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"Taviiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii, I'm hooooooooooooooome!  You got some 'splainin' to doooooo!"  Vinyl stumbled into our room with a skip in her step as she approached my prone position on the bed.

I rolled onto my back and sat up straight, using the pillow against the bed rest as a backrest.  "Home?  Where did you go?  And explain what?"  I asked.

She rolled her eyes playfully.  "It's a reference.  C'mon, you've never seen I love Lucy before?"

I racked my brain for a few seconds, remembering an important fact I learned a while ago from my father.  "Vinyl, they actually never said that exact quote in the show before.  There were similar quotes, but that exact one was never said."

Her face fell.  "Really?"

I nodded.  "Yes.  It's a common mistake really.  Oh and yes I have seen I love Lucy before.  It's a very amusing show."  I paused for a second to think.  "You know...I kind of see myself as Lucy, always correcting your grammar and pronunciation of higher level vocabulary.  Even though Ricky was Uniban and mispronounced Equish words...ah well, same difference.*"

"Hmph."  Vinyl said before plopping on the bed.  "Never knew that.  Anyways, I gots a surprise for you!"

See what I mean?  Grammar...all the time.  "Anyway, Vinyl.  'Anyways' isn't a word; neither is 'gots'."

Vinyl shifted position so that she can lean her side against my body, resting her head on the side of my head, and inching her foreleg around my shoulders.  "Nyeh nyeh nyeh.  Want your surprise or not?"

I smiled and nuzzled her cheek.  "Oh Scratchie my dear, it wouldn't be breakfast in bed again would it?"

Vinyl recoiled and looked at me as if I offended her.  "NO-yes."  She leaned back on my shoulder a little rougher than I expected.  As a result, I grunted from the force.  Stupid heart attack, making my muscles weak.  Vinyl gasped lightly and pulled back, but after a shaky smile and a kiss, she calmed down and rested back on my side, more gently this time.

I wrapped a foreleg around her chest, pulling her in tighter.  "What is it now?  Fourth time this week?  You're so good to me, love."  I leaned in and kissed her on the cheek.  

She returned the gesture, but this time on my lips.  "You don't think I don't know that?  I am a ladies mare."  She wiggled her eyebrows in a rather suggestive manner.

I shifted position so that I am sitting on top of her, not without feeling a jolt of pain from my aching muscles.  I am able to endure it for the moment.  I leaned in close to whisper in her ear.  "Stop teasing, Scratchie."  I exhaled a breath of hot air into her ear.  "I want you...to bring me my breakfast."

The groan of frustration from her is just too much.  I laughed like a filly and slowly slid off her lap to my original sitting position.  I can't believe she fell for that!  She knows we have to wait until the doctor says my heart is in enough condition to handle more serious strain.  Even with all the 'pain' Vinyl claims she has, it's still so fun to fool with her!

"Pssh!"  She started.  "Just wait a week or two and you'll be dying for some action!"

"Oh please, Vinyl."  I replied.  "Unlike you I have some self control."

She laughed out loud and held her sides.  A single tear is rubbed out of her eyes as she tries to calm herself.  After a moment or two she rolled onto her stomach and looked at me in amusement.  " 'Self control?' yeah right!  Oh I see how much 'self control' you have when you can barely stand foreplay!"  She cleared her throat and tried to impersonate me.  " 'Oh Vinyl!  Please stop teasing me!  Hurry up and ravish my clitoris so hard so that I can not stand in the morrow!'"

My blood runs cold, but unfortunately my face doesn't.  "V-Vinyl!  That's not true!  I do not sound like that, nor act like that!"

"RIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIGHT!"  She impersonated me once again.  " 'Oh Vinyl, you sexy, succulent, goddess mare you!' "  

I tried swatting at her with a rolled up magazine.  She only laughs and rolls away from my wrath.  Can I go one day without being tormented by my marefriend with her suggestive sense of humor?  Honestly, I can stand for mild teasing, and maybe some comedic relief, but sometimes I just want to throw her off a cliff.  There's a time when it just gets annoying, and that time is now.

Her hysterical laughing continued unhindered.  I quietly awaited her to finish with my forelegs crossed and a very unamused glare radiating from my face.  She finally halted her twisted humor, ending its reign with pants and a ceiling cast glance.  She turned her attention to me after a moment and smiled.  

I raised an inquisitive brow.  "Finished?"

She nodded.  "Yep."

"May I have my breakfast now?"

"Sure."  She turned to the door of the bedroom.  "MOM!"

Bluebelle arrived as quickly as if she teleported, carrying a tray in her magical grasp.  As she entered the room in a rather sophisticated manner, with her nose high and her poise completely straight, I noticed she wore a black tailcoat jacket along with a bowtie.  The tray floated right up to my lap.  A second indigo aura surrounded the cover of the tray, lifting it up to reveal the contents to be a perfectly stacked hill of pancakes with a square of butter on top, and a bottle of syrup on the side.  

