> Musical Relations > by Lapis-Lazuli and Stitch > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- > Two Sisters > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- "Arpeggio Crescendo Piano, did you use my special shampoos!?!" The scream echoed down the hallway and managed to pierce through the sleep-deprived head of the snow white unicorn that lay half in and half out of her messy bed. Her head came up off of the battered pillow for a moment, just long enough for her to yell back out of her door, voice hoarse from overuse the previous evening "I Toldja to never call me that, Octi!" She groused quietly to herself in the ensuing quiet, dragging herself up fully onto the bed and pulling a second, much heavier pillow firmly over her head and clamped it down, hoping that this would not turn into a huge thing the day after she'd had such a sweet gig. Sadly, it seemed her sister’s mood was in full swing today and her door swung open to reveal a towel wrapped dark grey mare with murder in her eyes. She stalked wetly across the rubble of the room, a pile of discarded glowy-sticks, hoof bracelets; a pile of 'Equestria Herdcore' magazines, all the stuff Vinyl swore she'd organize... one of these days. Octavia might not have been a unicorn, but her hooves were damn near as good as one when it came to manipulating objects. She grasped the pillow over Vinyl’s head and tossed it clear across the room, to reveal a pair of squinting magenta eyes. Her voice was like thunder and lightning wearing a top hat and a monocle. Even at her angriest, Octavia still sounded like she was utilizing polite conversation at tea. "Arpeggio, those shampoos are very expensive and I've got a recital this afternoon... " She began, ready to call down the cannons of the overture when Vinyl roused somewhat from her fatigue to glare back. "My. Name. Is. Vinyl. Scratch." There were tones there that brooked no argument, causing Octavia to pause mid-rant to absorb the tone there. Of all the things in the world that her sister got sensitive about, her name was probably the worst. "And I needed the shine in my mane for the gig last night." She poked her hoof towards one of the dressers. "Big bits night for me, you savvy? Take what you need, get more from Rarity and let me sleep, damnit! Do I wake YOU up after a major concert?" She growled, trying desperately to end the conversation and pulling the blankets over her head. Octavia canted her head towards the dresser, where sure enough three massive sacks had been placed upon whatever else had been sitting there, each of them heavy with cash. She forced herself not to retort in jealousy of such a massive payday, as that would have been even more unladylike than normal. It was hard enough to admit that Vinyl had a point there. So gathering what shreds of dignity she could, she swept over to the dresser and peeked into one of the bags. These were not small denominations either, they were mostly twenties and fifties, with a smattering of hundred bit pieces too. It was a veritable fortune, enough to keep Vinyl in rent and food money for months. Octavia bit down on her lip for a moment. She was not paid small change, and her work was often just as in demand as Vinyl’s, but she never had a payday like this. The noble elite of the cities surrounding and including Ponyville were not that generous with their cash. Still, she would not abuse the trust of her sister... much. She quickly scooped out sufficient bits for three bottles. Just to teach her a lesson on the subject of proper etiquette and quickly trotted out the door. Closing it with a quiet hoof on the unconscious Vinyl. ~~~ Octavia only took the time to mostly towel off and give her mane a basic brushing before heading quickly down the street to Carousel Boutique. Rarity was the only source in town for high-end personal care products, and kept a fairly large stock of such on hoof. It might have been early, but if Octavia knew her she'd already be hard at work this morning, going over designs and preparing for the day ahead of her. Rarity was not a mare to be lazing about while there were new designs to create. She rapped her hoof against the door to the boutique, and a singsong voice rang out from the open windowsills "Do come in, I'll be down in a moment, darling!" Octavia could not help but smile, Rarity was also the only mare in town that seemed to give two hoofs about proper language. She pressed the door open and trotted into the glitz and glamor of one of the hottest clothes designers in Equestria, who was trotting down the stairs a moment later with a beaming smile on her face. "Why, Miss Octavia! So good to see you again, dear. I do hope that dress had the desired effect on the crowds." Octavia smiled at that - the dress did indeed have a strong effect on the crowds at her recitals, especially once they'd heard she'd gotten it custom from Rarity herself. Silly foibles of fashion aside, Octavia had a mission and not much time to complete it. "I need three bottles of the Hoity Toity shampoo Rarity. Quickly as you can, Vinyl used up the last bottle without telling me, again." She sighed in her best dramatic form, and Rarity took on a look of understanding hurt, soothingly patting her shoulder as her horn burst to life, pulling open a number of cabinets and floating out a set of small, fancy glass bottles, each bearing the label "H.T. Manecare - S." in flowing high-equestrian script, and a paper wrapped bar of what had to be some kind of soap, yet it had no label on it. Octavia eyed the bar suspiciously, and Rarity beamed at her. "On the house, darling. It's a brand new product from the Hoity line - Simply White. I'm trying to see if there's demand in Ponyville for it." her smile dimpled. "You know the prices darling. I hope Vinyl at least had the courtesy to pay." Octavia did smile then. "She did, at the least she's been getting better on that score." The clatter of bits told the tale and a quick ring from the register and a slip of receipt paper followed. Rarity floated the goods into one of her sleek cloth bags bearing "Carousel Boutique" embroidered on the side and slid it over to her customer, who gently rested it over her shoulder. " Do come back soon, darling. I ever so miss our talks. Practically nopony else in this town takes tea like you do." Octavia waved her hoof a little, smiling. "You just want more of my bits, Rarity." It was an old joke, shared between old friends. They both laughed as the tinkle of the bell announced her leaving the boutique. It really was a gorgeous day today. ~~~~~ The morning dragged on for a while, and Vinyl could not get back to sleep. She dragged the blankets back down to her chest and tried to glare at the dark purple painted ceiling. "Fuck you, brain.." She grumbled out, tossing and turning on the spot. This aint happening. Buck it, I might as well get up and do something with myself. So she sighed and hauled her white flank out of the bed. Stumbling with surprising dexterity around the crap that covered the floor of her room, she tugged a towel off its post with a little flash of magic. Her eyes were gummed shut from needing sleep, so she just shoulder-shoved her way along the wall and into the bathroom. Luckily, two years of living here had given her the instinctive knowledge of where precisely everything was, and it only took a few fumbles with her magic to turn the shower on to blasting. Her flank hit the floor for a moment as she waited for the hot water to get out of the tank, and when she felt steam, she tossed the towel onto the sink and slipped past the curtain. The feeling of the heated water hit her like a train made of marshmallows. It felt awfully good after the little sleep she'd gotten, and she slowly started to feel revived. Just as she felt the gum clearing out of her eyes, she heard a light and airy voice that sounded... amused. "Well, It has been a while since a beautiful mare stumbled into my shower, but perhaps I shouldn't complain." Vinyl’s eyes snapped open to see Octavia under the hot water, mane shining and wet and currently lathered to within an inch of its life. She had a little smile on her face, water still running wet rivulets down her own body. Vinyl swallowed for and rubbed her eyes thoroughly, dashing away the tiredness. "Okay, This has gotta be some kinda dream. I'm still asleep, and I did not just stumble into the shower with... " she opened her eyes up again and Octavia was now grinning at her, obviously reveling in Vinyl’s slight discomfort. "Aw, horseapples. Um, Tavi, I'm sor-" She felt a hoof on her mouth and Octavia was now smiling slightly. "You can make it up to me by helping me wash out my mane." She poked gently at Vinyl's horn. "I seem to remember this being awfully useful for getting it just right." Vinyl swallowed again, feeling a massive lump drop into her stomach. What the heck had gotten into Octavia? Vinyl didn't much mind, she'd always enjoyed being more intimate with her sister than other ponies might have thought proper. They'd bathed like this a million times as kids, even as teenagers, but Tavi had sort of... ended the tradition when Vinyl had moved into her place in Ponyville. It'd only been a couple of years since then, true. Vinyl mentally slapped herself. She was not going to look this gift pony in the mouth. She put on her best smile and nuzzled up against Octavia's cheek. "Then turn around ya silly pony. I can't work on what I can't see." She shooed Octavia with her hooves and adjusted the shower head with a little touch of magic. Octavia turned around to reveal the gorgeously long mane of hair she cultivated, and Vinyl bit her lower lip. Keep cool, Scratch. That was a long time ago. long time ago or not, old memories died hard. Especially good old memories. She put her hooves to the mane and lit her horn with her magic. Nothing to it, just gently cleaning the high-quality soap off her hair without frizzing it as unpracticed hooves had a tendency to do, She flicked soap from the mane bit by bit, slowly massaging it out to the gentle, pleasurable sighs of Octavia. Vinyl was confused. VERY confused. Either Octavia had gotten hit on the head between here and Rarity's place, or she was tripping something hardcore. She'd made it very, very clear to Vinyl when she'd moved in there would be no more of their 'cuddling games' while they were living in Ponyville. Sure, she'd been disappointed, but hey - they were grown up and Tavi wasn't comfortable with it any more. She could dig on that. Yet this was... exactly how they'd used to be. Happy, playful, a little coy maybe. Sneaking into the showers with one another, enjoying each other’s touch. The sounds sneaking out of Octavia were nothing if not very happy to have Vinyl's hooves all over her mane. Vinyl decided to see just how far she could push this. Maybe it was all a fluke, maybe Tavi felt badly for telling her off this morning. Reason didn't matter. Vinyl slipped her hooves through the mane, continuing to slowly clear away the soap with her magic while she started to massage Octavia's shoulders, she was tense as all Tartarus too, and her shoulder muscles bunched up into tight knots. "Still workin yourself up before your shows, eh Tavi?" She whispered a little, and Octavia giggled in response. Yeah, she was trippin. Vinyl made a note to get her trippin more often. "Let's get this tension worked out, you always performed better with loose muscles." Octavia's response was to softly laugh. "You'd be right, Vinyl... Oh, very well. Just this once wouldn't hurt... " She sounded like she was trying to convince herself, but Vinyl was already working. She pressed her hooves into Octavia's shoulders and slowly massaging out the knots from her muscles. They were very close together now, Octavia's mane was clean of shampoo and pressing into Vinyl softly. Her sis sure had grown into one crazy good looking mare, there was no doubt about that. ~~~~ Octavia did not know what she was doing. She didn't know what had come over her, or what strange emotion was guiding her now. Ever since she'd put on that soap, she had just felt... happier. Like there was not a thing in the world to worry about. She'd even managed not to feel nervous about the day's recital, or upset over Vinyl's thoughtlessness. She had been just ready to meet her day with a bright eyed attitude when Vinyl herself had wandered, gummy eyed and miserable looking into the shower... Octavia's lips parted again, giving off a little moan of pleasure as her shoulder muscles were being forced to relax by skilled hooves. She might not be one of the spa-ponies, but Vinyl knew better than almost anyone how to get her to relax. She'd been doing it since her very first recital as a little filly. Why on earth had she felt so awkward about her doing it now that they'd grown? Well at first, it was nothing but nervousness. Not seeing one's sibling for years led to thoughts of how the other had changed, and Vinyl had certainly changed. She'd gone from the reserved little pianist into a hard-partying, hard-charging DJ. One who was not merely following trends, but setting them for clubs and DJ's all across Equestria and beyond. Then it had been worry that the small town community might notice. They had never been particularly good at hiding how close they were from mum and dad. That was what had led to them getting separated in the first place. Octavia, to study under Eleonore Fortissimo in Trottingham, to hone her skills with her cello. Vinyl - or rather, Arpeggio, had been sent to study with the Royal Canterlot Symphony, who had been clamoring for her pianist skills since she had first shown herself to be a true artist. Something had happened, though. Something Octavia had not known about until long after, that caused Vinyl to forsake her beloved instrument and cease all communication with her family. Her parents had kept it from her, even as she turned into the perfect artist that they had always wanted her to be. It had not been until she was established in Ponyville that she'd seen or heard from her again. Now, years after their estrangement, Vinyl was kissing her neck, gently and insistently. It was like nothing had ever happened between them, the gulf of years and music, and the differences in attitudes or style. Here, in the dim light of their shared bathroom, Octavia had her beloved sister back. She wanted to simply turn and kiss her, to give in to every wild thought that crossed her mind. Yet she knew that would not lead to any