Vinyl Scratch always loved the look of Ponyville in the sunset, it had been one of the things that always stayed the same about the quaint little place. The sunset, great people, and Pinkie Pie... always Pinkie Pie.
Since she and her charge didn't feel the need to talk, Vinyl simply enjoyed the countryside as the walked along a small dirt path towards the home that she and Octavia had set up for themselves.
Ah, Octavia! Just the thought of that mare brought a small spark of happiness to her chest! She had to be the luckiest changeling EVER to have won that mare's heart. Though it had started kinda rough, what with all the whipped cream, symphony music, and a small amount of wine (don't ask) that had ended up in a small fight, followed by a big date.
Of course that had been before Catalyst and her had been joined at the hip. One of the many perks of being gladiator was the freedom to wander Equestria as you wished as long as you made your fight deadlines. Understandably once she had become a royal guardian she had had fewer and fewer opportunities to go on adventures and get tangled up in affairs outside the Changeling Royal Family, though in her opinion it was all worth it.
Octavia was also rather understanding about the whole emotion feeding creature from a hive, and charged with protecting a princess shtick, and had been fawning over Cat ever since they had met. (Though Cat had always hated being treated like the princess she was, and Octavia, a natural born Canterlot pony, couldn't always keep the mannerisms down!)
The two of them came to the top of a hill overlooking her and Oct's quaint little half and half house on the edge of town, just far enough that nopony would come and bug them unnecessarily, but also close enough that they were never seen as detached from the town proper.
Scoots looked down at the house and had a frown come to her face, "What are we gonna tell Octavia? I can't just ask her to abandon everything and run away, and I would never want to separate you two!"
Vinyl rolled her eyes at her charges words. Scoots had always been adamant about leaving Ponyville come the Trials, and to avoid causing trouble for anypony who wasn't already involved, while she on the other hoof was all for Scoots beating the stuffing out of the other princesses until they were so much paste on the ground. However, Scoots was adamant about leaving once she came clean to Rainbow Dash, so leaving it would be.
They walked up to the front door, Vinyl listening all the while to Scoots' endless muttering about Octavia and how this would go. Vinyl knew that her wife was going to be fine, after all she was a tough mare, and had put up with all their Changeling shenanigans prior, so a small scale war would be nothing to pause for.
Vinyl opened the door without any warning, sensing that Octavia was in the kitchen, already preparing dinner in preparation for her coming home.
"That you darling? It'll be ready in just a second!" Octavia called out in her light, singsong voice. In response Vinyl nudged Scootaloo on the side, since she herself couldn't respond to announce their guest.
"Um, I'm here too Oct! I hope that's okay?!"
The response was immediate, "Oh, Scootaloo! Come in and make yourself at home! Dinner will be ready soon, and I made extra anyway!" Vinyl smiled at that. That was her Octavia, always thinking ahead.
Without a word both of them began setting the table, and wondering what Octavia could have cooked up for tonight. Their question was soon answered as she brought out a large pot of spaghetti, layered in sauce and a special spice from her mother. It was enough to make both Vinyl and Scootaloo begin watering at the mouth from the smell.
Octavia gave Scootaloo a small smile, and then began to dish out the food, "Well? Help yourselves!" Scootaloo needed no further prodding, tearing into the meal as if she hadn't eaten in days. Vinyl was more relaxed, enjoying the heat and the feeling of the food for all it was worth since she couldn't taste it. One of the number of downsides to her lack of a tongue. Octavia, always classy, took small, neat portions, and made sure to not drop a single bit of sauce.
They managed to eat in relative silence for a while before Octavia asked about how their day went. What followed was a series of one word answers as Octavia slowly got Scootaloo to spill about the Trials. She probably could have gotten it faster from Vinyl, but she was always trying to act like a big sister towards the disguised princess, even if she didn't want it.
Finally, after admitting to the entirety of her day, sans one visit to Rainbow, Scoots asked the big one, "What will you and Wing do?"
Octavia paused, as if she HADN'T spent many an evening thinking about this with Vinyl.
"Well dear, it's very simple. We are all staying here, and if any unwanted guests try to come in here, then they die. Easy as that." With that she went back to eating, in her mind closing the conversation then and there.
Scootaloo was less convinced, and put both her front hooves table in frustration, "But you could get hurt! Or killed! And what will you do if any of my sisters show up and neither of us are here?!"
Octavia looked at the princess with a cool gaze, and stared straight at Scootaloo with enough cold force to make her quietly sit down and keep her hooves off of the table.
"I repeat Scootaloo," She replied, raising up a frying pan as she did so, "If they come in here, then they die. No ifs, ands, or buts!" With that she took a swing with the frying pan, almost taking off her wife's head as she did so.
Octavia's declaration seemed to kill any conversation left, and quickly after Scootaloo was sent up to the guest bedroom by Octavia. She and Vinyl stayed downstairs and tended to the dishes.
Octavia kept scrubbing at the bits of food left on the plates with enough force to make Vinyl scared that she would break the plates. Coming up behind her Vinyl put a hoof on her wife's shoulder.
Octavia let out a deep breath, "I know love, but I just wish she would trust in me more. I have been with you both through thick and thin, and I am more then ready to fight with you both for our lives here! I just want everyone to come out of this happy..." She lowered her head, and in Vinyl's second sight she turned a deep orange, the color of frustration.
Luckily Vinyl knew the cure. She slowly rubbed her mates shoulders, and made sure to get all the little knots that always seemed to be there whenever she massaged Octavia's shoulders. Oct gave out a small sigh, and the orange slowly turned into a more relaxed, content yellow.
She turned around and gave Vinyl a short kiss, "Thank for that dear. I just wish I could do something like that fo-" Suddenly a loud knock came from the front of the house.
Both of them looked towards the front door, wondering who could be there at this hour. Going into their practiced routine Octavia slowly approached the door, ready to pivot and buck the person on the other side into the Everfree. Vinyl kept her magic flowing underneath her disguise, ready to blast the pony on the other side, or to summon a sword to cut them down.
However, both of them paused when they opened the door and saw who was on the other side.
"Hey guys, sorry to disturb you, but I am here on business." stated Twilight Sparkle, the Princess of Friendship.
Vinyl looked at her wife's stunned face for a moment before returning to Twilight's concerned look as she waited for permission to come in. As the moment dragged on only one thing went through Vinyl's head...
"Well shit!"