What It Means To Be A Family
Beyond the faint layer of frost that spread thinly across the window pane next to her seat, Octavia gazed at the white rolling hills that flowed past the speeding train.
Despite the ornaments, plants, and various other christmas decorations that had been set up within the carriage, the atmosphere inside the train felt anything but christmassy. Aside from Octavia herself, there were only two other people sitting in the same carriage as her, possibly even in the whole train. And they were clearly as much a stranger to each other as she was to them. This lack of acquaintanceship between them meant that there was a complete lack of any talking, leaving the only audible sound to be the muffled thundering noise of the turning wheels and the puffing smoke going on outside the train. The silence this left was a stark contrast to the cheerful sounds of festive music that she instinctively associated with Christmas.
There were several other factors that rebelled against the traditional christmas feeling. The sky outside was crowded with dense snow clouds that blocked most of the sunlight above, leaving the world outside looking a dullish white colour. The seats were also rough and itchy enough to make the hours that she had spent sitting on them very uncomfortable, and the feeling wasn't helped by the thick winter coat she was wearing. It certainly would have been relieving to remove it, but that would then mean that she would have to deal with the winter cold that had managed to make it inside the train despite the internal heating that the carriage should have had.
But in spite of all these things that should have made her feel miserable, Octavia couldn't help experiencing an indescribable joy inside of her.
She was going home.
For the past twenty three days, Octavia had been participating in several orchestral events across the city of Manehattan. Almost every day there had been a new concert to attend in some hall or theatre. That was to be expected, given the holidays, but she was still surprised at how many events she had been asked to participate in. She knew that she had been gaining recognition in Equestria's music world, but she had never been under the impression that it was to this extent. Yet there she had been, attending so many concerts that she had actually lost count. It made her feel rather impressed with herself.
The reward was the same as it had always been. Income from her work, and a growing reputation amongst musicians. But the cost was also the same as it had always been. The time she spent there was time spent away from her family. During the christmas holidays of all times!
Three weeks certainly wasn't a long time. Octavia had been away from home before, even for longer than this. She also understood that some families are separated for even greater periods of time than hers. And there wasn't anything that stopped her from talking with her wife on the phone anyway. But that didn't prevent her from feeling lonely at a time when so many others were spending time with their families, and neither did it stop her from feeling extremely excited when she was heading back to Ponyville.
She was also thankful that the day she came back happened to be Christmas Eve. Very thankful indeed.
She spread her arm over the suitcase that was sitting next to her, holding it closer to herself in a way that resembled hugging, as if the gifts stored inside it served as a substitute for the people they were meant for.
Continuing to stare out of the window, she scanned the environment for any recognisable sights or landmarks that indicated that she was approaching Ponyville. It wasn't easy thanks to the descending swarm of snowfall obscuring her vision as well as the fact that the landscape was looking very different due to the thick layers of snow making the whole thing look like nothing but a collection of white protrusions.
Eventually, she managed to recognise some familiar hill formations that told her that Ponyville wasn't too far away. Closer then she thought in fact. The thought of that brought a smile to her face.
A few more minutes passed as she stared at the passing hills and flora outside the confinement of the train, the environment looking more and more familiar as the time went by. It wasn't long before the train passed a noticeably and recognisably large hill that revealed the sight of Ponyville before her.
A mixture of relief and further excitement stirred up inside Octavia upon seeing her home. It was exactly how she had left it, albeit now covered in a lot more snow and Christmas decor. Even from her viewpoint, she could see the Christmas lights, streamers, and bells entangling Town Hall at the centre, along with the various other kinds of decorations that clung to the many cottages surrounding the building. A warm and friendly looking yellow glow emitted from the whole town, giving it a kind, inviting look. After being gone for three weeks, it couldn't have looked like a more welcoming sight.
There was a strong urge to just jump out of the train right now and probably run the rest of the way rather than remain in the rough and itchy seat which at this point had caused her rump to go numb, but Octavia knew that such a method was not only improper as well as implausible, but was also very likely to result in severe injury. She would have to make do with her current uncomfortable situation for the next few minutes before they reached the station.
