Anytime that something needed to be done, I would always tell Vinyl how to do it and when.  Most of the time she tells me there’s a better way and has this mentality that everything I say is ‘my way and the right/only way’, to which I argue that that reasoning is absurd.  There are times when I have been wrong, and I’ll admit my mistakes.

This time, however, I’m not wrong.  This time I get the right to say ‘I told you so’.  Maybe this time Vinyl will learn a thing or two about common sense.  Maybe next time we go on a week long cruise, she’ll pack before the day of the cruise and not have to run around looking for everything that she needs.

Times like these are when I can let my ego inflate just a little bit.

“Tavi!”  She yells as she skids to a halt in front of me.  “Where’s my black scarf!”

I rub my muzzle, “Why do you need a scarf?”

She shakes a hoof in the air,  “We’re gonna be on an airship a thousand frikin’ feet in the sky; it’s going to be cold due to the simple laws of thermodynamites, honey.”

I scoff at her, “Don’t get snarky with me just because you were to lazy to pack yesterday.”  

She groans and rushes into our room to find said article of clothing.  I can hear her tearing down the walls just to find it.  “You know I had to work yesterday night right?”

“Doesn’t excuse the fact that you had weeks to prepare, darling.”  I say with a smirk.  “Not to mention the fact that you explicitly told me ‘Eh, I don’t got much.  I can finish packing in like five minutes’.”  

“Guys, I think we’re missing the point here.”  A new voice says.  I look to my left to see Moondancer sitting next to me on the couch with a cup a coffee in her hoof and a faint glow dimming around her.  

She sips her coffee, before continuing, “It’s pronounced ‘thermodynamics’, Vinyl. Though, I am actually impressed that you used it in the correct context.”  

The sounds of rummaging stop momentarily as Vinyl emerges from the room, scarfless.  She looks at Moondancer, puzzled.  “What are you doing here?”

“Cruise.”  She says simply, then sips her coffee.

Vinyl holds her confused gaze for another moment, before shrugging.  Without missing a beat, she turns around and continues to destroy the closet for her scarf.

“You know, Moondancer.”  I start, “How do you do that where you know about what’s going on before you teleport here?”

“Ummm… I’m fucking magic?  Do I need to explain it further?”

I roll my eyes, “If you would so kindly share your vast and infinite knowledge with me, a simple earth pony, I would forever be grateful, Ley Keeper.”

She sips her coffee and sighs happily, “Now that’s what I’m talking about.  You see, I actually teleport here a few seconds before you realize I’m here and just turn invisible.  That way, it gives off the illusion that I’m all knowing.”

I get a little unsettling feeling deep down at the thought that Moondancer can turn invisible, but I keep it at bay.  “But, the flash and the noise of teleporting.  What happens to that?”  

She waves off my comment, “If you’re as good as me, you can hide those sounds.  I mean, how do you expect spies to jump around without alerting ponies?  Can’t exactly have them going ‘BLINK BLINK BLINK’ all over the place, now can we?”

At this point, Vinyl comes in front of the couch, rolling her eyes, “See, Tavi, I told you we should’ve put a bell on her a looooong time ago.”  She clears her throat.

I look at her.  “Did you find your scarf?”

She shakes her head.  “No, I just stopped to comment on something.”  She looks at Moondancer.  “Invisible, eh?”

She sips her coffee.  “Yep.”

Vinyl stays silent for a moment.  “You do realize how bad that sounds to me, right?”

Another sip. “Yes.”  And with one, final sip, she finishes her coffee and sets the cup on fire before eliminating it from existence.  “I mean, who knows what I could do with that power.  Rob banks, eavesdrop on ponies and then blackmail them, listen in on top secret government stuff.  I mean, damn, I’d be scared of me, too.”

“That’s, uh… that’s not what I meant.”

Moondancer looks at Vinyl, confused.  “What do you mean then?”

Vinyl groans and points between me and her.  

Moondancer is still clueless.  “I don’t get it.”

At this point, with how red Vinyl’s face is getting, she may not need a scarf.  “You can be spying on me and Tavi while…”  She let her sentence hang for Moondancer to figure out.

