie were Twilight's closest allies: Applejack, Rarity, Rainbow Dash, and Fluttershy. It seemed the gang was all here.

Twilight was struggling. Her horn was glowing with power and she was sweating furiously. But it was to no avail, with a sputter, her magic died, unable to cast the complicated spell she had no experience with. She collapsed, as did the two ponies she was trying to change. The crowd gasped and Vinyl did too. Twilight was the most powerful unicorn in Ponyville, probably in this half of Equestria, excluding the Princesses. Everypony knew it, yet Trixie, that phony show pony, was somehow able to top her magic!?

Cocky from victory and oozing with arrogance, Trixie declared, "Trixie IS the highest level unicorn! Muhahahahahaha!!!" The victorious unicorn took a breath and continued, "...And now it's time for you to leave Ponyville... FOREVER!!!" As she shouted, power escaped through the amulet, fueled by her hatred and her rage. It emitted a red aura as it did. The corrupting magic forced its way into Trixie's body. Flooding her with more power every moment. Though it empowered her, the magic tried to find an exit. Like pressure in a bottle, it built up in an instant. It had to find an escape. Her eyes...

Her eyes glowed with a monstrous red hue. The magic of the amulet seethed each iris in the blood color. There was darkness in those eyes now, in those pools of sanguine. Insurmountable cruelty was exhumed from within them. The kind that nopony there had seen before. Nopony but one.

Her own eyes were shaded, but Vinyl looked well past her sunglasses at Trixie. 'What was that...?' Vinyl thought, her breath short. It was just a flash. Just for an instant! But they had lit up. Hadn't they? Vinyl was sure of it. She was so far away... but they were familiar. Trixie's eyes. But... No. No. It couldn't be...?

"That's enough, Trixie!" Applejack called out as Vinyl stood stunned on the sidelines, just a bystander to this event. AJ and her friends all swarmed to protect Twilight, grimacing at the idea that she should be banished.

"You've proved your point!" Rarity protested. "But you can't possibly expect Twilight to leave Ponyville!"

"You fools!" Trixie exclaimed. With the crimson magic from the amulet, she levitated Twilight against her will. "She's already gone!" With no effort, she catapulted Twilight away, hurtling through the sky towards the Everfree Forest. She was gone in an instant.

Her close friends all gave chase. They simultaneously called out, "Twilight!" (Well, except Pinkie.)

Vinyl couldn't believe it. She turned back to Trixie after witnessing Twilight's exodus. The cloaked unicorn who bested Twilight rolled her neck and popped her shoulders.

"Piece of cake," Trixie said to herself. She looked out at the crowd of ponies who stood, all, like Vinyl, aghast and stunned. "As for the rest of you..." Trixie's horn surged along with the amulet and her eyes did the same. This time, Vinyl was focused on Trixie's face. She looked closely. When she realized, her stomach sunk.

'No. No. No,' she told herself.

Trixie continued as she materialized a massive glass dome in the sky above Ponyville, "...since nopony's going to be leaving, we're going to make some changes around here." The summoned dome descended, at the behest of the amulet's magic. The monstrous structure dwarfed Ponyville, completely encompassing every inch of it. Ponies all screamed in terror as the titan of glass came down. With a thunderous KADUUUUMMM!!! the dome made contact with the earth, sealing off Ponyville from the outside world. The shaking was enormous, nearly threatening to topple the flimsy buildings in the town.

'Get back to Octavia!' was the only thought left for Vinyl. It wasn't safe here. Trixie was dangerous now. She turned to run. There were ponies scrambling everywhere in fear.

"Oh, ho ho! Where do you think YOU'RE going!?" Trixie cackled from behind her. Vinyl closed her eyes and tried to gallop, but her hooves didn't make contact with the ground. Her body was lifted up magically and she winced as she was yanked through the air. After her face hit dirt upon being slammed into the ground, she opened one eye, and found herself in a group of pony civilians. She hadn't been the only one grabbed. Everypony was being forced to line up military-fashion, with an aura of magic holding them down. "Trixie needs your undivided attention!" Trixie demanded, walking up to the masses to address them properly. Her eyes were aglow with power. "Ponyville's always been a crass little dump! But luckily for you, the great and powerful Trixie is generously offering to improve it."

As Trixie walked the lines of ponies, she came upon Vinyl. Vinyl could finally see her up close. She didn't want to look, but she knew she had to. Her heart was beating with fear, anticipation, and anxiety. Her lips were trembling. She glanced up as the dictator passed.

There they were. There was no denying it.

They were the same.

Vinyl wanted to scream. To cry out to the ponies around her. "Don't look at her eyes!" she wanted to shout, but couldn't. Her throat throbbed. She couldn't warn them. A thousand thoughts and questions rushed through her yet she said nothing.

"All Trixie asks is for complete and utter obedience!" Trixie continued, not noticing Vinyl as she went by on her little march. "Is that CLEAR!?" At that, she aggressively leaned down to one of her subjects, a stallion further down the line. She frowned manically at the terrified pony who stared right at her face. The pony nodded out of fear of punishment and pretended to smile. "Good. Trixie does not like to repeat herself. Now... Trixie wants banners with her face hanging on every building in Ponyville!"

Vinyl wasn't listening. She couldn't believe it! Trixie... she had the same eyes when they glowed, yet that pony was not affected. Nopony was! How could that be!? It was the same! They were the same! It was the same magic! Vinyl knew it!

Paying no head to the contemplation of the DJ in the front row, Trixie continued, "You will place statues in Trixie's honor on every corner! You will prepare feasts for Trixie! And you will build a glorious castle for Trixie! If you refuse, you too shall taste the might of the Alicorn Amulet! Now, all of you, get to work! NOW!!!" With magic, she summoned a whip, and with a flick, snapped it. She released the hold she had on the ponies so they could scramble away to see her whims through. Vinyl was one of them. She hurried away, confused and terrified.

"And you two!" Trixie hissed, horn flaring up to dispel the two ponies still cursed with advanced and/or reverse age. "Trixie has a special job for her... number one fans..." she finished with a grin.

-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~ :heart: ~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-

Vinyl was beyond far from late. She had practically abandoned Octavia, at least from the hospitalized pony's point of view. Octavia sat up, wrapped in her covers, staring out into the stormy sky. It was evening now. Vinyl had left in the morning. She said she'd be right back. They only thing that kept Octavia from tearing up from the apparent betrayal was the thought that maybe Vinyl had fallen asleep back at their home. She did stay up all night watching over Octavia. The recovering pony kept telling herself this as doubt crept up through the hours.

Then there was that thunderous earthquake earlier. And now, gale winds blew through a darkened Ponyville, when she knew the pegasi had not scheduled a storm. More so than Vinyl forgetting about her, she was worried for Vinyl's safety. Something didn't feel right. The nurses had stopped coming. She hadn't seen anypony in hours. Aside from the occasional frantic rushing of somepony down the hall, it was quiet. Octavia's stomach grumbled in complaint frequently.

As if receiving a signal from the hungry organ, Nurse Redheart finally reentered the room, calling, "...Dinner's here! How are you feeling...?"

"Oh, Nurse! It is good to see you!" Octavia beamed, desperate for interaction with somepony. Her worry hadn't quite stifled her boredom. "I am feeling much better. How are you?"

"Fine! Everything's fine!" Redheart exclaimed. "Sorry you're not getting much for dinner. The kitchen staff had to... um... go home for the day..." She gave a tray to Octavia upon which a single candy bar, a bag of chips and a pack of gummy treats sat. Octavia looked at the unhealthy spread with shock.

"Did these... come from vending machines?" Octavia asked, unsure if what she was seeing was real or not.

"Oh! Well, like I said, the cooks had to go home! *Ahem* You know how it is! Haha! Ha!"

"...Is... something going on...?" Octavia asked hesitantly.

"Who told you!?" Redheart shrieked, before correcting herself. "I mean, no! No, of course not! There's no reason to panic! That's what the doctor said to say! So that's what we're gonna do! Well, I have other patients to see to, so-!"

"Wait a moment... Something IS going on!" Octavia concluded at Redheart's suspicious attitude.

"What!? Nooooo!!!" the nurse pouted, shaking her head unconvincingly.

"What is happening?" Octavia leapt out of bed, frightened now.

"You can't do that! You have to stay in bed!" Redheart explained, panicking.

Unaffected by the nurse's protest, Octavia approached her demanding, "Where is Vinyl!? She went out there and has not returned!"

"She's fine! I'm sure! It's a normal, beautiful, sunny day!" Redheart found herself spitting out.

"Untrue! There is some sort of... unscheduled, unnatural storm out there!" Octavia pointed out in retaliation.

"Oh, I hadn't noticed..." The fibbing Redheart shrugged.

"I have to find her! I am leaving!" At this declaration, Octavia sought to pass Nurse Redheart and leave the room, but the desperate nurse raised her hooves to stop her.

"You can't leave the hospital! You haven't been discharged! You still need rest!"

"I do not care!" Octavia cried. She tried to force her way past the nurse, but laying in bed all day had made her weak, not to mention the injury.

"Hold it! Please stop!" Redheart begged as Octavia pressed against her. "You can't go out there!"

"It is my right to leave!" the well-informed cellist explained.

"...Oh! Don't do that! ... Oh... Oh, okay, okay! I'll tell you!" Nurse Redheart agreed, under duress. "If you promise to stay, I'll explain!"

"...Very well. That is a start," Octavia said after backing off.

"...Right... *Ahem*" The nurse cleared her throat after the shouting. "The thing is... well... Ponyville's sort of been... taken over..."

"... ...What...?"

-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~ :heart: ~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-

The work was relentless and back-breaking, as Vinyl soon discovered. Trixie was a simple magician, but she easily fell into her role as a dictator. Her demands were extraordinary and absolute. She wanted statues, and lots of them. Vinyl was forced to dig, along with others, through the dirt until hitting solid stone; Ponyville park was forcibly turned into a quarry. They were then to cut massive blocks out and cart them up. The first block was taken to Trixie who was staying at town hall. With a dash of magic from the amulet, Trixie instantly carved the stone into an intricately made statue of herself. She then demanded that the citizens of Ponyville make identical copies. Of course, nopony else had the magic of an all-powerful amulet, so Vinyl and the others had to quickly work with hammers and chisels.

Throughout the hours of labor, Vinyl was frantic with questions. Why did Trixie's magic feel the same as her eyes? Why didn't it hurt when you looked at them? What turned Trixie into a tyrant? Is it that amulet? How do you use a chisel? Is Octavia okay? How are we going to get out of this? With worries and exhaustion setting in, Vinyl was relieved when the new dictator of Ponyville arrived at the quarry with good news that evening. All the slaving ponies stopped and looked upwards to the edge of the pit they were in. Trixie was there, riding comfortably in a wooden chariot with no wheels. Beside her was one of the finished stone statues, that did not look up to par.

With a darkening windstorm behind her, Trixie called down to her citizens, "The Great and Powerful Trixie is satisfied with your efforts! Ponyville is looking much better with all the stone effigies you have carved for her!" At this, the former magician smiled with pride at herself. "Listen well: you will return to your homes and rest, for tomorrow you will make twice as many statues for Trixie!" Satisfied, she turned away before remembering something and readdressing her slaves. "Oh! ...But they better look better than this one!" At that, a flash of Trixie's magic severed the head of the crudely carved statue beside her. The head toppled down into the quarry, causing a pair of stallions to bolt out of the way to save themselves from being crushed. Trixie magically flung the rest of the body into the pit and it collided with a row of unfinished statues, shattering them all. "Muhahhahaaa!" As Trixie laughed manically at her own cruelty, her chariot was pulled away by two goofy-looking young colts. As the dust settled, nopony was stirred by the threat of additional work, they all just collapsed from finally having a chance to recuperate.

Vinyl breathed a sigh of relief. 'I can finally get back to Octavia... She's probably worried sick!' Wasting no time, she climbed up the hastily made plank stairs out of the quarry. After reaching the top, Vinyl took a glance at Trixie, who hadn't moved very far from the scene as the two colts could barely pull her wheel-less chariot away. Vinyl contained her fury without shouting, but said some (very) nasty things in her head, then thought, '...How dare she enslave us like this! So help me if she did something to the hospital! If she hurt Octavia, I'll-! I'll... ...Oh, forget it... Who the buck am I kidding? I can't do anything against her... Twilight was helpless and I'm nowhere near as strong as she is...' Crestfallen, Vinyl limped onward to reunite with her lover. She couldn't fight Trixie. It's not like she had any real power...

'Wait... what if...' Vinyl slowly realized. 'If I got her to look at me... without my shades...' Whenever Vinyl thought on her cursed eyes, she would remember. She'd remember all the times she hurt somepony with them. The spasms, the choking, the absolute look of horror, the inability to move... 'Maybe I could take her! Knock her out or something while she's paralyzed!' The hopeful idea brought a new worry to Vinyl. 'But... I promised Patched Hat... Nopony should have to suffer because of me... I can't let that happen... not again...'

Vinyl's slow walk to the hospital slowed even further to a final halt. Her head was hung low, with these thoughts weighing it down. The ponies around her all trudged home. Her neighbors, her friends. Their faces were worried, tired and hopeless. Their homes beckoned them to safety, but they knew those shelters could not save them from the tyrant who now ruled them. The mayor was locked in a cage. The town guard had all been transformed into chickens and placed in a corral. Twilight was gone. They were shut off from the rest of Equestria. There was nothing left but work and fear. These were the ponies that used to bounce to her music. These were the ponies who used to smile when she started up a track. These were the ponies that treated her kindly for no reason at all. Even if... even if they didn't know about her and her secrets. Even if they couldn't get close as Vinyl had always wanted them to be. Even if she had to use nicknames to appear friendly. Even if Vinyl kept them at a distance. ...She couldn't let them suffer.

Biting her lip, Vinyl decided. She'd break her rule. 'If any good can come of these things, then it's now or never...' Flushed with anticipation, she turned around and galloped after Trixie. Circling the quarry, she shortly came upon her target and her chariot. Vinyl slowed to a trot. Nervousness turning her stomach, Vinyl's hoarse throat managed to call out, "H-HEY! TRIXIE!"

"Who dares address The Great and Powerful Trixie without her title!?" Trixie spun around furiously. She was pretty sure she told everypony to add the 'great and powerful' part.

Without waiting, Vinyl reached up and took her sunglasses off. If anypony else saw, they could get hurt too, but Vinyl convinced herself it was worth the risk. Eyes burning with red, she stared at Trixie and grimaced. Trixie will lock eyes and be unable to move. Her body will start to convulse and she will be unable to look away. The sight will tear at her and swallow her whole world. It won't kill her, but it will hurt, and it will burn. Vinyl will take that opportunity to attack, after all, she won't be able to retaliate.

"Do you have something to say, or are you just going to stand there!?" Trixie demanded as she stared straight back at Vinyl with contempt. It was clear she was looking directly at Vinyl.

Nothing.

"Why... why isn't it... it... it..." Vinyl fumbled her words in shock. There was no effect.

"Speak up, minion! The Great and Powerful Trixie can't hear you!" Trixie demanded in her mighty tone. "...Ow! Hey!" she suddenly exclaimed, before rubbing her head. "Why do I suddenly have a headache?" she mumbled under her breath. "So annoying..."

"THAT'S IT!?" Vinyl shouted, utter disbelief stunning her. 'That's ALL it's doing to her!? But- but everypony else-! Patched, Berry, Octavia... they all got so hurt!'

"...What do you mean!?" Trixie demanded, losing her patience. "What's 'it?' Who's 'it?' Who are you!? Why have you gotten Trixie's attention!?" Trixie's barrage of questions made Vinyl realize she wasn't in a position to figure out why her eyes weren't affecting Trixie. Her secret weapon had failed and Ponyville's new dictator was still very well armed. Her plan had gone horribly wrong. Like a true hero, it was time to bail out.

"...Uh... That's it...? That's... all the work I get to do today?" Vinyl managed to ask, attempting to quickly suck up to the unelected leader and avoid being blasted. Trixie blinked several times in a confusion of her own and took a moment before answering.

"...Um, yes..." The magician dictator replied, cautiously. "Trixie is tired... and will give you new orders in the morning... Now, go away... you're weirding Trixie out."

"Yessir! I mean, ma'am! I mean, milord!" Vinyl saluted and hurried away, relieved of the immediate danger, but severely confused. 'What the buck is going on!?'

-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~ :heart: ~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-

"Vi-!" Octavia tried to shout as Vinyl rushed into the room and leaped onto the bed, but the DJ squeezed her so tight and suddenly she couldn't even finish the name.

"Octavia! Thank Celestia you're okay!" Vinyl exclaimed as she shook Octavia's shoulders aggressively. "It's CRAZY! Trixie's gone CRAZY out there! She's making us do all this CRAZY stuff and she has these CRAZY powers!"

"I-I-I heard!" Octavia stuttered as the shaking caused her head to bobble uncontrollably. She steadied herself and Vinyl before asking, "How about you? Are you injured?" As for herself, her head was spinning again now that Vinyl had just agitated it.

"I'm fine," Vinyl admitted before collapsing on the bed across Octavia's lap. "I'm just... Celestia, I'm just worn out... She had us working nonstop all day! I was working in a pit! The whole park is a pit now!"

"...Heavens..." Octavia hadn't heard the extent to which Trixie was changing the town.

"I can't move a muscle... and I was worried about you the whole time..." Vinyl muttered. At that, Octavia smiled and rested a hoof on Vinyl's back and caressed softly as the pony still lay on her lap. "Oh, that's nice..." Vinyl mumbled with a satisfied grin as her lover comforted her. She levitated a plastic bag of belongings up for Octavia to see. "It's a little late, but I brought the stuff!"

"Oh, I do not care about that. I am just relieved you are alright..."

"Heh heh," Vinyl tittered. "I'd get up and hug you again, but as you can probably surmise: I can't really move."

"Hmmm..." Octavia hummed. "I would complement you on your use of the word 'surmise,' but you did not exactly use it correctly."

"...Whaaaat?" Vinyl groaned. She thought that sprinkling a word in she had learned would impress Octavia.

"You see, to 'surmise' is to come to a conclusion without evidence. I do not need to conclude that you cannot move since you had already outright stated it moments ago. It is an established fact," Octavia lectured proudly, like it was something to boast about.

"... ...Are you seriously giving me a lesson when we have a mad dictator running our town now?" Vinyl mused, half-serious.

"It is always an appropriate time for a grammar lecture," Octavia giggled.

"Maybe. But you'll pay for it!" Vinyl laughed, finding the strength to get up and attack Octavia with tickles.

"No! Stop! Hahaha!" Octavia thrashed as Vinyl's jittery hooves sent the uncomfortable sensations all through her body.

"It's what you geeet!" Vinyl teased. The two of them wrestled for a moment in jovial fun, before stopping once Octavia felt a spike of pain in her head that she physically reacted to. Noticing the quick change in Octavia's demeanor, Vinyl asked, "What is it? What's wrong!?"

"...Nothing. Just a little pain. That is all," Octavia assured as she rubbed the bandage on her head.

"Do you need ice? Medicine!? I'll get the doctor!" Vinyl offered in a panic.

A smile appeared on Octavia's face. 'This is the true Vinyl. The kind Vinyl. She is not the monster that Berry Punch claimed. What utter nonsense. Why would I ever doubt?' Assuring Vinyl, Octavia stated, "No, I will be fine Vinyl. You mustn't worry about me." She had actually been feeling better all day, despite her worry. Though, she was now sore from the affectionate pummeling she just received.

"...Well... okay... If you say so..." Vinyl laid down beside Octavia. There wasn't much room on the small hospital bed, so she had to hang half her body off the side. "Mare, this is uncomfortable," Vinyl muttered as she strained against gravity trying to tug her down.

Octavia's smile slowly drained from her face. "...Vinyl. What is going to happen to us?"

"Hm? Whatdya mean? Like, how our relationship will change in the future?" Vinyl asked, gazing into the distance with mournful stoicism.

"No," Octavia snapped flatly. "I mean, what is going to happen to Ponyville with this... Trixie pony running about with unlimited magic power? This is fairly serious."

"Yeah... I don't know..." Vinyl answered, as the two of them just stared up at the ceiling, like they were on a hill, gazing at stars. The window shuttered with the wind as the two of them contemplated the same thoughts that almost every pony in that town were thinking that night as they huddled next to their loved ones.

"Is there anything we can do?" Octavia asked, more to herself than to Vinyl, but her bed companion heard it, nonetheless.

Vinyl thought on her attempt to stare down their captor. Was Trixie's amulet so powerful she could ignore it? Could her eyes be losing their power? Octavia gained some sort of immunity by staring her down; did that make them weaker? But that Pinkie clone was destroyed fairly easily. Vinyl didn't understand. She didn't understand why her eyes did what they did or how they worked or anything. "I don't know that either..." Vinyl muttered. "But whatever goes down, we'll be together... okay?" With that Vinyl leaned over and rested her head against Octavia.

"Mmm..." Octavia hummed, blushing up. "Okay." They stayed there for moments, enjoying the warmth of each other and that gave them the first relief they've felt all day. The distant sounds of the hospital mixed with the thunderous noises outside, but they still paled to the comforting sound of Vinyl breathing deeply beside Octavia. The DJ had closed her eyes now, and the cellist looked longingly at the snoozing pony. She didn't have to say anything. But she wanted to. "Vinyl, I must be honest with you. There is something you need to know..."

"Whazzat...?" Vinyl mumbled, dozing off.

"I was not injured by slipping. I... was in a fight. With Berry Punch. She did this," Octavia explained, trying not to overthink her words.

Vinyl bolted up. The words shocking her awake instantaneously. "...What...?" she asked, voice croaking as she turned to Octavia.

"We were arguing in there... *Ahem* In the restroom," Octavia continued, sitting up as well. "Berry Punch said... well, she said something horrible and I... I attacked her." The cellist fiddled her hooves together nervously as she admitted she was the first to strike. She didn't look to Vinyl in the slightest. "It was in defense of you, I promise! She coaxed me on... Spouting lies... Lies about you. I could not stand for it anymore." Vinyl was silent for several uncomfortable moments. "And well... here I am now. Defeated. Beaten and bruised. Heh..." Octavia let out a pathetic laugh. Vinyl hadn't interrupted or said anything else and it was making her more nervous. "I don't even know what you ever saw in her. You would not believe the fabrications she spewed. How crude she was! To think you'd ever... Unbelievable. I can't even say the word..." Octavia trailed off mostly mumbling to herself now.

"... ...What... did she say?" Vinyl asked timidly, finally adding her voice to the room.

"Oh, I'm not going to repeat it. It was lies. Falsehoods. She's just a-"

"What did she say?" Vinyl repeated.

"...I don't see the point in continuing this..." Octavia deflected. She never intended to get to this point.

"Octavia..." Vinyl insisted again, placing her hoof on her friend's hoof. "I need to know."

Finally turning to Vinyl, Octavia saw that the sunglasses were off and replaced with a worried expression. "Oh... Well... She said several things... but the main one was... well... she said you... did some sexual things to her... without consent..." Octavia wanted to continue but Vinyl had turned away. She was expecting some sort of anger. Some sort of response. Nothing. "How ludicrous. To think you'd ever..." Octavia said, trying to fill the void. Still nothing. Having enough of the sickening pit that was forming in her stomach, Octavia stuttered softly,"This... this is the part were you deny it, Vinyl." Nothing. "You're supposed to deny it..." More nothing. "... ... Why aren't you denying it?"

Vinyl turned back around, revealing she had been holding back a river of tears. With a broken voice, Vinyl answered, "Because... I don't think I have the right to..."

Author's Note

Super important note: HOLD YOUR FIRE! DON'T SHOOT VINYL! DON'T SHOOT ME! I promise, after the next 2 chapters, it'll make sense. OKAY!?!? No one needs to get shot today!

Other super important note: Sorry for taking a long hiatus after such a dark cliff-hanger. Didn't mean to leave anyone hanging after such a turn in the story. Kinda made it seem like Octavia died and that was the end. OOPS. This was not the case. I actually had this chapter nearly completed when I stopped writing.

The honest truth is I have been unhappy with the direction of the show since around Season 6. Ever since Thorax showed up and said his first line I've been-... grinding my teeth in frustration. Legend of Everfree was a huge disaster in my opinion. The theatrical movie was... not BAD by any means, but it was disappointing in many aspects. I could go into details but I'd just be ranting. Don't get me wrong, there have been some great episodes and good ideas, but overall, I'm just not feeling it anymore. I see that the show has ended, but I haven't even watched the last 2 seasons. Essentially, I've been drifting away from the franchise. It happens, I guess. (Also: I got a Nintendo Switch. So you know, Smash Bros. and Zeldas) The good news is I do intend to finish this story. I'm aiming for the end of this year. It's almost been 7 years and I need to finish. Sorry to anyone who has been here from the beginning, I never thought it'd take this long when I started.

