It was 14:00 in the afternoon and Octavia was grumpy. Tomorrow was her wedding day, the supposed happiest day of her life, a day she and Vinyl had wanted for the past five years but had only been able to arrange for the past year due to some stupidly archaic old law from centuries ago that stuffy old nobles like her estranged father had fought to keep. Even after he’d disowned her from the Musinota family on her sixteenth birthday for revealing she was not only a filly fooler but also dating a disc jockey two and half years older than she was she’d still hoped they could reconcile in the future. Now she wished the heart attack he’d had when she’d finally told him her secret had actually killed him, actually, maybe that’s going a little too far. Anyway, there had been many last-minute preparations they’d needed to sort out so she’d been up bright and early only to find her fiancé missing from their bed. This was swiftly followed by an instant feeling of dread and regret at letting Vinyl have a bachelorette party.
Upon trotting down the stairs this was only fuelled further as she found the whole lower part of their abode looking like an apocalyptic nightmare. Her now pink fiancé was found in what was the living room, a traffic cone stuck to her head and her bed a pile of alcoholic beverage bottles and cans. To either side of her lay Berry Punch and Pinkie Pie. What they had been up to when they had passed out is a scene which Octavia certainly did not want to picture again, she’d most certainly be having nightmares about what she saw for weeks. Let’s just say a variety of fruit and vegetables she had bought from the market yesterday had been swiftly disposed of. Oh, and to make matters worse Lyra and Bon Bon, the two best mares were missing and still yet to be found by Pinkie Pie. So, from having a team of four ponies to help with the final preparations, she had been reduced to just herself and an apocalyptic nightmare to clean up on top of that. Her never ceasing rumbling stomach had finally forced her to take a break and have something to eat as her fiancé at long last rose from her alcoholic coma. Sadly, before she could even have one bite of her rocket and cress sandwich, a sharp knocking came from the front door. As Octavia sighed and looked longingly at her sandwich, she picked herself up and after taking a few deep breaths trotted to the front door and opened it. Maybe she’d ultimately have some good luck today and it’d be Pinkie with Lyra and Bon Bon. It wasn’t.
A dishevelled Twilight Sparkle stood on Octavia’s doorstop and although she looked like she’d been hit by the express train to Canterlot, Octavia could see beyond her exterior appearance to the look of concern and worry that she was trying hide on her face.
“Princess, I’ve just spent the past eight hours deep cleaning the downstairs of my house after my fiancé’s bachelorette party and I still have a list a mile long of the actual jobs I was supposed to be doing to prepare for tomorrow, so unless you’ve come to help me, could we please make this visit as quick as possible” Octavia rudely blurted to the princess on her doorstep.
Twilight forced back a tear as she calmed herself and let official protocol take over, not even registering Octavia’s rudeness. “I’m sorry Miss Melody, but the matter I require to talk to you about is of the utmost importance. If I can, I’ll see if I can acquire some assistance for your preparations after we’ve talked. Did Miss Scratch make it home last night because what I need to talk to you about concerns the both of you. May I come in?”
Octavia’s blood went cold at the tone of Twilight’s voice. Whatever Twilight was here for, it could not be good. “Of course,” she stammered standing to one side to let Twilight in. “Vinyl’s just woken up, we were just having a late lunch, would you like me to make you something?” she continued as they trotted to the kitchen.
“Thank you, that would be lovely” Twilight responded politely.
“Hey Octy” Vinyl chimed as she heard the door shut “who was at the” she stopped as she saw the princess. “Whatever it was I did, it wasn’t me” she quickly blurted out as the princess walked in with Octavia, the latter heading to the fridge to gather the necessary ingredients for another sandwich.
“Relax Miss Scratch, what happened on the bachelorette party, stays on the bachelorette party” Twilight deadpanned. “Anyway, a serious matter concerning both of you arose this morning whilst I was staggering home from here at 5am.”
“5am!?!” Octavia’s eyes shot open and she glared at her fiancé. “Vinyl, I strictly told you a quiet drink with a few friends and home by midnight. What in Equestria happened last night?”
