Recollections

by Lunar-tic

Rating: everyone
Tags: Slice of Life, Romance
Length: 5709

This is a modified version of a memory of mine. Hope you enjoy it.

Vinyl and Octavia have built up their friendship by texting each other constantly. When Octavia admits her feelings for Vinyl, the two mares become even closer. But when the cellist informs Vinyl about her visit to Ponyville in a few days, the DJ becomes nervous. Will she be able to talk to the earth-pony in person? More importantly, will she be able to admit her feelings for Octavia when she arrives?
Based on actual events, though slightly modified for anonymity's sake.

Edit: This story focuses on the growth of Vinyl into a mature young-adult as she lives her life and experiences new things. New chapters of Recollections will not always be in chronological order or involve the same person representing some of the characters, but Vinyl will always represent the same person. All chapters will be canon in Vinyl's growth and will be based on actual events, with slight modifications.

Published 1970-01-01 00:00:00 UTC
Last updated 2013-03-20 14:14:17 UTC

A Storm's Symphony

Vinyl felt the butterflies bounce off the interior of her stomach, seemingly multiplying while she waited for the anxious hour to arrive. She was at her friend Bon-Bon's house, who was hosting a certain pony while she was on her vacation. Vinyl had only seen this pony once, but that had been all she needed to know she had strong feelings towards this mare. The mare in question was an earth-pony that had black hair that favored one side of her head, lavender eyes that glowed brightly when looked into directly, and had an odd fashion sense, wearing only a collared bow tie that matched her storm cloud gray fur. The mare was a bit of a shy pony, never really talking unless it was absolutely necessary to respond, but she held an air of wisdom when she did answer. Vinyl had never held a full out conversation with this pony in person, only having met her at a party that Bon-Bon held a few months before. She had spoken with the pony though, but they were a bit tipsy when they had and Vinyl didn't really remember what all was said. What she did remember was the smell of the earth-pony's perfume as she walked past, the silent laughter she showed after hearing a joke, and Vinyl's own steadily increasing heartbeat when she made eye contact with the mare, making her blush uncontrollably...

Vinyl was roused from her daydream by yet another butterfly rousing from its slumber inside of her stomach. 'Why won't these damn things go away?’ she wondered. 'It's not like this pony is a stranger to me anymore. We always talk over text, so why should it be any harder to in person?'

Bon-Bon had given Vinyl the pony's number and her name, since Vinyl couldn't remember it due to her slight intoxication at the party. She said that the mare's name was Octavia, and she wanted Vinyl to text her that weekend if she had the time. Of course, Vinyl waited to receive the first text since she was scared to start the conversation, though she would never admit that to anypony. Octavia's message arrived that evening, and the two mares texted until midnight, promising to text again in the morning. Since then, they had spoken everyday from sunrise to sunset, consistently sending and receiving messages that increased their blossoming friendship. One day, Octavia sent a message that Vinyl would always remember as the greatest surprise ever.

'I'm coming to visit Ponyville soon! I'm so excited because that means I'll get to see you!' Octavia’s joy was shared by Vinyl, who had been itching to speak with the mare face-to-face for weeks. Vinyl was typing her reply when she received another message from her friend.

'May I ask you something personal? You don't have to answer if you don't want to.'

Vinyl scrunched her eyebrows at the curious text. 'I wonder what she wants to ask me,' she wondered. 'Oh crap,' her mind entered the gutter, 'what if she wants to know the size of my horn or something?!' Vinyl shook her head to disperse the thought. 'Don't be ridiculous. She probably just wants to ask about... About whatever she wants to ask you about. No need to get your mane in a twist.' Vinyl sent her response, which contained only one word.

'Sure.'

Vinyl knew how lame her response was, but it let her friend know she had permission to ask her question. The text arrived a second later.

'Do you like anypony?'

Vinyl's heart skipped a beat. She hadn't thought Octavia would ask THAT kind of personal question. Vinyl's breath quickened and perspiration started to appear on her hooves. It wasn't like it was the first time she had been asked this kind of question, it was that the answer of said question involved said pony. Vinyl didn't want to ruin their friendship by responding with such an awkward answer, but she couldn't lie to the mare she dreamt of nearly every night. She sat contemplating over how to respond when her phone vibrated, indicating Octavia had sent another text.