kind of solution. Instead, she gently took Vinyl's oh-so-wonderful hooves off her shoulders and turned to regard her with a sober gaze. "Vinyl... please. Not right now... " Her voice was pleading, and Vinyl stopped, looking down at the floor of the tub as hot water splashed over them both. She scratched the back of her neck and looked like she was about ready to cry. "Aw, geeze Octavia... I'm... I dunno... " Octavia sighed dramatically and shoved her hoof into Vinyl's mouth again. Vinyl still was still incapable of discussing this sort of thing with her Sister. Surprising, for a mare of the world like her. "Hush. I did not say 'Not ever' . I also did not say 'not for a long time', I said not now. I have a concert I need to prepare for, and you have breakfast to make." Vinyl looked like she'd just been hit by something across the back of her head, her jaw lightly dropped and eyes just a bit too wide. "We'll discuss this later, Arpeggio. Now go make me waffles." She smiled slyly and shoved Vinyl bodily out of the shower before she could get angry about her name, causing her to tumble wetly across the floor with a splat. Octavia indulged herself in a giggle and proceeded to style her mane under the water, pausing only to make sure Vinyl had picked herself up off the floor and left the room. It was going to be a glorious day, she could already tell. Although she would have to confront Rarity later on what the hay that soap had done to her. ~~~~ Downstairs, a toweled off and fluffy looking Vinyl was making the kitchen groove to her beat. Eggs cracked against the counter and a spatula stirred them into the mixture. A copy of the latest HerdCore floated in front of her eyes while magical auras set the waffle irons to heat atop the stove. Vinyl's magical talent had always focused on the manipulation of lots and lots of small objects. She couldn't lift anything over fifteen pounds to save her life, but a dozen little objects all over the place? No sweat. A coffee pot was swung over from one shelf and set down on the stove, filled moments later with grounds and water and set to percolating. Moments later, shredded onions are set to sizzling in another pan while both waffle irons were filled and pressed down with a hiss of steam. Vinyl turned a page idly, snorting at the pretentious Horseapples within. "Seriously. I mean, he's a rockin' dude but Neon is not the second coming of Dedpon1. These dolts need to get some freaking perspective." She eyeballed the coffee pot, and judging that she was going to need it extra strong today she let it go a bit longer. A teapot soon replaced it, set over the highest heat to get the water boiling quickly. As with all things in her life, Vinyl had decided the best way to deal with things she couldn't control was to not think about them until it became relevant. For instance, as much as she would love to wait until Octavia sat down before barraging her with questions about what had happened in the shower up there, she was not going to. Tavi had said they'd talk, and she wouldn'ta said that unless she meant it. She was not going to think of Octavia coming down wet maned and sleek from her shower to see her breakfast spread out before her, wandering over to Vinyl and giving her a loving, heated kiss. "Gah! Bad DJ!" She smacked herself in the face with the magazine before stubbornly turning the page again to get to the thing she really wanted to see out of this issue. "Get your mind back on business!" Sure enough, the next page held the monthly DJ charts. Judged by number of shows, attendees, and popularly requested songs and sales, The Pantheon was the measuring stick by which every DJ and club-musician was held up against. Vinyl knew she'd been getting ever-so-close to the crème de la crème of DJ's that was The Pantheon. The recent mega-success of Pony Rock Anthem had been buffing her stats like nopony's business too. The interview with Trotting Stone hadn't hurt either she thought, as her eyes eagerly searched across the page, noting the names of peers and rivals, until... ~~~~~~ Octavia was just putting the last touches onto her looks for the day. Her dress was carefully folded away in the instrument case, next to her precious cello and sheet music she would need for the afternoon performance. She straightened her bowtie and tucked a strand of mane behind one ear. She smiled brightly at herself in the mirror. She certainly was more relaxed than she usually was, and she would be sure to thank Vinyl for that later. She carefully picked up the instrument case and was heading out of her room just as... "Awwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww YEAAAAAH! Sounding like it had just been filtered through a set of massive speakers, the triumphant scream shook the walls of the house and most likely the walls of every house within the block. Octavia leaned, momentarily stunned against the doorframe, blinking a little dust that had shaken off the doorsill out of her eyes. "What the hay?" she asked no one in particular, pushing herself off the door she ambled downstairs to find Vinyl jumping around the kitchen like Pinkie Pie on a sugar high. The table itself was well stocked with breakfast items - and miracle of miracles, there was even a steeping pot of tea waiting for her. That would have to wait, for as soon as Octavia had set down her instrument, she was tackled - quite literally - to the ground by her sister, who was brandishing a much wrinkled magazine with a manic grin on her face. "Number 10, Tavi! I made the Pantheon! I did it, Sis! I did it!" And then she was getting embraced, a massive bone-creaking hug that drove the air out of Octavia's lungs. Vinyl let her go a moment later, triumphantly brandishing the magazine in the air. "HA! Take that, haters! Vinyl Scratch is gonna show ya'll how a pony REALLY ROCKS!!" She retreated into a dance, rocking around the kitchen as Octavia sank into the chair by the table and watched her go through a celebratory dance as though she'd just scored a winning Hoofball goal. "I don't suppose you could put that in perspective for those of us who do not... ah, follow the scene?" Octavia dryly commented, serving herself a pair of the crisp waffles and a big glass of the freshly brewed tea. She sipped at it, surprised that Vinyl still knew how to blend a pot of tea leaves properly. Vinyl stopped in mid hoofpump and then laughed, sprawling herself across the opposite chair. "Aw heck, Tavi. I wouldn't know what to compare it to. It's like... It's like gettin' an invite to be first chair on the Royal Symphony. You don't make The Pantheon 'less you're one of the very damn best in the biz." Vinyl had rolled up one of the crispy waffles into a tight burrito and was now dunking it in the syrup, munching on one end thoughtfully. "This calls for a celebration of some kind, but there ain't no club openings I can work for a coupla' weeks." Octavia blinked a little. If what Vinyl was saying was accurate, she'd just joined the elite of the elite. First chairs in the symphony did not open up very often, and even more rarely was someone from outside the orchestra granted that invitation. Obviously, the DJ business was not quite as exclusive as that assemblage, but it made reaching the apex of it no less difficult. That did indeed call for a celebration, and Octavia was struck with a suddenly wonderful idea. "Why don't we go out to dinner then? I've heard that new bistro Pomme Frites is quite superb, and they apparently have a rather laid back attitude you would appreciate. If you like, I might even consider letting you finally take me to one of your clubs after, so that we might spend a bit of quality time together." It would also provide her with a perfect, judgment free place to speak to Vinyl about... well, themselves. She would also get to see her sister in her natural element, and perhaps finally understand what drew her from her piano and the glories of the symphony. Vinyl blinked a bit, half a dripping waffle held magically hovering over the plate as she tilted her head. "Yanno that sounds pretty rad, actually." her words came slowly, then with much more enthusiasm. "Yeah, I'd pay damn good money to see you all made up to go clubbing.." Her smile was very wide, and Octavia wondered if she knew what she was getting herself into with this one. "Awright, Sis - It's a plan. I'll get the reservations for the food and scout out the clubs, somewhere you won’t get too overwhelmed." her smile was... sly, and manipulative. Octavia knew Vinyl was baiting her, but she rose to it anyway, her damn Trottingham pride at work again. "Now come on, Vinyl. Don't think for a single minute that your sister cannot handle a bit of loud music." She huffed, puffing her chest out. "I can take whatever you can throw at me, Vinyl Scratch, and repay you in similar coin." Well, now she'd stepped in it. Given Vinyl's reputation and the huge grin on her face, she had no doubt it was going to be an experience she would not soon forget. ~~~~ Vinyl stepped through the door of Sugarcube Corner, a little jingle of bells came off a strange new mechanism attached to the doorframe... and after a moment, she realized it was the same tune from the Anthem. It made her grin a little, even as the redheaded proprietor stepped out from the back room. "Mornin Vinyl. What can we do for ya today? Lookin' for Pinkie?" Mr. Cake tilted his head to one side, as Vinyl nodded enthusiastically. Chuckling, Mr. Cake trotted back into the back room, yelling "Pinkie! Vinyl's here ta' see you!" A bundle of manic pink energy came tumbling down the stairs, and bounced precisely over to in front of Vinyl. She rose up a brohoof and got one in return from Pinkie, who had her head canted to one side and that eternally sunny smile on her face. "Wha'sup Pon3? Got another song for me to do tonight?" Despite the fact that neither of them had left the club until four A.M last night, Pinkie looked like she'd gotten a full night sleep. One day, Vinyl was gonna have to figure out how she did it. Today though, she had other business. "Naw, Pinks - I need the best damn Party Pony in Equestria to help me set up a shindig tonight." Pinkie's eyes widened and her mouth formed into a little 'o' shape. "I made The Pantheon, Pinks," Vinyl proudly proclaimed, a lump half forming in her throat. "And Tavi's gonna join me at a club tonight. I need to know where the biggest, most rockin' party in town is gonna be, and then I need you to go an' make it even bigger." Pinkie still had that wide-eyed look. "I aint' just talking about the balloons and stuff, Pinks. I need you to go all out. Call in the favors, get the best DJ's in town. Three full sets minimum. This party train don't stop till the sun's comin' up." Pinkie's eyes had steadily grown wider right up to the end and she was bouncing up and down excitedly. Then she stopped in midair and came to the ground, seriousness painted all over her face as she put a hoof onto Vinyl’s shoulder. "I Promise you, Scratchy. I'm gonna make this the biggest blowout this town has ever seen. To do that though, I'm gonna need Frosting." Pinkie turned and dashed over to one cabinet, flinging it open to reveal a strange red box with a button in the middle of it labeled 'In case of Party Emergency, press button.' Vinyl knew that it was time to go. She dashed out of the door, only able to hear a set of sirens and see flashing lights all over the shop - and pinkie's voice yelling over the din "All hooves on deck! We got ourselves an Epic Pinkie Pie Party!" Vinyl stopped to wonder for a moment if asking Pinkie Pie to do all that might have been a bit much. That thought lasted all of ten seconds, as a pink missile went speeding out of a half opened window and down the road, trailing cupcakes as she went. "Did I go too far? Mmmmm..Nah." Vinyl grinned, pushing her sweet shades up onto her nose. There were reservations to make, and she had a few special plans of her own to get ready for tonight. ~~~ Polite and enthusiastic applause came from the small assemblage of well-to-do merchants, traveling VIP's, and the usual local color. Still, Octavia was reasonably pleased with the turnout, and her fellow musicians all seemingly felt the same. After one more bow to the crowd, they were expected to mingle a bit. So she quickly stowed her instrument away, being mindful of the sleek black dress currently covering her body, before turning to face the crowd with head arched up high. Moving amongst the elite of Equestrian society demanded poise, diffidence and most importantly, style. Her dress was as simple as one could be - just thin black velvet, tailored tightly around her body and over her shoulders, and flaring out around her hips just barely suggestively. All of it served a lovely contrast to her trademark coral bow tie and collar, which fit snugly up against the neck of the dress. She put on her best winning smile to glad-hoof the public. Filthy Rich was there of course, as he never missed an opportunity to rub shoulders with the elite passing through the region. Fancy Pants was also passing through, reportedly to do some sort of political work for Celestia. He was even wearing the sun badge that signified a special diplomat, which was causing quite the stir. The rest were much of a muchness. No one here had any particular fame or meaning to Octavia. So she made bland conversation over bland snacks, and tried her best not to sigh every time another one of them asked when she was going to join one of the touring orchestras. When one worth a buck actually asks me. she thought, trying to keep her grumpy mood firmly tied down. She did her best to keep maneuvering near Fancy Pants though, word had it he was trying to put together a new orchestra based out of Canterlot, using exclusively small town talent. Eventually she did manage to buttonhole him - and after discovering her dress was by Rarity, gave her an opening to discuss the fashionista and her relationship to her. "She really ought to open a boutique in Canterlot, you know." chortled Fancy Pants, adjusting his lapels. "She's got the talent to put Hoity Toity to shame. I guess you can’t put a price on friends and family though. Not that Filthy-boy over there hasn't tried." The off color joke was a fine sign of him becoming comfortable with her, so she decided to lay it on a bit thicker than normal. Octavia put on her best coquettish smile, and laid on the Trottingham accent nice and thick. "I know the value of family myself, Lord