A Tale of Two Mares

by CharmingChaos


Ponezian Dreams

Octavia woke up to sunlight streaming through the window, warming her face and hooves. She yawned, momentarily wondering if her whole relationship with Vinyl had been a dream, and if she was still in her old house. But then she opened her eyes fully, letting them focus blurrily on the bluish white, hazy image on her marefriend.

"Oh," she yawned again. "Good to see you, Sweetie."

"See me? You're blind as a bat without your contacts 'Tav." Vinyl Scratch giggled sleepily.

Suddenly, Octavia's eyes snapped open. "Why isn't Tamby crying? Doesn't she usually wake up about now?"

"Nope," Vinyl's voice was heavy with sleep. "Tamby and I were up half the night last night sharing a drink while you were-- adorably, I might add-- snoring away in here. She's out cold."

It was kind of funny, really, how Vinyl always called feeding Tambourine 'sharing a drink', as if the two got up for some sort of fancy cocktail, instead of Vinyl just nursing Tambourine. Well, maybe Vinyl did drink when she got up in the middle of the night-- she was rather fond of her AppleJack Daniel's-- but...

"Okay," Octavia let herself drift back into that fuzzy equilibrium between sleeping and waking. "S'nice to have some peace and quiet, don't you think?"

"Mmph," Vinyl rolled over so her face was buried in Octavia's mane for a moment. She came up nose to nose a moment later, crimson eyes half closed. "Why does you mane always smell so good? It's like, hot chocolate, or something."

"Dunno," Octavia shrugged slightly, rubbing her nose against her marefriend's.

"Ow! 'Tav, that was my eye!" Vinyl rubbed the offended eye ruefully. "Seriously, if you're gonna nuzzle me, can you at least try not to blind me?"

"Okay, Sweetheart. I'll jus' put my glasses on and..." Octavia's voice was hardly recognizable with the drowsiness.

"That'll just make it worse, Babykins. Your glasses are sharp, you know." Vinyl wrapped all four of her hooves around Octavia, pulling her marefriend up against her body with surprising strength. "But, if you don't mind my asking, what was that 'and' for?"

"I meant I'd kiss you not in your eye." Octavia opened her mouth slightly, suppressing a yawn, and felt something warm and wet sneak in and press against her tongue.

"Ah keh hel ith at," Vinyl spoke with her lips still glued to Octavia's, her voice muffled and distorted. She hugged Octavia tighter, kissing her again, and the grey mare melted into it, sighing contentedly. There was something special about kissing somepony when you were only half awake, and she liked it. A lot.

"Mmmm," Octavia moaned, keeping her eyes closed, refusing to wake up all the way and ruin the moment. She wrapped her hooves around her marefriend's neck, not willing to let Vinyl pull away until she herself was satisfied.

Eventually, Octavia released Vinyl with a sigh, looking contented. She flopped onto her back. "We should get up soon," she pointed out, the beginnings of actual awareness starting to creep up on her.

Vinyl chose to ignore the last statement; she turned back to Octavia, looking rather surprised. "What's gotten into you, 'Tav? You don't usually demand that I make out with you like that-- that's my job."

"I know," Octavia replied, sitting up. "But a girl's gotta have some fun when she wakes up for the first time in Ponezia, don't you think?"

"Of course. I wholeheartedly agree with that. But you don't usually." Vinyl frowned, sniffing. "Are you sure you aren't a changeling?"

Octavia giggled, planting another kiss on Vinyl's lips. "Promise. But I gotta take a shower now. That is, at least if we're gonna go outside today. You probably should too."


Octavia sighed as the warm water of the shower dripped and splashed steamily over her back and neck. She allowed herself a moment more to enjoy the water before reaching for her shampoo, humming as she massaged the creamy purple liquid into her mane.

She squeaked as she felt another set of hooves begin on her tail, turning abruptly in the tight space to find Vinyl standing behind her, humming as she used both her magic and her hooves to rub the foamy soap into Octavia's thick, charcoal tail.

"Hey!" She exclaimed, looking miffed. "what are you doing here?"

"Well, you said I should take a shower too..." Vinyl grinned cheekily.

"This isn't what I meant, Vin'," Octavia scolded.

"But 'Tav..." Vinyl whined. "We were having such a good time before. And besides, we don't usually wear clothes anyways, it's not like we never see each other naked."

"That doesn't matter. Out!" Octavia made a shooing gesture.

"I--"

"Out! You have to take care of Tambourine."

"But--"

"Scoot!"

"Aw, you're no fun, 'Tav," Vinyl grumbled, making a big show of getting out and leaving the bathroom.

"Thanks, Sweetie Pie!" Octavia called, turning back to her mane. At least her tail was clean now, but still. Showers were her time to think, all by herself. It was hard to think with somepony as noisy as Vinyl Scratch around all the time.


Vinyl Scratch stuck her head out of the boat's skylight, her tongue lolling out like a dog's as she drank in the exhilarating feeling.

She felt a hoof grab hers and yank down hard. Vinyl glared reproachfully at Octavia as she plopped down onto the water taxi's bench.

"Vinyl," Octavia admonished. "What in Equestria do you think you're doing?"

"I was blow-drying my mane," Vinyl explained, as if it were perfectly obvious. "It has to get done somehow, but somepony insisted on wasting time and water by taking separate showers this morning, so I didn't get to before we left."

"Well, you could put it in a slightly less mad-scientisty style," Octavia suggested, lurching suddenly to keep Tambourine's pram from rolling across the boat.

"Bo-o-oring," Vinyl complained, rolling her eyes. "I'm not a classical cellist with old fashioned tastes like you, 'Tav. I'm a DJ. I live on the edge, mare."

"The edge of what? Insanity?" Octavia retorted, scooting out of the way to avoid a playful smack.

Mayyybe," Vinyl teased, grinning.

The pair had eaten breakfast at a little cafe near their hotel, taking turns poking bits of croissant and spoonfuls of yogurt into Tambourine's open, laughing mouth. The little filly seemed to be very interested in their coffee cups, trying to drag them closer to her with her tiny hooves, a fact Vinyl found hilarious, though it made Octavia nervous. Hot coffee was bound to hurt if spilled on a filly barely half a year old.

But, all in all, the meal was delicious,and eating on a bridge over a canal was one of the nicest places to do it, both mares agreed.

Octavia felt a tug on her hoof, and she looked up to see her marefriend had her head out in the wind again, this time holding a squealing, giggling, Tambourine above her in a bluish magic aura as well as her hooves. Octavia stood up on the seat next to the crazy white mare she had become so attached to.

"Vin', take her down this ins--"

"Woohoo!" Vinyl yelled at the top of her lungs, as she stood taller and shut her eyes against the breeze.

"Vinyl!" Octavia shouted again. The mare in question ducked her head back into the cabin, floating their giggling filly into her pram again.

"Aw, come on, 'Tav, loosen up," she pleaded. "It's fun."

No, it's dangerous." Octavia corrected, putting a hoof on top of her marefriend's. "How would you feel if poor Tamby were to fall into the water and drown?"

"well, I guess I would have to jump in and save her," Vinyl reasoned. "You know I would, and I know you would beat me to it, so we really have nothing to worry about. Besides, she's in a magic shield the whole time."

Octavia sighed in defeat, remembering her filly's happy giggle when she was on the roof. "Fine," she conceded. "But for Celestia's sake, be careful!"