Chapter 10 – A New Matchmaker: OctaScratch

It’s been a month since Vinyl invited me to see Octavia’s performance. And ever since then, I often meet up with the two musicians on a weekend at one of the clubs to share some drinks with them. This weekend, I go over to their house for our weekly get-to-together. As I start to knock on their door, Octavia appears with great haste as she opens the door quickly.

“Vinyl?!” Octavia says with wide, tiring eyes. I become startled by her sudden approach.

“Oh! Sorry Ford.” Octavia begins to compose herself. “I… thought you were her.”

“It’s okay, Octavia.” I reassure her. “Where is she anyway? I thought we were gonna hang out tonight.”

“Well apparently, Vinyl Scratch is already one step ahead of us!” She grumps as she turns around to walk to the living room. I follow her slowly and cautiously. I have a feeling that something bad happened between Vinyl and Octavia.

“Miss Octavia…” I inquire softly. “Did something happen between you two?”

“Oh, it’s… it’s nothing.” she stammers as she wipes something from her eye while taking a seat on the sofa. “It’s just that we… that I…” As she becomes hesitant on what she is about to say, tears leak out from her exhaustive eyes.

“Oh Sweet Celestia, what have I done?!” she breaks down as she sobs uncontrollably. Quietly, I sit down next to her as I was unsure on how to ease her plight. Impulsively, Octavia hugs me tightly as she continues to cry.

“Hey, it’s okay.” I coo to her as I pat her mane gently. “These things happen. Everything’s going to be alright.”

“I don’t see how things are going to get better from here!” she responds tearfully.

“Well… if it helps… maybe you should tell me what happened here. If you don’t mind that is.” I suggest timidly. Slowly, Octavia starts to calm as she looks at me with weepy eyes.

“Al-alright. I’ll try.” she says with a tearful expression. I wait for her patiently to begin her story as she wipes off her remaining tears.

“You see, about an hour ago…”

"Vinyl! Please be reasonable!” Octavia said to Vinyl.

“NO WAY!” Vinyl shouted back. “I am not going to some social gathering where I have to stick around with a bunch of overdressed snobs who would just gawk at me and make fun of me for my lifestyle! Besides, why would you want to hang out with those rich jerks anyway?”

“Some of those ‘rich jerks’ happen to be my friends!” Octavia said sternly. “And I’m going there because my ensemble and I have been requested to perform there!”

“So, why do you need me to go?” Vinyl asked with a raised eyebrow.

“Well, considering all of the times I had to go to some of your club parties beforehand, I was hoping you would return the favor for me this time.”

“Hey, I didn’t force you to come along to those parties!” Vinyl pointed dismissively at Octavia with her hoof.

“Oh please! I’ve lost count on how many times you’ve begged me to go with you with all of your obsessive whining and your puppy dog eyes!” Octavia respond sharply as she imitated Vinyl’s puppy dog eyes.

“And I’ve lost count on how many times you keep falling for that routine! It’s not my fault you can’t resist my impeccable charm!” Vinyl chuckled while stroking her mane playfully.

“Please, you are about as charming as Prince Blueblood!” Octavia smirked.

“You take that back!” Vinyl gasped at Octavia’s comparison.

“I will only take it back if you will accompany me this one night.”

Vinyl thought about it while turning her gaze away from Octavia. But then, she said firmly, “I’m… not… going. And there’s nothing you can do to make me.” And she finished it by sticking her tongue out at Octavia.

Octavia was speechless by Vinyl’s stubborn attitude. Usually, her anger would get the best of her at this point, but this time, she was too tiring to keep batting this back and forth. She had enough of this.

“You know what?” Octavia started off with a heavy sigh. “I don’t even know how or why I put up with you for so long! All you have ever done is constantly tease me, test what little patience I have for you, and ignore me on whatever I have to say! You’re the messiest, loudest, most obnoxious pony I have ever met in my life, and I wish that you would stop acting so immature for just this one time! But no! That would be too much to ask of the great DJ-PON-3!”

Vinyl didn’t say anything. She didn’t know what to say. She simply lower her head in shame for all that she has done to her roommate. Octavia turned away from Vinyl as she sighed in grief.

