Author's Note

Vinyl awoke with a loud yawn,stretching out her limbs before rolling over to face the ceiling. For a moment she stared up at the familiar fan above her, forgetting that she was not alone.

“Ah, you’re up,” Octavia said cheerfully, standing at the door. The DJ's eyes snapped over to the cellist; seeing her friend she gave a sleep addled smile.

“Been up for long?” she asked, yawning once more.

“Just long enough to realize you haven’t got a lot in the way of food.”

The DJ scratched her head. “Yeah, haven’t been out to shop in a bit.”

“We’ll fix that later. Now, get up and clean yourself up so we can go get something to eat.”

“Yes, ‘mom’,” Vinyl teased with a stupid grin as she pushed herself off of the bed. Octavia shook her head as the messy mare walked by her and towards the washroom, allowing herself a small chuckle. While she waited for her, Octavia walked over and sat down on Vinyl’s bed; as she sat there, she began to think about last night. ‘How am I going to bring up the subject?’ she questioned herself. ‘I’ve never had to discuss something like this before... what’s the polite way to approach it? It is proper of me to just say “So, Vinyl, about that kiss”? What if she doesn’t want to talk about it - do I just let it go? Oooooooh, what if I don’t want to talk about it? I guess that wouldn’t be fair, as I already said I’d take it seriously... but... but what if I’m not supposed to take it seriously? Should I be trying to laugh it off with her? Oh Celestia... I’m so confused.’

During her thinking, Vinyl trotted out of the washroom, her mane sleek and styled. “Alright, Octy, where we goin’?” Octavia was quick to make herself look proper and not give off any sense of confusion as she stood up and walked towards the door. As she did, the DJ stepped back into her room for a moment, grabbing her signature shades and promptly donning them.

“You can choose,” the cellist replied casually, “so long as it’s respectable and not a bar.”

“Octy! Do you really think of me as such a drunk?”

“Do I really need to answer that?” Octavia raised an eyebrow as she said this, opening up the door and allowing Vinyl to exit first.

“Alright, alright. How ‘bout pancakes? Pancakes are nice, even without booze.”

“‘Even without booze’?” Her brow furrowed in confusion. “Do you normally eat your pancakes with a beer?”

The DJ stopped in her tracks. “Well, I-”

“Nevermind. Pancakes it is then; there’s a little diner just down the street, correct?” The pair trotted out of the apartment building and quickly onto the bustling Manehattan street. All sorts of ponies walked by, all involved in their own lives, going to and leaving from all across the city; carts whizzed by on the streets, the clattering of wheels mixing with the constant sound of hoofbeats around them. The city was alive today.

A pair of small glass doors were pushed open by Vinyl, allowing the two to enter into the quaint little diner. There were only two other ponies in the room, sitting at the table furthest to the left, so Octavia suggested the table furthest to the right. They took their seats and were promptly met by a waiter who pleasantly took their orders and left for the kitchen.

Octavia let out a long sigh, deciding that maybe now was a good time to stop overthinking everything. “S-should we talk about last night?” she asked nervously.

“Uh... yeah,” Vinyl replied hesitantly, “I guess we should.”

“R-right then. Well... I...” The cellist stopped and thought for a moment, realizing she had no idea what she ought to say at the moment; if she was being honest with herself, she did not even know what she wanted to say.

Vinyl cleared her throat. “Look, I’m the one that kissed you, so it should be me explaining things, not you.”

“Alright.” She gave a small nod and receded into silence.

“Remember when I said I was crying because of you?” Octavia nodded again. “Well, even though it wasn’t your fault, I sorta made it your fault in my head... at the time. I already explained how I normally stay away from all this emotional stuff, so I guess it was me not knowing how to deal with these thoughts and feelings. See... it’s just that you make me feel-” Her mouth clamped shut swiftly as she caught sight of the waiter out of the corner of her eye; Octavia looked over to see the stallion levitating their meals over to them.

Once the food was set down and the waiter had left, the pair shifted their collective gaze between each other and the food, unsure of how the other wanted to proceed. “Best to not let it get cold,” Octavia finally suggested. “You can always hold that thought for a little while.” Vinyl nodded in agreement and the two set to partaking in their breakfasts. The silence stretched on between them as they finished their meals without a word, and, much to the relief of both of them, no more ponies had come in to sit within earshot of them.

“You can continue now,” Octavia said, dabbing her lips with a napkin, “if you’d like.”

A silence hung at the end of the cellists statement as Vinyl spent a few seconds fixed on the mare’s lips. “Uh, yeah,” she finally replied, shaking her head a little and making an effort to look her friend in the eyes. “I... um, where was I again?”

“I believe it was something about how I make you feel.”

“Right.” The DJ closed her eyes and took a breath. “You make me feel... weird.”