Why yes, there was a small The Happening reference in this chapter. Thanks for asking. If you find it... you guessed it! Cookie points!

Chapter 28: An Old Story (The Burden of Knowledge Pt. 2)

Chapter 28: An Old Story

(The Burden of Knowledge Pt. 2)

It was soooo much money. Vinyl Scratch had never seen so many bits in her whole life. She couldn't fathom how in Equestria Patched Hat had earned all that money. Whenever somepony had tossed even a single coin at the two of them when they played for bits on the street corner, she had been elated. Now, she had more cold hard cash than she'd ever think she'd need. It was all there, sitting in a cart, covered in a blanket, hidden right where Patched's note said it'd be. It had always been there, locked away all those years she scrounged around, hungry and destitute.

In a way, she was angry. Vinyl never felt like Patched had neglected her. He loved her like she was his own filly. But... they could have had so much more! With all this money he had hidden away, she could have lived in a house! Gone to school, had friends! Lived a normal life! Probably would have even gotten a cutie mark by now! I mean, she's a little old to be a blank-flank. He could have provided her with greater material things... things she'd always envied. But he didn't. Instead, they had lived in back-alleys on smelly mattresses that richer ponies had decided were too old or too uncomfortable.

Vinyl fiddled with the note that Patched left before he died. She was all alone now. Just a filly on the streets, with a single piece of paper: a paper that claimed she was wanted by somepony powerful and that was the justification as to why she couldn't go to school or be registered anywhere as existing at all. Her father was dead. Her mother surely was, as well. Patched had given up his own life of comfort and wealth to save hers. Now he was gone. Now Vinyl had to figure out what to do.

The white unicorn filly groaned and sighed. She was in the little makeshift home she and Patched had shared. They jimmy-rigged some shelter together with ropes and metal sheets to keep the rain out. Whatever things the pair found they collected here. Of note was Vinyl's "guitar" that Patched had put together. It didn't work, but Vinyl loved to stroke the strings and pretend. Patched Hat's namesake top hat was sitting comfortably on the old mattress. The place where he lay and gave his last breath. Vinyl stuffed the note she had looked over many times back into the secret hiding slot in that hat before lying down on the ground and staring straight up.

She took off her sunglasses. They were junk. Only one lens was still intact, cracked though it was. The other side was taped over with black tape, with only a small pinhole poking through. Vinyl focused on the thin line of sky she could see between the two grimy buildings that surrounded her. Nopony ever came back here. Patched was gone so she didn't need to worry about him seeing her eyes. She took the opportunity to observe the brilliant blues and white above her without the usual shade.

What was she going to do?

-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~ :heart: ~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-

Manehatten's streets were so busy that the slight clip-clopping of Vinyl's tiny hooves were inaudible as she paced just outside the record store. The ponies that passed her by ignored the dirty young unicorn filly wearing broken sunglasses and contemplating whether or not she should step inside. She was not accustomed to going inside a store at all. The most she had done was buy from street vendors when she could spare the bits. But now, a little scruffy pack with a portion of Patched's inheritance hung from her back. The coins clattered as she moved, just another inaudible sound in the bustle of the big city.

'Don't be such a filly!' Vinyl thought, in an unsuccessful attempt to encourage herself. 'Just go in! Who cares how I look? They won't care! I don't even care!' Her confidence wavered at this new threshold. She sort of stood out: dirty unkept hair, blank flank, taped up sunglasses, unchaperoned with a pack of money. She never used to care about anypony else's thoughts when it was just her and Patched. He had been somepony to lean on. Now she had nopony. It was the thought of Patched's absence that made Vinyl swell up in emotion again. As she aggressively shook her head to try to clear out the sad memories, the unbalanced shades upon her face fell off and hit the concrete.

'Horsefeathers!' Vinyl cursed in her head as she shut her eyes for the safety of the ponies around her. She felt the sunglasses leave their place but didn't hear where they landed. 'Buck it all...' Vinyl crouched down and started to feel around for the lost item, keeping eyelids closed as she did. Of course, she couldn't see a thing and ended up in the path of passing ponies. One stallion who was busy looking at his watch stumbled into the crouched filly, hitting her in the side.

"Oof!" Vinyl spurted out as she fell over, almost opening her eyes in shock.

"Hey! Watch it kid! I'm walkin' 'eeere!" the grumpy stallion shouted in a strong accent as he recoiled from the collision.

"You're supposed to apologize when you run into somepony!" Vinyl shouted back as she wagged her tiny hoof angrily in the direction she thought the stallion was.

"Pft!" the stallion spit. "Don't have time for this!" He cursed some under his breath as he stepped around the complaining filly and his hoof connected with the fallen sunglasses. The already weak plastic cracked and crumbled under the full-grown stallion's weight. Surprised for a moment about stepping on something, the stallion glanced down only once at the item he broke. Without an apology, he trotted off, grumbling.

Vinyl heard the shades breaking and gasped. "No, no no..." She reached for the area, quickly found the crumbled mess and picked it up. "You... BIG STUPID JERK HEAD!" Vinyl screamed out, flailing angrily. The stallion, who couldn't care less, didn't respond and continued off. Every pony who passed noticed the angry filly on the ground flinging out juvenile obscenities with shut eyes and broken glasses, but no pony stopped to comfort her. Nopony wanted to get involved.

This was the final straw that broke the weakened dam in Vinyl. Her anger just combusted her own sorrow. She couldn't see. The world was black. She couldn't even open her eyes for fear of hurting somepony. She had nopony to help her. Patched Hat was gone. "Ughn... Waugh... Waaahhh!!!!" she started crying. The young pony didn't want to, but tears and exasperated gasps came out as helplessness filled her.

"Hey, don't cry!" a voice spoke to Vinyl as soon as she started bawling. It was a soft voice of another young filly, but Vinyl didn't care. She was too swept up in her own despair. "Oh! That guy was a jerk! It's okay!" the voice reassured, but Vinyl ignored it. She curled up on the ground, still sputtering out sobs.

'I'm all alone! Without Patched I can't do anything! I don't wanna be alone! I'm not gonna make it! I don't wanna die!' Vinyl thought in horror.

"Look, you can have mine, okay?" the voice continued despite Vinyl's dark thoughts. A small hoof placed itself on Vinyl's shoulder. Instead of embracing the empathetic gesture, Vinyl swung her hoof in defiance in that direction while still unleashing tears. "Hey! Don't be such a baby! Just put them on!" With that, the voice lost its patience and placed something forcefully on Vinyl's face.

The familiar light pressure on the sides of her muzzle made Vinyl's heart skip. She knew this feeling. Turning her head downward, just to be safe, she opened her eyes. Though she was dripping wet with tears, Vinyl could see the Manehatten concrete beneath her hooves. It appeared purple, though she knew that was not their true hue. She had sunglasses on. Purple ones. Really BIG ones. Gazing upward, now that she was protected from hurting anypony around her, she saw the pony behind the kind voice. It was an Earth pony filly, just about her own age. Her coat was a light mulberry and her mane was cerise. (Then again, from Vinyl's perspective she probably could have been any color and she'd just see purple.) The cutie mark on the flank of the pony was a bunch of grapes and a single strawberry. She was cute.

"There! That's better, right?" the little filly asked, beaming now that Vinyl had stopped sobbing. Vinyl reached up to touch the new sunglasses that had been forced upon her face. They were egg shaped with thick black rims. The lenses shifted from two shades of violet between the top and bottom. It was a moderately high class pair of shades. They were also way too massive for a pony of Vinyl's age. "Here, see how you look," the filly continued. Reaching into a pack she had set down beside her, the little Earth pony pulled out a compact mirror and held it up for Vinyl. Seeing her reflection, Vinyl saw how ridiculous the poorly sized sunglasses were, and tittered out a laugh.

"Pfft! They're kinda big," Vinyl finally spoke to the filly.

"I know... Sorry," the filly moaned. "They were gonna be a souvenir for mom."

"What? I..." Vinyl spoke almost instinctively, not really knowing what to say. Maybe she should apologize for taking the present, or thank her for the gift? There weren't any other young fillies that were homeless around Vinyl, so she had almost no interaction with anypony her own age. The words that would fall out naturally when she conversed with Patched didn't bother to show. She could do her own barking when performing for bits from strangers, but those were all adults. This filly was... at her height. Looking at her eye to eye (err... shades). It was a new feeling and it was making Vinyl's stomach start to flutter and her cheeks start to fill. Vinyl liked looking at this filly. She was very cute.

"Oh! You can keep them, though!" the little pony continued. "I'll get her something else." Looking around, the filly spotted the record store. "Ooo! Maybe something in there," she said, pointing at the very store Vinyl had been attempting to enter. The neon lights of the small store, crammed in a small slot along a busy street, read McJazzer's Record Shop. Before Vinyl could respond to any of this, the pony glanced at the watch she had around her foreleg. "Ack! I gotta go now, I hope you're feeling better!" the filly said to Vinyl before trotting happily and nonchalantly into the store.

Watching the filly bounce into the store, Vinyl's heart began to race. Without thinking and without the hesitation she had before, she hurried in after her. The store was filled with vinyl records. Rows and rows of them. There was a case against the wall with a few instruments in them, but this store was clearly for fans of listening to music rather than fans of making it. An unshaven, rough looking stallion reading the paper at the counter whistled along with the phonograph turning beside him. Vinyl ignored all this. On any other day she would have been enamored with everything in that store. But on this day, she was enamored with something else.

"W-what's your name!?" Vinyl called out as she caught up to her target who was quickly flipping through album covers. The shocked, berry-colored filly turned quickly and jumped a little, not expecting Vinyl to have followed. She relaxed after recognizing the unicorn with the large shades and red cheeks that contrasted her white coat.

"Berry Punch! What's yours?" the filly responded, keeping her attention on Vinyl but turning to continue to look through the albums.

"It's Vinyl. Scratch. *sniff*" Vinyl stuttered out, sniffing up the last of the mucus that had sneaked out when she was crying moments before. "Vinyl Scratch."

"Hey, that's cool!" Berry responded. "What do you think of this one, Vinyl?" Berry held up an album cover and handed it to her new acquaintance. "It's cute, right? That means its probably good, right?'"

Vinyl took the vinyl record. She never held a new album in her hooves before. Her and Patched used to have some old, dirty ones that barely worked that they played on the phonograph they found that was, also, old, dirty and barely worked. The sheen of the album case caught her attention. It was smooth. She rolled out the vinyl disc and admired the quality. She suddenly had the desire to sniff it to see if it smelled different when it was new.

"I... don't know unless I hear it," Vinyl finally answered, her interest in music vying against her interest in Berry. "I've never seen you before... Do you live around here?" Vinyl asked, trying to learn more about Berry while handing her the record back.

"No, I'm on vacation," Berry answered, putting the record back on the shelf. She trotted along looking at more covers. "I live in Ponyville."

Having never heard of it, Vinyl asked, "What's that?"

"A town just outside of Canterlot," Berry replied stoutly.

"...Canterlot? What's that?" Vinyl continued.

"-!!! Canterlot!? The capital? The place were the princess lives?" Berry exclaimed, stopping her perusing to stare at Vinyl in disbelief.

"...Princess...? Oh, right! The big pegasus who moves the sun!" Vinyl said, suddenly remembering. Patched had taught her about Princess Celestia and her fallen sister, but Vinyl had a bad habit of... not paying attention.

"She's an alicorn...?" Berry corrected. "Are you... okay, Vinyl? Like, in the head?" Berry continued, growing concerned.

"Yeah, I'm-!" Vinyl started to try to explain. Growing embarrassed of her lack of education, she shuffled where she stood. Her life situation crept up to interfere with her thoughts. She nervously wiped some grime off herself. She was dirty. She probably smelled. She was just a street urchin. Should she even be talking to Berry? A pretty pony, who smelled heavenly, and was well-off enough to take vacations? It probably wasn't right, but... she couldn't help it. She wanted to. She wanted to be around Berry. She... made her feel good. "It just slipped my mind... haha," Vinyl eventually said to try to explain it away.

"Okay... Hey! These guys look cool!" Berry exclaimed, losing interest in Vinyl for a moment. She picked up an album. The cover was simply a group of impossibly handsome young stallions in white suits looking pensively in different directions. Backcorral Colts was the artist and Celestial Millennium was the name of the album.

"I... think I've heard of them," Vinyl said, thinking back to when she used to stay up late, listening to the muffled humming outside of a dance club.

"Are they any good?" Berry asked.

"I think they're pretty popular..." Vinyl said, unsure.

"Okay! I'll get mom this! Thanks, Vinyl!" Berry said happily, abruptly bounding off with the product. She effectively left Vinyl, but the stubborn little unicorn filly didn't hesitate to follow her. She hadn't thanked her for the sunglasses yet, but it wasn't coming out of her mouth. Despite this, she tried to with little effect.

"I... um," was about all Vinyl could muster as Berry trounced up to the sales counter with record in hoof.

"Excuse me! I'd like this, please!" Berry announced to the shopkeeper, who put down his newspaper as she called. The unicorn stallion was gruff and brown but had a warm expression upon seeing the two young fillies in his presence. He was probably McJazzer, the namesake of the store.

"Sure," McJazzer said cheerfully, with an accent Vinyl was accustomed to hearing in Manehatten. "You must be a fan of these fellas, then young lady?" the stallion surmised based on the age of the two ponies.

"I never heard of them before," Berry replied.

"Oh, well would you like to give it a listen to first, before makin' your purchase?" McJazzer asked.

"Um, hmm..." Berry pondered as Vinyl came up beside her. The shopkeeper didn't wait for a response, he took the needle off the phonograph that was playing some old blues beside him. With a flick of magic he levitated an object from behind the counter instead and placed in front of the two fillies. It was a more modern record player than the one he had been using.

"It will only take a minute, hmm?" McJazzer offered.

"Okay," Berry responded after checking her watch again. "I got time."

Vinyl hadn't spoken up any, as she felt out of place. Her attention had been on Berry this whole time, and she felt compelled to be next to her in a way she hadn't felt about any pony else. She didn't even notice McJazzer getting the record player ready until the moment the needle hit the vinyl. (The material, not the pony.)

"YeeeaaaAAAHAHAHAHA!!!" the voice erupted from the record. The startling intro to the song was proceeded by a popping beat and electric guitar. Vinyl immediately began to slightly nod her head to the rhythm before she could even process a reaction. There were sounds she had never heard before, not clearly anyway. The muffled sounds outside dance clubs could only educate her so much to the world of music, with intermittent moments of ponies entering or exiting giving her a clearer glimpse to the world within. But now, it was right in front of her. She could listen all she wanted. Hear every detail: every note and word that were crafted to evoke a response in a pony's heart. She could... reach out to it...

"These fellas are pretty popular with the young ladies," McJazzer commented to his customer.

"Oh, I like it!" Berry exclaimed with a smile. She began to sway with the music. "I'll take it!"

"Well, all right then. Let me just-," McJazzer turned to collect the record that continued to spin and play, but froze when he beheld the little white unicorn reaching to it herself.

Vinyl's hoof cautiously descended to the smooth surface of the black vinyl record that spun before her. As she touched it, electricity coursed through her, not from the record itself or the player, but from deep within her. It flushed her with excitement and in that moment, she knew, she needed to move. She forced the record back in the direction opposite of its spin. The needle scratched along the surface as the vinyl was jerked below its pin point in a new counter-clockwise direction. The record player emitted a new noise at this new motion. Vinyl released the record as the sound she created entered her ears and it began to turn as intended once again. But Vinyl didn't allow it to go, stopping it in its tracks once again. Forcing it back, this time she didn't release, she instead drug it forward. She played with it. Back and forth it went at Vinyl's command. The new sounds it was making excited Vinyl even further. She made a new rhythm atop the one pressed into the material itself. Vinyl continued with her experiment, much to the amazement of two onlookers.

"Well, I'll be..." McJazzer muttered to himself as the little Berry Punch stood shocked beside him. The old pony smiled as his expression softened. He began to tap his hoof to the beat Vinyl was creating.

"Wow," Berry stated with surprise.

Vinyl didn't want to stop. She wanted to continue to create the sounds on the record but Berry's reaction caught Vinyl's attention. She realized she was messing with someone else's property and tried to abruptly stop. However, something within her convinced her to press on just a moment more... Just... one last scratch... As Vinyl released the record with a forceful stride, the final noise floated through the air before the song continued as intended. Vinyl stood there in a slightly silly, slightly triumphant pose. Her heartbeat was racing faster than ever before from the excitement. It felt so right, what she just did. It came so naturally. She had longed to... touch music, as crazy as that seemed, her whole life. It was always too far away, behind a wall, in a building as she stood outside. She finally was able to, in some way, touch it. It felt wonderful. It was almost... Almost as if... it was what she was meant to do.

There was a flash of light behind her, but Vinyl didn't notice. She was awestruck at what she had just done.

"Oh, wow! You got your cutie mark!" a pony said. It was Berry Punch who said that. Who was she talking about? Vinyl wondered. Berry was pointing at her. But, that would mean... Vinyl turned her head and beheld what was behind her. (Err, on her behind, I should say.)

A cutie mark. Beamed eighth notes. Though Vinyl couldn't read music, she at least knew what notes looked like.

"I... I got my cutie mark," Vinyl stated, more dumbfounded than excited, but the excitement would come next. "My cutie mark. I got my cutie mark!" Vinyl began to bounce in jubilation.

"Congratulations, Vinyl!" Berry said with as much mature sincerity a young filly could give. Unable to contain herself, she bounced along with Vinyl a bit. "You're gonna be a musician!"

"A musician!?" Vinyl squealed.

"Maybe a DJ," McJazzer stated as he watched the two fillies jump around in his store.

"A DJ?" the two fillies said in unison as they stopped bouncing and turned to the old pony.

"Sure! You just did what's called 'scratching' on that record. It's a skill DJ's have," McJazzer pointed out.

"Oh, no! Did I damage it?" Vinyl asked at the mention of scratching.

"Well, no," McJazzer fumbled out an answer as he lifted the record needle up and stopped the spinning. "It's still safe for your friend here to play."

'Friend?' Vinyl thought suddenly at the word. He turned to Berry who was smiling. 'I have a friend? I'm friends with this pony?'

"I don't want it anymore," Berry said suddenly with a pleasant smile.

"Huh!?" McJazzer blurted out comically as he was putting the vinyl record back in its sleeve. (Oops, somepony just lost a sale.)

"Vinyl should keep it!" Berry explained. "It helped you get your cutie mark! Take it and cherish it forever!"

"O-okay!" Vinyl said with glee and surprise. "I will!"

"Hey, mister! Do you have another one I can buy?" Berry asked McJazzer, who answered.

As the stallion store owner walked off and came back with an identical record, Vinyl just stood, beaming. She smiled at the record she now held in her hooves. She smiled at the cutie mark now on her flank. She smiled... at Berry.

Berry herself completed her transaction with McJazzer, noticed Vinyl and said, "Hey, that's a nice smile! That looks better on you than crying."

"Oh. Thanks, I guess?" Vinyl laughed a little in embarrassment. Why did talking to Berry feel better than anything else that had just happened?

Berry Punch looked down at her watch again and addressed Vinyl one last time, "Oops! I gotta go. It was nice meeting you, Vinyl!" With that, Berry gave her own adorable smile, shuffled her pack back on and, with her new record in a bag, scurried out the door of the shop.

Vinyl felt an emptiness fill her almost instantly. Berry was leaving. Probably forever. She had to do something. She dashed over to the door, catching it from slamming shut. "Nice meeting you too, Berry! Thanks for the sunglasses!" Vinyl called out, unsure of what else to say. Across the street, her target heard the cry and turned around. Berry waved happily at Vinyl.

"Good luck on becoming a DJ! Come see me in Ponyville sometime!" Berry shouted her final goodbye with an invitation before rushing off into the city, the last time Vinyl would see her for years.

Vinyl stood blushing at the entrance to the store. Her feelings a mix of elation and sadness. After staring down the street longingly for far too long, she returned to the counter inside the store. McJazzer was waiting with the record Vinyl had been scratching, a wise smile rested on his face.

"So, you interested in buying this record?" McJazzer asked, not crudely, but warmly.

Vinyl took the record from the stallion, and held it in her hooves. Pensively, she stared it down, deep in thought.

"Yeah. And... can I work here?" Vinyl asked finally, looking up to McJazzer.

"Oh-ho?" McJazzer responded quizzically. "What for, young filly?"

"I want to... learn more about music. I want to... I want to be a DJ!"

Author's Note

So, I uh... get a pass on my hiatus this time, right? I mean, it was 2020, right? ...Yes? No? ...Maybe?

So somebody told me this fandom is dead. Are we dead? Am I dead? ...Probably a bad time to finish this story, huh?

Look, that's probably not how DJ scratching works, but to be honest I don't care. :) It made a good paragraph. Also, it's pony fiction. Deal wit it. Eat your vegetables. Wear a mask. Get a vaccy.

...I hope everyone's doing okay during this pandemic.

Chapter 29: Motion and Friction (An Old Story Pt. 2)

Chapter 29: Motion and Friction

(An Old Story Pt. 2)

Vinyl Scratch bopped her head to the rhythm of the music playing in her headset as the train pulled into Ponyville Station. She knew the song well, she had played it in many clubs she had DJ'd in Manehatten. She casually waved her hoof to the melody of the electrically created noises. There were no words to this particular track, but she knew every note. She knew every change in tempo. She knew every time an instrument dropped out, and when it next appeared. She knew the timing of the climax and for how long the last note held. What she didn't know was the place she was traveling to.

As she stepped off the train onto the modest wooden planks of the small station platform, Vinyl took off her headset without pausing the music. She let it play, the music softly coming out the speakers, entertaining nopony else but her, as she looked around. Only two other ponies got off the train while a few were getting on. It was much less busy than the Manehatten train station she was accustomed to. She took the short trip down the stairs of the platform, past the train as it huffed out smoke. The visiting DJ looked down the train tracks as the steel and wood led to somewhere beyond the horizon. Further past that horizon stood Canterlot Mountain and the shining capital that set high upon its cliffs.

Squinting behind her sunglasses, Vinyl peered at distant Canterlot's towers. She couldn't decipher anything else, other than... it was white? She wasn't supposed to go there, anyway. Patched Hat had warned her. But Ponyville... it's close to Canterlot, but not that close, right? She'd probably be fine. At least, that's what she told herself.

Vinyl levitated her mixer and record case before seting out into the town. Never in too much of a hurry, she leisurely strolled down the roads, still bopping her head to the beat of her headset. A small fluttering in her stomach didn't stop her from looking around with interest. This was Ponyville. A certain filly she knew lived here. Or did live here. Or still does? Vinyl wasn't sure... It had been so many years since that encounter at McJazzer's. Did that pony even remember her? Would they meet? Would she be with somep... Shaking her head, Vinyl tried to push away the thoughts. She wasn't here for some sort of clandestine encounter. She probably wouldn't see her. She might not even be here.

The colorful shops and charming houses caught Vinyl's notice as she trotted around. The humble architecture emitted refreshing vibes that even Vinyl could pick up on, even though she wasn't interested in any sort of visual design. There was open space between every structure, ensuring each one had enough room to twinkle with originality. The buildings weren't crammed together so tightly that you felt like you were being squished along with them, like in a certain big city. There was even room to maneuver around street vendors that you had no interest in. (Manehatten's a Dump, Pt. 1.)

Vinyl took a deep breath. The air was clean. There were fresh white clouds above that were actually supposed to be there, instead of being left behind by overworked city pegasi. The park was well kept and trimmed without any overgrowth or decaying structures. An abundance of trees provided the town with fresh oxygen, clearing away the city smog from her lungs. And best of all, it certainly didn't reek like the back-alleys of someplace Vinyl knew. (Manehatten's a Dump, Pt. 2)

'Everypony here... is so chill!' Vinyl found herself thinking after catching notice of the citizens of Ponyville. Everypony she locked eyes with smiled or waved at her. They trotted around happily with contentment in their hearts and friendship on their minds. Fillies and colts played gleefully while old mares chatted long-windedly. Vinyl was even fairly certain she heard some ponies break out into a song for no reason. This was unlike the very busy and grumpy ponies Vinyl was accustomed to. (Manehatten's a Dump, Pt. 3)

However, Vinyl wasn't here to view the scenery, socialize or relax. She was here to DJ! She took out the map she brought with her, used town hall as a reference and followed its directions to the club she had been hired by. The flat building stuck out like a sore thu... hoof, amid the colorful town. A large banner read "Grand Opening Tonight!" as it hung from the wall. The Horseshoe wasn't as big or extravagant like the city clubs, but Vinyl was impressed by its modesty. She went inside to meet the owner, an old acquaintance of McJazzer.

