//-------------------------------------------------------// A Love for Music -by Silver Chord- //-------------------------------------------------------// //-------------------------------------------------------// Part 1 //-------------------------------------------------------// Part 1 A Love for Music Written by: Silver Chord It was at least five o’clock in the morning when Octavia Melody awoke from her slumber to a loud ruckus coming from the kitchen. At first, she dismissed it as nothing more than a pot falling from a loose hanger or something of the sort, but that theory was quickly proven wrong as the noise continued, followed by a series of frustrated grunts and slurred profanities. It was at that moment when Octavia realized that there was someone in her house. Her eyes went wide as her heart started pounding. “Oh no…” She whispered to herself. “What do I do? There’s an intruder in my house, and I have no idea what to do…” The grey mare took a deep breath and sighed. “Okay, Octavia, breath. You are not weak, and you are not dumb. You are going to go out there and beat the living snot out of the pony who is in your home.” Carefully and quietly, Octavia crawled out of the bed and threw her pink satin nightgown over her partially-nude body, as she was only dressed in a set of pink bra and panties. She then tip-toed her way over to the door and slowly opened it, careful not to make too much noise. The earth pony mare stepped out into the living room… Which was now a mess. The couch cushions were haphazardly strewn across the floor—as well as the few throw pillows and blankets that were already there, crumpled beer cans littered the table, and a couple of books were thrown onto the floor. Octavia also saw that there were clothes scattered on the couch, including a pair of black lace panties and a black bikini top. Her fears then subsided at the sight of the lucrative clothing. “Oh Goddesses…” Octavia sighed as she rounded the corner to the kitchen, letting out an exasperated groan at the sight before her. It turns out that the supposed ‘intruder’ was none other than her wild roommate, Vinyl Scratch, or DJ PON3 to the general populace. When the daytime rolled around, she would usually be asleep, as her long work hours demanded that she pretty much become nocturnal. She would stay up night after night performing at clubs and private parties, playing her music and then getting, as the kids say, ‘shit-faced’ drunk, leaving Octavia to deal with a heavily-intoxicated and sleepless DJ. This night was no different. Vinyl Scratch was now standing stark-naked in the kitchen, her ample breasts waving around slightly with every sway of her body, and her toned rump barely hidden by her wild blue tail. And even with her dulled senses, she knew that there was someone else in the room with her. She looked up at Octavia, her trademark violet shades placed crookedly on her nose, revealing her mysterious red eyes to the world—along with a few other things as well. She smirked in a drunk fashion, leaning against the marble countertops in a nonchalant manner. “Well, heeeey thar’, Octy.” She hiccupped. “Nice to sshe you heeerrr…” Right in the middle of her sentence, her hand slipped, sending her falling to the floor with a SMACK! “Whoa… Dude, the floor ish sssooo cold…” Octavia sighed. “For land’s sake, Vinyl…” She pinched the bridge of her nose as she traversed the living room and the kitchen floor until she was standing over the drunk unicorn, scrunching her nose a bit at the heavy smell of alcohol. “When will I ever have one night of proper, uninterrupted sleep? I swear, Vinyl, these drunken escapades of yours have to stop soon, or else I shall resort to knocking you out myself.” “But Moooommyyy…” Vinyl slurred. “I don’t wanna go to ssshhcool.” “No, but you are going to bed, you little drunkard.” Octavia bent over and, as carefully as she could, wrapped her arms around Vinyl’s lithe, athletic form before hefting her onto her shoulder, the unicorn letting out a soft ‘wee’ as she was hoisted off of the ground. “And for this, you are going to sleep on the couch tonight.” “Aww… Mama, don’t –hic! - let the monsters get me.” The grey mare had to resist the urge to giggle at her childish murmuring. She was adorable when she was drunk. So, instead of dropping her off at the sofa like she had planned to do, Octavia carried her back to her bedroom and gently laid her down on the bed. Vinyl smiled as she moved around to get comfortable, and around five seconds later, she was out like a light. Octavia sat down next to her sleeping form and smiled, admiring the sight of the unicorn before her. Her eyes roamed across her body, stopping at the sunglasses that were still slanted and crooked atop