Tavi's Birthday Special

"Tavi!" Vinyl called out toward the stairs. "You ready yet? C'mon, the reservation's for eight and it's already...." The unicorn turned her eyes to check the clock.

"Seven-forty, I know," came Octavia's reply, her voice carrying a mild Trottingham accent. "We'll make it there, don't be so uptight."

Vinyl scoffed. "You're telling me not to be uptight? Who's the one who insisted on matching curtains for every room and who won't eat if different foods are touching?"

"The same mare who doesn't complain about your long nights obsessing over the perfect drumloops and your freak-out sessions about tangled electrical cords. Relax, I'm coming down." True to her word, Octavia appeared a few seconds later, a silky black evening dress flowing gently around her legs as she descended the stairs with a grace that might as well have been trademarked. Her signature bow tie wasn't present, but her ears were each adorned with a pair of little golden rings.

Vinyl whistled a little as her girlfriend reached the bottom of the staircase. "Nice duds, Tav; pretty sexy."

Octavia looked the unicorn up and down, taking in her outfit. She was bare aside from a simple blue dress, her sunglasses left lying on a shelf somewhere, and her mane was brushed out and hanging limp. The only accessory she had was a white purse full of bits slung across her withers. She even had on a noticeable amount of makeup, though it was mostly just pale blue eyeshadow.

"Is that what you're wearing?" Octavia inquired, holding a hoof to her chin. Vinyl scrunched up her muzzle and opened her mouth to protest, only for Tavi to laugh and press a gray hoof to her lips. "I'm only joking. You look lovely, Scratch."

Vinyl cracked a smile after a moment. "You too. Shall we?" She gestured a hoof toward the front door, and Octavia nodded.

The two headed out into Canterlot, locking the wooden door behind them. The tall lamps dotting the road illuminated the dark sidewalks just enough to navigate by without having to strain the eyes. The two walked along the pavement in quietude for a time, with Octavia admiring the city's architecture and Vinyl's eyes nearly glued to the dark sky above.

Octavia finally broke their silence as they turned a corner. "So, you mentioned a new song you were working on?"

"Heh, yeah," Vinyl said, smiling a bit as she looked toward Octavia. "It's gonna be a trance remix of 'Old Colt River.' I was gonna call it 'Old Colt Raver.'"

"Punny," Octavia said with a grin of her own. "You'll have play it for me once its finished."

Vinyl shrugged a little. "If you want. I'm still not sure why you always want to hear my new stuff. I mean, you never listen to it any other time."

"Has it occurred to you that I like to support your creative endeavors? Honestly, what kind of a friend would I be if I didn't at least give a listen and share some feedback, even if it's not really my type of music?"

"Have I mentioned that I love you today, Tavi?" Vinyl swung a hoof over Octavia's withers. "Because I do."

Octavia leaned over and gave Vinyl a short-lived kiss. "As do I love you, Vinyl."

The silence fell again as they walked on, only being broken when their destination came into view. "See, we're right on time," Octavia said, transitioning to a trot. "Told you not to worry."

"Yeah, yeah," Vinyl muttered as she followed her girlfriend into the restaurant.

Tavi walked right up to the stallion standing behind his little podium. "Eight o'clock reservation for Melody and Scratch?"

The host glanced down at the list before him, asking quickly, "Table for two?" Upon receiving a nod from both mares, he turned to lead them from the waiting room and through a set of double doors. "Right this way."

The dining room stretched out before the couple as they followed the host, seeming to expand further with each step they took. The walls were white marble, much like most of Canterlot's older structures, and wide mirrors with golden trim adorned their surfaces. White cloth covered the rounded tables, each one having its own little vase of flowers in the center. The lighting was dim, but still brighter than it was outside. To top it all off, a row of golden chandeliers hung from the ceiling, each one with what appeared to be real candles burning in its holders.

Vinyl and Octavia each sat down softly on one of the floor pillows that rested at either end of their table, thanking the host quietly as he placed down a pair of menus and departed. They each plucked up a menu, one with her hooves and the other with her magic. Octavia made a few soft clicking noises with her tongue as she scanned the different meals available, while Vinyl stared at her menu in silence.

"Good evening," said a yellow-coated unicorn as she approached their table. "What will you be having tonight?"

Octavia spent another second looking at her menu before folding it up and turning her violet eyes to the waitress. "I'll take your signature fruit salad, please."

"And to drink?"

"Oh," Octavia muttered, looking over the menu again. "Mmmmm, White Tail Merlot, I think."

"Very well," the waitress said, turning to Vinyl. "And for you, miss?"

Vinyl put down her menu. "The same, actually. Both the meal and the wine, thank you."

Octavia watched as the waitress walked away from their table, waiting until she was out of earshot before turning to Vinyl. "My, my, look who's showing some etiquette for once."

"Whaddaya mean 'for once?'" Vinyl said with a snort. "Besides, a day like this only comes once a year, right?"

"Aww," Octavia cooed with a smile, "I feel so special."

"If you don't yet, you will when we get home," Vinyl said, pausing as the waitress placed two broad-bowled glasses of red liquid on their table. She waited until the waitress departed again before adding, "Trust me."

"Ooooh, does Miss Scratch have a surprise in mind?" Octavia asked, propping up her chin against her bent hooves.

"Yeah, and don't bother asking, because I'm not saying a blasted thing about it."

Tavi brought her hooves back down. "Fair enough. I can wait."

Vinyl turned away, glancing around at the other patrons. She didn't recognize any of them, and her eyes moved on to the decor. While it certainly wasn't her style, the gold-trimmed mirrors were nice to look at.

