//------------------------------// // Vinyl's Date // Story: Perfect Triple Dating Plan // by PurpleFire18 //------------------------------// It was hours after lunch when Vinyl sat on the comfortable couch in her house, facing the entrance. She was waiting for Octavia, her soon-to-be marefriend, to come back from her practice. She was getting impatient and tried to look at something to get her mind off of the long wait. She looked at the shelf full of records and used her unicorn magic to levitate them closer to her to get a closer look. The first few were not relevant to Vinyl's interest, it was all just classical, calm, boring, definitely-Octavia's-kind of music. It took her minutes before getting to her interests, the good music that needed wubs and not strings. She found it amusing how two ponies with radically different tastes could pull off being such good friends since their early school days. Placing the records back where they belonged, Vinyl's sight moved to a picture hanging on the wall. It was a picture of Octavia and herself in the middle of an adorable hug in front of their house, taken on the day they became roommates, and it was ironically taken by Lyra and Bon Bon. Looking at the cute picture made her smile and remember that day. "Wow! Are you really going to live here, Tavi?" "Yes, Vinyl. I think it's a nice house and just what I need. But, you know, I think it wouldn't hurt having a roommate..." "Ha, do you know anypony who might be interested?" "Yes, I do know one, at least." "Really? One of your band friends? Do I know them? I want to warn them before something happens..." "Now what is that supposed to-...No, Vinyl, I didn't mean my band friends, but you DO know the pony." "Oh, now I'm curious! Who is it? Is it Lyra? Don't tell me it's Lyra, you two are just so competitive that it would hurt." "Vinyl, I am talking about a certain white unicorn with blue hair and a musical note for a cutie mark." "But the only one I know with that description is me...wait, have you met my clone and didn't tell me?!" "I'm talking about you, Vinyl Scratch!" Vinyl laughed at herself, in hindsight she should have realized sooner with Octavia's adorable smile. Soon afterwards she found herself lost in memories again. The first time they slept in the house, the time they had a party and invited Lyra, Bon Bon, Derpy and that new pony she befriended, the Doctor, and eventually became a strangely nice group of friends, the time it was so cold they had to spend most of the day in Octavia's bed watching whatever was shown on tv, that one time where Octavia went to Canterlot for a week and Vinyl felt so lonely she talked to a picture of Octavia, and many other memories. It was all interrupted when Vinyl heard the door opening, her Tavi was here. "I am back, Vinyl!" the grey earth pony shouted as she opened the door, not expecting her best friend to be waiting for her in the living room. "Welcome back, Tavi!" Vinyl jumped off the couch and to her feet. "How was practice?" "Oh, it was...productive, I suppose..." Octavia replied, confused, since Vinyl rarely asked about Octavia's practice sessions. "How was your day?" "Oh, you know, nothing interesting. Had breakfast with Ditzy and Bon Bon, talked about stuff, listened to music, watched tv, average day!" "I see...for an average day you seem rather happy...happier than usual, that is. Did something happen?" "Nah, nothing. Hey, I was thinking, would you like to accompany me to the park today? I kinda want to walk today." Vinyl smiled, though deep down her mind was expecting the worst. "Oh...sure, right now?" Octavia asked, seemingly not suspecting anything. Vinyl was overjoyed that she didn't reject the offer. "Yes, in ten minutes actually!" "Alright, I will be back downstairs in ten minutes then." Octavia walked towards the stairs, not noticing her best friend giggling uncontrollably. She went upstairs, looking at Vinyl one last time, and could clearly see the smile on her white face, but she either didn't want to know or just dismissed it as Vinyl just being Vinyl. Vinyl had the chance right there, and it was waiting for her to take it. She happily opened her little box and took out her earrings, and after putting them on she put a hoof on one of them. "Girls, I'm going out in ten minutes, how are things going on your end?" she