//------------------------------// // 93. The Last Gathering // Story: Tales of the Oppressed // by Terran34 //------------------------------// “What are you doing up so early?” Rainbow asks, walking into the kitchen where I'm currently working to make breakfast. She sniffs the air curiously. “And...are you cooking?” “Yes I am. Why do you sound so surprised?” I remark, cracking another egg into the bowl...only for the shell to go everywhere. I let out a particularly loud curse and resign myself to picking up the pieces. “Because it means you have to be patient and organized...none of which you are,” Rainbow ribs me as she sidles up to the counter. She peers over the counter top into the bowl. “Oh cool, eggs!” “This coming from the mare who looks like a hurricane swept through her living room,” I retort, remembering how the last time I showed up, she didn't even bother to clean beforehand. “You have no room to talk.” “Still, what's the occasion?” Rainbow insists, shrugging at my frankly correct summation of her house. “Do I need an occasion to make myself breakfast?” I snap at her, batting away her nose as she gets too close to where I'm working. Rainbow yelps and huffs, glaring at me with a wrinkled nose. “Yeah, it's breakfast for one unless you quit annoying me about cooking.” “Fine, sheesh. You're so touchy,” Rainbow complains. She sits down at the table, but that doesn't last very long. Rainbow's more impatient than I am, so it isn't long before she gets up and starts pacing. “How long is this going to take?” “It's been five minutes,” I tell her flatly, wishing she would go back upstairs and go to sleep so I could cook in peace. “Besides, I'm taking my time on purpose. I'm having company soon.” “You are? Who's coming?” Rainbow inquires, surprised. “Octavia. She's coming over to practice with me,” I tell her. Part of me wonders if Rainbow's going to stick around and watch us. I don't think so, considering how impatient she can get...but then again, she did want to hear me play more at some point. I don't think she has work today either. “She said she'd be here the morning after Winter Wrap-Up.” “Oh, so that's why you're making so many eggs. You think she's gonna be here for breakfast?” Rainbow questions, looking at me oddly. When I nod, she approaches me and taps my back, looking annoyed. “Hey, why don't you make breakfast for me?” “I am making breakfast for you,” I point out. “Unless you don't want any.” “No, I mean, when there's not some fancy mare like Octavia coming over,” Rainbow reiterates. She crosses her front hooves and puts on a pout. “Oh. Well, in that case, it's because you're you,” I explain, confusing Rainbow further. “...what?” “You're the mare I'm practically living with. Why would I feel the need to cook to impress you?” I clarify. Rainbow mulls over that for a moment. “It wouldn't be to impress me...I just feel like it would be nice to wake up and have breakfast, thanks to my caring and dutiful coltfriend,” Rainbow returns, looking at me with a coy smirk. “'Caring and dutiful?' Remind me what world you live in?” I joke, sticking the fork into the egg yolks and starting to beat them. “Anyway, I'm just saying. Octavia comes to Ponyville what, like never? So this is literally her second time traveling here, as far as I know. I don't want her to show up and be hungry.” Rainbow nods, understanding what I mean, but she's still pouting for some reason. I sigh and pause in my cooking efforts, taking a moment to look at her. “Fucking...fine, I'll make you breakfast sometimes. Happy?” I relent. Rainbow lights up at that. “Definitely. See? Was that so hard?” Rainbow responds. I groan and turn back to the bowl, wondering why the hell I even bother with this mare. Oh right, it's because I'm in love with her. This love shit is inconvenient as all hell sometimes. Octavia arrives not long after the eggs start lightly browning in the pan. Rainbow goes to let her in, and soon the two of them enter the kitchen as well. Octavia, looking as groomed and ladylike as always, smiles warmly when she sees me cooking. “Good morning, Seth. It's a pleasure to see you again,” she greets me. The first thing she does is set her cello case down such that it leans on a chair. “S'up, Tavi? I trust Rainbow didn't offend you too much,” I respond as I dump the eggs into a clean bowl. Octavia wrinkles her nose at the nickname. Heh, I bet she wishes I forgot. “Hey!” Rainbow protests, causing Octavia to giggle despite herself. “Of course not, she was delightful,” Octavia assures me. “See? She says I'm delightful,” Rainbow repeats, jabbing my hip with a hoof and looking at me triumphantly. “Poke me one more time and you're not getting any breakfast,” I warn her. Rainbow immediately retracts her hoof, edging away from me and whistling innocently. I chuckle at her bullshit and start seasoning the eggs. “Pardon me if this sounds forward of me, but I wasn't aware you two were