> Passio Patefecit Est
>  by Senorita-De-La-Nieve
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

> Chapter One
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Vinyl Scratch awoke with a start, her head was pounding and she heard something playing that sounded like classical music. Ugh, she thought to herself simply as she looked at the mixing board her head was resting on. Her hoof was stuck on 'play' and the last thing she was playing happened to be something by her friend and musically talented pony Octavia, something she was attempting to implement into her latest song. Fat chance, she couldn't change perfection, she wouldn't change perfection. This music seemed to sum up Octavia in every way; it was slow and powerful, thoughtful and beautiful. Everything that mare was, with her flowing gray hair and luminescent, purple eyes.

Vinyl shook her head and all but slapped herself around the face. Her shades flew off her eyes and landed somewhere in the darkness of her basement/recording studio. She rubbed the sleep out of her eyes and fumbled for a coffee cup, glancing into it to make sure the contents were not rancid, before she downed the lot inside and sighed heavily, placing her heavy head in her hooves and massaging her temples. She couldn't think things like that, especially not about the gray mare that held her fancy; unlike so many others that had simply been one night flings.

She was Vinyl Scratch, and she wasn't obscure to promiscuity, and for that reason she could not broach her perfect friend about the thoughts that ran rampant inside her head. She would not ruin their fragile friendship by confessing feelings that she shouldn't have. She was a street-wise disc jockey who played techno at a bar at night, and Octavia was an upper-class Canterlot pony who came here last year because, in her words, she wanted a 'change of scenery' and a 'muse for her work'.

Everything had changed then. Vinyl never had an appreciation of classical music, finding it too boring and not upbeat enough for her tastes. Until she saw Octavia play at the NightMare Night celebration. 

They had talked before then, mostly fleeting conversations on the street, mostly arguing about which genre of music was the better, presenting evidence for their selected genre and against the other's 'inferior' genre. Despite this ongoing feud, they had still become friends; having a weekly get together at a café to discuss what they were working on. This almost always led to a debate about music, and Vinyl would be more than insistent that she would never listen to classical music in her entire life.

And then she heard Octavia play. Granted it was the fiddle, but Vinyl saw a different side to the mysterious Canterlot pony, a side that she hadn't seen before. She got into the hoedown type thing and even started laughing at a few moments during the performance, she had played a tune that, whilst designed to be a hoedown, still retained the class that Octavia was best known for. Vinyl slowly slipped into a light day-dream, that particular memory coming flooding back to her. Was it then? Yes. It was then. The first time she heard those sensual, sweet notes caress her ears.




Octavia tapped her hoof impatiently on the tiled floor of the Café. Vinyl had said 4 o'clock, but obviously she had a prior engagement. Octavia sipped the coffee she had ordered for herself; a de-caff for her and a mocha for Vinyl. She had [NO1]and looked around, she was about to give up before she heard a call. "Yo, Tavi!"

Octavia smiled at the pet name and turned to see the alabaster unicorn with the unkempt blue mane trotting over to her with a smile on her face. She reached the table and sat down, puffing and panting. "Sorry I'm late I had a wave of inspiration and I guess I lost track of time," she said with a blush colouring her cheek and rubbing the back of her neck sheepishly. Octavia smiled at her and set her coffee down on the table.

"It's fine. I may not appreciate your music, but I can understand getting lost in music" she said and Vinyl smiled. "So what held your attention so much that you lost track of time?"

Vinyl waved her hoof. "Oh you don't wanna hear about my techno music" she said, and Octavia smiled. 

"No, I do" she said, and the funny thing was that she truly did. So long as it meant she would see Vinyl smile again. Wait, where did that come from?

Vinyl smiled and the question evaporated from Octavia's mind, lost into that smile. Granted she couldn't see Vinyl's eyes, she didn't think she ever had. Has anypony ever seen Vinyl's eyes? She briefly wondered before she thought about how they might sparkle when she smiled.

"Well, I was experimenting with a new sound and it was just not working, so I decided to add a few piano solos, and everything fell into place" she said as Octavia's eyes widened. 

"Wow Vinyl, you think you may be coming around?" she said teasingly and sliding next to her, prodding her side with her elbow. Vinyl blushed and tried to avoid thinking of how Octavia’s voice teased her so and being in such close proximity with this beautiful mare...

She shook her head and smiled. "Naw, I was just desperate," she said with her trademark daredevil grin. She picked up her mocha and took a long sip, sighing appreciatively. Octavia shook her head and flicked her mane, sipping a bit of her coffee and leaning forward. Vinyl was struggling really hard now, trying to destroy those feelings that had apparently doubled when Octavia had flicked her mane.

"Vinyl, are you sure you're okay?" Octavia asked and Vinyl grinned again, and… was that a blush?

"I'm fine Tavi, just me and the sun don't mix" she said, and Octavia laughed. Well, it explained the blush, partially. She decided to change the subject in case that was what was making Vinyl uncomfortable, and if it wasn't, well; it would take her mind off of it.

"So, NightMare Night's tonight, what are you doing?" she asked and Vinyl shrugged.

"I have a gig at Jive-Hut. You should come, maybe it'll blow the dust off your eardrums" she quipped playfully and Octavia glared at her. For a fleeting moment Vinyl thought she had gone too far until Octavia smirked. 

"Well, unfortunately I have a 'gig', as you say, to play at the actual celebration. They asked me to wear something... festive... so I've decided to become a scarecrow," she said.

Vinyl choked on her mocha and nearly doubled over laughing. "Well it was only a matter of time," she said and felt an impact on her shoulder. She looked up and saw Octavia trying to give her a stern glare, the small grin on her face defying her attempt at seriousness.

"Vinyl, be quiet. It's bad enough that I've had to spend all my bits at Rarity's Boutique to get mane and coat dye that will wash out" she said and Vinyl only snickered louder. She received a light slap on the shoulder for that and they both burst out laughing.

"Tell you what Tavi, I'll do my gig later so I can come watch you play. Then if you want, you can come with me to Jive Hut," Vinyl said and Octavia smiled.

"Oh you wouldn't want to keep your... fans waiting, especially not for a 'dusty ancient musician' like me" she said and Vinyl flinched.

"Ouch, did I say that?" she asked and Octavia nodded.

"I believe it was when you were drunk" she said calmly, taking another sip of her coffee.

How can she be so calm about it? Vinyl thought to herself, if she had taken a comment like that they would never find the body. She smirked at that.

"Well I'm nearly always drunk Tavi, don't listen to me. I really want to hear you play, who knows, you might even convert me," she said with a wink and Octavia blushed and smirked quickly to cover it.

"Now that I would like to see," she said and Vinyl smirked again, raising her mocha.

"To NightMare Night," she said, and Octavia chuckled.

"To NightMare Night," Octavia concurred, and two mares hit their cups together lightly.

Octavia glanced behind Vinyl at the clock and her eyes widened. "Oh shoot, I was supposed to meet Rarity so she can put the dye in!" she yelped and got up, nearly knocking the table over. The table hit Vinyl's hoof and the mocha spilled out all over her. Vinyl yelped as the semi-hot liquid burnt her, but only for a fleeting moment. Octavia covered her mouth with her hooves. "Oh my gosh! Vinyl I am so sorry!"

"It's fine, it was an accident. Just go, I can get this" she said with her trademark smile.

Octavia took a step away. "Are you sure?"

"Positive, you know what it's like to keep Rarity waiting, you're in enough trouble as it is," she said with a smirk and Octavia chuckled.

"I'll see you tonight then" she said as she sped off. Vinyl watched her go and sighed, shaking her head and sitting back down. She noticed a few ponies in the café were giving her weird looks.

"What?" she asked, rather abrasively, and they just resumed their meals and conversations. She sighed and motioned for the check so she could have a shower and get ready for the night.





Octavia ran away from the Café. If she had it her way she would have stayed behind to at least get the check. That mare was sure being nice today. Too nice. A thought quipped in her head. Although she was loathe to agree to it, Vinyl certainly had been more than nice today. Any other time if Octavia spilt coffee on her she would be dead, or at least sprouting a black eye. She came to the quick conclusion that there was something the alabaster unicorn wasn't telling her, but what could she hide from Octavia? One of her best friends?

And only friend. That voice stated and Octavia scoffed at herself in disgust. Where the hay did THAT come from as well, she was having a lot of thoughts that were seemingly not hers today. Wanting to see Vinyl smile, wanting to hear about her music, and then insulting her for being nice?

Maybe a makeover at Rarity's was just what she needed, even if she was going to wash it out that same night. It would help her relax. She had only paid for a coat and mane dye, but she knew Rarity, and she knew that the fashionista would most likely want to give her a full makeover.

She slowed her pace as Rarity's Boutique came into view. She saw the white unicorn with the flowing purple mane waiting outside tapping her hoof on the ground as she leant against the wall of her shop. Octavia smiled at her when she got close and Rarity raised an eyebrow. "And what time is this?" she asked and Octavia chuckled weakly.

"Um, yeah, sorry I'm late, I was with Vinyl, she and I were just grabbing a coffee"

"For an hour?" Rarity asked incredulously and Octavia stammered.

"W-well she was late" she said and Rarity raised an eyebrow.

"Alright then, I guess late is better than never, come on in" she said and walked indoors. Octavia followed and shook her head. The Boutique never failed to stun her, even with the fact that she had been in there before. It was just as stunning now as it was the first time she had visited. The dresses in the window, the overpriced jewels attached to them, the way that even the projects that were in progress were stunning, all of it assaulted Octavia's senses and she truly felt like she was in Canterlot again.

Octavia sincerely hoped that she wasn't back in Canterlot, but a brief look out the window confirmed that she was still in the town that had truly grown on her since she arrived. Granted there were a few choice stallions and mares that she did notwant to meet again, but her friends greatly outweighed her enemies, and she found her thoughts wandering to a certain white unicorn with unkempt blue hair, shades adorning her eyes and a daredevil grin on her face. How friendly she had been when the musical pony had come to Ponyville. A smile played on her lips and she thought again about her smile, her mysterious eyes and how they would capture her even though they were locked behind glass.

Octavia shook her head hard to clear those thoughts. If she didn't know better she'd say she had been placed under the influence of somepony who was learned in mind control. But still, that thought had come from her, but she pushed it from her mind. She was brought back to reality by the fashionista unicorn watching her curiously.

"Is everything alright dear?" she asked and Octavia nodded.

"Yes, everything is fine Rarity, I was just... thinking," she tried to explain in one word. Rarity opened her mouth and nodded, a slight smirk on her face.

Octavia furrowed her brow in confusion. "What?" she asked and Rarity shook her head, moving further into the Boutique, motioning for Octavia to follow her.

"Just make yourself comfortable and I'll prepare the mane dye" she said and turned. "So do you want something festive, or conventional?" She asked and Octavia only grew more confused. "Oh you're right, festive is the only way!" she all but sang and then disappeared into the curtained off room. Octavia sat in the chair in front of the mirror and waited for Rarity to return with the mane and coat dye. She couldn't believe she was doing this.

She sighed and leaned her head back against the back of the chair, closing her eyes for just a moment. Her breathing soon became deeper and she found herself slipping into the realm of dreams.





The door was slightly ajar, and Octavia pushed it open gently with her hoof. Sitting inside was Vinyl Scratch, head in her hooves, crying. Octavia's heart suddenly broke into a million pieces; all she wanted to do was comfort the crying mare. She slowly walked up to her and put a hoof around her shoulder. "Vinyl, what's the matter?" she asked.

Vinyl shook off her hoof. "Like you don't know," she said.

Octavia blinked. "I really don't."

"How could you not? Everypony else knows" she said and Octavia moved in front of her.

"What does everypony else know?" she asked, but Vinyl just sobbed into her hooves. Octavia grabbed them and pulled them away. Vinyl kept her eyes tightly closed. "Vinyl if you don't tell me what's wrong I can't help," she said reassuringly and Vinyl sniffed and looked up. Octavia saw her eyes, but she couldn't see what colour they were. They were surrounded by a bit of a cloudy haze, blocking the colour. Octavia thought she saw them for a fleeting second, but then they were gone.

Vinyl sniffed again and her mouth gaped open. "I... I can't..." she said, before she broke away from Octavia and ran out the door.

"Vinyl! Wait!" she yelled after her, and the dream shattered.





Her eyes opened and she sat bolt upright in the chair. She was dimly aware of something in her hair and when she looked in the mirror, her coat was a vibrant yellow and her mane was turning blue. Her mouth nearly hit the floor.

"Oh good, you're awake, um, yes, well there was a slight... mishap... with the dye..." Rarity said and Octavia scoffed.

"A LITTLE mishap? I look like a CUPCAKE!" she nearly screamed, and Rarity chuckled nervously.

"Uh he he, well, um, you did ask for something festive..."

"As in NightMare Night costume festive, not Hearth's Warming Eve candy cane festive!" she said, getting out of the chair. Rarity, for the sake of her own cool and to try and calm Octavia down, remained calm and composed as her mother had taught her.

"Now remember," she said, "you did ask for a dye that will wash out. If you leave it for tonight it should come out in the wash tomorrow"

Octavia sighed and put a hoof to her eyes in thought. Vinyl would never let her live this down. "Oh Celestia, Vinyl is so not going to let me forget this" she said and Rarity smiled.

"Oh don't worry, it's not that bad, she'll forget it and soon you'll be able to laugh about it" she said and Octavia sighed again.

"Not likely, this is Vinyl Scratch we're talking about," Octavia said and Rarity chuckled nervously again, and although Octavia couldn't see it, Rarity's eyes widened as she processed that statement. Rarity knew then what Octavia would only find out later.

The reason why Octavia only worried about what Vinyl thought of her. Rarity fought back a giddy school-filly type urge to force her friend to spill the beans on the crush that was so obviously bubbling just below the surface.

"I, uh, I will of course refuse any payment, I think it's only fair" Rarity stuttered and Octavia took her hoof away from her eyes and smiled.

"Well thank you," she said, only intending it to be a little sarcastic. She turned around and gazed at her coat in the mirror, it was completely yellow. Save for her cutie mark, which still retained the stoic purple of its normal colouration, and it was seemingly untouched, every swirl of the Treble Clef was still in its natural shape as it was before she went into the Carousel Boutique.

"Well, colour disaster notwithstanding you did an excellent job with the dye," Octavia said as she twirled around, observing the way her blue mane caught the reflection of the jewels in the light. She smiled to herself. "Actually, I could learn to like this..." she muttered to herself.

Rarity laughed then, a genuine laugh, and Octavia joined in. Their laughter filled the Boutique and for a while they just shared it. Rarity had been right; she was able to laugh about it.

As Octavia came down from her laughing fit, she thanked Rarity and walked towards the door. As she made her way towards the exit, a stark realisation hit her. "Oh Celestia, I'll have to walk home like this!" she said, fear overcoming her eyes. Rarity's eyes went wide as well and she grabbed a coat from the nearby racks.

"Here! Put this on, then run home, get ready, and then tonight, wear this to the festival and then you can return it whenever. No, in fact, keep it. Call it penance for my screw-up" she said with a cheery smile. Octavia's eyes went wide again, this time from shock rather than fear.

"Oh, Rarity, I couldn't do that" she began, but Rarity cut her off.

"You can and you will. Now go! Quick before anypony sees!" she said, and Octavia slipped her hooves through the coat, wrapping it tightly around herself and opening the door. She could see her house, a tiny blip at the top of a hill on the horizon, but not very far at all.

She crept back inside, taking a look around for the crowds. There wasn't really anypony out at that time, as they were all getting ready for that night. Still it didn't stop her from taking another cautionary glance before she readied herself. Bracing against the floor, she pushed off the ground and ran. The scenery flew by her as her hooves thundered on the stone path. She could see her house slowly coming into view, she could make out the thatched roof and the simple design of the beams on the front.

Her breathing was coming in shallow gasps now, and she was sure she was running so fast that Rainbow Dash would take notice. She ran and ran; focusing only on her house, not noticing somepony walking in front of her.



Vinyl took a deep breath as she moved from the Café out to the centre of town. She had lost track of time and didn't know how long she had been sitting there thinking and drinking. She had cleaned out her saddlebag of bits and now it was time to go home. And wash that damn coffee out of her coat. She smirked to herself as the memory of earlier of that day took her over. She had just moved out into the centre of the town square when she heard something strange, somepony was running. But who?

She was cut off mid-thought by someone slamming into her at full speed and sending her sprawling on the ground. She groaned and looked up, coming face to face with a pair of purple amethyst eyes and a vibrant yellow coat, framed by blue hair. She knew this colourful pony. Was it, no..... it was, It was OCTAVIA!

The yellow pony's eyes went wide and she gasped, getting up and running again full throttle towards her house. Vinyl stopped and watched the pony go, blinking several times after them. If it was Octavia, oh she'd have ways to tease her friend for years!

A sly grin escaped her serious demeanour as she began walking towards her own house. But then a disturbing thought overtook her. She didn't want to make fun of Octavia. She sighed when she thought about that, she really hadn't been herself as of late, she had been having a lot of thoughts like that, wanting to see her smile, reveling in her laugh, buying her drinks (when she wasn't late of course, and ONLY coffee, Octavia had made that quite clear) and then she would pick up the check. She never picked up the check for anypony, especially not one that she had only met a few months ago.

She shook her head slowly and tried to think of how she had been thinking of Octavia lately. Certain aspects had become clearer to her, she always had an appreciation for the... ‘other side’, and she had indulged more than frequently. But they were flings, nothing more; the most serious one had been for two days before she had run off with all of Vinyl's money. That had been when she had first come to Ponyville to get away. She still had the mental scars. She didn't want to remember her. It was a long time ago.

She reached her house, a decrepit old thing with peeling paint, cracked windows and a door that was held by a single hinge. It was nothing. But it was home, and it was hers.

She opened the fragile door carefully and walked indoors towards the couch, taking her time because, well, she could. Her gig wasn't until later that night, and even then it wasn't important. Not as important as watching Octavia play anyway. She slowly let herself be lulled by the couch until she was at the foot of it. A small, childish grin spread on her face and she leapt into the air, letting herself fall back down on the only thing that could've possibly been more comfortable than her bed at the end of a long day. She quickly found herself falling into a deep sleep.


> Chapter Two
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Vinyl was running, dodging the rocks thrown by the others. She had hoped to get home without sustaining mental or physical injuries. She kept on running out of the school grounds and towards her house somewhere in the distance. She smiled and began softly panting as the physical exertion became too much. She forgot to wear her shades today, so now she had to endure the six hours of school without them, and it had almost become too much.

A rock sailed through the air and clipped her forehead, sending her down. She tripped over her hooves and landed on her nose. Nopony was around besides her, and them. She doubted anyone cared what happened to one more filly in the big city of Manehatten.

She curled up in a ball and began to wait for the blows to come, and they did. The rocks that they didn't get to throw were thrown at her now as she lay on the floor; they impacted everywhere, on her ribs, her legs, her head. She heard a crack, a sickening loud crack followed by a sharp feeling of pain. She refused to scream. She refused to cry.

They began to rain blows down on her with their bare hooves now; she just curled into a ball and took it, the verbal and physical. She was used to it. She closed her eyes and blotted it out, accepting the pain as though it was deserved.

"Witch!" one screamed, kicking her sharply in the ribs. She exhaled explosively.

"Devil!" another said, punching her in the face that she thought was well covered, but evidently was not.

"Nopony wants you!" another jeered.

"You're worthless! No-one cares!" yet another screamed in her ear and punched her fiercely in the ribs, right where she had felt the crack from before.

The blows and insults kept coming until they were satisfied with her apparent lack of consciousness, though she was awake and heard everything they said. "That ought to teach her to show those evil eyes in public!" one sneered, followed by jeering laughter as she heard the retreating hoofsteps. She opened her eyes and gazed around at her surroundings.

She was being watched by a few ponies that looked eager to see how she was doing, but kept their distance. Maybe the fillies and colts were right. Maybe nopony did care. She got up and sniffed once, wiping the blood away from her mouth as she casually limped toward her home. The ponies that watched couldn't believe how nonchalantly she walked away, how casual she seemed, like this was a normal, everyday occurrence.

She just hobbled along the cobblestone towards her house, gently pushing on the door she opened it and stepped inside. There was the stench of home. The stench of alcohol and cigars, and she heard a crashing in the kitchen that could've only been her mother trying to fend off her 'father's' drunken rage.

She overheard him shouting at her as she got closer to the stairs that led to her room.

"I DON'T GIVE A BUCK WHAT THEY SAY! YOU CAN'T SEE THEM ANYMORE AND THAT'S FINAL!" he yelled and she heard her mother put up a small smidgen of resistance.

"But, they're my only friends, it was only one night, I swear it won't happen again..." she began, only to be cut off by the sound of a hoof connecting with a face.

"YOU’RE DAMN RIGHT IT WON'T" He screamed before storming out of the kitchen and past the little blue maned filly. He stopped to look her in the eyes before grabbing her face and inspecting the wounds almost viciously.

"How many?" he asked and she sniffed. "E-eight, sir" she stuttered, and a smirk parted his lips.

"Good. Might knock some sense into that dumb head of yours" he spat, before throwing her towards the stairs and heading out the door, no doubt to get even more drunk. He slammed the door behind him so hard the crack from where he had done it once to many times widened with the sound of splintering wood.

She heard sniffing behind her and turned to see her mother, a unicorn mare with flowing brown hair and the cutie mark of Piano Keys. Oddly enough, that was her name, Keys. Her eyes were a once vibrant yellow, now, they had lost their spark. Vinyl knew why.

"Hey, Vinyl. How was school?" she asked, sobs breaking her words. Vinyl could see her black eye, and a thin trail of blood that ran from her mouth. That was the last straw. She galloped upstairs, leaving her sobbing mother behind her. She blocked out the noise. Her mother was her idol, her rock if you would, and seeing her like that, well, it didn't help. If anything it only served to remind her that anypony who was nice had the potential to be crushed in an instant.

She flopped down on her bed and buried her head under the pillows and duvet, letting out a wail of tears. Blood soaked the mattress from a cut on her side, and the pain in her ribs wouldn't go away.

After a few minutes, she had formulated a plan in her rage/sadness. She would go to the Metroponytan Police and leave an anonymous tip about her father, then, she would... she would...

She re-buried her head and sobbed once more. She didn't like the prospect of running away, it was weak. It was cowardly. In fact, if anypony caught her crying she would never hear the end of it.

She got up and walked over to her drawers, taking out a picture and a stallion she never knew, her real father, Kite Runner. He was a Pegasus Pilot for the Equestrian Air Force, he was sent away on a covert mission, and he never came back. This was when she was just a little filly, and all she remembered was him leaning down and kissing her forehead before stroking her mane and whispering; "I'll be back, little one, to watch you grow."

She let a tear fall onto the glass of the picture as she stroked it with a hoof. She put it in the bag that she kept under her bed just in case she ever had to run. She packed a few coats to survive the nights, and then she packed up some pencils and her diary. She didn't know why she even kept one; she hadn't written in it for so long it had become almost a novelty to her.

She rooted through her cupboard for something to wear during the long winter nights, as she closed the door she happened to look at herself in her. Her face was mashed up beyond recognition and she had one black eye above a swelled lip. The metallic taste of blood was in her mouth and she still felt the pain in her leg and ribs.

She gazed into her own eyes and had to look away, the ghost of a tear travelling down her cheek. She felt her anger grow and smashed a hoof against the mirror, cracking it and causing the shards to travel into her hoof.

She gritted her teeth in pain and took one last look at herself in the fractured glass and shook her head, lifting her case with her magic and setting it on her back. It was heavy, but it wouldn't be a problem. She limped down the stairs and got near the front door before it forcefully swung open and there stood her 'father', reeking of alcohol and stale cigar smoke. He paid her no mind as he walked into the living room. Vinyl cast him a furtive look that literally oozed hatred before she walked out, closing the door behind her.





The memory was unwelcome, the vivid dream that accompanied it, more so. Vinyl sighed and got up off of the couch, rubbing the sleep out of her eyes and fumbling around for her glasses so that she could fool everypony into believing that she was normal like them. She didn't like to do it, but if it meant that she could at least pretend to be normal, then she would take it.

She found the purple tinted glasses that blocked anypony from seeing her eyes, but allowed her to see the world, albeit a distorted view. She put them on and ruffled her mane into its signature style before she adopted her daredevil grin and looked in a mirror.

Lookin' good Scratch she thought to herself snidely, before she glanced at her clock and saw that she was late. Her eyes widened and she flung open the door and closed it, not even bothering to acknowledge her rumbling stomach. The night was well underway, and the decorations for NightMare Night had been put up already. She headed towards the town square, where the celebration would be taking place, and where Octavia would be playing a piece. She didn't know if it was as a solo act or part of a group like she had told Vinyl about when she played at the Grand Galloping Gala.

Just then the sound of music drifted across the air and into her ears. It was definitely a group. A wave of disappointment washed over Vinyl as she was looking forward to watching Octavia play by herself.

She nearly ground to a halt then and there. Where the hay did that come from? Just then she saw Octavia from afar. Vinyl didn't know whether to be astounded, or just laugh. Octavia was Yellow! YELLOW!

So that was Octavia she saw earlier. A small chuckle escaped her lips, but then Octavia's music hit her full force. At that precise moment a wind began to blow through the town and blew through Octavia's blue hair. It fluttered in the breeze and caught the moonlight, flickering like sapphires. Vinyl's jaw dropped and the lively music hit her, full of class, yet appealing.

Vinyl was never one for classical music, brought back... memories... But, hearing Octavia, she couldn't care about anything save for Octavia's hooves moving the bow across the strings and producing the wonderful music. As the song finally came to a close, a round of applause was heard, and Vinyl clapped her hooves together harder than any other pony, but no one noticed, save for Octavia, who opened her eyes and looked at her, eyes going wide.

Octavia had been slightly relieved when Vinyl had at first not shown up, so when she shed her cloak she didn't really care about the strange looks she got, but now, Vinyl was there, and Octavia had nowhere to hide.

Vinyl simply waved her over and walked forward, and Octavia took her leave, saying to the group that she would be right back after she saw to a friend.

As Octavia approached, something strange happened, like a little school filly Vinyl's throat seized up and her heart began to flutter in her chest. She took a few deep breaths as Octavia walked towards her.

"Hey Tavi, that was amazing!" she said and Octavia blushed. Having the new colouration didn't do much to hide it either.

"Thanks, usually I'm not used to playing a fiddle," she said, and Vinyl scoffed.

"Really? Because the way you were playing that it was like you'd spent your whole life practicing, if that's how you play something you think you're bad at, I just gotta hear you play your cello," she said, and Octavia blushed some more, her face now retaining the same pink hue as Fluttershy's mane.

"Usually, I… I don't play in front of ponies..." Octavia said, she didn't know where this sudden bout of shyness was coming from.

"Now that's a lie, isn't it Tavi?" Vinyl stated and Octavia blushed again.

"How about tomorrow at my place, you can play something, and if I like it, then I'll record it. OH! I know! I'll see if I can put it into one of my songs!" Vinyl said with a smile, and Octavia smiled as well. Both mares knew Vinyl was ranting and, let's be honest, gushing, but Octavia wasn't complaining. It wasn't often she got praise, ponies just didn't appreciate classical music like they used to, but if she could get through to Vinyl, she would consider it a massive triumph.

"Okay Vinyl, if it'll get you to shut up then I'll do it" she said jokingly and Vinyl fixed her with a stare, or, at least, what Tavi thought was a stare but was blocked by the glasses.

Suddenly, Vinyl's stomach gave out a rumble and she blushed.

"Hey, I didn't get much to eat. You wanna grab something from Sugarcube Corner or something?" Vinyl asked, and Octavia blushed again. Was she asking her out on a date?

She shook herself mentally; she couldn't think those things about her. It was wrong. Wasn't it?"I... I..." she was taking too long to answer, and they both knew it.

Vinyl started to feel dejected so she just shook her head."Never mind Tavi, you got your gig to get back to. Perhaps some other time then" she asked, and Octavia nodded.

"But-" Octavia started to say, but Vinyl was already walking away. Octavia sighed and walked back to the stage. She did notice that Vinyl had not once said anything about her dye mishap, and that brought a smile to her lips. Perhaps she was more gentle and sensitive than Octavia first thought...





Stupid Stupid! Stupid! Vinyl thought to herself as she walked. She was almost slapping herself with the thought, repeated over and over like a mantra to keep her thoughts in check. A momentary slip of the tongue, a momentary slip on her control of her thoughts and she nearly blew apart their fragile friendship. She sighed. Maybe this was more than a school-filly crush, maybe it was something much more.

Her heart pounded at that thought, and she couldn't help but think what it would be like to go on a date with Octavia, to see her in a formal dress, flowing gracefully as Vinyl escorted her into a restaurant.

Then she did slap herself, sending her shades flying from her face. She gasped and fumbled for them on the ground, hearing a crack of glass. She sighed as she brought them up to her face and looked through them. One was cracked and the other was scuffed beyond recognition. Great.

Although she had nearly a dozen more identical pairs at home, that means her plans for dinner at Sugarcube Corner would have to wait, or she could just go home and cook something. The thought of her attempting to cook forced a smile and a stifled chuckle.

Her thoughts then drifted to Octavia once again, how they would be meeting in a day. OH CELESTIA! she thought and ran home. Octavia couldn't see her house the way it was! She needed to do some serious cleaning, and FAST.

The gig at Jive Hut would have to wait. She would make up an excuse; she had to make her house at least presentable for Octavia.





With that particular memory, came a set of uneasiness for Vinyl. She should've known then what she knew now, but she was in denial, and denial was a powerful thing.

She sighed and finally got up, not bothering to retrieve her shades from the darkness, opting to go upstairs to her, for once, clean house. She smiled, but it quickly turned into a frown. She had done this for her. For the mare she could never get, the one which she could not get over no matter how she tried, no matter how much she drank, no matter how much she actually tried, all that invaded her mind were the images of Octavia, the cellist, flowing dark gray mane, stormy grey coat, and sparkling purple eyes the colour of amethyst. She could get lost in those endless pools.

She shook her head for what seemed to be the millionth time in such a short space of time and flopped on her couch. It had been so long since she had cried, and she refused to let it overcome her now. But, try as she might, the tears came, and they soon turned to wracking sobs in her system, her soul cracked and leaked through the tears.Her heart, shattered and broken, threatened to tear holes in her chest as it beated. It wasn't hers anymore, it belonged to Octavia, whether she knew it or not.

