//------------------------------//
// Chapter 3: Positive Reinforcement 
// Story: Moonlight Sonata 
// by Lynked 
//------------------------------//

	Vinyl fumbled her way back into the suite, leaving the bottle behind. The place was empty. How long had she been out? The clock answered, chiming in on cue to announce eleven o'clock. Each tiny ding shot through the white unicorn's ears like wasps: stinging her brain, and moving on. The third, the fourth, fifth, six... She was having trouble standing up. Who would make a clock that chimed for a private suite?

Teeth gritted and eyes sharp, Vinyl stumbled up to the marble countertop. The clock, hanging just above the empty champagne bucket, chimed away. Eight, nine, ten... The unicorn lit up her horn, surrounded the machine in her pink aura. There were a few metallic crunching noises, and one or two rattling objects, but all in all, that shut it up. Vinyl pulled the best hoof-pump anypony could with such lack of coordination. Then, after that moment of sweet victory, her face slammed down on the table.

Slumped down on the counter now, the hurting mare began flattening her electric blue mane. She needed a shower - there was no doubt about that. The stickiness of her coat, and the grease in her hair made that clear. Though for now, a smile rested on her face. The awful chiming had come to an end. Face down on the cool marble, Vinyl sighed with a tiny chuckle. 

It took her a few minutes, but eventually she realized that it was not marble her face was on at all - it was paper. With her head rolling around a bit, she could hear the audible crunching of the crisp sheet. Wearily, she raised her head. It took everything in her power to keep it from collapsing back down, and all in her reserves to even hold her drooped eyelids cracked open.

Her ruby eyes drifted down to the paper ever so slowly. Through her slightly blurry vision, the mare could easily make out a few lines of script font, with the flamboyant signature of none other than Octavia Philharmonica at the bottom of the tiny thing. The note in its entirety screamed trouble.

Carefully rubbing her sore eyes, Vinyl pressed her nose to the counter. She needed to get close to read the fine writing, especially now, and with squinted eyes she read:

Vinyl,

A few things; last night, when I told you the wine was for sipping, not chugging...that applies to champagne as well. I've set the clock to ring on the hour for when you wake up, hoping that it will help keep you from utterly collapsing again, as you did on the deck last night. 

Also, when I say that I will make you sleep on the deck, I mean it. I hope you realize that now.

Now, I don't know what you had planned for us today. I'm sure it was sweet and whatnot, but I don't like you right now. I've decided to go golfing with Lyra and Bonbon, and will probably spend all day either golfing or relaxing in a hot tub with Lyra and her non-alcoholic marefriend. A word of warning: Should I see you once today, no matter the reason or circumstance, I swear I shall take a nine iron and shove it right up your-

"O-Kay," Vinyl whistled.

She dropped from the counter, doing her best to blink away that image. It hurt just to think about. On full alert, the mare trudged her way to her bed. Sore and stiff, she fell to the plump mattress. The feeling had to be what pegasi felt when they rested on clouds!

It was final: right when her head landed on the feather pillow, her mind blanked. For the DJ, there was no possibility of sleep, what with Octavia threatening to ram wrong things into wrong places. That didn't stop the total blackout in her mind, however. Every thought, every worry, every hope just vanished in the crushing sea of a hangover. 

Willpower was a hard thing to come by with a hangover, and Vinyl certainly had very little right now, if any at all. Her marefriend was away, so why would she need to move anyways? It wasn't as though Octavia was going to burst through the door and begin spewing curses. If she did, well, once again, for being such a weak looking mare, Vinyl was quite the swimmer. 

For once, the clichéd event did not strike the pained mare's rump. She was blessed with blissful silence, allowing her to mull over her pounding head in peace. A small groan escaped her dry lips, her tongue begging for water. Any water - even the water from the champagne bucket - would do right now. 

While water was on her mind, it occurred to Vinyl that she had still not taken a shower. This was the perfect opportunity! Her mind was painfully abuzz once more. She hoisted herself off her bed with reluctance, flipping off the bed and crashing to the floor. Ungraceful as the DJ was, that had not been so bad. She simply rolled onto her stomach, and pushed herself up once more. "Shower..." she mumbled her goal under her boozed breath. 


***


"I just don't know what to do girls," Octavia said, putting her small orange ball, the club firmly her mouth. The golf club was an awkward thing to hold - it was obvious why it was primarily a unicorn sport - but she could manage. The way she saw it: if she could play a cello on two hooves, she could top the simple feat of playing golf. 

