Although it got the occasional passing glance, nopony paid much attention to the large, self-propelled cart rolling through Ponyville. It finally came to a stop smack-dab in the middle of the town square where it opened to form a stage. With a big smile on his face and a megaphone in his hoof, a unicorn stallion stepped up on his hind legs in the middle of the stage. He had white-accented red hair and a red mustache. Straightening the black bowtie accenting his blue and white vest, he took in a deep breath and spoke up through the megaphone, "Happy Hearts and Hooves Day, Ponyville!"

As soon as he started speaking, a small, yet growing crowd of ponies gathered in front of the stage. Most of them wore frowns or raised their eyebrows at the show. After all, everypony in Ponyville had met this particular pony before. It was Flam of the scamming Flim-Flam brothers.

"Now I bet you ponies are wondering why I'm all by my lonesome here on this day of love and romance, and let me assure you—I'm already spoken for," Flam continued to serenade the crowd, throwing in a wink at the end. "However, I do know the pain of the poor ponies who don't have a very special somepony to share this wondrous day with, and that, my friends, is why I'm here!" He pulled a hanging rope, which rolled back a curtain and revealed a large, metal box.

"I would like to introduce you to the Super High-tech Ingenious Pony Pairing Instant Nuptial Garnering Machine!" he announced, making the nonsensical words seem somehow impressive. "The S.H.I.P.P.I.N.G. Machine!"

The ponies of the now-large crowd were less than impressed.

"It's just a box."

"Probably just another scam."

"Where's the cider?"

Flam wasn't deterred. "Now, I bet you're all wondering what this magnificent machine does! Well, let me tell you that this machine can match up any single ponies with their ideal date for Hearts and Hooves Day! For a nominal fee, you get to spend Hearts and Hooves Day with someone who will assuredly give you a date to remember for the rest of your life! Step right up!"

The crowd murmured amongst itself for a moment before a lone pony jumped up on the stage. "Now you listen here buster," an orange earth-pony in a Stetson challenged, "we already learned our lesson with that last machine of yer's. We ain't about to fall for another of yer schemes."

"Surely you misunderstand me, miss," Flam retorted. "There was no scam. We offered you cider and at a faster rate, and we delivered."

"W-well, it sure wasn't very nice of yah to try 'n' run us Apples outta the town we founded!" Applejack shot back, stomping a hoof.

"My deepest apologies, my fair, young filly—surely we just a got a bit carried away in our desire to bring tasty cider to all of Equestria! Tell you what, as a way of apology I'll let you try your hoof at the S.H.I.P.P.I.N.G. Machine for free!" Before Applejack had a chance to protest, he whisked her over to the strange, grey box. In a flash, a table assembled before them with a stack of paper and an inkpad on top of it. "This is how the machine works! You just put your hoofprint on a card like…this," he instructed, taking one of Applejack's hooves and pressing it into the pad. Then he clopped her hoof onto the blank sheet and shoved it into a slot hidden on the side of the machine.

"Then, the S.H.I.P.P.I.N.G. Machine analyzes the hoofprint and assigns it a symbol!" On the opposite end of the machine, a card fed out of another slot. Flam grabbed it and held it up for all to see. "And there you have it! A red apple!" he announced, holding the card high for all to see. "Everypony that tries will get a card, then all you have to do is find the pony with the matching card and you will have your dream date for Hearts and Hooves Day!"

Handing the card off to Applejack, he set out a small staircase to allow the crowd easy access to the stage. "So, step on up! For just five bits you can have the S.H.I.P.P.I.N.G. Machine find your match!"

"I…I don't know about all this," Applejack protested.

"Tell you what," Flam offered, "to sweeten the deal I'll even throw in a bits-back guarantee! If your special date doesn't go well, you can come back tomorrow for a full refund!"

The crowd was sold. In short order a very long line assembled as ponies waited for their chance to get paired up with their very special somepony. Unseen by the crowd and everyone on stage was the inner machinations of the mysterious S.H.I.P.P.I.N.G. Machine. A dim, green glow resonated from Flim's horn as he idly shuffled a deck of cards with random pictures on them in his aura. Each time a hoofprint-stained card slid in and fell haphazardly to the floor, he would jam one of the picture cards out of the opposite slot.

Applejack just sighed, letting her card fall to the ground as she made her way through the crowd. She wasn't about to fall for Flam's newest scam, not to mention it was getting very noisy with so many ponies shouting out their cards in an attempt to find their mate. As she waded through the crowd, she found somepony she didn't expect to see there. Two of them, actually. "Rarity? Fluttershy? What're y'all doin' here?"

"It's not like I couldn't find a date on my own," Rarity defended herself, pressing her card to her chest. "It's just that Hearts and Hooves Day is one of my busiest. I simply haven't had time to go searching for a date, but now that everypony has picked up their order, I, um, well I thought this would be the quickest way to find a date."

"I've never really had the courage to ask anypony out," Fluttershy admitted, transfixed on her own card. "I'm surprised I even had the courage to get a card."