"You must be the legendary DJ-P0N3!" the skinny middle aged stallion owner said as Vinyl greeted him.

"That's me!" Vinyl responded proudly. "Real name's Vinyl Scratch. Call me Vinyl. Nice to meetcha!" Vinyl had grown accustomed to meeting ponies during her years working with McJazzer. She began to show strangers her friendly exuberant side with confidence. Her popping attitude made her a favorite among customers. Once she had learned much about controlling music, she became a full-time traveling DJ. She went to several big cities and met all sorts of ponies. She was no longer that frustrated and scared filly in Manehatten. She had made a name for herself. (And she also made a very silly stage name for herself.)

Vinyl chatted with the owner, made him laugh a few times and got to work setting up her equipment. She ran checks, adjusted levels and other things that were probably important. This was the grand opening of The Horseshoe and the owner wanted it to go right. That's why McJazzer had recommended Vinyl to DJ. If there was any pony able to get an indecisive club bouncing, it was Vinyl Scratch.

The doors opened soon after Vinyl started to play. A small crowd of excited, but cautious ponies who were waiting in line outside came in. They seemed hesitant; this was Ponyville's first dance club, after all. Vinyl smiled to herself. She knew what to do. She picked the latest, the best and the most energetic tracks to get the dancing started. A few ponies perked up and timidly headed for the dance floor. As the music played, they started to move their bodies a little and they started to laugh. Their hesitancy had melted. Perfect! As soon as a few ponies started to enjoy themselves, the rest would follow. And that they did. The small crowd was almost entirely on the dance floor. Vinyl had them in the palm of her hoof. But it wasn't just them she wanted. She wanted the ponies passing by outside. They were the ones she needed to fill the ranks and make the night a success. Soon enough, curious heads outside turned towards the club. More cautious ponies came in, sometimes a single pony, sometimes a group. They all came regardless. Before long, there was a line to get in. Capacity had been reached! It was time to party!

Vinyl continued to play relentlessly throughout the night, never noticing the mulberry colored mare bouncing along in the crowd.

-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~ :heart: ~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-

The last few ponies trickled out as the doors closed. The party was over, for it was too late to stay up and dance anymore. The everyday ponies of Ponyville had to get back to their mundane work tomorrow. Vinyl exhaled as her job was done. She was tired, but giddy nonetheless.

"That- that went pretty well! Right?" the excited owner exclaimed as he shuffled over to Vinyl. He had a broom in one hoof and his attire was disheveled. "Thanks so much for coming on such short notice, Miss Scratch!"

"No problem," Vinyl beamed as she started to unhook her devices. "Aaaand... I'm pretty sure I told you to call me Vinyl," she added playfully.

"Right, sorry! It's been so hectic!" the owner responded with an exasperated sigh.

"Heheh," Vinyl chuckled. "It's all good."

"Well, Miss Vinyl, e-either way you've made tonight a success!"

"Yeah, it's kinda my thing," Vinyl waved her hoof with faux superiority as she magically packed up her belongings. "But, honestly... This was pretty rad for me, too. First time at a grand opening of a club! It was... I don't know how else to put it: it was just awesome." She wasn't just making cheep small talk, Vinyl had felt a new kind of energy in helping an unsure crowd of ponies to learn to let loose and enjoy themselves. Playing for regular club goers is one thing; they know what to expect. But surprising this small town's ponies had been a new experience for Vinyl. (There's some more new experiences coming up, but we'll get there.) The DJ chatted with the owner some more before realizing she needed to get going to catch the train. "Anyway, congrats on the opening! Just let me know when you want me back!" Vinyl waved goodbye to the owner as she trotted out the employee's entrance in the back of the club. It wasn't the middle of the night, it was later than that. Any sensible pony would have been asleep for several hours by this point, but such is the life of a DJ in demand.

"...Woah!" Vinyl exclaimed as she stepped outside into the cold night air, but it wasn't the air that startled her. Above her there were thousands... hundreds of thousands... millions, maybe... of stars. They carefully dotted the sky in a benevolent spread that may have been put into place by some graceful celestial goddess, or perhaps created through the specific calculated efforts of an indifferent universe. Eyeing them with awe, Vinyl took her sunglasses off, a practice she never did in public; she couldn't help herself. The flickering lights were so brilliant, she had to see them without the darkening of her shades. They shone without interruption, without any pony's notice, all throughout the night.

The serenity of the stars complimented the muteness of the town around her. All but the distant trill of insects had been silenced for the night, creating an unfamiliar feeling for Vinyl. She was accustomed to hearing big city noises after a club gig on her return to her home or hotel. There's activity throughout the night there and it's not hard to hear it. Laughing, shouting... fighting... screaming... sirens... The sounds that terrified her as a filly as she trembled in the alleyways. (Manehatten's a Dump, Pt. 4) There was nothing like that here, though. The peace allowed Vinyl to admire the stars without interruption. They made you feel tiny, but they didn't make you feel insignificant. Instead, they naturally expanded your perspective, making you realize how much you've yet to see in the world in comparison. Stars are special in that way. They were also special because...

"You can't see the stars in Manehatten, can you?" a cool voice spoke, startling Vinyl into thrusting her sunglasses back on her face as fast as she could. She turned to face the voice: a voice that had once saved her in her lowest moment.

"Who-!?" Vinyl spurted out as a mare stepped into view. It was Berry Punch, of course. Only, this wasn't the filly Berry Punch that helped her out when she was younger, this was full-grown Berry Punch walking towards her.

Berry snickered a little as she approached and said, "Sorry! Didn't mean to startle you!"

"Wha-!?" a dumbfounded Vinyl sputtered out. "What are you doing here?" Her question was more about seeing the pony from her fillyhood right in front of her, but it must of sounded a little different to Berry.

"Oh. ...Sorry. Y-you must think I'm some sort of fanfilly," Berry said, a tad dejected. However, it didn't stop her from explaining, "I just- I have this feeling. ...I think we've met before? I thought maybe..."

"...Berry Punch," Vinyl stated plainly and softly without any prompting to do so. She hadn't said that name aloud in years. Berry brightened up immediately upon hearing her name.

"Hey! We have met! You even remember my name!" Berry said, elated. "Color me impressed!"

A suddenly frantic Vinyl almost slapped herself to stop herself from saying, "Color you purple." It was stupid. Why did she think that? Was it funny? Was she trying to make Berry laugh? She made other ponies laugh all the time! But suddenly, it was difficult. Her brain was on fire. It couldn't tell the difference between a good joke and an awkward phrase. She couldn't tell the difference between the mare she imagined Berry to look like and the mare before her.

"Yeah, we met back at uh, McJazzer's. Manehatten," Vinyl finally managed to say instead of the bad joke. "Back when we were hehfillies," Vinyl unintentionally released a laugh at the end of her sentence. (More indication she was no longer in "chill mode.")

"...That's right! In that record store. You... you got your cutie mark! I remember now!" Berry realized, finally filling in the missing pieces. "How have you been!? You're a DJ now! Miss DJ-P0N3!"

"Yeah, it came kind of naturally after getting my mark," Vinyl explained, embarrassed. "I've- I've been traveling all over Equestria doing DJ gigs. I'm k-kind of famous now." She didn't have to add that "famous" part, but she did anyway. Was she trying to impress Berry or just explain reality? Vinyl didn't know and wasn't thinking fast enough to figure it out. Her head was a blur and she was feeling hot despite the frigid night air. She was talking to Berry again after all these years. Only... she wasn't the same filly from her memories. This mare in front of her had matured and Vinyl had done some maturing of her own. Berry wasn't just cute anymore. She was... attractive and Vinyl had noticed, as the bead of sweat that fell down her face indicated.

"Oh, are you now?" Berry giggled at Vinyl's self-promotion. "I hadn't heard anything about the world renowned DJ-P0N3 coming to Ponyville," she jabbed, looking for more cracks to break in the ice.

"Well, you... might have only heard of me in the club scene. Heheh," Vinyl admitted, laughing a little herself.

"Well, that's great anyway! And I remember it was all because of me getting that record for my mom," Berry mused. "I suppose that sorta makes me famous too!" she added with a wink.

"You don't want to be famous with club ponies, BP. They're a little wild and crazy," Vinyl joked. The reality of meeting Berry had settled in and she was beginning to get used to talking with her. The typical charm that Vinyl was known for started to come out again.

"BP? ...Oh, Berry Punch! I get it!" Berry figured out quickly.

"Yeah. That okay I call you that?" Vinyl asked as she shuffled her hooves a bit. She was accustomed to calling everypony she knew by a nickname. She never really knew why she did it.

"Sure! I've never had a nickname before," Berry mentioned. They both giggled for a bit before Berry spoke again. "Hey, that was a great show! I've never danced like that before! You really lit the place up!"

"Thanks! That's what I like to hear!" Vinyl said with a mild gesture of brushing off her shoulders.

"I guess it's good you came, um... ..." Berry started before pausing her speech for a moment (that was just a speck too long) before finishing with, "...DJ-P0N3."

"Yeah, it- ...is? Hmm?" Vinyl hummed as she noticed what Berry just said. Something was off about it. Why did she pause that long? Maybe she...? No, surely not. Vinyl decided to test it. Mouth open in a smile, she slowly pointed her hoof to her face and cheerfully asked, "Quick question, BP. What- uh... What's my name?"

Berry straightened up in a sweat at the sudden inquiry. She glanced away with her eyes nervously shaking and said, "D-DJ-P0-"

Before she could finish, Vinyl interrupted with, "That's my stage name!"

"I-I can't help it! I don't remember your name!" a giggling Berry responded. "It was years ago!"

"Hey, I remembered your name!" Vinyl retorted, rolling her eyes, but Berry couldn't see the annoyance behind those thick shades.

"Well, forgive me if I don't have your fantastic memory," Berry spouted giddily. They were arguing like old friends already.

"It's not that great," Vinyl admitted before muttering, "It's actually pretty crummy..." Of course, the only reason she remembered Berry Punch so clearly was because she thought about her almost every day. She had wondered how that filly was doing. She wondered what that filly would think of her now. She wondered how that filly had changed... how that filly had grown. But why did she think about that filly she met so much? (You, astute reader, should know the reason why.)

Vinyl had stumbled upon the truth long ago. She had accidently seen two mares kissing each other during her first year of actually attending dance clubs. The sight gave her some... shall we say, "funny feelings." She asked her mentor McJazzer about it and well, he had to explain some things. After that, she figured it out pretty quick (unlike a certain cellist who is probably sound asleep in Canterlot at this very moment.) Though she had never had a fillyfriend of her very own, she knew she wanted one. She knew what she was inside and what that meant for her memories of Berry. Or at least, she thought she knew. But she could never be sure until, this moment: when she was face to face with her again.

"Well, what is your name, then?" Berry asked, curious to solve the mystery.

"No, I'm definitely mad at you," Vinyl stated as she turned pompously, yet playfully away.

"Oh, come on! That's not fair!" Berry pouted as she poked Vinyl.

"Nope."

"Come on! Please? I feel terrible, okay?" Berry conceded, enjoying the silly conversation, but also embarrassed at herself.

"Hmmm... I could tell you," Vinyl contemplated. "But that's no fun! Let's see if we can jog your memory, instead," Vinyl decided as she magically popped open her record case. Pulling out a sleeve at random, Vinyl retrieved the record from within and presented it to Berry. "Let's have a quiz. What's this?"

"A record," Berry answered, easily.

"Good!" Vinyl praised. "Now, what's it made of?"

After a moment, Berry hesitantly answered "...R-rubber?"

"Bzzzztt!" Vinyl mimicked a buzzer sound, gleefully. "Try again, filly."

"...Plastic?" Berry attempted again, squinting like it would help her identify the material.

"No..." Vinyl replied, before realizing her mistake. "Wait, I mean, yes, sorta..." she sputtered out. That wasn't the answer she was looking for. "I guess, it's- like a type of plastic. I think..."

"Your name is Plastic Record?" Berry guessed suddenly.

"NO! It's made of vinyl! My name is Vinyl!" Vinyl exclaimed, losing her cool for a moment.

"Vinyl Record?" Berry attempted again.

"No! It's Vinyl something else," a dumbfounded Vinyl explained before adding, "You're terrible at this!"

"Well, you're terrible at giving quizzes," Berry laughed in reply.

"That's why I'm a DJ, not a teacher!" Vinyl continued sweating in embarrassment. "Now, what does a DJ do with a record?"

"They play it! Your name is Vinyl Play!" Berry cheered, enjoying herself.

"Okay, no! That's not-! What's something else a DJ does with a record? When they move it?" Vinyl spouted, exasperated. (This was a terrible idea.)

"...That's playing it!" Berry protested at the obvious.

"No, when it goes the other way, it... ...?" Vinyl pressed.

"Spins! Vinyl Spins!" Berry cheered again.

"Scratches! It SCRATCHES!!!" Vinyl exclaimed, nearly fed up.

"Vinyl Scratches!" Berry guessed one final time.

"So close!!!" Vinyl threw up her hooves in defeat as Berry fell to the ground laughing. Vinyl didn't stay mad, however; her face curled up to a grin and she too was laughing. They held their sides in pain for a bit before they both regained their composure.

Wiping a tear from her eye, Berry said, "You're really fun, Vinyl! It's late, but... you wanna hang out?"

Vinyl's heart skipped a beat. Of course she wanted to, but it was a little too sudden and Vinyl was nervous at the prospect. "S-sorry, but I gotta catch the train back to Manehatten..."

"At this hour!? How long is that ride?" Berry asked, flabbergasted.

"It's pretty long," Vinyl admitted as she shrugged. "I'll be there by morning. Life of a traveling DJ."

"Wow. You can't just stay in Ponyville for the night?" As Berry asked, Vinyl started to levitate her belongings. "You could stay at my place? I've got room." Vinyl nearly choked as she heard that offer.

"Guh!!! Uh- Well... Thanks, but... I dunno..." Vinyl wasn't bright enough to think of a good excuse, but she quickly thought of, "I'd sleep in too late..."

"No, I'll wake you," Berry pointed out plainly. "Won't you stay? I'd hate to lose touch after reconnecting with you again."

"Oh, well..." Vinyl nervously tried to think of a new reason to decline, but came up short. Was it Berry's hopeful face that made it hard for her to think? (Yes. Yes it was.) Vinyl tried to turn away to avoid that friendly smile, and ended up glancing up at the stars again. They were so peaceful. The town around her that framed the stars was peaceful too. It wouldn't hurt to stay a bit longer, right? In this peaceful place... with the pony she liked... Finding enthusiasm inside her, Vinyl relented, "Okay, okay! I'll crash at your place. I can go home tomorrow."

"Awesome!" Berry jumped, excited at the news. "Come on, it's this way!"

Vinyl followed Berry back to her home. They chatted a lot, had a late night snack and got to know each other better. For Vinyl's part, she fell in love. She knew now that she had spent this time with her. As the night grew into morning and Berry fell asleep on her bed and Vinyl curled up on the couch, she was so in love she had made a brash decision. A decision about that peaceful town and that pony she loved that lived there.

-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~ :heart: ~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-

It was months later that Vinyl Scratch and Berry Punch sat next to each other at the bar in The Horseshoe. Vinyl was off duty: the owner's son was playing some song on his perch above the dancefloor. Vinyl had been mentoring the up-and-comer for a few months, and though it wasn't as hype as her own performances, there was a modest crowd on the dancefloor anyway.

"No. I'm telling you, NO!" Vinyl said, playfully shrugging off Berry's question.

"But why!? I don't understand," Berry insisted, swinging her half empty mug of cider around as she questioned. "Manehatten's got big fancy buildings... and glamour and... clubs! We don't have clubs! We only have one club. There's only *hic* one club in Ponyville!"

"Yeah, I know, BP," Vinyl pointed out, rolling her eyes behind her shades.

"This place has nothing special! Our library doesn't even have a librarian!" Berry droned on. "Not that I don't like it here, it's just... I don't get why in Equestria you moved here!? *hic*"

"It's a secret," Vinyl hummed, blushing a little as she sipped her beverage. "A girl's gotta have her secrets."

"Ugh!" Berry uttered, defeated as she collapsed to the counter, miraculously not spilling the rest of her drink.

"What brought this on, anyway?" Vinyl asked, amused.

"I dunno," Berry admitted as she looked to her mug. "Probably the cider."

"Filly, it's always the cider!" Vinyl quipped.

"Oooooh!" Berry turned to Vinyl as if the unicorn's words had cleared everything up. "Here, have some!" she offered with grin. Despite the intoxication, she beamed a cuteness that Vinyl couldn't resist, but had to anyway.

"Ahaha. Naw, that's okay, BP," Vinyl turned down the offer with a hoof gesture.

"You never drink my cider *hic*," Berry mournfully retracted her mug after hiccupping again and looked down at the remainder of the liquid.

"No way! You'd get mad if I did!" Vinyl exclaimed with a smile.

"That's right!" Berry admitted, gleefully, before shoving the wooden mug at Vinyl again and saying, "I wanna get mad at you! Here, have some!"

This was not an unusual scene for Vinyl now. She had gotten used to Berry's contrasting behavior will drinking. Even though she was a polite and well-mannered pony, Berry became giddy and affectionate after a couple mugs. When Vinyl first moved to Ponyville, she attempted to join Berry in the revelry, but never took a liking to the alcohol, after some incidents in the restroom. Nowadays, she kept to the non-alcoholic selection.

"No, no. You can have the rest of it! I insist!" Vinyl maintained, pushing the mug back to her friend.

"Ohh! How nice!" Berry responded before she quickly slurped up the rest. Once her cup was empty, Berry stared pensively at it for a moment before sincerely asking, "...Have I had enough alcohol?"

"N-no?" Vinyl shrugged at the sudden question. "You can probably have another one before you start to... get weird?" she guessed after recalling previous evenings at the bar.

"Oh, thanks! Apple...Scratch!" Berry cheered.

"It's Vinyl Scratch, and you know that!" Vinyl laughed.

As the bartender handed the new drink to Berry, two handsome, eligible stallions came up behind Vinyl and Berry. One nervously shuffled his hooves while the other confidently strode up to the two mares.

"You two having a good time?" the brave stallion asked, loudly enough for Vinyl and Berry to take notice of him.

"Buck off, cheekbones. We're not interested," Vinyl spat with the thickest Manehatten accent she could produce upon seeing the stallions.

The brave stallion was taken aback, and stuttered, "H-hold on, I haven't even-"

"Pick up somepony else. I told you: not interested," Vinyl repeated, colder than before.

"I might be interested," Berry piped up.

"No, you're not," Vinyl said with a laugh as she turned Berry back around to her drink.

"Oh, you're right! I wasn't!" Berry admitted as she started to drink again, not noticing the two stallions sulk away. "Another round!" Berry hollered after finishing her drink.

"Wait, hold up!" Vinyl clamored, shocked, "BP, I said you're gonna get weird!"

"That's okay! *hic*" Berry cheered before her head plummeted down to Vinyl's shoulder. Vinyl jumped a little and became flushed at the unexpected contact. Berry began to breathe in and out slowly like she was asleep, but she was just taking a break and resting her eyes after her outbursts had drained her. The dance music continued to play on behind them with a tune that wasn't exactly complimentary to the sentimental scene.

Berry continued softly, "It's okay... because... you'll always take care of me, Vinyl." Her voice was quiet and sweet, yet Vinyl heard her clearly. Berry's loving words sent a sensual shock through Vinyl, but she resisted it. Vinyl had been living with her feeling bottled up these few months living in Ponyville. She didn't want to ruin what she had with Berry. After all, Berry had made it obvious she was into stallions. Just being friends with Berry hurt, but... being near her was worth the pain. "You'll always protect me... Won't you, Vinyl?" Berry asked, sleepily.

"Yeah. Always," Vinyl replied without hesitation.

"You won't let me go home with some bad pony, will you?" Berry breathed.

"No. I won't. ...Berry."

She didn't notice the dropping of the nickname, but Berry still looked up to Vinyl. Instead of smiling, Berry struck a funny face as she stared at Vinyl's glasses. "Those things look familiar," she said suddenly, ruining the mood.

"Uh... What? My shades? I always wear these?" Vinyl pointed out.

"No, like..." Berry leaned back, placing her hooves on her head, and muttered, "I think I'm receiving a vision from my fillyhood... It's a... a vision of purple sunglasses..."

"Um... You gave these to me when we met as fillies?" Vinyl explained, dumbfounded. She was fairly confident Berry knew this already. I mean, Vinyl had told her. ...Didn't she?

"Wait!? Those are the same ones!?" Berry recoiled in shock.

"Wait!? I never told you that!?" Vinyl flinched after realizing.

-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~ :heart: ~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-

Vinyl rushed up to Berry, who was face down on a table in the park. "Berry! What happened?" Vinyl called out as she arrived. "I heard somepony say you were crying all alone out here!" She placed a comforting hoof on Berry's shoulder as she sobbed.

"V-V-Vinyl!" Berry stuttered out as she revealed her snot and tear-soaked face. Through gasps of air and misery she tried to explain. "It- it- it's- it's-"

"Filly, what's wrong!?" Vinyl asked as Berry grabbed ahold of her and squeezed out a comforting hug.

"We- we- we... BROKE UP!!!" Berry hollered for the whole park to hear.

"...Oh, that's- !" Vinyl had to stop herself from saying, "That's great!" Instead, she mustered out a slightly bemused, "Oh, Berry that sucks." To Vinyl's dismay, Berry had been seeing an uninteresting stallion for a few weeks. Although Vinyl was heartbroken, she supported Berry's romance as best she could without getting too involved. However, it seemed Vinyl's misery was at an end, and Berry's had just begun.

"He- he- doesn't want to see me any- anymore! Guh! Gnnff!" Berry sobbed, burying her head in Vinyl's chest.

"Just... let it out," Vinyl comforted, stroking Berry's poofy mane. Vinyl had no idea if the words she was using were going to help Berry or not. She never had to comfort a friend after something terrible happened to them. Berry was... well, her first friend. Sure, she was friendly with everypony, but nopony had gotten close as Berry had. ...Close enough to drop the nicknames. Close enough to be the pony they relied on. Without thinking about it, she ended up saying the words she wanted to hear herself, all those years ago, after Patched Hat died: "You'll be fine without him."

"No! No, I won't! My life is over!" Berry declared as she relieved Vinyl of the embrace. Viciously rubbing her eyes to try to clear those salty tears, she announced, "I need a cider!"

"Woah, filly, I don't think-," Vinyl tried to persuade at the mention of Berry's favorite drink.

However, Berry was having none of it when she interrupted with, "NO! Cider! Now!"

"Berry! I'm DJing tonight!" Vinyl continued, regardless. "I can't keep an eye on you! Not a good time for you to go overboard! You'll make a bad decision." The DJ had learned her friend's habits. When they attended the bar together when Vinyl wasn't working, Berry got a bit more liberal with her drinking. Her friend was there to protect her, after all. On nights were Vinyl was at the turntables, Berry never indulged too much. She normally had at least that much self-control. But now...

"I'm not going to go overboard! *sniff*" Berry pouted as she inhaled some loose mucus.

"Yeah, you are," Vinyl pointed out plainly.

"Guh! *sniff* Wa- waaaaauuggghh!" Berry burst into another crying fit after being blocked from alleviating her sorrows.

"Filly, don't make a scene!" Vinyl raised her head up in exasperation. There were indeed a few groups of ponies in the park. Most had noticed Berry crying, but only a few had considered going over to talk to her. They all opted not to interfere once Vinyl arrived. They went about their own business, planning decorations for the Summer Sun Celebration in a week. It was being held in Ponyville this year! (How fun and completely routine!)

"*Huff* *huff* *huff*" Berry breathed rapidly as she tried to contain her emotions. She swallowed some mucus down before speaking properly, though her voice was not its chipper self. "Vinyl... please... I'm not going to make it through the night without it..."

"...Oh, come on... ugh," Vinyl deflated with disappointment. She couldn't actually stop Berry anyway, only advise her as a friend, but she wanted to protect her anyway she could. "Okay, but can't you at least, you know, go home and drink there?"

