Hey, Octavia. Want to hang out?

From Vinyl Scratch, received at 6:22 P.M., yesterday

Octavia stared at the text with a troubled gaze as the device sat before her hooves. Octavia had had a lot to think about after her appointment, yesterday, and never heard her phone go off as Vinyl's message came in.

She stared at the words, reading them for a seventh time as her mind rumbled and turned. Do I? she thought, with concern. She's a nice mare, but I just have so much going on right now. And it certainly doesn't help that I think she's a part of my stress, be it intentional or not...

Octavia sighed to herself as she lay her chin on the table and eyed the device with mock distaste. Royal Riff's call had come in just a few minutes after Vinyl's text, and he had asked the cellist to dinner - dinner! - after meeting only several hours before.

She replayed the conversation in her head for the ninth time, tossing and turning it over in her mind as she analyzed it as though looking for a crack, a flaw, or any other imperfection.

Good evening, Miss Philharmonica. he had said, with that damn confident but quiet tone that told Octavia that he was sporting a rugged smile on the other end.

Please, simply call me Octavia. she interjected, politely.

Of course. he had agreed, with a taste of humor on his tongue. I trust that you have had a pleasant day, thus far?

I must say I have, and it was rather enlightening near the end.

Wonderful. If I may be so daring, perhaps I could ensure you continue to have an excellent day by inviting you to dinner, tomorrow night? My treat, of course.

Dinner? I- well, you- she had stammered, completely taken aback by the stallions' bold charm. But there was another layer to her shock that Octavia wasn't quite sure she had understood at the time: trepidation. ...That would be quite lovely.

And now, after a full day had passed and with only an hour before she was to be picked up by the stallion, she still hadn't come to a decision about why she had agreed or why she was regretting it. She had spent the whole day waltzing through her classes while her mind was among the stars, and the well-graded paper from today's musical theory assignment told her that she was operating on a rather effective autopilot. But these high marks in stark contrast to the sharp decline of Octavia's academic prowess a few days earlier did nothing to cheer the gray mare up. This wasn't about doing better in school; this was about her and...

...Royal Riff? Octavia tasted the name in her mind as she pushed her eyebrows together in a troubled, thoughtful gaze. He was a well groomed stallion, in both a literal and figurative sense of the phrase, yet he maintained a hint of a rugged and bold charm that made him so alluring at times.

He was a growing musician, as Octavia herself was, and his instrument of choice was a saxophone that he played with both power and grace - a truly stunning performance made only more impressive by the fact that he was also an earth pony like her, and had no magic with which to finely manipulate the keys. He was in a league that few earth ponies managed to find themselves in, and Octavia was right up there with him.

He was well educated, well spoken, well meaning, and all the things that Octavia had been raised to match, admire, and expect. In short, he was exactly the type of stallion she could see herself spending the rest of her years with; exactly the type of stallion her mother would approve of...

My mother. Octavia huffed as she spat the name in her mind. Of course her mother would approve of him - he was perfect! But her mother had been the puppet master in the sideshow that was her life for far too long, and Octavia was eager to find and exploit every way she could cut her strings. But how far am I willing to go?

Octavia let her anger fade as she scrunched up her snout in thought. Was she willing to risk her career and personal life just to spite her mother? Would she throw away potentially the best relationship she could see just to get back at her mother? Octavia feared that her anger may be getting the best of her, and a little wooden earth pony mare with snipped strings lay motionless on a stage in her eyes every time she thought of turning away Royal Riff.

No. Octavia thought, defiantly. This isn't about Royal Riff, this isn't about my mother. This is about me and...

"...Vinyl?" Octavia's heart skipped a beat as she tasted the name on her tongue, and her stomach was greeted to a gentle fluttering feeling that was almost mistaken for sickness. The memory of a few nights ago waltzed through Octavia's mind like it was a welcomed guest, and the mare felt her cheeks grow hot as she imagined the gentle, warm breath of the unicorn seeping into the fur on her neck.

Octavia reluctantly toyed with the idea in her mind, tumbling and tossing it over like a child playing haphazardly with a doll that would soon be broken from their mistreatment.

Vinyl Scratch was the exact opposite of Royal Riff: where he was neat, she was messy. Where he was polite, she was curt. Where he was open and brash, she was closed and reserved. Where he was ruggedly charming, she was charmingly rugged. Where he was the comfortable upper class, she was the determined lower class. Where he was a stallion, she was...