A voice from overhead interrupted them. "Hey!" Rainbow Dash called down at the trio. "Do you girls know if anypony else has drawn a blue star yet?"

Rarity's eye twitched. "A…blue star?"

"Yeah, like this," Rainbow held out her card.

Rarity groaned as she revealed her own card—a blue star identical to Dash's. "There simply must be some sort of mistake," she decided.

In no time, Rarity managed to get back up on the stage with Rainbow Dash right behind her. "You there!" she pointed a perfectly-manicured hoof at Flam. "Is this some sort of joke?" she demanded, holding out her card and having Dash do the same.

"Such a gorgeous mare," Flam complimented Rarity before looking up and winking at Rainbow Dash. "You, ma'am, are a very lucky filly to get a chance to date her!"

Rarity growled. "This must be some sort of mistake. In case you haven't noticed, we are both mares!"

"Why I would have to be blind to mistake such beauty for a stallion," Flam replied, his smile never wavering. "You must understand that there are fewer stallions than mares, and the S.H.I.P.P.I.N.G. Machine doesn't care about gender. Why should you?"

Rarity rolled her eyes. "Just give us our bits back."

His smile fell slightly at that note. "I'm afraid that's a no-can-do. I said: You get a refund if your date doesn't go well," he reminded her. "How can you know if the date will go well or not if you haven't even tried it?"

Rarity threw the card in the air as she stormed off. Dash caught up, flying just above her. "So, does this mean we're going on a date?"

"You cannot be serious," Rarity scoffed, glaring up at Rainbow.

Rainbow shrugged. "We either have a good time or get our bits back."

Rarity closed her eyes a moment, cursing her luck. "Fine," she relented.

---

"A pink heart! That's gotta be a good omen!" Pinkie enthused, bouncing through the crowd looking for her companion. She halted in her search when she saw her bestestest friends huddled together with their own cards. "Hey girls! Look at mine! It's a big, pink heart!"

Applejack, Twilight, and Fluttershy smiled at Pinkie. "You got roped in, too, huh?" Twilight asked.

"What did you get?" Pinkie asked.

"Here." Fluttershy held out a card with a green balloon.

"Ooooh! A balloon! That's as good as a heart! Better even!" Pinkie insisted, placing her flank next to the card to compare her cutie mark. "What about yours, Twilight?"

"I, um…" Twilight hesitated.

"Yeah, Twi, which one did you get?" Applejack pressed, her curiosity getting the better of her.

Twilight sighed before holding out her card with her eyes closed. She missed Applejack facehoofing at the sight of it.

"That one looks familiar," Pinkie said as she scrutinized it. "Oh wait! I know! Red apple! That was Applejack's!"

"I'm starting to think this was a very bad idea," Twilight admitted.

"Told yah so," Applejack groused. After a moment, she sighed. "Yah heard Rarity goin' off, didn't yah? Might as well do something together so we can say we had a date 'n' get yer bits back."

Twilight shook her head. "That…doesn't really seem fair. I mean, you didn't even pay for yours. You'd be doing it for nothing."

Applejack scoffed. "First off, we're friends. It ain't like it'd be torture or somethin'. More 'n' that, I really ain't got anythin' better to do."

Twilight smiled back at Applejack. "Why don't we go to the café? My treat."

After Twilight and Applejack left, that just left Pinkie and Fluttershy standing alone in the crowd. "Well, we'd better get to finding our dates!" Pinkie announced, bouncing off into the crowd.

Fluttershy just stared at her card and sighed. She summoned the courage to get it, but, now that she had it, she didn't have the courage to find the matching card.

Pinkie, meanwhile, continued her quest to find her matching card. It was slow going, considering she was compelled to stop and say hello to every pony she knew—and she knew everypony from Ponyville! After several terse greetings, Pinkie finally found an earth pony that wasn't from Ponyville. Of course, that didn't stop Pinkie from recognizing her.

"Hey Octavia!" Pinkie ran up to the grey mare with the charcoal mane sporting a pink bowtie.

Octavia cringed at the sound of Pinkie's voice. The uncomfortableness was increased exponentially as the pink pony wrapped her up in a bear hug. "H-hello… Pinkamena," she managed to choke out.

"How's my favorite cousin doing!? Oh, wait! Did you know we might actually be related to the Apple family!?" Pinkie prattled on, swinging Octavia back and forth in her vicelike grip. "It's amazing!"

"Can't…breathe…"

"You didn't tell me you were coming to town!" Pinkie chided, releasing the mare. "I could've thrown you party!"

"It's quite all right, Pinkamena," Octavia dismissed, dusting herself off and making sure her mane was still in place after the unsolicited hug. "I'm just in town to perform at a party at city hall tonight."

Pinkie's face-splitting smile fell as she gasped. "Don't tell me you don't have any plans for Hearts and Hooves Day!?"

Octavia sighed. "I just told you: I have a performance tonight."

