"Tomorrow morning we are talking about what you did," Octavia said as she walked past Caramel who was sitting on the couch. She didn't even turn to look at him, she just walked straight to her bedroom.
~~~Saturday Morning~~~
Octavia awoke after a very restless sleep. It was weird, she had slept in that bed for fifteen years yet she felt as though she was in an unfamiliar area, like she was sleeping at a hotel. She thought back to the night before where she slept at Vinyl's apartment, when she was there she had an odd sense of comfort that she felt she had missed for years.
It's probably because I was away from Caramel, Octavia thought, trying to come to some conclusions about these new feelings.
No that's not it, there's something more... But what could it be?
Octavia was going to start thinking of an explanation but as her mind finished rebooting after her sleep, she was quickly reminded of something,
I am going to be talking to Caramel about what he did... This is not going to be fun.
Octavia then got out of bed and went to the bathroom to shower and get ready for the day. Once in the shower she started thinking about what her plan for the day was.
Okay so right now I am going to have to talk to Caramel, but what will I say? I guess I will have to just confront him and try to get the answers out of him. If he becomes too much I could go over to Beauty's or Lyra and Bon Bon's or Vinyl's- Vinyl! I have a concert today! And Vinyl is coming to it!
Octavia quickly started panicking, but... Why?
I am prepared, why am I so worried?! I haven't been this worried about a show since Caramel came to my show for the first time... Wait does that mean that I-
Octavia's train of thought was interrupted by Caramel yelling,
"When you are out Octavia, I made us a special romantic breakfast!"
Octavia sighed in annoyance.
I am guessing he is going to pretend yesterday never happened.... Wait, what was I thinking about?
Octavia shook her head.
Probably nothing important.
Octavia then got out of the shower and continued her morning routine.
~~~At Breakfast~~~
Octavia sat at the breakfast table, in front of her was her favorite breakfast, oatmeal with berries. Sitting across from her was Caramel who had a giant smile on his face, like he was trying to hide something.
Octavia sighed, "Caramel, I am not going to forget about what you did yesterday. You are going to tell me why you were fighting Lyra,"
Caramel kept smiling, "Honey, I have no idea what you're talking about! You must have had one crazy dream last night,"
Octavia smirked, she had planned for this to happen.
Octavia then took out her phone and quickly started going through it.
Caramel then frowned in worry, "Wh-what are you doing there sweetie?"
Octavia's response was to click something on her phone, and then the phone started ringing as if it was calling somepony. After a few seconds the ringing stopped and a voice was heard,
"Hello?" Bon Bon said from the phone.
"Good morning Bon Bon, I would just like to ask if you remember the fight that happened yesterday between Caramel and Lyra," Octavia said calmly, still smirking.
"Uh, yeah I remember that," Bon Bon responded.
Caramel's face changed to one of complete panic. Octavia just grinned.
"And Caramel was INDEED there, correct?" Octavia asked.
"Yeah... Octavia are you feeling alright because these are some weird quest-" Bon Bon started but was stopped when Octavia hung up on her.
"Checkmate," Octavia said and then placed her phone down onto the table.
Caramel looked at the phone, and then back to Octavia who had her eyebrow raised in anticipation. Caramel finally sighed in defeat.
"Fine, I'll talk. Yesterday when I learned you found out about Bon Bon, I assumed she told you because you said that you knew I did it because I thought you were cheating on me," Caramel confessed.
Octavia took a sip of her water before speaking, "Although that would make sense, I assumed you did it because of that reason because why else would you do it? You are not the type of stallion who uses jealousy to get what he wants,"
Caramel started at her with wide eyes, "How much did you prepare for this conversation?"
Octavia smiled, "You would be surprised. I know how you work Caramel, you are not very surprising. Well... When you are not beating one of my friends and then kissing the other one,"
"Are you sure you just know so much about me because you LOVE me?" Caramel asked, blinking his eyes a few times.
Octavia rolled her eyes, "Yes Caramel, I am quite sure, now could you please tell me exactly what happened during the fight,"
Caramel then explained the fight to Octavia, and although he was honest about it, it was obvious he was trying to get Octavia onto his side.
"So Lyra started the fight by pushing you? Well I mean that makes some sense but does that really count at trying to start a fight? Foals who are just playing with each other push each other as well but you don't see one of them ending the day with a black eye,"
"I didn't mean to hit her that hard! I meant for it to be a warning,"
Octavia raised her eyebrow, "You punched her as a warning? Not push her back or something less extreme then, I don't know... GIVING HER A BLACK EYE,"
Caramel jumped back at Octavia's sudden change in tone.
"Uh... Yeah?" Caramel answered unsure.
Octavia rubbed between her muzzle in annoyance.