The ball rolled past Bonbon, who had politely opted out of an actual game. The cream mare was content to watch and converse, occasionally nudging or kissing Lyra. That green unicorn was doing her fair part at the game, too. Octavia was having a heck of a time trying to keep her score lower. 

One would think it to be easy. The miniature course was located at the direct bow of the ship, and consisted of simple little hills and obstacles along a guided patch of green. The modest little course was fun, no doubt, but simple nonetheless. One would be wrong.

Lyra stepped up to her ball, preparing to put it over a tiny lump in the green. "Well I think you should just lay down the law," she suggested, tapping her ball with a precise amount of force. The blue orb did exactly as planned, shooting over the hill coming to a stop right at its base.

"I've been trying to," the cellist said, looking up at the ever-rising sun. Its warmth was comforting at least; comfort was something she'd do just about anything for. Dealing with Vinyl for too long had its down sides. She took her position at her own ball, aiming it down the same lump on the course. With a thud, the club smacked the ball up and over the mound.

The three ponies moved up the course, Bonbon taking the speaking lead. "Maybe you should try positive reinforcement. That works pretty well," she said, nodding confidently. 

"Yeah, Bonbon here's quite good at it," Lyra said. A small chuckle escaped her lips. Using magic, she aimed the club, and gave it a good swing, sending the ball down the green. "There isn't anything I wouldn't do for a bit of 'positive reinforcement'... hint hint." She nudged Octavia's side.

The cellist blushed, but maintained her composure. "Are you suggesting that I attempt to sway her in bed?" An eyebrow shot up, but she didn't look away from her ball. She was falling behind. Carefully and with much precision, she putt the ball, making it equal with Lyra's. With the fourth hole soon approaching, she needed to catch up fast. Taking a break from focus, she completed herself: "I don't even think she deserves it, honestly, especially not after last night."

"That might be true," Lyra said as they caught up with their balls, "But it could stop nights like last night, too. Bonbon has a pretty good idea going on here; try some positive reinforcement, it'll do worlds for you."

"I don't know...She and I haven't done that in at least four or five months." Octavia stopped and stepped out of her friend's way.

Thanks to her using magic, Lyra's mouth was free to chat. "That would explain some things..." she chuckled.

"Now what are you implying?" the mare snorted.

Bonbon added her thoughts: "Implying isn't the right word. I think she's saying that you need some. You're just so uptight, maybe you should take an hour or two to let go."

Warmth flooded Octavia's cheeks, setting them ablaze with the deepest crimson. "This is...a strange conversation," she said, avoiding eye contact with either pony.

"Aw, c'mon, don't be like that. It's one of the reasons Bonbon and I are so happy! We stay...active!" Lyra chortled. 

Bonbon huffed, a smile still on her face. "Lyra! We're not promiscuous." 

"Ah, I know."She a hoof to her marefriend in a shooing manner. "But we still have fun, often too." Her voice seemed more directed at Octavia now; though, the grey mare still refused to face her. "Maybe if you were to do 
the same..."

"I'll do what I wish, when I wish it! Perhaps if Vinyl would straighten out, then I would 'give her some'."

"You aren't hearing us, are you? Use it as a way to get her to listen to you. Besides, like we already said..." Bonbon nodded to Lyra. "You could probably use it."

A crisp, midday breeze rolled over them, doing nothing to cool off Octavia's burning cheeks. The ship swayed left to right, flowing with the awkward silence that had befallen them. The cellist was doing her absolute best to avoid eye contact; she was talking about something intimate. The fact that Lyra and her cream marefriend could do it so openly stunned her.

"Girls, I think I'm done with golf. What say we get some lunch, hmm?" she suggested, looking to the main part of the ship.

"Aw, fine, be that way," Lyra said, throwing her club down with magic. Her smile persisted though, despite the display. "I was gonna win though." 

"Perhaps we'll just have to see another day, won't we? For now... I'm rather famished." Octavia let loose a long sigh, 
her gut growling in contempt. She looked around, and found the long center aisle that would allow them off the course. The courteous green unicorn gathered up the clubs and balls with her magic and led the way.

"You know Octavia, it's not like Vinyl's a violent drinker or anything," Bonbon said. She turned back to face the trailing cellist, her pink and violet mane swaying gently in the oceanic breeze. 