Doing so felt far longer than it must have taken in reality because of Octavia's anticipation, but eventually a metal screech rang through the air as the train ground to a halt at the Ponyville train station. She was already standing up at this point, her left hand clutching her suitcase and her right hand holding the strap of her Cello case. At the moment the doors opened, she had to resist the desire to leap out first, instead politely allowing the other two passengers to leave before her. For her whole life, she had always minded her manners, as her parents had raised her to.
Her heart sank at the thought. She tried to avoid thinking about her parents these days, but she always found that difficult, especially around Christmas. There was a sad, dismal feeling in her chest as she stepped off the train, a feeling made only worse by the cold outside wind stinging her exposed face.
"Tavi!"
The moment the sound of that familiar voice found Octavia's ears, any sorrowful thoughts were forgotten. In its place, she felt an uplifting joy upon turning to the left and finding her wife walking towards her from the other end of the platform.
Vinyl hadn't changed, which shouldn't have been very surprising given that it had only been three weeks, but it still served as quite a surprise for Octavia. Normally whenever she came back from a long trip she found that Vinyl had become an disheveled, smelly mess of a human being in her absence, given that she seemed to rely on Octavia to remind her that hygiene existed.
But the person approaching her now actually looked like one that lived somewhere other than a cardboard box in the street. Her clothes were clean and colourful, lacking the sight of the various food and alcohol stains that Octavia was used to seeing upon returning home. And while the hoodie she was wearing looked like it had seen better days, that was to be expected given its white colour and how often she tended to wear it. The same could be said for her cobalt and cyan hair, which was a spiky mess that gave the impression that it was never tended to, but there was hardly ever a time when it didn't look that way. And as always, she was wearing those purple shades of hers, though they were lying atop her head rather than obscuring her eyes, making her look more like an uncivilised punk rather than a scruffy gangster.
And it was a look that Octavia had fallen in love with a long time ago.
Her fingers relaxed as she let go of the suitcase and softly dropped the Cello case in the snow, Vinyl's arms wrapping around her in a warm embrace once they reached each other. Octavia slid her own arms underneath Vinyl's shoulders, hugging her back. The warm feeling of their bodies pushing gently against each other while they held each other affectionately was joined by the feeling of their cheeks pressing against the other. It felt cold, but soft.
They remained like this for a few seconds, before stepping back while still keeping their hands on each other, gazing at faces that they hadn't seen for almost a month.
"I missed you." Octavia declared quietly.
"Really? I thought you'd have a blast being away from me for a few weeks." Vinyl responded sarcastically.
Octavia chuckled. "Admittedly a schedule involving some of the most prestigious events of the winter season is easier to organise than your lifestyle... so... yes, it was less of a headache."
"I'd say your wrist is probably whats aching at this point." Vinyl said, grinning suggestively.
There was a thumping noise as Octavia slapped her lightly on the forehead.
"Honestly Vinyl!" Octavia yelled, blushing.
Vinyl threw back her head, laughing. After letting out a few more chuckles she cupped Octavia's face in her hands and leaned her own forehead against her's. Octavia felt Vinyl's toasty breath flowing against her face, though she was more focused on gazing at those beautiful cerise eyes she loved so much.
"In all serious, I'm just glad you could be here for Christmas." Vinyl whispered affectionately.
"Personally, I'm glad that you decided to keep your shades up for now." Octavia stated.
"Why's that?"
"Because they aren't getting in the way of this lovely view of your eyes here."
Vinyl smiled, before leaning forward and pressing her lips against Octavia's. The warm feeling of both of their breaths mixing within their interlocked lips made them both forget about the cold air around them.
"Its great to be back, Vinyl." Octavia said once their mouths parted. "Now would you be kind enough to hold this for me?"
She held up the Cello case.
"Why do I have to hold it?" Vinyl protested.
Octavia's eyebrows narrowed. "I'm not going to hold two things while you don't carry anything. You're my wife for Christ's sake!"