living together,” Octavia rejoins as she takes a seat at the table. Rainbow and I look at one another, both of us realizing that we've slept together the past three days. In the totally clean, cuddly kind of way. God, and that's cheesy enough. “We are and we aren't. Rainbow is just too lazy to go back to her own house,” I reply. “It helps that his sitting room is pretty nice,” Rainbow chimes in. Ignoring her, I start setting the table for the meal. “She won't leave though, so I guess I'm stuck with her. Dunno what's so appealing about this place anyway,” I continue. “It's because his bed is really comfy,” Rainbow adds helpfully. The response to her words is most telling. My heart jumps in my throat, and I turn around and transfix her with a stare. Did she really just say that? “Oh...oh my,” Octavia stammers, her face turning a light shade of red as the possible implications of what Rainbow just said hit her. “I'm sorry...I don't...I didn't realize...I mean...” Rainbow snorts and covers her mouth with her hooves, trying to stifle a laugh. It doesn't work. “Baaahahahahaha! You should see your face! Dear Celestia!” Rainbow cackles, pointing a hoof at Octavia and nearly falling over. “Priceless!” “Rainbow, that was not necessary,” I admonish her, though honestly I find it pretty funny how quickly Rainbow could break Octavia's composure. I wave a hand in front of the shell-shocked Octavia. “Yes, Rainbow and I are together. No, we haven't done anything. Rainbow is just trying to mess with you.” “I...um...I see,” Octavia replies hesitatingly. She shudders, trying to regain her composure. Rainbow is still wriggling on the ground laughing. “Well, then I'm happy for the both of you.” “Rainbow, the fuck? That shit is not okay. We don't want ponies spreading rumors,” I chide Rainbow, gently kicking her. “Get up, it's not that funny.” “Yes it is. And who cares about rumors? It's a relationship; they're going to happen,” Rainbow reminds me. I sigh, rubbing my forehead. I hadn't thought about that, though I probably should have. Vinyl was making jokes long before we ever got together, and those were bad enough. I hate to see what she's going to come up with now. “Whatever. Food's done; let's eat now,” I say, ending that particular conversation before I feel any more awkward than I am right now. “Yes, yes, let's,” Octavia seems just as eager as I do to change the subject. “Thank you for the meal; it was quite scrumptious,” Octavia compliments me. Currently the two of us are lifting her cello case up the stairs together, while Rainbow just trails behind us and does absolutely nothing to help us. “I'm just trying to make sure you don't think I'm a terrible host,” I tell her frankly, grunting with exertion. I have to bend my knees up at the top of the staircase to keep from unbalancing and dropping the case. With Octavia's help, we're finally able to get the cello into the sitting room, where my piano is. “That's kind of you,” Octavia replies, and then the two of us set down the cello on the couch. She exhales with relief, and then she takes a look around my sitting room, her eyes eventually settling on my piano. “You have a gorgeous piano. That's one of the more expensive brands, I believe. You certainly went for quality.” “Don't I know it. Damn near took all my money to get it,” I respond. Octavia nods, as if she'd expected as much. I sit down at the piano and sift through the sheet music I've collected. “So what songs are we going to play today? Got any new ones for me?” “I do, actually. I brought over some from our concert repertoire that I thought you might like,” Octavia reveals. She opens up her cello case and shows me her black music folder, which looks thicker than the last time I saw it. “Mind if I watch you two?” Rainbow asks from her position on a chair on the other side of the room. I'm about to answer, but Octavia beats me to it. “I don't mind if Seth doesn't, but you must be absolutely quiet. It's imperative for a musician to have as close to absolute silence as possible in order to achieve the best practice results,” Octavia warns her. Rainbow flinches and looks to me to see my reaction. I shrug, mostly agreeing with what Octavia said. “Got it. I won't make a sound,” Rainbow promises. I look at Octavia with a wry expression on my face. “Let's see how long this lasts,” I remark under my breath, such that only Octavia can hear it. “Anyway, let's get started. Let's try one of the new ones.” “A wonderful idea. This piece that I chose is one you might recognize. I played in it the one time you saw me in concert,” Octavia begins, lifting out the sheet music and passing it to me. “It's not written for piano, but I wrote an arrangement of it that should work.” “Trust me, I know how that is. I used to print out piano arrangements for everything back in my time,” I remark. Damn though, making my own arrangements was impossible because I couldn't make them sound