Octavia watched Vinyl quietly while she sipped her tea. It warmed her from the inside, and she closed her eyes to embrace the feeling while she waited for Vinyl’s answer. She could still imagine those eyes, Vinyl’s eyes, digging deep into her mind and forcing her to feel desire and arousal. Octavia shuddered before she snapped her eyes open. Those eyes lingered on the borders of her thoughts.

“I knew what you were gonna ask. I still don’t have a real answer. I mean...” Vinyl put a hoof behind her head, letting out a nervous giggle. “I don’t get it myself. I’m a pony. But I’m also something...else.”

Vinyl took a deep breath. “We’re...related, I suppose. To the changelings. Not like that!” she added, seeing the look of shock on Octavia’s face. “They feed off of love. We feed off of...well...”

“Lust?” Octavia muttered. Vinyl nodded.

“Yeah. Mostly. I mean, we can feed on any emotion. But lust...I dunno. Satisfies.”

The way she said the last word gave Octavia a shudder. She could hear the happiness in her voice as she said it.

“Might as well just call me a succubus.” Vinyl gave a shrug. “It’s not the best way to describe it, but it’s close enough.”

“A succubus...I’m sharing a penthouse with...”

“Yep.” Vinyl nodded.

Octavia looked down, staring into her tea. The silence stretched between them.

Vinyl gave a cough. “I’m not proud of what I am, Octy.”

Octavia looked up at the tone of her voice. She had tried to say it casually, but there was sadness in it. Octavia finished her tea, setting the empty cup and saucer down on the table.

“So...the other night. When you came home...”

Vinyl shifted uncomfortably. “I lost control.”

“Why did you never lose control before then?” Octavia asked, trying to keep her tone as polite as possible.

“It’s...how I feed. Without hurting anyone. When I DJ, and ponies dance to my music...” Vinyl gave a pause, as if trying to find the words. “The emotions...you know. They’re having a good time, and I just groove in my booth, and absorb the emotions floating around. But very little of it is lust. So I wind up...”

“Unsatisfied,” Octavia finished for her.

“Yeah. It’s like...” Vinyl rubbed her hooves against her mane. “Buck. I don’t know. I wind up fed, but craving, I guess. I came home, and there you were. Normally you’re sleeping, so I just go to my room and...well. Resist.”

“Resist?”

“Resist going into your room,” Vinyl said as she levitated the empty teacup off of the table and trotted into the kitchen.

Octavia stared at the table, stunned. All this time, she’d been living with a succubus who could have come into her room and...Octavia had a flashback to that night, remembering what she had done so willingly with Vinyl.

“I...I appreciate your restraint, Vinyl.”

But I will be investing in a lock.

“Lemme guess,” Vinyl said, as she brought another cup of tea with her into the living room. “You’re wondering what brand of lock to buy for your door.”

Octavia reached out and took the tea in an embarrassed silence. Vinyl gave a half-hearted grin in response.

“But you were...here. And then you touched me. I just...wanted to eat. It’s like putting a tray of cupcakes in front of Pinkie Pie.”

Octavia suppressed a growl at the mention of the pink nightmare. “I see your point. How long has it been? Since you’ve...fed?”

“A really long time,” Vinyl said. “I kinda forgot how good it felt.”

“Who was it?”

Vinyl forced a laugh, and Octavia could sense the pain in it. Vinyl looked down, her ears falling. “Not a point in my life I like talking about.”

Octavia went silent, but she could see the single tear trailing down the side of Vinyl’s muzzle. She slid out of the blanket, moving around the table. She hesitated just for a moment, before she put a hoof on her friend's shoulder. If the DJ sensed the hesitation, she didn’t say anything.

“When I went to the university. Canterlot School of the Arts. I didn’t even know what I was. I just saw her and got these...urges,” Vinyl said softly, nuzzling against Octavia’s leg. “I just wanted to flirt. But I wasn't wearing my glasses that day...”

Octavia pulled Vinyl into a hug. Vinyl rubbed against her neck, sniffling quietly.

“Next thing I knew, we were bucking. And...and I felt so...wonderful. Better than ever. I didn’t know I was...”

“It’s okay, Vinyl,” Octavia said, hugging her tighter. Vinyl returned the motion, before she pulled away and looked down, ashamed.

“How did you find out what you were?” Octavia asked, honestly curious.

“Well, I didn’t know I was doing anything. I just...thought she was a really horny marefriend.” She wiped her tears away with a flick of her hoof. “My mom knew, though.”

“Your mother is a succubus?”

Vinyl shook her head. “Oh. No. Should’ve mentioned that. I’m only half. My mom’s a pony. My dad is a succubus.”

Octavia blinked. “Shouldn’t you call him a...um...”

“Incubus? If he really was male, maybe.”

Octavia blinked again. “You’re going to have to explain this to me, Vinyl.”

“Related to the changelings, remember? Shapeshifters. I can’t. I’m only half. And they can’t change at will, either. Whenever a pony looks at them, they’ll see whatever they desire the most.”

“Imagine my surprise when my mom introduced me to my dad.” Vinyl gave an honest laugh now.