Vinyl held her hands up in a surrendering gesture. "Hey, the wedding vows were about taking care of each other in sickness and in health. It didn't mention jack about heavy ass instruments."
"Well this 'heavy ass instrument' is very dear to me as I'm sure you know. So it shows how much I trust you to let you hold it."
Vinyl rolled her eyes, taking the strap of the case from Octavia's hand. "Fine. But if I'm carrying this, I'm taking that too."
She held her other hand out towards the suitcase.
"Vinyl, the point was that we both carry something." Octavia pointed out. "I wasn't trying to shove my whole load on to you."
"Yeah... well, you've had to carry both of those to and from Manhattan. Let me be the polite one for once." Vinyl persisted.
Octavia handed the suitcase over to her wife, smiling tenderly. Vinyl was far from a well behaved lady, but she was anything but selfish. It was one of the many things that were so endearing about her.
Upon exiting the train station, they headed home. Because Ponyville was such a small town, they had never seen any need for car, but at the moment, Octavia was wishing that they had such a mode of transport. While it was nice to be moving about after sitting in that train for so long, the weather was nowhere near optimal for walking. The thick snow made each step a frustrating effort, and the cold temperature was equally frustrating in how bothersome it was. But their house wasn't too far from the station, so it wasn't long before it eventually came into view.
The house was an odd sight for someone seeing it for the first time, though this was't the case for Octavia, since it looked quite different the first time she saw it. Before she was living in it, the house went completely out of its way to show you that it belonged to Vinyl. Its outer wall was painted a pale lavender colour that belonged in Vinyl's favoured colour spectrum, while everything else from the windows to the mailbox had been covered in decor resembling musical notes and symbols. This went as far as the exterior window sills being reminiscent of piano keys and a nearby hedge being cut into a musical note that tended to be changed every few months.
That was before Octavia had moved in.
These days it was the exact same. Or at least half of it was anyway. Upon becoming a part of the Scratch family, Octavia had one side of the house remodelled to match her own personality more. This side of hers was a pale shade of cinnamon brown in contrast to Vinyl's lavender side. The windows on this side were also a greener shade of cyan than on the other side, which had windows of a bluer shade. But what stood out the most was the chimney, which she had remodelled to resemble organ pipes. There was a lot you could do with the money gained in the music business.
The inside of the house had a similar aesthetic, with the furniture being more modern and technological on Vinyl's side, and more classic on Octavia's side. The same could be said for the different instruments on both sides. The split sign of the house did a nice job of representing the way their personalities were contrasting, but at the same time harmonious with each other.
The one part of their house that wasn't split like this was their bedroom, the door to which was located right on the line that split their house. This room was more of a mixture of their two different styles, with the walls being a vibrant magenta while the floor was a tamer caramel brown. The bed itself was a similar colour scheme with the frame being a darker shade of brown while everything else from the sheets to the cushions ranged in hues of green, blue, purple, and everything in between. The rest of the furniture in the bedroom was similar to the rest of the house in that it was either very Vinyl or very Octavia, but here it didn't matter what side of the room it was on.
Octavia had always loved that room and how it stood as a symbol of her unity with Vinyl.
Stepping through the front door, Octavia was happy to see that the house was the same as she had left it, which was just as surprising as Vinyl's lack of personal disorder. Normally whenever she came back she found that the place looked like it had hosted a rave (which was unsurprising, given her wife's profession), but it currently looked like it had actually been cleaned once every few days. Granted, there were a few empty alcohol bottles on the counter, and Vinyl's collection of CDs and magazines were sprawled over the floor near their shelves, but at least the amount dirty dishes was non-existent. While there was no sign of any other types of Christmas decorations, a tree had been set up next to the fireplace, covered in baubles and lights and all the classic decor. And thankfully, aside from the state of the house, nothing was really different about the place.
Except for one thing...
"So where's Bass?" Octavia asked as she lay her coat over the edge of the sofa. She looked at the bedroom door on Vinyl's side of the house, though she could already tell that the room was empty.
