Strangers

Breakfast at the hotel was super crazy; most—if not all—of the tables were already taken by ponies, all of whom stuffed their faces with freshly cooked grub. Luckily for Octavia and me, Neon had a VIP table in reserve for the morning, which meant we didn’t have to wait for a table.

Earlier this morning, Neon dropped by my room and asked me if I’d like to join him for breakfast. At the time, I was the only one up as Octavia was still sound asleep, and, at first, Neon got the wrong idea, thinking, as he told me, that I had a one night stand with somepony. He told me that he’d come back later when things weren’t as weird. But before he had a chance to leave, I told him about Octavia’s situation. A part of me felt obligated, considering that Neon was the one who put me in this hotel room in the first place. If it weren’t for him, Octavia and I would’ve never met, and if that were the case, who knew how long she’d still be with that nutcase. I made her see the light, and that’s all that mattered.

Right now, were were sitting at a round table, waiting for our food to come to us. Octavia was next to me, and we’d exchange the occasional smile.

“So, Vinyl Scratch, I have some exciting news for you,” Neon said, sipping some OJ.

“Sup?” I asked, my voice nonchalant.

“I found a nightclub that needs a DJ tonight, which means you’re in luck. It’s time to shine, my dear. The place is called ‘The Spotlight’, and it’s only four blocks from this hotel.”

“Cool. When do I start?”

“Tonight at ten. You’ll be going until one in the morning, so fuel up, cause you’re gonna need it.”

“I wouldn’t miss it for my life. Thanks, Neon.”

“Mhmm,” he muttered under his breath. “They told me that if they like your style, they’ll consider hiring you on full time. But don’t worry. That doesn’t mean you’ll only be working at that one place. I’ll find you more gigs if you’d like to change workplaces.”

“Definitely keep that in mind,” I said, smiling. Then I looked at Octavia. “I didn’t tell you what I do, did I?”

She shook her head. “I don’t believe you have, no. What do you do, Vinyl?”

“I’m a DJ. And you?”

“I’m a cellist right here for this hotel. I usually perform when there are big events, like formal dances or an important dinner party,” she said in a monotone expression.

“Cool,” I said, smiling. “How long you’ve been playing the cello?”

“Since I was a filly. My parents gave me my first cello when I turned five. Ever since then, I’ve been a musician trying to better my skills.”

“Gotcha. I’m barely making a living right now. Being a DJ is tough, but I have a feeling it’ll be a little easier now that I have somepony actually supporting me….” I had to stop thoughts of Swirly from coming back to me..

“I do what I can,” Neon said.

Moments later, our food was served and we ate away at them, drank our drinks, made conversion, and laughed at jokes. By the time we were done, it was ten thirty, which gave Octavia more than enough time to dump her idiot boyfriend. I just hoped that she didn’t change her mind about all this, considering the black eye she had gotten last night wasn’t the first one. On top of that, I got the hint that he did stuff to her, even though he didn’t have her go-ahead to do such business.

Right now, Neon was counting bits to pay the bill, and that gave me a moment to speak to Octavia. “So today’s the day, right?”

She turned to look at me. “I guess it is. I just need a little more time to decompress before I confront him.”

I flicked my shades up when I noticed something near the elevator. It wasn’t good, to say the least: It was Octavia’s boyfriend and he was coming toward us, though I doubt he saw us considering the amount of ponies here. I gulped a mouthful of air, then said, “I don’t think you’re gonna have a lot of time.” I pointed at him for her.

“You’re not being serious, right?” Octavia said, her voice choppy. “What if he sees me? He’s gonna hurt me. I have to get out of here. What if he—”

I took a hold of her. “Octavia, chill out. I won’t let him put a hoof on you. Got it?”

She nodded her head and mumbled ‘mhmm’.

“Good.”

“What’s going on?” Neon asked, completely lost. “By the looks of it, it looks like Octavia is about to have a heart attack.”

“Octavia’s boyfriend is coming our way. He’s the one who gave her the black eye last night. Remember me telling you this when you got the wrong idea?”

Neon nodded his head. “Want me to stay in case things go south?” Neon asked.

“I don’t mind,” I said, focusing my attention back to Octavia.

“Hey!” a voice called out.

All three of us whipped our heads around to find the source of the voice. Without a bucking doubt, Octavia’s boyfriend was closing in on us, and he had a very angry look on his face. Teeth stuck out from his mouth, and they were grinding like crazy, and his hooves stomped the ground as he walked, hassling nearby customers at their tables. When he got to our table, Octavia had backed up a bit, her breathing slowly increasing.

