Chapters A young Vinyl Scratch sat in her dorm room at the University of Fillydelphia, jamming out to music pouring through her magically-powered headphones. Though her music career hadn't yet taken off, the unicorn held great dreams for it one day; now though, she was just a sophomore taking 15 credit hours. Barely 20 years old, she'd largely been kept sane by her best friend, an Earth pony named Octavia Melody, whom she'd been dating for about a year now.
Speaking of which, if it hadn't been for a lull in her music, Vinyl wouldn't have heard a dainty knock coming from the door. Tossing her headphones aside as she slid off the bed, the snow white mare made her way over to the entrance of the narrow room. After glancing through the peephole, she swung the door open to greet the mare behind it; grey-furred, with a dark mane and pink bowtie, carrying a tiny lavender purse.
"Hey Tavi!" Vinyl said with a smile. The two mares embraced and nuzzled each other.
"Hello, Vinyl!" Octavia said, burying her snout in her girlfriend's cheek. "Mind if I come in, hang out for a bit?"
"Be my guest!" Vinyl gestured towards her miniature domain and closed the door behind her. "How's your day?"
"Well, better now that I'm here." Octavia sighed, setting her purse on the bed. "Professor Oratorio seems determined to give me a silver mane before I can legally drink."
"Yeah, that's when they get ya, before you can do anything about it." Not that Vinyl hadn't illegally drank.
"I see you still haven't tidied up." Octavia remarked playfully. "Do I have to do everything for you, Vinyl?"
"Hey, it may be messy, but I know where everything is."
Octavia opened up Vinyl's closet, curious if her wardrobe was still as sparse as it usually was. She wasn't expecting the veritable cascade of junk she was met with, quickly forcing her to the floor.
"OCTY! Sweet Celestia, I'm sorry! Are you okay?" Vinyl quickly rushed to her mare's side and began digging away at the debris. "Huh, so that's where my test went."
"Heh, yes, I'm fine, Vinyl. I just proved my own point."
As Octavia got to her hooves, something inside the closet caught Vinyl's eye. "Aw, no way! I forgot I packed this!"
"What?"
Vinyl rushed to the back of the closet, retrieving an old garment from a hanger. It appeared to be a lettermare's jacket, colored blue and a dingy eggshell white, with a "CG" on one pectoral, "VS" on the other, and "Canterlot Academy" scrawled across the back. Vinyl quickly slipped it on and admired herself in the mirror.
"Vinyl, I didn't know you lettered! " Octavia said with a chuckle and a slight blush.
Her girlfriend smiled broadly. "Yep! Vinyl here was quite the popular kid! Although this letter probably isn't for what you think it is."
Octavia scratched her chin; she would've guessed soccer, or maybe band. "What is it in?"
"Lunch! "
"...What? "
"Yeah!" Vinyl reached on top of the closet and brought down a hardcover yearbook, blowing the dust from the cover. She opened it to a page somewhere in the middle. "Bunch o' friends and I started a little group called the Cafeteria Games." She said, gesturing to the letters on her chest. "We hold all kinds of records... including yours truly."
Octavia took the yearbook and looked over the photos of "the Cafeterians." Sure enough, there was her Vinyl, at a round table surrounded by other ponies in similar jackets as she attempted a... "school record."
"...'Most Beans Held in Mouth?' "
"482!" Vinyl added proudly.
Octavia closed her eyes and the book with a happy sigh. Vinyl was random, yes, but that's why she loved her. She'd spent her whole life being organized; the spontaneity was much appreciated.
"I almost edged out Chip for 'Most Plates of Hay Nuggets Eaten!'" Vinyl said, taking the book back with determination in her eyes. "I would've had it if it hadn't been for the fact that I need sauce to eat those things! They're just too plain otherwise!"
Octavia bit her hoof, then playfully pawed at Scratch's collar.
"You know, Vinyl... I think you look really cute in that jacket..."
Vinyl glanced up and down at her before the gears turned over in her mind to tell her what Octavia was getting at. She smirked and looked down at her out of a half-lidded gaze. "Oh really? " she said, cocking an eyebrow.
"Mmhmm. " Octavia murmured in an almost-chuckle, letting her face flush bright red. "It brings out your eyes..." She paused for a moment to giggle like a filly "...and your flanks."
Vinyl glanced back towards her Cutie Mark, trying to hide her embarrassment. She signaled with her eyes for Octavia to hop up on the bed, which she did, sitting upright like a biped would. Vinyl did the same, smoothly sliding up beside her.
"You know, Tavi, you're exactly the type of girl I swooned over in high school." Vinyl said, putting a foreleg around the grey mare's shoulder. "Smart... cute... organized... and a hundred times more responsible than me . You're got a good head on your shoulders, Tavi."