"Look, Caramel, I will 'forgive you' if you can make me one promise,"
Caramel leaned on in anticipation.
"You may not ever speak to Lyra nor Bon Bon again unless I am there, deal?" Octavia put her hoof out to shake.
Caramel shook it with a smile, "Sure! It still means I can visit you at work!"
Octavia froze, and Caramel left the living room and went to the bathroom.
.... WHY THE BLOODY HELL DIDN'T I SAY THAT?!
Octavia then got up from her table and left the apartment to head over to practice with her ensemble before the show they had later that night.
As Octavia was walking in the hall, Octavia got a phone call, when she picked it up a voice immediately started speaking,
"Octavia! Are you alright?! You were acting so weird on the phone! Did you hit your head or something?!" Bon Bon asked in a worried tone.
Octavia froze.
This... Is going to be one weird explanation.
~~~Later~~~
"Good morning everypony!" Octavia said as she walked in the theater where her ensemble was practicing.
"Good morning Octavia!" Harpo said cheerfully.
Beauty Brass looked at Octavia in concern but as soon as Octavia turned to her, she turned away.
"Did you tell them I know?" Octavia asked Beauty.
"That you know what?" Fredric asked.
Beauty sighed," No, are you alright?"
Octavia smiled,"Yes Beauty I am fine," Octavia then turned to Harpo and Fredric who were staring at them in confusion, "Beauty told me about what Caramel did,"
Fredric and Harpo then stared at Octavia with wide eyes.
"YOU TOLD HER?!" Fredric yelled.
"Hey! I tried to run away but she brought Vinyl with her to block the exit!" Beauty Brass yelled back.
"Oh! Speaking of Vinyl, she will be coming to the show tonight," Octavia said as she started setting up her cello.
Beauty Brass then started smiling, "Oh she is! Well that's fantastic! May I speak to you Harpo, for a second,"
Fredric and Octavia looked at Harpo in confusion but he simply shrugged and followed Beauty Brass outside the theater.
Once they were outside, Harpo asked,
"So, why did you want to speak to me?"
Beauty turned to him with a enormous smile, "I think Octavia and Vinyl should end up together,"
Harpo's eyes then went wide, "What?! Are you crazy?! Caramel would kill them! And why would those two even be a couple,"
"From what I have heard about Vinyl, it seems Octavia has taken quite the interest in this mare. It also seems that Vinyl is being a bit like you, in the sense that you both annoy ponies you like to get their attention,"
Harpo then grinned and moved up next to Beauty Brass, he then put his hoof around her, "And it worked didn't it?"
Beauty Brass rolled her eyes and kissed Harpo on the cheek, "That's my point! If we work as a couple, then that means that Octavia and Vinyl will too!"
"Okay but one small difference. You don't have a Caramel,"
Beauty then frowned, "Oh no... WHAT HAPPENS IF OCTAVIA FINALLY FINDS LOVE AGAIN ONLY FOR CARAMEL TO RUIN EVERYTHING?!"
"I would say that it sounds like a romance novel, or a fanfiction," Harpo answered.
"AS CELESTIA AS MY WITNESS, I WILL MAKE OCTASCRATCH A COUPLE AND MAKE SURE CARAMEL DOESN'T RUIN IT!" Beauty Brass yelled and stomped her hoof onto the ground.
Harpo opened his mouth to say something but Beauty Brass interrupted him,
"I will talk with Lyra and Bon Bon about this on Monday! Maybe they can help me!" Beauty Brass then walked back into the concert hall.
Harpo just stood there for a second and then shook his head.
"This will not end well,"
When Beauty Brass and Harpo got back into the theater, they heard Octavia and Frederic practicing for their performance.
"OCTAVIA!" Beauty yelled.
Octavia jumped, startled by the sudden voice.
"Yes Beauty?" Octavia asked.
"Do you and Vinyl have any plans after the performance?!" Beauty asked excitedly.
"Um, not really no," Octavia answered.
"WHAT?! YOU AND VINYL ARE GOING TO BE ON A DATE AND YOU DIDN'T EVEN-" Beauty Brass started ranting but was stopped by Harpo putting his hoof on her muzzle.
"Don't mind her! She kept watching romance movies last night!" Harpo said and then smiled an innocent smile.
Octavia and Frederic looked at each other, Fredric just shrugged.
After that, the ensemble started practicing.
~~~Later~~~
There were hundreds of ponies in the audience, but none of that was as scary as the thing sitting in the front row.
Octavia was peaking out of the curtains, it was only a few minutes before the show started. When she looked out, she found Vinyl in the first row, and for some reason she started to become really nervous at the sight of her.
