Moonlight Sonata

by Lynked

Chapter 5: Sea Salt on Old Wounds

Thursday was more than mundane; it was boring. At least, a certain blue-maned unicorn thought so. It was nice, weather-wise, with the sun beaming down all day and a crisp breeze never failing. But the activities that Vinyl had been forced to endure were dreadful: shuffle boarding, chess, and talk of orchestral pieces to name but a few. The day was mainly planned out by Octavia and Lyra; Tav had dragged Vinyl along, and Lyra had done the same with Bonbon. The bright side of it all was that she at least had someone to suffer with.

To top it all off, dinner had been an absolute disaster. It started well enough - Lyra was lost in her harp, and the rest of them were idly chatting away as the music breathed around the room. Although, on a ship that never stops, who couldn't expect rapid change? Lobster - faux meat, of course, but the real lobsters had been more than upset about it - arrived on a large platter for them to share. Vinyl was never one for table manners anyways, and just tore off a hunk with her magic, proceeding to dig in. Needless to say, there was a rapid decline in jubilance in the night.

The bewildering fact was this; everything had turned out alright. Despite all odds, when Vinyl and Tav returned to the suite, they simply talked things over. It was a bit disturbing to the DJ, who was used to the fights and more than willing to resume shouting. Yet they talked, Octavia relented, and the night went on as planned.

Night rolled on, and morning eventually burst upon the horizon. The sun this morning was nice and warm yet again, but the day itself seemed thick with a sort of invisible sludge. Vinyl and Tav had slept together again, presenting a tender moment to even the stoniest hearts. Well, Vinyl thought so anyway. That morning was fair; the pair spent it with smiles, kind words, and a few hugs here and there. They were by no means ready to shower with each other again, but that did not stifle the light hearted mood that the morning carried. Vinyl could feel the day approaching swiftly, and for once in months, did not dread it.

***

"Yep," Vinyl said, her mouth stuffed with yet another breakfast panini. All four ponies had decided to meet for breakfast and discuss the day ahead. At around eight or so, the captain had come on the intercom to announce the landing at the islands, and thus there was much to discuss.

Apparently, when Tav, Lyra and Bonbon had vulgarly booted the DJ from the Steamer, they found it to be to their liking. All of them had a panini of some sort in their grasp, with milk or water accompanying it. Lyra, busy enjoying her own artisan sandwich, nodded in agreement to Vinyl.

"Absolutely," she said, swallowing her bite.

To Bonbon and Octavia, it seemed that the two unicorns had spoken previously about this. "Why?" The cellist asked wearily, slowly taking a chunk from her own food.

"Actually, I suppose it makes sense," the cream pony noted, placing her hoof under her chin. "Think about it; it is an island after all."

"I know dear, however I think that it may be a bad idea-" Octavia was cut off by herself as she began coughing rather violently. Normally it could be attributed to the food she ordered - however, she had not yet taken a bite, and was actually sipping down her water quickly this morning. And here she was coughing up a fierce storm.

Vinyl was up and by her side quickly, patting her gently on the back as though it would help. The cellist's face was becoming flush as she gasped for oxygen. From all three breathing ponies, urges to suck in and breathe echoed. Tav was doing her best, but despite her efforts, she just couldn't get a breath in. That is, until a tiny little poof of pure scarlet came through her snout. It was small - almost invisible to an inattentive eye - but both Lyra and Bonbon had spotted it. In the corner of Vinyl's eye, she could see the couple exchanging interesting glances.

Octavia couldn't have seen it; her eyes were clenched tight. Vinyl decided it best not to tell her until she herself knew, for the sole sake of keeping their relationship on good terms. "You okay Tav?" asked the DJ, rubbing her marefriend's back as the pony calmed.

Clearing her throat, Octavia replied, "Yes, thank you, though I'd appreciate it if you wouldn't hit me so hard next time."

Vinyl backed off, a bit confused. She was only tapping Tav's back. "I was only trying to help, ya know."

