Love's many directions

by Lunasservant1985

Malfunctions

The White mare was leaning on a stallion that had joined the pair at the table. Not romantically by any means, but more casually. She was leaning into the dark grey chest of a stallion with a shaggy black mane and shades of his own, fittingly a shade of blue to the mare's red ones. Which where lowered just a bit exposing her eyes. I also noticed how the stallion had a hoof just on her mane and was slightly giving her a soft stroke. Perhaps the love of the Equestrians isn't as black and white as I believed...but how?

"Yo! Two legs!" she called over too me with a whistle. "c'mere for a few will ya? We got room for one more you know." I was a bit hesitant, had they seen me? Think I was completely off my rocker? Oh well it was now or never. Making my way over as casually as I could I took my seat just off to the side of Octavia, trying to make it seem like it was the closest seat and play it cool.

"I saw what you did back there," a moment of panic. "You one of those artsy types? havin yourself a little...inspirational strike for a piece or a poem your working on?" She asked grinning ear to ear and bobbing her head to an invisible beat.

"Well, you could say that, I kinda think of what to work on a lot and nothing comes to me, but just strolling along and BOOM! Inspiration hits me like a brick wall." I said in pale imitation of the mare's own almost hipster like mannerism, but also relived.

"Always alone." I heard a voice whisper as if from an icy, watery grave inside my head.

"cool," you're pretty hip for a leggy one."

"They're all gonna laugh at you, they all hate us." Again the voice called in the dark back of my skull, just barley contained from being softly whispered out my lips.

"I'm sorry what?" I asked placing my remaining apples on the table for them to have.

"Oh, it's nothing personal, just my pet name for you humans, I think its kinda cute, like them in general." She said as the stallion placed his hooves around her waist to keep her from sliding off. "I'm Vinyl by the way, Vinyl...Scratch." she added a slight screech like a record needle on the last bit. "These are my friends, High Fy," She gestured to the stallion behind her, "and..."

"Octavia Melody," Octavia finished for her. "Have we...met?" She asked with slightly furrowed brow.

" Anger, guilt and sadness coming to haunt me forever, I can't wait for the cliff over the river." It was getting irritating now but I did all I could to suppress the voices.

"I saw your show in Canterlot, the orchestra performance of Ode to joy, Toccata and Fugue, and such right? Interesting choice of music, is it the Human world's version?"

She giggled cutely and nodded, "why yes it was actually. You see, because most of the audience would be humans that night, the orchestra thought a few pieces from their home seemed appropriate."

"He bangs his fist against the post and yet he insists he sees the ghosts, it puts the lotion on its skin or else it gets the hose again." Was what surged through the labyrinth of dark and unwelcome recesses of my mind.

"Despite the fact that not many there even knew the pieces names Octavia." Is what I said.

"Oh really? and would you happen to be one those who recognized the music?" She teased with a dapper flip of her mane.

"J.S Bach, Ludwig Van Beethoven, and 18th century Russian ballet, correct?" I said smugly and in an almost Canterlot manner myself.

Break you like you broke my heart, I'll take her apart and be forced to rewire the damaged parts.

"I kinda like this one Octi, he's got a...unique charm, hell he kinda reminds me of you a few times while also making me think of myself at others, he also doesn't seem like most other human dudes, and after last night's concert I can tell you that first hoof."

The voices got quiet, but didn't stop...just yet. It still baffles me too no end the nature of these sudden psychological attacks that border the line of schizophrenia, and psychopathy, but I've said enough on that regard.

"So, do you two Live around here?" I asked giving my all to sidestep bluntly asking at best, "Are you both an item?" To at worst "Are you a Lesbian couple?" Yeah the elephant in the room and I was this close to saying it, deep down I knew it wouldn't bother me in any way if it was too be true, in any shape or form if only leave me disheartened and disheveled.

"Huh?" Vinyl began looking up from a fizz float she'd ordered foam on her lips quickly licked up. "Oh yeah we Live right in town, though Octi has to take the train to Canterlot for gigs, I prefer to do DJ jobs locally, makes the hard-line job just a bit more easy"

"Vinyl, I told you, We don't call them "gigs," it's recitals, concertos, or if you must performances, but not "gigs," understand?"