'I'm sorry if this is awkward, but I wanted to know because I think you're very cute and sweet.'

Vinyl's jaw dropped. Her friend had surprised her once again into a stunned, but very excited, state. 'If she thinks I'm cute,' she thought joyfully, 'that means she might like me, too!' Vinyl shivered with happiness. 'You have to play it cool, Vinyl,' she thought. 'Act like you knew she thought you were cute and tell her you think she's cute too.' Vinyl typed quickly and sent her response, remaining as cool as possible as anypony could be in this situation.

'Aww, really? I think you're cute, too! You're also beautiful, sweet, caring, funny, and smart and I love talking to you. And to answer your question, I really like you a lot :)'

Vinyl facehooved at her 'cool' answer. 'Great,' she thought. 'Now she's going to be creeped out and won't want to talk to me anymore.' Vinyl's worry steadily increased as she waited for her friend's response. As soon as her phone vibrated, she tore into the inbox and read hungrily.

'You made me blush :3 I was scared you might say somepony else because I really wanted you to say it was me and you did and now I’m so happy and I’m smiling a lot and it's because you like me and now I’m blabbering because I’m happy and I should probably calm down before I have a heart-attack...'

Vinyl could have jumped for joy if she hadn't been rereading the text over and over again. 'I can't believe it,' she thought quietly. 'Somepony I've had a crush on for months actually likes me back! Ohmygoshohmygoshohmygosh!' Vinyl's brain felt like it was smiling and throwing a victory party for itself, making her dizzy and giddy at the same time. She reread the message for the umpteenth before she responded.

'I'm so happy! I've liked you since the party, but I thought I didn't have a chance and I was nervous to talk to you D:'

'Why didn't you think you had a chance with me?'

'Because you're so pretty and I’m so plain compared to you.'

'Don't be ridiculous, you're incredibly cute and I’m surprised you thought I was too pretty to like you XD I'm not that pretty.'

Vinyl laughed at her friend's modesty. Octavia was one of the most beautiful ponies she had ever seen, prettier than some of the celebrity mares she often daydreamed about in movies and on TV.

'Don't be so modest, you're incredibly pretty and I've never met anypony else as beautiful as you are. I'm the one who's not very pretty XP'

'Well thank you :) You shouldn't be modest either because you really are cuter and more caring and funnier than you think.'

'Aww, thank you :3'

The rest of the conversation was like this, both mares commenting on the positives of the other and pointing out the negatives of themselves. When they started falling inevitably asleep, Vinyl asked one last question before going to bed.

'How soon are you going to be visiting Ponyville? I never heard a date about when.'

'In one week on Friday. I can't wait to see you!'

'Where are you staying? Bon-Bon's?'

'Yeah, I’m going to be there all weekend. I'll ask her if it's ok if you come over to visit me.'

'All right. Well I’m falling asleep over here. I'll talk to you tomorrow if you want me to.'

'Of course! Why wouldn't I want you to talk to me? XD Anyways, goodnight and sweet dreams!'

The week had passed and had led to this moment, with Vinyl's butterflies seemingly reproducing at an impossible rate. 'Can't wait for Octavia to get here,' she thought. 'Then maybe these fucking butterflies will leave me alone.' Bon-Bon said that Octavia would be arriving any minute now, but that was an hour ago. Octavia's train must have had complications, being that she was already two hours past whenever she told Vinyl she would be in Ponyville. Bon-Bon and Vinyl had been waiting at the train station at the time, and both had become impatient. Bon-Bon was texting somepony though, so Vinyl was left to her own thoughts while she twiddled her hooves.

"Vinyl," Bon-Bon spoke suddenly, interrupting Vinyl's fidgeting. The white pony looked up at her friend’s face, which showed concern. "Do you want to go back to my house and wait? We both look like we need something to eat, and I think our stomachs would agree."

As if in reply, Vinyl's stomach protested loudly at the lack of food. Vinyl sighed, taking one last glance before responding.

"Sure. I guess her train is just being stupid."