"Indeed."

"Sorry," Vinyl grumbled, heading back to her seat.

"It's alright," the cellist sighed, taking another sip of her third glass of water.

"So where were we?" Vinyl asked, taking note of the strange, strained looks on her friend's faces. They were biting their lips and turning red - the mare had seen this before. It was the look of chugging hot sauce! Ah, but there was no hot sauce on the table... And, to throw her off a bit more, there were grins on their faces, instead of the normal grimaces one could expect from guzzling fire.

"We, uh, the islands!" Bonbon spoke up. Her tone was suppressed for some reason. "Well there'll be three of them. You can go to any of them, really. At least that's what we've read in the activities pamphlets."

"Huh. Does it matter?"

"Not really," Lyra commented. "Though the largest one does have a bar they use each time they stop here."

"Well I know which one we won't be on," Octavia grouched. She leaned in and took a crispy bite from her sandwich.

Vinyl sighed, ignoring her marefriend's totality for control. "And how do we get on the islands?" she asked with the most polite smile she had.

The harpist across from her shifted in her chair as she spoke, "I think there's an offloading area at the bottom deck. I'm not sure, we'll just have to find out."

Suddenly, bellowing throughout the ship, the intercoms rang on:

"All passengers, this is Captain Starlight speaking. The weather today is clear and sunny, with a few off course clouds here and there. This is rather perfect for today, as we shall be landing at the Maiden Islands in approximately thirty minutes. When we stop, please proceed to the bottom deck for instructions on offloading. Have a wonderful day." The captain's voice was a peculiar mix of formality of a royal, and handiwork of an engineer. He seemed rather charming though, and the slightly rustic accent did him well.

"And there we have it," Lyra chirped, her face still a bit flush, "our orders!" The mint unicorn - excited for some other reason than the islands, Vinyl knew - levitated her sandwich forward to take a bite, making a soft crunch as she did so.

"Yeah..." was all Vinyl said, giving her a dangerous eye as she took up her own food.

***

When breakfast had finished, the four of them split in groups of two. Lyra and Bonbon vanished to their suite, while Octavia and Vinyl had done the same. There was a bit of work to be done before they could leave: gathering lotions, taking up their boarding passes, and simply planning the day. The ship would not be leaving them, of course, and therefore they were free to enter and exit whenever they pleased. However, the pair of musicians - Vinyl and Octavia - had already decided to spend the entire day on the sandy beaches in each other's company.

They spent their thirty minutes - after preparing, of course - spending time with each other on the balcony.

"So we've got to get going soon, huh?" Vinyl rhetorically asked, staring out over the sea. In the foreground, a group of three islands slowly grew.

"I suppose," Tav responded.

The DJ had an off feeling about her marefriend today. The grey earth pony sitting next to her had been acting increasingly...strange. She was fine until the end of breakfast, and when their group had split, her decline to weirdness began to quicken. There was affection in her eyes - not something that Vinyl normally minded, but instead liked - yet it was different, diluted in a way. What she would call clingy. The cellist had become increasingly close, preferring to rest on Vinyl rather than sit away as she normally would.

"Yeah, so, uh, let's get going. We should probably meet up with Lyra and Bonbon, ya know?" Vinyl suggested out of her discomfort. It wasn't that she disliked the affection; she just wasn't ready for it. There was still plenty ill-will crammed up in her mind, even if she did still love Tav. Which she did, she reminded herself. Tav meant Equestria to her.

"We could, but you know today's about us, right?" Octavia's voice sung a low tune of giddiness.

"I know, but we still gotta meet up with them. They know more about all of this than we do," suggested the DJ. If there was one thing she was good at, it was formulating excuses. Not that it was entirely a lie, though; they really did know more, and would probably be helpful in getting off the ship.

"Fine," Tav sighed, dropping from the couch. Vinyl followed, throwing on a fancy pair of saddlebags that rested on the table. They strapped securely under her belly, and she was ready to face the day. Not clingy Octavia - just the day.

