Author's Note
Alright, so this is a story that I had to rewrite basically from the ground up. I hope you enjoy. Any constructive criticism is welcomed!
The Whole Story
"Oh Octavia! I'm just sayin' that you need to be more caring." Vinyl Scratch looked into Octavia's eyes from behind her purple glasses. The White mare’s composure had gone from loose and calm to stern and serious. The couch that vinyl was sitting in before had been shifted slightly from Vinyl suddenly jumping up.
“Right, coming from the mare who acts like a foal and doesn't care about anything." Octavia rolled her eyes and looked outside. The town was busy with vendors and buyers, street musicians and entertainers, and visitors coming to little old Ponyville on vacation. Octavia usually had a cooler personality, but recently was more about perfection and how to achieve it.
“If I act like a foal, I would cry, suck on a pacifier, and wear a diaper, but I don't!" Vinyl seemed more defensive, apparently taking offense to Octavia’s statement. She felt her face get hot; she knew she was blushing.
“Look, I don't have time to argue. I have to be in Manehattan by tomorrow afternoon." Octavia heard the train approaching Ponyville and started turning to leave. Her cello case had been sitting beside the door since the night before.
“Yeah, yeah, your big, fancy, dance. I have so much time to argue with you that I'll go to the dance with you!" Vinyl Scratch's horn started to glow and her necessities were sloppily packed into her bag. The items consisted of a pair of headphones, a laptop, a baby blue blanket, and a mini Discord Drum/Bass pad.
“It's called a ball, and it's for the big Orange family reunion. Come if you want, but you'll have to stay behind at the hotel, it’s for the Orange family only. By the way, nice blankie.” The grey mare eyed her unlikely acquaintance. Vinyl’s face flushed, and she looked away. Octavia felt a pang of guilt, but pushed the feeling down.
“Fine, I'll stay at the hotel, but we're not finished with this. By the way, that “blankie” is the comfiest thing in the world and you’re just jealous that you don’t have one!” Vinyl was astounded at her own recovery. She shot an angry look toward Octavia.
“What are we arguing about again?" Octavia knew, but wanted to knock her hot-headed friend down a notch. She knew that if she pointed out Vinyl’s ADHD, she would have the last laugh.
“How you- I mean, how I- I mean, how we...” Vinyl paused for a moment to think before speaking again, “Alright, ya got me, I don’t remember, but that doesn’t mean I’m not finished.” She looked down, causing her glasses to fall to the ground.
“Sure you’re not, but I’m over it. We have to leave now or we’ll miss the train.” Octavia rushed towards the door. Vinyl's horn glows for a moment and the purple pair of glasses levitate back up. As she’s putting her glasses back on, Octavia turns back to face her. “And we started arguing about how cute foals are! I said they’re ugly, you think they’re adorable.”
They silently made their way to the train station. They passed Rarity’s boutique and seen the mare putting out harlequins with spring-colored dresses on them. Octavia started thinking about the things she said to Vinyl. Maybe she had been too uncaring. Maybe she had been too high strung recently. As they passed the Cakes’ bakery, the smell of blueberry muffins filled her nostrils, causing the thoughts to dissolve. Once they got to the station, they boarded the train and got to their booth. Once they put their bags the the compartment boxes, they sat down.
Vinyl was the first to speak, “Hey, I’m sorry for how I acted earlier. I got upset because you didn’t agree with me.” Her apology caught Octavia by surprise. Vinyl rarely apologized, and even when she did, it was more rare when she was sincere about it.
“Vinyl, it's alright, I said some pretty mean things to you. I should be the one apologizing. I’m sorry.” Octavia looked down, “I didn’t mean it, and I hope you can forgive me...” Vinyl came over hugged her, and she could feel tears running down Vinyl’s face. She was oddly bewildered and caught off guard. When Vinyl let go, she spoke, “Vinyl, why did you just hug me, and why are you crying?" Octavia eyed Vinyl closely.
"I forgive you, and I’ve just been so worried because you’ve changed. We used to laugh and joke, but recently we’ve become polar opposites.” Vinyl removed her glasses and wiped away her tears. Her red eyes glistened softly. She started again, “I miss what we used to be. I’m tired of the arguments.”