The cellist giggled. "Am I your... good girl? "
Vinyl gave a rare giggle back. "You're my good girl."
Octavia leaned in, running a hoof through the fluff between Vinyl's forelegs; closing her eyes, she locked her best friend in a kiss.
The two mares slid from a vertical position into a horizontal one, and kept kissing for nearly five minutes. Vinyl loved the feeling of being beneath Octavia's body; she was always so warm and soft, she could fall asleep in her embrace. While Octavia also loved the softness of her mare, she got a special thrill from the kisses themselves; in addition to being her first romance, Vinyl had also introduced Octavia to the art of the tongue. Though it was unsanitary, it felt so personal , so invasive , so taboo that it got her blood running, so swapping spit was always something the otherwise prim and proper mare was eager to do.
The dark-haired mare had always been one to let her hooves wander, and so they traced intricate patterns inside the jacket and up and down her lover's body, barely making contact. Vinyl would sometimes chuckle or even gasp a little bit as the hooves would brush her sides, her breast, or the small of her back. She broke out of her lip-lock in surprise, however, when one of Octavia's hooves firmly yet awkwardly gripped the upper curve of her thigh.
"W-What?" asked Octavia nervously, looking into her partner's magenta eyes. Vinyl glanced down quickly and withheld a laugh.
"Y-You grabbed my ass... "
Baffled, Octavia slowly brought her attention down, and upon realizing where her hoof was touching, quickly drew it back and shrank within herself. Vinyl burst into mirthful laughter.
"Tavi grabbed my ass!" She put her hooves to her belly as she sat up laughing. "Whoo! Geez, Tavi, I'm surprised you made that move before I did!" Vinyl, of course, had a great respect for Octavia, and knowing that she had helped the mare discover who she truly was made her not want to damage her self-confidence, nor her newly-awakened sexuality. Vinyl had never touched Octavia anywhere overtly intimate simply because she wanted to be a gentlecolt---er, mare. Octavia sitting on the foot of the bed, however, seemed absolutely mortified at having fondled Vinyl's rump.
"Octavia..." Vinyl tended to use her full name when it was time to be serious. She pulled the mare close to her side. "You don't have to be worried. I liked it, really! That was instinctual. A 'heat of the moment' type-thing; it's nothing to be ashamed of."
"Yes, I suppose you're right..." Octavia murmured. "I was just surprised that I did it is all."
"Buddy, listen. You've been sexually repressed your whole life. Hell, you didn't even know you were gay until I came around. It's natural to want to try some things out; you've never been intimate with anypony before... heh, for that matter, neither have I. But don't worry; I promise that no matter where your hooves go on this sorry body of mine, they'll be welcomed warmly."
"Hmm... thank you, Vinyl." She gave a small chuckle and kissed the mare's cheek, running a hoof playfully through her shaggy blue mane. "I've been thinking, though..." she added. Vinyl perked up, sitting more upright to show she was listening.
"Our one-year anniversary is coming up in a week, Vinyl..."
"And it's been an amazing year."
"Oh, absolutely. It's been astounding! My life has gotten so much better just for having you in it!" She hugged and nuzzled her precious unicorn. "Which... got me thinking..."
Octavia readjusted herself, daintily crossing her hooves in her lap, ever the lady. "...I know you said I never needed to do anything to please you, that just being your friend is enough... while I appreciate that Vinyl, I... after a year... I think I'm to the point where... where I want to do something for you."
"Ooookay?"
"Vinyl... how would you feel if... for our anniversary... we take things to the next level?"
"Um... " Vinyl began to sweat nervously. "Like... going to the Gala? " She tried to play coy, though she knew what her best friend meant.
Octavia gave a small laugh-cough hybrid from her throat, a friendly scoff of sorts. "Vinyl Scratch... " she began, equally nervous but determined to deliver this message. She looked her in the eyes. "...I believe... I'd like to have sex with you."
"Oh. " The blue-haired mare replied. "That."
"I may not be as street-smart as you, but... well I... I'd like to give it my best try." Octavia said, a small smile of determination appearing. "Would, um... would that be okay?"
"Uh, well... yeah." Vinyl said with an awkward chuckle. "I really love you, Octy, with all my heart and soul. Taking things under the covers can only strengthen that love... not to mention, you're super cute, and it'd be fun. So yeah! I'll lay you, Miss Melody!"
Octavia laughed happily and leaned against her mare once more. "Oh, Vinyl Scratch, you little shyster!" She gave her a long peck on the lips. "I love you too."
"Until then," Vinyl continued "I want you to hold onto this."
Vinyl removed her lettermare's jacket and draped it over Octavia's shoulders, giving her a small pat on the back as she did so. Octavia blushed, wanting to say "thank you" but unable to; she knew from high school that this was (apparently) a sign of deep affection between a stallion and his girlfriend, and now, here was Vinyl giving her her jacket.