"No, I want- *sniff* I want to go to The Horseshoe," Berry insisted.

"I can't keep an eye on you, filly..." Vinyl restated, her voice gentler and more persuasive. "You'd be safer at your house..."

"But... I want to be near yo-," Berry stopped herself abruptly. She looked away, eyes darting to and fro as she thought of the right words. "-ur music... Your music always cheers me up," she finally offered.

"Oh, well... I guess it would," Vinyl recognized as she contemplated this situation after the compliment.

"I'll feel better and then, I promise I'll only drink a little," Berry said, reaching out to grab Vinyl's hoof. She whimpered and pleaded with her eyes. "Please?" The last bit of sweet talk and hoof-holding turned Vinyl to her side.

"You- ...ugh," Vinyl sighed in defeat. "Alright... What the hay," she relented, unable to argue with her friend anymore.

"Oh, Vinyl! Thanks!" Berry cheered as she squeezed Vinyl in a friendly hug.

"Looks like you're feeling better already," Vinyl mentioned as she returned the embrace as she always had. She held tight and with sincerity. She wished the contact would last longer, but Berry soon let go and she was forced to do the same.

"Well, it's because I have such a good friend to cheer me up," Berry replied, beaming brightly. She wiped the last of the tears off her face as her eyes were now starting to feel the post-cry dryness, so she didn't notice Vinyl turn away and blush.

"No problem," Vinyl replied as she scratched her head with embarrassment. "Come on, I gotta get back." They trotted off to The Horseshoe together. Vinyl had already been there setting up when she heard about Berry. Upon returning, there was a line waiting for the doors to open. With a few words, Vinyl was able to get Berry past the bouncer, who knew them both, despite complaints from the ponies in the line. It was opening soon, so nopony would be waiting long anyway.

Once inside, Berry gently tapped Vinyl's shoulder. "You have to finish getting ready?" she asked with a smile.

"Yeah," Vinyl replied, nonchalantly.

"Okay, I'll be over at the bar. I'll see you afterwards?" Berry asked.

Vinyl studied her friend for a moment before responding, "Yeah, I'll see you then." Berry's demeanor had improved a great deal already. So much so that Vinyl began to think, 'Does she really need a drink? She doesn't really look like she "can't make it through the night." I guess that means she'll be fine?' As she returned to her stand to finish setting her DJ equipment up, she couldn't shake the feeling that maybe she should have handled this whole situation better. Was she wrong to try to tell Berry what to do? To stop her from coping? Did she give her enough support? Maybe it was wrong to give in to her demands, instead? In the past she has certainly drunk more over less, so maybe bringing her here was a mistake? Vinyl couldn't assuage the worry in her stomach when she glanced over at Berry who was chatting with the bartender.

As the venue opened and ponies began their usual partying, Vinyl tried to keep an eye on Berry. However, the darkness and the distance complicated things. She frequently glanced towards the bar but all she could really do was check to see if there was still a vague silhouette with a poofy mane still sitting where Berry was. Luckily, Vinyl had a trick up her sleeve. With her special spell, she was able to coat her eardrums in a magic veil. Once she cast it, she was able to distinguish the voices of every pony in the club despite the intense, pulsating music. With each voice separated in her head, she was able to focus on the voice of the only pony she cared about. She checked to make sure the only words coming out of Berry's mouth were related to refilling her mug. The tension in Vinyl was like a wave. Every time Berry ordered more to drink, Vinyl shot up with anxiety. Then came the slow, lingering dread as she braced to hear some lame pickup line of some stallion hoping to score. It never came, so she began to relax until her nerves inevitably shot up once again at the next drink.

As she was concentrating elsewhere, Vinyl's DJing began to waver. Her mistakes began to pile up: forgetting to switch to a new track, stopping in the middle of scratching and even pulling out a cord. They were mistakes not even rookies made. Soon, she began to hear the voices from the crowd saying things like, "What's she doing?" and "What's wrong with this DJ?" Flustered from her own mistakes, Vinyl cursed under her breath and tried to focus on her job. But just as she did, she heard the words she had been dreading.

The words came from Berry and they said, "...Okay, I'll go with you."

Vinyl's stomach sunk into a pit. She felt like she was teetering on the edge of a cliff with those words. Her natural instincts were screaming at her to stop from falling, but instead she leapt. Without thinking, Vinyl bounded off the DJ stand to the floor below and pushed through the crowd. Her heart raced as fear and regret shot their venom through her veins. It took her a moment to breach the shallow sea of ponies, but, upon arriving, she saw Berry take the stallions hoof and start to walk towards the exit.

"NOPE! NUH-UH!" Vinyl shouted as she magically pushed the stallion and Berry apart.

"Hey!" the stallion cried as the magic abated.

"Sorry, bud," Vinyl said as she faced the stallion. "She's not going anywhere with you!"

"What gives?" the stallion replied. "She just said she would! Who in Equestria are you, anyway?"

"I'm her BEST FRIEND!" Vinyl shouted. "Now, back off." A few ponies had turned to watch, despite the music still playing without a DJ in the background. The stallion looked confused and hesitant before retreating to find other prospects. Vinyl huffed and turned to Berry who was on shaky legs. "Filly, you okay? I knew it! I told you it was a bad idea to drink tonight! You almost left with that guy!"

Berry just stared at Vinyl with a look of shock and... something else. "... Oh, sorry..." she finally said. "You- you're right..."

"Okay, we need to get you home... you shouldn't be here right now," Vinyl concluded. Berry agreed without any resistance. After apologizing to the owner, who got his son to finish DJing the night, Vinyl escorted Berry outside. The muffled thumping of the club faded in the distance as Vinyl and Berry shuffled slowly along. "What the hay was all that about feeling better?" Vinyl demanded, her concern and annoyance vying for control over her tone.

"I... don't know," Berry said solemnly, hanging her head in defeat. "I guess I had too much to drink..."

"You don't look like you've had too much..." Vinyl pointed out. 'And I was counting,' she thought secretly.

"Oh, well... yeah... I guess not," Berry admitted. Though she had plenty, she wasn't hiccupping, slurring her words or even wobbling that much. It was her normal amount.

"I don't understand," Vinyl started, as she halted their traversal to face her friend. "If you weren't completely out of it, why did you agree to go with that stallion?"

"I don't... ...know," Berry repeated, not answering the question. She hung her head with disappointment in a way that Vinyl had never seen her do before.

Trying to reprimand and comfort her at the same time, Vinyl said, "Look, I know he meant a lot to you... But... you can't just go trotting off with the first stallion that smiles at you just because you broke up." She placed a comforting hoof on Berry's shoulder. "It's not smart. And you're the smart one between us, so you should know that," Vinyl finished with a grin, hoping the playful compliment would cheer Berry up.

Berry didn't respond in kind and just muttered, "I'm sorry..."

Vinyl sunk and sighed in defeat. "Alright, well... We can talk about this in the morning." She turned to continue their trek. "Let's... just get you home."

Berry followed Vinyl for a few moments in silence before saying, "...I'm too tired... ...Let's go to your house... It's closer..."

"It's not that much closer..." Vinyl pointed out, unfazed. "Come on, you can make it."

"... ... ...I want to go to your house," Berry repeated, somehow being stern and pouty at the same time.

"Uh, what for?" Vinyl asked, turning to look at Berry who was still hanging her head.

"...Please?" Berry whimpered.

"...Okay, okay," Vinyl conceded. They didn't have to travel much farther to reach Vinyl's house. "You know how dirty it is?" Vinyl checked before unlocking the door and opening it up.

"Mmm..." Berry nodded. She'd been over many times and was accustomed to Vinyl's mess. The two entered the home as Vinyl turned on the lights.

"Go ahead and take the bed," Vinyl offered.

"Okay..." Berry muttered as she headed over to the stairs. Once she was about halfway up, she stopped for a moment. "Vinyl?" She called out to her friend, turning to look at her for the first time since leaving the club.

"Yeah?" Vinyl answered, hopeful Berry would say something to explain herself.

"... I... ... Nevermind. ...Goodnight," Berry muttered.

"...Oh. Okay. Goodnight," Vinyl replied. She sat down on the couch on top of some old loose boxes. She listened carefully as Berry's hoofsteps upstairs ended and the muffled squeaking of her bed signaled that Berry had laid down. She sighed. It was way too early for her to go to bed herself. Her heart was racing anyway, so it was doubtful she'd fall asleep anytime soon. She couldn't work on her keyboard (which hasn't been damaged by a magical explosion, and probably never will) or it'd disturb Berry. She couldn't clean up downstairs because... well... You know. She didn't want to. She wondered briefly about the club. Her DJ protégé was probably doing fine... she didn't really need to return. Her stomach sunk at remembering how badly she was doing anyway.

'He'll be fine,' Vinyl thought, trying to reassure herself of anything at this point. '...Which is more than I can say for Berry...' With a groan Vinyl got up and headed to the bathroom. With sunglasses off, she splashed her face with water. She stared at herself in the mirror. Unable to look anywhere else, she glared at the reflection of her vibrant red eyes. Her vision started to get blurry and she started to feel dizzy. An annoyance, but nothing serious. This was the extent of their power over herself. She didn't know what it felt like for other ponies to see her eyes. Patched Hat had described it as... horrible. Painful. That's all Vinyl really knew. Shaking her head, she wasn't thinking about her cursed eyes, she was thinking about Berry.

Did Vinyl do everything she could have? Had she been the best friend she could have been? Being a friend was still unfamiliar territory for Vinyl. She began to doubt her own actions. Berry had been upset at the park, but now she was just... Solemn? Sullen? Somber? Though she didn't know those exact words, Vinyl knew the emotions they represented. ...Was something else wrong with Berry? She was acting so unusual. Vinyl groaned at her own anxiety. It was so unlike her to stress out like this. But... for Berry... caring about her came before selfishness, or music, or anything else in life.

'This isn't right...' Vinyl thought as she dried her face. 'Berry's never been this sad before... I need to... check... I can't just... leave her alone if something else is wrong... She was about to tell me something...' Determined to be a good friend, Vinyl resolved to check on Berry once more. Without any more hesitation, she hurried upstairs and peered into the dark bedroom. She softly called out, "Berry?"

"Mmm..." was the muffled sound Berry made in reply. "Vinyl?" she answered weakly as she peered up over Vinyl's covers to see her friend's silhouette in the backlight in the doorway.

"Uh, yeah," Vinyl awkwardly started, shuffling in her place just outside the room. "Look, I know I said we'd talk later but... Like, you seem like you wanna say something, I mean... You were about to, you know, on the stairs there..." Vinyl was fumbling her words out, unsure of what exactly to say to coax an answer from Berry. "If, like, you do wanna say something, you know I'd listen... So... Like... Well... What I'm trying to say is: can we talk?" She waited as patiently as she could for Berry to respond as she peered into the dark room.

"...Come here..." the soft voice from within called.

"Okay, cool. *ahem*" Vinyl cleared her throat as she headed inside. "I'm turning on the light." She didn't give much heads up before she did. Berry shielded her eyes from the dim lantern's glow as Vinyl came up to the bed and stood stiffly beside it. "Okay, so. Is there anything, you know, that's on your mind? Or, you know, anything to tell me or, you know, ask me?"

"...Could you get in the bed?" Berry asked innocently as she pulled back the covers and patted the spot beside her.

Vinyl shot up at the suggestion. "I don't- I don't think that's a good idea..." she sputtered out, despite every fiber of her being suddenly catching fire and begging her to do it.

"Oh," Berry sighed, looking dejected. "...It'd make me feel better if you slept in here with me..."

"In that case: okay!" Vinyl found herself blurting out after the burning within her became too much to bear. After lowering her ears in embarrassment at her unexpected outburst, she tittered out a laugh. Berry responded with a short teehee of her own. After Berry patted the bed again, Vinyl shuffled onto it beside her, mirroring her as she laid back down on the pillow. The pillow was soft enough, but it still pressed Vinyl's glasses into the side of her muzzle, becoming very uncomfortable. However, the joy of laying down next to Berry, faces so close, staring into her best friend's eyes, numbed the pain of the shades.

"Hee-hee," Berry giggled quietly as she pulled the covers over both of them. "This is like a slumber party. I feel like a filly again."

"Oh, heh heh," Vinyl chuckled, "Is this what they're like?"

"...Oh, right," Berry remembered. "You were homeless as a filly... I'm sorry, I didn't..."

"It's okay," Vinyl dismissed with a shrug. "That's behind me."

"...You started with nothing, yet you accomplished so much..." Berry mused quietly. She smiled weakly at Vinyl and said, "I'm so proud of you."

"Thanks!" Vinyl grinned. "I did work pretty hard, you know? It wasn't easy getting my cutie mark later than everypony else. Working for McJazzer, when I hadn't even gone to school. Learning how to- Hold up! Wait a minute!" Vinyl stopped her spiel once she realized what she was doing. "I'm not here to brag about me!"

Berry laughed softly at Vinyl's little impromptu biography. "Heehee! You're so much fun Vinyl. ...That's what I like about you..."

"Well, I try," Vinyl mumbled sheepishly. "But enough about me, already! I'm worried about you," Vinyl said as she took Berry's hoof under the covers. The broken-hearted pony's disposition had improved again, but Vinyl still had her concerns. "Are you okay? I'm asking seriously here. And I want you to answer seriously."

They held hooves for a moment as Berry privately wrangled her own thoughts. She wore an expression of exhaustion and worry as she did. But, once she took a good look at Vinyl, relief and acceptance washed over her instead. "...You really do care about me..." Berry whispered to herself, so inaudibly that Vinyl couldn't hear it. Berry's eyes then darted back and forth between what she could make out of Vinyl's eyes behind those sunglasses. She had heard the sincerity in Vinyl's voice and saw the earnestness in those eyes. As Vinyl held it, Berry pushed her hoof slowly towards Vinyl's body. She rested it on Vinyl's chest and felt the rapid thumping of the burning heart within.

"Hmm?" Vinyl hummed, as Berry hadn't answered her question and instead just touched her.

With her other hoof, Berry touched her own chest. She could feel what she already knew: her own heart was beating just as fast. The rhythmic pounding of the two hearts brought a calmness over Berry as she exhaled and smiled.

"Uh... Berry?" Vinyl pressed. She didn't understand what Berry was doing, though she was quite happy with how Berry was touching her. She was still holding the hoof on her chest and didn't know whether to release it or squeeze tighter.

Without another word, Berry sat up in the bed and pulled off the same covers she had just put on moments ago. With delicate grace she flowed over to Vinyl and put herself above her on the bed. Berry lifted Vinyl's hoof, and though her eyes were locked on Vinyl's face to watch her expression, she slowly brought it to her mouth and gently pecked a kiss on it.

"B-Berry..." Vinyl gasped out. 'What the-! She's never done anything like that before!' Vinyl thought, frantically. 'Why would-?' Her thoughts were cut short as Berry raised her hoof again. This time, Berry closed her eyes as she made numerous kisses on it. Each press of the lips caused the hairs on Vinyl's body to stand up, like a frightened animal. Vinyl could feel her chest start to tighten. 'This can't be happening!' When Berry was finished, she looked to Vinyl again. Once she had, Vinyl finally saw the desire in Berry's amorous gaze. She understood what was about to happen. Vinyl's breaths became shallow and rapid. Every noisy insect outside was muted by the unreal ringing in her ears. There was no more room for blood to flush her blushing face.

Seeing Vinyl's body react was all Berry needed. She let her knees buckle and laid her lower body onto Vinyl's. The warm contact made them both shiver a little at the change in temperature. Berry then took Vinyl's head in her hooves. She couldn't see well behind those shades, but Vinyl's eyes were wide and white. "Vinyl..." was all she said before she closed her eyes and went down to where Vinyl's lips were. Vinyl's shock stopped her from returning the gesture at first, though her body was burning her to a crisp as Berry kissed her. All she could do was open her mouth in slack-jawed awe. Berry took the opportunity and pushed her tongue into Vinyl's mouth.

"Mmmmff!" Vinyl squirmed at the unexpected presence in her mouth, closing her eyes and arching her body. Her tongue shook and jiggled as Berry rubbed hers against it. The sensation was incredible yet completely different from what Vinyl had imagined it to feel like. She instinctively grabbed Berry's forelegs as they held her head. She finally tried to return the kiss, making her own motions as she did, but she had no idea what she was doing.

After a moment more of pressure, Berry finished and raised up her head, a thin strand of saliva hanging from her mouth. Her face was blushing now as well, as she caught the intimate liquid from her lips on the back of her hoof and sensually lapped it up.

Vinyl couldn't speak. She couldn't even utter any sounds. She had just been kissed by her best friend. Her first kiss had been with her best friend. Her brain was obstructed with the multitude of thoughts. The thoughts tried to race by, as there were so many of them, but they became cluttered. 'That felt so amazing... She feels so warm laying on me... Why is she doing this...? I can't believe she stuck her tongue in... Why did I squirm like a filly...? Is she going to kiss me again...? I don't understand... I want to kiss her again... I want to push her down and kiss her... Are we going to have s-?'

"I broke up with him because..." Berry interrupted, unprompted. "...Because when I was with him... I couldn't stop thinking of you..."

Vinyl took several heavy gasps before being able to form a sentence. Her voice wasn't a loud upbeat one that sought attention. It wasn't an awkward one that didn't know how to talk to an old acquaintance. It wasn't a worried sisterly one that tried to comfort a friend. It was timid and quiet, yet brimming with anticipation: a voice scared that it had finally reached the very edge of getting everything it ever wanted. "Are you... serious?"

"Hmmhmm..." Berry responded with a little nod. "I think I love you, Vinyl..."

Vinyl didn't wait another moment. She burst on the inside. The pressure from refraining blew apart whatever remained of her restraint. She rocketed up and grabbed Berry and forced her down on the end of the bed. Berry squeaked a little at the unexpected strength. Vinyl's whole body shook as she tried to mimic the position Berry had taken above her, resting her lower body on Berry and taking her head in her hooves. She breathed heavily above Berry, waiting for something romantic to come out of her lips, but nothing did.

Berry ended up taking the cue, and said, "I like it better from down here anyway."

"Berry... I..." Vinyl managed to say after being spoken to.

"You don't need to say anything," Berry assured. "You just need to kiss me..."

So, Vinyl did just that. She went down to the pony she held in her shaking hooves and planted an unconstrained kiss on her. The passion in her body caused her to twitch uncontrollably as she smacked her lips against Berry's. Vinyl knew she was inexperienced. She had tried practicing on a pillow while thinking of Berry, but nothing had prepared her for the real thing. Luckily, Berry didn't mind Vinyl's imperfect motions. "Mmmph..." Vinyl let out her first moan, prompting Berry to do the same.

"Mmmm..." Berry responded as she continued to kiss. She reached her hooves up to wrap around Vinyl's neck, and pull her tightly down. She had been in this position before with a few different stallions. But, Vinyl was different. She was a mare. She was equal in size, not overbearing. She was smooth, not rugged. Her voice was light, not deep. Berry began to love all these things in a way she never thought was possible. She never imagined she could love a mare before. But, with Vinyl, it seemed so right.

After making out for a while longer, the two ponies separated mouths for a moment. "Berry... I wanted you for so long..." Vinyl admitted through gasps of breath. She finally had clarity and, though she been focused on kissing, she had time to think. She wanted Berry to know. "Ever... ever since we were fillies, I knew I liked you..."

"Ever since I gave you these," Berry noted as she reached up to touch the rim of Vinyl's sunglasses. "You can take them off, you know," she instructed as the ridiculous looking things ruined the mood.

"Ugh!" Vinyl reacted a bit at the suggestion. Her ears turned down in shame. "...I can't do that..." she said.

"Oh, I know, I know. You've told me," Berry complained as she rolled her eyes. "You have some weird eye scar. Whatever. Just leave them on." With her hooves wrapped around Vinyl's neck to support her, she pulled herself up to Vinyl's face and whispered, "We can work around it..." as she placed a new kiss on Vinyl's lips.

Those two ponies made love that night. They didn't rest until they were both satisfied and they drifted off to sleep.

-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~ :heart: ~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-

Berry Punch woke up, but unlike normally, she was not the least bit hungover. (Hooray!) Recalling the events of the previous night, she looked down to confirm that Vinyl was still sleeping next to her, stupid shades still resting on her face. Berry giggled.

"We finally did it, Vinyl," Berry whispered as Vinyl snoozed. She snuggled up to her new love. After a few minutes of just breathing in sync with Vinyl, Berry poked her head up again. "It couldn't hurt... to take a little peak," she mused. She carefully reached over to Vinyl's sunglasses and lifted them off the sleeping pony. She had always been curious. Vinyl never took the things off herself. She said she had an eye scar that she was embarrassed about, but Berry wasn't convinced. She could sort of see Vinyl's eyes through those glasses and they appeared normal enough. It was time to find out for sure. Setting them aside, she positioned herself over Vinyl's body like she had done last night and leaned in close to her face. Squinting carefully in the morning light, she took her hooves and delicately raised both of Vinyl's eyelids up.

RED.

It HURT. It BUCKING HURT. How? How could just the sight of something hurt SO BAD!? Her brain couldn't handle the sensation of every nerve in her body firing off, over and over and over AND OVER AND OVER AGAIN IN PAIN. What should have been a small dull red pair of eyes became an exuberant and all-encompassing sky that slammed into Berry's vision. The enormity of it crushed her. Her body struggled as it was crinkled, each bone popping apart so it could be compressed further down to the smallest atom. As her body collapsed as it was being squeezed, her throat began to fill with a pressure that expanded, ripping her cells apart, choking her with the force.

It lasted so long. Pain should eventually dull, but this... this kept getting worse. Each brief interval of time multiplied her agony exponentially. It kept hitting, harder and harder than before. A body shouldn't even be able to register pain on this level, yet it kept coming, breaking the limits of physical anguish each time. Stronger. Stronger. Stronger still.

Berry couldn't move. Her body frozen as her hooves held up the eyelids that revealed her torturer. Berry didn't have any thoughts. She couldn't think. If she could, they would have been horrible thoughts. Thoughts like, 'Why won't it end!? Why can't I blink!? Why doesn't Vinyl ever blink!?!? It's been hours! WHY HASN'T SHE BUCKING BLINKED!?!?!? I CAN'T TAKE IT ANYMORE!!! I CAN'T BUCKING TAKE ANYMORE!!! KILL ME!!! KILL ME NOW!!! PLEASE!!! SOMEPONY KILL ME!!! SOMEPONY PLEASE BUCKING KILL ME!!!'

Vinyl blinked as she roused from her slumber. "Mmm... Berry?" Vinyl mumbled out as Berry stood above her in the same position she had been trapped in for two hours. "Hm! Berry!?!?" Vinyl shouted at seeing Berry's dilapidated form.

Berry Punch was absolutely soaked wet with sweat, as was the whole bed. She had grown thin, like she hadn't eaten in months; the bones from her ribcage pushed out skin that had become wrinkled and pale. Every muscle in her body kept spasming randomly as strands of hair from her mane and tail fell out. One of her eyes was dilated beyond what was normally possible while the other was impossibly constricted. A mixture of tears and blood rained down from those ragged eyes, accompanying the blood leaking out from her sealed lips. Her cheeks were full and bulging, her throat heaving. Having finally been released, Berry collapsed, rolling off the bed to the floor below.

"BERRY!?" Vinyl shrieked as Berry hit the wood planks and released the red liquid stored in her cheeks. She spat up a mouthful of blood on Vinyl's piles of clothes, as she finally closed her eyes and held them down tight. Berry immediately began to cough and cry. "BERRY, WHAT HAPPENED!?" Vinyl screamed as she hopped off the bed to her friend's side. She tried to pick Berry up, but the pony's weak body just collapsed back to the floor.

"WAAAAAUUUUUGGGHHHHHHH!!!" Berry cried. It wasn't the crying of a broken-hearted pony. It was the crying of a pony who had almost died.

"Oh, Celestia, what do I do!?" Vinyl screamed, panic flooding her. All she could think to do was hold Berry and try to comfort her. "You'll be okay! You'll be okay! I swear!"

Berry began to make her first movements, pushing against Vinyl to try to get away from her. However, Vinyl just held tighter. She tried to make words, but nothing but burnt coughs came out. "*COUGH!* *COUGH!* Y- *COUGH!*"

"What's wrong! What happened!?" Vinyl continued to cry out as her own tears began to well up and slide out.

