A tale of three sisters

by Widow Peak

Sneaking

Nighttime in Gravelpit was different than nighttime in Ponyville. In contrast with the fresh air of Ponyville, that often carried the smell of the Everfree forest and the gardens and patches of flowers that covered so many places of the small town; the air here was dry and filled with the smell of dust and sand.

However, what worried Pinkie the most was the scarcity of hiding spots. In Ponyville, you almost always could hide behind something, or spy around a corner. In Gravelpit, however, buildings were much more separate, which meant she would be in plain sight for much longer. And she couldn’t risk being seen by Octavia.

Speaking of which, where is she?

Pinkie looked up from her script and scanned the street. Indeed, the street was completely dessert of ponies, the only living thing was a lone tumbleweed. For a moment, Pinkie pondered using the dry plant as a cover, but quickly rejected the idea. It would be itchy, not to mention how hard it was to roll in a convincing way.

In any case, Octavia was nowhere to be seen. Pinkie hurried to the next corner and carefully peeked around it. She briefly saw her dark gray tail, crossing the door of one of the inns of Gravelpit. Pinkie switched back to her sneaking manner and walked to the door. ‘The Badlands House’ read the sign on the front. The mare knew nothing of this particular place, so she decided to be careful, just in case she was entering some sort of bandit hideout. Better safe than sorry, always.

Pinkie Pie carefully opened the door and jumped inside, and slided under a table. Once she was hidden again, she too a moment to scout her surroundings. The inn looked safe enough, at least at first view.. There were about a dozen tables scattered around in a rather chaotic fashion, each with one-to-four chairs. There weren’t a lot of ponies, oddly enough. Pinkie was expecting to see the place completely full, being almost time for dinner. Instead, there were only seven ponies, not counting herself, Octavia, or the couple of waiters that strolled around serving the clients.

From under her table, Pinkie could see the hooves of her sister clopping against the hardwood floor, walking around the tables and disappearing behind a wooden panel that divided the dining area in two. The pink mare frowned. Now she would have to move! But at the same time, that same panel gave her a perfect spot to spy on her sister without being seen. Great!

Pinkie crawled across the floor and stopped under the last table, just before the panel ended. Slowly, she peeked around the corner and backed almost immediately. There she was! Agatha was right, Octavia was with another pony! Pinkie had to cover her muzzle with a hoof to suppress a giggle of excitement.

The pink mare waited until her sister started chatting with her companion before looking again, this time taking enough time to actually see who she was talking with. The pony seated across the chair was a unicorn of white coat and red eyes, with a cream-colored mane done to the side and a pair of square glasses on her muzzle.

Most importantly, though, the pony was clearly a mare.

Pinkie felt her ears folded back. “Aw…” she whispered under her breath. “It’s just a friennnn..n…” her voice faded and her jaw dropped as she saw the white pony pull Octavia closer with a hoof, only to give her a kiss on the lips that lasted for several seconds. It took Pinkie’s brain twice as much time to recover from the shock and order her body to back, just in case any of the two happened to turn around.

Pinkie was wordless for a minute, trying to wrap her mind around what she had just seen. “Huh." she finally muttered. "I didn’t see that coming. Octavia is into mares.”

“Is there something wrong with that?” Pinkie grumbled to herself.

“Of course not!” she replied. “It’s just so….so…”

“So what?”

“Unexpected, I guess.” she said, tilting her head. “I mean, Octavia is like super-duper feminine, isn’t she?”

“She is. But that doesn’t have to do with anything.”

“I know, I know. But it does make it more surprising.”

“It does? Oh, please.”

“Hey.” Pinkie poked herself on the chest. “Don’t act like you’re not surprised yourself, grumpy-pants. You’re as surprised as I am, and If you-”

“Excuse me? Miss?” interrupted a third voice. Pinkie raised her head and saw a small stallion on a waiter suit. He was looking at her with concern. “A-are you okay?”

“Yep! Nothing to worry about.” chirped Pinkie, smiling and seating up, which caused her head to slam into the table. The caramel stallion grimaced. “N-nothing to worry about.” she repeated, this time with a less convincing smile.

“Uh…In that case, could you come out from under the tables?” politely asked the stallion. “You see, you’re creeping out the rest of the clients.”