I smiled at the two unicorns in front of me.  "Thank you so much for doing this.  I love you both."  In the month that Bluebelle has lived with us, I'll openly admit I've really grown on her.  She has been nothing but a kind, gentle, compassionate soul that only desires to spend time with Vinyl and I.  She always sacrifices her time to us; trying to help us in mundane tasks just because she enjoys it.  It's almost as is she treats me like a second daughter.  Although, of course she treats Vinyl to an over-the-extreme point, even though Vinyl has constantly nagged her to not do that, as apposed to me.  I can still notice it in the way she acts around me: So caring and just over-all motherly.  Even I'll admit that I kind of see her as a mother figure to me.  "Although, I have to ask: What's with the butler look?"  I waved my hoof towards Bluebelle.

She smiled and twirled around, allowing the jacket's tail to wave in the momentum.  "Well you see, I felt kind of like a leach living with you two without 'earning my keep'.  So I got a job!"

My hoof found a position covering my mouth as a light gasp escaped.  Why on Earth would Bluebelle think she needs to get a job to 'earn her keep'?  That's ridiculous!  She already works her hardest to help us around the house with basic chores and whatnot, but even that isn't necessary!  I wouldn't even care if she didn't do anything!  This is Vinyl's mother that recently escaped an abusive relationship and is in the process of recovering.  We don't expect her to 'earn' any 'keep'!  "Bluebelle," I started.  "Why would you ever think you needed to 'earn your keep'?  You're Vinyl's mother!  I'm the one that should be 'earning keep' around here!  Besides, you already do so much for us around the house already!"

Bluebelle's reaction is a bit more jovial than I expected.  I almost expected a timid apology, knowing her, but instead she brushed off my response as if it is nothing.  "Nonsense Octavia!  I have expenses too, you know.  It still takes extra bits for me to eat, use electricity and water.  I'm just repaying the debts."

"Mom!"  Vinyl exclaimed.  "Thats frikin crazy!  You don't owe me anything!  I mean, does a foal have a dept to pay their mothers after they've grown up.  It's like, 'oh hey son, here's the bill for everything I had to spend on you since the day you were born.'  Nah, that aint workin here."

"Vinyl, whether this be about repaying dept or not, I in my right mind can't be a parasite!  I need to get out of the house and do something!  Besides, my rehabilitation group recommended it anyway."

Shortly after Bluebelle started living with us, Vinyl noticed how hard it was in the first week for her mother to cope with the sudden change.  From what she told me, Bluebelle has been abused by Bulldoze since they met in high school.  My heart nearly shattered at that confession.  I cannot fathom living half your life with a monster of a pony constantly abusing and mistreating you.  

Bluebelle was scared.  Nay, she was downright terrified of the thought that when the day comes that he either serves his sentence, or that he might break out of prison and seek revenge.  Vinyl, seeing as it was her duty to help her mother, sought out and found a mares rehabilitation group that helps mares that were in abusive relationships.  It took some convincing, and shoving, but Bluebelle finally accepted and joined the group.

This is her third week in.  She has gone to every meeting, four times a week, and from what I've heard she absolutely loves it.  I've even noticed improvement not only in her paranoia, but her body language whenever my father stops by.  The only thing that's still puzzling me now is why did her group recommend she gets a job?  I am just about to ask her, but Vinyl beat me to it.

"Why did your mares group recommend you getting a job?  I mean, as a waitress you're going to be serving a lot of stallions."

Bluebelle nodded and her smile wavered.  "True, but they didn't really straightforwardly tell me to get a job.  It was more like they thought I should do some kind of activity or something that involves being around stallions.  And also I uh...I kind of offered the idea first...I mean, it's only part time and...I just wanted to get out of the house and have some spare bits of my own."  She took a step back and lowered her head.  "And...and I want to be able to talk to Arpeggio without being scared of him."

I smiled.  Bluebelle is going through such extensive lengths to try and pull herself out of the depths of the deep hole that her ex-husband dug for her.  So far as to even obtain a job to help the situation.  My only fear is that she will have a nervous breakdown while trying to serve male patrons.  "Alright.  If you feel that this is the best course of action, I will support you."  I centered a pointed glare at Vinyl.

"Yeah, ok.  If it'll help you then by all means go right ahead."  Vinyl said while hugging her mother.

Bluebelle basked in the embrace of her daughter.  "Oh thank you girls!"  The two broke apart.  "Anyway, enjoy your breakfast Octavia, I have to get going now."  Before making her leave, it's customary to say goodbye to Vinyl in a very excessive manner.  "Bye sweetie!  I love you!"  She proceeded to kiss her forehead and hug her tight.  