> Chapter Three
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Octavia watched Vinyl Scratch leave as she sullenly cast a glance behind her. Truthfully, she didn't want her to go. She wanted her to stay, and if the stubborn mare had waited she had might even conceded to go have something to eat with her.

She sadly got back up onto the stage and resumed her music, but her heart wasn't in it anymore. Even when Princess Luna walked through the ceremony she barely noticed, she just kept on playing the tune she was paid to play, but her music was flat, and someponies who knew her well enough, like the rest of her group, noticed, and some even asked her what was wrong. To them she would just give a fake smile and say she was fine.

About halfway through the ceremonial night she bid her fellow band members a farewell and packed up the fiddle, handing it over to the Mayor before she dejectedly walked home, eyes fixed on the cobble. She couldn't understand why she felt so sad, was it because Vinyl had left, was it because she didn't play as well as she thought she would, or was it because she saw Vinyl upset?

Even as she partook in the ritualistic walk back to her house on the outskirts of Ponyville, she couldn’t come up with the answer. She eventually made it to the oak door and gently pushed it open, taking a deep breath of the lavender infused air. She enjoyed lavender. It always made her think of home. Her parents. Her life before Ponyville.

And then she would grow sad.

Add that to the near overwhelming feeling of guilt and sadness she already felt, she could do nothing more than to stand on the doorstep as a faint tear traced down her cheek. To say she had secrets would be an understatement worthy of notification in the history books. She sighed heavily and trudged into the kitchen, grabbing herself an apple and a glass of water, before settling down on the couch and picking up a book.

It was a romance novel, and although it was as predictable as Beethooven's Fifth, it was nice. She couldn't help but read it even though she thought she knew what was going to happen. She flipped open the page she had marked with a red lace bookmark and read.

The leaves were soft in the evergreen trees, the snow falling around the pair that danced in the middle to an unseen melody, like piano music composed by nature itself only for the two now residing in the clearing.

As Octavia read, the words activated thoughts in her brain she had never thought, about a certain alabaster white mare.

As the two danced together, a contented sigh could be heard emanating from one of them, though who it was, was unclear. They stood, locked in each other's embrace, not caring for the cold that should have otherwise assaulted their very core. They shared the warmth, the beating of their hearts as one. Gray hair flowed around blue and joined together...

Suddenly, the book's couple was replaced by thoughts of herself and Vinyl in the clearing, the snow fusing to their coats, becoming one with Vinyl's natural colour.

Two pairs of eyes locked with each other and their lips moved closer together, one fishing for a kiss that they would remember forever, as their lips locked together, one whispered the other's name...

"…Octavia."

Octavia's eyes snapped open and she dropped the book like it burned. She was panting heavily, the memory of the kiss, the faint ghost of a memory against her lips. It never happened of course, but it seemed so real.

She controlled her breathing before she picked up the book and looked at it dubiously before setting it on the table. She sighed and covered her face with her hooves. She didn't need those thoughts to run around in her head.

Laying her head back she just stared absentmindedly at the ceiling before remembering quite suddenly that she was meeting with Vinyl tomorrow. She sat up immediately and got up off the chair, rushing towards her bedroom and grabbing her cello and the bow. What was she going to play?

She could play something by Bach, but she preferred to play something original if Vinyl was indeed going to put it into one of her songs.

Any other time she would have shuddered at the thought of her music being tainted in any way, but now, she thought of it as a triumph that Vinyl was willing to broaden her horizons to a more... she hated to say more tasteful, so she opted for classical.

She hesitantly drew her bow across the strings, and a hauntingly beautiful note played out across the silence. She shivered and smiled, playing whatever caught her fancy. The notes flew out of the cello and into the world as leaves would on the wind. Soon, it turned into an upbeat melody that had her nearly dancing along with it, but she composed herself, and kept a firm grip on the cello.

She stopped suddenly and sighed. Why did she care what Vinyl thought about her? She had been fine before when they had been fighting, why was she all of a sudden so picky about what Vinyl thought of her when she didn't care before.

She sighed again and smiled, not willing to dwell on those thoughts. Tomorrow would be a good day indeed. Maybe she would see what colour Vinyl's eyes were after all.

Vinyl surveyed her handiwork as she stood, panting, from being down on her knees and scrubbing away at the carpet furiously, eliminating the stains of various spilt drinks and food that had been left for who knew how long. She smelled the house and noticed the musty smell was still there, so she returned to the drawer and got out a can of lavender spray and spritzed a load in the air to cover the smell.

She smiled to herself as she righted the shades on her face. She had found the spare pair in a drawer that she never went in anymore. It was her equivalent of a Stallion Drawer that held everything a Stallion needed. It contained her glasses, a torch, a tool set, cleaning supplies, and a few other non sequiturs that she didn't need anymore. After eliminating all of the clutter and the dirty washing, she started on the stains. That had been five hours ago. She hadn't slept all night because she wanted the house to be spotless. Now, it seemed like it was, and all she could do now was wait... and get some food in her before she died of starvation!

She set the cleaning supplies on a coffee table (that had until recently been a washing/everything table) and trotted into the kitchen, deciding on a light breakfast of an apple and two pieces of toast. She lifted her shades and rubbed her eyes, yawning profusely. She leant on the counter being propped up by her elbow as she fumbled with two slices of bread, putting them into the toaster and waiting. She didn't drift off, the toaster didn't let her. As soon as the toast popped up she was startled and her head hit the counter. She groaned and grabbed the toast and walked back into the living room, flopping on the couch to wait, idly munching on her breakfast.

Suddenly there was a knock on the door and she was startled for the second time that day. She gulped down her bite of breakfast and left it on the coffee table as she scrambled towards the door. She had just enough time to set her shades right on her face before she opened the door to see Octavia's smiling face. Her mane and coat colour was back to normal.

"Hey Tavi!" she said cheerily, and Octavia smiled at her, although she was a bit confused as to why she was wearing those shades inside.

"Hey Scratch! I heard you wanted to hear me play" she said, flexing her back to emphasize the cello, and Vinyl smirked. Externally she tried to remain calm, inwardly her heart was fluttering profusely and she felt a blush kiss her cheek.

"Well, I don't know who told you that" she quipped and they shared a chuckle before Vinyl stepped backwards and lifted the Cello from Octavia's back and beckoned her inside. Octavia walked in with a smile and a "thank you"

Her eyes widened at the sight of her house. It was... CLEAN! Despite all outward appearances, it was actually clean. And it smells of... lavender, she thought to herself with wide eyes. Vinyl set the Cello down on the couch before she turned back to Octavia, who was looking at the room with wide eyes and... Was that a tear?

Vinyl stepped closer, getting her attention.

"Tavi, are you okay?" she asked and Octavia smiled. "Yeah, I'm fine V"

Vinyl arched an eyebrow. "V? Seriously?" she asked before Octavia shrugged.

"Well you call me 'Tavi', why can't I give you a pet name, hmm?" she asked, batting her eyelashes and suddenly, all Vinyl wanted to do was agree to anything the mare said. She shook her head.

"Fine, you can call me V, doesn't mean I have to like it though," she said and Octavia chuckled. There was a period of silence, not awkward, but not entirely comfortable either.

"Do you want anything to drink Tavi?" she asked, putting emphasis with a smile on her pet name, and Octavia smiled and just shook her head. 

"No thank you V"

They both shared a laugh and Octavia looked towards some stairs that seemed to lead underground. She walked towards them and looked back at Vinyl.

"Your recording studio I presume?" she asked and Vinyl nodded.

"Yeah. My home away from home, but, inside my home" she said with a sheepish grin and Octavia laughed again. Oh, how Vinyl loved to hear her laugh.

"Well, shall we get started then?" she asked and Vinyl nodded, picking up the Cello with her magic before Octavia could and heading towards the stairs. As they got to the top of them, Octavia briefly wondered how dark it would be down there. She was going to be alone with Vinyl Scratch in a darkened room.

She shook her head as she descended the staircase. Where the hay did that come from? She needed to get her thoughts in check before she played. It was bad enough that her audience was somepony who was new to classical music, but she had to stave off her sudden desires for the mare who was in front of her, swaying her hips almost provocatively as she half carried the cello half lifted it with magic.

They entered the studio and Vinyl switched on the lamps, illuminating her mixing board that stood in front of a soundproof room containing several microphones and chairs in front of them. Looking around, Octavia was surprised to see a grand piano stuffed into the corner, gathering dust and half covered with a sheet. Octavia couldn't help but be pulled towards it.

Vinyl noticed something, a change in the air. She turned to see Octavia walking towards her piano and gulped nervously, blinking back tears.

"A Square Grand..." she said, caressing the wood and pressing a key. It rang out across the air and echoed back, surprisingly, still in tune.

"Vinyl... I didn't know you owned a piano" she said, looking back at the white unicorn who gulped nervously. Had she been able to see Vinyl's eyes, she would've seen the tears threatening to spill. Whereas Octavia's eyes were positively sparkling as she once again caressed the piano casing.

Vinyl took a step closer and gulped, she couldn't control her next words as she appeared next to Octavia, staring wistfully at the piano.

"It was my mothers. She gave it to me as a... present. I never got around to playing it. I keep it in tune though, always saying to myself that I'll play it. I never do though" she said, speaking in half truths towards Octavia, who pressed down on another key after she was talking.

"It's in very good condition you know, I wouldn't have guessed it to be more than fifty years old" she said, and Vinyl laughed.

"It's a bit older than that" she stated solemnly, which wasn't lost on Octavia. She glanced at the mare and briefly wondered what secrets she had tucked away. Suddenly, Vinyl's eyes trained on the mare and a smile parted her lips.

"Anyway, let's get down to business. I brought you here to have you play something, so let's do it" She said, and Octavia smiled at her and picked up her cello.

"So do I just go in there and play?" she asked,

Vinyl smiled and nodded. "Yeah, then I'll turn on the microphones and you can play and it'll record," she said and Octavia nodded, stepping into the soundproof room. "Can you hear me in there?" she asked as she turned on the microphone and Octavia nodded.

"Just about ready," Vinyl said, switching on the mic and giving her the sign to go. "Okay, whenever you're ready" she said, and Octavia nodded, getting the Cello out of its case and setting it on the floor, picking up the bow and drawing it across the strings once experimentally, then, she played.

The song was upbeat and catchy, and soon, Vinyl found herself gently swaying to the music as Octavia played with gusto, letting her hooves go across the string and the bow to conjure the notes from within the Cello. After a while, hours, minutes, or even an eternity later, she picked up the pace and began to put choruses and bridges into it, making it a fully fledged song. After she was done she took a bow, and Vinyl didn't realise, but her mouth was agape and her shades had fallen down slightly.

Octavia looked up just in time to see Vinyl right her shades and clap her hooves. Octavia blushed and smiled at her. Vinyl turned off the mic and Octavia stepped out of the door.

"That. Was. FANTASTIC!" she yelled, scooping the mare up into a hug. Octavia let out a shriek of surprise before she started laughing. Vinyl put her down and locked eyes with her, rather, her shades locked with violet and they stood there still gently smiling at each other.

"You really liked it?" she asked and Vinyl nodded. 

"Yes! Of course I liked it. I think you might've converted me to classical music, though, can I ask one more favour?" she asked bashfully and Octavia nodded. Vinyl felt a blush kiss at her cheeks and rubbed the back of her neck.

"Could you, uh, play something a bit slower?" she asked and Octavia blinked before a self-satisfied grin appeared on her lips.

"Of course" she said, and stepped back into the room. After the first note, Vinyl was lost. The music was powerful, washing at her senses the way waves do at a shore, and after about half an hour she reappeared to Vinyl wiping tears from her eyes. She arched an eyebrow and stepped closer to her.

"Vinyl, are you okay?" she asked.

Vinyl put her shades back on quickly, turning to her and nodding. "Yeah, that was just really good is all," she said and Octavia nodded, smiling to herself. Vinyl pretended to busy herself with shutting down her equipment, and the lights shut off in the room Octavia was just in. She closed the door as Vinyl pulled a CD out of the mixer and smiled, picking up a pen she wrote on it, "Tavi's Symphony".

Octavia chuckled lightly and Vinyl shrugged, setting the CD down on the mixer. "For later" she said with a wink, and turned to hide the blush as her statement had conjured less than pure thoughts. Octavia was also blushing, albeit more profusely than Vinyl.

"Well, after all that playing, I'm feeling a bit hungry" Octavia said, and Vinyl turned to face her, the blush gone from her cheeks.

"What do you say we go and grab a bite to eat" she said, and Vinyl giggled.

"What?" Octavia asked and Vinyl just laughed harder, trying to speak but not succeeding very well.

"Your accent doesn't really fit that way of speaking" she giggled out and Octavia took on a stance of mock indignation and feigned royalty.

"Well, would one expect a Canterlot mare to speak in such a way as to put herself above such phrases?" she asked jokingly and Vinyl burst out laughing again, nearly collapsing onto the floor with laughter, and soon Octavia joined in. After they stopped laughing Octavia put her Cello away and lifted it onto her back.

"I'll just go home and put my Cello away, then I'll meet you at Sugarcube Corner okay?" she said and Vinyl nodded, both of them walking upstairs and into the living room. On the way up the stairs, Vinyl tripped and nearly fell, had she not been caught by Octavia.

"You know, it would be a lot easier to see if you didn't have those sunglasses on" she said, and Vinyl shook her head, pushing Octavia away.

"I don't like taking them off," she said quietly, and Octavia shrugged, not pressing the issue. If V wanted to tell her then she would. Besides, Octavia had secrets too.

They reached the door and Vinyl opened it for her and Octavia stepped through with a look of thanks. Octavia stepped out of the door and turned around, poking Vinyl's shades. Vinyl retracted and secured her shades.

"When we go out I'll be expecting you to take them off" she said, before she turned and began to walk away. Vinyl just stood at the door and watched her go, looking forward to their date.

Wait, is it a date? No, it’s just two friends going out for dinner, or lunch. She looked up into the blue sky and noticed the sun was near its apex. She had been round her house for a good hour or so. She sighed and closed the door. Octavia would soon be back to pick her up, then they had to decide where they were to go. And then came the arduous task of keeping her desires in check, or else.

Who knows what could happen? Octavia's thoughts echoed Vinyl's own as she walked away from the house, casting a furtive look back just as Vinyl closed the door. She sighed and headed back towards her own house.





Vinyl opened her eyes and sat up on the couch, letting the final tears fall as she rubbed her eyes, freeing them from the tears. She heard somepony walking up to her house and knock on the door. She shifted herself from her seat and walked to the door, opening it and coming face to face with startling purple eyes, and a flowing gray mane.

> Chapter 4
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Vinyl Scratch waited at her house tapping her foot impatiently. She had been waiting for a good half an hour. What was Tavi doing precisely? Putting on makeup? She didn't need it. Doing her mane? She didn't need to.

Was she putting on a dress?

Vinyl gulped and couldn't help but imagine a flowing purple dress to match her eyes, graceful, yet teasing, showing off her curves in all the right areas yet leaving much to the imagination, teasing anypony who looked with only the briefest of glances...

Vinyl shook her head as she heard footsteps, and she saw the mare herself. Her eyes widened and her jaw dropped nearly to the floor. She was wearing a dress! Exactly the way Vinyl had imagined it!

It was flowing like water, hugging her gracefully yet not too tightly, it was beautiful, and it matched her eyes perfectly. Vinyl still held the look of shock on her face, even as Octavia giggled and swirled, which didn't help her break out of her trance.

"Like it?" she asked, and Vinyl blinked, though Octavia couldn't see this.

Suddenly I feel very tacky Vinyl thought, and Octavia looked hurt. 

"You don't look tacky Vinyl" she said, and Vinyl's eyes went wide, she had said that out loud!

"How could I not?" Vinyl asked and Octavia scoffed.

"Vinyl, you don't give yourself enough credit, you look fine just the way you are" she said and Vinyl blushed.

"Still, you're gonna be like a goddess wherever it is we're going, and I'm gonna look like a ruffian that just came along for the ride" she said dejectedly, and Octavia just shook her head.

"Vinyl," she said slowly, and walked up to her, nuzzling her cheek affectionately. Vinyl just froze as the warm breath ghosted across her cheek.

"Trust me Vinyl, okay?" she said and Vinyl just nodded as she pulled back. Octavia smiled and turned around, walking away and beckoning for her to follow, which Vinyl did.

"Oh, but you will have to something with your mane," Octavia said with a smile and a playful poke, Vinyl just scoffed.

"There is nothing wrong with my sexy look, okay?" she asked and Octavia laughed.

"Sure, and I'm Beethooven," she said, and Vinyl smiled at her.

"Well, the way you play you could be," she said softly and Octavia raised an eyebrow.

"What was that?" she asked, although she heard her perfectly, Vinyl just blushed and looked away, murmuring something about it being 'nothing'. They continued to walk in silence, unless somepony happened to wave at them or check them out. Rather, check out Octavia in her jaw-dropping dress.

"So where are you taking me?" Vinyl asked and Octavia just smiled and waggled her eyebrows.

"It's a wonderful place that's very under visited, and the wine is just to die for," Octavia gushed, and Vinyl chuckled, her signature grin spreading on her face for what seemed like the first time in forever.

"I hope they serve something stronger than wine" she said and they shared a brief laugh. Vinyl sighed and walked close to Octavia, who stiffened in surprise.

Easy, it's just a friendly gesture. It's no worse than you stopping one step short of kissing her for Celestia's sake! Octavia thought to herself, until Vinyl leant her head on Octavia's shoulder.

Then Octavia gulped, a blush just beginning to touch her cheeks as she felt her breath on her foreleg. She tried to regulate her breathing, and her racing heart that was pounding so hard that it felt like it would burst from her chest.

Vinyl just stayed leaning against Octavia, and seeing as how she made no attempt to get her to stop, she just stayed there, until Octavia nudged her and she opened her eyes, looking towards a small, yet well-lit and grand Café, the sign above it read; "Equine Eatery"

Vinyl chuckled at the name. "Cute," she remarked, and Octavia chuckled. 

"Don't let the name fool you, this is a very nice café."

They walked through the door and it was, indeed, a very nice café. Crimson walls offset by orange lamps framed the wall, and pictures next to the lamps gave the place the feel of home, it was cosy, yet it wouldn't be out of place in Canterlot.

The waiter behind the desk smiled at them as they came in. Rather, he smiled at Octavia, and regarded Vinyl with a look she suspected he reserved for the lower-class ponies. Or the garbage.

"Hello, we would like a table for two please," Octavia said, and the waiter nodded, motioning with his hoof towards a table in a booth, residing in the less crowded part of the restaurant, granted, the restaurant was secluded at best, with only the occasional couple having a romantic night out, but the place they were currently being led to was completely sealed off.

Octavia sat down first, and Vinyl got in across from her, flashing her a smile as the waiter gave them the menu's and cleared his throat.

"The special today is a Caesar Salad served with a dry Provence rosè wine..." he said, but Vinyl didn't pay attention as he waffled on about some kind of wine list and the specials, Octavia listened half heartedly until she nodded to one of the selections of wine and ordered it, and turned to face her. She was saying something but, Oh Celestia Vinyl was just lost in those eyes. She knew her face must've had a look of complete adoration because Octavia furrowed her brow and looked behind her, that gave Vinyl just enough time to bring herself to reality.

"Vinyl, are you okay?" she asked and Vinyl nodded with a fake smile.

"Yeah I'm fine," she lied.

Octavia narrowed her eyes at her and arched an eyebrow. That look was known to get somepony to break a Pinkie Promise about keeping a secret, Vinyl knew this because she had succumbed to it numerous times before. She, however, was able to hold her own quite well. Octavia was just about to say something when somepony across the restaurant at another table caught their attention.

"Well, well, well. Octavia. I never thought I would see you here, otherwise I wouldn't have come" he said jokingly, and Octavia smiled and scoffed, turning to look at him.

"That's rich coming from you, you dusty violinist!" she quipped at the shaggy gray coated, red maned colt, who stood just next to them. He laughed as well and scooped Octavia up in a hug, which she returned fondly. Vinyl fought down a stab of jealousy at the sight.

"Oh my, what are you doing in Ponyville?" she asked and he put her down.

"Well, all musicians need a change of scenery once in a while, and you got yours, so I thought I should get mine!" he said and Octavia laughed.

"So, Canterlot finally proved too much for you then eh?" she jibed and he waved his hoof dismissively.

"Nah, I was too much for them, they had to kick me out" he said with a wink and, despite the jealousy overtaking her, Vinyl smiled. This colt was a lot like her, and under different circumstances, they may have even become friends.

"So sis, you want to introduce me to your lady-friend here or do I just assume she's a vagabond you're treating to a night out?" he asked and Vinyl scoffed.

"I may be a vagabond, but at least my hair makes me look presentable!" she quipped and the colt chuckled again, extending a hoof. Vinyl suddenly caught wind of what he just said as she shook his hoof.

"Wait, you're Tavi's brother?" she asked incredulously, and the colt nodded; then exchanged a glance with Octavia.

"'Tavi', eh? Well, that's one I haven't heard before" he said, and laughed at Octavia's blush. He turned back to Vinyl and took his hoof away, taking a bow before the two mares.

"Tempest Strings, at your service milady," he said in a fake Butler's accent and Vinyl chuckled again. Strings stood up and pulled up a chair, looking at the two before he sat down.

"Mind if I join you?" he asked and they both shook their heads, so he took a seat.

"So, you're Vinyl Scratch I presume?" he asked and Vinyl nodded. 

"Yes I am, and how did you know that?" she asked, and Strings smiled.

"Oh, TAVI here has been writing to me while I was in Canterlot, she never included a return address though so I had to guess where she was or use a personalized messenger to deliver letters back to her, anyway, she always seemed to mention you in her letters," he said with a smile, otherwise oblivious to the blush that spread on Octavia and Vinyl's cheeks. Vinyl chalked Octavia's up to the use of her pet name.

Tempest Strings seemed to notice this and quickly changed the subject, but already the analytical gears in his head began to turn, looking between his sister and the alabaster unicorn across from him.

"So, Vinyl, I hear that you're a DJ."

After a long conversation and a delightful meal, they just sat, all three of them, and talked. Mostly Strings brought up embarrassing stories from their childhood, but skirted around the issue of their mother if they could. Vinyl made a note of this and thought about asking either one of them when they were alone. Vinyl didn't answer any questions about her childhood, saying it was no different than anypony else's, which wasn't technically a lie once she made it to Ponyville and found work as a performer during some plays and concerts.

After one too many wines, Octavia needed to visit the little filly's room, and once she was out of earshot, Strings turned onto Vinyl with all the ferocity of a lion protecting his cubs.

"Listen to me Vinyl, and listen good, because I am only going to say this once" he said pointedly, startling Vinyl with his seriousness and how he could switch between the happy colt who had sat with them, to this.

"Octavia has had some serious trouble before, colts and fillies, her childhood wasn't exactly the most normal, and underneath your calm, cool exterior, I'm guessing it wasn't normal for you either" he said, and Vinyl blinked, wanting to say something witty, throw him off, but a hoof to her lips silenced her.

"But Octavia has had heartbreak before, I've seen it destroy her. It's actually why she moved away. Some jerk called Noteworthy used her, badly, and she was devastated. She ran away, not telling anypony where she was going, not even me. She trusts you Vinyl, so if you break her heart, I will kill you," he said with the touch of a smirk just to let her know he was half joking. She nodded.

After a period of silence, with Strings gently sipping his wine, Vinyl sighed.

"I actually thought I hid it quite well," she said dejectedly, and Strings perked up.

"Pardon?" he asked, and Vinyl looked up. Even with the shades, Strings knew she was having a hard time not crying.

"I said I thought I did a pretty good job of hiding it," she repeated, but Strings was still confused.

"Hiding what? Your feelings for Octavia or your past?" he asked and she sighed. 

"All of it. Now I know that I'm quite transparent."

Strings lay a hoof on hers comfortingly. "Nah, I'm just too smart for my own good. I'm not gonna be all cliché and say 'Oh it's obvious and if she doesn't know she's dumb' because that stuff only happens in books. But, I think she likes you, too," he said, and hope flared within Vinyl's chest. She was about to question it further before Octavia returned and took a last gulp of her wine before calling for the check.

"So, what now sis?" Strings asked.

Octavia raised a hoof, wobbling as she did. Her voice was, sort of slurred, but she wasn't drop-dead drunk. Yet. "I *hic* was about to try and convince this a-one" she said, pointing at Vinyl, "to take off those damn glasses." Strings raised an eyebrow and looked over at the nearly panicking Vinyl.

"All right then, why not? C'mon Vinyl, take 'em off," he said, and she just shook her head.

"No, she said 'try and convince.' That doesn't mean I'm gonna do it"

"What's the matter, Vinyl? Is the sexy DJ chicken?" Octavia asked, and Vinyl fought down the blush with the anger. Then, resignation.

"Yes," she answered, lowering her head. Both of them were shocked, how could Vinyl Scratch, one of the most confident ponies in Ponyville, be scared of such a small thing as taking off her glasses? Sure Strings hadn't known her for long, but she was the mirror image of him when it came to confidence and wit, so how could she have this whole other aspect of a personality that even Octavia seemed shock to see, and she had been in Ponyville a lot longer than he had.

"Why?" Octavia asked, suddenly sounding much more sober than she was a minute ago. Vinyl shrugged. 

"I don't like showing my eyes in public," she all but whispered, and Octavia decided to do something then that would change their friendship. She scooted over in the booth and sat next to Vinyl, and cupped her face, turning it so that Octavia looked at where her eyes were. She offered a gentle smile before she took the glasses in her spare hoof and removed them. To Vinyl's credit, she didn't try and stop her, what she did do however, was keep her eyes firmly shut.

Octavia sighed.

"Vinyl, please, let me see them," she asked softly, and Vinyl shook her head. Octavia put the glasses on the table and once again took her face in her hooves. "Please?" she whispered again.

Octavia was met with the same shake of the head and a quiet "no."

Strings watched intently, almost feeling like a voyeur watching this unintentional display of affection. After about five minutes Octavia sighed again and lifted the shades from the table, opening them up and placing them on Vinyl's face again. Vinyl offered her a smile and Octavia returned it warmly. "Someday," she said, and Vinyl nodded.

"Someday, but not today."

Strings paid for the meal even though all he had was a salad, and much to Octavia's persistent attempts to get him to do otherwise, Vinyl paid for the most expensive wine. 30 bits just for a bottle, oh, but it was worth it in the end.

At the door Tempest bid them farewell with a fond hug from both of them. As he hugged Vinyl, he pulled away and smiled. "Take care of my sister" he said, but the look in his eyes said something different; Don't break her heart.

Vinyl nodded as he left and then looked to Octavia who smiled at her and started walking. Out of some sense of manners or common decency Vinyl walked with her, catching her if she stumbled as she was still a bit tipsy.

After her third stumble she began to giggle like a school filly, and after a while, Vinyl joined in too. Anypony watching them would've seen two drunken mares, when in reality it was one tipsy mare and one very love struck one.

Vinyl kept on walking with Octavia, the pair making idle chatter until they reached the door of Octavia's house. Vinyl opened the door for her and Octavia stepped inside, turning to Vinyl who stood on the doorstep.

"Thanks for walking me home" she said with a smile and Vinyl nodded.

"No problem" she said, and Octavia cocked her head to the side.

"You know, I think I'm starting to like this New Scratch. Before you were, well… kinda distant, but now you're actually willing to HELP me," she said smiling, and Vinyl laughed. 

"Okay, that's the wine talking right there" she said, and Octavia just leant on the doorframe.

"No I mean it, you have the manners of a Canterlot mare now, and yet the persona of a country hick," she said, then covered her mouth with her hooves. They shared a slight laugh.

"Okay, I'm going to overlook that statement," she said, and they grew silent, but the smiles were still on their faces. Octavia once again cocked her head to the side slightly, and furrowed her brow.

"Vinyl, what's wrong?" Octavia asked, and Vinyl furrowed her brow. 

"What do you mean?" Vinyl asked, and Octavia took a step forward, echoed by Vinyl taking a step back.

"You seem sad," she said, and Vinyl sighed. If only you knew she thought to herself. 

"I'm fine Tavi, just a little tired is all"

"Liar," Octavia stated pointedly, and Vinyl shook her head. Octavia just grabbed her in an embrace and hugged her tightly. "V, you can tell me whatever it is that's bothering you, you know" she said, stroking her mane gently and tenderly, the way a mother would a foal, or a lover would a traumatised life mate. The last thought brought a blush, and tears to Vinyl’s eyes, and she lifted her shades to wipe them away, sniffing as she did so.

"I knew it. Something's upsetting you!" she said, pulling back and barely giving Vinyl enough time to get her shades back into place. She fumbled with them, and Octavia huffed irritably and grabbed them, throwing them off into the darkness. Vinyl watched them go, then turned back to Octavia, closing her eyes as she did.

"Tavi! What in Equestria is wrong with you?" she yelled.

Octavia sighed. "I want to know what's upsetting you. And unless you look me in the eyes without those damn things I don't know if you're lying or not. So open your eyes and look at me!" she said.

Vinyl shook her head violently. "No!"

"Why not?"

"Because you'll see me like them!" Vinyl said, nearly sobbing, and Octavia hugged her tightly again. 

"Like who?" she asked tenderly, and for the first time in what felt like forever, Vinyl opened her eyes to the real world, seeing it without the distortion of the nearly opaque glasses. Octavia did not see. Vinyl sniffed again.

"Get me a pair of sunglasses and I'll tell you," she said, closing her eyes once again as Octavia nodded and brought her back out of the embrace.

"Okay," she said, letting her go and walking back inside. Vinyl felt empty without her by her side, she felt hollow without the mare's embrace. Then, and only then, did she want to truly recognize the deep seated yearning in her heart that threatened to overcome her soul as love.

She heard hoofsteps and felt a pair of glasses being put onto her face. She opened her eyes and saw the smiling face of Octavia.

"Can you see them?" she asked and Octavia shook her head sadly.

Vinyl smiled a bit before she walked into the house. Octavia shut the door behind her and they both sat on the couch, as Octavia listened to Vinyl's story.

"I wasn't born here in Ponyville..." she began, and went on to tell Octavia almost everything...




After Vinyl had told her about her father, her step father, the beatings she got and her mother receiving abuse, Octavia looked ready to cry, but Vinyl wasn't done.

"I promised myself that I would tell the Metriponytan Police about my step-dad, and I did. He was put in jail, and according to the papers, he was serving a sentence of twelve years. He got out during a prison riot, and, well, he..." she stopped, tears falling down her muzzle as she buried her head in her hooves.

