Small Choices

by Shardi

Chapter 4

Octavia shifted uneasily in her seat, sinking a bit more into the soft, cushioned couch. As comfortable as the booth was, the cellist occupying it was anything but. In the few short minutes that Vinyl had been gone, her earlier worries had only grown.

What was she doing here? This was clearly a horrible idea. She should have just locked herself in her room and played her cello, like she had done every evening. But no, she decided to be adventurous and tag along with her wild roommate to some shady establishment, filled with inebriated ponies throwing her less than courteous looks as they passed. It didn’t take a lot of imagination to guess what they were thinking, one going as far as walking over to her booth and offering to buy her a drink.

Octavia froze. No, of course not. Please go away. Should I say that? Would that be rude? Can I be rude here? I feel like the situation calls- oh look, there's Vinyl with the drinks!

“Move over pal, I was here first.” The white pony said brightly, getting between the stallion and Octavia, telekinetically pushing the stranger away and taking a seat in front of the gray mare.

The tipsy stallion didn't seem all that bothered and simply shrugged, trotting away. No doubt on the prowl for more innocent mares, Octavia thought grimly as she followed him with her eyes until he disappeared into the crowd.

Her train of thought was interrupted as Vinyl slid a glass across the table, setting it in front of the cellist who eyed it suspiciously.

“What is it?” She asked, leaning closer to take a sniff at its contents. It smelled sweet and fruity, but with a clear note of alcohol.

Vinyl chuckled, her horn alight as she levitate her own drink. “If I told you the name of the drink, would that even help you figure it out? Relax, it's nothing too strong. I took the liberty of assuming you don't party hard, so it's just a low alcohol drink.” She explained, taking a sip from her own glass and settling back on the couch.

Octavia blushed slightly, unsure whether she should be offended. “I did have alcohol before, you know, I'm not a little filly. I've had wine. And beer... Once.” She finished lamely, taking a drink of her cocktail to hide her embarrassed blush, even if Vinyl probably couldn't see it in the dim club lit with colored lights.

The mare across her simply smiled in that patronizing manner again, but thankfully kept any comments to herself, instead waving her hoof towards the dance floor and DJ booth. “So, what do you think, does it live up to the grand Canterlot balls?”

The cellist chewed on her tongue, trying to find the right words. “It's… well, different, obviously. But not unexpectedly, I suppose. And loud, do all nightclubs play music like this?” How can it be both high pitched enough to hurt her ears and low enough to make her feel the thumping bass in her chest.

“Pretty much yeah. It's all electronic music once the sun goes down. Suppose it's not what high class ponies are used to, but nothing a few drinks and a good company can't fix.” Vinyl reassured her, apparently confident in her ability to provide both.

Octavia smiled thinly, nursing her drink as she looked around curiously, feeling more at ease now, having Vinyl’s company back and a - surprisingly enjoyable- drink in her hoof. Even on the upper floor, most ponies standing around chatting or enjoying their drinks bobbed their heads or swayed lightly to the rhythm of the thumping music. Before she could realize it, Octavia’s treacherous hoof did the same, tapping lightly against the table. As offending as the electronic music was to her classically trained ear at first ,she had to admit the simplicity of it had a certain enticing aspect to it. It was easy to enjoy.

Well, I am already in over my head, said a small voice in Octavia's head.

The gray mare finished off her drink in few quick swallows, smirking at the unicorn across the table, Vinyl raising her brow at the cellist’s shift in demeanor.

“Well, we came here to party, so what do you say we get down to the dance floor and have some fun?” She offered, getting on her hooves.

Vinyl beamed and quickly finished her off drink, dropping it onto the table as well. “Now you’re getting it! Let me show you how you party in Manehatten!”

***

With a groan the lump of tangled sheets and pony limbs atop Octavia’s bed stirred, the gray cellist briefly opening her eyes only to regret it immediately, screwing them shut with a small whimper. She managed pull enough sheets up to hide her face in them, trying to block out the offending light, only one thought going through her head:

What was I thinking, going out with Vinyl.

Most of the party night was a blur of colors and shapes, her brain screaming in protest when she tried to concentrate on recalling details, but one thing was clear - she was going to kill Vinyl Scratch.

