Chapter 7
“Is this everything, Mr. Harpo?” The pony carrier asked as he set down the last of the suitcases on the dock. Harpo quickly did took inventory of everything that had been pulled from the hold of Octavia’s boat and smiled that nothing was missing.
“That’s it. Grab what you can and I’ll handle the rest.” He said. The carrier duly stacked all the cases and bags that he could manage onto his shoulders, giving Harpo a surprise that the island native could handle pretty much all of his belongings, including his harp! The stallion bit back an urge to glower as his fellow equine trotted away from the marina, his pace not even slightly slowed despite all the weight he was carrying.
“I do hope he values being able to do that while he can. It’s only a few short years until you get to be like me, still strong in spirit but lacking in bodily durability.” He mumbled, prompting a laugh from Octavia.
“Oh come now, Harpo! You’ve held your own on the dance floor a lot better than some of us these past few days. Having a few aches and pains afterwards just attests to how you won’t let your age get to you.” The grey mare soothed while sipping a glass of punch. “Besides, you’ve got Beauty Brass now to beat the old out of you so you should be set.”
Harpo looked to his now former traveling companion and snorted in amusement.
“Yet still you and Vinyl managed to show me up on the last night of the kanikapila. Seriously, Octy, in all the years we’ve known each I’ve never once, nor did I ever expect I’d see you move like that! With no care, no reservation, just a mare completely lost in the joy of life.”
Octavia’s smile faded slightly as she tried to hide behind her glass.
“Well you can add me finally admitting you were right to the things that can be ticked off your to do list. If I hadn’t listened to you and stopped off here I’d have missed out on one of the most wonderful discoveries ever…” Octavia paused as she heard the clop of approaching hooves. “Not to mention the chance to return to Canterlot with a sweet little souvenir.”
Harpo turned to see Vinyl bounding up with two packed suit cases. Behind her two more carrier ponies were bringing her turntables and sound equipment.
“Alright Tavi, got the biggest and heaviest stuff packed up first. Still a few tidbits left to grab from my room at the resort before I check out but this is the bulk of what I need to take with me.” The white unicorn panted as she set down her cases. Octavia stepped away from the gangplank and pointed to the bow of her boat.
“Harpo’s cleared out a space for you in the hold. If you need more though, feel free to stow your stuff in his cabin.” The grey mare sighed. “I’m presuming you won’t be needing your own bed to sleep in?”
Vinyl lowered her sunglasses, letting Tavi behold again just how her red eyes sparkled with all the dancing embers of mischief.
“Depends, are the beds on this cruise liner of yours big enough for two bodies? I mean, not that I’d complain about having to snuggle up real close to you…” She teased. Octavia’s eyes half-lidded, then she got a mischievous smirk of her own.
“Is your mouse plush in one of those bags? Go put him on my bed and you’ll see it’s quite adequately sized for two beings.” Octavia kissed Vinyl on the nose. “Though that doesn’t mean you can’t still snuggle up real close to me regardless.”
Now Vinyl had to blush, despite her best efforts to play it cool.
“And to think I was worried about having to book passage on a passenger ship back to Canterlot and spend who knows how long with nothing to do.” She said while heaving her bags up and boarding Octavia’s boat. Harpo arched an eyebrow as he caught the excited swish of the unicorn’s electric blue tail.
“No sooner do I resign as your traveling companion than you find another pony to take my place?” He said, mocking a tone of being hurt.
“While I’ve no doubt I could handle my boat solo, the joy of sailing the seas comes largely from having somepony to share the experience with.” Octavia pointedly took another drink of her punch while eyeing up the stallion. “Besides, you’ve found yourself a kindred spirit to be with, why can I not do the same?”
Harpo looked questioningly at Vinyl as she descended back onto the dock again.
“Do you even know how to handle a boat?” He asked. Vinyl paid him a smug smirk.
“Tavi’s going to teach me over the course of the trip. We’ll be like scurvy sea dogs living on our wits alone, braving the waves in search of booty to plunder! ARRRRR!” The unicorn growled in a very over the top pirate voice. Octavia rolled her eyes.
“Hardly a need to search. I see booty worth plundering right here.” The earth mare smacked Vinyl’s sizeable rump. “Didn’t even have to leave the port for that!”
Vinyl turned with a look of anger…playful anger albeit but anger nonetheless. Octavia remained smug as the unicorn stepped towards her, till their muzzles were touching.
“I’ll have to punish you for that!” She said.
“Do you promise?” Octavia replied, then giggled as Vinyl took her in another kiss. How strange that the unicorn’s tongue seemed to match the motif of her hair; electric, wild, and just so utterly right!
“Promise…but later. After we’ve packed, set sail and the sting is gone.” Vinyl groaned as she rubbed her butt through her jeans. “You hit hard, you know that, Tavi?”