"Yes, I know. But that's no excuse for being a drunk." Octavia snorted and held her head high. The mare knew that if Vinyl were allowed to drink to her heart's content, her bloodstream would be nothing but vodka. Chin in the air, she felt the warmth from earlier fleeting fast. It was probably with the help of the slight salty breeze; her mane swayed in a way that pleasured her so, and her face was cool but not chilled. The day would've been perfect if it hadn't included alcohol and awkward conversations.

"I'm not saying it is," she replied. They had turned onto the carved walkway, and were casually walking to the equipment deposit. "But maybe if you just eased up on her a bit, she'd appreciate what you have to say more."

Octavia gulped. "So you want me to ease up on her drinking?"

"Yes, in a simple sense. Just be a little more relaxed, that's all. Once she sees that you're on her side, she'll listen to you. Hey, it's worth a shot, right?" Lyra said in a bouncy tone. "Of course, you could always go with the other idea..."

"No. To both," she snapped. Shooting both of them a cold look as they entered the covered area of the top deck, she noticed that they were going through some glass doors. They had gone through these to get to the course, yes. And through them were the sunlit bars and breakfast lounges. Past this small section of the upper deck, was the rest of the exposed deck.

Lyra dropped off the equipment in a large bucket next to the doors, where an employee nodded to them. "Why not?" she asked as she pushed the doors open and held them for her crew.

Octavia, just before she could enter the warmth of the indoors, stopped, averted her eyes, and frowned. "Because drinking is dangerous."

Quick to reorder herself, the mare cantered through the doors, thanking Lyra for holding them. Now she was in the large entrance hall, which would lead to a sort of semi-foyer, where the bars and breakfast clubs were.

The unicorn smiled back, allowing the doors to slowly fall closed behind her when everypony was in. Bonbon was at the front, with a steady pace that took Lyra a moment to catch up with. When she passed Octavia, she gave the cellist a slight nudge on the side. She was quick to catch on.

Now at the back, Octavia felt more solemn than before. How could either of them be so relaxed about this? Didn't they know... No, now that she thought about it that was done in Canterlot after they had left. Perhaps she should tell them? Ah, but that held possibilities for problems - more problems than she could deal with. There were enough as it was. 

As they trotted ahead to the foyer, she fell behind. Her legs slowed more and more as her mind rang with memories and echoes. In her pink eyes was a distant glaze, one which nopony could read even if they were good at reading faces. Alas, behind her eyes was a different story. With a blank face, she lifted a foreleg, and brought it to her belly, dragging it down her soft fur.


***


Taking her sweet time to enjoy the fresh bite of food, Vinyl reclined in the stool. She had decided - after taking her shower, of course - to come up to the breakfast clubs that were in the upper deck foyer. This one, the Steamer, was a great place to get a breakfast panini. It was one of the many hole-in-the-wall cafes around the square room, and therefore it was just chance that she should wind up here. She didn't regret it at all.

Her shades rested proudly on her face as she leaned in for another bite. She had managed to tuck them away in a tiny pouch in the back of her suitcase; and since she didn't have to see Octavia today, she could actually wear them! Sure, some ponies gave her estranged glares, but it wasn't like she was staying calm behind her opaque purple shades. No, in fact most of the hour that she was out was spent with shooting funny glares towards the upper crust of society. A tiny chuckle slipped her lips just before her teeth clenched around the toasty sandwich.

The warm, rough bread crunched in her mouth, filling her with an awe-inspiring burst of flavor. Breakfast here was all she'd have for two weeks, and she knew it! She moaned a little at the flavor, the texture, and the sensation overall. This did wonders for her hangover. "Mmph, this ish good," she commented to herself, sending tiny chunks of crisp bread flying.

Magically, she set the sandwich down on her plate. It was good to relax, even with the fear of golf clubs hanging over her shoulder. She chewed it finely, and swallowed her mouthful of food. Great stuff, there was no denying it. The fact that the lounge was desolate made her wonder; did none of the ponies on this cruise have good taste?

Sighing, she turned down to see the violet spread of glossy tile beneath her table. The lounge seemed to have a 'purple' theme going on - purple tile, violet walls, orchid chairs and lavender tables...even the bar was a light lavender. It was purple overload. It didn't matter to Vinyl, though. They had awesome food.

