Paradiso

by Syvvak


Chapter 6

Paradiso

Chapter 6

Written by

Syvvak

Story Concept by

Lynked

--------------------------------------------------

        “I grew up not knowing my father,” Vinyl began tentatively, sipping on tea Octavia had brought. “Well, my biological father. When I was about five, my mom had went out with this one stallion. Now, he wasn’t the first one. The others never seemed to come by more than once. I think it was cuz they usually saw me when they came to pick Mom up.” Sighing, she scooted closer to Octavia and leaned her head against the cellist’s. Octavia blushed lightly at the contact, taking a sip of her own tea and waited for Vinyl to continue.
        “But this one, he was different.” Vinyl gave a loving smile as she reminisced. “When he came to get my mom, we were sitting outside. When he saw me, he smiled at me. Not the ‘oh shit, she has a kid, gotta act like I don’t mind it’ kinda smile, but just a friendly smile. I don’t know. But as Mom told me she would be home in a few hours, he asked if I wanted to go to the park with them for a picnic. Oh Luna, I was so happy. I got to get out of the house for something other than school.”
        “Why was that?” Octavia asked, before quickly raising a hoof to her mouth and blushed. “Sorry.”
        Vinyl gave a little chuckle. “It’s cool. Mom worked a lot. She had two jobs, but neither paid too well. We would go out from time to time, but, as a kid, it didn’t seem like enough. And she was always going on dates. Well, it seemed like it was always; I was a kid. She always brought me something back, though.” Octavia leaned into to show her support. Vinyl leaned back before continuing.
        “Well, Mom said yes, and we went and had a great time. At least, I know I did. It happened a few more times. He would invite me on some of their dates, but some of them just the two of them went. She always brought something back for me saying he wanted me to have something, too.
        “He was around a lot after a few months. Sometimes, he would stay with me while Mom had to work and help me with my homework. He would put me to bed, make sure I got a bath, cook me dinner. When he started stay overnight, he would make breakfast for me and Mom and help me get around for school.
        “I remember, one night, I woke up and had to go to the bathroom. I heard them talking in the kitchen as I passed, and I stopped to listen. He said a bunch of mushy stuff, then asked her to marry him. I had never wanted to her my mom say yes more in my whole life.” Vinyl gave a light chuckle, closing her eyes to fully embrace the memory.
        “When she finally did, I couldn’t move. I finally had a dad. After a moment of standing there like a statue, I ran into the kitchen and jumped at him. I wrapped him in the tightest hug my little legs would let me and cried into his shoulder. I guess I ended up falling asleep, cuz I woke up the next morning in my bed without remembering going back.” Both mares chuckled lightly.
        “But life was great. They got married, he moved in, since our house was bigger than his was, and life went on. He was a great father figure for me; he always helped me if I needed it, almost always supported me, though, if he didn’t, he would make sure I knew and knew why, and he was there for me.
“I felt as though I could tell him just about anything, and I did, and he always gave me great advice on how to deal with it. I told him if I was having trouble with friends, teachers, people bothering me cuzza my eyes. He was the one who got me my first pair of shades. He even got a doctor friend of his to write the teacher a note saying they were prescription so I could wear them in class. I even talked to him about my first crush. I don’t know why I went to him, but I did. And he didn’t even get all weirded out when he realized it was on a filly.
        “But I ruined all of that.” Vinyl opened her eyes, hoping that seeing the room around them would minimize the effects of the memory. “It was just a few days before I met you. I had went to a graduation party with some friends. I ended up seeing my fillyfriend with another mare. When I said something to her, she... said hurtful things to me. She said some... private things I had told her. Everyone started laughing, even my ‘friends’. The only pony who didn’t laugh was the mare she was with. She was furious. She walked up to her, smacked her in the face, then grabbed me and walked me out of the house.
        “She apologized to me, saying she didn’t know, and that what my ex (since it was obvious we weren’t together anymore) did was wrong. She tried to make me feel better, but I couldn’t. We talked for a bit, but she had to be home, saying something about having to work in the morning. She told me I should stop by in the morning, and gave me a business card.
        “I walked around for a while, trying to calm myself down and clear my mind and whatnot. When I eventually walked home, he was sitting in the kitchen, waiting. He told me Mom was worried sick cuz I said I was gonna be back a few hours earlier. I ignored him, but he stopped me from going to my room. He saw the tear stains and asked if I was ok. I told him it was none of his business. He asked if I wanted to talk about it, and I blew up. I cussed and screamed, eventually waking my mom up. They tried to calm me down, but... I couldn’t. I was really hurting; I thought she was the one, ya know? But I eventually said I hated them both, and he wasn’t my father and should stop trying to act like it.
        “I packed a bag with essentials and left. No note, no goodbye. Just... left. I went by the address I was given the next morning. I told her I was moving and thanked her for her support the night before. She gave me her number and address and said to keep in contact and maybe drop by and say hi sometime.
        “I didn’t mean what I had said to them, but I couldn’t face them. I knew I should’ve gone back and apologize, but... I was scared. So, I got a train to Canterlot, hoping to find some work. I had been here a day when you found me. You saw me and offered me company. I was homeless, jobless, and had no prospects for the future when you showed up. I lied to you because I didn’t want to admit what I had done, hoping it would go away. I’m really sorry.”
Vinyl began to sob uncontrollably, tears flowing steadily down her face. Octavia turned to embrace her, her own tears trailing down her cheeks. She let Vinyl cry into her shoulder again, hoping being there would do something for the distraught mare.
“I am going to guess you still haven’t told them,” Octavia said after Vinyl calmed down. She felt the unicorn shake her head into her shoulder. “You know you need to, right?” Vinyl nodded. “Would you like me to go with you?” At this, Vinyl removed herself from the grey mare’s embrace, looking her in the eye.
“You would do that for me?” she croaked, her red eyes lit up with hope.
