Opening the door to the townhouse let loose a wave of scent; Nightsong almost swooned at her sensitive nose was filled. Spices, cooking tomatoes, something like frying cheese… It made her stomach cramp in need almost immediately.

“Vinyl got take out again,” Octavia muttered with a sigh, rolling her eyes as she led her young friend inside.

The dining table was covered and set as well as any Rookery family could have asked for, with a spread of plates and utensils. Three wine glasses had been set up, with a wine bottle set as a centerpiece. Three bowls had been set in place, steaming softly from their contents. And Vinyl Scratch stood in front of it all, looking intensely smug as Octavia’s jaw dropped.

“That smells amazing, Vinyl!” Nightsong gushed, beaming over at the practically preening unicorn, “What is it?”

“Ah y’know, nothin’ special,” she drawled, buffing her hoof against her chest, “Just some bandami paneer; a recipe I picked up on my last oversea’s gig. Cottage cheese, some almonds, a few spices… And I got us some nice Trottingham Red. I know how much Octy loves her wine.”

Nightsong pranced a bit in place; holy Lunar tits, that sounded good! Glancing over at Octavia however… The Earth Pony was eying Vinyl, ears tilted.

“Who made this for you.”

“Octy!” A melodramatic gasp burst out of the little unicorn as she leaned back on her hind legs, putting a hoof to her chest, “You wound me! You don’t think I could make-”

“It was Pinkie, wasn’t it? Or Zecora?”

Vinyl only grinned and chuckled, settling back to all fours with a little click of her hooves, turning to nudge them both over to the table. Nightsong eagerly scampered into her chair, grinning at the suspicious look in Octavia’s eyes as she slowly hopped into her own seat, before peering down at her bowl.

Mmm.

Hot meals were something of a rarity on the road- at inns, they tended to be expensive, and on the road they cost time and energy- finding firewood, getting it lit, then putting it out when you had to move… It set a real appreciation in Nightsong for the hard work in making a hot meal- especially this kind! Made by friends.

After wiping her eyes, Nightsong closed her eyes and bowed her head, switching over to the Rookery language as she prayed.

“Dark Mistress, Mare of Mists and Dreams, thank you for this bounty made by friends,” she whispered, peeking up sheepishly.

Vinyl was staring at her wide-eyed, smiling slowly, “Dude, that sounded really cool. What was that?”

Nightsong let out a tremulous little grin; she hadn’t been asked about her prayers before!

“T-that was a prayer to Luna, basically, thanking her for this meal. I was speaking in Thestral; a lot of Lunarian scriptures are in it, heh.”

“Is that just for batponies?” Vinyl asked thoughtfully, scooping up a spoonful of the paneer and munching at it happily.

That got a bit of a wing-wiggle from Nightsong, who paused long enough to take a bite herself- and shiver in pleasure. Mmm.

“Not by doctrine, but mostly in practice. I’ve only ever seen Celestian churches in the towns I’ve visited, and some Erosian shrines. Lunarian churches are only in Rookeries or Canterlot, as far as I know.”

Octavia smiled over at her gently, ears perked up.

“I’m a Harmonious, myself,” she explained, smirking over at Vinyl, “And my little unicorn here is a lapsed Erosian.”

Vinyl waved a hoof in the air, “Bah. I just haven’t been to a shrine in awhile, I’m not lapsed. Next Hearts and Hooves Day we can all go.”

A little spiral of tension bled out of Nightsong’s spine. Religion was not always a big part of village life, she had found, but fanatics could be found in the most unlikely of places. But a fun-loving Erosian and an accepting Harmonious… phew. The roommates ate in companionable silence after them, broken only by hums of appreciation for the food or to pour and down the wine Vinyl had provided.

After three glasses, Nightsong could feel that pleasant tingle running through her, and her muzzle curled in a helpless smile.

“Oh no,” she giggled out, ears splaying to each side of her head, “S-sorry guys, alcohol… alcohol always goes through me real fast.”

“Aw shit, Octy, we’ve got a lightweight,” Vinyl teased, grinning wider as Nightsong only giggled more, “Just wait till I get you in my next gig, Nighty.”

“You are not giving her an Unicorn Blast, Vinyl,” Octavia added quickly, smirking over at her roommate, “That is no way to treat a friend.”