Octavia felt awful, she didn’t notice that her stress was causing her to change. She spoke calmly, “I will try to fix how I’ve been, I’ve just been so stressed because of this ball. Once we get back, we can try to be how we were.”
“I just don't want to lose your friendship. I love you like a mo-sister." Vinyl started to blush at her blunder. She hoped Octavia didn’t catch it. She tried to stay calm, but couldn’t once Octavia started to speak.
"What was that?” Octavia looked at Vinyl inquisitively. She searched her friend’s face for an answer, but only found embarrassment.
“Nothing, the writer of this story made me say it!” She hoped that Octavia would buy that excuse, but what sealed the deal is when Pinkie Pie bounced into their car.
Pinkie shot Vinyl an angry look, as if lasers were going to come out of her eyes, “That’s my bit, leave the fourth wall alone!” She giggled and bounced back to the car she came from.
Octavia laughed nervously. “What was all that about?” Vinyl was so bewildered that she could only shrug. They calmed down and started to play games like I Spy.
Night came fast and the two mares fell asleep at the table. Octavia woke up to a cold breeze coming through the window a little past midnight and noticed Vinyl was shivering. She reached into vinyl’s bag and pulled out the blanket, then she laid it on her friend.
“Mmm, thank you mommy.” Vinyl drowsily spoke.
Octavia stifled a laugh, “You’re welcome, sweet dreams.” She placed a gentle kiss on Vinyl’s forehead. Vinyl woke up to this and her eyes went wide. Octavia blushed a dark shade of red and started stammering, “I- You- I mean-“
Vinyl giggled and sat up. She started talking with a smile. “What was that? Don’t worry, I’m not upset. To be honest, it was a welcome surprise.” She fixed her red eyes on Octavia. She watched as her friend slowly calmed down. “Tell her,” she thought to herself. Vinyl had hidden this secret for quite some time. This was it... now or never. She spoke quietly, “Tavi, I need to talk to you about something... something I’ve been secretive about for a while. It came about when we started to grow apart...” Octavia was looking at her friend with wide eyes. She couldn’t speak, she was holding her breath. She was terrified of what Vinyl was going to say next. “I have found a way to relax and get away from the stress of the real world. You’ll probably laugh and look at me differently after I tell you, but I need to let you know. I am a forever foal.”
Octavia was lost, she had no clue what that was. She asked, “What is a “forever foal” and how does it help you relax?” She seen Vinyl trying to think of a way to put it.
When Vinyl spoke this time, her voice was shaky, as if she was using all of the power that she could muster, “I can’t really tell you without you thinking I’m crazy, but I’m going to show you what it is.” She went to her overhead compartment and drug out her laptop. Along with a few beat sample apps was another app named “EquestriaBlogs”, the symbol was Queen Celestia’s head with a little chat bubble beside it. The cursor hovered over the launcher, hesitating for a few moments. There were two clicks and the window came up. On the screen were pictures of a beige stallion with a pacifier in his mouth and a diaper around his flank. Octavia’s jaw dropped, she’d never seen anything like this before. Stallions and mares dressing and acting like foals? She felt sick to her stomach. It was unnatural, and she was starting to panic. Vinyl noticed Octavia’s discomfort almost immediately and closed the laptop.
Vinyl went to put the laptop back when Octavia spoke, almost whispering, “You don’t do that... right?” She stared out in space. She knew the answer to that question, but she didn’t know how she felt about it. The moonlit car was starting to get darker around her, as if the walls were closing in.
Vinyl came back and sat beside Octavia. “It’s relaxing to me because I can forget about all of my problems for a couple of hours. I can just lay under that blanket with my pacifier in my mouth, not having to worry about our arguing or how I’m going to do at my next show. Everyone on EquestriaBlogs is nice and understanding. I’ve talked to them and they’ve helped me find a healthy way to relax.” She knew that Octavia wouldn’t understand, not a lot of people did. Vinyl herself didn’t understand in the beginning either, but it didn’t take long before she did.
Octavia looked at her friend as if she were an alien. The image of Vinyl with a pacifier crossed her mind, and she hated to admit that it was actually kind of adorable. She had to push it out of her mind a few times. “Vinyl, I don’t mind what you do in your free time. I’m not going to judge you for it because I cherish having you in my life. I would hate to lose someone who would rather find a way to relax from my contagious stress than to leave.” She offered a weak smile.
