The Strings Of Life:
Chapter 14- Storms of the Heart:
The guilt that Maestro now felt seemed to now grow heavier and heavier on him, since he now felt like he had betrayed somepony who had done absolutely nothing to him. Vinyl Scratch managed to know what being kissed finally felt like, but she herself had a cloud of guilt herself now seem to take form over herself. She just knew now that she had felt like she had betrayed her friend, and that she hadn’t stayed true to some of her promises she had made to her close friend Octavia. After all the years they had known each other, this is how she repays her after all of the pain Octavia’s already been through? This is how Vinyl now felt, and Maestro was now in for a storm, hoping it wasn’t that bad.
A few more hours had passed, and Vinyl and Maestro said nothing to each other, knowing that what they possibly did for one, hurt their relationship status with each other as new friends, and hurting their relationship status with Octavia as a close friend who stood by her word, and a relationship that had just been blooming with her.
They arrived back into Canterlot, as they continued on back to Octavia’s home.
“What if…” Vinyl then spoke up in a low voice then fading out.
“I…I don’t know?”
“I’m sorry…I feel like the biggest idiot right now.” She replied speaking up.
“I think that certainly makes two of us.” He added.
“I…I shouldn’t have-”
“No, I should be the one to feel sorry, Vinyl. I did that in the first place, but it’s all I could think of to show you? It’s not like I’m Dr. Philly and I can just go out there and get you better or something?”
“I know, I got your point dude…and well…we might need to tell her, or it’s gonna be haunting us from now on.”
“You might be right, because if she doesn’t know, the guilt will eat away at us.”
“Wow that’s well said I think. Maybe you Canterlot ponies aren’t so bad after all on explaining stuff. I guess talking proper has it advantages.”
“At some points yes…but let’s just focus on what needs to be done I think.” He states.
The two of them then went entirely silent until they finally arrived back at Octavia’s.
They made it back to Octavia’s as she was now after four and a half or five hours. Now approaching the front porch, Octavia still not expecting them to be back yet, Vinyl then brought up something that Maestro didn’t expect in the slightest.
“You care if I say just one more thing?” she asks.
“What is it now?”
“I just wanted to say that if something bad ever happens…you were a good kisser…okay I’m done now.”
Maestro’s hoof then stopped before he turned the knob, then took Vinyl around the corner of her house for a talk.
“You’re bringing this up just now?”
“I’m sorry okay? I didn’t really know when a good time would be to say it?” she shrugged.
“Dang it Vinyl, I got others things on my mind after all.”
“Aw come on Maestro, it was just one little kiss is all, what’s it going to hurt if you tell her?”
He then looked back at her after turning his back seconds ago.
“That’s the thing, do you honestly think I’ve been in a relationship before?”
“Um…yes?”
“No Vinyl, I never have is the problem!”
“Oh…well then, this just got awkward.”
“You think?” he replied a little frustrated.
“Well look, I said it okay? You’re a good kisser, I thought you’ve been in a relationship, but you never have, that issue’s solved. One more thing too…”
“Celestia help me, what is it now?”
“Um…what if, I said you’re actually…kind of cute?” Vinyl then looked in a different direction, as Maestro’s cheeks seemed to blush from sheer embarrassment.
Maestro then turned his head back to her, as his cheeks remained red.
“You’re blushing aren’t you?” she raised an eyebrow.
He takes in a deep breath then exhales.
“You’re expecting to know what I think about you…aren’t you?”
Vinyl then looks back at him curiously.
“Well I mean…what harm could it cause now?” she insisted.
Maestro was a stallion of his word, and kept his promises as best as he could. He wasn’t perfect on that sort of thing; nopony ever is and ever will be.
“Well, you want to hear what I really think?”
“If you want to tell me, then go ahead, I’m all ears dude.” She perks her ears up then a little more, in order to hear it more clearly.
“Well Vinyl, let me set the record straight with you…I’ll admit, you’re a cute mare, yes, but am not attracted to you.”
“Okay then…I gotcha.”
“Another thing, any stallion to be with you I’m sure wouldn’t give you up for anything else in the world. That statement seems overrated, yes, but what are you going to do, you know?”
“Hmm…point taken I guess.” she replies again.
“Good, and one more thing, that kiss doesn’t mean anything, understand? It doesn’t mean we like each other. It doesn’t mean I like you, and it doesn’t mean that you like me, correct?”
“Well um…he-he.” She then brings on of her hoofs to the back of her head laughing it off.
“Don’t tell me that…”
“Yes alright? Yes, I like you fine! Happy now?”
“No…I’m not happy…because this will just hurt our relationship we both have with Octavia.”
“Yeah…if we tell her about it.”
Maestro then figured, if they don’t tell Octavia, it should be fine if the past is the past now. But if he does tell her, then things would certainly happen, since she’s been through a terrible experience in her life that doesn’t deserve to happen to her again in the absolute slightest of possibilities.
“Well…”
“Maestro…come on now…use common sense with me here. She doesn’t have to know about it if we don’t tell her, got it?” said Vinyl.
“Well…you may have a point there actually.” He pondered with his hoof on the bottom of his chin.
“Of course I do, cause I’m awesome that’s why. Well…second to Rainbowdash, now that’s an awesome pony right there…have you seen the sick moves she’s got?”
“Um?”
“Oh yeah that’s right…Canterlot pony…figures.”
