//------------------------------// // Chapter 16 // Story: From Scratch // by Kaldanor //------------------------------// “So, do you two usually have such action-packed days?” Aegis asked with an exaggerated yawn and then flopped dramatically into a corner of Vinyl’s living room with a bored expression on her face. “Well, we’d usually have a recording session later in the afternoon, but Octavia has to take it easy for a while. You haven’t been around for any of our sessions, so I’ll forgive you for not knowing that “taking it easy” doesn’t describe them in any way,” Vinyl answered with a smirk from her seated position in the middle of the floor. The unicorn was surrounded by stacks of papers and was slowly shuffling through them with her magic, occasionally tossing a magazine or a sheet of paper into the bin behind her. Vinyl directed her gaze up towards Octavia and watched as she lounged on the couch with a pained expression on her face. Vinyl observed Octavia for a moment to make sure that she was okay, before returning to sorting through her papers. Octavia had already taken a depressingly short trip back to her apartment with Vinyl and Aegis to fetch some essentials for an extended stay at Vinyl’s place. Normally, she would have been happy to be in-and-out of the apartment as fast as possible, but today, she almost wished that the trip had taken longer. The act of rooting through the few boxes of her belongings to make sure she didn’t miss anything only served to remind her of how little she actually possessed these days. Even worse was the sheer lack of volume when it came to how much she actually cared about. A small pile of personal hygiene tools, consisting mostly of brushes, was all that made the trip to Vinyl’s apartment, and Aegis had easily scooped up everything without asking. Even if Octavia had been concerned about leaving her cherished effects packed in her boxes and had asked the pegasus to gather up everything that she cared about, they probably still could have made it in one trip without even needing Vinyl’s help. The quiet “Is this it?” that Vinyl had asked in a careful tone on the way out didn’t help Octavia’s mood at all. She had fallen into an emotional silence ever since their return, trying her best to ignore the other two ponies. “How’s your headache doing, anyway?” Vinyl asked, interrupting Octavia’s brooding. The unicorn shifted the current stack she was working on to the side and then started to rifle through the next one. Octavia let out a barely audible complaint and grumpily flopped a foreleg over her eyes before rolling over to face the back of the couch with a series of soft grumbling noises. “That good, huh? Let me know if you need anything, Tavs,” Vinyl offered. “You two really don’t have anything planned for today?” Aegis complained as she wriggled around on the floor impatiently. “It’s only been a few hours since we got back from Octavia’s place, Aegis. How can you be that bored?” Vinyl said as she rolled her eyes and then returned to the sorting. “Come on, what else do you two do? You’re friends, right? You must go out and do something every now and then,” Aegis whined from the corner before stretching herself out on the carpet. “Well yeah, but having friends is still kind of a new thing for me. I shut myself off against that kind of thing for a long time, and Octavia’s friends…” Vinyl hesitated for a long moment and then glanced over at the earth pony who currently looked like she just wanted everything in the world to go away. “Well, you’ve seen the articles. You should know what her friends did to her,” Vinyl nearly spat in disgust before burying her face in the papers again. “So, you two just sit around and do nothing?” Aegis asked and then rolled onto her back to stare at the ceiling while she let her legs wave idly in the air. Her wings stretched out against the carpet on either side of her and lazily flapped a few times as she looked around the room. Her expression quickly turned to that of a young filly who had been told that she had to sit in timeout for a whole ten minutes. “We don’t even hang out. We see each other almost every day at the studio, and sometimes see each other around…” Vinyl said hesitantly as she paused to scribble on a few pages and then tossed them aside. “So, if you two barely ever do anything together, how did you wind up in a situation like this? Didn’t the report say you two were walking back to the studio together from somewhere?” Aegis asked while she scrunched her face up in confusion. “Yeah, we ran into each other at the hospital while visiting Resonance. We had a recording session coming up, so we walked back together,” Vinyl said absentmindedly as she kept shuffling the stacks around her. “Ugh… You two need to get out more. I’m going to die of boredom,” Aegis whined loudly as she rolled over onto her side. “Don’t tell me, you’re bad at standing still, and never get assigned to traditional guard posts,” Vinyl teased with a quiet chuckle. “We could go visit Resonance in the hospital, I guess.” “Yeah, I suck at standing in place and guarding things,” Aegis admitted. “When can we go to the hospital?” “We can go whenever,” Vinyl said as she put the papers back down and glanced over towards Aegis. “What about Octavia?” the pegasus asked with a concerned glance and then crept over towards the couch to check on her. “She’s taking a nap; she’ll be fine.” “Would be, if some ponies would stop being so loud…” “Sorry,” Vinyl said in a quieter tone and then shot a questioning glance at Aegis. “Vinyl, that pony attacked you two in