Octavia narrowed her eyes in confusion. “‘Weird’? What-”

“L-let me finish.” Vinyl’s abruptness made the cellist silence herself instantly. “You make me feel a way I don’t remember ever feeling before; I called it weird because I don’t really get it. I said I blamed you over the phone ‘cause it was you making me feel this way, and since I'm normally so sure of myself, but couldn’t explain this... I blamed it on somepony else...” She paused and looked away for a moment. “I blamed it on you.”

The air was silent and still for a moment, but that was quickly broken by the laughter of the other two ponies as they left the building. After a small cough from the pony across from her, Vinyl cleared her throat and continued.“Now, I’m not actually saying it’s your fault; it’s not like you set out to make me feel like this. Hell, I’m sure you didn’t even have a clue about any of this, so the only thing you’re really at fault for is being you, and I’d be an idiot to blame you for being you. No... this was me... being... not so me... I guess.”

Octavia rubbed her hooves together nervously. “Well, it’s good to know that you don’t blame me, even though I do feel a bit guilty for being at the centre of your worries...” Her eyes widened and she waved a hoof frantically in front of her face. “Not that I’m so egotistical to assume that I’m the centre of your thoughts! I-I just mean I’m in the centre of this issue... just this issue.” There was a pause before the DJ gave a light chuckle and rubbed the back of her head.

“Actually,” she replied hesitantly, “I may have been thinkin’ about you more than a bit.”

The cellist’s cheeks reddened slightly. “You’ve been thinking about me that much?”

“Well, not just about you; I’ve been thinkin’ about us hanging out, and how it’s kinda fun, even though we spend a lot of time doin’ very little. I mean, do you remember when we first came here?” Octavia took a moment to think back.

“But I’m not even hungry,” Vinyl moaned as she grudgingly followed the cellist into the diner.

Octavia shook her and looked for a table. “Have you never just gone out for coffee before?”

“Well, have you ever been to a rave before?”

“What does he even have to do with this?” She shook her head again and led the DJ to an empty table. Once they sat down Octavia ordered them some coffee and a pastry, with a name Vinyl could not even pronounce, for herself.

“So,” the DJ’s lack of interest in her surrounding clear from her voice, “what do we do here?”

“Are you serious?” Vinyl shrugged as the cellist sighed and raised a hoof to her face. “We have coffee and talk.”

“That’s all?”

“Yes.”

“Well that’s boring.” The strength of Octavia’s gaze broke past the DJ’s shades and she hesitantly submitted. “So, uh... how ‘bout that weather?” Vinyl smiled awkwardly as the mare across from her dropped her head with a heavy sigh.

“Tell me about your work,” Octavia suggested, trying to salvage the conversation.

“Well, you know, I DJ and work clubs mostly.”

“What’s that like, DJing?”

“Eh, you wouldn’t like it: it’s all thrills, chills, and excitement.” The air around Vinyl became electric as she raised her hooves above her shoulders and looked upward. “It’s about the heat and action - the energy rushing through your body as the bass booms around you.”

The cellist gave a flick of her mane and dispelled the electricity. “No, I would not enjoy being hot and sweaty as I go deaf.”

“Buzzkill...” the DJ grumbled defeatedly. Their orders arrived and Octavia seized the moment to take the conversation in her direction.

“Playing cello performances,” she said thoughtfully, “now that is exciting; the thrill of the bow gliding along the strings, making beautiful, enchanting sounds, and the look on the faces of awestruck and inspired ponies around you... it gives me such a warm feeling.” Octavia found herself smiling blissfully and looking off into the distance, similar to how Vinyl had been behaving; realizing this, she cleared her throat and brushed her mane aside with her hoof, trying to look more presentable.

“Well, that’s a shock,” the DJ chuckled, “and here I thought you were a stone-cold bore; I guess even ponies like you have something that makes ‘em happy.”

“Yes, Vinyl, even normal, reasonable ponies can be happy and enjoy themselves, just not in the way more... ‘eccentric’ ponies, like you, do.”

The DJ shrugged. “So, do ‘normal’ ponies enjoy sitting around and doing nothing but drinking coffee and talking?”

“Usually.”

Vinyl gave a small smile. “I guess it’s not too boring.”

The cellist return to the present. “Yes, it wasn’t quite what either of us were expecting, but it was a nice start.”

“Exactly!” Vinyl happily agreed. “If you had told me last last month that I’d enjoy sitting down in a quiet place and talking with a classical cello player, I’d have thought you were nuts; spending time on things I wouldn’t normally like is so much better when it’s with you.”

“I have to admit, it’s been really nice spending time with you as well.” Octavia smiled warmly and a little red returned to her cheeks. “Maybe it’s just because I’ve been rather lonely lately, but, as much as it surprised me, I’ve really been enjoying your company.”

