Vinyl's eyes opened, and she found herself in Octavia's arms, and she would have stayed in her embrace if it weren't for a knock on the door.
"You girls decent?" called Lyra from the other side, "cause... You know, breakfast..."
Vinyl felt Octavia shift around a little. "Give us five minutes..." Octavia said, nuzzling up against Vinyl's Neck.
Vinyl smiled and closed her eyes, enjoying the brief moment of peace she had.
"You know..." Octavia said, "You smell... Familiar... Yet there's something exotic about it."
Vinyl chuckled. "I wouldn't be surprised. My bloodline's kinda weird."
"... You didn't seem to question that I'm an oracle either... My little fox..." Octavia said. Starting to giggle.
Vinyl began to blush. "Why'd you have to pick up on that one? At least with vampire blood we'd be able to joke about Hospital cats."
Octavia kissed Vinyl's cheek. "That wouldn't make good pillow talk though..."
They heard Lyra knock on the door again. "Since you two didn't get up, the others have used up the milk... So dry cereal for you!"
The two slowly worked their way out of bed, Vinyl grabbing her shades in the process to protect her sensitive eyes from harsh sunlight... Plus a few other things, shades are rarely ever just shades are they?
A display lit up in the corner of the shades with a brief message.
Lyra: This is a message from the distant future... Sort of... Look, can you just get your ass out here here and help move some kid around time? Specifics are in an attached file.
Vinyl Scratch yawned. Today was going to be a long day.
---
Octavia and Spitfire walked out of a convenience store carrying supplies for Lyra's place. And Octavia turned to Spitfire.
"It's nice you decided to accompany me," Octavia said, "we haven't had a chance to catch up in... Almost a thousand years?"
Spitfire scratched the back of her head. "Yeah... You can thank Lyra for that."
Octavia rolled her eyes. "She's already done a lot in the last thousand years, I don't think any more thanks, sarcastic or not would be necessary."
"Yeah, yeah, everything from hands to television, I get it," Spitfire said, "I wasn't trying to bring up the subject, I was trying to make small talk."
Octavia sighed. "I guess we're both out of practice in that area then."
"Maybe we should catch up again later, maybe some kind of... Double date with your new Marefriend?" Spitfire said, "like... Coffee maybe? Is that still a thing?"
Octavia chuckled. "We'll have to see, I'll need to ask Vinyl if she's okay with me double dating my old high-school marefriend."
Spitfire blushed. "Why do you have to phrase it like that?" She sighed. "Anyways, I better get going, Lyra wants me to go grab some stuff."
With a great leap, Spitfire flew into the air, giving a salute as she left.
Octavia smirked as Spitfire flew away, but was interrupted by the cocking of a gun behind her, so she grabbed a hidden knife and spun round to slice off the offending limb.
The Assassin... Was another Octavia.
The remains of the other Octavia's limb morphed into a large blade, pointed right at the real one. "Well... I guess underhanded tactics failed," She said, "might as well have that villainous monologue now."
Octavia groaned. "I'm certain that's just going to be annoying for both of us. So maybe this time we can get to the point?"
The other Octavia sighed. "Very well, we're not having our duel just yet anyways..." she said, "Just thought you'd like to know a repeat of the events with Gilda is not happening either. Not until one of us has been reduced to dust anyways."
Both versions of Octavia lowered their weapons.
Octavia sighed. "I doubt you'd come out here just to tell me that like some exposition fairy. We have Lyra for that. What are you here for."
The other Octavia turned around. "Perhaps I wanted to ask you... Are you really doing this whole 'Colt Pilgrim' thing to be with Vinyl, or something else?"
Octavia hung her head. "I'm not really sure... I have feelings for her sure, but it doesn't feel like that's why I'm fighting."
The other Octavia smirked. "I thought so... I think you're having as much fun fighting us as you have just hanging out with Vinyl. Not that you want to show it."
Octavia groaned. " You're making me sound like a psychopath!"
The other Octavia laughed. "I suppose I owe you an answer to one of your own questions then. Ask quickly, your next challenger is coming."
"So..." Octavia started, "how exactly did I end up as both Vinyl's current marefriend and Ex-Marefriend?"
The other Octavia stared into the distance. "It's a time travel thing... Her thing... She went back in time and stopped you getting killed once. But obviously, time travel doesn't stop one of us being already dead, go figure." She turned back to the normal Octavia. "Not that you'd remember, it pushed back your eventual meeting till this point." She leaped up to the rooftops and ran off.
Octavia put the supplies to the side of the curb, and readied her weapon
A Horde of Metallic Ponies burst through the walls and into the streets, chains extending from their bodies that ended in curved blades.
The Horde rushed at Octavia, who felt something in her heart flare within her.
"Maybe she's right..." Octavia said to herself, "I fight for me."
A Violet Aura surrounded Octavia as she rushed forward, cutting through the horde and it's storm of blades.
As the blades swung around her, she twisted around, her heart rate accelerating.
Within moments she was cutting through dozens withing seconds.