"*COUGH!* Y- *COUGH!* You-!" Berry managed to get out, her voice bleak and ruined, but Vinyl heard it nonetheless. Vinyl's stomach dropped at hearing it. She reached up. Her sunglasses were gone.

"NO! You saw them!" Vinyl twisted around, shutting her eyelids as quickly as she could.

"You- you- *cough* *HUUURP-BLEEEUUUGGHH!!!*" Berry continued, before vomiting more blood, this time all over the legs of the pony holding her.

"No! I didn't mean to-!" Vinyl sobbed as she frantically felt around the bed for her shades, her hoof dabbing the sweat-soaked covers with bits of Berry's blood. Finding them, she put them on and turned to face Berry, though the suffering pony turned away. "Berry! I'm sorry! I'm so sorry!"

"SHUT UP!!! *HURP*" Berry suddenly screamed before stopping herself from vomiting again. Vinyl shook at the outburst. Strength was gradually returning to Berry. She began to be able to talk, albeit through gasps of air. "You- you- *cough* lied! You- lied- to- me-!"

"F-filly!? What!? We have to get you to the hospital!" Vinyl cried.

"You- lied!" Berry continued, her gasps of air becoming less frequent, as she regained more autonomy over her body and her speech. "You said- you'd protect me-! You said- you wouldn't- let me go home- with some bad pony!" Berry pushed harder against Vinyl who let go at the accusation. As Berry freed herself from Vinyl's hooves, her face shriveled up to prevent new tears from forcing their way out through her sealed eyelids. "You're the bad pony, Vinyl! YOU'RE THE BAD PONY!"

-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~ :heart: ~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-

Vinyl paced across from Ponyville's hospital as she had done all week. She hadn't heard from Berry since she rushed her there. Berry had asked for no visitors, so Vinyl had been left in the dark. Although she had been assured by the annoyed receptionist that Berry was recovering after being asked dozens of times.

Vinyl certainly cried like she hadn't in years after dropping Berry off at the emergency room. She managed to keep her composure when transporting the injured pony, but after seeing Berry disappear behind a swinging door as she was whisked away, Vinyl collapsed into a despair driven lament. The hospital staff that tried to comfort her had no idea that the tears Vinyl was shedding were for her own guilt. Oh, how she had hurt her friend.

On this day, Vinyl's pacing would finally stop as during one turn, she caught sight of Berry stepping out of the hospital. 'Berry! She's out!' Vinyl thought. Her heart became elated for a brief moment before sinking. 'Is she still mad at me? There's no way she's not...' Berry had called Vinyl more things than just "bad pony" on that morning. Each word she used ripped like a dagger plunged deep in Vinyl's heart as she tried to help her friend to the hospital.

Even from the distance she was at, Vinyl could tell Berry had recovered. She could also tell the expression on Berry's face was not a pleasant one. It... looked neutral, maybe slightly annoyed. Vinyl wanted to rush up to Berry and hug her. She wanted to cry and apologize again and again. ...But she couldn't move. Her ears lowered in shame. Berry unexpectedly walked towards her, instead. The stride of the pony was slow and methodical. The jovial trot of the pony Vinyl knew was gone, and instead the cold steps brought an unfamiliar face up to Vinyl.

Berry stopped a few feet from Vinyl as the unicorn grimaced and braced for an attack that never occurred. Vinyl's breath became rapid, preparing her for the worst. She hadn't figured out what to say to Berry at all. And... Berry's eyes... they burned with malice as they stared, not at Vinyl's face, but at her essence and... it was clear they bucking despised what they saw. Vinyl opened her mouth, short gasps of air came out as she tried to speak.

"Come with me," Berry ordered shortly. Without a motion to follow her, she turned and walked away with the same meticulous steps. Vinyl followed, a great distance behind. She was the one that hung her head in shame this time, a reversal of the roles they both played that night. Their pace was slow, but they eventually arrived at Berry's house. Berry took the few stairs up to the door, unlocked it, opened it and stepped inside. Vinyl raised a hoof to climb the short stairs, but Berry turned around and bluntly stated, "No. You stay out there."

"Okay," Vinyl squeaked.

Berry took a deep breath with her nostrils flaring, before addressing Vinyl. She spoke with a motivated anger that had been tempered and disciplined. The week of laying in that hospital had turned her boiling hatred and rage into a cold and efficient blade that she intended to drive right into Vinyl Scratch's heart. "Vinyl Scratch, you are deplorable. How dare you break your promise to me. How dare you take advantage of me. You knew I was straight, yet you sexually abused me in my moment of grief. You used me for your own disgusting pleasure. You raped me and I will never forgive you. We will never be friends again. Do not speak to me unless I speak to you. You are not allowed to be happy again. If I find out you are in a relationship with anypony, I will not allow it. I will tell everypony what you did to me. I will make sure every bucking pony in this town knows that you raped me. They will hate you, Vinyl, as I do. Now, get out of my sight." With that, Berry slammed the door and locked it tight. She headed into the dark house without turning on any lights. She did what she wanted. She did what she knew would hurt Vinyl more than anything: Don't make it about what she did with her eyes. Make it about what they did the night before.

Vinyl could not speak. She could only weep.

She didn't even notice the chariot that landed down the road or the purple unicorn and tiny dragon that hopped out of it.

Author's Note

Phew, that was a big chapter. I'm tuckered out... Guess I'll go on hiatus again.
...JUST KIDDING.

I hoped this cleared things up a bit from that horrible cliffhanger I left ...4 years ago? ...Uh. Oops. The thing is, I've had mental problems for years, and it affects my creativity. Sorry about that. I'm in a better place now and I do feel like finishing this story.

Chapter 30: Unforgivable?

Fuming out her ears, Octavia paced in a futile attempt to release her stress. The hospital room she had been confined to all day seemed even smaller now that she had no where else safe to go. The crazy unicorn Trixie still held command over Ponyville and she dare not go outside. So, Octavia had to make due with walking back and forth in the tiny room to vent her frustration. She had just heard a story from Vinyl and that story was the very thing that sent Octavia into a mad, expletive-filled rant.

"I can't believe her!" Octavia shouted, her anger boiling over. "I can't! I simply cannot! How could she betray you like that? How could she conceive such a heinous lie? It is uncouth! It is downright barbaric! To think I once tried to be polite with her! I should have slapped her the moment we met!" Her words were for Vinyl, but she projected them at the innocent floors and walls as she strode around the room.

Nearby, with one foreleg covering her drying eyes, Vinyl kept still on the hospital bed. She was tired from her restless night of watching over Octavia after the incident at the club. Her body was sore from working in Trixie's quarry all day. She was mentally exhausted after retelling the story of her past with Berry to Octavia. Her face was sensitive from the crying she did as she relived it. She finally told Octavia the whole story. She never wanted to, but Vinyl knew it would happen eventually. There should have been relief now: a weight off her shoulders from revealing a secret. She only felt sick instead at the thought, 'Berry knows about me and Octavia.' Vinyl tried to keep it a secret. 'Berry knows.' All the time she yearned for Octavia, she knew the risk. 'Berry knows.' When she admitted her love for Octavia, she started down that path. 'Berry knows.' When Octavia finally loved her back, it sealed her fate. 'Berry knows.' Berry will follow through with her threat. Vinyl bit her lip to hold back the grief.

Soon, everypony in Ponyville would hate her. And she'd deserve it.

"So what happened after that?" Octavia asked, ceasing her pacing to pry more information out of Vinyl.

"Hm?" Vinyl grunted, as she wiped her face clear of tears once again.

"After she said all those awful things!" Octavia specified. "Did she do anything else?"

"Oh. Uh... no, that was about it," Vinyl confessed as she sat up in the bed to continue her story. "I didn't say anything to her for several moons. Kept my distance... Only ever saw her from across the road... Actually that was around the time Nightmare Moon came back..." Vinyl trailed off as she remembered.

"Hmmm... Well... what did she say when you finally spoke to her again?" Octavia questioned, her near perfect memory trying to piece together all her past experiences with Berry Punch. "If I recall... when I first arrived in Ponyville and met her, I took notice that there was something odd between you two. However, she did not seem at all like she was about to wring your neck. She seemed pleasant, at the time. You even exchanged a few words."

"Right... Well, sometime after all that... I don't remember when, but Berry approached me one day," Vinyl explained. "I was shocked to see her come up to me again. I think she said 'Hi,' and asked how I was. But, uh, it wasn't the same. How do I explain it? She had this... twisted smirk on her face. Then she flat out asked if I had a fillyfriend yet. Loudly. In front of all these other ponies."

"Oh..." Octavia contemplated.

"Yeah, after that day she kept... taunting me in public," Vinyl continued solemnly. "Acting friendly, but always asking if I had found anypony yet. She knew how it hurt me to talk to her. I had to pretend like everything was fine in front of everypony. I think it made her happy to see me suffer. To always be over my shoulder, making sure I was never happy again. She knew she had the power to ruin everything for me... With just a few words..."

"But they were clearly lies!" Octavia protested sternly. "Abhorrent ones, at that. Why did you not confront her? Did you not tell her that she was wrong to hold falsehoods above you like a guillotine?" (Yikes, I didn't know ponies knew about capital punishment.) Vinyl just looked away as Octavia pressed the issue. Unaffected by Vinyl's rejection of the question, Octavia continued, "You always stand up for what you believe in, Vinyl! Always! For better or worse!"

"I couldn't!" Vinyl shouted, as she turned to confront Octavia. "Not this time! Not after what I did... After I hurt her! After I hurt her with these... stupid bucking eyes!" Vinyl made a motion like she was ready to punch her eyes out. The same eyes that were starting to drip tears again. "Even though what she claims I did isn't true, it doesn't matter! If that's what she chooses to say happened... then... then..." Vinyl swallowed before she said what stung her heart. "Then that's what happened. And when everypony hates me for it, it'll be what I deserve..."

"Don't be ridiculous! You cannot let your guilt cloud your reason, Vinyl!" Octavia insisted. "You did no such thing, so you deserve no such punishment!"

"You didn't see her, Octavia!" Vinyl protested, her dry face now soaked in tears again. "I nearly tore her apart! She was broken! It was... it was like she was a bug that I had just stepped on! There was... so much blood, I... I could have killed her!"

"You never intended that to happen!" Octavia retorted, just as loudly. "It was clearly an accident!"

"That I caused!" Vinyl continued. "It was my fault! I promised I'd keep her safe and I messed up!"

"It appears to me that it was her fault!" Octavia pointed out. "Did she not look at your eyes without your knowing?"

"Yeah, but I should have warned her!" Vinyl explained, continuing the self-deprecation. "It was stupid of me to keep it from her! It was like... I took a dagger to bed, held it in my hooves and waited for her to roll onto it in her sleep."

"Oooh, nice analogy," Octavia complimented, suddenly.

"Huh? Oh, thanks," Vinyl said, instinctively. "What's an analogy?"

"It's what you just did," Octavia stated plainly. "But I don't understand why she was so negatively affected by your eyes? I was fine after about ten minutes and I see them all the time now." To demonstrate, Octavia got on the bed, leaned over Vinyl's body and stuck her face in front of Vinyl's. "See?"

"I don't know!" Vinyl admitted, unconvinced, as she pushed Octavia away. "I don't know why you are fine with them now! I don't know why they nearly killed her! I don't know why they destroyed that magical Pinkie thing! I don't know why they didn't affect Trixie at all!"

"...You tried them on Trixie and nothing happened?" Octavia asked, as she hadn't heard this information yet.

"I thought maybe I could save the town," Vinyl confessed. "I thought maybe some good would come of them. But all it did was give her a headache."

"Oh, that's... something. I guess?" Octavia pondered.

"And I don't know why!" Vinyl bemoaned. "I don't understand anything about these stupid things!" Like an upset child, she curled up in a fetal position.

"...Vinyl..." Octavia said as comfortingly as she could as Vinyl simply squeezed tighter in her ball. She began to stroke Vinyl's mane as their shouting spat had ended naturally without either of them running off for a couple chapters. After worrying for Vinyl for a bit, Octavia made a connection in her head. She thought aloud, after putting the incidents in a timeline, "Perhaps... your eyes are losing their power?"

"Do you think?" Vinyl perked up, ending her feeble display. She had briefly considered the possibility after failing with Trixie.

"Well, think about it in the order of events," Octavia explained as she double checked everything in her head. "Berry was the first to see your eyes, and she received terrible damage. Then I saw them, yet I was only slightly affected. Then Trixie, who received almost no pain at all."

Vinyl thought for a moment before responding, "What about that Pinkie clone? It was destroyed. That happened after you."

"Right... Well..." Octavia sputtered out, a little surprised at Vinyl's perception. "According to Pinkie, that creature was created using the magic of the Mirror Pool, correct? It was not a pony at all. Assuming your eyes hurt it somewhat less than they hurt me, that still might have been enough to destroy a temporary being made up of unstable magic," Octavia guessed. She didn't know much about magic, despite being friends with several unicorns.

"...Maybe..." Vinyl mused. "But I can't risk testing it on anypony, can I?"

"Why not?" Octavia asked.

"Octavia! Are you crazy!?" Vinyl bolted up. "I can't just unleash these things on some random pony!"

"Wha-, no!" Octavia responded, dumbfounded. "It doesn't have to be some unsuspecting pony on the street! We could ask one of our friends for assistance! We would warn them ahead of time what to expect and you could always look away if it does start to hurt them."

"... ...Oh," Vinyl blurted out. "I... never thought of that."

"You don't have to carry this burden alone," Octavia explained as she placed a kind hoof on Vinyl's shoulder. "Not everything has to be a secret."

Vinyl sat and looked down at the floor pensively. She hadn't ever considered asking for help. Some of the final words of Patched Hat's letter rung in Vinyl's head: 'Do not ever show your eyes.' Vinyl took this advice to mean it was her responsibility to safeguard the ponies around her from herself. To do this, she kept everypony emotionally at a distance. She used nicknames to try to be friends even though she never allowed herself to get too close to anypony... except for Berry and Octavia, of course. But... Vinyl knew deep down how friendly all the ponies in Ponyville were, especially a certain group of six (plus a dragon.) Would they understand the fear Vinyl had lived with for years? Would they treat her with empathy? Would they... help her? Maybe... she could give it a try...

"Well, Vinyl?" Octavia asked, after waiting for Vinyl to ponder for a bit.

"I suppose... it wouldn't hurt to let a few ponies know..." Vinyl finally admitted, her voice soft and weak from breaking through her stubbornness.

"You know Twilight would be interested," Octavia pointed out. "She'd probably volunteer to be tested on right away. She might even help you figure out what they are and maybe..." Octavia hesitated before continuing, careful not to get Vinyl's hopes up too much. "Maybe... there is a possibility she could find a way to... cure you... if such a thing is feasible."

Vinyl's heart leapt at those words. She had never considered that she would ever be free of her eyes' curse. She had condemned herself to a life of seeing the world through a purple lens for all time. Those sunglasses were her shield: it protected everypony around her from herself. However it was also a wall: it stopped her from truly connecting with the same ponies she was protecting. They had never looked her in the eyes, not even once. She had never even seen any of them without a filtered lens; she didn't even know what the actual hue of everypony's coats and manes were. Her friends never saw Vinyl's whole face and Vinyl never saw their true colors. Sometimes, Vinyl didn't even think of them as friends... Just nicknames to keep track of. They cheered when she played, but they didn't know her and she didn't know them. Could she finally be free of the need for the barrier between herself and everypony? Could she finally be real friends with them? Could Twilight be the key to helping her...?

"Oh, but... Twilight's just been banished," Vinyl realized aloud.

"I- what? I'm sorry, what do you mean?" Octavia asked, shocked.

"Trixie magically flung her out of town before she dropped that giant dome thingy," Vinyl pointed out.

"Oh, dear! Is she unharmed?"

"I think so," Vinyl mumbled.

"Oh, well... now is not really the time to ask Twilight for a favor anyway," Octavia admitted. "Once this whole... 'Trixie' business is over... however it ends... and life has returned to normal, we can approach Twilight with our request."

"...If life goes back to normal," Vinyl bemoaned, remembering her troubles. "Berry knows about you and me, Octavia. She's going to tell the whole town that I... well, you heard what she said. And they're going to hate me. Forget fixing my eyes, Twilight's probably going to rally the town to banish me! Or have Celestia throw me in a dungeon... Or throw me in a dungeon in the place she banishes me to!" (Hey! That sounds familiar.)

"Vinyl I don't think that will happen," Octavia comforted. "They may be upset at first, but we can convince them that you are innocent."

"They won't listen!" Vinyl pouted. "Berry's lived here longer; all these ponies know her way better than they know me. They'll believe her over me, or you, any day. They're going to hate me, Octavia... They're all going to hate me... I don't... I don't know if I can live with that... I can't... I can't..." Vinyl's words became choked as she started to well up with tears again.

Without saying anymore, Octavia embraced Vinyl tightly. Vinyl, hugging her back, released her emotions on her lover's shoulder, bawling out her despair with sloppy wet tears. Octavia stroked Vinyl's mane and whispered comforting things to her until the unicorn ceased to cry anymore.

"Feeling better?" Octavia asked.

"...Only because you're here..." Vinyl admitted, weakly. "Only because you believe me..."

"Of course I do," Octavia reaffirmed. "I love you."

Vinyl smiled as she wiped some snot from her dripping nose and said, "I love you, too. Even when everypony hates me... if I have you, I think I'll be okay."

"That's sweet, Vinyl," Octavia complimented. "But I am not going to let Berry Punch tarnish your reputation. I will do whatever it takes to make sure everypony knows that she is a liar."

"You can't do that, Octavia!" Vinyl exclaimed. "I told you, I deserve-"

"And I told you, you don't-!" Octavia interrupted angrily before pausing her own outburst. She took a deep breath and motioned to cease the conversation. "We shall discuss this tomorrow. It is getting late and you are exhausted, are you not?"

After collapsing back down on the bed, Vinyl agreed, "Yeah, I'm beat. I'm too tired to argue anymore."

"Then let us rest and resume discussions tomorrow, civilly of course," Octavia restated as she trotted over to turn the light off. She then slipped into the sheets beside Vinyl. There wasn't much room on the hospital bed meant for one, but Octavia made it work. Vinyl had closed her eyes and was breathing steadily. Octavia watched her with empathy before opening her mouth, despite postponing the discussion. There was just one more thing she wanted to make sure of. "Vinyl," she whispered. "This... this whole thing is what you were afraid of, wasn't it? This is why you never wanted our relationship to be public."

"Mmmhmm..." Vinyl hummed, sleepily.

"If ponies found out about us, Berry Punch would hear about it and make good on her threat..." Octavia continued.

"Mmmhmm..." Vinyl repeated.

"But... I suppose I do not fully understand... If you knew Berry Punch was going to hurt you, bring you this much pain, why in Equestria did you start a relationship with me? Why did you fight so hard for it? After everything we went through, you knew this was waiting for you at the end of the road. Why did you do it?"

"...Because you are worth it, Octavia," Vinyl stated plainly, yet still sleepily. "You are worth it."

"Oh..." Octavia gasped, heart aflutter. She leaned over to the pony who was falling asleep and planted a sweet kiss upon her cheek. Before long Vinyl had completely drifted off, exhaustion taking its toll on her. Octavia stayed awake, deep in thought, for a while longer. As she closed her eyes, her thoughts were a mixed flurry of emotions and logic battling each other. But one thought sat alone, without any others to disturb it. It seemed to contradict something very important, yet it waited innocently in the corner. The thought spoke quietly to Octavia: 'When Berry Punch confronted me at the restaurant, she found out Vinyl and I were dating. That was at least a week ago. If she's known for so long, why hasn't she spread that lie yet?'

-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~ :heart: ~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-

Octavia began to dream:

----{{{{Berry Punch handed a flyer to Octavia. 'Trixie's throwing a hate parade!' Berry said. Octavia took the flyer and used it as a map to find a crowd of ponies. The cheering ponies blocked her view of the floats. Octavia squeezed between the ponies, but they became walls and trapped her. She saw a pony being hung upside down on an apple float. 'No! Don't take her to the dungeon!' Octavia screamed. 'We hate her! We hate her! Kill her!' the walls shouted as they squeezed her tighter. Octavia screamed again as the pony's float fell off a cliff into a rocky quarry. The float collapsed and the pony lay injured on the broken wood. Octavia knew it was Vinyl. Octavia tried to push her way out from the walls but they squeezed so tight that all her organs burst out of her body. Octavia fell free from the wall, a husk with no insides. She ran towards the cliff, her hoofs leaving prints of her own blood. Octavia knew she was going to die now without her heart. If only she could get to Vinyl first. Octavia jumped off the cliff and fell, but no matter how long she fell she never could reach the bottom. Below, Berry walked up to Vinyl and began to choke her but Vinyl didn't resist. 'Vinyl, you have to stop her,' Octavia screamed as she fell towards them. Berry's eyes burned red. Berry began to slam Vinyl's head into the rocks. 'I'm the good guy! I'm the good guy!' Berry shouted as blood began to erupt from Vinyl's head. 'You deserve this! You are unforgiveable!' Berry shouted as Vinyl's blood splattered her body. Octavia couldn't stop it. One more hit and Vinyl would die. One more hit. Octavia screamed out, 'No! I can't let you do this, Vinyl!' One more hit. Berry took Vinyl and slammed her-

'ENOUGH!' a booming voice erupted from the nothingness behind Octavia. It wiped clear everything she was witnessing from her sight, like a stream sweeping away a cloud of dirt. At the same time, her mind became clear. The mind of a dreaming pony suddenly snapped into control, as if she had just bolted awake. Octavia shook her head at the sudden change in her perception. 'Goodness, Octavia Melody. I thought we had cleared you of your nightmares, but that felt worse than all the ones before,' Luna said as she descended to land next to Octavia in an empty white space.

'Princess Luna!' Octavia called out, in control and overjoyed, yet still unsure where she was. 'What are you doing here?' Octavia looked around at the pure emptiness around her and recognized it. '...Oh, this is... a dream, isn't it? None of that was real! Oh, thank Celestia!' Octavia blurted out, absolutely relieved.

'It is not my sister you should be thanking,' Luna pointed out, unamused. 'When did she become an expression and not me?'

'Oh! Sorry, of course!' Octavia spurted out, panicking and quickly performing a shaky bow. 'Thank you, Princess Luna, from saving me from that... horrid nightmare.'

Luna chuckled royally and said, 'It was my pleasure, Octavia Melody.'

'You can... simply call me, "Octavia," if you would prefer...' Octavia offered, shuffling her hooves a little. She was beginning to feel giddy from being next to Princess Luna again. Her naïve schoolgirl mode was being activated. 'If you, you know, want to... To simplify and reduce syllable usage, of course.'

'Syllable usage?' Luna muttered, surprised. She then hesitated as she watched Octavia squirm and wiggle with excitement. The princess noticed a bit of Octavia's emotions leaking out into the dream around them, visualizing as bubbling pink hearts. 'Of course, ...Octavia,' she finally answered, kindly.

Octavia beamed at being addressed so informally by her favorite princess. 'Yes!' she accidently celebrated aloud with a hoof pump. 'Whoops!' Octavia immediately noticed her mistake and covered her mouth, though it didn't much help in the dream world as her excitement was apparent from the exuberant colors and pictures around them. 'Sorry! Sorry!'

Luna chortled a little. 'That is quite alright. I am accustomed to... some amount of adoration,' Luna announced before becoming more serious. 'But before we continue our conversation, I must apologize to you.'

'What? To me!?' Octavia asked, perplexed, her confusion on display behind her. 'Whatever for?'

'I came into your dream uninvited,' Princess Luna confessed. 'I witnessed your private thoughts without your permission. For that, I am truly sorry.' Luna hung her head in remorse, though Octavia still wore an expression of confusion.

'...Forgive me, I am a tad confused...' Octavia responded. 'You have been in my dreams before.'

'Yes, but that was before!' Luna explained vigorously, her childish side peeking out through her tone. 'I asked permission for that dream, but not this dream! You had been sleeping soundly every night since our last encounter. But tonight, I felt you were having a nightmare, more vicious than before. I became concerned that perhaps I hadn't helped you enough... Perhaps I had failed.' Luna hung her head even further than before. 'So, I decided to come help you again. Despite my intentions, I did not have your permission. I must apologize again.'

Octavia stood dumbstruck as she never imagined herself encountering an apologetic Princess Luna. '...Princess, I do not mind one bit that you came into my dream,' Octavia ended up comforting with a dismissive hoof wave. 'You saved me from that awful nightmare. I am truly thrilled you came to aid me!'

'Are you certain?' Luna asked.