“Vinyl, for you, I would do anything.” Vinyl wrapped her hooves around Octavia, squeezing her tight as she kept thanking her. Octavia returned the hug with a smile adorning her face.
After a while of sitting like that, Octavia pulled away. She tried to look Vinyl in the eye, but couldn’t seem to bring herself to do it. She eventually locked her eyes onto the white mare’s shoulder before speaking.
“Hey, I, uh, I know this may not be the best time to say this, especially with what has been going on, but I don’t know if I will ever be able to bring myself this close again.” Vinyl scrunched her face up in confusion, waiting for the cellist to continue. “I was going to say it when you came home that night you didn’t, but you never came home.” Vinyl looked away in shame and whispered a quick apology.
“I... uh. I don’t know how to go about it. I didn’t really know how to go about it then. But, um... well.” Octavia tried to speak coherently, but her nerves were getting the better of her. She kept glancing at Vinyl, only to look away after their eyes met. “I... well. I wanted...” Before she knew it, she leaned forward, locking her lips with Vinyl’s. She closed her eyes, not wanting to see what she feared; Vinyl’s face contorting in anger.
She couldn’t describe how she felt. Her heart was beating faster than she could ever remember and her head felt light, though from nerves or bliss she wasn’t sure. She was unsure how long she held the kiss, though the eternity was probably just a few seconds.
When she finally pulled away, she didn’t look at Vinyl. She felt her face light up as she looked around the room, trying to find something to distract her. Neither mare spoke, Vinyl still a little shocked and Octavia embarrassed. The grey mare’s lavender eyes eventually locked onto a clock.
“Oh, look at the time. I’m going to go start dinner.” She quickly picked up the teapot and cups without looking at Vinyl and hurried into the kitchen. She dumped out the cold tea, placing the utensils in the sink. She walked over to her refrigerator, hoping she had something that she could take awhile to make so she had time to clear her head. She pulled bundles of different vegetables, deciding on soup.
Placing the vegetables on the counter, she searched for a large pot. She hummed a song, singing along in her head, to keep her mind off the fact that she had just kissed her best friend. She filled the pot with water and seasoning before placing it on the stove. And just after we made up. She turned to the counter to prepare the vegetables. I haven’t heard the door, so at least she hasn’t left... yet.
She lifted the cutting board in her mouth and scraped the cubes off of it and into the boiling broth. She stood there watching the little cubes float around. She could still feel Vinyl’s lips on hers. She could feel where the tears had dried in her fur. She could feel the fear of being alone again.
She heard a timer go off that she didn’t remind setting. She turned off the flame, moving the pan to island in the middle of the kitchen. She pulled two bowls out of a cupboard and set the on a tray. After ladling soup into each, she took a deep breath, steeling herself for what may happen next.
She walked into the living room, still avoiding eye contact with Vinyl, who seemed to be watching her every move. She sat the tray on the table in front of the loveseat, took her bowl, and sat on the couch beside it. She sat her soup on an end table and began eating, watching her soup as it swirled within the confines of the bowl.
She didn’t look up when she felt Vinyl sit down next to her. Nor did she look up when she felt Vinyl scoot closer to her, causing them to sit flank to flank. Both mares ate in silence.
Shortly after her own bowl went dry, she heard Vinyl’s being sat back on the table. She just sat there looking into it, unsure of what to do.
“The soup was great, Tavi. Thanks,” Vinyl said, finally breaking the silence. Octavia sat in silence. “Uh, is there any more?” The question sounded sheepish; Octavia just nodded. “Sweet. You want some more, too?”
“Sure,” Octavia responded quietly, preparing to get up to refill their bowls. She stopped when Vinyl held her hoof in front of her.
“You cooked and brought the first round, so I’ll get the second.” She leaned over to grab Octavia’s empty bowl with her hoof. Doing this caused her to brush up against the earth pony. As she pulled back, she gave Octavia a fleeting kiss on the cheek.
Octavia felt her heart flutter. Maybe she hadn’t ruined everything. I should probably say something about it, though.
Vinyl came back, holding the two bowls in her blue aura. She placed Octavia’s back on her little table before sitting down, still holding hers in her magic.
“Thanks,” the grey mare said before she started to eat.
“Anytime, Tavi.” The two mares ate in silence again. When they finished, Octavia decided to speak up.
“Vinyl?”
“Yeah.”
“Sorry for kissing you like that. I should have said something or found out how you felt before I did.” She finally looked at the unicorn, hoping she wasn’t mad.
“Hey, I know not many can resist my charms, especially in close proximity like that with no other ponies around.” She gave the cellist a slight smirk. “And it’s not the first time a pony couldn’t resist me.” Octavia’s eyes widened slightly at this. Vinyl leaned in close and lowered her voice. “Though, it is the first time any of them got a positive response.” Octavia blushed again.
Before she pulled away, Vinyl placed her lips on Octavia’s, both mares losing themselves in the touch. As she pulled away, she smiled brightly. Octavia returned the smile. “So, does this mean...” She trailed off, unable to finish the thought.
“Yes, we’re together now.”
 Octavia launched herself into Vinyl, embracing her in a loving embrace. They sat in each other's embrace for the third time that day, though it was the first time as a couple. After a few minutes, Vinyl pulled away.
“Um, do you mind if I grab a quick shower? I haven’t had one in, like, three days and now I’m all covered in your tears,” Vinyl said, looking down at herself in mock-disgust.
“Yeah. Same place as before you left.” Octavia let out a light chuckle.
“Would you care to join me?” Vinyl asked, as she got off the couch and headed for the stairs. Octavia blushed and struggled for words.
“No- I, uh. I’m gonna clean up dinner. You go ahead.” Vinyl laughed heartily at the flustered mare as she walked up the stairs and around the corner.
Octavia got off the couch and headed into the kitchen, shaking her head. She put the remaining soup in the fridge for later and the dirtied dishes in the sink. Deciding she also needed a shower, she went upstairs. She paused by the bathroom door, contemplating on joining Vinyl. Deciding against it, she started to walk into her own private bathroom, but not before Vinyl started belting out the chorus to In My Dreams, causing the earth pony to chuckle.