"He killed my mother!" she wailed, and Octavia gasped, unsure of what to do then. She knew she should comfort the mare, so she put her hooves around her and let Vinyl just lean on her for support.

"But, the piano..." Octavia began.

Vinyl sniffed. "Left to me in her last will and testament. My step father was killed by a Police Colt when he was involved in a bar fight. The Police Colt got prosecuted, but I feel it was justice" Vinyl said, and Octavia held her close.

"My step dad told me he only started drinking because of me, because I was a freak, just because of my eyes. I was a witch, a devil, a daemon, you name it, I was it. And the ponies at my school..." she paused, breaking away from Octavia's embrace to part her hair, showing her a scar where a rock had hit her on the head from an eternity ago.

"They weren't afraid to show me how much they hated me," she finished, and Octavia did cry then, tears flowed freely down her face as she held Vinyl close again, kissing the mare's head right where the scar was.

"There," she said, stroking up and down her mane gently. "All better."

Vinyl laughed. "If only it were that easy" she said, and Octavia sighed, leaning into the embrace.

"My mother died very early on too. I never knew her, after that my father, he became overprotective of me and my brother. When I first brought home my boyfriend, Noteworthy, He didn't like him. Thought he couldn't be trusted. I should've listened."

"What happened?" Vinyl asked, and Octavia smiled. 

"He used me to get back together with his ex marefriend. Enough said" she said and Vinyl sighed, leaving an air of comfortable silence between them as Octavia's hooves stroked through Vinyl's hair. They were both silent, both their pasts now in the open.

"But, no offence to you Vinyl, but this is all in the past. This is not what got you upset tonight, was it?" she asked suddenly, and Vinyl sighed and shook her head. 

"No, it isn't, but it's a small part. Because of the bullying, I got it into my head that I was good for nothing. And because of that, I feel I can't exactly approach ponies about how I'm feeling, one mare in particular" she said, and if Octavia was fazed by this, she gave no indication.

"I love her Tavi, and she doesn't know it, I don't know how to approach her because I don't want to ruin what we have," she wailed, and Octavia just held her closer than ever, ignoring the pain and the jealousy she felt.

"Who is it V?" she asked, and Vinyl sniffed.

"You," she whispered, and time froze, for just a split second, blending into an eternity, there was silence, shock became etched on Octavia's face as she pushed Vinyl away, not violently, but not entirely gently either, misconstruing this as an act of hatred, Vinyl looked away and began crying again.

"I'm sorry, I'm so so sorry Tavi!" she wailed, and glanced at the door, then at Octavia again, who had tears running down her face still. Vinyl made a half choked sob and dashed for the door, throwing it open and running into the night.

Vinyl got to her house and slammed the door, throwing herself down on her couch and letting the tears freely come. She then got up and went down the stairs to her recording studio, nearly slamming her head on the console. She picked up the CD she had made earlier, and sighed as she put it in the machine, pressing play. If that was all she had left of Octavia, then so be it...

PRESENT DAY:

Vinyl was shocked, why was Octavia there? Didn't she hate her? Didn't she never want to see her again? She was watching her, those violet eyes holding such depth, such emotion, that Vinyl could hardly stand it. Octavia sniffed once, and Vinyl realised she had been crying. Vinyl was glad she was wearing shades, otherwise Octavia would've known she had been crying too. She had picked them up off of the floor just before she opened the door. She may have been broken, but she wasn't stupid.

"May I come in?" she asked, her voice shaking, and Vinyl nodded, stepping aside and watching as the mare walked inside and took a deep breath. It still smelled vaguely of Lavender. Octavia turned and Vinyl watched as she smiled.

"V, we need to talk," she said, and Vinyl's heart plummeted to the floor, shattering into a million pieces. She knew what was coming. She was a heartbreaker herself, anypony could've told you that.

"Tavi, I know what you're going to say. How we can't be together and how it's better we remain friends, but I can't do that," Vinyl said pre-emptively, and Octavia just stood there, brow furrowed in confusion.

"So, before you say anything about us remaining friends, know this, I love you. And seeing you every day, and knowing that you know, would just eat away at my soul, until there would be nothing left. So before you break my heart anymore, go," she said simply, and sat on the floor. Octavia wanted to say something, but no words came. Nothing, just blank.

So she walked out the door. As soon as she left, the door closed and she heard sobbing, and hooffalls as Vinyl walked away.

Vinyl dejectedly walked down to her basement/Recording studio, once again submerging herself in the darkness. She glanced offhand at the piano in the corner and sighed, walking towards it.

"This is for you mom" she said quietly to herself, and for the first time in many years, she sat at the piano, and played...

Octavia was about to begin to walk away when she heard something, music, not just any music though, piano music. It was beautiful, and she knew instinctively that it was played by none other than Vinyl Scratch.

As she listened, something clicked in her mind, she was going to say no to the mare, despite what she wanted and believed. But now, hearing the music, she could hear the hurt, she could hear the emotion, the love, the frustration, the pent up guilt that she must have felt.

And it hurt her to hear it.

She decided then, something that would end their friendship entirely, and push them over the threshold of love. She turned away from the door and drew up her hind legs, pushing them out violently. The door was bucked open, but the music didn't stop playing. Octavia ran to the top of the stairs and walked down, hearing the music intensify.

She turned the corner and saw Vinyl playing beautifully, her hooves moving across the piano keys with grace and poise. Octavia silently walked up to the pony and wrapped her hooves around her, Vinyl jumped and struggled, until she was turned and came face to face with a pair of intense violet eyes.

"Vinyl, I love you," she stated, and Vinyl's mouth dropped, before her lips were sealed in a kiss, Vinyl mustered all of her self control before she could become lost in it, and pushed her back.

"Why?" she asked, before Octavia moved closer and began to kiss her neck passionately. Vinyl moaned out loud and felt her knees buckle, and knew she would've fallen were it not for the piano stool.

"Because you are kind... beautiful... caring... and I've been in love with you for a while now," she said, punctuating each word with a kiss.

"But... But... Oh Celestia... Why would you love a freak?" she asked, and Octavia stepped back, anger on her face, but not at her, at the glasses that blocked her eyes. Annoyed, Octavia grabbed them and crushed them in her hooves.

Vinyl's eyes were shut, yet again, and Octavia sighed. She leant in for a kiss and kissed her passionately, snaking her tongue between the alabaster unicorn's lips and eliciting a moan from her. Their tongues danced and Octavia pulled away suddenly.

"I won't kiss you, until you let me see your eyes," she whispered in her ear, and Vinyl shuddered as she felt the hot breath caress her ear.

"Promise me you'll still love me..." she asked, pleaded more like, and Octavia smiled. 

"I promise, I will love you no matter what," she said, and Vinyl slowly opened her eyes, revealing two, sharp, brilliant eyes that were crimson, the colour of rubies. Octavia gasped at the sight. They were beautiful.

Octavia reached up a hoof and caressed her cheek. "They're beautiful V," she said, and Vinyl smiled. 

"Really?" she asked, desperately wanting to believe her, and Octavia nodded, smiling, kissing her on the lips. 

"Really."

Vinyl threw her hooves around Octavia and kissed her forcefully, all tentative thoughts ceased to exist. Octavia picked her up and knocked over the piano stool as she sat her on the keys, a monotone sounded out as the perfect way to celebrate their union as the two tongues battled for dominance. Octavia's surprisingly won as her hooves snaked through Vinyl's hair and lifted her head so Octavia could kiss the supple flesh of the neck. Vinyl moaned out in brilliant resignation that was as much music to the gray mare's ears as the piano Vinyl was playing earlier.

For the next half an hour the two celebrated their love, and I'll leave the rest to your imagination.

> Chapter 5
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Chapter Five:

One Year Later:

Vinyl Scratch sat at the piano, a quill firmly grasped in her magic. She jotted down the latest few notes and sighed in appreciative contemplation as she pressed some more notes on the piano, then wrote them down. Ever since she and Octavia had moved in together, the basement was no longer where she kept her piano. She had got it out of there, placed it at the corner of the room next to the window so she could firmly watch the sunrise and the full beauty of nature, and ever since then she could play all day long.

She altered her shades on her eyes and set the quill down, going back to the beginning of the melody, playing the opening notes slowly, then picking up pace as the song dictated. She once again lost herself to the music as she always did, then came to a gentle close as the melody cut off mid-stream, but then she knew what to play and played it, picking up the quill as soon as it was over to put down the notes that were fresh in her mind.

But the very best thing about having the piano next to the window was that she could see when her love would return, and she saw her, the sparkling gray hair that always seemed to be in pristine condition, even as the unforgiving winter wind blew around it and the snow threatened to mat it to her face, it still remained perfect. Those violet eyes she could spot from a mile away, especially against the cold backdrop of white winter snow. She jumped up from the piano and opened the door just as Octavia was raising a hoof to knock and pulled her inside, giving her a long, passionate kiss that had Octavia nearly collapsing.

Octavia wasn't complaining in the slightest, she felt deathly cold, and Vinyl was oh so warm. She surrendered to the infinite pleasure and all-consuming passion. She moaned into it and threw her hooves around Vinyl's neck as she deepened the kiss, if that was even possible. Vinyl backed her up against the now closed door and drew away from her mouth, going along her jaw and kissing tenderly.

Octavia sighed with a smile and leaned her head back against the door as Vinyl moved onto her neck and shoulder.

"Vinyl, not that I'm complaining, but what's gotten into you?" she asked between kisses, each one drawing forth another gasp or moan of pleasure. Vinyl stopped her tender ministrations and leant her head on Vinyl's shoulder, sighing contentedly.

"I just missed you Tavi," she said, her hoof idly tracing her lover's chest.

Octavia sighed and held Vinyl close. "I missed you too V" she whispered into Vinyl’s ear, and finally looked down, taking note of the glasses she wore. Octavia shook her head. "Vinyl, how many times have I told you not to wear those infernal things in the house?"

Vinyl shrugged. "More times than I can count, Tavi," she said with a smirk and Octavia gently pushed Vinyl away, taking in the smirk and reaching out a hoof, giving Vinyl a chance to pull away if she wanted. She did not, and Octavia gently, tenderly stroked her cheek and took off the shades, setting them beside the door and turning back to her lover.

Thankfully, Vinyl didn't try to hide the ruby red irises that Octavia loved to see, but displayed them almost proudly. Octavia stroked Vinyl's cheek again and smiled warmly, reflected by Vinyl.

"You can hide them in public if you really want, but not here," she said and Vinyl smiled as well, nodding as they stared deeply into each other’s eyes. Octavia's gaze slowly drifted to the piano and the sheets of music and she arched an eyebrow.

"Why Vinyl, have you been playing?" she asked and Vinyl blushed, moving over to the piano and gathering the sheets, putting them inside the piano where she normally kept the piano sheets she was working on.

"It's not finished," she relented as she turned back to Octavia, blushing under her knowing gaze. Octavia smiled.

"What's it for? Or were you just working for the sake of working?" she asked.

Vinyl smiled. "It's a present," she stated, and that got Octavia's gossipy side into full swing.

"Ooh, for who?" she asked and Vinyl smiled wider, pointing a hoof towards Octavia.

"It's for you Octavia, or have you forgotten what day it is today?" she asked and Octavia smiled as well.

"Of course I know. It's the day before our anniversary" she stated with a smile and Vinyl smiled too.

"I still can't believe you fell in love with me," she said with a smile and Octavia walked forward, kissing her almost chastely and pulling away before Vinyl could respond, effectively leaving the white mare stunned into silence.

"Could you believe that?" she asked coyly.

Vinyl blushed again, and cleared her throat. Octavia giggled and sat on the couch, motioning for Vinyl to do the same. She did and curled up next to her and Octavia wrapped a hoof around her.

"So what did you do today Tavi?" Vinyl asked.

Octavia sighed. "Well, that new musician in town, Lyra? We got to talking in a café and it turns out, she has a thing for Bon Bon," she said excitedly and Vinyl gasped, sitting straight upright.

"No! She does not have a thing for Bonnie!" Vinyl said and Octavia nodded, giggling profusely. Vinyl started as well and they dissolved into fits of laughter.

"Oh, all joking aside though, they do make a very cute couple," Octavia said as she finally managed to quell her tears of laughter, and Vinyl smiled and nodded. "Almost as cute as you and me" she added.

Vinyl sat straight up, arched eyebrow and a smirk etching her face. She pointed a hoof at her. "Tavi, you can call me sexy, you can even call me beautiful, but I draw the line at being called 'cute'," she said, folding her hooves across her chest. Octavia smiled, gazing into Vinyl's crimson eyes and batting her eyelashes. Vinyl gave a nearly imperceptible shudder at the look that always got her to agree to anything the gray mare said.

"Oh yeah, and what're you going to do to stop me?" she asked jokingly, and Vinyl smirked wider.

"Nothing at all, only this!" she said, then launched herself at the mare, tickling her mercilessly. Octavia giggled uncontrollably and tried to squirm out of the mare's grasp, but to no avail. Vinyl kept up the onslaught and Octavia dissolved into laughter again. They both fell onto the floor and Octavia sensed a way to get out, but Vinyl just tightened her hold and resumed the tickling.

"Stop! Stop! Okay, I give!" Octavia managed to shout and Vinyl managed to stop. They just lay there for a while, gazing into each other's eyes until Vinyl kissed Octavia suddenly and tenderly stroked her hooves through her mane.

"I love you Tavi" she said.

Octavia giggled. "Like I didn't know that. I love you too Vinyl."

They sat there in silence, punctuated only by the soft rise and falls of their chests in perfect sync and the gentle thumping of kindred hearts. The wind outside blew softly against the window pane and Vinyl looked out the window with a smile. She got up and offered a hoof to Octavia, who accepted it and lifted herself up.

"Tavi, can we go for a walk?" she asked, and Octavia furrowed her brow.

"In this?" she asked, and Vinyl nodded, shrugging. 

"Why not, I love the snow" she said and Octavia smiled.

"Only for you V"




The leaves were soft in the evergreen trees, a blanket of snow covering them, the ground was white with a soft winter hue, radiating and shining almost like millions of diamonds strewn about the floor. Standing in the middle of the clearing, engaged in a lover's embrace, dancing to an unseen melody composed by nature itself, stood two figures. They danced to the swaying breeze as the snow fell around the pair, a fitting ambiance to their song, like piano music or a soft cello solo in the midst of an orchestral piece.

As the two danced together, a contented sigh could be heard emanating from one of them, though who it was, was unclear. They stood, locked in each other's embrace, not caring for the cold that should have otherwise assaulted their very core. They shared the warmth, the beating of their hearts as one. Gray hair flowed around blue and joined together to create an entirely new colour that one could not distinguish.

Two pairs of eyes locked with each other and their lips moved closer together, fishing for a kiss that they would remember forever, as their lips locked together, one whispered the other's name. "Octavia..." Vinyl whispered as their lips locked again, the snow seemed to pick up then, swirling around them in a miniature tornado as the kiss was deepened, their passion fully opened and flowing freely into each other wherever their hooves caressed, where their lips joined, and their tongues fought for dominance.

Kindred spirits locked as one, heartbeats fully synced, like a beat to the melody nature played, and tears flowed freely in happiness as they embraced in the snow. The song reached a crescendo, only to wash down like a tsunami over a shore, and they were both left breathless by its intensity, finally allowing their lips to separate as they gasped much needed air.

They stood for a while as the tornado around them dissipated and the snow came to a halt, their foreheads touched and Octavia smiled, sighing appreciatively as Vinyl's hooves caressed her mane once again.

"This was a good idea" she said, and Vinyl nodded, a smile of her own etched in her alabaster face. Her ruby red eyes opened and found a pair of violet intently watching her and the smile grew on both their faces.

Love can be an ethereal experience, it cares not for difference in class or limitations of time. What matters is whether or not your love can stand the tests that time throws at it, and Vinyl's and Octavia's love is so pure it transcends even the heavens should they pass away. Vinyl told this to Octavia the next day, their official one year anniversary, as she handed over the sheet music she had made for her. Octavia's eyes filled with tears as Vinyl explained why she wrote it. It was a memoir to her past, the first verse being especially crafted, like clay, from a tune her mother had once taught her. The chorus, emanating how she felt the first time she met her, the second verse about her growing love, and the bridge about how that love had been cemented that fateful day when Octavia had kicked down her door and 'consummated' their relationship, taking her love on the piano.

Octavia blushed profusely, stating that she hadn't been able to control herself when she saw those eyes of hers and how it was Vinyl's fault for having such beautiful, emotional, transcendental, ethereal...

She cut herself off before she could go on about how beautiful her love truly was, and Vinyl blushed as well as she took the music from Octavia and set it on the piano, getting ready to play it in front of her for the first time.

"Are you ready?" she asked and Octavia nodded, standing behind her expectantly. Vinyl sighed, pressing the first few notes gently, a repetitive rhythm before the main melody began. If Octavia ever had a rival, it was the alabaster unicorn across from her. Known best for techno and hard rock, Octavia found it almost disconcerting when she heard her play on a properly tuned piano, as the only time she heard her lover play before was on a piano in her basement, and it was a day she cared to not repeat.

Vinyl lost herself to the music, closing her eyes and letting her hooves roam freely over the memory of the music she had memorized completely. Octavia thought that this couldn't be more beautiful. Now she understood why Vinyl liked to see her play; you could nearly see the musicians soul poured into the music itself. As the song came to a close all too soon, yet at the same time an eternity later, Octavia didn't realise the tears were flowing freely down her face until Vinyl turned and wiped them away, kissing the residual stains on her fur and whispering sweetly, "Happy anniversary."




This is not the ending.

> Chapter 6
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

You would laugh at the bitter irony of Noteworthy's fall from grace. How he got as good as he gave. All his time and hard work sapped by a two-timer. The same two-timer he had been chasing for the better part of a decade. The same two-timer he had given up the best pony in the world for, the most talented in all of Canterlot. How could he have been so foolish?

He coughed, he sneezed, the illness was there, and stronger than ever. Two months it had been, two very long months since he had seen a warm bed or tasted real food, drank real water or even been in any place that had even the slightest semblance of warmth.

Looking back now, he promised he would do things differently, he promised he would love the one he was meant to love, be with the one he was supposed to be with, the one who had unintentionally captured his heart even though all he wanted was the uneducated swine who trampled all over it and smashed it to pieces.

So caught up in his thoughts was he that he didn't notice when a drop of ice fell from the scaffolding overhead and down onto his neck. It takes a minute to like somepony, an hour to get a crush on them, a day to fall in love with them, yet a lifetime to forget.

He felt ashamed at himself for this wave of self pity. He felt anger at the one who denied him his chance at love. He felt sorrow for the fact that he broke her heart, and he felt resignation to his fate. He could feel the proverbial arms of death wrap around him through the cold, the icy feeling spreading to his core and numbing his body.

Of course, arguably he himself could be deemed a two-timer, and of course, he had used somepony to get back at the very one who had cheated. He despised cheaters, so he despised himself. He despised her, and they all despised him.

Of course he knew whose fault it was. As he sat in the alleyway, cold, alone and forgotten by the Canterlot community, his gaze fell on the puddle of melted snow and his own tears on the floor. His face turned into a scowl as a scowling blue earth pony frowned back at him with exactly the same hatred and maliciousness as was to be expected in the eyes of an outsider.

"I. Hate. You," he stated simply to his own reflection as he kicked out angrily with a hoof, sending a spray of water away from him and into the sides of one of the buildings. Through the rage and fires of ire, he whispered out her name, the name of the loved, the lost and the one he had given up on; "Octavia..."

Deserted, hungry, abandoned, his life was far from great. But, he took solace in the one fact that it could go nowhere but up from now on. He laughed. As if he could ever catch a break. Of course, he deserved every single second of treatment Fate chose to throw his way. After all, one didn't do everything he had done and get away from it unscathed.

After all this time and effort he had put into breaking into a predominantly unicorn controlled business, and that, that, HARLOT, stole everything and set him up to take the fall. He was a celebrity, so he had taken the blow lightly, but in the ensuing divorce, she had stolen whatever he hadn't paid in compensation and left him homeless.

Enough of this! he decided vehemently as he stood from the soggy cardboard. He had one last chance, one last shot at redemption before he gave up entirely. He would go and see Octavia, to beg for forgiveness. He was dying, he knew it, but there was still time to set things right, beg and beg and beg for her to see that he was sorry for all he did

Staggering out of the alleyway and into the streets of Canterlot, he was met with as much disgust and disdain as a cockroach must have gotten in a restaurant. In fact, he wagered that all of these ponies wanted to squish him like the metaphorical insect he was.

He saw his target, the train going to Ponyville. He wasn't sure, but he wagered that that's where Octavia had gone, because that's where her brother went, they had met once in the streets. He still had the scars...

He clambered onboard the caboose with the luggage, he had not the bits for a trip to Ponyville, and so he would have to pray he wouldn't get caught. But it was warm, oh so warm, and that's all that he cared about. He closed his eyes and reveled in the sensation, it had been so long since he had felt warm.

The train whistle blew and the train trundled out of the station. There were no windows, but he knew, for better or worse, he was leaving Canterlot for good...





Octavia lounged on the couch and sighed as the light piano music washed over her senses, whisking her away to a relaxing beach with the sun shining down upon her, the gentle waves lapping at the proverbial shore with all the finesse nature could muster.

The piano music itself she could liken to a brush in the hands of an artist, the blank canvas was her mind, and right now it was painting a beautiful picture with all her senses, she could hear the music mix with the waves, she could almost smell the seaside and see the waves. She came back to the real world, albeit a bit reluctantly, and her senses returned to the small living room and the music being played drifted to near silence before being drowned out by the sounds of the wind outside.

Octavia looked over at the piano and smiled as Vinyl got off of the piano stool and smiled as she sat down next to her on the couch.

"Your turn," she said and Octavia stuck out her bottom lip in an adorable pout.

"Oh do I have to, yours was beautiful, I don't think I can match it," she said and Vinyl smiled, wrapping her arms around Octavia's neck and kissing her on the cheek lovingly.

"You can't match me, you surpass me," she said with true sincerity and Octavia smiled.

"Sweet talker," she quipped and Vinyl smiled her daredevil, lopsided grin at the grey mare, eyes half lidded eliciting a blush like it always did.

"You know you love it," she retorted in the breathy voice Octavia loved to hear, and kissed her playfully on the nose. Octavia sighed and opened her eyes fully, glancing to where her cello stood next to the piano.

"Well, I can't play if you're on top of me can I?" she asked with a wiggle of her eyebrows, every double entendre intended, and Vinyl blushed and clambered off of Octavia as she got up and trotted over to where her cello stood swathed in a veil of orange sunlight. Octavia stood on her hind legs and drew her bow out from behind the instrument and smiled at Vinyl as she grasped the strings just below the peg box and drew the bow slowly, almost torturously slow, across the strings.

This had become a routine trend on the weekends, after a hard week’s work performing for various plays and musicals, and Vinyl's 'gigs' at the local club, they could unwind on the Saturdays and, Vinyl giggled, serenade each other with their respective instruments.

Each would claim that the other’s was better, but any outsider would've heard two sets of extremely beautiful music. Doubly so now as the piano piece had been specifically designed by the alabaster unicorn to mimic the throes of a summers day, and Octavia's symbolizing the epitome of beauty on a winters eve.

The strings played the beautiful melody as if their one purpose was to play that song at that specific time, Octavia's mane fell out of place into a beautiful disheveled form as she lost herself to the music. Her pink bow-tie that was reserved for performances became erratic and untied, adding to the lost beauty of the moment. All of these little details were not lost on Vinyl, however, and seeing her lover like this was such a rare commodity that she promised herself to savour the way her body undulated gracefully in the sunlight as the music whisked her away to wherever her music took her, the way the sunlight streaming through the curtains captured her mane and flung it around as she moved her head like clouds on the wind.

She almost didn't notice when a pair of violet eyes locked with hers, the amethyst colour seeping into her soul and her heart, locking their two souls in place. Octavia began to play subconsciously as she lost herself in Vinyl's ruby eyes and Vinyl in turn lost herself in Octavia's.

Vinyl smiled a loving smile reciprocated by Octavia, and the song finally came to a close exactly how she intended it, she took the bow away from the strings a took a bow, as was her custom, so she didn't notice when Vinyl moved from the couch and walked up to her.

Octavia's head came back up and she found her lips locked in a lovers dance, she moaned in surprise, but soon lost herself to the feel of it. Vinyl's hooves raked into her messy mane and pulled on it gently to allow their lips to part for an instant so they could catch their breath.

"Amazing... as usual..." Vinyl breathed and Octavia chuckled, panting heavily. She opened her cloudy eyes and stared at her lover with a seductive grin.

"The kiss or the music?" she asked coyly, and Vinyl smiled.

"Both," she stated before capturing those lips again in another soul searing embrace that only true lovers will understand. But before they could move any further, there was a knock at the door.

They broke apart and looked towards it, Octavia sighing heavily as she broke away from Vinyl's hooves reluctantly and headed towards the door.

Vinyl whined and Octavia turned to Vinyl opening her arms and giggled, causing the former to laugh too. Vinyl walked over to Octavia and they both opened the door together to see Derpy the mail-mare flitting just a few feet from the ground.

"Mail call!" she chirruped happily and the two exchanged a smile at the bubbly mare's attitude. Derpy rooted around in the mail bag and brought out a simple letter from the Ponyville General Hospital. Octavia grasped it and, with trembling hooves, opened it as Vinyl bade Derpy farewell and closed the door. She then turned to where Octavia stood, reading the letter over. Her face, one of a sad countenance as her eyes stopped and her hooves let the letter slip. She fell to her haunches and Vinyl instantly caught her as tears fell unbidden down the mare's cheek.

"Tavi? Tavi? What's wrong, hun?" she asked, rubbing the mares back as she shook her head.

"It's Noteworthy," she said, looking up into her ruby eyes, full of compassion. Vinyl was shocked and confused, until the next words came out of her lover's mouth.

"He's here..."





The fiery winter sun hung like a watchman to the white, velvet blanket of clouds over the sky, giving the clouds a fire to them that was rarely seen. A crimson red and fiery orange punctuated the few gaps in the clouds, offset the pale blue and made the sky look like a beautiful cloak wrapped around the world. The snow fell lightly now, after a blizzard only a few minutes before. No winds rang out over the countryside, nor did any wayward snowflake fall. The cold was still there, like an ominous beast, and it hit Noteworthy in the face. He shivered violently as he clambered out of the baggage area of the train and ran away from the train station. He coughed a few times into his hoof before he took a look around at the town of Ponyville.

It was quaint, and in another life he might've deemed it peaceful, tranquil, calm even. But now was no time for semantics or wishing for a better day, now was about making the day better by finding the one he had left and begging her for some chance at redemption and solace.

He had no idea where she might be, so he decided to ask around. Not many ponies had decided to come out that day, as was to be expected, various shutters were closed, the market held no fruit or produce of any kind, nor did the gardens hold any flowers, it was bare.

Noteworthy stumbled forward towards a passing pony in the streets. Said pony stopped and looked at him with increasing fear and worry in her eyes as he grew closer. She was about to extend a hoof, to ask if he was alright, before Noteworthy stumbled and the mare caught him as he fell, unceremoniously to the floor.

As she caught him, she couldn't help but notice his luminous green eyes, they held such depth, yet, they were old; these were the eyes of a weary soul.

"Whoa there, you'll hurt yourself, are you okay?" she asked him softly and he shook his head. "Octavia... I need... to find..." he managed to get out before he coughed again and his eyes shut. The mare panicked and checked his pulse and breath, he was breathing ever so softly, and his pulse was getting weaker. He had said something about Octavia, but right now he needed a hospital and a warm bed. He felt absolutely freezing.

She hoisted him onto her back and groaned at the weight. She wasn't used to carrying a heavy load; usually it was only a basket or two of flowers. She persevered, however, and headed towards the hospital.

As soon as she got through the door, the doctors sprung into action even before she asked for help. A bed was wheeled forward and the stallion placed on it. They checked his vitals, saying to each other that he was in a critical state. She watched helplessly as the stallion was taken through double doors at which she was refused entry. She agitatedly waited for the doctors to see her for what felt like forever.

Suddenly, the doors opened and the doctor who took him in came out and sat next to her with a smile on his face.

"Miss Octavia?" he asked and she shook her head.

"No, my name is Daisy" she said, and the doctor knitted his eyebrows in confusion.

"Do you know the patient miss Daisy?" he asked and she shook her head again, signifying the negative.

"No, we met for literally a second on the streets before he collapsed, he asked for Octavia before he passed out" she explained and he nodded.

"Is he okay?" she asked and he smiled, nodding.

"He's fine, but it was lucky you got him to us when you did, he was nearly gone. Any later and, well, we wouldn't be able to save him. But, yes, he will be fine, it'll be a lengthy recovery though" he explained, and Daisy let out a sigh of relief. The doctor put a hoof on hers comfortingly before he got up and trotted away, turning back to her one last time.

"Um, you wouldn't happen to know where Miss Octavia lives, would you?"

From:
PonyVille General Hospital
134 Stirrup Street
Ponyville

To:
Miss Octavia Strings
214 Bridle Street
Ponyville

Dear Miss Octavia

The hospital is loathe to inform you that there is a patient currently residing here who requests your presence in this trying time. A Mr. Noteworthy was admitted to the hospital in the early hours of this morning, and he regained consciousness a few moments ago, feverishly calling your name. He also wished us to inform you that he, in his words, "Wishes to make amends."

Hopefully you are not too busy to see this patient, as he will see no one else, not even the one who brought him here.

Wishing you all the best, Dr. KindHeart

Vinyl re-read the note that had fallen to the floor as Octavia threatened herself with a nervous breakdown. Why was that sick, idiotic, vile stallion bothering Octavia? Didn't he know the pain he had caused her?

Well, judging from the note he did, which made it even worse.

She set the note down on a table and picked Octavia up, looking into her glazed eyes.

"Tavi, you don't have to go, you can just ignore him you know" Vinyl said, and Octavia's eyes lost their glaze, and she returned to the world of the living. She nodded with a fake smile on her face that Vinyl saw through as though it were glass.

"I know V, it's just, he's here! Like, in town!" she said, and Vinyl nodded, bringing her in for a warm embrace as tears began travelling down her lover's face once again. Vinyl held her tenderly and brushed through her mane, doing as best she could to calm her down.