“You know, sometimes…” Octavia stated sadly. “...I don’t think you actually care about me anymore.”

“Tavi, I do care about you!” Vinyl approached Octavia gingerly. “In fact I--! I…” But she stopped. She didn’t want to finish her sentence. She turned her attention away from Octavia.

“What?” Octavia asked firmly as she turned around.

“N-nothing.” Vinyl stammered.

“What were going to say?”

“Nothing!”

“Just say it already!”

“IT’S NOTHING. ALRIGHT?!” Vinyl shouted wildly. “Why should you care what I have to say anyway?! To you, I’m just some stupid, immature punk who likes to party hard and doesn’t know anything when it comes to sophisticated music, right?!”

Octavia was dumbfounded. She didn’t think that Vinyl would be so hard on herself because of her.

"Vinyl… I would never think of you like that--” Octavia said with a sad heart.

“Forget it.” Vinyl snapped as she walked towards the door.

“Wh-Where are you going?” Octavia asked.

“Getting drunk, what else?!” Vinyl snapped once again before opening the door.

“F-Fine! Go ahead! Get wasted! See if I care!”

“Fine! I will!”

“FINE!”

“FINE!” And with that, Vinyl Scratch slammed the door hard.

All alone in the house, Octavia sorrowfully murmured to herself, “…Fine.”

“And I’ve been waiting for Vinyl ever since then. To try to make amends for being so forceful like that.”

It becomes very quiet after Octavia sadly finished her story. I couldn’t do anything for her but just sit there and listen.

“You know… a long time ago, I didn’t have that many friends when I was a filly.” Octavia reminisces. “I was quite shy back then, and was often bullied a lot.”

“But then, somepony stepped up for me.” Octavia starts to smile a bit. “She had the wildest hairstyle I have ever seen, and that carefree grin that nopony can ever match. That was when I first met Vinyl Scratch. We were quite the opposite pair, but we became inseparable ever since then. No matter how many times we would argue, fight, or gripe with one and another, we would still be there for each other no matter what. She became my first friend, and eventually the best friend I could ever ask for.” It’s nice to see Octavia beginning to cheer up from those happy memories she was telling me about.

“And now…” Octavia starts to grieve as she sheds new tears. “Now she’ll probably never want to speak to me ever again! And it’s all because I was trying to have her come with me to some ridiculous reception!”

She couldn’t contain herself anymore. Octavia plops herself onto a nearby pillow and tries to muffle her never-ending tears. Upon seeing her display of constant sorrow, I knew that there is only one way to end this nightmare for her.

“Octavia. Would you excuse me for a moment? I’ll be back as soon as I can.” I said softly to her. The weeping mare could only just nod her head while she is still trying to silence her sobbing. I quietly leave her to her sorrow as I close the door behind me.

If Vinyl Scratch was going out for a drink, she didn’t have that many places to choose from in Ponyville compared to Canterlot. So searching for her shouldn’t be much of a problem. I looked through each local club, pub, and tavern, but I couldn’t find her yet. There is only one possible location left to check out: the same techno club where I first met Octavia and Vinyl Scratch.

Inside the familiar establishment, I briskly look around for Vinyl. And to my relief, I see the white DJ pony sitting at the bar. Right in front of her is that nice barmaid who first welcomed me to the club. Once the barmaid waves at me upon my arrival, Vinyl turns around to see me, and her initial frown flips into a grinning smile.

“Mustang! My main stallion! What’s happening?!” Vinyl welcomes me cheerfully. As I get closer to meet up with Vinyl, I couldn’t help but notice the amount of emptied bottled beers right next to her.

“Uh… Vinyl?” I inquire. “How many of those beers did you drink tonight?”

“Hmm…” Vinyl examines her last bottle she was just finishing up. “Don’t know. I’ve lost count along the way. But hey! Now that you’re here, the fun has been doubled! Ooo! Ooo! We should do some shots together!”

“Bartender!” Vinyl calls out to her. “A round of shots for my new best friend right here!”

