//------------------------------//
// Chapter 21 
// Story: Vinyl and Octavia: University Days 
// by DawnFade 
//------------------------------//


Chapter 21



-----


Octavia was fraught with worry. She paced nervously through Bon Bon’s living room, leaving a pattern in the carpet wherever she stepped. The shop owner had graciously allowed her and Vinyl to stay for as long as they needed, saying that the look on Octavia’s face was all the convincing she needed. The worry in Bon Bon’s eyes had made her tear up a little. Seeing her mother again had brought back a lot of things she had tried very hard to bury, including a sense of isolation. Being reminded that she had loyal friends was exactly what she needed.

Vinyl stood nearby, watching her with pained eyes. It was plain to see the DJ wasn’t sure how to help her. In the minutes following their quick abandonment of the campus, Vinyl had thrown out every possible solution she could think of, hoping one would stick.

“We flee the city,” she said firmly.

“You know we can’t,” replied Octavia.

“We change our units to external and do them remotely.”

“Your computer is still in our room.”

“We fake our deaths?”

“That won’t solve anything.”

As the hours passed, they found themselves curled up on one of the couches, despair and anxiety painting pictures in their minds. Vinyl saw Octavia being dragged away by her mother to some far-off estate, plunged into loneliness and isolation once more. Imagining her sweet, creative, witty lover being locked away again was enough to make Vinyl shake with impotent rage. What kind of monster would treat her own daughter like that?

Octavia saw a cold, impersonal psychologist telling her she didn’t love Vinyl and explaining why in perfectly enunciated monotone as her mother nodded in approval. She saw Vinyl alone in an alley behind a bar, calling her number and getting no response as the night grew older and the snowfall heavier. She saw her friends wondering where she had gone and missing her for the first month or two, then slowly forgetting she was ever there. She couldn’t even muster the strength to cry at such an awful fantasy.

But most of all, she saw the rest of her life, past and present, stretching away from her in both directions. Her past was controlled and monitored like she was an experiment in creating the perfect daughter. Well-mannered, easily manipulated, completely dependent, smart, but not smart enough to think for herself… was this what her mother had been trying to do? Did she even love her, or have any kind feelings toward her at all?

Why was I even born if I’m not allowed to live?

Strangely, that thought struck something within her, like the first sparks of a fire. Why wasn’t she allowed to live? It certainly wasn’t for her safety; she’d tried it! She’d been living for the past six months without getting hurt! She’d tasted life, love, and friendship without any horrible repercussions. But the part of life that tasted the sweetest was independence. She’d experienced those things of her own accord, in her own way. The flames inside her strengthened, growing in tandem with her realisations.

Now that she’d tasted life… she couldn’t go back. Her life before university was like drowning, and every month she’d spent with Vinyl had been a gulp of air to her lungs, letting her think clearly. Her fire raged now, completely out of control and loving it. Octavia knew what she had to do now. It was the only way.

“Vinyl,” she said loudly, “I’m going to talk to my mother. Alone.”

Her love, so sweet and supportive and kind, looked at her with wide eyes. “What?! That’s the worst idea yet!”

A third, worried voice came from the door leading downstairs. “What idea?” asked Bon Bon.

Octavia motioned for Vinyl to not reply, but it was too late. “Octavia wants to go see her mother! After all the trouble we’re going through to hide from her!”

Bon Bon bit her lip anxiously. “I really don’t think that’s a good idea.”

“Y’see?” Vinyl flailed her hoof at the cream mare to illustrate her point.

“I think she should do it,” Lyra said quietly, stepping into the room. They both smelled of sugar and candy. Octavia nodded her head to show her thanks. “Her mother is the source of literally all of your problems. The sooner you deal with her, the sooner you two can go back to normal.”

“She’ll drag you away from here!” Vinyl said desperately.

Octavia shook her head. “Only if I let her. And I really don’t plan on doing that.”

“I’ll come with you, then. I-I’ll fight her!”

“Now that won’t solve anything.” Octavia reached out and touched Vinyl’s cheek softly. “I love you, but I must speak with her alone. You’ve helped me so much, in more ways than you can imagine. Without you, I could never do this. So please, just trust me.” 