Vinyl cleared her throat loudly.  "Mom, yea I get it!"  That didn't seem enough for her as Bluebelle is now giving Vinyl an annoyed glare.  "What?"  She asked, then realized what she wanted and grumbled.  "Love you too, mom."

It seems to satisfy her; Bluebelle then made her exit, but not without giving one last good-bye kiss to her beloved daughter.  I had to withhold my audacious laughing until she left, then receive an annoyed grunt from my marefriend, which only made me laugh harder.

Vinyl rolled her eyes in response and flopped onto the bed.  "Just wait till next time your dad does something like that to you, then we'll see who's laughing."

I inhaled sharply to stop the excessive laughing.  Once I calmed down enough I turned towards Vinyl with a devious smirk.  "The difference there is I'm not embarrassed from my fathers affection, sweetie."

"Yeah but--"  She is cut off from a sharp ringing.  Vinyl groaned and stretched her foreleg to the landline phone on the nightstand.  After a few unsuccessful attempts, with a final grunt she is able to obtain the phone without having to move...or use magic.  Sometimes Vinyl...  "Vinyl Scratch, whatchya need?"  She said to the pony on the other end of the phone.  "Yeah...ok...alright I'll be there in a bit."  She put the phone down and turned to me.  "My manager needs me at the studio.  I won't be gone too long.  Gots ta go."  She rolled out of bed, falling to the floor with a thud.  You are so lazy, Vinyl...She got up from the floor, then navigated around to my side.  "Love you."  She said before kissing my cheek and leaving.

"Love you too!"  I called out before I saw her tail disappear around the corner.  All right, I have a solid hour, or maybe two hours, to myself.  Perfect.  I can sit back, relax in my bed with a good book, or maybe some Twilight Zone.  I sigh, lean back further down the bed to where I'm almost laying entirely on my back, and reach for the remote.

"Awww, that's so sweet!"

I yelped and rounded to the direction of the foreign voice, nearly splattering my breakfast all over the sheets.  There, right next to me, where Vinyl stood not twenty seconds ago, is that mare from the club two weeks ago.  Dammit where did she come from?!  I could of had a second heart attack!  I took a deep breath to calm myself, she's not worth getting aggravated over.  "Where did you come from?"  I asked calmly.

Moondancer gasped.  "Are those pancakes?!  Can I have one?!"

I raised a brow and looked to my plate.  "Uhhh...I suppose."  In a flash a single pancake from the stack is surrounded in a red aura.  She held the food in front of her for a second before using her magic to slice it into bite sized pieces.  The same glow surrounded the bottle of maple syrup.  She is able to squeeze a drop out of the bottle, control the drop with another magical prison, and apply it to the bite sized piece before popping it in her mouth.  Huh.  I have to give her credit.  Vinyl can barely levitate more than two items, and here this mare is coordinating three and multitasking expertly.

"Thanks, Treble Cleft.  I haven't had breakfast yet.  So what's up?"  

I shot her another confused look.  "Well, I was enjoying a nice breakfast with Vinyl and her mother before they had to leave for their jobs.  Then you just came out of nowhere."

She giggled.  "Yeah, I tend to do that."

"So why are you here?"  I asked.

She shrugged.  "I just wanted to see how you were doing.  What?  Can't a friend check up on her friends from time to time?  Gosh!  So rude."

I wouldn't consider her a 'friend', but it is rather nice of her to stop by, even though I still have mixed feelings about her.  "Well, that's all well and good, but how did you get in?"

Moondancer laughed.  "Simple."  A quick flash of light omitted from her body, and she disappeared.  From behind me, a quiet popping sound is heard, as well as another flash of light, and she is on the opposite side of the bed.  "Ta-da!"

I gasped.  "You can teleport?"

She scoffed.  "Duh, I'm awesome.  Every Apprentice in Celestia's School can teleport.  It's like...basic spellcasting, brah."  

I am genuinely surprised.  Moondancer is an Apprentice to a master mage?  Father told me that the honor of being an Apprentice is only reserved for top notch unicorns at Celestia's School.  Grand Magi hoof pick a young Apprentice to teach everything they know to.  If what she says is true, Moondancer must be a powerful unicorn.  How is that though?  She looked and acted like she is at the same magical level as Vinyl!  

She giggled again.  "Surprised?  Thought so.  I take it you thought I was just a normal unicorn because I'm so frantic and, as you nobles would say, 'such a ruffian', correct?"

I nodded.  "Did you use a mind reading spell?"

"I could of, but you're so easy to read."  

"I honestly never thought you were such a higher level unicorn."  I admitted.  "Who is your master?"

"I'm the apprentice to Grand Magus Frostbite." She said proudly.