this building. We’re not leaving her alone when I’m supposed to be watching both of you,” Aegis said with an exasperated sigh. “We’ll go when she’s done with her nap, then. If you’re that bored, I can find you a book or something…” Vinyl said in a hushed tone as she glanced around the room quickly. “I pretty much only have stuff related to music, though.” Aegis seemed to consider it for a moment but flopped onto her stomach instead. “I’ll be fine.” Octavia slowly sat up on the couch, only to immediately regret the foolish action. Her half-awake mind didn’t register the light blanket that had been perched upon her sleeping form and, as such, failed to realize that sitting up would cause it to slip to the ground. Although the sudden rush of cold air that assaulted her body was a suitable punishment for her rash action, she still wanted to lie back down and curl up tight so that she could cling to any residual heat on the cushions. She grumbled quietly for a few moments about how bad of an idea it was to sleep on the couch while she struggled with the urge to go back to sleep before finally stretching her limbs and overcoming the desire. Octavia nearly fell off the couch when she noticed the changes to the room around her. She finished reaching over the edge to retrieve the blanket before taking a moment to glance around. It was most definitely still Vinyl’s living room, there were stacks of papers and magazines around, but there had been a concerted effort to tidy it up. A trashcan by the front door was overflowing with an assortment of papers and magazines, and the surviving stacks had been shifted over into the corner that Aegis had been previously lounging in. The center of the room now actually had quite a bit of space to move around without having to carefully place hooves between stacks of paper. Octavia found herself unable to suppress the urge to slip off the couch and curiously peek down the hallway towards Vinyl’s other rooms. Once again, she found that the piles normally littering the hallway had been reduced and stacked neatly against the walls. Octavia just stood in place and stared at the sight for a long moment before she became aware of sounds coming from the kitchen. As she walked back into the living room, the quiet bickering from the kitchen became more discernable. “Why won’t you let me help? I’m so bored!” Aegis whined in a dramatic tone, only to be answered immediately by a clearly annoyed Vinyl. “You managed to burn pop-tarts. I didn’t even know that was possible,” Vinyl said in a tone that made Octavia suppress a giggle as she could clearly imagine Vinyl’s exact expression. “There’s no way I’m letting you near an actual stove, so go sit somewhere.” “I wanted to see if they’d cook faster if I turned the toaster up, is that a crime?” Aegis shot back in a foalish tone. “I have no idea how you got to be a guard when you’re so impatient. Isn’t patience one of the basic requirements for the job?” Vinyl said in a louder tone. “What can I say? I have good eyes, and I’m good at spotting things while on patrol. I was the only mare around when you two came in, and Reg thought that giving you two a stallion was probably a bad idea. The captain said that 'it would be a good learning experience for me,' so here I am.” Octavia chuckled from her spot in the hallway before walking into the kitchen with a shake of her head. “I see the honeymoon is over, and you two started off so well.” “She’s finally awake!” Aegis said happily as she jumped out of her chair with an excited flap of her wings. “Chill, lunch is almost done. We’re not leaving until we eat, anyway,” Vinyl said with a wave of her hoof as she kept stirring a large pot on top of the stove. “Oh wow, you’re actually cooking? I didn’t know that you knew how to make things that didn’t go into the toaster, Vinyl,” Octavia said with a grin, ignoring Aegis as she flopped back into her chair with a disappointed look on her face. “Yeah yeah, laugh it up, I might just serve you the pop-tarts that Aegis burned if you don’t behave, missy,” Vinyl said with a devious smile and then lifted a plate in her magic to show off the two charred objects. She let out a chuckle at the way that Octavia’s face wrinkled up at the sight and then went back to the pot. She gave it a few more stirs and then lifted it up and over to the other side of the stove. “She also thinks that I broke the toaster...” Aegis mumbled as Vinyl rummaged loudly through the cupboards for a few bowls and then began to set the table. Octavia’s right eyebrow arched slightly as she turned to look at the pegasus next to her. “How did you manage to burn pop-tarts? I thought their main appeal was that even a foal could make them.” “I just wanted to see if it would work, okay?” Aegis cried out and threw her hooves into the air. “You’re not allowed in the kitchen at the guard station, are you?” Octavia asked with a giggle. “Nope,” Aegis admitted and then placed her head on the table with a quiet thump. “Watch your head,” Vinyl advised the pegasus as she poured some soup into the bowls with a ladle grasped in her magic. “Please tell me that you’re more interesting than Vinyl,” Aegis pleaded after sitting back up and turning her gaze towards Octavia. “Vinyl doesn’t do anything fun. And listening to music doesn’t count as fun when you’re doing it for your job, Vinyl!” Aegis preempted when Vinyl started to turn around from putting the pot back in order to answer the accusation. “Maybe I like my job,” Vinyl said with a quiet huff as she sat down at the table to start eating her soup. “Even people