“Don’t you hide from me,” the ivory coloured stallion said, moving closer to Octavia.

“Hey, you take one more step, and I’ll make sure you’ll never walk again,” I said, getting up from my seat. Heat boiled my insides. If this bozo thinks he’s gonna touch her, then he’s in for a serious ass whooping. “That’s a promise, not a threat.”

The ivory coloured stallion laughed his ass off, and he probably thought I was joking, even though I wasn’t. I meant it. I would break his fat legs and set him straight.

“You’re joking right?” he said. “Who the buck do you think you are? Get out of my way so I can speak with Octavia.”

“Nuh-uh, not happening, buster. Back off.”

“You better do as she says, Wheelie,” Octavia said to him. She was moving a bit closer to him, and the look she had on her face was angry enough to strike everypony down with lightning. Then she stepped in front of me, faced him, and said, “I’m done with you. All you do is drink, hit me, tell me how worthless I am, and violate me even when I say no. I’ve had it! Pack up your stuff, and get the hay out of my life.”

Wheelie stood in front of her with a smirk. It was like he didn’t care what she had said. “Not a chance. You’re coming with me right now.” He grabbed her by the chest and started dragging her through the restaurant. Using my magic, I took a hold of Octavia and brought her back to me, leaving the stallion in confusion. Everypony in the restaurant was glaring madly at him for doing what he did.

Placing Octavia down, I then asked, “Are you okay? He didn’t hurt you again, did he?”

Octavia, shaking like a nervous little filly, shook her head. “I’m fine.”

“How dare you take her away from me! Who do you think you are taking my girlfriend from me?” Wheelie yelled, moving toward me.

“I’m the one who patched her up after you gave her a black eye last night. I’m the one who made her realize that she should dump your sorry ass. And I’m the one who’s gonna make sure she has a better life,” I said. “Now get lost. Octavia wants nothing to do with you anymore.”

“Why you little….”

Wheelie charged at me, like a wild bull, but Neon used his magic to stop him before he got any closer. “Hey, I got some free advice,” Neon said, moving toward Wheelie. Neon, the great ballsy Neon, pushed his muzzle against the fat stallion, and he said, “Nopony threatens my friends, you got it? If you remotely make one little threat, no matter how small it is, I’ll see that you’ll never see the light of day ever again. We clear?” Neon spoke with so much ferocity, it actually kind of scared me.

Wheelie didn’t say anything else, which seemed to piss Neon off more. “I said, are we clear‽”

The ivory coloured stallion nodded his head in terror as he was released from Neon’s magic. “Good. Now get out of here.” ‘’

“You better watch it, Octavia. I’ll come back for you. Mark my words,” Wheelie said.

Neon pushed him hard, making him fall face first. “What did I just say to you? Last chance. Get lost!”

He tried to get up, but he fell down once more. Everypony was laughing at him for how badly he was humiliated, and even I couldn’t help but laugh at him. He deserved this without a doubt. When he got back on all fours, he gave us a glare, and then left without saying anything else.

Neon turned to Octavia and me. “Well, that was eventful. Glad I stuck around. That guy is a total dimwit.”

“Yeah, totally,” I said. “It was only a matter of time till he got what was coming to him.”

“Mhmm. Well, I best be off now. So remember, Vinyl, tonight at ten. Don’t be late. I’ll see you there.” With that, he left.

Octavia was seated back at the table and I went to her. Said to her, “Hey, Octavia. Wanna head back to the hotel room and talk?”

“I suppose we could do that,” she said, getting up.

“Great. Lets go.”

⁂

Before I left to perform at my gig tonight, I made sure that Octavia would be all right on her own, considering the episode her ex-boyfriend made this morning. It was hard on her. The talk we had this morning wasn’t the most chirpy one, and I took it upon myself to cheer her up some. I could only do so much, though, since we barely knew each other.

I had an idea on what I wanted to do. But now wasn’t the time since she’s just getting over a breakup.

“Hey, Octavia, I’m heading out now,” I said.

Octavia put down her book on music notation, faced me, and said, “All right. You’ll be back tonight though, right?”

“Of course I would, why would you think otherwise?”

“I’d figured you’d get drunk tonight, stopping you from getting back, you know, since you’re going to a nightclub.”