"This way, folks'll know we's a courtin'." Vinyl said in a playfully country tone.
Octavia chuckled. "Thank you, Vinyl. This... this means a lot." She gave the unicorn another kiss on the cheek, then hopped down from the bed with her purse. "I guess I'll see you around campus?"
"You know it." Vinyl said with a wink.
"Very well." Octavia replied, playfully strutting towards the door and giving Vinyl a good look at her rear end, which, as she'd pointed out, was lovingly framed by the jacket. "See you next week, Miss Scratch. " She said in her best sultry voice.
Vinyl waved goodbye as the door closed, then slipped her headphones back on, laying back with her head at the foot of the bed, soaking in the warmth and lingering scent from where her girlfriend had sat. She stared up at the ceiling in silent thought: how would she teach Octavia the ropes when she only had a tentative grasp of them herself?
Octavia breathed a sigh of relief and pulled the jacket close around her as she began the long walk to the other side of the dormitories. It still smelled like Vinyl Scratch, and that comforted her greatly. She smiled as the unicorn's scent tickled her nose; even though being flirtatious made her extremely awkward and self-conscious, it always made her feel better knowing that Vinyl enjoyed playfulness reciprocated. As she walked back to her own room, however, she walked in silent thought: how exactly would she and Vinyl, two mares, go about having sex?
As Vinyl lay on her bed, music softly thumping its way into her brain, she focused less on the lyrics and more on her life. Staring up at the ceiling, she could almost see scenes from her romantic endeavors play out: from her first date with Octavia at that stuffy concert hall (which Vinyl had actually invited her to as a gift) to her previous girlfriends from high school.
"How am I going to do this? " Vinyl thought. "How's this gonna go down? "
Vinyl was still a virgin, though she didn't want anypony to know it. That didn't mean she was a prude, far from it, in fact. Vinyl knew exactly what she liked, and had gotten quite adept at relieving bouts of heat with a dark room, her hoof, and a good playlist. And she knew what types of activities she and Octavia would likely get up to in a week's time: several issues of Moist Mares Monthly were tucked beneath her mattress, and they'd taught her a thing or two about how two members of the fairer sex could clop hooves.
What she liked had been influenced a bit by her history with her own sexuality. Vinyl had first discovered she was gay at age 13, when estrus first hit her. She'd always enjoyed playing the same games that boys did, but that summer at the pool, instead of ogling the colts in their swimwear like so many young fillies did, Vinyl just preferred hanging out with her friends to see what they were wearing. In the locker room, she'd completely zone out while everypony was changing and try to hide her fiery face whilst surrounded by butts that, though she'd seen them before, suddenly took on a whole new meaning for her. Around that time, she also had an all-female health class to learn about this sort of thing; Vinyl was secretly glad it was the last class of the day, which allowed her time to sneak off after the bell and study what she'd just learned.
Vinyl's mother had caught her kissing one of her best friends in her room when she'd come to hang out after school, but didn't mind; in fact, she said it was one of the cutest things she'd ever seen. Vinyl had come of age in a home that accepted her preferences... unlike Octavia.
Vinyl came close to having her first sexual encounter at age 15, at a high school party, with a mare two years older than her. Though there had been alcohol present, both of them were sober, and had secluded themselves on a stone bench in a little backyard garden. Vinyl couldn't remember her name, but that she was a dark-furred unicorn, an exchange student from Marebourne.
The older, larger mare was practically laying on top of Vinyl, though Vinyl liked her body heat. Locked in each other's embrace, they'd been exchanging powerful kisses across muzzles, necks and collarbones for several minutes; Vinyl's legs twitched as her forehooves gripped the dark mare's jacket, pulling her closer as they kissed.
The older mare popped her lips off of Vinyl's neck with a heavy breath as she looked her in the eyes.
"Huff... I want you, Scratchy... " she said lustfully. Vinyl bit her lip upon hearing this, her ears twitching. The other mare slid a forehoof from Vinyl's shoulder down to her knee, playfully rubbing it.
"You've got just rippah thighs, y'know that, Scratchy?" She said with a smile and a chuckle. Vinyl tried to reciprocate and thank her, but she couldn't form the words. The accented unicorn pushed herself further onto Vinyl, bringing their faces closer together and slipping her free hoof up the inside of Vinyl's thigh.
"Why don't you spread 'em for me? "
Vinyl felt an immense shock of pleasure, as well as surprise, as a hoof was suddenly pressed against her marehood. Her eyes grew massive, and she uttered a quick "WHOA!" before scooching backwards out of the mare's grasp.
"Wazz wrong?" The other mare enquired.
"Sorry about that..." Vinyl said, folding her forelegs nervously and crossing her rear ones at the knee. "I just---"
"Well you liked all o' that other, didn't ya?" The mare seemed slightly offended.