Vinyl was shocked to hear Octavia’s response, she sat there with wide eyes. “Tavi... that means a lot. Thank you for understanding.” She could feel her face get warm, and then the sensation of tears rolling down her cheeks. They sat on the floor of the car locked in a hug, both mares crying. They slowly drifted off to sleep.
When they woke up, they were in Manehattan. Octavia and Vinyl collected their things and started to head to the hotel that was provided by the director of the ball. It wasn’t far from the train station; they got there in under ten minutes. Once they got their key, Octavia went to their room while Vinyl went to the hotel’s convenience store. She got back to their room with two bags full of snacks. The room was nice and clean, there were two beds with fresh blankets on them, a tv on a dresser, a little table beside the dresser, and a small computer desk in the corner. There was a window that didn’t have much of a view, but you could see the street and the ponies below. Octavia had already neatly unpacked her things when Vinyl came in. Vinyl walked to the table and poured the snacks out.
Vinyl spoke with enthusiasm, “Alright, so I got a couple bags of veggie chips, some packs fruit strips, a gallon of water, and some disposable cups. Bon appétit!” She giggled childishly, the end of the conversation from last night had brung a new light to her personality. She was so happy and friendly, that Octavia felt as if the train had taken her to another dimension. The mares sat at the table and ate the snacks before Octavia got ready to leave.
Octavia was almost finished putting her formal outfit on before she spoke, “Hey Vinyl, I have two questions. Back home, what “supplies” do you have? Also, what things don’t you do?” Her inquisition was pure and good-willed. She seen Vinyl’s ears twitch slightly when she was looking down at her laptop.
Vinyl looked up, there was a small smile on her face. “Well... back home, I have a pacifier and a small pack of diapers. I don’t “go” in the diapers though, it’s just a sense of security. I’m actually looking to buy a onesie right now, wanna come look before you have to go?” She hoped Octavia would say yes because it meant a lot that she was being so understanding.
Octavia smiled softly, “Sure, what kind of onesies are you looking at?” She walked over and sat on the bed beside Vinyl. On the laptop screen, she seen the website was RaritysFFapparel.com. There were onesies with dinosaurs, others with shooting stars, and some with cherry blossom petals. Octavia stopped vinyl with a gasp, “Get that one!” She nearly shouted and pointed at the onesie that had a galaxy design all over it with white colored eighth notes scattered on it.
Vinyl giggled at her friend’s enthusiasm. “Sheesh, if I didn’t know any better, I’d say you were a caregiver.” She seen that Octavia was lost. “A caregiver has a few names, as does a forever foal. A caregiver can all be called a “big” or mommy/daddy. Forever foals can be called “littles”. I myself prefer being called a little, but that’s too vague when I explain what it is, so I’m going to refer to myself as a little from now on. It’s also good for the writer because he’s too lazy to write a few extra words.” There was a knock on the window. The two mares looked over and Pinkie was on stilts holding a writing board that had “Leave the fourth wall alone” written on it. Pinkie walked away on the stilts. Vinyl and Octavia shuddered.
Octavia looked back at Vinyl and began to blush, “I don’t think so, I’m okay with you doing it, but I’m not sure I can be a part of it. I just like that onesie, it’s even got your cutie mark on it.” She hoped that she sounded convincing.
Vinyl nodded in response and started again, “Yeah, like I said, I know better.” She looked up with a smug smile and winked playfully, “I’ll get it since you like it so much. I’ll even get one day shipping for ya.” Octavia felt her face get hot like it was about to melt and turned around to finish getting ready.
When Octavia was finished, she turned to Vinyl and spoke, “Alright, the ball shouldn’t take too long. I’ll be back in a few hours. I’ll see you in a bit.”
Vinyl looked back up and smiled, “Do good out there. I’ll see you in a while.” She watched Octavia as she left, half hoping she would turn around and stay, but knew that this was important to her.
Octavia walked down the hall with her cello. The image of Vinyl in that onesie with a pacifier and padded flank manifested in her mind, and she didn’t want it to leave. “Maybe I am a caregiver,” she thought to herself. She felt butterflies in he stomach. She hoped this ball takes less time than expected.