“Nah, not tonight. I have to get back to you. And I won’t be able to do that if I’m tipsy now, can I?”

“I guess not,” she said, giggling.

“Right now. I’ll be back by two, okay?”

“Goodbye. Have fun.”

With that, I closed the door behind me, sighing that I won’t be seeing her for at least six hours. It was eight-thirty right now, and, even though my gig didn’t start till ten, I had to get set up and running. And I wanted to get there early to make a good impression. After all, I was here in Manehattan to become the best DJ in Equestria, which meat no slacking or crazy partying, despite both of those things being a part of me. Partying and slacking could wait. My career couldn’t.

As I made my way to the exit in the lobby, with my crate of records in my magical grab, I caught something at the corner of my eye. It was weirdly familiar to me, and I, for the life of me, couldn’t figure out what the hay it was. Curious, I swooped my head around and saw the one thing I couldn’t bear to see: Swirly. She was speaking to a male receptionist at the front desk. What the buck was she doing here? How did she find me here? As if things couldn’t get any worse.

Not wanting to stick around and talk, I left without making my presence known to her.

I felt like shit when I left.

⁂

So, there’s only one word that could describe The Spotlight: Divine. The place was rocking with the biggest dance floor I had ever seen in my entire life, and there was a ginormous bar to the left of it, along with many tables and booths, all of which, I assumed, were mainly for the wildest party animals who liked to smoke a few joints or even shots of moonshine. Speakers were placed on all four corners of the dance floor, making it so all you would only hear was music while on the dance floor. Customers better watch out, because, tonight, I was going to blast this place to oblivion.

Right now, I was getting my turntable setup, along with the selection of songs I’d be playing. As I was doing that, I thought about mixing a song right on the spot, but that would be a risky, yet enticing maneuver. I’d have to be on point with every note and, hay, even every beat. I wasn’t sure if that was the best of ideas, but I guess we’d see soon enough.

Flicking through my records, I came across a recording I had made for Swirly a few months after we’d met. I hadn’t heard it since then. And I didn’t want to anytime soon. Thinking about her was intoxicating; but, deep down, it really wasn’t. Even though I hated her for what she did to us, I still loved her. How couldn’t I? She was the first pony I ever fell in love with, of course I’d still have feelings for her.

Shaking my head, I cleared those thoughts and got back on track.

I ended up tossing Swirly’s record to the side for safekeeping and continued to flick through the array of records, until I found the ones I was going to use for my performance tonight. They were the ones I was most proud of making. Might as well go all out tonight.

I placed the ones I was going to use on the turntable, and put the crate aside, next to Swirly’s record. That’s when I heard somepony come in. Turning around, I saw Neon making a flashy entrance. He was wearing one of his suits that made him look like a million bits, and it was very superfly to say the least.

“Hey, Neon,” I said waving at him, “over here.”

“Vinyl Scratch,” he said, his voice high-pitched yet soft, walking to me. “I see you found the place, huh? Pretty cool place, isn’t it?”

I placed a vinyl record on the turntable, then looked back at Neon. “Definitely. I gotta say, I’m really looking forward to rocking this place tonight.”

“I sure hope so. This place is a raging nightclub and I’m sure you’ll be able to make it even more rocking.”

“Trust me, when I’m done this place will need new mortar, cause I’m going to rock it off it’s foundation!”

Neon was looking over his shoulder, then back over to me. “Well, you better get a move on. Ponies are starting to come. I’ll see you after the show, or maybe during the show.”

“Sounds good. Later dude,” I said, putting my attention to the set in front of me. “All right Vinyl, it’s time to work your magic…”

It didn’t take long for this place to be completely filled up. After twenty minutes of playing my set, which would make the time twenty after ten, the entire dance floor was taken over by crazy dancers who were yelling at the top of their lungs and having the time of their life. They seemed to be taking a strong liking toward my stuff, which gave me nostalgia as to why I do this sort of thing; and—even though I didn’t have the pony who should have stuck with me through everything I ever dreamed of doing—I knew I’d be fine since I was starting a new life right here in Manehattan.

Flicking up my shades and lowering my headphones, I raised my hooves in the air and cheered to the huge crowd with a smirky grin. Then I spoke in the microphone. “What’s up Spotlight‽ How we doing tonight‽” A loud cheer came from the crowd after I asked them that, and it only made me smile. “Right on! Brace yourselves, because this party is just getting started!”