Oh my, Grand Magus Frostbite is one of the Seven of the Nexus Council of the Ley Keepers; the most powerful magical faction in the world!  They are a specialized section of the Kingdom that is charged with cataloging and researching every spell, artifact, and magic item known to ponykind!  They regulate magic, set the boundaries for it, and enforce and justify every misuse of it.

"My word."  I said after a second to recollect my thoughts.  "And here I thought you were the same as Vinyl."

"Yep.  I'm some kind of wonderful, lemme tell ya."  She popped another piece of pancake into her mouth.

My mind still tried to process all of this puzzling information.  "I just don't understand!  You strike me as nothing as how an Apprentice is supposed to be!  Apprentices are disciplined students that stick to their masters like glue, learning every bit of knowledge they can!  You just...aren't that serious.  No offense."

She shrugged and finished chewing before speaking.  "Pssh, stereotypes stereotypes.  I know a few friends who are over-zealous like that, but hell, even they wind down from time to time.  Buck, Grand Magus Frostbite likes to fool around a lot!  They aren't always stone-faced ya know!  And hey, I can be serious when I want to!  I study under Frostbite's guidance just fine!"  

I cringed.  Moondancer seems to have taken a tad bit of offense from my overview of her.  Gah, I'm such a fool!  Who am I to judge ponies after what Vinyl has showed me?  I can't always take ponies like her, or like Moondancer, for what they appear to be all the time anymore.  

Just like the sun in the sky.  You always expect it to be the same.  Rises from the east and sets on the west; brightens our land and warms its inhabitants, but there are those days when it changes.  Sometimes it could be dotted out by a solar eclipse, sometimes it can be faded by the obscure cloudy canvas.  And, on very rare occasions, the sun will not rise at its set time.  It is always unknown why Prince Celestia sometimes rises the sun a few minutes, and on one memorable day an hour, late.  I personally think she oversleeps sometimes, but that's just me.  Being a demi-goddess princess can be stressful.

I guess this is the part where I apologize.  Damn my prejudices, I really need to break that habit.  I sigh.  "Listen, Moondancer, I apologize gravely for what I said.  I shouldn't judge a pony by just their appearance, not after all what Vinyl has taught me about how deviant she is compared to what both I and my father used to believe."

What happens next is not something I expected:  Moondancer started snickering.  "Treble Clef, baby, please.  One thing you should know about me is that I never get offended at anything!  You don't need to apologize, I still love ya!"  The last square of pancake is engulfed, and with a loud belch and sigh, she flopped herself onto the bed on Vinyl's side.  "Daaaaamn!  This is frikin comfy!"  I would kick her off, but I'm afraid I'll hurt myself more in doing so.  So I settled for a grunt and a flat glare.  "What?"  She asked.  "Oh!  Sorry!  You don't mind do you?"  She gave an innocent-like smile that only further infuriated me.

I only waved my hoof and sighed.  "Fine, go ahead.  It's not like I can stop you anyway."

"Probably not.  Anyway...Girl!  Why didn't you tell me your dad is Professor Arpeggio?!"  She gave me a look of mock hurt.

The sudden shift in conversation puzzles me for a few seconds.  "Uhh...because I just met you...then had a heart attack.  I don't really see room for idle conversation at that point."

"That's no excuse!  Professor Arpeggio is like, my favorite teacher ever!  He's so frikin funny!"  She started laughing uncontrollably.  "Every time he teaches a new lesson, he dresses up from somepony from that era!  Then he tries to do accents--oh and he sometimes acts like as if he was actually that pony!  Oh sweet Celestia; it's so baaaad!"

My father is famous around the school for his strange teaching methods, thinking it would help his students learn.  When he would teach the Raven Wars to his students, he would alternate by dressing up as Lord Raven and Lord Proudmane while simultaneously teaching their major roles in both politics and the battles.  Sometimes, so I've heard from his students and not from father himself, he would not only dress up as them, but also 'roleplay' and act as if he was them.  I wish I could see it in action one day, and maybe embarrass him in front of his students more so then he already apparently does.

I chuckled at Moondancer's laughter attack.  "Yes it's true.  He does tend to fool around with his students from time to time."

"More like all the time!"  She added.  "He's so perfect!  He takes his job seriously, but at the same time fools around so much!"

Hmmm...something isn't adding up here.  "Moondancer?"  I asked.

"Yeah?"  She responded.  

"How does he feel towards you?"

Moondancer rolled over onto her stomach.  "He like, totally loves me!  I swear I'm like his best student, or at least one of."

That's...strange.  Vinyl and Moondancer are very much alike: Club hopping rambunctious lower-class mares that one would say at first glance deeming them a whore.  However, the first mention of Vinyl to my father made him go ballistic, even though he's around Moondancer, and probably more students similar to her, almost everyday and has no bias.  Why is that?  Maybe there's a side to Moondancer I don't know about.