asked, hoping her friends would hear her. "The girls just went to the party, I'm going to get the Doctor soon," said Derpy, heard as clearly as if she was there. "Lyra went out to get snacks for tonight, everything's going good so far," Bon Bon said through the earring. "Alright, I'll catch you just before I leave." Vinyl took her hoof off her ear and walked up to a nearby mirror. Looking at her reflection, she took a few deep breaths and started talking. "So, Tavi, you look surprisingly beautiful when the sun sets on your mane." She put a hoof to her face shortly afterwards. "Too lame...alright. Now, now, Tavi, you look just so perfectly beautiful out he-...no..." Vinyl started getting impatient at herself. "Tavi, I'll just say it right here...I lo-...I...I lov-...lov-lov-lov...ah! I can't even confess to my own reflection!" "I am ready, Vinyl!" Octavia's voice could be heard, followed by the sound of hooves coming down the stairs. "Oh, alright!" Vinyl quickly put a hoof on her ear. "Girls, going out now, wish me luck!" "Good luck, Scratch!" both Bon Bon and Derpy were heard at the same time, and this gave Vinyl some confidence. Vinyl opened the door and allowed Octavia to go outside before her. "Thanks for coming with me, Tavi!" "You are welcome, Vinyl. Is there any particular reason you asked me to come with you?" Octavia raised an eyebrow as Vinyl turned to see her. "No reason, I just like spending time with my bestie!" Vinyl smiled as she closed the door, thankfully her shades were hiding the nervous look of her eyes. "We could have done so in the house..." her friend said with a suspicious look. "Hey, no harm in doing so outside in the park, right?" Vinyl asked, trying to remain calm. "I suppose it is alright..." Octavia finally said. The two friends walked towards the park. Vinyl was still going through with ideas on how to confess to Octavia in her mind, but she knew she'd have to ask her friends for help sooner or later. Octavia stopped to look at a flower, a very colorful one at that, and Vinyl was about to get her to hurry up. "...and if she stays still staring at something you don't find interesting, let her do it and wait for her." Derpy's voice seemed to be everywhere in Vinyl's mind at once. Vinyl stood where she was and simply looked at Octavia. In her eyes, she looked beautiful, everything about her was perfect. Her mane, her eyes, her tail, her body, it was all perfect. Her accent and bow-tie could certainly be better though. Vinyl found herself getting closer to her friend, she knew she was doing it but couldn't stop herself. Eventually, her cheek met Octavia's, and this was enough to snap her out of it, but couldn't get away. "V-Vinyl? What are you doing?" Octavia asked. Vinyl had to think of something fast, and the first thing that came to mind was the flower Octavia had been looking at until they were cheek-to-cheek. "Uh..I was trying to see what was so interesting about this flower you were looking at." "Did you have to come this close to me? And why does your face feel warmer?" "No reason!" Vinyl responded, almost yelling, and backed away. "Say, are you done watching that flower? We should go before the sun comes down!" Vinyl began walking quickly, and Octavia followed. Upon arriving in the park, the sun setting on the horizon, Vinyl spotted a bench that was perfect for the date, and ran up to it. She jumped on the bench and signaled Octavia to sit beside her, while Octavia just seemed puzzled by her friend's actions, though still joined Vinyl on the bench. Octavia saw a young unicorn filly running with an ice cream and remembered she hadn't eaten anything since she went out to practice, and her stomach began growling. "Oh my gosh, Tavi! Your stomach is making the rumbles!" Vinyl stood up. "Never fear! Your friend DJ Pon-3 will get you something to eat!" "Vinyl, it isn't necessary. Just let me go buy-" "NO! I insist on going myself! You just wait here, I'll be back sooner than you can say 'Ice Cream Please'!" Vinyl said and immediately ran away. "...Ice Cream Please?" Octavia was so confused by Vinyl's attitude that she didn't know what to say. Vinyl managed to find a place that sold rather cheap ice creams, and she bought one for her and one for her Tavi. For Octavia, she had bought a simple vanilla ice cream with chocolate, while for