Twilight pulled out a document with her royal seal on it. “Technically, she was home by midnight and the sound proof spell we initiated ensured it was a quiet drink we had when we came back here from Berry’s Bar. As for further information, I’m afraid that is strictly classified under the Royal Secrets Act and any attempt at trying to learn about what happened will result in imprisonment for a fair duration of time” Twilight stated gravely.
Octavia’s mouth hung agape as she brought over the princess’s sandwich, before taking a seat next to Vinyl, who had managed to prise the traffic cone of her head but still remained pink even after a shower and much scrubbing of her coat. Regaining her composure for what felt like the 100th time already today, Octavia took the royal document from the princess and went over it, it was air tight, no loop holes anywhere, bollocks. An idea though popped into her head and she looked at Vinyl mischievously. “I pinkie promise” she stated doing the actions “I will not enquire about the activities of last night as long as you do one thing for me”, nose booping Vinyl with her hoof.
Vinyl looked at her fiancé warily before finally conceding as she started to bring out the Cutie Mark Crusader eyes. “Fine, whatever it is I’ll do it, just don’t use those eyes.” Vinyl yielded, shuddering.
“You Pinkie promise?” Octavia grinned wickedly.
“Yes, just stop with those eyes.” She did the motions. “I knew letting you foalsit them so me and Rainbow could go for a night out in Canterlot would end up being a bad idea” she groaned. “Now what do you want me to do.”
“Remain pink for the wedding. By the looks of it, it’s real dye so would be very hard to get off with or without magic quickly anyway.” Octavia smirked.
“I hate you, but a Pinkie promise is a Pinkie promise, so one pink Vinyl for the wedding it is.” Vinyl laughed.
“And I love you” Octavia replied teasingly feeling that this day may yet be resurrected. It was her wedding tomorrow as well after all, this should be one of the happiest days of her life. Sadly, as a smile started to cross over her lips a polite cough brought her crashing back to reality as she and Vinyl looked across the table at Twilight.
“Apologies ladies, but as I stated to Miss Melody earlier my visit is not a social call and one of the utmost importance that requires immediate attention.” This brought both Vinyl and Octavia back to her attention at once. “Good, now as I was saying, I was walking home from here to the Castle of Friendship in a slightly worse for wear state when I thought I heard a pony cry out in pain. The short story is it turned out to be a mare who’d gone into labour in a nearby alleyway. What she was doing out at that time and especially in her condition I don’t totally know. Somehow, I was still able to muster enough energy to send out a medical distress signal and get her to the hospital in time. Sadly, although she gave birth to two healthy colts and a filly, the strain ultimately proved too much for her and she passed away shortly after giving birth to the filly at 8:23am this morning.”
Octavia looked at Twilight a sad but puzzled look on her face. “Oh, sweet Celestia those poor foals, but what does that have to do with us?”
“Well, it seems she was a traveller with very few possessions so it has been hard to establish any real information on her, except her name on her last will and testament that she had with her, a letter for her sister, the fact it now seems very likely she was heading to your house and most crucially had the same cutie mark as you Octavia.” Twilight said forlornly as Octavia’s face seemed to turn from grey to a pale white.
“No, it can’t be.” Tears were forming in Octavia’s eyes as she tried to continue “please tell me she wasn’t called Viola or Fiddlesticks”. Octavia stared frantically at Twilight as the mare opposite her dropped her head and looked at the floor not wanting to respond.
“I’m sorry for your loss Miss Melody” The princess finally mumbled, not lifting her head up as she pushed a letter across the table towards Octavia. Tears dropped from the alicorns face. This was her first time performing this Royal Duty and, in that moment, she knew that it would never get any easier when she would be forced to inform a royal soldier’s family that their loved one would not be coming home. It was only a horrendous wailing ear-splitting scream that broke Twilight out of her morose trance.
“Violaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa” Octavia shrieked plunging her head deep into Vinyl’s fur whilst wrapping her arms tightly around her fiancé, before continuing to wail and cry uncontrollably into her lover’s coat.