The DJ gave a sly smile and tilted her head. “How ‘bout we go to your place and you can try to convince me that classical music is good?”

“Oh, an invitation to bore you: how could I possibly refuse?”

**********

The pair entered the cellist's apartment and made their way to the living room; Octavia went to her record collection as Vinyl walked unusually calmly into the room.

“Any thoughts on what you’d like to hear?” the cellist asked as she eyed her collection. “And no: ‘not boring’ is not as an option.”

There was no pause or hesitation in the DJ’s reply: “Something soft.” After taking a moment to make sure she had heard correctly, Octavia carefully took out one her favourite records: a beautiful, light violin piece that always made her feel happy and warm. She walked over to her record player and gently placed it inside, turning it on and allowing the soothing noise of the violin to fill the room. Once she felt thoroughly engulfed in the music, she turned around, expecting to find Vinyl pretending to sleep on the couch. Instead, Octavia turned around to find her friend right in front of her, with the DJ’s signature shades nowhere to be seen, allowing the pair to look right into each other’s eyes.

The music continued to fill the room as the two stood in silence and looked at each other. After some time, Vinyl reached a hoof out and placed it upon her friend’s shoulder; she made no immediate follow-up action, and simply continued to look into the cellist’s eyes with an unwavering gaze. As time stretched on and the DJ took no new action, Octavia began to feel a strange anticipation building up inside of her, knowing what could very possibly occur next... and she wanted it. She hesitantly pushed her head a little towards Vinyl, her heartbeat beginning to quicken as her lips quivered and she tried desperately to control her breathing.

Vinyl blinked slowly, moving her eyes and changing her gaze in such a subtle way most ponies would never notice the difference, but Octavia saw it, and she heard what it was saying: ‘Yes, now come here’. She began to move closer and closer to the DJ, inching her head forward nervously; the wait quickly became unbearable and the two mares instantly found their mouths meeting.

They pulled closer together, their lips locked as they breathed heavily against each other’s fur; Vinyl moved her hoof up and drew it around the back of Octavia’s neck, rubbing small circles as they kissed. The moment carried on until the end of the song, and the pair slowed down and hesitantly pulled apart from one another. Silence reigned above and below the heavy, yet soft, breathing that both mare’s took part in; they both eventually caught their respective breaths, but remained quiet. After a length of silence and lack of eye contact, Vinyl finally raised her eyes back to Octavia.

“Put another one on,” she said, anticipation clinging to every word. As the cellist eagerly trotted over to her collect, the DJ followed, placing a hoof on her shoulder just as a new record was chosen. “Wait... do you have a player in your room?”

Octavia bit her quivering lip and stared at Vinyl. “Yes.” All concept of caution and doubt had fled the cellist’s mind; it was no longer a time for thought as she quickly made her way to her bedroom with the record and excited DJ in tow. With a disregard for grace and careful application Octavia usually reserved for serious matters, the cellist loaded the record and instantly played it; she quickly wheeled around and found her lips crashing against the DJ’s once more.

They kissed hungrily as Vinyl led Octavia towards the bed; the cellist suddenly found herself on her back, their kiss ended with the panting DJ above her. Dropping her body against Octavia’s, Vinyl moved her mouth to the cellist’s neck, breathing heavily upon it before running her tongue along it sensuously from the collarbone to the base of the ear. She nibbled on the ear, changing Octavia’s heavy breaths into sharp gasps and quiet moans; after a few moments Vinyl lifted her head back up and looked into the cellist’s eyes.

“I hope you put on a long record,” she cooed, rolling her bottom lip under her teeth.

Octavia placed her hooves on the DJ’s back and pulled her face in closer. “I put on an entire symphony.”

**********

“W-what did you say?” Vinyl stammered. There was only silence as she stared at the back of the cellist sitting on the other side of the bed.

“You should go,” Octavia finally replied, keeping her back turned. An apprehensive hoof reached out to her shoulder, but she pushed it away and curled closer to herself. “I said you should go, Vinyl.”

The DJ’s eyes were wide and screaming with confusion. “But why? Did I-”

“Just go!” Both Octavia and Vinyl were shocked by the intensity of her words, but they carried out their purpose, and the defeated DJ lifted herself off of the bed and walked towards the door. She cast a forlorn gaze back to the cellist, trying to think of something to say, but no words came. Eventually, she gave up, turning and leaving the apartment with her head hung low.

The slow click of the front door closing gave Octavia a moment to stop holding her breath, but she refused to let it go; the tension inside of her was scratching at every fibre of her being, and she was afraid if she opened her mouth she would lose all her breath. Finally, and with a mixture of hesitation and relief, she let out a heavy sigh and fell back upon her bed. As she began to collect herself, Octavia was reminded of the music playing; the lengthy record she had put on, to play for her and Vinyl’s intimacy, was still going strong, unaffected by the emotions that tumbled around the cellist.