I look at my good barmaid friend, and she looks back at me with uncertainty. I recognize that look. It’s the kind of look that says, “I don’t think I should serve her anymore drinks at this point.” I simply nod to the barmaid lightly as it’s time for me to step in.

“Vinyl. I didn’t come here to drink with you.” I state firmly. “I came here to take you home.” Her smile vanishes as she looks at me with startled eyes. Then she frowns as she glares intensely at me.

“Did Tavi sent you?” Vinyl asks coldly.

“No, she didn’t.” I respond calmly. “I came here on my own.”

“Ughh!” Vinyl groans. “When is that mare going to take that stick out of her flank and just learn to back off?! Look, Mustang! I don’t know what she told you on what happened between us, but it doesn’t concern you!”

“In fact, this might be my chance to finally be a free mare!” she muses to herself while rubbing her chin. “Yeah, I can get my own pad, not having to worry about cleaning up the place, and definitely not having to deal with ‘Ms. Stuck-up Bossy Britches!’ all the time!” I can only hope that was just the alcohol making her talk like that.

“I’m not doing this just for her sake; I’m also doing this for yours.” I say with resolve. “You need to come home. NOW.”

“Oh yeah?” Vinyl simply smirks at me. “Who’s gonna make me?”

“Hey! Let go of me, you big oaf!” Vinyl constantly screams in the gaslight streets of Ponyville as she is laid across my back like she was a saddlebag. Although granted, she’s a lot heavier than any of the bags or buckets I have ever carried. Not that I’m thinking that she is fat or anything! It’s probably from all of that alcohol she’s been drinking.

“I’m… taking you… home… even if… I have to… drag you there myself!” I huff and puff as I struggle to carry the disgruntled Vinyl home. Eventually, she starts to simmer down surprisingly.

“Well, at least I still have you, my precious one!” Vinyl smiles to herself as she magically pulls out a bottle of mixed-berry flavored vodka.

“What the--? How did you swipe that?!” I question her.

“A true magician never reveals her secrets.” Vinyl grins mischievously. “And for my next trick, watch me make this bottle disappear!”

“Oh no you don’t!” I quickly grab the bottle from her before she can open it.

“Hey! Give that back!” Vinyl whines as she tries to grab the vodka bottle back with her telekinesis. “You can’t just swipe something that’s already been swiped! What about honor among thieves?!”

“You had your fill of alcohol for tonight, and you’re not getting another sip!” I back away from her as I have managed to break away from Vinyl’s magical grasp.

“Oh, and what are you going to do with that?” Vinyl knowingly smirks. “Pour it over some thirsty flowers? You don’t even seem to be the type of pony to let good things go to waste.”

I can’t argue with that. I’m certainly not a fan when it comes to wasting food or drink. It would be a disgrace against my good nature.

“You’re… you’re right.” I hesitantly admit.

“Good.” Vinyl says triumphantly. “Now just hand it over to me, and I’ll properly take care of it--”

“Which is why I’m going to drink it myself!”

“What? NO!” But before she can take any action for herself, I quickly open the bottle and begin to chug it down.

“NOOOOOOOO!!” Vinyl whines once more as she tries to get the bottle away from me. But this time, I manage to push her away with one hoof, while my other hoof held on to the bottle as I continue to gulp it down. The taste of vodka is very strong, but the flavor of berries made it tolerable for me to continue my drinking if it meant that Vinyl wasn’t going to have any. At last, I have finished the bottle. And all Vinyl could do is just stand there like a statue.

“I… I can’t believe it.” Vinyl says in awestruck. “You drank the whole bottle.” I couldn’t tell if she is impressed or disappointed.

“Eeyup!” I smirk widely with a satisfying sigh on that tasty drink. “How do you like them apples?”

“Are you… going okay, Ford?” she asks with surprising concern.

“What? Of course I’m okay!” I respond with a triumphant smirk. “Just because I don’t drink that often, doesn’t mean I should be treated like I’m some lightweight when it comes to alcoh--!”

But then, a sickening grumble stirs in my belly.

“Oooouuuggh…” I groan in pain while holding onto my stomach. Maybe drinking that whole bottle of vodka without pacing myself wasn’t such a good idea. Eventually, that sickening feeling begins to transfer into my throat.