herself she bought her personal favorite: chocolate ice cream with nuts. She was tempted to give it a lick right there, and was about to when she heard a squirrel nearby. She looked down to see a squirrel starring at her favorite ice cream. "Oh, hi...you're probably interested in these nuts, huh? Well, believe me, I'd give some to you, but I'm busy!" Vinyl walked back towards the park, but the more she walked the more squirrels she heard. She finally turned around to see an army of squirrels staring at her ice cream. "Woah! No, you're not getting these nuts!" Vinyl attempted to hide her ice cream behind her, but this only made the squirrels get closer. "Get away from me!" Vinyl shouted and ran as fast as she could, protecting the ice creams from the horde of squirrels following close behind her. Octavia had found a way to get her mind off the hunger through daydreams. Nopony could tell what she was daydreaming about, but it certainly made her happy enough to make a few adorable smiles. It was all interrupted when she heard a familiar voice screaming, followed by the sounds of hooves running. She turned to see what must have been the most amusing, confusing and jaw-dropping scenario ever. "TAVI! NATURE IS OUT TO GET ME!" Vinyl ran across the park as the squirrels were closing in on her, forcing her to get away from Octavia, who wasn't exactly sure what was going on. "Um, girls? I got a problem!" Bon Bon said through the earrings. "You, don't, say!" Vinyl sarcastically replied, activating her earrings with magic. "YOU have a problem? The Doctor needs a doctor!" Derpy said. That phrase would have made Vinyl laugh at the irony if it wasn't for her epic escape. Knowing that the Doctor needing an actual doctor meant only one thing, Vinyl sighed. "What did you do, Derpy?" "Nothing, I swear!" Derpy said defensively. "Derpy, please, what did you do?" Bon Bon asked, seemingly forgetting her problem. "...I left some...bad muffins on the table and offered one to the Doctor," Derpy replied with regret. "Oh, Derpy. Do you still have the candies I gave you when you got sick?" Bon Bon asked with a calm tone. "Oh, your Fix-it-all Candies! I love those things!" Vinyl forgot for one second that she was running away from hungry squirrels. "Derpy, if you got one, give it to the Doctor, he'll feel better than my fans during parties I'm invited to!" "I think I have one somewhere...what was your problem anyway, Bon Bon?" "Oh, yeah. Lyra rented that movie with the puppets, and she took a break to go to the little fillies' room. But my problem is, I don't know if I want to keep watching this, I just looked over my shoulder to see if there wasn't any evil puppets behind me! What do I do?!" Bon Bon was clearly afraid. "Easy girl, easy! All you gotta do is-" Before Vinyl could finish her sentence, the squirrels got to her and made her lose her balance. She fell to the ground and her magic lost its grip on her ice cream, which fell to the ground with her, ruining it. "Oh, no!" she said to herself as the squirrels began eating the nuts of what was left of the ice cream. Fortunately, Octavia's ice cream was still safe, for the most part. Sad at the loss of her ice cream, she walked back to where Octavia had been waiting for her, hearing her friends' voices but ignoring them. "Oh, Vinyl, what did you-...Vinyl?" Octavia saw her friend's sad face as she gave Octavia her ice cream. Vinyl sat next to her, saying nothing. Octavia now had an idea of what happened, the squirrels likely wanted Vinyl's favorite ice cream's nuts and stole it from her. Octavia felt sad for Vinyl and before tasting her so-wanted ice cream, she offered Vinyl the first lick. Vinyl wasn't surprised, Octavia always tried to help her first instead of herself whenever she could, and Vinyl was always eager to return the favor but now that she had her chance, Octavia had once again beaten her to it. She simply smiled, tears coming out of her eyes and slightly visible behind her shades, and licked the ice cream. "Thank you, Tavi," she said as she took off her shades and wiped off her tears. "You're welcome, Vinyl," Octavia replied as she began eating the ice cream. Knowing Octavia would be too focused on the ice cream, Vinyl put a hoof to her ear and whispered to her friends. "Sorry about that, what's going-" "No! Don't open that