"Feeling a little out of place?" Octavia asked as Vinyl took a drink.

The unicorn put down her glass. "Yep. This is so not my kinda scene."

"You didn't have to come along, you know. In fact, you insisted on going to this place tonight."

Vinyl smirked, putting on her best Trottingham accent (which wasn't very good). "Has it occurred to you that I like to see you happy?" She dropped the accent to continue, "Seriously, though, I know that this is your favorite restaurant in Canterlot. Tonight is your night, after all."

Octavia's contented smile widened. She opened her mouth to speak again, but Vinyl waved a dismissive hoof in the air.

"I know, Tavi. I love you too."

It wasn't much longer before the waitress returned, placing a pair of bowls down on the table. Each ceramic bowl contained a variety of whole and sliced fruit, all arranged tastefully in a spiral pattern. Vinyl and Octavia both gave quiet thanks before picking up their spoons.

Vinyl suddenly gasped, pointing her spoon across the table at her girlfriend's salad. "Oh, no, Tavi, look," she said in a stage whisper, "The apple slices are touching the grapes!" She clasped her hooves to her face, feigning drama. "The horror!"

Octavia didn't even blink as she spooned up some of her food. "Salads are different, dear, as I've said before. Foods in salads are supposed to touch."

"You're neurotic," Vinyl stated flatly. "Speaking of which—"

"Goodness, isn't that an advanced word."

"Speaking of which," Vinyl repeated, "I thought you didn't like bananas?"

"I don't like whole bananas," Octavia replied, sending a quick glare at the unicorn across the table, "and don't you dare start up with me about that."

Vinyl poked at her own salad a bit, muttering, "Sorry." Normally, she might not have let it go so easily, but today wasn't just any other day. Instead, she simply spooned up some of her own food. A good minute passed before she blurted out, "You know I don't mean anything by it, right?"

"Of course," Octavia sighed, though she wore a tiny smile. "I know how you love to joke around." She took a moment to brush her mane aside with one hoof before continuing, "It's one of the things I've always liked about you, you know. Even if our house were falling down, our families had disowned us—yours too, I mean—and both our careers were nothing but dust, you'd always find something to joke about. Nothing ever seems to knock you down so hard that you can't get right back up and spout something to lighten the mood. You're indomitable, Vinyl Scratch, and I love that about you."

"Geeze, you didn't have to write me a speech," Vinyl said with a crooked grin.

"Exactly." Octavia spooned some fruit into her mouth and give her girlfriend a little wink.

The rest of their dinner passed in relative quiet, with neither saying much and simply enjoying one another's company. They finished off their meal, and Vinyl called for the check. The waitress brought over a little slip of paper, placing it gently on their table. Octavia reached a hoof toward the bill, bit Vinyl snatched it away with her magic before she even got halfway to it.

"C'mon," Vinyl chuckled, "You really think I'm gonna let you pay for your own birthday dinner?"

Octavia shook her head, tossing her mane ever-so-slightly from side-to-side. "No, but it would be impolite to simply sit here."

Vinyl's smirk faltered for about half a second as she eyed the suspiciously-large number written on the bill, but then she just shrugged a little. It wasn't like she couldn't afford it. She pulled the mildly-absurd number of bits from her purse (plus a few more) and stacked them up on the bill. Vinyl slid the whole pile to the edge of the table, and then it was only a matter of time before the waitress stopped by.

"Have a wonderful evening," the waitress commented with a smile as she collected their bits.

Both mares gave thanks, and Vinyl pushed against the table a little as she stood up, offering a hoof to Octavia. The mare took it, and was lifted to her hooves. They trotted to and through the lobby, the cool night air embracing them as they stepped out onto the street.

"So, you having a good time so far?" Vinyl asked once they hit the sidewalk.

Tavi leapt up and wrapped a foreleg around a street lamp. She made a quick twirl around the shaft, coming to rest one foreleg and one hind leg held out. She leaned outward, arching her back and looking sideways at Vinyl. "It's been positively marvelous, love."

Vinyl's smile went crooked. "I still say you should've taken up pole dancing."

Tavi gracefully hopped down from the street lamp. "Who says I haven't?" Octavia said teasingly, returning a smirk of her own. "I guess you'll just have to wait until your birthday to see if that's what your present is this year. Will I be getting mine anytime soon?"

"Oh, yeah, you're gonna get it. Or them, actually." Vinyl didn't say anything further on the subject, despite Octavia's curious little grin. She just turned her eyes skyward, gazing up at the few stars she could see through the city lights. "You know what I miss sometimes? The stars."

Octavia followed Vinyl's gaze upward. "Hmm."

"I could see a lot more of them back in Ponyville. I miss that town, too, sometimes." The unicorn shook her head. "I mean, I love the city life and all, but I just...."

"Most ponies miss their hometowns, Scratch," Octavia said flatly.

Vinyl sighed. "I know you can't really understand, but, well, I guess it's true. You get attached to stuff, you know?"

Tavi nodded silently, turning her eyes back to the sidewalk. Vinyl would usually take that moment to say, "Don't tell anypony I said that mushy stuff," but she knew she didn't have to with Octavia. She followed Tavi's example after about a minute, pulling her eyes from the sky, and neither spoke again until they'd reached their shared apartment. Vinyl carelessly tossed her purse onto a chair as Octavia shut and locked the door behind them.

"Well, that was lovely," Octavia said.

"Yeah, yeah," was Vinyl's reply. "But now the it's time for the fun part. C'mon." The white unicorn turned, trotting up the stairs. Tavi followed quickly behind, eager to see what her girlfriend had in store for her.