After couple more minutes and finally accepting her fate, Octavia slowly opened her eyes again, realizing not only that her bed was an absolute mess, but she was lying in it sideways, her head dangerously close to the ledge, making her wonder how she did not simply drunkenly tumble out of bed at night. Skillz, the small voice in her head supplied drunkenly.

Once she managed to free herself from the chaotic pile of sheets and pillows, the gray mare marched solemnly towards the bathroom, leaning against the wall for support. Hangover or not, Octavia started off on her morning routine, only briefly wishing she could spend the entire day in the warm, relaxing shower.

Dried off and feeling slightly less homicidal, the cellist entered the living room where she finally met her roommate, sprawled back on the couch and levitating a small brush, slowly working through her blue, slightly less-than-usual messy mane. Hearing Octavia approach, she turned her head to look at the cellist, flashing her a grin, not stopping her grooming.

"Morning there, champ. I must say, I didn’t expect you to be up so early. You’ve got talents, I'll give you that." The white mare said with a sly grin.

For her part, Octavia groaned and leaned against the back of the couch, letting her head rest on top of it.

"A hangover is no match for my force of habit. Speaking of force, I really should kill you, Vinyl Scratch."

"Hey, what did I do! You're the one who wanted to tag along, remember?" The accused mare said, throwing her hooves into the air defensively.

Crap. That's right. Octavia had nopony to blame but herself. Unless...

"Why did you let me drink so much?" She asked with a moan, giving the other mare a sad look as she continued brushing her mane.

Vinyl simply shook her head and laughed lightly. "It's not my place to count your drinks, you're a big filly. Besides, are you gonna get this wasted again?"

"Hay no! I'm never drinking again." The cellist said vehemently, to which her roommate raised a brow. "Well, not as much." Vinyl grinned slightly. "At once?"

"Atta filly! Besides, nothing beats a lesson learned first hoof. Oh by the way, you got a letter." She said, finally setting the brush down and levitating an envelope off the table and towards Octavia.

The cellist looked at it tiredly and stretched out her hoof, batting it against the air, trying and failing to grab the envelope. Ugh, stupid depth perception.

The unicorn giggled and opened the envelope, the letter slipping out and dropping directly into Octavia's still extended hoof. She nodded in thanks before unfolding it clumsily and starting to read, chin still rested on top of the couch's back.

"It's from my parents..." The gray mare said with a hint of annoyance as she continued reading, eyes slowly moving back and forth. "It wasn't long enough yet to warrant a letter, I swear they..." She froze, straightening up and visibly more awake. "Oh. Oh no. Nonono. Celestia buck me to the moon and back!." Octavia swore as she started pacing the room back and forth before coming to a halt in front of the window and letting her head drop against it with a faint thud.

"Whoa, what's wrong Octavia? Did something happen?" Vinyl asked worriedly, getting up from the couch and taking a tentative step towards Octavia, who was still standing with her forehead pressed against the glass, groaning quietly.

"My parents. They're going to be in town. They want to come over for dinner to see how things are going." The earth pony answered with her eyes closed, the cool glass helping her headache slightly.

"That's... Good?" The blue maned mare offered, relaxing visibly and sitting beside Octavia.

"No, not good. Especially not good since they said they'll be over in a week." Octavia groaned, feeling Vinyl's brush idly running through her mane, too wrapped up in her frustration to really process the gesture. "And this!" She said angrily, throwing the letter onto the ground and glaring at the piece of paper as it lazily floated down. "Was supposed to arrive here a week ago. I swear, if I ever find the mailpony responsible, I will-"

"Hey hey, relax. So your parents are gonna come over, it's alright. We still got a whole day to prepare." Vinyl comforted the fuming mare, glancing around the flat. "But I guess the place could do with a touch of dusting.

The cellist suddenly snapped up and turned around, breaking Vinyl's magical grip on the brush and leaving it lodged in her charcoal mane.

"That's right! I'll have to prepare everything before they're here. And there's nothing to serve for dinner either. Which means grocery shopping which means outside." She whined, rubbing her aching head. "The one time I went out and got drunk. Should have known to just stay home."

Vinyl raised her hoof defensively. “Don’t look at me, it was your idea. But seriously, relax. They won’t be her until evening, right?”

The cellist nodded slightly, finally noticing the brush stuck in her mane and throwing Vinyl a flat look as she removed it and set it down.