"That's not what I meant!" Pinkie argued. "You need a date!"

"W-well, I may have gotten one of these," Octavia held out her card, "but I just don't think that I'll have time to—"

"Time, shmime!" Pinkie dismissed, grabbing the card. It was a pink heart. "What!? There's no way that machine is working right!"

Octavia sighed. "I know I'm going to regret asking… What's the matter?"

"We got the same card! But we're cousins! This isn't right at all!" Pinkie fumed, handing Octavia her card back. "Oh!" she exclaimed as something caught her eye. "I know!"

In a flash, Pinkie headed over to a white unicorn with a messy, two-tone mane of striking blues. She was scrutinizing a card in her hoof. Approaching from behind, she tapped one of the mare's shoulders. Before she turned around, Pinkie zipped to her other side and swapped out her card.

"Oh hey! She has the same card!" Pinkie announced as she pointed to Octavia.

"Hmmm?" the unicorn looked over to Pinkie. "Oh, hey, Pinkie!" she greeted, tossing her card aside. "Where's my match?"

"Right here!" Pinkie rushed over and pulled Octavia until she was pressed up against her. Pointing at her with her other forehoof, she introduced the duo, "This, is Octavia Melody! She's my cousin from Manehattan. Octavia, this is Vinyl Scratch. She lives here in Ponyville!"

"Heh, for a cousin of Pinkie's, you don't seem like much of a partier," Vinyl scrutinized the grey mare.

Octavia finally squirmed free from Pinkie's grasp, also tossing her card away. "She is…the family oddball, trust me," Octavia assured, giving Pinkie a glare that clearly said: "I shall kill you for this."

"What about Grampa Odd Ball?" Pinkie asked ignoring—or not noticing—the searing glare, eliciting a frustrated facehoof from Octavia.

Vinyl chuckled. "Well, what do you say we get outta here? Grab some lunch or something?"

Sighing, Octavia hung her head a bit. "Oh, all right," she relented. "Just know that I have to get ready for a performance this evening in a few hours."

"Oh, cool! You're a musician, too?" Vinyl asked, leading Octavia away from the crowd.

"Yes, I prefer the cello, though I can play a variety of stringed instruments," Octavia boasted, her mood already improving.

"So, like classical music and stuff?" Vinyl asked. Receiving a nod from Octavia, she continued, "I've made some remixes using Beethoofen before. It turned out well enough, but I don't think I got it just right."

Octavia raised an eyebrow. "Remix?"

---

"Maybe I should play cupid more often!" Pinkie said to nopony in particular as Vinyl and Octavia disappeared into the crowd. "Oooh! Oooh! Does anypony else need help finding their very special somepony!?" Much to Pinkie's chagrin, most of the other ponies had already coupled up and began to disperse.

"Awww…" Her disappointment lasted all of a quarter second before she remembered that she had a new card now. Holding it high, she called out, "Who has a yellow flower!?"

The next thing she knew, she was bowled over by a grey pegasus. "Oh! Sorry!"

Pinkie got up, shaking the blow off. She looked over at the blonde and instantly recognized her. "Hi Derpy!"

"You said you had the yellow flower?" Derpy asked.

"Yep! Do you have the other?"

Derpy nodded. "Yeah."

"Neat! This is gonna be so much fun!" Pinkie enthused, bouncing up and down.

---

Just as quickly as the crowd had formed, it vanished. Despite many random couples trying to find their happiness on the most romantic day of the year, one pony was left all alone. "I probably wouldn't have had a good time anyway," Fluttershy lamented as she finally forced her hooves to move. She should probably go check on her animals anyway. In spite of what she kept telling herself, she just couldn't stop staring at her card.

As she started to trot off, she accidentally bumped into somepony. "Oh! I'm so sorry!" she apologized as she reached down to pick up her dropped card. As she started to reach for it, she found an identical card right next to it and a cerulean hoof. Looking up, Fluttershy let out an "Eep!" and recoiled, hiding behind her mane. All she could see of the pony in front of her was two violet eyes peering out from darkness.

The hooded figure studied the two cards on the ground a moment before looking back to Fluttershy. "You are the pony with the matching card?" a feminine voice asked, her voice laced with indignant disbelief.

"No. Well, I mean, yes," Fluttershy meekly replied. "I mean, we can just forget the whole thing, if that's what you want."

A pink aura removed the hood, revealing a unicorn with a white-accented blue mane. She cocked an eyebrow as she studied the cowering pony. "You seem familiar. Does Trixie know you?"

"Tr-Trixie!" Fluttershy shouted, though it sounded a little more like a hoarse whisper.

Trixie frowned as she pulled her hood over head again. "Looks like everypony here remembers Trixie," she said, her voice laced with disappointment. "Trixie was hoping that machine might find somepony suitable for her." She hung her head as she began to slowly walk away. "I should have known better."