her head. She reached out and carefully took them off and placed them on the nightstand next to her before looking back at Vinyl. “I swear, Vinyl, you drive me so mad…” She said with a chuckle, brushing a stray strand of blue mane away with her thumb. “But even through all of it… I can’t help but love you for all of these things, even if you do walk into the house this early in the morning. You’re flaws are what make you so special, and they always reflect on the true pony that I see in you…” Octavia leaned down and kissed her forehead. “Goodnight, my little DJ…” She yawned as she took her robe off, sliding back under the covers and pulling Vinyl close, her naked body pressed up against her own. Octavia buried her nose in her mane, taking in her scent. “Blueberry… I always loved your scent.” A smile graced her lips, and her eyelids felt heavier with each second until she fell asleep once more. * * * Vinyl Scratch felt terrible; almost as if somepony had taken a large rock and beaten her over the head with it, then ran her over with a cart for good measure. She groaned loudly, holding her head in her hands as she slowly sat up. Her throat felt scratchy, her mouth as dry as a desert, and to top it all off, her breath tasted absolutely terrible. And not only that, but her stomach felt like it was doing flips and shit, which summoned the most familiar sense of nausea that always accompanied a hangover. She threw her hands over her mouth as she quickly jumped out of bed and dashed for the bathroom. “Oh fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck…” She bulleted into the bathroom and fell to her knees in front of the toilet, just in time for her stomach to empty the contents from last night’s escapade. The sounds of her heaving was loud and painful, her vomit burning her throat and intensifying the dry, scratchy sensation inside. Vinyl tried her best to keep her hair out of the way, but she never really was much of a multi-tasker, so her efforts were in vain. “Mother of All!” She cried out as she retched her guts out repeatedly. This seemed to be becoming a rather repetitive ritual. Every night she came back from a gig, she would come back feeling like a ten, wake up with a two, and then worship the porcelain throne as soon as she got out of the bed… If she made it there, that is. She stayed kneeling there for what seemed like hours, a small bit of vomit now clinging to her hair. Once Vinyl was sure that her stomach was completely empty, she shakily leaned up and wiped her mouth with a piece of toilet paper. Note to self, she thought. Never challenge a professional to a beer drinking contest. The white unicorn was about to stand up and get dressed when she heard a sigh at the door. Vinyl knew who it was immediately. Octavia had just walked in. “Oh, Goddesses above, Vinyl…” The earth pony was dressed in a simple white t-shirt and tight black pants that showed off all of her curves. When Vinyl saw her, she mustered up her best smirk, which came out in the form of a weak grin. “H-hey, Octy…” She chuckled weakly. “I’m a real mess today, aren’t I?” Octavia looked like she wanted to scold her; to tell her that she had to kill these habits of hers before they killed her first. But instead of doing that, she simply smiled and giggled before kneeling down next to her and pulling her into a tight hug. “Indeed you are.” She said softly. “Which means that we ought to get you cleaned up, yes?” Vinyl suddenly let out a breath she didn’t know she was holding. “Oh, that would be awesome…” That was when she started to get suspicious. She separated herself from her marefriend’s embrace, then gave her a questioning look. “Wait a minute. You’re not mad at me?” Octavia returned the look, raising her brow to match. “Why would I be mad? I mean, yes, you did wake me up very early this morning, but at least you didn’t vomit all over the sofa and the carpet again.” “… Not even a little mad?” “Not even in the slightest, Vinyl.” Vinyl still had her reservations as Octavia stood up and started the shower for her. Usually, Octavia would be super pissed at her for interrupting her sleep in the middle of the night, then waking her up again by vomiting quite loudly somewhere in the house. But today, she was taking this surprisingly well. So well, in fact, that it was starting to scare Vinyl. It was then that she didn’t even realize she had zoned out until she felt Octavia lift her back onto her feet. She was visibly deadpanning once she was standing up; she still couldn’t believe how strong Octavia was. But her thoughts didn’t linger on her amazing strength for long, as the sight of Octavia stripping down caused her brain, as well as her lungs, to stop working. If anything, her body was a sight