Her words were so heartfelt that Vinyl felt her eyes burn. “I love you too, filly. This is still a terrible idea, but I love you anyway,” she said hoarsely.

Lyra cleared her throat. “I might know something that could help you understand, Vinyl.” Her ears pricking up, Bon Bon opened her mouth as if to object, but closed it at a glance from Lyra. “A few months ago, when I started uni, I was a complete jerk. You probably know that better than anyone, except maybe Bon. But that doesn’t matter. I was mean to the people around me for no reason other than to entertain my awful sense of humour. In short, I was bad.

“I slowly drove away anypony who tried to be my friend, and worst of all I didn’t even know why I did it. Fortunately for me, Bon Bon never learned to stay away from bad ponies.” Bon Bon scoffed but smiled as Lyra continued. “She helped me become strong enough to accept that I was horrible, and then she helped me change. I don’t know whether it’s obvious on the outside, but I’m not the same pony I was back at the start of the year. And… I’m guessing Octavia isn’t either.”

Vinyl was looking at her lover, seeing the truth in her former enemy’s words. “Yeah… she is, but she isn’t.”

“Exactly.” Lyra nodded. “I don’t know the full story between you two, and honestly it seems like you both just pop up randomly in our lives, but I’d wager you helped her become who she is now. What you’ve gotta do now is trust that she’s strong enough to handle this, just like Bon trusts me not to relapse into assholery again.”

“I do trust her,” began Vinyl before quickly turning to Octavia. “I do trust you. I know you can talk your mother down. What I don’t trust is myself.” She stepped closer. “You may have noticed I’m a little bit protective of you.”

“Really?” Octavia whispered through a smirk.

“Yeah. I also may have had several fantasies where I beat the crap out of your mother.”

“Ah. So you want to be the one to meet her?”

“Well, no, I’d rather never ever meet her at all. I just… damn it, I don’t even know what I want.” She stamped a hoof in frustration. “I just don’t want you to get hurt, and I know that contradicts what I said about knowing you can beat her, but–”

Octavia shut her up with a quick kiss. “I know what you mean. But I have to do this.”

“Just tell me one thing,” Vinyl said quietly, somewhat subdued by the comforting peck, “why is she such a bitch?”

The others looked at her expectantly and she sighed. “I suppose I should share what I know.” She began to pace around the living room, attempting to jog her memory. “I’ve managed to glean a few things from gossiping maids and the other working folk—hey!” she said, as Lyra and Bon Bon exchanged looks. “It’s not like it was my choice to hire them!”

“We didn’t say anything,” muttered Lyra as Bon Bon simultaneously said “We understand.”

“Anyway,” Octavia chewed her lip, thinking, “I was just a filly at the time, but I remember overhearing a conversation between two aides.”

Octavia snuck down the hall, the soft carpet muffling her steps. She hated having lessons this early in the morning! She wanted to go outside and watch the pegasus groundkeepers keep the clouds away. It simply wasn’t fair. She reached an open doorway and peeked inside. If a maid caught her hiding from the tutor, she’d tell her mother immediately. None of them could be trusted, this she knew from experience. There were a couple of stallions in a small tea room chatting idly. She recognised them as the new replacement aides. The last couple had been ‘sent away’ for giving bad advice, or something. Octavia kept herself still as she listened in.

“Strangest job offer I’ve ever had, to be sure,” chuckled one of them, “but when she comes knocking, you don’t refuse.”

“Tell me about it,” replied the second, sounding much less relaxed than his colleague. “I researched her work before accepting the job, you know. She’s cold as ice. Apparently, she used to be as starry-eyed as that filly of hers. Wanted to be an actress or artist, I don’t know, something fancy. But something happened, and suddenly she’s in business, making powerful friends and carving through competitors with insane determination.”

“Damn. What happened?”

“Beats me. Whatever it was, it messed her up bad.” He took a shaky sip from his cup.

Vinyl whistled. “Sounds like someone’s got issues.”

Lyra and Bon Bon politely kept their mouths closed. Octavia gave a tired smile. “None of this is new, though. I don’t think it will help us.”

