Octavia lay alone in the queen-sized bed. She scrunched her eyes as tightly as they would shut, clutched the blankets to her chest. The wool was scratchy and dull, but it still clung to the faintest warmth. It still smelled like her.
The middle of the bed had been an oasis, a shelter from the storm for them to cling to each other, safe and warm. Now, alone, the bed was an ocean, and she found herself drowning in the waves of blankets, pillows, and plushes. Funny how perspective worked.
Sighing, she checked the clock. Six in the morning. She had slept in, by her standards, anyway. Maybe Vinyl was rubbing off on her.
She peeled away the blankets layer by layer, sliding to the ragged carpet. If she trod too heavily, she could feel the rough plasticy material that held the remaining stubborn strands together. She stopped to study the room. Eh, whatever neon blue this was probably was already out of style even when it was new. It really was long overdue for a replacement. Maybe a salt-and-pepper look, for contrast, or a simple grey, or maybe chocolate brown, if she wanted something between sensible and fun. Vinyl would probably pick some funky electric orange or eye-searingly bright purple-pink. Octavia chuckled a little at the thought. She could at least make sure the walls were somewhat normal. Maybe a sky blue, to freshen it up a bit.
"Is this really the best you can do?"
No one spoke, but Octavia winced, remembering her mother's question.
"She's trying," she said to the empty room. It said nothing back.
Her stomach, however, growled its displeasure, and she slunk to the kitchen, ears folded. Her hoovesteps echoed off the lineoleum, and she found herself taking somewhat heavier steps to fill the silence. When she opened the cabinet, she stretched out with one hoof, propping the cabinet door with the other. She grabbed the oatmeal and shut the door, resting it on a nail jutting out. I have time. I really should fix that. Instead, she put on a kettle, staring at the mess Vinyl had left behind. Some kind of sickly-sweet concoction claiming to be cereal, so strong she could smell it from here, mixed with milk starting to spoil in the early sunlight. As she rinsed it out, she shook her head, a small smile sneaking into the corner of her mouth. Her dedication to maintaining just the worst diet possible was a marvel. An inspiration, even.
The kettle shrieked, pausing Octavia's perverse admiration for now. She poured it into her oats, before using the rest for her tea, taking a deep whiff of it. It was nothing compared to imported jasmine, but it was a fine breakfast blend. Much, much cheaper, too. Vinyl had even left her enough milk, and back in the fridge this time. Progress.
She took a sip before sitting, quietly eating her humble meal. Some strawberries would do it a world of good, or some apples, perhaps. The orange mare with the cowboy hat seemed like she might offer a fair deal. At any rate, cinnamon and a spoonful of sugar were enough seasoning for now.
Octavia checked the clock. Still only 6:20. Sure, she had the whole day (she was free for once!), but Vinyl wouldn't be back for hours. 10 o'clock, if she was lucky. Maybe past noon, if she had crashed in a hotel again. Hopefully alone...
"Where is she?" Perfect Harmony tapped her hoof on the table.
"Well, she had a concert last night, so she might--"
Harmony scoffed. "Due to meet the mother of the mare she intends to date, and she spends the night at some wild rave?!"
Octavia sank in her chair. "Well, it is her job, Mother..."
"Then she should be more professional! Even the clubs close after, what, three in the morning? Brunch at ten thirty hardly seems like an imposition."
She just shrugged. Maybe Vinyl headed straight home, but she could come back with any number of excuses. 'Oh, there was an afterparty!' 'Sorry, the bartender was wild and the drinks were stronger than I realized!' 'I came home to catch a few z's, and I woke up six hours later!'
Octavia looked up at her mother, and saw her squinting her eyes. "Is that her?"
Octavia looked too. Sure enough, she saw that distinctive jolt of blue from the rat's nest Vinyl called a mane. She stood outside, trying to run a hoof through it, but a cowlick stubbornly stood up directly perpendicular to her head, as if defying her very audacity at attempting to tame it. Octavia giggled, though it died in her throat when she met her mother's glare.
Vinyl slumped, making one last attempt before taking a deep breath and throwing open the door. She perked her head, looking around, her eyes brightening when she saw Octavia. Shockingly, she seemed to be without her normal sunglasses, making her red-tinged irises all the more apparent. "Hello! I'm Vinyl! You must be her mom! Harmony, right?"
Perfect Harmony just stared for a moment, not shaking Vinyl's outstretched hoof. She touched it for the briefest of moments before raising her chin. "That's Perfect Harmony to you."
Vinyl raised an eyebrow, but otherwise looked unbothered as she hopped into a chair and scooted close to Octavia. "Sorry I'm late. The party ran way into the morning, and I ended up sharing a hotel room with some friends just to have someplace--"
Her explanation was interrupted by Harmony choking on her water. She tapped her chest, her eyes bulging. "You--you shared a BED with somepony before you--"
Vinyl blinked. "Wait... Not like... They're just friends!" She turned to Octavia, but Octavia's eyes were welling up with tears. "Tavi... It's not like that!"