"I don't know if I can face him, even on the streets for one moment!" she bawled, and Vinyl just held her close, letting her vent her sorrow, and even share it. If she saw the scumbag and she was alone, and nopony was around to see it, she might just sock him in the jaw. What he did to her Tavi was unforgivable.

She held Octavia close for as long as she needed the comfort, and after a few moments, her sobs became a few slight hiccups here and there. Vinyl continued to rake a soothing hoof through her mane.

"I wanna go see him," Octavia suddenly said, and Vinyl looked down at her, where Octavia was looking up at her with her big pleading eyes, so full of hurt, but there was something else too, something Vinyl couldn't quite place, something akin to fear, but not quite. She couldn't bear to think it was anticipation.

"Why?" she asked and Octavia shrugged.

"I need closure" she stated, and Vinyl sighed, nodding in resignation.

"When should we go?" she asked, and Octavia smiled.

"I'll go, because I can't trust you. He's already in the hospital, he doesn't need to stay in there for longer than he already is" she stated with a smirk and Vinyl spared herself the frown in favour of a smile. She kissed Octavia tenderly on the forehead.

"Okay, but you need to promise to let him live to," she stated jokingly and Octavia nodded.

"I will. I just want answers..." she said, gazing somewhere off to the side. Vinyl gave her another hug before relenting and letting her go. Vinyl still held onto her.

"Uh, V?" she asked, and Vinyl looked down.

"Yeah?"

"Kinda hard for me to go with you holding onto me like this" she said and Vinyl smiled, a blush lightly kissing her cheeks. She got up and Octavia stood with her, and Vinyl's hooves slowly made their way from around Octavia's neck back to the floor. Octavia looked to the door with a mounting fear.

"You don't have to go" Vinyl said, sounding worried. Octavia turned back to her and smiled.

"It's okay, I- I want to, I need an answer, and the least he can do is give me an excuse as to why he did it," she said and Vinyl nodded, giving her a fleeting kiss on the cheek.

"Whatever happens, I love you" she said, and Octavia smiled before rubbing her shoulder.

"Relax, it sounds like you're saying goodbye," she said and Vinyl smiled a fake smile. If only Octavia knew what was going on in Vinyl's head.

Octavia turned to the door and breathed a deep, cleansing breath before grabbing her coat and opening the door. The cold hit the pair like a pane of glass and Octavia muttered something to herself, something along the lines of, "Let's do this," before she walked out of the door and closed it, leaving Vinyl alone.

The trek to the hospital was pure hell for Octavia. She started remembering things, step by step, inch by dreadful inch, a new memory came back to her, the memory of their first date, the memory of their first kiss, their first dance, the song that played in the restaurant, the first time they... well, no grimy details surfaced but she remembered with stark clarity the day she found out it was all a lie. What had he said to her? Oh yes, "I'm sorry Octavia, but I don't love you anymore, I think it's best we go our separate ways, and besides, Indigo's come back to me, so you can move on to"

She stomped her hoof in the snow, now going slower than Rainbow Dash's pet tortoise. How dare he? How dare he? All the time they spent together meant nothing to him! Nothing! And he left her broken, like a mirror with a stone hurled through it. She had been broken, and she had run, he had made her run away.

Of course, in reality, that was what had led her to Vinyl. Her face broke out in a smile for the first time since she had left their house. Vinyl Scratch, her exact polar opposite had won her over with confidence,\ and her beautiful eyes that one fateful day over a year ago.

Like all broken mirrors though, she had never fully healed. Even if the pieces were all glued back together, glass still had the telltale scratches, the network of fissures. Just like her mind still had the scars. Her smile disappeared.

She didn't have to do this, but something inside her made her keep going forward. Maybe she should've let Vinyl come along, maybe, because if she broke down in there, if she burst into tears, it would've been nice to have somepony to hold her, to love her, as he clearly didn't.

She stopped. The double doors of the hospital looked like doors leading to a prison. The red lettering on them never looked so foreboding. She never liked hospitals, but this was just annoying. It was as if Fate wanted her to have the worst day in the world.

She gulped and walked in through the doors, holding it open for a patient in a wheelchair coming out. She smiled as he said his thanks and entered the hospital, taking notice of Daisy in one of the chairs. Why was she here? Was her sister ill?

She pushed the thought away and walked up to the desk, where Nurse Redheart was tending to the patient list on a clipboard.

"Hello Nurse? I'm Octavia, I'm here to see Noteworthy" she said, and she heard a shuffling behind her, she took note of Daisy coming up to her and turned to see her expectant eyes on her own.

"Octavia! Are you here to see Noteworthy?" she asked and Octavia furrowed her brow as the Nurse told her what room he was in.

"Yes I am, how did you know?" she asked and Daisy smiled at her.

"I brought him here. He sort of collapsed in my arms," she admitted sheepishly and Octavia looked forward, not saying a word, nor did she let any of the information elicit any response from her. She wanted to appear cold, until he said what he had to say.

She got to his room without any further incident. Daisy remained uncharacteristically silent the whole walk, either in deep contemplation, or beginning to piece the information together, whatever snippets she had received.

She opened the door to be confronted with the scent of lavender. Any other situation and she would've found the smell pleasant, now she found it irritating. Why did it have to be lavender?

Daisy was standing at the doorway uncomfortably with her. Noteworthy looked up, saw Octavia, and lay his head back down, letting a weak cough escape his lips. Octavia turned to Daisy.

"Daisy, I would prefer to be alone" she stated simply, and Daisy nodded, stepping away a few steps. Octavia entered the room and closed the door behind her, not facing the blue stallion in the bed until he started talking, which seemed to be a long time away. So she waited, eyes closed, ready to hear the voice she had grown to hate.

"I'm sure you have questions," he said weakly, and Octavia turned her head a fraction of an inch.

"Just one," she stated coolly, and could almost hear the nod of his head. The rhythmic beeping of the machine broke any silence in a pattern, almost unnervingly so. How could he remain so calm?

"Why?" she asked, turning her head a bit more. She heard another cough. Silence once again filled the room.

"I don't know why," he whispered, and she turned, rage filling her vision. She stormed over to the bedside.

"Then how about I tell you why? Hmm?" she yelled and the beeping rapidly increased.

"It's because you thought I was nothing! You saw me as a chance to make another jealous, I was nothing to you, except a rebound buck!" she spit, anger and malicious intent dripping from her words. A tear began to form in his eye but he pushed it away.

"Occy..." he began, but was cut off by a hoof being jammed into his face, cutting him off. It wasn't a slap, per se, it was a silent order to shut up, punctuated by her jabbing him a few times with her next words.

"Don't call me that! You lost your right to call me that a long, LONG time ago!" she stated, before taking her hoof away.

"Octavia," he tried again, but the sound of his voice made her want to punch him in the jaw.

"I made a mistake. A terrible, horrible, unforgivable mistake. And I'm sorry," he said, and she laughed, turning away.

"Three years, Notes. Three bucking years it's been since you left me, and you know what? It still hurts! It still hurts because of all the time we spent together. How could six months not mean anything to you? Then I finally move on and here you are! Are you tryin' to ruin my bucking life?" she screeched, and he tried to sit up. The beeping momentarily increased and he lay back down.

"No, of course not, it was only after you left did I realise what a horrible mistake I made, she was nothing compared to you," he said, defending himself, and, to a lesser extent, her.

She whipped around violently, her hair flying about her shoulders. At any other time Notes might've thought her beautiful, but now, she looked ready to kill him.

"She was nothing? So you dumped me, almost literally in the gutter for nothing? What does that make me then? Huh? WHAT DOES THAT MAKE ME? HOW DO YOU THINK THAT MAKES ME FEEL NOTEWORTHY?"

"Please, Occy..."

Then, she did slap him, a ringing slap with the volume to startle even Daisy in the corridor. A ringing slap that left a cut on his cheek, trailing blood down to his chin. A ringing slap that hurt her hoof to do, but needed to be done.

She brought her face close to his, her eyes filled with anger, wide with the promise of revenge. Animal instincts kicked in with the prospect or repaying a wrong done to her.

He raised a hoof to his stinging cheek before allowing a tear to slip out of his eyes, unnoticed by Octavia who stood panting a few inches away.

"You. Do. NOT. Call. Me. That!" she seethed through gritted teeth and he closed his eyes, ready for another slap, but it never came. Octavia resumed her position facing away from him, this time to a nearby mirror, staring at her reflection and the reflection of the bed behind her.

"P-please, Octavia, please, I really DID Love you, I still do a little, I'm not asking for much, the promise that sometime in the future you can forgive me, or even pass me in the streets without hurting me," he said with a little fear, awaiting her reaction. She punched the mirror, having it shatter all over her hoof. He jumped and she picked up a shard, motioning to the mirror behind her.

"You see that? You did that to my heart. You broke it so bad, and now, now I've finally put it back together again, but there are still cracks," she explained, ready to burst into tears.

"And here you come, trailing up the past, and you expect me to forgive you when you're threatening to break me again?" she said, tears trailing down her face leaving stains in her perfect fur. She sniffed and closed her eyes, squeezing out another tear.

"If you loved me, if you ever, EVER, loved me, you will leave Ponyville as soon as you can. I don't want to see you again. I don't want to hear from you again. I moved on, and you WILL move on too," she put emphasis on WILL, making it a threat. She opened the door to the room to find three nurses and Daisy watching her as she left. As soon as she got out of their way they rushed into the room to clear up the glass and ask if he was okay. Octavia ran out of the hospital crying, the tears falling to the ground in a rivulet of water. She sobbed uncontrollably as she headed back to the safety of her house.

For Vinyl, the entire time Octavia was gone, her fears started to overcome her sense of rational thinking. As she sat at the piano, trying unsuccessfully to write a piece of music, she thought about what Octavia would be doing at Noteworthy's bedside. Then, she felt fear. This was Octavia's ex-coltfriend, someone whom she had loved very dearly, what if she forgave him and they discovered they loved each other again?

No, Octavia was in love with her, and what Noteworthy did was beyond anything she had ever heard of, Octavia would never forgive him, but wait, was she jealous? Jealous of a no good two-timing scumbag?

This couldn't be happening. She put her hooves to her temples and slammed her head down on the piano keys, a monotone resonating through the silence that attacked her like a plague. It hurt, but it alleviated her thoughts, by starting a headache.

She sighed and stayed that way for some time. Why was she jealous? Because she wasn't Octavia's first love? Because Noteworthy was a famous musician, or was a famous musician and she was just a disc jockey who happened to play piano?

She couldn't place it, but it was so foalish of her, she decided that the thoughts were irrational. She heard hoofsteps, fast hoofsteps. Somepony was running. She looked outside and saw the grey fur of Octavia, and she also saw the tears. She rushed to the door and opened it, and was on the receiving end of a sobbing hug.

"Vinyl -I- he- we..." that's all she got out before she dissolved into tears. Vinyl held her close and whispered sweet nothings into her ear, stroking her mane in the way that she knew calmed her down. She kicked the door closed with her hoof and just held Octavia there for what seemed like an eternity.

She shouldn't feel jealous, least of all of him, she could hold Octavia, soothe her, comfort her, and please her, whereas he had thrown everything away. She was better than him. And she knew it now. The mare in her hooves now was proof of that, right?

Still, something nagged at her mind, something that refused to let go. A still, small voice that whispered; You're not good enough.

The night came without incident, Octavia remained silently stoic. Silence filled the room like a perverted voyeur, watching them and seething over their bodies like a snake, making them both shift uncomfortably. Vinyl turned to Octavia, opening her mouth as if to say something, but at the last second decided against it. They both simultaneously took a sip from their drinks before setting their glasses down on the table.

Vinyl decided then to just lie back, and as she did so, she whispered something from a song she had been working on for some time now.

"A door will open for one's lost soul
But for a door to open one must first pull"

She quietly whispered those words, her head turning and resting on the back of the sofa. Octavia finally seemed to snap out of her trance and turn to Vinyl, blinking twice and looking down at her hooves. They were cut and bruised, stained with blood, both her own, and from the slap she had given Noteworthy.

"Since when did you become Shakeshooves?" she asked and Vinyl smiled at her tenderly, stroking a wayward strand of hair from her face.

"I'm just philosophical," she said with a smile and Octavia smiled back, tears pricked her eyes.

"Tavi, what happened at the hospital?" she asked, and Octavia looked up almost guiltily, before telling her everything, from how Daisy had been there looking more than concerned, to when she had slapped him. She even told her about her smashing the mirror and showed her the hooves, to which Vinyl insisted she bandage up.

"And you say you couldn't trust ME?" she asked incredulously from the kitchen and Octavia just shrugged; then seemed to remember Vinyl couldn't see her.

"Well, you would've killed him. Celestia knows I nearly did," she said sadly, and Vinyl came back in with a glass of water and some tweezers, along with fresh bandages before she began to inspect her lover's hoof for any stray glass shards.

"And you're sad?" she asked carefully, choosing to leave the question open ended so Octavia didn't think she was implying anything, and Octavia shrugged.

"I don't know, I, I've never given anypony such a harsh berating before, and well, the mirror and the slap, that just isn't ME, V," she said, then winced when Vinyl pulled out some glass and dropping it in the water, dabbing a cloth in it and wiping around the cut that was slowly weeping the red liquid.

"I would say the situation warranted..."

"No, V, the situation NEVER warrants violence, not even to him," Octavia cut her off, and Vinyl shrugged, taking out another piece of glass, looking over the hoof, satisfied she had done all she could, she wrapped the bandage around the hoof and kissed it. In any other situation Octavia might've smiled at the serenity and tenderness of the moment.
"But, you gotta admit he was due for a slap," Vinyl said as she stepped back into the kitchen with the bowl of water and glass, now tinged a slight pink, and the wet towel.

Octavia shrugged again. "Maybe..."

"Well, the real question is, do you feel better now?" she asked, and Octavia shrugged.

"I don't know, V, I really don't know..."
> Chapter 7
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

The first thing Noteworthy saw as he woke up was the glistening silhouette of a pony standing by the windows as the sun slowly set. It was stunning to say the least. The golden rays of the sun washed over the mare's pink coat and wrapped her in a dress-like shape of grace. He silently gazed as the golden light seemed to wrap around her, her green hair, though seemingly out of place, was also very welcoming, reminiscent of the grass outside, and blending with the colours perfectly, yet contrasting beautifully.

She looked over at him and smiled, and he was immediately lost for a moment in her golden eyes. She walked over to him as he attempted to sit up, but she laid a hoof on his chest and pushed him back down.

"Don't," she said sternly, yet kindly. "The doctors say you need to rest," she said with a warm smile and he lay back down, smiling at her fondly, but still attempting to sit up.

"I am quite capable of sitting up so I don't have to stare at the cieling all day," he stated coyly and her smile grew. She took the hoof off of his chest and sat down on a chair that was set up beside the bed. Noteworthy looked at her and she frowned, tilting her head. His smile disappeared and he furrowed his brow in confusion.

"What?" he asked and she shook her head, getting out of the chair and dabbing a cloth in the bowl of water that had been set by his bed. She wiped along his cheek and drew back the cloth. It held a stain of red in the middle.

"Your cut from where Octavia hit you was still bleeding," she explained, and Noteworthy held a hoof to the wound as the pain of it suddenly came back.

Daisy sat on the chair and Noteworthy looked at her. "Forgive me, I didn't ask you your name," he said and she smiled again. She looked pretty when she smiled.

"My name's Daisy. I run the flower shop in town. What about you? What's your name?" she asked and he held out a hoof.

"Pleasure to make your acquaintance Miss Daisy, my name is Noteworthy," he said, and she held his hoof in a handshake, Noteworthy tried to ignore the sudden jolt of electricity that slowed time, jolting from his hoof all the way up his spine.

"Noteworthy. That's a nice name," she said and he smiled at her again.

"As is Daisy. It suits you," he muttered the last part, though she heard him.

"In what way?" she asked and Noteworthy blushed slightly under his blue coat.

"Well, uh, you, uh, you look quite colourful..." he said and she arched an eyebrow in mock annoyance.

"Not that... Not that that's a bad thing... I, uh... I mean it's quite... endearing in fact, and, uh, oh Celestia," he rambled, and Daisy broke into fits of giggles.

"You want a shovel for that hole you're digging there?" she asked and he blushed harder. She stopped laughing and smiled warmly. "Thanks Notes, I'm going to take that as a compliment" she said  and he breathed a sigh of relief at that statement as that was what he had originally intended, but his words didn't precisely portray that.

She giggled and he suddenly realised he was blushing, which only made him blush harder, which made Daisy giggle harder. Deciding a topic of discussion was more prudent than further embarrassment, he decided to thank her for her kindness.

"Thank you, Daisy, for bringing me here. I don't know a lot of ponies where I come from who would've done the same," he said, losing some of his smile, and she cocked her head. His eyes became glazed and the age returned to them, as though he had seen too much in his life.

"Really? Anypony around here would've done it for you," Daisy said, gesturing out the window. Noteworthy couldn't help but be disappointed as to how her act of kindness was just almost mandatory.

"Well, where I come from if you don't conform to social standards, you're an outsider," he stated flatly, staring into her golden eyes, unblinking.

"You sound like you've been through a lot," she said, gesturing again to the cut on his cheek, to which his hoof subconsciously rubbed, a bout of pain shooting through it like a hot iron through snow.

"Perhaps too much," he said, again, flatly and stoic.

"Why was Octavia so unkind to you?" she asked, and if it were possible, he withdrew further into himself, his eyes losing all their emotion and his smile disappearing completely. Daisy feared she had overstepped her bounds, and those fears were confirmed as he rolled over and pulled the covers close, half-turning his head.

"It's getting late, I really should rest."

She turned away, a tear threatening as she gazed out of the window. She rubbed it away, confused, what was going on? And then she felt it, she felt his pain as she reached out, his emotion, one of utter sadness, she felt her heart break as his had, oh so long ago, and she let out a silent sob...





Vinyl and Octavia lay in bed that night facing each other, hooves wrapped around their lover's in a tender embrace, Octavia seeking warmth and comfort, Vinyl seeking only to make sure Octavia wasn't saddened.

"Thank you, Vinyl," Octavia said, and Vinyl scooted closer, stroking her cheek comfortingly with her hoof.

"For what, hon?" she asked and Octavia shrugged, scooting ever closer so their faces were mere millimetres apart.

"For everything, for being so understanding and kind," she said, and Vinyl smiled, stroking her again and moving some of her steel grey mane out of her violet eyes as they lay there awake.

"I never used to be kind you know," she said and Octavia smiled at that, chuckling lightly and scooting  close enough that their noses now touched.

"I know, before you used to be the 'cool, sexy outsider', now you're my little softy," Octavia said lowering her voice to a sultry whisper, and Vinyl laughed.

"What, I'm not sexy anymore?" she asked, and Octavia smiled in her own seductive way, closing her eyes halfway and edging her hoof forward, gently taking off the one from her cheek and holding it.

"Always," she confirmed, before kissing her on the lips, gently, not daring to ignite the fire she knew so well could blaze out of control. She remembered one night they had been particularly... overzealous, and she could have sworn the area where Vinyl had applied her ministrations was still a bit sore. She blushed at the memory and the fires that began to ignite with the kiss, so she broke the contact and rolled over, scooting closer to Vinyl.

Vinyl draped her hoof over Octavia’s shoulder. It immediately abandoned its perch and travelled upwards to her mane, beginning a soft stroking motion and slowly massaging her scalp. Octavia sighed appreciatively.

"You said you hit Noteworthy," Vinyl began, and Octavia's eyes fluttered open.

"Yes, I did," she confirmed, albeit sullenly, and Vinyl continued to stroke her mane. It was a trick her own mother used on her as a little filly to coax secrets from her. She would never judge too harshly, but it also meant whenever her mother stoked her mane, she wanted answers, and she wasn't going to cease and desist until she got them.

"Do you regret it?" Vinyl asked, and she heard and felt Octavia sigh against her.

"I don't know, V. I... I think I do," she said, and Vinyl lowered her head. She spoke again.

"Why?"

"Why?" Octavia echoed, rolling around again and facing Vinyl.

"Why?" she repeated, this time a bit more loudly, and Vinyl braced herself, they had had their fair share of arguments and debates, but they were small things, Vinyl didn't want to find out if this one was going to be their defining one that would break them.

"Vinyl, I pride myself on the fact that I don't slap, I try not to cause any physical pain, not even the first time he..." she let the unfinished sentence hang in the air, a small bout of anger forming in Octavia's stomach. She sat up, squelching it before it could be directed at the compassionate unicorn beside her.

"I was raised better than that, and even if it was Noteworthy, I didn't want to hit him, or break that mirror. He reduced me to nothing but anger, when I try to cast my mind back all I feel is rage, and that terrifies me, I don't want to become the one in the wrong here"

Vinyl sat up as well and gently placed her two hooves on Octavia's shoulders, rubbing them gently as she tried to coax the tenseness out of the muscles.

"So, you think he didn't deserve it?" she asked, and Octavia shrugged, nearly throwing off Vinyl's hooves.

"Vinyl, nopony deserves to be threatened in a hospital, not even him," she explained, and Vinyl fought that jealousy. She still felt something for him, even if it was just instinctual compassion. She knew she shouldn't feel it, but it was there, the little green monster with the annoying voice to match.

"But what he did..."

"Is in the past," Octavia finshed for her, leaving Vinyl stunned for a moment, but she resumed the massage. "I should have come to this conclusion yesterday when I was seeking closure, but I was angry, and naive. I don't want him here, but I operate a 'forgive and forget' policy. If he wants to stay, then I won't stop him" she said, and Vinyl smiled. The jealousy vanished, it was just instinctual compassion and wisdom from a wise mare. She kissed her lovers shoulders and she moaned slightly, tilting her head back to accept the tender kisses.

"Mm, you always know just the right spots..." she murmered, and Vinyl giggled to herself, continuing the kisses, moving up to Octavia's supple, toned neck.

"He seemed to be attached to Daisy anyway," she said breathily, and then moaned again. "Oh, V, don't stop"

Vinyl laughed, bringing her head up to just beside Octavia's cheek.

"She doesn't know what she's getting into," she whispered seductively, every double entendre to the current situation intended, and Octavia let out a breathy, almost imperceptible moan before she turned her head, lips found hers and hooves pressed on her shoulders, pushing her down to the bed.

> Chapter 8
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

As long as there was fire in her blood, life in her eyes, and breath in her lungs, she would strive to make sure nothing harmed her lover again. She had made this promise before, almost a year ago when they had finally admitted long hidden feelings for each other, but then Noteworthy had come to town, seeking forgiveness that Octavia was reluctant to share, but now openly welcomed.

She faced her, a sigh of content washing over her blushed face, their exertions had warmed the bed and now they lay happily dreaming, one sleeping, chest rising and falling gracefully, the blush still tinting her cheeks, gray mane shrouding her lidded eyes as she slept, a smile on her face; whereas the other lay there, equally content, stark two-toned blue mane slightly covering one of her crimson eyes as she lay awake, gently stroking her lover's face, but thinking, the proverbial gears ticking in her mind.

If Octavia were to apologize to Noteworthy, and he tried to make her sad, or break her again, she wouldn't let him. Hell hath no fury like that of a mare scorned. And she had a good place where nopony would think to look for the body.

She laughed to herself, she wouldn't stoop that low to exact revenge, no no no, but that slap Octavia gave him must have hurt, and she could do worse. Much, much worse.

With that thought in her mind and a smile, halfway between evil and happy, she finally managed to drift, slowly, surely, contentedly into the arms of Morpheus as he whisked her away to the dream world...





Noteworthy did not sleep, he did not dream, he did not feel. He was reminded inadvertently by Daisy how he had sequestered his one chance at love only to squander it down the line for somepony else he only wanted because of lust. It was a foolish mistake to make, and one he wouldn't get the chance to make again.

The doctors were letting him go tomorrow, well, today. It was 5 in the morning, he rolled over and saw Daisy's figure framed against the moonlight, he sighed and shook his head. She really did look beautiful.

He shook his head again, violently, forcefully, in a blatant attempt to safeguard his feelings, lock them up tight like he had trained himself to do almost a year ago. She did look beautiful, but that was basic assumption, right? Besides, she wouldn't go for him, foolhardy and arrogant, useless and self-absorbed.

She deserved better, so he squashed his feelings as best he could before they could solidify in his heavy heart. She stirred and rolled over in her sleep, shuddering a little. Noteworthy frowned, she must've been cold.

He got up, silently, and took his own blanket in his teeth, gently, and, with scarcely a rustle, draped it over her form like an elegant gown. She sighed appreciatively, and reflexively took the blanket in her hooves, drawing it up around her neck in an effort to gain warmth. He smiled at her foal-like behavior, she was adorable.

He turned, smile still on his face despite his recent resolution to not let feelings take him, and clambered back into the bare bed. All that was left was the thin sheet that was cast over the blanket as an extra cushion of warmth, but that was enough. The doctors had unhooked him from the heart monitor earlier that day, just before the final glimpse of sunrise.

As he lay there awake, colder than before, his thoughts once again took a hold.

He had seen her eyes earlier that day, the happiness held within with her lot in life was not faked, he knew how to spot fake happiness a mile away, having had a lot of practice, and there was none in her eyes. Genuine warmth radiated from her, almost as much as it did from his mother.

He sighed yet again, it seemed that he was doing a lot of that lately, but a rush of emotion that couldn't be put into words was often put into a smile, either one of happiness and content, or sadness and debilitating sorrow.

This one was the latter. His mother had been there for him since he was a young colt, and now even she hated him for what he had done to Octavia, she hated him until the day she died, which was the whole reason he was here actually.

As he lay there he saw the faint orange glow of sunrise touch the edge of the horizon. He watched as the orange glow intensified and Daisy huddled under the blankets tighter as the sunrise began to invade the room in a crescendo of reds golds and yellows. Daisy's eyelids fluttered slightly and Noteworthy shut his eyes tightly as she stirred and woke up. He had been laying there close to four hours watching her, he realised, and he was just lost in her beauty as she slept, the way her chest rose and fell majestically in the night, and the way the moonlight illuminated her profile, subtely washed away to the golden colour of the sunrise.

She woke and yawned, then looked down, confused; she remembered last night she had been cold, so where did this duvet come from? She cast a glance at the stallion in the bed and noticed he only had the thin blanket over him. She blinked and smiled, realising what he had done. Not knowing that he in fact was awake, she clambered down off the chair and set the blanket back over his prone form and gave him a fleeting kiss on his cheek. She blushed as she pulled away, and were it not for Noteworthy's control he would've felt his face heat up too if he had not repressed the feelings to the extent of near non-existance.

She gave his mane a light stroke before he heard hoofalls moving away from the bed and the door opening and closing. He sat up and put a hoof to his cheek, scarcely believing what had just transpired.

He rubbed the cheek absentmindedly as he lay there, and try as he might he could not stop a smile growing on his lips as the memory ghosted over his cheeks. They finally flushed in a pink tone.

He heard hoofsteps and he quickly dove back into his prone position and shut his eyes, hearing the door open and two ponies conversing as they walked in, but at a whispered level. He had to strain his ears, but he heard what they were saying with almost stark clarity.

"Nurse, are you sure he's going to be alright?" a voice, he assumed was Daisy, asked, and he heard the nurse give a light chuckle.

Noteworthy cracked his eyes open a fraction of an inch to see what the nurse and Daisy were doing.

"Yes, dear, he'll be fine, better than new. He certainly can't get any worse than when he came to us," she said, and Daisy took a sip of the coffee she was holding in one of her hooves.

"About that, I've been meaning to ask him about it, but I tried to get him to tell me about his past yesterday, and, well, he sort of withdrew," she said, and the Nurse nodded, thoughtful.

"Well, that could be a common response to a traumatizing past, or maybe there's just some bad memories there, he'll open up in time," she said with a light smile, and Daisy nodded again.

"I'm just worried about him, he rarely smiles, he rarely talks about himself, always asking about me, when Octavia left he was keen to leave the subject alone for the brief time we talked before he was sleeping, and..."

Daisy was cut off by the Nurse.

"You like him don't you?" she asked, and Daisy stopped dead, hoof frozen, coffee shaking, almost imperceptible to the untrained eye. Noteworthy subconsciously held his breath.

"Well, I, uh, well, that is, uh..." Daisy said, blushing furiously, Noteworthy had to exercise all of his self control to keep from gasping in surprise, though he knew one of his eyebrows involuntarily hitched high on his brow.

The Nurse giggled again and Daisy blushed harder at being so flustered.

"It's okay Daisy, your secret's safe with me," she said with a wink, and turned to give Noteworthy a knowing glance as if she knew he was watching, which caused him to nearly blush. She turned back to Daisy again, this time with a serious demeanour.

"But, a word of caution, Octavia probably had a good reason to slap him, not that he deserved it, but she is usually a 'forgive and forget' type of mare, he did something to her that got her mad, really mad, and whatever it was probably had something to do with him ending up here," she said, and Daisy furrowed her brow.

"What's that supposed to mean?" she asked somewhat defensively, and the Nurse held up a hoof to her friend's chest.

"Nothing, I'm just saying, make sure he doesn't break your heart when you tell him, okay?" she said, and then turned to the door, walking out.

She turned around with another one of her smiles.

"Of course, there is a slight chance he already knows about your feelings," she stated cryptically as she walked out of the door, leaving a confused, blushing Daisy to turn to the 'sleeping' form of Noteworthy.
> Chapter 9
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Octavia awoke to a very welcome smell, the smell of pancakes fresh from a cooker. She inhaled a lung full of air, relishing the smell and how it took her back just briefly to the happier parts of her life in Canterlot.

She exhaled almost comically as she got out of bed and ran her hooves through her mane just to get it presentable for Vinyl when she went downstairs, that way, she could avoid many of her marefriends' well-meant jokes and witty quips, not that she didn't have any of her own...

smiling devilishly, she set her hooves into the bathroom and started to run the bath water as she looked in the mirror. There were slight bags under her eyes thanks to the dream last night, it wasn't a nightmare by any means, just a bit... disturbing.

She shrugged it off and wiped some steam that had obscured her reflection from the water and gazed at her mane. It was dishevelled, and in a quaint disarray. She actually liked it that way, and with a bit of refinement she could have re-styled it.

Would that she could. She'd leave the beauty tips to Miss Rarity, she had been saving up a few bits, maybe for Vinyl's birthday she would get a makeover for herself AND Vinyl.

She giggled at the mental image of her lover in a beauty chair with curlers in her two-toned mane, struggling with Rarity to keep her shades on, but Rarity insisting she had to apply mud masks to exfoliate her skin.

