What Would Happen?

by sethbramwell

Chapter 3

“What do you say, Octavia?” Starlight’s voice repeating the question snapped Octavia back to the present. Had she just been lost in her thoughts of what could happen? She blinked a moment as she looked to Starlight’s expectant face. Starlight gave a nervous chuckle before brushing back her mane with her hoof and saying, “Not to be rude, but you’re really not making it any easier by not answering. So... “ Starlight looked down for a moment before finding the cellist’s gaze again. “Please, Octavia? One kiss?”

Octavia smiled and took in a breath before speaking. “I am sorry, Miss Strings, but this relationship must remain professional. I hope you can find somepony to make you as happy as Vinyl makes me.”

Starlight stood at a loss for words as Octavia turned to exit. “That’s it?” she asked softly.

“Yes, that is all.” Octavia replied as she approached the door and opened it, stepping into the night.

The conductor’s office door opened, and Bright Baton and the flautist stepped out. The conductor looked to the stage where Starlight stood alone. “Is everything quite all right, Miss Strings?” he asked with concern.

“Yes, sir.” Starlight answered softly. “Just- just lingering for a moment. I’m off.”

Meanwhile, Octavia made her way through the center of town, approaching the Stablebucks where Pezzo sat as expected, with two steaming cups of tea before her. “Hey, Octi.” the second chair cellist greeted her. “Everything all right?”

Octavia stepped to the table, standing before it without taking a seat. She smiled with relief felt from having made up her mind. “Better than all right, Pezzo. I wonder, would you mind terribly if I took this tea with me? I really want to get home to Vinyl.”

Pezzo grinned at her friend. “In a better place, huh? Strings must have had something good to say.”

“I promise, I will tell you all about it tomorrow-”

“Oh, go on, Octi.” Pezzo replied as she slid the cup across the table. “Have a good night with Vinyl.”

Octavia accepted the cup with a grateful nod. “Indeed I will. Talk to you tomorrow, Pezzo.” The cellist turned to leave as her junior sat back and raised her own cup in the air in a silent toast to her friend.

Octavia trod on through the town, sipping at the tea as she drew ever closer to her cottage with a contented smile upon her face. Could her vision have been true? Maybe this was the night that everything would come together. As she neared her home, she could hear, just as she had envisioned, the muffled bass of Vinyl’s dubstep pounding through the walls.

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 raised the stereo remote within her magical aura. She looked to Octavia and greeted her with a quiet “Hey, babe.” The stereo clicked off, with no music to take its place. On the table in front of the couch, Octavia noted a greasy box with half a potato and peony pizza and a partial case of Barley Beer.

“Er, Vinyl? What happened to the dinner I prepared?”

Vinyl let out a nervous chuckle. “Ohhh… that. Yeah, I was totally gonna make that, and I kinda forgot, and when I tried to grab it from the fridge the dish kinda slipped and it just went everywhere… I got it all cleaned up, but yeah, it was trashed.” Vinyl levitated the open beer before her and took a drink.

Octavia took in a deep breath. Calm…. In the back of her mind, she wondered if any part of her imagination had been accurate. “Well… did you finish your mix at least?”

The DJ let out a muffled belch and looked up with surprise. “You care about that?”

Octavia looked to her marefriend and smiled. “Of course I do, Vinyl.” Just as she had imagined, she found herself pointing to Vinyl’s cutie mark. “Your music is your passion, as my music is my own.”

Vinyl’s mouth turned up in a smile. “Yeah… yeah, I finished it today. I talked to Neon earlier, and he’s gonna help promote it. I’m taking him a copy tomorrow.” She patted the case of beer before her before continuing, “This is kinda my celebration. Listen, I know beer’s not really your thing, but… Join me?” Her unicorn magic levitated a bottle from the box before Octavia.

Octavia settled herself on the couch and took the offered bottle, smiling at Vinyl. “Vinyl… I don’t suppose you could take a little break before you start a new project? I miss you…”

The DJ smiled back. “I was planning on it, babe. I miss you too, ya know.” With that, she raised her bottle. “To us, Tavi.”

Octavia raised her own bottle and clinked the neck of hers to Vinyl’s. “To us, indeed, Vinyl.” She said. She took a drink, the bitter taste of the barley beer working down her throat. Beside her, Vinyl took a far heavier drink, and let out a satisfying belch.

Perhaps Starlight had a point… Vinyl remained uncultured, at times even aloof. But at the end of the day, Octavia knew in her heart that the mare loved her, and that she would not have her any other way.

Her quiet thought was broken by Vinyl laughing at her own belch. Vinyl looked to Octavia, who wore her typical bemused expression in response. “I love you, babe” she said with a smile to the cultured cellist, in so many ways her opposite and at the same time her perfect match.

Octavia leaned into her, cradling the beer in her hoof and closing her eyes peacefully. “I love you too, Vinyl.”