A pair of voices detracted from her enjoyment of the artisan sandwich. The DJ's ears shot up defensively, on full alert for the obvious danger that was approaching. With extreme caution, she turned in her chair to face the entrance to the Steamer. It was an open maw, inviting the voices in. 

This was bad. No, this was terrible. She had to get out now. The panicked white mare looked around for another exit, but luck was rarely on her side. There was one way in, and one way out - towards danger. A little bead of sweat rolled out from underneath Vinyl's mane, trickling onto her shades.

"Excuse me, miss?" The voice made Vinyl jump. Her heart pounding away, she turned to see who was addressing her. It was the brown bartender who had served her panini. "Is everything alright?" 

"I, uh, yeah, um... do you have a bathroom in here?" The mare danced in her seat from nervousness.

"Actually, yes, we have a restroom. It's right there," he said, pointing to a blue door on the wall. Vinyl's mind erupted in embarrassment.

"How did I miss...Ah, uh, thanks!" She hopped off her chair and darted for the door. The pair of voices had gained a third, and they were fast approaching. Focusing, she engulfed the door in her magic, swinging it ajar for her to quickly dash through. 

The bathroom was a small place - made for one - but was in fair condition. There were little crescent moon soaps on a porcelain sink, and the toilet sat on the tiled wall next to it. Above the sink was a mirror, and above that was the small candle fixture. The mare bucked the door shut, breathing heavy and heart pounding. A fight in a public place with a marefriend who's already angry enough to violate you with a sporting utensil was not on her agenda. She wasn't deathly worried, though, as a fight was a fight, and no golf clubs were getting shoved anywhere. At least, she was fairly sure. But the longer she avoided Octavia, the better. Especially with her shades - Tav wouldn't just have a filly; she'd eat the thing alive. Vinyl would probably be desert.

Deep breath in, deep breath out, and the white DJ was feeling a bit more calm. In the mirror, she found herself observing her frazzled electric blue mane. She quickly flattened it in an attempt to appear normal, should the need arise. She also took the time to readjust her shades and fix the knots in her coat. It reminded her of a quote she had heard before: "If you've got to die, might as well look good doing it."

When she decided that her appearance was up to par, she put on her best innocent smile. Ponies were normally forgiving of accidents - she just had to play dumb, and the whole situation would work out. Argh, but Octavia wasn't a normal pony. She was...stuck up. Vinyl hated to think of her marefriend like that, but it was true, and she knew it. 

A certain green unicorn barged in, nearly giving the DJ a heart attack. "Yeah, yeah, I'll be right back," she smiled over her shoulder.

"Lyra!" Vinyl whispered, startling her. The white mare wrapped her forelegs around her friend, yanking her in and slamming the wooden door behind her.

"V-Vinyl? Look, I know we both swing the same way, but we both also have a special pony, so don't you think-"

"I think I'm screwed!" The DJ whispered harshly.

"Oh, I see... Do you think that just maybe you're overreacting?" Lyra blew her bangs out of her eyes to give Vinyl a bold stare.

"No! Did she tell you what she threatened to do to me?" Lyra shook her head, so Vinyl proceeded to explain.

"I really doubt she'd actually do that," the green unicorn sighed.

The DJ facehoofed. "I know that! But I don't know what she will do! And I don't want to find out. You gotta get me outta here." The urgency in her voice seemed exasperated, but probably well placed.

"You know, running might not be the best idea. Why not talk to her? See if you can't work something out," Lyra suggested with a tiny shrug.

"Talk to her? How do I talk to her when she's pissed as she is?" stammered the nervous Vinyl.

"Oh yeah... well, she, Bonbon and I had a little chat on the way here. I think you'll find her to be a little more agreeable. Just stay calm and polite - at least try to, anyway," the unicorn spoke, doing her best to not come across as condescending.

"I...why?" The DJ's eyes darted with a flame.

Lyra giggled. "Well you'll have to find out now won't you. But you can't spend all day hiding in a bathroom, especially not while I have to use it."

"I dunno, I mean it's not so bad, right?"

"Vinyl!" Lyra gasped playfully. "Just get out there."

"Oh, c'mon! You gotta be able to help me! I'm not ready to face her," she whispered.

"You might do better without the shades. Didn't I say they weren't coming, anyways? Give them here," the harpist extended a hoof.