"Ya know, Treble Clef."  I turned to Moondancer only to be met with a lustful pair of eyes. Oh Celestia, here we go..."We're here, in your bed, aloooone."  She strode close to me, draping one foreleg over my shoulders, and the other drawing small circles on my chest.

Perhaps I am wrong about that 'other side of her' thing.  

I immediately shoved her away.  My muscles heave in agony, and I wince from the pain, but at least I got her off me.  Her response is another fit of hysterical laughing.  "C'mon, girl!  Haven't you ever had an affair before?"

I look at her incredulously.  "Don't you have to be married to have an affair?"

Her laughing fit stops dead cold.  She graces me with another blank stare for a few seconds before whining in defeat.  "Alright you got me, but just remember this: you've dodged a bullet today, but that is only one of the many, many bullets that I'm going to throw at you."

I rolled my eyes and shifted to a more comfortable position lower on my back.  "Good thing it takes ten minutes to reload a musket."

"Not if you got MAGIC SKILLZ!"  A flash of red engulfed the room.  From above the bed, a dark crimson ring formed, rotating like a fan above us.  The ring split, forming two identical crimson rings.  The original ring stayed in its place while the copy rotated vertically and shoved itself through the original.  From the epicenter of the two rings, a blue diamond wildly thrashed about, omitting electrical arcs in random directions.  It is all simply amazing!  The colorful lights raged on like a fireworks display in my bedroom!  I am completely entranced by its sheer beauty.  

The magical construct now started encircling the entire room, gaining speed the more it rotated.  Eventually, it revolved so fast that it created an illusion that looks as if the room is surrounded in a veil of crimson, silver, and blue!  Gemstones sparkled ever so brightly in a random order over the room.  The magic washed over the walls like waterfalls, causing Moondancer and I to change color ourselves.  

Without warning, the veil erupted in a magnificent explosion of arcane energy.  The magical rings were no more as they were then turned into specs of arcane dust that cascaded over the room like dust in the wind.  I then noticed that the dust seemed to not be frittering away, but instead it all materialized into an epicenter: right on my lap.  The dust compressed and mutated until it formed a unique shape that resembled a miniature Moondancer.  The construct winked at me, bowed, then disappeared into the air.

If Moondancer is giggling at my stunned expression, I don't notice.  I am too entranced by the beautiful display to think clearly.  Everything was so...marvelous!  Spectacular!  The colors all combining and rapidly spinning around to form a sea of beauty stunned me to the core.  

My mind soon returned to reality by the feeling of a warm foreleg around my shoulders once more.  However, instead of Moondancer trying to come on to me, this time it is just her foreleg around my shoulder with the rest of her body keeping its distance.  "Cool eh?"  She asked me.

It took me a moment to both process her question and answer it.  "There are no words.  There really aren't.  There is no way that I could sum up all of that in a single sentence."

She only giggled.  "C'mon, just think of something!  First thing that pops into that pretty head of yours."

I recalled everything that happened.  From the crimson rings to the gems on the wall, and the array of colors reflecting on my coat.  I sighed and quietly uttered, "Outrageous.  It was truly, truly outrageous."  

I felt her nuzzle into my neck.  "Thanks."  Is the last thing she says before the room fell silent for a few moments.  It isn't an awkward silence, but a pleasant one.  Moondancer's foreleg around my shoulders and her head rested on my side strangely doesn't feel uncomfortable.  It doesn't even seem anything more platonic.  It's as if I was able to stop her lustful desires momentarily.  This hug isn't one of desire or of playfulness, it's of friendship.  Moondancer is just an affectionate pony on the inside.

My memory recalled back to a key location.  Now, in the calm state she is currently in, I could possibly have a serious conversation to settle my sudden curiosity.  Diving headfirst into this subject made me feel uneasy.  I don't know if by asking will it offend her?  Will she be enraged?  Will she be saddened?  I'll at least try to approach the subject as gently as I can.  "Moondancer?"  I started.

She yawned.  "Yeah?"

"Can I ask you something personal?"

She shrugged.  "Go ahead."

I can feel the sweat start to form on my forehead.  "You and Vinyl used to date, correct?"

She hesitated, a telltale sign that things aren't going along so smoothly.  "Mmhmm."

I, too, hesitated before uttering, "What happened?"

Her response is quicker than I expected.  I thought she would be more shut-in, but apparently the memory isn't that painful to recall than what I perceived.  "Nothing really."  She shrugged.  "Just decided a relationship didn't work out between us.  I mean, that's the whole point of dating: to see if two ponies are compatible.  We just...weren't."

I needed to know more.  For some reason, something deep inside is telling me to press on with this conversation.  "Do you...regret it?"