The giggling turned to loud laughter as she stepped into the shower and cringed a little at the temperature of the water, a brief kick of the cold tap with her left hoof changed it to a more pleasant one, and she sighed happily as the water matted her mane and worked away at her tense muscles and helped her relax.

Were it not for her almost trance-like state, she would've noticed the moan of appreciation that left her lips, or the bathroom door opening, and she would have certainly noticed when the shower curtain opened and a pair of ruby red eyes watched her with almost fanatic fascination and devotion.

Octavia's eyes went wide and her stare was locked forward, but her head slowly travelled left and locked with Vinyl's face that was contorted into one of barely contained laughter.

"V, is there any particular reason you are watching me shower?" she asked, and Vinyl's smile widened to that of a Cheshire Cat before she blinked and answered.

"No, just you look so damn sexy with a wet mane" she said, giving her the once over that usually would have made her blush, but today, she was feeling adventurous.

"Well, either get in and do something about it, or close the curtain, you're letting all the heat out" she said, and Vinyl shrugged and closed the curtain.

Octavia sighed in exasperation, sometimes, that mare could be a real tease. She smiled to herself as she picked up the soap and worked a little into her hooves until it formed a lather.

Oh, but that was how she liked it.

The curtain was suddenly yanked back, forcing her back into reality with a startled yelp, she dropped the soap container.

Vinyl's head was floating next to her hooves around the curtain with that smile again.

"Breakfast is on the table, I hope you like Pancakes" she asked and Octavia shook her head.

"No, in an entire year you don't know me at all" she said sarcastically and shared a laugh with the alabaster head before it retracted and she crouched to pick up the soap again. She resumed washing and soon had her hooves running through her hair with shampoo, getting out the knots and massaging her scalp. She let her head loll a bit as her hooves went through it and washed away the grease and grime.

About two minutes later she shut off the water and pulled back the curtain, stepping out of the shower letting the water drip from her coat and onto the floor. She picked u[p a towel from the nearby chair in front of the mirror and began to dry herself off.

She left her mane partially wet as she was still contemplating styling it into something other than the normal style she wore from day to day. She sighed and gazed at her unruly hair matted to her face and dried it with the towel. Maybe she would get them a styling session with Rarity.

She smiled at the memory of a thought of Vinyl struggling with Rarity over her shades. She still had a thing about hiding her eyes in public, though had long since relented to showing them around the house.

Although through time Octavia was sure she could get her to at least make her take them off in a café or something.

She stepped out of the bathroom to the strong scent of pancakes once again and her stomach groaned in protest to smelling but not eating.

She trekked down the stairs and heard something emanating from the kitchen, the sound of a sweet singing voice, it was beautiful, and Octavia quickly realised that Vinyl was singing her latest song.

Quiet as a mouse, she crept towards the source of the voice and leant on the doorway to the kitchen, making sure not to make a sound as the sweet voice washed over her ears.

Take the moment
We first kissed
Remember the feeling
And the Bliss

In your eyes
I see the light
I know that you love me tonight

When day comes
They go away
But your eyes
They remain

See the stars in your eyes
Watch them shine in the skies
In the day they grow brighter
Than even the sun's fire

Octavia stepped closer and Vinyl stopped singing, turning her head slightly. Octavia smiled.

"Eavesdropping, eh?" she asked and Octavia laughed, wrapping her hooves around Vinyl's neck and planting a tender kiss on the back of her head.

"It's beautiful, V, what's it called?" she asked, and Vinyl shrugged, tossing another pancake into the air to land perfectly on the plate next to it.

"I don't know, I haven't got a name for it yet, though I'm thinking of one. And you shouldn't have been listening" she said, before turning her head and planting a fleeting kiss on her lips before she gently wiggled out of her lover's embrace.

"Well how could I not listen to a beautiful singing voice like that?" she asked and Vinyl chuckled, shaking her head slightly as she picked up the plates of food, offering one to Octavia, who took it with a girlish squeal and rushed to the table.

"I take it you do like pancakes then?" she asked coyly as she sat across from her, and Octavia stuck her tongue out before she grabbed the Maple Syrup and poured some over her stacks, passing it to Vinyl as she picked up a knife and fork and began eating them.

"My mother used to make Pancakes on my birthday or on special occasions" she explained somewhat sadly, and Vinyl nodded with a sympathetic smile, reaching a hoof out and rubbing over Octavia's gently.

She poured a small puddle of syrup on the middle of her stack and then waiting for a while for it to sink in. She had taken the time to heat up the syrup as well, something Octavia was grateful for.

"So, any plans for today?" she asked Vinyl and she shrugged.

"I was thinking I would go into town and pick up some more music parchment, we're running a bit low, then I was gonna go and get some groceries" she said and looked up, seeing Octavia's head on the back of the chair, lolling to the side and snoring dramatically.

"Ugh, what happened to the street-wise DJ?" Octavia asked and Vinyl smiled.

"She fell in love and settled down with Equestria's greatest Cellist" she said and Octavia blushed at the compliment.

"I'm glad I could tame you" she quipped and Vinyl arched an eyebrow.

"No pony can tame this sexy beast, I am DJ-PON-3" she stated with a laugh and Octavia giggled too. After breakfast Octavia insisted on washing up as Vinyl had cooked breakfast, much to Vinyl's protests.

Vinyl resigned herself to watching her lover work for a time, until she decided she might as well get the days activities over and done with so she could be ready for a job she had to do later that day, it wasn't anything particularly special, rather, it was just reveiwing a new DJ in town, someone she liked to think of as her Protogé, but in reality was her replacement, Melody, she was called.

She put on her coat and gave Octavia an almost chaste kiss before she bade her farewell, exiting the house and casting a furtive look back as she journ eyed into the town.
> Chapter 10
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Sleep was not a luxury Noteworthy could afford himself. He kept on thinking about Daisy, her face invading his mind, the nurse's words playing on replay like an old record stuck in place.

The rain had come too soon, washing away all trace of the Pegasi's snowstorm, and then the rain and wind had spirited away all remaining traces of winter snow. The clouds still remained, smothering the landscape in an indecisive pattern of gray interspersed with blue and yellow. Whenever a cloud would disperse to the wind, a sombre ray of sunlight would act as a funeral pyre, but then be drowned by another monotonous gray cloud sliding into position to cover the gap the cloud created.

Daisy had left the room after a while, his gentle breathing had almost soothed her back into the realms of sleep, so his eyes were now open, registering nothing but the reverent ticking of the clock beside the bed, next to a group of flowers. He turned his head to look at them. Daisies.

He sighed and grabbed the pillow, pulling it over his head as he groaned slightly. He heard to door opening and bolted upright, the pillow falling from his face almost too slowly. Standing there was Daisy, steaming bowl of soup in hand, looking like she was trying to hold in giggles as she motioned towards him.

"I see you're awake" she said, and he glanced up, seeing his sky blue mane in a dishevelled manner befitting a hobo on the streets, granted that is what he was for three months, but still, he tried to regain some sense of propriety.

He smoothed down his hair and glared at her half heartedly with an offhanded smile as she walked towards him and held out a cup of coffee and a bowl of soup. He accepted it graciously and sipped it gently as she took a seat on her perch that had been her home for the past two days.

They sat in silence, she just watching him, and he just sipping his soup silently.

"Thank you for last night" she said and he stopped suddenly, blinking once before he swallowed the soup and smiled at her.

"You're welcome, you looked a little cold" he explained and she smiled again.

"Weren't you cold though?" she asked and he just shook his head.

"Nah, I'm used to cold, lived on the streets for three months" he said, then stopped, mentally chastising himself for revealing a little too much about his past. She felt the shift in his emotions from all the way across the room.

"Why did you live on the streets?" she asked, silently scooting her chair closer to his bed.

She watched as he shrugged and took another sip of the soup. "An unfortunate incident with my ex mare-friend and a house settlement" he said, and Daisy cast him a confused look before moving closer to his bed and gently laying a hoof atop his. He looked down, surprised at the touch and the comfort he felt from such a simple caress.

"You can tell me you know, we are friends" she stated, her eyes holding depth and sincerity he had never come across in Canterlot, not even from the Princesses. He sighed, closing his eyes, resigning to the fact that this may be the one time, the one chance he had, to get some things off of his chest. He began to recount his tale..



It was Hearths Warming Eve, just over a year ago, I was in a relationship with one of the most beautiful mares in Canterlot, she was a bit pushy, but I didn't mind, I was blinded by love, or what I thought was Love. 

When she broke up with me, I was devastated, I wanted to do anything to get back at her, that's where Octavia's rage comes into play. She was a musician, like me, she played in the same orchestra, extremely talented, beautiful, and her personality could have rivalled that of Celestia. 

But, for the whole of our relationship I thought I felt something for her, but then I reminded myself as to why she was really there. Every-time I saw the one who had broke my heart, I would know, or rather, think I knew that she was the one I wanted. And every-time she saw me, she would linger on me and I could see pain in her eyes when she saw me with Octavia. On that fateful day of Hearth's Warming Eve, she came to me with a proposal. She said that she had been a fool and wanted me back, all I had to do was move in with her, dump Octavia and that would be the end of it. 

So, I broke up with her. On the day designed for friendship and love. She was crushed, she ran away to here, and I thought nothing of it. I was with the one I wanted, and that was all that registered in my selfish brain. Over time I felt remorse, guilt, and I was so swept over with those emotions that I failed to see that me and the mare I gave Octavia up for was using me for my money. I used to play in the Canterlot Royal Orchestra, Violin, I was chosen for private shows by the elite, it was no question of my talents, and I was well paid for it, but, my family, my friends, all of them refused to spend any time with me, a traitor, one who used mares to get back at other mares. 

I was an outcast in my social circle, and one day, when my mother came around for her weekly check up, the mare who was with me made a great show of how she was happy with me, and, I tried to do the same. I wanted my mother to shut up. Maybe that's why it was so easy for the authorities to believe her when she told them I had tried to poison her. Anti-freeze in the Earl grey, enough to cripple a senior, but not enough to make anymore than a days sickness of someone of my age or my mare-friend's. When the authorities came to investigate the found the bottle with my hoof-prints on it, and my mare-friend, who had become my wife earlier that year, wanted a divorce. 

Very convenient that the divorce entitled her to half my money, the house, and all expenses paid by me. I was sentenced to six months in jail for attempted murder. During my confinement I had a lot of time to think. It was retribution for the wrong I paid others. I knew what I had done wrong, and was so extremely sorry. I prayed, for the first time in my life, I prayed to Celestia for forgiveness, but I knew the only pony who could forgive me was Octavia. 

I was let out after four months for good behavior, and was put on a one month parole, but, four months was enough for my ex-mare-friend to abscond with the remainder of my money, the deed to my house, and all of my life's possessions. Further penance, for my sins. I was on the streets, while the authorities were not in any hurry to find the one who had done what was widely considered to be justice to a criminal. I lived on the streets for three months before I got up enough nerve to come here in a grand epiphany, I was dying, slowly, my soul being eaten away by guilt, and my body being eaten away by hunger and the cold. So I hid in a train compartment and came here, where I found you, and you brought me here.



Daisy listened to his story, all the time a comforting hoof was on his, even without the tears that trailed down his cheeks by the time the story was over, she could feel his emotions as clearly as her owen. Whilst her primary talent was flower arranging, her secondary and tertiary talent were being a good listener, and an empath. It was an ability she had inherited from her grandmother, on her father's side, only the mares had the gene. She had felt his heartbreak before and had barely managed to choke back tears, but now she felt it all over again, and she did not hold back the tears. He noticed them and misconstrued them as tears of disgust. He pulled his hoof away and rolled over again, ignoring the emptiness inside him that emanated from where their hooves had been.

"So now you know, I'm a horrible pony" he said dejectedly, and she wiped away her tears, getting out of her seat and walking around to where he was now looking and took his hooves again. He did not meet her gaze.

"You're not a horrible pony, you know you did wrong, and now you seek forgiveness, something she has denied you. What you did was wrong, yes, but you've paid your dues, done your time, literally, and now you want to start again" she said, trying to fight the bout of jealousy inside her at the theory that he might want to get back together with Octavia. He shook his head.

"No, I just want her to know how sorry I am, and besides, who would ever want me after all I did to Octavia?" He asked, and Daisy smiled gently before thinking two simple words; I would.

However, the silence prevailed and he sighed, wiping his coat clean of any residual tears before he once again locked eyes with the golden eyes of the pink and green mare who was now the one source of comfort in his life.

"I understand how you feel Notes, may I call you Notes?" she asked and he smiled and nodded again. She gently rubbed his hoof, causing a comforting friction between them that soothed his sadness, but also sent his heart racing for reasons yet unknown to him.

"I understand" she repeated. "I do, and I know you are genuinely sorry, and if Octavia can't see that, well, then you just have to try harder" she said with a coy grin, one that he did not return.

"No offense Daisy, but how could you possibly know how I feel?" he asked, and she smiled. She had had this question before, and was prepared with the standard response.

"I'm an empath. I can literally feel people's emotions. It's actually how I've become such a good flower arranger, I know the precise arrangements that can bring out happiness, sadness, fond memories, or even just polite and curt admiration of the flowers. I know how you feel because I've felt it" she explained, and his eyes grew wide. He had heard rumours of Empaths, but never met one.

"How..."

"I don't know how it works, whenever someone changes their emotions I can just feel it, and, well, your emotions were strongest when you're sad, because there was so much heartbreak" she explained, and he nodded, understanding it slightly.

"You're confused, so am I. I just use it for my work, I've rarely assessed one of my friend's emotions unless they were hiding something, and with you, well, I couldn't help it" she said bashfully, and he smiled. A light blush was kissing her cheeks, and he couldn't help but think how cute she looked when she was bashfully blushing.

"Well, that was... enlightening" a voice said from the doorway, and they turned, seeing an alabaster unicorn with blue opaque shades standing there watching them, forehooves crossed as she leant on the doorway. They quickly separated and made contact with the floor, and, quick as a flash, Daisy and Noteworthy separated too and Daisy took her seat at her chair.

"I'm sorry miss, do I know you?" Noteworthy asked, and the unicorn shook her head.

"No, but I know you. And I believe we both know my mare-friend Octavia" she said, and Daisy's eyes widened.

"You're Vinyl Scratch? How long have you been standing there?" she asked, and Vinyl smiled knoqingly at the pair.

"Long enough...
> Chapter 11
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Vinyl always enjoyed what she and Melody had dubbed 'Jamming Sessions' where they would compete to out-do each other with bass drops, even genuinely getting into the more softer musical categories like Beethooven and his piano music, which lead them to many impromptu 'Piano Duels'. Melody was good, but Vinyl had taken the time to listen and learn Beethoven's 3rd, and that was enough to completely obliterate anything the red Pegasus could've come up with.

Although she had vowed to win today, and that made Vinyl nervous just a little bit, Melody was so much like herself it was scary.

She laughed to herself as she walked towards Melody's home, lately, though, her youngest, and only protege had been acting a little...

She struggled to find the right word, not daring to use the word 'smitten' as in reality she knew next to nothing about the shocking red Pegasus, although she had seen Melody giving somepony the once over more than once as they walked passed and said hello. She finally settled for 'unsettled' in her head just because she didn't know the whole story.

She shook her head to herself with a light smirk on her face. She knew the signs to look out for, which is why the word 'smitten' had entered her mind once or twice. Whenever they would take a break and, for want of a better term 'pony watch', Octavia's brother had walked passed and smiled at Melody, which almost always lead to her blushing and looking away. Yes, Vinyl knew the signs, and she knew what would come next.

She thought that Melody needed a little 'nudge' in the right direction.

She walked up to Melody's house and knocked on the door three times and waited. For a moment nothing happened, but then she heard a few crashes and raised her eyebrow a little as the door was flung open and there stood the red Pegasus with the orange mane. Vinyl took a little step back.

She had bags under her eyes and her mane had obviously not seen a brush since last week. Something she had seen before in herself when she was, dare she say it, pining for Octavia.

"Whoa Mel, what's up? You look a little..." Vinyl struggled for the words eliciting a raised eyebrow from Melody, a silent challenge to continue.

"Tramp-Like?" Melody offered, and Vinyl fixed her wuith an annoyed eyes-half-closed look.

"I was gonna say 'Dishevelled' or even 'sleepy'" she said, and Melody nodded, stepping aside.

"Please come in" she said with a fake smile, and Vinyl raised an eyebrow as she walked past her protege. Inside the house were pizza boxes and coffee mugs strewn about, music sheets were left in a dis-array on the coffee table and the mantlepiece above the fireplace, she saw some had even been burned. A horrible flashback to her crying on the couch while Octavia walked away from her house. She shook her head with a sigh, turning back to Melody with a smirk. Melody was watching her intently, and looked around.

"What? It's a little messy 'cause I've been stressed a bit" she said, and Vinyl's smile grew.

"So tell me, Mel, who is it?" she asked, and Mel took an involuntary step back, her eyes shiftily moving from side to side.

"Who's who?" she asked, and Vinyl took a step closer to her, causing Mel to back up against the door. It swung shut with a bang, scaring her slightly, and it gave her an excuse to break the shaky eye contact by checking on it, but that gave Vinyl a chance to get closer.

When Mel turned back Vinyl was a few feet away from her, and she yelped in surprise.

"The lucky colt or mare you've got your eye on" Vinyl said, and Melody sighed in resignation at being caught. She mumbled something under her breath that Vinyl couldn't exactly hear, so she turned her head slightly.

"I'm sorry Mel, i didn't quite get that" Vinyl said, and Melody sighed again, before mumbling something that only Fluttershy's attuned ears would have heard, but it sounded to Vinyl like, "I like one of each"

"Once again Melody, I didn't hear again, I must be going deaf in one ear" she said with a friendly smile. Melody looked up, her deep azure eyes locking with Vinyl's shade covered crimson.

"One of each" she finally confirmed, and Vinyl's eyes widened as she took a step back, binding as the information sunk in. Vinyl could hardly withstand being in love with one pony, let alone two at the same time.

"Wha...? Bu...? Who?" she stuttered, and Melody tried to hide behind her orange mane. She was quite a shy pony at heart, only really seeking out Vinyl when she saw her play at a local nightclub one time, she wanted training and Vinyl was one of the only Disc Jockeys in the town, the others all charged more than Melody could afford.

"Tempest Strings and Starlight" she said, and Vinyl scoffed, laughing slightly.

"Octavia's brother and the local stargazer? Wow, you're ambitious girl" Vinyl quipped and punched her friend lightly in the shoulder, seeing a faint smile on her lips.

Melody sighed and sat down on the couch. Vinyl could see the thing she needed most right now was advice on Love, something Vinyl knew about immensely, she knew what it was like to be in love with someone you thought didn't love you back, it hurt, and Melody was going through it now, doubly so.

Vinyl sat beside her.

"So, have you told them about how you feel?" she asked, knowing the answer, and, sure enough, Melody's answer was a shake of the head and a resigned sigh from Vinyl.

"Listen kid, if you don't tell them, this is gonna eat you up, mores than it is already, look, Mel, I know what you're going through, I went through the same thing with Octavia, so if anyone knows what's going on, it's me" she explained, putting an arm around her shoulder and holding her close. She needed a friend.

Melody sighed again.

"I don't even know if I really do love them, it might just be a crush, right?" she asked, her eyes full of hope, but also regret if that was so, Vinyl smiled at her friend's naivety and shook her head.

"Sorry girl, but you got it bad" Vinyl chided, poking her in the side jokingly, and Melody groaned and tilted her head back onto the couch.

"What do I do Vinyl? I've never been in love before, let alone with two ponies at once, help me please" she begged, turning her head to stare at Vinyl imploring her for answers. Vin ylk sighed and drew her in for a hug. The embrace lasted for longer than was deemed necessary, but Vinyl felt the tension ease from her freind.

"Feel better?" Vinyl asked, and Melody sniffed, nodding her head and offering a weak smile. Vinyl smiled too and rubbed her hoof soothingly.

"But I still need help, V, what do I do?" she asked, and Vinyl thought for a moment, scratching her head in contemplation. She looked at Melody and smiled, taking Melody's hooves in hers.

"Who do you see yourself with in five years?" she asked, and Melody blinked.

"What? Five years? Vinyl, why would I be thinking about something five years from now?" she asked, and Vinyl smiled wider.

"The one you can see yourself with in five years is the one you should go for. Remember that when it comes to love, you want to amke sure that they're the one for you, otherwise it leads to heartbreak later on" Vinyl explained, and Melody's eyes drifted away, she stared off into space for a minute or two and sighed.

"Well, Starlight is beautiful, her eyes sparkle whenever she talks about stars, her mane is just amazing, graceful like water and flowing like it too" she stopped for a while to give a wistfull sigh, and Vinyl smiled at her, ushering her to go on.

"And then there's her smile, beautiful and sparkling jsut like her eyes" she explained, and Vinyl's smile grew. So far it looked good for Starlight.

"Does she like you too?" she asked and Melody's smile disappeared. Her eyes ceased to be glazed and she focussed on Vinyl, shaking her head.

"We're friends, but, I noticed her eyes linger on mine for a bit too long, or she sometimes sneaks glances of me when she thinks I'm not looking" she said, a bit of a smirk etching its way onto her face, Vinyl smiled again.

"I don't know, I think she does, but, I don't know for sure" She said, and Vinyl nodded.

"So what about Tempest Strings?" Vinyl asked and Melody sighed, closing her eyes.

"He's amazing, such emotion, he's kind, but not a pushover, he's strong and when he plays..." she stopped and sighed yet again, and Vinyl furrowed her brow in confusion. Melody really, really had it bad for both of them. It was going to be hard for her to decide.

But, looking at her now, a question came to mind, should she have to decide, what if she chose, then the other party turned her down, this lead Vinyl to her next idea.

"I think" she said, breaking Melody out of her trance like state "That you should talk to them both, find out which of them would be willing to be in a relationship with you" she said, and Melody nodded.

"Okay, so now I just have to work up the courage to tell them both?" she asked, and Vinyl nodded.

"Exactly, but, a penny for your thoughts; If you don't tell them it'll eat you inside, then comes the self-deprecation. Don't make the mistake of thinking they don't want you, if all else fails, at least they'll still be your friends, okay?" she asked, and Melody nodded.

"Well, now that that's out of the way, how about we actually play some music?"

Vinyl waved goodbye to Melody as she walked away from her house. It had been a good session, Melody had secured a contract with a recording studio for three songs in the next three months, it was a big order, which is why mid-way through the session Melody had asked her for her help, she would even give her a share of the royalties should the songs make it big. Vinyl had declined the money, but said "As long as I get credit where credit is due". Melody had happily agreed to those terms and they had spent the rest of the session talking about what Melody would do if she made it big. She was a good kid. Fragile too. That worried Vinyl. She was about to make a big step into the world of Music, and Love, at the same time, she might not be able to take it...

Vinyl shook her head. She could do it, she was confident enough to make it on her own now, hell, the Recording contract was evidence of that.

Vinyl sighed as she walked back towards her house, but, suddenly, something caught her attention. The hospital. Big and looming. She took a look around instinctively to make sure there was no one around to report on her back to Octavia, as Octavia had explicitly said to her not to visit Noteworthy, but, now, standing there, she just had to hear his excuses for herself, she thought she had that right at least to that.

She stepped into the hospital and walked up to the main desk. The nurse standing behind it gave her a warm smile, which she returned.

"Hello miss Scratch, whoa re you here to see?" she asked and Vinyl stepped closer, veiwing the manifesto of all the ponies admitted. She read the names until she came to the one she was looking for. He was still there, good.

"Mr Noteworthy" she said and the Nurse raised an eyebrow.

"Are you here on behalf off miss Octavia?" she asked and the fake smile came back. Vinyl nodded, mimicked by the nurse behind the counter.

"Very well if you'd just like to sign signifying you've visited and you can visit him. He's in room 11 in Ward 2" she said, and Vinyl nodded gracefully in thanks. She picked up the pencil with her magic and wrote her name in neat cursive font on the line as she walked away, setting the pen neatly down in the middle of the book.

"Enjoy your visit!" the Nurse called to her, but Vinyl was already gone, walking past the hospital beds and the various rooms before she reached room 11 of Ward 2. She was about to enter, when voices drifted through the doors.

After the story, Daisy's explanation, Vinyl had to wipe a tear from her eye. She opened the door to find the pair looking into each other's eyes, hoofs touching in an almost tender embrace.

Well, that was... enlightening" she said from the doorway, and they turned, seeing her standing there watching them, forehooves crossed as she leant on the doorway. They quickly separated and made contact with the floor, and, quick as a flash, Daisy and Noteworthy separated too and Daisy took her seat at her chair.

"I'm sorry miss, do I know you?" Noteworthy asked, and Vinyl Scratch shook her head.

"No, but I know you. And I believe we both know my mare-friend Octavia" she said, and Daisy's eyes widened.

"You're Vinyl Scratch? How long have you been standing there?" she asked, and Vinyl smiled knowingly at the pair.

"Long enough..."
> Chapter 12
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

After the story, Daisy's explanation, Vinyl had to wipe a tear from her eye. She opened the door to find the pair looking into each other's eyes, hoofs touching in an almost tender embrace.

Well, that was... enlightening" she said from the doorway, and they turned, seeing her standing there watching them, forehooves crossed as she leant on the doorway. They quickly separated and made contact with the floor, and, quick as a flash, Daisy and Noteworthy separated too and Daisy took her seat at her chair.

"I'm sorry miss, do I know you?" Noteworthy asked, and Vinyl Scratch shook her head.

"No, but I know you. And I believe we both know my mare-friend Octavia" she said, and Daisy's eyes widened.

"You're Vinyl Scratch? How long have you been standing there?" she asked, and Vinyl smiled knowingly at the pair.

"Long enough..." she said, and walked into the room proper, casting a quick glance at Daisy as she sat down just inside the room, by the door.

"I have to say, that was a very touching story. Did you mean it?" she asked, and Noteworthy nodded.

"Of course, every word!" he said and Vinyl smiled again.

"Well, I was going to come here to give you an earful, but after hearing that, I think I'll let you off the hook" she said, and Noteworthy smiled.

"Thank you miss, and tell m,e, you said you were Octavia's marefriend, right?" he asked, and Vinyl was suddenly defensive.

"Yeah, I am, got a problem?" she asked, raising an eyebrow, and Noteworthy quickly shook his head.

"No no no, I just want to know if she's happy is all" he said and Vinyl relaxed a bit. She nodded.

"Yeah, we're happy. Now, I'll take my leave, let you and Daisy rest, but, Daisy, can I just have a quick word?" she asked, and Daisy looked at Noteworthy confused.

"Uh, yeah sure" she said, and they both got up, moving towards the door. Before they went out, Noteworthy called after them.

"Does Octavia forgive me?"

Vinyl turned and smiled.

"Yeah, she forgives you" she said, and Noteworthy relaxed back onto the bedsheets. A smile on his face, reflected in Vinyl Scratch.

Vinyl didn't know just how fatal those words would be.

She closed the door and turned to Daisy.

"So, how long are you gonna play coy with him before you tell him how you feel?2 she asked imemdiately, raising an eyebrow, and Daisy was shocked, taken aback.

"I'm sorry what?" she asked, and Vinyl just stared at her, Daisy couldn't tell if she was blinking, and so looked away under the powerful stare. Vinyl allowed herself a private grin, sometimes the glasses could be a real asset.

Daisy turned back to her.

"I... I don't quite know how I feel about him. I don't know what to do" she said, and Vinyl lay a hoof upon her shoulder.

"Listen, speaking from experience, the more you leave it, the more it'll hurt, just tell him now, okay?" She gently told her, rubbing her shoulder for emphasis, Daisy nodded.

"I guess I should tell him" she murmered, and Vinyl nodded.

"Yeah, now I'll go, give you two some privacy" she said and walked away. Daisy watched her before opening the door to find Noteworthy standing in the middle of the room. She looked at him questioningly and he turned his head.

"I had to start walking, it's murder being in a hospital bed for so long" he justified and Daisy chuckled as she walked into the room proper, closing the door with a sharp *click*.



Vinyl trekked down the gravel drive that led to her house, the sun had just completed its downward arch and had lost itself upon the horizon, the stars had just winked on in the sky. The bids were still singing as the crickets began their cirping song, for a few seconds Vinyl was lost to the sounds of nature.

She sighed as she knocked on the door to her house twice. She was startled when it was thrown open and she was pulled inside suddenly, a quick flashback to how she had done the same to Octavia one cold winters day.

She was thrusted against the door, a pair of lips collided with hers, her hooves were pinned against the door as the gray maned beauty danced her tongue around her lover's mouth. Vinyl moaned and let herself go limp into the kiss. After a while Octavia broke it and hugged her tightly.

"I missed you V" Octavia said and Vinyl wiggled free, wrapping her hooves around Octavia's petite form.

"I missed you too Tavi" she whispered quitly as she buried her face in her mane and inhaled the sweet scent of Lavender she had come to associate with the gray beauty. A contented sigh broke the silence, though none could tell from whom it came.

A hoof reached to take her glasses and Vinyl did not protest as Octavia hesitated slightly before taking them and placing them on the table beside the door that held their keys.

Vinyl stroked through Octavia's mane, messing it up a little into a beautiful disarray. She was content to stay like that for the rest of the night. Fate would have them seperate eventually.

octavia pulled away and walked into the kitchen after pressing her lips to Vinyl's cheek affectionately, she returned a few moments later with two cups of hot chcocolate.

She held one out to Vinyl as they walked into the living room.

"I made this a few minutes ago before you came in, it's still warm... ish" she said with a smirk and Vinyl chuckled, taking the beverage with the payment of a kiss, and settling down on the couch, Octavia joining her after a few seconds, Vinyl took a longing sip of the wamr drink and felt herself melt onto the couch. Octavia snuggled up beside her.

"Thanks Tavi, you're too good to me sometimes" she said with an ever so slight blush kissing against her white coat. Octavia smiled coyly.

"I know, but don't tell me you don't like it" she said and rested her head on Vinyl's shoulder, letting her hooves stroke through her gray mane. Vinyl leant further back into the plush cushions and sighed.

"So how was Melody?" she asked and Vinyl smiled widely, turning her head.

"You remember how I was before I confessed my feelings to you? Crying on this very couch and looked a mess, rigth?" she asked and Octavia nodded.

"Well, I wouldn't say you looked a mess, but I try not to remember you in tears" she said with a slight nod, and Vinyl smiled at the shrouded compliment and continued.