After watching Trixie walk away for just a moment, Fluttershy just had to speak up, "Wait." Trixie didn't even hesitate, she just kept marching forward. With little other choice, she trotted up alongside the forlorn unicorn. "Um, are you feeling better? Since the Alicorn Amulet thing, I mean. I was worried that the corruption might not all go away."

Trixie stopped in her tracks as she took measure of Fluttershy for a moment. "I—Trixie is as good as new."

Fluttershy smiled. "I'm glad."

Trixie appreciated the fact that her cheeks were hidden under her cloak. "Would you...still like to do something with Trixie?"

Fluttershy hesitated a moment before putting her smile back on. "Picnic?"

"Trixie would enjoy that."

---

"I'm not saying it's not music! I'm just saying that I don't care at all for that sort of noise," Octavia claimed.

"There you go again!" Vinyl raged, slamming her hooves on the table. The outburst got the attention of the jam-packed café. It didn't faze Vinyl at all. "You just called it noise again!"

Octavia sighed heavily as she rolled her eyes. "Look I… No, you're right. I'm sorry," she apologized. "Though even you have to admit the only place you hear that 'music' is in seedy clubs."

"Any nightclub is better than some snooty orchestra," Vinyl retorted. "Seriously, how're you supposed to have fun at an orchestra?"

Octavia scoffed, not even noticing the wary waiter setting out their food. "An orchestra isn't about 'fun,' it's about the music!"

"See? At a club you can do both!" Vinyl claimed.

"Hmph, be that as it may, it's not much of a career. You'll never get to perform anywhere worthwhile with that music," Octavia haughtily claimed. "Why, I played at the Grand Galloping Gala last year."

Vinyl smirked as she leaned back and crossed her forelegs over her chest. "Oh? The Grand Galloping Gala, huh? Yeah, that's impressive," she said in a very unimpressed tone. She accented her nonchalance by rubbing a hoof against her chest and staring at her reflection in it. "Me? I only got to play… At the royal wedding!"

Octavia's eyes were wide and her jaw agape at the revelation. After being frozen like that for several moments, she finally blinked a couple of times. "I-I, you're lying! There is certainly no possible way somepony like you…"

Vinyl held up a hoof to silence Octavia, got up, and trotted off. A moment later she returned with a somewhat irritated Twilight in tow. "Tell her," Vinyl insisted, pointing at her date.

Twilight sighed. "Vinyl DJ'd at my brother's wedding," she said with a roll of her eyes. "Now, if you don't mind, I have a date to get back to." She took a couple of steps away before looking back over her shoulder. "Oh, and maybe you two should debate just a little more quietly? Everypony here is trying to enjoy themselves."

"There you have it! From the Princess's mouth!" Vinyl gloated as she retook her seat, once again reveling in the ridiculous look on Octavia's face. "You know, at least you're pretty cute." Vinyl couldn't help but to laugh as Octavia's expression exaggerated. "Ahahaha! That worked perfectly!"

A deep blush set in Octavia's cheeks as she regained her composure. "Y-you're just teasing me!"

Vinyl snickered. "A little, but I meant it," she said before finally turning to her food. "Now, let's eat."

Octavia suppressed her desire to facehoof. "Do you even take anything seriously?"

Raising a hoof to her chin, Vinyl considered it a moment. "Nah!"

The urge became too much to resist. Octavia sighed as her hoof met her face.

---

With the revelation that Vinyl had actually performed at the royal wedding, Octavia had quickly warmed up to her. With just a little goading, Vinyl had even convinced Octavia to go back to her place and check out some of her tracks. The instant Octavia stepped into Vinyl's house, she regretted the decision. "Th-this is a house?"

"Yeah. Excuse the mess," Vinyl said without a care in the world. Stepping effortlessly through the sea of garbage and laundry, she led the way. "My studio is back this way."

"I would, but I'm not sure there is any actual floor or...walls?" Octavia replied, trying not to step on any of the discarded clothes...and food...and…Octavia couldn't even identify most of it.

"Come on!" Vinyl urged having already traversed the junk wastes.

Octavia took one step and felt something cold and squishy under her hoof. Her eyes widened as she drew her hoof up to watch what appeared to have been, once upon a time, a slice of pizza slowly ooze its way off of her hoof. Flinging the rest of the cheese and sauce from her hoof, she lost her balance and fell into a pile of the all-consuming mess.

"Gyaa!" she shouted as she resurfaced out of the sea of mess. Octavia fell deathly silent as she noticed that there was something draped across her nose. Tentatively pulling it away, she finally got a look at it. It was a blue and white striped dirty sock. "Aaaah!" she screamed again, flinging it away and taking shelter on the small island of floor just in front of her door. "How can you even live like this!?"

Vinyl busted out laughing. "You are a riot!" she giggled.

"It wasn't rhetorical!" Octavia shot back.

"I'll get around to straightening up," Vinyl assured. "Just follow the paths!"