"Well yeah! " Vinyl quickly tried to correct course. "I just... don't want to go there yet."
"Scratchy, you can trust me, I know what I'm doing."
"I just don't want to go there yet."
"...Alroight…" The dark mare's eyes narrowed and she assumed a position similar to Vinyl's.
"But that was still a lot of fun!" Vinyl tried to encourage her. "If you want, I know someplace we can get food and---"
"Maybe you should go."
"...Oh...o-okay..."
Vinyl hopped down from the bench and headed back towards the party. The other mare continued to sit with her forelegs crossed and a scowl upon her face.
"Keep in touch?" Vinyl asked in her scratchy young voice.
"Oh yeah, sure, sure."
The two never spoke again.
Laying on the bed, Vinyl reached up and felt her neck; five years ago, there'd been a hickey there so huge she thought it might scar. She'd had a hard time explaining that one to her mom. After that, she followed her mother's advice and tried to find mares that actually appreciated her; there were a few, though she wasn't with any of them very long, and when the opportunity for sex arose, she backed out. Something about it just never felt right.
At 16, Vinyl had her first drink, again, at a party, though this time on Nightmare Night. Again, she wound up in close quarters with another, equally drunken mare. Though she'd gone farther with this peach Pegasus than with that stormy unicorn, both of them wound up passing out before they could get each other out of their panties. They dated awkwardly for a while after that, but never let things get intimate--or inebriated--ever again. Personally, though, Vinyl had discovered that alcohol was very useful for forgetting about how awkward she was around mares; she would eventually come to depend upon it.
At the age of 17, Vinyl entered into a long-term relationship... with a mare four years older than her. Vinyl could never fully explain why she had a thing for older mares, but she just did; ironically, Octavia was still older than her, but only by about four month s. Again, the relationship was sexless, though it did involve some very charged situations for teasing's sake; though she didn't know what to call them at the time, Vinyl later learned they were referred to as scenes.
Vinyl discovered a lot about herself during that time: that she likes being submissive, but can take charge, that being called names or belittled was an occasional turn-on, and especially that sometimes--not every time, but sometimes --she enjoyed having pressure on her throat or being lightly choked, though only with a collar. Though their two years together helped Vinyl further shape her sexuality, things got bad when the dominant, controlling persona her partner adopted in the bedroom began to leak over into everyday life. Vinyl started to drink more, and think less of herself as a pony. Eventually, though, she found the guts to break it off when her partner hit her across the face during an argument... after that, her older brother and his friends had threatened the abusive mare so strongly that she left town. Vinyl had always loved her brother, but she loved him a lot more after that.
Despite her brother's attempts to sober her up, Vinyl still drank on a regular basis after she started college. She had begun to experiment with marijuana when a new mare showed up among the student body: Octavia.
Vinyl was instantly smitten with her, and tried to spend every waking moment near hear: from the music classrooms, to the cafeteria, to the student lounges. As the two started to become good friends and Vinyl's feelings for her started to deepen, Vinyl knew what she had to do.
"Vinyl, this is your one chance." She remembered telling herself. "This mare is the one for you. She is perfect. She's smart, she's beautiful, she likes music, but most importantly, she's responsible. And if you want her for your own, you've gotta shape up and be responsible too. Be worthy of her. If you frick this up, Vinyl, you'll die sad and alone, drunk in a ditch somewhere. "
So, Vinyl Scratch quit everything cold turkey. She dumped her stash of alcohol down the drain and smashed the bottles against a dumpster. She took what weed she had and flushed it down the toilet. She started taking care of herself again, and dressing better whenever clothes were required. She kept a picture of the two in the corner of her mirror, something she still had, to remind her that her life was awesome. Before long, she and Octavia were dating, and she couldn't have been happier with herself.
That was her experience. She had no clue what Octavia had been through, if she'd taken time to discover herself like Vinyl had; all she knew for sure was that this was her first relationship. Vinyl wanted to make their first night together a loving, memorable, and fun experience for both of them. Vinyl knew how to get herself off, and probably how she could get Octavia off, but what she didn't know was how much the mare could handle or would want to attempt in her first rodeo.
The last thing Vinyl wanted, after all, was to pressure Octavia into something she wasn't comfortable with, just as Vinyl herself had been many times before--fortunately to little effect. However, no matter what experience the unicorn had, it was likely to be more experience than her partner; she would have to take the lead, something she preferred her partner to do. Vinyl told herself that she could probably rise to the occasion if Octavia wanted to submit, but... could she? And how much control was too much? With a great sigh, Vinyl rolled over and levitated a pillow to her face. This was going to take a lot of thought.
Author's Note
If there's anything in this chapter that warrants upping the rating, I'll do so. I'd rather do that than censor the flow of ideas.