I put my shades and headphones back on and went back on track. Right now, there was a remix I made from a song I heard on the radio a long time ago. It was a classic, one that wouldn’t be easily forgotten, at least by me anyway. When that track was done, I swiftly switched records, this time for a song with a heavier, deeper, and intenser bass tune to it. Cranking up the volume, all I could hear were the thumps of wubs, pumping through my body and the nightclub, something that made me feel happy and in the right place—albeit my ears didn’t agree with me.

I’ve learned over the years, that you have to be careful with how you treat your ears. It’s not really all that obvious, considering that your job as a DJ is to blast a place out with loud music—but you have to do it in a way that won’t make you deaf, trust me. Sure the crowd was hearing the same thing I was, but it wasn’t anywhere near as bad as being right in front of the source. Luckily for me, the track that I just put in was reasonably long, which gave me time to go backstage and take a small breather, and maybe see Neon.

Heading off stage for the meantime, I pushed through the door and walked into the VIP lounge, the place where the ponies who run the show go to sit back and relax for a bit, before going back out there. There was a minibar to the left, four sofas surrounding a coffee in the centre, and a poker table to the right. Neon was sitting on one of the sofas having a drink, though I don’t think he noticed me come in.

Wanting to surprise him, I walked up to him, abreast, then, in an arrogant tone, said, “One helluva show out there, ain’t it?”

Neon was startled by me as he was reading a magazine, and, by the looks of it, completely zoned out. “Whoa. Didn’t expect to see you back here. What about the—”

“No need to worry. I put on a rather long track. Still has another six minutes till it’s done. Figured it would be a good time to give my ears a rest. Boy, I tell ya, even with earplugs and headphones on, they still take a beating.”

Neon bobbed his head, listening to me speak, but didn’t say anything until I asked him something. “So…what do you think so far?”

“Want my honest opinion?” he finally asked, placing his drink and the magazine on the table.

“Mhmm,” I said, taking a seat next to him.

“You’re one of the best DJs I’ve ever seen.” He got closer to me, our faces were only centimetres apart. “Ponies have been talking about you already. Your first night performing at a Manehattan nightclub, and ponies are already talking. Hell, the manager of the Spotlight here is considering on hiring you to be the lead DJ for his club.” He pulled back. “I’d say that’s a helluva way to make an entrance to your new career.”

“Man, I don’t know what to say. Everything is going so fast. But let’s remember that this is only my first gig here, so I won’t get my hopes up or anything like that…at least for now.”

“Nonsense. You gotta shoot for the stars.”

I nodded. “I guess so. Hey, I gotta get back out there. Song’s about to end. I’ll catch up with you later.”

“Have fun,” Neon said, picking up the magazine with his magic.

When I got back on stage, the crowd was still dancing like a bunch of wild party animals, and none of them seemed to realize that I had been gone for a minute, though there were the odd ones in the crowd that gave me glances from afar. One of them in particular, looked rather familiar to me, but I couldn’t quite pinpoint any features in the hectic crowed.

Going back to work, I quickly switched the song and put on a remixed track that I had never played publicly. It was a remix of the popular song, 1, 2 step; and I figured that since it was a popular song—considering it peaked at number one on the billboard for best track—why not remix it with wubs and make it awesome ten times over?

About mid-way into the song, I flipped my headphones on and added remixed sound effects to make it more grand, but, while I was doing that, the memory of Swirly came into my mind, putting me off base, and none of them sounded the way I intended, messing everything up. But it wasn’t anything I couldn’t recover from.

Shaking my head to clear the memories, I backtracked and quickly improvised the sounds I meant to remix, and, after I did that, everypony started to clap and sing-along to the lyrics that were in the track. It wasn’t long till the track finished. At the end, I added a heavy bass drop for effect, then it became silent for a few moments.

I spoke in the microphone afterward, saying, “Is everypony having a smashin’ time?”

Everypony cheered at the top of their lungs. Somepony even yelled out, “Vinyl Scratch is the best DJ ever!”

“Well, the show isn’t over yet, folks. We still got three more tracks! I hope you’re ready!”

Ponies in the crowd yelled out, “You bet your ass we are!”

Smiling, I put another track on, and continued through the night, living my dream of becoming an awesome DJ, loving the fact that ponies were enjoying the talent I was born with, and the prospect that I might have found a very special somepony to be with was simply icing on the cake. But that all changed when I looked at the thunderous crowd, yelling the night away, and saw one pony still as ever. She was right in front of the dance floor, looking right at me. Worse…I knew exactly who it was.