'Of course!' Octavia added. 'You are always welcome in my dreams!'

'Oh, good,' Luna sighed, relieved. The comforting and welcoming nature of Octavia's emotions glittered around them in the dreamscape, assuring the princess. 'I was afraid I may have overstepped my bounds.'

'No! No, of course not!' Octavia insisted. 'You also did not fail. I never really got to thank you for what you did last time. I mean, I believe I said, "Thank you," but I was not able to convey how much you helped me.' As emotion welled up inside Octavia, it spilled out onto the world around her. 'I... was able to overcome my own insecurities... I was able to make the choices I needed to in my life. It is all thanks to you! I really, truly appreciate it. Thank you! Thank you so much, Princess Luna!' Octavia bowed more sincerely than she ever had in her life.

'That is quite alright,' Luna insisted as she took a hoof to Octavia's chin to raise it up. 'It is the duty of a princess to help her subjects. But if I may be so bold: if you overcame your issues, what was that nightmare about? It was more intense than the others. Is there... another problem you would like help with?'

'No, I... Well, I do have a rather large situation on my hooves,' Octavia admitted, blushing. 'However, I do not wish to burden your majesty with my problems once again...'

'I do not mind aiding you, Octavia... and... You can just address me as "Luna..." if you would like,' Luna offered, a light warm smile adorning her face, though her skin appeared deep and cool.

'What!? Really!?' Octavia unabashedly shouted.

'Of course... we are... friends, now. Yes?' Luna continued.

'What!? We are!?' Octavia shouted, once again.

'I believe so,' Luna explained. 'Twilight Sparkle has advised me on how to make friends. I believe I am following things correctly. Will you... accept my friendship?'

'I- I- I- I-' Octavia fumbled out. The dream around spun as Octavia tried to process what was happening. Finding strength, she steadied herself and the visions. 'I would be honored to be your friend, Princess.'

'Very good.' Luna stamped in approval before boisterously declaring, 'I will refer to you as "Octavia" and you will refer to me as "Luna." This will signify our friendship.' Luna leaned in close to Octavia and gave a little wink before softly saying, 'And it will also save us on syllables."

Octavia's jaw dropped. She was Princess Luna's friend! And Luna just teased her! 'Okay!' Octavia squeaked out, her voice high-pitched with giddiness. She took a deep breath (of dream air which doesn't exist) and said: 'Let me try: *ahem* ... ... ...Luna. SQUEEEEE! I can't believe I said it!' Octavia immediately squealed in delight after saying the name. 'Whoops!' she exclaimed again, after making the same mistake as before. 'Sorry, sorry!'

'Such things are fine among friends,' Luna assured. 'Now tell me, what troubles you this time Octavia?'

'Well,' Octavia started, sitting down. The happy dream around them began to wither into darkness... and sadness. 'It's a bit complicated...'

'Does it have something to do with this pony?' Luna asked as she waved a hoof in the darkness and generated a misty version of Berry Punch before them.

'...Yes. It does,' Octavia admitted after staring at Berry's lifeless face.

'She looks familiar... I... Yes, I do believe she was in one of your previous dreams...' Luna hummed as she remembered. 'But she didn't have much to do with your issue with your mother.'

'...No, but some things have happened. Some... incidents have occurred,' Octavia pouted. 'Some recent. Some... long ago.'

'I see...' Luna then waved her hoof again, this time creating a vision of Vinyl. 'What is her relation to you and your... um... very special somepony?' Luna asked with a confused expression. 'Is... is that what I am supposed to call her?' she asked to nopony in particular.

'You mean Vinyl?' Octavia asked as she looked up to see the dream's representation of her lover. Her heart jumped a bit at seeing her. However, that didn't last long as she realized that she never told Princess Luna about Vinyl. She assumed Luna knew about them based on the dreams she resurrected on that night before. (She did kiss Vinyl in that one dream.) Also Luna pretty much knew why Octavia was holding back her feelings for Vinyl before Octavia knew herself. But this was the first meeting they've had since then, Luna didn't know all the details. 'Oh, right! Sorry. I never explained. Because of your help, I was able to realize my feelings for Vinyl. Err, Vinyl Scratch. She's my fillyfriend now, eheheh...' Octavia giggled hardily, blushing.

'Right!' Luna exclaimed pointing to Octavia enthusiastically, like she had just awarded her a prize. 'The mare Vinyl Scratch! Of course! She's your fillyfriend! I knew that,' Luna affirmed, awkwardly. 'That's *ahem* what we're going to be talking about! She's a girl and you're a girl! And that's okay!'

'Uh...' Octavia stated after noticing the strangeness of Princess Luna's speech. Unsure how to interpret it, she asked, 'That is okay... isn't it?'

'Yes! Of course it is!' Luna sputtered out, flabbergasted. 'I don't mind that you're in a relationship with a mare! That's perfectly normal!' Octavia just stared, more confused than aghast. 'Oh, please don't look at me like that!' Luna pouted upon seeing Octavia's expression. 'I am sorry! Just...' Luna sighed before explaining. 'Please understand. I was... away for one thousand years. Equestria was a very different place back then.' To demonstrate, Luna's horn glowed as she transformed the dream around them into a vision of the past. Octavia gazed upon the medieval stone homes with straw roofs. She watched the ruggedly cloaked ponies walk around, wearing expressions of exhaustion, signs that their lives were filled with scarcity and hardship. Luna continued, 'There were no... how shall I say it? Mares who loved mares or stallions who loved stallions... At least, they never made themselves known. It just wasn't part of our culture. We were still getting used to the three pony races living together.'

'Oh,' Octavia said, beginning to understand as Luna dismissed the vision.

'When I returned from my imprisonment, this Equestria was not the same one I had left. And I am... inexperienced,' Princess Luna admitted solemnly. 'I am still learning all the new ways our society had changed. Princess Cadence was the one who told me how the love between two ponies was more... varied than previously believed. I mean no disrespect. To put it simply: I am new at this.'

'I see,' Octavia accepted. She giggled to herself before adding with an embarrassed grin, 'I think I get what you mean. I am new at it too.' The two shared an understanding smile before Octavia contemplated aloud, 'But thinking back... You helped me push aside my reluctance in admitting I was a lesbian. You helped me realize who I was. You did it without hesitation. Even though you didn't fully understand it.'

'Of course,' Luna said spreading her wings regally. 'I am the Princess of the Night, not the Princess of Love, but even I realize the value of it.' She lowered one wing to gracefully embrace Octavia ever so slightly. 'I think it is a wonderful thing that the two of you have found each other and I am honored I was able to play a part in it.'

'...Oh, I am so glad you're my favorite Princess,' Octavia blurted out. 'Whoops!' she exclaimed, again. For the third time.

'Hahaha. Perhaps we should continue, you have yet to tell me about this pony,' Luna pointed to a grumpy looking vision of Berry. 'What is her name?'

'Ugh... That is Berry Punch,' Octavia nearly spat. A burning vision of anger surrounded Octavia, generated by the hate in her heart.

'Oh dear. There is a great deal of animosity in your voice, Octavia,' Luna noticed.

'I suppose that much must be obvious,' Octavia bemoaned. 'She and Vinyl used to be a couple... For a very short amount of time, I assure you!' Octavia pointed angrily at Luna when she spoke those last words. Shocked at her own temper, Octavia immediately recoiled with embarrassment. This wasn't about the (short) romantic involvement between Vinyl and Berry. This was about Berry's dishonesty... (...Wasn't it?)

'Ah, a former love interest to your fillyfriend,' Luna shuffled awkwardly. 'There was much malice and fear in your nightmare coming from this Berry pony.'

'It's because...!' Octavia hesitated. She didn't want to pollute the Princess's ears with the foul words of that foul Berry Punch. So instead, she explained, 'To put it in simple terms: Vinyl did something to hurt Berry, on accident, mind you. It was a long time ago and she has apologized. In response, Berry retaliated with something that was completely and utterly out of proportion! She has justified her actions with lies and she threatens to ruin Vinyl's life!' Octavia stomped aggressively.

'...That does sound a bit harsh...' Luna pondered.

'Correct!' Octavia huffed.

'And you heard all this from Vinyl, I presume?'

'Of course,' Octavia answered.

'...What of Berry Punch? Have you heard her side of the story?' Luna asked innocently.

'What!? Why would I ask HER!?' Octavia stomped with primal rage. 'Vinyl is correct and Berry is a fiend.'

'Oh, Octavia,' Luna sighed disappointedly. 'Certainly you remember there was once a time when a certain pony only cared about her side of the story?' As Luna said this, a vision of two alicorn sisters above a crowd of ponies appeared behind her. One sister white, one sister blue. 'Certainly you remember what happened then, when she was so caught up in what she thought was true that she turned on those she had misunderstood?' The blue alicorn turned black and spread her wings to encompass the dream, choking the ponies and her sister.

'... I... I...' Octavia gasped as she witnessed, once again, a bleak lesson from Luna's past. It didn't frighten her as the first time, but the lesson stung her heart just the same. She hung her head in remorse and apologized, 'You are right... Luna. I... suppose...' Octavia gritted her dream teeth as the darkness faded and she muttered, 'I could... find out about Berry's version of the events. Find out why she did what she did...'

'Perhaps her dreams can give us a clue,' Luna pondered as she stomped, causing the dream around them to rapidly transform into a new realm. Instead of a white void that reflected Octavia's emotions, they were standing amidst a celestial array of lights, clashing against a cool blackness, reminiscent of the night sky. Suddenly, rows upon rows of doors without doorways flung into existence. Each simple and wooden, yet they glowed ominously, hinting at the deeper meanings beyond their innocuous exteriors.

'My goodness! What are these?' Octavia asked at the change of scenery.

'Gateways into the dreams of every pony in Equestria,' Princess Luna explained as she casually waved her hoof, the row of doors in front of her all shifted in unison as she looked for one door in particular. 'It is from here I am able to monitor the slumber of my subjects. I believe... yes. Berry Punch's dream is... here.' As she spoke, a door settled in front of the two of them. It looked like all the others, yet Luna was somehow able to determine its identity.

'Very well! Shall we go in and confront her?' Octavia posed, ready to pounce on her nemesis.

'No,' Luna stated bluntly.

'No?' Octavia echoed.

'I told you before I will not enter a dream without permission or in dire circumstances to protect them from magical disturbances. And I certainly will not allow you to go in,' Luna lectured.

'Right...' Octavia groaned, disappointed. 'But how will we learn anything from out here?'

'Like this,' Luna explained as she took Octavia's hoof in her own and held it up to the surface of the door. 'Close your eyes, Octavia. Feel. Feel the emotions of the pony within. You will not see her dreams, but you will understand how she feels.'

Skeptical, Octavia nonetheless did as she was told. Mere moments of concentration and... she felt it!

BETRAYAL.

It wasn't just a word. It was a concept. It was a cruel concept that choked your throat with the might of a dragon and crushed your lungs with the weight of a mountain. It left you crumpled and broken. It was the betrayal of somepony you love that was hurting you. The pony you trusted. The pony you would give anything for. The pony you would die for... They were the ones stabbing you in the chest over and over. You couldn't move, the betrayal froze you. The dagger came down again and again. They didn't laugh. They didn't scream. They didn't have any emotion at all as your loved one plunged the blade into your body. There was only the betrayal and the...

PAIN.

So much pain. As the heartless blade pierced your flesh, pain struck you worse then you ever thought imaginable. Pain that was worse than possible. The blade twisted and was pulled back out, tearing away your skin, sending more horrid shocks of agony through you. The blood then came up, sputtering and leaving you empty. Each time your loved one punctured your heart, you prayed it would be the last time. Each time you begged, pleaded, screamed for your loved one to stop. They never did. Then you begged for death to finally come. But it never came. The bleeding never ended. It was more blood than you should have had. The blade would come down again, spilling more blood. It always did. They stabbed you again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and AGAIN AND AGAIN AND AGAIN AND AGAIN AND AGAIN AND AGAIN AND AGAIN AND AGAIN AND AGAIN AND AGAIN AND AGAIN AND AGAIN AND AGAIN AND AGAIN AND AGAIN AND AGAIN AND AGAIN AND AGAIN AND AGAIN AND AGAIN AND AGAIN AND AGAIN AND AGAIN AND AGAIN AND AGAIN AND AGAIN AND AGAIN AND AGAIN AND AGAIN AND AGAIN AND AGAIN AND AGAIN AND AGAIN AND AGAIN AND AGAIN AND AGAIN AND AGAIN AND AGAIN AND AGAIN AND AGAIN AND AGAIN AND AGAIN AND AGAIN AND AGAIN AND AGAIN AND AGAIN AND AGAIN AND AGAIN AND AGAIN AND AGAIN AND AGAIN AND AGAIN AND AGAIN AND AGAIN AND AGAIN AND AGAIN AND AGAIN AND AGAIN AND AGAIN AND AGAIN AND AGAIN AND AGAIN AND AGAIN AND AGAIN AND AGAIN AND AGAIN AND AGAIN AND AGAIN AND AGAIN AND AGAIN AND AGAIN AND AGAIN AND AGAIN AND AGAIN AND AGAIN AND AGAIN AND AGAIN AND AGAIN AND AGAIN AND AGAIN AND AGAIN AND AGAIN AND AGAIN AND AGAIN AND AGAIN AND AGAIN AND AGAIN AND AGAIN AND AGAIN AND AGAIN AND AGAIN AND AGAIN AND AGAIN AND AGAIN AND AGAIN AND AGAIN AND AGAIN AND AGAIN AND AGAIN AND AGAIN AND AGAIN AND AGAIN AND AGAIN AND AGAIN AND AGAIN AND AGAIN AND AGAIN AND AGAIN AND AGAIN AND AGAIN AND AGAIN AND AGAIN AND AGAIN AND AGAIN AND AGAIN AND AGAIN AND AGAIN AND AGAIN AND AGAIN AND AGAIN AND AGAIN AND AGAIN AND AGAIN AND AGAIN AND AGAIN AND AGAIN AND AGAIN AND AGAIN AND AGAIN. There was no end to this. It was going to last forever.

Princess Luna pulled Octavia away from the door as the pony could no longer back away of her own volition. Octavia collapsed onto the dream floor, tears already pouring out her eyes. The agony she had just felt was so tangible... it was like it was her own pain from her own body and her own mind.

'This pony... Berry Punch,' Luna stated as Octavia cried. 'She has been having nightmares far more intense than yours... Every night... For years...'

Octavia just looked at her trembling hooves in disbelief. It wasn't that she couldn't believe the pain she felt, it was she couldn't believe she was finally free of it. However, she was the only one. Octavia looked to the door and couldn't help but think of the pony sleeping behind it. Berry Punch. She hated that pony. She never wanted to feel any empathy for the pony that hurt Vinyl. But... she couldn't stop herself. Not after feeling that pain. The pain that Berry was still feeling at that very moment. 'She...' Octavia choked out behind her tears. 'She... was... hurt... More than I thought...' Octavia sunk as she realized. 'What Vinyl did... hurt her more than I could ever realize...'

'What do you suppose that means?' Luna pressed as she helped Octavia to her hooves.

'She's... traumatized...' Octavia recognized as she wiped the tears from her face. 'But... but that doesn't excuse her for what she did!' Octavia protested angrily, snapping back in desperation, but her voice was full of childish defiance that knew it could no longer get what it wanted.

'Perhaps not,' Luna admitted. 'However, everypony makes mistakes. There is no perfect pony, after all.'

'Y- you!' Octavia spurted out at the call back to her perfection issue. '...You ...are right, again... Of course. Everypony does make mistakes... But... it wasn't a mistake for Berry! She meant to hurt Vinyl! She doesn't regret it!'

Luna just raised an eyebrow at Octavia's outbursts. 'Are you so sure?' she pressured.

'Indeed!' Octavia pouted. 'I can tell by the way she spoke to me about Vinyl! There were no misgivings from her!'

'Perhaps not on the outside,' Luna commented. 'But what of what she feels inside?' As she said this, Luna motioned back to the door.

Octavia glared angrily at the door at Luna's command. She only felt pain and betrayal from the emotions she glimpsed from Berry's dream. There was no remorse. But, the dream was really only about what Vinyl did to Berry, not what Berry did to Vinyl. So how could she determine how Berry felt about hurting Vinyl? Vinyl was the loved one that was hurting her, obviously. But... Octavia's stomach sunk at that idea. Something about it was off. 'Wait... a "loved one?"' Octavia asked aloud. '...Love? ...Wait... does... Berry still love...? Wait... No... No, no, no, no, no! NO! No, that's impossible! That can't... I don't understand!'

'Who is to know?' Luna asked rhetorically. 'But you will never solve any of this by approaching Berry with anger.'

'...But how am I supposed to approach her? After everything she's done!?' Octavia shouted.

'How about with... compassion and understanding,' Luna pointed out calmly.

'Why... why in the wide world of Equestria would I be compassionate to her!?' Octavia shrieked, not understanding Luna's advice.

'Because, Octavia, kindness may bring harmony!' Luna belted royally as her wings raised triumphantly and her eyes glowed with power. The doors of dreaming ponies vanished and a vision replaced them. A group of six ponies stood in the ruins of an ancient castle. The decrepit pillars and arches framed the scene, as the ponies stood bravely against an alicorn of pitch black hate and darkness. The ponies levitated, embraced by the powers within them as a rainbow of light emerged from their collective forms. The rainbow crashed against the dark alicorn, despite her struggles, encompassing her in a spinning tornado of colors. The ponies eyes turned white and washed the scene clean. Once the dust had settled, a timid blue alicorn lay, beaten where the dark one once stood. A tall regal white alicorn came upon her and knelt down beside her. The two embraced for the first time in a millennium, tears falling from both their eyes. '...And harmony... is what saved me,' Princess Luna concluded, her voice now calm and collected again.

Octavia stood shocked. She didn't have anything else to say. She hung her head in recognition and defeat.

'Well, I suppose that is enough for tonight,' Luna stated putting her wing gently around Octavia. 'Has this given you some insight?'

'It has given me... some things to think about...' Octavia admitted, embarrassed at herself.

'Very well. I can return you to your normal slumber or awaken you, if you wish,' Luna offered after retracting her wing.

'Oh, please don't wake me up,' Octavia muttered grumpily. 'I am currently trapped in the hospital because of Trix...ieeeeee!!! Wait! Princess Luna! I completely forgot!' Octavia exclaimed. 'Ponyville has been taken over by a mad unicorn named Trixie! She has enslaved everypony and she is-'

Luna raised a hoof to calm Octavia. 'Yes, my sister and I are well aware of what is occurring in Ponyville.'

'Are you coming to help us?' Octavia asked hopefully.

'Well... no,' Luna admitted, before quickly adding, 'Rest assured if things get too out of hoof we will intervene. However... I want you to, for the moment, place your trust in Twilight Sparkle and her friends.'

'Twilight?' Octavia asked, perplexed. Then the obvious struck her as she turned to look upon the vision of the six ponies and the two alicorn sisters that still lingered around them. Octavia recognized that it was Twilight and her friends that had saved Princess Luna.

'My sister and I have... great expectations of Twilight and her friends...' Luna admitted. 'We believe they will be able to solve Ponyville's problem with something other than my sister's magic or mine. ...It may be... difficult to cope with until then, but... I hope you can understand that this is for the best.'

'Okay... I understand,' Octavia said with an empathetic smile. 'If you believe in them... then... I will too.'

'Very good,' Luna said simply.

'It was really great talking to you tonight,' Octavia admitted, shuffling her hooves in embarrassment. 'Thank you for taking the time for me, Luna.'

'It was my pleasure, Octavia,' Luna replied. 'It is funny, we are new friends, yet you are the first pony I've interacted with this much inside a dream before.'

'Really?'

'Yes. As I stated before, I simply keep watch in this realm,' Luna explained. 'Banish a magical monster or two... It is a lonely vigil.'

'I see... that's... a shame,' Octavia said.

'What do you mean?'

'It is a shame that I am the only pony you have helped,' Octavia articulated. 'You are so kind. You have the power to dispel nightmares. You can interpret dreams. You can help ponies with their personal problems by showing them visions. It is simply amazing! I wish more ponies could get to know you like I have.'

Luna was taken aback. She hesitated before asking, 'Do you... really think I could be of better service to my subjects... by visiting them in their dreams?'

Octavia thought back to before she met the Princess. Back before she met Vinyl. Back when she was alone in Canterlot. The day Luna returned home, her picture appeared in the newspaper. Octavia had seen that photo. She saw in Luna's expression, a forced smile. An unsure pony who was wary of the adoration she was now receiving, for she felt she didn't deserve it. Octavia saw herself in that photo. The same smile she used on stage, wary of the applause, because of her imperfections. But Luna had taught her that she no longer needed to worry about such things, and that she could smile for real. If only Octavia could teach Luna to smile for real, too. 'I think it would be a great way to reconnect to them, after one thousand years,' Octavia offered sincerely. 'It could be a way for you to... earn... their adoration.'

Luna shot up at that answer. She had never told anypony that she never felt she had earned her subject's praise, not after what she did. How she failed them. How she failed Equestria. But this pony had seen right through her... and even offered a solution. 'I see,' Luna found herself saying. 'That makes sense. But... I refuse to enter a dream without a pony's permission... It does not feel right...'

'You came to this dream to help me! Was I upset?' Octavia asked.

'Well... no,' Luna admitted.

'I think that most ponies would be... absolutely delighted to have their princess show up in their dream,' Octavia offered as she took Luna's hoof and held it firmly. She gave a sincere smile to the Princess. The same sincere smile that the Princess had taught her to make.

'I... had not considered that...' Luna admitted while her eyes darted around as she pondered. 'I had never considered that I would be... a welcome visitor... Yes... Yes, you have convinced me! For my subjects, I will give it a try,' Luna relented. 'I... Thank you, Octavia.'

'Me!? You're thanking me!?' Octavia spouted, letting go of the Princess's hoof.

'Yes, I think you may have given me... a new purpose,' Luna stated warmly.

Octavia squealed like a filly again. Princess Luna had just thanked her! She was able to help her favorite princess! It was like a dream come true! (Well, it's a dream either way.) 'You're welcome,' Octavia mumbled out shyly. She looked to Luna's appreciative face. A real smile upon it, the first of many. It was so beautiful. It was just as detailed in this dream as it was in real life. She was slender and poised. Oh, how Octavia admired her before they met. But Octavia knew now: it wasn't just admiration that filled her heart when she thought of Luna. Now that she understood herself, she understood some other feelings as well.

'It is time to return you to your regular dreams,' Luna said as her eyes glowed.

'...Wait! Just one last thing!' Octavia blurted out, interrupting Luna's spell. Butterflies filled Octavia's stomach as she asked, 'Since this is a dream... you and I aren't actually here, right?'

'Of course,' Luna answered.

'So, these bodies aren't real either?' Octavia asked, hopeful.

'No, these bodies are just projections of our minds,' Luna explained. 'None of this is physically real.'

'Okay, good!' Octavia said, relieved. Bracing herself for what she was about to do, she took her hooves and grabbed Luna's head.

'What are you-?' Luna asked before Octavia pressed her lips against hers.

Octavia let out a slight, 'Mmmph,' as she kissed Princess Luna. She had to savor it quickly. This would be the only time she'd be able to kiss her. Octavia knew she loved Vinyl and that would never change. But, she was attracted to Luna as well. Just a taste is all she wanted. To know what it was like to love her goddess. The kiss didn't last long and Octavia let go blushing wildly.

'...Wha...' Luna tried to speak, but couldn't. She was shocked and blushing as she raised her hoof to her lips.

'You can't be mad at me,' Octavia said with a wink as she hopped back. 'It's just a dream! That didn't actually happen!'}}}}----

Octavia bolted awake after what she had just done. She was sweating and her heart was racing. She placed her head in her hooves and screamed, "I CAN'T BELIEVE I JUST KISSED PRINCESS LUNAAAAAAAAAA!!!!!!"

Vinyl shouted sleepily as she woke up, "Wha- What's going on!?!?!?'

Author's Note

Ha! Did you notice? We're in the middle of Season 3 episode 5: Magic Duel. Octavia just convinced Luna into going into other pony's dreams to help them. What's after episode 5? Episode 6: Sleepless in Ponyville. Where Luna goes into a dream for the first time in the show! Bam! Faust be praised, I'm a genius.

Anyhoo, I started making a webcomic called Gao-chan! It's not related to MLP, but I have a blog post about it if you're interested. I've gotten some compliments on my art here, so If you want to see what it looks like when I actually try, then check out the comic!

