Headache, check. Dry mouth, check. Absolutely no memory of yesterday what so ever, check. Vinyl tried slowly opening her eyes, but as the first rays of sunlight reached them she winced. She reached out for her sunglasses only to find that they were not in their usual spot. There was a moment of panic. Okay, calm down Vinyl. Try and remember what happened yesterday.
“Ugh, right. Hangover.” She facehoofed only to have her hoof connect with said glasses.
As Vinyl thought, yesterday was one of those days, and today was gonna be even worse. She finally managed to crack her eyes open, only to have the full power off sunlight beaming at her face. Of course she had forgotten to close her curtains. She should be glad she even got into bed.
Her apartment was not really too big. Actually it was pretty small, but she liked it. She’d always been a fan of cozy. Despite the rumors her apartment was not an uncontrollable mess. Heck, compared to Tavi’s hers was one of a perfectionist. She mentally kicked herself for thinking about the past, it was not like her mood was not bad enough from before.
She grabbed a glass and filled it with water. She gulped it down and filled another, and another. Finally she’d satisfied her thirst for water and her headache had dampened slightly She walked back into the living room where she spotted a note on the table. She slumped down on the sofa and picked it up with her hooves- one of the biggest problems with hangovers is that you can’t use magic during it- and started reading.
Heya Vinyl!
You had too much to drink again yesterday. Yes, I know, I’m a good friend, please come by the bar at around two P.M. to pay for the cab. Also there’s someone here who wants to meet you.
Bartender Joe
Vinyl took a glance at the clock. One P.M. She let a groan escape her mouth and turned to the bathroom. Today was gonna be a long day.
Twenty minutes later she was trotting down the streets of Manehattan. She’d decided that she would get there earlier so she could settle the debt before whoever wanted to meet her arrived. Who would want to meet her anyways? Maybe someone wanted her for a gig? She’d been doing a lot of smaller gigs lately. That was probably it.
When she finally arrived at the bar it was ten to two but the bar was pretty much empty. Vinyl looked around the room but saw no-one. After a couple of seconds of hesitation she walked in.
“Joe, you there?” Her voice was a little shaky. She’d never enjoyed being alone in public places, it just felt wrong. She was about to turn and leave when Joe came out of the backroom
“Sorry, I was just doing some paperwork,” he said with a frown.
“You don’t look so good, what’s up?”
“They’re threatening to close up the bar. Business hasn’t been too good lately.”
“What? They can’t just close the bar! Is there anything that can be done?”
“Unless I can increase my income by thirty percent within the next week, there’s no way it will survive.” Their conversation was interrupted by the door opening behind them. Both ponies turned, one mouth agape and the other with a smirk. There was a silence.
“Octavia, you made it!” Joe called out to try and break the ice. No response. “Heh, I think I’m gonna go work on that paperwork again. So you guys can talk privately. Heh, you get the deal.”
This did nothing to help the tense situation. Both mares stared at each other for a long time. Vinyl’s emotions hidden behind her trademark glasses, Octavia’s emotions hidden by years of training. Just as Octavia decided to take the initiative and talk up the last thing she expected happened.
The only way to describe it was a white blur, followed by a thump and a warm face pressed against Octavia’s. Was Vinyl trying to kill her? No, she could still breathe. What was the white mare doing then? W-Was she hugging Octavia? No way, she had to hate Octavia for leaving like that.
“Tavi, you’re back! I’ve missed you so much. Can you please forgive me? I did not mean to shout at you like that. I just really, really missed you! Please forgi-hive me!” Vinyl cried out in a blur before she started sobbing uncontrollably.
“Wait, what do you mean forgive me? You’re the one who should be hating me! I just left you here to chase after my stupid dream. I should never had left in the first place. Can you please forgive me?” Octavia could feel tears building up herself.
“I never blamed you in the first place.” At that very moment both mares understood how stupid the whole situation had been. A single conversation. A single visit. Heck, even a single letter would have been enough to clear this situation a long time ago. Instead they’d both struggled for five years. Anything that reminded them of the other would send them into a fit of tears.
And now here they were. But what exactly was this then? They had both changed. Things would never be the same. It could go straight to Tartarus, or it could become something wonderful again. Either of the mares knew, but both were willing to take the risk. After all those years it could not possibly be worse.
“So, how was Canterlot?” Vinyl spoke up again. Now wearing a smirk despite her tear covered face. Octavia could not help but smile herself. She was finally reunited with the mare she’d so foolishly abandoned. And that was all that mattered. Right?
Well, that and the feeling she had not realized she held for the mare currently hugging her. Of course that could be dealt with later. It was not like any of them were going anywhere anytime soon.
“If you could stop choking me maybe we could take a seat and I will tell you all about it,” Octavia replied with a giggle.