“Yet again, I’m an earth pony, and as evidenced, I know my own strength.” Octavia snorted as she hugged Vinyl. “If it hurts that much though, I can kiss it better.”
“Could you do so even if it doesn’t?” Vinyl replied, before Harpo had to clear his throat.
“Um…should I go now? Not that this isn’t sinfully intriguing to eavesdrop on but it sounds like you’d prefer to be alone.” He said with a smirk. Vinyl and Octavia both looked at him, then at each other, seemingly sharing a silent but legitimate debate as to whether they really wanted to give exhibitionism a try. Given how many other boundaries they’d explored over the last few days, it didn’t seem that big of a step.
Fortunately…or unfortunately…the arrival of Beauty Brass ensured they’d never get a chance to decide.
“Oh good! I was hoping to catch you all before you cast off.” The blonde mare smiled. “After the highly energetic display of the last night of the kanikapila I thought you all might be feeling a bit sore. Was wondering if I could tempt you with a little unwinding at my spa before you left.”
Vinyl’s ears rose with intrigue. Octavia’s by contrast remained stationary.
“Oh that’s too kind of you, Beauty, but I assure you we’re feeling quite fine…” The grey mare began.
“Well I’m not! My rump is smarting like no tomorrow!” Vinyl lowered her sunglasses and winked. “Know any techniques that can disperse the agony from an abusive mare?”
Octavia glowered at the unicorn in her arms. “Oh please! That was at the most a love tap, Vinyl!”
The unicorn looked back, her features flushing with red as she nodded in a strangely meek way.
“That’s true actually, it was. A strong, hard blow, delivered out of love, from a…mmm…nice and strong lass…” Vinyl murmured as she traced the contours of Octavia’s biceps. “You know the more I think about it, the more I find a mare with good muscle tone really turns me on.”
Octavia rolled her eyes, then felt herself shiver as Vinyl nuzzled her neck. Why did it feel so electrifying to have a female shamelessly grope her like this? More to the point, why did it stir such filthy yet exciting ideas in her mind?
“So does that mean spanking is still an option? You do have the right sort of rump for it.” Octavia whispered, feeling her heart beat faster as Vinyl giggled.
“Think we’ll take you up on that offer of some down time, Beauty. Make sure Tavi’s need to hit and smash things is sedated before I resign myself to several weeks alone on the sea with her.” The unicorn teased. She broke from the hug and pulled Octavia towards the shore. “Come on, we’ve both given Moku Mau Loa enough of our talents. It’s time we got something in return!”
***
Harpo gently strummed the strings of his harp as Octavia slowly wilted under Beauty Brass’ seasoned hands. It was actually rather shocking for the mare to find she still indeed seemed to be carrying a lot of tension and tightness…although Octavia had to ponder if that was due less to stress and more to just the exhilaration of how her life had changed over the past few days. The latter would at least explain why she felt so light on her hooves in spite of needing a good rub down.
“Wow…Beauty, if you don’t mind my asking…how exactly does one go from playing the trombone to being a massage expert?” The grey mare cooed as her body was firmly yet soothingly loosened up. “I’m not complaining in the slightest about your technique, mind you, I just….I can’t see the connection.”
The blonde mare snickered as she curled her hands into fists and pressed the knuckles down into a particularly stubborn knot in Octavia’s back.
“Well I am a Ponyville resident, born and bred. The local spa there is run by a pair of sisters whose expertise is second to none. In my down time I often went there to try and unwind from the hassle of the orchestra, and then finally my curiosity persuaded me to ask if they’d be willing to teach me some of their secrets.” Beauty explained, snorting in satisfaction as Octavia’s muscles finally relented under her gentle pressure. “Honestly, I was amazed how well I took to learning the trade. Even if my cutie mark may have been earned in music, it seems a pony can still excel in other fields.”
From where she was lounging in a nearby chair, sipping a glass of sangria and staring serenely at the sundrenched vista outside, Vinyl nodded.
“Well considering how cryptic some of them are, I wonder if that’s part of their function: to not limit us to just one walk of life.” She pulled her robe aside to stare at the backwards double eighth on her flank. “Take mine for example. When I got it I was playing around with random instruments at my school’s recording studio. Much as it was a thrill to have hit that milestone, I quickly found myself in that typical teenage conundrum of what was it supposed to mean. My parents thought it meant I was a music prodigy so they enrolled me in the local academy. Did fine, learned all about different genres, got my degree….but honestly it didn’t feel as much like my true calling as it did just something I could do to earn a living.”
Octavia looked up as the unicorn continued.
