The Gift of Music
Hearth's Warming Eve had come to Ponyville. Everywhere the eye could see, there was a thick blanket of pure white snow. Stallions and mares hurried here and there, with presents carried on their backs or levitated above the hustle and bustle with magic as the young colts and fillies played in the snow, making snow angels and having snowball fights. Towards the center of town, a large Hearth's Warming tree had been set up, with unicorns and pegasi adorning it with the ornaments that the earth ponies brought out from storage. Above the town, the weather ponies worked to make sure a fine, powdery snow fell during the night, so that the young ones would have an even more beautiful sight to wake up to each day. And all throughout the town, there was a feeling of joy, of content. Everypony happily greeted one another, wishing a "Happy Hearth's Warming Eve to you and yours!" as they passed.
That is, except for one mare.
Octavia sat in her room of the house her and her marefriend shared, looking out of the window that overlooked the town, a blank look on her face. Usually, around this time of year, she would be helping with the festivities, standing out in the cold with her scarf and her cello, playing happy holiday music for everypony to enjoy as they went about following their busy schedules. Often, a young couple or two would stop and dance to her beautiful music, thanking her for it year after year.
But not this year.
This year, she had lost something that she could not live without – something ponies rarely saw her without. Earlier in the year... Her cello had been broken. No, not broken, it had been destroyed, demolished – and by the mare that she loved...
Vinyl, of course, hadn't meant to destroy Octavia's prized cello. It all happened a few months ago, during Pinkie's annual Nightmare Night party...
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"C'mon, Tavi, this is gonna be awesome!" Vinyl grinned at Octavia, the fake vampire teeth she had on shining in the moonlight. She had, as in usual Vinyl Scratch fashion, dressed up as what she always did every year: Vampire Scratch – complete with cape, bite mark, and copious amounts of fake blood. "I just know you're gonna love it!"
"Vinyl, I highly doubt that any part of this night will be enjoyable, and why did you make me dress in such a ridiculous outfit?" Octavia asked, looking back at her costume. Vinyl had dragged her to the boutique a few days earlier, and made her have Rarity design a costume. What they – meaning Rarity and Vinyl, as Octavia had no say in the matter – had decided on was an undead bride. Octavia had on a ragged dress with holes in it, her hair done up in a bun, and her face painted to make it look gaunt. "And this isn't the most comfortable dress to have on while carrying my instrument..." She adjusted the cello on her back, the dress continuously bunching up and making the instrument repeatedly slip off her back to the ground. Luckily, it was in its case, so it was well protected.
Vinyl chuckled. "Aww, c'mon, Tavi, you look cute. And besides..." She helped reposition the cello before it fell again. "You should be happy that they wanted your music instead of mine this year! I guess they wanted to hear some stuff that'll put 'em to sleep." She said teasingly, sticking her tongue out.
Shoving her playfully and giggling, Octavia said, "Well, at least they'll sleep peacefully then. If it was your music, you would knock them unconscious by bringing the house down on top of them!"
"Exactly. My music is supposed to bring the house down!" They both giggled, then Vinyl said, "Hey, Tavi babe? Thanks for coming along... I know you really don't like this sort of thing..."
She smiled and leaned gently into Vinyl, nuzzling her cheek as they walked. "Anything for my marefriend."
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Octavia wore a light smile as she remembered this. Vinyl could be sweet sometimes, the polar opposite of what ponies usually expected of her. It was this sweetness that had talked Pinkie into letting Octavia play at the party instead of Vinyl, and Octavia loved her for it.
However, as the memory went on, her smile slowly turned to a frown as she remembered what happened that night...
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With a sharp gasp, Pinkie squealed. "You guys totally made it!" She was dressed yet again as a chicken, as she opened the door to town hall civics center. "Well, I mean, of course I expected you to come, Scratchy, but I was kinda thinking that Octavia here was gonna skip out on us because she doesn't like this kind of thing, and we would end up having you play instead, which wouldn't be a problem because I have DJ stands hidden all over Equestria in case of DJ emergency, but it looks like..."