A couple of hours later, she arrived back to the door of the hotel room. It was a bit late, but she could hear that the TV was on. She opened the door and seen that Vinyl had fallen asleep on her bed with her blanket. Vinyl’s glasses were on the computer desk next to her laptop. Octavia quietly got into her pajamas before noticing what playing on the TV, it was a cartoon about ponies in the Stone Age. She looked over at Vinyl, who looked peaceful. She walked over and lightly kissed her forehead before shutting the TV off and laying in the bed. Vinyl rolled over and smiled.
The next morning, Vinyl woke up first and went down to get two cups of coffee. When she got back to the room, she found Octavia packing her things and getting ready to go. “Mornin’ sunshine,” she said playfully, “ready for the long trip home?”
Octavia felt relieved that the stress from the ball was gone. She spoke with a groggy tone, “Yeah, train leaves in an hour and a half, I thought you’d like to see the stores on our street before we leave.” Vinyl gave her one of the cups, “Thank you,” she took a sip and continued, “this street has a few shops, maybe you’d like a souvenir.” Vinyl nodded, put her glasses on, and packed her stuff. They tidied the room up and went to check out.
When they got outside, they took a left and seen a handful of ponies had the same idea. They went into three shops; a homemade candy shop, a candle store, and a store with a sign that read “I love Manehattan”. Vinyl had bought something from each store.
The candy shop had bins of different candies lining the walls: Jawbreakers, different flavors of rock candy, caramel apples, they even had Hanibro’s Favorite Gummies Mix. Out of everything in the store, Vinyl bought a mix of blueberry and cotton candy rock candy.
The candle store had categorized shelves with almost any scent imaginable. The categories were Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter, Desserts, and Miscellaneous. After 20 minutes of smelling many candles, Vinyl bought a candle called Quiet Study; it smelled like aged books and tobacco.
In “I Love Manehattan”, there were two sections of the store, one side was clothes, the other side had the gifts and toys. They looked all around, picking up mugs that said “What happens in Manehattan...” and giggling at them. Octavia bought a magnet that plainly said “I Love Manehattan!” and Vinyl bought a pack of two pacifiers. One of them had a big “MH” on it and the other had a picture of the skyline. Vinyl felt pure joy when she bought them, knowing that she was going to open them as soon as they got settled on the train.
They made their way to the train station and got back in their car. They put their stuff into the compartments and sat at the table. Vinyl had taken her glasses off, covered herself with her blanket, and had the pacifier with the picture of the skyline in her mouth. Octavia looked at her as she was starting to doze off, feeling the butterflies again at the sight of the blue maned mare. She spoke quietly, “Hey, Vinyl?” The white mare opened her eyes a little, “Do you have a caregiver?” Vinyl’s eyes shot open and she shook her head, feeling herself start to blush. Octavia started to blush as well and looked down, “Would... you like... if I was your caregiver?” She looked up again and saw Vinyl’s red eyes glistening. Tears were rolling down her cheeks and she nodded. Octavia got out of her side of the booth and over to Vinyl’s side. When she sat down, they held each other for what seemed to be forever. Vinyl laid her head in Octavia’s lap and they both started to drift to sleep.
The train started coming to a stop, waking them up. Vinyl and Octavia started pulling their things out of the compartments. On their way home, they stopped by the Cakes’ bakery to get blueberry muffins. After buying the muffins and a short walk, they made it home. There was a package outside, and they both knew what it was. They quickly got into their house and Vinyl went to her room with the package.
Octavia knocked on vinyl’s door, “What’s it look like?” There wasn’t an answer, so she went to the living room and fixed the lightly shifted couch before sitting down. There was a coffee table in front of her with the bag of muffins on it. Octavia heard Vinyl’s door creak open. Vinyl started walking out and Octavia felt her heart racing. It was more adorable than she ever imagined. Vinyl had her pacifier in her mouth, the blanket in her hoof trailing behind her, the galaxy onesie with eighth notes, and the padded flank to top it all off. She wasn’t wearing her glasses, so seeing her like this was a whole new experience. She made it over to the couch and sat beside Octavia.
Vinyl looked up and made eye contact with Octavia, “What do you wanna do, Tavi?” She spoke behind the pacifier, causing a little lisp.
Octavia smiled lovingly, “Please, call me mommy.” A smile stretched across Vinyl’s face and she wrapped her arms around Octavia, who then planted a soft kiss on her forehead. She started again, “We can do anything you want to do, anything in the world.”