While the two ponies walked home, Bon-Bon could hardly keep the broad smile that threatened to reveal itself to a deceptive frown. 'Oh Vinyl will be so surprised', she thought. 'I can't wait to see the look on her face when we open the door!' The pink and navy blue maned mare had received a text from Octavia about five minutes ago, and now she could hardly keep her excitement from bursting out. Vinyl, since she lacked the ability to read minds, remained unaware of her friend's jovial scheme. A short while later, the two mares found themselves in front of Bon-Bon's candy shop/office/home. As they neared the door, Vinyl stopped and looked pensively at nothing in particular. Bon-Bon was about to ask what was wrong (and was about to push Vinyl through the door so she could see her surprise), when Vinyl spoke up.

"Do you think I scared her off?"

Vinyl's voice cracked as she spoke, making it clear that there would be waterworks depending on Bon-Bon's answer. She sighed, mostly out of exasperation with the dj, but she put a reassuring hoof on the mare's shoulder.

"I don't know how you would have," she said seriously. "Maybe her train is just late. I'm sure you two will be talking face to face sooner than you think."

Bon-Bon spoke ironically, but Vinyl was too upset to notice.

"Yeah, I guess you're right. I just get so worked up about some things. Thank you."

The candy maker smiled at her friend, slightly mischievous.

"No problem," she grinned. "Now let's get inside so I can finish up this cupcake I've been saving."

Vinyl nodded her agreement, and went to open the door. As her hoof found the handle, however, it turned seemingly on its own and the door swung open, revealing a certain ash colored pony beaming in the doorway.

"Hello Vinyl!" Octavia squealed excitedly. "Are you surprised? I wanted to surprise you but I've never been good at surprises so I had Bon-Bon help me out by suggesting you should come home and eat while you waited and she wanted to tell you so badly and then you both arrived and now I'm babbling like a maniac-- are you alright?"

Vinyl's mouth tried to form words, but her voice seemed to have taken a vacation at the moment. All she could do was gape at the beauty that was Octavia; her mane styled majestically, her bowtie and white collar glowing of a fresh clean, and an enticing strawberry tone whispering from the soft gray fur that covered the mare's entire body. Vinyl flinched when a flash uttered from her left; Bon-Bon had found her camera in time to take a picture of the shell-shocked dj's face. Vinyl shook her head and recovered long enough to ask, "How did- how did you-"

Octavia grinned at the mare's obvious confusion.

"How did I get here?” she questioned.

The white unicorn nodded her head, still trying to get a hold on the situation. Octavia started to explain how she came to be there. Her train had arrived at a different station on the other side of Ponyville. It had arrived early, so she decided to surprise the dj at Bon-Bon's house. After sending a text to the candy maker explaining the situation, Octavia had arrived at the house 5 minutes before the two friends did. She had expected Vinyl would be down trodden while she and Bon-Bon made their way to the store, but she hoped that her surprise would make up for it.

Now, she was beginning to have second thoughts.

Octavia looked at her friend after she finished her story. 'Why isn't she saying anything,' she wondered, slightly worried. 'I mean, it wasn't that big of a surprise. Was it?' Her train of thought was broken and was stunned into silence and relief when Vinyl pulled the cellist into a heartfelt and longing embrace. She returned the gesture, feeling her fears dissipate into nothingness and allowing joy and happiness to share her being. The dj broke the embrace to bathe deeply into the gray mare's eyes.

"That," she started, "was so... Bucking... Awesome!" Vinyl's smile returned with a vengeance, covering half of her face. Octavia grinned back.

"I'm glad you enjoyed it," the cellist said. "I was worried for a minute that I overdid it."

"No way!” the dj exclaimed. "I've never been a fan of being shocked into silence, but that was too perfect!"

Both ponies giggled at one another’s remarks, falling into a pleasantly awkward silence when they finished. They both looked like they wanted to say something, but the words wouldn't exit their minds. The silence was interrupted by Bon-Bon, joining them in the doorway with a massive rainbow colored cupcake that only Pinkie Pie could have made.

"Wow," the candy mare spoke through a mouth full of pastry. "I know Pinkie told me this cupcake was special, but I didn't believe it could compare to those toothpaste colored ones!" She looked inquisitively at both of the mares. "Are you two just going to stand out here or are you coming inside?"

The musicians looked at each other and back to Bon-Bon, shrugging in unison as they entered the house.

