Octavia sighed demurely, closing her eyes as she raised her teacup to her mouth, taking a sip. She basked in the warm flavor while the soft wind played over her mane, letting it sway in the breeze. There was nothing, absolutely nothing, like a wonderful cup of tea on a spring day, enjoyed from the rooftop garden of her penthouse. Even here, in the heart of the Manehatten, she could sit at a table, feel the grass underneath her, and take in the subtle scents of the flowers that ran in rows along the roof.

The penthouse terrace had a lovely view of the skyline, but if Octavia didn’t feel like enjoying the view, she could close her eyes and simply imagine that the garden extended forever in all directions. From the top of this building, even the sounds of the city below were muted. It was truly a calming atmosphere.

While the building had been designed from the ground up as a luxury apartment complex, Octavia only ever had eyes for the penthouse. When the previous tenant had vacated, Octavia had done everything in her power to get the lease, keeping it out of the hooves of any other interested parties. It cost a hoof and a flank, but it had been worth it.

Octavia loved the privacy the arrangement provided. The penthouse had its own private elevator to keep out any unwanted guests. As it was situated on roof, it was insulated from noises from the apartments below, which certainly helped when the playcolts below threw raucous parties at all hours of the night. However, it did nothing to help the noise that was already present in the penthouse. Especially when her roommate decided to practice her music.

Vinyl Scratch was as famous with the common ponies as Octavia was with the elite. Octavia had never understood her so-called music, but there was no doubt that she was well-loved. Appearances at nightclubs from Manehatten to Canterlot had spiked her fame, and her own music had earned her fans throughout Equestria. Her record sales were nothing to sneeze at, either.

Octavia had to admit, sharing a penthouse may have been unorthodox, but Vinyl’s contributions to her half eased the financial strain. Regardless of how much Octavia made, a penthouse in Manehatten was still a penthouse in Manehatten. She would admit to herself that she was so eager to secure her own penthouse that she hadn’t given much thought to the financial repercussions. The rent alone would have stressed her finances to their breaking point.

The two ponies had first met through Octavia’s lawyer when Vinyl had sampled some of her original classical work in one of her songs. While Octavia had been ready to sue, Vinyl had been surprisingly knowledgeable about musical theory. A potential lawsuit had ended with them as friends at an upscale bar, right down the street from the lawyer’s office.

The penthouse had plenty of room, so when Vinyl had expressed interest in moving from Ponyville to Manehatten, Octavia hadn’t seen anything wrong with lending the mare a helping hoof. Vinyl had been adamantly against it at first, but Octavia had insisted. If the conversations they had when Vinyl was in town were any indication, she would be quite worthwhile to live with.

After Vinyl had moved in though, they had gone from friends who shared the occasional drink, to complete strangers. Vinyl Scratch was an extremely private pony, with her fair share of eccentricities. The sunglasses, for example. They never came off. She had even worn them to one of Octavia's concerts that she had insisted on attending. When Octavia had tried to return the favor, willing to suffer through a night in a club in the interests of common courtesy, Vinyl had refused outright. She said it’d interfere with her concentration, whatever that meant.

Octavia sat her teacup down now, looking towards the penthouse. It was strange how they never seemed to talk anymore beyond the snippet of conversation while Vinyl left for a recording session. There was never any chance to talk when she got back, since Octavia was always asleep. She’d lived here for nearly six months, yet Octavia knew next to nothing about her.

She chided herself, turning back to her pleasant spring afternoon. There was no need to worry about Vinyl. The pair of them had a comfortable life in a luxurious penthouse. They were living their own lives, on their own career paths. There was no need to get to know each other.

“Octy!” came a loud, confident voice from behind her.

Octavia had been in the middle of preparing a new pot of tea, to continue her day in the rooftop garden well into the evening, when Vinyl’s music had ceased.

“Oh, hello Vinyl.” Octavia said with a smile, turning her head to meet the gaze of those sunglasses. “I’m preparing some tea for a lovely evening on the veranda. Would you like to join me?”

“Nah. I’ve got a set tonight. Don’t have the time!” Vinyl said, her horn lighting up with a purple glow, opening the cupboards to levitate a jar of instant coffee down to the counter.

“Certainly you have time for a simple cup of tea?” Octavia pressed on. “It’s barely four.”

“Hey, it’s not all just showin’ up. Gotta do the tech thing, ya know?” Vinyl’s magic levitated the kettle, pouring a measure of hot water into a mug. She hadn’t even bothered with a spoon, simply unscrewing the jar and dumping a generous ammount of powdered coffee into the mug.

“Well, how about we meet at The Eden for drinks after your set?” said Octavia, as she took the kettle out of the air. “I don’t mind a late night tonight, and I’d love to-”

Vinyl had stirred her coffee and swallowed the entire contents of her mug in one smooth motion, trotting towards the door. “Wouldn’t let ya do that, Tavi. See ya!”

Then Vinyl was gone. Octavia set the kettle on the stove, watching the door. It was the same old Vinyl. Loud, tomcoltish and yet, extremely distant.

“Why?” Octavia asked the empty air.

She pushed Vinyl out of her mind for now, returning to her tea. There was still a pleasant day to enjoy. She passed a glance at the open jar of instant coffee, left forgotten on the counter. Octavia picked it up, contemplating it. She never drank coffee. How Vinyl could drink it consistently and still manage to fall asleep at night astounded her. For once though, Octavia was considering it. If she could just get a bit of conversation out of her, even just a discussion on how her set had gone, maybe Octavia could open the door that had closed between them.

Oh Celestia, Octavia thought. This was a terrible idea.