to behold. Almost every stallion from Manehatten to Canterlot would only dream of getting in bed with a mare like her, and somehow Vinyl was lucky enough to end up as her marefriend. Her breasts, which were at least a size larger than her own, were enough to make her envious at times, but her figure was the closest thing that Vinyl could compare to perfection, including her shapely rear. Everything that she saw before her belonged to a Goddess. Once she was free of her clothing, Octavia gently took Vinyl by the hand and led her into the shower, careful to make sure that she didn’t trip on the way in. The unicorn let out a sigh of bliss as the warm water hit her chest. “Oh, yes…” She said with a quiet moan. She began to run her fingers through her hair, rinsing out the small clumps of vomit that had clung to her bangs, falling into the drain and dissolving in a trail of light green liquid. As she did this, Octavia began to massage her shoulder blades, eliciting a soft coo from the DJ pony. Vinyl reached over and grabbed a bottle of shampoo. She popped open the cap and squeezed a liberal amount onto her hand, then proceeded to lather her hair with it. As she did this, she tried to focus on the attention that Octavia was giving her. Her fingers were absolute heaven, and they were hitting all the right places; one of the many perks of being in a relationship with the most skilled cellist in Equestria. That was when a thought suddenly hit her: Did she really deserve such a wonderful mare like Octavia? Here she was receiving a heavenly massage from her while she was in the shower, helping her clean off the events from last night’s party. It seemed that this was such a reoccurring thing. Vinyl Scratch always left the house late in the afternoon, then would return sometime in the middle of the night. She had vomited almost everywhere in the house at least once, destroyed a few valuable possessions, and even said some stupid things when she was drunk. And yet, no matter what, Octavia put up with her… Why? “… Why?” The question almost went unheard. Octavia, however, heard it just fine. “What do you mean, love?” “Why do you put up with somepony like me?” She replied. “I’m a drunk, an extreme party girl, and a night owl. I’m always out late, and I almost always wake you up in the middle of the night. I’ve broken so many valuable things, vomited on the couch, and I’ve said some pretty dumb things while I’m drunk. So… Why are you still with me? Why not go out with someone like that Silver Strings dude? Isn’t he, like, the third or fourth best musician in Equestria?” At first, there was only silence between them, the only sound being the shower running and the water hitting the shower floor. But after that moment passed, Octavia surprised her yet again when she laughed. Vinyl turned to look at her with a confused expression. The grey mare placed a hand on her cheek and smiled. “First off, Vinyl,” she said. “The pony you are referring to is Silver Chord. And yes, he’s a very talented string musician, but you know that he and Lyra have a thing for each other; there is no way in Tartarus I could possibly break that apart. Also, he’s not you; living embodiment of Compassion or not.” “B… But–“ “Ah ah.” Octavia pressed her index finger against her lover’s lips to silence her. “No ‘but’s’, Vinyl. I mean what I say. I would never trade you for him, and you better take my word for it. Because I love you, Vinyl Scratch. I love you, and no one else. You are wild, carefree, and love to live your life to the fullest. But, at the same time, you are always looking out for those whom you hold closely, including me. Now, yes, the things you said to me when you were drunk were quite dumb, but every time you said those things, you always apologized and kept saying ‘I love you’ a thousand times, over and over again. Therefore, you shouldn’t feel so bad about what happened in the past.” She kissed her forehead. “Plus, do you know how cute you are when you’re drunk?” Vinyl blushed in response. “That’s what I thought. Now, how about you stop feeling bad for one moment and just enjoy the shower, yes?” Vinyl nodded and smiled softly. “Yeah… You’re right…” And so, they both stayed silent as they basked in the warmth of the shower water, enjoying each other’s embrace and listening to the sound of their breathing. But there was one more thing that Vinyl was still curious about. “Wait,” she said. “Why did you call that Silver dude ‘the Element of Compassion’?” “Oh. Apparently, he’s some kind of physical embodiment of Compassion, almost like how we have the physical embodiments of Harmony here in Ponyville.” Vinyl didn’t get it. “Um… I guess I understand that.” Octavia giggled in response. “Trust me, Vinyl. I