I looked away from her, turned my back, then whispered, to myself, “Son of a bitch…what’s she doing here? First the hotel, now my first gig?”

Turning around and focusing on the crowd, I slipped on my headphones again, and used the music to block out every single thought that tried to worm its way in my head. I practically lost myself in it, concentration only on these ponies a time of their life: I cranked up the volume and bass, though not to distorted levels, and improvised a sick remix to go with the track that was playing; and it worked out to say the least. Somehow it worked, I managed to give it my all on concentrate only on what I did best: Being a DJ.

Rocking it all to smithereens, I gave one final, slow beat when the song ended, and, during it, dimmed the spotlights to make it completely dark, only to dim them back up again. That’s when everypony clapped and cheered, even whistling at me for the grand performance. I stood up on my hindhooves and put my hooves up in the air with a legit smile.

It wasn’t long until everypony started walking off the dance floor, looking back at me with a smile of appreciation, or something like that. When the dance floor was mostly cleared, I began to pack up my set, and go see Neon before I headed back to my hotel. But I knew it wouldn’t be that simple. I knew something would come up and I wouldn’t be back at the room by two, just as I had promised Octavia. It would be way later than that promise.

A voice from the dance floor spoke to me. “Vinyl…? Can we talk?”

I paused, dead. My eyes shut at hearing those words from that…that mare. Why? Why did she seriously just ask me that? Oh, Celestia, I better not say or do anything that I’d regret.

I looked at her; and when I did, it was as if everything that had happened between Octavia and me meant nothing—that it was only a moment of rebound, something that I need to help me get through my breakup; but that couldn’t have been true. Or maybe it was. Alas, I can’t do this right now.

“What do you want, Swirly?” I finally said, my tone purposely harsh and lowdown.

“I just wanted to talk. How’ve you been?”

“Well, the love of my life, the mare I loved for years, forced me to leave her and go chase my dream without her. Other than that I’d say I was doing just fine. What’s it to you?”

Swirly got up off the ground and flew to me. When she landed, she said, “Look, I know you hate me, and I totally get that, I do, it’s just—”

“Can you blame me? You ended what we had. We were together for almost six bucking years, and you threw that out the window? And for what? Some lame excuse that I had to go chase my dreams without you?” My chest panted heavily, and my teeth were scrunched up, grinding against each other.

“You were going to be a long way away. Can you blame me if I didn’t want to go on with us?”

“It’s not about how far away you are from the pony you love, it’s about how close you are to the pony you love.”

“I didn’t know it would be like that,” Swirly said, her voice soft, and putting a hoof on me, only to have it shoved off. “I said I was sorry.”

“Yeah, well you made the choice for both of us, ‘sorry’ ain’t gonna cut it.”

“Are you so different? You walked out on me, and I haven’t seen you since then. If anything, you should blame yourself.”

I slammed a hoof against the stage. “You chose for us both. I didn’t get a say, remember? Are you really that dumb to blame me for doing the only thing you let me do? ” My tone was furious, and anger flooded my entire body.

Swirly jerked back. Then she took a seat. “My mother she, um, passed away three weeks after you left me. I was barely there a month. I didn’t even get to say goodbye to her because she died in a coma, and that’s when I realized it was a mistake to let you go.”

“Does that mean I’m supposed to feel sorry for you because you lost your mother and had second thoughts after ending what we had?”

“The Vinyl Scratch I got to know and love would never be so heartless.”

I finished putting my records in my crate, folded my table, and put it in my black carrying case. Then I looked at her. “The Vinyl Scratch you loved never had her heart ripped out of her chest and stomped on by the mare she loved. That pony’s gone. You should know that now. Now if you’ll excuse me, I gotta go. Oh, and thanks for nothing.” I made a beeline to the VIP lounge.

“Vinyl, wait,” Swirly said, chasing after me.

I rolled my eyes and dropped my stuff from my magical grab, then turned around. “What?”

“Let me make it up to us. Let me show you that what we had is still there. C’mon, Vinyl. You and I both damn well know that you still love me. If you didn’t, you wouldn’t have said half the things you just said to me.” She stepped closer to me, and my insides began to tingle with butterflies. One more step…and that’s when I felt her touch….

Oh, for Celestia’s sake, why’s this happening to me? Why now? I had to say something.

“Give me one good reason why I should even let you back in my life,” I said. “If you even convince me, maybe I’ll give us another shot.”

