//------------------------------// // Fly Me to the Moon // Story: My Roommate is a Vampire // by Dennis the Menace //------------------------------// You'd think that Silver Streak would get charged with conspiracy, or attempted murder of the first degree of at least a hundred ponies. You know what she got charged with? Possession of illegal firearms and explosives, and pollution of the water supply. The Equestrian justice system did not rule in her favor. A bill was swiftly signed, banning all arms trade with the gryphon nations, and an address was sent out, denouncing their lack of authority on black market weapons. The Silver Horseshoes had purchased crates of flintlock pistols and silver bullets for her own use. And so for an entire day, all the water in the the city of Canterlot had to be filtered and purified of the silver dust.It was hardly an issue, seeing as tea was the preferred drink of all the nobles and royals anyway. I soon discovered afterward that while we supernaturals would find the lethal amount of silver in the water to be 250% above the normal amount usually found in trace amounts in the water we drank, the silver in the water could prove potentially harmful to ponies if they consumed it. Not to mention the irreversible damage on the environment! Vinyl had suggested execution to Princess Luna, but she clearly didn't agree, seeing as it had been outlawed for at least three centuries. Ultimately, Luna kept the details of Silver Streak's ruling from us, preferring not to satiate our curiosity. Our only guarantee was that Silver Streak was going to be locked up, serving her sentence for a very, very long time. As for the rest of the Silver Horseshoes, they were charged as accomplices. I didn't particularly care what happened to them. Princess Luna was able to play up the Silver Horseshoes as an ecoterrorist group, out to force change by harming the environment (believe me, I was impressed how she managed to spin that one). Luna and her Night Guards swooped in to save the day, with no credit to the Inner Circle. It was jarring to return to some semblance of normalcy in my life. I stress, a semblance. While I no longer had to worry about genocidal ponies after my blood, the wolf inside of me did not seem as content. The desire to let loose and give into the beast was tempting at times. I found that if I kept it caged inside my soul, it would yearn to escape. It seemed that I hadn't made peace with it at all. That time spent inside my subconscious, speaking to the physical manifestation of my inner canine, was only to beat it into submission to give me some peace for the time being as I worked to fix the other problems in my life. The wolf in me was back and there to stay, always wanting to be let out to "play". Someday, I'd come to terms with it. But for then and now, it seemed that an agreement had been reached. My aggression had been toned down slightly, though I could say that I was much more assertive and a little brash and daring. I learned quickly that there were even more downsides to being a lycan. Fleas. Oh, sweet Celestia, fleas, and cats, and the tempting scent of prey. We'd earned our happy ending. I still don't know what that is, but... Anyways. There were no words said, no teary goodbyes or any melodramatic things like that. Vinyl simply said one day in the first week of December, "I'm gonna go for a while. Alright?" Go away, as in leave, and not come back for an extended period of time. How long was not specified. In truth, it was exactly what I wanted. Did I blame her for everything? Yes, and no. The blame could not be placed solely on her shoulders. I, too, had brought this upon myself, not keeping my nose out of things. I wouldn't pester Vinyl anymore about "secrets" and whatnot. I knew everything I needed to know. They say distance makes the heart grow fonder. Week two of December, Wednesday night. The Grand Galloping Gala. I stood in front of my fixed vanity mirror, fitted in an impeccable tuxedo with coattails. It was masculine, and I daresay I looked very charming. No Vinyl there to comment on it though. I stood up tall, balanced on my hind legs. Things were looking up. Frederic, Harpo, Brass Beauty, and I stood in the same exact places we stood last year, with the same exact haughty expressions on our faces. Once again, nobles and the upper class of Canterlot chattered the night away. Once again, the decorations were beautiful and the hors d'oeuvres were tiny. There were the Wonderbolts, there was Fancypants and Fleur de Lis and Hoity Toity and Photo Finish and Caesar and the Elements of Harmony. With practiced hooves, we performed our piece again and again. On loop. And of course, being who I was, I got the hardest part of the piece. Déjà vu. Oh, I prayed that that Pinkamena would not show up again. If this year's gala was meant to be a repeat... This year, instead of the bright aesthetic design of last year's Gala, this year had a much darker, more subdued theme, reminiscent of Princess Luna's coat colors. If only Vinyl was here. I stumbled, my bow faltering. I quickly picked up my pace again, making sure not to waver and get distracted. I was working. No time to think about her. "Hey there." On the outside, my expression did not change. I continued playing and kept an irritated, standoffish expression. On the inside, I was squealing like a foal. She was here, she was here! "Care to dance?" With a slight tilt of my head, I looked sideways to see Vinyl standing there