Octavia was laying draped across the den's couch, watching an episode of Dr Whooves, which Vinyl Scratch hated, for reasons Octavia couldn't imagine, when said mare came clomping down the stairs, a sleepy Tambourine sitting on her head.
Octavia paused her show and glanced at the mare in front of her. "What's up, Sweetheart?"
"Would you come upstairs, 'Tav? Tamby won't go to sleep without one of your stories." Tambourine shook her head emphatically to emphasize her mother's point, but the enormous yawn that followed ruined it's effect.
Octavia smiled up at them as she got up and followed Vinyl up the stairs to the bedroom. "I guess I'll come. But you should really try making up a story yourself sometime - I bet you'd be good at it."
Vinyl Scratch groaned. "I doubt it, Octy. I don't know enough of your fancy-shmancy words to tell a good one. And, Octy, do you think you could help me convince this crazy thing that sitting on my head is a bad idea?"
Tambourine giggled and slid down Vinyl's neck, landing so that her hooves rested at her mother's throat instead. "Okay, Mommy."
"You don't need fancy words to tell a good story, Vin'. Look at the Author of this story. She hardly knows enough complicated words to come up with my lines. And, Tamby, don't strangle Mommy. I'd like to have her around for a good while more."
"The Author is different. She has a dictionary."
"Not necessarily. Just give it a try, okay, Vin'?"
Vinyl Scratch nuzzled Octavia's cheek, admiring how her charcoal mane stayed neat even after mingling with the scrappy blue mess atop Vinyl's own head. "Only for you and Tamby, Octy."
Octavia grinned. "Good. If you made up stories for other ponies I might get jealous and make you take me to Ponezia again."
"I hope you don't think that you need to go crazy-jealous in order to get a vacation. But that reminds me, I have a surprise for you once we get the Monster to bed."
"What monster?" Tambourine asked innocently, sounding a bit worried. Octavia poked her nose gently.
"You."
Vinyl Scratch shifted slightly, dumping Tambourine onto her back on the bed. The filly giggled and crawled under the covers, a contented sigh escaping from her lips. 'I'm ready for my story, Mommy."
"Well now, let's see. What do you want to hear about, Tamby-dearest?"
Tambourine thought for a moment. "I want to hear something about Tick and Tack, like when Mama tells me."
"Tick and Tack?" Vinyl looked confused.
"They're bunnies, Vinyl. Tick is a brown bunny and Tack is a white bunny, and they live in a hollow tree stump by the edge of the Forest," Octavia explained.
"Gender?"
"They're girls, like us." Tambourine said eagerly. "But they don't have a Tamby like you."
"I see. Okay then, here we go." Vinyl coughed into her hoof. "So one day, these two bunnies, Tick and Tack - "
"You're supposed to start with Once upon a time," Tambourine said, pouting.
"Picky, picky." Vinyl Scratch sighed. "See, 'Tav? I botched it already."
Octavia patted her hoof comfortingly. "Don't give up yet, you scootaloo. You barely even started. Go on, I want to know what happens."
"Well - Okay. Here we go again. Once upon a time..."
Tick and Tack, two little bunnies,
Lived in a stump at the edge of the wood,
They liked to eat lots of carrot yummies
Under an Oak Tree that leant as it stood.
So they packed up their baskets
And buckets and pails,
Full of carrot sandwiches and cookies,
And books of pony-tales.
A cloth for their picnic,
And a cup for their drink,
But not a single salt-lick
And ruled out the kitchen sink.
Two white and brown rabbits
Hooping down the winding trail
They kept the best of their habits,
And shook their fluffy tails
As they came to the meadow where the oak tree stood.
They found a new friend in
A ladybug - her name was Sue -
And at the end of a very long day,
They took their new friend home to play.
And the fireflies came out to light their way.
The three good friends were soon sleeping tight -
As soon as Celestia turned out the light.
So, this ends my little tale,
But tell it again - I'll never fail.
Now I'm afraid I'm out of rhymes,
I'll tell you more, some other time.
oOo
"So, how'd I do?" Vinyl asked as the two mares crept out of the bedroom. "Do you think she liked it?"
"Well, judging from the fact that she's asleep now, I think you did a very good job. I never knew you were a poet, Vin'." Octavia stood a little taller to kiss Vinyl's cheek softly. "Besides, how could she not like it? It was perfect."
"You're just saying that 'cos you love me."
"No. I do love you, but it was a good story. And I can't believe you made it all rhyme like that. I'm impressed."
"Well, fine, but I'm not. You're still the pro around here."
"I don't know about that. Tambourine might just forget all about me if you keep coming up with whole poems on the spot for her."
"I doubt that. But I have a surprise for you, remember?"
"Oh, yes. Well, what is it?"
"I have to get it. Meet me in the den again. And no Dr Whooves, he doesn't deserve to witness this."
"Wow," Octavia observed sarcastically. "Harsh."