“Oh, I must hear this. Who did your father look like to you?”

Vinyl shook her head, still snickering. “It’s...embarrassing.”

“Vinyl, you said you’d tell me everything!” Octavia said, pushing against her shoulder with a smile.

“Alright, alright....I saw...Princess Luna.”

“Vinyl! You...desired the princess?” Octavia said with a shocked voice, her eyes wide.

“Hey, c’mon! She’s royalty! And hot!” Vinyl said with a blush. “I told you it was embarrassing...”

Vinyl’s voice became serious as she continued her story. “He...explained to me what I was. Told me everything...including that my ‘marefriend’ was...enthralled.”

Vinyl looked at Octavia, seeing the confused look on her face. She sighed. “Addicted. To me. Like I said, it’s what we do. A full feeding is...intense. You only got a little. You didn’t get the...the full experience.”

“Is...is your mother...” Octavia started.

“Enthralled? No. Just in love.”

“With a succubus?”

“Yep. That’s why he’s always been gone. He loves her too. Didn’t want to enthrall her.”

“That’s...surprisingly sad, Vinyl.”

Vinyl shrugged again. Octavia reached out for her tea, looking at Vinyl. She didn’t know what to think of her right now. She took a sip.

“I broke up with my marefriend. She...didn’t take it well. Wound up as a total mess. Got put in some kind of therapy. Haven't seen her since.”

Octavia stared at her. “You just...left her? You never tried to fix it yourself?”

“I didn’t know what else to do!” Vinyl growled, stomping against the floor. “I...I couldn’t do that to somepony. It was wrong! Every time she saw me, she’d....”

Vinyl jumped to her hooves and paced around the floor. “She couldn’t be around me. I made her into something she wasn’t. Just a horny little mare who wanted to buck and nothing else.”

Octavia stared into her tea. What had she wanted Vinyl to have done? Found some way to repair the damage? She heard Vinyl’s restless hooves against the floor as she walked.

“I’m sorry, Vinyl,” Octavia said finally.

“I know I’m dangerous, Octy. Just...give me time to find a new place.” She kicked at the floor with a hoof. “You’ll be safer without me around.”

Vinyl jerked her head up as Octavia slammed her tea down on the table.

“No,” she said, standing up and staring into those sunglasses.

Vinyl stepped back, looking at the intent expression on Octavia’s face.

“You will not run away from this,” Octavia said. “I consider you a friend. I offered my penthouse to you. That offer will still stand, regardless of how dangerous you think you are. I trust you.” Octavia stared at her, before taking a deep breath to steady herself.

“No more hiding from me. You may be a succubus and you may play music that I refuse to agree with, but I have had better conversations about the history of music and applications of musical theory with you than with anypony else. And we will be discussing them once more. On the veranda. With tea.”

Vinyl looked at her, a slow smile growing on her face. “I...think I can put up with that.”

“Indeed. We shall be proper roommates from now on,” Octavia said, giving a swish of her mane as she trotted into the kitchen. “Starting now. We shall have a conversation.”

Teacups and saucers clattered in the kitchen. Vinyl watched from the living room.

“So what’ve we been doing? Dancing?”

“A real conversation, Vinyl. You and I. On the veranda, like I said.” Octavia walked into the living room with a second tea cup in her hoof, offering it to Vinyl.

With a smile, Vinyl let her magic take the cup, levitating it in the air beside her.

“Just this once, Octy.”

“But I must ask, Vinyl. When I....when I kissed you,” Octavia said, a blush heating up her face. “Why didn’t it...do anything?”

“Wasn’t hungry,” Vinyl said, pressing a hoof against her mouth to muffle a laugh. “I’m only half of a succubus. Can’t turn it on and off. It just happens.”

Octavia picked up her own cup, turning away so Vinyl couldn’t see the blush on her face, and trotted out to the rooftop garden.

Vinyl gave a grin and followed after her.

==========

Octavia loved The Eden. Barely two blocks away from her penthouse, it was hardly the casual, everyday bar with its marvelous selection of meals and desserts, which was rivaled only by its drink menu, all accompanied with the sort of prices to be expected from an upscale cafe. The tables in the elegantly furnished main rooms were adorned with flowers during the day and mood-setting candles at night. A recession in the facade from the second story up allowed for a cozy little terrace that provided a charming view down the bustling street.

It was a lovely place for both romantic and casual gatherings, which is why she had selected it for today. There was no better place for a reunion with an old friend than the open air tables.

Octavia looked across the table, giving a smile as she demurely raised her teacup.

“It’s lovely to see you again, Lyra.”

“How could I come to Manehatten and not see you?” Lyra said, levitating her slice of cake into the air and taking a large, noisy bite, immune to the stares of the other patrons.

The pony next to her, introduced to Octavia as her marefriend, Bon-Bon, watched disapprovingly. “Lyra. Manners.” She turned to face Octavia. “I’m sorry about that.”

Octavia gave a giggle, waving it off with a hoof. “I’ve known Lyra for years. I understand her obsession with sweets.”