--------------------------------------------------

After drying herself off from the always refreshing shower, Octavia headed back downstairs. Vinyl was sitting on the loveseat humming the same song from the shower. When she heard Octavia on the steps, she looked up, flashing her her brightest smile, which the grey earth pony returned.
“So,” Vinyl began as Octavia sat beside her, “how was your shower?”


“Well, I was going to join you, but I was unsure how long I would be able to keep my sanity with you singing, so I opted for a solo shower.” Octavia smirked at Vinyl as she blushed, not having realized she was singing loud enough to be heard. Vinyl quickly perked up, grinning seductively at her marefriend.
“But if you had joined me, you woulda been the one singing.” Vinyl laughed again as Octavia blushed, having taken a moment to realize what was being implied, receiving a hoof to the shoulder in response.
The two mares sat there for the next few hours joking, catching up, telling stories, and, above all, enjoying each other’s company. After a particularly long yawn, Octavia looked at the clock, which read one in the morning.
“Well, as fun as this has been, I think we should call it a night.” Octavia got off the loveseat, smiling at her marefriend. Mmm. Marefriend.
“Fiiiiiine,” Vinyl drawled. “I’ll go to bed early this time. Don’t expect it very often.”
“Well, if you are going to be staying up late a lot, I guess you will have to be showering late, too, which means alone.” Octavia walked past Vinyl as she talked, bumping her with her flank, causing her to stumble backwards. Glancing back, she saw a blush hinting at Vinyl’s cheeks.
Vinyl rushed to walk beside her as she approached the stairs. They traversed the stairs and hallway together, but, as they came to Octavia’s room, Vinyl split off, heading to the guest room.
As she opened the door, Octavia realized Vinyl was no longer next to her. She turned and saw Vinyl opening the door to her extra room. Hesitating slightly, she spoke up.
“Hey, Vinyl.”
“Yeah.”
“Would, uh... Would you like to sleep with me tonight?” Octavia asked sheepishly, kicking her hoof and not making eye contact. She heard the other door close followed by hoofsteps coming towards her.
“I would love to,” Vinyl said, deciding against saying something sexual, realizing how hard it must have been for Octavia to ask that. She gave her a quick kiss on the forehead before walking past her and into the bedroom. She stopped at the foot of the bed to look around.
“Nice room ya got here. Really cozy.”
“Thank you,” Octavia replied, as she climbed into the bed, pulling the covers over herself. After a moment, she felt Vinyl climb in behind her. She felt the bed sink down then shake as she scooted closer. She draped a hoof over Octavia and planted a small kiss on the back of her head.
“Goodnight, Octavia.”
“Goodnight, Vinyl.”
Both mares relaxed in the other’s embrace, sleep quickly overcoming their exhausted minds. Dreams of the two of them together graced both mares, promising a bright future.