have no idea how he obtained that title, but I’m not going to worry about it, and neither should you.” “… Y’know, this is going to bother me for the rest of the day.” Octavia rolled her eyes in response, still smiling. “Vinyl, dear, it bothers everypony.” “But seriously, that legit bothers me.” “Well, perhaps you can consult with him yourself at your performance tonight, yes?” Vinyl turned to look back at her, smiling slightly. “I’m actually free tonight. I’ve canceled tonight’s gig so I could spend some time with you.” When she saw Octavia slightly flinch at her words, this gave her cause to worry. “What? What is it, babe?” “Weeelll… I have practice until eleven tonight.” She sighed. “I’m sorry, love. If I had known that you were free, I would have told the others that I couldn’t make it tonight.” “No, it’s fine. You didn’t know, and that’s ‘cause I didn’t tell you.” Vinyl looked a little taken aback, but she knew that it was her fault. She planned ahead for this day for at least a week. Perhaps she was too drunk to tell her marefriend her plans. Either way, she felt bad that her plans weren’t working out as well as she had hoped. “Well… What time do you have to leave?” “In about a half hour.” Octavia replied solemnly. “Rehearsal starts at eleven o’clock, but you know that I always leave an hour early so that I’m almost guaranteed not to be late.” This earned a sad sigh from Vinyl as her gaze fell, but Octavia gently tucked a finger underneath her chin and brought her face back up so they were staring face-to-face once more. “I’m sorry, Vinyl. I promise that I will find a way to make it up to you, alright?” The blue-haired DJ quietly nodded, forcing herself to give her marefriend a small smile. “Okay, babe.” Octavia smiled. “Good.” She stood up and started rinsing her mane. “Now, I have to go get ready to leave. I trust that you can handle yourself in here and clean yourself off, yes?” Vinyl suddenly found her confident attitude once more and replied with a confident smirk as she stood up and grabbed the bottle of shampoo. “Pssh! A shower can’t kill me, Tavi. You worry too much.” Happy to see that her marefriend was back to her usual self, Octavia left the shower to get ready for work. But unbeknownst to her, Vinyl was silently praying that she would come back and stay with her. At least an hour later, Vinyl found herself alone in the house, lounging about lazily on the couch in a pair of black form-fitting sweat pants and a light blue T-shirt with her cutie mark and the name “PON3” printed on the front in graffiti-style. Usually when she had a day off she would be working on a set for her next few gigs, but today, she didn’t have the energy nor the motivation to even lift a finger once she had plopped down onto the feathery sofa. Maybe it was because after being able to take the night off to be with her marefriend, chance still managed to come back and turn on her, despite her best efforts and intentions. Why did this shit always have to happen when she tried to do something good for someone she cared about? Vinyl groaned in frustration, slamming her head into the pink throw pillow that she had propped her head against, and letting out a muffled scream. When she had let out most of her anger, she sat up, grabbed the pillow, and then chucked it at the door as hard as she could. It seemed that at the exact moment that the pillow made contact, somepony knocked on the door. Vinyl tensed up, a hopeful look in her eyes. Did Octavia forget something? Did she decide to come back and stay with her for the rest of the day and skip practice? “Hello?” A young male voice shattered any hope she had of it being Octavia. “Um… Octavia? You in here?” However, that raised a few alarms inside Vinyl’s head. What in Tartarus did this guy want with her Octy? Was it some stallion that wanted to take her away from her just to get into her pants? Vinyl visibly scowled. ‘Not on my watch, buster.’ As carefully and as quietly as she could manage, Vinyl crawled off of the sofa and slowly made her way towards the door, grabbing her wooden baseball bat along the way. Once she was in front of the door, she gently grabbed the doorknob with one hand and readied her bat with the other, waiting to see if this guy would leave. “Hey, Tavi? You there?” That was the absolute breaking point for Vinyl. No one called Octavia that but her! Vinyl Scratch twisted the doorknob and threw open the door as quickly as she could, then, with a good amount of force, struck her new enemy straight in the nose with the pommel of her bat. The stallion cried out in pain and fell onto his rear, clutching his possibly now broken nose. Vinyl held the bat with both hands and prepared to swing at him again. “You better piss