who like their jobs take time off to do other things now and then, Vinyl!” “She did kind of build this whole record company on the back of a whole bunch of hard work and determination…” Octavia said reproachfully. “Of course you’d agree with her,” Aegis said with a roll of her eyes and then went silent as she started to eat her own soup. Octavia very carefully replaced the spoon in her bowl before turning and fixing a fierce expression on the pegasus. “And just what exactly is that supposed to mean?” “You two are so far stuck in your 'we are totally not in a relationship' relationship, that I’m not surprised you’d defend her,” Aegis mumbled between mouthfuls of soup. “Listen, if we go to visit Resonance after lunch, will you stop being a queen bitch already?” Vinyl asked in a sharp tone that cut across Octavia’s initial attempts to respond. “Sorry… I’m just not used to being cooped up,” Aegis said quietly and hunched forward over her bowl. “Usually get to go out and patrol instead of being stuck in the same place all day.” “It’s not like Vinyl and I have never snapped at each other,” Octavia remarked with a quiet laugh after finishing her own lunch. She stood up to carry the bowl over to the sink and then rinsed it out. “Yeah, we totally got along like peas in a pod when we first met,” Vinyl said with a loud snicker before turning to devour her own lunch. “What, really? I have a hard time imagining you two actually angry with each other from what I’ve seen so far,” Aegis said and then raised her eyebrows at the giggles that her statement elicited from both of the other ponies. “What?” “After my first couple of interactions with Vinyl, I was convinced that she was the worst pony I’d ever met. I hated her with all of my might, and was disgusted that I was forced to rely on her,” Octavia answered in a serious tone as she sat back down. “Weren’t you the one so impatient to get going? You should finish your lunch if you’re in such a hurry,” she added after Aegis just sat there with her mouth hanging open. “B-but you two— How did you go from that to kicking a pony through a wall in her defense?” Aegis finally managed to ask. Octavia shrugged and then glanced over towards Vinyl, only to see a curious look with a raised eybrow on the unicorn’s face. “Things happened,” Octavia said with another shrug. “The pony that we’re going to visit caused most of it when she got hurt. It’s a long story, maybe another time. Now stop staring at me with that dumbfounded look and finish your food. Do I need to take the spoon and make train noises for you?” she asked as a devious grin started to spread across her face. Vinyl burst out into laughter at the expression of disbelief on Aegis’ face. She took several deep breaths in an attempt to compose herself but was unable to stop the resurgence of laughter. The completely unamused look on Aegis’ face wasn’t helping matters at all. Vinyl resorted to putting her head onto the table in a final attempt to suppress the laughter, but was failing miserably as she shook from head to hoof with silent giggles. “Hey, you teased her first. You started it,” Vinyl finally managed to choke out before falling back into laughter. “Okay okay, I’m finishing my lunch,” Aegis grumbled under her breath, which only caused the other two ponies to giggle in unison. “So, about this pony that we’re going to visit…” Aegis started to ask in a leading tone as she hovered over the other two ponies while they walked down the street. “I can’t help but notice that you two have carefully avoided the use of the word “friend,” but by the sound of it, you two have been visiting her pretty regularly. What’s up with that?” “Well, it’s complicated—“ Vinyl started, only to be cut off by Aegis. “You say that like anything with you two isn’t complicated,” Aegis said with a roll of her eyes as she dropped down to walk next to the other two. Instead of responding, Vinyl held the door to the hospital open for the two other ponies. It wasn’t until they were trudging up the stairs together that she spoke up again. “It’s not like I dislike her or anything. With everything that’s happened, I wish that I could call her a friend, but that’s not really up to me. This whole situation is pretty much my fault… So, I guess it’s really her opinion on the matter that’s important. I wasn’t exactly the nicest pony to her.” “That’s a bit of an understatement, Vinyl” Octavia said with a quiet chuckle but hesitated when she saw the glare that Aegis was shooting her way. “But from what I’ve heard, I don’t think you need to worry about that too much,” she added in an attempt to be a bit more comforting. “What do you mean by that?” Vinyl asked in a quieter tone as they entered the familiar hallway that led to Resonance’s room. “You said that she was always bright and cheerful when you came to visit her,” Octavia said after failing to find a better way to sum it up. “If she disliked you, then she would have been a bit more resentful, right?” “I always figured that was because her family lives so far away that they haven’t been able to see her, so we’re pretty much the only ponies that come to visit her— Hey Resonance!” Vinyl called out in a much more cheerful voice as she led the way through the open door. “Wait, wait,” Aegis said with a foreleg raised in the air as she glanced between the three ponies in front of her from the doorway. “Is this the pony that thought you two were in a relationship?” Octavia let out an annoyed little sigh, strode straight over to Resonance, and then playfully tussled the unicorn’s mane before continuing