"A mare." Octavia whispered to herself as the scowling face of her mother glared at her from the depths of her mind. It was true: Vinyl was the epitome of everything her mother would disapprove of. Messy, rude, reclusive, lower class... A mare.

Octavia groaned as she held her face in her hooves. A mare! A female! A member of the same sex, denying any chance for her mother to have grandfoals to gush over. The spiteful thought caused a smirk to appear on Octavia's face, but quickly reverted into a frown as her head shot up in realization.

Could I possibly be that spiteful? she thought with a worried gaze. She replayed the memory of Vinyl pressed close to her that night, she let her heart thump soundly in her chest, and she felt her face grow hot as she let out the quietest of pants to catch a breath she hadn't realize she had been denying herself. She imagined running her hoof through that striking blue mane, trailing her snout against that white cheek, pressing her lips to hers and...

There was nothing.

There was no thump of her heart, no quiver in her stomach, and no heat on her face. Octavia didn't feel anything from that day dream.

With a frustrated groan, her face found itself at home in her hooves, once more, as Octavia racked her mind for answers. It sickened her that she may simply be toying with the idea of Vinyl for nothing more than striking back at her mother, but it was clear there were no feelings for the unicorn.

But what about Royal Riff? she thought as she let her mind wander around that possibility. A charming candlelit dinner, a walk in the park at night, a heartfelt confession of their feelings... a soft kiss on her lips...

Her heart skipped a beat for a fraction of a second, but Octavia took note of it as she searched her body for more feelings only to thump her head into the table when she could find none.

She didn't know what she wanted. She didn't know if she disliked Vinyl because she was a mare, because she was the opposite of everything she had been raised for, or because she didn't want to drag the poor unicorn into a feud between her mother and herself.

She didn't know if she disliked Royal Riff because he was all of the things she was expected to adore and fawn over, because he was far too forward, or because it would entrap her in the very life she was fighting so hard to get way from.

She just didn't know.

But the one thing she did know was that it wouldn't be long until her date would arrive to fetch her, and Vinyl's poor neglected text had long gone unresponded to.

Sorry, Vinyl, but I need a few days to myself. Have some things I need to figure out.

From Octavia, received at 6:51 P.M.

Vinyl regarded the text for a few moments as she worked to shovel another forkful of noodles into her mouth before her plastic utensil scraped loudly at the bottom of the empty styrofoam cup. She blinked in surprise at the noise; had she really eaten an entire cup of noodles while staring at the message?

Vinyl gave a small grunt as she rolled off of the bed and deposited her trash into the now empty bin. It was nearly seven, an hour before Vinyl had to be at her next gig on the other side of the city, and she hadn't even showered yet.

So what if she doesn't want to hang out? Vinyl shrugged to herself as she made her way into the cold bathroom. You have a gig in an hour, anyway.

Vinyl's hoof expertly fumbled around the tiled wall of her shower in search of the shampoo as glorious hot water came pouring from the heavens and giving the unicorn a reason to release a sigh of relief. So what if it only took her a whole day to turn you down?

Vinyl closed her eyes as she fought the negative thoughts in her head, barely hearing Neon's distant, echoing words of "challenge your thinking!" in her mind before they were overtaken with the voice Vinyl struggled against. I mean, it's not like she wants to stay as far away from you as possible after your stunt.

Shut up. Vinyl fought back as she tilted her head towards the faucet and let the hot water wash away all of her stress as the liquid cascaded down her forehead and snout. She has a life of her own. She has things to think about other than me.

Or maybe... the voice sneered as the unicorn began to pour and lather shampoo into her coat and mane. You're exactly what she's been thinking about.

The poor little unicorn bitch she so foalishly tried to save. the voice taunted. But what makes you worth saving, Vinyl?

Shut up, dad! she mentally screamed as a hoof pounded into the wall. Her eyes were clenched shut as shampoo rinsed itself off of her hide, the water doing wonders of masking her tears but the bathroom tiles betraying her sobs to her empty apartment. Her dad simply laughed in her head, an echo of a dead stallion fading into the recess of her mind.

She tried to tell herself it was true, that she wasn't worth saving. But, deep down, she knew she wanted to be saved yet she wasn't strong enough to carry on all by her lonesome. She needed someone to offer a hoof out to her, as much as she hated it... And Octavia was that hoof.