like the original. Then derp, Octavia shows up with one she made just for me. She makes me jealous sometimes. With that, the two of us become lost in our musical pursuits. It isn't long before my house is filled with the sound of piano and cello, blending together in a glorious harmony. Time seems to fly as the two of us work together on perfecting a duet piece. Before long, it's already noon, and the piece we're working on is finally starting sound decent, now that I'm only fucking up every few measures rather than every other note. To my surprise, Rainbow has actually stayed here in the sitting room with us the whole time, listening to us work. Granted, halfway through she went and found a comic book somewhere to read, but she still stuck around while managing to keep quiet. I'm a little impressed. Heh. “Very good. Now, let's run through that one more time. Watch out for those grace notes. It's not a descending trio like you think, but instead a minor third jump,” Octavia advises me, pointing out the location to me on the sheet music. I grimace, noticing the tiny little notes above the main note. Fucking grace notes. “On three then. A one, a two, a...” Octavia suddenly pauses. Just as I'm about to ask what the matter is, I hear the faint sound of somepony knocking on my door. “I wasn't aware you were expecting more visitors,” Octavia states curiously. “That's because I wasn't. Come on, let's go see who it is. Generally if they're stubborn enough to come to my door, they aren't going to leave,” I return, heaving a sigh. Octavia nods and sets her cello aside gently, and then she follows me as I move towards the stairs. I also take this moment to stretch out my fingers, as they're a little sore from dancing all over the place. “Let's see, who is going to be this time? Twilight again?” Rainbow joins us as well, setting her book aside. Therefore, when I reach the front door, there's three of us. I can hear the sound of ponies talking outside, which tells me I have more than one visitor. What the hell? I open the door to reveal three ponies, standing there and chatting amongst themselves...at least until they see me standing in front of them. It's Lyra, Bon Bon, and Vinyl. “S'up, Seth? You free at the moment?” Vinyl greets me with a friendly grin. Lyra is carrying her lyre in her magic, and she's leaning her head against Bon Bon, who is blushing lightly at the contact. In addition, there's a barrel of cider strapped to Bon Bon's back, reminding me that I hadn't yet told her that I was going to be busy for most of today. Shit. Uh...how do I deal with this? I promised my time to Octavia today. “Not exactly. I have company over today,” I admit to them, much to their collective disappointment. Behind me, Octavia makes her presence known, emerging from behind me and dipping her head politely. Bon Bon's jaw promptly drops, as she's never seen me with her before nor did she know we were friends. “Oh, okay. Yo, Tavi, you don't mind if we drop in and share some cider with our resident human, do you?” Vinyl addresses the musician, putting two and two together. Behind Vinyl, Bon Bon incredulously mouths Octavia's nickname, while Lyra just puts on the most innocent grin in an attempt to look adorable. “I apologize, but we were in the middle of practicing together,” Octavia responds, frowning a little. Yeah, she's annoyed, I can tell. I am a little too, though mostly at myself for not telling them I had plans today. “Oh yeah? Sounds sweet. Two out of the three of us are musicians, in case you forgot,” Vinyl returns, stepping inside without waiting to be invited. I step out of her way and sigh, rubbing my forehead out of irritation. “Ooh, you're practicing? Can I join? I brought my lyre and my music, so I'm prepared!” Lyra exclaims, prancing inside right after Vinyl. Bon Bon remains outside, having enough tact to notice the expressions on Octavia's and my face. “Fucking hell. Octavia, I'm sorry,” I apologize to the celloist, realizing that our plans were turning into a train wreck. “I should have told them that you'd be here.” Octavia returns my gaze, and then she smiles warmly. “Don't worry about it. Sometimes plans change, and it's not worth getting upset over,” she assures me sensibly. “I haven't really interacted with your friends much, so I don't mind taking a break from practice for a while and socializing.” “You're sure it's okay? They did just barge their way in here even though I just said we were busy,” I try again. Octavia blinks, looking at me with a bit of surprise. That makes me realize that I'm being a lot more accommodating to her than I usually am. No wonder she's surprised. “Yes, of course it is. Come on, let's go back upstairs. Your friends were kind enough to bring drinks, so it wouldn't do to turn them away,” Octavia affirms, giving the hesitating Bon Bon a reassuring smile. “I'm sorry, I meant to come on my own, but then I ran into Lyra and Vinyl, who