The Gray Cellist

by WhiteDaisy

Chapter 9

Author's Note:

I'm really sorry for just completely forgetting about this!

Have some soft fluff to make up for it :3

“AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA”
“Strings…”
“AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA-“
“Strings!”
“… Sorry” The filly gave a smile to her older sister. She was hopping around and vocalizing her excitement and apparently, that didn’t make Vinyl very happy.
The two of them made their way through the melting snow in the streets of Canterlot, other ponies busy with their daily affairs, and many of them annoyed by the filly’s exaggerated excitement.
“Look, I’m also very happy about this new school, and I get that you’re already gonna be a student and all, but we haven’t even started furnishing the rooms or anything, you gotta chill kid.” Vinyl said to her younger sister.
“I don’t care, it’s still very exciting and I wanna SCRE-“ Strings couldn’t finish though, her sister put a hoof on her mouth.
“Chill.” Vinyl said.
Vinyl looked to her side, towards Octavia’s house, and she could see a small crowd gathered around the windows, trying to get a peek inside. Vinyl wondered why. The news of the school haven’t gone further than her family and Octavia herself, so they weren’t there for that.
Vinyl dashed, reaching the house and knocking on the door.
“Yes?” She could hear Octavia after a few seconds.
“It’s Vinyl!” The mare announced.
“And Strings!”
“I hope we‘re not too late.” She confessed.
“Oh not at all! Do come in.” Octavia invited, opening the door and noticing the gathering of random ponies at the surrounds, getting a little concerned.
All inside, Octavia took their scarves and put them aside neatly, completely forgetting to introduce the visitors to her royal friend (who was probably the reason for the gathering outside, she noticed).
“Greetings, young mares! I am delighted by your presence!” Princess Luna announced clearly to everyone in the room.
“Oh My Celestia.” Strings said, not believing her eyes.
“You could have told me you were gonna involve Princess Luna in this, you know.” Vinyl asked Octavia, whispering to her, awestruck.
“I’m sorry” Octavia apologized. “Princess, this are Vinyl Scratch, she’s helping me found the school, and the filly is Strings Scratch, Vinyl’s sister, and our first future student.”
“An honor, Your Majesty.” Vinyl bowed, and guided her sister to it too, who was too in shock to do anything.
“Oh there’s absolutely no need for formalities, my young mares! I am, before all, Miss Melody’s friend, and I’m here to assist her, just as you are.” The Princess confessed, smiling.
“Just your boss huh?” Vinyl whispered to Octavia, who responded with a guilty smile. “There isn’t much to do though, right? Just some cleaning and moving around, I guess.” Vinyl asked. “The students are the ones who will bring their instruments here.”
“That’s what we were discussing, actually.” Octavia said. “I don’t want only rich ponies who can afford their instruments to be the students.”
“That is why I have offered my sponsorship, as Princess, so that you can buy a number of instruments that will be used by the less fortunate students in this facility.
“Sounds great!” Vinyl said. She was born in a family where money wasn’t exactly a problem, so the thought of poorer ponies not being able to attend because of it didn’t cross her mind at all, and it made her ashamed.
Octavia was also born in a rather rich family, and she has gathered her own fortune with her job herself, but that didn’t stop her from trying to make her school not only an exclusive new experience, but also an inclusive one.
Could she love Vinyl more? Apparently, and this has just proven it.
“Let’s begin cleaning!” Strings caught everyone’s attention, holding a broom with her mouth.
“You sound excited, Strings.” Octavia said, smiling at the filly.
“I can’t wait to start classes here and that’s not gonna happen before we set the place up so we gotta hurry!” She said, going upstairs with the boom still in her mouth.
“Wrong turn, Strings!” Octavia warned her, who turned to the other side of the building and dashed again.
“Sorry ‘bout that, she’s just really happy about all of this.” Vinyl said.
“Why don’t you go with her while I finish talking to Princess Luna? I’ll be there soon.” Octavia asks, and Vinyl leaves after her sister.
“Lovely mare, that Vinyl is.” Luna commented, making sure she wasn’t able to listen anymore.
“Indeed she is, Princess.” Octavia looks at Vinyl disappearing upstairs.
“Quite in love with you too, you know.”
“Oh I know t- Wait, love?” Octavia is shocked. “Did that happen in one of her dreams?”
“Did you not know, Miss Melody?” Luna is surprised. “Yes I do watch over her dreams just like I do with any other pony, but to be quite honest, it is very clear Miss Vinyl is head over hooves in love with you, just by looking at how she looks towards you.”
“But…” Octavia looks down. “Why didn’t she tell me? This is a really serious matter.”
“I’m sure she didn’t want you to think she was pressuring you to go further in your relationship.” Luna reassures the mare, knowing of her romantic relationship conditions. “She’s in love with you, afterall. Being the mare she is, she chose to keep it from you until she feels you’re ready for the news, I presume.”
“I see…” Octavia takes a minute to digest this. “Should… Should I bring this up with her? Talk this through? She can’t have actually fallen so hard like this in so little time…”
“Do you feel ready to have this conversation? That’s what you need to ask yourself, Miss Melody.” Octavia reaches for her scarf and makes her way to the door. “I’ll have the instruments you listed sent to you as soon as possible. I’ll be back in a few days to see how you are doing, as well. Until then, Miss Melody, and the best of luck for you and Miss Strings.”
“Thanks you for everything, Princess.” Octavia opens the door with a smile, saying goodbye to her friend, watching her disappear in the crowd walking around the streets of Canterlot.
“Hey, Octavia!” Vinyl appears at the stairs, with a bit of dust on her fur and the broom on her hoof. “You coming?” She opens up a silly smile.
“I am, yes.” She smiles back, shaking the news to the side. Right now, she had some rooms to clean, and Vinyl’s company to enjoy for as long as she could.