“Why?” she asked aloud. “Why did I allow this to happen? I can’t say I didn’t want it... but... I...” Octavia curled up, pulling a pillow into her body and trying to only allow a few tears escape. “S-she... she knew I was lonely... and she has that energy and that commanding personality. I... what was I supposed to do? Say no? I should have, but.. Celestia knows... I wanted it. I was weak... I allowed myself to be taken in by her... by those eyes... that voice... that touch... how could have I resisted? But... I’m acting like it was all her fault; I allowed this to happen... I didn’t fight back... I... I encouraged her... I went along with it.

“Am I blaming her or myself? Can I really act like she took advantage of me when I wanted it? But... but she knew I wanted it; she knew I was lonely and that this would be new to me... she’s the kind of pony that must just be able to sense these things. So... who’s to blame? I let it happen... but only because she was trying to do it... if she weren’t around... if Vinyl and I hadn’t gotten close like this... I would have never been in this situation. Maybe this is why I should have just kept things like they were:work and music acquaintances... and that’s it. No getting involved in things that could lead me to making idiotic choices or getting me hurt; things like this never happened before I knew Vinyl, so... so she has to be the problem. Everything... everything was clear to me before that stupid mare and her unnatural behaviour came trotting into my life.”

The air became still as Octavia stopped talking aloud, allowing the music to gain control of the room; it played on, oblivious to the cellist’s tears, filling the room with soft, beautiful melodies. The pillow became naught but a scrunched up ball as Octavia curled around it tighter, shutting her eyes and sighing.

**********

As if the sky meant to hide the DJ’s tears, rain had begun pouring just as Vinyl stepped out onto the streets. Despite the hour, the sky was unreasonably dark, creating a dismal backdrop for the tearful pony; she trudged on slowly, paying no attention to anything besides the sound of her hoofsteps and the rain; she allowed herself to become completely drenched without even the slightest care. Time was muddle in this lethargic state, and she soon found herself staring up at the unusually dull building she called home.

Once she was inside her own apartment, Vinyl made her way to her bed and collapsed upon in, a heap of limbs upon a heap of sheets.

“What happened?” she muttered into the sheets that had quickly become as wet as her. “I thought everything was good? She didn’t tense up like last time... she kissed me back. She seemed to be enjoying it, and even took me to her room... I didn’t even push it on her. I made her gasp and moan... I was doing right... wasn’t I? I really thought she was enjoying it... but... but then why did she make me leave?” The DJ stretched out, sprawling herself across the bed and staring across the room with reddened and teary eyes.

“She said she enjoyed my company... but... she made me leave. Why would she want me to leave... didn’t she like it? She likes me... doesn’t she? But... w-what if... what if she regrets it; she probably feels ashamed of what she’s done... of me. Octavia’s... ashamed of me; she probably regrets ever kissing me back. I bet she sitting at home thinking about how bad she’d look if anyone ever knew... she probably hates herself for... no... she hates me; she hates me for forcing her into that... oh Celestia... I forced her, didn’t I? I mean, she went along with it, but probably just because she was lonely and not thinking; Octavia’s normally so smart and proper... I must really be some piece of work to mess her up like that. It’s... it’s all my fault that she’s sitting back there beating herself up and hating me. But... I deserve it... she... she should hate me... even...” Vinyl brought her legs closer and curled up, entangling herself in the wet blanket.

“Even if I love her.”

A/N:

Yes, yes, I apologize for taking a whole bloody month on this, but I still wrote it so... please forgive me?

Anywhooooooooooooooooooo, this was definitely an interesting/exciting/melodramatic chapter for me, and I'm quite happy with the results. The ending (well, end-ish-middle to end) was actually quite different from what I originally planned, but that's because a good friend of mine suggested a vague description of the plot to follow after the first kiss that was actually much better and less generic/boring than what I originally had (I was all like "herp derp NOW FALL IN LOVE", because... well, DAMMIT I just want ponies to be in love... is that too much to ask for?).

Anywho times two (rhyming :D), I'm starting to get back into doing art and writing more regularly now, and because me and my friend are finally getting seriously into our graphic novel (yes, yours truly is working on an original, and totally awesome, graphic novel that will sure to be GREAT), I'm really going to be in more of a "work-work-work" mode (though, work-work-work to me is only almost as much as a normal person should be working).

Anyways, going to wrap this up before it gets too boring for you:

Thanks for sticking with me through the long wait, and I'll try not to take so long next time, I promise! Thanks for reading, everyone. :)