“Well… maybe it will,” Vinyl said, scratching her chin thoughtfully. “She’s used to being in control, right? I mean, from what I’ve seen of her, that’s pretty much her entire personality. And she didn’t tell you about her past herself, did she?” Octavia shook her head. “Then she wouldn’t expect you to know any painful little details. Maybe you could remind her of a time when she wasn’t in control. It might put her on the defensive.”

Octavia opened her mouth to object, then closed it again a moment later. “That’s… a really good idea, love.” She seemed a little surprised, making Vinyl turn red.

“I got the idea from some advice Psych gave me ages ago. Back when we were arguing, he told me you were a little sensitive about your mane, and if I wanted to get to you I should try targeting it.”

“…And instead, you texted me a compliment. I wondered where that came from.” Octavia felt a rush of affection for Vinyl that made her chest ache. She cleared her throat. “Well, it seems I won’t be facing her unarmed after all.” The couple shared a tight smile.

Bon Bon licked her lips nervously. “Not to be a wet blanket, but there’s still the matter of your mother paying for your tuition, food and board, that sort of thing.”

“Oh, she’ll cut me off, I don’t think there’s any way we can avoid it. There’s no way I can keep living on campus.”

Lyra and Bon Bon exchanged a series of urgent gestures until Bon Bon finally sighed. “I’d offer you a place here, but we only have two bedrooms…” It was clear their host felt a little awkward about it.

“I know, don’t worry. I will not be a burden. I’ll find a way.”

“We need to find another source of bits,” mumbled Vinyl. It was her turn to pace.

After a minute of silence, Octavia’s ears perked up. “There is one thing I could do…” she said slowly. Vinyl stopped mid-stride and met her eyes hopefully. “I can defer for six months.”

“Defer?” asked Vinyl.

“Take a semester off and resume my studies next year.”

“How would that help? You’d still be homeless.”

Bon Bon seemed to understand. “Oh! You can get a full-time job and save up enough over six months to pay for everything!”

“Half a year’s pay should cover it,” Lyra said, adding her approval with a nod.

“Yeah, great,” said Vinyl drily, “and in the meantime you’ll just live on the street? And what happens when you go back to uni and no longer work full time? How will you pay for everything then?”

“I’ll have to get an apartment. Somewhere small, just for the next few months. But then I have to pay for food as well… and bills…” Octavia felt her confidence in the plan slipping away, and Vinyl could see it.

“I can help,” she said quickly, thinking as she spoke, “it’s been ages since I’ve done a gig; reckon it’s time I got back into the game. I wasn’t raking it in, mind you, but it should be more than enough for food and bills for one pony.” As an afterthought, she added, “I was actually getting kinda popular before I stopped. If I can get even higher than that, I might be able to pay the rent as well.”

“You’d do that? Just give away all of your earnings?” Octavia was shocked. Emotional support was one thing, but casually giving her every bit she made was a completely different matter.

Vinyl looked confused. “Well, yeah, why wouldn’t I?” She was almost knocked to the ground from the fierce hug Octavia gave her.

“You’re so lovely when you’re oblivious,” she whispered, planting a big kiss on Vinyl’s cheek.

“That’s big of you, Vinyl,” Lyra said quietly. “I respect that.” 

Bon Bon beamed at the couple and hugged Lyra. “Oh, this is just so sweet!”

While their friends were talking, Vinyl couldn’t help but whisper worriedly into Octavia’s ear. “It’s gonna suck not living together.”

“I know. It’ll only be for six months, but we’ll both be busy with work… it’s going to be hard, love.” Octavia felt a great weight on her heart, yet it did little to extinguish the fire of her resolve. “It isn’t perfect, but it’s our lives now. We’ll make it. We got this.” Vinyl tightened her grip to show her agreement. As the embrace ended, Octavia gave a breathless chuckle. “I suppose I’ll need to learn how to write a resumé.”

Bon Bon shook her head, already smiling. “I don’t think you’ll need one. How would you like to work in a small but quickly-growing confectionary shop? We only have a small number of staff and could use somepony with a head for planning.”

Lyra grinned. It looked out of place on her face, but it was still a thankful sight. “Why didn’t I think of that?” She turned to Bon Bon. “You know that catering service I was talking about the other day?”