And she suddenly found herself with a grin on her face.
When the last of them had been defeated, and had exploded into coins and other resources due to Video Game logic. Octavia tried to regain her composure, but the adrenaline in her blood was a little intoxicating.
She heard a laugh behind her. And she turned to see who it was.
A Blue Unicorn mare stood, with a silvery mane and a Moon and Wand Cutie Mark; framed by the chains hanging from her wrists with blades-
Wait... that last bit is not that different from the rest she fought today. Disregard!
Anyways, the pony who is obviously Trixie opened her Monologue Hole.
"Well, It seems the other you was right. You do follow the path of of Heart! But is your will strong enough to defeat the Great and Powerful-"
Octavia threw one of the discarded swords at Trixie, Impaling her threw the chest.
The Deamon groaned. "You're not even going to listen? I've been working for ages on that! And you're going to ruin it just because your facade is broken?!"
Octavia's smirk turned into a huge toothy grin full of sharp teeth. "You want a Monologue? Fine! I'll give you one!"
Octavia Raised Her Hand into the air, glowing in Violet Fire. "This hand of mine glows with an awesome power!" She clenched her hand and made a dramatic sweep with her arm. "Its burning grip tells me to defeat you!" She pulled back her fist.
"TAKE THIS!" She said as she punched a beam of Violet soul Energy at Trixie."MY LOVE, MY ANGER, AND ALL OF MY SORROW!"
"SHINING FIST!"
The Deamon Trixie burst into fragments of Blue light as the beam surged with Octavia's new-found fighting spirit.
As the Beam subsided, all that remained were the blue shards of light that floated away... Presumably to find the Real Trixie who would no doubt complain about how Octavia didn't even give her the chance to get her name in lights for a Duel.
Vinyl showed up at the side, showing her applause over Octavia's battle.
Octavia started to blush. "I... Think I went a bit overboard."
Vinyl laughed. "Don't worry, it's a good thing to let down the facade and do something for the fun of it every once in a while."
Octavia looked up at the sky. "Sounds like something my sister would say... But still, I wasn't raised to act that way."
Vinyl shrugged. "Perhaps, but I'm sure your sister could probably tell you that those raising you have no idea what they were talking about."
Octavia's raised an eyebrow. "And you... Or her think you know what I'm supposed to do?"
Vinyl smirked. "Let's just say a girl I know with a few interesting sources tells me your quest is to follow your Heart. Learning to be yourself, being sentimental, that's who you're meant to become. More so than any one of us."
Octavia sighed as she turned her Bow tie's magic disguise off. Showing herself in full Tiger-Pony glory. She looked up at Vinyl with wide eyes. "Is this... A good step?"
Vinyl kissed her forehead. "So long as you think it is."
The two hugged each other for a while before Octavia noticed that another pony was nearby.
The two looked over and saw what looked like Rainbow Dash if she'd lost a few colors from her hair. What was left mostly amounted to Orange and Gold.
"Um... Is that...?" Octavia started
Lightning Dash waved over. "It's complicated, I'm from a future so far off its disconnected from the present... And I'm not the Dash you know, more like some bizarre alternate version than a paradox duplicate..." she facepalmed. "Actually, this makes no sense and is incredibly inaccurate... Screw it I'll explain later!"
Vinyl scratched the back of her head. "Yeah... I guess we've just met the new Exposition Fairy."
Dash blushed. "That's... kind of a thing I guess... Just... Can we do this in my timeline at least? I'd rather you just see than do some improper telling of Lyra's notes."
With a snap of Vinyl's fingers, The Three Disappeared into the Future.
---
The three of them stood in front of a TV store in a city full of Neon lights and an approximation of steam tubes... Though it was really just the city they just came from.
What was on the TVs? What else but a freaking commercial for more of Lyra's hands! Both Mechanically and Magically supplied.
"Well," Octavia said, "that explained almost nothing."
Dash smirked. "I suppose it reminds everypony here who gave the gift of hands to ponies. It's not important otherwise... You guys probably just got the hand stuff a day or two ago I bet."
Octavia just nodded and continued watching some advertisement for a Magically powered Hover-Cycle.
Vinyl was reading a newspaper she nicked from some box further down the road. "In any case, welcome to a little quirk of time unique to this reality. You're welcome."
Octavia sighed. "So what did you bring us to here and now for?"
Lightning brought out a gunblade. "Basically we're going hunting for your Dash's Chrono-clones. I'm sure I don't need need to explain what to do with them afterwards."
Octavia nodded. "Introduce them to the main self and hope they fuse into one," she said, "speaking of other selves, how is Gilda going?"
Vinyl shrugged. "Last I checked, Lyra was trying to convince her to become a summoner with the power she gained from her demon self. Thankfully, it sounds like a less mentally straining path than that of Wizard's path or whatever."
Dash just rolled her eyes. "Guys, a little focus here, can't you ask about what the chrono-clone we're looking for is like?"
Vinyl lowered her shades in the dim light, showing her dual colored eyes. "You're probably going to tell us anyways, aren't you?"
