//------------------------------// // Chapter Seven // Story: Two's Company, Three's a Crowd // by Lithe Kamitatsy //------------------------------// Octavia galloped as fast as she could from the dining hall, unable to hold back her sobbing. She didn't care where she was going, she just wanted to be away from any and everypony. Her image of Rolando was shattered. She rushed past Sebastian, leaving him stunned. "Miss Octavia?" He called after her, receiving no response. My idol...my foal's grandfather...he hates us both! She thought as she charged through the endless halls, trying to find a room where nopony would find her. She knocked open door after door until she found a bedroom. She entered, and slammed the door behind her. She climbed up onto the bed, buried her face in the sheets, and wept. My...my foal will grow up without a grandfather...this cannot be true! He...he was so kind and sweet before...How could he be such a monster!? She whimpered at the thought, the image of Rolando verbally tearing Vinyl and her "mistake" apart still playing over and over in her head. What was so wrong about her and Vinyl having a foal? Octavia wracked her brains for an answer, and came up short every time. Even though she could find nothing wrong, Rolando had made it sound like a travesty, a blight upon the world. "Octy?" Octavia looked up from the sheets, seeing Vinyl standing in the doorway. "Oh...Vinyl..." Octavia threw herself at Vinyl, losing what little composure she had left. Vinyl held Octavia's head to her chest, her heart breaking at the sounds of Octavia's crying. Vinyl slowly made her way towards the bed, leading Octavia with her, the two lying down facing one another. "It's okay, Octy. I took care of it...you don't have to cry anymore..." She soothed, gently stroking Octavia's mane. "How...how could he be so cruel?" Octavia managed to choke out. "Our...our foal is going to grow up without a grandfather!" She squeaked. Vinyl stiffened slightly. "...We don't need him. Our foal doesn't need somepony like that in its life. If he can't accept all three of us, then I'd rather he accept none of us." She said firmly. "Besides, I took care of him." "Wh...what do you mean you took care of him?" Octavia asked, looking up at Vinyl. "Oh, I told him that I hated him and that if he ever wanted to see me again, he'd have to apologize to both of us and actually MEAN it." She said, proud of herself. Octavia stared at Vinyl for a few seconds, and couldn't help but crack a smile. She tightened her embrace around Vinyl's neck. She was absolutely touched that Vinyl would go to such lengths for her and their foal. "C'mon Octy...gimme a biiig smile~" Vinyl asked, pretending to pout. "Pwwweeeeeease?" Octavia tried to give her best smile, but Vinyl recoiled slightly. "Yeeeah...nevermind. Don't do that. It's creepy." Vinyl said, averting her eyes. "Ohh you!" Octavia blushed in embarrassment, nudging her chest softly with a hoof. "See? THAT'S the Octy I know and love." Vinyl chuckled. Octavia craned her neck upward, pulling Vinyl into a gentle kiss, blushing hotly. After several moments, Octavia pulled away, opening her eyes to look at her lover. "...Thank you for defending me...for defending us..." Octavia said softly, nuzzling Vinyl affectionately. Vinyl was stunned, her face redder than her eyes. "Uh-buh-whuh?" She shook it off, and cleared her throat. "It...it was no big deal...but YOU on the other hoof, YOU WERE AMAZING!" Vinyl said, completely impressed by Octavia's shocking display at the dinner table. "I mean, you slammed your hooves on the table and everything! I swear I thought you were gonna leap over the table and beat him until he apologized!" She laughed. "I'm not gonna lie, Octy. You're cute when you're mad." It was Octavia's turn to blush. "Oh...that...I simply reacted on impulse...I just felt so...angry at the way he spoke about you and our foal...I just could not handle it." When she looked at Vinyl again, she jumped slightly. Vinyl's face had contorted into an extremely cheeky grin. "You may hide it often, but you really do like me, don't you Octy?" "V-Vinyl, please, now is not the-" Octavia stammered. "You do, don't you Octy? I mean, I can't blame you. I am pretty hot." She said, raising her right eyebrow in mock sexiness. "About as hot as an ice cube in a freezer, maybe." Octavia chided. "Hey! That wasn't nice!" Vinyl said, feigning being offended. "Ahem...is...now a bad time?" A male voice said from the doorway. The two immediately looked towards the door, and to their surprise, stood an almost wounded-looking Rolando standing in the doorway, an absolutely FURIOUS Marianna standing behind him. "Well? Go on!" She said forcefully, causing Rolando to jump slightly. "Listen girls...I...I wish to apologize...to both of you." He said meekly. Vinyl's jaw dropped. Not once in her ENTIRE LIFE had she heard her father apologize to ANYPONY excluding the Princesses. "Go on." Marianna said, determined to see her husband's apology through to the end. "I acted completely out of line in response to the two of you having a