door!" Bon Bon screamed for two seconds. "But the Doctor is inside! I have to open it!" Derpy said. "Derpy, I don't think she means you. Alright, I'll go all in soon." Vinyl said, a bit amused, before letting go of her ear. *** It was past dinner time when Vinyl and Octavia returned home. Vinyl was somewhat disappointed, the date hadn't gone as planned, mostly because she chickened out of every chance she got to confess her feelings. She didn't hear from her friends, so this gave her hope that at least they didn't have problems. "I will go make our dinner. Please don't turn on the music this time, Vinyl." Octavia left for the kitchen. Vinyl sat on the comfortable couch again, after a very uneventful day, save for the squirrel attack, she only wanted to relax. Deciding to ask her friends about their dates, she put a hoof to her ear. "Hey girls, how did everything go?" "Could have gone better. You?" Bon Bon asked. "I got attacked by squirrels...I...I couldn't do it...my plan didn't work out for me..." Vinyl's voice cracked. "I'm sure it can be fixed, Scratch." Derpy tried to reassure her friend. "I can't, Derpy, I'm too shy...enough about me, what happened to you?" "I left to get one final spark of courage...I almost started crying before you called, I just can't get myself to say it!" Derpy almost began to cry. "Well, I just gave up. Trying to confess during horror movie night is not a good idea, at all." Bon Bon said with resignation. Vinyl looked down. She was stuck with the consuming doubt forever, and her stupid fears wouldn't let her be happy or try to be happy. She looked up to see the picture of herself and Octavia, and like if this was a sign, her mind sparked with confidence. "Ok girls, last advice of the night. We are not going to bed tonight without having our love confessed or our hearts broken. Next chance you get, DO IT!" Vinyl took off her earrings, not waiting for her friends' reactions. "Vinyl, dinner is ready!" Octavia called from the kitchen. "Coming, Tavi!" Vinyl took deep breaths and talked to herself. "Alright Vinyl Scratch, just, do it!" She walked towards the kitchen, where Octavia was waiting for her with apple pie and tea. Not much of a dinner but it wasn't her primary concern. She sat down in front of Octavia and they began eating, though Vinyl wasn't touching her food. "Vinyl, are you ok?" Octavia asked, worried. It was very rare that Vinyl didn't eat after being out for most of the day. "Tavi...we need to talk..." Vinyl had her eyes closed, though her shades hid it. "...What happened?" Vinyl took off her shades and looked at Octavia with her ruby eyes. "Tavi...I..." Her fears once again were getting the best of her. "Vinyl?" "Tavi...I...I..." Vinyl began sweating and breathing heavily as her face turned from white to red. "Vinyl, if there is a problem, just tell me!" Octavia was definitely worried now, and was about to leave her chair and go to Vinyl's side. Vinyl's poor heart couldn't take it anymore, and using her last bit of confidence, she finally said it. "I love you, Tavi!" Octavia stopped, shocked by what she had heard. Her eyes opened wide and she looked like if she had seen a ghost. "Yes, Tavi-" Vinyl began crying, bracing herself for the worst "-I love you! I always have, and always will! I couldn't tell you before because I was afraid you'd reject me, but I can't hold it in any-" She was interrupted by a hoof placed on her mouth. "You talk too much, Vinyl..." Octavia moved her hoof away from Vinyl's mouth, a smile and a shade of red appearing on her face as tears began to appear in her eyes. "Come here, you poor filly." Octavia threw her forelegs around Vinyl as she gave her a tender, soft kiss on the lips. It was soft at first, but Vinyl, fueled by ignited joy, returned the kiss with more intensity. Octavia herself broke the kiss after a short while, smiling at Vinyl. "Vinyl...you don't know how long I've waited for you to say that." "Tavi...you mean you...?" Vinyl asked, overjoyed. "Yes, Vinyl. Ever since you came to my life." Octavia's smile was tearful, but only because of joy. Vinyl was truly happy. In the end, her plan worked, and her doubts were finally gone. She finally had her Tavi with her. Pulling her into a tight embrace, Vinyl kissed the mare she had loved for so long, and to her joy, that mare was kissing her back.