The day after the Grand Galloping Gala ...

The small Canterlot apartment was quiet that evening, or at least it would have been, if a certain, loud, white unicorn would leave. Octavia was resting on a red couch in the apartment's main room and held a magazine tight in her hooves in front of her eyes, but she wasn't reading a word of it.

Thanks to the headache she was coming down with, she couldn't do anything. Octavia wasn't sure how long she could stand her friend before she burst out saying something she might regret, but to her relief, she heard her nuisance was finally leaving.

"Bye Rarity! Have a safe trip home," Vinyl said before she closed the door.

"Is she finally gone?" Octavia said with a hint of hope and desperation in her voice as she popped over the couch so quick that the magazine went up into the air and came down on her head.

Vinyl turned around and sighed before gave the cellist a soft smile, "Yeah, but don't worry Octy, she won't be back for a while."

The gray cellist gave a sigh of satisfaction, "Finally. I don't understand how you can stand that mare."

The DJ trotted over to the small kitchen that connected to the main room, "Look, I understand that Rarity can be a hoof-full at times and is very... tiring, but that's what cousins are. And family always deal with each other."

Warm rays of red and orange light tinted the room and it's atmosphere.

Octavia felt a bit low and empathized, "Yes, I understand completely."

Vinyl trotted into the main room and laid down next to Octavia with a half eaten banana in her magical grasp next to her. Together they lied in silence, Octavia finally reading her magazine while Vinyl looked out a window at a sunset view of the Equestrian countryside under Canterlot, eating a banana.

After the sun was half through setting, Vinyl sighed and tossed her banana peel at the trash can and missed. She turned to Octavia sat up, looking at the cellist.

The tranquil silence was finally broken when Vinyl spoke up, "Octavia, what do you think that mare was talking about when she told us that we belong to each other?"

Octavia raised a brow at Vinyl's question and sat up, "Well, obviously that mare was rather... unhinged. She and her friend were way too interested in other people's lives then they had any right or reason to be."

Vinyl glanced at the gossip magazine in Octavia hooves. The cover had a picture of the DJ and the cellist as well as her captors all flying or rather crashing in a chariot stolen from Princess Celestia's personal vehicles. In a smaller side panel was a picture of Sapphire Shore in a trench coat, with a caption promising some juicy story. Octavia mind made the connection and without changing face or posture, she flung the magazine over her shoulder.

The white unicorn sighed, "Look, being locked up in that addic with you...." the unicorn stopped after a moments pause before she , "we've been friends for long and... uh, I'm just wondering about what those mares said."

Octavia leaned her head in closer to her friend's with genuine curiosity, "What are you thinking, Vinyl?"

Her voice was becoming shaking and unsure, "Octavia... do you maybe, wanna go out to eat.... or something." Her hoof had progressively gone form her side to her head, and her eyes from the gray mare to the floor.

"Are... are you asking me on a date?" Octavia asked with a smirk.

Vinyl shook her head and turned away, laughing awkwardly as she scratched the back of her head, "Yeah, stupid idea right? I mean, me asking you on a pffff, I really shouldn't have asked, I'm real sorry O-"

Octavia grabbed the unicorn's shoulders quickly, "No, no, Vinyl, it's alright, I just... I just didn't expect this."

Vinyl kept her head low, "Look I know it's stupid Octy, it's fine if-"

Octavia moved her hoof under Vinyl's muzzle, moved it to face her, and looked Vinyl straight into her crimson eyes,
"Don't you say another word," Octavia said in a firm, but soft tone. "Vinyl Scratch, I would love to go on a date with you."

The unicorn perked up, "Wait, really? I mean, wow yeah, I uh... when do you wanna go, I mean I saw this fancy place down the street from where I record, and maybe tonight if you want. I'm gonna get my shades, and then..."

The grey cellist just smile warmly at the scrambling, excited unicorn.

Meanwhile across Canterlot, two robed ponies in a crowded train station sneak onto the baggage car of a train undetected. After they had hopped on, the two figures began to look around the compartment full of suitcases and outside the doors that connected to the other cars of the train.

After the coast was clear, the two figures met up at the middle of the room and collapsed, lifted the hoods of their robes and sighed.

"Well that was a total bust," Screwpine said, downbeat and exhausted.

Fresca spoke up with a bit of optimism, "Well, at least we escaped going to prison."

"Yeaaaahh, sorry about that... you know ruining the plan, getting us into a hostage situation, destroying our hopes for Operation OctaScratch."

"Apology accepted. Nopony died and I know it won't happen again. Sure glad that was fruit punch on your dress and not blood, right?" Fresca replied, laughing awkwardly.

"Yeah, total relief. To think I would kill somepony," Screwpine waved her right hoof in the air in a gesture that suggested the notion was nonsensical.

"So what do we do now?"

Fresca smiled at her friend and pulled out a beige folder filled with papers out of her robe.

"Well, we still have have many poor, lost ponies who are destined for each other, and this train just so happens to be on it's way to Ponyville..."

Screwpine smiled and asked, "So who are the lucky ponies we'll be seeing next?"

The unicorn smiled and took a page from the folder and held it in her magic in front of her,

"Their names are Lyra and Bon Bon..."

Author's Note

They say a picture's worth a thousand words, so when I wanted to enter a contest I thought I'd try and stand out, by using a thousand words and a couple pictures.

Choice 2: Draw our OCs
-~~Draw~~ Write both of our OCs together (as friends)

OC's belong to:
Pandan009 who owns Screwpine
FoxgirlKira who owns Fresca the Unicorn

Disclaimer: I might have taken a couple liberties regarding their personalities.

I never even intended to write this chapter, but I felt compelled to. This chapter, to me, felt way more natural and all around better than the first one.