"Awww lighten up Octi, you know I love to tease," she said a grin and lowering of her glasses. Her playful nature, quite charming...to say the least. Time past like this for quite a while. Questions bounced back and forth between us; I'd give my own background on myself and the mares seemed to follow my every word, listening intently. As I did to them, some time passed as the conversations turned to topics like, why I emigrated to Equestria, What the girl's talents (ergo careers) where, from the bass and dubsteping Vinyl; DJ-ing for parties and concerts, to my own struggle with busing and waiting on tables after the first half of my trip here.

I didn't expect them to open up to the more personal stuff so soon as Octavia, when I asked about her youth after telling the girls of mine.

"When I was just a filly, not even with my cutie mark yet, my parents where...a bit, well."

"It's OK Tavi," (two nicknames?) "I think he's on the up to know, you can tell it like how you told me." she said placing a hoof on her hoof, though the sight still stung the tiny deep part of myself, it seemed to do so a lot less...for more reasons beyond, "A stallion was also holding her."

"They were born and raised in a strict, traditional Prantonese....uhhh Prina you're equivalent to China or Chinese, upbringing. They felt that in spite of moving to Ponyville when I was born, they didn't want me to become...like the spoiled foals of Ponyville and soft, even more so after my mother read a book,"

"Battle hymn of the tiger mother?" I asked all too familiar with that book for my own personal reasons.

"Close, Battle hymn of the tarpan mother."

"Oh, I get it, please continue." I told her, my interest now quiet perked. She went on saying that for the most part; Octavia's talent came from being raised in a strict environment. It was never an abusive or an unloving home, She picked up her cello and held it close to say.

"And to this day, I can't help but shake the feeling that, the memories of being told to get it right, Told that I'd...well you get the idea. Even now I think that's the real reason I strike the notes and chords in just the right ways, from the fear of being a failure." She strummed the large instrument delicately and it gave off a low solemn note.

"Octavia?, if I could be so bold as to ask..can I get behind you?...TO SHOW you something with your cello? I said with haste given the nature of my comment.

"Really? what do you mean by that?"

I got up from my seat and with her still upright in hers the cello in position; hands to hooves, purely in the interest of the instrument, not that she was objecting.

"Your not on the leash of those two anymore, your own...pony, I want you to picture all that repression and fear as the wispy winds, or a will o the wisp, can you see that?" I whispered into her round ears as they waggled excitedly.

"Yes actually...I can." Her breath slowed to a few huffs and puffs, but not short and gasping as if she was out of breath, but more like soft and gentle breaths of relief.

"Now think about you favorite piece of music, the one you turn to to really show stop the crowds but also the one you love to play in its own right, tell me what it is if you want."

"I'll show you." she whispered back into my own ear, before strumming a soft low chord that must have only had meaning to the musician mare.

"Now just, throw that negativity away to the winds." I told her, so close I felt the warmth of the soft coat against my skin, the bare sections not covered by my clothes anyway. With that the chord became softer, more vibrant, and seemed to have a lot more passion for the music as it was strummed.

"whoa, this is some heavy stuff right here." Vinyl chimed snapping us both back to reality and out of the daze and haze that seemed to have enveloped us both. We both blushed hard and spring apart chuckling nervously.

"Uh well thank you dear, I appreciate that a lot." She said her face right and looking like she was caught in the act.

"Hey anyone that can help Octi get over her anxieties like that is a friend of mine, you're alright in my book." She said placing a hoof on my shoulder.

"Octavia? are you...doing anything this weekend?" I asked with a hand going behind my head before I snapped it back down to my side.

"Well, not exactly, why do you ask?"she asked giving me a smug and "knowing" look

"I was just wondering if maybe you'd like to grab a bite to eat, my treat...as friends you know." The look of my awkwardness seemed to suggest otherwise but I held on to the notion that i just wanted to "hang out again," my breath in my chest.

"I think I could work something out, say the Walnut tree cafe here in town tomorrow?"

"Just us?...Not that I Wouldn't mind having your friend Vinyl and her friend showed up."

"Hey don't mind me, I've always said Tavi need to find someone to spend time baring me."

"You'll have to wait and see about that, who's going to there but I wouldn't worry about it just now." Her eyes giving me a flirty vibe as she spoke, a playful demeanor like I hadn't seen before. The three ponies left, the sweet-shop grew quiet, with only my thoughts for company.

The voices finally stopped.