Vinyl snarled. "What, no! No offense, but these are mine."

"I'm sure Octavia would agree. And unless you want to fish them out of the Equestrian sea, you may want to give them here," the green mare demanded in a not-so-harsh tone. It worked. The shades were engulfed in Vinyl's magic as the levitated from the bridge of her nose. They landed in Lyra's right hoof, and she proceeded to find a place for them. "Now that you don't look like you'll tick her off, get out there and talk to her. It's not hard."

"Well, I-I.."

"Do I need to hold your hoof?" Lyra's tone grew blunt. "Look, I'm about three seconds away from exploding. Get. Out. There."

She didn't even wait for the DJ's rebuttal: she flung the door open with her magic, and shoved Vinyl out. The white mare resisted, but that only ended her flat on her face. The blue door slammed behind her, leaving her exposed to the party of two. Bonbon and Octavia watched in slight confusion as Vinyl unstuck her face from the floor.

"Vinyl?" Bonbon questioned. The tinge of awkwardness in her voice was obvious.

"Uh, hey," she gulped as she pushed herself up. There was a large red mark on her forehead that was clear even through her coat. "What, uh, what's up?" She forced a chuckle.

"Oh, hello Vinyl," Octavia politely smiled through tightly clenched teeth. Her ears flopped sporadically, and her breaths seemed to be shallow. But her tone was polite and a smile was plastered on her face. 

Vinyl was deeply disturbed. "Tav? Are you, uh, okay?"

"Of course I am." The words seethed through her teeth in a manner most unnerving. Her left eye twitched as she continued, "Hey dear, I have a proposition for you."

The DJ fumbled with her thoughts; Tav was being really weird. She looked over to Bonbon - the cream pony stood behind Octavia - for some sort of comfort or explanation. The mare just nodded, as if to say that it would be okay. "I, um, okay," Vinyl spoke.

"If you can manage to stay sober," the cellist happily fumed, "I'll give you a reward."

Vinyl was beginning to feel sick; her mind felt like scrambled eggs, and her knees like jelly. "Sure, uh, yeah okay. I'll just get going, like...now," her nervous voice cracked. Ever careful, she strafed by Octavia, and eventually out the opening. It was a speedy retreat - but what could she say? Tav was being...well, creepy.

The DJ stopped outside the cafe, her side pressed against one of the cool marble walls. Sounds were still being emitted from the lounge, and Vinyl had heard her name. Basking in the sunlight that penetrated the glass skylight, the mare shot her left ear up for a better listen; If she could figure out what was wrong with her marefriend, who she knew was angry anyways, then she could decide whether or not to bunk with Lyra and Bonbon tonight.

"Well I think you did fine," Vinyl distinctly heard Bonbon say. If they were onto whatever this was too, she may just be sleeping in a bar or something. It wasn't like she hadn't done it before.

"Ugh, but do you have any idea how hard it was for me to not explode? She had it coming!" Tav, apparently, was ranting. 

"Yeah, but look at it like this, she should stay sober now, right? Who doesn't like rewards? Although maybe if you calmed down a bit..."

"Calm down? Clearly you do not understand! Vinyl has devoured a whole bottle of expensive champagne, is a drunkard, and you want me to calm down! I have every right to explode however I damn well please," Vinyl's marefriend snapped in her common hushed tone.

"Octavia, I thought we settled this. You love her, don't you?" Bonbon's voice echoed. The eavesdropping mare's heart skipped a beat. What would Tav say to that? It could be bad...but then again, it could be good! Optimism, she reminded herself, was the best way to get through any situation.

Unfortunately - or fortunately in a way - Bonbon was the one to break the intense moment of silence. "Well good! Now if you just calm down - and give this a try - I'm sure you'll both warm up to each other."

"Fine, but honestly, I'm not going to make it through today if I have to see her again. She's so...infuriating."

"Well you weren't the nicest either, I can tell you that," Lyra's voice picked up after the sound of a slamming door. There was the sound of trotting hooves, then complete silence again. Vinyl kicked the blue marble tile in anxiety.	

"I... I care for her, alright? I do. But girls, sincerely, do you think it's easy to put up with her?" Octavia asked. Though she was a room away, the cellist's words stung Vinyl deeply with a bittersweet pang.

"Sometimes you've just got to put up with the one you love, for the better of the situation," Bonbon explained.