“See, that’s more than enough time. C’mon, we can go shopping and get whatever we need, and some fresh air will do you good. Take it one step at a time.” The unicorn smiled and got up, trotting towards the door and flicking her tail at Octavia, signaling the cellist to follow.

Octavia reluctantly trotted after her roommate, throwing the letter one last glare. “When my parents get here, I should introduce them to the wondrous invention of a telephone.”

***

Outside is bright. Too bright. Even with the sky being mostly overcast with the autumn clouds, Octavia groaned and squinted her eyes as she followed her roommate. They had decided to have a breakfast before starting on preparing for the evening, and Vinyl was currently leading the disgruntled cellist to a place that had, quote unquote, totally rad pancakes.

The unicorn glanced back at Octavia, seeing her stumble along and try to shield her eyes with a hoof. Vinyl let out a chuckle, flicking her tail to steer the hungover cellist around a corner.

“Come on, we’re almost there. I’m sure a nice breakfast and some fresh air will clear that right up. But you should probably stick to juice tonight.” She smirked, to which Octavia only glared back.

“If one could call Manehatten air ‘fresh’. I should have just stayed home. It’s too bright out here for my headache.” The cellist lamented, rubbing her forehead with a hoof and stumbling momentarily.

Vinyl rolled her eyes and looked around, slowing down her pace somewhat as she seemed to be looking for something.

“You really should go out more, Octavia. If one evening is enough to knock you off your hooves, we have a lot of work ahead of us… Ah, this should do!” She said brightly.

The gray mare’s ears flicked slightly at the chipper tone, glancing up from under her hoof to check what her roommate was doing. As she did, everything went darker, which was nice. Everything also went purple. That was not so nice. She blinked in confusion before realizing Vinyl had placed a pair of glasses on her muzzle, the colored lenses dimming the light around her. She could still see the white unicorn grinning at her, the magic around her horn dissipating as she fixed the glasses and nodded her head, having apparently plucked them from the display of a small kiosk they stopped by.

“What are you- Ugh. Get it off.” The cellist groaned, trying to bat the offending spectacles off with her hoof, managing to only crook them slightly before they were levitated off her face. “Those look ridiculous, Vinyl. I am not wearing that.”

The unicorn shrugged as she looked the shades over, levitating them in front of her. They really did look ridiculous - large, purple lenses with rather thick, black framing, made mostly from plastic. A cheap, disposable pair, meant for tourists to buy and throw away at the end of the day.

Vinyl didn’t seem to mind it though as she quickly put them on herself, beaming at the cellist.

“Oh, come on, these are awesome! Whoa, Octavia, you’re purple. Is that because you’re jealous of my sweet shades? Shouldn’t you be green instead?” She asked, still keeping the face-splitting grin.

Octavia huffed and scrunched her muzzle. If she looked ridiculous in those glasses, Vinyl was setting new records. The large purple lenses made her look like a big white bug. If bugs had frizzled blue manes. The cellist took a moment to ponder how the newly-brushed mane seemed to rebel against the idea of being smoothed down, getting messier with every passing second.

Before she could open her mouth to voice either of those thoughts, however, Vinyl turned around, levitating several bits from her saddlebag. “I’m gonna buy these!”

Octavia watched in horror as Vinyl paid for her purchase and shot her one last grin before continuing on her merry way, leaving the earth pony to follow in silent disapproval. Hopefully she gets bored of them soon enough.

The next few minutes passed quietly before the two mares finally arrived at their destination. Octavia looked over the small, rather charming cafe, tucked away from the noise of the main street. There were a few tables on the small patio outside, but the interior was thankfully shielded from the incessant sun, and the cellist promptly beelined for the door, unicorn in tow.

Octavia sighed in relief as she finally sat down in the comfy booth after finding the darkest corner. The gray mare took a moment to look around the cafe as Vinyl sat down on the opposite side of the table. Save for a couple of ponies, the cafe was mostly empty and quiet, which was a welcome sight for the hungover earth pony. Noticing the laminated menu on the table in front of her, she reached out to pull it over, but it was snatched away by a white hoof.

“C’mon Octavia, I told you, we’re here for the pancakes. You’ll thank me later.” She smiled, turning her head towards the clock on a far wall. “Just in time, too. They’d stop serving breakfast in half an hour.”