“The one we agreed was impossible because we didn’t have enough employees?” Bon Bon replied innocently, eyes twinkling.

“You are the perfect business partner, you know that, right?” Lyra was as close to hopping with joy as she was capable of being. Bon Bon simply enjoyed the praise.

Octavia felt her spirits lift. Working full-time with her friends wouldn’t be that bad at all. Their joy was a little contagious and as she glanced at Vinyl, she saw she wasn’t the only one infected. Vinyl was deep in thought, but a smile was growing on her lips. “Hey,” she said, pausing for a few seconds as though finalising the details in her mind, “You guys are gonna be running a catering service?”

“Why not?” said Bon Bon brightly. “Ponies love our treats, and we’ve already had a few requests. The only thing stopping us was finding a suitable somepony to help us run it.”

“You know, all of my gigs so far have used house food, just the standard crap you get from vendors. D’you think, maybe, we could sorta… team up? ‘Come for the music, stay for the food’?”

Octavia almost squealed. “A joint business venture! If I mediate it, I’ll get to see Vinyl a lot and still work full-time!”

“I think we hired the right pony,” Lyra whispered. Bon Bon nodded. “I believe we have a deal.”

Everything was in place. Octavia’s future was no longer at risk, and the tension in the room had faded quickly over the last few minutes. She was filled with a great love for her friends that overpowered the few fears she had left. Her mother no longer had any claim to her life, and it was time to inform her of that fact.

“We can discuss the details later, but for now may I borrow somepony’s phone?”

Vinyl’s grin faded as she took her mobile out of her mane and passed it over. “You makin’ the call?”

“Yes. I think I’ll ask her to meet me in Blue’s Tavern. Neutral ground.” She dialled the number (with some difficulty, thanks to the phone being designed for unicorns) and took a deep breath. The others gathered closer, leaning in to listen. Vinyl pressed her ear against the other side of the phone, looking worried. It was an expression that had absolutely no place on such a carefree pony, Octavia thought, and after today she would do her utmost to make sure it never appeared again.

The phone rang twice and answered. “Lapis Lazuli. Speak,” came the flat greeting.

“Hello, mother,” Octavia replied steadily. Vinyl mouthed ‘Lapis’ with a questioning look. Octavia shook her head and mouthed ‘later’.

“Octavia. Where are you?” Her tone was perfectly neutral, it was impossible to make out any emotion in it.

“I’ll meet you at Blue’s Tavern, in the city. Goodbye.”

“No, you will–” Octavia ended the call. Her hoof wasn’t shaking in the slightest when she gave the phone back to Vinyl, who looked at her with… admiration?

“You have no idea how sexy you are when you’re determined,” Vinyl said breathlessly. Lyra and Bon Bon, sensing the shift in mood, quietly excused themselves and went downstairs.

“Did I speak clearly enough? Maybe she misunderstood me.” Octavia slipped her hooves around Vinyl’s neck.

“She understood you, babe. She’s probably shaking in her dragonskin boots.” They embraced for a few minutes, squeezing as much time out as they could. Octavia took her hooves away but Vinyl stayed close.

“I should get there before her, Vinyl.”

The unicorn pressed her face into Octavia’s neck. “Are you sure we don’t have time?” she whispered.

Smirking, Octavia pulled her lover away. “For you, maybe.”

“Ouch.” Vinyl smiled too and walked her over to the stairs. They hesitated for a moment, then kissed passionately. Everything they could say had already been said.


---


Octavia slipped into the booth without a word. The tavern was fairly quiet at this time of day, just the regulars and herself. She’d ordered some wine before sitting down, though she wasn’t sure if it was for her or for her mother. The stallion at the bar hadn’t even asked for identification. She breathed deeply and tried to centre herself, but to no avail. The fire inside her flickered uncertainly. It had been a long time since she’d seen her mother, and there was no telling how Octavia would react. She might freeze up, or stutter uncontrollably, or any number of confidence-destroying things. All she could do was remember who she was doing this for and hope it would give her strength.