"I myself think you're just talking out of the 'heat of the moment'," Lyra exhorted.

Tav let loose a barely audible sigh, but Vinyl's brain picked it up and decoded it instantly; that was the sound of her breathing her stress out. "I...suppose you are right. My nerves are hitting their breaking point, but... I shall give your ideas a try tonight - should Vinyl manage to stay sober for once, that is."

Vinyl began grumbling under her breath. "It's not like I'm not addicted or anything-"

"That's the right idea!" Lyra chirped, "Just don't tell her anything till tonight; She should learn to stay sober without treats. Reward her, sure, but don't tell her about it."

The DJ was flush red. Not even the still air in the lounge foyer could cool her burning cheeks. "I am not a dog..."

"I see. Look girls, I'm feeling quite stressed right now. What's say we get some food, hmm? And possibly a glass of wine..." Octavia's voice trailed off, leaving the simmering Vinyl to her own device. 

She spun curtly on her hind legs, and stormed away from the Steamer, as well as its newest customers.


***


The rest of the day, Vinyl had decided to try her hoof at being a ninja. Any time she even came remotely close to seeing Octavia, Lyra, or Bonbon, she would duck behind a pillar. It was her turn to explode this time! Not that she would do it in public, though. Instead, she had decided to wait until night time to give her marefriend a thick slice of her spicy mind. 

Now, with the clock in the dinner lounge striking eight, she was sure Octavia was back from dinner. The dinner lounge itself was located one deck under the main foyer, and was a simple hallway of simple lounges that served simple food. It worked for Vinyl nonetheless; she was used to eating pop tarts and ramen for a living. Well, before she and Tav met. That grey mare was quite the cook, Vinyl had to admit.

Gulping down the last of her dinner sandwich, the DJ hopped off her chair and shook her head. Her blue mane was still spiked, and her coat was perfect she was sure - as perfect as she cared for it to be, anyways. She casually trotted out of the pink-themed grade-B underbelly diner, into the thin blue hall. It seemed that the only attention this place would ever get would be from those ponies in the lower rooms: the ones who bought the reasonably priced tickets. Most others were at the ship's dining hall, and Vinyl assumed the other ponies with suites were chowing down up at the Princess's Court.

Down this thin corridor, up a twin flight of stairs, out into the hall that connected to the foyer and Vinyl was easily making her way to her suite. The rage she had felt towards Octavia and her friends had simmered down, and now, she just felt the slightest twinge of betrayal. The fact that they were only two days into the cruise was just a kick in the side. With a deep sigh, the white unicorn stepped onto the deserted foyers elevators, clicking the button that would get her to the internal elevators.

Up, out, and in again: she was now inside the utilitarian elevators to get to the suite. Whatever was waiting for her in there - the reward that Octavia had promised her - better be good, or she swore she would go off like a bomb. It had been hard enough not to down some tequila shots after overhearing their condescendence; if she found it was for nothing, it was over.

When she stepped out of the elevator, she was greeted once again with the empty lobby-like room. The candle lighting on the walls made it cozy, almost serene in a way. Vinyl had always found places like this to soothe her nerves. She took a deep breath in, and released her stress with it. There wasn't much left now - after taking the day to do some reasoning, she decided that they were doing no more than talking down to her, which she could forgive of course. She was the forgiving type.

In but a few moments she was in front of the suite door. "Room one thirteen," Vinyl mumbled to herself for the sake of mumbling. She had no room key; Octavia had insisted on keeping the only one. So she was forced to knock and hope that her marefriend was in a better mood than before.


***


Octavia was ready. She was smiling, she was dressed - yep, ready indeed. On her was a set of black lingerie, with two black stockings running up her legs to hook onto the black and pink corset. Lyra had bought it for her at this small lingerie shop at the bottom of the ship, and, at the time, she was shocked out of her mind. Not that her best friend had bought her lingerie, though. She was surprised there was even a lingerie shop aboard such a fine vessel as this. But, another fine piece of naughty clothing added to her collection still.

A few thoughts were buzzing around her head right now. The first, and probably most important, was if Vinyl even deserved this. Or perhaps, when paraphrased, why was she doing this? Another was: where had her marefriend been at dinner? She had no desire to see her then, but it still plagued her mind as to Vinyl's whereabouts. That pony had quite the knack of landing in trouble...

