Vinyl, Octavia, Beauty Brass, Harpo, Caramel, and, Neon all walked back to the Melody residence in silence.
Caramel made sure to walk close to Octavia, but he was not the only one. Vinyl was also getting close to the mare, it was almost as though the two were silently fighting over the cellist.
Vinyl had bandages going around her sides.
Behind the three were Beauty, Harpo, and Neon. Neon was watching with a slight smirk, Beauty just glared at Neon, while Harpo was completely oblivious to everything.
"So," Harpo said, breaking the silence, "How are you feeling Vinyl?"
"I feel alright, but it kind of hurts to breathe, or laugh," Vinyl replied.
"How did you hurt your ribs anyway?" Harpo asked, only to have his muzzle shut by Beauty.
"Caramel bucked her in the ribs," Neon answered, nonchalantly.
Octavia glanced at Caramel, before looking straight ahead.
Sweet Celestia, poor Vinyl.
The group continued in silence until they finally saw the Melody mansion in view.
As they got closer to the building, they could see Octavia's parents and Buffered waiting for them at the door. Octavia's mother and Buffered both shared a look of worry while Octavia's father just had a face of stress.
Once they were close enough, Octavia's mother came rushing towards them.
"Oh thank Celestia! I was so worried about you two!" Octavia's mother exclaimed.
Buffered's face was washed with relief, while Octavia's father just became one of determination.
Octavia's father slowly trotted towards the group. Vinyl was the first to notice, once she did, she frowned. Everypony else noticed as well and they also frowned, except for Caramel, Neon and Octavia's mother.
Once he reached the group, the stallion cleared his voice.
"You all may stay the night, but in the morning I expect you all the leave," Octavia's father then stared directly at Vinyl, "I would also like to speak with Miss Scratch alone,"
Vinyl nodded and followed the stallion into the mansion.
The group of ponies watched them leave. As soon as they were out of sight, the group started walking to the mansion.
"Don't worry about Vinyl," Octavia's mother whispered to her daughter.
Octavia turned towards her mother, "Will she be alright?"
Octavia's mother smiled and nodded her head, "Your father wants to give Vinyl a chance,"
Octavia's eyes widened, "So everything depends on this conversation with Vinyl?"
"I guess so," Octavia's mother replied slowly, realizing how much of a bad idea it was to tell her daughter that.
Octavia let out a long breath, "Oh.... Great,"
~•~•~•~•~
"Here Miss Scratch, take a seat," Octavia's father offered as he sat at one of the couches. Vinyl sat across from him on the other couch.
Octavia's father expected for Vinyl to start fidgeting in worry but the mare was completely calm, as though she was ready for this.
After a moment, Octavia's father cleared his voice, "So, Miss Scratch-"
"Call me Vinyl," Vinyl interrupted, causing the stallion to glare at her.
"Alright.... Vinyl. How long have you been dating my daughter?"
"A few weeks now," Vinyl replied quickly.
"Did you know about Caramel when you started dating my daughter?"
"Well," Vinyl responded, "I guess technically. She didn't tell me about him until I kissed her for the first time. She explained to me how she was tired of him and just wanted to be free and how she liked me and stuff. I was pissed at her, but I thought, oh what the heck, and we started dating,"
Octavia's father nodded his head. "Do you love my daughter?"
Vinyl's eyes went so wide, they could have fallen out of her head.
"W-wh-wha?" Vinyl stammered.
"Do. You love. My daughter?" Octavia's father asked again, getting impatient.
Vinyl opened and closed her mouth a few times.
Did she love Octavia? Or did she only like the mare?
"Well... Uh... Love is kind of a strong word Fred,"
"Miss Scratch?" Octavia's father asked as he got no response.
Vinyl snapped out her thoughts and looked at the stallion. Her eyes darted around the room for a second before she breathed in and out.
"Yes,"
~•~•~•~•~
Octavia was walking down the hall towards her old room where she would be sleeping tonight when she found Beauty Brass looking through the crack of a door.
"Beauty? What are you-" Octavia started questioning, only to be shushed by the mare.
Beauty Brass then made a movement that indicted for Octavia to come closer and to look through the crack.
Octavia raised an eyebrow but did as told. What she saw was Symphony and Fredric sitting at the dining table, having a conversation. However, Fredric was not interviewing Symphony anymore, which was shown by the clipboard that was now on the floor.
Octavia turned to Beauty, slightly confused. What she found was that the mare had a giant grin on her face.
Octavia looked at the mare in confusion for a few more moments, before her eyes widened in realization. The cellist then facehoofed.
"Beauty!" Octavia hissed, "Are you kidding me?!"
"Oh c'mon!" Beauty Brass exclaimed, "Can't you see the sparks?!"
Octavia let out a groan, which caused the two ponies in the dining room to look towards the door.