Vinyl just looked perplexed, still recovering from the previous night’s antics, she had little to no idea what was going on right now, so she did the only thing she could and tried to comfort her lover by gently stroking her mane and speaking softly to her “There, there, Octavia, Vinyl’s got you.” As the wails slowly subsided into a soft sobbing Vinyl decided to try and see if she could get some answers. “Would, would, would you like to talk about her. You never even mentioned a sister before? You told me that your mother died during foal birth, but you’ve told me very little else on your family and in all truth, I can’t blame you considering that your father’s an arsehole” Vinyl quizzed.
Slowly Vinyl was released from Octavia’s bear like grip and the grey mare sat back in her chair looking deep into her special somepony’s magenta eyes. “She was my twin but was disowned when we were ten for not wanting to follow a career in classical music, preferring that of country. I remember watching our father hoof her out of the family, stripping her of her name and claiming that she had brought dishonour and disgrace to the name of Musinota. As you are well aware, he did the same to me on my 16th birthday whilst having an actual heart attack.” She sniffled “I haven’t heard from her since although did hear she became quite a big travelling country music sensation. Nearly 14 years it has been. I did try and find her, but she was a wanderer and there was no possible way to track her. As soon as word reached me of her current location, she had moved on. Oh Viola” Octavia’s eyes took on a faraway look as she stared beyond Vinyl at nothing but the blank wall behind her.
Both Vinyl and Twilight looked at Octavia in a state of shock, to disown your own daughter was bad enough, but both your children and one when they were only ten years old for not following the path you wanted them to follow, that was just plain evil.
After a long pause it was Vinyl who spoke next, unable to hold back the anger in her voice. “Correction, your father’s a mother bucking cunt who should be locked in Tartarus for all eternity. How in Equestria is he the music teacher at Celestia’s school for gifted unicorn’s again?”
It was Twilight’s turn to look shocked this time. “Wait, what, your father is Waltz Musinota?”
Octavia sighed, the grief still etched upon her haggard face. “Yes, and Vinyl please don’t talk about him like that. He may have ruined any chance of being my family again, but he is still my father. So please don’t speak about him like that.”
Vinyl looked like she was about to add something but decided against it and just grumbled, “fine”.
“I’m sorry Octavia, although this is a private family matter, I will be forced to let Celestia know of his actions. Although he has been with the school many years and has a high social standing, I doubt Celestia will be willing to let him stay on after hearing this.” Twilight stated sternly.
“Okay Twilight, I accept that, just try and ensure it is done as low key as possible.” Octavia responded with another heavy sigh as she tried to control the grief for her estranged sister and bring back her rational mind. “Now that the initial shock is dying down a bit may I ask about the foals. Are they healthy and who’ll be looking after them, have you managed to locate the father at all?”.
Twilight looked at Octavia for what seemed like an eternity before coming straight out with the honest truth. “I felt it rude to read an almost certainly private letter to you so all I have is what it specified on her last will and testament. It reads that if anything should befall her, custody of her foals will fall on the hooves of her sole remaining biological family member, one Miss Octavia Melody and her wife Miss Vinyl Scratch. I believe there will be more information in the letter she wrote for you.”
Vinyl had chosen that very moment to guzzle down an energy drink. This was promptly spewed right back up again and all over Twilight. Octavia just ignored Vinyl giving Twilight a sheepish grin as the princess tried to kill her with her eyes as she magically removed the sticky substance from her coat. She was to engrossed in opening the letter Twilight had passed across the table to her. Inside were a few bits of paper and a necklace with half a gold treble clef on it. Tears once again welled in Octavia’s eyes as she pulled out the other half from beneath her bowtie and joined them together, a gift from happier times with their father. By now the other two mares had ended their silent quarrel and were staring intently at Octavia, she just continued to ignore them, staring at the note in her hooves.
“Be strong Octavia” she whispered taking another few deep, calming breaths and pulling back the tears that wanted to burst free. And with that she began to read.
