Octavia mouth held agap, not sure how much the booze had impaired her hearing. “I… Um…” she gave a small chuckle, hoping Bon Bon said something else. “Er… Good one. I mean, who even says peasants nowadays?”
Bon Bon narrowed her eyes, and sighed. “No. I know who you really are, Princesses.” She pointed to Octavia’s flank. “Next time you try to make up a name, I’d try one that better fits your cutie mark.”
Octavia wanted to run, knowing it was all over. But if it was not the fear or the alcohol that froze her in place, she couldn’t tell. “I…” she was able to take one step back, “No… NO! You won’t take me back, you won’t! Do you know the hell I grew up it?”
They both heard a gasp, and turned to see Vinyl looking at them through her glasses. Having heard enough, she bounded towards Octavia and placed herself between her and Bon Bon. “No one… Hurts her!”
Bon Bon held up her hooves. “Easy, easy! I’m not going to hurt her,” she looked towards Octavia, “or send her back to her mother.”
Octavia’s body relaxed, and she ended up reeling forward, face falling on top of Vinyl’s flank.
Vinyl’s eyes widened, face flushed red as she pulled Octavia up towards her shoulder. “Private place?” she pointed down the hall. “Got ten. Explain?”
Bon Bon sighed. “Sure. Guess I better come clean,” she then narrowed her eyes towards Octavia. “and I guess since you know too much, it be better to fill you in than let you go around only know the half truth.”
Vinyl nodded, and held one of Octavia’s hooves to drag her along.
This in turned, caused Octavia’s head to spin just enough for her to vomit right onto Vinyl’s white coat.
*****
“I am sorry, you know?” Octavia said with her hooves on her face.
Vinyl kept giving her reassuring smiles as she used her magic on a towel to get the rest of the gunk out. “Done worse.” She then gestured towards Bon Bon, and said, “talk.”
Bon Bon sighed, and took a seat on one of the beanbag chairs in the private VIP room. “Right. So for starters, yes, Majestic,” the two mares glanced at Vinyl snickering.
Looking between the two mares, and gave a half-hearted smile.
“It’s alright,” Octavia said with a hoof to her head. “Though I meant to change my name once I got my cutie mark.” She looked up at them. “Could you please just call me Octavia.” She shot a look at Vinyl. “Aside from obvious reasons, and while I wish I had picked better,” she looked towards Bon Bon, “I’ve actually grown close to it since you actually were the first to acknowledge one of my name changes.” She then blinked. “However, if you know who I am, why hadn’t you told anypony? I’ve read in the paper about my mother’s offers to find me. Also, how did you know who I was. Besides the cutie mark?”
Bon Bon crossed her hooves. “Let’s just say I know how to recognize someone who doesn’t want to be found. Though, I had only just heard to keep an eye out for you from a… Source. So when I saw you looking all nervous on the train. I figured the rest out shortly.”
Octavia looked down as Vinyl scooted closer in a defensive position.
“As to why I didn’t rat you out… I guess you struck a chord with me.”
Octavia turned her head. “You do?”
Bon Bon looked away. “Let’s just say I’ve made a few life choices my parent’s have never been supportive of.”
Vinyl, still looking between them, glanced at Octavia and said, “So, Princess?” She looked at her back, and even tapped a hoof on her head.
“I’m not that kind,” Octavia battered her friends hoof away.
Bon Bon sighed and explained. “It’s just a title thing that goes back to those who were related to one of Princess Celestia's descendants.”
Vinyl rubbed her chin. “Like Blueblood?”
The other two mares gave uneasy glances at each other.
“What?”
Octavia bit her lip. “Er… Just irony.” she chuckled. “I was actually about to marry that stallion before I ran away from home.”
Vinyl’s eyes widened. However, she gave a moment of thought, then with a smirk, asked, “So, no mares?”
Without the full sentence, it took Octavia a second, but once she realized Vinyls question through her smirk, her eyes shot opened. “What?! No, I mean… No wait, it doesn’t matter.”
Chuckling, Vinyl added, “Face not red then?”