over to her usual chair. She had absolutely no desire to go over this again, and instead, turned towards the window as she attempted to tune out the pegasus. “Yeah, that’s her. Anyways, Resonance, this is Aegis. She’s a guard that will be watching us for a bit until they can find the stallion, that, um, attacked me…” Vinyl started to explain but steadily trailed off as she progressed further along. “What?” Resonance demanded with a shocked expression on her face, seemingly unaware of how she was letting her mouth hang open. She shifted her disbelieving stare between Vinyl and Octavia several times before looking back over at the pegasus standing by her bed, pleading for information with her wide-eyed expression. “Assaulted? And what happened to Octavia? She looks like she got punched in the face…” “Well, that’s because she did,” Aegis said with a quiet giggle at the reaction this elicited. “She also has a slight concussion. Anyway, it’s been a rough couple of days for them, so don’t push them on it, okay?” Aegis asked in a kind tone, flapping her wings idly as she chewed on her lower lip before continuing. “Don’t worry about them. I’m sure you’ll hear about it soon. I’m looking after them until the other guards can find the pony responsible and make sure that he can’t hurt anyone else.” Aegis leaned closer to the unicorn on the bed and then theatrically shifted her eyes back and forth. She motioned for Resonance to lean closer so that she could whisper in a conspiratorial tone that did nothing to reduce how audible it was. “Besides, I totally thought they were dating too,” she said with a grin and then nudged the cream unicorn. Resonance suddenly burst into a fit of laughter and then laid her head back against the pillow as she shook from head to hoof with mad giggles. She covered her face with both of her hooves in an effort to stifle the sound, but she seemed to be having a difficult time of it. Octavia rolled her eyes and turned to stare moodily out the window instead of responding to the giggling behind her. She tried to just watch the ponies walking through a nearby courtyard while she waited for the two ponies behind her to wander towards another topic. “I know, right?” Resonance responded after a few short moments of giggling as she struggled to keep a straight face. Octavia let out a quiet groan as she couldn’t help but see Resonance’s reflection glance in her direction before leaning over to whisper something in Aegis’ ear that made the pegasus burst out in her own fit of giggles. She tried to let her eyes wander further down the landscape to watch the walking ponies as they passed through the streets as well as the occasional carriage trotting its way towards the richer areas of Canterlot. Octavia didn’t even acknowledge Vinyl as she sat down in another chair after pulling it up to the other side of the window. “How come that annoys you so much, Octavia?” Vinyl asked a few minutes later. The lack of any nickname jolted Octavia out of her thoughts and caused her to quickly turn to look at her friend. Vinyl’s gaze was fixed on Octavia, lacking any of the mirth that she had gotten used to from the unicorn. “I can tease you about pretty much anything and you take it in stride, but somepony cracks a joke about us and you’re suddenly upset. Why? Is the idea really that repulsive to you?” Octavia let out a dramatic sigh and put her head down onto the windowsill to avoid having to look at the earnest expression on Vinyl’s face. “It’s not like that,” she muttered with a slight roll of the eyes. She turned to glance over at Vinyl for a moment. The excited giggling from behind them was making it harder for her to properly string the words together, but after a few minutes she made a stab at it. “You told me that long story about yourself to explain why you didn’t want to go to the guards… Remember how you casually mentioned that some of the ponies you worked with tried to sleep their way to the top?” “Yeah, but what does that have to do with anything? You didn’t—“ Vinyl asked with a wide-eyed expression but was cut off by a vehement denial by Octavia. “No! My point is that in your side of the music world, that sort of thing might be somewhat, what's the word, acceptable? Okay, probably not the best choice, but you know what I mean. It happens, probably not a whole lot, but it happens nonetheless. Some ponies might not like it very much, and the ponies that aren’t bashful about it probably get some rather nasty things whispered about them, right?” Octavia started off in a leading tone, only stopping long enough to let Vinyl nod her head in agreement. “It’s not like that with society circles in Canterlot.” “What are you trying to get at here, Tavs?” Octavia heaved another sigh and held out a hoof to silence Vinyl. “Just listen to me. I’ve been desperately trying to claw my way back up to some form of notoriety, to reclaim some semblance of my dignity. More importantly, I want my life back, but if ponies think that we’re in a relationship, none of that will matter. Do you get that? Like it or not, I’m dependent on you, Vinyl. Even if everything works out in the end and I get back to the point where I’m off on my own, none of it will have done me any good if ponies think that I started a relationship with the pony that helped me get there.” “Do you really think that ponies will try to write you off because they think that we’re dating?” Vinyl asked with a raised eyebrow. “No, I know they will. Listen to me, Vinyl. Trying to keep your reputation in the Canterlot classical music scene is more than just