Octavia just stood there, her mouth hanging half open at the fact that Pinkie hadn't taken a breath for her entire greeting, and was still going. After what seemed like an eternity, Pinkie finally finished talking and said, "Well, don't just stand out there, you sillies! Come on in!" She moved to the side and motioned for them to enter.
As they did enter, Octavia was impressed with the amount of activities going on. To their left, there was the traditional apple bobbing stand set up, and on their right, there was the spider toss. On the far end of the room, the stage was set up for Octavia to play, with a small dance floor in front of it. In the middle of the civics center, there was a set of tables, full of assorted food and treats. All around, ponies were standing, talking, eating, all while in costume. "Wow, it looks like all of Ponyville showed up..."
"Tavi, they always come. Nopony in their right mind misses Pinkie Pie's famous Nightmare Night Extravaganza!" Exclaimed Vinyl.
Octavia shot her a withering look.
"Er, uh, that is, nopony but you, babe!" She gave a nervous smile.
Shutting her eyes and shaking her head, Octavia began walking towards the stairs to the stage. "I'm going to go get ready to play." As she walked, she passed by Princess Twilight and a couple of her friends. "Ah, hello, Princess." She began to bow.
"Oh, hello there. Uhm, th-there's no need to bow, like I've told everypony before," she smiled, a small blush creeping across her face. "I don't think I'll ever get used to being treated like that... And... Who might you be?" She lifted the brim of her purple mage's hat from over ther eyes and adjusted the tie around her neck that held her cape in place. She sighed. "I just don't understand how Trixie can stand to wear this all the time."
"Trixie heard that!" A voice came from the other side of the room.
"Twilight, how can you possibly not know who this is?" came a voice from Twilight's right. Octavia looked over and saw the form of a pony, completely wrapped up in gauze, with bits of purple mane and tail sticking out here and there.
Octavia could recognize that mane anywhere. "Hello, Miss Rarity."
"Oh, hello, dear. How are you this evening?" she asked.
"I'm doing fine, thank you." She yet again adjusted her cello. "I'm just surprised that they would rather have my music this year instead of Vinyl's."
Just then, a quiet voice, this time to Twilight's left spoke up. "Um, I'm actually happy that the music won't be so scary and loud this year..."
Octavia looked to the source of the voice, and nearly jumped when she did, seeing what looked like a large bat. Though, upon closer inspection, it actually turned out to be Fluttershy. "Oh my, Miss Fluttershy, you startled me there for a moment! That's an incredible costume!"
A funny look crossed all three of their faces. "Heh... Yeah, costume..." Said Twilight.
Suspecting that something was off with Fluttershy's costume, she gave a confused smile and took a step back. "Well, I suppose I should get set up, shouldn't I?" Excusing herself, she made her way to the stage.
On stage, vinyl had set up a few electronics here and there to give her a bit of accompaniment while playing, but other than that, it would just be her and her cello. She gently set her instrument case down, flipping the latches on the side and opening the lid. Once she did, she leaned down, gently raising her most prized possession out. A beautiful spruce and maple cello, with a long ebony neck, one that had been passed down to her from her great grandmother, was ever so carefully lifted out and placed upright on its pin as Octavia steadied herself against it, both leaning on each other for support.
Looking around the room, it did seem like Vinyl was right. Almost everypony in town had shown up. Lyra and Bon Bon, who were dressed as what Lyra called "humans", were at the apple bobbing stand, taking turns to see who could get more apples in one go. Mayor Mare, in her usual clown ensemble, was walking around, talking with the residents of Ponyville. Vinyl was sitting at a table, talking with a black and white stallion, somepony who had recently moved to town, who happened to be dressed as some sort of evil Count. And everypony else, save for a few who hadn't shown up yet, were mingling, chatting, and having a good time.
Octavia smiled lightly at the sight. While she was used to playing the larger scale parties, such as the Gala, she couldn't deny that she enjoyed playing for smaller gatherings such as this, perhaps even more so than the larger gatherings. There, ponies were stuck up and snooty, only there to flaunt their wealth and kiss up to the Princess. Here, however, everypony knew each other, everypony had fun, and the atmosphere was happy and light.