“I mean classical, jazz, rap, that’s all well and good, but none of it feels like it’s me…well…not exactly. That’s when I began to ponder about the fact that my mark is technically facing the wrong direction…like it’s not evoking a talent at music but rather a talent at subverting the typical genres of music. That was when I recalled that one of the instruments I’d been futzing around with was a synthesizer, and what I loved about it was how it could mangle a tune…if that makes any sense.”
Octavia looked unsure.
“What you do is hardly mangling, Vinyl. You’re just giving music your own signature touch.” She said as the unicorn nodded.
“But just like Beauty Brass discovered a knack as a masseuse, I found my calling by thinking outside the box, contemplating that a cutie mark may not mean what most assume it to mean.”
Octavia arched an eyebrow and reached to pull up the towel covering her to reveal the treble clef on her flank.
“So what other meanings could mine have then? So far as I know it indicates exactly what most would think it indicates. Not much room for other interpretations.”
Vinyl nodded and rose. “Well let’s think about it for a moment. On sheet music a clef’s significance can change considerably depending on which line and what stave it’s placed. The second line is used if you’re composing a piece meant for clarinets, saxophones, horns, trumpets and so on, but if you move it to the grand stave then it denotes the piece is meant to be played on a keyboard, or a harp.”
Vinyl nodded to Harpo as he prompted her with a pluck of his strings.
“Now if you move it lower, to the first line, that denotes it’s a violin piece, which would explain why you’re as much a natural with that as you are with your cello.” The unicorn continued, much to Octavia’s surprise. Even if she’d already seen Vinyl’s classical training in action, to hear the unicorn also had a very firm understanding of the mechanics that went into making music work still awed her.
“Well, yes, that’s all correct…however, it doesn’t quite clarify what other talents I might have besides playing classical music…” Octavia challenged, wanting to see if Vinyl could do more than just recite academic teachings. To her credit, the unicorn nodded that she wasn’t finished yet.
“Well, the fact that a clef can adapt to any instrument just by moving slightly indicates a knack for being able to quickly pick up different types of rhythm. You proved as much when you managed to blend your violin with my wubs with only a few hours of brainstorming…” Vinyl got a very mischievous grin on her face. “And of course you weren’t too shabby on the dance floor once I got you on it…”
Octavia squirmed slightly at the way the unicorn was grinning as she walked over to Harpo and whispered something in his ear. Quickly the grey mare got off the massage table and grabbed her robe as her fellow orchestra player nodded in bemusement and began to play a tune on his harp.
“Vinyl, what are you…” Octavia paused as she began to pick up the beat. She recognized it as an old pop song, one that distinctly had not been composed with the harp in mind…yet it didn’t sound that bad when played on one, thanks no doubt to Harpo’s experienced fingers.
“Come here, Tavi.” Vinyl took the mare’s hand and pulled her into an embrace. “Let’s see if you can move to a tune at random, pick it up as easily as you picked up the flow of my wubs.”
Octavia got a weirded out look on her face as she was swung about, silently asking if this was actually happening.
“Vinyl, we’re wearing bathrobes!” She said. From behind the unicorn’s sunglasses she could almost make out that telltale sparkle in her eyes.
“So? If you can’t dance while in a bathrobe then when can you dance?” Vinyl nudged Octavia’s hoof, coaxing it to follow her lead. Octavia looked to Beauty Brass.
“Are you actually going to let her do this? In your own spa?”
The blonde mare averted her gaze, but not the smile creeping across her muzzle.
“Well it is just us in here now…and I am kind of curious to see if you can pull this off.” She sat down on the massage table and watched as Vinyl twirled Octavia around and lead her across the length of the room. Seeing she wasn’t going to get any support from anypony, the grey mare snorted in defeat…then she gasped as she felt the unicorn dip her. The setting and unsuitable attire aside, the tune Harpo was playing wasn’t that hard to follow. Indeed it actually kind of made her feel sensual, romantic, reminding her of why being pressed up against Vinyl’s body was a good thing.
The two mares stepped in time with the music, watching how their hooves seem to naturally synchronize in their rising from then planting down on the floor again. Octavia intertwined her fingers with Vinyl’s, her eyes locking with the unicorn’s as Vinyl lifted her shades with her magic and perched them on her horn. Harpo moved to the interlude of the piece, giving Vinyl the perfect cue to spin her mare around. Octavia wordlessly felt her body twirl like a pebble rolling with the current of a river. Vinyl pulled her in so her front was now against Octavia’s back, letting her guide the cellist into the second movement. Octavia brought their clasped hands to her chest, letting Vinyl feel how hard her heart was beating as she tried to keep their hooves in synch. Vinyl spun her around again and wrapped the mare up in her arms, pressing their chests together so Octavia could likewise feel the hammering going on beneath the unicorn’s ribs. This felt so awkward, so random…and that was why it struck the cellist as being exactly the right thing to do at this given moment in time…
Harpo slowed the plucking of his strings, smirking as Octavia slowly went limp without the music to guide her. Vinyl held her firmly, bending over to let the grey mare melt in her arms, proving that, when needed, she could be just as strong as her lover.