Vinyl sighed, the expression on her face going dim. "I honestly don't know. He's been constantly going out every day recently, and he keeps coming back later and later each time. You know how he is around Christmas."
Octavia nodded sadly. Her stepson wasn't really the most cheerful of people, but it was always at its worst during the Christmas holidays, and this one likely wasn't very different. She didn't know precisely since she had never received any communication from him while she was away, even when Vinyl tried to get him to talk to her. That left her in the dark about how he was feeling as well as gave her the greatest hint about how he was feeling. He didn't feel like talking to her, he barely felt like talking to his real mother.
Vinyl said that the reason he becomes so cold and anti-social around this time was because the celebration of family and unity reminded him too much of his father.
When Octavia first met Vinyl during her University days in Canterlot, the DJ was in a relationship with a man named Crescendo. The three of them attended the same music class, and initially Octavia had heavily disliked them both, seeing the two as uncivilised rabble that were beneath a person of superior class such as her. Even after coming to understand the world more, learning that your place in society wasn't everything, and striking up an unlikely friendship with Vinyl, she had never come to like Crescendo. She could only an irresponsible and selfish delinquent who served as a terrible influence for Vinyl (Yes, even people like Vinyl could have bad influences).
But no matter how much Octavia had tried to convince Vinyl that she deserved better than him, she continued to stay with him. Their long-term relationship was cemented when Vinyl found herself unexpectedly pregnant. At the age of twenty! Because of this, they both ended up dropping out of University and moving to Ponyville to raise their child. While Octavia imagined that Crescendo would never make it past University anyway, she felt genuine sorrow for her friend whose hopes of a successful music career appeared to be dashed at this point. But a few years later, in spite of the child she had to raise and the fact that she never finished University, Vinyl actually managed to make it as a musician, becoming popular in Canterlot of all places! But Crescendo didn't make such a breakthrough, remaining unemployed for the rest of the time Octavia knew him.
Despite how much Octavia disliked him, she would at least admit that he appeared to be a good father, since he was always the one taking care of Bass, with Vinyl having to be absent often. And whenever she paid Vinyl's family a visit it was evident that Bass loved his father. She remained unsure about the relationship between him and Vinyl, since in those days they seemed to stay together more for Bass's sake than out of love, but at the very least, the child was happy.
That all changed when Crescendo left. There was no word. There was no warning. One day he was just gone. Maybe he wanted to pursue that musical success he had dreamed of, but thought that his family was holding him back. Maybe he found someone that he considered to be more satisfying than Vinyl. Or maybe he had just run away from his responsibility as a partner and father because he couldn't handle it. For whatever reason, he was just gone, never to be heard from by anyone in Ponyville ever again.
Vinyl broke down completely. She stopped attending her gigs, she stopped going to social events, and eventually she stopped appearing in public all together. Octavia was essentially the only person she remained in contact with, and she could hardly remember any day when Vinyl wasn't completely drunk. And while she never saw it, Octavia suspected that Vinyl was doing much worse to herself than just drinking.
At this point it wouldn't be long before Vinyl ended up killing herself, possibly even deliberately. It also wouldn't be long before Bass was taken by social services, which would only break her further. Octavia tried her best to help her friend, coming over every chance she could, even cancelling her participation in concerts in order to tend to Vinyl's needs. She comforted her with words of support, fed her, and made sure that she was kept away from any harmful substances. She even tried her best to raise Bass in a way, as he was going through a similar ordeal after losing his father.
It was soon clear that just coming over as much as she could wasn't enough, and she found herself staying the night several times, the rate of which continued to increase until she had practically moved in. Vinyl's state improved, as she was soon able to go out again, though she never left Ponyville. She was also able to take care of herself and Bass, but she still relied greatly on Octavia. On night's when she couldn't sleep, Octavia was there to hold her hand and comfort her, until both of them ended up falling asleep, their fingers still interlocked.
A bit over a year after Crescendo had left, Octavia realised that she was no longer doing this out of friendship, but out of love.