off, motherfucker!” She shouted angrily. “Octavia is mine, you hear me?!” In that split moment that she stood over him, Vinyl examined the stallion in front of her. He was tall, that was for sure; probably around six feet tall. He was a Pegasus with a silver mane of medium-length and a coat of white reminiscent to her own, as well as a pair of electric-blue eyes that stared up at her as he clutched his now-bleeding nose. He sported a light blue button-down long-sleeved shirt and a pair of jeans. Now that she had taken a good look at him, Vinyl couldn’t help but feel that he looked rather familiar. The face she definitely remembered, but the name… The name was on the tip of her tongue, but… “Who are you?” The stallion looked up at her and took his hand away from his nose, which was now steadily-bleeding. “Silver,” he said with a deep sniff. “Silver Chord.” It took a moment, but that name finally clicked inside her head. Yeah, she remembered! From her conversation with Octavia this morning: “First off, Vinyl, the pony you are referring to is Silver Chord. And yes, he’s a very talented string musician, but you know that he and Lyra have a thing for each other; there is no way in Tartarus I could possibly break that apart…” “Oh, Goddess!” Vinyl dropped the bat and gasped. “Silver?! I am so, so sorry!” She knelt down and helped Silver back onto his hooves. “Are you okay?” Silver Chord tilted his head up and used his hand to try to stop the blood flowing from his nose. “Yeah… I’m fine for a guy who… Took a damn bat to the face from DJ PON3…” He groaned, and Vinyl visibly winced. “I’m still so sorry about that. But I didn’t know who you were at first. I thought you were some creep that Octavia had met at a bar or something.” The Pegasus laughed. “Nah, it’s cool… I’ve taken some bad hits before… This isn’t that bad.” “Here, come inside real quick.” She ushered him inside before closing the door behind him. “Just… Crash on the couch for a minute and I’ll get you a wet rag, okay?” “A’ight… Thanks.” He gave her a bloody thumbs-up, still using his other hand to keep the blood from dripping all over the furniture as Vinyl rushed into the kitchen. A few seconds later, she came out with a damp rag and handed it to Silver. “Here. Just put that on your nose and tilt your head back.” “I know how to treat a bloody nose.” The Pegasus did as he was told and tilted his head up so he was looking up at the ceiling. “Well, I never expected mares to literally hit on me.” He joked lightly, which earned a quiet snicker from Vinyl. “Yeah yeah, Mister Comedian.” She said with laughter in her voice. “Be lucky I didn’t bust your skull open.” “Hm…” He hummed in thought. “Not the first time I’ve heard that.” “Okay, let’s get serious for a minute.” Vinyl turned on the sofa so she was facing him, a serious expression on her face. “What’re you doing here looking for Octavia? Did you need to give her a message or something?” Silver shook his head. “Nah… Well, not really. Octavia and I usually practice together, and I offered to buy her coffee before we had to head over to the orchestra today. She said she would come along, but…” He took a deep breath, smacking his lips a bit. “Looks like she’s not here.” “Ah…” Vinyl nodded her head in understanding. “Yeah, she left dude. She left thirty minutes ago so she wouldn’t be late.” “Really? Damn. Next time I might as well tell her to meet me at the Java Club so we don’t miss each other…” He groaned a bit. “Ugh… Hate bloody noses… What time did she say practice was today?” “Eleven o’clock.” This certainly got Silver’s attention. He looked over at her with an eyebrow raised. “Seriously? I was told that we started practice at eleven-thirty.” He looked down at his watch. “And it’s ten-thirty right now… Damn. She’ll have thirty minutes to an hour to spare if she gets to the guild house early. Not bad, Octavia.” Vinyl tilted her head at him curiously. “How well do you know Octavia?” His response was a small shrug. “Well, I met her… I think, six years ago, when I first started living in Manehatten with my friends. I was asked to fill in for a violinist that had called-in sick, and I ended up practicing with Octavia and playing a concert with her.” “And… What exactly do you do for the orchestra?” Vinyl asked him. “I mostly fill in for ponies that can’t show up for a concert and play in their place, but only if their instrument is in the string family. I still have to attend the practices though.” He tilted his head back up. “I run a music store here in Ponyville when I’m not practicing and when I finish up early.” “You run the Ponyville Music Emporium?” “Heh. Yep.” He smiled behind the rag, which was slowly changing from a cream-ish color to a light red. “Huh…” She smiled a