"No. No!" Octavia stamped a hoof, again finding that slice of pizza. "This is ridiculous!" she decried, flinging the slice from her hoof. "You need to clean this up right now! Is there even any furniture under all this?"

Vinyl squinted a moment before pointing at an exceptionally large pile of junk. "There's my couch."

"There is no excuse for allowing your home to become so disheveled," Octavia chided as she carefully stepped through the mess. "You can't even tell that there is a couch under here." Pulling a throw pillow off of the pile, she met the face of a mare! "Ahhh!" Once again, she recoiled and crashed into a nearby pile of mess.

As Octavia clawed her way out, the earth pony on the couch sat up, rubbing her head. As she moved, stuff fell off of the couch, clattering to the ground. Octavia was pretty sure she heard glass breaking.

"Hnng," the purple earth pony groaned as she blinked and glanced sluggishly about.

Vinyl raised an eyebrow. "Berry Punch? I thought you left this morning?"

Finally looking over to Vinyl, Berry Punch stopped rubbing her head. "It's not morning?"

Vinyl chuckled, "No. You missed it by an hour or two."

"Not again," she muttered as she got up. "I'll see you around, Vinyl," she added as she left.

"Okay! You lost a pony in this mess!" Octavia scolded as she brushed the debris from her coat. "You have to do something about it this instant!"

Vinyl didn't seem to be paying attention. She snickered as she pointed at Octavia. "You got,"—she pointed to the top of her own head—"right there."

Octavia blinked before hesitantly reaching up. She felt something atop her mane and she slowly pulled it free, bringing it in front of her. "Gah!" she shouted as she dropped it. It was the dirty sock! The same one from before! She shuddered before glaring at Vinyl. "We're cleaning this. Now."

"You gotta be kidding!" Vinyl laughed. Her smile slowly faded away as Octavia continued to glare at her. "You're...not kidding?"

"This isn't healthy!" Octavia asserted. She would have stomped to emphasize her point, but, at this point, she was afraid to. "Now, go get some soapy water, and...you wouldn't happen to have a dumpster, would you?"

---

Vinyl put on her music early into the disaster relief operation, and, surprisingly, Octavia found much of it to be tolerable. Some of it might have even been good. After just a few hours of work, the room was actually clear of clutter and looked halfway presentable.

"What is this one?" Octavia asked as she tied off another sack full of garbage.

"Believe it or not, this is a remix of one of Sapphire Shores' songs. There's no vocals, I just used it for the basic beat," Vinyl replied. She was busy using her magic to wipe down a wall. "This is one of the songs you use early in the evening when most of the crowd is more interested in popular stuff. You always save the good songs for later."

Octavia let out a chuckle. "Really? Well, this is certainly better than one of her actual songs."

Vinyl stopped as she turned to Octavia. "What was that?"

"Hmmm?"

Vinyl beamed as she pointed a hoof. "You just laughed!"

"Well, yes," Octavia replied, raising an eyebrow.

"This whole time I haven't heard you laugh. I was starting to wonder if you could," Vinyl explained.

A blush touched Octavia cheeks. "I, well...I suppose I have been in a rather...bothersome mood."

"I'll say," Vinyl said with a smirk. "I've been on a lot of dates, but I can honestly say that nopony I've ever brought home has made me clean my house. At least not on the first date."

Octavia blinked a couple of times. "Oh, oh my goodness! I completely forgot we were supposed to be on a date!" Her ears folded back as she pawed at the floor. "You must think so poorly of me."

"I've been on much worse dates, trust me," Vinyl dismissed, waving her hoof. "And I think you're pretty awesome. You're funny and really cute with all your ridiculous expressions."

Octavia's blush deepened. "Y-you'll have to let me make it up to you," she insisted.

"So long as it doesn't involve cleaning another room," Vinyl joked.

"I just...I cannot believe I got so carried away," she continued to apologize.

Vinyl tapped a hoof to her chin a moment before coming up with a solution. "Why don't you make it up to me by buying dinner?"

"Wha-dinner?" Octavia exclaimed. "What time is it!?"

"Uh, a little past four, I think."

"Oh no! I completely lost track of time!" Octavia fretted. "I have to be ready and at town hall in less than an hour!" She looked down at her dusty, sweaty, and matted hide. She just knew that her mane had to look a sight, too.

"Don't sweat it," Vinyl insisted. "Town hall isn't even five minutes from here. Just take a shower and head over."

Octavia fussed with her mane a moment before shaking her head. "But, my cello, I left it at the train station!"

"I can grab it for you while you hop in the shower," she offered.

"R-really? You would do that for me?"

"Sure, why not?" Vinyl shrugged.

Octavia wrapped her hooves around Vinyl's neck. "Thank you!" she exclaimed, pulling back. "You will have to let me make it up to you!"

It took Vinyl a moment to wrangle her thoughts after the impromptu hug. "Heh, well, how about another date? One without any cleaning."

"Deal," Octavia agreed with a smile. "Now, about that shower…"

Vinyl pointed. "Back that way, on the left."