“Oh! I’m so, so, so sorry.” quickly apologized Pinkie, getting up and looking around. Indeed, the closest pony was staring at her, very confused, and another one a bit further away was doing all he could to look anywhere but to her. “I’ll just…go over there.” she said before trotting to her sister’s table, who had not noticed her yet.

Deciding she may as well throw subtlety out the window, Pinkie grabbed a chair, plopped it next to the table and sat on it. “Hiya!” she greeted her sister, waving a hoof next to her face.

Octavia’s smile instantly turned into a mixture of shock and anxiety. “W-what are you doing here? H-how long have you b-been here.” she stammered.

“Oh, not too long.” replied Pinkie. Octavia let out a sigh of relief. “Just enough to see you two share that twisting kiss with this mare here. And I mean, wow! It was clearly not the first time!”

Alarmed, Octavia grabbed her sisters by the shoulders and shook her. “You can’t tell this to anypony else! You hear me? Anypony!” she pleaded.

“O-ka-y, o-ka-y!” replied Pinkie, who seemed to not be bothered at all by the shaking. “I Pinkie Promise I will not to tell.”

Octavia let her go and sighed again. “Thank you.” she said weakly as she rubbed her eyes. “I’m not ready for this. Oh Celestia, what I am going to do.”

“About what?” asked Pinkie.

“Well, about her.” Octavia put a hoof over the other mare’s. “I wanted to tell mother and father, but…I don’t know. I don’t know how they will react.”

“Well, there’s only way to know.” chirped Pinkie. “And that is introducing her to them.”

Octavia didn’t answer, just rested her head on the table. The other mare, who had been mute for the whole exchange, took that moment of silence to speak. “What are you doing here, Pinkie?”

Pinkie looked at the white mare and blinked. “Are you a psychic?”

“Uh, no.” replied the other mare, shaking her head. “You don’t recognize me?”

Pinkie squinted and studied her, resting her head on her hooves. “I know a few white-coated unicorns, but none as white as you. You’re like the whitest pony I’ve ever known.”

The other pony let out a chuckle, and Octavia raised her head at the sound. “Come here,” said the white mare as she extended a foreleg and pulled Pinkie closer. “I am Vinyl Scratch.” she whispered.

“Vinyl?” Pinkie backed and scrutinized her. Now that she had said it, Pinkie could clearly see it was her, except for a little detail. “Who bleached you?” she asked, honestly curious. Octavia let out a snort of laugh.

Vinyl’s jaw dropped, unsure if she should feel offended or amused. “Nopony bleached me, Pinkie. I’ve always been like this.”

“But your mane is blue! Well, not anymore.” countered Pinkie.

“Listen.” said Vinyl. “I have always been like this, completely white. I am albino, y’know? I used to dye my mane blue, to not look so bland. But then I started playing as DJ-Pon3, and got a lot of fans everywhere. And that’s great and all, but there are moments where I just want to be good ol’ Vinyl again. When I want to have a nice, tranquil day, I undye my mane so nopony can recognize me.”

“And the glasses?” asked Pinkie.

Vinyl chuckled. “I’m actually quite nearsighted, Pinkie.” she explained. “The shades I usually wear are also corrective.”

“I see…” nodded Pinkie. “So you have like a double personality. I mean, a secret identity.”

“…kinda.” admitted Vinyl, tilting her head. “But I feel so weird like this. Is like it’s not me, you know? I like my mane blue and undone.”

“I honestly think you look much better like this.” mumbled Octavia, looking down and tracing figures on the table with her hoof.

Vinyl grinned. “Hey Octi.” the gray pony looked up. “You say that now, but I know you really, really like dying my mane.” she purred, crooking an eyebrow. “We can do it tonight, if you want.” she whispered into her ear.

Octavia blushed violently and felt a shudder go down her spine. “Stop it.” she muttered, pushing her away half heartedly. “Pinkie’s here.”

“I’m not sure if she swings that way, but she can join.” replied Vinyl with a devious smile. She let out a laugh when Octavia turned an even deeper shade of red and covered her face with her hooves.

Pinkie giggled as well. “It’s very weird, because you look all fancy with that manedo and those glasses, and you’re still the same.” she said to Vinyl. “So, how long have you two been dating?”

