Vinyl Scratch also yearned to wipe her mouth and then cuff Record Breaker across the head for forcing Octavia to kiss her, but she knew he could carry out his threats to ruin both her career and Octavia's too, and she had a mortgage to pay. Although boiling with anger inside, she kept quiet. At least for now, I'm going to have to do what that creep wants me to do, but Celestia help him if the horseshoe is ever on the other foot. Record Breaker clopped his hooves together in delight at the embarrassment he was causing to the two mares.

"You too can go now. Octavia, I want you to be at Ponyfeathers by 10:00PM when it opens, in a pretty dress. Some clubs don't make the clientele wear clothes, but Ponyfeathers is one of the more upmarket ones. You'll have to pay to enter like everypony else, but I'll make sure that you're not stopped from entry at the door. Vinyl, when you see Octavia you'll put on a nice romantic record and go over and dance with her, and then you'll start kissing in front of everypony."

"Fine." Octavia walked out, her tail flicking around in anger. Now everypony will think I'm a fillyfooler. My family when they find out will be shocked and possibly disgusted and poor Vinyl. Why should she be forced to settle down with a fake special somepony, just so Record Breaker can make more bits? Why should I be forced to pretend Vinyl is the love of my life when I don't even feel attracted to mares? She went back to her house and selected a dress of fine red silk, a pearl necklace and pearl earrings, and looked at herself in the mirror. A few hours later, her stomach doing flip-flops inside, she was in a queue of ponies from all three pony races waiting to enter Ponyfeathers. The club had bars on the upper windows to stop pegasui from just flying up and getting in that way, and two strong earth pony bouncers on the door with cutie marks that indicated violence.

She paid twenty bits and was allowed in, and made her way to the dance floor wishing she could be almost anywhere else. Sure enough, there was Vinyl Scratch with her glasses on and a sparkly dress at the DJ booth with another DJ. Sitting at a table not far away was Record Breaker with a smug grin on his face. Clearly there would be no getting out of this fake romance, this "fauxmance" as she thought of it. When Vinyl saw Octavia she put on a song called "Pony In Red" and came out to her, and the two began a dance, their front legs around each other. And then Vinyl raised her glasses so that her pretty red eyes were visible and locked lips with Octavia, kissing her passionately as if she really did mean it. Octavia wanted to pull away but forced herself to kiss back with just as much passion, as both their careers depended on this seeming like real true love. Cameras flashed. Again, Record Breaker had cleared this in advance so the bouncers didn't attack the press ponies.

After another song or two, Vinyl whispered in Octavia's ear "Record Breaker wants us to go back to my flat and spend the night together, and I only have one bed there. I know I can trust you not to try and force yourself on me. You hate this as much as I do." The two left the club and did what they were told, near certain that somepony, a spy sent by Record Breaker, was following them.

Soon enough they had reached Vinyl's flat, and as soon as they were inside and could speak freely, Octavia said "Vinyl, I am so sorry for what I had to do to you..."

"You're a good kisser. But you're not my type of pony and it's outrageous that we should be forced to act as if we love each other. We don't. Somehow we must find a way to get revenge on Record Breaker."

Octavia looked around her. The flat was poky and messy, with books in random places on the floor, food wrappers on the desk, and the carpet had clearly not been cleaned in several years. "Yuck! This place is such a mess, that I'm surprised you don't have rats in here."

Vinyl raised her glasses and glared at Octavia. "You have only just got here and you complain about my flat? I'm not a prissy princess-like noble pony like you are. Yes, my flat is a mess, but I'm used to it and I don't make enough bits to hire cleaners. Get used to the way I am and don't try and change me. We might be stuck being girlfriends for a long time-or even wives. Bed now. And don't move about and keep me awake or I'll tie you to the bed!"

"Vinyl, that sounds sexy."

Vinyl stomped her hoof in anger. "That's not funny."

Soon enough the two of them were sharing a bed together, with each pony on their own side of the bed, thinking about how their lives would have to be until they finally fell asleep. The next morning Octavia saw a picture of the two of them kissing in the music section of the Canterlot Guardian under the headline Opposites Attract! and read the story to Vinyl. "Well, who would ever have thought of it? The pretty, prim princess of classical music Octavia Philharmonica and one of Canterlot's coolest DJs Vinyl Scratch are the latest romantic celebrity couple, as they were caught dancing and kissing all night at Club Ponyfeathers. Will this be the perfect romantic love song or will it all end up in a cacophonous break-up? Only time will tell."

Vinyl scowled. "And this is only the start. We'll be expected to play the part of the perfect romantic couple indefinitely unless we can find a way out of this. I do like you, Octavia, but the idea of having to accept you as the love of my life turns my stomach. As I said before, you're just not my type. I want someone more like me."

"No offence, Vinyl, but I feel the same way. I want to settle down with some stallion someday, I'm just not into mares like you. I want to have a foal when the time is right. We have to work together to find a way to get out of this coupledom."

There was a knock on the door and to the disgust of both of them, it was Record Breaker standing there. "Both of you did so well together. From now on you two will dance and kiss every night for a week, then when you, Octavia, have your next concert for the great and the good, Vinyl will have a seat in the front row, dressed in a Rarity Original dress, gazing at her lover. The music press will love the pictures of the wild coltish Vinyl Scratch all dressed up like a filly. After that you'll have a romantic walk together and an interview about how much you two love each other."

"But what about my career?" demanded Vinyl. "I'll lose my job if I'm not DJing. Being a DJ like me is a job, you know."

"I'm paying the manager of Ponyfeathers good bits to overlook it. Don't worry, you won't lose your job because of me, neither of you will, as long as you do and say what I tell you. Soon many other ponies will envy how close you two are. The perfect couple." Vinyl and Octavia glared at him with undisguised dislike.

Author's Note

I am going on holiday for a week and if I don't add new chapters on holiday then I have no Internet access.