“While…what?  While you’re talking bad about me behind my back?”  

“Y’know what, I ain’t gonna step around it: have you watched us have sex?”

I cough.

Moondancer’s mouth drops slightly as her eyebrows furrow in anger.  “What the hell, Vinyl?  That’s disgusting.  You honestly think…” Vinyl raises an accusing eyebrow. “You know what? Fuck it!  I can’t believe you honestly think that low of me.  I mean, come on!  What would I gain from watching you two have sex?  Like, I don’t see a point in me wasting my magic on something like that.  I have better things to do, you know!  Like do work for that Celestia-forsaken Frostbite who, might I add, sometimes sends me on suicide missions!  You know how much preparing, physically and mentally, goes into the shit he piles on me?!  A-fucking-lot, I’ll tell you that!  Not to mention all the raw, magical power I have inside me that I’m still in the process of honing to perfection!  And you think I waste that potential on something so degrading?  I could level half of this city without breaking a sweat!  The effort that goes into spying on you two could be going into something meaningful, like that!”

“Pssh, don’t listen to her.”  I slightly jump as I hear Moondancer’s voice behind me, even though she is sitting beside me.  As I turn around, I notice a second Moondancer sitting to my right.  “I can level a quarter of the city without breaking a sweat.”

I frantically look between the two unicorns between me.  “Uhhhh… Moondancer?”

“Yes?”  They both say.

My confusion slowly morphs into annoyance.  “The real one.”

“That would be me!”  The newer one to my right says.  “What’s up?”

I point to the older Moondancer, “What’s with her?”

The older Moondancer chuckles.  “An illusion, my friend.  A trick of the mind.  Smoke and mirrors.”  She pauses to place a hoof on my forehead.  “Our minds are fickle little things.  They always attempt to make sense of the world around us.  How does it make you feel knowing that I have the power to alter your perception?  To change what you know now, and even what you’ve always known with a flick of my horn?  Does it frighten you?  It should.”  She removes her hoof.  “I am only an illusion, but I am more than that.  I am a representation of something more sinister.  A manifestation of but the power I truly command.  A--”

“That’s my ego.”  The newer Moondancer says, cutting herself off.  “Illusion magic is very complicated.   I tried picking up on making clones, but the best I can do with cloning myself is literally taking part of myself and manifesting it.  I chose my ego this time.  I can do other emotions, too.  I call her Egodancer.”

The newly dubbed Egodancer groans in frustration.  “I was trying to make a serious scene here!”

Moondancer looks at her doppelganger with curiosity, “I think I might be either getting craftier or sloppier.  It seems like she’s more angry than she should be.”  Moondancer pauses to think.  “Did I form two emotions into one?  Parts of them or fully?”

Vinyl, in the meantime, is fascinated by Egodancer.  She extends her hoof out to touch her.  “Cool.  So is she like… real?  Or will my hoof just--”

Egodancer effectively cuts her off by lifting Vinyl off the ground with her magic.  “Oh, I’m real alright.  Everything about me is real.  Real fur, real magic, real emotions that you toyed with oh so delicately!”  Egodancer stands up from the couch and advances towards the still floating Vinyl.  “I honestly don’t understand why I still hang around with you.  After what you put me through all those years ago I--”

“Alright, that’s enough outta you.”  Moondancer says sharply as her counterpart disappears in a flash of light that in turn swirls around Moondancer’s body before fusing into her horn.  She shakes her head and runs a hoof through her mane.  “Clones, am I right?  As you can see, she’s kinda… incomplete.  Manifesting emotions is one thing, but she isn’t… as real as she said she was.  Like, you can touch her, she can use magic, but for the most part she’s an illusion.  Like, she doesn’t ‘feel’ anything if you were to hit her, she doesn’t have a working circulatory, respiratory, digestive systems, and all that other stuff either.  One day I’ll be able to make a perfect clone of myself.”