---

After a hurried shower, Octavia dried herself with the cleanest available towel and helped herself to a brush to wrangle her mane and coat. With everything else in order, she slipped on her bowtie and rushed out of the grungy bathroom. Cleaning the living room wasn't nearly good enough. Vinyl's house was a stye through and through!

When Octavia came back into the living room, she found Vinyl lounging on her couch eating a sandwich. "Vinyl? You're back already?"

"You were in there forever," Vinyl replied, floating over a sandwich identical to the one she munching on over to Octavia. "Sandwich?"

Octavia blinked a couple of times. "What time is it?" she gravely asked.

"About ten 'til five," Vinyl replied, completely nonchalant.

"Ten—that only gives me a few minutes to get there!"

"Chill, Octy. I got your cello right here," Vinyl insisted as she pulled the case from behind her couch. "You should go ahead and eat. You don't wanna be starving during your performance, trust me."

Octavia scrambled to pick up her cello and attach it to a specially-made harness. "Thank you so much, Vinyl. You're a life saver!" She grabbed the sandwich and took a ravenous bite before something Vinyl said sank in. "Wait, 'Octy?'"

"Yeah, Octavia's a mouthful. Octy's way easier," Vinyl explained.

"No," Octavia tersely denied between bites. "It sounds like a...an octopus or something."

Vinyl touched a hoof to her chin for a moment. "Okay! How about 'Tavi' instead?"

"What's wrong with Octavia? It's a lovely name."

"Not saying it's not. But I like 'Tavi' better," the DJ argued.

Octavia sighed as she finished her impromptu meal. "Thank you for the sandwich and getting my cello for me. We can talk about my name when I have more than three seconds to talk."

"No prob," Vinyl dismissed as Octavia headed for the door. "Break a leg!"

---

Although Octavia had made it on time, it didn't help her performance in the least. For some reason she just couldn't focus and get in the zone. Maybe it was her stress from almost being late. Maybe it was that too-mayonnaisey sandwich not setting well with her. Maybe it was a certain blue-maned mare that kept popping up in her mind's eye.

It was probably the sandwich.

"What a disaster," she muttered as she walked the moonlit streets of Ponyville. There were several couples sitting out, enjoying the stars and the romantic light they emanated. She sighed heavily as she continued her march to the train station. She had to hurry if she wanted to make the last train, but she could barely muster the motivation to keep marching forward.

Instead of ruminating on her mediocre performance in front of Ponyville's elite, all she could think about was how terrible she had made her first date in months—maybe even years! She argued with Vinyl about how bad her type of music was, even though it turned out that her music was far more tolerable than her preconceptions led her to believe. Then, when Vinyl finally managed to convince her to come back to her house she made her clean it! Even Octavia was at a loss about how exactly that fiasco had happened.

In spite of her terrible company, that blue-maned mare still helped her make it to her performance on time. Not only did Vinyl let her use her shower, she went all the way to the train station and back to retrieve her cello. Vinyl even made her dinner, sort of.

What in Equestria did I do to deserve all that? Octavia wondered as her trudging ground to a halt. She stared up at the twinkling stars, wondering just how this day made any sense at all.

Her reverie was rudely shattered by the sound of a whistle. A train whistle.

"Oh no! Not yet!" she fretted as she galloped to the train station. She arrived just in time to see the train pulling away. She raced out to the edge of the platform in a futile attempt to somehow catch the train.

"Tough break, ma'am," a lanky, stallion worker said. "That was the last train until the morning."

"Great," she spat as her ears folded down. She just stood there a minute before trotting after the stallion. "Excuse me. Can you recommend a hotel?"

The stallion chuckled at the question. "A hotel? In Ponyville?" Seeing that Octavia was anything but amused, he changed his tone. "S-sorry ma'am. The only lodgings around here are a motel on the other side of town. You'd be lucky to find an open room on Hearts and Hooves Day."

"I-I see," Octavia said, dejected. She wasn't going to hike all the way across town for a room that might or might not be there. That just left… Octavia shuddered at the thought. That just left Pinkamena Diane Pie.

"I wonder if there are any bridges I can sleep under," she mused as she slogged her way out of the train station and back towards town.

As she neared Sugarcube Corner and a much dreaded meeting with her cousin, a subtle thumping noise reached Octavia. Her ear twitched as she recognized the sound. It was Vinyl's music! Looking up, she found herself right in front of the DJ's house. Her head tilted slightly as she heard something else beyond the thumping. It almost sounded like…an orchestra?

She sighed as her gaze shifted from Vinyl's door to the street that led to Sugarcube Corner and back. After a few moments of hesitation, she slowly approached the door and gave it a few sharp raps. For several seconds, she wondered if she'd been heard, but finally the music stopped. After another short wait, the door opened.

"Wha? Tavi?"

Octavia sighed. "I, um, well I missed the last train back to Manehattan."

Vinyl smirked. "Need a place to crash, huh?"