Fancy. Yet I know my sister would be the very first to tell me to follow my dreams if the opportunity arose. I am still looking for the right Orchestra to lend my talents to, you know." Just a little bit coy, a little bit firm. Just right, Octavia! Little eyelash bat for good measure. Fancy Pants was a good sort, and happily married. She didn't need to turn on anything else. Fancy Pants himself seemed to consider the idea, and then chuckled softly. "Well, weren't you angling for a position in the Royal Symphony?" Octavia's heart nearly stopped. She had been trying to get a chair in the Royal Symphony for her entire life. It was unquestionably the most prestigious position and musician like her could hope to achieve, and Fancy Pants held a seat on the selection committee. Fancy Pants smiled, raising a hoof to pat her shoulder. "Miss Octavia, you are a supremely talented artist, but you are still very young. Do not worry so much, your time will come." Then he was off, catching Mayor Mare by the shoulder and leading her off to discuss some complex political issue while Octavia stood there staring off into the distance. She rocked back and forth for a moment until Vibrato, one of the local violinists leaned up against her to with a hoof of support. "Whoa there! You alright, Tavi?" Octavia nodded dumbly, obviously incapable of speech. "You look like you need a sit down. C'mon, our part of the party's breakin' up." He nodded towards the stage where Lyra Heartstrings and a pair of other unknown harpists were setting up to provide background music for the meal. Octavia let herself be dragged off to one of the pavilions, Vibrato having the courtesy to bring her instrument with her and lean it against the bench. "He... He said I was too young Vibby.." She wanted to become one with the bench - Here lies the statue of the forgotten artist. Vibrato shook her shoulder with one hoof for a moment, and then turned her cheek up. Vibrato was calm, gently holding her chin. "Hold yer hooves there, Tavi. Fancy Pants is a big voice on the committee, but he isn't the only one. Chillax. You'll get your shot. You're the best at what you do, and everypony here knows it. Think the princess invites no-talents to play at the Grand Galloping Gala?" Vibrato grinned in that self-depreciating way of his. "Buck no. You've got talent comin' out of your ears Tavi." Octavia laughed softly, and hugged him. "Thanks, Vibby... I'll be okay. I need to get back home." The older stallion shrugged his shoulders and gave her a dopey grin, moving off a moment later with a wave. Octavia was left to her thoughts. I will not fail this time. she promised herself, staring into the crowd of nobles challengingly. No, this time would be different. She'd get that seat, come Tartarus or high water. She quickly grabbed up her instrument and quickly hoofed it back home. She had to get ready for Vinyl's party, which she would not be jealous of. That would be unladylike. ~~~~~~~ Night began to settle over the town of Ponyville, and already Octavia was hearing the sounds of a big party starting to gear up. Pinkie pie was moving at top speed through the town, distributing flyers and directing decorations. She half smiled at the sight of the pink party pony directing what looked like an entire cart full of cupcakes down the street. Dear me. That must be Vinyl's doing. She sighed dramatically. Oh well, At least with Pinkie around it will be guaranteed to be amusing to watch. Octavia turned to check the clock hanging in the window of one of the local shops. Almost dinner time. I do hope sis was able to get seats at the restaurant. She quickened her pace down the street. Home appeared to be deserted, and she pushed open the door with her back hoof, then pushed it closed again. Octavia sighed as she set her instrument down next to the living room's couch, and slipped out of the tight black dress very carefully. Vinyl was nowhere to be found, likely still setting up their coming evening - and Octavia decided it would be best to simply take advantage of the quiet. Nothing too fancy this evening. Just her tie, perhaps a bit more effort put into styling her mane. A white sheet of paper had been taped to the bathroom door, labeled "For Tavi!" with a little caricature of Vinyls face winking at her next to it. How cute. Octavia pulled it down with her teeth and opened the little note to read as she slipped into the bathroom. "Ayo, Sis! Got everything set up for the night. I'll meetcha at the Frites place at 6pm, on the nose. Club's not gonna get hoppin' til 8. I got some stuff for you to wear into the club, and no you're not gettin out of it. We'll doll up at Pinkie's place before we head over. Tonight is gonna blow yer mind. Wubs and Kisses - Vinyl Octavia rolled her eyes and put down the note, looking at her image in the mirror. Damnit. My eyes are red. Octavia sighed and turned the hot water on, waiting for it to steam up before splashing it into her eyes. Stupid Fancy pants. Stupid orchestra. She quietly placed both hooves on the sink, drinking in the steam coming up from the basin. No. No more tears, Octavia. The Princess herself gave you her blessing. You have your sister back, and she loves you more than ever. Octavia took in a deep breath and let it out, basking in the heat. Tonight, we're going to forget everything about this whole stupid affair. Let your hair down, let all of that stress out. Vibrato is right. I'll get my shot. She looked up into the steaming up mirror and nodded decisively. She could almost hear her old teacher speaking in that thick Trottingham accent. "Stiff upper lip, girl. Get yer nose out of the mud and go show 'em what you're made of." she mocked to the mirror, and that conjured up a grin. She grabbed the mane brush from the side of the sink and a bottle of her best hair lotion. "No regrets tonight, Tavi." She repeated into the mirror, and went to work. ~~~~~~ Pomme Frites was the hottest bistro on Mane Street. Opened by a former head chef from the Royal Palace, it was Allez Cuisine's eighth restaurant in his long and storied career. Allez was getting old though, and he wanted to open a place where he could spend his remaining years enjoying himself Certainly, Ponyville would keep him a little busy but it would also provide him time to write his Memoirs and his last cook book. It also gave him a chance to finally prove that there was no such thing as 'lower class' food. Taking even the simplest dish and transforming it into something extraordinary. Even now, the tiny bistro was attracting gourmet diners from all across Equestria. Today, it was attracting a pair of well-known musicians. Vinyl sat on the surprisingly comfortable wrought iron chairs at one of the outdoor tables and tried not to feel self-conscious. The rest of the diners were no better or worse dressed than she was. Most of them were just ponies, only indulging in the odd hat or cravat. Vinyl herself had put on her trademark DJ-P0n3 sunglasses, and fiddled with them a bit as she worked to relax. She hadn't gone much in for styling herself pretty, as she more or less figured her wild-mane look was all part of the image. Buck, she'd even gotten a couple requests for autographs from other diners. Is this what fame is like? I mean, they don't seem to be thinkin' twice about a wubstepper like me being here. It was hella odd, but Vinyl decided just to ride it. She checked the clock on the wall and sure enough, it was almost six. Like magic, her sister appeared around the corner. Vinyl stared for a moment, her jaw hanging just a little. Octavia had styled her mane to within an inch of its life. She'd tied the whole thing up into a sexy little bun at the back of her neck with a ponytail, and a pair of lacquered chopsticks holding the whole thing up. Her mane sparkled and shone in the evening's sunlight and her coat was just as good looking. She was wearing just her trademark tie and collar, plus what looked like a set of dancing shoes that came just up to her fetlocks in matte black. Tucked over one shoulder was an evening purse, also in tasteful black velvet that looked like one of Rarity's pieces. Vinyl was glad she was wearing sunglasses, because otherwise her stare would be incredibly obvious. Buck me, she's hot. her thoughts practically drooled. She caught herself quickly though and put up her hoof, waving enthusiastically. "Ayo! Tavi! Over here!" Octavia caught sight of her and waved back, trotting over to the table with a smile. "However did you manage to get an Al fresco table on such short notice?" She hugged Vinyl tightly, causing her sister to gently inhale her sweet scent. "This is one of the most popular restaurants in ponyville!" Octavia slipped into the seat, looking around excitedly. Vinyl grinned. "Well, I just so happened to know a guy... " She nodded over to the door of the cafe, where a red unicorn was weaving his way through the tables towards them. "Here he comes now. Yo, Pep." She extended a hoof and bumped it to his with a grin. "You look good, kiddo." Octavia's eyes whipped around to stare at the newcomer. He was a slimly built unicorn, with a bright red coat and shining blonde hair. He had on a cheeky grin and a spotless white chef's coat, emphasizing the trio of colored peppers that was his cutie mark. "Good to see you too, marshmallow." He laughed warmly. "We've both come up in the world, haven't we Vinyl?" Octavia's jaw was slightly loose as Vinyl gestured. "Sis, Lemmie introduce you to Bell Pepper." The stallion winked at Octavia cheekily. "He's the assistant chef here, apparently." She eyeballed him. "Yanno, I toldja' you'd make a good chef someday. I think you still owe me dinner for that one." Bell Pepper laughed and clapped his hooves together. "So I do. Well, then you can call this one on the house. Chef Cuisine won't mind." He floated out a neat little pad of paper and a pencil, looking at the pair of them expectantly. Octavia gently tapped her hooves together in front of her, looking nervous for a moment. "Um... I'd like to put myself in the chef's hooves, please." Octavia almost blurted out, pressing her hooves to her mouth a moment later with a little squeak. "If... if that's alright." She finished off a moment later, but Vinyl could tell she was worrying over nothing. Bell Pepper looked delighted, and eyeballed Vinyl for a moment. Vinyl gestured with a hoof and a grin. "Go for it, Pep. It's a special night." He snapped shut the notebook and bowed to them both, before rushing off to the restaurant excitedly. Vinyl cocked an eyebrow at Octavia. "I got no idea what that means, but I'll trust you know what yer doin." Octavia laughed gently, a rich sound that made Vinyl's spine shiver a little bit. "Allez Cuisine is the most prestigious chef in all of Equestria, Vinyl. Canterlot nobility used to throw fortunes at his hooves for him to come cook for them." She shook her head, causing the ponytail to bob back and forth. "How in tartarus did you meet the protégé of Chef Cuisine?" Vinyl scratched at the back of her neck, looking a little awkward. "Well uh... He gave me a place to stay after... " She licked her lips, swallowing the lump in her throat. "After I left the Orchestra. We met in Manehatten, back when he was just a bus colt." She shook her head with a little laugh. "That kid was already a heck of a cook then." Octavia's eyes softened and she reached out, pressing her hoof into Vinyl’s. "Sister... are you ever going to tell me what happened with the Orchestra?" Octavia's voice was full of sympathy, of love an understanding. Vinyl couldn't bring herself to talk though. Sis, how can I tell you about that when yer havin your own troubles with them? Vinyl sighed but nodded. "I am. Just... tonight, I don't wanna think about anything but the good parts of my future." Her eyes traveled over to Octavia and she smiled. "That includes you, Tavi. I wanna spend this night with my sister having the best damn time of my life." Octavia smiled gently, and Vinyl poked her in the ribs. "So no frowny face talk tonight. We're gonna have a great dinner, and we're gonna party till we can't party anymore." Octavia's smile grew, and the two of them laughed together musically. They laughed even harder at the sight of Pinkie Pie barreling down the street with a bunch of balloons the size of a house. "Oh Celestia... " Vinyl cried out, grasping her sides. "I think maybe I went a little too far with Pinks." Octavia was giggling like a schoolfilly, her hooves clapping together excitedly. "Tsk! No such thing, my dear." then on seemingly pure whim, she leaned over and kissed Vinyl. Wah! Again!? Vinyl's thoughts panicked for a moment, but Tavi was already pulling away, still giggling softly. She whispered conspiratorially at Vinyl. "No regrets tonight, Sis." ~~~~~~ Octavia felt the day’s tension slowly draining out of her body. As the sun slowly dipped beneath the horizon, the legendary Allez Cuisine seemed to be going all out for them. Delectable homespun favorites turned into high-art even got Vinyl to admit there was something to this fancy food thing. Octavia laughed at Vinyl's off color jokes about what Canterlot nobles did in secret while Vinyl listened raptly to Octavia's tales of the snooty nobility's many stupidities. As dinner wore on, it began to feel like nothing had changed. As though years and heartbreak had not separated them, and it was just another day in the life of Arpeggio and Octavia. Tavi gasped and smiled and gossiped with her sister, and all the while felt the warmth between them grow. One of the local nobility had even stopped by the table to comment on what a lovely mare Vinyl was, and how lucky Octavia was to have her. Vinyl had blushed bright crimson, and Octavia had had to thank him in her best polite tone of voice. By the time he was gone, Vinyl was looking at her behind those mysterious sunglasses. Octavia wondered what had been going through her sister's head at that moment, but decided that she might not want to know. The meal came to a slow end with Vinyl strangely refusing desert on the grounds of 'I've got something planned for later.'