She's her own pony, Vinyl. She's got a life outside of being your friend. the unicorn tried telling herself as she shut the water off. She's a high class mare going to school, she probably has six classes every day and a flankload of homework to boot.

...And she's so far out of your league you can't even begin to- Vinyl scrunched up her nose in frustration and fought the negative thoughts back with all of her might. It was once in a blue moon that she won those fights, but it seemed like Princess Luna was being generous tonight.

As she stepped back into the hallway with a pair of towels levitating themselves over every inch of the dripping unicorn, Vinyl found her eyes drawn down the hall towards the open door of her bedroom, where her phone sat beside a cute little pink bow tie interweaved with a white lace.

She had been meaning to get it back to Octavia but simply hadn't found the time. Plus, it apparently wasn't that important to the mare or else she would have come by to at least ask Vinyl if she'd seen it, which allowed the unicorn ample time to wrap it around her hooves every so often when she found herself lost in her own mind, fighting a losing battle against that cursed stallion. As simple as it may have been, that little pink bow tie was Vinyl's flimsy little shield, but a shield nonetheless.

And a shield that smelled a little good, she supposed...

Before long, Vinyl found herself on her side atop the cold, inviting bed with the lace wrapped around her hoof once more. She gave a comforted smile and a shallow sniff as she closed her eyes; gently pressing pink to white as she sought to recapture her memories from that night:

It had been only a few hours since her outburst, and the taste of alcohol was still rancid on her tongue as she blinked herself awake. Hardly a noise sounded from around the quiet downtown apartment, but Vinyl's ears flicked as she caught the gentle breathing of a gray mare curled up into herself on the other side of the bed. It was Octavia. I mean, it was obviously Octavia, but Vinyl was simply stunned that she was still here, and glanced at the clock in her phone to confirm that she had, in fact, been asleep for a few hours.

And yet, here she lay after everything. Her anxiety attack at the café, her glower from the doorway, her attempt to drown Octavia out with alcohol, and finally her outburst at her own insecurities. But the mare didn't run. The mare didn't yell at Vinyl, trying to guilt her into changing her self-destructive lifestyle. Instead, Octavia just... listened. And stayed. And went out of her way to be there for a mare she knew next to nothing about, because that's the kind of pony Octavia was proving herself to be: a pony who put others before herself.

The realization hit Vinyl like a bag of bricks, none heavier than the bricks of shame and guilt that pelted her square in the jaw and forehead as she realized how selfish she was being by letting Octavia only get so far before slamming the metaphorical door in her face. It wasn't something she had planned, it was just something that... just happened.

Octavia wasn't like any of the mares or stallions who had ever made it past her front door. She wasn't loud, she wasn't horny, she certainly wasn't drunk or tweaked in any capacity, and she didn't have a one track mind that spelled disaster if she didn't get her way. Octavia was quiet, caring, and shifted herself to the sidelines for Vinyl when even the unicorn herself didn't know it was what she needed. It reminded her of Neon, and Vinyl found it refreshing to simply be truly cared for.

Shame she's probably into stallions. the voice chuckled. For once, it wasn't dripping in obvious malice. No, the voice let its words sink in for a moment, to let Vinyl mull over the thought that she was out of luck due to something she'd never have the power to change. Vinyl almost wished for a different, more direct attack.

The voice fell silent once more, content with the state it was leaving the unicorn in as she turned her back to the sleeping mare and let her eyes drift across the neglected turntable shoved into the corner. It was her first turntable. Really, one of the first ever produced, and zebra advancements in technomagical hybrids had come so far in just five years that what once took up the space of a bed now easily fit into a suitcase. Still, there was something about the old school style that Vinyl couldn't help but admire.

She carefully rolled out of bed and cast a wary glance back towards Octavia to make sure she hadn't woken the mare before her hoof found itself gliding against the smooth black metal. Vinyl smiled a soft little smile as she idly rubbed a hoof along the mat, imagining herself in the club where she belonged and spinning a silent track. It was a good time, some of her first gigs - probably the best days of her life up until she made the mistake of partying a little too hard, taking a step too far, and falling much too deep into a hole she thought she had closed years ago.