playing in shows. That’s why I keep talking about the way that high society is and the way that the ponies within behave. Staying relevant is about getting invited to the smaller side-events that constantly occur around town: the garden parties, the soirées, the ‘casual get-togethers’ between a small number of ponies that just happen to hold a large amount of power. You get the types of events that I mean, even if you don’t generally like to attend them. They like to have music played in the background, for the ambiance, and only the ‘good sort’ are ever invited to play for their enjoyment,” Octavia nearly grumbled under her breath. “Yeah, I always felt stifled in those sorts of places,” Vinyl admitted quietly. “So you understand what I’m talking about. When a pony’s reputation starts to slip, or nasty rumors about them start becoming commonplace, they’ll say things like ‘Is that really the sort of pony that we want to have playing at our party? It would absolutely ruin the atmosphere.’ I’ve heard them gossip about other ponies, and I even heard them starting to do it about me, Vinyl. I’m certain that there are ponies in Canterlot society that have tried to sleep their way to the top, but they keep a tight lid on it. That sort of thing is considered scandalous, and while a socialite might be able to get away with having things whispered about them, a musician can’t afford to be scandalous. Having that sort of thing following you around means you don’t get to play at the events, and not showing up at any events means that you’re not relevant anymore. Do you get why all of those articles were so harmful now? If ponies think that we’re in a relationship, then it’s only a matter of time before somepony starts rumors that I initiated it to use you for your record company. If that happens, well then, that’s where I become scandalous.” Vinyl’s face scrunched up and her eyebrows furrowed as she was clearly attempting to prepare some form of counter-statement, but Octavia shook her head and silenced Vinyl with a gentle hoof to the unicorn’s snout and an alarmingly calm smile. “I know. It’s stupid and petty, but that’s just how they act sometimes. Don’t even try to deny it,” Octavia asserted and then continued onwards when Vinyl gave her a weak nod. “I know you and Aegis are just joking around, but even if you’re merely cracking playful jokes and somepony takes it seriously, then it could be harmful to me. So, please I would really appreciate it if you wouldn’t joke around about that sort of thing from now on…” The whole room fell silent after Vinyl’s murmured agreement, and Vinyl let her gaze follow Octavia’s as they silently stared out the window. The sound of the clock on the wall opposite Resonance’s bed seemed to have multiplied sevenfold as the loud ticking noise cut through the awkward stillness that had suddenly overtaken all of the ponies present. Aegis finally cut through the silence as she leaned over towards Resonance with a curious expression. “Hey, Nance, who are the flowers from?” Aegis asked quietly as she glanced over the unicorn at the mixed arrangement of flowers that had only been nibbled on slightly. “N-nance?” Resonance questioned with a quiet giggle. “Oh, sorry, may I call you that?” Aegis said with her own nervous giggle. The two of them quickly fell into a whispered conversation by unspoken agreement. Their hushed whispers were occasionally broken by sudden outbursts of giggling that made it difficult for Octavia to restrain a smile that was stubbornly working its way across her face despite the seriousness of what she was discussing with Vinyl. After a few minutes, Octavia finally spoke up to break the silence at the window. “I’m sorry, Vinyl,” she finally muttered under her breath as she turned her head slightly to the side so that she could glance at the unicorn. Vinyl’s face still had a serious expression on it as she was looking at Octavia through her reflection on the window. “What are you sorry for now, Tav?” Vinyl asked as a teasing smile spread across her face. “For always yelling at you and expecting it to magically fix things. I should have explained why it bothered me so much instead of repeatedly screaming and sulking in the hopes that it would make you stop.” Octavia turned her head to look back out the window as she adjusted her position and rested her chin on a forehoof instead of directly on the windowsill. “No, it’s fine. I should have realized that your reactions meant it was something that you didn’t like to be teased about,” Vinyl insisted as she laid her own head on the windowsill next to Octavia’s and the two of them fell into a comfortable silence. “Awww,” both Aegis and Resonance squealed in unison from behind them. Octavia bristled and shut her eyes tightly at the noise. She was unable to say anything in response as Vinyl beat her to the punch. “I know that you two were listening by your reaction, so why are you still trying to push her buttons?” Vinyl demanded in an annoyed tone as she sat straight up and rounded on the two of them. “I know, I know, and I’m sorry. I didn’t mean it like that, but you two are so adorable together, I couldn’t help it!” Aegis nearly squealed again as she struggled to contain her giggling. “Right, Nance?” Resonance clapped both of her hooves over her mouth in a pathetic attempt to hide her expression as she giggled madly. She nodded her head weakly in response to the nudges coming from Aegis and shook with suppressed laughter. “See? Clearly if you two can’t date because of your work relationship, then you just need to help