Standing the Heat

Octavia had struggled to sleep, images of being caught watching while Richard found comfort in the hooves of a violet mare, their forms entangled as things heated up as he started rutting her silly. Each time the dream reached that point she'd wake up, only to close her eyes and have the whole cycle repeat itself. Finally, the sight of the first rays of sun over the hills in the distance through her window provided the perfect excuse to get up and ready for the day. She quickly showered and dried off and then headed down to breakfast.

The house she shared with Vinyl was a fairly large affair, between the bits they both earned and all the musical equipment they both owned they could both easily afford and fill the space. The kitchen however was one of the only places that had a strict 'no work' rule. Not only did it provide a quiet place to eat and chat, but it ensured neither of them accidentally got food on any expensive piece of equipment.

Turning the light on as she entered, Octavia grunted at the bright white hue it gave off and made her way over to prepare breakfast. Normally she would have a healthy bowl of branflakes but given her foul mood she opted for a bowl of Vinyl's chocolate hoops. She quickly poured a rough amount of cereal into the bowl, added a dash of milk and then dropped herself into one of the sturdy kitchen table chairs and started to eat. Slowly.

An hour later, she was still nursing the same bowl as Vinyl stumbled noisily into the room.

"Woah," she said, spotting Octavia barely moving in the middle of the room. "You look like you got ridden hard and put away wet."

"Just don't, Vinyl, I'm not in the mood this morning," Octavia growled.

"What's wrong, Tavi?" asked Vinyl, concern clearly evident in her voice.

"I said, I don't want to talk about it." Octavia snapped.

"It doesn't have anything to do with your journey to the park yesterday does it?" Vinyl chuckled, causing Octavia to spit out her current mouthful of food.

"What do you mean?" she coughed, "I didn't go to the park yesterday."

"Ahh, I see," Vinyl moved towards the fridge and removed a carton of orange juice. "My mistake, it must have been another pony wearing your 'incognito outfit' then. The same outfit I helped you pick out, if you don't remember."

Octavia let out a long, slow sigh before sitting straight up and running a hoof through her mane to compose herself.

"So what if I was at the park, that doesn't mean anything happened." said Octavia, calmly.

"Normally it wouldn't, except I've never seen you wear that outfit unless you were sneaking out of a concert venue." Vinyl smiled cheekily. "So that leads me to one conclusion. Who you stalking?"

"Vinyl!" Octavia glared at her housemate with daggers. "How dare you accuse me something so... criminal."

"Pssh, criminal?" Vinyl chugged back a mouthful of juice. "There's nothing criminal about a little healthy stalking. Trust me sister, we've all done it."

"We most certainly have not all done it!" protested Octavia.

"Pfft," laughed Vinyl, "Says the pony I caught red hoofed. So, like I asked, who were you stalking?"

Vinyl raised a hoof to her muzzle in thought.

"It can't be that stallion at the music store. You've not been there in months. And I've not seen any griffins come into town recently..." Vinyl's eyes narrowed before stomping her hoof down in triumph. "I've got it."

"You don't have it," Octavia said dismissively. "Not that there's anything to get."

"It's so obvious. You have the hots for Richard, and here I am thinking you offered him a job out of the kindness of your heart."

"That's exactly why I hired him," glared Octavia. "How dare you suggest otherwise. I felt sorry for the poor man, and his fingers were going to waste working on pony's fences. Such marvelous limbs should be involved in music, where they belong."

"Snob," coughed Vinyl, earning another glare. "So it wasn't so he could spend more time around you, fall for your obviously irresistible charms and choose you over the princess?"

"No, of course not" she denied rather quickly. "Though, if that were to happen, I wouldn't say no. How about we call it an potential incidental perk?"

"Sure, what you need to tell yourself to ease your guilty conscience," Vinyl stuck out her tongue. "Though, I'd make a move on him quickly. If he's as good as you think he is, maybe his chosen mare will fall for him too."

"You're right," Octavia sighed. "But how can I ask him out now? He's just lost his home and family."

"Well," Vinyl smirked. "From what a certain weather pegasus told me this afternoon, it might be easier than you'd think."

Twilight sped above the town, her eyes filled with nervous tears. The moment she had woken up, she'd stormed out of the castle into the early morning dawn light. She just had to know if it had been a dream.