"Well, she was the same when I visited her, bags under her eyes, messy coat and mane, messy house, so, I confronted her, and you'll never guess who she's pining for" she said and Octavia perked up immediately at the prospect of gossip.

"Who?"

"Your brother, Tempest Strings" she said, and Octavia gasped loudly, throwing her hooves to her mouth and squealing.

"Oooh! That's so cute, my baby brother has an admirer" she said excitedly, and Vinyl shook her head.

"Not only him, but also the local stargazer Starlight, she's in love with both of them and doesn't know who to pursue" she said, and Octavia grimaced.

"Oh my" she said quietly, and Vinyl nodded.

"That's what I thought, add to that the fact that she's been signed up for a contract with ERD and, well, she's gonna need help, which is why she asked for my help" Vinyl finished, and Octavia sighed.

"Most ponies can't handle loving ONE, let alone TWO. But, anyway, enough business, I get enough of that when I play, where did you go afterwards, because you did not spend 3 hours round Melody's" she said with resolution, and Vinyl gulped.

"Well, I, uh, I actually visited the hospital" she said, and Octavia's eyes snapped open, she withdrew from her position on the couch and sat bolt upright.

"Why?" she asked immediately, and Vinyl sat up, knowing that she had to tread carefully lest she incur her wrath.

"Well, I, uh, I went to see somepony" Vinyl said, hoping that would be the end of it, but Octavia wasn't accepting that explanation.

"Who did you see?" she asked unusually calmly, but Vinyl knew this was the calm before the storm.

"I went to see Noteworthy" Vinyl admitted, and Octavia sighed angrily.

"So, you wnet against my wishes. Why? Did you chew him out? Did you vent your anger and let him have it? Did you finally get what you wanted?" Octavia asked, and Vinyl shook her head.

"No no no, admittedly that's what I was going to do, but, then, I sort of listened to his story, and he seemed genuinely sorry, so I forgave him, just like you did"

Octavia seemed to calm down a bit.

"He asked about you, whether you forgave him, so I told him you did, and I also told him we were marefriends when he asked if you were happy" she said, and Octavia turned back, a new anger ignited.

"You TOLD him? Vinyl! I didn't want him to find out! Now he knows that he got away with it and can get away with other stuff! Vinyl that's exactly the reason I didn't tell him" she nearly yelled, and Vinyl furrowed her brow in hurt and confusion.

"Why wouldn't you want him to know? Are you ashamed of me?" she asked and Octavia shrugged.

"Well, the way you went against me like that, right now I am yes!" she spat, and Vinyl recoiled.

"Okay, look, I made a mistake, it happens, and I'm sorry, but you're not above making mistakes are you? I mean, Noteworthy's cut is living proof of that!" she stated and Octavia chose her next words to specifically hit her heart.

"Well maybe falling in love with you was a mistake the way you go behind my back! And this is hardly the first of your mistakes, after all half the mares in Ponyville are living proof of that!" she yelled, and Vinyl shut down. She waited for Octavia to hear what she had just said.

She didn't.

"Are you gonna stand there like an idiot and not even try to defend yourself?" she asked, and Vinyl gasped, a tear rolling out of her eyes. She ran out the room and out the house. Octavia stood there for a few more minutes until she gasped. What have I done? she asked herself, and ran to the door, screaming Viny's name. She went to the cabinet and grabbed her keys, before noticing something, there, next to a second pair, was opaque blue glasses.

Vinyl had forgotten to put them on.



Noteworthy sighed as the door was closed, a smile on his face. Octavia was happy, that's all that mattered to him at the moment. And the fact that he had been bedridden for the past three days. He looked around, sure that no one was around and threw the covers off of him. He put one hoof gingerly on the floor them got out of the bed. It felt good to walk again.

The door opened and he turned to see Daisy walking back in, she stopped with a questioning look when she saw him, but said nothing for a few seconds. behind her he could see Vinyl Scratch walking away. He looked at Daisy.

"I had to start walking, it's murder being in a hospital bed for so long" he justified and Daisy chuckled as she walked into the room proper, closing the door with a sharp *click*.

Noteworthy strolled towards the window and opened it, breathing deeply of the air outside. Spring was just around the corner, and the trees now had the beginnings of pink buds on the branches.

He smiled to himself and felt the warmth of Daisy as she walked up next to him. Noteworthy turned his attention to the sky, where the stars had only just begun to peek from the night time blue. He sighed. Daisy could feel he was content.

"You like the stars?" Diasy asked, and Noteworthy nodded.

"Not just the stars, it's been so long since I've been somewhere that has this much open space" he explained as he took a deep breath of air. It was true he had always enjoyed the countryside, and the rustic smells of the land that came with it, whether being crackling and cold within the throes of winter, soft and repugnant with leaf-molds of autumn, floral and sweltering with the summer tides, or gentle and breezy bringing with it the soft aroma of the falling blossoms.

but what he liked most about the countryside was the lack of unnatural light, his gaze drifted up and he saw the millions upon millions of Luna's stars as they twinkled in the night sky. He sighed and Daisy smiled as he felt his content.

"But, you like the stars most of all?" she asked, and Noteworthy nodded.

"Yeah, they were a source of inspiration for me more than once, there's something so surreal about gazing up into Luna's night and just stargazing" he said, and Daisy giggled a little.

"You sound like Starlight" she said, and he smiled, a confused expression overcoming him. She waved a hoof.

"She's the local astronomer. Every night she goes up onto the roof and looks at the stars" she explained, and Noteworthy smiled and chuckled slightly.

"Sounds like somepony else is as obsessed with stars as I am" he said, leaning on Daisy slightly, she tensed then relaxed and leant into him as well, resting her head on his shoulders as they stood at the window and gazed out at the countryside. A shooting star left a blazing contrail against the night sky and Daisy sighed.

Noteworthy looked at her, she looked so much like the first night he had seen her, bathed in silver moonlight, it washed over her gracefully and shaped her, she seemed to be made of the moonlight. In the future, Noteworthy would look back at this moment as the defining moment he realised he had fallen for her, if only because in that moment he saw more than a comforting friend, he saw a listening ear, a pair of golden, compassionate eyes and a warm heart. He saw something he hadn't seen since Octavia.

He saw Love.

He wasn't going to give it up, nor would he lose it this time.

He turned back to the stars and felt his heart swell with the new emotion, and Daisy felt the change, it caused a smile to break out on her face at the sincerity of whatever Noteworthy was feeling, she couldn't quite place it however, so she turned and saw him smiling, with a few tears in his eyes. He sighed.

"Notes? What's up?" she asked, and he shook his head.

"Nothing. Just... just realising something" he said as he turned towards Diasy. She quizzically regarded him as he smiled wider.

"What?" she asked, and he smiled again.

"You actually look really beautiful in the moonlight" he said, and she blushed profusely.

"Uh, well... what?" she asked, and he laughed, stepping closer than they were already.

"You heard me. Diasy, I was wondering, when I get out of here, would you like to accompany me to dinner sometime?" he asked and she smiled widely.

"Yes Noteworthy, of course I would" She said, and he smiled, leaning his head on hers, contentment running through him as they stood for a while longer.

A pony behind them cleared their throat, gathering their full attention. they looked behind them and there was Nurse Redheart with a smug smile on her face. The couple saw her expression and both blushed, so she decided not to embarrass them any further.

"Hello Notes, Daisy, I'm here to tell you both that you're free to go. We can't do much more in here, if you want to recover fully, what you need is a nice rest in your own bed and maybe a nice home cooked meal. I'll have to look into getting a new cook here" she said laughing, and the other two shared their laugh. Redheart handed them a form and Noteworthy signed it, signalling his official discharge from the hospital.

He smiled at the Nurse who gave him a wink then shot a very quick look to Daisy. Notes felt himself blushing. Daisy felt jealousy flare in her chest before she kept it in check.

Noteworthy watched the Nurse leave and close the door before he turned to the clock on the far wall. It read 7:30. Noteworthy turned back to Daisy.

"Mi'lady, would'st thou care to accompany me to a most pleasant luncheon?" he asked in his best Shakeshooves impression, even going as far as to kneel down and extend a hoof towards her, keeping his head slightly bowed.

Daisy giggled a little before taking his hoof with hers.

"You're such a gentlecolt when you want to be, I would be delighted good sir" she said, and Noteworthy smiled as he got back up and they walked towards the door. Noteworthy opened it for her and let her go first, she nodded her thanks to him as he followed her. The Nurse gave them a knowing look, but Noteworthy ignored them as they walked towards the entrance to the hospital. As the door slid open the pair walked through ina comfortable silence.

Noteworthy cast a furtive glance back at the hospital and allowed a grin to form on his face. He was out of the hospital, Octavia had forgiven him, and he was going on a date with who he believed to be the most beautiful pony in ponyville. Life was exceedingly good...



Vinyl Scratch, easily the most confident pony in ponyville, whom anypony could tell you would be at the height of every party scene on the block, even a few in the more questioning areas, was cowering in an alleyway. Where else could she go? She couldn't go home. Octavia didn't want her there.

She couldn't go out in public. Not without her shades. She wouldn't want to curse ponies with the burden of seeing her eyes.

She was crouched low on the hard cobbled floor and was wailing profusely. Her eyes were covered with her forelegs, she couldn't bear to see the world, for everytime she did, she saw it. Everywhere.

Tears travelled down her white coat matting it and leaving trails down her cheeks.

She wiped her eyes on her hooves and chanced a glance up out of the alleyway. Immediately she saw a couple, Lyra and Bon Bon, holding hooves as they sat on a bench, gazing upwards at the night sky. Bon Bon rested her head against Lyra and Lyra gave her an affectionate kiss. Vinyl buried her head in her hooves again and wailed. Tears began to stream down her face again.

Octavia didn't Love her anymore. And it was because she had tried to do something nice to Noteworthy. That colt was destroying relationships even now.

Vinyl sighed to herself and huddled up closer as the chill bit into her. She shoudln't stay out, and she knew exactly where to go. She walked out of the alleyway and surprised Lyra and Bon Bon who waved to her, then stopped when they noticed her red eyes, even redder now from excessive crying. They knew something was wrong.

Vinyl glared at them and walked away, keeping her head down. Many ponies gave her offhand looks, but the rare few saw her eyes. Those that did gasped in shock and started to walk away briskly. Vinyl took this in stride. Took it like a physical blow. By the time she got to the bar she wanted, the tears had started anew, she wiped them off and took a look up at the bar's name. The Bannered Mare. It was quaint if slightly too rustic, with dark mahogany beams interlacing across the front, and an old signpost held aloft by a metal support of a mare standing on one hoof with a banner tied to her mane flitting about in the wind.

Vinyl had played here once or twice, but mostly she had drunk there when she was single. How very prudent she should return then on the worst night of her life.

She sniffed and wiped away the residual tears, the doors opened and she heard the throbbing bass of the music. The pony who exited was laughing with his friend, Vinyl could smell the alcohol on him already. But when he saw Vinyl he shrieked and fell back onto the floor. The other pony took a step back.

"Whoa, dude, those are some freaky eyes, man" he commented and Vinyl shot him a look that could have frozen hoim to the spot. Which it did, until she started walking forward. He backed up again and she walked to the door, staring at him the whole time. She heard his friend grumble slightly and the last thing she heard before the door closed, besides the pump of the music, was a comment.

"She was a real freaky bi-" the door closed, cutting off the remainder of his sentence, but she knew what he was going to say . She blinked back tears for the millionth time that night and smoke made Vinyl feel claustraphobic, add to the fact that every other step she collided with somepony who was either too drunk or dancing way too flamboyantly. She had missed this place. Like the fish misses the fire! she thought bitterly to herself.

She sighed dejectedly, the first time since forever. She began her trudge to the bar, sat down at an empty stool and waited for one of the waitors to be free so she could order her famous Consciouss Killer, three shots of straight vodka mixed together with a half glass of bourbon. It tasted horrible, but it was just what she needed.

She idly traced a droplet of liquid with her hoof, blurring the spherical outline into a shape she could not discern. Octavia didn't love her. The thought kept playing in her mind, much like it had before they were together. Soon, it turned into a moking motif that played over and over.

Octavia doesn't love you! Octavia doesn't love you! Octavia doesn't love you! Octavia doesn't love you!

"Shut Up!" she nearly yelled, gathering the attention of several ponies nearby. They regarded her questioningly. Vinyl was blind to a pain in her hoof, so when she looked down she was surprised to see her hoof had dug into the wooden bar, leaving a deep gash in the wood. There was no trace of the clear liquid she had been idly toying with. She withdrew her hoof, but kept her eyes on the table.

"Vinyl? Vinyl Scratch! What are you doing here!" somepony said joyously, and Vinyl looked up to see the bar's kind owner Mr Whistle. Aptly named because of his business, but also for the fact he could whistle any tune you asked him too. He always had a few kind words and a smile on his face, his moustache giving him an air of authority, but his eyes giving him away as the party pony everypony knew he really was.

This time however, his smile waned and disappeared when he saw Vinyl's eyes. He, however, looked past the colour and deep into her soul. He saw her hurt.

"Vinyl, what's wrong? Where are your shades?" he asked, and Vinyl let out a tear.

"What happened?" he asked, but Vinyl ignored him, instead ordering her drink.

"Give me a Conscious Killer, Whistle. I need to forget today, and just pass out" she said, "And hopefully not wake up" she added softly, and Whistle blinked before smiling ruefully and sighing, moving away to prepare the drink, and leaving Vinyl to her thoughts.

Vinyl put the bits to pay for her drink on the bar and waited as the bartender/owner mixed the required paraphernalia to mix what would be hell for her liver and head in the morning.

"Hey pretty mare, how about you and I go have some fun?" she heard a voice and clenched her jaw. The voice came from her left, so she turned and fixed the colt her best death glare. He was shocked, the smug grin gone from his face in seconds as he scrambled away, now looking much sober then he had sounded.

The bartender set the drink on the bar.

"Vinyl, I would appreciate it if you didn't scare away my customers" he said as Vinyl turned back to him and picked up the glass, downing the entire contents in one swift gulp. Whistle's eyes widened, his jaw dropped, Vinyl's throat burned as the alcohol burned down to her stomach. She set the glass on the bar and tried to remain conscious for a few more seconds. She succeeded, at a cost. Her grip on the glass tightened from the momentary pain in her throat, and the glass shattered. Whistle jumped back, and Vinyl felt a new pain in her hoof. Glass shards sliced into her skin through the coat.

"Jesus Vinyl, are you trying to kill yourself?" he asked, and Vinyl looked up through her tear-stained eyes.

"Well, right now that doesn't sssound like a bad idea" she said hoarsely.

"Another please" she asked and Whistle cocked an eyebrow.

"No Vinyl, not until you tell me why you're trying to drink yourself into a walking fire-hazard" he said, and she sioghed, scooping the glass shards together in one pile. Whistle brushed them into a duspan and into a bin.

"Octavia and I had a fight. She... She said that falling in love with me was a mistake. I don't... I don't know what I'm gonna do Whistle" she said, degrading into tears at the end of her story. She buried her head into her hooves on the desk. She had never been a chipper drunk before. Whistle scratched his moustache in thought.

"Well, what you should do is go home, apologize, and wait for her to apologize too. I'm guessing you said some things too?" he asked and recieved a nod from Vinyl. That made things worse. She realised she somewhat deserved the berating she got from her lover.

"Then you're both in the wrong. What you shouldn't do is stay here wasting your bits on alcohol that you're probably going to chuck away, rather, upchuck it away" he said. She knew he was right, but why would Octavia apologize? She'd likely just accuse her of bringing it upon herself, which of course she did.

Vinyl sighed and sat back up, looking around the bar. She shouldn't be there, but right now it was the only place she could go besides...

A thought struck her like a tonne of bricks. Melody! SHe could crash there for tonight until she worked up the courage to speak to Octavia.

She got off of her chair and walked towards the door, casting a thankful glance towards Whistle and waving goodbye. Her walking was a little off, but that could be exected after downing an entire glass full of vodka and bourbon.

She opened the door and shut it behind her, walking in the general direction towards Melody's house.
> Chapter 13
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Octavia was panting as she ran, she hadn't bothered with a coat so now she was cold, with a light sweat from the exertion of running for so long, she was panting heavily, like a dog that had gone without water, her breath clouded in front of her face as her hooves clattered on the cobblestone underhoof. She passed ponies who were coming home from or going to clubs, not once did she see Vinyl. She had to find her, to apologise before she did something stupid like drink herself into a pickled state of no return.

She stopped for a split second to run her hooves through her mane in frustration, tears still flowed and a half sob escaped her throat as she twirled on the spot trying to search for her lover whom she had so wrongly slighted, if Vinyl ever forgave her it would be a miracle.

She turned and thought she saw something, but it was only Rarity the fashion unicorn returning to her boutique with an overly-hyper pink pony on her heels. They were both giggling profusely. Under any other circumstance it might have been comical. Not now though.

She continued to search, and decided that Vinyl would have gone to the bars to drink herself sry, literally in terms f money. It was her fault if anything happened to her. That thought hurt worse than the knowledge that she herself had caused whatever harm might befoul the alabaster unicorn. It was her fault. Her fault. Her. Fault.

She sobbed and ran again, this time towards the bars. If she hurried she might find her before she got into them to waste her bits and order a drink that would knock out Princess Luna on a good night.

She broke into a sprint, running at top speed, gathering looks from others, but she didn't care. She had to find Vinyl, and she had to find her now.

She ran towards where the music would be, The Bannered Mare, it was where Vinyl had drunk herself into a stupor more than once, and the bartender there, Whistle, would surely know what was eating Vinyl had she been in there, and he would tell Octavia where she went if she did. She continued t run towards the bar until she was outisde the doors to it. The door swung open and a burly pony with a clean suit threw out a unicorn who was lauging hysterically as he hit the cobblestone pavement. Octavia tried not to wince at the cracking sound as his jaw hit the floor.

Octavia sidestepped the unconscious uniorn and stepped past the bouncer who had so curtly held open the dor for her. Any other time she would have smiled and seen it as polite. Not now though. She danced through the crowd elegantly until she was at the crowded bar, several ponies were huddled around a table where two ponies were locked, eye to eye in a hoofwrestle. One was a startlingly feminine looking filly who held a personal smirk at the corners of her mouth, no visible signs of exertion on her face. The other was an Earth Pony colt who's face was red and sweat was pouring from his brow.

She walked up to the bar and the colt behind it smiled at her.

"Hello Luv, what's yer poison?" he asked in a heavy Trottingham Accet, and she opened her mouth, barely hearing her own words for the bass of the heavy dubtrot rave music.

"Have you seen a white Unicrn here, red eyes, blue mane, ususally wears shades?" Octavia asked, and the colt thought for a moment.

"Yeah, we have her in here for gigs occasionally, mare knows how to drop a bass" he commented, and Octavia waved a dissmissive hoof.

"Yeah, I know, but has she been in tonight?" She asked, and the colt rubbed the back of his head.

"Lemme get the manager, be right back, OI! WHISTLE!" He yelled over the music, and Octavia reeled back in shock at the volume the colt could exert over the throbbing music.

The colt came back after a few minutes, and Octavia saw a scratch mark on the wood. Whistle stood in front of her.

"Hello Octavia, you're looking for Vinyl aren't you" he said, not a question, but a statement. ctavia nodded. Whistle nodded too.

"She wa shere, ordered the stongest drink in the lace and was bawling her eyes out" he said, and Octavia's ears flattened, frsh tears sprung forth. Somepony crashed into her and fell on the floor, and Whistle looked at him with an arched eyebrow, shaking his head as he continued.

"She also told me what you said to her. You were seriously out of line" he said, and Octavia nodded.

"I... I knw I was... B-but I need to know where she went... please" she begged hi, and Whistle sighed, stroking hr cheek, wiping away the tears.

"Vinyl's my friend, and so are you, it hurts me to see you two like this. She walked out after one drink, mumblin' something about somepony named Melody. DO yo know her?" he asked and Octavia nodded, hope evident n her eyes now, the tears banished by a glaze of happiness.

"Melody is Vinyl's student, I need to go, if I hurry I might get there before Vinyl!" she yelled before bolting out of the bar, kocking over three ponies who were in her way. They shouted after her indignantly, but by that time she was already gone. She had to get to Melody before Vinyl did, maybe there was still hope for them...



Love is a fickle fiend, a weapon that can be misused, it can make us or break us apart, and it can be as bright as the sun, or as dark as the pitch black of night. Vinyl knew this all too well. Right now for what felt like the millionth time on what felt like the worst night of her life, she was on the verge of tears as she trudged, slightly tipsy from the bar where she had only just tried to drown her sorrows, towards the house of Melody, perhaps the only place she could find a comforting ear and a sympathetic mind.

She sighed dejectedly as she walked, consumed in her thoughts, all degrading, saying it was her fault, her fault for going too far, her fault for going to the hospital in the first place, her fault for wanting to do something nice for the sleazebag who had hurt Octavia.

Suddenly, a new thought entered her mind. It was His fault. Noteworthy, if he hadn't come to the town their life would have gone on as if nothing had happened, they would still be happy, together, making sweet music together. She couldn't help a smile, but the all-consuming self-depreciation came back all the stronger and a tear leaked from her ruby-red eyes as she walked.

She sniffed and wiped it away, refusing to allow herself to degrade to tears for the sake of her own relief. If she could, she would bottle it up like she had done the first time she met Octavia.

She shook her head.

No, no she couldn't. It had hurt, so much last time, and it would hurt more this time.

All too soon she had arrived outside the house. The light in the living room was still on, indicating that either Melody was still up, or she had fallen asleep with the light on. The latter seemed extremely unlikely as she had prided herself on being neat and organised. Most of the time.

Vinyl approached the door and knocked twice, and heard nothing but silence. She knocked again, remaining patient. It appeared to Vinyl that she had fallen asleep after all. Which would make sense seeing as how it was the middle of the night.

She knocked again, and decided to accompany her intrusion with words.

"Melody! Melody, please open up, I... I need your help!" She yelled, and the door rattled, a chain being pulled back from a lock. Melody opened the door, her mane was out of place and she seemed out of breath, as if she had just run a marathon.

"Hey V, what's up?" she asked breathlessly. Vinyl looked through the open door and saw that the lights were in fact candles, and three plates were set out on a coffee table in the middle of the now clear room.

"Oh.. You have company?" Vinyl asked, and Melody nodded sheepishly.

"Yeah, uh, Tempest and Starlight are here" she said, and Vinyl's heart stopped, swelled with joy, then fell through the floor to the point where there was no expression on her face.

"How'd it go?" she asked, and Melody blushed and a smile spread her lips. Vinyl connected the dots, unkempt mane and shortness of breath, coupled with the blush on her cheeks, gave Vinyl a strong idea of how it went.

"Oh..." Vinyl said simply, and Melody blushed.

"Well, it was a few hours ago really" Melody explained, and a slight smile came over Vinyl.

"Who did you pick?" she asked, and Melody blushed harder.

"Well, we sort of, came to an understanding, we have each other" she explained, and Vinyl forced a smile.

"Well congratulations, I wish you the best" Vinyl said rather dejectedly and turned around, walking back the way she had come.

"Wait, Vinyl, what's up?" Melody asked, and Vinyl shrugged.

"Oh, nothing, I wouldn't want to spoil your evening" she said, and Melody eaised an eyebrow at her when their eyes met.

"Vinyl, it's a bit late for that, because if you leave now I'm gonna be worrying that whatever it was might have been important, and the fact that you're here and not at home kind of gets the thought in my head that it is important, so get your flank inside before I kick it here" she idly threatened, and Vinyl gulped, walking towards the door.

As soon as she entered she was greeted with a most nexpected sight. There, sitting on the couch, staring at the door with bloodsht purple eyes, mane in tatters from rushing aound for so long, was the lithe, sleek form of the one pony Vinyl didn't want to see. Octavia.

Vinyl froze for a microsecond, half of her wanting to bolt away and never come bac, the other halfwanting to rush forward and embrace Octavia it caused conflict within, enouh so that when Octavia movedto rush and hug her, she was knocked out of her trance and had enough on the side to bolt that she stepped away, and anger filled her eyes.

Octavia saw ths and retracted, looking down sheepishly.

"Vinyl, I am so-" he began, but Vinyl broke her sentence.

"Sorry? You're sorry, were you going to say that? Sorry for what? Breaking my heart? Saying you didn't love me anymore? Or are you sorry that you told the truth?" she asked, and Octavia retracted in shock and sorrow.

"Vinyl... How could you say that? I do love you, I'll always love you, please, please forgive me" Octavia begged her, but Vinyl felt so very angry, and so sad and all of her emotions were now vented at the only ponywithin visual range. Melody had long since retreated to the adjoining bedroom with Starlight and Tempest Strings.

"No" Vinl said simply, and the silence that followed could be cut with a knife. Sould anyone have even ried to enter the room they would have run into the silence that suffocated the room. Vinyl continued to stare at Octavia until she sighed and looked away.

"Vinyl, I don't expect you to ever understand why I did what I did, I was angry, not at you, but at Noteworthy, and myself. I shouldn't have allowed him to affect me so, but he has, and I took it out on you. I understand why you did what yu did, you were trying to do what I said I would do, forgive and forget, but I said those awful things to you and I regret it so dearly, please, please forgive me, or 'll never forgive myself" she said, and Vinyl turned away.

"I can't forgive somepony for telling me what they really thought of me, so-" she began, turning around, but this time it was Vinyl's turnto be cut off by a pair of hooves wrapping around her and pulling her close, at the same time a pair of lips collided with her own and locked them in their own emrace. It was beautifull, and for a moment Vinyl could't remember why she was angry. Until the tears started to fall. She broke the kiss.

"Octavia, get off me! Get off me!" Vinyl yelled, struggling to free herself from Octava's vice-like grip.

"NO!" Octavia shouted, holding on like a foal would its mother.

Octavia tightened her hold until their chests touched, Vinyl was then aware of a simple fact; she could feel Octavia's heart. It was in synch with her own.

"Listen, listen Vinyl. We're meant for each other. Our hearts beat together, we fit like pieces of the same soul, you tell me we don't!" she said, and for a few minutes Vinyl stood there, lost in the sensation of their hearts beating as one. Vinyl finally wrapped her hooves around Octavia and held her close, sobbing into her mane. Both of them were crying, tears of joy running down their cheeks.

"Tavi, I am so sorry, I am so, so sorry" she sobbed, stroking through her gray mane, and Octavia sobbed as well, muttering the same words. They sealed their reunion with a passionate kiss.



Noteworthy could not take his eyes off of Daisy the whole night, from when her lithe, gracefull form was framed perfectly by the candles, to where the moonlight washed over her and framed her perfectly against the night.

In the restaurant, the waiter was a true gentlecolt, and Daisy was perfect, witty and humerous with a slight edge of sarcasm. Not a lot though, she seemed to be too nice to be overly snide about anything. Of course, if you were to ask Daisy, she would say Noteworthy was a true Gentlecolt, and though the waiter was indeed the eitome of civility and politenss, Noteworthy went above and beyond in some way, even going as far as to listen intetly to everythng, even if Daisy werto interrupt him, which she did twice just to gauge his reaction, he was everything she had imagined a Canerot Stallion o be.

Yet, somewhere deep inside her, Daisy felt this night was somehow incomplete, even when Noteworthy was walking her home, rather, Daisy was giving him directions because he did not know where she actually lived, Daisy did not want the night to end. Noteworthy felt the same way, so he made a pledge; as soon as he got her back to her house, he would hope to steal a kiss, that is, if she was willing to part with one. He swallowed tightly, hopefully he wouldn't lose his courage.

He looked over at Daisy and smiled for the umpteenth time that night, and she looked back and caught his gaze an d smiled. Noteworthy resisted the urge to look away and blush, instead opting to smile wider before looking away. What he ddn't expect was a contented sigh from beside him and a head to rest on his shoulder.

"Thanks for tonight Notes. I really enjoyed it" Daisy said, nuzzling his cheek affectionately.

"So did I Daisy. I'm glad ou enjoyed it" he said, resting his head on hers as they walked. Soon, a house came into view, with thatched roof and quaint windows, beautiful flowers hanging in front of the door, and a brilliantly vibrant garden.

"Well, this is home" she said, almost sullenly, and Noteworthy felt sadness inside him. He had nowhere to go, but he wouldn't say anything.

"Thank you for tonight Noteworthy" Daisy said, and Noteworthy smiled.

"It was the least I could do for you, after you saved me and stayed by my side for two days... or was it three?" he asked himself, somewhat like an afterthought.

Daisy laughed and smiled, stepping closer. Noteworthy didn't notice.

"It was three, and I wouldnt have left even if they tried to force me to" she said, and Noteworthy smiled.

"Why?" he ased, and Daisy shrugged.

"When you save somepony's life you don't abandon them at the hospital" she said and Noteworthy smiled wider.

"I really am gratefull. You've been a great... friend" he said, choking on his words slightly. He made to walk away, his courage failing him as he had feared it would. Suddenly, a hoof clasped over his and Daisy plled him bac.

"Wait, if you think I'm going to let you leave without a place to go, you must be crazy" she said, and his eyes widened.

"No, I wouldn't want to be a nuisance..."

"You wouldn't be, besides, don't think I didn't pick up on your emotional shift earlier. You were hoping to steal something from me, something that you wanted all night, correct?" she asked, and he blushed hotly, looking away and rubbing his neck absently.

"Well... Maybe..." he shrugged sheepishly and pawed the ground. She gigled and lifted his head.

"Then hat are you waiting for?" she asked, and he swallowed. They leant in together and their lips connected, a soul searng kiss, passionate yet gentle. His hooves raked through her hair and she melted into the embrace as they fought each other for dominancein the kiss. He wo with his tantalising scalp massage. They broke the kiss after what felt like a few seconds, or an eternity, neither knew, and neither cares enoug to do anything about it.

Daisy smiled and opened her eyes with a slight flutter to the lids.

"Now, how about you stay the night so we can do that again?" she asked dhesmiled at her.

"That sounds wonderful" he said, and Daisy turned, opening the door and walking inside, followed by Noteworth. The door swung close, with anpony looking at that moment only seeing the scant form of two ponies kissing in the foyer...
> Chapter 14
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Noteworthy lay there, unable to quite process what had just happened, he couldn't believe it himself. But there she was, laying across from him in the bed, between purple bedsheets and a duvet that felt spu from liquid silk, a smile on her face and a hoof draped over his midriff, was Daisy the flower arranger. He smiled and shifted in the bed, mere inches seperated their bodies, she stired as he moved, hugging him tightly and forcing him closer. He laughed slightly and carressed her cheek, kissing her on said cheek and watching a light blush come to her cheeks. Her golden eyes flutered open and they captured his blue ones, hey shared a smile and a kiss.