A triplet of knocks reverberated from the cabin door, yanking her attention from her the bathroom mirror. She had been busy making sure her hair was perfect; her lace was tied, etcetera... And now was time. As she exited the bathroom, butterflies blossomed in her stomach. It had been so long - she began wondering if she was still any good. Pressing though that question was, a stronger wonder filled her mind as she approached the door: Was Vinyl drunk? Octavia wouldn't be surprised to see her stumbling around the hallway.

Deep breath in, and she hoisted herself up to her hind legs to get the door open. It swung open, hiding all but her face between it and the wall. "Hey Vinyl," she smiled to her marefriend. The DJ examined the situation with a strange look on her face.

"Uh, hey Tav. Are you okay?" She batted Octavia a ruby eye as she entered the suite. She apparently had not noticed the lingerie, thankfully, and was heading to her bed.

"Yes! Why yes, I am. Are you?" the cellist reflected, and almost immediately facehoofed at the nervous response.

"Yeah, I guess. I didn't drink, if that's what you're wondering," the DJ sighed, her face sinking into the feather pillow.

Octavia closed the door and dropped to all fours. Quiet as the night itself, she crept up to Vinyl's bed. Her eyes grazed over the relaxing mare, observing the soft inflation of her sides, listening intently to the soft breathing. "Hey Vinyl..." she whispered in a somewhat forced blithe tone as she crept onto the bed.

"Yeah?" the mare asked, voice muffled by the silver pillow.

"I said I would give you a reward, I insist you look at my while I do so," she forced a chuckle this time. She crawled on 
top of Vinyl, pressing her weight against the mare.

Vinyl rolled onto her back, her eyes just cresting open. Just as their vision returned, Octavia watched the white mare's ruby eyes shoot open wide. "W-hoa, Tav what's this?"

"Your reward..." A small smile - artificial yet again - grew on her face.

But the DJ did not hesitate to frown, despite the light blush she had. "You're in lingerie?"

"Yes, I am," Octavia chuckled. Vinyl was a bit too dumb sometimes, but for now, it could slip.

"And you want to...'reward' me?"

"I do," the cellist said.

"We haven't done this in months." Vinyl's frown did not waver. "I...Well I'm sorry Tav, but I don't really want to. It's not you or anything..."

Octavia could see right through that; one did not make it to the top of the music industry without good pony skills. "I see. To be quite honest, I'm relieved," the grey mare sighed, getting off of the DJ. 	

"You are?" Vinyl sounded relieved as well.

"Yes. This whole thing was Lyra's and Bonbon's idea. I can't say I was looking forward to it." She rested her chin on her hooves, both guilt and alleviation washing over her. 

Vinyl got off her back to sit beside her. "It was... a nice thought," the mare smiled. Her ruby eyes were softer now - much unlike that look of slight anger they held a moment ago.

"I suppose," she sighed in response. There was a small bit of silence after that. It wasn't awkward, or anything close to it. It was blunt, simple, plain silence.

"Tav?" Vinyl eventually spoke. The cellist responded with a 'hm' and looked up. "I'm kinda tired, so..."

"Ah, yes, I'll go to my bed," Octavia complied. The night felt ruined in a way, yet, at the same time it felt better. The only emotion the mare could produce with such a mixed view displayed itself as a small frown.

"Um, well, actually..." The DJ blushed a fair scarlet, as Octavia could soon see with the aid of candlelight. "I wouldn't mind it if you slept with, uh, me, ya know? It'd be nice..."

Octavia didn't have to think about it twice. Sure, she had been at odds with Vinyl this morning, but a day with no booze was definitely worth some sort of celebration. And it was comforting to know that she had done it for Octavia. "I'd...love to," the cellist smiled back.

So then Vinyl helped Octavia out of her naughty little guise, tossing the separate parts of the outfit every which way. They slid beneath the silky sheets and thick blanket of the cushy bed, Vinyl gripping Octavia tightly for both a bit of warmth and comfort. The unicorn used her magic to kill the lights in the room, setting the pair in the light of the glowing moon that shone in through their exposed window. 

For the first time in two days, the air of the room held more than just tension. The intensity of clashing ends still lingered, but now there was something to combat it: comfort. It was a rare moment now, and the two shared it was tiny smiles on both of their faces.

However, that sick feeling in Vinyl's gut, that awful feeling that felt like a countdown...it was still ticking away.