I was figuratively killing myself as I said that. If there was one thing that I had learned in life, so far, it’s that if something doesn’t work, it’s usually not meant to be. Sure things can be restored to how things were before, but it’ll never have the same original feeling or nostalgia; mainly because, at that point, it’s more forced than real. Yet, right now, as I stood in front of Swirly, it somehow felt right that I was willing to hear her out, despite the crazy, unsettled anger that was in me.

Swirly moved closer to me, then whispered something in my ear. “Why tell you when I can just show you?”

That’s when I felt her lips against my own.

I panicked, I shrieked, I loved.

Was this really happening? Or was this all a dream? I couldn’t tell at this point. Nonetheless, I kissed her back and put a hoof on her neck, pulling her in more, getting all caught up in the moment. I eventually pinned her down right on the stage, after which I pulled back and stared at her.

There was a cheeky smile on her face, one that made me smile for some reason. “Ha, made you smile,” Swirly said to me, her voice filled with confidence.

“Shut up, already,” I said.

Before I knew it, Swirly used her wings and rolled me over pinning me to the stage; and they were stupidly strong since she not only went to the gym to keep in shape, but also because she was the captain of Baltimare’s weather patrol team. After all, that’s probably why she had a wing overtop a dumbbell for a cutie mark.

“Now is that anyway to talk to me?” Swirly asked.

“No, but I hate that you’re doing this to me.”

“Doing what exactly? Oh, you mean this?”

I felt her lips against mine again, but, this time, it was more heated and intense. Our tongues were circling around, and they didn’t stop for a second, till we pulled back for a second or two for air, but, after that, we went right back in.

My stupid emotions were like fireworks: Blowing up and going all over the place. This felt incredibly wrong, yet so incredibly right. She’s the one that broke my heart for buck sake. No…this was perfect. This was how it was supposed to be for all those missed nights.

Swirly lowered herself, putting her entire body overtop mine, and boy was she ever warm. Our nether regions were only millimetres apart, and the heat coming off hers made me wet. I started grinding myself against her, causing a quiet moan from her as our lower regions rubbed together.

I was lost in the feeling of the mare under me, the grinding of our privates together. I wanted to cum, I wanted to cum by forcing myself against her, by using her in the same way she used me. I didn’t care about anything, anyone else. I couldn’t even see anyone else, all that mattered was the feeling of ecstasy running through my body and her cries of pleasure at every single push.

It must have been Celestia herself that caused me to hear what I heard next. A loud ‘Eh emm’, somehow, someway, caught my attention. I looked up to see a small crowd of ponies starting to gather around us, watching us go at each other like we were in heat, and Neon staring at me, a disappointed look in his eyes that all but said, ‘If you do this, you’ll ruin everything you’ve ever wanted’.

I no longer felt hot, no longer felt horny, I just felt…dirty. Pulling back, I said, “Swirly, we can’t…I’m getting—”

“Wet? Yeah, I am too. Maybe we should go somewhere more private?”

“Swirly.”

“You haven’t even given me a chance yet.”

“It’s not that, it’s just that…a few days ago I met this really great pony, and we hit it off pretty well. I promised her that I’d be back before two.”

“Oh…I see how it is. I’m trying to make things right between us, and all you care about is some broad you just met a few days ago?”

“Hey, that’s not true,” I said defensively.

“Then give me the chance I deserve. Let me show you that what we had is still there. C’mon, I’ll take you to my hotel room.” Swirly got up and flew to the exit, and I…reluctantly…followed her.

⁂

Just as I had suspected: Swirly had a suite in the same hotel Neon hooked me up with. I had no clue how Swirly could afford a place like this, considering that it was a hefty bill to pay for every night. Nonetheless, I didn’t question it as…well, it was none of my business.

By the time we got to Swirly’s room, it was already past two. I wondered what Octavia was doing right now, but my thoughts were interrupted when Swirly opened the door and kissed me, then dragged me in the room. It was an exact mirror of the room I was in, though the bed was slightly smaller.

Slamming the door shut, Swirly pressed her lips against mine and pushed me toward the bed, her weight making me tumble on it. I felt her warm tongue slip past my lips and make contact with my own; and that’s when I shoved mine into her mouth, intensifying the movement ten-fold. Moans were coming from the both of us, and it only turned me on even more. I started to stroke her back as we made out, my hoof finding its way across her fur coaxed some giggles at my touch. My nether regions were getting wetter the more we kissed.