. Octavia was intrigued, but knew better than to try and ferret secrets out of Vinyl when she had that look. Octavia turned to eyeball the clock and hummed. "Seven Fifteen, Vinyl. Are we going to get moving?" Vinyl waved a hoof with a grin. "Sure. Let's mosey." She hopped off the chair and started strutting down the street towards the familiar gingerbread house design that was Sugarcube Corner. Octavia quickly hurried along beside her, a sly thought sneaking into her head. She grinned and slipped up beside Vinyl, wrapping her hoof around her Sister's and cuddling in close to her. "So... We make a cute couple, hm?" Vinyl looked at her for a moment and laughed gently. "Well, you're hardly a Lady, Vinyl Scratch." Octavia swatted her sister's flank with her tail. "You do have a certain roguish charm however. Perhaps once we do something with that mane of yours, dress you up respectably. Yes, you'll do then." She giggled uncontrollably while Vinyl's face transformed from offended to amused. Vinyl sighed dramatically. "Well I suppose that means I'll hafta go clean. No more late night boozing or partying if I'ma gonna be a respectable lay-dee." She snorted and swatted back with her own tail, causing Octavia to jump a little bit on the spot and giggle again. Octavia had a thought strike her, and cautiously mulled it over. Is it perhaps too sensitive? Hmm. Perhaps not. "Vinyl.." She began slowly, her sister's chuckling wrapping up. "Would you consider... perhaps... playing music with me again?" Vinyl nearly stopped in her tracks - only continuing to walk due to the tugging of Octavia's hooves. "I mean... We used to play together all the time. I'd like to... to do that again." She finished, wondering if Vinyl would actually consider that her sister did not just mean music. Vinyl worked her jaw for a moment, then her eyes brightened as they walked down the street. Octavia turned to see what she might be looking at but couldn't figure it out. Vinyl's voice called her back to their walk. "Yeah... Yeah, I'd like that Tavi." Vinyl sounded a little distracted for a moment, then nodded more enthusiastically. "I'd like that a whole lot." Octavia beamed at her sister as they turned towards Sugarcube Corner, which was lit up like a frosted hearths warming tree. Ponies were moving in and out of the building, carrying trays of treats or boxes of decorations. In the midst of it all, Pinkie Pie wore an equestrian general's uniform as she directed traffic with the aid of an outsized candy cane. Octavia could only gawp for a few moments at the massive undertaking. Vinyl looked sober for a moment, and rubbed her chin. "Awright. I think I might've overdone it." Octavia just shook her head at the sight as they approached, only to be spotted by the pink wonder herself. Pinkie Pie hopped down and beamed at both of them, giving them both a massive hug at the same time. "Hey Hey! It's Scratchy and Octi! Bout time you two showed up." She hitched a hoof over one shoulder, a massive grin on her face. "Operation Party Bomb is well underway! Upstairs bathrooms all empty n stuff for you two to get ready. I got a surprise for both of you waiting at the Cluuuub." Pinkie giggled, eyes shining in pleasure. There was nothing she liked more than a party. "Ohyeah. We've got all three floors of The Clop tonight, Scratchy." She winked, her tongue sticking out a little between her lips. "Now you two go pretty yourselves up! I gotta get this frosting a-movin!" And off she went again, bellowing orders loud enough to be heard over the din. Vinyl shook her head and laughed while Octavia watched on. Octavia turned to Vinyl and tried to rally herself. "Well. I suppose we ought to go upstairs then. Would not be polite to keep the people waiting." She lifted her chin imperiously, projecting confidence as best as she could. "So tell me, Vinyl. What on earth am I going to be wearing this evening?" ~~~~~~ Vinyl leaned on the wall next to the upstairs bathroom at Sugarcube Corner, eyeballing the clock. Sheesh, she takes a while. Vinyl was wearing a slick mesh body stocking in black, and knee length black socks. She'd also worn her trademark sunglasses and gold hoop earrings, as well as a couple of glowy bracelets for later. She grinned at her image in the upstairs mirror. With the addition of the sleek black boots, she looked like she'd crawled straight out of her early clubbing days. Course, she also looked hot, but she looked hot in anything. Vinyl stretched out her hooves and went back to leaning against the wall and humming a tune under her breath. So. Tavi wants to play again, huh? Vinyl closed her eyes and let her thoughts wander for a few moments. And the old coot still has her in the shop. Maybe I oughta. Yeah. She nodded to herself, looking up at the ceiling with a smile. Yeah, I should go get her back. There was the sound of the door opening as Vinyl snapped back to reality, turning her head to take a look at her sister. "Heya Sis- Whoa." Vinyl's words swerved mid-sentence as Octavia slowly swayed into view. Vinyl actually pulled off her sunglasses to get a better look, and tried really hard not to drool. Pinkie had decided to make Tavi her opposite. A white latex dress that clung to her every curve and ended in a flared out skirt with white socks. She'd also provided opposing accessories. Vinyl knew Tavi did not have pierced ears. Except the silver hoops she wore looked authentic as hell, and she wore a thick white vinyl collar with a white silk bow tie to go with it. Vinyl's jaw was somewhere south of her hips at this point, and Octavia was not making it any better with that saucy smile. Octavia held up a slightly stiff looking piece of black lace and fabric. "Oh, you missed this part." she spoke coyly, lifting up an identical piece in white towards herself.. They were masquerade masks in the veneighton style, like something out of Rarity's collections. Vinyl scowled a bit at the offending bit of fabric, even as Octavia slipped hers on. The lace spilled around Octavia's mane, and gave her a ghostly ethereal look. Octavia gave her an expectant look, and Vinyl knew she wasn't gonna get out of this one. "Aw, man. I like my shades." She tossed them onto the sink inside the bathroom and came out with her own mask on. Her lace had been designed to look like smoldering shadows, and added to the effect of the whole dress. Octavia clapped her hooves excitedly. "This is so exciting! Like dress up on Nightmare Night!" She giggled joyfully, and Vinyl felt a bit of her irritation pass. She had to admit, side by side they were a pretty striking pair. Course, Tavi looks absolutely bangin' in that latex. The thought was both smug and heated, and Vinyl had to stop herself from checking out her sister. Octavia did not seem to mind the attention, gently flicking her ponytail back over her shoulder. "Well, shall we go?" She snaked a hoof around vinyl's hip and dragged her towards her. They pressed together side by side as Vinyl found herself walked down the stairs, pressed up against her sister like they really were a couple. Vinyl liked that feeling, and wrapped her own hoof back around Tavi's flank. The pair strode out of Sugarcube Corner, which had quieted down considerably since they had last been downstairs. The Cake's were curled up on the couch with their children and snoozing the night away, and outside the streets had gone dark and quiet. The pair slipped out of the front door, and started to walk down the quiet, but not entirely deserted streets of Ponyville at night. Ponyville was like any town - it had its night life, even if it often waxed and waned with the growing seasons. Ponies of the night hid in dark alleyways while waiting for customers, underground clubs thumped music of one kind or another. The three taverns in town were rarely empty, even during the height of harvest season. Rumors always abounded of darker, edgier entertainments too. Vinyl herself knew of at least two 'herd' clubs, where a mare or stallion might find a wide variety of erotic entertainments. Not that anything in Ponyville held a candle to what went on in the big cities. Heh, Manehattanites would probably call Ponyvillers a buncha prudes. Vinyl rested her head on Octavia's shoulder, taking comfort in the soft and familiar warmth. To her surprise Tavi nuzzled back against her, murmuring words of affection. It seemed the whole shower scene had broken some ice between them, tearing down the barriers of time. Tavi said she wanted to play with me. I wonder if that means she wanted to 'play' with me too. Tonight would be the night to find out, she decided on the spot. The pair of ponies turned into the southern part of town where the club life had grown in Ponyville. Aw yeah. Let's do this. ~~~~~ Octavia's eyes widened as they crossed the invisible barrier between 'old ponyville' and the hopping new club district that had grown up in the southern part of town. The streets had gone from nearly deserted to as busy as a Saturday morning at the market. Shops and stalls hawked wares of dubious quality, and ponies in every state of dress and undress milled about inside and outside clubs, restaurants and other meeting places. Octavia could feel the eyes of many in the crowd upon the pair of them, and blushed when no few catcalls were directed their way. We really don’t look like sisters, right now. They looked like a couple out for a night. Perhaps a night in which they intended to get rather close to one another. The thought made Tavi blush again, and Vinyl was waving her hoof and grinning at the passersby. Vinyl at least knew these crowds. They parted for her as she passed, exchanging hoofbumps and calls of greeting or admiration. This is her audience. Octavia quietly observed. This is no different for her than moving amidst the rich is for me. Vinyl seemed to be relaxed about the affair, not paying overmuch attention to the crowd. Tavi knew she had a lot she could learn from her sister, and set to the task of doing so. A couple of raver ponies covered in glow sticks and coat-tight outfits stopped them for an Autograph on what looked like record albums. The covers read 'Pony Rock Anthem' and had a bright mishmash of colors and pony faces on the front, one of which was Vinyl’s. This was the album she was talking about earlier, the one that has propelled her career. Strange how Octavia had never heard her sister's music. She'd always presumed it had been nothing more than those 'wubs' she went on about constantly, and perhaps a bit of other Magitronic noise. Now she was forced to call that into question as the glow-stick festooned fans raced off into the crowd, squealing like foals at playtime. Vinyl was shaking her head in amusement, and began talking. "Sheesh. I never thought it'd be that thing that got me over the top. Guess I owe Neon a coupla beers." Octavia gave her a very puzzled look, and Vinyl blinked. "Aw, heck. I forgot. Um. I did this collab album with another DJ, goes by the name of Neon Lights. Righteous dude, you'd like 'im. Really dedicated to his art n' all that jazz. It's been a huge success for us both." She gestured a hoof at where the ravers had been a few minutes earlier. Octavia nodded slowly as they continued to walk, Vinyl obviously trying to move away from the subject. She's worried about me. Octavia found herself thinking, surprised at Vinyl's sensitivity. Dear sister, I don't begrudge you your success. If anything, Octavia was thrilled that her sister was doing so well. She had been in such a state when she'd first come up to her door in Ponyville some four years earlier. Vinyl had been disheveled and completely broke. She only had three boxes of things to her name, most of which was her DJ'ing equipment and record collection. Octavia had been surprised just at seeing her sister alive and well, and shocked at what life had done to the once vivid Arpeggio. Octavia had asked no questions. She'd taken in her sister, given her a place to stay and food to keep her healthy. Vinyl had pitched in every way she could, and soon enough had found herself work. It was as though just by being near her sister, Vinyl had revived both in body and soul. She'd been so broken down, so beaten when she arrived. Octavia had feared her sister's spirit gone forever. Now, she looked upon the brilliant grin, the cheerful wave of her beloved sibling and could do nothing but smile. She's earned this Octavia. What sort of struggles have you endured, Hm? Very little if she was honest with herself. She found herself lost in thought as they waded through the crowd, only snapping back to reality when they stopped. Vinyl was looking at her with concerned eyes, her hoof gently reaching over to Octavia. Tavi took the hoof and squeezed it, smiling tremulously at her sister. "No Regrets." She whispered for the third time that night, and Vinyl nodded with a smile. Vinyl seemed to latch onto a thought. "Well then, since we're just goin for it tonight." Octavia saw the mischievous look in her sister's eye, and braced herself. Vinyl slipped up next to her and pressed her body firmly to Tavi's - turning her head with a hoof, Vinyl kissed Octavia passionately. Not just for a few moments either, but on and on as she pressed her tongue in between Octavia's lips to try and tease out her sister's own. Octavia's thoughts had gone blank, and all that remained was heat. Her tongue snaked back out as they leaned against the brick wall of some anonymous building. The two of them leaned there, for how long Octavia did not know, kissing one another with increasing passion. No one seemed to notice them either, in their twin outfits they looked like any other couple. Just enjoying one another for a brief moment of love. The kiss did not last forever, even though it had felt like it. When Vinyl finally withdrew from the kiss, she was breathing more heavily and her cheeks were lightly flushed. Octavia knew she looked the same, feeling sexuality surge through her body. "I remember... " Octavia whispered, softly stroking her hoof along Vinyl's cheek. "How we used to kiss like that all the time in secret. “Vinyl’s eyes lit up and she smiled with nothing but pure joy as Tavi kept speaking, her tone of voice becoming slowly delighted "And now we can do it wherever we want." Octavia felt a chuckle bubble out of her throat, biting at her lip a little. "D-do it again, Vinyl." She demanded, feeling heat soaking into her limbs from where they pressed up against one another, wanting to feel that closeness again. Vinyl didn’t argue. She pressed her lips back against her sisters, and this time they went about it slower. Octavia wrapped a hoof around Vinyl's neck to keep her from pulling away too soon, and gently extended her tongue out to meet Vinyl's midway. Their tongues danced together in the air, Vinyl's eyes squeezed shut from the pure eroticism of the moment. If they hadn't been in public, Vinyl