As Vinyl lay on her bed pondering her history with love, across the dormitory building, Octavia did the same.
Her room was vastly more organized than that of her girlfriend, and was sparsely decorated with pink and purple frills, throw pillows, and the like. Her cello, which she could play masterfully and indeed loved to do so, sat in its case in the corner. There were but two pictures on her nightstand: one of her with her parents, a starched-shirt, stare-blankly-ahead family photo affair, and an impromptu selfie with Vinyl, where she looked exponentially happier.
The grey mare let out a long breath as she lay back on her fluffy pink bed, looking up at the bare ceiling. She gently removed the pink bowtie which adorned her graceful neck and set it next to the picture with Vinyl. Octavia smiled as she recalled why she'd started wearing it.
When she'd first started at the university, she knew right away she'd be pursuing a music degree of some sort. Additionally, due to her skill on cello, she was quickly signed onto the string orchestra by Professor Oratorio, who conducted it along with several others on campus. It was during the group's practice period leading up to their first big recital that Octavia had befriended Vinyl and later started dating her. Octavia's strict upbringing as the daughter of two renowned musicians hadn't allowed her to think about romance much at all, but once she went to college and got to know Vinyl, she discovered that she possessed feelings for the same sex where no feelings at all had existed previously. Vinyl, who'd known she was gay for many years by then, helped Octavia to learn who she was and be confident in it.
Eventually, time for the recital came around. Each member of the orchestra was to order their own apparel for the event: instead of a full outfit, however, merely an accessory was required. Due to the theme of the concert being spring, mares were to wear a pink false flower or bow in their mane, and stallions, a collar and green bowtie. Octavia could remember talking to Vinyl about how she hated putting her mane up, and didn't look forward to having to do so... but then she had an idea.
It was a bit of a shock to some of her classmates, and a definite irritation to the professor, when Octavia showed up for the concert in a pink bowtie. Vinyl cheered upon seeing it however; Octavia smiled, as had it not been for Vinyl, she wouldn't have had the confidence to pull it off. The color showed that she still was a mare; the bowtie represented that she loved one, and wasn't ashamed of it.
She'd worn it every day since as a sign of pride. She'd convinced her parents that it was merely a fashion choice, as, living all the way in Hoofington, they hadn't attended her 'coming out' concert. With another sigh, Octavia rolled over on her bed, and thought how she was glad they hadn't attended. If Oratorio responded by loading her with work, she shrank at the thought of how her father might.
Octavia's parents were both renowned musicians in their own time. Her father was a concert pianist and fellow strings player from Hoofington; her mother, an accomplished vocalist and flutist from Trottingham. The two of them had met at an orchestral competition in Vanhoover, and, naturally, fell quickly and deeply in love. Within a year, they were married, and after touring together as a duet for five, they moved back to Hoofington, bought a house, and, after much difficulty in conceiving, produced Octavia, their only child.
Octavia was absolutely a daddy's girl growing up, and her father likewise adored her. She learned to play music from both her parents and to sing from her mother, but she got her love of strings and musical composition from her father. She'd earned her Cutie Mark after composing her first piece under his guiding hoof, played upon the cello she'd received for her birthday. She would literally ride his coattails around the house, laughing all the while, and he didn't mind dirtying an expensive jacket for her. Octavia was, above music or the wealth it earned him, the most precious thing in her father's world.
As she grew into a young mare, the responsibilities upon her shoulders only grew. All her teachers and fellow students expected her to match or exceed her parents' greatness: they planted dreams in her head of performing for packed concert halls in Fillydelphia, Manehattan, even Canterlot, earning the adoration of thousands and the income that came with it. In addition, her father, now middle-aged, hoped that someday she'd give him grandchildren that would likewise continue their grand musical tradition. The Melody family would be Equestria's premier recitalists for perpetuity.
Then one day, Octavia's mother saw her kiss her best friend. A mare she'd known since childhood.
She took her daughter aside that evening in her room.
"Octavia, dear..." Her mother said with careful concern as she softly closed the door.
"Did you like the concert?" A 13-year old Octavia asked cheerily as she changed into her silky nightgown.
"It was beautiful dear, as always. You make your father and I very proud, you know." The dignified mare gently trotted over, kissing her daughter on the nose as she sat upon the bed. "I'm just curious, dear, um... why did I see you kissing the clarinet player backstage?"
"Verdant Sage?" Octavia chuckled "Mummy, you can call her by name. We've been friends since we were fillies! She came to my birthday sleepover when I got my cello!"
"Hmm, yes, Sage..." her mother continued "A good girl. Talented, too. And, your good friend?"
"She's like my best friend!"
"Is that why you kissed her?"