'Or a nightmare.' She thought to herself. She didn't know why, but the thought of Richard not being there scared her more than she ever thought it could. Twilight swallowed down her fear and focused on the target in front of her. Twilight retraced her route from the other night and before long was landing down nervously in front of the path up to his door.

Slowly, she trotted up the pathway and then raised her hoof to knock before pausing.

'Wait, what if he's here? What do I say to him?' she thought to herself. 'Oh good morning, Richard, I had a nightmare and thought you'd gone to your home dimension so I just needed to make sure it didn't happen?' Twilight shook her head.

'Stupid!' She chided herself.

'He won't care,' said another, quiet voice at the back of her mind. 'He'll just be happy to see you. You better decide soon though, you'll looks silly if he catches you just standing here.'

"You're right," she whispered to herself, before taking a deep breath. "I just have to go for it."

Slowly she moved her hoof towards the door, however just before she knocked a voiced called out behind her.

"Twilight?" the familiar bubbly voiced questioned. "What are you doing visiting Richard this early in the morning?"

"Um, no reason, Pinkie, why do you ask?"

Pinkie's eyes narrowed accusingly.

"You're not here to cheat on the bet are you?"

"What? Me? Cheat?" Twilight let out a breath she hadn't realized she'd been holding in. "Of course not, Pinkie Pie, I was just..."

"Yes?" her eyes narrowed further.

"Promise you wont judge me?"

"As long as you're cheating, I promise not to judge you." Pinkie crossed a hoof across her heart.

"I know it sounds stupid, but last night I... I think I dreamt that Richard was sent home. But, it felt so real, that I needed to make sure it was just a dream."

"Oh," Pinkie looked down at the ground for a second before disappearing in a blur and reappearing and embracing Twilight tightly. "That's doesn't sound stupid at all, you silly filly, I think we'd all miss Richard if he went home. But don't worry, it was most definitely a dream. Unless I've had amnesia and forgotten a whole day again, which hardly ever happens."

Twilight chuckled.

"Oh, Pinkie, you always know just what to say." Twilight pried herself out of Pinkie's grip. "Though, I am curious why you're out here at this time of day?"

"Oh, I'm here to ask Richard a very important question."

"What question?" Twilight looked at her quizically.

"I need to ask him what his favorite sort of cake is." Twilight's eyes visibly twitched at the response.

"And you need to ask him at dawn, potentially waking him up? Couldn't it wait?"

"Of course not, silly," Pinkie Pie pushed past Twilight to knock on the door, the sound echoing through the quiet morning. "If I asked him later, I wouldn't be able to add the ingredients needed for the cake to today's supply order."

"And you need to order the supplies today?"

"Yeppers," chirped Pinkie, "After all, it's his birthday in three days. Need to get everything sorted for his surprise party."

"Wait, it's his birthday in three days?" asked Twilight.

"Yes," replied Pinkie, "Surprised you don't remember. He told us that when you were interviewing him when he first arrived."

"I guess it must have slipped my mind in all the chaos..."

"Shh," Pinkie quickly silenced Twilight with a hoof as the sound of footsteps approaching the door could be heard from the other side.

"Who's knocking my door at this time of the morn...?" Richard looked ready to start a grumpy tirade, sweat visible on his brow, but stopped as soon as he noticed who it was, visibly perking up as his eyes settled on Twilight.

"Good morning, Richard, quick question, what's your favorite sort of cake?" asked Pinkie, drawing his attention back to her.

"Oh, that's a random question." Richard grunted. "I guess, chocolate fudge cake."

"Oh goodie, nice choice." Said Pinkie before quickly turning and bouncing down the path.

"Wait!" Richard called after her. "Was that it?"

"Yep." Pinkie smiled cheekily before quickly bouncing out of earshot.

"Seriously, she woke me up for that?" muttered Richard, to no one in particular before turning his attention to Twilight, the beads of sweat on his face beginning to grow more numerous. "And to what do I owe the pleasure of your visit?"

"Oh, nothing." Twilight squeaked, a small blush growing on her cheeks as she felt his gaze on her, and noticed his visible discomfort. "It was silly, don't worry about it."

Before Richard could respond, Twilight zoomed off into the sky, not even pausing at the sound of the door closing shut behind her.