Second Chances II: Love and Courage

Second Chances II: Love and Courage
By Hero541
Chapter 6: Guilty Consciences

Josh stood in the production studio, his headphones to one ear as he began to manipulate the music. Vinyl was still upset with him for not doing anything to Filthy for what he said. She avoided him once he got home, choosing to lock herself in the bedroom and take a nap. Josh knew her well enough by now to know that nothing he said or did right now would help her feel any better. He simply told her that he loved her and then headed to the studio to begin getting the set list ready for the show in Los Pegasus.

He worked with a little less vigor than normal, his mind distracted by thoughts of his angry marefriend upstairs in the bedroom. What was I supposed to do? he thought, trying and failing to focus on the music Punch him in the face and accomplish nothing? Josh was never the one to be violent with anyone, even back home. He knew better than any that violence accomplished nothing except to make someone seem like a jackass.

“Goddamn.” he finally said, unable to continue and turning off all the equipment, “I can’t do this right now.”

Slowly, he made his way back up the stairs and onto the main floor. Maybe Vinyl’s feeling better he thought, praying that he was right. Unfortunately, his prayers were in vain. The house was still as silent and uneasy as it had been before he headed down into the studio. Sighing with a mix of exhaustion and exasperation, he sat in his chair next to the fireplace and buried his face in his hands.

As he sat there, a knock came from the front door.

“It’s open.” called Josh simply, not lifting his head from his hands.

A second later, the door opened and a gray mare wearing a pink bowtie around her neck walked in, nudging the door shut as she entered the home.

“Good evening, Josh.” she said, trying to sound cheerful and bouncy, “How’re you?”

Josh simply looked up at her, his face completely blank. The smile the mare was wearing vanished at his gaze.

“I heard about what happened from Cheery.” she said, jumping up on the nearby couch and laying down so her head was close to his chair, “Vinyl’s still upset?”

“Just a little.” said Josh, sitting back and sighing, “What would you have done, Tavi?”

The mare put a hoof to her chin in contemplation.

“Probably the same as you.” replied Octavia.

Josh said nothing once more. At least someone around here’s on my side.

“What was Vinyl expecting you to do? Just lash out and hit him or something?” she asked, breaking the silence that had fallen.

“I guess.” replied Josh, thinking back to Vinyl preparing to rush Filthy and do God-knows-what, “That’s certainly what she aimed to do at the time.”

“Cheery told me you held her back.”

“I had to! She was gonna tear him to shreds!”

Octavia shrank a little as Josh raised his voice slightly. Josh immediately took notice of this and calmed himself down.

“I’m not gonna let her get arrested because she beat the living shit out of some guy.” he said, Octavia returning to her normal state, “Even if he is biased towards me, that’s no reason for me to just let her loose on him. And it’s certainly no reason for me to take him down myself.”

“I’m proud of you, Josh.” said the gray cellist, placing a hoof on his hand, “However, I’m not sure how you can still be so cool about this.”

“I’ve had many a person in my life tell me how much they hate me.” he said, thinking back to his life at home, “If I just punched everyone who I had a disagreement with, there’d be a lot of people on earth who have a black eye or a broken nose right now.”

“Maybe you ought to let me take him on.” joked the mare, causing Josh to chuckle as the memory of his first encounter with Octavia came to his mind.

He had upset Vinyl by upstaging her at her own show, and then received a visit from a very upset Octavia the next morning. She had rushed right into Rarity’s home, shot down the stairs to her dining room, and punched Josh right in the jaw.

“Maybe.” replied Josh, smiling a little at Octavia.

“I never did apologize for that first time we met…” she trailed off, her ears flattening against her skull.

“You have no reason to be sorry.” said Josh, “You were defending your friend. I can’t say I’d have done the same, but that doesn’t mean you were in the wrong.”

“I’m still sorry at least.” she said, staring at Josh with her beautiful violet eyes.

“I accept your apology, Tavi.”

Octavia smiled at the human, who returned her look. The gray mare’s smile faltered though as her eyes were drawn to the top of the stairs behind Josh. Josh noticed her gaze and turned to see what she was looking at. Vinyl was slowly making her way down the stairs, her crimson-magenta eyes red and puffy. She cautiously made her way into the living room, her ears pressed flat against her head.

“Hello, Vinyl dear.” said Octavia, smiling sweetly at her friend as she approached.

Vinyl simply looked to her, a sad expression painting her face. Octavia took that as her cue to leave and allow Josh and Vinyl to talk.

“I’ll see you later, Josh.” she said, crawling down from the couch and heading for the door.

“See ya, Tavi.” he said as she exited the house.

The house became filled with an uneasy silence, neither Josh nor Vinyl looking at each other. The pony made her way to the couch where Octavia had once been and lay down the same way the gray mare had, though she avoided looking at her coltfriend. They simply sat there, both trying their best to phrase what they wanted to say next.

“I’m sorry.” they both said at the same time, breaking the long silent streak that had taken hold.