"Yes," she admitted, hanging her head.

"You're in luck, I just happen to have a free couch," Vinyl offered, stepping aside.

"You don't think it's too much of an imposition? I mean, we just met and—"

"Are you kidding?" Vinyl interrupted, shoving Octavia inside. "Having a pretty mare spend the night at my place? It's my pleasure!" After shutting the door, she whipped around to face Octavia again. "Hey, how long are you stuck here? You still owe me a date, you know."

Octavia considered it a moment before smiling. "Well, I was going to take the first train home tomorrow, but, if you insist, I don't have any performances for a few days yet…"

"Sweet!"

Setting her cello gently next to the couch, Octavia hopped up and laid down. "So, Vinyl, when I came at the door I could've sworn I heard one of Beethoofen's symphonies. I thought you didn't like classical?"

"Oh, yeah," Vinyl muttered, rubbing the back of her neck. "I told you before I tried to make a mix of classical stuff and that it never quite worked out. After our date I thought I'd give it another go. It's, uh, it's not going so hot."

"That's a shame—"

"Hey! I know!" Vinyl suddenly perked up. "Why don't you help me? Instead of using a bunch of old records I can just have you play the instrumentals. You said you play lots of instruments, right?"

Octavia looked to her cello and back to Vinyl. "I much prefer the cello, but I am capable of playing several instruments. But I only have my cello with me."

"That's cool. I'll work out all the parts in the meantime and—oh! Can you give a list of all the instruments you can play?" Vinyl fervently said.

"U-um, sure," Octavia said, her head tilting just a bit to the side. "I'm afraid I don't quite follow. Are you saying you're going to...record me?"

"Yeah! I got some good equipment in my studio," Vinyl offered tilting her head to the side she then led the way as Octavia followed after her. "It's not as good as the stuff an actual record company has—no way I'll ever earn enough bits for that—but it's good enough for me to make my mixes and stuff."

Unlike the rest of her house, her studio was pristine. It was completely spotless. On the far wall there were shelves full of records. A wall to the side had a turntable. The wall opposite that had microphones, stools and recording equipment.

It was clear just by looking at the room. Vinyl might've been very laid-back in most things in life, but there was at least one thing that she took seriously. This room was a shrine to music and, even if that music was something Octavia didn't quite appreciate, it showed that she had something in common with the wild unicorn. They really did both love music and put their hearts and souls into it.

"This is," Octavia trailed off.

"Pretty sweet, huh? Next to the house itself this stuff has eaten up all my bits," Vinyl said, using her aura to pull out some of the recording stuff to the middle of the room. "I can use this stuff to record your playing, then put all of your instrumentals together. You'll be a one-pony symphony!"

If Octavia was speechless before, she was breathless now. She'd never actually been recorded before. Though, if Vinyl was doing her recording, her one-pony orchestra would be drowned out by that thumping beat. Still, it could actually be fun.

"Thank you, Vinyl. I would love to play for you," Octavia found her voice as she smiled at Vinyl.

Vinyl blushed just a bit. "Cool. I-uh, I can't wait."

Octavia's smile widened just a bit. "Oh? But if I go back to Manehattan to get my instruments, we can't have our date tomorrow," she teased.

Vinyl looked surprised for a moment before adopting a smile of her own. "You, Tavi, are pure evil."

Octavia covered her mouth with a hoof as she let out a giggle. "Yes, I am an evil temptress here to rip you asunder with your own desires."

"Ha! Just like a true villain! You just told me your whole plan! And I'm not even tied up or anything," Vinyl chuckled.

Octaiva turned and began to walk out, swishing her tail at Vinyl. "Oh, I didn't need you tied up because I know there's nothing you can do to stop my evil plans."

Vinyl just laughed as she followed Octavia back to the living room. "No, but seriously, I'd rather have that date," she asserted as Octavia got back on the couch. "The recording can wait."

"It doesn't have to be done all at once, does it? I can at least play my cello for you tomorrow," Octavia offered as she got comfortable.

"Oh, yeah," Vinyl realized. "H-hey, let me get you a pillow and blanket." She rushed over to a nearby closet and opened it up. Immediately, an avalanche of junk buried her. She emerged a moment later gasping for air. The moment she recovered she found Octavia giving her an amused look. "I, uh, I might've taken a shortcut or two when we were cleaning," she admitted.

Octavia didn't say anything. She just pointed a hoof to the top of her head.

Reaching up, Vinyl felt a fabric there stuck in her mane. Pulling it free, she found a blue and white striped dirty sock. "Ehehe," she laughed nervously as she tossed it to the side. "I'll, uh, I'll clean this up. I promise."

"You're lucky I agreed to not clean on our next date. Though I must say, if you keep this up our third might be nothing but cleaning."

Vinyl couldn't help but to smirk at the mention of a third date. "Y-yeah. I'll get on it. No prob."

"I look forward to it."