“Vinyl, could you just wait right here for a minute? I’m going to throw up somewhere real quick. ‘Kay thanks bye!” And I immediately rush over to a nearby place to take care of my business.

BLAARGH!!

“How are you holding up there, Champ?” Vinyl calls out to me as I continue to vomit behind some flowers.

“Oh just dandy, Vinyl!” I call back sarcastically. “Just threw up what was left of my dinner today!”

“Oh really? What did you have?”

“Oh, you know… some roasted squash and… wait… is that corn?! I don’t even remember having any of that!”

“Mmm… good stuff.” She says casually.

“Okay, I think I’m finished! Whew!” I said with relief as I wipe myself clean with a hoof.

“I think those poor flowers are finished after what you’ve done.” Vinyl chuckles at my accident.

“Hey… don’t think this is over between us! I’m still gonna take you home, and that’s final!” But determination to my cause starts to deteriorate as I start to feel nausea and lose my balance. Everything starts to look tilted around me.

“I just… need to sit down for a bit, that’s all.” I say exhaustively.

“Sure sure.” Vinyl shrugs. To my surprise, Vinyl lets me lean on her as she leads me around to look for a place to sit.

“Look! There’s a watering hole right over there.” Vinyl points out a shallow fountain right in front of us. She continues to escort me to the watering hole as I wobble over there.

“Drink up.” Vinyl insists. “It’ll make you feel better.” I do as she asks, and I tip my head down to drink some water. Once I had enough, I gulp what was left in my mouth. Strangely enough, the refreshing water starts to help clear my head a bit.

“Thanks.” I say to Vinyl after quenching my thirst. She just smiles at me in response. Right beside the watering hole, there are some benches waiting to be seated. We go over to one of them and finally take a moment to sit down. Once my head begins to feel better, I begin to speak to Vinyl right next to me.

“So… are you ready to go home now?” I ask her.

“I… I can’t.” Vinyl hesitates. “I can’t go back now after what just happened.”

“But why not?” I can’t believe she’s still stubborn about this!

“It’s just… going to make things complicated from now on.” she answers dejectedly.

“It doesn’t have to be, you know.” I try to reassure her.

“You don’t understand! It’s never going to be same after this!” Vinyl starts to panic.

“I don’t get it! You’ve banter with each other so many times before, and you two still end up as good friends! What’s going to change all of that--?”

“BECAUSE I LOVE HER, OKAY?!” Vinyl exclaims sorrowfully.

It becomes nothing but dead silence between the two of us. I stand there flabbergasted as I am unsure how to comprehend all of this. Maybe I must have misinterpreted this.

“…Oh. As… a friend, or as something more than a friend?” I ask her gingerly.

All I get as an answer is a simple, gloomy gaze from Vinyl, and then she just looks away from me. I think I know which answer that might be.

“Oh… wow.” I said to myself as I become even more flabbergasted by this sudden news. Suddenly, some of the pieces start to come together as I recall the night at the amphitheater.

“Wait… was that why you wanted to wear that dress for her solo performance last month?” Vinyl nods softly to my question.

“And why you also gave her that bouquet of roses after the show?” Vinyl nods again to answer my second question.

“I know. It’s crazy for somepony like me to fall for a mare like Octavia, right?” she says with a light chuckle.

“Well… I wouldn’t say that.” Considering that I’m such a fan of the Vinyl Scratch & Octavia romantic fan-fics.

“It’s just that… Tavi’s really special.” Vinyl recalls dreamingly. “She’s so smart, sophisticated, kind, and beautiful. She’s pretty much everything that I’m not. Not only does she put up with me for all of my constant shenanigans, but she still accepts me for who I am. Including my red eyes. Nopony has ever considered my eyes to be beautiful until Octavia came into my life.”

“She… deserves so much from somepony else.” Vinyl mopes to herself. “Sigh… Somepony better than… me.” A single tear pours out of her ruby-colored eyes.