Her head turned to look me in the eye.  To my surprise, there is no hurt in her expression, but only firm determination.  "Nah, Treble Clef, I don't.  I'll admit, for a while I did.  I did think of what would happen if we never broke up, but I'm over it now."  She smirked, then slapped my back.  "She's all yours."

I smiled.  Moondancer has no ill intentions, nor does she seem to mind us being together at all.  What a relief.  I was beginning to think my life would turn out like one of those cliche romance novels where the ex is always still in love with the main character, and so much needless drama ensues.  Thank Faust none of that seems immanent.  However, I'm still curious as to what happened in their entire relationship.  I hope I'm not being too rude by prying.  "Would it be too much to ask if you can tell me everything about your relationship with her?  If you don't want to that's ok!"  I quickly added.  "I don't want to stick my muzzle where it doesn't belong, I was just curious.  You don't--"

"Whoa whoa slow down Treble Clef.  Listen, it's ok.  I don't mind telling you.  It's really not that bad.  It wasn't like the 'so overly dramatic and then huge argument and break-up slash never wanna see you again' kinda thing.  Everything was fine and dandy.  There are no painful memories in this story."  A white hoof then began to ruffle my mane before the mare disengaged from my side and lay on the opposite side of the bed, staring at the ceiling.  

"I guess I should start from the beginning eh?"  I nod.  "Alright well...let's see."  I can see her face scrunch up as she tried to remember.  "It all started when I first became Grand Magus Frostbite's apprentice.  At the time, he pressured me with so much work everyday that my daily schedule was literally work, sleep, repeat.  I would go days without eating just because there was never any time.  I hated it, but I couldn't let the old guy down.  He picked me to be his apprentice; he's never had another one before me.  It was such an honor, and I couldn't forsake it.

"So I continued to work and study.  But on the verge of me almost having a mental breakdown, Frostbite decided to give me a vacation.  Thank.  Faust.  I needed to so badly."  She laughed.  "I remember him saying that I was so good at my work, that he almost thought I loved to work for him so much that he didn't think I wanted the break!  I almost threw a fireball at his baby blue ass!  

"I took advantage of every moment I could free of work.  First place I went to was a club to wind down with a bottle of 151."  

I had to cut her off.  "Hold on a moment....Vinyl was 16 at the time she met you, how old were you?"

"17."  She answered while wiggling her eyebrows.  

"Then why were you drinking?!  That's illegal!"

She groaned and stuffed her face in the pillow.  "Trust me, when you're studying under one of the seven most powerful unicorns in the world, you're gonna need a drink badly every now and then."

I sighed.  No use arguing there.  I would imagine her position at the time was very stressful; I wouldn't blame her.

"Anyway."  She continued.  "There was where I met Vinyl.  She wasn't DJing at the time, but she was learning with somepony else who was DJing that night.  So he let her practice for a bit, and I gotta say her music was puuurty good.  Not as good as it is now..."  I had to roll at my eyes at that statement.  "...but anyway.  Yeah, music was good, I danced a bit, drank a bit.  I know what you're thinking, and no, I wasn't drunk.  Maybe a little tipsy but definitely under .08.  When the DJ was on his break Vinyl decided to get a drink at the bar--Virgin, of course--and I was sitting next to her.  

"We started talking, and she was a pretty cool filly.  After his break, the DJ called her back over.  Damnit what was his name...I'm sure it was something generic with numbers and letters.  Anyway, when they were done perfomin' at around 1am she stayed around for a bit and we talked more.  I started flirtin her up a bit somewhere there too--oh word of advice, Vinyl really likes it when you pet her mane.  I'm sure you probably figured it out by now, but just in case..."

I nodded.  "I am well aware of her liking for affection for mane-petting.  Why is that by the way?"

She shrugged.  "It's just that one thing everypony has that they either really like or really hate.  Like for example, I have a thing for ponytails, reason why I styled your mane that way at the club, and why I always have one.  What about you?  Got something that really hits ya?"

I have to think about this one.  There are a few things that irk me, but not something so major like Vinyl's petting thing.  However...there is one thing that bothers me to no end.  "Honestly, I hate it when Vinyl calls me 'Octy.'  It's such a disgusting petname.  It sounds like I'm some kind of mutant fish creature."

Moondancer started laughing, to which I rolled my eyes yet again.  Anymore of this and I'm going to get dizzy.  "Oh ho ho 'Octy'?  Mutant fish creature?  That's a good one."  I cleared my throat, giving her the hint to continue her story rather than ridicule my horrendous nickname.  "Alright fine.  Anyway, 2am is when clubs and bars close, so we had to head out.  I offered to walk her home, and yeah...that's it.  I started going to the club every chance I had just to see her."