foal, and I am terribly sorry for the way I acted." He then turned to Octavia, who looked rather stunned. "Octavia, I hope you can forgive me...I fear I might have ruined the image you held of me, and if that is true, I do not blame you. I acted like a monster, and a horrible one at that. In truth, I am rather excited at the prospect of being a grandfather. I loved my grandfather to death, and I intend to be as good a grandfather to my grand-foal as he was to me." Octavia was absolutely touched by his apology. She felt tears welling in her eyes, and simply let them run down her cheeks. The relief that swept over her was palpable. "Apology accepted, Rolando...but I am not the one that needs the apology." She said, nodding her head in Vinyl's direction. Rolando faced his daughter, unable to look her in the eye. "Vincenza...I am so, so unbelievably sorry for what I said to you. I was unrealistically harsh, and had no right to call you an "ungrateful brat." He grimaced as he repeated what he said to her, as if the words had left a bitter taste in his mouth. "Your words left a lasting impression on me. I could not handle it if my only daughter hated me...the prospect of never seeing you again...it crushed me." He admitted. "What impressed me most about you...was how you stood up to me to defend Octavia and your foal, even if it meant losing me as a parent. That is what a parent does for their child- whatever it takes...and I could not be more proud of you." He said, his voice kind and soft. Vinyl wiped her eyes, not wanting to show that she was getting emotional. She took a deep breath and cleared her head. "...It is too late for apologies!" Vinyl said, raising her hoof in a fake dramatic fashion, only to burst out laughing at all the reactions she gained from it. "Oh...oh...that was rich...my stomach!" She continued laughing as Octavia facehoofed. "...How I ever fell for this one I will NEVER understand." Octavia mumbled. Once Vinyl calmed down enough, she looked her father in the eye. "I appreciate your apology, Dad. You were a jerk; a pig-headed, angry, offensive jerk- but I forgive you all the same." She said, giving her father a hug, who gave a giant sigh of relief. "Oh thank Celestia..." He said softly. Once Vinyl let go of him, Rolando cleared his throat. "Well, now that this is all cleared up, it is getting rather late, so I believe we-" He was interrupted by the sound of a certain mare clearing her throat. "Oh no, we are not NEARLY done here. You have one more pony to apologize to." Marianna said, tapping a hoof on the ground for him to get on with it. Vinyl had to stifle her laughter. It was one thing to see her father angry, but when her MOTHER got angry, mountains themselves would move out of her way. "Y-Yes...y-you are absolutely right, dearest...I-I am v-very, VERY sorry for b-being so rude to our daughter and to you, a-and f-for shushing you at the t-table. I swear on my life i-it will never happen again." He stammered. "...You better bet your RUMP this is the last time it will happen, now move!" She said, pointing forcefully down the hall back towards the main area. "Yes dear..." He said meekly, hurrying out of the room and down the hall. Vinyl was in complete awe of her mother's ability to dominate her father. Octavia was rather shocked as well, and impressed. I could learn from her...just in case Vinyl ever gets out of hand... Octavia thought with a small giggle. "Mom...what did you SAY to him to get him so freaked out!?" She asked, eager to know. "Oh, just that if he did not come straight up here and apologize to you, I would never speak to him again..." She said. "Oh, and that this-" She ran a hoof along her curves, stopping right at her flank. "-would be forever off-limits to him." She winked. "In all seriousness Vincenza, your words hit him hard...he looked like his world had just fallen apart. I had to shake him a few times to get him to come back to reality." Marianna trotted up to the two mares. "Girls, I am very proud of you both. The way you two defended one another proved to me that you will make great mothers to your foal. It is very clear that you two are made for one another, and I am as sure as Celestia is princess on that matter." She winked. Both Octavia and Vinyl blushed, their tails intertwining with one another. "Now, if you will both excuse me, I have a certain stallion to deal with." Marianna said, leaving and shutting the door. Vinyl stretched her body a bit, and laid back down next to Octavia, staring at her. "What is it Vinyl?" Octavia asked, curious as to why she was staring at her. "You know...it's been a little while since we've..." She then leaned over and whispered in Octavia's ear. Octavia's face turned a bright pink at what she heard, and sighed. "...W-Well...you did do a good job of defending me...and we have both had a very emotional day..." She said, blushing heavily. "On one condition- you have to be gentle." "Deal!" Vinyl said. The two shifted in bed, Vinyl crawling under the covers as Octavia turned out the light in the bedroom, joining Vinyl a moment later.