During the day Octavia was there to support Vinyl with her words and presence, and at night she was there to ease Vinyl's pain with her body. The love that bloomed between them was what allowed Vinyl to recover. She returned to the person that she had once been, and Octavia properly moved in with her and Bass soon after. Another year later, they were married. But in the two years that had passed since then, Bass still hadn't accepted Octavia as a part of his family. He didn't outright hate her or any such thing. He'd known her all his life and had shown appreciation for what she did to help him and his mother. But he never showed any sign that he saw her as anything more than a family friend, as if he was still holding on to the family he once had.
Octavia loathed Crescendo for what he did to Vinyl and her son, but she could hardly imagine how Bass felt, being abandoned by his father at the age of ten.
"When do you think he'll be back?" Octavia asked, making herself comfortable on the sofa while looking out the window.
Vinyl was busy going through the cupboards, about to prepare dinner. "Like I said, he keeps coming back later and later each time. I don't even know where he is, let alone when he'll be back."
Her voice was filled with the kind of sadness that only a mother could feel.
"Have you tried talking to him about it?"
"You know him Tavi, it's pretty much impossible to get anything straight out of him. I've tried helping him as best as I can, but at this point he needs to get over this himself."
Octavia agreed. You can only support someone so much. It takes their own willpower to overcome the issues they face. Especially when that issue is a matter of the heart.
But still, she couldn't help but feel that there was more she could do.
Fourteen year olds were frustrating enough, but a fourteen year old with parental issues made for an ugly combination. But this ugly combination was one that Octavia cared about deeply, and it saddened her to think that they were out there in the cold when they should have been enjoying the presence of their family in their warm, comfortable home.
Octavia continued looking out the window, subconsciously hoping to see Bass appear in the distance. Though the green tint made it difficult to notice, it was definitely getting dark outside. It had been cold enough during the afternoon, but she could hardly imagine what it was like at night.
Wanting to take her mind off the thought, she went over to one of the cupboards and brought out some wrapping paper. Kneeling down on the floor and hoping that Vinyl would be too occupied with the cooking to notice, or have the sense not to look in her direction with the sound of crackling paper audible, she brought out the gifts that she had brought for her and Bass. For Vinyl she had obtained a few CDs of artists that Vinyl idolised, which were rather difficult to come by. And for Bass she had obtained a nice pair of drumsticks, since his last pair ended up mysterious broken, likely after he vented his frustrations out on them.
But even once the wrapping was done, and the gifts were placed under the tree, there was still no sign of Bass. Octavia was feeling extremely worried, and she imagined that Vinyl felt the same.
She began to wonder if she was the reason why he hadn't come back. Did he not want to return to a house where some pathetic excuse for a replacement of his father was waiting for him?
With the thought of how much this was making her and Vinyl worry, along with the fact that it may have been her fault that this was happening swimming around in her head, she couldn't stand waiting anymore.
She stood up from the couch and picked her coat up. "I'm going to look for him."
Vinyl looked back at her, looking concerned. "Are you sure? It's gotta be freezing outside by now."
"All the more reason to find him, we can't leave him out there in that weather."
"Tavi... there's nothing else we can do for him."
"Yes there is!" Octavia snapped back at her, louder than had intended to.
Vinyl flinched at her wife's sudden temper, and Octavia immediately felt guilty for it.
"I'm sorry. I... I just don't want to think about him being all alone out there. I feel like I haven't been enough of a mother to him. I want to fix that."
Vinyl stared at her, the look of concern turning into a look of understanding. She stepped forward and put her arms around Octavia in a comforting hug.
"Just make sure you're both back by dinner."
"I will." Octavia answered.
Breaking away from the hug and zipping her coat up, Octavia opened the door, the cold air instantly hitting her with freezing goosebumps. Closing the door behind her, she stepped out into the snow.
Even during a cold winter night, Ponyville still looked gorgeous. From both the buildings and the outdoor street lamps the same warm vibrant light lit up the town, only in the harsh dark of night it looked so much more kind and inviting.