Vinyl retracted her hoof and let her eyes wander further up the turntable, where a stack of notebooks sat slumped in the corner. Her art project. Her little rude hoof pointed in spite out at the world as she dared to capture what light she knew existed despite having lived through the dark. Weeks were spent sketching her subject just right, and a few more days were spent coloring and shading the life into those pages. She could have taken a picture for reference, but it somehow felt less sincere to her; less real. Too easy. And, as Neon had always told her: "nothing in life worth having comes easily."

She swallowed the lump in her throat as her mind wandered back into the dark, casting doubts throughout the unicorn's mind as she feebly wondered what changed in her, but she already knew the answer: the pent up fears and resentment towards her family and her life were never vented, never resolved. She turned down the same path her father had to hide his pain and dug the very hole that his daughter would soon find herself trapped in as she shoved her friends away as a result of her pride.

She suppressed a sigh as she closed the notebook she hadn't even realized she had been looking at, casting the unfinished sketch of a unicorn sitting awkwardly on a bench with a broad smile on her face into darkness once more. She was at peace, while Vinyl was struggling. Turning back towards the mare and quietly climbing back into her own bed, Vinyl's eyes traversed the soft gray landscape of the earth pony beside her and the peaceful smile on her lips as she slept; nothing but the gentle rise and fall of her side as she faced the unicorn betraying her life.

Shame she's probably into stallions. Vinyl thought, echoing the words of the stallion in her mind as she closed her eyes. Shame I'd probably just hurt her even if she did like me...

Still, as much as Vinyl feared letting another pony get too close to her, she couldn't help but smile a tiny, wanting smile as dreams of the two simply talking happily invaded her mind. Walking, dancing, studying... Kissing...

Vinyl drifted off to sleep with a warm smile plastered on her face for once in a long time.

And, with a start, she was back in the present day as her ringtone of "You Know" blared beside her head. It was the slow, bumpy ringtone that warmed her up for wild dancing, but she knew all too well that it was also the same song she applied to any of her work contacts.

"Scratch, it's fifteen minutes until opening!" a gruff stallion warned, clearly on edge at the fact that his DJ wasn't even there. The unicorn's eyes shot open wide as she scrambled to her hooves and threw her belongings into her saddlebag in such a rush that she hadn't even realized she still had the little pink bow tie on a simple white lace still tied around her hoof as she bolted out the door.

"Gardens of the Everfree?" Octavia began in bewilderment. "How in Equestria did you manage to get a reservation on such short notice?"

Royal Riff gave a polite chuckle at his date's amazement as the stallion held the door open for her, and Octavia was nearly blown back by an overload of her senses.

The lighting was polite and neutral, yet cast beams down on expertly placed pillars of marble that appeared to glow a celestial white as a result. The sound of the house musicians glided through the air as though it was flown by microscopic pegasi themselves, and Octavia felt a relaxing calm overtake her as she began to pick the telltale sounds of a violin and a piano in their midst.

But neither of those senses could put a scratch past the smells that attacked Octavia's nostrils in such brevity that she almost mistook this establishment as that of a lower end food chain. Before she could voice her concern or immediate displeasure, however, the scents continued their assault and bombarded the poor gray mare with dashes of spice, hints of fruit, pinches of fresh greens, and tantalizingly tiny tastes of Tanzlbulb - an ingredient so rare that it was almost thought extinct for the last two centuries before an explorer reintroduced the world to its confusing but delicious scent of fried onions yet intoxicating taste of gooey fruit.

Octavia felt the slightest bit of drool pooling in her mouth as it threatened to spill out over her lip, and she swallowed without haste as Royal Riff stepped through the door behind her. "An easy feat when your uncle is the owner of the entire franchise." he admitted, with a smile.

"Your family owns Gardens of the Everfree?!" Octavia whispered in absolute shock; her eyes wider than they'd ever been in her life and causing her date to stifle another chuckle.

"Indeed. I thought it would be nice to surprise you with that and it would seem I was right." he teased as he gave a cheery, respectful nod at the usher before the two were led to their table in the center of the restaurant, right before the stage where Octavia could confirm her guess of the violin and piano being played in a calm, slow harmony.

"I... I am not sure what to say." Octavia admitted, sheepishly, as Royal Riff pulled her chair back to seat her.

"Nothing needs to be said, Octavia." he replied with that confident smirk as he took his own seat across from her. "Simply enjoy tonight, that is my only request of you."