"Deep breaths Octavia. This is just a normal performance, nothing new or different, except one of my friends are showing up. WHY AM I SO NERVOUS?! Oh! Maybe it's because she is my boss and she could fire me if I do a bad job," Octavia said to herself and then froze.
"WHY THE BLOODY HELL DID I INVITE MY BOSS?!" Octavia yelled.
Up until now, Octavia had completely forgotten the fact that Vinyl was in fact her boss.
"OKAY EVERYPONY! TAKE YOUR SEATS!" Fredric yelled. And at that, the ensemble took their spots next to their instruments.
Once the curtain was up, they all started playing.
Octavia completely lost track of the time while playing, but she was still concentrating. There were five parts to the show, four songs that the ensemble played together and a finale performance of a solo performed by Octavia. Octavia didn't open her eyes, she never did while playing, until the moment before Octavia's solo. In the second she opened her eyes, she saw Vinyl and her mind immediately started thinking.
She had no idea she was playing anything, or any idea of what she was playing but she was just thinking about Vinyl. It was just like when she played her cello alone, not thinking about the song, just playing while she thought.
When she finished her solo, she realized she didn't play the song she was meant to, she played something no one had heard before, all while thinking of Vinyl. She realized this by the shock expressions of not only the audience but her ensemble as well.
But their shocked faces didn't last long as the audience erupted into a cheering mess. All the ponies were cheering, throwing flowers and stomping in approval.
Octavia just stared at the audience in her own shock.
What did I play? Did I really play something while thinking of Vinyl?
"Hey, Harpo," Beauty Brass whispered.
"Yeah?" Harpo whispered back.
"Do you see Vinyl in the front? The white unicorn?"
"Yeah,"
"Did you see how Vinyl never took her eyes off Octavia for the whole show?"
~~~Backstage~~~
"Where in Equestria did you come up with that?!" Fredric asked, still in shock.
"I... Don't know," Octavia answered, no emotion on her face.
"Well, it was amazing!" Beauty Brass praised.
"Thanks," Octavia answered, still deep in thought.
"Hey Octy," A voice said.
Octavia snapped out of thought, and the whole ensemble stared at the source of the voice.
There stood Vinyl, still wearing her sunglasses and holding a bouquet of flowers in her magic.
"I uh- I thought I should give you these because you know... That is what you do for ponies in theater," Vinyl said with a blush and levitated the flowers over to Octavia.
Octavia grabbed the flowers and smiled at Vinyl before hugging her, "Thank you Vinyl,"
Meanwhile, Beauty Brass was too busy trying not to squeal while Fredric just stared at Beauty in concern.
"Should we do something about her?" Fredric asked Harpo.
"Nah, I kinda wanna see where this goes," Harpo answered with a grin.
Fredric rolled his eyes and started pushing Beauty and Harpo away, "C'mon, let's give these two some privacy,"
Once Vinyl and Octavia stopped hugging, Octavia turned to her ensemble only to see that they left.
"Hey, where'd your friends go?" Vinyl asked.
"They probably went off to their dates, I was hoping you could meet Harpo and Fredric but I guess we could wait until another day," Octavia answered and the two started walking out of the theater.
"So, anywhere you want to go?" Vinyl asked.
"Well, I am a bit tired so let's go to this diner near my apartment, it is open twenty four seven," Octavia answered.
Once they got outside the theater, they were assaulted by a blast of cold wind.
"Brrr, it's cold out," Octavia said, shaking.
"Here I'll keep you warm," Vinyl said and then put her hoof around Octavia.
Octavia froze for a second, taken aback a little, but she quickly found comfort and warmth in this gesture so she didn't complain.
And with that the two started walking.
~~~At the diner~~~
Octavia lived very close to the theater her ensemble performed at so it wasn't a very long walk. Octavia and Vinyl didn't speak for the walk, Octavia mostly was enjoying the warmth of Vinyl and Vinyl.... Well Octavia didn't really know why she was quiet.
Once they got to the diner they took a seat in a booth, they were facing each other. Once they ordered their food they finally started talking.
"So, what did you think of the performance?" Octavia asked.
"It is amazing! I mean, damn mare you got some mad cello skills," Vinyl answered.
Octavia smiled, "Oh? So the great DJ PON3 was proven wrong about the show being 'boring'?"
"Yeah, I guess I was," Vinyl answered annoyed, she then quickly started grinning, "But if you want, I could show you something I am much more right about-"
"I swear Vinyl if you make another sex joke about me I will flip this table onto you," Octavia answered coldly. Vinyl simply grinned in response.
"So, how often does your ensemble perform at that theater?" Vinyl asked.
"We own that theater Vinyl, so I perform there for almost all our shows," Octavia explained.
"How did you ensemble even come to be?"