Sigh… What am I going to do from here? Should I really meddle in somepony’s affairs like this? I want to help her. But if I do this, what kind of consequences will be bestowed not just on Equestria, but also back on Earth regarding with its TV-show counterpart? And yet… despite of all the knowledge I possess for both worlds, I clear my head and ask myself the most important question for this situation: what would a true friend do?

“Vinyl… I think…” I start to hesitate, but I need speak my mind out on this one. “I think you should tell Octavia on how you truly feel about her.” Not to my surprise, Vinyl is dumbfounded by my suggestion.

“Are you CRAZY?! Haven’t you been listening to what I’ve been saying?!” Vinyl screeches at me. “I can’t! If I tell her my true feelings, she’ll totally hate me, and it will destroy what’s left of our friendship!”

“And if you keep denying your feelings like that…” I respond firmly. “…you’ll simply keep pushing yourself away from Octavia, and it will destroy your friendship altogether!”

Vinyl couldn’t think of a proper response. I don’t blame her. It must have been like making a tough choice between a rock and a hard place.

“Listen to me, Vinyl Scratch.” I rest a hoof on her shoulder. “I know it’s scary to admit this to Octavia. Believe me, I’ve had my fair share of crushes in the past. But you need to do this not just for yourself, but for her as well. You just said that she deserves so much from somepony else, and right now, I believe that Octavia deserves the truth from you.”

“But… what if she rejects me?” She says uncertainly.

“Well then… would you still be happy to just be her friend?” I ask her.

“Of course I will!” she replies sharply.

“Then it’s going to be alright between the two of you.”

“But… she could still hate me if I confess my feelings to her.” Vinyl states nervously.

“But you don’t know that if she would hate you or not once you do. Plus, after all the times she had to put up with, do you seriously think she would instantly hate you just for that?” Vinyl begins to reflect this, and a small grin starts to blossom on her face.

“And besides…” I continue with a smile. “…you have nothing to worry about.”

“Why’s that?” she asks as she turns her head towards me.

“Because right now, there’s a certain grey cellist who’s been crying herself to sleep, hoping to see her best friend come home.”

Soon enough, that carefree smile of hers is in full bloom. She takes a deep breath, and lets it all out gently. Then, she gets up from the bench, and stands tall with her head held up high, ready for what’s to come next.

“I think… I’m ready to go home now.” she says with relief.

“Good! Let’s go!” I too get off the bench and gallop away excitingly towards our final destination this evening.

“Uh, Mustang?” Vinyl calls to me as I turn my head back. “Home is that a way.” she says with a dead-pan expression as she points her hoof out in the opposite direction. I stare silently at her gesture. I usually have a good sense of direction. Maybe the alcohol is affecting me far more than I have originally thought.

“Oh! I knew that.” I lie bashfully. “Let’s go!” I shout once more as I gallop in the right direction this time. But as soon as I make my charge, I begin to fumble and trip onto the ground. Soon, my vision starts to get blurry. Guess that bottle of vodka still had an extra kick in it.

Suddenly, I am surrounded by Vinyl’s electric blue aura as I am lifted from the ground by her Unicorn magic. My eyes begin to clarify as I see that familiar grin of hers looking up at me.

“Are you even able to use your magic in your current state?” I smirk lightly at Vinyl.

“Like you’re one to talk, Mr. Drunk Flyer.” She chuckles with a wide smirk.

“Touché.” I grin right back at her.

“Here, let me give you a lift, handsome.” Vinyl says playfully as she levitates me back to her house. Her bubble of magic has a unique, tingling sensation. Floating in mid-air reminds me on how I used to dream about flying when I was a human.

“Hey, Vinyl. Guess what?” I ask her with a goofy smile.

“What?”

“I can fly!” I confirm tipsily.

Vinyl chuckles lightly to herself as she shakes her head. “Sigh… yes, Mustang. Yes you can.”

At last, we arrive at Vinyl & Octavia’s home. Silently, Vinyl and I creep into the house. We enter the living room where our sleeping beauty, Octavia, lays on the couch while she is hugging one of the pillows.

“Awwwww… Would you look at that!” I coo quietly at how cute Octavia is when she is asleep. “It’s like a fairy tale come true!”