Octavia gave a respectful smile at the stallion before her as a pair of menus were carefully placed on the table. But, while Royal Riff apparently already knew what he wanted for tonight, Octavia found her eyes wandering over the elegantly crafted letters that detailed everything from appetizers to desserts as flashes of a pencil wiggling in blue magic danced through her head.

She knew what the stallion across from her was after; how could she not after such a bold act? Inviting her to dinner the day after they met, to a restaurant such as this and going so far as to flaunt his connections by revealing that his family owned the business? It was as obvious as that knowing grin on his face, and part of Octavia hated him for it.

Deep down, she knew this was all an act, simply the motions of a game being played with her as the willing pawn - a dance done for show, rather than enjoyment. It was the very life that Octavia hated, the very life that trapped and strangled her all those years, the very life that prevented her from expressing herself and making friends who cared more about her as a pony than her family name.

The very life her mother had groomed her into.

But was it truly all that bad? Was sacrificing her personal life for greater success something to hate her mother over? After all, Octavia had never truly had a friendship or somepony who wasn't expected to care for her yet still did. There were no suitors there on their own will, always pushed by their parents at a ploy to integrate into a more wealthy family. There were no friends seeking to know the real Octavia, only those wishing for the prestige of knowing the daughter of the famous Mezzo Piano or seeing the inside of their rather quiet mansion.

Likewise, there were no tears over a fight with a friend, no depressive slump from a coltfriend breaking up with her. Could she truly be so angry over missing something she didn't even know the feeling of? The only references she could build her grand dreams of friends and lovers off of were movies and books, always fiction and always designed to strike at the heart of the viewer in all the right ways. Was what Octavia wanted even attainable, even right to expect from another pony? Or were her expectations too high, and would she be making a foalish choice by turning Royal Riff down?

"And for you, Miss Octavia?" the waitress spoke, quietly and respectful, with a polite smile on her face.

"The Salade poêlée numéro deux with a side of Tanzlbulb, please." she requested without missing a beat as she folded her menu closed and set it before the waitress, who departed with them after a respectful bow.

"Refined and simple on one hoof, but adventurous and exciting on the side." Royal Riff stated, humor dripping in his voice. "You are an interesting mare, Octavia."

"I simply see no point in restricting myself in life. There is so much to see and do, Riff." Octavia admitted with a playful tilt of her head.

Royal Riff simply maintained his smile and gave a nod in agreement as the waitress disappeared around a corner and out of sight. "Do tell me, Octavia, what brings you to the University of Fillydelphia?" he asked as he took a careful sip of his water; eyes gently gliding over Octavia's' sharp purple.

"Establishing myself as my own mare and the like. Seeking to understand how the world works." Octavia replied, as she matched the stallion's gaze. "Music has always been my passion, ever since I was a little filly, but there is still so much to learn and so much to experiment with, so it is only fitting that I continue my studies into my instrument in my musical theory class."

"How humble of you!" Royal Riff smiled a genuine smile as he set his glass down. "I must say, I knew you were a talented musician, but it is unfortunately all too common to see those aspiring ponies foalishly feel as though they have learned everything there is about their instrument after only a few short years."

"Ah, so you're familiar with my family, then." Octavia pressed, taking a shallow breath to suppress her distaste.

"Indeed but, that is not what I meant as I know you wish to distance yourself from them. Forgive me for the comment, I simply wished to highlight your talents." Royal Riff apologized, and Octavia gave a sudden blink as she realized where her mind was going.

Stupid, stupid pony! she berated herself, slightly ashamed for how she had tried to railroad the conversation into negativity. This was supposed to be a happy night!

"I'm sorry." Octavia admitted, ignoring the slight shock that came from the stallion's eyes as she began. "The mention of my family is simply... touchy, right now."

Is he really shocked that I apologized? Octavia wondered, briefly, before Riff cleared his throat and recomposed himself.

"The blame is all mine, Octavia." he insisted, pausing for a moment to gather his thoughts. "What else brings you to such an esteemed university?"

"Musical theater has always been something that has captivated me and, had I not grown up with a cello in my hooves, part of me wonders if I would have made a name for myself in acting." Octavia laughed in an effort to shake herself of negativity. "There is also psychology, business management, and, of course, classical literature."

"I am all too aware of the feeling of being forced into something you're not." Royal Riff offered with a sad nod. "Though I love my saxophone, I can always find the time to put a pencil to paper and write a short story. Excellent ones, if I dare say."

"Really? And what does a stallion who has it all write about?" Octavia smiled warmly as she cocked her head.