Octavia’s hoof reached to her face, feeling it was very warm. She then glared at Vinyl Scratch who was howling with laughter, only to find herself, unexpectedly, laughing along.
“Well that…” Bon Bon added, suppressing her own grin. “That’s all fine, but…” she looked down. “what are you going to do now Ms. Maj— Octavia.”
Octavia let out a deep breath. “I—”
She felt Vinyl’s hoof brush onto her own. She looked to her friend, frowning, and silent.
She then looked back to Bon Bon. “I’d lie if did not I’d say I am hesitant to trust you, Bon Bon,” Bon Bon turned her head away, “but I suppose I still need a job and place to stay. And I guess I would have been back in my mother’s care by now if you weren't honest with me.” She gave Bon Bon a half smile, then slowly, pulled her into a hug. “Thank you.”
Bon Bon hugged back. “Right.” When she pulled away, she added, “But, um… don’t expect your princess title to get you any slack at work.”
Octavia gave a blink. She then widened her eyes and chuckled. “I wouldn’t have it any other way.”
She then felt Vinyl tug at her coat and nodded back to door. “Time’s up.” She then began to trot away before looking at her, then jestered her hoof from her glasses back to Bon Bon.
Bon Bon rolled her eyes. “I’ll make sure she’s safe, don’t worry.”
Vinyl nodded.
But before she could leave, Octavia raised her voice. “Wait!”
Vinyl stopped in her tracks and looked over her shoulder.
Her breath rate increased, yet straightened her pose. “Would you like… Like to…” She thought back to how her mother would break her confidence in the past to keep her disinterested in other ponies she might have had crushes on. Telling her that they would only shot her down and call her ugly without a horn. That if she ever tried to think for herself and to try and love someone her mother—
“Would you like to go out on a date with me tomorrow?!” the words forced themselves out at those thoughts.
Octavia brought a hoof to her lips, trembling until Vinyl said, “Yes. Noon, sweetshop?”
Unable to speak, Octavia stood dazed, slowly smiled.
Vinyl gave her a warm smile, before someone called her name.
“Have fun!” she waved off before racing back to the DJ board.
Dazed, until Bon Bon tapped her, Octavia wasn’t sure if any of this night was real, or if she was still drunk. Once Bon Bon tapped her, she realized how much had happened, and how real this all was.
“So I guess I have a date.”
Bon Bon nodded. “Seems so…”
Octavia bite her lip. “Not too thrilled on the idea?”
“Not so much that she’s a mare if that’s what you’re worried about.” Bon Bon assured. “Considering your mother’s arranged thing, I’d be nervous no matter what gender… Not that I think she’ll ever find you of course!”
Deep breath, Octavia said, “Well, then let’s make sure she never finds out.” Smirking, she added, “I’ll be sure to name our foals after you and Lyra.”
Bon Bon eyes crossed. “Why you…”
They didn’t stay at the club much longer after that. If for no other reason than that Octavia was more eager to actually spend time on her date with Vinyl the next day. Lyra reacted as much as Bon Bon and Octavia expected.
*****
“Not a white coat, you say?” The detective asked again to the pony running the ticket stand.
“I think so,” the mare shrugged, “I mean, I don’t get ponies in a hurry everyday, so I can’t remember mane or coat styles. A darker color, sure, maybe grey, but not white. Still, I do think everything else is right. She said she was in a hurry, she had a violin case, and she didn’t care what ticket I gave her. Then she hopped onto a train to Manehattan.”
The detective wrote that down and nodded. “Thank you.” He turned back to his colleagues. “Should we tell lady—”
“Princess!” One of the officers corrected, shaking.
The detective rolled his eyes. “Right… Princess Philharmonic.”
“Better, or else she’ll never let us be.”
“Can’t believe the mare who worked that day wasn’t available till now.”
It had been a trying case, where the princess’s mother made him doubt if bringing her home was the right thing to do. Still, he had a job to do, and it wasn’t his place to question it with how the press was taking the news. “In any case,” the detective shrugged, “one less step, gentlemen. One less step.”