Prelude to the Wedding

Vinyl and Octavia: Ponyville Duet

Prelude to the Wedding

"Replaced!?" the group of musicians exclaimed in unison.

Frederick Horseshoepin stamped down his hoof more aggressively than a pony of his class and good nature should.

"That is absurd! The Princess chose us specifically!" he barked.

"Ah, uh- well... I'm sorry, but y-yes- you see..." stuttered a timid green unicorn. With every syllable he spoke, the servant pony's suit appeared to become more disheveled. As he stumbled to explain, he averted his eyes from the three ponies before him, and for good reason. Their death stares could frighten even the wildest and most dangerous of creatures.

There were four musician ponies standing there in the early evening waiting to get into Canterlot Castle through a servant's entrance. They had come to perform at the royal wedding reception, but had run into an unexpected snag at the door. Frederick Horseshoepin was the most imposing of the group; his tall, tan stature made him tower over the fool unicorn blocking their way. He snorted in anger as he waited for an explanation. It was quite unlike him to lose his calm, but it had been a rough few weeks for Frederick and his ensemble. And this was the straw that broke the camel's (err... I mean, "horse's") back.

Beside him stood Beauty Brass. The eyes of the normally composed and restrained mare twitched in agitation. Like her name, Beauty was quite a pretty pony, with an elegant light blue coat and gorgeous facial features (but it was hard to tell that through that look of disgust she was giving.) While Beauty was doing her best to contain herself, Parish Nandermane was obviously about to lose his 'oh so posh' cool. The dark blue stallion tapped his hoof repeatedly and began to grind his teeth, creating an unpleasant sound that was only drowned out by the loud chatter from an excited wedding crowd inside the castle.

Behind those three furious ponies stood the last member of their ensemble: an earth pony with a gray coat and flowing black mane. She waited quietly by the instrument cart as she watched her friends. Octavia Melody was her name and she was not angry at the situation at hand (or hoof.) Rather, she appeared… indifferent.

The castle servant blocking their way began his explanation.

"A-as you probably know, P-Princess Mi Amore Cadenza was- was being impersonated recently... and well, all the... decisions about the wedding were err... made by the imposter Changeling Queen, so- so..." Frederick and Beauty both relaxed their expressions. Gears began to turn as the two remembered they had been originally selected during the impersonation of Princess Cadence. The unicorn at the door continued to explain, relieved to see the daunting stares end. "So... the real Princess had to remake all the choices for the ceremony, and she ended up taking the advice of her reception planner by choosing a DJ from Ponyville. It seems she wanted to have a more upbeat reception than... what... you... would perform..." he finished sheepishly.

Frederick and Beauty both seemed to accept this, with quick nods to each other. However, Parish had had it with this fool castle servant, and honestly, this whole week.

"What!?" he burst, thoroughly breaking any remaining remnants of sophistication. "You cannot just do this! You scheduled us weeks ago! You cannot revoke our performance the very second we walk in! Can you imagine the number of offers we had to turn down just so we could prepare!? This wedding was supposed to be the highlight of our careers! Why, I ought to wring that neck of yours-" Frederick cast out his hoof to silence Parish (and stop him from assaulting a public servant.) He had quickly regained his composed demeanor and wasn't about to let his friend turn this into a scene. (Not to mention taking charge made him look good to Octavia, if she wasn't busy not caring.) Parish backed down almost immediately. Frederick was the leader, and he knew it.

"It cannot be helped, Parish. The circumstances around the wedding were unusual and unforeseeable. No pony is at fault. However, in their hurry to throw together the Princess's real wedding, the Castle forgot to inform us our services were no longer needed. Am I correct?" Frederick posed the question to the young stallion at the door who nodded shamefully.

Frederick himself was still upset at the situation, however. The weeks of rescheduling to make this relatively sudden wedding appearance were nightmarish. The previous attempt at the ceremony with the impostor Princess had ended in disaster, as well. The changelings who invaded the whole of Canterlot not only threatened the lives of his friends, but they also almost ruined his piano with their sticky changeling goo. It took a full week of cleaning to get the nasty stuff out from between the keys. (Gross.) Despite his feelings, the ensemble leader knew the situation should be handled with poise and charm, lest their reputation be tarnished. Luckily, this was his forte.

"We will, of course, pardon this abrupt cancellation and respect the Princess's wishes. I apologize for my rudeness and that of my friend here," he gestured slightly to Parish as he bowed.

"Oh, uh… No problem?" the servant replied scratching the back of his head.

"And... our payment?" Beauty Brass asked slowly. The Castle had paid them plentiful bits in advance for their performance.

"Of course! Princess Cadence said to keep it and she apologizes for the inconvenience. She would have told you herself, but she's just been so busy."

"Well, I suppose the bits are all that matter..." Parish mumbled, still visibly angry but now reining in his rage. It was a relief to know that his share of the pay (which had already been spent on services from unscrupulous ponies) would not be taken from him.

"Ah, yes- well. I'm awfully sorry about all this too," started the green unicorn servant. "If you still want to be part of the wedding, it is open invitation to any and everypony who wants to be there. But you'll uh, have to use the front door." He pointed sheepishly to the large crowd trying to cram into the castle entrance. Nopony would be getting inside easily.

"Thank you, sir. We wish the bride and groom a wonderful wedding. My friends, I believe our business here has concluded." Frederick bowed one last time, and he and his ensemble turned to leave. The servant glanced briefly at the mare that had stood in the background throughout this whole ordeal. He didn't get a very good look at her, but he could tell she was incredibly pretty, maybe more so than Beauty Brass. There was something off about her though, like what she wasn't watching what was happening in front of her. The unicorn sighed, putting it out of his mind, and returned to work inside the castle. There were many snobby socialite ponies inside who needed hors d'oeuvre platters carried to them. (Eh, it’s a living.)

The ensemble started the disheartening trot back to the main street through the castle lawn. Frederick led the way on the cobblestone path, shortly followed by Beauty. Parish had been harnessed to the instrument laden cart and was bringing up the rear.

"This is unacceptable," Parish exclaimed, his anger resurging after two seconds of manual labor. "Who does that bloody foal think he is? I cannot think of a time I have ever been so humiliated in my life!"

"I'm fairly certain I can come up with a few," Beauty Brass replied condescendingly. Parish snorted and tried to retort, but she cut him off. "Sweet Celestia," Beauty yawned. "I, for one, am relieved it was cancelled. These last few days have been quite exhausting, but I suppose an invasion by vicious changelings is prone to tire a pony. Hmm... I'm thinking of visiting Luna's Delight. I hear they are still open tonight. You will, of course, be joining me Parish?"

"That evening spa you have been prattling on about for weeks? Heavens no, Miss Brass. You must get your hooficure without me."

"Without you, Parish? Perish the thought!"

After a brief pause, the two broke into high society giggles. The pun was so silly it caused them to lose it and even Frederick snorted, holding himself back from joining them. With a simple joke, (that was, for the record, horrible and should never be repeated to friends) the ensemble returned to its usual atmosphere.

"Well," Beauty giggled as she wiped a tear, "Octavia, darling, what about you? Care to join-" She stopped mid-sentence as she noticed the mare in question wasn't among them. "Octavia?" Their little procession halted as the three ponies looked for their missing friend. They spotted the quiet gray pony several paces back, staring silently at the castle walls.

"Octavia?" Frederick approached with concern. "Are you alright?"

Octavia glanced at her friend's uncertain faces before refocusing on the distant murmurs inside the castle and saying, "I think... I shall go see the wedding."

Author's Note

Okay so, first off howdy. This is my first Pony fiction, and the first thing I've written in a long long time. Don't be too harsh!! ~~Also: secondly: in my brain, this is Chapter 0 aka the Prelude (hence the title), and the second part would be Chapter 1, but considering fimfiction's chapters feature I decided to simplify it. For your sake. /yourewelcome~~ Edit: None of this is relevant anymore. :/

Also don't be afraid of the fourth wall breaks that the narrator does, usually signaled with (these parenthathingies.) I consider the narrator to be an additional character and therefore is speaking. And that's why there will be plentiful SENTENCE FRAGMENTS. >:) Because that's okay when your talking. That's my story and I'm sticking to it.

Chapter 2: The Lunar Event (A Canterlot Wedding Reception Pt. 2)

Chapter 2: The Lunar Event

(A Canterlot Wedding Reception Pt. 2)

Octavia did not witness the wedding ceremony. After her encounter in the halls of the castle, she headed directly to the reception area. It was to be held in the Canterlot Castle Ballroom and the grounds outside it, so that is where Octavia found herself. It was significantly less crowded here. Most of the ponies present were attendants and caterers making last minute adjustments. The majority of the crowd had aimed for the wedding hall, but Octavia's collision with the charismatic unicorn, Vinyl Scratch, reinvigorated her original goal. She came to listen to the music at the reception. Her whole purpose in coming was to hear her competition and to vindicate that the Princess had made a mistake in replacing her ...right?

'No, that is not it,' Octavia shook the thoughts out. She never had pretentious thoughts. ‘I am just here to listen and appreciate. There is nothing wrong with that.’

The gray mare shuffled in place awkwardly. She was simply standing by herself waiting for the reception to begin. Looking around several times, she scanned for Vinyl. If Octavia's theory was correct, Vinyl should be the "DJ" and would perform some sort of music here. She hadn't the slightest clue what kind and didn't even see a stage for her to perform on. Since Vinyl had a case of records, Octavia figured she must just be playing those. However, the cellist didn't see a phonograph anywhere, and she couldn't imagine how that would even work properly with a large crowd. The only thing out of the ordinary that she saw was a strange contraption on the far side of the grounds. There were two tall metal rectangles on either side of a more horizontal shaped one in the middle. Both had pairs of concave circles on them and rivets holding the sides together. The center piece had a metal arm of some sort with a point. The whole invention looked ghastly and complicated.

Octavia sighed and looked to the rising moon. It was full and shone brightly. It was common knowledge that the legendary Princess Luna had returned and had retaken her charge of the moon. Incidentally, she made it more beautiful than it had been in all the years that Princess Celestia had solemnly cared for it. Octavia had never seen the Princess of the Night in person. She had hoped to see her at last year's Grand Galloping Gala, but the illustrious Princess didn't make an appearance. Octavia was actually quite the fan of Luna. Her (supposed) poise, her (supposed) grandeur, the way she (supposedly) invoked awe wherever she went. And then there was her beauty... However, what Octavia was most interested in about Luna was what she inferred from a photo.

The day Luna first arrived in Canterlot, she was flocked by newspaper photographers who captured a special something that Octavia recognized. The smile that Luna gave them wasn't… sincere. It was forced. There was a profound melancholy that showed in her expression. When The Princess of the Night returned to her pony subjects, she didn't believe she was worthy of the adoration. At least, that's what Octavia thought. If even a god could have such troubles, surely-

A chorus of faint stomping hooves and cheers cut Octavia's ponderings short and signaled that Princess Cadence had been wed. Octavia spotted a sea of confetti falling over a balcony in the distance: the balcony where she assumed the bride and groom were. Moments later a sudden explosion gave her a jolt, and she witnessed a glorious crescent arc of rainbow colors spread through the sky behind the castle. It was truly a spectacular sight to behold. (Too bad you only get to read about it.)

‘Some sort of light show?’ Octavia pondered as the rainbow effect faded out of the sky.

She trotted over to a corner of the courtyard in expectance of the crowd that didn't take long to arrive. Octavia was soon trapped behind throngs of ponies eager to witness the arrival of the bride, not to mention Princess Celestia. Neither kept them waiting long as a chorus of cheers heralded the arrival of the anticipated couple. Octavia couldn't quite see them through the crowd, but definitely saw the magnificent white wings of Princess Celestia tower over the heads of the bouncing ponies. The sophisticated cellist had seen the glorious Princess before at previous events and even briefly spoke to her once. However, Celestia was still awe-inspiring every time Octavia saw her.

Princess Cadence and her groom, (the now) Prince Shining Armor, began their dance to a soothing piano piece. Octavia leered around for this abrupt unknown pianist that had apparently replaced Frederick, but saw nopony, or even a piano. To her finely tuned ears, the music sounded strangely unfulfilled, like it was being played from a record. Octavia tried to scan for Vinyl to see if this was the case (and to prove her theory), but stopped immediately after noticing Princess Luna.

The Princess of the Night descended from above to land next to her sister, Celestia. Octavia was star struck by this sudden appearance. With her idol mere yards away in all her celestial grandeur, Octavia’s heart began to flutter and her breathing stifled. Despite this, she felt like giggling like a school filly on Hearts and Hooves Day. The garden was relatively quiet now, save for the music, so Octavia could almost make out what Luna said to her sister and a group of nondescript ponies next to her: "Hello everypony, did I miss anything?"

Octavia felt giddier inside than she ever had; she was almost swooning. Luna's voice was so pure and clear, like a midnight sky. It was cool and sophisticated, yet warm and comforting. It was everything Octavia hoped it was, but also blew her expectations away. Surely this was the highlight of Octavia's evening (possibly her whole life) and was worth every second of discomfort or embarrassment she endured in getting here. She wanted that moment she first heard Luna's voice to last forever. But to Octavia's surprise, something even more important happened mere moments afterward. Something that would take a night of lying awake to digest, but even then she couldn't quite comprehend. An event that would send her on a journey that would change her life, and another's, forever.

A jittery pink pony (with fantastic hair) dashed over to the strange mechanical machine without Octavia noticing and pulled a familiar white unicorn out from under it. With a high pitched squeal, the pink pony caught the attention of everypony in the yard:

"LET'S GET THIS PARTY STARTED!!!"

Author's Note

Ugh! This namby-pamby chapter isn't getting us any closer to any ScratchTavia action! It's all about inner turmoil and foreshadowing and boring stuff like that!

This author sucks.

Chapter 22: An Even Less Expected Visit and the Great Revelation

Octavia had to proofread Vinyl's apologetic letter to Frederick many times before finally sending it on its way. The rest of their evening together was relatively uneventful. Though Octavia lay awake contemplating the rumors about her family and her intense kisses with Vinyl, she eventually floated off into a dream. (Yes. You read that right: another dream.)

----{{{{Vinyl's home was filled with photographs on the wall. Octavia sat and cried in the middle. All the photographs were of her mother. They were all upset. Upstairs Octavia heard the sounds of two ponies kissing. Her heart pounded. She knew who was up there with Vinyl, so she turned and ran outside. She heard the pony come down the stairs. Their steps were quick and heavy. The clattering scared Octavia as she ran. The pony behind her was chasing her. Down the street was Octavia's Canterlot home. The door opened and Frederick was inside. The photographs of her mother in there were smiling. The clattering grew louder. Octavia tried to run to her home, but a voice screamed, "You're going the wrong way!" So, she turned and ran back towards Vinyl's home. The pony behind her was closer. "You are going the wrong way," the voice screamed. She turned and ran towards her own home. "You're going the wrong way!" She turned to Vinyl's. "You are going the wrong way." "You're going the wrong way!" "You are going the wrong way." The clattering from behind became so loud she could not hear the voice. The pony was upon her. She hit the ground with force. She felt the pony slam her face again and again and again and again and again into the pavement. She saw blood. It was her own.}}}}----

Octavia awoke, rolled over in a sweat. While her face still hurt from the beating it received in the dream, she placed a hoof to her cheek. It was not sore: she wasn't actually in any real pain. Quickly hopping out of bed, she hobbled downstairs to the bathroom. She splashed her face in the sink to try to refresh herself. After a couple of breaths, Octavia stared at her troubled face in the mirror again. She still didn't recognize the pony in the reflection.

'I was for certain I was through with these nightmares...' contemplated Octavia. She had been plagued with horrible dreams, fueled by her stress, since discovering Vinyl's sexuality. But she gave Vinyl a chance and for a straight week, she was free of them. However, the two of them had begun to kiss regularly at Vinyl's behest... and doubt began to cloud Octavia's heart and mind again. 'Everypony has nightmares. There is no deeper meaning here,' she tried to reason. 'It is not because I am hesitating going further with Vinyl... these are just randomly occurring dreams,'

'But maybe you should have gone further anyway,' a tiny thought in her head teased her.

Octavia didn't know how to respond to her own pestering thoughts. She wanted to reject it like she had for years, silence its annoying mockery of her. But she yearned to listen to it. All it ever told her was what she really wanted to hear. It was right. It always was. And it wasn't even a voice, really. It was just her own head, simply telling herself what she truly wanted. But it was so aggravating. What she wanted to do. What she needed to do. How could she choose? But she did make a choice. For years, she separated the thoughts from her rationale, but lately those thoughts had been winning.

Octavia came out of the washroom and looked around Vinyl's quiet, tiny house. It was so much smaller than her own in Canterlot, but... it was starting to feel like... 'My home? Can I truly change my life and move here to Ponyville? Should I? I have never thought I would live anywhere else but Canterlot... If that is not my intention, how long should I stay here?' Octavia worried. 'Father and Mother... should I return? ...If I see them and tell them what has been happening... will they ask me to stay in Canterlot? ...If I continue to live with Vinyl, I... may end up doing certain things for her... well, with her.' Octavia nervously rubbed her foreleg. She thought about what Vinyl wanted from her. It wasn't just going on dates or kissing. Vinyl would eventually want more. Octavia was afraid of going that far, but the concept itself didn't make her uneasy, which terrified her even more. 'I mean, I'm not... I can't be... Right? This is for Vinyl's sake... This is all for Vinyl's sake. I want to make her happy, so I'm... doing these things...'

Octavia shook herself. It was stifling, all these worries. "I need some air..." she mumbled when she had had enough. Exiting the house as quietly as she could, she stepped into the chilly night air. There was little light aside from some street lanterns, but the chirping of crickets and nightlife washed over her thoughts, which, for a moment, gave her some peace. Enjoying the cool breeze, Octavia strolled carefully in the dark for a short moment before noticing that Twilight Sparkle's tree/house/library was still well lit from the inside. No other home in Ponyville had any lights on this late. Octavia was simply going to make a mental note of the detail and move on, but she was struck by a curious and lucky thought.

'...Twilight completely changed her life when she moved here from Canterlot. Perhaps I can ask her for some advice,' Octavia realized. Perhaps talking about her relocation might give Octavia some clarity on issues, at least she hoped. 'Oh, but the hour is very late. I should not bother her... ...Then again, Vinyl mentioned that Twilight is a "night owl," so perhaps she would not mind the company...' Octavia uneasily concluded that it wouldn't hurt to at least see if she answered the door. Trotting up to the large oak tree in the darkness, she noticed that the door was slightly ajar, releasing a thin vertical line of light from within. Puzzled, she knocked and carefully opened it. "Miss Twilight?" she asked softly. The home was just as quiet as Vinyl's.

Unsure what to do, she looked around at the dark surrounding the house before calling a bit louder inside, "Twilight!?" No response. A heavy pit formed in Octavia's stomach. 'Did something happen to her? What if the ponies that broke into Vinyl's house came here!?!? What should I do? Should I call for help!? ...Maybe I should confirm the situation first...' Casting aside her doubt and fear, she stepped into the home and started looking around frantically. All seemed to be in its proper place on the ground floor, so she carefully tread up the stairs to Twilight's study. She found it empty and still very well-organized, save for the balcony window that was open. That chilling breeze of the night slipped in through it. Significantly more puzzled, Octavia decided to recheck the downstairs. Before she could make her move however, she heard a fluttering near the window and the thud! of something heavy landing. The sudden noise from behind her caused her heart to race and all her hair to stand on end. Her chest tensed up and her breath halted. Bracing herself for conflict, she turned to the direction of the noise and screamed, "WHO'S THERE!?!?"

Turns out she was screaming at Princess Luna.

The dark blue alicorn, Princess Luna, stood with imposing superiority before Octavia. Her mane shimmered and waved with stars mimicking the dark night behind her. Her mighty wings flapped gently before resting at her sides. She wore a crest of darkness with a crescent moon on her chest and a black crown atop her flowing mane. Though her expression was of surprise at the outburst, it quickly turned to concern. The Princess looked Octavia over for several moments before holding one shimmery, chrome studded hoof to her chest and answering royally, "I am Princess Luna, Princess of the Night." She turned her hoof to point to Octavia and demanded, "Who are YOU that intrudes on Twilight Sparkle's home and challenges ME?" Princess Luna opened her wings wide, making her point even more imposing.

"P-P-P-P-PRINCESS!!! I- I- I- I- I-" Octavia stuttered in baffled fear, confusing shock and complete, unhindered, excruciating awe.

"It appears my sister's pupil is not present," Princess Luna noticed as she looked around the room after Octavia could not muster a response. "And neither is her dragon."

"I- I- I- I- I- I-" Octavia continued to sputter, unable to form one single thought.

"And yet YOU, who can only speak the letter 'I,' is slinking around as though you have something to hide. Have you done something to Twilight Sparkle!?" Luna asked aggressively. "The punishment for such a thing would be most dire!"

"NO! NO! No, I- I- I- I-" Octavia continued (uselessly.) 'Why is Princess Luna here! I haven't done anything! Why is she being so mean!?' Tears began to form as Octavia began to sink to the floor in submission, which did not go unnoticed by the Princess.

Luna's expression softened as she retracted her wings and exclaimed, "Wait, child! Calm yourself! It was only a jest! A joke! I am joking!"

"...W-what!?" Octavia cried out, still befuddled and afraid.

"Oh, that Rainbow Dash!" Luna cursed to herself. "She assured me everypony enjoys being pranked in modern Equestria." Returning her attention to the cellist, she apologized. "I did not mean to scare you, citizen. I apologize." Luna bowed a little to show her regret. Octavia was able to catch her breath and calm down at the revelation. "Are you alright?" Luna asked once she saw this.

"Yes, I think I'm fine," Octavia managed to reply, her voice dry.

"Good," Luna said with relief. "I was... trying something that I have not done in a millennium, that was recommended to me. It did not go as planned..." Luna chuckled.

"Heh heh heh..." Octavia laughed nervously. There was an awkward pause. Luna was unaffected by the silence and Octavia still hadn't processed exactly what had just occurred.

Princess Luna took another look around before saying, "Hmm... Ill-fated pranks aside, I sense Twilight Sparkle is not here. Do you know of her whereabouts?"

"No, I came in because I was worried about her too..." Octavia explained. Her heart was still racing and the gravity of who she was conversing with hadn't settled in yet.

"Hmm..." Luna pondered with concern as she walked about the room looking for clues. Her stride was graceful and Octavia was mesmerized by it. Luna came upon Twilight's desk and peered down at her current work. After a moment of realization, Luna looked back towards the window she came in through. Octavia hesitantly tried to follow her gaze but couldn't decipher what she was focused on. Luna smiled before saying, "Ah, I think I know where she has gone. Come here and see." She motioned to Octavia to step next to her.

Octavia silently approached Princess Luna, her head hung low. Her heart was beating no longer in fear, but racing with nervousness. It was Princess Luna! Oh, how Octavia admired her! Here she was, and she was beckoning Octavia to come closer. Her body was slender and exquisite and her beauty was beyond legendary. Octavia blushed as she stood next to Luna, carefully raising her head back up. She wasn't that much smaller compared to the mighty Princess, but she felt completely dwarfed. Luna lowered her neck to speak on Octavia's level as she pointed to the papers and research Twilight was doing.

"Look here," Luna revealed. "Twilight Sparkle was researching Firefly Frogs: a rare nocturnal species native to areas around the Everfree Forest." Her voice was no longer boisterous, but dignified, compassionate, and intelligent. Octavia's nervousness was beginning to transform into glee. Her idol was a mere griffin's feather away! Octavia's body felt hot and her legs twitched. This wasn't an unfamiliar feeling though. She had felt it recently. With Vinyl... "And look there," Luna continued, motioning towards the balcony. "Her telescope is pointing down towards one of Ponyville's ponds. It wouldn't be unreasonable to assume Twilight Sparkle spotted the flash of light Firefly Frogs sometimes exhibit and left in a hurry to examine them up close." Luna then motioned to a small basket of a bed with a blanket upturned beside it. They both were the perfect size for a tiny dragon. "And I believe she took her assistant with her," Luna chuckled.

"Oh- Oh, that's a relief," Octavia sighed, though her mind was now far from worried about Twilight.

"Indeed. Although, I believe Twilight would have been able to handle any dangerous situation that she might find herself in. She is quite capable, you know, and very special," Luna explained as she walked a few steps away to leave some personal space between her and the cellist, much to Octavia's disappointment.