bit. “Well, that’s pretty cool.” “Yeah, it has its moments.” For a while, they just sat in silence as Silver waited for his nose to stop bleeding. During that time, Vinyl considered telling him about her problems, considering that he knew Octavia fairly well. But, then again, it was her problem, and she didn’t need to drag other ponies into it… Still, the thought didn’t hurt. She could ask him for some advice on how she could do better with Octavia, or maybe ask about some good places to take her out on a date. Vinyl was already thinking about any new movies that she could take her marefriend to when Silver waved his hand in front of her face, snapping her out of her trance. “Oi.” He said, the cloth no longer on his face, the bleeding having finally stopped. “Earth to Vinyl Scratch. What you thinking about there?” Vinyl tensed up. This was it. Either she tell him about her situation and ask for some advice, or say nothing and handle it herself. She juggled the options around in her head for a good five seconds before she made up her mind. She took a deep breath and sighed. “Silver…” She said awkwardly, averting her gaze and twiddling her thumbs. “Can I… ask for your advice on something?” Silver tilted his head curiously and moved to face her. “Well, that all depends on what you need my advice for.” He smiled. “Tell me your troubles, my friend.” Vinyl smiled back, feeling her uncertainty melt away because of his smile. She told him about how her situation with Octavia, including the nights where she came in drunk at two in the morning. She also explained to him how she took the night off to spend time with her marefriend, and how her plans were inevitably shot down when she found out that Octavia had to practice until eleven tonight. When she was finished, Silver had a thoughtful look on his face as he began to think. “… I see what you’re saying, but I don’t understand why you need my help.” He said with full sincerity. “I just wanna know if there’s anything I can do to make up for all the stupid shit she’s been putting up with for the past couple of years.” She replied. “Like, do you have any ideas?” “A few.” He moved around so he was sitting with his legs crossed. “But, we need to address one thing. What would you want to do for her? Take her out on a date? Watch a few movies together? A romantic trip to the lake? What you got?” Vinyl knew exactly what she really wanted to do, and a blush began to form on her cheeks. Silver understood completely and nodded. “Ah. So it’s that kinda thing… Well, this seems to be out of my hands.” “I know that I want to repay her in that way, but I just don’t know how I would do it. I’ve had sex before, but what I’m thinking of–“ “Is something a little more romantic, right?” Silver finished her sentence. She nodded in response, and he smiled. “Well, I can definitely help you there.” “What should I do then?” “For one, clean up a bit.” He gestured to the living room and everything else around them. “Make the house look a little extra cleaner when she gets back; she’ll definitely appreciate that. Get a scented candle or two and make this place have a nice smell. For a mare like Octavia, get something like… Hm…” Silver thought for a moment. “Maybe get something like vanilla, maybe even lavender. Just something that’ll help her relax as soon as she walks into the room and closes the door. Second, set the mood with a nice atmosphere. Maybe make a path of rose petals to the door with some soft, dim lighting. In the bedroom, just have four or five candles here and there that’ll make great for the lighting. They don’t have to be scented, but I recommend that you get some. Spread a little bit of rose petals on the floor around the bed too, if you want. You also need some nice, calm, soothing music to go with everything.” Vinyl rolled her eyes a bit at that comment. “I know it might not be your cup of tea, but trust me, she’ll love it.” “Finally,” he said. “This one is optional, but highly recommended. Get a sexy outfit; something that’ll top off everything that you’ve done with a bright red cherry.” He clapped his hands together. “And there you have it. That’s ‘Silver Chord’s Advice on Romance’.” As soon as he finished, Vinyl started laughing a little bit, earning a confused look from the white Pegasus. “What?” “You realize that everything you just said is so fucking cheesy, right?” “Hey.” He said in mock-seriousness, causing her to laugh a bit more. “A lot of mares love cheesy romance, and that is a proven fact.” “Yeah yeah.” She waved him off with a grin. “Whatever you say, Mister Cheesy Romantic.” “That’s my name. Don’t wear it out.” Silver Chord looked down at his watch and got up from the couch. “Well, I better get going if I wanna make it