The cellist scrunched her muzzle as she was denied a choice of breakfast, but decided it’s not worth arguing over, especially in her current state. Vinyl was still wearing those ridiculous shades, even though they were indoors now. They hid most of her face, making it difficult to read the unicorn, as her eyes were shielded from sight.

“Vinyl, could you take those glasses off now? You look ridiculous. Not to mention it is impolite to wear those indoors and during a conversation.” She asked dryly, giving the mare across the table a pointed look.

The unicorn pouted slightly but obliged, levitating the shades off to reveal her eyes once again, resting the offending accessory on the table beside her.

“Aww, OK’tavia. Huh, ‘Tavia. That sounds nice, that oc makes your name harder than it should be.” Vinyl smirked slightly and rubbed her chin as she had her revelation, earning a flat look from the cellist.

Before Octavia could decide whether throwing a salt shaker at her companion would be too strenuous of an activity, a young unicorn appeared by their booth, levitating a notepad in front of herself and giving the pair a bright, practiced smile.

“Good morning! Have you two decided what you’ll be having?” She asked politely, levitating out a pen and preparing to write down the order, glancing between the two.

“Yep! Two servings of the best pancakes you’ve got, one with extra syrup!” She glanced at Octavia who only shrugged and rubbed her head again. With a small smile tugging at the corner of her lips, the unicorn turned back to the waiter. “And two glasses of orange juice, please. That will be all.”

With a nod and couple quick strokes of her pen, the young mare departed, leaving Octavia to lean back in the seat. Vinyl was idly looking around, tapping a hoof on the table to a beat only she could hear. As much as the cellist enjoyed the quiet, the situation felt too awkward to her.

“So Vinyl, from your enthusiasm I assume you dine at this place often?” Octavia asked politely, if only to keep a conversation going.

The unicorn grinned widely, snapping her head back to look at the gray mare. “You bet! I used to come here all the time when I was younger and still living in Manehatten. You have no idea how happy I was when I found out this place is still open when I came back. And that their pancakes are still the best in Equestria.” She answered happily, smiling at some old memories as she relaxed back in her seat.

“From all you’ve told me, you seem to have enjoyed living here. Why move away, if I may ask?” Octavia inquired, returning the smile. Vinyl always gets so adorable when she’s excited over something, she thought. Wait, what are you talking about brain?

Before the cellist could scold her wandering thoughts, the white unicorn fidgeted slightly in her seat, looking away from her companion, earning a raised brow from Octavia.

“Well, I was still pretty young when we moved away. Wasn’t really my decision, y’know? Mom just decided it’s best if we leave the city, bad memories and stuff.” She toyed with her shades while talking, only throwing Octavia a short glance and a small smile. “I missed the city and my friends, but what was I gonna do, can’t exactly run away when you’re 10.”

Octavia nodded, taking a moment to think. She felt Vinyl isn’t telling her everything, but the subject seemed uncomfortable to her, so the cellist decided not to pry. She made a mental note to return to it later, but before she could think of something else to say, the unicorn grinned again, looking over Octavia’s shoulder.

“And you’re about to find out one of the reasons I’ve missed this place!” She said sitting up in her seat and perking up once more.

Their breakfast was here, in the form of two generous servings of pancakes. The waiter put down a plate in front of each mare before wishing them a nice meal and retreating again. Octavia’s eyes widened at the pile of puffy, golden pancakes in front of her, the glistening syrup lazily dripping down the neat stack. Vinyl’s own portion was positively drenched in the sweet liquid, making the earth pony almost cringe at the amount of calories her roommate was about to consume.

For her part, the blue maned unicorn simply grinned widely, rubbing her hooves together. “C’mon Tavi, dig in. These babies will take care of all your aches, and we’ve got a lot to do later.” With that, Vinyl eagerly dove into her meal, barely bothering to cut the pancakes into smaller pieces as she ate ravenously.

Content with letting Vinyl change the subject, the gray mare shifted attention to her own plate. She nodded in agreement, starting a mental checklist of all the things she’d need to host her parents this evening, taking a first bite of her own meal.

The pancakes were godly.

Comments

[The Hissing Fool]

This story has promise. Yes, promise.

Contrary to some demands of "MOAR" one may get, take your time writing. One thing I've learned over the years: Can't rush the creative process. Even if it takes a while, I look forward to the next chapter.