Clearing her throat to gain the attention of the partygoers, she began speaking. "Hello, everypony. As most of you here know, my name is Octavia Melody." A few cheers and hollers came from the crowd, most emanating from her marefriend. Blushing slightly, she continued on. "Also, as you might have notice from my absence in past Nightmare Night parties, I am... Not much of one for this holiday. But, here I am, thanks to my marefriend, Vinyl Scratch. She made it possible for me to play for you all tonight. So thank you, Vinyl." She gave her a little smile and wave, and then readied her bow. "And now, without further ado, let's get some music going, shall we?"
And with that, she began, sliding her bow across the strings, making a deep, ominous tone that was soon joined by the accompaniment Vinyl had set up. The tone continued throughout the song, dark and forboding, until the final note, ringing out clean and clear. A few moments of silence passed, and then the applause and cheers came.
Vinyl climbed on stage and hugged Octavia. "See?! I told you that they'd like your stuff! Now c'mon, play us some more!" She jumped down and turned back, eager to hear more music.
A smile on her face and happiness in her heart, Octavia obliged them, continuing to play more dark and eerie songs for them. Throughout the night, she saw ponies dance, cheer, and sing along, all of them enjoying her music and having a good time.
And then, the cider arrived.
"Come on, there's enough here for everypony!" Shouted Rainbow Dash, who had just flown in carrying two barrels of freshly made cider in her front legs. Applejack followed her in with a small cart, stacked high with even more.
Octavia's mouth hung open at the sight, and she called Vinyl over. "They can't be serious, can they?" She asked. "There are foals here! Young colts and fillies who are not old enough to drink that!"
"Don't sweat it, Tavi." She put a hoof on her shoulder. "We do this every year, and we have precautions for that kinda thing."
"Precautions? Such as?"
"Well, for starters, we always have somepony watching over the cider table. That means nopony underage can sneak over and get themselves a drink." She gave her a reassuring smile. "And secondly, nopony has ever gotten so smashed here that they might do something... Regrettable."
This calmed Octavia's fears a bit, but she was still a bit upset about the cider. "Just promise me that you won't, as you put it, Get so smashed that you might do something... Regrettable."
Vinyl saluted her, her face straight and her body at attention. "I promise, my lady, that I will not get smashed enough to do something... Regrettable."
Giggling, Octavia gave her a playful shove. "Oh, you. Come give me a kiss, then go have fun." One quick kiss later, and Vinyl was already heading to the cider table.
Her fears assuaged once more, Octavia went back to playing. Vinyl could handle herself around cider, right? She had faith in her marefriend. However, that faith was dashed half an hour later when she heard "Chug! Chug! Chug!" from across the room. Breaking her concentration, she looked up to find a group of ponied had gathered around Vinyl and were egging her on to down her complete mug of cider, which she did with glee.
Octavia looked away and gritted her teeth, angry at Vinyl for getting drunk so quickly. However, she quickly calmed herself down. "She's just drunk is all. It's fine. It's okay, as long as she doesn't do someth-"
"C'MON, EVERYPONY!!! LET'S PAR-TAY!!!"
"... Something regrettable." She sighed and looked back in her direction. She was now on top of the table she had been sitting at, dancing alongside Rainbow Dash, who was equally as drunk as she was. Ponies around the table were laughing and shouting, enjoying how funny the drunken mares were. Everypony else was either annoyed or simply ignoring the boisterous group.
The rest of the night went on like that. Vinyl and her group went around the party, laughing, shouting, and being rambunctious. Other ponies at the party tried to stop them, but nopony listened. Even Princess Twilight and her friends attempted to stop them, but Octavia knew it was no use. Nothing would stop Vinyl when she was this drunk until she passed out, which she was not looking forward to. Having to carry both her cello and Vinyl home did not sound like fun.
Finally, the party began to wind down, and ponies began to leave for home. Drunk Vinyl Saw this, and she did not like it. With all the grace she could muster, she pulled herself up onstage, where an angry Octavia was still on it, attempting to put away her cello so she could drag her home and have a stern discussion about what she had done over the night. Vinyl, however, had other plans.
Moving quickly, she grabbed the cello out of her hooves with her magic, holding it over her head and shouting, "Aw, c'mon everypony! The party ain't over yet!"