The waiter that had asked Pinkie to come out from under the table came in that moment to take their orders. After asking for a bottle of cider and three mugs, Vinyl replied to Pinkie. “We’ve been like this for…almost a year, I think?” she looked to Octavia for confirmation, who nodded in response. “Yeah, a year. But we’ve know each other for much longer, y’know?”

“I met Vinyl for the first time at the Canterlot Music Academy.” continued Octavia. “We were there to apply for a place, so we started chatting and she invited me for a tea the next day. Back then, I still considered myself straight, so I thought it would be just an amicable lunch.”

“But it wasn’t.” grinned Vinyl. “Like a hunter, I had seen my prey, and I was determined to get her. So I used all my tactics and knowledge in seduction to succeed.”

“And you didn’t.” interjected Octavia with a small smile.

“I didn’t.” admitted Vinyl with a nod. “But it didn’t matter, because I asked her for a date the next day.”

“And when she couldn’t get the message across, she tried again the next one.” completed the gray pony. “This continued for a week, until one day you she asked me out for a drink.”

“You two got drunk?” asked Pinkie. It was obvious the couple had told this story before, seeing how easily they allowed each other to speak without interrupting the other.

“Not drunk, just a little tipsy.” replied Vinyl. “Just enough to help me get some courage and subtly suggest her to go to my apartment.”

“That was probably the only time you’ve been actually subtle, thought.” commented Octavia, earning a brief glare from Vinyl. There was a pause on the conversation as the waiter left the bottle and the mugs and served some cider on each of them. The three ponies grabbed their mugs and took a sip. “But it worked. We went to her apartment and continued chatting over a bottle of wine. As the night went on, the conversation drifted into more personal topics. And then-”

“Let me guess, she kissed you.” said Pinkie.

“A-actually, I kissed her first.” admitted Octavia, blushing. “I don’t know what was going through my mind then, I just-”

“Obviously, nopony can resist my charm.” replied Vinyl, earning a half-hearted slap on the shoulder. She let out a laugh and leaned in to kiss Octavia on the tip of the muzzle.

“And…what happened next~?” cooed Pinkie with a knowing smile.

“Sorry to disappoint you, but nothing.” replied Octavia. “By that point, we were so stumped that we just fell asleep on the couch.”

Vinyl smiled and nodded. “So the next morning I woke up with this gorgeous gray mare on my legs, and I knew I had just done it. Bam! Success!”

“It was weirder for me.” admitted Octavia. “Most of the night was a blur. I somewhat remembered the kiss, but I wasn’t sure if it had been real or a dream. But when she confirmed it had happened, I needed some time to wrap my mind around it.”

Vinyl turned to Pinkie and covered her mouth with a hoof. “What she means by that is that she freaked out badly and ran away.” she said, loud enough to be heard by her marefriend.

“I didn’t freak out!” said Octavia, embarrassed.

“You started stammering and fell off the couch.” smirked Vinyl. “And then you ran away. I decided to give her some time, but as days passed, I lost hope of it. She came back eventually, though.”

“How come?” asked Pinkie, taking a sip of her drink.

“She couldn’t live without me.” replied Vinyl with a smirk.

“I left my bowtie.” corrected Octavia. “And…well.” she rubbed her hooves together and looked away. “After a few days, I really started to miss Vinyl. We may not have the same tastes in music –in fact, they could not be more different- but I really enjoyed every single moment with her. I thought that maybe the kiss was just something that happened because I was drunk, and she wouldn’t think too much of it.” she whispered. “So one day I finally got enough courage to knock on her door again.”

“I didn’t expect to see her there at all.” admitted Vinyl. “I’ve given up on her completely. So I didn’t know what to do, and the two of us just stared each other in silence. Very awkward.”

“After a minute or so of just staring, I finally managed to talk.” continued Octavia. “I was so nervous I was stammering all the time as I asked her to go for a walk some other day. Then she asked…she asked me of it was a date. And…”

“And you said it was.” completed Vinyl with a dreamy smile as she looked into Octavia’s mauve eyes. “And we’ve been dating ever since.” The pair stared into each other’s eyes and seemed to lose contact with the rest of the world.