"Eventually I asked her to dance, then out on a date.  And it just escalated from there.  The thing is though...Vinyl is...uh how do I say this...she's quick to accept things, and takes things really fast.  Like, we were together for a month and she was all over me!  I like affection just as much as the next mare, but damn, I couldn't get a break!  I eventually got her to stop being so clingy, but it took some effort.  Then there was the issue with her eyes...

"Took me like what?  Four months for her to take those damn things off?  Something along those lines."  She sighed and paused for a moment.  "Poor thing though, albinism is rare, but if you get it you're practically shunned as a foal.  Vinyl had to mask her eyes and move to a new school to stop the bullying when she was young.  Didn't think that it would carry on to high school though."

I nodded.  "She's still scared of what ponies think of her eyes.  It took me a good three months of just living with her.  The day that we got together was actually when she showed them to me."  I sighed and zoned out for a second.  "They're absolutely beautiful."  I whispered.

"Tell me about it."  She agreed.  "I don't know what everyponies problem is, but red eyes are frikin awesome!"

In the back of my mind, I know that the color of her eyes doesn't entirely have to do with why she hides them.  Back when she still lived with her abusive father, she would receive multiple black eyes.  The glasses were only there to hide the markings so the teachers at school wouldn't worry, and she would just give the excuse that other foals made fun of her red eyes to allow the teachers reason to let her keep them on.

I want to tell Moondancer about the truth, but I'm not sure how Vinyl would react if I told her.  I'm sure she wouldn't be too angry.  Moondancer is her ex-marefriend after all, and has the notion to become my 'best friend' for some reason.  I'm sure it wouldn't hurt.  "Actually Moondancer, the color of her eyes aren't the real reason why she masks them."

She raised an inquisitive brow.  "Really?"

I nodded solemnly.  "Now, don't tell Vinyl I told you this, at least not yet."  My voice lowers, even though there isn't anypony near.  "Understand this, Vinyl's foalhood was really rough.  She had a very abusive father that would beat both her and her mother nearly daily.  Recently, he and Bluebelle came over to 'visit' Vinyl and 'apologize'.  In actuality, her father only came here to steal her money.  I was able to find it out, Vinyl was able to knock him out cold until the Guard came to arrest him.  That is the reason she hides her eyes.  She used to receive gruesome black eyes from her father, and he forced her to wear those glasses or else.  The threats and consequences became so horrifying that her mind is just conditioned to being afraid of showing her eyes to ponies, even though there are no signs of markings on them."

At the mention of an abusive father, Moondancer covered her mouth with her hoof and gasped.  Her eyes sparkled from surfacing moisture threatening to break out.  She looked down and idly fiddled with the bedsheets.  "Oh my...She...she never told me about that.  That's terrible...I'm so sorry I...I just want to hug her now.  Just hug her so tightly and cry."

I ignored my aching muscle just enough to slide close to Moondancer.  I placed a hoof on her shoulder, and she reacts with a light hug.  "Try not to worry so much about it.  Vinyl's very optimistic, and on top of that her mother is here to reunite with her and recover from such a monstrous life with a stallion who, if you were to ask me, should be hanged with a hot iron spiked noose on the gallows in front of a roaring crowd."  She broke from our embrace and gave me a shaking smile with a nod.  "Why don't we forget about that and you just continue with your story?"

"Okay."  With a sniffle, a hoof to wipe her tears, and a throat clear, she plunged right back into her tale.  "Where was I?  Clingy...eyes...ok so I'm nearing the end.  About four months into our relationship, she started saying 'I love you' to me.  At the time...I didn't know what to feel.  I was so confused.  We were still new to our relationship, and I still didn't know her that much.  On top of that, I have task for the Grand Magus to complete, and we don't spend so much collective time together.  I started to mess up alot after that.  Frostbite tried to talk to me a few times to ask why I was so distracted, I just told him it was personal issues and I'll probably be fine in a few days, but that didn't happen.  

"Eventually we had a talk, and he told me that I had to solve this issue for myself.  He can't tell me who to love, how to love, or anything, so I was alone on this one.  Some oh so great mentor I know right?  Nah I'm kidding, he can be pretty cool when he wants to be.  So next time I saw Vinyl, we had this huge talk.  I mentioned that we were going way too fast, and that we don't even see each other much in general.  Now, I wasn't opting to break up with her at the time, I just wanted things to slow down.  I can't remember exactly what was said, but long story short, we agreed to stay friends...kinda.  Between my studies and her fame, we barely see each other anymore.  It was just too much pressure, y'know?  