“Psst… Hey Vinyl.” I whisper gleefully to my Unicorn friend. “This is the part where you’re supposed to kiss her in order to break the spell.”

“Cut it out, Mustang!” Vinyl quietly snaps at me while I chuckle at her sudden blush. “I want to make things right between us, not make it worse!”

“Mmm… Vinyl?” Octavia mumbles as she slowly begins to stern from her slumber. “Is that you?”

Seeing Octavia awake all of sudden surprised us, but Vinyl displays a warm smile from seeing her friend’s awakening. “Hey, Tavi.” Octavia’s eyes start to widen as she rises from the couch to get a better look at her returning friend.

“Listen…” Vinyl begins uneasily. “…there’s something I--” But then, Octavia wraps her fore hooves tightly around the surprised disk jockey as the cellist rests her head on Vinyl’s shoulder.

“I’m so sorry, Vinyl!” Octavia apologizes sorrowfully. “I shouldn’t have been so harsh on you and try to force you into something you didn’t want to do! I only just wanted you to give me some company while I play at the reception! Please please please forgive me!”

Vinyl is silent for a moment, but she smiles greatly at Octavia’s gesture. “Tavi, you don’t have to apologize for anything.” Vinyl responds soothingly as she caresses Octavia’s silky, black mane. “I’m the one who should be sorry. I shouldn’t have acted so selfish like that. I’d be happy to come with you to that party.”

Octavia smiles with content as they break up their reunion. “We can worry about that later.” Octavia says with relief. “Right now, we should get some sleep.”

As Octavia begins to make her way towards the staircase, I quickly nudge Vinyl to make sure she doesn’t miss this chance. Once Vinyl gets my signal, she immediately rushes to Octavia.

“Tavi, wait!” Vinyl calls out to Octavia. “There’s… something else I need to tell you.”

“Yes, Vinyl?” Octavia asks gently as she walks back to Vinyl.

“Well you see… I… oh boy…” Vinyl flusters to a great extent as she sweats a bit. “This is really hard for me to say.” Octavia waits patiently for her friend as Vinyl catches her breath and starts all over again. This time, with more confidence in herself.

“Octavia…” Vinyl says tenderly. “We’ve been friends ever since we were just fillies. And even though we had our fair share of problems with one and another, I wouldn't want to change any of that on having you as my best friend. But you see… lately… I have been developing these new feelings. And I haven’t told you about them because… well… I was afraid that it might ruin our friendship. But now, thanks to my new friend over there, I’ve decided that it’s only fair that you know the truth right now. So here it goes…”

Vinyl takes one last deep breath before she finishes her statement that could change both of the musicians’ lives forever. “Octavia… I love you.”

Never once did Octavia interrupt Vinyl’s confession, nor did her stoic face express any new emotions. It was just complete silence for nearly a minute between Vinyl, Octavia, and I. Suddenly, Octavia’s expression starts to alter. Her renewed tears start to leak out of her exhausting eyes. Vinyl and I start to panic at this.

“Oh no! No no no no! Please don’t cry, Octavia!" Vinyl pleas frantically. "Look, I’m sorry! I take it back! It’s just a simple crush, that’s all! Please don’t let this ruin our friendship!” As Vinyl pleas to Octavia with all her might, the crying cellist starts to start to smile and let out an uncontrollable giggle. Vinyl and I are perplexed by Octavia’s mixed expression.

“No, silly!” Octavia finishes her chuckling as she wipes her tears. “I’m only crying because I’m happy!”

“You see, I… I love you too, Vinyl!” Octavia confesses joyfully as she embraces Vinyl tenderly. Vinyl is briefly shocked by this revelation, but I can see all of that fear and doubt vanish in an instant as she makes the biggest, happiest grin I have ever did see.

Immediately, Vinyl returns Octavia’s hug with all of her heart. As I bear witness to this affectionate moment, I begin reflect back on my decision with helping out Vinyl’s dilemma. Looking back to my initial worries, I assume that what Vinyl and Octavia are sharing with each other isn’t going to have that much affect on the cartoon’s continuity. After all, Vinyl & Octavia are only background ponies in the show, so what they have behind the scenes wouldn’t have drastic affect for future episodes. Still, I don’t hold any regrets on making these two the happiest ponies right now.