in a dress from Rarity's Carousel Boutique. Oh, she even has earrings on! "Hello, Vinyl," I said stiffly, going through the motions of playing. "Where have you been?" "Taking a break. Got a dress." "I can see that." "So? Wanna dance?" "In the middle of something." "Oh, don't worry. I got a DJ." "You?" "Hay, no. I'd bring the entire castle down with my bass!" "C'mon, everypony! You wanted a par-tay?! So let's paaaaar-tay!" a familiar voice chimed in. OH SWEET BABY LUNA SHE'S HERE SHE'S HERE SHE'S HERE. My eyes bulged. In the blink of an eye, a DJ set had been set up on our little stage, with that pink monstrosity at the reins. Vinyl extended a hoof towards me. "May I have this dance?" I looked back at my group. Harpo and Brass Beauty nodded eagerly, the widest grins on their faces. Frederic rolled his eyes and smirked. I set my cello down right there on the floor and jumped off, fixing the lapels of my suit. I grabbed her hoof. "You may." "Hey there, everypony! Time to rock this gala, Pinkie Pie style, starting off with a nice classy piece for all you rich ponies," Pinkie Pie hollered into the microphone, "Fly Me to the Moon." Vinyl and I took the center of the dance hall, holding each other up, standing upright, looking into each others' eyes as we swayed back and forth. Already we'd begun to garner a crowd. Ponies murmured around us. But we didn't care. As far as we were concerned, we were the only ones there. "I lead." "No, I lead," I shot back. "I'm wearing the suit." "So?" We giggled softly, our faces close. "You love this, don't you?" "What can I say? I love the attention," Vinyl mumbled. "Fillyfoolers! At the gala!" "Frankly, I am disgusted!" We ignored them all. "This is great, isn't it?" Vinyl asked with a big smile. I smiled back. There was nothing to say. Suddenly Vinyl stopped swaying so quickly. We simply held each other, slightly moving. "Octy," Vinyl hesitated. "I'm sorry." I twirled her around. "For what?" "For...everything," she choked. I suddenly leaned forward, pushing her back and holding her in a pose. "Vinyl, you twit, I already know you're sorry. You were sorry a long, long time ago. Now you're bringing this up again?" "I know. But I never said it." "The best apologies are the ones you never have to say." I paused, twirling her around again. "But..." "But what?" "Do you think this will work? Us, I mean." "Hasn't it?" "No," I said humorlessly. "I can't live your life, Vinyl. The excitement, the danger...I can't do that anymore. Maybe once. Not again." She said nothing. "Will you be done with your work as a cleaner?" "Luna says I'm still suspended for my little stunt..." "Are you done?" She was silent for a while. We'd stopped dancing. "Yes." "Do you mean it? "I mean it." "Promise?" "Pinkie promise." "And will you clean out the pantry already? I accidentally bit a grenade the other day when I tried to eat an apple." Vinyl snickered. "Hey guys!" We turned our heads to see Lyra and Bon Bon and Derpy and Carrot Top, dancing beside us. "Mind if we join in?" Lyra winked. Vinyl and I grinned. "The nerve!" "I was offended before it was mainstream!" "Octavia! I demand you get away from that mare this instant!' My blood ran cold at the sound of her voice. My mother and father were here. I did the unimaginable. I kissed Vinyl, right there in front of everypony. It was like a big, "Buck you", to all of them. There was a loud, unanimous gasp from all the bystanders. The kiss sealed the deal. I was an independent mare. I had a feeling they'd try to distance themselves from me. My parents no longer had a say. I watched my mother storm off angrily, my father trailing behind. No regrets. No doubt after this little stunt I'd be hearing my name a lot more in the news. Derpy Hooves applauded. "Yay, fillies!" She grabbed Carrot Top and gave her a smooch. Said orange mare blushed redder than an apple, stammering. "Derpy! I told you, I like boys!" "Oh. Oops." "What is going on?" An even louder gasp from everypony as we all knelt down at the sound of her voice. Princess Celestia and Princess Luna had finished greeting everypony. The two strode up with regal authority. "Is she your date, Octavia?" Luna asked with a twinkle in her eye. Damn her, she knew very well Vinyl was my lover. Now she was putting me on the spot. "Err, yes," I admitted. "Vinyl is." "Best of luck, you two," Celestia said with a wink. We accepted her blessing. At that moment, the music suddenly kicked up a notch. A gasp. "WE LOVE THIS SONG. EVERYDAY WE ARE SHUFFLING!" Luna bellowed. There was no denying Princess Luna. To everypony's surprise, Princess Celestia joined her. I thought some of the older gala attendees were going to have a heart attack! Reluctantly, everypony began to dance. "Now this is a gala!" Vinyl cheered. It was a night to remember. We lay in bed back at our apartment, still wearing our suit and dress. "What ever happened to our little project anyways?" "Huh?" "Our little music project," I said. "Oh, our classical/electro mashup? "Yes. We were going to fuse music genres!" "Ahh, I don't know. We just never got around to it." "You still wanna do it?" "Do what?" "Make music," I said in the most suggestive, sultry fashion. It went right over her head. "Hay yeah! Heck, let's start! Where's our blank sheet music?" I rolled my eyes, slowly beginning to slide beneath the covers. "Octy? Where are you going?" Vinyl asked. "I thought you said you wanted to make musi—OH. Oh. Oh wow." And then we made music. And it was very, very sexy.