"Octavia!" Symphony exclaimed, "You're back!"
Octavia let out a sigh, "Yes, I am, and sadly, so is Beauty,"
"Hey!" Beauty pouted.
"What were you two doing?" Fredric questioned, his voice demanding.
Octavia blushed while Beauty shot Fredric a knowing smile, causing the stallion to blush.
"Am I missing something?" Symphony asked, between the three ponies.
"Oh, nothing," Beauty Brass replied in an innocent voice.
"Excuse me while I go beat my head into a wall," Fredric commented, causing Symphony to giggle.
"I think I'll join you," Octavia replied, and with that, Fredric and Octavia left the room.
"No, but really, what is going on?" Symphony said, turning to Beauty.
"Nothing!" Beauty Brass said in the same voice as she took out her phone.
'Guy!,' Beauty texted, 'I have our next mission!'
'Mission?' Bon Bon texted into the chat.
'Yeah! Symphony (Octavia's sister) and Fredric!'
'Uh Beauty, I thought we were only going to help Vinyl and Octavia', Lyra texted into the group chat.
'We must spread love across the world!' Beauty Brass renamed the chat.
'Oh Celestia save me' Bon Bon texted.
~•~•~•~•~
"Do you think Octavia is worth the risk?" Octavia father asked.
Vinyl looked at the stallion in confusion, "That's it? I just admitted that I love your daughter and you just move on to the next question?!"
Octavia's father let out a sigh, "Vinyl, I am not the type of father who gets protective of his daughter when it comes to dating. Well, not anymore. You see, Symphony was the first one born, I was protective of her love life but once I realized that I shouldn't be, Octavia was born,"
"Oh," Vinyl replied, "Alright I guess... Continue,"
"Do you think Octavia is worth the risk?" Octavia's father repeated.
"What risk?" Vinyl asked.
"The risk that Caramel will probably try to ruin your life," Octavia's father explained.
"Yes. A million times yes," Vinyl replied, too quickly for Octavia's father's liking.
"What would you do if Octavia wanted to break up with you?"
"Move on," Vinyl replied, "I would move on. Maybe I would try to fix things but I would eventually move on,"
"You would never try to keep her?" Octavia's father asked.
"Never. I would never treat her like how Caramel does. I won't leave her for years, I won't keep her trapped, and I won't force her to stay with me," Vinyl reassured.
Octavia's father let out a sigh, before rubbing in between his eyes.
"I don't understand why my wife thought this was a good idea," Octavia's father said, "Anything you have said could be a lie. This doesn't make anything easier,"
"May I suggest something?" Vinyl asked, causing the stallion to look at her.
"What?"
"Why don't you let me and Tavi date, see how we act and if you don't like it, then you can have us break up, heck you can even still have Octavia and Caramel go through concealing, I don't care. As long as Octavia is happy,"
Octavia's father let out a sigh, "Alight Vinyl, I will try your idea,"
Vinyl smiled, "Thank you, Sir,"
~•~•~•~•~
Everypony sat at the dining room table. Octavia's father sat at the end, to his left sat Octavia, Vinyl, Symphony, and Fredric. To his right sat, his wife, Beauty Brass, Harpo, Caramel, and Neon. Beauty Brass was looking at Fredric and Symphony with a knowing smile, causing Fredric to blush and Symphony to just be confused.
Octavia's parents were having a conversation and were completely ignoring the rest of the ponies. Caramel watched Vinyl and Octavia intensely but the couple was too busy watching Beauty. Harpo was the only one actually eating other than the parents and Neon.
"Okay, what did I miss?" Vinyl asked finally.
"I, don't know," Symphony replied.
Octavia let out a sigh before moving close to Vinyl and whispering,
"Beauty Brass thinks Fredric and Symphony should date-"
"Stop trying to make love to my mare!" Caramel exclaimed, causing Vinyl and Neon to look at him in confusion, and Octavia to look at him with a mix of annoyance and sadness.
"You... Do know how sex works, right?" Neon asked.
"Of course I do! Just ask Octavia!" Caramel exclaimed causing Octavia to start bashing her head repeatedly onto the table and Neon to fall out of his chair laughing.
"You know, you really shouldn't say that to your wife who you are getting divorced with," Symphony commented.
"Oh! So now we are open about the divorce and affair now?!" Caramel exclaimed.
Symphony smiled, "Yep! Now I get to say all the horrible things I wanted to say to you but never could,"
"TO FREEDOM OF SPEECH!" Beauty Brass exclaimed, lifting her glass in the air, causing Octavia to facehoof.
"I don't know what I thought would happen this dinner, but it was certainly not this," Octavia said, shaking her head with her hoof still on her face.
Vinyl snickered, "I don't know, I am kind of enjoying this,"
"Of course you are, but I'm not!" Fredric complained.