“It’s just that…” Octavia begins to speak softly after finishing her hug. “I always thought that you wouldn’t be interested in me because I am just some boring, over-sophisticated pony.”

“Tavi, you’re far from being boring!” Vinyl chuckles heartily. “You’re a lot more fun than you give credit for! Heck, arguing with you is one of my favorite pastimes!” Then, we all share a good laugh, which helps ease the tension even more so.

“Soooooo… does that mean we can make out?” Vinyl asks teasingly.

I expect Octavia to chastise Vinyl for that, but instead, Octavia makes a simple smirk, wraps a fore hoof around her partner’s neck, and pulls her in for a surprisingly deep kiss! The look on Vinyl is priceless! Her ruby irises shrink drastically as she’s receiving the kiss. Then, she closes her eyes as her lips maintain contact with Octavia’s. While seeing this deep affection right before my eyes, my wings suddenly begin to stiffen. Keep it under control, Ford.

Then, their lips separate slowly. Vinyl opens her eyes as if she just woke up from a very good dream. “Wow… that was really nice.” Vinyl smiles with dreamy look. “But… you still didn’t answer my question.” she affirms with a knowing smirk.

“Well…” Octavia responds with a grin that matches equally with Vinyl’s. “…maybe you should read my lips more carefully.” This time, Vinyl gently pulls Octavia in for another kiss. From the way I see, their second kiss is a lot more passionate than before. As their second make-out session starts to get more intense, my wings become even harder for me to restrain them. At last, Vinyl and Octavia break up their kiss once again.

“Okay! That was definitely a ‘yes’ this time!” Vinyl chuckles triumphantly.

The grinning DJ tries to go in for another smooch, but Octavia presses a hoof to her lover’s eager lips. “Umm… Vinyl?” Octavia inquires with a smile. “Maybe we should continue this somewhere more private.” Vinyl is confused for a bit, but then Octavia points a hoof at me, and Vinyl turns her head to look at me as well. It sure took them awhile to finally notice the elephant in the room.

“Oh, don’t mind me.” I suggest playfully with a drunken, goofy smile. “I’m just enjoying the show. Please… continue.”

“You know, Tavi…” Vinyl ponders grinningly as she rubs her chin. “We do kind of owe him for all of this. Perhaps we should interest him in a three--”

“DON’T. EVEN. FINISH. THAT. SENTENCE.” Octavia threatens Vinyl with stone-cold eyes. From hearing that solid threat, the nervous Vinyl Scratch swallows a hard gulp before she carefully rephrases her sentence.

“Sorry, my wing pony.” Vinyl says to me. “You're just gonna have to sleep on the couch tonight.”

“Curses! Foiled again!” I respond in a mocking tone. And we all share a good laugh together from my melodramatic performance.

“Like I said…” Octavia says with a yawn. “We really should get some sleep right about now.”

“You go on ahead.” Vinyl waves her newfound lover off to bed. “I’m just gonna prepare the couch for special guest tonight.”

“Aww, that’s so sweet of you, Vinyl.” Octavia smiles warmly at Vinyl’s kind act. She then awards Vinyl with a quick peck on the cheek. “Well, don’t take too long. I’ll be waiting.” She finishes her sentence in an appealing tone, leaving the blushing Vinyl in a dazed state as the cellist begins her ascent to her room.

A few minutes later, Vinyl finishes making my bed for the night on their couch. As I get all comfy underneath the sheets, Vinyl leans in to whisper something into my ear.

“Psst... Mustang. Sorry that you won’t be seeing any action tonight, but I thought I should let you know that this house has some very, VERY thin walls here.”

And just like that… FOOMPH! My wings fan out impulsively upon hearing that unexpected claim.

“Well anyway, that’s all I want to say!” she leaves me with a smile as I gape in silence while laying in my temporary bed. “Sweet dreams, Mustang!” she says to me as she merrily heads upstairs.

Sigh… Oh boy. So much for that good night’s sleep, I guess.