"Well... yeah, I guess." Octavia smiled and cuddled her pillow. "Not only have we been friends our whole lives, I think she's really pretty; I wish I had her looks, but then, of course, she thinks I'm pretty too. On Hearts and Hooves Day, neither of us had special someponies, and so we spent the day together. She told me how I'm a really special friend to her--and of course, she's just as special to me--and she wondered if that meant we were each other's special somepony."
"And?"
"Well... I kind of like the idea. She gave me a kiss on the cheek, and a little while later, we both had our first kiss." The little grey mare was brightly blushing. "Since then, we've kissed in parting whenever nopony's looking. I didn't know that being best friends could turn into wanting to be special someponies together... but I'm glad it did!"
Octavia gave a pearly white smile of excitement to her mother. Her mother returned a look of nervous concern and a deep sigh.
"Octavia, darling... when did you, um..." The matronly mare scratched the back of her neck to force out the awkward question. "Octavia, when did you start your heat, dear?"
"Um... just last summer. Why?"
"Did Sage start hers at the same time?"
"I think so. Why?"
"Hoo, okay..." Her mother sighed nervously. She put her hooves on her daughter's shoulders as though she were about to deliver grave news.
"Octavia... what you're feeling... well... you know that most mares, when they start their heat, start wanting to be friendly towards stallions, right?"
"Like... wanting them to be their special someponies?"
"Right." her mother replied. "Well, you and Sage... some mares... some mares are... different. When their heat starts, they start wanting to be close to other mares."
"I-Is that... bad?" Octavia asked, unsure of herself.
"Oh no! No!" Her mother shook her head. "Or, at least, I don't think so. Not everypony agrees." She took a deep breath and let it out shakily. She hadn't expected this day to come at all, forget so soon. "Your father..." she began slowly "...does not think that it's okay for mares to do that."
Octavia gave a small gasp and hugged her pillow tightly. "Does that mean he doesn't like me?"
"Oh no , dear, he loves you with all his heart and soul. It's just that... two mares can't..." There was an awkward pause as her voice trailed off. "Octavia... do you happen to know where foals come from?"
"From mother mares?"
"Well, yes , but do you know... how they... happen? "
The preteen filly shook her head.
"Okay, well, suffice it to say that a foal can only happen if a mare and a stallion are involved. Two mares can't make any babies."
"They can't?" Octavia was quite surprised at this revelation.
"No, dear." Her mother continued. "That's why your father doesn't like that. He thinks it's unnatural. And I've seen him get very , very cross over it. I hate to tell you this dear, but for everyone's good, this might have to just be our little secret."
"Does that mean I can't be friends with Sage anymore? " The child looked crushed.
"You can still be friends, dear." Her mother comforted. "It just mightn't be wise to kiss her where anypony might see. You'll just have to act like all you are is good friends. And definitely don't tell your father about her."
Octavia's mother kissed her daughter goodnight, tucked her in, then left the room, turning out the light. Octavia proceeded to gaze out at the Mare in the Moon and worry herself to sleep over her father, her girlfriend, and herself. The next morning over breakfast, her father, from behind the morning paper, asked a question which caught her mother off guard.
"Octavia," he addressed his daughter "I'm curious: are there any boys at school you like?"
Across the table, Mother hid her worry quite well behind her teacup; that said, her daughter's response quite surprised her.
"No, Daddy." Octavia kept a straight face with her eyes on her plate. "I'm only interested in my music and my schoolwork."
Father gave a surprised look at first, lowering his paper, though this quickly turned to a pleased smile. "That's my girl." He said, patting her on the shoulder and returning to the city council proceedings.
Octavia and Sage's relationship wouldn't last for but a couple months after that. They still remained good friends until they were 15, when Sage's family moved back to Baltimare. Since they had broken up, Verdant Sage had begun dating another mare from town; word spread quickly, and Octavia's father forbade her from spending time with them. Shortly after, Sage left town, but by then, Octavia had become skilled at repressing emotion. It was the stiff upper lip she'd shown at the table that concealed and absorbed her broken heart, and told her mind and marehood to turn themselves away from thoughts romantic. Though she still had heat, it became an annoyance to complain about rather than an opportunity to find herself. Before she started college, Octavia probably would've considered herself asexual; it was only meeting Vinyl that made her heart beat once more, and revived the closeness she'd once felt with Sage, only this time, amplified a thousandfold.
Octavia worriedly pondered all this as the clock on her nightstand slowly ticked onward. She didn't even want to think about what might happen if her father ever found out about the truth she'd concealed from him: right now, she was focused on her love for Vinyl, and how she might express that love in the intimate way she wanted to. Octavia had long since learned, on paper, how her private parts were used in the act of mating. She knew, mechanically, how sex should work; however, she didn't understand what she and Vinyl were to do: a seemingly crucial part was missing from the equation.