The pair left the suite in familiar silence, hardly saying a word to their friends, who were waiting patiently outside the door. They had apparently already knocked, but Vinyl was too preoccupied with her marefriend's behavior to notice. Still, the only words or explanation given after the greetings was a "we're sorry," and "let's go".

As they boarded the interior elevator - which was rather packed with stiff, well dressed ponies - Octavia stuck close to Vinyl. The mint unicorn and her mate, red faced and lips pursed, seemed to have a hard time suppressing...something. Vinyl couldn't tell what; it looked like either laughter or breakfast. If she had to choose, the DJ would pray for the former.

The elevator shot down farther than ever before now. The lit button displayed two capital letters - 'BD', most likely for 'Bottom Deck'. The fancy trolley sped down with ease, the tiny bumps in the ride most likely the cause of its occupancy. It wasn't until the cart stopped and unloaded that Vinyl felt she could breathe once more. When the cluster fanned out, air hit her like a tsunami.

From the elevator the four ponies found themselves lodged in the lowermost deck of the ship. The place - a simple, long corridor - was surprisingly eloquent for its position. There was blue carpet that fanned the area, and bars spread up the right side, between which sat offloading elevators that were carved into the mural wall. To the left was a glossy window strip that spanned the entire length of the hallway, displaying the grouping of sandy islands that they were sailing up to now. The sea was a crisp cyan, shimmering up to and over the horizon, creating an enormous tropical feel.

The islands were almost alongside the ship now, and soon, to everpony's disgruntlement, the ship came to an uneasy stop. Vinyl was at center of their group, but not even the support she gained from face planting Lyra's flank could keep her steady. It did manage to knock a laugh out of the mint unicorn, but not much else.

After finally regaining her balance, mostly by using her steady friends and Tav, Vinyl quietly followed them to a forming line. She was embarrassed, sure, but there was more confusion in her mind than anything. Octavia, who would have snapped at Vinyl any other day, was instead busy brushing up on her as they walked. Her side gently swayed up to the unicorn's own, their coats meshing. Such a feeling would normally be welcome, but, given the circumstances, was simply uncomfortable.

The line of ponies began at two large, curved sealed doors that were the only things to sever the elongated window. All seemed to have a flat expression; they always seemed to have a flat expression. And, to make things a bit queerer, they were all still dressed well. Most were in nice suites, or fancy dresses that seemed to be made only for the elite of Canterlot. The exceptions of this included the few who were in pants or skirts for some reason. Vinyl found herself wondering if these ponies realized what an island even was.

At the back of the organized line, Vinyl took her place, Octavia next to her, and her friends directly behind her. With the recent silence, the unicorn had expected no one to talk whatsoever. However - and slightly to the DJ's chagrin - Bonbon placed her hoof on Vinyl's back to grab her attention. She turned to face the cream mare, a look of question on her face. Bonbon did nothing more than smile and wave her hoof, motioning for the unicorn to come stand beside her.

As Vinyl did so, Lyra filled her spot as to sever her from her marefriend. It seemed she was in on...whatever, as well. Careful to not get the reflected sunlight in her exposed eyes, Vinyl leaned next to Bonbon. "Hey," she whispered in the unicorn's ear as if they had just met. A look of annoyance washed down Vinyl's face, but her friend continued still. "What was up with that red stuff in Octavia's nose earlier?"

"You tell me," Vinyl whispered back in a commanding tone. "You seem to know." In their fore, Lyra was occupying Octavia with some pointless conversation of her plans for the day; the cellist was oblivious to the hushed conversation going on behind her.

Bonbon snickered under her breath. "I do," she prodded.

"Then tell me! It was that flower, wasn't it?" Vinyl's tone was overgrown with worry. Cautious as not to get caught, she craned her neck up to see Tav and Lyra. They were idly chatting away. This was good - the troubles of Vinyl would not be heard. Even still, she got closer to Bonbon to hear her answer.