did not know what she might be doing to her sister right now. So she pressed the kiss in deeper, feeling the hot breaths of Octavia against her cheek as they nipped at each other. She wanted this moment to last forever, just her and the mare she loved. Unfortunately, there was a club they needed to get to and Octavia knew it. She broke the kiss a few moments later, her breathing still a little too heavy. Octavia was smiling brilliantly, and that alone had been worth breaking up the kiss for. Vinyl smiled back and nuzzled her cheek against her sister's with a soft laugh. Octavia laughed back, and the two of them pushed from the wall together, still a little tangled up in one another’s hooves. "Vinyl, that was... " Octavia began, blushing as badly as Vinyl had ever seen. "Celestia, I don't have the words for it." She finished, throwing her hooves up for a moment in apparent frustration. "Really freakin' hot?" Vinyl suggested coyly, and continued walking with her hoof around her sister's shoulders down the street. "Cuz that was a really freakin' hot with a capital H in my book." Vinyl couldn't keep the dopey grin off of her face. She was dressed up in what some prudish folks might've called fetish wear and had just had a make out session with her sister. This night was already awesome. Octavia gave a gentle roll of her eyes, continuing to walk in silence for a moment before she gave a delicate cough. "Yes, well I suppose that would be an appropriate description." A little smile creased her lips and she nuzzled her cheek back against Vinyl’s. "We should do that again. Later." Octavia suddenly burst into a fit of giggles, turning her head away to hide it. Vinyl was certainly in agreement with that thought. They swung around the last turn towards a big building in the middle of the sprawling night district - a shining neon sign lit up the street in all directions, depicting a pair of generic clubber ponies doing jerky little dancing motions. In bright green letters the words "The Clop" dominated the sign - and the entire street all around the place was packed. The party had gotten so rocking, that it had spilled out into the street. Some enterprising DJ's had set up ad-hoc music booths and speakers and giving the crowd outside the club music to dance to. There were hastily erected bar tops with tables and chairs, and what looked like carts from all the major food providers in town. The Apple Family and Sugarcube were doing big business given how many sweets and treats were being passed amongst the partiers - and in some cases, not used strictly for eating. It was pony bacchanalia, and would probably go down in the town's history as the biggest party in Ponyville history. Welp. I sure did ask for it. thought Vinyl ironically. Octavia seemed to be in awe of the sheer size of the crowd at first, before she took hold of herself and got the buck over it. Good. I was a little worried she wouldn't be able to handle all this noise. Vinyl smiled encouragingly and squeezed Tavi close. "Real party's gonna be inside." She pointed with a hoof over to the front doors, where a squad of burly looking ponies checked lists, glowered at those trying to sneak in and kept the inside of the club from becoming a mosh pit. "Looks like Pinks' got the usual dudes. Ayo! Snowflake! You doin good?" Octavia's eyes went wide at the massively muscled white pegasus with the tiny wings, who grinned toothily at their approach. "YEAH!" He called out, hitting Vinyl with a hoofbump and waved them inside. Vinyl laughed a little at the suddenly startled look on Tavi's face. "Aw, don’t worry bout Snowflake. He's a sweetheart, just gets really enthusiastic about stuff." Octavia still looked a little blown away, much to Vinyl's amusement as they passed through the dark hallway plastered with posters for upcoming DJ events. She stopped at the door, staring at the frame where they put up the night's entertainment list. "No way. No buckin' way." Octavia's face went from confused to concerned in a heartbeat, her hoof touching Vinyl's as she looked up at the sign. "What is it, Vinyl? Something the matter?" The names all meant nothing to Octavia, though one of them she was sure she'd heard her sister talk about before. "Dedpon1. How the buck did Pinkie Pie get Dedpon1 here with like six hours of notice?" Vinyl was trying to suppress her inner fangirl. She wanted to squee and jump around and do a little dance, but that would probably confuse the hell out of her sister. She blushed bright crimson and tapped her hooves together nervously. Octavia was just watching her with mild bemusement. By the time Vinyl got it under control, Octavia was grinning like a loon. "Um... He's uh... really famous DJ." Vinyl finished lamely. "The most famous, actually." Vinyl laughed and pressed her hooves to her cheeks. "Aw, hell. I probably look like an idiot." Octavia shook her head and tugged at her hoof. "No, I think I understand. Come on, Vinyl." Her sister grinned wickedly. "We shan't miss this." Vinyl let herself be dragged into the club, wondering what other surprise Pinkie Pie might have had in store for them. ~~~~~~~ The Clop was a converted grain warehouse, once used to store foodstuffs that were going to be shipped by rail to Canterlot. Now, it was three floors and one basement of pure club nirvana. The middle of the room had been cleared out all the way to the top of the building, and the DJ booth sat on the second floor. It was suspended in the middle of the room on timber and cables and massive speakers hung from the bottom of the booth. The dance floor on the first floor was packed with ponies of every size and shape. They wore raver gear and clubbing clothes, some of it sexy, some of it just playful. Octavia could only stare into the cacophony of music, ponies and lights. Magic lights shone, flashed and pulsed from every direction around the floor, giving off a light show like a fireworks display that never ended. It was overwhelming to her, the pure force of noise and the heat of so many bodies packed together. There was something primal about the place, something that called to ancient instincts buried deep on Octavia's soul. Deep thumping bass and percussion drove through the crowd like the heartbeat of some massive living creature. In an instant, all of Vinyl's loud music and strange mixing began to make sense to Octavia. An orchestra was meant to be a thing of high art, meant to be enjoyed on many different levels. To be sipped and savored like a fine red wine. This music was much deeper - you enjoyed it on just as many levels, but you did so without thinking. It sang to Octavia's body in a way that nothing else ever had. It called to her deepest desires and invited them to come out and play for a little while. It was here that her sister, ever attracted to the deep percussive sounds of a piano had found her place in the world. Octavia felt her body heating up just from the pure adrenalin of the music, and gently gripped at Vinyl's forehoof. It was nearly too much for her, as her mind desperately tried to analyze the music thumping through the room. The melodies were familiar, but unfamiliar. The alien nature of the music seemed to be short-circuiting her mind. Octavia gave in, realizing that there would be no resisting this siren song. She pulled Vinyl towards the dance floor, unaware of the transfigured look upon her own face. Classical music would always sing inside of her very soul, but these wubs were singing to other parts of her mind and body right now. A body that very much liked this feeling, and wanted more. Octavia exulted in the feral lust and desire that coursed through her veins. She did not know precisely what she was doing, but she knew how to take a cue from the audience. Octavia found Vinyl already moving to the beats, her head bobbing as she caught the thread of the music. Octavia followed her lead, pressing up against the white-coated DJ and bobbing her head along in time. The two spun around each other, pressing and moving away from one another as they started to find a groove. Octavia writhed her body against Vinyl's, closing her eyes and just letting the beat drive her along. Amongst the crowd, they were just two ponies for now. They pressed their hooves together and writhed to the beat, bobbing their head and nuzzling against one another. Octavia felt as though they'd faded away into the crowd. Even in the bright lights of the club, they were unseen. Octavia could feel her inhibitions slipping away as they had been all night, and felt bolder and bolder by the moment. She kissed Vinyl's neck and nipped at her ears. She pressed herself flush against Vinyl's own dancing body and moved with her sinuously. The music, the heat, the feel of Vinyl's coat were steadily driving Octavia a little mad with desire. Vinyl seemed to be enjoying herself as well, given the heat her own body was giving off through the mesh dress and the flush in her cheeks. Octavia's mind was working on pure instinct - and so she started to get a little heavier. Her hooves stroked over Vinyl's thighs, startling a squeak out of her. Octavia found the noise intriguing, so she rubbed further up those thighs, using the press of bodies in the club to hide her movements. Vinyl moaned quietly into Tavi's ears and she pressed against those hooves, whispering into her sister's ears "L-let's go grab a drunk. Drink! I mean drink!" Vinyl grabbed both her sisters’ hooves and tried to pull her off of the dance floor, while Octavia giggled madly. Vinyl was so cute when she got flustered. Vinyl waved her hooves at the bar and made some kind of signal that one of the barponies nodded at, then pulled her sister over to one of the dark corner booths. A cool breeze filtered in from a vent and lightly chilled the sweat on Octavia's coat, making her shiver a little in reaction. Her blood was still pumping wildly, but Tavi did calm down a little as she took deep breaths and tried very hard not to giggle. Vinyl was rolling her eyes at her and smirked as she spoke. "Geeze, Tavi. What got into you?" Octavia shook her head, still giggling uncontrollably for a few more moments. Once she was no longer laughing, Octavia purred her response. "I told you Vinyl... I wanted tonight to have no regrets. No holding back." She pressed her hooves to her mouth to hide her smile. "Besides, That beat is awfully seductive. It's like being drawn inside a heartbeat. There's something so, so... Sexy about it." A few minutes later, two tall foaming mugs of something that smelled of apples hit the table and vinyl tossed the waiter a golden bit coin. Octavia eyeballed the mug dubiously, then shrugged her shoulders and grasped the vessel with a smile. "To us." She raised her mug towards vinyl, a little bit of something foamy and smelling strongly of apples and liquor splashing onto the table. Vinyl chuckled and returned the toast, tapping mugs with her own sister. Midway through Vinyl's sip, she wondered if maybe she ought to have warned her Sister about the Apple Family Hard Cider. Looking up at Octavia slowly draining the whole damn mug, she realized she probably should have. Octavia likely would not have cared. The liquid was pure apple nirvana, and washed down her throat like a wave of fiery apples. She was immediately enamored with it after the first sip, and drank deeply of the cool draught. It was probably alcoholic as hell, but after the day she'd had? She needed this, as much as she'd needed every heated, less than wise thing she'd done up to this point. Octavia wanted to forget all about Fancy Pants and the orchestra and her sister's mysterious past. She wanted to forget about her own distant dreams and every frustration in her life. She daintily set the empty mug down on the table, and gave a little hiccup. Vinyl was giving her a definitely amused look. "Sis." Vinyl slowly spoke, her eyebrow raising. "Not that I don’t trust ya or anythin' but... Are you okay?" Octavia was certainly not okay, but she was not about to talk about that. This was Vinyl's night, her victory dance. She'd made it, even if Octavia hadn't. Octavia was not jealous. She was going to be a good sister, and that meant making sure Vinyl had the time of her life. She'd deal with everything else tomorrow when she could use her inevitable headache as an excuse to be cranky. Octavia shook away the moody thoughts and pushed the mug aside, smiling brightly. Vinyl's face relaxed, obviously having discarded some gloomy thoughts of her own. Octavia waggled her eyebrows at Vinyl. "I am quite fine. Cannot a mare of class let her mane down?" She tossed her ponytail over her shoulder and put on her best coy look. "Besides Vinyl, you're hardly one to talk about hiding your emotions." Vinyl blushed, and looked away from Octavia. Tavi wondered if she had overplayed her hoof, some of the heat going out of her voice. “What happened to us, sister? Even after being separated for all these years, when did we stop just trusting in one another?” Octavia felt worried, wondering how things had gotten here so quickly. Vinyl Scratch flicked a hoof on the table top, watching the party flow around them. “I dunno, Tavi. I mean, things were rough for me for a while. I got outta the habit of not just buyin’ into everything ponies told me or did for me.” Scratch drank down the remainder of her cider, tossing the mug onto the table. “Didn’t help that we never got ‘round to writing each other, I suppose.” The dark eyes of the cellist watched her DJ sister slowly crawling back into her shell. Not again, Vinyl. We will not be going back to being polite strangers to one another. Octavia reached out and grasped Vinyl’s hooves on the table, squeezing them reassuringly. “Of all the ponies in the world, Vinyl Scratch – you are still the most maddening when you don’t wish to speak. Of course, that’s part of your charm.” Vinyl blinked back and her jaw dropped open a bit. “Bwuh? The buck you talkin about, sis?” Vinyl’s face scrunched up in confusion, with Octavia giggling at the sight. “Hey! What’s so funny?” Vinyl’s tone became cross, and she half glared at her sister from behind her mask, the effect ruined by the incredibly sexy costume she wore. Octavia just pressed her hooves to her mouth, shaking her head emphatically. It took her a few moments to fight down the giggles, slipping out of the booth on her side of the table and slipping in next to Vinyl. Vinyl's eyes went wide for a moment. "Sis, have you lost it or somethi-mmfh!" Octavia had shoved a hoof