Nightsong quickly shook her head with a few little squeaks, ears perked up tall.

“N-no, no it’s fine!” she replied quickly, trying to suppress her giggles, “I just started drinking, and I like experiencing new ones! I can handle it, promise.”

Octavia blinked and tilted her head thoughtfully; just started… but she had been on the road for awhile… The earth pony thoughtfully tapped her chin, ears tilting in her confusion.

“Nightsong, just how old are you?”

The thestral snickered and waved a hoof casually, coming quite close to smacking her bowl, “Old enough! Just turned eighteen t-two months ago!”

Both her roommates paused- though this didn’t phase Nightsong, who broke into a snicker fit and slumped in her seat, though still watching her friends. They looked a little odd: Vinyl was smirking deviously as she gave a sidelong look to her marefriend. For her part, Octavia had gone quite red, staring over at the giggling thestral and squirming just slightly in her chair.

“Doing okay, Octy?” Vinyl asked with an odd lilt, grin growing at the soft splutter Octavia tried hiding with a gulp of wine, “It’s gonna be great! We can share our wealth of party experience with a young protege. Riiiight, Tavi?”

“Of course we’ll teach you, Nightsong,” she replied shakily, eying Vinyl for a moment, “To party responsibly.”

Nightsong clapped her hooves happily before she could stop herself, tail swishing in excitement. Partying! Yay! This was going to be amazing!

Vinyl laughed as she scrambled into their room, dodging swats from Octavia’s hoof or nips from a muzzle she was desperately trying to keep in a scowl.

“Aw come on, Octy, quit it!” she squeaked, leaping onto the safety of the bed and sticking out her tongue, “She was having fun.”

The charcoal mare shot her a look and sighed, sitting on her rump and rubbing her forehead.

“Vinyl…” she started, then hesitated again, glancing back at the door.

A soft blue glow wrapped around the door for a moment as Vinyl lit up her horn; sound-proofing spells were a nice bit of insurance of not being overheard. The unicorn settled down with her legs folded under her, nodding to Octavia.

“What’s up?” she asked softly, “Nervous?”

Her marefriend sighed quietly, and nodded, trailing a hoof on the carpet.

“Yes, I am, Vinyl,” she replied quietly, “She definitely likes the two of us. Poor thing could hardly keep her eyes off me during the market trip. But… she’s young, Vinyl.”

Vinyl smiled at Octavia’s involuntary blush, but nodded in agreement, “She is. But not too young- five and six years difference isn’t much, especially not in a herd. She’s pretty diligent too, Octy. That kind of skill at eighteen? Woof.”

“She’s naive too, Vinyl,” Octavia warned softly, biting her lip, “Do you think you’ll be okay with that?”

Vinyl was a master of her music and, surprisingly enough, of marketing and dealing with the underworld of the music business. Octavia had seen her utterly eviscerate so called moguls and less scrupulous new musicians on the scene, and had little patience for wannabes who didn’t want to learn.

Vinyl Scratch smiled easily at her marefriend, nodding.

“She’s not a poser or anything, Tavs. That filly knows what she wants, and how to get there. She just need a little guidance, y’know? What do you think of her?”

Vinyl was the lead mare- both had agreed to that when they began talking about forming a herd- and it was ultimately her decision, but Octavia absolutely had a say in it, and a part in the process. It was up to the second mare to bring new mares in to meet the lead mare and, if applicable, a stallion.

Octavia smiled softly and chuckled quietly, blushing.

“She’s cute, Vinyl,” she replied with a sparkle in her eye, “I enjoyed spending time with her today. Like you said, love, she could use guidance, but…”

She took a deep breath and nodded, “I want to bring her in, if she’s up for it.”

Vinyl’s smile practically could have split her face in half, and her magic yanked Octavia up into a tight, squeezy hug, getting a squeaky whinny from the Earth Pony.

“I am going to make this gig a bash, Octy,” she murmured in her ear, nipping it happily to enjoy a patented Octavia squeak, “Biggest bash in Ponyville, bar none.”

Octavia smirked, “So what you’re saying is, I should get the bail bits ready.”

“You know it!”

A little short filler chapter, but still fun!