My Dearest Octavia,
I hope this note reaches you okay. If you are reading this then it means that I was unable to reconcile with you and the worst has happened to me. I just pray that my foals were born healthy.
I’ve never stopped loving you dear sis and every day since I was forced from the family home I have thought of you. From reading about your performances to that whole same sex marriage debacle, I’ve tried to acquire newspapers regularly in case there was anything about you in them. I’ve even watched a few of your performances although I could never pick up the courage to actually confront you. Anyway, you are probably wondering how my life has gone since that fateful day so here’s a quick summary.
For a few weeks I busked on the streets with my fiddle before Mr and Mrs Royal Gala, two of the kindest ponies I’ve ever met, saw me and after hearing my tale took me in. They only ever asked to hear my music as payment for providing me with a roof over my head and food in my belly and very soon they made me an honorary apple. My stay was short lived though as a few months after I moved in with them news of a serious accident in Ponyville reached their ears and I agreed to go and help. You know that little filly Applebloom? Well I was her live-in nanny for four years after her parents were tragically killed shortly after she was born. Soon after my fourteenth birthday however I decided it was time for me to spread my hooves and music throughout Equestria. Although they were very sad to see me go, they understood and said that I’d always have a place to stay with any member of the Apple clan. And that’s what I happily did for nine years. I’d go from Apple farm to Apple farm, and even occasionally got a gig in a big city, playing my fiddle and not having a care in the world. I didn’t make much money, although have managed to release a few successful albums, but then I didn’t really need the bits, I had my adopted family looking out for me and providing all the food and shelter I needed. All I had to do in return was play a little tune and watch them smile and dance. I was happy sister.
That all came to a close nearly a year ago now, it was one mistake, accepting a gig arranged by an absolute sleaze ball in Manehattan, but it was quite a fair number of bits, as much as I’d usually make in a whole year. Everything started out fine and initially he seemed quite the gentlecolt, paying me in full up front. Sadly, after my part of the performance was finished, I accepted his offer of a drink. He was a married stallion with a young family, I had no idea or reason to believe he would end up spiking my drink. I woke up the next morning alone in a motel room with no further recollection of the evening’s events. The bastard had drugged and then rutted me. You may think why I didn’t go to the police. Well it was his word against mine and who do you think the law would have believed? The business stallion with a young family or the traveller mare? I was just relieved he’d had enough decency not to also rob me and leave me in a gutter somewhere. So, I packed up my few belongings and tried to put the whole ordeal behind me. A month later I found out I was pregnant.
This is why I’m turning to you my dear sister. I don’t want that bastard ever finding out about his illegitimate foals and neither will you ever tell them the truth. If they push you for answers simply state that he was a stallion I held very dearly to my heart but who had to make a very long and important journey from which he has never returned from. You may be a grumpy stick in the mud sometimes, but you are my sister with the biggest heart of gold and a pony who could quite easily represent any of the elements of harmony. Then there is also your wife to be, who will not only be able to support and assist you throughout this journey, but who also has all the necessary qualities of a wonderful mother, even if she is an utter nutcase most the time. Consequently, this is why I’ve turned to you in my time of need. If the same fate should befall me as it did our mother then please look after my babies for me and raise them properly. Think of them as my wedding gift to you and Vinyl.
Lastly, I’m afraid I don’t have much money to help you in this task, but have taken as many gigs and made a few more records in the past year to save as many bits as I possibly could over the past nine months to help. You’ll find the bank account details on a separate sheet enclosed with this letter along with the other investments that have been made on my behalf from earlier records.
Now be strong my wonderful sister and good luck, I’ll be watching over you and the foals, awaiting the day I will see you and them again, but may that not be for many, many moons. Loving you forever and beyond,
Fiddlesticks, formerly Viola Musinota.