The line behind the cream mare was growing, and thus the hall was getting loud; Vinyl's ear was pressed to Bonbon's warm cheek, making her whispers barely audible. "Let me guess...A mix between a rose and poison joke?"

"Yeah," Vinyl whispered back, "How did you-"

"Shh," Bonbon demanded. "If you want to know, I'll tell you, but you may want to save your questions-"

"Don't speak down to me," The unicorn seethed. "I'm so tired of everypony talking down to me like I'm a filly. I'm not!"

"Alright, alright," Bonbon relented, her smile faded at her friends chides. Their heads were still low and together, gaining a few estranged looks from one or two ponies. "But don't get snappy. I'm trying to help, that's all."

Vinyl took a deep breath and sighed. In an attempt to calm her riled nerves, she glanced out the windows; the islands were upon them now, and the sun no less intense. As another deep breath entered and fled her lungs, the DJ found herself ready to resume the conversation in a more...civil manner. "Fine, I'm sorry. Just tell me what that is. She's been acting weird since last night. Almost...clingy, I guess."

Bonbon tilted her head, fluttering her eyes at Vinyl. " I thought so," she hummed in a playful tune.

"Quit with that! Just get on with it," stammered the once again flaring DJ.

"Jeez, you're a grouch. Fine, it looked to me like Lover's Spore, a flower with spores that can be brewed in tea. The rose mixes with the poison joke to create a spore like effect," she explained, "I should know. I pump that stuff in Lyra's nose all the time." The cream mare tried to cover a chuckle with her hoof, but failed miserably.

"Okay, and what's it do?" the DJ asked in a calmer tone. She had found a bit more patience, but her supply was fading quickly.

Her friend took note, and took swift action against it. "It's an interesting little thing. See, it-"

"Ladies and gentlecolts, this is captain Starlight once again. As you have noticed, we've come to our stop, and will proceed to unload. Please follow the instructions of the crew. Make sure you've got your boarding passes, as you'll need them for re-entry to the ship. That should do it - have a wonderful sunny day," The captain rang over the intercom in his cheery, well-mannered tone.

When the ring of the intercoms had died down - though the buzz of the growing crowd had not - Bonbon opened her mouth to finish her sentence. She never got the chance. "Let's go girls, I'm rather tired of being cramped aboard this ship," Octavia rang, a grin on her face to display her sarcastic tone. "And besides, Vinyl and I have quite the day in store."

***

The warm sand softened Vinyl's blow as she collapsed. The skies were clear, the trees were swaying, the breeze was crisp, and the waves were soft. The DJ found herself staring up, out into the vast beyond that was the sky. The sound of waves rolling in just beneath her spread hind legs was soothing, the breeze holding a calming levy. With the small crashes of the humming waves mixed with the sweet song of palm leaves rustles, the mare found herself to be in true paradise...a place with a bar. Not that she could hit it while Tav was around, but, there in her mind, she could at least pretend. She knew Tav was more important that drinking, no matter how fun it would be to be drunk on an island.

Her cellist marefriend eased herself down beside Vinyl, resting her back on the sand. The pair lay sprawled out under the sun, in a silence that each of them respected. Their section of the beach was empty. It made some sense - after the initial rush of ponies, most of which had taken refuge at the center island and bar, the loading ramps were deserted. The unicorn preferred this; she wouldn't have to put up with some high class pony griping of how the salt was messing with his mane. The only reason Octavia wasn't complaining - and this was proudly Vinyl's idea - was because she had opted to take a shower with Vinyl once they re-boarded the ship.

Vinyl glanced over to her marefriend, her styled, sharp blue mane grinding against the coarse sand. "Hey Tav," she said, her head resting gently on the baking quartz. "What do you think? I mean, about this cruise and all. Do you still think it was a good idea?"

With a small, unhidden yawn, Octavia let her head droop to her side in a most uncivil manner. When she was eye-to-eye with Vinyl, she responded tenderly, "Of course I do. I'm glad I came: the sea, the sun...you."

