Pezzo sat in the Stablebucks, idly poking at the stirrer in her tea. She looked to the second cup before her and wondered just where Octi was. It wasn't like her to skip out on their customary tea after rehearsal- so unlike her, in fact, that Pezzo had ordered Octavia’s usual cup without giving it a second thought. She was about to text her friend when the door swung open and the grey mare stepped in. Pezzo waved her over and rose from her seat as she drew closer. “Another five minutes, I was going to have to start looking for you-” she began in a joking tone, which stopped short when she saw the frazzled look in her friend’s eyes. “Octi, are you alight?” Octavia sat down wordlessly, her cello slipping from her shoulder to the floor beside her almost as if she was barely cognizant of it being there at all. Something was definitely wrong. She started to reach for the tea, when Pezzo pulled it back. “That’s gone cold. Hang on a sec.” She rose and stepped to the counter, returning shortly with a steaming fresh cup of Octavia’s preferred blend. She placed the cup before her friend before retaking her seat. “There, that’s fresh. Now, what’s going on?”
Octavia picked up the cup in her hooves, blowing on the steaming liquid gingerly and sipping at it before finding her voice. The story flowed forward of Starlight’s admission of her crush, her lashing out at Vinyl’s reputation, and the ultimatum of the kiss. Pezzo listened, fascinated. “Huh, never figured her to like mares- Eh, no offense, Octi.”
Octavia looked to her friend with the jokingly offended expression the two of them had honed through years of friendship. “Now, why would I find that offensive?” she said with the first chuckle she had managed to generate that evening.
Pezzo grinned. “So, what did your fan-filly say when you walked away without kissing her?” Octavia looked to her blurry reflection in the tea without saying a word. Pezzo lifted her cup to her lips as she continued. “Look, Octi, even if she was upset, it’s not your fault. I mean-”
“I didn’t walk away.” Octava interjected suddenly, looking to her friend’s eyes.
Pezzo froze mid-sip, gulping down the mouthful of tea before looking to Octavia incredulously. “Uh, come again, Octi? I could have sworn you just said-”
Octavia looked around, but the coffee house was empty save them and the bored barista pony who stood flipping through a magazine, thoroughly oblivious to them. “I didn’t walk away, Pezzo. I- I kissed her.”
Pezzo’s face registered absolute shock. “Octi…”
“I know. Pezzo, what am I going to do? It was wrong-”
“Did you feel anything?” Pezzo interrupted.
Octavia looked to her tea once again. “I- I don’t know. It was exciting, and it felt good… but…” she sighed. “But- but I love Vinyl. Even if she has been distant… I love her, Pezzo. This was a big mistake.” Octavia took a long drink and a steadying breath. “I have to tell her.”
Pezzo nearly choked on her own drink. “What? No, Octi.”
“But-”
“Octi, this was a mistake, just like you said. You aren’t going to do it again, are you?”
“No, of course not. I even told Starlight that it could not happen again-”
“And what do you think it would do to Vinyl to find out?”
Octavia frowned. She already knew the answer. “It would hurt her.”
“This was your mistake, and you learned from it. Don’t make things worse by telling Vinyl.” Pezzo stated, hoping she wasn’t sounding cold. “If you ever need to talk about it, you know I’ll be here… but trust me, Vinyl doesn’t need to know this happened.”
Octavia sighed. “I suppose you’re correct.”
Pezzo rose from her seat and gave her friend a hug. “It’ll be alright, Octi. It was just a moment of weakness. If anything, maybe this is a good thing. You’re the one realizing you couldn’t hurt Vinyl like that…”
Octavia nodded, wiping the tears from the corner of her eyes. “Thank you, Pezzo. I probably should get back… Hopefully Vinyl remembered to start dinner in the oven.”
Pezzo laughed. “Does she ever?”
Octavia grinned wearily. “Sometimes… Thank you again for the tea.”
Pezzo finished her cup in one gulp. “No charge. You know that. Just take it easy and everything will be fine, you’ll see.” With that, the two mares rose and stepped to the door, each walking in an opposite direction towards their respective homes.
****
Octavia’s walk through the evening did little to clear her head. The nagging guilt was still eating at her, but she did believe Pezzo was right. She turned a corner, and saw the two-toned cottage she shared with Vinyl. Just the sight brought a smile to her face, even if she always secretly thought it looked as if it had been painted by a mad pony with a split personality. The cottage, however, just served as a strong metaphor for her tonight… No matter their differences in tastes and priorities, they functioned together as a unit and had a solid relationship at their core. As she drew closer she could hear through the walls the deep, thumping bass of Vinyl’s music. She sighed. If Vinyl was still at work on her mixing, it wasn’t very likely that she had recalled to start the dinner. Octavia straightened the strap of her cello case upon her back, drew in a deep breath, and opened the front door. Inside, she found Vinyl parked on the couch, her head bobbing to the dubstep invading their living room. Almost immediately, her unicorn horn glowed as she simultaneously raised her purple-lensed sunglasses and the stereo remote within her magical aura. With a great smile, she greeted her with a happy “Hey, babe!” The remote clicked the stereo over from Vinyl’s loud wubs to a classical CD, playing a cello-heavy piece. It was then that Octavia noted the smell in the cottage.