The door to the tavern swung open, and her mother walked in, dark blue mane as sharp as her eyes. She wore a silver necklace with a blue gem imbedded in it. Octavia forced herself to keep breathing when those judging eyes met hers. She struggled to keep her face neutral, her heart beating faster by the second.

Lapis strode over to her, cocked her head in appraisal, then sat down. Octavia couldn’t help but let a little surprise slip into her expression. She’d expected Lapis to refuse to sit and demand for Octavia to follow her immediately. From the slight smirk on her mother’s face, she had anticipated that and decided to do something that would put Octavia off-balance so she would be on the defensive–

Stop.

“No games, mother. We need to talk as a family,” Octavia said softly.

Lapis’ expression didn’t change. “You’ve grown,” she replied, and Octavia knew she didn’t mean in size.

“Yes, I have. Mother, I–”

“I have heard stories,” Lapis cut her off smoothly, “Rumours, mostly. They say you’ve taken some club harlot as your partner. I would dearly hope for there to be no truth behind them.”

The urge to snap and scream rose sharply, but Octavia fought to keep it at bay. It would only show her mother that she hadn’t matured at all. Instead, she smiled warmly. “It’s a good thing you’re sitting down then, because–”

Lapis cut her off again. “You also haven’t returned to your room for a while. One would dread to consider what sort of things you’ve been up to.”

Octavia maintained a pleasant tone. “Disgusting things, no doubt, almost as bad as spying on one’s daughter.” Finally, a reaction! Her mother’s left eyebrow twitched ever-so-slightly. She mustn’t have expected Octavia to fight back at all. Internally, she whooped for joy.

“I hardly think worrying about my only daughter, whom I’ve spent so much time and money on, is the same as wallowing in whatever cesspools your undoubtedly promiscuous playmate frequents.”

“She is not–”

“And really, if you’d hoped to change my opinion of her, you could have requested to meet me somewhere with a little more charm, hm? This place doesn’t exactly paint a kind picture of your standards these days.”

Octavia remained silent. She had to change something. If they kept going like this, she’d never get to voice her side of the story and nothing would be resolved. So she waited as calmly as she could after hearing the love of her life insulted twice in a row, and when her mother finished, she replied, “Are you done?”

And then she giggled.

It was only a brief laugh, but the reaction in her mother’s eyes was invaluable. Octavia kept smiling as she continued. “Honestly, mother, interrupting me constantly is very immature. You’re embarrassing me.”

“Indeed?” Lapis bristled. “Then you might understand my displeasure with your decisions. Being embarrassed by your family is profoundly annoying, is it not? What exactly went through your head when you decided to tarnish our reputation?”

“Love, mostly. You can imagine how it might have caught me off-guard, having never received it before.”

Octavia felt electricity crackle between them. There was no turning back now.

“Love?” Lapis spat, she wasn’t playing anymore. “I’ve spent the best years of my life raising you with every advantage, giving you every opportunity to succeed. You were supposed to be perfect, able to carry on my legacy.”

Octavia was quiet for a moment. “That’s what you think love is?” she asked softly. She felt whatever tenuous connection she still had with her mother snap suddenly, like a broken cello string. “I was just a project to you? A successor to be trained, not a daughter to be loved?”

“Daughter, successor, splitting hairs is the lowest form of response, Octavia. Do you see what has happened in your time away from me? You’re already forgetting basic discipline and manners. The sooner I take you away from this nonsense, the better. We’re leaving tomorrow.”

Shaking her head sadly, Octavia felt whatever fear she had for her mother slip away. “You’re delusional. I’m staying here, mother.”

Lapis smiled. “And how will you be paying for your tuition and lodging?”

“With the full-time job I was hired for half-an-hour ago.”

That clearly wasn’t the answer she was expecting. “And you believe you can manage to study as well as work full time?” She smiled, but it held a hint of worry.

“No, that would be unfeasible. I’m deferring for a semester to save money, and then I’ll switch to part-time when I go back.”

“You believe you’ve been thorough, do you?” Lapis said through gritted teeth. Seeing her words have such an effect wasn’t as satisfying as Octavia thought it would be. She felt nothing but sadness for her mother, for whatever had happened in her past that drove her to become so obsessed with raising the perfect successor. But it was far, far too late for her. If she hadn’t grown to love Octavia over eighteen years, she never would. It was harsh, but Octavia refused to fool herself. “Where will you stay while saving money, hm?” Lapis continued.