"Me?" The question was rhetorical - Vinyl had heard quite clearly. Yet she didn't exactly like it. "I'm glad I came, and our 'us' time is nice too and all, but-"

"Aw, Vinyl, sh-sh-sh," whispered the grey mare in a sly little voice. She rolled onto her side, the loose sand falling from her mane. A small grin was carved onto her face as she spoke. "Our 'us' time is indeed nice. Like now, for example..." Her voice trailed off, carrying her eyes with it. They looked down at the sand, a pouting look washing away the grin. With a hoof, Octavia drew circles in the sand. All together, she looked like a scolded filly that had been denied a candy bar.

And it was adorable; disturbingly so, in fact. Nevertheless, Vinyl rolled over to the pouting cellist and wrapped her in a warm embrace. Her forelegs gripped Tav's neck as she hoisted herself atop the mare, nuzzling into her neck. "Yeah...like now," she whispered, unsure of what she was doing.

Octavia giggled and hugged back, locking the pair close. There they stayed in each other's grasp for a minute or two, alone on the warm beach, the song of waves filling their ears. They held each other tenderly, setting a tone fit for deep romance.

"My belly itches," Octavia poked with a grin, licking Vinyl's ear ever so lightly.

The white unicorn, heat swelling in her cheeks, had to clear her throat to find words. "I, uh... I can fix that."

Her marefriend chuckled, sprawling out. Her legs went their separate ways, not only freeing Vinyl but also exposing her underside. Vinyl carefully slid off of the strange mare; she was uncomfortable, no matter how she tried to view the situation in her mind. A belly rub though - the prospect was cute. She hadn't done it in a while - with a conscious Octavia, that is - so it would be nice to hear those little giggles again.

Her ruby eye's locked in her marefriend's own. Vinyl began running her hoof up and down the cellist's belly, creating a calming rhythm. Octavia, shifting in the sand, let out a small sigh of content. The DJ let her electric blue mane wave in the sea breeze as she gently caressed Tav's side with a free hoof. Her other grazed up and down the mare's chest; the feeling of soft fur on her warm hoof was ecstatic. The sun warmed her back, and the creeping waves cooled her hind legs, dabbing her tail like a paintbrush to watercolors. Each stroke of the soft grey fur was just one more lash of stress alleviated from Vinyl's back.

Now, the DJ herself let a sigh of ease slip through her lips. This was nice, soothing even. The rhythm of the world, the strokes of Tav's fur, and the soft breaths of the same mare, only broken by a rare, benign giggle... there was nothing that could compare. Gentle as to not shake up Octavia, she rested her head atop the cellist's belly. Her hoof continued to brush up Octavia's chest, then down to her belly, and then to her chest again; it was a pattern that she knew by heart. Finally happy, with the apprehension of her marefriend's behavior slipping away, Vinyl nuzzled into the soft fur with a smile. She opened her mouth, the coded words 'I love you' about to breathe out.

Nothing came. She was calm, and the words seemed to be spoken for her. It had been such a long time since she had been like this, and she was enjoying it. Sure, it was slightly strange - Tav was stoking Vinyl's mane, oddly enough - but the sensation felt good nonetheless. The unicorn nuzzled deeper into her marefriend's belly, heat filled in her cheeks, and a smile graced upon her lips.

But everything stopped. Her resting eyes clenched shut, and her muscles tensed. They burned; she was sure this was worse than being lit aflame. Everything around her distanced: the island, the sand, the warmth. It was all cold, gone, evaporated like steam from a hotplate. Even the soft feel of fur beneath her cheek faded away, exposing an empty vast coldness.

She sat in the chair, waiting, tears on her face. Each time she had asked, they simply told her 'not yet'.

Vinyl squeezed her eyes shut as hard as she could - so hard, in fact, she was beginning to see things. These voices, these images just wouldn't leave. They were invading in waves, strong and unstoppable.

Seconds, minutes, hours...nothing changed.