into her mouth and had a soft smile on her face. Octavia's voice was gentle, and Vinyl could only hear it due to her sister’s lips being inches away from her ears. "I love you, sister." she trilled, Tavi's hooves pushing vinyl into the corner of the booth and pressing up against her. "I never want to lose you, ever again." Octavia's lips gently met Vinyl’s in a simple kiss. Nothing overly erotic or deep or heavy, just affection and love concentrated into a single press of the lips. Octavia pulled away just a little, continuing to speak in a quiet voice. "I know I'm not the most exciting mare in the world." she blushed, Vinyl's breathing coming very rapidly beneath her. "I'm a little stuck up sometimes, too." Vinyl was trying to stammer out words, and was silenced by another gentle kiss from Octavia. "Sister, do shut up and let me finish, will you?" Vinyl gulped and nodded slowly, her bright magenta eyes wide and curious. Octavia smiled again, tracing a hoof down Vinyl's cheek. "I'm not even sure what I ought to be doing with you right now.." She whispered softly, her cheeks blushing bright red. "All I know is... is... is you make my life so much brighter. Even when you steal my shampoo." Octavia softly chuckled, biting at her lower lip. "And no matter how bad things seem sometimes, I can look at you and say... " She pressed her hoof into Vinyl's chin, cupping it. "If she can do this, so can I." Vinyl's eyes went soft and she reached up to wrap her hoof gently around Octavia's neck. Octavia leaned into her sister's touch, nuzzling against the forehoof. "So no, Vinyl. I haven't lost it." she smiled tremulously, fighting back the tears she threatened to shed. "I've found it, and I don't want to let it go." Octavia pressed her forehead against her sisters, nuzzling around the horn there. Vinyl had reached out and wrapped Tavi up in her hooves and they half lay in the back of that dark booth together. The party raged on behind them, music thumping loudly, but for those few moments Octavia could believe her whole world was nothing but the creaking fabric of the booth and her beautiful sister. That could not last forever of course, the party was still hopping behind them. As wonderful as the cuddling was, it was a tad awkward. They finally parted a moment later with Vinyl’s eyes bright with tears, and happiness written all over her face. Octavia cleared her throat and tried in vain to get her coat to smooth out a little, nibbling on her lower lip in embarrassment. The awkward moment lingered until the two ponies simply began to laugh, then hugged each other. "Oh bother," Began Octavia, shaking her head ruefully "We're no better than a pair of schoolfillies like this." Vinyl grinned. "So wait, does that mean you're gonna dress up in a tight blouse and a skirt? Cuz I'm all for acting like Schoolfillies if I get to see that." Octavia smacked her sister's shoulder then pushed her way out of the booth. "Come on Vinyl. I've got an idea." She winked at her sister. "Do you DJ's ever carry anything a little more," Her voice paused as she waited for Vinyl to get out of her seat. "Romantic?" ~~~~~~ "No way, Tavi. Uh uh. I aint doin it!" Vinyl protested, her cheeks as red as Big Macintosh. "I ain't walking up to the numero uno DJ in the biz and askin' him to play something romantic!" Vinyl was panicking a little, she admitted it! Her usual cool-as-a-cucumber attitude kinda fell apart when faced with the best in her field. Granted, she had every right to rub hooves with this guy now. She'd joined the big-boys club and that meant respect was due. That did not mean Vinyl was not terrified. Dedpon1, also known as White Album wasn't actually all that intimidating. He was a little on the scrawny side, all thin and underfed looking with a bright white mane and a black coat. He chatted amicably with one of the bartenders as they cleaned up the dance floor and everypony took a little breather. Vinyl was practically cowering behind one of the side tables, with Octavia sitting on a chair and watching her amused. Vinyl glared a little at her clearly traitor sister as Octavia gently mocked her. "Come come now, Vinyl. If I can manage to play in front of Princess Celestia, certainly you can manage to just go make a little music request of your idol, Hmm?" Octavia was swinging her hooves back and forth in the air as she spoke, and Vinyl could swear Tavi was laughing at her on the inside. Vinyl gave Tavi her very best death glare, then took a deep breath and exhaled. I can do this! Vinyl stood up and trotted her way over to the bar, getting no small number of looks from the colts and fillies who crowded around. Dedpon1 looked up and grinned. "Well well!" His voice was high-pitched, like a tenor who'd never grown out of it. "The conquering DJ Pon3 approaches!" Vinyl felt like someone had just hooked her up to a live sound wire, stiff and all frazzled out. Dedpon1 waved his hoof. "C’mon! Clear a path for the latest Celestia in the Pantheon!" The crowd parted, and Vinyl knew there was no gettin out of it at this point. Vinyl took another deep breath and trotted past the crowd, whoops and cheers following her up to the bar where she slid up onto one of the stools. "Now there we go. Ya looked like a first timer facing a hostile audience there, kid." The stallion DJ lifted his hoof up and Vinyl gave it a quick bump, followed by a grin. "Ayo. Nice to meet'cha, Dedpon1." She scratched the back of her mane with a self-depreciating grin. "Ey, what can I say? It ain't every day the biggest name in the biz comes to yer own private party." Dedpon1 grinned himself, tapping the bar with his hoof. "Wellllll.." He trailed off, looking totally guilty. "I might've been passing through town on the way to a big show in Vanhoover. Your pink friend found me at my hotel somehow, and when I heard you were celebrating? Ah, I couldn't resist." Vinyl laughed softly. "Well It's super cool to have you here man." Vinyl noticed that somehow Octavia had slipped through the crowd and snuck up under her hoof, grinning at the other DJ in a mischievous manner. "Oh yeah. Um... See Octavia here wanted t'know if you could play us somethin a little slower and romantic?" For a moment, she watched the biggest DJ in the land look a combination of disappointed and amused. "Well heck! I'd heard you were a solo bird, Vinyl. Ah well. Sure." He flicked his hoof at the two of them, a sly smile on his face. "But yer gonna have to dance to it in the center of the floor, I insist." Octavia grinned mischievously. "Done!" She proclaimed before Vinyl could say anything, and a round of applause and laughter met the reply. DJ Dedpon1 grabbed a mug from the bar and toasted them. "We'll be down there in a few moments! C'mon, Vinyl!" Vinyl was already being dragged through the crowd, much to the amusement of the other ponies in club. Vinyl finally managed to slow Octavia down at the bottom of the stairs, digging in her hooves. "Whoa! Settle down, Octi! Sheesh!" Tavi finally let her stop, giggling madly at her. Vinyl wiped the annoyed look off her face, and took the moment to fluff up her mane and take a quick look at herself in a particularly shiny glass. "Aright." She nodded and turned back to Octavia, grinning. "Okay, let's go. Slowly this time!" Vinyl wrapped her hoof around Octavia's as they walked out into the dance floor. Overhead the speakers came to life and called out over the whole club. “Awright! We got a special request for the special couple here tonight! This one goes out to our newest Celestia of the Turntables, Give it up for Vinyl Scratch everypony!” The crowd gave a huge cheer, many mugs smacking against table tops and hooves stomping into the ground. For both Vinyl and Octavia, it was just one more day on stage. The two ponies moved to the center of the dance floor and bowed to one another as a sweet romantic tune came out of the speakers. Octavia blushed brightly as Vinyl spoke to her, taking up her hooves. "Tavi.." She tried to say, words failing her as their hooves began to move gracefully across the floor. Octavia just smiled, "Shut up and dance, Vinyl." She whispered to her, her hoofsteps interlacing with Vinyl’s. So they danced. ~~~~~~ The two fillies stumbled home a few hours later, leaving the still raging party behind them. They walked close to one another, hooves wrapped around each other’s shoulders. The door swung open at a little push of Vinyl's magic and they slipped inside together. The house was silent, as were the streets around it and the two mares carefully picked their way across a darkened living room and up the stairs. Still wearing their costumes, Vinyl lit the candles in the bathroom with another weak glow of her magic. Casting them both to be cast in a warm flickering light that seemed to emphasize every curve of their bodies. Vinyl blinked a little as Octavia shut the door behind her, smiling mysteriously. "Uh, Sis? You said you wanted a shower... " Vinyl started speaking, getting that funny feeling in her gut again. Octavia smiled at her, walking in a slow hip swaying way back to Vinyl. "Yes I did. I didn't say I wanted to do it alone." She whispered into the dim light, and Vinyl's mind began to conjure up all sorts of images. Octavia giggled softly, pressing her hoof into Vinyl's cheek and herself close up against the DJ. "You look so cute like that, when you're so obviously thinking about naughty things." Vinyl facehoofed, which only got a giggle from Octavia. Vinyl joined in the laughter a moment later, and felt some of the tension drain out of her body. "Tavi, I don't want you to think that's all I think about... I mean, yeah I think about it a lot... " She paused. "Lemmie back up. I don't want you to think that's all I think about you" She squeezed her hooves around her sister, hugging her close. "Honestly, I didn't even think you'd kiss me again." there was a little pink blush in Vinyl's cheeks. Octavia just smiled and hugged her sister back, enjoying the physical closeness. "Well, I'll admit I was a little unsure about it, to be sure. We are all grown up and all." Octavia sighed, a thoughtful look overtaking her face. "But I can't accept that reason anymore. I love you, you love me. What's the harm in being close?" She smirked. "It's not as though we're not both very much into it." Vinyl laughed softly. "When did you get so bold, Tavi?" Vinyl's hooves were trailing down Octavia's body at that point, working their way to her sister's thighs. "You used to be all quiet n' reserved." Octavia shivered a little, leaning into Vinyl's touch. "Well, I still am. I've just been, ah... hiding for it today." Octavia buried her head into Vinyl's chest to hide her blushes, her voice coming out all muffled. "I wanted you to feel comfortable with me again, and not think of me as some frosty prude." Vinyl blinked a little, surprised by the sudden heat in Octavia's voice. It was time to do something and fast. Vinyl acted on instinct, pulling Tavi's head gently off her chest and pressing their lips together in a kiss. Vinyl held Octavia's head firmly, keeping their lips pressed together for a long minute. Vinyl released her for a moment, feeling Tavi's hot breath on her lips as the two of them breathed heavily. "Octavia Mezzo Piano, don't you ever talk bout my sister like that ever again." Her words were hot and rough, and Tavi's eyes widened suddenly, looking startled at the sudden use of her name. "Cuz You're so freaking hot right now, I'm havin' to use every ounce of my willpower not to buck you silly!" Octavia's hoof slowly came up and gently pulled Vinyl's head back towards her, their lips almost brushing against one another. Octavia whispered softly, "Then shut up and do it." her voice gave out a breathy little moan, leaning her body up into Vinyl’s. Vinyl's self-control snapped into a thousand tiny strings, and she pounced upon her sister. Her lips found Octavia's sensitive ears and she tugged at them with her teeth. Her hooves hiked up Tavi's dress and spread her legs, her body pressing her sisters up onto the bathroom counter. Tavi simply gave off a sweet moan of surprise, her eyes scrunching up as Vinyl went to town on her most sensitive ears. She squirmed up onto the counter, her legs splayed out and around her sister's hips. Tavi's bit back another moan as Vinyl delved her tongue into her ear, the sound of a cupboard opening beneath her lost to her. Vinyl's horn illuminated with magic, grabbing one of her little secrets out from under the sink. A thick, carved stone toy with a little hook on the end slipped out of its hiding place. Vinyl continued to tease and tug at Octavia's ears as she began to warm the toy up with her magic, her eyes sparking with mischief. Tavi wasn't noticing though, she was too busy squealing in pleasure. "Vinyl, you tease! You know how- Ahhn~!!" Her word utterly failed her at the feeling of that soft and talented tongue wrapping around and inside of her ears. A hoof tip pressed between her legs and began to slowly stroke and tease at her marehood, sending Octavia's back arching like a bow. "Oh, Celestia!" Octavia yelled at near the top of her lungs, then pressed her face firmly into Vinyl's shoulder. Her cheeks were fully flushed, wondering if the neighbors had heard that yell. Vinyl was too busy to notice - she could feel her sister's wetness on her hooftip and kept teasing and stroking there, eliciting more muffled moans of pleasure from the cellist. Hmm, nope not a virgin. Good. Vinyl chuckled richly into Octavia's ear, her magic bringing up the neatly carved toy and seating it inside of her own already wet lips. "Mmf!" Vinyl moaned a little in response to the sudden penetration. Holding the toy firmly in place with her magic, she rubbed its length against Octavia's thigh, and could hear her sister squeak in surprise. Octavia's thoughts ran suddenly wild. Where had her sister been hiding that thing! And why was she hiding it in the bathroom! Oh do get a hold of yourself, Octavia. As though you didn't know your sister 'entertained' in here before. The thought brought on a surge of jealousy, which quickly vanished under the ministrations of Vinyl's hooves pushing into her slit. Hmmm, well there's only one way to keep her from roaming dear... Octavia blushed as red as a beat, and pushed her body up towards the toy eagerly. Vinyl felt surprised, but the scene was too damn hot for her to care. She pulled Octavia's hips to the edge of the counter and leaned in up against her, pressing her lips to Tavi's