“My fillyfriend will be assisting me in paying for an apartment, using the money made from a business partnership with some other friends of ours that I will be mediating,” she replied simply.

Lapis Lazuli, scourge of the business world, owner of an iron heart, and undoubtedly the worst mother in existence, looked absolutely lost. Octavia wondered if she had ever experienced defeat before, such was her expression of disbelief.

“What happened to you, Lapis?” Octavia asked gently. It was time to prove she was mature enough to stand on her own, not by taunting her defeated adversary, but by showing sympathy. “I’ve heard about your past. I know you weren’t always this controlling and manipulative. What changed?” She leaned across the table, meaning to hold one of her mother’s hooves, but the older mare jerked them away, still looking as though there had been some mistake and she hadn’t actually lost.

Finally, whether it was the last dregs of compassion or something entirely unrelated, Lapis opened up. Perhaps it was the very fact that she had spent so much time grooming Octavia that made her so adept at getting into her mother’s head, but her resistance and carefully-crafted abrasive personality was fading by the second. “I wasn’t good enough,” she said.

“For who?”

“For Trottingham Music School. I used to play the cello like you. It wasn’t my talent, but I still loved it. I was obsessed with getting into that school. Even after I met your father, it was still my biggest focus. But I was self-taught, and there was no way I could compete against the other applicants. They practically laughed me out of the audition room.”

Startled at getting some insight into her mother’s past, Octavia pressed for more. “There are other music schools. Brilliant ones.”

“You don’t understand. It had to be Trottingham. It was the best of my time. I had idealised every aspect of it in preparation for my imagined acceptance and ascension to my proper place. When they turned me away, I was shattered.”

“And that’s what made you…”

“It was the start. I was angry, both at myself and the school. Over time, my anger turned to bitterness and grew into a unrelenting desire to take back what should have been mine. None of the other applicants deserved to get in, you see. They had the talent, but not the passion. Not like me. I deserved it more.” Lapis’ tone was almost desperate, as though begging for Octavia to see her point of view. She wanted her approval. It was slightly dizzying.

“What happened after?” Octavia asked, though she already had a few ideas.

“Your father left me before I knew I was pregnant. He said he would come back if I ever moved on from my failure. It’s been a long time.” She paused, staring at the table. “I… resolved to raise you alone, and make sure you never encountered the same problems I did.”

“You just wanted to live through me? That’s the reason for all the discipline and isolation? What was with that ‘legacy’ nonsense then?”

Lapis cracked a weary smile. “‘Heir to my legacy’ sounds a tad more respectable than ‘vessel for reliving my past’, don’t you think?”

“You’re unbelievable! Do you even hear what you’re saying?” Octavia couldn’t help letting her calm appearance slip away. “I knew you were a terrible mother, but this is just monstrous.”

“Your choice of adjective matters very little. You’ve gotten me to speak of things I haven’t talked about in decades. Like it or not, you’re following in my footsteps.”

It was surprising how much that thought disgusted Octavia. “This is a confession from the guilty, Lapis, not an interrogation.”

“Guilty? Guilty of giving you the best education available? Guilty of letting you develop your musical skills and hone them to perfection? Oh, I’m sure it was awful for you.” Lapis chuckled darkly. “You’re just like those other applicants, you know. Tearing everything away just before I achieve my dream.”

“Guilty of keeping me isolated from other ponies my age. Guilty of stripping away whatever privacy I had left through psychologists. Guilty of possessing a self-victimisation complex so huge it dwarfs even the self-esteem issues you gave me. You’re rotten to the core, well and truly. I’m ashamed to be your daughter.”

Lapis stood abruptly, bumping the table. “Shame? What could you possibly know about shame, running away with some harlot?”

“She’s a thousand times purer than you. She’s in university on a music scholarship much like the one you weren’t accepted for. She failed every class except music in high school, and dropped out a year early. Do you want to know why she succeeded where you failed? Because she kept trying. She didn’t give up, she didn’t go home, and she most certainly didn’t have a child and spend eighteen years brooding over her failure so she could live through someone else’s achievement!” Octavia was panting a little bit by the end, but she still kept her tone even and resisted the urge to shout.