"Vinyl? Vinyl, are you alright?" Octavia's voice echoed in her head. The DJ did her best to force her eyes open, but they were locked.

"We don't know..."

Her eyes shot open, bright sunlight flooding them. There were tears on her cheeks; she could just now feel their wet streaks. Through her blurred vision, she looked back up to Octavia. The worried cellist gave her a soft look of concern that was muddled with pain; Vinyl had been squeezing her sides tight, and the cellist seemed to just now be getting a breath in as her trembling marefriend eased up.

She took her own breaths now, air swarming her wanting lungs. From the lightheadedness, the burning, and the pain, it was clear that she had not been breathing. Her lungs took in all they could, stinging and burning as they inflated.

A sudden nauseas feeling warped her gut. Her stomach twirled and churned; the obvious outcome would not be pretty. Her eyes clenched shut again in an attempt to suppress her innards, but to no avail. It would come. It was simply a matter of where.

Vinyl quickly pushed herself off the sand, off her mare. "I...I-I..." Her tone was hurried, her breathing hastened.

"Vinyl, what's wrong?" the cellist asked in her sly little tone. The DJ just couldn't take this right now.

"I-I..." Her eyes raced around, looking for an escape from herself. "I'm sorry," she choked. With that, she darted away, into the thin tree line that separated that part of the beach, not looking back.

***

Lyra and Bonbon were chatting away. It had been a few hours, and lunchtime quickly rolled around. They were sitting aboard the ship, in the offloading hallway. The bar on the island was rather unkempt; it seemed that it was something they just threw up when they came to the island: filled with spiders, smelling of rank, dried up salt, and just flat out falling apart. They decided it would be best to eat aboard the ship.

So, they had opted for a little bar with no name. They made some damn good salads though, and they even had a couple's platter. Green, crispy leafs of lettuce, onions a perfect shade of purple, and tomatoes juicy and plump as a bushel of grapes. With her magic, Lyra lifted one of the plump little fruits and plopped it into Bonbon's mouth. The cream mare took it with a giggle, graciously adding to the jubilant mood.

"So you didn't get to tell her about the flower?" Lyra chortled. "Whew, she's in for a surprise."

"I know," Bonbon agreed with a snicker, swallowing down her tomato. "Though...I want to know where she found it. The moon's supposed to be bright tonight, and the air's supposed to be warm..." The mare shot Lyra a seductive look, winking for extra effect.

The harpist chuckled, taking a tomato for herself. "Then we should ask, hmm..." She popped the tomato in her mouth, returning the wink.

Just then, a white and blue streak whipped by them, spinning them around in their barstools. It flew at an open elevator, and before either could react, rapidly spammed a button. The doors slammed close, and the elevator was off.

"What was that?" Bonbon asked, steadying herself out.

Lyra could not respond; the tomato had made this certain. It was still whole, lodged deep in the mint unicorn's throat. Bonbon snapped into action when she realized that her marefriend was choking; she slammed a hoof straight into the unicorn's chest, knocking the wind and the tomato from her system. The little ball of pain flew out, falling to the floor and rolling underneath the bar.

"What the hay was that?" she cried out, coughing up anything she could. Her hoof pressed to her burning chest in an attempt to clear her throat out. Her face a fiery red, she looked up at Bonbon for an answer.

"Vinyl... and she looked upset," the cream mare said, looking over her shoulder to the elevator. "Very upset."

"Yeah," Lyra agreed, sucking in deeply. Air flooded her lungs, the blood rushing back to her head. She released a huge sigh, continuing with: "What do you think happened; another fight? Those two are always fighting. I swear, I wonder if they're even right for each other..."

"Lyra Heartstrings!" Bonbon berated. She glared intensely at her marefriend. The unicorn was taken aback by the scolding; she had not expected it, that much was obvious in her eyes. "What if somepony had said that about us? You know that was wrong."

"I know, I know...I didn't mean it, honestly. Really, though, take a look at them. They're our friends, yes. And I care about them a lot. But...are they even happy together now?" The unicorn sighed and picked up an onion, tossing the
crunchy ring into her open mouth.