Octavia get out on her own faster, right?” Aegis teased as she gave the giggling unicorn another nudge. “Oh stop teasing them, Aegis,” Resonance said after finally calming down from her giggle fit. “Give them a break.” She reached out to playfully swat a hoof at Aegis’ nearby shoulder. “If you insist,” Aegis answered with a laugh and then settled down next to the bed. She sat on the floor and rested her head on the edge of the bed next to Resonance’s pillow so that the unicorn could turn her head and be face to face with the pegasus. As they fell back into their hushed conversation, their quiet whispering continued to get interrupted by fresh bouts of giggling and raucous laughter. “They certainly seem to have taken to each other,” Octavia commented with a torn expression. Her eyes narrowed in annoyance at the continued teasing, but the sounds of Resonance and the other pony laughing happily together kept making the corners of her mouth curl up despite her best efforts to suppress it. “Yeah,” Vinyl agreed weakly. “Are you okay?” Octavia asked. “Huh? Oh, yeah, Aegis just got me wondering,” Vinyl said after a moment and then blanched at the look of shock on Octavia’s face. “No, nothing like that!” she said sharply and then let out a laugh afterwards. “Her teasing just reminded me that I already offered to set you up with a concert once. Why did you say no to that, anyway? You never really gave a reason.” Octavia stared at Vinyl with her right eyebrow raised for a long moment, just to get the point across that she didn’t find any explanation necessary. “Honestly? I thought that you were just trying to get rid of me so that you wouldn’t have to do the right thing about Resonance. It’s no secret that I was convinced that you were the scum of Canterlot at that point, Vinyl.” “I actually was trying to get rid of you, just, not for that reason. You were kind of a pain to deal with, Tavs,” Vinyl said with a smirk and then stuck her tongue out at Octavia. “I know I’ve mentioned before that you had a valid point, but you were just so obnoxious about how you made it that I didn’t want to have to deal with you anymore. So, I figured that if I just sent you off to do your own things, then maybe I could help you out without having to deal with the constant harassment and yelling.” “You know, I really underestimated you, Vinyl,” Octavia said in a soft tone as the two of them sat and stared out at their limited view from the second story window. “Even when you hated me, you still wanted to try and help me. I thought the remarks that you made about how I didn’t deserve any of that negative press were all just to rub salt in the wounds. You actually meant all of that, didn’t you?” “Knowing everything that you do about me now, does it really surprise you that much? I didn’t like you very much, but you were still a talented mare that wasn’t getting anything out of that talent. You know how I feel about this city; is it really so strange that I wanted to help out another pony that I felt got wronged? It seemed to be a pretty straightforward deal: we’d both use each other for our own purposes and wind up thinking that we got the better deal out of it at the end.” The two of them fell silent again, the excited whispering and laughing from behind them kept rising and falling in volume, but it was easier to tune out at this point. Octavia kept glancing over at Vinyl and trying to give her curious looks in the vague hope that she might continue. It was really hard to tell if Vinyl was trying to ask what she suspected or not, and Vinyl certainly wasn’t giving her any useful hints about it either. With their history, though, it wasn’t like Octavia felt comfortable just piping up and asking her about it. So, they sat in silence, their eyes occasionally flicking towards the other’s before quickly returning to looking somewhere safe. Octavia finally gave up and sat up straight as she started to ask exactly what Vinyl was trying to get at, only to find herself talking at the same time as the unicorn. “Are you—“ “So, Tav—“ The two of them immediately stopped talking when they heard the other start, and there was another short bout of awkward silence before Octavia spoke up again. “What is it, Vinyl?” “Oh, I was just going to ask if that meant that you would finally let me set that concert up for you? It’s not like we’re going to be recording while you’re recovering, so we’d have some time to start planning things out. Also, since I actually want to help you out a bit more earnestly, and not just to get you out of my mane, I could actually help you through everything and give you a better chance of getting something meaningful out of it.” Octavia hesitated for a moment. That kind of an offer was actually perfect, but the few forays she’d actually made into society were making her hesitant to accept the offer with too much enthusiasm. She stammered quietly for a moment before finally deciding on a way to respond. “You’ve already done a lot for me, Vinyl. I don’t want you to think that you owe it to me or anything…” “Octavia, you don’t need to do that “fake declining the offer in the hopes that I’ll insist” bullshit. I’m not a society pony. Do you want me set you up with a concert or not?” Vinyl said with a roll of her eyes. “That’d be wonderful, Vinyl. I’m not sure how I could thank you enough.” “Think of it as a way of me saying thanks; also, I want to do it. I’ve said that I think your situation is unfair multiple times, right?” Vinyl said before adding with a teasing grin. “I could go back to calling you Octobutt if it makes