Both Vinyl and I just stare at her.  From what I’m getting, it seems that Moondancer has some… repressed feelings towards Vinyl that accidentally got out, and now she’s trying to play it off as if it was nothing.  Was it even by accident?  Could this be a subtle cry for help?  It seems strange, though, considering Moondancer doesn’t hold back her feelings once she gets into the right mood, which usually takes a while.

Vinyl, on the other hoof, looks stoic.  I can’t imagine what she must be thinking.  After being ranted at by an angry side of Moondancer that didn’t have a problem with venting her feelings, she must be trying to process all of that.  I never imagined that there would be bad blood between these two.  They were always so happy around each other; like childhood friends.  Hearing both sides of the story, back when they were a couple, the way they broke up sounds like they shouldn’t have a problem with each other.  Could there be more to the story they aren’t telling me?  Whatever it is, something needs to be worked out.

“Moondancer?”  I start, hoping to eventually clear the air.

“Hmm?”

I look between her and Vinyl, “Is there… something we need to talk about?”

Moondancer sits back down on the couch, staring straight ahead.  “Nope.”

Vinyl takes a step forward.  “I think there is something--”

“Don’t you need to find your scarf?”  Moondancer questions.

Vinyl looks at me, then back to her.  “Pretty sure this is a little more serious than--”

“Scarf,”  Moondancer says sharply and loudly, “Vinyl,” she says in a more even tone.

Vinyl and I share another look.  I twitch my head in the direction of our room, signaling her to go.  She wordlessly obeys, but keeps her eyebrow raised while she heads towards the room.

I slowly sit back down, keeping my eyes on her and hoping that she will open up soon.  After a few minutes, she yawns and slides off the couch.  “I’m going home, see ya later, Octavia.”

Before she can teleport, I quickly say, “Home?  What about the cruise?”

She speaks, but doesn’t look at me.  “I’d rather lay in bed and stare at the ceiling.”

“Moondancer, is this about--”  Her harsh whisper is enough to cut me off.

“I can tell I’m not wanted here anyway.  Did you see the way she talked to me when she first saw me?  ‘What are you doing here?’ like she was disgusted to see me.  I told her for the cruise, and she just looked at me with this very annoyed look.  It didn’t seem like it, but I can feel it.  Like the whole trip is ruined because I’m here.”  

I approach her carefully.  “Moondancer, you know that’s not true.  We don’t have a problem with you joining us.”

She takes another step towards the door.  “You might not.  Look, Octavia, I came here to relax; to get a break.  Being on an airship when I know I’m not wanted isn’t exactly relaxing.”

I stop her from going closer.  “Moondancer, listen to me.  The cruise is a week long.  You can relax for a few days, indulge a bit in some free, fancy wine, and enjoy all the pie, cake, pizza, and anything else you can think of all you want.  After that, then we can all have a talk, alright?  Wind down, then when you’re ready we can clear the air, ok?”

She stays silent for several seconds.  I fear at any moment she’ll just teleport out of here, and I’ll have to wait before I can get my chance to talk to her.  She sighs, rubs her muzzle, and without looking at me says, “Fine, alright.  I’ll spill my guts after I gained ten pounds on key lime pie and pina coladas.  I’ll meet you at the dock.”  With that said, she disappeared.    

Vinyl walks into the room, "Hey, Tavi, I found the–" she stops when she enters the room, looking around. "Oh, I guess Moondancer left... Okay."  She returns her attention back to me. "Anyways, I found the scarf!" She wraps the long, black scarf around her neck, letting the tale end flow down off her side.  "Forgot I even had this until you told me to pack. How do I look?" She struts around in a small circle, giving her flank a little wiggle.

I roll my eyes. "Lovely.  Now, get that and the rest of your stuff packed so we can get going, already; father and Bluebelle are already there and waiting on us.  I'd rather not start my vacation by missing our departure."

Vinyl shrugs. "Fine, fine.  Grr, I was hoping the flank-swish was gonna work."

I chuckle. "I'm practically swooning, love.  Now," I swat her rump with the back of my hoof, "get that flank back in there and pack the rest of your stuff!"