Lyra nodded happily. “That’s for sure,” She threw Bon-Bon a knowing gaze. Bon-Bon blushed and looked down at her tea.

“I’m...very used to apologizing for her behavior,” Bon-Bon stated, as Lyra swallowed the last bite of her cake, immediately signaling the waiter for another.

“Relaaaax, Bon-Bon! It’s cake!”

“You could at least try and be civilized!”

Octavia chuckled as she sipped her tea. “Oh, you will get much, much more to criticize, Bon-Bon.” She let her gaze travel to the clock mounted on the wall. “Whenever she decides to show up...”

“Oh! Who is it?” Lyra said in a sing-song voice. “Do you have a marefriend?”

Octavia blushed slightly, giving a laugh. “Oh, of course not. She is simply a roommate.”

“A roommate in a penthouse!” Lyra said, leaning towards her and winking.

“Lyra, don’t press,” Bon Bon said before busying herself with her tea.

Lyra ignored her. “Octaviaaaaa. You don’t need to hide!”

Octavia gave a sigh, rubbing her forehead with a hoof. She had forgotten how energetic Lyra could get.

“Lyra, you’ll never change, will you?”

“Noooope.” She busied herself with her cake. Bon-Bon watched her devour her second slice and gave a sigh.

“With as much as she likes sweets, am I allowed to assume that you two make a nice couple?” Octavia asked, turning towards Bon-Bon.

“It’s nice to have such an....enthusiastic taste-tester within leg’s reach.” Bon-Bon said with a smile, turning towards Octavia. “She was even nice enough to present me a list of her favorites.”

Octavia nodded and smiled, raising a hoof to signal the waiter.

“Tell me about your roommate, then,” said Bon-Bon as the waiter, a pegasus dressed in a black and white shirt, brought over a fresh pot of tea for Octavia and Bon-Bon and another slice of cake for Lyra.

“Good service!” Lyra laughed, immediately starting on her new slice. The waiter bowed, hiding the irritation on his face with years of control, and backed away.

“She is a DJ. Dreadful electronic music by all accounts, but she knows musical theory. It’s lovely to have discussions with her. Unfortunately, up until a week ago, she was very nearly a recluse.” Octavia took the teapot, pouring herself another cup. “I invited her here today to see if I can get her to act more social.”

“I’m afraid I don’t know much about electronic music. Thank you,” Bon-Bon said as Octavia filled her teacup. “We live in Canterlot. We don’t get much of it there.”

“Yes, Canterlot has always been very upper-class. I often do shows there when the Manehatten Symphony allows me a break. We get much more variety in music here. How long are you planning to be in town?”

Bon-Bon set her tea down. “Oh, I wanted to take a look at the business opportunities here. With everything that goes on in Manehatten, it certainly looks to be a better place for a confectionary than Canterlot. I have several appointments lined up to look at available locations over the next week.”

“Certainly business in Manehatten can’t be better than Canterlot?” Octavia asked, tilting her head slightly.

“Well...” Bon-Bon shifted nervously. “As you said, Canterlot is very upper-class...and our...relationship...” She threw a look at Lyra.

“Oh. I see,” Octavia said, her ears falling. “I’m sorry to hear that.”

“It didn’t matter so much at first, but when it starts to hurt your business...”

“They’re all idiots, every one of them,” Lyra stated. “I don’t mind commuting. Maybe I’ll even try out for the symphony here!”

“I’d be certain to recommend you, Lyra. You’re a delightful lyrist.” Octavia gave her a smile.

Lyra laughed. “Thanks! That way, I can meet you here for cake every day!”

“We...we’ll see,” Octavia said with a forced grin.

“Octy!” came Vinyl’s voice from inside.

“Out here!” Octavia said, turning in her seat and waving Vinyl out onto the terrace.

Her coat and mane had dulled over the past week, but she had seemed in good spirits about it. There hadn’t been any late night visits to Octavia’s bedroom, that was for certain.

“Octy, did ya really need to pick so ear-oh buck.” She froze in place several yards away from their table.

“Vinyl!” Octavia snapped. “Language!”

Octavia spun around at the sound of shattering china. Bon-Bon had jumped to her hooves so quickly that it had knocked the table over, scattering its contents across the terrace.

“My cake!” Lyra shouted, looking at Bon-Bon before shrinking back.

Octavia looked at Bon-Bon herself, nearly mimicking Lyra’s reaction. Bon-Bon was facing Vinyl with a look that Octavia could only describe as pure hatred. Her head was down, her hooves were planted, and she looked ready to charge.

“YOU!” she screamed.

Octavia and Lyra stared between their companions in stunned silence. The terrace had suddenly gone very quiet with every head turned their way.

"Um … hey. Long time, no see." Vinyl rubbed the nape of her neck with a hoof, suddenly looking very sheepish.

Octavia looked back and forth between Vinyl and Bon-Bon, her mind reeling from sudden realization.

“Oh. Oh, buck.”

Author's Note

Oh buck.

EDIT: I edited the story in preparation for the next chapter, to remove the line about Vinyl not remembering Bon-Bon's name.