They stared at each other for a long, tense moment, both finally having said everything they wanted to say. Octavia no longer felt any pity for her mother. If she was so determined to be an awful pony that she gave up most of her life for it, then nothing Octavia said now would change her. Lapis turned to leave. “You have everything you want. Remember who gave it to you,” she said pertly.

“I will,” replied Octavia. “Her name is Vinyl Scratch.” Her mother stiffened, then kept walking.

In the silence that followed the tavern door slamming shut, Octavia realised a few of the other patrons were looking at her. One by one, they raised their mugs. The bartender nervously approached with the glass of wine she’d ordered and placed it in front of her. “I would’ve brought it to you sooner madam, but you seemed to be, ah, busy.”

Octavia took the glass and raised it towards to the onlookers and the bartender before taking a small sip.

“This is the finest wine I’ve ever tasted,” she told him honestly.


---


Vinyl was close to pacing a trench in the living room. A thousand anxious thoughts rushed through her head, each vying for attention. Lyra and Bon Bon had tried distracting her with mindless chatter for a little while, but they had to get back to work. She’d been chewing her lip so hard it bled a little. At first she compared it with being nervous before exams, but then the exams didn’t try and take away the one pony she loved more than any other.

She said she wanted to handle this on her own, but what if that was just code for ‘hide in the rafters with a fire extinguisher and sweep in at the last moment to rescue me?’

It was absurd, and it was exactly the sort of thing Octavia would expect her to do. Was she letting her down by doing what she was told for once? Vinyl groaned and headed towards the stairs, but stopped herself before reaching them. She’d attempted to leave a few times now, but every time she almost succeeded, she remembered Octavia’s soft request: Please, just trust me.

“You’re killin’ me, babe,” Vinyl whispered hoarsely. 

She cast her mind back to happier times, when they were both stumbling through the first stages of their relationship, when there was no threat to their happiness, when all they did every day was cuddle and talk about everything they could think of; but every memory only reinforced the awareness that Octavia wasn’t with her right now. 

The door to the stairs opened and Vinyl nearly tripped over in her haste to turn around. Lyra winced at the sight. “Sorry to get your hopes up. How are you doing?”

“How do you think?” Vinyl growled, untangling her limbs and standing up straight again.

“Worrying about her won’t change anything, so why worry?” Lyra slipped into the open kitchen and got a glass of water.

“You don’t seem to understand this ‘love’ thing very well.” 

Chuckling, Lyra returned to the living room. “I understand it well enough. It’s only worth worrying about something if the outcome is uncertain.”

Vinyl slumped on the couch. “Got the inside scoop, do you?”

“Come on, Vinyl. You saw the change in Octavia’s demeanour. She could glance at an avalanche and send it tumbling sheepishly back up the mountain.”

“Yeah, she can get pretty badass when she wants to,” Vinyl replied proudly.

“So let her be badass. I think you’ve hogged all the ‘cool’ in your relationship for long enough.” The smile was obvious in Lyra’s voice, even though Vinyl was too busy counting the threads on a pillow to see it.

“She was always cooler than me. I mean, look at us. I’m the one freaking out at home while she’s out fighting. How pathetic is that?”

“Well, if it makes you feel better,” said an amused but slightly shell-shocked voice, “we can both freak out at home now.”

Vinyl’s head snapped up, her pupils widening to take in as much of Octavia as they could. The grey mare didn’t have a single hair out of place, but she looked exhausted nonetheless. The DJ shot off the couch and tackled her in a split second. They floundered onto the soft carpet without any semblance of grace or coolness. Lyra laughed all the way downstairs.

Octavia looked up at her lover with a weary smile. “This feels familiar.”

Without another word, Vinyl kissed her, pouring all of her worry and fear into one huge display of love. They didn’t part for several minutes, using the time to feed their pent-up stress into the roaring flames of their love. When the kiss ended, all Vinyl could ask was the simplest question of all: “Are we safe?”

“Yes,” replied Octavia, squeezing Vinyl harder. “Finally.”