Dash crossed her arms. "Yeah, the short of it is that she's supposed to be a split off that would have become a Lycanthrope, putting her down the path to mastering time. Which your Dash is supposed to do eventually anyways, but this is even quicker."
Vinyl clasped her hands together. "Right then, thanks for the heads up miss exposition fairy. now, which way are we going?"
"Would you stop calling me that," said Dash, "this story of yours has better choices for exposition fairies, including one actual fairy."
Vinyl tapped a hoof on the pavement in impatience. "I'm beginning to think It's supposed to find us... isn't it?"
Dash rolled her eyes. "Well yeah, she's a time traveling magical beast maddened by her own death! It's not like you can track that down too easily," she said, "for some reason, I'm the bait here, you two just have to slow her down and subdue her so you can drag her home."
The three stood in relative silence as they waited.
Octavia yawned. "You know, if you don't mind. Maybe we should go do something less boring while we wait."
Vinyl raised an eyebrow. "Like what?"
Octavia smirked. "We're joining a heroes guild, this is the future, what do you think we should do?"
Vinyl grinned. "Grab whatever we can that might help us back in our time and then grab some booze."
Dash laughed. "I guess that's one way to shut me up. Let's do it!"
The three headed off down the street.
---
Octavia, Lightning Dash and Vinyl Scratch sat on the back of a hover cycle covered in loot, parked in a beer garden, while singing some drinking songs.
Vinyl seemed a little off balance, and she grabbed hold of Octavia. "You're... Mush becha at thish than me 'Tavi."
Octavia blushed. "It's... No big deal... Monks know how to handle their Liquor pretty well."
Dash sat drinking soft drinks. "Man, if that she-wolf wants to ruin this moment by picking a fight with us; she's going to have one hell of a hangover isn't she?!"
The three cheered and clinked together what passed for their mugs.
Suddenly a small whine emitted from nearby. And they looked at the source, they saw a drunken blue and red wolf half drowning in a cask of Ale she was drinking out of. Her head slightly framed by a dim halo.
...Yeah yeah, almost forgot to mention the Lightning bolt cutie mark.
"Well..." Octavia said, "that was anticlimactic."
Dash sighed and picked up the drunken wolf version of the other her. "Well looks like we're done here; but if you don't mind I'd like to stay with you guys."
Octavia smiled. "Sure, why not?"
Vinyl cuddled up with Octavia. "Hey 'Tavi... Can we shtart a band?"
Octavia blushed. "I'd love to... But can you get us back home first? Assuming you can."
---
While Octavia attempted two drag the sleeping Vinyl up the stairs with one gold version of Dash in tow. But as she reached the door she noticed her sister sleeping by the door... And to the surprise of absolutely nobody, that sister was Pinkie Pie.
"Oh Pinkie.... What have you gotten yourself into?" Octavia asked.
Pinkie rolled over in her sleep. And murmured the word "Surprise."
So Octavia strained herself to bring Pinkie Inside as well while Dash opened the door, before heading out to go grab the wolf Dash that was passed out over the seat of the hover bike they managed to bring back fro the future.
As Octavia tucked herself and her companions into her large bed, she heard Vinyl waking up.
"'Tavi..." she said, "if you're thinking of dating Spitfire on the side... I'm already fine with it, you told me you do that stuff the day we met."
Octavia kissed Vinyl. "Not tonight Vinyl, tonight's all about you."
And much like how the day started... Octavia cuddled up to Vinyl, but this time, her sister was joining in with the embrace.
---
Lightning Dash lowered the angel wolf version of Rainbow Dash onto the sleeping form of Rainbow Dash. The Ridiculousness of that statement only being matched by the awkwardness of the action. But soon, the two incarnations of Rainbow Dash merged. And what was left behind was the two Dashes... Mother and Daughter.
Slowly, Rainbow Dash opened her eyes and saw her daughter. And only slowly did the memories of the future return.
"Lightning... Dust?" said Rainbow Dash.
Lightning shook her head. "That's not my real name... My real name... Is... Dash... Lightning Dash."
Rainbow's eyes went wide. "I... Remember now... I'm a mother?"
Lightning struggled to hold back some tears. "I missed you mom... Just... Try not to watch me cry."
Rainbow Dash hugged her Daughter. "Don't think of it as crying, think of it as liquid Pride."
The two embraced for what for one was the first time ever, and for the other was a long time waiting.
---
Surprise climbed in through the window of Lyra's Apartment. She wondered up to the sleeping Pinkie Pie Curled up next to her sister and Vinyl Scratch.
Surprise whispered in Pinkie's Ear. "Hey Mom... Mind if I sleep with you tonight?"
Even while asleep Pinkie managed to shift around. "Just try not to wake us..." Pinkie mumbled in her sleep.
And so Surprise curled up among them in an embrace with her mother, alongside her aunt and her aunt's mare-friend.
This would turn out to be something close to Surprise's first Family reunion ever...
Tomorrow may indeed be a big day... But this.. Was already flipping insane.