decided to come too,” Bon Bon explains apologetically, stepping inside once Octavia and I move aside to give her some room. Her back hoof catches on the threshold and she stumbles, causing the barrel of cider on her back to slide off. It's strapped to her, but it would have taken her right to the ground if I hadn't moved forward to catch it. “Whoa. Thanks.” “I see you came through on your promise of cider,” I remark, unbuckling the barrel from her back. Bon Bon steps out of the straps gratefully and stretches out her back. “I did say I would,” Bon Bon reminds me. I give a shrug. I didn't really expect her to, considering our past hatred for one another, but right now that feels like it's a thing of the past. I'm about to reply when I hear something crash upstairs. “We should probably go upstairs before Lyra breaks something.” “I swear to god, if she's put even a SINGLE hoof on my piano, I'll rip it off!” I growl, and then the three of us move upstairs to where Vinyl and Lyra went. I come upon a very strange scene when I enter the sitting room. Rainbow and Vinyl are wrestling with each other on the floor for some reason, while Lyra is rolling around on the couch laughing uproariously. “What the hell are you two doing?” I demand, confronting them with my arms crossed. At my presence, Vinyl and Rainbow promptly extricate from one another and look at me with innocent expressions, as if they hadn't just been rolling all over the place. “She started it!” Rainbow and Vinyl both claim, pointing hooves at one another. Lyra's laughter only intensifies, while I rub my forehead and wonder how fast my simple practice session got derailed so quickly. “Jesus...you ponies barge into my house and start making a mess? You're terrible guests,” I scold the both of them. Vinyl and Rainbow both look at the ground guiltily. “Now pick up what you knocked over and at least try to be respectable. Octavia is here, if you remember.” “Eh, it's fine. She's dealt with us before,” Vinyl says, waving away my concerns. However, she does use her magic to right the vase that had been on the table. It's a good thing it hadn't been made of glass or porcelain. “Seth, bring over the cider and let's crack 'er open!” “Why did you all choose to show up now?” I complain, obligingly setting down the barrel of cider on the table such that the spigot is pointing downwards. “Why not? Bon Bon was already on her way here, and she's providing cider!” Vinyl explains. “Now who brought the cups?” “I did,” Bon Bon speaks up, approaching the table with the cups. “Seth gets the first cup. I brought it for him, after all.” With that, the six of us sit on the couches and chairs around the table. Rainbow and I are sitting together on the main couch, next to Lyra and Bon Bon. Vinyl and Octavia are sitting in chairs on either side of us. Because Vinyl and Lyra have the magic, they fill and distribute the cups of cider to each of us. As promised, I get the first cup, though I don't care much either way. While I'm annoyed that our practice was interrupted, I don't mind having an impromptu hang out like this. “Look, sorry about showing up outta the blue,” Vinyl says once we've all got our drinks. “But I figured we could chill before Pinkie gets her party started.” “That's still happening?” I express, raising an eyebrow. Suddenly, everypony except Octavia in the room looks at me as if I'd said something totally stupid. “Seth, when has Pinkie EVER not gone through with a party once she's got it into her head?” Rainbow asks me pointedly. I open my mouth to respond, but then I think about it, my mouth slowly closing. Lyra and Vinyl snicker behind their hooves at my silence. “...alright, that's fair,” I admit, earning laughter from everypony in the room. “When is the party, anyway?” “Well, since you told her about miss Octavia showing up, Pinkie said she'd hold the party later tonight,” Bon Bon reminds me. “I'm thinking around six or seven.” “Please...Bon Bon, was it?” Octavia addresses her all of a sudden, causing her to freeze. I guess she's not used to being spoken to by somepony who's considered a musical celebrity in Canterlot. Bon Bon nods nervously. “Just call me Octavia. It's difficult to form a rapport while being held back by formalities.” “Thanks, mi..err, Octavia,” Bon Bon responds gratefully, giving her a faint smile, which Octavia returns. “Nah, call her Tavi. It's an adorable little nickname and it makes her blush,” Lyra butts in, ruining the moment and causing Octavia to respond exactly as Lyra described. “Must you insist with that?” Octavia addresses Lyra with a piteous expression on her face. Lyra nods with a cheeky smile. “She totally does, Tavi. It sounds less uptight than Octavia,” Vinyl chimes in, much to Octavia's annoyance. “Definitely,” I join in as well, until finally Octavia's head droops in defeat. “Aw, don't worry about it. It means you're accepted.” “She's what now?” Vinyl asks out of