"I thought I would steal only a kiss, not an entire night with you" he sad as he closed his eyes and pulled the blanket close over the pair's prone form. Daisy giggled and hugged him tightly.

"Best laid plans and all" she quipped and Notes smied, gently stroking her from her cheek down her sides. She giggled and slapped his hoof.

"Stop, I'm ticklish" she giggled and Nteworthy epened his eyes and raised an eyebrow. She did the same as she felt his emotions.

"Don't you dare, NO!" She yelped as he launched at her and tckled her mercilessly, she was giggling and laughing, begging for ercy bt Noteworthy continued until she gave in. By the end of it they were both out of breath and Notes lay atop her with a smile. He kissed her and she returned in kind. It woud have gone further were it not for Noteworthy's promise to himself that he would be a gentlecolt. He rolled over and resumed his place after Daisy reluctantly broke the kiss.

"Oh, I'm so glad I found you Daisy" he said with a smile and she returned a wider smile.

"No I'm glad I found you, after all who else would've saved you?" she asked and he smiled again.

"Touché my dear, touché" he said, poking her nose playfully. She scrunched up her face and giggled.

Noteworthy suddenly turned serious.

"Daisy, actually, I, uh, kinda need to tell you something" he said, and Daisy lost her smile for a split second. On some level she knew what he was going to say, but, she hadn't quite decided ow she felt,she needed more tme,so, before he could say anything, she placed a hoof over his mouth.

"Not yet, tomorrow, let's just get some sleep, yeah?" she asked and Notes nodded, the smiles returning t their faces as tey settled in for the night. Daisy, however, could not sleep. Being an empath she culd feelhe felt very strongly about her, maybe he was ven ready to say he loved her, she however, did not know if she loved him. Sure, he was a gentlecolt, a looker to say he least, charmin and witty, but...

She sighed. She just didn't know what the 'but' was, and in a way, that scared her, she didn't know him all yet, and underneath, he could be controlling and possessive, and she didn't want to be blinded by love and not see it until twelve years down the line.

She decided she would wait until tomorrow, worry was known to give a pony grey hair, and that would not have gone well with her pink coat.

With a final giggle she fell into sleep...



The day brought with it new worries and burdens, however, in her semi-conscious state, Daisy was unaware of any of them. The birds sang their uplifting melody into the morning air, and the sun invaded her room softly, lighting the blue walls and the purple bedsheets with a pleasant glow. Daisy stretched and grew to appreciate consciousness. She felt nothing beside her, and a cursorary glance revealed that, indeed, she was alone. She sat up andrealsed what had happened last night. She sighed and placed her head in her hooves. Trying to justify why she had let him sleep with her now demanded her full attention.

She had let him have the bed because she didn't want him to sleep on the couch, she decided, that was logical, right? No, she wanted him close. She wanted him close because... well, she didn't know why. She furrowed her brows and decided she would figure outher feelings and tell him, before he, or she, fell too deep.

However, on some level, she knew it was too late.

She paced out of her room, searching, but for what she didn't know, even if he had gone she wouldn't have known he was there, the bed looked unused by two, and he had no saddle bag to accompany him. Everything was in its rightful place and the only thing out of place was the scent of breakfast. She walked to the lading, trotting down the stairs briskly, heart flaring at the hope he might still be there, thinking that he had cooked beafast for them both. She smiled to herself. That would have been sweet of him. She gingerly trotted into the kitchen where the smell grew stronger, and found a note on the table next to a plate of fresh eggs and hay. She felt the plate. It was still warm, meaning he hadn't been gone for long. She picked up the piece of paper.

Dear Daisy

Had to go into town for something, I shall be back later. In the meantime I cooked you breakfast, hope you like eggs. See you soon.

Noteworthy.

Daisy sighed as she set the note down next to the plate and sat down on her chair, picking up a fork and idly pushing the food around the plate, not really feeling hungry. There was too much on her mind. How did she feel about Noteworthy? What was he to her? That was the question she wanted to avoid answering for as long as possible.

Was he a friend? A possible coltfriend? Or... she blushed, was he a possible lover? She chuckled and shook her head. She wasn't that sort of mare, she knew she wanted something more, and, on a much deeper level than she had currently explored within her, she knew she wanted it with Noteworthy. She sighed again and rested her head on her hoof, letting her unkempt mane fall towards the table. He had already stolen her kisses, a night together with her, hooves entangled in the luscious bed spread, a blush began to kiss her cheeks. He was so charming, so handsome, and such a gentlecolt, sometimes too much of one. The blush got hotter as less-than pure thoughts invaded her mind.

She imagined what it would feel like, to have his hooves through her mane, to have him kiss her with passion she secretly longed for, she imagined what it would felt like as they joined together in physical ecstasy, souls becomig one, bodies heaving together, kisses on her neck, trailing down... down... down...

She jolted back into reality when she heard a *SNAP*, nearly jumping out of her seat at the unwated noise, she looked down and saw that her fork had sliced clean through the plate and cracked it, spilling the contents onto the table. She sighed and got up out of her chair, walking into the kitchen and getting out a dustpan and brush, she walked back into the swept the plate fragents into it before walking back into the kitchen and placing them into the bin. She turned to walk out but her face caught a mirror she kept on the door frame, she used it to put reminders on of things she had to do, at the moment there were tree sticky notes, two were in her handwrting, but one was not. She didn't notice it yet, however, she was focussed on her still-bliushng face ad knew, in that moment, whether she liked it or not, she was fallng for Noteworthy. As a matter of fact, however, she did know she liked it.

She picked up the note that was not in her hadwriting and read it, eyes going wide. She read the four words over and over, but they never changed, there they were.

Buy something for Daisy



Noteworty smiled as he trotted down the road, the sun was shining and the air was clear, he breathed deep, getting the country air, so different than the stale air of Canterlot city, or the sterile air of the hospital. He was even whistling lghtly to himself, going as far as to hum on a few occassions, causing a few glances to be shot his way. He laughed and waved whenever somepony would watch, further adding to their confusion but putting smiles on their faces when he practically skipped away.

He still didn't know where he was going to get the bits to buy something for Daisy, but that would come later, for now he was too happy to care, if needs be he would beg, borrow and... Well, he wouldn't steal, but he was committed to treating Daisy to something after all she had done, call it a gift of affection. He was just walking in front of the Music Shoppe, and he spieda sign that sprouted his own smile. HELP WANTED.

He silently thanked Celestia for the strok of luck and thougt he saw the twinkling of the sun in response. He smiled wider ashe walked towards the shop.

It was a small shop, but filled with instruments, Lyre's adorned the far walls, violis and guitars behind the couner where a stern-looking pony with gasses was standing, reading a magazine with pictures of instruments. A harp stood next to the HELP WANTED sign, and a piano behind it. Noteworthy regarded it and pressed a key, frowning when an out-of-tune note played. He flattened his ears.

"Can I help you?" he pony behind the counter sad, and Noteworthy looked up from his study of the piano.

"Yes, I saw you needed help from the sign in the window?" he asked, and the mare perked up ever so slightly, but Noteworthy saw the hope in her eyes.

"Yes, thank Celestia, I need somepony who knows how to tune instruments and, frankly, I need help selling them, ponies just don't have an appreciation for music like they used to, Vinyl Scrach has done a good job of converting them to Dubtrot" she said, and Noteworthy chuckled.

"Well, I know how to tune guitars pianos and violins, not sure about the har, I'll ask around, and as to the problem of the instruments not selling, I think if ponies knew what they could do with the instruments, they would take the time to learn. Tell me, the main instrument you sell, would it be the Cello or the Piano by any chance?"

The mare behind the counter blinked.

"Yeah, actualy, I've sold thee Cellos and a piano this week" she said and Noteworthy nodded.

"During that time did either Vinyl Scratch or Octavia have any performances or release any songs?" he sked, and the mare nodded.

"Yes, Vinyl came out with a piano piece that ws very god, and Octavia did Cello as backing for it" she explained and Noteworthy smiled again.

"I thought so. Pass me a violin, I have a way those violin's will be out of here before you can blink. I'm Noteworthy" he said, extending a oof. The mare picked up a violin and slaped it into his hoof.

"I'm Tune Breaker, your new boss. If you can get me three violin sales by the end of the day, you got the job. If you can't, well, I still need help tuning stuff. Good luck Notes" she said with a smile and a wink, and Noteworthy nodded, stepping outside with the violin to stand just outside the door. He looked around at the few ponies who were milling about, some laughing with each other.

He stood on his hind legs, set the violin below his chin and drew the bow across the strings, creating a low monotone, attracting the attention of nearly all the ponies around. He began to play one of the first songs he had ever learnt to play, he closed his eyes and drifted away with the sounds of the instrument to back to when h had first played the song at a school assembly, how nervous he had been, but also how seemingly well-composed, anypony lookig o now would see him getting lost in his music, when in reality he was getting lost in his past. The song in question he did not know the name of, but he still played it with rapture. His bow drew across the strings and for once he felt trly happy, like ho he had last night.

He almost made a mistake on the violin. He loved Daisy, but did she return the feelings? She HAD let him steal a kiss, and a whole night with her, but, was that really a declaration of love? He didn't know.

He opened his eyes while still playing and a large crowd ad gathered, e blinked twice in shock, but did not stop playing. Several ponies had tears in their eyes as they listened to the melody, and Noteworthy began to wrap up the song, drawing the last few sad notes out bfore he stopped playing and took a bow.

He heard clapping and stood up.

"If you would like to play like that, well, this shop does sell violins" he said with a wry smile before he walked back inside. He heard idle chatter behind him and thought to himself Three... Two... One... Now...

Right on cue somepony stepped forward just as he had opened the door to go back inside, Tune looked up and saw the crowd, her mouth falling open slightly, Noteworthy gave her a wink as the pony spoke.

"Um, how much are the violins?" he asked, and the crowd watched them expectantly. Noteworthy urned around and shrugged.

"I'll just go check" he said and walked into he shop, closing the door. e set the violin dowon the counter.

"Well, I think you'll have at least one sale, how much are the violins?" he asked, and Tune blinked, shaking her head as she stammered out an answer.

"Uh, they're, uh, 20 bits, but, I'll give you that one free if you can get that crowd to buy one" she sad, and Noteworthy smled, walking back out the shop with the violin.

"The violins are 20 bits, get them while they're cheap!" he said, and several ponies walkd forward ad into the shop, followed by the rest of the crowd, he aughed as the shop was crowded and Tune looked indeed surprised. She waved a Notes and shrugged, mouthing What did you do?, to which Noteworty shruggd and walked back in.

"I'll start tomorrow proper!" he shouted over the commotion, and she nodded, he laughed and walked back towards Daisy's house...
> Chapter 15
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Vinyl sighed and stretched as the soft sunlight invaded her eyelids. She looked over at the other side of the bed and saw the sleeping, messy form of Octavia. Her heart instantly swelled with the sight of her mane down and all around her face in beautiful grey waves. She looked stuning when her mane was in dissarra, even more so than she did normally. She smiled as she stroked a hoof across her lover's face, what a way to start any day, to wake up next to the love of her life after their make up... session.

A blush kissed Vinyl's white cheeks as she stroked a piece of hair out of Octavia's eyes. After all this tme she still couldn't believe how cute Tavi was while she slept, her eyes fluttered gently, and her mouth was always ever so slightly parted and always tempted Vinyl to kiss her. This time she did not resist the temptation. She gently leant forward and pressed her lips against Octavia's, who let out a deep sigh and a moan as she woke up.

The kiss seemed to freeze time, it never ceased to amaze either of them how their emotions, how their love for each other could be shown and sealed with a simple kiss, but there it was. Octavia woke properly as her brain processed what was happening.

They finally broke the embrace of their lips to find each other's eyes staring deeply into their own, crimso red t soft hued purple.

"Best way to wake up. Ever" Octavia declared,wrapping her hooves around Vinyl and bringing her close in a hug. Vinyl laughed at her as Octavia's eyes closed again ad she tried to get back to sleep.

"You know, I hate to break it to you but I have to get up soon" Vinyl said, and Octavia groaned, tightening her grip on the alabaster unicorn. Vinyl giggled again and kissed her cheek as she returned the hug. The ever-so-soft and warm bedsheets beckoned her back to sleep

"Well, I guess 5 more minutes couldn't hurt" she said sleepily as her eyes fluttered. Octavia moaned in agreement as she tightened her old on her lover yet agin and sighed in appreciation of their shared warmth, their hearts in tandem with each other. Vinyl's eyes closed once again to the sothing, regular thump of her lover's heart, drifting off into Morpheus' realm and into her dreams, filled with purple eyes and a soft, grey mane.

As the light once again invaded the soft world of dreams, Vinyl found herself disheartened by the absence of warmth by her side, she opened her eyes and looked, to find the bedsheets pulled back and Octavia gone. Then she smelt it, breakfast, what was it though? It wasn't the usual things they would cook, this was nt the rich full smell of pancakes or scones, nor was it even muffins or cupcakes, this smelt like something that made Vinyl's mouth water at the thought of it; Banana Bread Loaf.

She trotted down the stairs briskly, but not too quickly that she almost fell, she did not want hers and Tavi's first day back together to be a trip to the hospital. A smile parted her lips as she shook her head at the thought. She walked across the living room and towards the kitchen, where Octavia ws humming slghtly and grabbing something from the oven. She seemed unaware of Vinyl's presence, so she snuck closer. Octavia placed the tray on the counter and took off the oven-gloves.

A floorboard creaked and Octavia turned, pounced on Vinyl and kissed her deeply, and passionately. Vinyl was stunned, her eyes going wide, the kiss awakened a fire in her heart and she moaned in bliss as Octavia's hooves stroked around her face lovingly. Octvia's tongue snked forth and began a sensual dance with Vinyl's, who was now so lost that nothing could awaken her, she was awash in a sea of pleasures, moaned again s her own hooves started to respond, wrapping around Octavia's face and into her rich mane.

Then, as soon as it began, it was over, Octavia broke away and left Vinyl standing there, eyes closed and mouth slightly open. Octavia stroked once more through her mane and whispered into her ear "Happy Birthday"

The breath washed overher neck and Vinyl felt a flush rush to her cheeks as they stood there for a while. Vinyl pulled Octavia closer and held her tightly, wanting nothing moe thanto stay that way forever, tears of happiness pricked her eyes as she stood there, and Octavia pulled away.

"V? V, what's wrong?" she askd, wiping aay a tear, and Vinyl smiled and wiped her eyes.

"Nothing, just, I love you Tavi. So, so much" she said, and Octavia smiled kissing her on the cheek.

"I love you too V. Not a day goes by when I don't want to tell you" she said, an Vinyl smiled at her again.

"Did you forget it was your birthday?" Octavia asked, and Vinyl chuckled.

"Only a little" she admitted sheepishly, and Octavia laughed.

"Well, I'm glad I reminded you" Octavia said as they continued to stand together, so close to one another as the day slipped them by. They finally seperated and Octavia pulled out a chair for Vinyl who took a seat and kissed her on the cheek before she trotted away to her own seat. She picked up the knife and cut some of the loaf off and placed it on a plate, putting it in front of Vinyl and doing the same for her.

Vinyl cut some off and put it to her lips, taking a tentative nibble, there weren't manyponies that could have remade the banana loaf exactly how she remembered, but Octavia had, and with the flurry of taste came an onslaught of memories, her mother smiling at her warmly, compassinate pink eyes of her father, hooves through her mane comforting her as she cried after a long day at school. Tears pricked her eyes and fell down her cheeks, landing on the glass table with an ever so soft tinkering sound, for one minute, one fleeting minute punctuated by taste she had not experienced for 18 years, she was home. She let out a half strangled half sob half gasp. Octavia looked up with a smile, but her smile soon turned to concern.

"Vinyl? What's wrong?" she asked, and Vinyl snapped out of her trance and smiled, sniffing slightly as she wiped away tear.

"My mom used to bake this, every weekend, or whenever I felt sad... It... It just brings back memories is all" she said with a far off smile, and Octavia smiled back.

"Thanks Tavi, this is the best birthday I could have ever hoped for" she said, and Octavia chuckled.

"All I did was bake you someting because I couldn't physically give you anything" she said, an Vinyl regarded her with a curious gaze.

"What did you get me?" she asked, a hint of childlike anticipation in hr voice, and Octavia cleared her throat.

"Well, today is your day, so I arranged a spa treatment for you, and a makeover at Rarity's. I know you don't like the girly stuff, but, give it a try. I want you to be pampered today and... MMPH!" she was cut off mid sentence by a lavish kiss by her lover. She pulled away too quickly for Octavia's liking.

"I would love a spa treatment Tavi, but only if you get one too" she said and Octavia smiled at her.

"Of course V" she acuiesced to Vinyl's whim. It was her birthday after all, how could she say no with those beautiful eyes and flashing smile? They may have only been away from each other for 3 or 4 hours, but it felt like an eternity to each of them, and was an experience neither wanted to repeat.

"Just one question, how did you arrange this seemingly overnight?" she asked and Octavia smiled.

"Last night at 9, you were asleep and I was... recovering..." she said with a blush, which made Vinyl smile and blush too, Octavia cleared her throat and continued.

"Anyway, I've been wanting to et you something for your birthday for months, but I wasn't sure what to get you, you already have a piano, and you brought a new set of mixing equipment recently, so oneday in the shower I thought of a spa treatment at Rarity's. I decied to go the whole hog and get you a day with Lotus and Aloe, then a makeove at Rarity's boutique, I went to the spa before it closed andbooked the day, then I went to the boutique and booked you in for 3pm" she explained and Vinyl smied at her.

"You're too good to me Tavi" she said, looking away. Octavia couldn't resist the urge to get up out of her seat and sit in front of Vinyl, picking up her chin and gazing into her eyes.

"I give you exactly what you deserve, V. You deserve nothing but the best" she said, and kissed her deeply, making her slightly sligh and moan in appreciation.

"C'mon V, we need to get to the spa soon" she said and Vinyl smiled.

"Remember when I said I had to get up, but then you lured me back to sleep? Well that was for good reason, I was going to visit Rarity's myself and get some new sunglasses..." she said and Octavia raised and eyebrow and scoffed.

"New glasses... Really? That's the limit of your ambition? That's the limit of the great DJ PON-3?" she asked with a smirk, and Vinyl fixed her with a glare as Octavia wore a smug smirk.

"Okay Tavi, I'll forgive you that one just because of what you've done, but if you let me finis, I was going to say I was going to get myself new glasses, AND buy something for you. Your birthday is only a month away" she said casually, and Octavia's eyebrows shot up.

"You would buy me something from Rarity's Boutique? Wouln't that waste all your bits?" she asked and Vinyl shrugged.

"I never said I would get someting expensive" she said with a coy grin and a twinkle in her eyes, telling Octavia otherwise. Octavia smiled at her as she picked up hr empty plate and placed it next to the sink that washalf full. Vinyl watched her as she sat back down and let out a simple sigh.

"So what were you going to buy?" she asked and Vinyl shrugged.

"I don't want you to know, it's a suprise, I'll ask Rarity about it today when you're not paying attention" she said and Octavia narrowed her eyes with a playfull grin.

"You know I'm not letting you out of my sight or earshot now right?" she asked and Vinyl nodded.

"That's what's going to make today fun" she said and Octavia smiled widely.

"It's on then" she said and Vinyl smirked.

"I bet you 20 bits you won't hear hide nor hair of my plans" she said and Octavia's eyes went wide and her eyebrows rose uncharacteristically.

"Deal" she said nearly instantly, and extended a hoof, Vinyl gripped it within her own and shook it before she let it fall unceremoniously to the table.

They held gazes for a few more minutes before Octavia got up and motioned for her to do the same.

"C'mon birthday mare, we need to get you to the spa" she said and Vinyl smiled as she got up and grabbed her coat from the racks as Octavia grabbed her own from where it had been thrown carelessly on the stairs a few nights ago. Vinyl wrapped her coat around hersel an went to grab hershades, Octavia saw what she was doing and grabbed her hoof, snaking unerneath it so it rested on her shoulders as she stood up on her hind legs, forcing the unicorn to mimic her.

"What are you doing?" she asked, and Vinyl wrapped her other hoof around her lover's other shoulder.

"I'm getting my glasses. If last night showed me anyhing it's that ponies around here are quick to judge by eye colour. I shan't go into details, but from now on I'm wearing these in public" she said, reaching behind Otavia's head to grab the glasses and going to put them on her face. Octavia's hoof gently came up and rested on the top of them and gently pushed them down.

"I don't like you wearing them. I don't like you hiding your beautiful eyes V" she said and stard into the ruby red irises for as long as she coul wthot blinking. Vinyl smiled at her gently before moving her hoof to cup Vinyl's face. She mimicked the action with her own hoof as the glasses finally made their way to cover up her eyes.

"I'll take them off once we get to the spa if you want" she said and Octavia smiled at her.

"You'd better. I can't go more than a few minutes without knowing there's life in your eyes V" she said and Vinyl edged closer, the coats suddenly becoming a stifling excessiveness rather than a necessity, they rubbed against each other, annoyingly restricting their contact with the other's form.

"Maybe you need reminding" she said in a whisper, and gently pressed her lips to Octavia's in a tender declaration. No words or sounds were made save for the beating of their hearts loud in their ears and the gentle in an out whisper of each other's breath. Vinyl would never admit it, but whenever she would kiss Octavia with her glasses on she would leave her eyes open if only a fraction of an inch just to guage Tavi's reaction, and this one was no different han the others. A singe strand of hair dropped from her well kept mane to her face, her eyes fluttered gently and she could feel Octavia's hooves grow tighter around her neck, pushing them closer as she gently opened her mouth and let in Vinyl's tongue to capture her own and begin a sensual dance.

A simple noise, halfway between a sigh and a moan escaped her lover, and Vinyl felt her knees barely hold her up. She wanted to melt right then, remove their coats and make Octavia feel like she was the only thing that mattered in the whole wide world. THAT would be a birthday present, to know she could grant Octavia the pleasure they both so hungrily desired.

Unfortunately Octavia had booked a spa treatment for them both that they had to keep, because Octavia had already paid for it. Vinyl broke the kiss.

"We should get going" she said as their foreheads touched, Octavia nodded and finally let her go, falling to her hooves as she gazed back up into Vinyl's glasses. Vinyl could see the smoky haze in her eyes that was slowly returning to normal and shivered, whenever Octavia would get that look Vinyl had not been able to walk straight. Enough said.

Octavia opened the door and waited for Vinyl to o hrough first. Vinyl smiled at her and said thanks before Octavia herself stepped out into the not to warm not too clold air. It was stil cold enoughfor them to wear their coats though. They started off at a slow pace, talking about nothing in particular, the latest usic by Frederic Horseshoepin, the latest styles i Canterlot Weekly, or even the lest news in EquestriaDaily.

Now and then one o hem would throw in a weak joke or a sarcastic comment that would get the other laughing, and that's how the morning went.

Until they got to the spa.

It was a reletively small building, but it held so much within, a sauna room, mudbaths, and even large bathtub and massage parlours. They stepped through the dor an a high pitched tikling of a bell alered the two ponies behind the counter, Lotus, with blue, pristine coat and pink flowing mane, an Aloe, with pink coat and blue mane. Boh of them looked up with shining blue eyes as their first customers of the day came in through the doors.

"Hello! And welcome to ze ponyville spa!" one said cheerily with a slight accent.

"I am Lotus, zis is my sister Aloe! We will take care of you today, and take you down a road of relaxation!" she said, as though rehearsed, but with startling bouyancy and genuine happiness.

"Hello Lotus, I' Octavia, I spoke with you last night about a spa treatment for me and Vinyl er" she said, rabbing Vinyl's hoof and bringing her closer. Vinyl blushed slightly as she cae under the scrutinizing, yet cheerful gaze of the spa twins.

"Ah, oui! Miss Octavia, we were wonderin when exactly you would come in today, Aloe, effacer appointmets pour aujourd'hui, nous avons des clients particuliers" she insructed her sister, who nodded and produced a book from the counter, flipping through it and striking out a few names.

"If you'll excuse me I must make some calls" she said as she sht the book. Lotus turned back to them with a smile.

"If you'll follow me s'il vous plais, we shall begin your treatment, just one more thing, due to healt and safety we cannot allow sunglasses in our spa rooms, zey will have to be left here with your coats" she said with a smile and Vinyl turned to Octavia, slightly alarmed, Octavia gave her a kss.

"Don't worry, they see all sorts in here, eye colour won't be a problem" she said reassuredly, and Vinyl nodded.

"If you say so, Tavi" she said, before removing her glasss and turning around. Lotus watched curiously as she removed hr coat and set the on the hook, the glasseshanging around it loosely. Vinyl turned back around with er eyes open, ready for any insults that might coe her way. Lotus gasped and stepped closer.

"Oh my, your eye colour, it is so exotic, I've never seen eyes like zese before, is zis a natural colour or do you use contacts?" she asked, and Vinyl lookd taken aback

Octavia cleared her throat.

"*Ahem*, Lotus, could we please get started?" she asked, snapping Lotus out of her trance.

"Oh, yes, of course, but still, zese eyes are the most beautiful I've ever seen, positively sparkling!" she said, before turnng and trotting off. Vinyl blushed deeply at the compliment and felt a smile light her face.

"There, you see? Somepony else who thinks your eyes are beautiful V!" she said happily and Vinyl smiled.

"Yeah, I guess they're not so bad..."

Vinyl and Octavia were led into the massage room first, where they were told to lay on the two seperate beds face down. Vinyl did so first and placed her head into the hole in the bed where the pillow would be. Octavia did the same on her side of the room, and Lotus trotted up to Octavia while Aloe walked into the room to take car of Vinyl.

"Now, because of the package you booked for yourselves, you get ze full treatment, massage, mane wash, 30 minutes in ze sauna room followed by a luxurious bubble bath, but first we must make sure your muscles are loose and prepared for he hours of relaxation and euphoric treatments ahead" Lotus said, before motonig for Aloe to get the massage oils. They both squeezed the necessary amounts onto their hooves.

"Now, zis may seem a bi coldto ze touch" Aloe warned, before applying pressure to Vinyl's back. She seethed at first as the cool liquid was worked into hr coat, but it soom warmed up, and the hooves on her back began to expertly knead and work the tense muscles beneath them Vinyl started to enjoy herself and relaxed onto the bed, letting out an ever so slight moan as her back muscles were worked on.

The hooves slowly moved up and destroyed the knots and tension in Vinyl's back, and soon they were working at her neck, moving slowly in circles as they mved slowly back down, the circular motion being repeated. Vinyl lookedover at Octavia who was watching her with a smile as her own back was being kneaded. Octavia's eyes closed as the spa pony found a particularly troubling knot in her back. Octavia let out a moan of her own.

All too soo the massage was over, and the pair found temselves to be relaxed more than they ever had. Vinyl could have easily falle asleep, but now she was beig led into the sauna room.

Lotus and Aoe lit the fire beneath the rocks and poured some water over them when they got hot enough. Vinyl and Octavia sat on opposite sides of the room as the spa ponies explained what to do if they wanted to turn up the step or turn it down. They soon left the pir in peace and the door was shut. Vinyl looked over at Octavia with a goofy smile.

"Thanks fo this Tavi, I really needed it" se said and Octavia scooted closer.

"Well it was the least I could do, both as a gift, and to say sorry" she said, and Vinyl scooted closer to her in turn.

"What do you mean?" She asked, and Octavia looked at her with the ghost of a tear in her eyes.

"For yesterday, what I said, I'm sorr-"she was cut off by Vinyl's hoof over her lips.

"Shhhh, don't. I should be apologizingf first, I didn't listen. I didn't listen to you, and I'm sorry too" she said, and removed her hoof, oly to replace it with her own lips. The steam in the room intensified as the water was automatically poured onto the hot rocks., obscuring the silhouette of two ponies kissing furiously in the sauna room.

"You know, earlier at the house, you teased me something bad" Octavia said when the kiss broke, pouting dramatically, Vinyl let out a smirk when she figured out where Octavia was going, she had that look she always got when she was feeling hot and bothered. Octavia leant in close and plafully licked her lover's er, sending shivers up the mare's spine, an jolts of elecricity to other places.

"I think it's time you paid for that" she whispered huskily, and pushed Vinyl down onto the wooden seats,kissing her as she gently lowered herself down to the wood, Octavia kissed her fully, slipping her tongue between her lips to egin a sensual dance, Vinyl giving out a low hearty moan from within her...



Aloe pushed open the door to the sauna room and found her two customers, blushign profusely as their heads were laid back on the back of the wooden seats. Aloe took a look at them before noticing the hazy looks in both of their eyes as they acknowledged her intrusion. Aloe smiled at them knowingly.

"How was your sauna experience?" she asked and they smiled at her.

"Very hot indeed" Vinyl aid and shared a giggle with Octavia. Lotus chuckled slightly.

"Well if your fires have been put out, you can follow me to the mane was and relaxing bubble bath" she said with a smile and the two ponies got up and walke dout of the sauna room, leaving Aloe to extinguish the physical fire underneath the rocks.

When Aloe joined them outside she walked past them towards the bathing room.

"If you'll follow me to the bathing room we can move onto the final parts of your spa treatment" she said with a smile, and Vinyl ad Octavia smiled back before leisurely trotting behind her into a large room with a jaccuzzi, Lotus was already there, pouring in some exotic bubblebath.

"Hey there Aloe, how are our guests?" she asked, and Aloe shot them a look before turning back towards her sister.

"They've finished unwinding in the sauna room and are looking forward to a nice relaxing bath, aren't you ladies?" she asked and the two nodded while trying to hide the blushes that kissed their cheeks. Aloe led them to the ende of the water and beckoned them in. Octavia took the first tenative step and was shocked at how cool yet warm the water seemed, she sunk down into it with a luxurious sigh and motioned for Vinyl to do the same, so she did.

After a while they got out and thanked he spa twins for a lovely day before bidding them farewell. Vinyl picked up Octavia's coat and put it on for her.

"It's the least I could do" she said and Octavia smiled, giving her a kiss on the cheek. Vinyl picked up her glasses and Octavia watched her intently. Vinyl looked at her and smiled before turning away andwalking towars the wastebin that waskept in the corner of the shop. She deposited the glasses into t with a *thump* and turned back to Octavia with a smile.