Octavia couldn't really be sure, but she had a vague idea of where he could be. She knew that Bass spent a lot of time in the park, which Vinyl had told her was because he had spent a lot of time there with his father back when he was still around. If the reason he was acting like this originated from the essence of Christmas reminding him of his father, than he'd feel a greater desire to go there at this time.
Even with her coat on as well as the thick clothing she was already wearing underneath it, she still felt herself shivering a little. And even with the cheerful glow lighting up the town, the cold feeling running through her body and the vast black sky above her made her feel hauntingly alone. She wondered if Bass felt the same.
After trudging through the snow for a few more minutes, Octavia managed to finally reach the park. Normally a series of dirt paths and open spaces of grass would be visible, but this was all hidden under the snow, protruding from which were several trees also topped with snow. At the middle point stood a fountain with a statue of a pony holding a flag in the centre. Ponyville's history and culture was centred largely on equines, hence it's name. Near the fountain was a thin river which was currently frozen, above which was a small but pleasantly designed bridge. Scattered throughout the mostly open space were a few benches and various different kinds of bushes.
She walked forward steadily, scanning the area for any signs of her stepson. Walking past the fountain towards the edge of the river, she took a second look at everything in front of her, unable to see any sign of him. It appeared that he wasn't here. Supposably another possibility was...
"What do you want?"
The suddenness of the sound forced a jolt and a shriek out of Octavia. She spun around to find that Bass was sitting against the foot of the fountain, which clearly hid him from Octavia's sight the first time she looked towards the river.
The resemblance to his mother was most prominent in his face. His short but pointy nose, his adorably round ears, his slightly thin eyes, and even his hair was reminiscent of Vinyl, being long enough to almost touch his shoulders while serrating into spikes. The colour of his hair however, was identical to his father, being so white that it almost completely blended in with the traces of snow that had built up on top of it. His choice in attire was even similar to both of his parents, as he was wearing a navy coloured hoodie with black jeans, and trainers that were composed of both colours. But his Irises didn't exactly match either of his parents, being a more intense shade of Vinyl's cerise eyes, closely resembling red. They stared at Octavia with a fierce fusion of anger, frustration and sadness.
They looked at each other for a silent moment, the falling snow in the air collecting in both of their hair.
"Vinyl's worried about you. We both are." She told him, breaking the silence.
"Mom actually giving a shit about me? There's a first." He said quietly, but spitefully.
Octavia felt a twitch of anger over the fact that he would insult Vinyl like that after all that she had done for him, but she kept it from surfacing. A lady had to keep her composure, after all.
"You should understand how much she's given up for your sake. There was a lot she had to leave behind in order to raise you."
"So I'm just a burden for her then, huh? Am I just some mistake of hers?"
'Damn it Octavia!' She thought to herself.
She tried to fix the wrong impression that she had given."No, thats... thats not what I meant... it's just... she cares a lot more about you than you give her credit for."
"Well she didn't do much worth crediting when dad left. She seemed to prefer paying attention to her liquor than she did to me."
"She was going through a hard time. You both were."
"Then maybe she shouldn't have let him go then!"
"She didn't let him go! He left you!"
Suddenly, he lurched violently from his sitting position and onto his feet. Octavia stumbled backwards out of brief fear from his sudden surge towards her. He stopped himself from moving at around a metre in front of her, his eyes wide with pure loathing, but she wasn't so sure if it was directed at her.
He turned around, his anger visible in his movements as he walked towards the fountain. There was a thud as he kicked the base, and he let out a cry of anguish that echoed across the park, either from the emotional pain burning inside him or from the physical pain of kicking the hard stone.
Octavia stared at him quietly, her own eyes still wide from the shock of his sudden outburst. She adjusted herself into a more composed position, and waited for him to calm down. The only sound audible was his heavy breathing while his body slowly rocked up and down in synchronisation with it.
"It's so hard being in this place because it reminds me so much of him..." He eventually said, his voice cracking. "But at the same time it's the only place where I feel close to him in any way!"