"Has that ever happened to you?  You had somepony you care about, but then they just kinda fade away in the sands of time.  It's sad really.  You're just sitting there, watching them from ashore drift away on a boat when the only thing you can do is watch them slowly fade away over the horizon.  Sure, you can jump in and swim after them, but what's stopping you is something I cannot explain.  I hated that feeling.  I wanted so badly to jump in there and swim all the way to her, and just be there for her ya know?  Maybe not as a marefriend, but just as a friend.  Just a shoulder to lean on when things get rough and you need a push, but no.  I didn't stop it, I just let the winds continue to carry her away from me.  I was just unable to stop the inevitable."  She paused for a long moment, her eyes closed in deep contemplation.  

Any past prejudice I had for this mare has completely vanished.  Moondancer has a completely different side to her that I would have never thought would exist if not for this talk.  She's vastly intelligent, strong willed, sensitive, and contemplative as opposed to what I previously thought of her to be: A rash, arrogant, annoying, club hopping, wild mare.  I curse myself for being so stereotypical and biased.  From now on, I will never judge a pony by what society perceives them to be until I further get to know them.

Spontaneously, Moondancer brightened up and graced me with a genuine smile.  "But that was all six years ago!  Times a change, and I have more freedom now!  Maybe now Vinyl and I could be close friends again, you too.  I really like you, Octavia, you're a cool mare.  I'd hang with you any day!"

I tilted my head.  "Uh...thank you?"  I said with uncertainty.  "At least your looking at this in an optimistic manner."

Moondancer griped her head and twisted her neck left and right to pop the joints.  "Pssh, Optimism smoptimisim.  I'm more of a realist really.  I'm not a peppy cheerleader that's all like 'Don't worry!  We can do it if we work really hard!'  Nah, fuck that.  I'm more of the 'Ok this is what we gotta do: boom boom and boom.  You, you, and you go here, here and here.  Break.'  Ya see what I mean?  If things go smoothly, then it works, If I see that things aren't going so well, I'll admit it ain't going well and see if it can get fixed.  If it don't get fixed, well shit then I give up."

"Hmm...interesting way of viewing life."  I sighed and shifted position to lay on my stomach.  I groaned in pain as my muscles cried from the torment.

Moondancer gave me a curious look.  "You ok?"

Once the pain subsided I am able to talk.  "Not really.  The heart attack stiffened my muscles and it still hurts after a week."

I instantly felt a pressure on my back and shoulders.  "Here, want me to give you a massage?"

On any normal day I would have declined, but at this moment I really need a massage right now.  "That would be lovely."

Moondancer's hooves soon put a firm force on my shoulders.  After a second I could also feel a warmth sensation that I can only guess is her magic.  Whatever it is she's doing, it felt good!  Oh my, this is absolutely wonderful!  My muscles all simultaneously sighed in great relief as most of the pressure is taken off of them.  Slight moans and sighs escape my lips as I wind down, relax, and stuff my face into my pillow.  

The warmth of her magic spread lower to my back.  By the almighty Faust it feels so good!  My eyes roll to the back of my head as my nerves release pleasurable stimuli all over my body.  Hooves worked on my shoulders and neck in a squeezing and rubbing motion while magic works on my back in a chopping motion.  It all feels like heaven on my body.  Surges of heat pulsated through my veins as if my blood was replaced with liquid pleasure!  My heart rate slowed greatly, my brain activity almost ceased.

There are some voices somewhere in the room, but I ignore them.  This sensation is too unbelievably wonderful to let anything overshadow it.  However, it was all cut short suddenly.  I'm not sure how long in reality it has stopped for, but I know now I can no longer feel anything.  I lift my head and open my eyes to find Moondancer staring off to the left with a surprised expression.  I turn to where her gaze is set and gasp.  Vinyl is standing there, with a raised brow, and probably ready to kill somepony.

"Uhhh..."  Moondancer started.  "This is exactly what it looks like."

If I am not in such a euphoric state, I would slap her.  "No it isn't!"  I countered.  This is no time for joking, Moondancer!

Vinyl took a second to say something.  "Ok, now you really got some 'splanin' to do."

"I swear, Vinyl!"  I started.  "She was only giving me a massage!  That's it!  I swear I'd never do anything like that to you!"

"Yeah."  Moondancer added.  "All joking aside, I really was just giving her a massage.  I mean, after a heart attack muscles tend to ache..."

"Mmhmm."  Vinyl said.  "I can't believe this!  I'm gone for not even an hour, and you do this to me!  How could you Tavi?  I thought you loved me!"  Oh no.  No no no no no, please don't do this to me Vinyl!  Please don't make this more dramatic than it needs to be!  "I mean you and Moondancer, in our bed without me?!  How cold can you get?"

...What?  Really?  Really?!  Is she serious?  By Celestia she's serious!  Nope, I'm done.  I'm done with it.  I'm done with these flipping mares today.  I'm just going to stuff my head into this pillow, groan very loudly, and wish that there was a blunt object to beat myself with until I'm unconscious.  All the while Vinyl and Moondancer are laughing their flanks off like it's no tomorrow.