---

It was a tough afternoon full of dust and wiping said dust and moving furniture and cleaning more dust. They finished all of it, and all the rooms that were gonna be used for classes were spotless by now, but the three ponies were exhausted.
Strings, only a child, fell asleep on the sofa downstairs, on her sister’s side. They all had a cup of hot chocolate in front of them on the center table, and Octavia came from upstairs with one of her cozy blankets. She unfolded it on top of the filly, tucking her up in it, the floral smell of fabric softener filling the air.
Octavia sat on the other side of the sofa, not too close to Vinyl, and looked to the lit fireplace, warming herself up.
“Thanks for the help today, Vinyl. I really appreciate it.” Octavia said.
“Don’t mention it, that’s the least I could do.” She answers with a smile, and sips on her hot chocolate. “Besides, it was really fun, you know.”
“Me too, I enjoyed it.” Octavia confessed. “But…”
Octavia hesitated. Should she ask about that, right now? The mood was perfectly calm, to the cozy fireplace to the hot chocolate and the snowy background outside the windows. Was she willing to destroy it?
“Vinyl?” She said, getting closer to the mare.
“Hm?” Vinyl turned her head to Octavia.
“May I try something? Something… Something that involves physical contact?” Octavia asked without making any eye contact.
Many things went through Vinyl’s head at that moment. She could hear her heart frenetically beating, a blush growing underneath her fur. She took a deep breath to control herself as much as she could.
“Yes, I guess…” She answered.
Vinyl held her breath for whatever was coming, looking at the opposite side. She heard Octavia coming closer, so close she could feel her warmth. She finally held her breath out when she felt Octavia’s soft embrace around her back, and her head resting under Vinyl’s chin.
Vinyl had to look down, and she saw a sleepy Octavia with eyes half-shut, breathing softly on her neck. In slow movements, Vinyl too took Octavia in an embrace, pulling the other mare close.
They stood there, listening to the burning of the fireplace, for a couple of minutes, not moving an inch. It was a moment neither of them wanted to let go of so soon, and both wanted it to last as long as it could.
“Tavi?” Vinyl asked in a whisper.
“Yes?” Octavia answered in a soft voice.
“Do… Do you like it? I mean, does it feel… Right?”
Octavia took a second to answer, digging her head on Vinyl’s shoulder, in a way she was now breathing against the mare’s neck.
“Yes. It feels very… Comforting.” Octavia confessed.
Vinyl let a breath out, and a shy smile appeared on her face.
“I’m glad, then.”
The moment would have lasted longer if Strings didn’t wake up, silently enough to see what was happening between her sister and the cello player.
“Oh my Celestia.” She whispered, squinting her eyes, not really believing what she was seeing. Was it a dream?
Vinyl was ready for Octavia to quickly get out of her embrace, like nothing had happened, and was surprised to see that didn’t happen.
“How did you sleep, Strings?” Octavia asked, looking at the pony with a smile.
“Am I even awake yet?” She asked, rubbing her eye.
“C’mon Strings, it’s late and we should be going home.” Vinyl slowly broke their embrace to put the sleepy Strings on her back. She picked up the scarves and wrapped hers around her neck while Octavia put the other on String.
“I’ll… Call you soon.” Vinyl smiled, not making much eye contact.
Octavia opened the door, and Vinyl went through it.
She brought her face closer and gave a soft kiss on Vinyl’s cheek.
“Thanks again for everything.” She smiled.
“No problem…” That’s all Vinyl managed to say before trotting away quickly in the snow, making her way back home.
Octavia dropped herself on her sofa again, letting a long sigh, arching her head back.
“What have I done?” She cried to herself. She was supposed to ask if Vinyl was in love with her so she could explain how she couldn’t return those feelings.
How did it take this turn? She went to the opposite way, actually. But… still. She did not regret any of what happened. Quite the opposite, actually.
She adored it.

Comments

[Texus]

I´m glad that it is back, and I think I liked everything in this chapter, but I´m not in the mood to write much right now.

[WhiteDaisy]

6965358 It's alright, I appreciate that you liked it and that's enough!

[Banshee]

Doesn't Octavia already know that Vinyl loves her? She asked Vinyl a few chapters back.

[Texus]

this was the story about her being demisexual right? I would like to have a new chapter then.

[Texus]

I would like to have a new chapter please.

[lillytheomegawolf]

Shame this seems to have fallen off. It was a good, enjoyable read. The Lyra and Bon Bon got me started and I really enjoyed the take on Octavia and Scratch