“I think that pretty much proves my point.” The unicorn grinned as Octavia breathed raggedly.
“Y-Yeah…as does this…for mine.” The cellist whispered. Vinyl cocked a curious eyebrow, then felt herself melting as Octavia sprung up and kissed her with a fierce passion. A very welcome, and strangely beautiful silence held the room, with two hearts completely lost in their new found love for each other, and two others feeling the ambient affection between themselves.
“It is so cute how in the moment of truth you always just throw caution to the wind, Tavi.” Vinyl cooed as she was kissed on her nose, her cheek, her horn, and everywhere else Octavia could reach.
“This feels too proper to be getting cold hooves over. After what you’ve done for me, here, I need to know more, about these feelings you inspire in me, this need, this sense of completeness…” Octavia sighed as she was nuzzled again, Vinyl’s warm breath making her shudder in delight.
“Hey, same here on all accounts, Tavi. That’s why I think a few days of just us together alone will confirm how serious we can be about this. That and I’m keen to see what other luxuries you’ve got on that boat!” Vinyl smirked, as did Octavia, with noticeably more mischief.
“Well let’s finish up here and I’ll be happy to show you. We may have to anyway, looks like other guests are coming in for their appointments.” The mare nodded to the reception area, where two additional ponies were now seated and awaiting for some of Beauty Brass’ skilled handiwork. The blonde mare turned to the clock and looked almost disappointed at the time.
“A pity, this is almost like watching a cheesy romance novel play out in real time.” Beauty giggled. Now Vinyl was the one looking mischievously smug.
“Well, we don’t have to leave just yet. Could stay here and show how we don’t care who’s watching us explore our new love for…” The unicorn broke off upon seeing Octavia was glaring at her disapprovingly. “Right, yeah it’s probably too soon for that. Probably best to save it till we’ve had a few dates.”
***
Octavia stared in expected regret at the island of Moku Mau Loa slowly drifted away towards the horizon. Around her boat the sea was fine and the winds could not be more favorable, yet even with Vinyl beside her, studying how to work the sails and get them secured, it felt like something was missing.
“So…now that I’ve got enough knots to keep these babies in place, what’s the travel plan, Tavi?” The unicorn queried while giving the ropes holding the sails a good tug. Octavia walked to the enclosed sitting area and reached for her map.
“Nothing too fancy. The currents should take us around to the Guizhou Peninsula, then through there to the coast of Skyros. After that it’s a day or so tops before we hit Canterlot.” The grey mare said as she traced the path back to civilization. “Biggest issue is what are we going to do for the two weeks between then and now?”
Octavia sat back in thought, then sighed in resignation.
“Besides the obvious I mean.” She followed as Vinyl sat down beside her, looking most amorous.
“Pffft, only known me for a few days and already she’s caught on. Oh I’m going to have to get downright devious with you I see.” The unicorn grinned in malevolence. Octavia gave her a non-plussed expression.
“You’d better. Even if he looked perfectly fine being left behind, it’s going to be weird not having Harpo around for a while. Going to need something to fill the void.” Octavia mused for a moment, then perked her ears. “Vinyl, how long would it take you to get your equipment set up here on the deck?”
Vinyl checked the time and smirked.
“Current record is ten minutes, both to get it ready and break it down afterward…hmmm, how quickly can you tune your cello, your violin, and whatever other instruments you got on board?”
Octavia hmmed. “Probably the same amount of time. Feel up to a little jam session?”
Mere minutes later both mares were seated with their respective tools of trade. Vinyl was plugging her decks into an outlet and Octavia was giving her cello strings a final test.
“So…what should we start off with? Something in the same vein as what we played at the kanikapila?” The grey mare queried.
“Mmmm, actually with the bobbing of the boat I’m feeling under my hooves, I’m thinking a more purely aquatic theme. Here, see what you can do with this.”
The unicorn began mixing a riff of tides, currents, foam and waves, cresting over a base of strings and keyboards. Octavia nodded as her mind began to pick up the beat.
“What can I do? Just watch me.” She replied while placing her bow across the strings of her cello.
Across the sea a boat bobbed and rocked with the music of two souls intertwined in the rhythm of their everlasting elemental duet.
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I say this definitely deserves a sequel, or at the very least, an epilogue
7432620 I'd need some suggestions then. Not sure what else to do with the premise now that's it's more or less been fully explored.
7435032 explore Octavia and Vinyls life in Canterlot? Have them Visit Harpo and Beauty Brass? A fun idea that's done a lot is have them visit each others family. Its fun especially when one of their families doesn't approve of the relationship
7435032 there's a lot of ideas to explore