Eventually, Swirly drew back and stared me down. “I love it when we kiss. Remember the time when we—”

“Are you gonna give me a history lesson, or are you gonna shut up and fuck me?” I said. “I’m getting very eager you know.”

“Already?”

“What can I say? You’re driving me crazy.”

I never saw myself in this position since I left Swirly. For the longest time, I always thought she would never be a part of my life again, at least not after what she did to us. I swore that I would never look back, but I guess that was a lie. It was so stupid. The moment I saw her in the hotel lobby, I knew that she would try and use her charm to convince me that we still had a chance, even though she broke my heart. Still, I do wonder how she found me at the Spotlight. I guess she had a way of knowing where I was.

Soon I felt Swirly’s beige hooves against my temples and she brought me in for another kiss, though a short one. Then she said, “Somepony’s getting wet. Really wet.”

“Can’t help it.”

Swirly giggled, then whispered in my ear, “I know. Let me show you how much I love you.”

Before I had a chance to say anything else, Swirly was trailing down my body, planting kisses along the way, until, at last she got to my wet slit. It was dying to feel Swirly’s touch again, wait no, I was dying to feel her touch again. Swirly’s breath made me shiver and it was only a few seconds until I felt her warm tongue brush over it. My head jerked back at the spike of pleasure, and a moan escaped my mouth as I continued to feel her tongue eat me out.

I felt like a cheap whore for doing this, I felt like I was betraying myself for doing this, I felt like I gave up all too easily for doing this. But this somehow felt right. Maybe I could forgive Swirly for hurting me? Maybe she really did love me and wanted to make things right between us. But I couldn’t really tell; as I was too lost in pleasure as she ate me out.

It didn’t take Swirly long to pierce my slit with that helluva tongue she had, and boy did she ever do a damn good job. Within seconds, she circled around in there, pressing it against my walls; all of which made me scream aloud. Soon I felt something electrifying and awesome: Swirly was using a wing to fondle my clit while she was using her tongue to tease my G-spot all at the same time. It was all so much, causing my body to feel like it was paralysed in pleasure. I could barely speak, or breathe for that matter.

The walls in my lower body started to clench down and I felt a surge of pleasure course through me. I was getting close, really close.

“Hey, Swirls,” I said, my words slurred. “I’m about to…you know…”

“Cum?” she said, looking at me, but keeping her moments going.

“Yeah, that.”

As Swirly continued eating me out, I closed my eyes and thought about everything that had gone wrong in my life, and how things could quickly patch up between two ponies. But then I thought…what if Octavia had the idea of making things right between her and her ex-boyfriend? No…she’d never. Not after what he did…

My thoughts were interrupted when I felt the most insane thing ever: I felt my clit swell up as it was being brushed by Swirly’s tongue over and over again. And that’s when I came harder than I ever have. Juices flowed out from me, right into Swirly’s mouth. The mare was a pro, she simply lapped up every drop that came out of me. My entire body shook as tingling went through me, and I couldn’t do or say anything.

After Swirly was done ‘showing how much she cared’, she looked at me, smiling, then gave me a hug. “I care so much about you. I never meant to hurt you like I did. And I promise I won’t do it again, never again.”

“That was amazing,” I said, kinda flabbergasted at what she said. “Do you really mean that? Or is that a cheap way of you getting back with me? Because if it is, there’s no way in hell we’re going to be together.”

“I promise you, I meant every word of it. No more lies. I’ve turned over a new leaf, and I want nothing more than for us to go back to how things were.”

I was actually having a hard time deciding what I should do. In front of me was Swirly, one of the hottest and smartest ponies I had ever met, and we both loved each other. We were going to grow and die old together, and we still had that chance—hell we even have an excuse to run off and get married, all because of the recent events.

But in another room, in this very hotel, was a grey mare by the name of Octavia, and there was something about her that I still couldn’t pin down. It was like she and I were meant to meet, grow our friendship, and turn it into something grand, something that would stick with me until the day I die, almost as if she was the one I was supposed to move on after dealing with my breakup.

“I love you, and I still want to be with you,” Swirly suddenly said.

“If only it were that simple, Swirls,” I said, my voice hinting the blues. “I love you too, there’s no denying that. But do you really think we can make it work after what happened?”

“I’d like to think so,” Swirly said, pulling me in more, then kissing me on the lips. “Do you have your doubts about us trying again?”

“I do have my doubts. I can’t see us being together later on in life.”

“Why’s that?”