30 minutes later, the friends were walking to meet another mare named Lyra at the park. It wasn't any kind of secret that the lyre player had tugged at Bon-Bon's heartstrings, but the pair had tried to be discreet around other ponies that might disapprove of their relationship. When the trio arrived at the park and saw the musician sitting on the benches, Bon-Bon collided face first into the lyrist's own, which returned the passionate embrace. Octavia and Vinyl viewed the spectacle, both blushing feverishly and avoiding one another's gaze to hide their embarrassment.

Lyra and Bon-Bon finally separated, each panting from excitement and feeling light-headed. Lyra looked at the audience, raising a friendly eyebrow at her marefriend simultaneously.

"Aren't you going to introduce me to your friends, Bonnie?"

The candy mare flushed red as she started the introductions.

"Lyra, I'd like you to meet Vinyl," she gestured to the pale unicorn, "and her marefriend, Octavia."

Lyra smirked as the two mares started to trip over themselves, taken off guard by Bon-Bon's words.

"W-whoa there Bon-Bon," Vinyl stammered. "We're uh- we're not quite, uh..." Octavia came to her friends rescue.

"What she means is, we're not exactly dating," she finished. "Well, not yet at least." The cellist hid behind her mane to avoid Vinyl's eyes, who was still choking to get words out. Bon-Bon and Lyra watched the two mare's try and hide their discomfort, making the couple laugh hysterically.

"Hehe, they're too scared to admit it!" Lyra practically screeched in delight.

Bon-Bon glared at her marefriend. "Lyra! Remember your manners." Her expression softened. "Otherwise, I may have to punish you," she cooed seductively.

The lyrist grinned mischievously as she brought 'Bonnie' in for another round of affection. As the two mares continued to embrace, Vinyl's gaze wandered over to Octavia, who returned the gaze. Gathering her courage, the dj decided to make her move.

"So, do you want to walk around or something?” she suggested. "I mean, we could sit here and watch these two go at it all day if you like, but I'm starting to get bored." Vinyl grinned as the gray mare turned a deep red. Octavia smiled through her blush.

"Sounds good to me," she whispered.

Clouds had started to gather in the sky and many had a menacing look about them, as if threatening to rain. It had, in fact, started to sprinkle pleasantly, but it was far from a full out storm. The two musicians were trotting slowly, making small talk and cheesy jokes.

"How do you call a chicken?” Vinyl asked. Octavia brought a hoof to rub her chin while she thought.

"Hmm, I know the answer, it's just not coming to mind right now," she muttered. A moment later, the answer came to her. "Oh! Like this!" Octavia turned and started shouting 'Scootaloo!’, making Vinyl laugh uncontrollably. The cellist beamed at her success, then looked curiously as she watched the unicorn bend over to pick something from the grass.

"I know this is kind of lame," the dj grimaced. "But I wanted you to have this because, well, it honestly reminded me of you." In her hooves she held a small white flower, only a few centimeters tall, with a yellow center and purple tips on every petal. Octavia blushed as she beheld the small gift, and then remembered to respond.

"That's so sweet Vinyl," she started. "But I didn't get you anything. Hold on a moment." The cellist bent over and picked a flower that had red tips and a blue center, with white petals surrounding the exterior. "There," Octavia said triumphantly. "Now you have a flower to go with your beautiful eyes."

The musicians grinned sheepishly before averting their eyes to the ground, hiding their thoughts from the other's gaze. Thunder sounded nearby, making both mares jump and look around. Vinyl looked at Octavia and was about to ask a particular question when the ash colored mare spoke nervously, if not sounding downtrodden.

"I guess we should head back," she sounded unstable. "I don't want you to be caught in a storm on the way home." Vinyl felt her heart sink, feeling like her chance to show Octavia how much she cared for her was vanishing before she could take it. She felt like the world was slowly becoming darker (metaphorically and literally) as the clouds moved in for their onslaught. 'No,' her courage was returning to her. 'I will not let today end like this. It's either now or never.'

Octavia was thinking similar thoughts, and she surprised Vinyl with a question.