Octavia gasped, leaping up to try and grab it from her, but Vinyl lifted it higher than she could reach. Landing on her stomach, she looked up at Vinyl with a glare. "You put down my cello right now, or Celestia help me...!"
"You want me to do what now?" Asked Vinyl, a devious grin spreading across her face.
"Drop it. Now."
Her grin spread even wider. "As you wish." She raised it even higher over her head, and Octavia's eyes went wide in horror, realizing what she just asked her to do. "I'm gonna DROP THE BASS!!!" She shouted at the cello was swung forcefully to the ground.
"Vinyl, no, please!" She screamed. But it was too late.
The air filled with the sound of splintering wood. Everypony still at the party went silent, mouths agape as they stared at Vinyl. Octavia's eyes were on her now destroyed cello. The body was split in two, cracked and splintered in multiple places. The neck had completely separated from the upper portion of the body, now only hanging on by the strings, which were splayed and bent. She stared, feeling physically ill at the sight before her.
The tears began, not a few at a time, but in complete waterfalls, cascading over her cheeks as she rolled herself into a ball, sobbing to herself.
Vinyl looked around, not quite understanding what she had done wrong. "What? What'd I do?" She looked down at her hooves, and the sobering realization came over her as she looked over what she had done. "Oh... Oh, no no no... Celestia, please, no... I-I..." She looked over to Octavia, reaching out to comfort her. "Tavi, I'm so... I... I didn't mean to..."
She quickly slapped her hoof away, glaring at her from the ground. "I'm sure you didn't mean to, just like you didn't mean to get drunk, just like you didn't mean to make a foal of yourself tonight." She stood, continuing to glare at Vinyl. "Vinyl, you promised me you wouldn't do something like this tonight, and you broke your promise! And now, you've... You've..." She began crying again, jumping off the stage and running out of the party, leaving Vinyl to the disappointed stares of the other partygoers.
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Octavia wiped her eyes, letting out a sigh. It had been more than a month ago, and, while she knew Vinyl hadn't truly meant to do what she had done, and she had forgiven her some time ago, it still hurt. She was unable to practice, to get work. Vinyl attempted to help as much as she could to try and fix what she had done, but with only one source of income now, it was getting a bit hard to live like they were used to. She feared that she might have to go to her parents, who would be sorely disappointed.
There was a knock at her door, and she quickly wiped away any tears she missed. "Come in, Vinyl." She said quietly.
The door opened, and Vinyl entered, a worried look on her face. "How are you doing, Octy? You've been cooped up in your room all day. Wouldn't you like to go outside, take a walk?"
"I would rather not..." She said, staring out the window. "It would just sour my mood more... Without my cello to play for others, I see no use in going anywhere..."
Vinyl came up beside her, giving her a nuzzle on her cheek. "You know I didn't mean to do what I did on Nightmare Night... And besides, it isn't good for your health to stay inside forever. At least promise me you'll try to get out, ok?" She got no response, and she didn't expect one. "Look, I have to go to work... I've got a gig in Canterlot, and I'll be gone for a few days. Just, please, don't lock yourself in here the entire time I'm gone. I'll see you soon." She gave her a peck on the cheek, which Octavia returned before staring back out her window. Turning back to the door, Vinyl took one more look back at her before she left.
A few moments later, Octavia heard their front door open and close. She let out another sigh. Vinyl had been right, she did need to get out of the house. Mustering all the energy she could, she removed herself from her chair, heading to her closet to grab herself a jacket and some boots. She carried them to the front room, passing a hall mirror on her way and seeing that she was a bit of a mess, her mane trussed up and bags under her eyes. Not feeling like cleaning up, she grabbed her hat and scarf from the wall tree to cover up. Heading to the front room, she sat on the couch facing their Hearth Warming tree.
It was a rather small tree, but it was all they needed. Vinyl had decorated it with lights, garland, and an assortment of all kinds of differently colored ornaments. Octavia smiled lightly, amused at how many ornaments Vinyl had stuck on the tree. It was just as beautiful as ever, though, and they had already put a few presents underneath the tree for each other, small ones that they could afford. Or, that was what she had thought.