Octavia shook her head until the memory faded. Nothing would happen anyway.
Something clinked like a plate next to railroad tracks, and Octavia looked down to see her hoof shaking, spilling some of her tea onto the saucer. She set it down. Perhaps she needed a decaf blend instead...
She needed something to calm her nerves. Octavia stood, walking into the living room and turning on the record player. Soft, wavering strings rang out before brass instruments joined in. Classic. She smiled, dancing with an invisible partner.
The music was gentle and slow, perfect for holding somepony close and swaying together. She laughed. Even she had no idea what sort of dance one was supposed to do for this kind of jazz, but just sharing that kind of moment was enough. She imagined sharp red eyes, fully focused on her. She leaned in and closed her eyes...
The cello kicked in, adding a deeper, richer sound to the strings. Octavia listened, sort of feeling the flow of the notes. Her eyes drifted over to the cello in the corner, covered in a thin layer of dust, but still able to be played.
No. She couldn't. Well, she could, but... Octavia could still feel the strings on her hoof, the way the other one fit around a bow... But not this one. She just needed to save up for another one so she could turn this one into firewood.
"What are you talking about?! This thing is freakin' gorgeous!" Vinyl's eyes had lit up the way hers were probably meant to. "I don't know anything about violins, but this had to be, like, a thousand bits!"
Octavia chuckled, closing her eyes. "It's a cello, you dork," she said with a smile.
She would want her to. Octavia wanted to. But she would want her to most of all.
"Are you sure you want this?" Harmony looked at her, not judgmental for once, just... sad.
Octavia swallowed the lump in her throat. "I'm sure."
Harmony sighed, turning to the building behind them. Names were etched in the archway around the music hall entrance, all the graduates who had made it through years of honing their craft here. Some of them got their names on other parts of the building itself.
"You know, you hated classical music when you were little. I was so upset!" Harmony forced a smile even as her eyes started to tear up. "But then I took you to a concert here, and from that day on, the only thing you wanted in the world was to--"
"Make pretty music with those amazing ponies," Octavia finished with her. She flashed her mom a wistful smile.
"I just want what's best for you." Harmony put a hoof on Octavia's cheek. She held her more softly than she had in years.
"I know." Octavia put her hoof on Harmony's... and brushed it away. "But what you want isn't always what's best for me."
Harmony grit her teeth. "You think you're really going to be happy leaving your future for her?
A tear ran down Octavia's cheek. She ran a hoof slowly over the smooth wood, clearing away the dust.
"This music is pretty and all. But I'd like to hear you play."
Octavia whipped her head around, eyes wide. Vinyl just grinned from the doorway, slowly strutting up to her.
"Hey."
Octavia blushed, turning fully toward her girlfriend. "Hey."
Wrapping her arms around Octavia, Vinyl perked one ear. "This is the song from the first time we danced, right?"
Shrugging coyly, Octavia just smiled. "I like to reminisce sometimes."
"Then shall we?" Vinyl said in an exaggerated posh accent.
"You're a dork," Octavia teased as she stood on her hind legs.
"Yeah." They swayed together, and Vinyl's breath tickled her ear. "But you love it."
"I do."
They held each other for a moment, moving with the rhythm, before Vinyl tilted her head. "Didn't you say this song reminded you of the feeling of being kissed?"
"It might have." Octavia looked into Vinyl's eyes. "It's been a while."
Smirking a little, Vinyl put a hoof under her chin. "Should I remind you?"
"Yes." Her whisper was gentle, and so was the kiss. Vinyl held her cheek.
"It definitely reminds me of being kissed." She put her hoof on Vinyl's.
"Why don't you show me how it makes you feel?" Vinyl asked. Octavia started to lean in, but Vinyl put her hoof on Octavia's lips. "Not like that. For now." She tilted her head toward the cello. "C'mon. It's too nice to just be left to rot."
Octavia hesitated, pulling away and looking at the cello. Though it was a few steps away, every step felt like miles, stretching impossibly long. Would her hoof even feel the ground again? But she closed the gap, whether it took hours or seconds. As she reached for the bow and the strings, her hooves held the weight of universes. The bow might as well have been made of helium.
Despite her hooves shaking, they found their spots on the strings, and she managed to draw her bow straight across all of them. She took a breath, closing her eyes, feeling the way she needed to play. A song poured out of her, none of the notes planned, all of them coming naturally. It wasn't an original song, of course, but the muscle memory returned just as naturally as swimming. When she was done, she put down her bow and looked up.
Vinyl's eyes were locked on her. They seemed to sparkle like rubies. "Beautiful," she whispered. "And I don't just mean you."
"Alright, I've got another one for you. Let me look..." Vinyl dug through their records, finding another jazz album. They danced and swayed and kissed and whispered till they were just holding each other in the twilight.
Octavia didn't know if this was the best she could do. But it was damn good.