"Will you hug me?" The lavender-eyed mare looked deep into her friend’s almost-red eyes. The eyes smiled at the request, giving Octavia her answer. They hugged as the wind picked up and the thunder sounded, signaling the rainy barrage was about to ensue. The two mares almost separated, but Vinyl held the other pony in her hooves as she stared at the cellists beautiful face. She placed the flower in the gray ponies mane, making the earth-pony shiver at the soft touch.

"You know you're beautiful, don't you?” the dj asked. Octavia blushed and tried to hide behind her mane, but Vinyl put a hoof on her chin to lift it back up to face her own. With a determined tone, Vinyl spoke again.

"Look at me."

Octavia forced herself to hold back her embarrassment long enough to obey, staring into Vinyl's irises again. Both mares swam in the others eyes before they started to close the distance between one another. The wind and thunder and rustling leaves were creating a symphony of nature as the two mares neared their prize, making a tantalizing rhythm. The distance between lips closed, and the two mares embraced more passionately than anypony else in Equestria had ever seen. Their lips moved in perfect harmony, their tongues raveling and dancing in one another's mouths, their arms wrapping tighter around each other's waists. Butterfly kisses were established along the other's neck, making there way back to the lips that held the magic and mystery of the individual as they continued to embrace.

When they broke apart, they were both drenched in rain. Neither mare had noticed the cloud burst while they had completed their desires.

The cellist and the dj stared into one another's eyes again, each smiling shyly before they embraced once again, thunder sounding off in the distance...

A/N I was kind of nervous to write, this, but I'm glad I did in the end. Also, I know there's an argument over Vinyl's true eye color, so I put 'almost-red' in the story to show my neutrality on the topic. Cupcakes reference in the story, try and guess who the other victim was. Anyways, I hope you all enjoy it, but I will most likely be writing more crazy stuff in the future. Sadly, I've discovered I have a talent at making innocent stories into dementia infused horror clops. I don't clop personally.

I'll wrap this up with a thank you and that criticism is expected and welcome (as long as you're not a douche bag about it >:P)

The Dance in the Pond

Thank you in advance to Syyvak, psp7master, and Knight Wing for editing and critiquing this story for me. I appreciate that you all would help me to become a better writer.

It was a beautiful summer afternoon in Ponyville. The skies clear and the trees standing tall and green. A light breeze tickling the branches and leaves. A few of the loose ones fell into the pond which rippled with every contact, distorting the reflections of ponies who stared into its shallow depths. Little fillies and colts who were brave enough to wade into the dark brown water giggled and splashed one another, which led the other more timid ponies who remained ashore to gather their courage and join in the revelry of the others. A single lifeguard watched the little ones play, smiling at the young ponies and nodding assuredly to their parents. It was a perfect and peaceful day.

Vinyl and Octavia walked along the shore of the pond, watching the young ones play and listening to their giggles and the rustlings of the trees. Vinyl looked at her cellist friend; with her perfect charcoal black hair that flowed in the wind like a satin sheet, who had a smile with teeth that put the stars to shame, who had eyes that could make a bear blush if it looked at them. Vinyl stared at her friend for a bit, admiring her radiating surface.

'Alright Vinyl, today you will ask out this mare. You can do it, you just have to be confident! Just go for it. "Be my marefriend." "Be my marefriend." "Be my--"'

"Hey!"

Vinyl shook her head to break her train of thought and noticed she she was staring at her friend's body. She quickly looked up at Octavia's face. The cellist was giggling and blushing red from catching her friend staring at her flanks.

"Finally I got your attenion! I've been trying to ask you a question for a minute now."

Vinyl grinned sheepishly. "Uh, yeah, sorry about that. I just kind of... Zoned out for a second." Her cheeks flushed as she spoke, which she hoped went by unnoticed. "A-Anyways, what were you asking me again?"

Octavia giggled. "Well, I asked you what you wanted to do out here. We have plenty of options to choose from and I can't decide. Would you mind?"

Vinyl looked around. There was a group of ponies playing frisbee, but she hated frisbee, so that was scratched off instantly. There was a zipline over and into the pond, but the line was way too long. There were a lot of little pony games, but Vinyl didn't think the parents would be comfortable with two older mares playing with their children. That left the pond.