"Oh, well, foalish things of course." he chuckled, nervously, as he cast a glance towards the mare in hopes that she would simply let the topic be. When Octavia held her polite gaze and comforting smile, the stallion relented. "Things like romance, true love and all that."

"Why do you think true love is a foalish thing to write about?" Octavia asked, neutrally. "I, for one, simply adored any romance novel I could get my hooves on when I was younger. I still enjoy them, from time to time, but my tastes have certainly become more... realistic."

"I do not think any love is a foalish thing to write about." he explained, continuing that nervous chuckle as he straightened himself in his seat. "It is simply... Complicated, Octavia."

Octavia gave a respectful nod of her head, a silent agreement not to press the issue any further, and the pair sat in an awkward silence for a few minutes with the stallion casting his eyes everywhere except the mare before him until their food arrived.

"This is quite lovely." Octavia piped up as she deeply inhaled the enticing scent of her meal; slightly seared tomatoes topped olive-oil-kissed greens while sprinkles of shredded egg whites and Bleu de Gex litered the edges. A dollop of Fáncee dressing lazily dripped off of a leaf and onto another as Octavia opened her eyes once more to see Royal Riff avoiding her gaze but struggling to regain his confident smile.

"Are you alright, Riff?" she asked, carefully, as she maneuvered her hoof around the fork to begin her meal. When her date made no response, or any indication that he had even heard her, she reached a hoof out towards his but he shied away before clearing his throat. His smile returned once more, but something hidden behind his eyes told Octavia that he was pushing back a private thought; setting up an image he was expected to maintain. She had seen the look all to many times before in far too many ponies, but present company forced her to adopt a similar nature as the pair simply ate in respectful silence.

She would make it a point to try and help him through his problem in a quieter environment.

"Fillies and colts, I hope you're all ready to die-" the robotic voice with a custom buzz-fade at the end of each word calmly threatened. "Because I'm going to kill everypony!"

Before fans who knew what was coming could cheer, the robotic voice that DJ-Pon3 used to address her crowd faded as a steady beat began to grow; its bass blown over the lyrics as not to kill the bumping mood as ponies began to bounce in time with the beat.

With the crowd thoroughly losing itself in the music, DJ-Pon3 let out a wide grin as she bobbed her head and focused her eyes into the swarming sea of ponies, breaking concentration only for a few moments here and there to scratch a disk or produce another foreign sound that added her own personal taste to the music.

These were her ponies. The friends and family she never had, those ponies who didn't care who she was when they were too drunk to see straight, or too tweaked to even notice her. On stage, she was an idol to them. A few hours in, however, and she set the track on a loop and stepped down from her podium to become a ghost within the ocean of bouncing flesh and fur; masquerading behind technicolor lights.

"Hey there, sexy." a jet black stallion with a white mane shouted with a flirty tone over the music as he bounced his way closer to Vinyl. She couldn't hear him at all, of course, through the music nor her headset that protected her ears. But she could read lips like no one's business and, as the stallion stood before her, he spoke once more. "You're DJ-Pon3, right? The mare on stage?"

Vinyl rolled her eyes, unseen behind her shades that expertly deflected glancing beams of green and blue, but nodded her head nonetheless.

"Stormy Skies, nice to meet you." he announced, flaring his previously unseen wings in an attempt to show off, but the effect was lost on the mare occupied with losing herself to the music. "I hear you've got quite a reputation around these parts."

Vinyl tilted her head, quizzically, with skepticism in her hidden eyes.

"Oh, just the usual. You're a pretty big party mare; struggling DJ just looking for a good time." the stallion continued. "Doesn't matter who helps you feel good or, sometimes, what makes you feel good if you catch my drift?"

Vinyl began to dance a little slower as she began to study the stallion as best as she could in the erratic lighting. He was slightly taller than her, and his wingspan was definitely impressive; no doubt that he was a frequent strenuous flier rather than just a simple pegasus. Sky guard, maybe? Vinyl idly thought to herself.

"I was just wondering if you'd like to have a little more fun than usual, tonight." he continued, turning his head into a wing and shifting some feathers to the side to reveal little plastic bags that Vinyl was all too familiar with. "Five bits, if you're interested."