"At least I won't get pregnant. " she thought to herself. "Though it would seem my education on mating covered only the details of foal-making. "
How a mare could pleasure a mare... was there perhaps some way to research this?
Author's Note
Not a love song, but I just had to use that for the title. It's a sad yet beautiful song and fits Octavia's story quite well.
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I Wanna Write You a Love Song / Talking Bodies
Vinyl Scratch trotted through the local Stall-Mart, pushing a cart full of things she hoped would make for a good romantic evening. It had been a few days since she and Octavia had agreed to give themselves to each other, and Vinyl wanted to make doubly sure that it was the best evening her girlfriend could possibly have.
"Let's see... " Vinyl thought, glancing into her shopping cart. "Candles, packaged salad, frozen pizza I'll bake somehow, vase for the flowers I'll get later...
As Vinyl passed the shelves of various drinks, something glinting under the store lights caught her eye: red wine. The unicorn bit her hoof in thought. It would be the perfect romantic touch on dinner... but it had been over a year since Vinyl had stopped drinking. Could she risk it for her beloved?
In the end, she decided against it; she was sure Octavia would understand. Besides, who said that a six pack of Colta-Cola couldn't be romantic? This shopping trip was going to tax her weekly spending budget (which, as a college student, was rather low,) but it would all be worth it for Octavia.
"At least I don't have to buy condoms! " she mused internally.
Back at her dorm, Vinyl sat in thought. She thought she had gotten everything she'd need at the store, but part of her still felt unprepared. Like there was something more she could do.
"I'm doing dinner, I'm doing flowers, I'm doing her... " Vinyl said, pacing about her room. "What more could there... I know! Maybe a little gift! Oh, but what could it be?"
As her idle trotting continued, she spotted something that lit a spark in her mind: her mixing board. That was it! She'd write a song! A special song for her special somepony! She quickly dragged the equipment out from the corner it sat in and got to work.
Hours later, the sun set, but the amateur DJ still labored.
Vinyl tapped buttons, turned dials, and gently nodded her head to the beat as she tinkered with her composition. It was slow, yet rhythmic, with a firm bassline and gliding, synthetic instrumentals. She'd never tried making a song like this before, but she knew her lover would appreciate it. It was a gentle blend of both their styles: Vinyl's energetic techno-wizardry and Octavia's classical dignity composed into a lo-fi sensual harmony.
A little more tinkering produced what Vinyl deemed the perfect song, one she hoped Octavia would love as much as Vinyl loved her. After all, that was why she'd written it, to show her love. She made every possible backup of the song she could, in hopes she wouldn't lose it.
Octavia made her way into the grand library housed on campus that afternoon. Thousands of volumes lined countless shelves inside the noble halls. Students milled about here and there, looking for books or studying together. Octavia had been in the library many times herself to study, but still didn't know where everything was. The place was nearly as large as the Canterlot Library, after all, and it was a public library; this one was only for the University's use.
Octavia trotted up to an old card catalog, hoofing through its files until she found roughly the section she was looking for. With a nervous look around, she asked the librarian what section the 600s were in, then quietly trotted off in that direction. Upon arriving, she was rather relieved to find that she was the only pony there, save for a library assistant up on a ladder, shelving books. The two largely ignored each other as Octavia began scanning the book spines, searching for a particular subject. After a minute or two of fruitless searching, the grey mare heard a voice address her from atop the ladder.
"Do you need any help, miss?"
Octavia turned to look up at the assistant, a fellow earth pony mare; she wore a green knitted sweater, had a tannish coat and bright orange mane. Her Cutie Mark was that of an open book.
Octavia awkwardly cleared her throat and began to speak. "I... I'm looking for, um..."
The other mare gracefully slid down the ladder a ways. "I'm sorry, dear, I couldn't quite hear you."
Octavia's ears went back as she swallowed the lump in her throat. She stood on her hooftips to try and speak above a whisper.
"I'm looking for books on... erm… female anatomy. "
"Those would be right up here." the assistant said with a friendly nod. She turned and took a couple of steps up the ladder before pinpointing a book with her hoof and removing it with her muzzle. Octavia gingerly took the volume with a hoof once she had descended to the floor.
"That's a good one that covers most of what you need to know." The ginger-maned mare said. "I'm assuming you've got Dr. Hayfield's test coming up?"
Octavia chuckled and blushed. She figured she might as well tell her.
"Well.... actually, you see.... I'm, uh... I may be losing my virginity later this week." Her face was beet-red. The assistant merely winked and gave a small smile.
"Congratulations, then!" she said in her chipper way. "I hope you and the lucky colt have plenty of fun!"
The cellist tapped her hoof on the tiled floor. "Well, um... hehe... I'm sure she and I will..."
The other mare's eyes widened, and she scratched her hoof awkwardly. "Oh, gosh, I'm so sorry! I-I didn't mean to..."