“Did you made in into the Academy?” asked Pinkie after a minute.

“Uh, what?” asked Vinyl, awaking from her trance.

“The Academy. Did they accept you?” repeated Pinkie.

“Oh. No.” grunted Vinyl. “Apparently my music is too crude and noisy for their high and noble standards.” she said in an affected tone. She gave her mug a glare and chuckled up the rest of the cider.

“The Canterlot Music Academy is a very traditional institution.” explained Octavia. “I may not like Vinyl’s music as much as other ponies, but I am sure they didn’t consider her even for a moment, despite the fact that she obviously has talent.”

“But then why did you want to get in?” asked Pinkie, tilting her head.

“It’s more official.” replied Vinyl. “Even among those that have music as their talent, there are different levels. Some ponies are generally good at music, while others are just really good with an instrument. So having a signed document that says everypony that you’re a good compositor helps a lot when looking for a job.” she finished in a grunt, as she traced a G-clef on the table. Octavia extended foreleg and put her hoof over hers. Vinyl relaxed visibly and smiled. “It’s just so frustrating.”

“I have it easier.” commented Octavia. “While Vinyl just gets hired once in a while, I usually have a steadier source of income. We don’t have economical struggles, though.”

“But I feel like I am contributing with nothing…” grumbled Vinyl with a pout.

“You contribute enough.” assured Octavia, giving her hoof a soft squeeze. Vinyl looked at her for a moment, then smirked. The gray mare tilted her head. “What is so funny?”

Vinyl’s smile grew broader as she leaned forward, pulled Octavia closer with her free hoof and kissed her cheek. “I’ll make sure to contribute a lil’ more tonight.” she whispered on her ear, before giving her a gentle bite. Octavia shuddered and let out a shaky breath. “Sounds good, babe?” insisted Vinyl. The gray mare slowly nodded, feeling her cheeks burn.

“Well, if you’re gonna do that, I suppose I should go” interjected Pinkie, as she drank the rest of her remaining cider. She gave her mane a flicker and grinned to the other two ponies. There wasn't much pont tostick around. She wanted to see Octavia's date, and she had done it. She still had to tell the rest of the family, but that could wait 'till another day."Have fun you two!” she said, before getting up, tossing a few syzygies on the table and bouncing out of the inn.

“Huh.” muttered Vinyl as she watched Pinkie go. “Well that went quite well.”

“Yes.” mumbled Octavia, still flustered. “I-I hope it will go half as good when I introduce you to my parents.”

Vinyl let out a nervous laugh. “I am so not looking forward to that.” she confessed.

“You knew it was going to happen at some point.”

“Yeah, yeah. But back when I met you, I wasn’t thinking ‘bout that, you know? I was thinking about other things.” Vinyl replied. “Things like…tonight.”

Octavia felt she was blushing again. “I swear if you don’t stop it, I will-”

Vinyl grinned. “I bet in a lil’ while you will be saying exactly the opposite of that.” she cooed, dropping some money on the table and getting up. She slowly made her way to the stairs, giving her waist a slight swagger and knowing Octavia’s eyes wouldn’t stop following her body. “I’ll be waiting for you.”

Small sketch of fancied-up Vinyl Scratch

Author's Note:

Most original ship ever, huh?

Comments

[danisanerd]

nice chapter.. knew it was vinal! didn't expect that she would be a fancy like that though!

[Widow Peak]

4857331 Thank you

As I said, she's not the most original pairing, but I wanted to add something a lil' different. Earthsong gave me the idea for the albino Vinyl, I just added the fancy apperance.

[Widow Peak]

4857430 Don't you hate when you're a dingus and you forget about things? I had something planned for those packs Limetsone has, but I completely forgot!

[Widow Peak]

4857523 Geology is probably a rather important science in a world dominated with magic, where stones can have important propieties. I don't think cakes are that useful for the well-being of the nation.

Though cake is tempting...

[Widow Peak]

4857619 Perhaps it does. But I needed a gloomy Limestone for what comes next.

And I'm not even sorry for her. She got what she deserved.

[danisanerd]

4858901 i like the idea!

[Widow Peak]

4877684 After all, no-one likes to be famous all the time.

And for ponies is much easier, having the whole body covered in hair that can be dyed.