As she looked at all the gifts, she noticed a rather large one stuck behind the tree. She knew that she hadn't purchased anything that large, so she could only assume Vinyl had been sneaky and bought more than they agreed. Going around the tree, the package she saw was actually larger than she first expected, at least a few inches taller than her. How Vinyl hid it behind such a small tree, she would never know.
She reached out, wanting to open it up and see what she got that could be so large, but didn't want to open it this early, or without Vinyl there. But there was just so much temptation now that she knew it was there. "Vinyl... She won't notice if I... If I just have a peek, will she?"
Gingerly, she lifted the present up from behind the tree. In the back of her mind, something told her that it had a familiar weight to it, but she pushed those thoughts away as she laid it on the couch. There's no way that she could have... "Alright..." Octavia said to herself. "How am I going to do this without Vinyl being suspicious when she returns home..." He scratched her chin, lost in thought for a while. "Well, I suppose I could make a small tear at the corner and peek in... That would be easier to camoflauge... Oh, I do feel terrible about this, but I must know what she got me!"
Closing her eyes and turning her head away, her hoof reached up to a corner, and, in one swift movement, she tore away a section of wrapping paper, much bigger than she was meaning to. Her eyes shot open at the sound of too much paper ripping, and she began to panic, her eyes darting back and forth between the paper in her hoof and the gaping hole in the presents wrapping. "Oh... Oh dear, oh dear, oh no, Oh... Oh, my..."
Her panic began to fade away as it was replaced by surprise and awe, not from the hole, but what could be seen through the hole. "It... Can't be..."
Inside the hole she had made peeked out a very familiar sight. A section of curved wood, deep brown and highly polished. Without thinking, Octavia immediately reached to the top of the present, ripping all of the paper away in one pull. Before her lay a brand new cello, perfectly pristine, and almost exactly like the one Vinyl had destroyed, save for the small engraving on the neck that said 'For My Beautiful Cellist, Octavia.'
She could not believe her eyes. So many thoughts raced through her mind. What!? H-how!? How could she afford...!? A sudden realization struck her. I have to find her before she leaves! With that, she sprang up from her seated position, rushing through the front door without so much as her bowtie to keep her warm.
Dashing through the snow, running through the packed streets, she attempted to get across town to the train station before Vinyl's train departed. However, that proved to be more difficult than she had hoped. The streets were still filled with ponies running here and there, shopping for gifts for their loved ones. A few were kind enough to let her pass, but most did just as she was doing, shoving their way through, trying to get to their destinations that much quicker. Realizing it was futile, Octavia moved to the edge of the road, sitting down to catch her breath and think of her next move. "At this rate, Vinyl will be halfway to Canterlot by the time I get there..." She let out a defeated sigh.
Suddenly, she heard a voice next to her. "Hello, Miss Melody!" Looking up to see who it was, Octavia found herself yet again in the presence of Princess Twilight. She stood and was about to bow, saying, "Hello, Pri-" When Twilight quickly stopped her. "Octavia, really, Twilight is fine, as I've said before."
She grinned sheepishly. "Yes, Pri- I mean, Twilight."
Twilight smiled. "See? It isn't so hard. Now, what seems to be the problem? I could tell that something was wrong when I saw you, and, as the Princess of Friendship, I make it my duty any friend in need."
Giving her a small smile, Octavia began. "Well, it all began at the Nightmare Night party a few months back. Do you remember?"
Twilight grimaced. "Sadly, yes, I do."
"Well, over the past month or so, Vinyl has apologized immensely for what had happened, and I forgave her, to an extent... I understood that she was not in her right mind when she did... What she did... But there was still a hole somewhere deep down..."
"Your broken cello..."
"Exactly! But thats where things got interesting." She gave another smile. "I may have... Found out, recently, that... Vinyl may or may not have bought me a rather expensive cello."
"And how did you find out?" Asked Twilight, a knowing smile on her face.
"I... May have opened one of my Hearth's Warming's gifts a bit early..."
Twilight giggled and shook her head. "And now you want to find Vinyl and tell her?"
