In a Cello Mood

Dear Diary,

Why are mares so ugh! So we went home, I mean, to Dan’s home, Vinyl and Octavia and I, and they decided to stay the night with me. (Thankfully, they didn’t, you know.) But in the morning… ugh! Stupid, silly in the head, and- ugh!

How cannot they understand how romantically involved with Dan I am? That it is a pure, higher relationship we’ll be having? That- ugh, again!

***

“I think they did it.”

Vinyl grinned, nodding energetically from her place on the sofa. “Oh yes, Tavi, I am sure they did it.” She glanced at Beauty, who was doing a great job of concentrating on the chess board. “I think they even did it twice.”

Beauty exhaled loudly, but kept thinking about her next turn. Finally, she was interested in doing something other than talking and sleeping, but, due to the depression still having a hold of her, she could not concentrate on two things at once. Or so she told herself.

“Why, my dear Vinyl,” Octavia replied in a posh tone, scrutinising the board as she sat opposite Beauty on the floor, “I am adamant they did it. Didn’t you?” she addressed the blue mare with a big smile.

“No, we didn’t.” Beauty finally decided on a E4-E5 from the pawn. Something familiar, at least. “We just cuddled a little.”

“But you wanted to do it, right?” Vinyl wondered, not dropping her grin, leaning off the sofa upside down in such a manner that the lower part of her body was still on the plush. “Admit it, you wanted him real bad.”

“No!” Beauty blushed, watching Octavia counter the move with a knight skilfully. Upon two heavy stares, she sighed. “Yes. Maybe. A little.” Catching the knowing looks, she burst out: “But he’s so fragile right now! He couldn’t even lift his head to kiss me, so I had to take the matter into my own, erm, lips?”

Octavia chuckled good-naturedly, awaiting a turn from the blushing blue mare. “Oh, he would have kissed you so much if he was physically able. I mean, have you seen the way he looks at you?”

Beauty toyed with the king. “Octavia. I, I, uh, really thought I liked you.” She looked into the mare’s wide-open lavender eyes. “But I don’t like you. I mean, I don’t like you like a mare. I am pretty sure I don’t like mares.” She shook her head and heard a tiny sigh of relief from the grey mare. “But I think we can be friends. Right?”

“Of course, Beauty.” Octavia extended her hoof and let the blue mare shake it fondly. “Friends. And project mates.”

“Of course.” The vocalist shook her head. “I can’t believe I put you through so much. We’ll start on our project once Dan is out of hospital. I think I’ll have gotten better by then.”

“That’s super cool,” came Vinyl’s voice from the sofa. “But if you ever think you’re a little into mares, Beauty, then a threesome with me and Octy is always an answer.”

A chuckle from Beauty couldn’t precede the swiftness of Octavia’s mighty kick.

***

“So the mighty Professor Dan is dating a high schooler.”

The lawyer scrunched his nose - which was the only gesture he could do without evoking a world of pain upon himself. “A uni student, Margaret. Not a high schooler.”

“Yeah, well, whatever.” A beige unicorn flexed his muscles, getting a deadpan from the female pegasus. “Still, Dan, that’s kinda… I mean, have you two-”

“No, we haven’t!” Professor Dan glared at both of his friends. “Seriously, Mercutio, get your head out of the gutter. We’ve only kissed once or twice.”

“So,” Margaret concluded, “you have completely gone off the rocket. Crazy in the head. What happened to that hot griffin chick?” The pegasus sat on the side of the hospital bed.

“We broke up.” Professor Dan would have shrugged if he could. “Seriously, guys, thanks for checking up on me, but I think Bea and I might work.”

Mercutio grinned. “So, when you two will-”

“Why do you even care?” Margaret narrowed her eyes dangerously, as if protecting her bed-confined friend. “You’re gay as fuck.”

“I’m only gay because I got to date you in high school,” Mercutio argued, but, before the argument could escalate, Professor Dan groaned loudly.

“Seriously, you two are unbearable. Get out of my sight.”

“Ah, of course.” The pegasus pshed and rose, aiming for the exit. “You have an important appointment with an important lawyer pony so you don’t have time for your two friends since foalhood.”

“Oh come on!” Professor Dan tried to protest, but the duet were gone. They would visit again, he was sure. But right now…

“So, Dan, you given it any thought?”

Professor Dan looked at the newcomer, a bright pink pony with a dark mane, who didn’t seem menacing at all - but who was, nevertheless, the city’s general prosecutor. With whom he’d had so many clashes in the past, as a defence attorney… “Not even a greeting, old friend?”

“I’m a busy pony,” the prosecutor replied seriously, not a touch of smile at his lips. “This is a serious matter. You want me to go at one of Equestria’s finest business stallions, renowned, with connections and enough money to bribe the entire law enforcement system. But, lucky for you, I want to get him too. But there’s still a price you have to pay.”

“I know.” Professor Dan sighed and closed his eyes. “Who do you want?”

“Hoity Toity.”

“Seriously?” Professor Dan blinked in surprise. “My least favourite client?... Well, you can have him, I guess…”

“I need an adamant answer.” The prosecutor chewed on his bottom lip. “And I don’t care if you like him or not. He is your client. And I need him.”

He tapped his hoof against the floor. “I need ‘Hoity Toity’. I need Immanuel Staccato.”

***

“We have a track.”

Octavia blinked and looked carefully at Vinyl, who was munching on cereal happily. In the evening. A little punny pony appeared in Octavia’s head, a pony with time-reversing powers, for some reason. Oh no you don’t-! the usual little pony shouted, but Octavia had already asked: “Are you cereal?”

Now it was Vinyl’s turn to blink. “Did you just-”

“Yes, yes.” Octavia sighed. “I have committed a pun. Which was a disgrace to my whole generation. But seriously, Vinyl, a track?”

“Yup!” The unicorn nodded happily, proceeding with her cereal. “A whole track!”

“And…” Octavia asked carefully, “how many tracks should there be on your CD?”

“About twelve, I guess?” Vinyl scratched the back of her head. “Ten, at least.”

“Maybe,” Octavia suggested carefully, “you two should release a single and then-”

“No.” Vinyl shook her head in determination. “We are recording a CD, and we will have a CD.”

Octavia just waved her hooves in the air in acceptance. Then picked up her toast with marmalade. Because this isn’t a morning food. Not like cereal. Then, as if to change the subject, she asked the question that had been bothering her for a while: “Vinyl. Do you think I could… meet Neon?”

Vinyl paused in her stuffing-of-the-stomach and looked at her marefriend with deep, serious eyes. “Do you really want to?”

“I think,” Octavia said, “that I trust you enough for me to meet Neon and talk to him freely. And I think you trust me enough to let me talk to him.”

Vinyl smiled. “Come here, you silly pone. I’m gonna kiss you real good.”

***

She did kiss me ‘real good’.

And, uh, did something else. I mean, did you know that rope could be used that way? I didn’t, Diary. I didn’t. Now I do, and it both scares and arouses me.

But, arousement aside, I really need to get my shit together. Get it in a tight backpack and, you know, get it together. Project with Beauty, Beauty’s treatment, Vinyl’s project, Neon, and I still need to get Vinyl to see a shrink about her little sister.

So much to do!

Oh, and we should really meet up with Lyra and Bon-Bon. Haven’t seen them in a while.

But, chances are, Lyra already knows why.

Octavia Philarmonica, November 16th

***

Yes, I do.

Lyra Heartstrings, November 16th