The clock on the wall showed it was just past two in the morning, and Octavia was still wide awake. She just couldn’t stop her hooves from twitching with nervous tension. She had yawned, but she wasn’t tired. Or was she?

Octavia had taken a seat on the couch, but that hadn’t helped. Her hind legs were kicking back and forth and soon, one was bouncing up and down.

Wonderful. I have become a leg jiggler.

Octavia hopped off the couch. She had followed the instructions on the instant coffee to the letter, but she didn’t know how much was needed to effectively keep her awake until Vinyl got home. She had never seen Vinyl calmly sip from her mug, unlike Octavia with her tea.

So, Octavia had drank four mugs of it once midnight had rolled around.

Octavia wasn’t just awake. She was awake.

She could feel her heart pounding in her chest. Once again, she reminded herself that this had been a terrible idea. She trotted out onto the veranda, forcing herself to sit and take in the view. Even at this late hour, the skyline was incredible. She galloped inside, turning off the lights in the penthouse before returning to the garden. It was dark, she was alone and it looked absolutely beautiful.

Octavia stayed in the garden watching the gorgeous skyline, until she heard the elevator doors slide open. She turned to look inside, hearing unsteady hooves on the floor. The light clicked on, and there was Vinyl. Octavia peered through the open door.

Vinyl was leaning against the wall, breathing heavily. Her ears were down and her coat was glistening with sweat. She let out a sudden groan, pressing her head hard against the wall.

“Vinyl?” Octavia asked, as she stepped into their home. “Are you alright?”

Vinyl’s head turned suddenly at the sound of her voice. Octavia felt...unnerved. She couldn't see the mare’s eyes through her glasses, but she could feel the gaze on her form. It was unsettling.

“Octy...” she panted. “Hey. Octy. You’re up.”

“Vinyl, are you...drunk?” Octavia asked, approaching her with concern on her face.

“No!” Vinyl had shouted, with such force that Octavia stopped in her tracks. “I...I mean, no. Just...go to bed. I’ll...I’ll be fine.”

Something was obviously wrong with her. Octavia had never seen Vinyl like this. She was exhausted, and letting out groans of what sounded like pain. Stranger yet, Vinyl had never once taken her gaze off of Octavia.

Vinyl slid down the wall, resting now on the floor. Her hooves smacked against it every so often, while she would press her head against the wall with another groan of pain.

Octavia started forward, and Vinyl let out a moan as she got closer.

“Octy...don’t.”

Octavia ignored her, giving her a stern look before she grabbed her body, lifting her up off of the floor with the strength gained from years of cello playing. Her body felt hot and feverish, and Octavia wondered if she was sick.

Vinyl flinched as their bodies touched, letting out a sudden sigh. “You’re worried...”

“Should I call a doctor?” Octavia said, as she brought Vinyl over to the couch, laying her down. Vinyl’s sunglasses looked up at her.

“No,” Vinyl said, a slight smile playing over her mouth. Octavia’s body tingled as she realized that Vinyl had a hoof wrapped around her. “I’ll be fine. I’ll be just fine.”

Vinyl pulled her close in a swift motion, nuzzling against her neck. Octavia couldn't help but blush at the sudden, intimate gesture. Had Vinyl been playing at a rave? She had heard once that there were drugs that would do these kinds of things to a pony. Had Vinyl been drugged?

“Vinyl! What are you doing?” she asked, trying to pull away, but Vinyl only held on tighter.

“Hungry...” Vinyl gasped against her. “I’m...I’m hungry.”

Then Vinyl licked her neck.

Pleasure jolted through her body like electricity. Her heart began to pound as she let out a sudden, pleasured sound. It was combination of a scream and a moan, and her legs had buckled underneath it, collapsing against Vinyl.

Vinyl caught her, flipping her over and pressing Octavia down at the couch, staring down at her. Octavia couldn't do anything else but gasp. The sensations had stolen her breath.

“Octy...” Vinyl sighed, before pressing her muzzle against Octavia’s own.

Her back arched as she let out a needy, passionate moan against Vinyl’s mouth. It was as if electricity was running through her body in the most pleasant way possible. Waves of pleasure cascaded down her form, and her hind legs kicked against the leg of the couch, the sudden crack of wood announcing that the arm had separated.

This wasn't her. Octavia wasn’t a fillyfooler. But she couldn't deny the waves of pleasure running through her. Vinyl moved down to her neck now, every kiss making her twitch and let out a gasp of pleasure.

“Vi...vi...vin...” Octavia panted, craning her neck up against Vinyl’s mouth.

“Juuuust relax, Octy...” came Vinyl’s voice, sounding just as desperate as Octavia was.

She couldn’t relax. She didn’t want to. She craved more. Every kiss seemed to pull new and old desires to the surface. Octavia wanted Vinyl. Needed her.

“Please...” Octavia cried out, hooves straining against the couch.

Vinyl trailed her kisses down her body. Down over her chest, sinking lower as she slid down over her body.

Octavia knew where she was headed. There was no disgust. Just desire. She needed it. Bad. She looked at Vinyl with a pleading, eager look.

“I...I need...” Octavia panted. Vinyl simply smiled.

“I know.”

Vinyl dragged her tongue over her stomach, causing Octavia to whimper. Vinyl placed her hooves on Octavia’s hindlegs, guiding them open. Octavia didn’t resist.

Octavia panted, throwing her mane back and forth. She couldn’t stand it. The teasing, it was too much. Finally, Vinyl reached her goal. Octavia couldn’t help it anymore.

She slammed her head back against the couch and let out a scream of pure satisfaction.

Author's Note

Aaaand, here we go.

EDIT: Also, special thanks to Syvvak and Noc for their assistance with proofreading and editing.