to practice. I’ll see if I can’t get Octavia out an hour early for you, okay?” He started walking to the door when Vinyl called his name. “Hey, Silver?” He turned around to look back at her and she smiled at him. “Thanks.” Silver smiled in return. “Always happy to help.” He waved goodbye as he opened the door and stepped out. “Come by the store sometime, ‘kay? Don’t be a stranger.” “I’ll be sure to do that.” With Vinyl’s response, Silver closed the door and left. A few seconds later, Vinyl got up and looked around, looking to see what she could clean. “Well… I better get started.” * * * Eleven Hours Later... It was ten-thirty as Octavia Melody tiredly walked back to her house, already close to her destination. It was yet another strenuous practice today, as the orchestra was preparing to perform at the Grand Galloping Gala yet again this year, and the deadline was getting closer and closer by the day. Already two ponies had said they wouldn’t be able to make it to the performance, making it harder for everypony else who would be able to make it, as well as the substitute musician Silver Chord, who was filling in for one of the absent ponies yet again. It was rather surprising when he actually managed to convince their guild leader to let her go home early. When she had asked him why, he only replied with a smile and a wink. “I’m pretty sure you have someone who would love to spend more time with you.” He had said to her. Octavia appreciated what he did, nonetheless, and promised to buy him coffee tomorrow morning to repay him for his kindness. Although, it felt like he knew something that she didn’t, and it had her just a little curious. A few minutes later she finally arrived at the front door to her home, ready to go inside, set her cello down, then get some good night’s sleep with Vinyl. But when she opened the door, she was certainly surprised by what she saw, as well as smelled. For one, the living room looked a little cleaner that it did this morning. The couch cushions were rearranged neatly, her records were stacked in an organized fashion, and the air smelled very… Well, pleasant. The scent lingering in the air reminded her of blueberries and cream, which put a small smile on her face. The lighting was very nice too, accented by the soft, dim glow of a candle on the coffee table. Looking down, however, she noticed that there was a trail of fresh rose petals leading from the front door to the bedroom. Octavia quietly set her cello down next to the door and closed it behind her before slowly following the path of red petals to the closed door leading to their bedroom. Curious as to why Vinyl would leave it closed, she gently took hold of the doorknob and twisted it before slowly pushing it open. What she saw before her caught her completely off-guard. Like in the living room, the bedroom was accented with a very healthy amount of candlelight, its soft glow bathing the white walls in a soft layer of orange that flickered ever so gently. On the floor, as well as around the bed, were more rose petals, just like the ones that she had found outside. A record player was playing soft, calming classical music on top of a dresser in the far corner in the room. Once again, the smell of blueberries and cream flooded her senses yet again, along with another familiar scent she knew all too well. The bed had been made so neatly that it looked like a professional made had come in and done the work. However, despite the romantic and impressive atmosphere that had been set, Octavia seemed to only notice the main attraction: Vinyl. She sat in the middle of the bed on her knees, her fur and clothes bathed in the warm candlelight. Her wild blue mane was clean and groomed to near perfection, and was also done-up so it gently cascaded down her back and slightly over her shoulders. Her fur also looked like the finest silk in the dim light; it was obvious that she had visited the spa today. Vinyl wore a large white long sleeve shirt that slipped off of her right shoulder slightly, the letters ‘PON3’ written a neon-sign fashion heat-pressed onto the front of the shirt. And due to the fact that her nipples were clearly visible through the fabric, Octavia could tell that she wasn’t wearing a bra. She also had on a pair of black lacey panties that left a lot to the imagination, which were slightly hidden by the hem of her shirt. Vinyl looked into Octavia’s eyes with a blush on her cheeks, her scarlet irises looked mesmerizing in the flickering candlelight. Then, with a half-lidded gaze and sultry smile, she spoke. “Welcome home, Octavia.” Author's Note Hey there! This only Part 1! Part 2 will be posted next Thursday, as will be my new schedule for posting commissions. ^^ Stay tuned, kids!