you feel better about it.” “I’ll pass. Trust me, I’m totally fine without that,” Octavia said immediately with such strength that Vinyl burst out in laughter. “Alright, then I guess it’s time to break up the lovebirds and head back to the studio. We have a concert to plan,” Vinyl said a bit louder with a clap of her forehooves. She stood suddenly up from her chair and then turned to face the two ponies whose excited conversation had abruptly come to a halt after the remark. “Hey,” Aegis called back in a playful tone as the unicorn beside her blushed furiously. “You don’t need to project your own issues onto us, thanks!” For once, one of Aegis’ usual jokes about their relationship caused even Octavia to burst into a fit of giggles with the rest of the ponies. Vinyl got up and walked over to the bed where she ruffled a hoof playfully through Resonance’s mane with a grin before walking over and nudging Aegis to stand up. “We’ll see you tomorrow, alright? I’ll make sure to bring your marefriend back, and maybe we can stop somewhere so she can pick up some flowers for you,” Vinyl teased with a chuckle at the blush that spread across Resonance’s face from the remark. “Can we?” Aegis shot back with an earnest grin that turned into a laugh as Vinyl’s face lightened up in embarrassed surprise next to Resonance’s matching expression. “What? I’m not too tough to admit that she’s cute, and flowers are always nice when you’re stuck in the hospital,” she said with a playful wink directed at the cream unicorn. “Alright, alright you two, let’s get the both of you out of here before you make Resonance’s face melt,” Octavia said with a chuckle as she started to playfully shove the two ponies towards the door and away from the now bright-red pony on the hospital bed. “See you, Resonance.” “Bye…” Resonance managed to somewhat whimper as the three of them walked out into the hallway. “See you soon, cutie!” Aegis called back into the room as her head reappeared in the doorway with another playful wink. She soon fell into step behind Octavia, trotting behind the earth pony with a bright smile on her face. “You shouldn’t tease her like that, Aegis,” Octavia said as a frown crossed her face. “She’s rather sensitive to that kind of thing. I accidentally led her on, and had to have a rather painful heart-to-heart to explain that I wasn’t interested in her like that…” “Who said I was teasing? Sure, I was hamming it up a bit, but I wasn’t teasing her,” Aegis stated earnestly, making the other two stop dead in their tracks and swivel around to stare at her. “What?” Aegis asked with a laugh. “I meant it when I said she’s cute. It’s easy to make her laugh, she’s even cuter while giggling, and her laughter makes me smile,” the pegasus rattled off as she trotted merrily past the two stationary ponies. “Her face brightens up in a way that makes me unable to resist smiling myself. You know what I mean? If she takes a liking to me, then I’ll just have to ask her out on a date when she’s all healed up. Why not?” Aegis explained nonchalantly and stopped at the entrance to the stairwell to stare back at the two of them. “You two coming or what?” “Don’t worry about Octavia, Aegis. She’s still convinced that Resonance’s injury is her fault when I’m the one that made her so upset that she ran down a flight of stairs at actual break-neck speeds. She’s been acting like a protective older sister ever since,” Vinyl explained and then stuck her tongue out at Octavia with a teasing grin. “Tavi, I wouldn’t have listened to you even if you had said something,” Vinyl said as she turned to continue walking with a swish of her tail that barely missed Octavia’s face. “I understand that you feel bad for not trying, but it’s not your fault. Drop it,” she said suddenly to preempt the annoyed response that was clearly coming. “Anyways, Aegis, don’t let my surprised reaction fool you; I’m glad you two get along so well. She could use a friend, even if things don’t go in that particular way for you two.” Octavia bristled in annoyance as she now stood alone in the middle of the hallway while the other two ponies waited just outside the stairwell for her. She opened and shut her mouth a few times as she kept changing her mind on what she was going to say before she finally let out an annoyed puff of air. “Fine, you’re right. Just don’t toy with her feelings, alright?” “Octavia… We haven’t known each other for that long, so I’m going to choose not to be insulted by that, but you should realize by now that I’m being serious. I genuinely had fun. Yes, I was playing it up a bit near the end to tease her and you two at the same time, but I meant everything I said, even if I exaggerated a bit.” Aegis took to the air and swooped down the stairwell from landing to landing before waiting for them at the bottom. “Can we actually stop at a flower shop?” she called up the stairs without showing any sign of embarrassment at the suggestion. “Yeah, no problem, there’s a nice one not too far out of the way,” Vinyl said with a light shrug in response to the look of disbelief that Octavia was directing at her. “You felt bad for hurting her feelings, Tavs. Aegis might wind up making her happy, just go with it,” she added quietly to the earth pony before trotting down the stairs. “Yeah, plus she’s young enough that you two probably haven’t infected her with a terminal case of the boring!” Aegis called up the stairs again with a giggle. “She’d do good to have someone active in her life to make her get out of the house instead of being stuffy and staying inside all day like you