"That... Among other things... But I already think it's too late." She sat down and sighed again. "I've probably missed her train to Canterlot. And even if I haven't, there's no way I'll make it through this crowd of ponies in time. I just... I wanted to tell her before she left."
Clearing her throat, Twilight got her attention. "Well, I know for a fact that the train heading to Canterlot hasn't left just yet. My friends Fluttershy and Rarity were heading up there to see a fashion show with some of Rarity's dresses in it, and they hadn't left until a few minutes before I began my shopping, which I barely just started."
Octavia's eyes lit up. "I may have just enough time then!" She turned and ran back into the crowd, attempting to push through. Suddenly, she felt something grab her under her front legs and lift her into the air. Panicked, she began to look for the culprit.
Above her, she heard, "It might be a little faster this way." Looking upwards, she saw Twilight, smiling and carrying her over the huge crowd of ponies.
Surveying the crowd below them, Octavia spoke. "I can't believe that there are this many ponies out at one time! There's no way I would have made it through!" She looked back up at Twilight. "Thank you so much!"
"You're welcome! Now, let's get you to that train station!"
It was only a few minutes before they touched down at the station. Appreciative as she was for the flight, Octavia decided that the ground was the place for her. Her legs shook as she looked around the platform, searching for her marefriend. At the very far end, she could make out the tiniest bit of electric blue, bobbing to some kind of beat. "Vinyl!" She shouted as she raced down the platform. Twilight watched her run for a bit, a light smile on her face, until finally she turned away and flew back to the other side of town, confident that Octavia could handle the rest.
On the other end of the platform, Vinyl had her headphones on, oblivious to the shouts that got closer and closer. Oblivious, that is, until she was tackled off the end of the platform into a large pile of snow, embraced by what looked like a grey blur that wanted to bear hug her to death. Finally regaining her senses after having the sense knocked out of her, she found the being that was now peppering her face with little kisses was Octavia. "T-Tavi!? Wh-what are you doing here, babe!?"
"IfoundthecelloVinylandIjustwantedtocometellyouIloveyouandI'msorryforopeningitsoearly
beforeyouleft!" She nuzzled her face into her neck, expecting the worst.
Vinyl just laid there, completely confused. "Uh... What?" She couldn't help but chuckle at how odd Octavia was acting. "Babe, calm down. Slow down and tell me what happened, it's ok, I promise, whatever it is, I won't get mad."
Taking a shaky breath, Octavia spoke. "Vinyl... I found out about the cello."
Vinyl's face fell. "Wait, what?"
Octavia got up and stood there, sadness in her eyes, begging Vinyl not to get angry. "I'm sorry, Vinyl, I just... I saw it behind the tree, and I got curious, and I was only going to peek, but I ended up making a big hole, and by that time it was already too late, and I just finished unwrapping unwrapping it. As soon as I saw it, I had to come find you... I wanted to thank you..."
Vinyl stood up and began pacing, stomping down with each step, her face in a scowl. "Darn it, Tavi, I had plans for when you got that cello! There was gonna be a speech, a big apology speech, and then I would have brought it out and given it to you!"
She winced and stepped back, away from her marefriend's outburst. "I'm sorry, Vinyl..."
Vinyl said nothing for a few seconds. Finally, she spoke up. "... I guess that I can just chock this one up as karma for bucking up your old cello." She sighed, but looked at her with a smile. "Octavia... Can you forgive me for the stupid stunt I pulled at the party?"
Tears were in her eyes, but Octavia had a smile on her face as well. "Of course. But can you forgive me for ruining the Heart's Warming surprise that you had planned?"
Vinyl tapped her chin, looking like she was in thought. "I dunno... It might take a few make-up kisses before I can." She gave her a sly smile.
"Oh, come here, you silly mare." She wrapped her hooves around her marefriend's neck and drew her close, giving her a loving kiss. When they broke away, Octavia smiled and put her forehead against Vinyl's. "I love you, sweetie."
"And I love you, babe." She gave her cheek a gentle nuzzle.
They stayed like that for a while, until something came to Octavia's mind. "Vinyl, sweetie... How did you come across this cello? And how could you afford it?"