She lets out a 'yipe' of surprise, and walks back into the room. "Fine…”

“Oh and Vinyl,”  She turns around.  “Don’t think for a second that we’re dropping this Moondancer issue.”  She’s about to retort, but I stop her.  “I don’t want to hear it, Vinyl.  Our friend feels like she isn’t wanted on this cruise. Isn't wanted by us.  I don’t know where this… this passive aggressive behavior came from towards her, but I don’t like it.  Ex-marefriend or not, we’re going to resolve this, alright?”

She only nods, before retreating back into the room.  I heavily sigh and plop back on the couch.  This has been an interesting morning.  Why is Vinyl acting so different to Moondancer?  The two were always very friendly with each other, despite being exes.  It’s just today, for some reason, Vinyl seems like she doesn’t want anything to do with her.  Could she think that Moondancer will somehow disturb us while we want alone time?  Doesn’t seem likely.  Moondancer isn’t like that; she respects our privacy.  

Maybe there’s something else bugging Vinyl, and Moondancer happened to be caught in the crossfire.  Vinyl is always open to talking about her problems to me, and as of recent there isn’t anything that seems like a big issue.  

Whatever the problem is, I’ll make sure not to leave Vinyl alone until she spills it.  I like Moondancer, I honestly do.  She has a different side to her that I’ve come to appreciate.  Despite her boarderline insanity, she can really be a good friend, once you get used to it.  Well, used to her.  She’s an acquired taste, to say the least.

(\/);,,;(\/)

There are only so many times when I can use ‘I told you so’, and this is one of those times.  Oh and I am sure going to abuse this precious moment.  You see, I told Vinyl to pack lightly, since it’s only a week long cruise.  Her definition of ‘light’ is very different, however.

“Tavi… please… water… I’m gonna… die…” She begs between pants.

I smile sweetly at her.  “I’m sorry, love, but you already drank all the water I packed.  Maybe if you packed lightly, you wouldn’t be out of breath.  You’ll just have to wait until we board, now.”

She’s too tired to make any comeback, verbally or otherwise.

In the distance, I can make out father and Bluebelle amongst the crowd.  Father is talking to Bluebelle, who seems more than a little uncomfortable by being in such a crowded place.  Leaving Vinyl to rest on a nearby bench, I walk up to them.  “Hello, everypony.”  I say.

Father smiles and hugs me.  “Ahh my darling daughter, good to see you.  Where’s Vinyl?”

I cock my head back, “Catching her breath after carrying six bags of Celestia-knows-what, all with her magic.”

At the mention of Vinyl being exhausted, Bluebelle’s motherly instinct kicks in.  “Oh dear, is she okay?  She probably needs some water!  Don’t worry, I have a few with me!”  With that said, she retreats towards her daughter.  A minute or so later, she returns to us with Vinyl in tow.  I almost laugh at seeing Bluebelle carrying all of her bags without any strain.  Vinyl you really should train your magic just a bit.

Vinyl, however, doesn’t seem to care that her pride had taken a beating.  “Problem solved, Tavi.”

I roll my eyes.  "Seriously, Vinyl, was bringing your entire 'rig' completely necessary?"  I scoff. "And how can you pack that much clothes?  I didn't even know you owned that much!"

Vinyl rolls her eyes behind her glasses.  "Seriously, Tavi, a good DJ is always prepared just in case their talents are needed, and you can never be too careful about what you pack.  Heck, what if we got stranded! You’d be like, 'Glad Vinyl packed all of this stuff so we can survive.'"

I deadpan, staring at her with lack of amusement.  "First off, if we manage to crash in an airship, I think that looking good is on the bottom of priorities.  Miles below, I don't know, funeral arrangements!" I snort. Looking around, I notice there’s one pony missing.  “Where’s Moondancer?  We can’t board without her.”

"Yo’."

I jump.  Turning around, I see Moondancer standing behind us wearing a Haywaiin shirt and sipping out of a coconut with a little umbrella.

"When did you get here?" I ask, more annoyed at her delayed appearance than shocked from the minor scare.

Moondancer looks down at her non existent watch. "Oh, about five minutes or so ago. I was gonna make my appearance known but, y'know, watching you two bicker is just oh so satisfying."