While she did enjoy swimming, Vinyl was extremely afraid of water that she couldn't see in, see the bottom of, or see what else was in it. It was extremely embarassing and had resulted in her being made fun of by her family whenever they went on boat trips. Vinyl also hated boats, but that's another story. She had never told Octavia about her fear of water, but she knew that Octavia really wanted to go for swim. Her friend had been casting glances at the water every now and then, suspiciously whenever Vinyl was giving her a good look-over.

Vinyl sighed mentally before she spoke. "I guess we could swim. I mean, if you really want to."

Vinyl cringed as Octavia let out a squeal of delight and hugged the Dj tightly.

"Ohthankyouthankyouthankyou! I haven't really swum before and I've always wanted to learn and you could totally teach me and--mmf!"

Vinyl put a hoof in her friend's mouth.

"Whoa whoa whoa, you mean you don't know how to swim?"

Octavia nodded.

"And you want me to teach you?"

Octavia nodded and smiled.

"And you don't mind the fact that you'll be swimming in dirty water that you can't even see in, where little things can touch your legs and you won't know what they were, and where you can sink under the water and nobody will know where you are?"

Octavia rolled her eyes.

"Well, when you put it like that, it sounds like you're scared or something. We don't have to swim if you're worried."

Vinyl looked from Octavia to the pond. While the water did scare her, she didn't want to disappoint Octavia. She couldn't bear to see that beautiful face in an expression other than happy. Vinyl made up her mind.

"Ok, I'll teach you. Just don't expect to be horrible on your first attempt."

Octavia grinned and ran off to go change, leaving Vinyl to sit on the edge of the water. Vinyl didn't know why Tavi wanted to wear clothing, since she hardly wore anything besides her cute little bow-tie and collar.

'I wonder if she's going to wear one of those tacky one-piece swim suits.' Vinyl snickered a bit at the thought.

"Ahem."

Vinyl turned to face the source of the noise and was instantly glad that she wasn't a pegasus. Octavia had removed her bow-tie and collar, which Vinyl had expected, but she now fashioned a very sexy and very revealing two-piece bikini that had black lace trimming around the edges. Vinyl gazed hungrily at Tavi's top, which was made up of two tiny triangles that hardly covered anything. Octavia blushed.

"I didn't really know what I was supposed to wear, so I brought something comfortable."

When Vinyl failed to respond, Octavia looked at the ground in embarassment.

"I look stupid, don't I?"

Vinyl broke her gaze from her friend's bust and shook her head vigorously.

"Nononono, that is... Perfect."

Vinyl smiled at her smoothness. She didn't really think that the suit was so great, but that the mare wearing it made it look like something a supermodel would envy. Vinyl looked at the ponies who now stared at her friend's unserpassible beauty and winked at Octavia.

"I bet all of those mares wished they looked as beautiful as you do."

Octavia blushed again.

"So," she cocked her head to the side, "are you ready to teach me how to swim?"

Vinyl grinned.

"I'm ready when you are."

The two mares entered the water, feeling its warmth from the summer sun. Vinyl pushed off and submerged temporarily to get her whole body wet while Octavia waded slowly into the deeper part of the pond. When Octavia could hardly keep her chin above the water, Vinyl swam over and carried her friend into the deeper part. Octavia smiled up at the DJ.

"So is this the first lesson?"

Vinyl grinned nervously.

"Um, well, not really. I just kind of figured that you needed help so I, uh, decided that carrying you would be best." This had run through her mind, but she had mostly just wanted to feel the cellist in her hooves; the soft fur brushing against her own, Octavia's head resting on her shoulder and neck, the breath against her chest and neck. Octavia relaxed into Vinyl's hooves while wrapping her own around the DJ's shoulders.

"Vinyl?"

The unicorn looked down into her friend's deep violet eyes.

"What's up, Tavi?"

"I need to tell you something."

Vinyl quirked an eyebrow.

"And what would that be?"

Octavia looked ashamed as she spoke.

"I lied to you. I actually do know how to swim."

Vinyl laughed at her friend's sincere honesty.

"That's alright, Tavi. No need to be worried about that. I can let go of you if you--"

"You don't have to let go!" Octavia clutched herself tightly to Vinyl, leaving the DJ confused but feeling warmer. Octavia flushed before she spoke again.

"I was thinking that you could teach me something else while we're out here."

Vinyl cocked an eyebrow.

"What else could I teach you out here?"