"Well, that's where you sulking away in your room kinda gave me a bit of an advantage." She chuckled. "While you were hiding away, I snuck out, sometimes going to extra gigs, or other times I'd just go around town doing jobs for other ponies, taking in whatever they'd pay me. I actually saved up quite a bit doing all that."
"Well, that explains where you were every time I searched for you, I suppose..." She scratched her chin. "But what about the cello? It isn't like they're very common..."
"Well, that... That was just pretty much dumb luck..." Vinyl said, rubbing the back of her head and grinning sheepishly.
"Hmm? What do you mean?"
"Well, just like you said, finding a cello ain't exactly easy. I searched high and low for one, from here in Ponyville, to up in Canterlot. I even called some places in Manehattan and Fillydelphia, but nopony had one." She stared into the sky, a sad look on her face. "I was low on hope, and I never thought I'd find one in time... That is, until I stumbled across the charity auction."
"Charity auction?" Octavia asked. "Where? Here in Ponyville?"
"Yup!" Vinyl smiled. "A charity auction for the Ponyville Orphanage. Apparently, ponies donate things to be auctioned off, and all the money they get goes to helping out the orphanage with expenses like food and clothes."
Octavia had a confused look on her face. "But what drew you there?"
"Honestly? I don't know. I guess I was just running out of options and hoped that I would be able to find something at least good to try and win for you. Imagine my surprise when the first thing they pulled out to start bidding on was that cello, one that looked almost identical to your old one!" She beamed.
"That sure was a lucky break for you sweetie." She smiled. "I just hope it wasn't too much trouble to win it..."
"Nah, it was a piece of cake. Only one other pony bid on it besides me, that one brown stallion with the hourglass for a cutie mark, always talks about science and stuff. We went at it for a while, but as the higher numbers came, he backed off and victory was mine!" She grinned and held a silly heroic pose.
"And I'm sure it was a well-deserved one." She kissed her cheek and smiled. She was going to go in for another, but a shrill noise made her jump. Looking to the side, it seemed like the train had pulled in while they had talked, and passengers were boarding. "Well, it looks like you need to get up there and head out for your show."
"Yeah, I guess I should..." She was getting ready to go back to the platform, when a thought crossed her mind. "Tavi... Where are your clothes?"
Octavia looked down to her body. Indeed, she had forgotten to put on any warm clothes. Even her bowtie had been left at home when she raced out to find Vinyl. The adrenaline had been pushing her and keeping her warm, but now that it had worn off, she found that she was freezing, and she shivered in the cold wind. "I-I must have... F-f-forgotten them at home..."
Vinyl looked at her freezing marefriend, then to the train, and back to her marefriend. She smirked and took off her jacket, draping it over Octavia.
She looked up at her, the warmth of her jacket seeping into her cold body. "B-but won't you be cold on y-your way up there?"
Vinyl shook her head. "Nope. Cause I'm not going."
"But what about your sh-show?"
"Eh, they usually have a backup in case the main musician doesn't show up. I'll just five them a call tomorrow morning and explain what happened, it'll be cool." She moved up next to her, sharing her body heat. "Now, c'mon, let's get you home before you catch a cold."
Leaning on Vinyl, she smiled and nuzzled her cheek as they began to walk home. "Happy Hearth's Warming, Vinyl."
"Happy Hearth's Warming to you, too, Tavi." She smiled and nuzzled her back.
"I just hope what I got you for Hearth's Warming will match up to what you've gotten for me."
"Well, maybe you can give me a hint, and I can decide?" She smirked.
Octavia rolled her eyes. "Oh, very well. Come here, I'll whisper it into your ear."
Vinyl did as she was told, leaning over to allow her to whisper in her ear. As she did, her eyes became wide and her cheeks red. Octavia pulled away with a cheeky grin, and she asked, "Y-you're kidding, right?"
Walking a few steps away, she looked back at her and stuck her tongue out. "You'll just have to wait till Hearth's Warming to see." And with that, she began trotting away, giggling like a filly.
"Aww, c'mon, Tavi, don't tease me like this, I gotta know!" She chased after the giggling mare, laughing along with her.