"I don't need them anymore" she said and Octavia squealed before rushing over and throwing her hooves around Vinyl.

"Oof, what was that for?" she asked and Octavia shrugged, her hooves still wrapped around Vinyl's body.

"You've finally gotten rid of your glasses! I'm so proud Vinyl!" she said and Vinyl laughed, wrappin her own hooves tightly around Octavia.

"Like I said, I don't need them. You like my eyes, other ponies will like my eyes, and with you ready to give a Death Glare to anypony who says otherwise, I think I'm good" she sad, and Octavia pulled back, kissing her full on the lips before pulling away and gazing at the clock.

"Oh! We need to go! We're gonna be late for our appointment with Rarity!" Se yelled, grasping Vinyl's hoof with hers and running out the door.

Lotus ad Aloe watched them leave with a smile. Aloe turned to Lotus and motioned at the couple running across the town.

"Young love"



Noteworthy tested the weight of the violin as he walked back towards Daisy's house, his original intent was to find a job so that he could buy something for Daisy, now he had a job, and a violin, he could do the next best thing, if not something better, he would give her the gift of music, a song for her, a melody or serenade. He wa spractically skipping as he was when he left, things were finally looking up for him, he had found a job, made a few sales, and he had a violn with which he would give a gift to Daisy. He could only imagine that she had found the note and would question him about it upon his return. He smiled to himself as he walked past a coule of ponies, even going as far as to whistle a merry tune as he walked.

All of a sudden he saw something that made his smile wider; walking down the road, smiling happily, where two ponies that were waking extremely close, one was an alabaster unicorn with double toned blue hair and nearly opaque sunglasses, Vinyl Scratch, the other a simple earth pony with grey mane and lighter grey coat, sporting a stylish pink bow-tie. Octavia. He smiled at Octavia and Vinyl as he walked past, even going as far as to wave at them as they passed.

He was shocked when their smiles vanished and their faces turned hostile. They all but stopped dead in their tracks.

Vinyl whispered to Octavia and made to walk towards him, but Octavia held her back, whispering in her ear and casting him an odd look. He was now slightly worried, and more than curious. What had he done now? If he had actually done something.

He gulped as he saw them casting him more deathly glares, those purple eyes now made him want to just slink into the shadows and run away, but he steeled his courage and walked towards them, eager to find out what he had done to provoke their ire this time.

He walked towards them with a confused look on his face as they whispered more heatedly.

"Hey" he said rather happily, and they both stopped their whispering, deciding to put on fake pleasantries, probably so they could get out of there quicker.

"Hello Noteworthy" Vinyl said, unintentionally (or so Noteworthy thought) put venom into his name.

"What have I done now?" he asked, and Vinyl turned to Octavia, for permission to say something. Octavia smiled regretfully at Noteworthy, and nodded to Vinyl.

"Well, when I left the hospital and went home, I told Octavia I visited you, we had a fight, because of you, and we both said things we regretted later, and Octavia sad some hurtfull things that made me run off and try and drown myself in liquour, because of you" she went onto explain everything that had happened, and Noteworthy's face fell more with each passing second. After such a long time of elation, he suddenly felt like the lowly pony he had been when he had first gotten here, he felt as bad as he had over the past year. He came to Ponyville looking for forgiveness and penance, but he only caused more damage.

"Now if you'll excuse us, we have an appointment at Rarity's boutique" she said before turning to Octavia and walking away, Octavia following, then quickly turning back.

"Listen Notes, Vinyl does't like you, and I'm no fan of you either, think it would be better if you did leave town" she stated, and Noteworthy fixed his eyes on the ground before she walked off to join Vinyl, leaving Noteworthy feeling low and dejected. He felt adark cloud pass over him. As much as he liked Daisy, he couldn't stay in Ponyville if he was going to tear people apart.

He felt a dark cloud settle over his heart, and knew that he had no bits to pay for a train ticket out of there, he would have to wait for at least a day before he could leave. That would give him time to... say his goodbyes. He sighed to himself as he walked back towards Daisy's house, soon comng face to face with the bright flowers hanging b the door and windows, and the thatched roof beconing him and creating a sense of familiarity. His heart momentarily quickened pace as he allowed a small smile. A single tear was squeezed out from his eyes as he knocked on the door. He quickly wiped it away before the door was opened.

> The Final
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Carousel Boutique never failed to stun the two ponies that now stool on its doorstep. It was a beautiful building that would not have been out of place in Canterlot, and the owner, doubly so. Maybe that was why in the past year her shop had become the créme de la créme of Ponyville, if anypony wanted a dress they went to Carousel Boutique, there was no question, but, recently, the store had began to give complete makovers to accommodate the fact that not everypony wanted a new dress everyday.

Vinyl whistled appreciativel as she looked throug the window at the price tags on the dresses, hoping one day she could afford one, but, that was a folley, she was a musician and, contrary to popular belief, musicians were not well known in Ponyville, and had very few gigs. Octavia and Scratch were still living off of their last gig, so how Octavia got the money for this and the spa she had no idea.

"Hey, Tavi, how did you get the money for this?" Vinyl asked, looking towards Ocavia, who seemed slightly distracted, looking back towards the main town instead of the trned back when she heard Vinyl's voice.

"Huh? Oh! Money, well, Lotus and Aloe gave me a discount because it was your birthday and we had just gotten over our lover's spat, and, well, let's just say Rarity owes me a favour" she said, with a flashback to her with yellow coat and blue maneon NightMare Night. She shivered.

Vinyl nodded.

"Good, I thought you had dipped into our living money" Vinyl said, and Octavia scoffed.

"I'd like to think I'm more money savvy then that" she stated, causing a fit of giggles. They walked towards the door and gently pushed on it, it opening with a slight creaking of wood, the tinkling of a bell overhead caught te attention of the mare in the centre, working on something behind closed curtains.

She turned around with a smile.

"Hello, wecome to carousel boutique, where everything is chique, unique, and tres magnifique!" she sang with her signature friendly tone, smile, and closed eyes. It was only when she opened her eyes and viewed the customers that the realisation hit her.

"Oh! Miss Scratch! Miss Octavia! I completely forgot you were coming, please forgive the mess, I was just dealig with a particularly picky customer, that's what I was working on, they wanted their dress to have more 'flare' whatever that meant" she stated rather gruffly, idly flicking the curl in her mane as she talked.

"Anyway, I suppose you're here for the makovers I promised?" she asked, and Octavia shook her head.

"No, Vinyl Scratch has the makover, I'm just going to wait and have a read of your magazines and browse of your dresses I guess" she said with a shrug and Rarity's eyes fell to a half lidded annoyed look.

"No. Sorry Octavia, but no, I'll gladly do both of your makovers, but not just one, for two reasons, A: I owe Octavia a favour, not you Vinyl, even though I will kindly do it as an extention of Octavia's favour, and B: I don't want Octavia to bore herself with those dusty magazines that I haven't updated in oh, so long" she said and Octavia held up a hoof, knowing better than to argue with the fashionista.

"Fine fine, I'll take a makover too" she said resignedly, and they both were led towards a pair of chairs in front of two mirrors just on the edge of the shop, far enough awaya so that the dresses were out of the way, but close enough so the fashion pony could easily transition between two different aspects of her work.

Octavia sat down and felt herself sink into the plush silk chairs. She looed over to Vinyl who was motioning for Rarity to come closer, and when she did Vinyl whispered something into her ear, Rarity's eyes lit up and she had to stop herself from squealing in delight.

"Oh of course darling, consider it done!" she said with glee, and turned to look at Octavia with the faint, tell-tale signs of a smile before walking towards her back room to pick up some supplies for the two customers now sitting in the chairs.

Octavia looked at Vinyl with a raised eyebrow and a smirk.

"What was that then?" she asked coyly, and Vinyl shrugged.

"Well, let's just say you owe me some bits" she said, then turned to face the mirror, flicking a bang of her blue hair our of her red eyes. She had only just now let the reality of what she did at sink in, she was out in public without her trademark sunglasses. Rarity came back armed with various facial masks, hoof and horn filers and mane curlers and a straightener.

"Now, first of all, I think we'll start with a nice mane wash, then I can re-style it" she said with a nod towards thepair, who looked at each other and nodded.

"That sounds lovely Rarity" Vinyl said, and Rarity smiled, then, in an instant, it faded as she saw Vinyl's eyes and focussed on them for what seems to have been the first time.

"Oh my Celestia! Please tell me those are your natural eyes and not contacts!" she said with a smile, and Vinyl shook her head.

"No, these are my natural eyes" she said and Rarity gasped.

"Oh, I simply must have your permission to design you a dress!" she gasped as she began to place the straighteners in Vinyl's hair and gently pulling it through.

"Oh! I can finally use that fire ruby I've been sealing away! I can make it a sparkling pink to offset your eyes and match the lovely Octavia's!" she was practically giddy with excitement and Vinyl was just sitting there with a perplexed look on her face as Rarity moved the straighteners through her mane. Octavia found it hard not to giggle.

"Oh, it'll be just perfect, you two standing there in matching yet different dresss, each complimenting your manes and eyes! Oh it'll be just magical!" she spoke with a dreamy look in her eyes, and Vinyl cast a glance over at Octavia who was giggling.

"You can laugh Tavi, but I think it'll actually be nice" Vinyl said, and Octavia stopped her giggling, Rarity stopped her straightening, and turned her chair around.

"So you'll let me do it?" she asked with her gleam in her eyes, and Vinyl nodded.

Rarity squealed and danced from one hoof to the other for a few moments before she stopped."Oh, the makeover, sorry girls, I just got a bit excited" she said sheepishly, and Octavia scoffed.

"A bit excited?" she said and Rarity blushed and began to finish up with Vinyl's hair.

"Well can you blame me? I get to design dresses for you two! Oh you simply must let me fit you today!" she said to Octavia as she finished with Vinyl's hair and moved on to Octavia's. Vinyl took a glance in the mirror and her jaw dropped, her hair cascaded down her neck, when it wasn't in her normal windswept look, she hadn't quite realised how much she had let it grown. It flowed like water, framing her face perfectly. Octavia watched her with much the same look.

"Wow, V, you look amazing!" she said and Vinyl blushed, Rarity alloed herelf a smile as she ran the staighteners through Octavia's mane, sending rivers of perfect gray cascading down her cheeks.

"Compared to you, Tavi, I'm nothing" she said and Octavia shook her head.

"You're everything to me V" she said, for the moment Rarity forgotten, until she 'aawwed'.

"Aww, you two really are the best couple!" she said as she fairly quickly straightened Octavia's hair, then began to place curlers in it.

"Um, Rarity, do I have to have curlers in my hair? Can't you just leave it straight?" Octavia asked and Rarity shook her head.

"Sorry 'Tavi', Straight hair is so benal and blech, oh, no offense, but I feel you would look so much better with curly hair, not straight hair or your normal look" she explained, and Octavia nodded as she watched Rarity through the mirror.

"So, what did you have in mind for Tavi's dress?" Vinyl asked, and Rarity stopped mid-curl, half hanging out and half wrapped with hair, she blinked a few times before turning towards Viyl.

"I'm... I'm not sure, I know I want some red to match your eyes, but getting some grey in there without it clashing is going to be a problem. 'l'll figure something out though" she stated reassuredly, and Vinyl nodded, watching her weave Octavia's hair through the curlers.

Octavia sighed and turned her head slgihtly, much to Rarity's slight annoyance. She looked at Vinyl and smiled at her, and Vinyl smiled right back. Something was niggling at the bak of Octavia's mind though, something eating away, it felt like guilt. Why should she have felt guilty?

She shook her head ever so slightly and kept her smile while Rarity placed the final curler in her hair.

Noteworthy sighed and smiled as Daisy smiled backat him, one hoof was poised on the door of her house, the other extended towards him holding a square piece of yellow paper. On the paper were words scribed in his own hoofwriting: Buy something for Daisy. His smile took on a sheepish tone as he trotted into the house, violin perched on his back.

"Care to explain the note Notes?" she asked and Noteworthy sat the voli case down, turning back to her with a smile that was more confident than sheepish.

"Daisy, all in good time, first, some good new! I have a job at the music shop in town, gathering business for the small shop, and as thanks, the shop owner gave me this violin, now, I had originally planned to find a job and use the bits from my first day's work to buy you something as a thank you, but now I've decided..." he paused and un-zipped the case and brought the polished wood into the light.

"I've decided to give you the gift of a song" he said and she smiled even wider as she set the yello piece of paper down onto th coffee table. Noteworthy reared onto hs hind lgs and set the violin to his chin, drawing the bow arss te strings, testing them as a swimmer would test the waters of a pool. Before jumpng headfirst.

The first few notes were slow and just a mere promise of those to come before he unleashed the first salvo of notes that tore apart the air and wafted on the breeze, he imagined himself in a shady woodland where nopony was around to hear him play, and that allowed him to lose himself into the music, working away at the strings with a bow the way a painter would a brush on a canvas.

He stopped after a while and let the music die down. The violin melody turned sad and thoughtful, haunting notes played out from the strings and into the reletive silence of the house. He thought of Daisy, her compasssionate, golden eyes, the way she made him feel when she was around.

Then his thoughts turned dark. He thought of how it felt to feel abandoned and alone in Canterlot, a star fallen away from its galaxy.

He felt a tear prick his eye as he slowed his playing as his thoughts turned to today, his encounter with Vinyl and Octavia, how he would soon have to leave. He vowed he would ass soon as he could, after the song was over. The violin played a few more notes, before falling silent. He subconsciously took a bow, his violin bow behind his back and Violin still in his hoof. He heard clapping and looked up towards Daisy who's tears flowed freely down her cheeks. A smile was on her face as Noteworthy put the violin away.

"That was beautiful, where did you learn to play like that?" she asked and Noteworthy slowed as he zipped up the casing.

"In Canterlot. I was lead violin in the Celestial Orchestra. Emphasis on was." he said and left the violin on the table as he trotted over to the couch where Daisy was sitting. He clambered onto the cushions and allowed himself to sink into the plush faux leather.

Daisy looked at him and he smiled as he turned his head. Inside Daisy's head, a war was being fought, and won by her feelings. She was unsure how she felt for him before, but now she knew. The music was beautiful and seemed to come from his very soul. She knew him now.

She smiled wider.

"It was a very beautiful melody Notes, thanks" she said, and Noteworthy shrugged.

"I'm just sorry I couldn't do more" he said, and she leant closer, silently wrapping her hoof around his head. He looked at her with surprise.

"You don't have to" she said, and leant in for a kiss. Their lips met in a soft kiss, Noteworthy's eyes shot open in surprise as Daisy's pliant lips were pressed against his own in a searing embrace, so different than the first time they kissed outside her house, this one was gently, yet held back a raging fire busting to be released from its cage.

He closed his eyes and brought up his hooves to run gently through her disheveled mane, it fell around her face as he worked it loose, green rivers ran around them and framed their kiss perfectly.

They broke the kiss, Daisy leant her forehead against Noteworthy's, and panted, trying to regain her composure and relieve some of her ache for air.

"Daisy, I love you" came the simple four words, and Daisy's hear swelled with joy as she let out a silent chuckle.

"I love you too Noteworthy" she said in barely above a whisper.

They closed the inches of distance between them as they stole the breath from from each other in another kiss.

The curtains slowly parted as Octavia's dress was revealed, it was a ball gown, much like the one she had worn on their first date. Vinyl felt herself gasp and smile with a wide open mouth, Octavia blushed and lowered her head, her re-styled mane falling over one of her eyes. She looked so adorable standing there, and Rarity was watching with much the same expression.

"So? What do you think?" she asked, and Vinyl scoffed.

"It's amazing!" she said, as she walked closer to Octavia as she stood in the middle of the shop. The dress was a flowing silk number with a blue bottom half interspersed with white star-like gems, the top half blended into a red colour, but retained the white specks. A gray ribbon twirled around it, and an intricate pattern of lace worked up Octavia's gracefull neck.

"You really like it?" Octavia asked, and Vinyl nodded.

"If it were possible, it makes you all the more beautiful" Vinyl complimented, and Octavia blushed a deep shade of crimson, enough to rival Vinyl's eyes. Rarity walked forward and idly hoofed the silk.

"I chose the olours to match you Vinyl white specks for your coat, red for your eyes, and blue for your hair. I think it turned out rather nicely. But, now, I think it's time for you to try on your dress Vinyl!" Rarity sang, and Vinyl smiled at her, bfore walking into the changing room. Octavia walked out and the curtains went up. Vinyl turned to her dress and gasped. It was a strapless gray dress with a crimson ribbon that went around the waist, going over the shoulders and joining at the chest, where a blazing fire ruby sat with gray flower petals around it. The ruby was actually more of a purple than a red, and that detail wasn't lost on Vinyl.

The affixed skirt was a darker grey to match Octavia's mane.

Vinyl stepped closer to it and levitated it over to herself with her magic, allowing herself to slip inside it. It was as if pure liquid was running over her body, the silk and lace wrapped around her perfectly. She stepped out of the curtains, and Octavia's eyes widened.

"Oh my..." she stated simply, and Vinyl did a twirl on hr hind legs.

"Well, what do you think of this?" she asked, and Octavia simply sat there, shocked and dazed expression on her face.

Vinyl smiled at her and allowed herself a chuckle.

"I take it you like the dress then?" she asked sarcastically, and Octavia merely scoffed.

"That would be worthy of winning understatement of the year" she said as she trotted forward to admire the dress from a closer range. Rarity couldn't supress a squeal.

"Oh I just love the way you two look together!" she said and Octavia and Vinyl looked at each other and smiled.

"I must say I outdid myself this time. You two simply MUST wear these dresses the net time you go out together!" she sang and they looked at each other with a smile.

"We will" they promised in unison, and Rarity sighed.

"Well, I think my work here is done" Rarity said, and Octavia went up to her.

"Thanks for everything Rarity, I wish we could pay you for the dresses, but, we both know what you're going to say" she said as Rarity prepared herself to say something along the lines of "It was no trouble"

Rarity simply smiled.

"Well, I'm not the Element of Generosity for nothing you know" she said and they shared a chuckle.

"Now if you'll take off your dresses and give them to me, I'll get them washed and finalised and you'll get them tomorrow" she said, and they nodded, Vinyl levitated her own dress towards Rarity and Octavia simply handed hers over.

They both exited the shop after Rarity waved them goodbye.





The sun had peeked over the remaining clouds in the sky. The weather patrol hadn't been lazy, but it was a hot day, and they left a few clouds idly wafting in the breeze as it brought a few seconds of respite from a few hours of heavy sunlight.

Underneath the shadows of a cloud two ponies walked together, one under a constant shadow of something called guilt. Guilt is a funny thing, it's something that cannot be stopped, no matter how much you want it to go away, and, if left unchecked, it'll eat away at someone from the inside, be it if the person whom you directed your assault deserved it at the time, you'll still feel guilt, and that hurts more than what the person did to you. Guilt eats at the conscience mind and, at that precise moment, guilt was worming its way to the premise of Octavia's thoughts like a bug. She attempted to hide it as she and Vinyl walked, but soon a sigh escaped her and Vinyl looked over at her with the concern in her eyes that Octavia loved, but also hated at times for its ability to get in her thoughts and read her like an open book.

"Tavi, honey are you okay?" she asked and Octavia nodded.

"Yeah, it's just... something that happened earlier is... occupying my thoughts" she said, averting her gaze at the last sentence. Vinyl regarded her as if trying to see into her mind, but as close as they were, she hadn't been able to work her completely out. Whenever she wanted to hide something that was bothering her, she did it well.

"Okay well, how about we get some lunch, and if you want to you can tell me about it hmm?" she asked with a bat of her eyelashes and a smile, to which Octavia smiled as well and nodded.

"Sure, how about the Equine Eatery?" she asked, and Vinyl smiled wider.

"That was our first date" she said, colliding with her playfully. Octavia chuckled.

"It would've been were it not for my brother interrupting, but I'm glad he did, as I heard it was him that finally got you to open up about your feelings" she said, and Vinyl nodded almost solemnly.

"Yeah, he also threatened to kill me if I ever broke your heart" she said as nonchalantly as she could, causing Octavia to giggle profusely.

"Yeah, that's Tempest, always over-protective of me, it's a little annoying sometimes" she said, and Vinyl bumped into her playfully.

"Oh come on, he's only looking out for you" she said and Octavia nodded.

"I know, and I'm glad he does, it's just that sometimes he can feel a bit suffocating" she said rather morosely, and Vinyl slowed a little bit, and stepped closer to her, getting her attention after a few seconds of walking.

"Is that why you're upset?" she asked, and Octavia shook her head.

"No, I told you it's something that happened earlier, as in earlier today, and, I don't know, I just feel really guilty about it I guess" she softly spoke, her head turning down to the ground as her walking slowed. Vinyl pulled ahead of her and faced her, placing her hooves on Octavia's shoulder.

"Tavi, if I don't know how to help if you don't tell me what's wrong" she said, moving closer to her and placing a hof under Octavia's chin, gently raising her face so their eyes met in a most tender way.

Octavia sighed and withdrew somewhat, closing her eyes and drooping her ears.

"It's about when we saw Noteworthy, when you was walking away I told him it would be better if he left, and now I feel guilty because he's in love with Daisy, and Daisy loves him, so I feel guilty because I've told him to break up with her essentially, and I think he will" she explained, and Vinyl felt a pang of anger at the mention of the name, but then she thought about it for a while, and realized that had somepony told her that Octavia didn't want her, and that no-pony needed her, she would leave too. She realized that she could, for once, relate to what Noteworthy was feeling.

"Tavi, why?" she asked simply, and Octavia shrugged.

"You was angry, I was angry, I was thinking that if he left, then it would fix and prevent any future problems. I wasn't thinking long term, I wasn't thinking about Daisy's feelings, or his" she admitted and Vinyl placed a reassuring hoof on her shoulder and gently stroked her cheek.

"Tavi, do you remember how you burst into my house, ran down to my basement and kissed me?" she asked, and Octavia blushed, looking back up again shyly.

"I don't think I can ever forget, but, Vinyl, how does that have anything to do with she started, but was cut off by a hoof on her lips, silencing her.

"Shh, just listen, right then, our relationship was so delicate, that you were nearly going to walk away and forget the whole thing, it would've taken me years to get over you, and I never would have been happy again. This is that volitile, delicate situation for them, a point where instead of getting bogged down by things in the past, we should be helping them, as I'm sure by now they've told each other." She explained, and Octavia thought about it, this was that time for them, and she had nearly ruined it for them.

"When does the next train leave for Canterlot?" she asked, and Vinyl looked around at the town hall, where the large clock told them it was 4:15.

"It leaves in about 15 minutes" she said, and Octavia's eyes grew wide.

"No, no no no no, Vinyl we have to stop him!" she yelped, suddenly breaking into a run and pelting towards the train station like an evil demon hounded her. Vinyl watched for a moment, amazed at her speed, watching her leave a dust trail for a while, before tearing after her at speeds that would make Rainbow Dash proud.





A kiss can turn into so much more than what is expected, a kiss can be a simple show of affection, but it can also ignite something deep down that neither party can tame. It can ignite a fire that cannot be quenched until the end, and laying there with Daisy beside him, he realised just how close they had come to being burned. Daisy shifted slightly and Notes looked at her with a smile. She smiled back and shifted again to a more comfortable position, letting out a satisfied sigh as she did so, her head coming to rest on his chest.

Noteworthy idly stroked a hoof through her mane and she stirred in her half-sleep, and Noteworthy laughed slightly. Daisy smiled wider.

"You keep doing that and I'll fall asleep" she warned, and he simply stroked through her mane again, eliciting another sigh as her silky mane flowed over his hooves and she shifted to a more comfortable position, he just continued to lay there and attempt to relax. He still had something to do, something important, he had to leave Daisy, but he couldn't while he was awake.

Another stroke through her mane, and her breathing grew longer and deeper. As she lay on his chest he felt her heartbeat slow, and her smile relaxed to her default expression. She truly was beautiful, though it broke Noteworthy's heart to think that that face would soon be wearing an expression of pain, but took comfort in the thought that it was a necessity.

He was leaving one relationship to preserve another, and that's why it was so easy for him to make the decision.

She probably didn't want him anyway, after all that he had done, who was to say that he wouldn't do it again? He knew he would't but Daisy didn't. He didn't deserve her.

He shifted slightly and gently took Daisy's prone form and lay it on the couch, watching her stir, then resume sleeping. He smiled and planted another kiss on her forehead, stroking through her mane once more before he walked away, towards the door, then, h turned and decided he should at least leave a note. He walked into the kitchen and wrote her a simple note saying; I'm sorry

He left it on the coffee table in front of the couch, before he walked towards the door, opening it and casting one more furtive glance at the way the light cascaded over her face. He sighed and walked out, closing the door gently with a soft click. He turned to face the open air and breathed in deeply, starting a an idle trot towards the train station.

The walk was quiet, not many ponies were around considering the lateness of the day, but, then again, maybe they were all at restaurants or cafe's, dreaming the day away, or spending time with loved ones. He heaved a great, repressive sigh, and trudged forward until he was in front of the large train station. He had no money, so he had to get out the same way he had came in; by hiding.

She had to exert every last reserve of energy and self restraint from passing out from exhaustion, but Vinyl managed to keep up with Octavia, and, as they passed by the surprised pony in the ticket booth outside, they saw the blue stallion on the platform, looking towards the incomming hisses of steam from the tracks to the left. He was waiting for a momentary lapse in the security, and Octavia and Vinyl seized the opportunity to run up to him.

"Noteworthy, wait!" Octavia called, and Noteworthy turned to the sound of the voice, and his face fell when he saw who it was.

"Come to see me off?" he asked somewhat snidely, and Octavia shook her head.

"No, we're actually here to-" she was cut off by Noteworthy's hoof silencing her.

"Come to gloat then? You've won, I'm leaving, without the forgiveness I came here to seek, and without Daisy" He said sadly, an Vinyl Scratch spoke up from behind the gray mare.

"No, Notes, we're here to convince you to stay" she said, and Noteworthy scoffed.

"After going through so much trouble to get me to leave?" he asked disbelievingly, and they both nodded.

"Please, Noteworthy, we forgive you, I forgive you, and if you won't stay for us or yourself, at least stay for Daisy" Octavia pleaded, and Vinyl nodded.

"Yeah, think of how distraught she's gonna be if she wakes up and finds out you left her! She'll be devastated for the rest of her life, Notes! You think you're doing the right thing when, really, you're just making things worse for you and Daisy" she said, and both Noteworthy and Octavia were surprised at her logical argument.

Noteworthy stammered out a half-hearted excuse.

"But, you wanted me gone because I come between you two"

They both shook their heads.

"If being in a relationship means you can't talk about problems..." Octavia began, to be cut off by Vinyl piping up and nuzzling her cheek warmly.

"...The relationship is doomed" she finished for her, and Octavia smiled, turning back to Noteworthy. The train whistle shrieked out a final warning for any passengers yet to board. He sighed.

"So you actually want me to stay now?" he asked and they both nodded.

"Not for us, but for Daisy, and, to a lesser extent, you" Octavia quipped, causing Notes to chuckle. He gazed at the train and steam blew from the chimney and rose into the air. The wheels began to turn and the train began to pull away from the station. Noteworthy watched what could have been one of the biggest mistakes of his life roll away, and smiled.

"I suppose I should get back to Daisy, huh?" he asked, and they both nodded earnestly.

"Unless you want a confused mare to go back to, and you need to explain all of this to her, and she will most likely be angry with your apparent ditching of her" Vinyl Scratch pondered out loud, and they all chuckled.

In the distance, the train whistle grew less and less audible, and Noteworthy sighed again.

"Thank you both, for everything" he said, before holding out his hoof as a show of peace.

"I hope this will be the start of a friendship between us" he said as they nodded and shook his hoof.

"Us too, Notes, good luck with Daisy" Vinyl said, and Noteworthy nodded and walked towards the entrance to the train station. Vinyl and Octavia looked at each other with a smile, and Octavia leaned on her and sighed.

"Well, looks like another musician's staying in Ponyville" she said, and Vinyl giggled.

"Ready for the competition?" she quipped playfully, and Octavia laughed again.

"Yeah. Maybe he could work with us" she said and Vinyl shot her a look.

"Don't push it Tavi" she said with a smirk and they both shared a laugh. They then began to trot towards the entrance to the station.





The smell of something cooking roused Daisy from her slumber, she stretched and giggled to herself as she felt her back pop. She stood up and took a deep breath of the smell, then walked into the kitchen. Noteworthy was standing there placing hay into a pot of boiling water. Her hooves clopped onto the tiled floor and he turned, smiling at her.

"Hey, you're awake, have a good nap?" he asked with a smile, and she walked closer and nodded, wrapping her hooves around him in a hug. He hugged her back and laughed.

"What was that for?" he asked and she shrugged, letting him go after a few minutes.

"Just because" she said with the ghost of a smile as she turned towards the stove and the boiling pot of water. "What are you cooking?" she asked and he turned back to the pot and stirred it a little.

"Hay-ghetti with tomato sauce, cut tomatoes and diced cucumber" he explained, and she raised her eyebrows.

"My my, I didn't know you could cook" she said as she stroked through his mane. He smiled and turned, planting a kiss on her lips, then trailing across her cheek up to her ear.

"There's a lot about me you have yet to find out" he whispered in her ear, causing her to shiver and bite her lip. He laughed at her and turned back to the cooking, stirring it once more before breaking from her grip and getting out two plates, taking out two spoonfuls of the hay-ghetti and pouring them onto the plate, followed by the vegetables around the edge. He lifted them both up and handed one to Daisy, who took it and walked towards the table, placing the plate down and gripping a fork, taking a mouthful.

Her eyes went wide as he sat across her and arched an eyebrow.

"Good?" he asked and she nodded.

"Really, really good" she said as she ate with gusto. He couldn't help but smile and turn towards the window. He took a breath of the house air before turning back to his own plate of food.

He never thought, when he boarded the train to Ponyville, that he would be sitting having dinner with one of the most beautiful mares in Ponyville, having just gotten forgiveness from his ex. He chuckled to himself. Many colts would kill to be in his position, they would kill, and die, for Daisy.

He wouldn't. He would LIVE for her, live with her. For the rest of his days.

But still, maybe he should have told her what nearly happened...

No, it was best to let her be happy, and not worrying, or stirring up old conflicts. He would let her live in ignorant bliss. She looked at him and smiled, to which he returned and blew a kiss. She giggled and turned her attention back to her food.

The End