I roll my eyes. "Well, now that you are here we can finally board."

Moondancer flashes her magic, “Hooray!  Airship!”

(\/);,,;(\/)

I imagined the ship to be huge.  I prepared myself for the ship to be huge.  I just didn’t think it was physically possible for an airship to be this huge.  The Lunar Dream, an airship originally designed for war a few decades back, was recommissioned into a cruise ship after tense relations with the Griffons died down, is easily taking up my entire field of vision.  Looking to the left and right, the ship spans for what looks like miles across several docks.

How in the name of Celestia this thing stays afloat is beyond me.  There isn’t even a balloon!  It’s just propellers on small wings on the sides.  There must be some magic involved, or something.  Some crazy, natural order breaking magic.

The five of us gave up our tickets and headed towards our rooms to drop our bags off.  Even though the ship itself is massive, the quarters are smaller than an average bedroom.  The bathroom is so cramp I have to stand on my hind legs to use the shower.  Stupid government.  You would think they would expand these rooms or something.

Once we situated ourselves in our rooms, we each went our separate ways to enjoy what the cruise has to offer.  The older ponies went off together while Moondancer said she was going to relax with pie and coladas on the bow in the sun.

In the meantime, Vinyl and I figured we’d have some fun at the pool.  

The pool is… well, you could tell this was once a military ship. The pool looks like they took off the massive gun turret and added liner.  Not to say it isn’t impressive, more that it seems a little out of place. What seems more of off place was the fact that Vinyl is currently walking around in a two piece swimsuit.

“Vinyl, dear, I do believe that isn’t completely necessary,” I say, trying not to stare at how it, uh… accentuates her curves.

Vinyl smirks. “Considering I haven’t seen you take your eyes off of my flank I believe it is doing it’s job quite well.” She winks.

I blush, taking one last fleeting look before turning my gaze to the deck of the ship. “Well, uh… hehe. Good point, I guess.” I clear my throat. “Oh, would you look at that! They have a diving board! I’m gonna, uh… go and use it. Yes!” I walk away from Vinyl, who’s smile is a mile wide.

I walk up to the large ladder to the diving board, mounting the rungs and beginning my accent. I get to the top and trott forwards, making it to the end and… and… My eyes go wide as I fall onto my stomach, gripping the board with both hooves. Why did they make this so high! A paralyzing fear grips me as I lay there, refusing to move, but also, for some reason, unable to take my eyes off of the pool below, which looks oh so small from up here.

“Hey, Tavi, you gonna jump or what?” Vinyl call from below, wading carelessly in the deep end of the pool below me. She then smirks. “Oh… looks like somepony’s scared!”

“I am not scared!” I yell back. “I am merely… gauging my descent! Yes, that is what I am doing!”

“No, you are clearly scared.” Vinyl makes her way out of the pool and towards the diving board.  “Here, I’ll come up there and jump with you.”  The board soon shakes with the force of Vinyl climbing up.

“No no no no!  That’s okay, love, I’m perfectly fine!”  My grip on the board tightens as the shaking becomes more violent as she reaches the top.  Once she has cleared the ladder, she waddles over to me with a growing smile.  “Stop it, Vinyl.  I know what you’re planning, you fiend!”

Before I can retaliate further, Vinyl grabs me by my withers, kisses my cheek, and lunges forward with me in her grasp.  I scream like a little filly, my grip tight around my lover’s midsection. We hit the surface, water exploding around us in a plume of spray.

We swim up the surface and gasp for breath.  Somehow, her sunglasses were able to stay on her face through that whole ordeal.  We look at each other, and I start to chuckle.  As frightening as that was, it was so much fun!  Especially when I held on to Vinyl as I was falling.  It just made it feel so much more… exhilarating!  

Vinyl starts to laugh with me as we float in the warm water.  She nuzzles my neck and says, “Since when were you afraid of heights?”

I clear my throat. “Well, since... shut up.” I splash her with a faceful of water, swimming away before she can counter.      