"Oh shut it, Fred, go make out with your new marefriend or something," Vinyl replied, waving her hoof.
Fredric's jaw dropped and Beauty Brass fell out of her chair laughing.
"Oh! You have a new marefriend Fredric?" Symphony asked with a smile, causing Vinyl to start laughing as well and for Beauty to laugh even harder.
"I am so confused," Harpo said as he ate his food.
"Would you ponies stop changing the subject?!" Caramel exclaimed.
"What do you want to change it back to? How you fucked Octavia?" Vinyl asked with a grin, " Because I can totally join that conversation because I've also had the same experience,"
"SWEET CELESTIA VINYL!" Octavia exclaimed with a burning blush, causing Vinyl to laugh, followed by Symphony, Harpo, and Beauty. Even Neon laughed a little. Caramel, however, was shaking in rage.
"I didn't know we were trying to get Vinyl killed!" Fredric exclaimed.
"Well, if Caramel and her ribs don't get to her first, then Octavia will probably kill her," Symphony commented with a smile.
"Sweet Celestia my sides feel like a bitch," Vinyl said, clutching her sides.
"You deserve it," Caramel snarled.
"Yo dude, calm down. I was only joking," Vinyl said, she then paused. "I can hear Lyra saying, 'whatever you say Vinyl',"
"Huh," Harpo said, surprised, "I'm surprised Octavia hasn't done anything to Vinyl yet,"
"I'm just waiting until everypony is done speaking," Octavia responded.
"Wait wha-" Vinyl started before Octavia whacked Vinyl hard on the head.
"Aw yeah honey! Do it again!" Caramel exclaimed.
"Okay, I think we should all eat now before somepony ends up back in the hospital," Octavia's mother said, causing everypony to turn towards her.
Everypony silently agreed and finally ate there food. All the while Caramel glared at the white unicorn. Once they finished, the ponies got up from the table and went to their separate rooms.
~•~•~•~•~
Octavia finished her shower as she walked into her bedroom, a towel still over her head. The room was dark and she assumed most ponies in the mansion were asleep at this moment.
Octavia took the towel off of her mane and started making her way towards her bed when she heard a knock at the door. Octavia had locked the door so Caramel could not try to get into Octavia's bed as she slept.
"I do not want to sleep with you Caramel," Octavia yelled to the door.
"Uh, it's not Caramel," Vinyl replied, "But I do want to sleep with you,"
Octavia opened the door to a Vinyl not wearing her glasses.
"Hey," Vinyl greeted with a sheepish smile.
"Hello Vinyl, would you like to come in?" Octavia asked, moving out of the way for the DJ.
Vinyl smiled before running and jumping onto the bed, causing Octavia to giggle at the foalish excitement.
Octavia then shut the door and locked it before walking towards the bed where Vinyl was laying, waiting for the cellist.
As soon as Octavia got onto the bed, she was brought into a hug by the DJ as she forced the cellist to lay on top of her. Vinyl then started nuzzling the exposed neck of Octavia causing the cellist to let out a hum of content.
"Hey, Octy?" Vinyl asked as she stopped nuzzling the cellist.
"Yes Vinyl?" Octavia replied, looking up at her marefriend.
"Are you mad about what I said at dinner?"
Octavia frowned and moved so she could look directly at Vinyl, "Well, I would by lying if I said that it didn't bother me but I am not mad, just, don't do it again,"
Vinyl's ear folded down and she looked away, "I'm sorry Tavi,"
Octavia put her hoof under Vinyl's chin and forced the DJ to look her her, "It's alright Vinyl. It doesn't bother me too much, besides,"
Octavia then kissed Vinyl passionately causing Vinyl's eyes to go wide.
"It's not like you were lying," Octavia finished as the kiss broke.
Vinyl smirked. She started laughing before she tackled Octavia causing the cellist to let out a squeal. Vinyl then started tickling Octavia causing the her to start giggling.
"Vinyl, stop!" Octavia pleaded as Vinyl continued her onslaught.
~•~•~•~•~
Meanwhile, outside the room, a certain stallion was listing to the two in the room. Hearing the two laughing and obviously happy. This caused said stallion to let out a growl.
"That should be me in there," Caramel growled as he continued listing to the mares.
Caramel then heard the sound of hooves and he turned to find Beauty Brass frozen in place.
"Did you help out those two together?" Caramel asked, his voice full of anger.
Beauty's eyes quickly flicked to the side before she bolted back towards her room.
Caramel let out a sigh before growling once more.
"That DJ will get what's coming to her,"
However, what Caramel did not know, was Beauty had not fully run away. She heard what the stallion said and it caused her to gulp.
"I need to warn Lyra and Bon Bon," Beauty Brass said to herself as she galloped back to her room.