“What’s that supposed to mean? Are you stating that we’re stuck in ways that you think are foolish or dumb?”
“No, not you anyways, you’re cool.”
“Oh, cool? Well uh, I suppose I am cool then.”
“Yeah, now then, let’s head inside alright? Do not tell her and we will be fine, okay?”
“Uh, o-okay then…I suppose it’s worth a shot.”
Soon after their conversation ended up being much longer than expected, they made it back indoors to the living room, finding Octavia lying peacefully on the living room floor in front of the fireplace with the lights dimmed.
“Tavi? What’s this about?”
“Oh this, oh no need to worry, it’s only a little something I like to call relaxing is all.” She replied with relaxation in her voice, as she sips a small cup of tea beside her, proceeding to read a book that she had just then opened.
“I bet it’s something more Octy, eh? After all, you Canterlot ponies know how to be formal in-”
“Don’t you dare say another word Vinyl.” Octavia interrupted, preventing Vinyl from embarrassing her in front of Maestro.
“Well what are you two standing there for still? Have a seat if you wish, but I do not wish to be disturbed please.” Octavia states to them, as they both sit down on her couch.
“Um Vinyl…is something bothering you? Both you and Maestro appear to have something on your minds perhaps? Is there anything I can assist you with by any chance?”
Vinyl and Maestro looked back at each other at the same time it seemed then looked back at her.
“Pfft, problem? Don’t be silly Octy, ha-ha!” Vinyl gestures.
“What about you Maestro, hm? Are you doing fine yourself?”
“Uh, what? Me? Uh, sure, yeah…never been better, he-he.” He laughed it off a bit nervously.
Octavia found it odd as for how they reacted to her simple question, but she didn’t pay much attention to it at that time. Appearing to be into her book currently at the moment.
Right…okay then, well I suppose it’s been nothing but this ever since you two have been having fun in Ponyville you could say.”
“You don’t say Octy? Well me and him did in fact have fun actually.” Vinyl nearly slipped up then, quickly covering her mouth with her hoofs.
“Really? Like what?”
After she said that, one of them had to make up a scenario, or counter it and say it was a surprise.
“It’s a surprise Tavi…we uh…we can’t tell you.” he replied with a somewhat odd smile.
“Well I suppose so, as it would no longer be considered a surprise now would it?” she winked back at him.
Vinyl quickly then looked around and decided she would head back to her home instead. She hopped off of the couch, but nudging Maestro, implying to him she needed to tell him something outside.
“Well, I think it’s time for me to head back home I think.”
“Oh, well then, we enjoyed having you over.”
“Thanks Octy, hey Maestro we need to…talk outside okay?” with that said, he knew what she meant by that.
“Okay Vinyl, what do you want this ti-”
Vinyl then leaned in to kiss him back.
“Now I would like to know how I did on that?”
Maestro couldn’t muster words, and was dumbfounded.
“Yeah, I thought so…let’s meet up again okay? See ya round…Maestro.” She chuckled, as she put her shades back on making her way back to the train station.
“I…I can’t believe it happened again.” he thought to himself.
“What does this mean? How will this affect my relationship with Octavia? How long will this keep up?”
He then gets a funny feeling in his stomach, as it then came to be realized as butterflies in his stomach.
“What? No, that can’t be? I…I’m attracted to her? But I don’t get it? I’m with Tavi though…what in Celestia’s name should I do?” as that last part could be heard out loud, after he caught himself, Octavia opened the door to find out what it was about.
“Is everything okay out here? Besides, where’s Vinyl?” she wondered.
“Uh…she left…yeah.”
“Oh okay then, what were you saying that out here for?”
“Saying what? What did you hear?” he was hoping and praying that she didn’t hear the whole thing, as he must’ve slipped up saying it out loud unknowingly, getting caught up in the moment and what not.
“I heard and I quote: “What in Celestia’s name should I do?”
“Um, that was uh…a joke I told her. Yeah… a little joke of some kind.”
Octavia figured that was kind of strange for something sounding like that to be a joke.
“Huh, some joke then.”
“Yeah he-he, I’m not the best at telling jokes.”
“Yeah, best keep it at a minimal I suppose, but your call.”
“No, no, your call sounds great.” He smiled awkwardly again.
Octavia was wondering why Vinyl and him seemed to act a bit odd at the time, but she couldn’t quite put her hoof on it right now.
“Well both of you seemed to become friends awfully fast didn’t you?” she asked him again, as her and Maestro head back inside.
“Yeah, we did, it was an…interesting experience I guess you could say.”
“Interesting meaning what exactly?”
The questions that Octavia was asking was seeming to get closer and closer to finding out, and Maestro was not exactly the best at lying, as with his foster family he knew the consequences of lying…they were not good.
As Octavia them made her way through the dimly lit room with only a few candles and a fireplace, with the thick dark curtains over the windows to block out the light, the mood seemed right between them. Formal romance could again be felt in the air, but yet Maestro wasn’t feeling it though, certainly not after two disloyal things happened to him.
Will it ever come to a point that he will break under the pressure of having to lie to somepony that loves him? Will him and Vinyl ever have the issue solved between them, or will things begin to really heat up, and do nothing but feed fuel to the fire? Will temptation get the better of Vinyl over the infatuation she now has recently obtained over Maestro? Some of these questions shall be answered, and others that have not been labeled will and just might rot…but which ones?