Vinyl laughs, swimming after me and chanting, “I’m gonna get you for that.”

I laugh as well, splashing back at her at any moment I get, while still staying ahead of her. Finally, I get tired, and Vinyl manages to catch up to me in the shallow end, lunging at me and wrapping her hooves around me. Our bodies press together as we both stand up on the tips of out hooves, our heads just barely breaching the top of the water. We laugh, swaying back and forth from the gently current of the pool, our muzzles only inches apart. Suddenly, I feel something warm press against my lips, and it takes me only moments to realize Vinyl’s pulled me into a kiss. I wrap my hooves around her neck and pull her in close, deepening the kiss.

We both stand there, swaying gently, our lips locked, as all of the stress from the previous weeks seems to melt away. Eventually, and far too soon, our lips part, and I stare deeply into Vinyl eyes. Moments pass as we both simply gaze into eachother's eyes, not a word shared between us. I lean forwards and rest my chin on her shoulder.

“Thank you,” I whisper into her ear. For what, I don’t know, but it feels right.

Vinyl nuzzles me back, whispering, “No, thank you.”

(\/);,,;(\/)

“Whatdya want to do now, Tavi?  We can go hang gliding, go to the cassino, have a drink at the jazz bar, shuffleboarding?”  Vinyl asks as we walk through the deck, leaning on each other.

I attempt to lean further into her, “I’m fine with whatever you want to do, love.”

“C’mon, Tavi.  I want to make this vacation perfect for you.  What do you want to do?”

I sigh happily.  “That jazz bar sounds like fun.”

She giggles.  “I knew that was coming; we’re already here.”

I look up to see the sight a low-lit room.  Along the walls are couches and tables, while the bar is opposite of them.  In the corner of the room next to the bar, a stallion is playing a piano while another one is playing a saxophone.

We head to the bar, ordering drinks.  Well, just me anyway.  Vinyl is more content at drinking virgin drinks while listening to the smooth, soothing jazz.  “Ahhh, the atmosphere here is wonderful, Vinyl.  It makes me feel like I’m in the 30s.”

She laughs at me.  “You and your old stuff.  What’s next?  You’re gonna get some unicorn to magically make your eyesight black and white?”

“You wouldn’t happen to know how to do that, would you?”  

She waves a hoof at me, “Girl, I barely know how to turn the doorknob.”

I chuckle and take a sip of my wine.  “My, this vintage is incredible!  I must say, whatever year this is is simply divine!”  I pause to inspect the bar.  “Only thing that would make this complete now is… ah!  Barkeep!  One Her Majesty’s Reserve, please.”

Vinyl did a double take at me, actually taking off her glasses to look at me as I give the cigar a good sniff along the end, before I let the barkeep light it.  “Since when do you smoke?!”

I shrug, giving a hefty puff.  “Not since a long time ago.”  I pause to inhale the smoke, allowing the heavy, but sweet taste to overcome me.  “But, I’m enjoying myself, now.  There’s no harm in one with some good wine, is there?”

Vinyl looks between me and the fat smoking object in my hooves.  “I guess not… I mean, if it’s only a one time thing… can I try?”

I pass the cigar to her.  “Be careful, love, this stuff is very strong.  Just make sure you don’t--”  I’m not able to continue as Vinyl nearly coughs out her lungs.  She quickly reaches for her drink, attempting to soothe her throat from the tobacco.  “--Inhale it.”

“Sweet.. sweet mother of… of Celestia!  What the… the fuck is that thing?!”  

I only chuckle at her as I take the cigar and puff a perfect smoke ring.  “A very expensive and potent cigar, dear, and not for the faint of lung.”

She gives me a look that I can only describe as ‘dumbstruck’.  “What are you?”

I hold her hoof and kiss her cheek.  “You’re so adorable.”  I lean against her, tuning out all other sounds except for the jazz filling the smoky air.  I’m being so spoiled, and I love it.  Expensive wine, expensive cigar, jazz, and all of it free, and all of it with Vinyl.  

(\/);,,;(\/)

My sides hurt and I continue to laugh, Vinyl still in the bathroom desperately using a toothbrush to try and clean off the taste of my cigar off of her tongue.