Octavia blushed and looked down into the water.

"Would you teach me how to dance?"

Vinyl looked down at the wonderful mare that rested in her arms. Just the sight of her could make Vinyl grin uncontrollably, make her heart pound in her chest, make her eyes seek out the perfection that was Octavia. This mare had made Vinyl's bad days turn into bearable ones and her good days into desirable ones. This mare who Vinyl absolutely adored and cherished, that made her feel like fool when she stood next to her, that made her stutter when she looked at her. This mare who made Vinyl's world spin, that made her cheesy, that made her use cliché phrases and words to express her adoration. This mare who Vinyl would do anything for.

This mare who had just asked her to dance.

"Of course I will, Tavi."

Vinyl released Octavia and held her close to her body. She put her hooves on Octavia's waist as her partner did the same to her. The held each other tightly and stared deeply into one anothers eyes. They relaxed in the water and listened for an imaginary rhythm to start; the rustling leaves, the shifting and crackling tree branches, the whistling breeze across the pond's surface, the pond water's ripples and gentle waves whispering against the shore. All other noise was shut out, from the rowdy foals to the talking parents to the splashing and playing of little ponies. Everything was silent for a time.

Then the dance began.

Vinyl and Octavia floated along the water's surface, twirling slowly and stepping gently along their path. They spun and circled and spiraled in what appeared to be a random pattern to any passersby, but both mares knew that there was no randomness whatsoever. The pattern they made could not be taught, not even to the best dancers in the world. They might learn the steps and the tempos and the ups and downs and lefts and rights, but they would never be able to create the passion and pure tranquility of the pattern that the two mares were now executing.

Octavia layed herself against Vinyl as they danced, closing her eyes as she did so. Vinyl wrapped her forelegs around the cellist, holding her as she would a treasure of the heart. Vinyl closed her eyes and swirled around the water with her treasure, reality and surreality becoming one. She could feel the breath on her chest, the blush on her cheeks, the hair carresing her chin. She couldn't tell if this was a dream or not, but Vinyl hoped that it would never end and wouldn't be interrupted by an obnoxious alarm clock at six A.M.

'Vinyl, if you don't ask this mare out now, I will murder you mentally.'

Vinyl looked down at Octavia, who looked up at her partner's face. Vinyl's expression showed that she had a question to ask.

"Yes?"

Vinyl bit her lower lip to ease her nerves.

"Tavi, I know this may sound weird, but I've been wanting--no--needing to ask you this for a while now."

Octavia looked intently into her friend's nervous eyes.

"You can ask me anything."

"Ok. Tavi, I was wondering..." Vinyl suddenly felt breathless.

"Yes?"

"Well, I was wondering if..." She didn't know if she could do it. She was so close, all she had to do was ask one simple, life changing question.

"Yes?"

"What I mean to say is--"

"Hey Vinyl, have you asked out Octi yet?!"

Vinyl mentally crushed Lyra as the musician spotted them in the pond and proceeded to yell from the other side. Octavia looked at Lyra and back to Vinyl before blushing furiously and looking down at the water. Vinyl noticed that Octavia held her tighter than before, but she was still frustrated with Lyra.

"I was about to get to that, Lyra!"

The musician laughed and nodded her head.

"Ok, I was just curious about if you had asked her yet! You've been trying for days now and I was starting to wonder if you ever would!" Lyra looked around before waving to the two ponies. "Well, I got to go and help Bon-Bon with some picnic stuff. See you guys later!"

With that, the mint-green unicorn disappeared behind some trees, leaving Vinyl in shock and Octavia in a blushing state. Octavia looked up at Vinyl after a moment.

"Vinyl, is it true what Lyra said?" She blushed again. "Do you really want me to be your marefriend?"

Vinyl looked down at Octavia and saw the pure sweetness that was tattooed across her entire face, from her smile to the tips of her ears. Vinyl knew that the truth was out, so she might as well ask.

"Tavi, I've been wondering." Vinyl stared into Octavia's eyes and saw them smiling at her. Vinyl smiled back, her mood instantly lightened by this wonderful cellist that rested in her arms. Happiness was within her reach. All she had to do was ask a question. A simple question that could change her life. A question that went like...

"Octavia, will you be my marefriend?"