"Bass, you can't keep trying to connect yourself with someone you may never see again." Octavia told him. "But Vinyl's here for you. I'm here for you."
He looked back at her, disgust on his face. "I don't need two damn mothers, I NEED A FATHER!"
Octavia could see that there were tears in his eyes. The sadness she saw in him, and the sadness she knew it caused Vinyl allowed the infection of despair to spread to her own heart.
"Please Bass, no one can help you unless you let go of the pain. Until you let go of him." Octavia could feel her own voice getting weak from her emotions.
"What do you know?! It's not like you know anything about abandonment!"
"DON'T YOU DARE IMPLY I DON'T KNOW WHAT IT'S LIKE TO BE ABANDONED!" Octavia screamed.
Bass's expression went from one of rage, grief, and disgust to one of surprise at Octavia's own sudden outburst.
Octavia felt her own heavy breathing, only then realising that there were tears running down her face as well. She hated to lose her normally calm demeanour in front of people, but this was necessary...
"Have you ever wondered why I took your family's name for my own when I married your mother?" Octavia asked, her vocal demeanour calm but her voice dripping with a mixture of rage and despair. "Octavia Melody sounds so much nicer than Octavia Scratch, so why change it?"
Bass, still clearly shocked at this side of Octavia he was unfamiliar with, simply shook his head lightly.
"It's because I stopped being a Melody as soon as married your mother. My parents and my brother were never supportive of my friendship with your mother, they all looked down on her the same way I once did, but unlike me they never got past that prejudice. When they learned that I was abandoning the career path that they set me on in favour of helping her, to say that they were disappointed in me was an understatement. It was also an understatement to say that they were furious when they learned of the relationship that developed between us. And the moment that she became my wife, I was dead to them! I'll have to deal with this Christmas knowing the man and women who raised me and the boy I grew up with will act like I never existed at all, as I have for the two Christmases before this! But I won't let that hurt me. I may never see the family that I once knew ever again, but I know that I have a new family! I have Vinyl! And I have you! Because no matter how much you won't accept me, I still see you as my son as much as I see Vinyl as my wife! So please, just understand that you're not alone! Not in the world or in the pain you feel!"
Her speech finished, Octavia felt like there was nothing more she could do but shut her eyes and weep, which was exactly what she did. Tears leaked through the gaps between her closed eyelids, and she could hear herself breathing heavy with sadness though she could see nothing but darkness.
That was when she felt Bass's embrace.
Opening her eyes, she saw that Bass was now indeed hugging her. Putting her hands on his shoulders, she felt his body quiver, and she knew that it was from more than just the cold. The broken sobs that she could hear gave that away.
"I... I just want to forget him." He whispered through his tears.
"I know." Octavia replied quietly, stroking his hair comfortingly. "I may not be able to help you myself like I did your mother, but I know that the three of us can do it together."
"But, mom..." She heard him let out a groan of sadness. "How can I speak to her after I've acted... so..."
Octavia parted herself from her the hug, her hands still on his shoulders, looking at him assuringly. "She won't hold anything against you. It was never your fault. She just wants to see you happy. Can you do that?"
Though his face was pink from crying and there were still tears streaming down his cheeks, he gave her a weak smile.
She did her best to smile back. "Then let's go home."
Putting one arm around him, she walked back the way she came, this time with her stepson by her side. If the journey was as cold and tiring as it had been before, she didn't feel it. The only feeling she was focusing on the whole way was that of Bass's arm around her back, holding on to her with more love than she had ever seen him show anyone.
Opening the front door of the house, they both found that a dinner of roast beef, boiled carrots, broccoli, and fried potatoes was set on the table, the smell coming off it serving as all the 'welcome home' that they needed.
Sitting on the pink sofa was Vinyl, a happy and thankful look on her face from seeing her family come home. Octavia remained by the door, letting Bass slip out of her arm and into the arms of his mother.
"I'm so sorry mom." He said to her, shedding no tears but expressing his sadness all the same.