“Love,” I squeak out through laughs. “I hate to inform you, but, I don’t think that’s gonna work.”

She ignores me, continuing her vain attempt with the toothbrush.  I eventually stop laughing, wiping a few tears away as I put a hoof on her shoulder.  She gives me an evil glare.  “Hwow dwo you evfen breaff aroun’ tha’ stfuff?!”  She says through a mouthful of toothpaste.    

“It’s an… acquired taste, to say the least.”  I pat her on the back and exit the tiny bathroom.  “I’ll be on the bow when you’re finished.”

She waves a hoof at me to acknowledge the information.  I exit the room and make my way up to the top deck, passing by a few bars, restaurants, and a casino.  This ship is so massive that it might as well be Cloudsdale, but made of wood and iron.  I’m surprised I didn’t get lost trying to find my way back to the room.

As I passed by a restaurant, my eye caught sight of two familiar ponies.  As I take a closer look, I see that Father and Bluebelle are having lunch together.  I smile to myself.  Bluebelle is laughing and smiling with my father, instead of flinching on instinct, despite his excessive hoof gestures; it feels good to see her finally start to open up.  It seems that she finally got over her fear of him.    

I continue up to the top deck and towards the bow.  As I weave around ponies lounging about on recliners, I notice that Moondancer hasn’t moved since the ship left port.  There she lies, with a pina colada in one hoof, and a key lime pie in the other, basking in the sun.  

I approach her, and she takes out one earbud as soon as she notices my presence.  She banges her hooves on her stomach to make a beat.  “When I look up to the sky, I see your eyes, a funny kind of yellow!”

“You seem to be enjoying yourself.”  I say.

“Sweet, merciful goddesses I am.”  She sips on the pina colada in a coconut.  “Garcon!”  She calls out, “Another drink!”  Soon, a slender stallion gracefully trots up to her, taking the empty coconut.  

“Gratzie.”  Moondancer says.

The stallion turns around, but before he leaves, he says in a refined, but slightly annoyed voice, “Garcon means boy, madam.”

Moondancer leans forward, raising up her sunglasses to look at the stallion.  “Well somepony watched the first five minutes of Pulp Fiction.”

“How many of those drinks have you had?”  I ask carefully.  

She shrugs.  “Like four.”  I give her a concerned look.  “Only one was alcoholic.  I drink them for the taste and the immersion… sheesh.”  She reaches to the side of her, where a small table is with a plate of pie.  “I also need another pie when Thunderbuns comes back.”

“Thunderbuns?”

She waves at me, “Whatever his name is.  I mean, have you seen his flanks?  De-licious.”

“And how many pies have you had already?”

She shrugs again.  “Three.”

I sigh at her.  “Moondancer, try to tone it down.  You don’t want to lose that figure do you?”

“Pssh, my metabolism will figure out all that gunk.  It’s how us lolis work.  I mean, I eat like there’s no tomorrow, and look at me.  Still petite, still sexy, still tight.”

I clear my throat.  “I didn’t need to hear that last part.  Anyway, enjoy yourself Moondancer.”

“See ya, Octagon.”

(\/);,,;(\/)

I clutch to Vinyl, my throat hurting from excessive screaming. Vinyl rolls her eyes, though still holds me close and protectively. "Octy, you said you'd be fine," she mutters, still holding my clinging form.

Somehow, after Vinyl had finished cleansing her palate, had convinced me to try parasailing. And, well, I was hesitant at first, but after some coaxing she had managed to get me to agree. Well, it took me until I was about three feet off of the deck to start screaming, and not stop.

I know those sadistic bastards down there can hear me! Why they haven't pulled me in is just a testament to how low ponies can be. I cling to Vinyl as if my life depends on it, and I bet it does, as the humongous cruise ship below us looks more like a child's bath toy.

"V-vinyl!" I squeak, curling up tighter against her. "This was a horrible, horrible idea!"

She rolls her eyes, pulling me in tighter. "Relax, Tavi, I have you, and I'm pretty sure that we'll be fine. I mean, it's not like they'd want to have us fall to our deaths—it'd be bad for business!"