“You first.” said Vinyl, peering at Josh from behind her blue mane.

“No, you first.” he replied.

Again, silence fell hard. They merely glanced at each other cautiously, till both noticed the other’s glance and they locked eyes for the first time in hours.

“I’m sorry, Vinyl.” said Josh finally, staring deep into his marefriend’s eyes and placing a hand on her hoof as it rested on the arm of the couch, “I should have done something about Filthy. If not for me, then at least for you.”

Vinyl’s eyes began to tear up once more as she looked at Josh. Guilt covered her face as she watched him.

“No. You were fine.” she said, placing her other hoof over his hand, “You were doing the right thing by not knocking him out and holding me back from doing the same. Hurting him right in front of his kid would have hardly been the right thing to do in this case.”

The two lovers simply stared at each other awhile longer, glad they were at least speaking to one another again.

“J-Josh,” said Vinyl, her voice shaking as she addressed him, “y-you still love me, r-right?”

“Baby, of course.” he said, rising from his chair and kneeling in front of Vinyl on the couch, “Why would you think I don’t love you anymore?”

“I… I don’t know.” she said, looking away from him for a second, “I just know you value that nopony here judges you like that. I just was so worried that if…”

Josh placed his hand on her chin and pulled her head so she was looking him in the eyes. He smiled sweetly at her, causing her to do the same.

“Vinyl,” he began, staring into her eyes, “one guy being a jackass isn’t ever going to make me leave you. I don’t care what Filthy Rich may think of me. Nothing he says or does could ever make me stop loving you.”

Vinyl smiled wider at his words. Slowly, she reached out a hoof and caressed his cheek lovingly.

“I love you so much, Josh.” she said, her eyes beginning to tear up once again, “I was just so worried I’d lose you. I don’t ever wanna be without you again.”

Josh placed his hands on her cheeks, leaned in, and passionately kissed Vinyl, probing her mouth with his tongue and feeling her melt into him. She wrapped her hooves around his neck and kissed him back. They soon broke, smiling lovingly at each other.

“You’ll never have to worry about that, baby.” he said, placing his forehead against her own.

Vinyl smiled at him, holding him as close as she possibly could. Josh returned to kissing her, this time more vigorously. She eagerly returned his affection, feeling herself become aroused as his hand travelled to her flank. All she wanted was to be close to him, and what better a time than now, when they were so happy to be around each other once more?

Josh broke the kiss slowly, beginning to plant smaller kisses all over her neck, making his way down her chest and to her stomach. Vinyl felt a tingle in her loins as he began to approach her marehood. She placed her hooves on his head, aching for him to reach her nethers and make her feel wave after wave of ecstasy. Normally, Josh would have teased the mare and made his return trip back to her mouth, but he wanted to show her the love she deserved. Vinyl received her wish as Josh’s tongue entered her aching marehood, making her lose all ability to think.

She moaned with pleasure as his tongue swirled around inside her, causing her mind to melt. He wrapped his arms around her flanks, burying his mouth even deeper into her lips, causing her to squeak and moan with delight. She could feel herself getting closer and closer to the edge. With one final moan of pleasure, her body convulsed, and she finally released, splashing Josh’s face with her juices.

The human looked up from his vantage point and saw a huge smile cover his marefriend’s face. Wiping her juices from his face, he returned to her mouth and kissed her like never before. She clumsily undid his shorts with her hooves as their mouths were connected, exposing his erect member. She backed off from the kiss and dived onto his erection, swirling her tongue on the top and causing Josh to now moan with pleasure.

“Ya like that, big boy?” she asked, smiling up at him.

As he nodded his head, she descended once more onto his throbbing member, beginning to envelope the piece of flesh in her mouth. Her head moved back and forth over its length, causing Josh to moan with pleasure himself. Once she felt he was ready, she removed her mouth from his appendage and lay back down on the couch, spreading her hind legs apart wide, preparing for what was to come next. Josh descended on his lover, inserting his member slowly into her marehood. She gave a small squeak as she felt him enter her.

The human began to thrust into his lover, slow at first, but picking up speed as he felt more comfortable. Vinyl continued to moan and cry out as wave after wave of pleasure flooded her body. Josh felt her insides tighten around his appendage as he began to thrust faster and harder. She continued to cry out in ecstasy, feeling herself near the edge once again. Josh also was nearing his limit and felt something make its way through his body. With one final ecstatic cry from Vinyl, they finished simultaneously, both feeling the other do so.

Josh lay down behind his marefriend, his body and mind exhausted from the day’s events. He wrapped his arms around her and held her tightly, never wanting to let her go. Together, they lay there, feeling the love between them grow one thousandfold.

“I love you, Joshie.” said Vinyl, drifting off to sleep in his warm embrace.

Josh smiled and gave her one last sweet little kiss on her neck before he felt himself being overtaken by the force of sleep. They both fell into their own peaceful dreams, huge smiles on their faces at knowing they had each other. As far as they were concerned, that was all they needed right now.