"I understand..." Vinyl answered him, her voice calmer, but just as sad as well. "It's not your fault. If anyone's to blame for this, its the asshole who left us like this. No one else. Especially you."
"Octavia told me everything" He said. "I... never understood..."
"Shhhhhhhhhhh..." Vinyl silenced him, something she rarely ever did to anyone. "Sometimes our families aren't there for us. And that fact may hurt us. But it's when that happens that we have to appreciate the family that we do have. Thats the kind of thing that Christmas stands for. And I promise you, Tavi and I will be your family. Just as you two are my family, and just as we are her family."
"I know mom." He replied in a blissful voice. "I know..."
With peace established between their family, the three of them moved on to dinner. The food was just as good as it had smelled. After keeping herself and the house tidy for three weeks, and actually being the person to (nicely) shut someone up for once, Vinyl continued to show that she was full of surprises, right now with the quality of the food.
When they were all done eating, they went over to Octavia's side of the house where they sat by the fire, which Vinyl had set up in the hearth during the absence of the other two. Few words were said. None were needed.
Eventually the toll of the night's drama revealed itself to a tired Bass, who said that he was going to bed. The last thing he said before entering his room was 'Good night mom', but it was clear that he wasn't just saying it to Vinyl.
The couple was left cuddling on the brown sofa by the fireplace, staring at the warm fires and keeping each other comfortable through the loving touch of their bodies. It remained like this for a quiet few minutes, until Vinyl finally spoke.
"Thank you Tavi."
"For what?" Octavia asked, though the answer was quite blatant.
"For bringing my boy back. In more ways than one."
Octavia chuckled. "If I'm going to be completely honest, I don't think I had any idea of what I was doing when I spoke to him."
It was Vinyl's turn to chuckle. "Well... sometimes we don't need to know what we're saying. We just need to say what people need to hear."
"Wow Vinyl, I don't think I've ever heard you say anything so profound." Octavia complimented her.
Vinyl looked at her wife tenderly. "Hey, I have my moments."
Octavia smiled affectionately, before leaning down and sharing a kiss with her. Of all the times that she had felt the Christmas spirit in the past, never before had it ever manifested itself so prominently inside her than it did now.
Parting from the kiss, Vinyl looked at her demandingly. "Now can we head off to bed? I haven't seen you in three weeks and I am really in the screwing mood."
"VINYL!"
Author's Note
Merry Christmas dear readers! (Or Honukkah, Ead, or any other kind of holiday you celebrate. I respect all cultures 
)
Finally I managed to do a christmas story, which I didn't manage to do last year, instead settling for a medicorely written New Years Eve story that relied on too much pop culture references and probably should have ended with my original intentions of an alien invasion and Applejack mowing down a zombified Pie family with a mini gun. 
Originally I was planning to do a spin off of my next big story after ASS but clearly I haven't even started that one yet, let alone write a spin-off.
I have ~~three~~ four concerns over this story (Dammit its the chinese death number). One, I imagine some might not like those last few ending lines since its a big tonal shift, but I decided to go with it since I thought it was pretty funny/ kinda cute/ in keeping with the OctyScratch spirit. My second concern is that people might see this story as a bit 'Purple Prose' (you may wanna look that word up if you don't know it), which may have happened in my attempt to give Octavia's narration some class. My third concern is that Bass, this new original character of mine, seems to carry a lot of emotional baggage, which we of course have never seen in OC's before (I was legitimately listening to Linkin Park when writing some of his scenes. And finally, I have no idea if the tags and age rating I'm giving this story fit. Hopefully they do, since I'm trying to get this out by Christmas Eve )for obvious reasons).
Another thing I might as well say before I finish is how come when Slice Of Life showed that Vinyl and Tavi lived in Ponyville there were some people who asked why Octavia didn't live in Canterlot. Why wasn't the same asked about Vinyl. I mean, she appears in Canterlot or working from someone in Canterlot plenty of times in the series (I mean her first appearance was working for Hoity Toity!). I guess people are just destined to judge by looks.
As always, please comment and critique so that I may improve for future chapters and stories.