shock, looking at me oddly. Octavia stares at her, looking a little hurt. I raise an eyebrow myself. Why does she have a problem with that? “No, don't get me wrong, Tavi's cool, but I never thought I'd hear you say something like that.” “Neither did I, actually,” Bon Bon remarks, shrugging and giving me an apologetic glance. Octavia calms down once she sees that she isn't being rejected. “Then again, Seth's a lot nicer now. It's a nice change.” “Still here, thank you,” I remark, earning another laugh from the surrounding ponies. “For the record, I blame Rainbow for everything.” “Of course you do. Blame me all you want. I view it as the single greatest accomplishment in my life,” Rainbow brags, and then she quickly corrects herself. “You know, apart from saving Equestria once or twice. Thrice, if you count the changeling invasion, but that was mostly Seth.” “It IS an accomplishment. I had to order him to take a simple strap for that metal stick he used to carry around,” Vinyl recalls to the amusement of the other ponies. Okay, really? That was forever ago. “You should have seen his face. I thought he was going to hit me.” “Remember when I had to hold him in place with magic to get him to talk to me?” Lyra revealed as well. Another round of knowing laughs fills the room, and even Rainbow nods next to me. “Okay, what is this, everypony make fun of Seth day?” I interrupt, crossing my arms. I mean, granted, I was thickheaded and even more of an asshole then than I am now, but that doesn't mean I like having my past mistakes being dredged up. “It's only because we care about you, bro. Should I tell you about the time Rainbow wore a dress that literally looked like it was made out of solid metal?” Vinyl responds with a grin pointed at the mare next to me. Rainbow gives a start and blushes a bit, glaring at Vinyl. “You be quiet over there or I'm gonna steal your shades or something!” Rainbow threatens, though the damage is already done. I look down at her with an incredulous expression. She notices me looking, and her blush intensifies. “Don't ask. Please, just don't ask.” “Hooves off my babies, mare,” Vinyl warns, tapping her shades with a hoof. Rainbow's response is to stick her tongue out immaturely. While all of that is going on, Octavia leans over to me. “Your friends are very strange,” she comments, speaking low enough so that only I can hear her. “Don't I know it,” I snort in response. For the next few hours, the six of us make conversation and drink cider, just enjoying one another's company. Lyra sometimes entertains us with a song on her lyre, which Octavia and I particularly enjoy. From the way Octavia looked at her after the first time she played a song, I think she has a whole new respect for her. “You two were practicing before we showed up, right?” Lyra asks once the sound of clopping hooves following one of her performances fades away. “You and Tavi, I mean.” “That's correct. We were working on perfecting a concerto piece that I had arranged into a duet,” Octavia answers for me, her eyes lighting up now that she can talk about her musical pursuits. “It's a lovely song, and to Seth's credit, he sight-reads music very quickly.” “Sight what now?” Vinyl questions, looking clueless. Ah yes, she's a musician, but mostly just a DJ who experiments with music, rather than producing it. So no wonder she doesn't know what sight-reading means. “It means I can look at the notes on the paper and hear what they sound like in my head, without having to play them,” I explain as best I can. Sight-reading is one of those things that I learned early in life, so it's difficult to explain in terms that somepony unfamiliar with it can understand. “Suffice to say, it's a skill necessary for anyone who plays an instrument.” “That's right. It's pretty hard though, even for me,” Lyra agrees, lifting up her lyre. “I'm good at transcribing things by ear though.” “That's how you gave me that sheet music for Hearth's Warming, right?” I ask, interested. I've never been good at writing music, or transcribing it, or anything like that. All I've ever been able to do is play it. “Yup! I'm pretty proud of it too, because it turned out perfectly!” Lyra proclaimed, beaming. Her lyre floated in front of her, and then she used her magic to play the first few notes of the song. “Wait, I know that song,” Octavia reveals, causing both Lyra and I to look at her in surprise. Octavia puts on a pleased smile. “That's a beautiful song. It's also not easy, so I'm impressed that you can play it.” “Do you know how to play it?” Lyra questions, her eyes lighting up. Octavia nods in confirmation. “Oh! You should play it with Seth and I then! We've been working on it ourselves!” “That sounds like a good idea. I wouldn't mind seeing the three of you play,” Bon Bon tacks on, smiling at Octavia. “Come to think of it, I didn't even know Seth played anything until seeing his piano.” “Do it. I mean, I was