Vinyl's eyes narrowed for many reasons, one of which was that acid was incredibly cheap in these parts, and she was well known enough in giving back to that community that it was rare when somepony tried to charge her for a trip. Another reason was because the stallion wasn't dancing as wildly as the others - in fact, Vinyl realized he was simply bobbing back and forth, and often fell out of beat for a few bumps.

A cop? she asked herself. He certainly had the body for it and, now that Vinyl was looking more closely, it was hard to imagine the stallion doing anything except strenuous patrols and the occasional chase. And maybe a couple of romps here and there...

Vinyl weighed the situation in her mind as her track hit the halfway point. If he was a cop, and she got busted, it'd be a year at most and a hefty fine that would dig into savings she no longer had. If he wasn't a cop, she got an even better night.

Simple solution, put him to the test. Vinyl concluded as she stopped dancing and flicked her head to the side, beckoning the stallion to follow her as she bumped hooves with a bouncer who guarded a door to the private rooms in the back. And maybe I get a better night, anyway.

"So, given your stature, I figure you're going to want more than one. I can do a discount on a bulk order, and drop it down to-" the stallion began after the door had been closed behind him, but the words never left his mouth as Vinyl firmly planted her lips against his and parted the pair to snake her tongue into the stallion's maw.

He stumbled back a bit, but didn't break the kiss, and soon found himself playing with the unicorn's tongue as he bent his head down to kiss the smaller mare. It lasted less than half a minute before the kiss snapped as Vinyl pulled back, leaving a trail of saliva connecting the two for only a few centimeters before it, too, broke.

The stallion didn't have a chance to catch his breath as Vinyl floated a notebook before his eyes: Ten minutes until the loop runs out.

Stormy Skies cracked a shit eating grin as the notebook set itself on a table to reveal Vinyl Scratch in all her natural glory: her shades were off, revealing her gentle magenta eyes that silently thanked Celestia that these rooms were purposefully dimmed, and her headset flopped onto the floor with a practiced flick of her head. Her hind hooves were spread while her forehooves were pressed together tightly against her chest as she lay with her back pressed into the couch - beckoning the stallion to prove he wasn't a cop.

Vinyl's fears began to resolve themselves as the stallion trotted towards her perhaps a little too eagerly, before his snout slowly brushed against hers as he made a play for her neck and earned himself a sharp gasp from the unicorn as he nipped at her.

Vinyl wished her worries could fade completely so that she could simply enjoy the refreshing experience, but foreplay didn't prove anything to her; if she wanted to figure this stallion out, they'd need to go the distance, and Vinyl found herself panting into his ear as she pulled his head closer and grinded herself into the stallions crotch.

It was already throbbing for her as she slowly humped her marehood against his penis, hiding her irritated scrunch as she found skin catching against each other; telling Vinyl that she wasn't as wet as she thought she was.

Stupid body, work with me here! Vinyl commanded as the stallion pulled his head back a bit to address the panting mare below him.

"Condoms?" he asked, simply, and Vinyl mentally slapped herself upside the head before her magic reached for a bundle stuffed into the cupholders of the couch.

What's with me, tonight? Vinyl worried as she watched the stallion tear open a package. I'm getting way too sloppy; could have fucked up big time if it weren't for him...

As the stallion rolled the condom over his eager meat, Vinyl seemed to stare right through him as she sighed to herself.

She wasn't normally this reckless nor did it typically take more than a rough bite to excite her, yet here she was nearly bone dry with a stallion just ripe for the picking and she could think of a hundred other places she'd rather be. This was unlike her and, in the few moments it would take the stallion to finish putting on the condom, Vinyl sifted through her feelings for some kind of answer.

He was a stallion, she was a mare. He offered her drugs, she needed to make sure he wasn't a cop. Cops wouldn't fuck her, and this was a test Vinyl had happily preformed dozens of times before. She was no stranger to love making; there was nothing more than an agreement between two ponies seeking the same thing: a simple bout of pleasure to distract themselves from their pain. It was mutual, and Vinyl felt she needed a soft reset right now more than anything.

Then why can't I get into this? she wondered as she studied the stallion once more. He was a pegasus, and a good looking one at that. Simple colors, but the contrast appealed to her artistic eyes, and his muscles were toned no doubt due to thousands of flight hours. He was attractive, undoubtedly, and Vinyl could easily imagine spending a night with him. Then why don't I want to fuck him?

"Sorry about the wait. Now, where were we?" the stallion confidently teased as he approached once more; solid meat swinging hypnotically between his hind legs before he bumped his nose against the white of Vinyl's cheek and planted a gentle kiss.