“Because you broke what he had. We can’t just magically get back everything we lost. Sure, we love each other to death, but that’s only a small part of it. You lost my trust, my respect, and my loyalty. How do I know I can trust you, that you won’t hurt me again? Because without trust, we got nothing.”

“You just gotta trust me.”

“That’s easier said than done, Swirls. It’s hard to trust the pony you love after they smash your heart into a million pieces.”

I sighed, pulled away from her.

Why was I putting myself in harm’s way, only to get hurt again? Was it because I stupidly believed in second chances, was it because my heart truly belonged to Swirly, or was it because I was afraid that I’d never love somepony else as much as I did Swirly? I mean, Octavia’s been on my mind a lot, especially since she’s single now, and it wouldn’t be that far off base if I asked her out on a date unless she didn’t swing that way, which I highly doubt considering the cuddling we did last night.

All these thoughts swimming in my head went unsettled, driving me nuts. After several minutes of silence and thinking, I said, “I don’t know if I can trust you ever again. Not after what you pulled. You hurt me. Do you have any idea what it was like living without you? A bucking nightmare. I can’t go through that again, and I don’t wanna take that risk. I’m sorry, Swirls. But I can’t be with you.”

I looked at Swirly. She cried, she sniffled, she shook, and then she looked at me. “Bu-bu-but, Vinyl…I can’t lose you again. No-no-not after tonight. You and I still love each other. Why shouldn’t we b-be together? You’re my first, and nopony can replace the love I have for you. Look, I know I screwed up, but that doesn’t mean we can’t start a clean slate. We can forget a-a-about every bad thing that has happened with us. Please, don’t go, I’m begging you.”

I didn’t say anything to her.

Swirly opened her hooves, begging me to come close so we could hug it out, but this wasn’t something that could be hugged out; and although I told her that I couldn’t be with her, I accepted the hug and fell in her hooves. Even I couldn’t help but pull her closer, feel her touch, and have her cry on me. It all felt right.

Looking up at her face, I saw the amount of tears she had, saw the same face I had laid eyes on everyday for almost six years. It killed me to say the least. But I had to do this. Or did I?

Without saying a word, I reached up to her, then smooched her on the lips. She didn’t hesitate to do the same, but was iffy to let go when I pulled back. “You know, Swirls, this shouldn’t have happened. But it did. And nothing can change the way I feel about this. Not even wubs.” I looked away.

I might as well be dead. I just told the pony I was supposed to love for the rest of my life to eff off, albeit in more gentle way. The anger that had built up in me tonight was gone after I told Swirly I was done with her; but then I began to feel even worse than ever: I felt like a cold-hearted son of a bitch, and I loathed myself for it.

A part of me wanted to take back everything I just said and go back to the life I once had with her; but that was all a pie in the sky. Our lives were different now, and they would never be the same; even if we were to be together again.

“Vinyl?”

“What?”

“Can you ever forgive me?”

Good question. I knew what I had to say. And I did. “Yes…yes I can. I forgive you, Swirly McCloud.”

Swirly smiled at me and kissed me on the forehead after she heard me say that. “Could you do me one last thing before we never see each other again?” Swirly asked, her voice clearly in the deep blues.

It felt right to say yes, especially since we both might as well enjoy each other’s company before we never see each other again. “Anything.”

“I wanna sleep with you tonight one last time, if that’s okay with you. It might be the only way for me to make it through the night.”

“Uh…sure thing,” I said, falling back into her hooves. “I don’t hate you, you know that, right?”

“You don’t?” Swirly asked, stroking my mane.

“No. I’m just really upset that you and I aren’t a thing anymore.”

“I am too…I am too.”

We both rested on each other through the night, and I either felt the occasional stroke on my mane, or the occasional kiss on the lips; and I welcomed all of them because it felt right.

“I’m sorry, for everything, Vinyl, I really am,” Swirly said, her voice clearer. “Never meant for any of this to happen. I know I can’t change what has happened, but I can change what will happen. You may not see me in the morning, or possibly ever again. But…maybe you will in your dreams. I know you’ll be in mine.”

“Swirls, I—”

“Shh, no talking. Just sleep. With. Me. That’s all you have to do.” Her voice was so soft and alluring.

I ignored her, despite her yen for me to keep quiet. “I just wanted to say, it’s been a helluva ride being with you for all those years. And I’ll never forget them. Ever. I love you.”

I never saw her again when I woke up the next morning.