She trotted down into the den and settled into her side of the couch, sighing. Vinyl joined her seconds later, a long, rectangular piece of paper gripped in her mouth, though Octavia couldn't see any reason for Vinyl not to use her horn.
"Found it." Vinyl spat the paper onto the coffee table with a look of disgust. "I don't know how you earthies deal with that. Paper tastes awful."
"Maybe it's because we're tougher then you," Octavia observed in a teasing voice. "You unicorns just can't take it."
"Pshaw, you know I'm the one in charge around here."
Octavia patted her marefriend's spiky head condescendingly. "Keep dreaming, Vin'."
"I almost think you don't actually deserve the surprise, the way you're acting, Octy. Tsk, tsk." Vinyl scolded, levitating the paper she had brought away from Octavia.
"Oops, sorry, Vinyl. I love you." Octavia did her best to look contrite.
"Oh, you're just saying that so I give you your present, you greedy mare."
"Now, that doesn't even make any sense. Of course I love you, you're my marefriend, for pony's sake."
Vinyl narrowed her eyes. "Prove it."
Octavia wriggled closer, squeezing herself into Vinyl Scratch's lap. She wrapped her arms around the other mare's neck, giving her a long, loving kiss before finally rolling off, panting slightly. "Now do you believe me?"
"Hmmm," Vinyl stroked her chin, thinking. "I guess. It would help if you did that again, but that can wait. Here you go."
Octavia caught the paper as Vinyl levitated it over to her. Her brows puckered as she read it. "A flier for a house in San Franciscolt? What the...?"
"Uh-huh." Vinyl nodded, grinning her trademark lopsided grin. "D'you like it? Me gusta o no me gusta?"
"Your spanish is terrible, darling. It's a fine house, but why are you making such a huge deal over a flier? And San Franciscolt is all the way across the country."
"I'm not making a huge deal over the flier, you silly filly, I'm making a huge deal over the house," Vinyl explained, looking pleased with herself.
"I don't think I quite follow."
Vinyl sighed, exasperated. "I mean, it's ours."
"What?"
"Ugh, why are you so slow? I bought it. That's our house. You said you wanted to move, Sonata and all kinds of uppity first-class jerks live in Canterlot, San Franciscolt is known for its love and tolerance of ponies like us, so I got us a house in Pony Valley. I hear it's a great family neighborhood, and this place has a lot of bedrooms, all with windows, which should make you happy. Oh, and a back yard. You like back yards, right? You seem gardeny to me, and - Octy, are you okay?"
Octavia was staring at Vinyl with wide eyes, a shocked expression on her face. "I-I don't know, Vin'. You just bought a house, completely across the country, without my knowing anything about it. Am I supposed to be all right?"
"Yes. I thought you would be happy. You did just freak out at me because I didn't want to move, remember? I mean, it was kind of a while ago, but after the trial, and after the jury decided that Sonata was deserving of our filly, which makes no sense unless the were all homophobes like her, I decided that I liked the idea, so I went ahead and bought a house. It's... kind of an anniversary-ish present for both of us."
"Okay, I guess. I honestly am not quite sure what to think of this, Vinyl. Can we move before Tambourine starts first grade?"
"Yes. We're moving next week, because the schools have a week off for Thanksgiving. Which means, that after tomorrow, we should start packing. I can't wait to tell Tambourine!"
"When did you even have time to go all the way to San Franciscolt, find and buy a house,and come back for the trial?"
"Uhh, I'd rather not explain that."
"And how did you pay for it? Pony Valley isn't a cheap neighborhood."
"Can I not explain that, either?"
"No. I refuse to move into a house when I have no idea how you got it. If you were... selling yourself, or stealing money, I'd never be able to forgive you. So can you please just tell me?"
"Okay. I promise, I didn't become a whore, and though I might not be the best, purest, most un-criminal pony in Equestria, I haven't stolen anything since I was a teenager. I got the money in my inheritance."
"Your inheritance? I thought your parents were drunk all the time and didn't have anything worth more than ten bits."
"They weren't in the best places with their lives, true. But I never said anything about their monetal values. My dad was the brother of Photo Finish and Hoity Toity, which means that when he died, though neither of them would have anything to do with me, they did leave me a good sum of money. So they wouldn't get in trouble, the scumbags. They gave me half a million bits each not to tell anypony I was related to them. I didn't know what to do with it, so I put it in the bank and forgot about it. And being a famous DJ ain't no cheap job, either. So I finally admitted to myself that I could be a multi-millionare, and bought this house for you."
"That is incredibly stupid, Vinyl, and I don't believe a word of it. Tell me the real reason."
"That is the real reason. I swear to Celestia, it's true. Can you just drop it, 'Tav? We have a lot to do."
"Fine. Maybe someday you'll explain stuff to me. Come on, Sweetheart. Let's go to bed. I'm tired, and I want to cuddle anyways, so I'd appreciate it if you came with me."
"Okay. If we cuddle down here we won't bother Tamourine. And then we can smooch."
Octavia sat back down. Here it is, then. Let's do this."