watching long before they all got here,” Rainbow encourages us. Octavia and I exchange glances. Eventually, I shrug, and get up from the couch. “Might as well. Let me finish my cider,” I say, taking the cup with me. At this point, the barrel of cider is practically empty, so this should be my last cup. I quickly gulp it down and set the cup on an end table, because there's no way it's going anywhere near my piano. “Now where the hell did I put that sheet music?” “May I stand behind you? I'm afraid I don't have the sheet music for this, so I need to look at yours,” Octavia requests, picking up her cello and bow. “Go ahead. Though are the notes for a cello even the same as a piano? I remember that there's a thing called concert pitch. I'm not sure if it applies here or not,” I respond, indicating the sheet music. I'm mostly asking because some instruments are tuned to certain notes and can't be changed, like a b flat trumpet “In some cases, yes, and in others, no. Cellos have an advantage in that regard because I can tune it to whatever note I wish,” Octavia explains. “Because I knew we would be playing together, I tuned my cello to a concert C. Play a C on your piano for me.” Perplexed, I press the note she asked for on the piano, causing a loud and clear note to fill the room. Octavia rears up on her hind legs and clutches the neck of the cello with one hoof, using the other to bring the bow to the strings. A tone sounds from her cello, matching the pitch from the piano and blending with the note to form a richer sound. Feeling left out, Lyra plays the corresponding note on her lyre, adding its warm tone to the sound in the air. On the other side of the room, Rainbow, Vinyl, and Bon Bon sat on the couch, watching us with interest. I use the term loosely when it comes to Vinyl, because I know this isn't her style of music. “Shall we begin? I hope you don't mind if I lead, Lyra,” Octavia asks. Ah, she wants to control the practice. I don't mind. She's got way more experience than I do, after all. “Not at all. Take us away, Tavi!” Lyra replies. Octavia sighs at the nickname, but quickly turns back to her cello. “On three then. A one, a two, and three...” Octavia counts us off, and then the three of us begin the song all at once. The song sounds so much fuller, for lack of a better word, than before with the addition of Octavia's cello to our sound. Bon Bon's jaw drops in astonishment as the three of us put our hearts into our music. Rainbow watches in silent respect, and Vinyl is just resting her head on the back of the couch, not as interested as the rest of them. Octavia and I form the basis for the melody of the song, which Lyra is playing. Lyra is standing with her eyes closed, her head bobbing forward gently in time with the beat. Her music plucks the strings with gusto, the notes seeming to flow out of her lyre with feeling. I too put my all into playing the song. I had difficulty the last time I played, but this time I know a little of what to expect, so it's easier to recover from small mistakes and keep playing. I'm caught up in the flow of the song, so I don't want to disrupt it and bring this beauty to an end. The song jumps up an octave for one iteration of the melody, which I view as the climax of the piece. Bon Bon looks like she's really enjoying our performance, because she's standing up now, watching us play with a content smile on her face. When the song finally finishes, Bon Bon enthusiastically starts stamping on the floor with her hooves. Rainbow does the same, although a bit more subdued. As for Vinyl... “Is that fucker asleep?” I demand, getting up from the piano. As if on cue, I hear a snore from the couch. I can't help but choke with laughter as I see Vinyl sleeping in the most undignified fashion. Her head is lying back on the couch and her mouth is wide open. “That's it. Nopony sleeps through my performances.” “I've got to see this,” Rainbow declares, hopping off of the couch and giving me room to reach the sleeping Vinyl. “Please tell me you're going to do something horrible to her.” “Not really. I know this kind of music isn't her thing, but still,” I remark. That, and I doubt she's asleep enough for me to do anything extensive. “It's honestly fine, it wouldn't be the first time somepony has slept through one of our concerts,” Octavia tries to assure me, but I'm not having any of it. She clearly doesn't know how we are. “No, shut up, this is what I'm doing,” I tell her, and then without any further warning, I pounce upon Vinyl , tickling her exposed belly mercilessly. Vinyl jerks away with a start and immediately lets out a surprised cry. “What!? Oh Celestia stop! I can't take it!” Vinyl exclaims, falling off of the couch and onto the floor. I follow her down, never letting up my assault. Behind me, Bon Bon, Lyra, and Rainbow are all laughing at the spectacle before them, while Octavia looks on with a perplexed smile. “Seth! Have