and pushing her tongue past them. Her tongue danced with Octavia's for a long minute or two, their lips tugging each other’s. Tavi tore her lips away and whispered in that oh-so-hot voice of hers. "Please... " She begged, her eyes half lidded in ecstacy. "Vinyl - I... more.." Vinyl purred out, her own voice husky with lust. "Mmf, as you wish." she said in her best fake Trottingham accent, pressing the toy in towards Octavia's cunt and driving the toy in slowly. Their hips slowly pushed together as Octavia let out a singularly beautiful sound somewhere between a moan and an opera singer for the whole length of the toy. The noise slowly trailed off as their bodies melded together, the magic of her little erotic spell sending shivers of pleasures up Vinyl's spine. Octavia's legs lifted and wrapped around Vinyl's waist, her forehooves coming up and wrapping around her neck too. Tavi's hips slowly began to grind back and forth on the countertop, her breathing coming in slow pants. "F-..fu... " Octavia licked her lips. "Make love to me.." she whispered, not precisely daring to say more crude words. Vinyl took her at her word and slowly began to move her hips back and forth - the fabric of their dresses rustling up against one another in the warm light of the candles. The toy sank in and pulled out of Octavia's pussy, the ridged edges of the stone slowly rubbing up against the pink lips. Tavi simply looked up into her Sister's eyes and heated face, the pleasure slowly building between them. Vinyl watched her writhing sibling, her hips building up speed with each successive thrust. The magic of the toy shocked her body with pleasure as though the thing between her legs was real, and her breathing was coming in fast. She pressed her hooves into the counter and kissed Tavi, nipping at her lips and licking at her tongue when it popped out. It was the hottest, most sensual thing she'd done in a long time, and it was going to drive her right over the cliff real fast. The two sisters bucked against one another, hips grinding and thrusting back and forth. Their eyes remained locked together, as panting gave way to the moans of the two mares voices rising together in harmony. Octavia felt the toy driving in deep inside of her, and wanted more. She wanted Vinyl to take her, ravish her, and make her beg for more. Her inhibitions melted away, and she grabbed and pulled at Vinyl's body with her hooves as her pleasure built faster and faster. She wanted more. She needed more. Vinyl gave her more, harder and quicker. Words were lost between them, and Octavia could not take the pressure building up a moment longer. A wave of pure pleasure exploded from her hips and all the way through her body, her snatch grabbing firmly onto the toy and holding it inside of her as though it were real. She started to wail, filled with ecstacy as Vinyl's hips kept thrusting. Moments later she drove the sensitive Octavia up and over the peak again, her screams filling Vinyl's shoulder as she buried her face there. Vinyl cracked herself, and was not willing to quiet her own moans - the sounds of the two of them slowly dying away, half formed words degrading into heavy panting. The two sisters lay on top of the counter entwined in each other’s arms, lips softly seeking and finding one another. Vinyl's lips found her sister's neck and nibbled there as she slowly recovered from the explosive orgasm. Octavia's mind was reeling, the toy still half filling her up. Celestia. I just... made love to Vinyl. It had been a long road since those stolen caresses and kisses so long ago. Yet now, it all seemed worth it. She was wrapped up safe and loved in her sister's arms and damn the rest of the world. This felt good and right and she did not care about anything else. Not even Stupid Pants. Vinyl spoke first. "Okay... " The words came out a bit muffled around a mouthful of Tavi's coat. Her next words were much clearer. "Octavia, Sis - Please tell me this isn't the last time." Her magenta eyes plead Tavi, and Octavia had to laugh softly at the sudden worry in her sister. Tavi answered with a soft peck on the lips, her voice saucy and a little fatigued. "I was about to say the exact same thing." ~~~~~ The morning came, as mornings always did in Equestria. Only this morning was a little bit different. Octavia lay snuggled up to a thin blue sheet atop a slightly rumpled bed. She did not care that it was rumpled, because it was not her bed. It was Vinyl's bed, though Vinyl had slipped off an hour ago for something she said was very important. Octavia believed her, given how they had spent the hour before that making out with one another, it had to have been something vital to drag her away. Octavia hoped for a moment, perhaps in vain that Vinyl would return with breakfast from Sugarcube Corner. Perhaps to be followed by a little more private time for the two of them. Octavia giggled softly, pressing her hooves up to mouth. Vinyl had been more than merely enthusiastic the previous evening. She had worn them both out quite thoroughly. Octavia hoped for a quiet morning to follow the previous evening's raucousness. Quiet did not appear to be on the menu however, as moments after that thought the front door burst open, followed by a grunt and something scraping along the kitchen floor. Then, the sound of the door closing. Well, at least she would not have too much time to stew in her thoughts. "Ayo! Tavi! I got breakfast!" Vinyl's voice called out from the kitchen, followed by more loud grunting. Octavia took a moment to be amused. Well, at least she had remembered the food. Octavia came down the stairs a few moments later, trotting past where their costumes had been discarded in the hallway on the way to the bed. I simply must remember to take care of those. I did look quite smashing in it. She trotted down the stairs only to spot the top of a large crate passing the lower landing. "Vinyl, what in Celestia's name is that?" Vinyl had pushed in a heavy looking, tightly nailed together crate somehow. Outside the front door, a pair of burly earth ponies watched on in amusement. The crate was huge, barely fitting through the doorway and looked like it was going to scrape up the hardwood floors. Octavia sighed. "Gentlemen, would you please?" She gently took Vinyl by the back of the neck and hauled her away from the job as the two earth ponies stepped in, shoving the thing into a clear space in the living room. "Um... Well, I thought maybe.." She rubbed at her cheek and her horn lit up, lifting a hammer and pulling apart the crate one side at a time, as the earth ponies levered them off to reveal... a full sized, Upright piano. It even had a proper sitting stool and a large cardboard box strapped to the top with tape. "Thanks guys." Vinyl threw a little sack at one of the earth ponies, who waved as they left the house with the box pieces in tow. Vinyl turned back, showing that she'd been carrying a large paper sack marked 'SgrCbeCrnr' on the front. "Donut?" She queried, but Octavia was already walking past her to the piano. Octavia's felt a sense of awe as she ran her hoof over the fine grain wood and lovingly polished finish. It was dusty, but under the dust was an old grandeur that had stood the test of time. The thing was a genuine Trotsway, and had to be nearly four centuries old. "Vinyl this... this is your piano." She whispered, hardly believing the thing was still in this kind of condition. Octavia's voice became a touch louder, incredulous even. "I had thought you sold it... " Vinyl had the good grace to look embarrassed and scratched the back of her head with her hoof. Vinyl set the paper sack down on top of the piano and her magic flared up, pulling the sitting stool down in front of the Piano and hopping up on it. Vinyl swinging her hooves back and forth for a moment before speaking. "Um... Well... " She sighed. "Yeah, I'd sold it. But when we walked by this pawn shop I'd sold it at and... I remembered how much you used to like to play with me." She made a limp gesture at it, the devil-may-care smile slowly fading from her face. "I went in to see if he knew where the old girl was. Found out the pawn shop owner never sold the darn thing. He's been using it himself, keeping it in his shop. Said he knew I'd be back one day for it and kept it tuned. He wanted it to be there when I came, the crazy old coot." there was some heavy emotion in Vinyl's voice. Some old pain that Octavia could not simply stand there and let be. Octavia moved quietly around the stool and hopped up onto it - still set for the right height for a young teen pony. "You never told me why you left the symphony," Octavia said, her tone calm and soothing "or what happened between you and our parents." Octavia gently squeezed her sister's shoulder, lifting her hooves up to take off the DJ's shades and set them down on the keys. Vinyl's eyes were half looking at the Piano, half staring at the ground. "Talk to me, Sis." Octavia whispered, "I'm here for you. I promise." Vinyl sucked in a deep breath and lowered her head, her eyes hidden behind the wildly styled and two tone mane. "Was about a year after they split us up. I had been doing a'ight until then, I mean... I didn't have any friends, but all the music kept me busy. Stuff started to get easy though, cuz I was just pickin' up on everything and doing it perfectly, every time. The conductors, the staff - they thought I was hot stuff, but a lotta the other musicians didn't like getting out-classed by a teenager fresh out of her cute-ceañera, yanno?" Vinyl pushed a hoof through her mane, still not looking directly at Octavia. She wanted to turn her sister towards her, but now was not the right time. Vinyl needed to get this out. "So you know how the pros can get. They get tough on ya, try to see if they can push you around. Shoot, I was just a kid. I didn't know manes or tails about other ponies doing that sort of thing. I started to fall apart, I couldn't take the pressure from it all." Vinyl sucked in another deep breath before she kept talking. "One day during practice, some flankhead took a shot at you. Don’t even remember what he said, just that he was makin' fun of you and said neither of us earned the right to be there." That got a knot in Octavia's stomach, but it dissolved at the next words. "I snapped, Tavi. I grabbed his music stand and went hardcore on him. Everyone went runnin', I'm told I went full on unicorn surge mode. Scared the snot out of all of em and passed out after I left him bloody wreck." Vinyl was crying now, tears streaming down her cheeks. Tavi grabbed the only scrap of cloth she had - her tie, and started drying up the tears with it. "By the time I woke up, they were loading him into an ambulance with two broken forelegs and a buck of a lot else. Conductor didn't blame me in the least, everypony told the cops I'd been pushed to the breaking point. No charges." She puffed out her cheeks and gave a harsh laugh. "I was too young they said." Octavia squeezed Vinyl's hoof again, biting her lip to keep from interrupting. Vinyl took a moment to smile at her as she dabbed the tears away. "Symphony kicked me out the next day, code of conduct violations. Mum and dad flipped, as you could guess. Told me they were gonna do something to fix my 'attitude.' The symphony moved me and all my stuff to Ponyville to wait till they could come pick me up. I was scared outta my mind, Tavi. I thought they were gonna lock me up and never let me see you again. So... I ran." She gestured her hoof vaguely off into the distance, slowly leaning into Octavia. Octavia wrapped her hoof around Vinyl's shoulder and hugged her sister as tightly as she dared. "Sold everything but a few bits and pieces. Got on the train, headin anywhere but here. I picked up this cheapo pair of sunglasses at the little souvenir shop, figuring if no one could tell who I was, I'd get a little farther." a hoof touched the pair on the piano with a little smile as she blew out her cheeks with a puff of air, tears slowly coming to a stop. Vinyl's tone was calmer as she kept talking "I ran like Cerberus was after me, Tavi. I picked up whatever work I could find, mostly tuning instruments or doin' setup work for local bands. Sometimes I did stuff I don't wanna talk about." Octavia's eyes went wide at that, her lip was hurting from biting down on it at this point. "After a coupla years this pegasus I'd shacked up with once or twice named Big Turntables took me under his wing, and taught me how to DJ - showed me how to work the records and promote myself. He gave me my new name, and most of my gear just as we were passin’ through Ponyville. I heard through the grapvine that you had moved into town and... well, yanno the rest." Vinyl shrugged her shoulders and rested her head against Octavia, eyes closed and sore. Octavia opened her mouth, closed it and then began to speak slowly. "Vinyl... I'm so sorry." Vinyl shrugged again and then shook her head a little, turning to face Octavia with a small smile on her face, contrasting with her even redder than usual eyes. Octavia couldn't help but smile back. "I wish I had known. I would have tried to - to do something. Mother and Father never even said anything." Vinyl shook her head. "Nah, Tavi. Not much you could've done. I ain't talked to Mum or Pops since I started running. I ain't going to either." She shook her head and grinned through her tears. "Buck em, Octi. I got my Sis back, I got my music. They ain't got nothin I want from them ever again." Octavia blushed bright crimson, scolding herself. What in Equestria did she have to complain about? She had a good life, even if it was not exactly her dream. She smiled right back at her sister and wiped away the remnants of the tears. Vinyl smiled back, the two of them squeezing each other’s hooves. After a few moments, Octavia could no longer help herself. "You know Vinyl, we probably look like an old married couple right now." she teased, getting a blush out of Vinyl who half glared at her and bopped her shoulder with a hoof. Octavia just giggled a little at that, then swung her hooves back and forth, eyeballing the Piano. "So... Still think you can play it?" That was a challenge, and Vinyl responded with a derisive sniff.. Vinyl's horn lit up, putting her shades back on and flipping up the cover for the keys, showing the old worn ivory gently aged into a dark yellow. "Mm... Play that old song, Vinyl. You know the one." Octavia wrapped a hoof around vinyl's waist and