“You started the dinner?”
“Sure! And I’ve got great news! I finished it!”
“Finished?” Octavia asked as she lowered her cello case to the floor.
“Yeah! My new mix! I finally wrapped it up a while after you left. I started the grub and ran it over to Neon… he’s gonna start it working in his clubs tonight, and I’ll hit it on the weekend. It’s so bangin’, we’re gonna be rolling in bits.”
Octavia looked to her, trying to smile. “That’s- that’s wonderful-”
“Yeah, but that’s not all,” the DJ continued. She motioned for Octavia to sit on the couch.
“Oh?”
Vinyl grinned as she sat next to her and looked to her eyes. “Listen, babe, I know I’ve been all wrapped up in this mix. Now that it’s done, I’m taking some time off. I’ll still DJ at the club and all, but for now home time is ours.”
Octavia looked into her eyes. “Do you mean that, Vinyl?”
Vinyl grinned her biggest grin. “Course I do!” She rose from the couch and offered her hoof. Octavia took it, and the cream-colored unicorn led her into the dining room and sat her at the table. “You sit and chill, Tavi. I’ll get us the grub.” She turned and trotted into the kitchen, beat boxing to herself despite the classical music playing.
Octavia sat at the table as her head sunk into her hooves. This was more than she had dreamed of hoping for this morning, and she had kissed another mare! “Oh, Celestia, what am I going to do?” she mumbled to herself before hearing the swinging door open behind her.
“Whooooooo’s hungry?” Vinyl called playfully as she entered, levitating two steaming plates of Sunflower Souffle. Octavia looked up to see her dish had not only been perfectly prepared, but was also being served on their nicest dishes. The plates settled before her.
“Vinyl, I-”
“Hang on a second, babe. I have a surprise for you!” Vinyl interrupted as she turned back into the kitchen.
You’re not the only one, Octavia thought with guilt as Vinyl reemerged behind her. She turned to look, but the objects Vinyl was levitating stayed hidden behind her. “Uh, uh!” the unicorn replied teasingly. “No peeking. Close those eyes!”
Octavia did as she was told and soon heard the pop of a cork and the sound of liquid being poured. “OK, Tavi, open ‘em!” The grey mare opened her eyes to see two stemmed glasses, one by each plate, and a bottle being lowered into an ice bucket. It was Black Rose Wine, her favorite.
“Vinyl…” she began as Vinyl took her seat.
“Nuh-uh. No moaning about cost. I told you, we’ll be rolling in bits. This is just part of my way to making up the last few weeks. Besides…” Vinyl tossed back a healthy amount of her glass before continuing, “how often do I get to catch a buzz off the fancy stuff?” With that, the unicorn topped off her glass and raised it in a magical aura. “To us, Tavi!”
Octavia weakly raised her glass in her hooves, feeling as if she was going to be sick at any moment. “To- to us, Vinyl.” She raised the glass to her lips and took a drink with her eyes closed, before opening them again to see Vinyl looking at her, puzzled.
“Tavi… what’s wrong?”
“Ah- it’s… it’s nothing-”
Vinyl set the glass down, her magical aura fading away. “Not buying it, babe. You’re quiet, you seem moody… I mean, if I were still all wrapped up, if I’d forgotten dinner, then hey, yeah, I’d get it, but this is good news, good booze, and good food. So what’s going on? Something happen at rehearsal?”
You don’t know the half of it. Octavia thought to herself. She looked to Vinyl’s worried expression, overcome with uncertainty of how in Equestria to even express what had happened. The idea of keeping this a secret was impossible - she knew that she could not possibly live with herself if she tried. “You could say that.” she replied softly.
Vinyl smiled at her and rose to walk behind her, gently massaging at her marefriend’s shoulders. “Well, hey, it’s over now. What happened, another plot-face conductor? Out of tune cello?” She chuckled teasingly as she continued, “You didn’t miss a cue, did you?”
Overcome with guilt, the truth spilled out before Octavia could even consider trying to phrase it gently. “Vinyl, I kissed another mare.” The statement was made with all the weight of the world upon Octavia’s shoulders, and yet it sounded so quiet coming from her lips, as if it were something that would disappear if just spoken softly enough.
Vinyl’s hooves stopped their massage for a moment as the classical music held the cottage in its grip before she suddenly laughed. “Good one, Tavi. You almost had me-”
“I am not joking, Vinyl.” Octavia said, turning to look at her marefriend. Vinyl’s smile fell, and the strength seemed to leave her hind legs as she stumbled backward in shock and slumped to the floor.
“You- you what?” Vinyl asked in a small voice as fear and sadness overtook her.
Octavia rose from her seat and offered her hoof to her love as tears started to form in the corners of her eyes. “Vinyl, I am so sorry-”
“Sorry?” Vinyl snapped back, her fear giving way to anger as she slapped the offered hoof away. “You’re sorry? Tavi, How could you do this to me?”
