Okay, so in this chapter you can either finish the whole story if you're sick of it with my crappily written happy ending, or you can ignore that and go on for a ton of drama and way too many temper tantrums. Needless to say, I recommend the not-ending, since it's way better, but suit yourself, they're both here.

All through Manehattan, ponies were hurrying home to celebrate Heart's warming Eve. Candles were lit and placed in windows, modern electricity momentarily forgotten as everypony got into the holiday spirit.

Everypony, that is, except Octavia and Vinyl Scratch, who sat silently in their gloomy hotel room, eating a rather soggy room-service meal on the faded evergreen loveseat.

"Are you sure we can't at least listen to some holiday music?" Octavia asked for the millionth time as she struggled to pull the blanket over her front hooves.

"Here, Babe. Lemme help ya with that," Vinyl Scratch grasped the edge of the blanket in her magic and tucked it firmly under her marefriend's chin. "And no, we can't, unless you want to listen to my awesomely wub-ified versions."

"No, thank you, Vinyl dear. I try to tolerate your music, but ruining Heart's Warming Eve classics like that is just an abomination. I'm love you, Vinyl, but I just can't bear to listen to them."

Vinyl Scratch harrumphed, then pushed herself off the loveseat to find her headphones. She deftly plugged them into her PonyPod and closed her eyes as vaguely holiday-themed wubs blasted through her skull. Octavia reached a hoof out from under her blanket to turn the PonyPod off.

"Don't you think we should be spending Heart's Warming Eve together, considering there's nopony else willing to spend it with us?"

"Meh." Vinyl let a tendril of magic escape her horn, snaking it toward the PonyPod with utmost stealth.

Or so she thought. Octavia deftly stuck her hoof out again to intercept it.

"Please, Sweetheart, can't we just spend tonight together? I'll do anything..."

Vinyl Scratch raised an eyebrow quizzically. "Anything?"

Octavia stopped, considering what she had just said. Then she grinned. "Yes Vinyl. Absolutely anything."

"Okay then. No protesting now, understand?" A devilish grin spread over the white mare's face, making her crimson eyes sparkle. She levitated the bulky headphones from her ears and carefully placed them over Octavia's, giggling as her hoof hovered over the 'play' button.

Octavia ripped them off her ears, looking annoyed.

"Ugh, Vinyl. No." She sighed, resting her chin on a forehoof. "This is not what I thought you'd suggest when I said anything."

"So you want that kind of anything." Vinyl Scratch looked at her, head cocked slightly to the side. "Well, if that's what you want, I ain't complainin'."

Octavia was about to answer that yes, that was what she had meant, but her phone rang from the other side of the room, startling both mares and completely ruining the mood. Octavia groaned, but trotted over to answer it anyways.

"Hello? Octavia here," She answered politely, watching as Vinyl Scratch lay on their bed, waving her hooves above her in a bored manner. There was an awkward pause on the other end of the line, and then a sort of embarrassed little cough, and a very familiar voice answered. Octavia gasped softly.

"Mother?" Vinyl stopped her absentminded flailing to listen. "What in Eques--"

"Shush," Sonata said stiffly. "My husband and I were, er, talking, and we came to the conclusion that I made a mistake when I, you know, uh, kicked you out last week."

Octavia's eyebrows went up in astonishment at her mother's words, and Vinyl sat up, ears straining forward to listen.

"Anyhow," Sonata continued, still sounding uncomfortable. "Cresh and I came to the conclusion that you will always be our daughter, no matter how despicable your mistakes may seem...

"However, we are willing to forgive you, because, as the great Celestia herself says, 'Love is love, and nopony deserves to be punished for it.' So we will try to forgive and forget. We truly...hope you'll come back for Heart's Warming Eve and forgive us, too." Sonata's voice still showed a faint trace of disgust at what she was saying, but the idea of watching her mother squirm made Octavia cordially accept the invitation and forgive for both herself and Vinyl.

She hung up with a smile. "Get your bags, Vinyl. We're going back to my parents' house. But this time, you can be as forward as you like."

"Cresh and I have decided that we will do anything to get our old Octavia back. We will stop at nothing until we rid you of the hideous plague which has caused you to believe this is the right path for you, and to act so unlike your true self. Stallions are the only worthy spouses for a good, well-brought up Celestian like yourself, as I'm sure you will agree once you're cured." Sonata's voice was sticky sweet and fake sounding, like a forced smile, and Octavia listened in shock, wondering how a pony could be so stupid and selfish and narrow minded.

"So, Octavia darling, if you leave this Vinyl Scratch and come home to mother, I promise your father and I will make everything all better again, and we'll be one big happy family again, yes?" Sonata finished her speech in a tone that showed that she believed her scheme would work perfectly.

"You know what, Sonata?" Octavia's voice was icy. "No. I thought when you called that maybe you'd changed your mind, maybe Crescendo had made you see to reason. I did not think that you would call to tell me that if I come back and pretend to be somepony I'm not for the rest of my life, then you'll give me the great honor of considering me your family. I've probably always been a fillyfooler-- maybe that's why I never had a perfect little coltfriend like you always wanted. But now, I'm afraid I'll have to decline your offer. I think it's a good thing I'm not part of your stupid, uptight family anymore. I think it's a very good thing."

Octavia took a deep breath, then finished her speech before her not-mother could interrupt. "Goodbye, Sonata. If we ever see one another again, I highly doubt it will be on such friendly terms."

Vinyl clapped her hooves slowly as Octavia shut off the phone and dropped it on the bed.

"Bravo, 'Tavi. Bravo. I heard the whole thing, and--"

"How could you hear from all the way over there?" Octavia asked, incredulous.

Vinyl tapped her horn lightly. "Duh. Anyways, that old prick doesn't even deserve to admit she knew you."

"She probably won't. Having one's daughter turn out to be such a failure isn't some thing to be proud of, you know."

"You did the right thing, I'm sure of it."

Octavia plopped down unceremoniously on the bed next to Vinyl, still looking rather stricken. She stared at the ceiling, avoiding her marefriend's eyes.

"I can't believe she did that," Octavia said with a sort of disgusted awe. "She literally called us, me, to tell me that if I let her force me into being her perfect little daughter, she would give me the privilege of being part of her precious little family again. Hah." She laughed humourlessly. "As if I would ever want that. As if I would ever even want to know her."

Vinyl rolled so she was half on top of Octavia, her eyes soft and almost magenta. "Hi," she said quietly, bringing her face close to her marefriend's.

"Hi," Octavia replied, blushing slightly. She felt Vinyl's breath hot against her muzzle as the white mare leaned down to kiss her. It was surprisingly tender-- usually Vinyl's kisses were long and packed with passion-- this one barely gave Octavia enough time to enjoy it before it was over, leaving her wanting more. But just as she was about to ask for a repeat, Vinyl sat up slightly, eyes half closed seductively.

"Now that you're done disowning your mom, how about that holiday banging session you promised earlier, Hot-flank?"

Octavia pushed Vinyl off of her stomach and rolled her eyes. "Vinyl, do you really think this was the right time to ask that?"