Vinyl resigned herself to the night and the stallion pressed against her, electing to figure out her own feelings later as she tried her best to simply enjoy the feeling of hooves carefully tracing every inch of her white fur. Maybe when he actually starts fucking me I can get into it.

Before long, the stallion switched gears as he made a dash at Vinyl's neck once more while settling himself on top of her, eliciting a satisfying moan from the mare as teeth dug into fur and flesh. Vinyl found herself panting once more as she gripped his head, and gave a cute little shiver in anticipation as the head of his horsecock patiently pulsed against the lips of her vagina.

He was teasing her, the bastard! But, before Vinyl could give an annoyed grunt that would have demanded him to continue, her throat erupted into a cracked gasp as he entered her. Vinyl's heart pounded in her chest as she clung to his face, letting him roughly nip at her neck again and again as he slowly pushed himself deeper inside the unicorn as adorable twitches and sharp moans erupted from her snout every few centimeters.

And just as soon as he had pushed himself as far as he could go and leaving Vinyl a softly panting mess, he began to slide out at a faster pace. In, then out, in and out, this is what Vinyl had been waiting for! As the stallion's speed increased, so too did her heart beat while she lay pinned underneath the thrusting hunk of a flier, and her hooves kneaded and rubbed against every inch that she could reach.

This is what vinyl was missing, this is what she had needed to calm her nerves and cool her senses, this!... Was doing nothing except spiking her heart rate.

Vinyl squinted and suppressed an irritated groan that would have been lost in the stallion's grunts regardless as the two continued for a few minutes more, Vinyl counting down the seconds as best as she could while doing her best to at least appear interested as she strained to hear the music beyond the nearly soundproof walls of the private room; the music was her clock, a custom track she had spun many times before. She knew the exact second the first and the last bass dropped.

Two minutes before the song would end, the stallion let out a pleased cry as he slammed himself against the DJ, and Vinyl herself even stifled a sharp moan as his medial ring slipped past her lips. He had came, no doubt, but the condom protecting her from another life-shattering mistake prevented her from feeling much of the warmth that was supposed to follow a passionate act.

Stormy Skies panted gently as he lifted his black fur from her white and, with a smirk, pulled himself free. "Was it good for you?"

Vinyl Scratch smiled and nodded her head in a tired lie. She hadn't even came, and the most infuriating part was that she didn't know why. Her mind had wandered to every subject except the one right in front of her, and it was so unlike her that the unicorn felt a little sick as the stallion pulled off the filled condom and tossed it into the tiny corner trashcan.

"You know, that's a really cute bow tie." Stormy Skies noted as he tilted his head towards Vinyl's hoof, where the accessory in question remained firmly tied. "Would have been kinky if you wore it around your neck so I could have pulled it off. But, anyways, thanks for that. Ready to make a deal?"

Vinyl's eyes darted towards her hoof as the pegasus brought attention to Octavia's bow tie, and the DJ scarcely heard a word the stallion uttered after her eyes had fixated themselves on that cute combination of pink and white. Vinyl felt as though she would throw up as she scanned the hoof, and a feeling of nausea and guilt washed over her before she thrust her spare hoof towards the door, not even bothering to look at the jet black pegasus.

"Uh, is that a no?" he asked, with an inquisitive tilt of his head. The only answer was a more firm jab of her hoof, and the stallion snorted as he rolled his eyes on the way out; the moment of sound that poured into the room as the door opened told Vinyl she had less than thirty seconds before she needed to be back on stage.

Is she why I couldn't get off? Vinyl thought with a scowl as she stood and did her best to hurriedly clean herself. Why the fuck is she stuck in my head? I barely even know her, for Celestia's sake!

Vinyl growled to herself as she threw her glasses and headset back on before storming towards the door. I have a show to run. she told herself. I don't have time for a commitment. It's not safe for her if...

I like her...

Vinyl nearly stopped in her tracks as she picked up after the pause in her thought, and an uneasy feeling fluttered itself throughout the mare's stomach. Vinyl was saved from the terror of thinking as the end of the song rang out, and the door slammed shut as DJ-Pon3 returned to work.

She would make it a point to talk to Neon about her thoughts.

Author's Note

Sorry for the lateness of this chapter, I'm just a piece of shit ayyy 😎