scooted up next to her. Music:The Piano and the Cello Vinyl laughed softly, her horn lighting gently as she laid her hooves towards the keys. Piano playing was generally reserved for unicorns, due to the need for magic to perform complex melodies, but Vinyl was exceptional even amongst them. Magic flowed in gentle waves across the keys, They seeped into the keys and gently began to press them, weaving a gentle old melody. Octavia leaned against vinyl's shoulder and watched her sister's face transform from the hard-bitten DJ into something softer. She had a little smile on her lips as her hooves moved across the keys, filling the room with the gentle tones of the old romantic melody. Vinyl's lips parted for a moment to sing a snatch of the lyrics "As time goes by... " Octavia could only smile, watching her sister. ~~~~~ Vinyl could feel her magic sinking into the keys like it had as a filly. It was like she'd never stopped playing, the tunes flowing from her hooves as easily as they did on the turntables. In the back of her mind, she was already planning how to add it into her latest work. Arpeggio might not be her name anymore, but that didn't mean she couldn't turn the old girl into a brand new wave of music. Octavia felt so warm against her side as she played, and for a few minutes as the old romantic tune played on she was able to pretend they had never grown up. That they were both just little fillies who loved their music, and were both gonna be super famous for it someday. "Okay Octi, your turn." Vinyl didn't have to be her sister to know Octavia was being bugged by something serious. It helped though. Octavia shook her head a little and just snuggled her head into the crook of Vinyl's arm. "Not yet, sister.." She murmured. "Play another one... please?" Octavia's voice was pleading, almost desperate. So Vinyl did just that, going from the somber romance to something a bit classical. Vinyl kept her trap shut, letting Octavia revel in the moment as much as she did. Shifting her hoof around Tavi's shoulder so she could play with one wrapped around her sister. Gentle melodies and complex harmonies sang out from the well-tuned piano cords. Vinyl made a promise to herself to do something special for the old guy who'd taken care of her for all these years. She snorted back a laugh, looking down for a moment at Octavia, thinking of someone else she had to do a whole lot of things for. Octi, I aint gonna let you get where I was. You deserve better'n that. Octavia was shifting in her seat now, and Vinyl felt her sister’s lips softly kissing at her shoulder, sending a frizz of electricity up her spine. Holy buck, she's doin' it again! Vinyl leaned into the attention, the magic still playing the piano as if nothing was wrong. The absolute last thing she wanted was Octavia shutting down on her over something silly. I finally get her to crawl out of her shell, and she turns out to be almost as horny as I am! Octavia clearly had other ideas too.. She grasped Vinyl's head, turning it towards her - there was a smoky, heated look in Tavi's eyes. "Vinyl, I need you." Octavia murmured softly. A moment later, heated lips met Vinyl’s, causing her to awkwardly clang a few of the piano keys before she shut down her magic. Vinyl wanted to talk... actually, that was a damn lie, she wanted this to keep going. Vinyl kissed back, the pair of sister's lips locking together as the heat slowly grew between them. They pressed up against one another, hooves stroking each other’s backs as their tongues danced against each other. The kiss lasted a full minute between them before they broke it off, both panting softly and staring into each other’s eyes. "Okay.." gulped out Vinyl. "I think that I get the message." Octavia just laughed, only to be cut off by Vinyl kissing her again, then trailing those kisses down to her neck, softly nipping at her flesh. Octavia gave off a delighted little gasp just before they both tumbled off the stool in each other’s arms, rolling along the floor for a minute before Vinyl ended up atop her, straddling her hips. Octavia blushed a bright red, her hooves resting on her sister's white-coated body and smiling slightly up at her. Vinyl couldn't restrain her smile in return, her shades lost somewhere along the way. She had her own hooves pressed up against Octavia's shoulders, leaning in over her. Vinyl could feel her sister's hot breath as she leaned in over her, pressing her weight up against Octavia. She could feel her body heating up against hers, the both of their breathing quickening. Vinyl leaned in and pressed her lips to Tavi's, feeling her sister's hips push up against hers heatedly. Vinyl pressed her body against her sister, feeling the smoothness of her coat.."Oh Celestia... " She murmured into Tavi's lips, which earned a giggle from her. Tavi leaned up to wrap a hoof around Vinyl's neck, pulling her down so she could whisper into her ear. "Vinyl, please - don't stop... " She giggled again, her gaze cloudy with lust. "I want to feel you against me, Vinyl. No silly clothes this time. Just you and me." She bit her lower lip so cutely that Vinyl laughed softly. "Mmf, Stop that! You tease." and she blushed again, her cheeks going bright crimson as her hoof gently thwapped Vinyl's shoulder Vinyl bit her own lip now, trying to restrain the laughter. Careful Scratch. Don't wanna piss her off now that she's finally loosening up a little. So instead, she shifted her position, laying down next to her sister on the soft carpet. She smiled and gently pulled Octavia in a little, leaning in to press her lips gently to hers. Octavia whispered into the kiss a moment later, "I don't think I ever want you to stop, Vinyl.." Tavi's voice was sweet and gentle. Vinyl's eyes widened just a bit at that, pressing her hoof up against Octavia's thigh and slowly stroking it, softly laying kisses along her chest making her sister wriggle a bit beneath her. Vinyl smiled a little and pushed her hoof up a little closer to find the wet slit between her legs. "Whoa, Sis... yer soaked." Vinyl smiled slightly as she gently stroked at Tavi's marehood, eliciting a squeak followed by a soft moan from her. Tavi whimpered a little louder as Vinyl began to press her hoofs tip in a little bit deeper, brushing up against Tavi's clit. That startled a sudden sweet moan out of Octavia, making her back arch up off the floor a little. "A-Ahhh~! S-sister, that feels good... " Vinyl slowly trailed kisses down Tavi's body as she teased at her, deciding to see how far she could push this. Her lips softly nibbled down along Octavia's thighs, her sister's eyes going wide for a second. "W-Wait, Vinyl are you.." Her words cut off with another moan, Vinyl's lips fastening around her sister’s cute little clit and sucking firmly. Octavia's words were lost in moans of pleasure with Vinyl's tongue slipping out to lap around her labia, flicking at the sensitive folds. "Oh Celestia, don't you dare stop that Vinyl Scratch!" her voice crawled out of her throat, hooves grabbing at Vinyl's mane in reflex as her sister snaked her tongue inside of her. Vinyl was surprised, but definitely game. Of course, she was gonna have to teach Tavi how to do this. But this scene was so damn hot Vinyl didn't give a shit. She sent her hoof slipping between her own legs and starting to rub furiously while she ate out her sister, diving her tongue around to drink up her sweet arousal. ~~~ Octavia felt another electric shock of pleasure race up her spine as her sister continued to rub her tongue into places she'd never dreamed of being touched. She felt as though her entire body was on fire from the attention, wondering what Vinyl would next do to her. It was so wrong of course, and Octavia was quickly working up to not caring. Her parents would be furious at the thought of them so much as kissing, and now Vinyl was nose deep in her sisters pussy. The thought made Octavia laugh joyfully, cut off by yet another moan of pleasure rippling out of her throat. Octavia wrapped her hooves up in her sister’s two-tone mane and bit at her lower lip, feeling a spring coiling up inside of her. Celestia, this quickly!? Octavia had always had a difficult time bringing herself to climax, but Vinyl was taking her there in record time. Vinyl retreated from inside of her and was now sucking at her clit like a lollypop.Buck me! Octavia's thoughts screamed along with her voice, her hips pushing up hard into Vinyl's face. Moments later, she felt her body tense up like an over tuned cello string and then snap. The tension flooded out of Octavia's body and the pure pleasure nearly made her black out. Celestia, again! The tension hit her like a runaway train, and she bucked up again off the floor under Vinyl's skilled hooves and tongue. She had lost all self-control, her hooves digging into the ground and her voice unbound. After a few more electrifying moments, Tavi's body slowly eased back to the ground. Her limbs were rubbery and limp, and she could not muster the energy to move. Her breathing was heavy and deep and her eyes half closed. "Sweet Celestia, Vinyl... " She managed to gasp out, eliciting a little laugh from her sister and the sound of her licking her lips. "Mmm. You are pretty sweet, Sis." Vinyl's face appeared in Octavia's view, winking cheekily. "I gotta do that more often." Vinyl waggled her eyebrows up and down in a suggestive way. Octavia blinked up at her and gently facehoofed. "Oh by Celestia, you're never going to leave me alone now are you?" she sighed gustily. "Perhaps I had best get used to the idea of you wandering into my shower uninvited." Tavi tried to glare at her sister, but given how incredibly good she felt right then it didn't take. "And my bed. And goodness knows where else your perverted mind might come up with." "Hey!" exclaimed Vinyl, looking smug. "You weren't complaining about that perverted mind last night, Li'l miss screamer." And she nuzzled her cheek up against Octavia's, startling a squeal out of her. "Never knew you could get that loud." Vinyl felt a hoof impact her shoulder, and then Octavia went right into nuzzling back up against her sister. "You're lucky you're so talented." Octavia muttered. "Especially with that tongue of yours." she began to blush brightly, her eyes darting away from Vinyl's grin. "Quit grinning like that and give me a donut." ~~~~~~~~ The sun shone brightly over ponyville as two sisters settled down onto the front porch couch, hoof in hoof. The scattered remains of muffins and donuts lay on the little table next to them, and they watched Ponyville bustle about its daily routine with quiet smiles on their faces. Vinyl piped up first, interrupting the quiet. "No more gettin' out of it sis. I did my confession. It's your turn." She nudged Octavia in the ribs and smiled softly at her to take the sting out of the words. "C'mon. You wanted us to get back to who we were right? Gotta trust me, Octi." Octavia sighed dramatically, eyes closing. "Oh very well. I suppose you are right. I still feel silly about it though." Octavia's hooves rubbed together nervously, tapping together in a timid sort of way. "I mean, being worried that my career is going absolutely nowhere is hardly worth mentioning. Being afraid of being nothing more than a small time quartet player is just juvenile in comparison." Octavia's eyes were beginning to tear up, her voice becoming steadily quieter. "I'm sitting over her lamenting the fact that I'm not in an orchestra yet, and you've been through-" "Whoa! Stop right there, Sis." Vinyl grasped Octavia's hooves and squeezed them tightly. "Stop that, right now. Your problems are just as real and serious as mine." Vinyl smiled encouragingly, lifting Tavi's chin with her hoof. "I had some hard times, for sure. That doesn't mean the crap you're going through isn't just as tough for you. M'kay?" Octavia nodded a little, sniffling. "Yeah, I suppose so." She looked up into Vinyl's eyes and gave a small smile. "I just can't help it, Vinyl. I know I'm meant for more than this... " She gestured feebly, her hoof slowly flopping down into her lap. "This small time performance art." Vinyl nodded knowingly, still just comfortingly stroking her sister’s hooves. "But no matter how much I try, who I suck up to or whatever. I'm never quite good enough." Octavia's voice was now thoroughly depressed. "I'm too young, or still developing as an artist, or some other ponyfeathers excuse." Vinyl bit her lip, then started talking. "Welp. What do you think we oughta do then?" Vinyl kept her tone upbeat, confident. "Y'think moving back to Canterlot might make it easier for ya?" Octavia looked startled, and blinked up at Vinyl. "Wait a moment. We?" she asked, tone quizzical. "You love Ponyville, Vinyl. I'm not so much of a fool to not see that." Octavia's eyes widened a little in wonder, trying to figure out where Vinyl was going with this. Vinyl chuckled softly. "Well yeah, course I do. But you're my sister, and I love you. So yeah, Octi. We. Meaning you plus me. I ain't gonna sit here and hold you back if ya think you'd do better in the big city." She arched an eyebrow. "Sides, much as I'd miss this place It'd probably be pretty good for my career too, since I'm s'posed to be famous and all that crap." Octavia's jaw dropped a little. "Vinyl, I-" Octavia found herself rendered speechless. Bloody tartarus, she's been doing this to me a lot lately. she thought dazedly. "Vinyl I could never ask you to do that." She finally got out, wondering where all this came from. Vinyl smiled softly at her sister, and Octavia felt her heart beat a little faster. "Y' don’t gotta ask. I'd do it if ya thought that it would help. We're sticking together from here on out, Octavia. No regrets, remember?" Vinyl kissed Tavi gently, pressing herself against her for a moment. Octavia melted into the embrace and the kiss, and whispered softly. "Vinyl. No." She gently pressed her hooves up to her sisters cheeks and smooshed them, a silly smile crossing her face. "We're staying right here in Ponyville. I'll found my own bloody orchestra if I have to. Mother and Father can just... go... Fly a kite or something!" Vinyl grinned. "Fly a kite? Our parents? Nah, they'd try to make the kite join the Wonderbolts." The pair of them both burst into laughter, hugging each other tightly. Octavia suddenly got a wicked thought, and leaned up into Vinyl's chest, nuzzling softly. Her voice took on a husky, sexy sort of tone. "So, about that schoolfilly's outfit... "