"Well, Fredric, Beauty Brass, Harpo, and I all used to go to school together as foals," Octavia explained, "We all went to the same school until we graduated and then decided that we should start a ensemble together-"
"Did you and Fredric ever date?" Vinyl asked, sounding a bit worried.
Why would Vinyl care if we dated?
"Yes, for a short period of time, though we didn't really fit together well as a couple," Octavia answered.
"Was he your first?" Vinyl asked with a grin.
Octavia blushed, "No! Never! Honestly though, I regret my first one,"
Caramel....
"Yeah... Me too," Vinyl mumbled.
After a moment of silence, Vinyl spoke up.
"You were saying about your band?"
"Ensemble,"
"Imbecile?" Vinyl asked with a grin.
"We are not doing this again," Octavia said, glaring at Vinyl.
"After college, we wanted to think of a way to still be able to play music together," Octavia continued, "We were planning on joining an Orchestra but our music professor thought we should create our own ensemble. So with his help of a few connections to big ponies in the classical Industry, we were able to perform at a theater. The performance was a huge success and we continued raising enough money to open our own theater to perform at, and that's how we got to where we are now,"
"Wow, that's awesome! You guys sound really close. The only old friends I am still in contact with are Lyra and Bon Bon," Vinyl commented.
"How did you meet them anyway?"
"Well, me and Lyra went to the same high school together, we were both into music but we were in different classes. Me and Lyra became friends when one day we got into a fight at school,"
"How did that make you two friends?"
Vinyl grinned, "She was so impressed by my fighting skills that she wanted me to teach her the ways of the wubs,"
Octavia raised her eyebrow, "Ways of the wubs? What in Equestria is a wub?"
"Soon you will learn grasshopper, but first you must prove yourself worthy,"
"Oh yeah? And how may I do that, oh wise one,"
Vinyl grinned, "By buying me the double fudge, triple scoop Sundae,"
"Alright, but I don't want to be framed for your murder if you go into diabetic shock,"
"Step two grasshopper is to learn how to be a servant,"
"Okay Vinyl, I think you are just making stuff up now,"
"You must do whatever I say, and that includes things in bed," Vinyl wiggled her eyebrows at the last part. Not even a second later she let out a yelp of pain,
"OW!"
"That's what you get for making another sex joke about me, oh 'sensei'," Octavia had just kicked Vinyl leg from under the table.
Vinyl rubbed her leg, "Step three is to not kick your sensei,"
"Well if that's the case, I don't think I have what it takes to learn what wubs are," Octavia said with a smirk, "Are you going to continue your story now?"
"Alright, but you still own me that Sundae," Vinyl cleared her voice before continuing, "I met Bonnie after Lyra wouldn't shut up about how amazing and beautiful she was. I kept telling Lyra to talk to her but she was too chicken, so I did it instead. And from that day on, we became the four musketeers!"
"Vinyl there were already four musketeers when they were called the three musketeers,"
"Really? Well then they don't know how to count,"
Octavia rubbed between her eyes in annoyance, "No it's- never mind. Who was the other pony in your group?"
Vinyl froze, almost like she shouldn't have mentioned it, "Uh... NOPONY,"
Octavia raised her eyebrow at this, and then started grinning, "Oh? Did somepony have a crush on this pony?"
Vinyl blushed a little but also seemed to get a little angered at this comment, "NO! Well... Yes but- UGH!"
Octavia stared at Vinyl, not knowing what she should say next, then an idea hit her, "Was it an ex?"
Vinyl opened her mouth to respond but was interrupted by the waitress.
"Here you go ladies," The waitress said and then placed their food down onto the table.
"Well that was quick," Vinyl commented, and then quickly started digging into her food.
"Well, it is almost one in the morning Vinyl," Octavia answered and then started eating her food as well.
Once they were done, Vinyl and Octavia walked back to Octavia's apartment, Vinyl put her hoof around Octavia again and Octavia got to enjoy Vinyl's warmth again.
Once they were outside the apartment, the two of them parted.
"Well Vinyl, tonight has been a pleasure. I hope that we will be able to do something like this again soon," Octavia said with a smile.
"Yeah! Me too Octy, I... I love hanging out with you," Vinyl answered.
Octavia smiled and then walked up to Vinyl and kissed her on the cheek.
"Thank you for coming to the show, it meant a tremendous amount to me,"
Vinyl just stared at her with her mouth open. Her mouth then quickly turned into a goofy smile, and she put a hoof to the cheek Octavia kissed.
"Y-yeah! No problem. Night Tavi,"
"Good night Vinyl,"
And with that, Octavia walked back into her apartment. She made it all the way to her door, she was unlocking it when she froze completely.
Realization had just hit her. All day her brain had been trying to hint at it but she was too oblivious to realize it.
My Celestia... I like Vinyl!