"You're fine!" said Octavia, starting to warm up a bit now. "Just... don't let word get around, okay? I haven't exactly... erm… gone public yet."
The assistant chuckled. "No no, you don't get it." She put a gentle hoof on Octavia's shoulder and whispered.
"Neither have I. "
"...What? "
"I'm gay, too! "
Octavia was a little taken aback. Since she'd come to college, she'd never met another lesbian mare (that she knew of), aside from Vinyl.
"Really? Huh."
The other mare extended a forehoof. "The name's Page Turner. Pleasure to meet you...?"
"Octavia." She said, slipping the book into her saddlebag.
The two mares chatted for a bit, and Octavia explained how she was nervous (and no small amount of confused) about her impending night with her girlfriend. Page simply nodded and scratched her chin.
"I understand it can be a little intimidating at first." She said thoughtfully. "Like you, I barely knew how to please myself before I dated somepony. For that matter, neither did my partner. But we sort of let instinct take over, and eventually, we found a few different ways for both of us to end up happy."
Octavia shrunk back within herself. "I just... I don't know, Page. I know how my parts work in principal, but I've never... a-and I don't know how I could make her..."
"That book will teach you a few things, Octavia." Page replied. "But if you want, my mare and I can give you some advice later, after my shift is over. We've been together for almost four years now, and like I said, we've had time to practice."
Octavia returned a little smile, nervous, yet hopeful. Her thoughts swelled with how she might impress Vinyl.
"I would appreciate that, Page. Thank you."
Sometime later, as evening fell, Octavia met with Page Turner in the back of the library, in a study nook. With her was a short, fuzzy Pegasus mare whose fur was a sweet yellowish color; her mane and tail were off-white and very curly, and she possessed a white streak on her nose as well as white "socks" on her hooves and some slight dappling. Her Cutie Mark was a wheel of cheese, missing a slice.
"Octavia," Page began as she waved the mare over. "This is my sweetheart, Cream Cheese."
The Pegasus simply blushed and waved as her girlfriend hugged her close.
"How do you do?" Octavia smiled as she sat down across from them with her saddlebags.
"That's what we're here to teach you!" Page snickered at her own innuendo. Cream rolled her eyes and nudged her with an elbow.
"C'mon dear, that's a stretch ." she said quietly.
"So, um..." Octavia began, wrapping a foreleg around herself for security. "As I'm sure Page has already told you..."
"You've got a hot date coming up." Cream said with a grin. She seemed to be feeling less awkward now, and Octavia tried to mimic her.
"Heh... I guess so." she replied. "This mare and I, we've been dating for almost a year, and we've never done anything overtly sexual ... I don't really know how to... you know..."
The two mares sitting across from her nodded in unison. Page leaned her head on Cream's shoulder and Cream threw a wing around her.
"Right, well... we know quite a bit about making that work." Cream Cheese giggled to herself as her girlfriend pressed against her.
"Yes we do ." Page replied with blushed cheeks and a lilting voice.
"But it didn't come to us all at once." continued Cream Cheese. "It took a good deal of practice and getting to know each other's likes and dislikes. That just comes with being in a long-term partnership."
"I'm sure." Octavia said. "And I definitely look forward to... getting to know my mare that way." She glanced at her hooves with a blush. Page couldn't help but muse internally how adorable Octavia's unsureness was; she'd been in her hooves once upon a time.
Octavia continued. "But I guess I need some advice on how to actually do the deed, a-and make the night memorable. Even if it won't be perfect ."
"Well dear, it's both of your first times." said Page, resting her forehooves on the table. "It'll be memorable whether or not it's perfect because you two really love each other." Octavia blushed.
"But, I guess it's time we got down to business." Cream Cheese chuckled, glancing between her girlfriend and her pupil. "You need to actually know how to have sex with a mare, correct?"
Octavia succinctly nodded, reaching into her saddlebags and retrieving a notepad and pencil.
"Well ..." Cream Cheese began, still holding Page close beside her. "I cannot understate the value of foreplay in any sexual encounter. Don't just dive right in. Let the tension build and the payoff will be all the sweeter..."
By the time the two mares had gone to bed on opposite sides of the dorm building, Vinyl had concocted what she believed was the pinnacle of sensual synth, and Octavia had several sheets full of arcane Sapphic knowledge. The date of their anniversary was drawing ever closer, and slowly their confidence began to build over it. They would each spend spare moments picturing, anticipating how the fateful evening might unfold, until, after what felt like an unbearable wait, the big day had arrived.
Author's Note
I wish I could've made Vinyl's section of this chapter longer, but I don't really know a lot of what goes into making a techno/trance song. The description is also pretty minimal, but if any of you happen to find a track that seems to fit it, do share! Just remember it's fairly slow and smooth--it's gotta be baby-makin' music.
