The first rays of morning sunlight shone over the city of Manehatten, it's streets already filled with early risers heading off to work and their sounds of disdain when they realised that once again that the train drivers had gone on strike.
None of this bothered Octavia as she sat on the couch in her dimly lit apartment watching the newspony interview the disgruntled commuters, she only took the subway on occasion so she wasn't all too bothered about what was going on. Besides, today was going to be an important day for her, a day that may well change her life forever.
Octavia lazily glanced at the calendar a did a double-take upon realising the date. "For Celestias sake! How did I forget that it was today!" She thought to herself.
Octavia jumped over the back of the couch and dashed towards the apartments small kitchen area, all the while hoping that everything she needed would be there. The first cupboard held only dust but the second contained exactly what she was looking for. A small green tin imprinted with the words "Everfree Tea".
Octavia couldn't hide the smile on her face upon grasping the tin in her hooves, she promptly sat it down on the table and turned her attention to filling the kettle with water. She thought back to what her mother had said to her all those years ago and grimaced.
"Octavia what the bloody hell are you doing? Why are you training yourself to make the perfect cup of tea, it's not like you'll ever make it."
"Time to prove that slag wrong once and for all." Octavia said aloud to no one in particular.
The kettle was now well underway through its boiling process so Octavia grabbed her favourite mug, a gift from her good friend and orchestral partner Noteworthy which read in fine black ink " Number 1 Cellist". She then clicked open the tin of "Everfree Tea" and carefully extracted one of its perfectly circular teabags which she then placed perfectly upright inside of her mug.
She then took out a crystal sugar bowl from the cupboard and fetched a teaspoon from one of the drawers below it, she then scooped up a small amount of sugar and placed it on one side of the teabag. She did this again on the other side till both sides were level with each other.
The kettle had now reached its peak, screaming like her mother when Octavia had told her that she hadn't placed first in competition for the Canterlot Symphony Orchestras first chair cellist. Pushing that memory behind her Octavia grasped the boiled kettle by its handle and gently poured its contents into the mug on the table till it was about three quarters full. Octavia then placed the kettle back on the counter top and opened the fridge door.
She'd made sure to get the finest, creamiest milk for this occasion, which had cost her a large sum of bits but at least it would be worth it in the end. She popped the cap off the milk and set it aside, first removing the teabag before she went any further. She poured the milk into the mug and stopped between the point where there was too little milk and the point that there was too much.
She grasped her spoon and stirred the tea exactly 5 times clockwise and then 5 times anti-clockwise just to make sure everything was mixed together. By this point Octavia had welled up at the thought of proving to her mother that she hadn't wasted a good part of her life and lost many friends for nothing.
At last her masterpiece was finished, finer than any melody that she could play. She took in the scent of it and her mouth began watering, now it was time for the final step: biscuits.
Octavias head swam with joy as she turned to open the biscuit cupboard, she'd finally done it, her life goals were achieved and most importantly her mother was wrong. Octavia was brought out of her thoughts by a loud smash.
"Oh shit, that's gonna stain the carpet." exclaimed a voice from behind her.
Octavia turned to look at the catastrophe behind her and was sickened by the sight. Everything she'd worked hard for now lay in a puddle soaking into the cream coloured carpet.
"Heyo Equestria to Tavi, you in there?" She heard as a white hoof waved in front of her face.
She locked eyes with the soulless monster who'd violently slain her hopes and dreams, a low growl escaping her throat
"You alright there? You're looking at me like I just punched a kitten in stomach." The monster spoke to her, unknowing what it had just accomplished.
Octavia punched herself mentally, of course Vinyl would wake up hungover and in quest for some toast to satisfy her hunger. How could such a cretin understand what Octavia was trying to do.
Octavia thought of all the sacrifices she'd made, her friends, her family, her lovers, even the opportunity to obtain the finest cello in equestria rather than the budget "Made In Chineigh" crap she'd become so accustomed to using.
After an eternity, the monster spoke once more "Well if you're just gonna blank me could you at least move so I could get some toast?"
Octavia finally spoke "Vinyl Record Scratch, do you realise what you've just done."
"Uhm, I spilled some of your tea and broke a mug." She replied
Octavia glanced down at the mug which now lay with a sizeable chunk missing. "No Vinyl, I don't think you understand, you and your filthy hooves have just destroyed my hopes and dreams."
"Lunas sake Tavi it's just some tea" Vinyl said, not yet coming to a full realisation of what she'd done.
"IT WAS NOT JUST SOME TEA YOU FILTHY WHORE, IT WAS THE FINEST TEA IN EQUESTRIA, IT WAS MY WHOLE LIFE AND YOU BEING THE CLUMSY BITCH YOU ARE HAVE JUST DESTROYED IT." Octavia screamed back at her at an almost ear shattering level.
"Jeez over-reaction much, keep it down I'm still hungover." Vinyl said cringing from the noise that had spewed from Octavias mouth.
"OH KEEP IT DOWN? IS THIS TOO FUCKING LOUD FOR YOU SCRATCH! IS IT! I THOUGHT YOU LOVED THINGS SO LOUD THAT THEY WOULD GIVE YOU TINNITUS!" Octavia screeched even louder than before.
"It's just tea Tavi, literally, not your hopes and dreams just tea" Vinyl said growing tired of Octavias attitude.
"Is that what you think? That its just some tea? WELL YOU ARE FUCKING WRONG VINYL YOU ARE EXTREMELY FUCKING WRONG!"
"If you're gonna keep ranting could you tone down the language a bit at least."
"FUCK YOU"
"Alright that's it I'm going back to bed" Vinyl said now tired of their argument, she began her journey back up the stairs
"WHERE DO YOU THINK YOU ARE GOING. IM NOT FINISHED!" Octavia roared, receiving only the click of a door lock as an answer.
Octavia crouched down to level with the now cold stain and shrapnel on the floor, realising it was futile to attempt to salvage if she began to sob at the loss of her fallen brew. Now there wasn't a chance in Tartarus her mother would accept her again, not now that she'd failed in her true life goal.
Octavia let out a final ear-piercing wail in between sobs "ITS NOT FAIR!" before curling into a crying mess on the floor, gently stroking the tea stain that would forever haunt her dreams, giving up all hope at making the perfect cup of tea.
Author's Note
Remember kids, tea can be a hell of a drug