"I don't know. But...But I don't think talking like that will help either. We're their friends, we should help them. Not gossip," the earth pony explained.

Lyra grudgingly agreed. Brushing her sea-foam mane from her blunt face, she said, "So we should probably find them. I'll go get Octavia, you get Vinyl. Sound good?" The onion in her mouth had long since been swallowed, but a few tiny pieces remained to be flung onto her blocking hoof.

"Let's hurry, too. Vinyl looked sick, or close to it."

Lyra thought it over. "Well maybe that's it. Maybe she's just sick. Did you see her face at all?" she asked, falling off her barstool. Perhaps there was a chance to save her romantic day out with Bonbon.

The pony followed, responding, "Not really. But from what I did see, she looked sick. It's just a suggestion. C'mon, let's get moving." She looked over to her marefriend, who held a look of contempt. "Lyra, are you alright?"

"I'm, argh, fine. I just...well I just wanted a peaceful day with you. I'm sorry, but I'm tired of putting up with their constant bickering." There was a tinge of anger in the unicorn's voice, but it was caked with annoyance and sprinkled with guilt. She seethed out with a sigh. "That's why I took this job: so that we could have a romantic vacation. Not police two immature fillies..."

"Please, Lyra. Look, I promise to make it up to you tonight. Can we just take care of this?" Bonbon pleaded. These were her closest friends; she would hate to see harm come to them.

"Alright...I... I'm sorry, by the way. It's just..."

"I understand," Bonbon promised, kissing Lyra on the cheek. The unicorn's cheeks filled with heat as she smiled. "Don't worry, I'm gonna make tonight perfect, I promise," the cream pony said with a wink, knocking her flank against Lyra's.

The mint mare nodded, feeling her negative emotions washing away. "You better," she chuckled.

***

Octavia had been found sitting on the beach, hazed via the flower's spores. Lyra took her incapable flank onto the ship, and up to her suite. She had taken the liberty to grab the pair's saddlebags, which by a fortunate streak of luck had not been sucked into the ocean - they were dangerously close to the waves. Any closer and Octavia would've been stuck in the ship's brig for the next nine days.

At the suite, Bonbon was patiently awaiting their arrival. Sickening sounds were emitting though the door; it seemed as though Vinyl truly was sick. Not that either of them could know for sure. Octavia had said that 'Vinyl ran off'. Actually, that was all she had said.

After they unlocked and popped the door open, they found Vinyl - unconscious and truly sick - on the bathroom floor. It was a nasty job, but mainly out of pity, all three of them helped clean the mare up, Octavia doing much more than her fair share. It took a good twenty minutes or so, but they finally got her cleaned and dried.

There they left Vinyl, in her bed. Though her breathing was normal and her heartbeat fine, she showed no signs of awareness, no signs of waking anytime soon. It was a bit hard to drag the spore-filled Octavia out, but they managed. Vinyl looked very ill, and in need of sleep.

And sleep she did: past dinner, past dessert, all day, all night, and unto the morning hours.

Comments

[Jlargent]

I liked the previous image. It had more emphasis on the story itself, even if it was a play on Titanic.

[Tchernobog]

Aw, I missed the "new" pic. But I do quite liket his one so :)

And I hope you get to revealing what these flashbacks are, or so help me I shall sic Flutterrage and Twifury on you!

[Ehrlichkeit]

What happened the vinyl. And about the image. Tav better get lifted up by vinyl or i shall flutterrage and twifury on you!

[Darkdrake]

bah, I had to put off reading this for most of a day because I found the Romance Reports, and yeah, that took a bunch of hours. So I finally got to read this now

and somehow you've managed to continue to not tell us whats going on while keeping our interests. Damn you and your ability to write well. And damn the time I'm going to have to wait to read the next chapter.

As a side note, I personally like this picture better. Both were good, but this one seems a little more pertinant to the fic.