"Yeah, I've heard a lot about all the stuff she's done," Octavia said before kicking herself mentally for the friendly way she was talking. "I mean- *ahem* There has been much talk about the exploits of Twilight and her friends. Their talents and dependable nature, specifically." Octavia paused before remembering to add, "Your Highness!"

Princess Luna laughed a little. "You needn't force yourself to speak so politely to me. I have since adjusted to this age of ponies and the casual manor they address each other, especially in Ponyville. It is the 'hip' thing to do," Luna explained, using air-quotes. "Rainbow Dash assured me of this. Although, now, I am beginning to question her advice..."

"No, no, I do not typically speak in such blunt sentences! Not like Vinyl!" Octavia insisted. "I am from Canterlot. My typical vernacular does not involve such inarticulate, uneducated and non-specific words or phrases! I do not use contractions in my speech; I attempt to enunciate and use proper descriptions as much as I am able--!!" Octavia didn't really know why she was trying to explain all this to Luna. Maybe she wasn't thinking straight. (Maybe her eyes were spinning in a comical fashion.) "--and it is my intention to show proper respect at all times! It is simply that being here in Ponyville, with Vinyl, I've started to... it's become second nature to..." Luna kept her attention on Octavia while she spoke, but her expression was of befuddlement. Octavia realized that she wasn't helping her case with this nonsense, strategically gave up and sighed, "...Perhaps I am starting to adjust to it as well..."

"Heh heh. It seems we both have been changed by the ponies in this town," Luna chuckled as she approached, placing one wing comfortingly on Octavia. "Perhaps that is not such a bad thing." Octavia blushed some more. Luna's wing was gracing her back with its touch. She looked longingly at Luna's face, closer than she had ever hoped to be. She felt like she might fall into those gorgeous eyes. She felt compelled to launch herself into Luna and smother her. She wanted Luna to take her body and... and... (Oh, boy. The consequences for that would be most dire.)

'Oh, no,' Octavia thought. 'This- this isn't... Why am I feeling this way!? She is beautiful, like Vinyl, but I'm not- I can't be-! No! No! No!'

Octavia backed away from Luna to separate herself from the instincts that were bubbling up in her. Such tempting, unfulfilled instincts.

"Hmm. It is a disappointment that Twilight is not present. I shall return to Canterlot and call upon her another evening," Princess Luna announced, opening her wings and preparing to launch out the window. Panic gripped Octavia with tiny stinging daggers! She didn't want Luna to leave. She didn't want to think of the princess with such lecherous thoughts, but she didn't want her to go either!

"Why are you here!? That's right: change the subject! Why did you need to see Twilight!?" Octavia shouted, forgetting to keep the middle part exclusively in her head.

Taken aback by the outburst, Luna hesitated before answering, "I... often visit Twilight Sparkle in these late hours. She has become a companion to me during my lonely vigil as she is one of the few ponies who stays awake and truly appreciates the calm, tranquility of the night." Her wings were still outstretched, ready for takeoff.

"I like the night too!" Octavia blurted. "Your moon is very beautiful."

Luna smiled and relaxed her wings, indicating she was willing to stay and converse with Octavia. "Thank you, though I would not claim it solely as my own. ...What is your name, citizen? And what is your relation to Twilight Sparkle?"

"Octavia Melody," Octavia said plainly, skipping her usual 'Canterlot Quartet' bit. "Twilight is just a friend. I was coming over to see if she could give me some advice."

"Oh? Perhaps I could be of help, if you would allow. What troubles you, Octavia Melody?" Luna offered generously.

"You-! No, no! There is no need for a Princess of your grand stature to lower yourself to help somepony like me..." Octavia looked away, embarrassed.

"...There was a time I too thought such a thing was beneath me," Princess Luna stated solemnly. She gingerly looked upwards through the open window to the moon. It was nowhere near full: a crescent moon, but it was appealing in its own memorable way. "There was a time I separated myself from my subjects with great distance. If you know the stories, then you know how that ended for me." Luna gave a halfhearted smile. Octavia didn't respond. Bringing up Luna's betrayal and banishment was not her intention. "So, if you would, I can use this as an opportunity to learn to bond with my subjects. Perhaps, in that way, we can help each other. Does that sound agreeable, Octavia Melody of Canterlot?"

"O-okay," Octavia said, convinced.

"Then tell your Princess: what troubles you?"

"Well..." Octavia didn't know how to start or what to say. She had come to ask Twilight about moving to Ponyville, but that wasn't her real problem. The logistics of transporting belongings wasn't of any real concern. She was troubled about something much more fundamental. And personal. It wasn't even about Vinyl. It was about herself. What she wanted. She had so much trouble defining it, even though it was right there, on the tip of her tongue. "I do not know how to talk about it..." Octavia admitted.

"Hmm..." Luna contemplated as Octavia stayed silent. "It this about your nightmares?"

"No," Octavia answered instinctively. "No, they are not that much of a concern to- Wait a moment... How do you know about my nightmares?"

Luna was completely blank for a moment, like a deer caught in lamplights. "Oh... perhaps I have said too much about my ancient secret," Luna said, covering her lips a bit in embarrassment. (Busted!)

"What do you mean? How do you know what I have been dreaming!?" Octavia pushed.

"...Well, I suppose there is no harm in telling you... You would not be the first to know..." Luna said slowly. "I am the Princess of the Night, the darkness of the world is my domain and the moon is my charge. But that is not my only purpose: I am also the Protector of Dreams. It is my duty to monitor the sleep of all the citizens of Equestria and safeguard their slumber from sinister magics and monsters that can negatively affect them while dreaming."

"...Really?" Octavia asked, stunned at this news.

"Indeed."

"So... so you spy in on everypony's thoughts every night?" Octavia asked, more with disbelief than apprehension.

"---! What!? No! No-! No, I would not put it that way!" Luna insisted, displaying an uncharacteristic child-like demeanor at the accusation. "I do not observe the contents of any one pony's dream, unless there is a dangerous situation that requires it. It is more like... I feel if their slumber is pleasant or troubled as I check for magical disturbances. That is all!"

"...I see."

"Yes!" Luna pouted a little. "*Ahem!* As that is, I can sense that you have had an increased number of nightmares as of late. Nothing magical in nature, mind you."

"...I guess I have... but- that's not really what's bothering me..." Octavia said.

"Perhaps not directly, but your dreams and nightmares are deeply connected to your psyche and can often reveal much about you that you may not realize. If you are having nightmares, they may be rooted in your problems in the waking world."

"Oh...?"

"I... have the power to resurrect those troubled nightmares from your subconscious," Luna admitted, like she was talking about a stroll through the park. "You may not be able to verbalize what bothers you, but I could gleam much from experiencing your dreams. With your permission, of course."

"Um," Octavia hesitated. If the princess could really understand through her nightmares, did she really want to show her what was going on? To reveal her own soul in a way that she didn't even understand herself? It was all very private. But... Octavia hadn't been handling her relationship with Vinyl very well. (Putting it lightly.) If left to her own devices, she would mull it over and over and no conclusion would ever really be reached. It had taken the prodding of some very helpful ponies to allow Octavia to take major steps along her path. Applejack, Pinkie Pie, and Rarity had all assisted her in their own little ways. Octavia was ashamed that she needed so much help, but accepted that she was having trouble. The least she could do is reach out to accept help, if it was offered. If anypony could assist her, surely this Princess, this goddess, before her could. "Alright," Octavia said with determination. "Princess Luna, if you would be so kind as to read my dreams."

"Hold still then," Luna said smiling, as her horn glowed with magic stronger than Octavia had ever seen. She lowered the horn close to Octavia's forehead and spoke, "You may re-experience the nightmares again. Remember: they are not real."

As Luna said the words, the horn touched Octavia's head, and she was instantly consumed in a flash of light that was also, somehow, the thickest darkness she could imagine. Her mind reconstructed the dreams that she had forgotten mere moments after waking up, days, weeks ago. They came back all at once. They rushed past like a flash of lightning, but the details lingered like the aftertaste of a foul meal. The emotions and horror they gave her slammed her mind tenfold. They weren't real, but OH CELESTIA it felt like they were. So much so, it hurt. Octavia bit her lower lip to distract her from the pain. Fortunately, the sensations did not last long as Luna released her. Octavia collapsed on the floor gasping for breath. Luna, on the other hoof, was sent flying across the room. The Princess slammed into a bookcase and the impact jostled some hardcovers free from the shelf. They shortly fell onto the floor or the dumbfounded princess.

"Ugh... Well, I was not expecting that to happen," Luna mumbled, sheepishly getting up, loose books falling off her. Octavia didn't rise to her hooves with her, but instead wiped away the new tears on her face. "Hmm..." Luna hummed, eyes closed. She levitated the books back to their shelves as she thought and Octavia sniffled.

"Well...?" Octavia asked timidly after a while. She had gotten up now and though she was aware Luna didn't see her start to cry, she was pretty sure she knew already. It was almost like they were connected for moment when they were sharing Octavia's dreams.

"Mmm... Pardon my arrogance, but from my perspective, looking from the outside, your problem seems clear," Luna diagnosed. "But I can tell there is much turmoil inside you that is blocking what should seem obvious. And I am not entirely sure just speaking the words will convince you of the truth."

"Oh...?"

"So, how best to disentangle it for you?" Luna pondered for quite some time. She gently tapped her hoof to her chin in thought. Her eyes closed, concentrating.

After many moments of nothing, Octavia offered, "If it is such a bother... You... do not have to trouble yourself-"

"NO! No! I can- I can do this!" Princess Luna protested defiantly. "I simply need... a- a change in strategy!" She walked up to Octavia with determination. "I believe I have a solution! If words fail us, perhaps a dream might reveal what cannot be said. If you would allow me to place you in a dream, I can show you things that may help you."

"Do you mean you will be controlling my dream? ...I suppose that is alright... if you believe that will help. However, I am not that tired right now..." Despite the late hour, Octavia's adrenaline was pumping.

"I can take care of that," Luna said slyly as her eyes glowed pure white. However Octavia was long gone before she finished that sentence. The cellist had instantly fallen asleep with just a touch of magic from Luna. She almost collapsed limp on the floor, but Luna used simple levitation to lift her to a comfortable position on Twilight's vacant bed. "Now then, shall we begin?" Luna posed, mostly to herself.

-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~ :heart: ~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-

----{{{{Octavia found herself standing in a white void. It was startlingly odd and she instantly knew something was amiss. This couldn't possibly be the real world: the ground, horizon, and sky were all the same pure white. But, this felt off; she felt completely conscious and aware, unlike the fuzziness and abstractness of a normal dream.

'Hello?' she called out into the emptiness. Her voice echoed as if she was enclosed in an empty chamber, though her pale surroundings looked as if they were so clear, she could have seen for a hundred thousand miles.

'Octavia Melody,' Princess Luna's voice emerged from no particular point of origin and echoed about as well. 'Do you remember why you are here?'

'Princess Luna? You were going to show me something... ' Octavia recalled without difficulty. She looked in all directions, but could not see the princess.

'Tell me, child, what do you think of when you hear the word "perfect?"' Luna asked. Her voice was gentle, yet at the same time commanding.

'What I think of...?' Octavia asked aloud from her body inside the dream. But she did not need to contemplate any: colors began to splash upon the white canvas around her. They appeared as though they had been hurled against the pale emptiness before they splattered, but not a drop fell onto Octavia. She watched with awe as the colors began to run down and join together and separate as if an invisible force was forming them into recognizable shapes. Finally, the revealed painting was of Octavia herself, in a classroom as a filly. She was receiving perfect marks on all her subjects and being praised by her classmates and teacher.

Octavia took several steps back as more illustrations appeared, each displaying more information than a still image should. They were all of her, excelling at various activities. Concerts, competitions, socialization, baking, debate, fencing and every other thing she had ever done in her life. She was always succeeding and had the attention of those around her. The last vision she saw was of herself standing at an alter in a wedding dress next to a pale brown stallion in a suit. She needn't look at it long, just a glance was enough to last a lifetime.

Octavia looked away from all the images, ashamed. She bit her bottom lip tightly, though she could feel no pain in the dream. As she bit, a vibrant red 'X' defaced the first vision. The red melted into the painting, ruining it forever. One by one the images were crossed until only a singular vision remained: her at the alter. Octavia peeked back and saw what had happened. She knew why. She had failed. She wasn't the perfect student. She was just good enough. She wasn't the perfect musician. She was just good enough. She wasn't the perfect socialite. She was just good enough. Everything she had attempted, she failed to be perfect at. Everything she knew her mother wanted her to be, she failed to be perfect at. But there was one thing left. One last thing she hadn't even attempted. One last way to redeem herself for her mother.

But when Octavia looked at herself in the wedding gown, standing next to that stallion, a heavy sickness filled her.

'I have seen enough!!!' Octavia shouted, averting herself from the disfigured images. They were wiped clean instantly, once again surrounding her with white.

'Let us try an experiment,' Princess Luna spoke again. 'Show me, what would you consider a perfect Princess?'

'A perfect... Princess...?' Octavia considered. '...She would be graceful, regal...' As she spoke, the colors returned, forming a singular image behind her. 'Intelligent, well versed in history, art, politics... majestic, awe-inspiring, valiant at times.' She needn't truly say those things out loud; the illustration revealed more than it displayed in this dream. Octavia turned around and saw what her image had conceived. It looked very similar to Princess Luna, but there were subtle differences that she noticed, mainly her color, her mane and attire.

'So, this is a perfect Princess?' Luna's voice asked.

'...Yes,' Octavia admitted, hoping Luna didn't notice it had the same face as her.

'Interesting. Note, however, that this is only what you consider perfection to be.'

'What do you mean?' Octavia questioned as the image was wiped clean again. 'If something is perfect it has no flaws.'

'Based solely on what your values are. Your view of what a flaw means,' Luna pointed out. 'There is no absolute definition, at least not in regards to ponies. For example: let me describe to you a different vision of a perfect princess from a pony other than yourself.'

'Somepony else's vision?' Octavia hesitated.

A new vision of a Princess was pressed onto the white void: a silhouette of a blue alicorn with wings raised high. Luna's voice explained, 'This particular pony envisions a perfect princess, not by her regal demeanor or her intelligence, but by her actions. The choices she makes for her subjects.' The horn of the alicorn visage glowed as an explosion of velvety blue erupted from it. The blackness instantly surrounded Octavia's dream form, creating a different kind of void. 'She would give her subjects a gift: she would paint their world with colors that were beyond imagination, impossible to be created by any hoof other than her own. They would be blessed by the limitless serenity given to them.' Spots appeared above Octavia, slight specks of light punctured the dream's sky, each appearing softly and quietly, but quickly. Their numbers were endless, thousands upon thousands. Octavia stared up at the wondrous display. She had seen this view before, but never so close and intensely. Luna's voice continued, 'Mesmerizing lights would dot their horizon, incomprehensibly distant, but forever enchanting. Fathomless knowledge could be gleamed from their faint forms.' Octavia felt a dominating presence behind her. Looking over her dream form's shoulder, she became eclipsed by an enormous circle of light. She backed away as the moon's form rose higher and higher into the night sky. 'She would gift them with a guardian: an eternal silent watcher that safeguarded them from the darkness. Would that not be wonderful? Would that not be the perfect action of a perfect princess? To gift your subjects such a perfect time? A Perfect World?' There was a pause in Luna's voice before she continued, 'Of course, this perfect princess's subjects would love her unconditionally. Her gift would not be ignored. By the contrary, it would be celebrated.' As Luna spoke, the dream was dotted with ponies of all types dancing in the beautiful world, singing praises to the princess before them.

Though she was still mesmerized by the visuals Octavia felt a slow sinking in her stomach, even though her body was a figment of a dream. This all sounded very familiar. Luna's voice was becoming... troubling.

'However... suppose that those this princess worked so tirelessly for... did not respect her gift.' As Luna's voice began to tremble, the dancing ponies began to melt. 'Perhaps there was another princess who painted their world as well, and those subjects loved her world more.' The painting of the night was wiped away as a new vision spread into its place as another alicorn silhouette took the spot on the canvas. This white alicorn was surrounded by ponies, flocking in thousands to bow before her. Octavia didn't need to look at it. She knew who this was. She read the stories. She knew the tale. She was afraid now. Luna's voice was booming. 'What would a perfect princess do? Wouldn't she have no choice but to force her subjects to live in the perfect world for all eternity, to show them how wrong they were to disrespect it? Would that not be the perfect solution!? Would that not be the correct thing to do!?!?' Darkness once again enveloped the world, but this time it was cruel and unrelenting. The paintings of ponies were brutally shackled to it. A terrifying buzzing sensation filled Octavia's ears as she felt the void shake and the shackled ponies cry out. 'Wouldn't she have no choice but to remove any who threatened her perfect world!?!? TO DESTROY THEM, NO MATTER HOW MUCH IT HURT HER!?!?' Octavia didn't see the blue alicorn strike down the white one: she already knew what was happening, so she looked away, closed her eyes, and clinched her teeth.

The shaking stopped. So did the buzzing.

Slowly the darkness faded, pealing away, releasing the endless masses of ponies. Octavia carefully looked around to see order restored to the dream around her and the tremendous weight lift. '...But that might just be one interpretation of what it means to be a perfect princess...,' Luna continued, her disembodied voice soft now. 'To a princess's subjects, a perfect princess may be something else entirely.' As she said this, the vision of the blue alicorn spread its wings wide and surrounded the colorful ponies, sheltering them in a massive embrace. 'A princess who would protect and serve them above all else: for they are weak, and she is strong. A princess who would never use her power to harm them. A princess who places their worth, their very lives, above her own selfish desires: for she loves them and they love her, even if they cannot show it at all times.' The canvas faded into the white void again, peacefully.

One last vision appeared. The blue and white alicorns faced each other happily. 'And to another... a perfect princess may simply be a sister who does not foolishly feel jealously against the one she loves the most...'

As this last vision faded, Luna herself finally appeared from the colors and walked gracefully up to Octavia. The dreaming cellist hung her head in shame, like she had seen something she wasn't supposed to, though Luna had shown her willingly. 'What do you suppose all these interpretations mean for you?' Luna coaxed.

'...I... For me...' Octavia contemplated, though her inner thoughts were now spoken aloud in the dream. 'If... there can be more than one way to interpret perfection... then...' The void around Octavia began to fill again, but the colors were not still: they were a wash of visions, glimpses of Octavia's life. Her past, all swirling around like the turmoil she always felt. They were blurry, though easily distinguishable as they moved around the void in directions that were not possible. All her aspirations, determination, admiration, doubt, shame, guilt, and debt were on display. Every failure, every success. Every reckless rationalization. 'I want to be a perfect daughter for my mother,' Octavia finally admitted aloud. She didn't need to watch the visions go by, she already understood. 'No, I need to be because I love her and... owe her so much and she deserves it, but... I had always just assumed that meant I needed to live the way she had. To become the kind of pony she is. To excel at the kind of life she has.' Octavia hesitated, but for the last time. 'To... to marry a stallion... Have children... That is what I'm supposed to do...' The twisting canvas slowed down as it focused on memories of Octavia's mother. 'But... that was just my interpretation of what it means to be a perfect daughter. I never even hesitated to consider what kind of daughter mother really wanted... the daughter that would truly make her happy and proud...' Octavia looked around at the visions before her. Every moment she had ever spent with her mother was on display in her field of vision. She watched as her mom smiled, laughed, cried, and showed so much love.

'And what kind of daughter is that? What is your mother's perfect daughter?' Luna asked, intervening to give Octavia one last push, gently patting her shoulder.

'A happy one,' Octavia answered. The tears that came from her dream figment's eyes weren't real, though they fell just the same. 'My mother's perfect daughter is a happy daughter... That is it. That is the only thing she ever wanted out of me.' The truth was right in front of her. Her mother encouraged her to succeed, not for the success itself, but for the joy it gave Octavia when she accomplished the things she did. Though she later shunned it, the praise her mother gave her was solely to make Octavia happy. They weren't lies, like she had come to believe. Her mother smiled brightly as Octavia shined, and shared her grief when she was solemn. And though Octavia was so focused on fulfilling her life-long debt, she failed to see what it was she truly needed to do. 'It doesn't matter if I'm flawed... faulty... or even a failure!' Octavia said with blossoming enthusiasm. 'As long as I'm happy, mother will be too, and that's... that's all I need to do!' She began to laugh with more relief than she had ever experienced. 'I cannot believe I was so foolish as to not see something so simple!'

'I told you it was obvious,' Luna smirked as she whispered in Octavia's ear. As the soft hum of her voice filled the dream, Octavia awoke, through a burst of white.}}}}----

-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~ :heart: ~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-

Octavia was lying on Twilight's bed, over the covers. Her awakening was sudden and she didn't feel at all groggy. It was more like she had walked from one room to another rather than coming from a dream. The hour was still late and it would be impossible to tell how long she was asleep. Octavia quickly picked up her thoughts. 'I have been so misguided in my methods to repay my mother for all the love and kindness she has given me. I did not need to force myself to do anything I did not enjoy just because I thought she wanted me to. I did not need to put on that shallow smile through it all... I just needed to be happy. I just need to be happy!' And just like that, the river opened. Whatever dam was preventing it from flowing, erupted. All the realizations that came with it flooded out.

'And what makes you happy?' the voice in Octavia's head asked for the final time. Its voice appearing suddenly, its words sometimes cryptic, sometimes taunting, forever true. The harbinger of that river.

'...Vinyl. It's Vinyl! Vinyl is the one thing that makes me the happiest!' The river raged, spilling over its edges, eroding away ideas and thoughts she once considered immovable, unbreakable. 'And I ...love her! Her smile, her attitude, her kindness, her goofiness, her stubbornness. I love it all! And... it's not platonic, is it!?' As the river flowed, it broke the final blockade. The last bastion of doubt. (The final boss) 'I'm... attracted to Vinyl! I want to kiss her and I want her to kiss me! Every time she does I burst! When she touches me I want to cry in joy! The thought that I needed to settle down with a stallion for mother's sake has been holding me back. I was so wrong about that! Such a stupid reason! It's so obvious! I'm attracted to mares! It's always been that way! I like mares! That- that makes me-!'

'Free.'

Octavia covered her mouth as she cried to stop herself from bawling with relief. Her tears were happy as indicated by the massive smile she had and the laughter that was coming out. Luna had been silently watching Octavia finally rid herself from the shackles. That inner turmoil that had burdened her for her whole life finally stopped and her vision was clear. (It's about time.) Octavia began to laugh uncontrollably and wipe her tears away, although there were more coming down.

"Princess Luna!" Octavia finally blubbered. "I- don't know what to say. ...Thank you!"

"Mmm...? All I know is you had a lovely dream," Luna said playfully.

'I need to tell Vinyl!'

"I- I have to go!" Octavia said gleefully. She, with no hesitation, jumped off the bed and tackled Luna with a hug.

"Oh!" Luna squeaked, not knocked over, but not expecting the embrace.

"Thank you so much!" Octavia sung before hurrying down the stairs and bolting out the door. Back to Vinyl's house. Back to Vinyl. Back to the place she belonged. Her home.

She shortly came upon Twilight carrying Spike on her back as the two of them trotted back to the library, their hooves and claws covered with mud.

"I know I saw one, Spike. I know I did!" Twilight protested to her assistant.

"Then how come we couldn't *yaaaaawn* find it?" Spike pointed out sleepily.

Octavia didn't wait for them to notice her, she just ran up and hugged Twilight, startling her.

"Agh! What- Octavia!? What's going on!?" Twilight asked as Octavia squeezed her tight and spun her around much like Vinyl had done to her.

"Y-yeah, what's g-gotten into you!?" Spike added as he clutched onto Twilight's back, dizzy from the spinning.

"Heehee!" Octavia giggled. "I'm gay, and I love Vinyl!!!"

Author's Note

This is the chapter I've been dying to write ever since I started! :D Isn't it just perfect that Luna was the one to finally help open Octavia up!? Nyuck nyuck nyuck!

This was going to be published earlier, but I decided last minute to rewrite a major chunk of it. Originally, Luna just talked to Octavia instead of putting her in a dream. But I decided to step it up to make it more interesting, and I believe that helped this chapter become much better.

It's been a conscious decision to have Octavia's mother be a vital part of her mental psyche and her hesitation for coming out, but not to have any obvious flashbacks or specific examples of her. I wanted her to be this vague idea of a character that's in the back of your mind, like an old friend you don't think of often. Don't know if that worked out to my advantage as a literary concept or not *shrugs* ...Who cares, it's fanfiction! I bet* there's gonna be some smooching next chapter!!! Whooooo!!

*I will win this bet.