two,” Aegis added before trotting off towards the hospital entrance with a cackling laugh. Octavia walked along behind the other two ponies as if in a trance. The shock of Aegis’ blunt admission about her feelings for Resonance seemed unreal. These types of things just didn’t happen in real life, but the more that she reflected upon it, the more she realized that the two of them had been carrying on an almost constant stream of conversation with each other. She let out a quiet sigh and picked up her pace to keep up with Vinyl as they entered a small flower shop. “I guess after everything that she’s been through, Resonance deserves to be swept off of her hooves as much as anypony,” Octavia admitted under her breath as she watched Aegis flutter around the shop and excitedly look at all of the different arrangements on display. Vinyl turned away from watching the pegasus zip around and caught Octavia’s attention after a few moments of staring at her. When Octavia finally turned to see what Vinyl wanted, she was met with a light shrug, seemingly in response to her muttered statement, before Vinyl returned to watching the pegasus with a smile on her face. It wasn’t that much longer before Aegis was standing at the counter talking to the blue mare working in the shop. A nice arrangement of lavender roses was being carefully packed into a vase for delivery, and with Vinyl’s help, Aegis was able to instruct her on where it was to be delivered. Octavia hovered near the entrance to the shop, nibbling on her lower lip as she tried to make up her mind on if she should vocalize to Aegis what that kind of bouquet meant. When the other two ponies started to walk towards her, Octavia made up her mind and caught Aegis’ attention by stepping closer and clearing her voice politely. “Aegis, are you aware of the meaning of that particular shade of roses? It’s just I had a friend back when I was younger that simply adored flowers. She wanted to start her own flower shop, so I happen to know that a bouquet like that has a slightly more intimate meaning,” she asked in a cautious tone. “They mean something beyond a normal bouquet of roses? I figured sending her roses was straightforward enough and they’d go with her eyes nicely. If she was worried that I might have just been teasing her like you two were, then that bouquet should give her the idea that I wasn’t, right?” Aegis said in a casual tone as she impatiently motioned with her head towards the door, gesturing for Vinyl to take the lead on the way back to the studio. “Traditionally, purple roses signify deep admiration, with lighter shades like that lavender meant to convey stronger attractions. They are sometimes used to signify love at first sight…” Octavia explained in her best attempt at a patient tone. “Oh…” Aegis said thoughtfully as she flapped her wings a few times but didn’t take to the air. An expression of deep consideration passed across her face before she spoke up. “Well, that’ll get the meaning across, I guess. Do you think she’ll take it like that?” Aegis finally asked with an air of curiosity rather than concern. Vinyl laughed at the frank response while Octavia just shook her head with a slight smirk. “Who knows, but we can probably tell by how furiously she blushes when we come to visit tomorrow, right?” Vinyl said with another laugh and a nudge at Octavia. Aegis giggled at the statement and nodded her head lightly. The slightest hints of a blush spread across her face for the first time since the topic had come up. “Hey, we’re going to the studio, right? Can you show me where you kicked that stallion through the wall?” Aegis questioned suddenly. “That story totally made you sound like a complete badass, Octavia.” “So this is the spot, huh?” Aegis asked as she looked around the waiting room of the studio before returning her gaze to the damaged wall. The pegasus had already paused for a brief moment to stare at the disjointed door, but upon entering the studio she had stopped dead and just stared at the wall. She ignored Vinyl as the unicorn swept past and began rummaging loudly from within her office. “Yeah,” was all that Octavia was able to respond with as her eyes focused on the huge impression in the wall. It was honestly a bit shocking; it felt as if it had been another mare that had taken over her body and kicked the stallion off of Vinyl. It was hard to believe that she had acted like that, especially as she thought back to the awful things that she had yelled at that piece of trash. Just seeing the damage left behind made her shiver a little from head to hoof. “Wow…” Aegis muttered under her breath as she wandered closer to take a look at the damaged plaster. “Found it!” Vinyl yelled from further back in the studio and then reappeared with a manila folder grasped in her magic. “Found what?" Octavia asked cautiously as she stared at the surprisingly large stack of papers held within. “Well, after everything that happened to me with my prior employment, I make a point of keeping track of every pony that owes me a favor. We’re going to knock on some doors tomorrow,” Vinyl explained with a worrying grin spreading across her face. “Don’t worry, you won’t owe me for this. Come on, let’s go upstairs. I need to figure out who we’re going to bother.” “Octavia?” Aegis asked in a quiet voice as the three of them filed out into the hallway. “Yeah?” Aegis turned and then peeked her head back through the doorway for a quick moment to stare at the damaged wall once more before she reappeared in the hallway. “Remind me to never make you actually angry.”