Despite not feeling any grounds with which to argue her position, defensive instinct kicked in and Octavia replied back, “You haven’t even been paying attention for weeks-”
Now Vinyl’s eyes narrowed as her anger increased. “So because I was focused on something I love doing, that makes it fine for you to go run off? How many times have you been so wrapped up in your music and I haven’t said a word? I don’t, because I know it’s your passion and your destiny!” Vinyl emphasized the point by pointing her hoof at Tavi’s lavender treble clef cutie mark, and continued as she pointed to her own bridged eighth-notes cutie mark. “Just like my music is mine.” Before Octavia could respond, Vinyl let in one last calculated jab. “Besides, do you have any idea how much plot I get thrown at me every night at the clubs? Colts, Mares, it don’t matter. I’ve NEVER even considered it since we’ve been together, and you wanna know why? It’s ‘cause I LOVE YOU!” The DJ could no longer hold back the tears as they punched through her anger like a champion boxer. “Whether you believe it or not, I do!” With that, her head collapsed back down as she sobbed and her tears wet the floor.
Octavia stood before her, riddled with guilt and at a loss for words. “Vinyl, I- I am so very sorry… I- I was not even going to-”
“But you did!” came the tearful words from her marefriend. The hurt eyes were back upon her again. “If you weren’t even gonna do it, then how? Why?”
“I don’t know-” Octavia began, flustered. Why had she done it? loneliness? Longing? Just to placate Starlight? “I think- I think there were several reasons-”
“Like what?” Vinyl growled. “Tell me the reason that was good enough!”
“At first, it was just to- well, to placate Starlight-”
Vinyl suddenly rose from the floor, furiously growling. “Starlight. Starlight WHO?”
“Vinyl, please!”
“That mule’s gonna get her flank BEAT!” Vinyl screamed, her hoof pounding on the table with enough force to rattle the dishes. Octavia’s eyes looked to her with apprehension. She had never seen Vinyl so hurt, so angered. “What’s her full name?” Vinyl seethed, fully ready to pound this other mare to a pulp with her bare hooves.
“Vinyl, please try to calm down.” Octavia pleaded. “This is not her fault-”
“Oh, yeah? Well, who the buck’s fault is it? Mine?” Vinyl snapped as her horn glowed. The bottle of wine rose to her lips and she chugged a deep drink with a cough. “Tartarus, maybe it is! I mean, I just drink and party, right? I’m sure I’m not ‘cultured’ enough for you!” the words came in an acid, mocking tone. “Is that it, Tavi? Huh? Am I not good enough? Not worthy of you? She tell you that, or did you just decide it on your own?”
Now Octavia’s tears were falling freely. She watched Vinyl chug more of the wine that been intended to celebrate a great success and usher in a time of closeness as she struggled to find her words. “Vinyl, I have never thought that of you! It’s just…” She stopped her words short and sighed deeply as Vinyl chugged yet another healthy drink of the wine, seemingly dead set on finishing the bottle right then and there.
“Just WHAT?” Vinyl snarled as she coughed down her latest attack on the wine. Octavia could see her starting to sway unsteadily on her hind legs from the alcohol. Party Mare or not, the emotional impact of the night was not helping the DJ’s normally legendary tolerance for liquor.
“There’s no excuse for what I did. I’m so sorry.” Octavia stated somberly.
Vinyl’s head swam as she tried to take another swig from the bottle, only to find it emptied. With a frustrated snort, the magical aura released the bottle in mid-air and it crashed to the floor, shattering. She turned her attention to to the wine remaining in Octavia’s glass and made short work of it before turning back to look at her marefriend. Her vision seemed somewhat hazy, but hurt and anger still ruled her mind in the moment. “No. No, there ain’t no excuse.” The words sounded thick, slurred. Octavi hung her head, looking to the cottage floor with regret. “But you know what? You don’t need one.”
Octavia looked up in confusion to see Vinyl step to the stereo, mashing the power button with her hoof. The classical music shut off abruptly, leaving an uncomfortable silence as Vinyl stood there, her eyes staring straight ahead to the cottage’s front door. “Vinyl… what do you mean?”
Without looking back, Vinyl stepped to the door and turned the handle with her unicorn magic. “You don’t need an excuse ‘cause you don’t have a marefriend any more.” the DJ stated as the door swung open. Still not looking back to the mare she once loved, Vinyl continued as she stepped past the threshold, “I’ll get my stuff tomorrow.”
Octavia felt as if she would die. “Vinyl! Vinyl, please!” She shouted suddenly as she felt the sobs start to choke her words. “Don’t trot away, I- I need you! I’m so sorry!”
Vinyl turned to look back at her from the front walk. Her unicorn magic raised those trademark sunglasses to look at Octavia with eyes that held nothing but hurt and anger. “Buck off. I gave you everything… but it wasn’t enough, was it?” Before Octavia could say another word, Vinyl focused her magic to slam the door shut, then turned to trot off into the night. She had no exact plans on where she was going, but she knew she needed some loud wubs and strong drinks… maybe even somepony to help her through the night.
In the cottage, Octavia fell to the floor as her mind screamed at her how right Vinyl was, how horrid she was, and how she had just taken everything she cherished most in Equestria and thrown it all away, all for not walking away from that question… “What do you say, Octavia?”