Octavia looked up from the letter, tears freely flowing from her face as she shakily passed the letter across to Twilight. “Thank you for all you’ve done today, without you finding my sister, the foals may not be with us now. For that I think you’ve earnt the right to read this, once you’re done pass it over to Vinyl.” She stammered raising her other hoof to try and paw away the tears as Twilight took the note and read over it whilst the other two mares across from her sat in silence.
After a while, Twilight looked up, tears flowing from her eyes as well as she passed the note on to Vinyl. She and Octavia simply stared at each other in silence as Vinyl read over the note.
It was Vinyl’s aggrieved voice which broke the stony silence in the end. “Oh, c’mon, I didn’t even meet your sister before she died and she thought I was some kind of mad mare. I suppose though, she does have a fair point and said some nice things about me to. I really am bummed I’ll never get to meet her, she sounded like one Tartarus of a pony Octy.”
Octavia and Twilight simply gawked at Vinyl upon hearing her words, but slowly this changed on Octavia’s face to a smile and then she broke out into full blown laughter.
Trying to get herself under control Octavia spoke, the tears falling from her face now ones of happiness rather than sorrow. “Vinyl, only you could read my sister’s tragic tale and rather than be mortified by the hardships she had to go through be insulted by the small part about you, which in all fairness is totally true, you are a complete nutcase, a totally loveable nutcase, but a nutcase all the same.”
“Thanks, Octy I love you to” Vinyl said sarcastically before getting up. “Now if you don’t mind, I’m heading to the hospital to give the new additions to our family sick names like Bass Drop and Master Wubs before you go and give them dull boring ones like Tibiæ or other bizarre names I’d barely recognise.”
For the second time that day Vinyl got the stare of death, this time from Octavia who was now rising from her chair. Vinyl wisely tried to take a step back and was on the brink of bolting but the grey Earth pony was to quick, pouncing and pulling her in for the most passionate kiss imaginable. Twilight blushed and turned away from the couple’s private moment.
Pulling away from Vinyl, she blushed saying “Now who’s going to behave and not try and legally give my sisters foals idiotic names”. She smirked as Vinyl simply stared back at her to shocked for words and simply blubbered incomprehensible nonsense whilst nodding her head. “Good, now I’m going to go vomit in the toilet, down a ton of mouthwash and then afterwards we’ll be on our way. Why in all Equestria you would not brush your teeth at the same time you showered is beyond me. Your breath is rank. It tastes like you mixed alcohol, vomit, mare cum and goodness knows what other unholy forces.”
Twilight sniggered behind Octavia, Octavia really did not want to know what Vinyl had consumed last night, that much was certain. Still, they’d make great parents, she was sure of that.
In less than fifteen minutes they were opening the front door ready to depart. Octavia sighed looking mournfully at the long list of last-minute wedding checks still sitting untouched on the dining room table that would almost certainly not be getting done today. They’d need a Celestia sized miracle to be able to have their wedding tomorrow. At that exact same moment she opened the door to see Pinkie Pie, Lyra, Bon Bon and the entire population of Ponyville, some still looking worse for wear from last night, along with what appeared to be Princess Cadance, Shining Armour and a host of Crystal Ponies and numerous members of the Apple family standing upon her doorstep.
It was Pinkie who stepped forward from the throng, her mane and voice unusually flat. “I hope you don’t mind but when I set out this morning my Pinkie Sense told me that somebody very close to you had died and considering the mess we made last night I said to myself, ‘Pinkie you owe Octavia big’, thus rather than just find Lyra and Bon Bon, I decided to bring as much help for your wedding as possible. Who’d have thought those two would end up in the Crystal.” She was halted as a grey blur shot out of nowhere and hugged her tight.
“Thank You, thank you, thank you, you daft, loveable pink ball of fluff.” Octavia cried, somehow generating even more tears as Pinkie returned the hug, her mane returning to its usual poofy self. It was at that moment Octavia knew that no matter how hard the future was going to be for her she had more than enough friends who’d be willing to help, including the best special somepony anypony could ask for.
FIN
Author's Note
My first fic and probably my only one but who knows maybe if I just get one person liking it I might try and right another or a sequel, but I doubt it.