---

The next morning, a modest gathering of ponies gathered in the middle of the town square. Of course, there was no stage there. No Flim. No Flam. No S.H.I.P.P.I.N.G. Machine. And, definitely, no refund.

Among the crowd, were a couple of familiar faces.

"Should've known—Oh, wait. I did know," Applejack groused as she looked around at the crowd of...slightly irritated ponies? The crowd wasn't even a quarter of those that had gotten a card from the S.H.I.P.P.I.N.G. Machine. "I thought there'd be more of a ruckus."

Twilight sighed. "It's not like our date was bad. I'm guessing that most of these ponies are in a similar situation."

"Bad or not, they promised everypony a very special somepony," Applejack groused.

"It was still better than spending Hearts and Hooves Day in the library alone while Spike dotes on Rarity," Twilight reasoned.

"Hey girls!" an energetic voice preceded the appearance of a certain pink pony. "How was your date?"

"Okay, I guess," Applejack reluctantly admitted, rolling her eyes.

"Don't listen to her, Pinkie. It was good," Twilight insisted. "Don't get me wrong—we're not going to be in a relationship or anything, but it was fun."

"Well, fun is what really counts, right?" Pinkie insisted.

Applejack frowned. She knew what the answer was going to be, but she was compelled to ask anyway, "So, how was yer date?"

"Oh! I ended up going out with Derpy! It was so. Much. Fun!" Pinkie enthused. Suddenly her head to turned to the side. "Oh! How about you, Fluttershy!?"

Applejack and Twilight looked confused a moment, but, after mentioning Fluttershy's name, a few ponies in the crowd parted to reveal the shy pegasus. "Hello," Fluttershy greeted as she joined the trio. "What is everypony doing here."

"We came to get our bits back," Applejack insisted.

Twilight rolled her eyes. "I just came to make sure nopony got cheated out of their bits, but it looks like Flim and Flam didn't even show up to honor their deal."

"How about you, sugarcube? I know yah got a card, but did you manage to find somepony to go out with?" Applejack prodded.

"At first I didn't think I would have the courage, but I'm glad I did," Fluttershy replied, smiling.

Pinkie hugged the shy pegasus. "I knew you could do it!"

"How was your date, Fluttershy?" Twilight asked Fluttershy as Pinkie let her go.

"I was a little nervous and scared, but I ended up enjoying it," Fluttershy confessed. "Oh, but I'm afraid that little Angel got a little sore about it. I came to get the ingredients to make him a special salad to help make up for it. I really should be going." In just a moment, Fluttershy had disappeared into the crowd again.

Twilight seemed genuinely impressed while AJ looked to be just a bit sore. "I win," Twilight said, nudging Applejack in the side.

"Well, I am glad she had the courage to actually go on a date," Applejack muttered as she hoofed over a couple of bits to Twilight.

"Wait, just who did she go out with?" Pinkie asked, tilting her head to the side.

The other looked just as perplexed for a few moments until a rainbow blur found them. "There you are! I couldn't wait to hear about everypony's dates!" Rainbow Dash enthused.

"Wait! Just...wait!" Rarity urged as she pushed her way through the crowd. "I want to hear every last bit of gossip!"

"Well…" Pinkie Pie started, taking in a deep breath. "Twilight and AJ went out and they had an okay-goodish date and even though they had fun they're just going to be 'just friends.' Fluttershy went on a date with somepony—we don't know who—and she actually had a good time! I'm so proud of her! Oh! And I had a super-fun date with Derpy!"

"Scandalous! I wonder just who Fluttershy went out with," a starry eyed Rarity replied.

"You actually got all of that?" Rainbow Dash asked.

"What about you two?" Pinkie prodded.

"Well, actually, Rainbow Dash and I had a very nice date," Rarity confessed, a small blush forming on her cheeks.

"It was awesome!" Dash enthused, shooting several feet higher into the air. "We're going on another one next week!"

Everypony gathered there were all suddenly staring slack-jawed at the duo as Rarity facehoofed. As soon as the initial wave of embarrassment passed, Rarity glared at Dash. "I thought we agreed to be subtle about it!?" she hissed.

Rainbow blushed as she rubbed her neck. "Oh...yeah. Sorry," she apologized.

Rarity let out a frustrated sigh. "You know what? Just forget it," she groused as she stormed off.

"Wha—I said I was sorry!" Dash shouted after Rarity. "Wait, did you mean forget about the subtlety or forget about the date? Rarity?" Rainbow zoomed after the retreating unicorn. "Rarity!"

"Well, I've had enough crazy for one day," Twilight said as she started off. "I'm going home."

Applejack nodded as she started in the opposite direction. "Yep."

"Okie dokie lokie! See you girls later!" Pinkie waved. "Oh! I wonder if Octavia is still in town. I bet her date went great, too!" she said to herself as she bounced through the crowd. "I just love Hearts and Hooves Day!"

---

A/N: I did this story for Valentine's Day, obviously. If this story is well-received I might, just maybe, will go back and do one or two of the other dates.