mercy!” “Absolutely not. I go through the trouble of performing a piece that was rather hard to learn, mind you, and you fucking fell asleep through it? You're going to suffer!” I promise her with a wicked grin on my face, tickling her until she starts wiggling and rolling around, trying to escape my wrath. Eventually, Vinyl and I end up resting on the floor next to the couch, both of us panting. “You're evil. One hundred percent pure evil,” Vinyl expresses, picking up her shades off the ground with her magic. “You know I can't handle classical stuff. Puts me right to sleep.” “It was funny though. It's been forever since I've tormented you rather than Rainbow,” I remark, causing Rainbow to shudder at the thought of the last time I tickled her to near death. “Hoo. What time is it, anyway?” “Almost six thirty. We've been hanging out a good while,” Lyra answers after a quick look at the clock. “Oh shoot, Pinkie said she was going to be starting the party soon.” “Well, we'd know if we missed it,” Bon Bon assures her. “Pinkie would be here dragging us there.” “We should go check and see if it's getting started yet. I dunno about you, but a party sounds pretty great right now,” Rainbow suggests, hopping off of the couch. I look over at Octavia, because now it seems like we'll be leaving, and I don't want to ignore her. “What do you think, Octavia?” I prompt her. Octavia rubs her chin for a moment, thinking. “There's no harm in it, I suppose. I think I'll go to this party for an hour or so, but I do have to be home sometime tonight. I have rehearsal in the morning,” Octavia replies. I sigh in relief. “You don't mind if I leave my cello here?” “I was going to suggest that, actually. Just leave it in here. I'll lock up before we head out, so it'll be safe,” I assure her. Octavia nods, satisfied. “Now that that's settled, let's go party!” Vinyl butts back in, leading the way back down the stairs. Bon Bon quickly follows her. “Come on, you slowpokes! You know as well as I do what happens if you're late to a Pinkie Party!” “I don't actually, but considering how she is normally, I would rather not find out,” I reply, following Vinyl down the stairs. “Let's go, Dashie.” “Did you just call me Dashie?” Rainbow returns indignantly as Lyra snickers behind her. “I did. Whatcha gonna do about it?” I tease her as I reach the bottom of the stairs and make for the door. Vinyl and Bon Bon are already outside and waiting for us impatiently. “Aw, you two are so cute,” Lyra comments in a funny voice, much to our annoyance. “Shut up, Lyra!” Rainbow and I both snap back at her. Meanwhile, Octavia is walking down the stairs, shaking her head and no doubt wondering what the hell she signed up for when she came over to my house in the first place. “Now kiss!” Lyra continues with a giant fucking smile on her face. I turn around and immediately make for her, to the point where she actually takes a step back. She yelps as I lean down and hook an arm beneath her belly and lift her clear off of the ground, hoisting her over my shoulder. “Waaah! Seth! Put me down! Aaah! Bon Bon help!” Rainbow promptly loses her shit behind me as I walk out the door with Lyra over my shoulder, the mare yelping and giggling at the situation. Vinyl spots us and proceeds to laugh her ass off as well. Bon Bon has the most perfect “what the fuck” face on when I walk outside with her marefriend. “Is this yours?” I ask Bon Bon in a completely calm voice while indicating Lyra's squirming form with my head. Bon Bon stares up at Lyra, and then despite herself, she snorts with laughter. “You're ridiculous. Put her down before somepony sees you,” Bon Bon tells me, trying to stifle her chuckles with a hoof. I put Lyra down without delicacy, such that she falls over in an attempt to get up. When she rights herself, Lyra glares at me with the most hilarious pout on her muzzle. “What? You started this. I just...” I start to say, but I pause. At first I don't even realize why I stopped talking...but then I start to feel that something isn't right. A chill breeze passes through the street, rustling through the trees and blowing through my hair and clothes. With it comes a feeling of unease that seems to sink slowly into my body, down to my very bones. I don't know how to explain it, but something about the atmosphere just seems wrong, or out of place. Every hair on my neck stands on end, and goosebumps form on my skin. To my surprise, I swear I can feel the tiniest hint of magic in the wind, but it's so faint that I start to doubt that I'm feeling it at all. Lyra notices the sudden change in my expression, and she starts to look worried. “Seth? Are you okay?” she asks. I don't reply, instead looking at the sky, trying to find the source of the magic I feel, if there even is one. However, the breeze soon passes, as well as the feeling of wrongness in the air. One question lingers in my mind. “What the hell was that?”