"I don't care what logic you use, just get me down!" I squirm in my harness, the parachute above us rattling from my frantic movements.

"Tavi!" Vinyl screams, putting her hooves to my muzzle and turning it so I face her. "Look into my eyes."

I shake my head. "No! Then I'll see the ground and how screwed I am!"

"Tavi... Please?"

I crack one eye open, then another. I stare into Vinyls, an invisible string connecting our gaze. "Just stare into my eyes, Tavi. Everything'll be okay, I promise you."

Meekly, I nod, my gaze locked with hers. She pulls me as close as our harnesses will allow, and nuzzles me close. "Trust me, Tavi, I won't let anything happen to you. Ever."

I smile, my fear melting away as I'm lost in Vinyl's eyes. Nothing is around us. No cruise, no height, no nothing, just me... and her.

(\/);,,;(\/)

The skyline of Canterlot is always so bright.  You can never truly see the beauty of the night in the city.  But out here, in the open, a thousand feet above a forest, miles away from the nearest town, you can see it all.  Stars dotting the sky, brightening it up with their own beauty.  The moon held high, acting like a gentle mother watching over her children as they dance around the night sky.  You can even see the arms of the galaxy spanning across the stars, completing the beautiful picture of the night sky.

Vinyl and I are at the bow of the ship again, laying on the floor on top of a blanket, forelegs intertwined together, gazing up at the cosmos. I hold Vinyl close, my head buried in her chest, her heartbeat sounding in a heavenly rhythm.  Not even the biting cold from our elevated altitude is enough to overpower the warmth radiating from Vinyl’s body. It actually gives me more of an excuse to hold her close.

I let out a sigh of contempt.  "Vinyl, love, today has been amazing." I chuckle. "Though, it has lead me to remember my fear of heights."

Vinyl let's out a breathy chuckle. "Ironic, considering we are currently thousands of feet up."

I shudder.

Vinyl pulls me in closer.  "Hehe... Oops, probably shouldn't've mentioned that last part, eh?"

I roll my eyes.  "Yeah, probably not, you big goof." I gently bat at her chest.

I hear her laugh, her chest mimicking her chuckle, and then the world is silent once more, the only thing to pierce it is the soft lull of the wind.  

Suddenly, Vinyl stands up, and motions for me to do the same.  “Hey Tavi, can I ask you something?”

“Of course you can, dear,”  I reply, nuzzling her.

She keeps silent for a few seconds, then takes a deep breath.  “You love me, right?”

I blink at her and hold her hoof out of instinct.  “Of course, Vinyl.  I love you more than anything.”

She squeezes my hoof and looks me in the eye.  “And… and you’ll never leave me, right?”

I kiss her on the cheek.  “Vinyl, love, I have no intentions on ever leaving you.”

She smiles and kisses me back.  “Then… then you won’t have a problem answering this next question.”  Her horn sparks, and from the corner of my eye a blue light flickers in the distance until it comes in front of me.  “Octavia… will you marry me?”

The light dims, and a small, black box is revealed.  The box opens to present to me a pair of earrings.  They are amethysts in the shape of my cutie mark with a silver border and chain.  

My mind is realling, my emotions are running rampant, and my heart is exploding all at the same time.  My body is still, despite the cataclysmic activity raging on inside.  I can only stare at the earrings in the black box, overcome with emotion.

Vinyl stands there, a nervous, expectant and worried look on her face.

She shuffles slightly, waiting for my response.

Well, she got my response in the form of a squee that would make my other screams earlier today cry in shame.  I lunge at Vinyl, pulling her into the deepest kiss I can give, the tightest hug I can muster, and the most amount of ‘yes’s my voice will allow in between multiple, passionate kisses.

The airship suddenly shook, and Vinyl and I tumble to the floor.  Screw you, turbulance, you can’t ruin this moment.  Nothing can ruin this moment!  This is the happiest I’ve ever been in my life!  

As we lay on the deck, staring into each other’s eyes, Vinyl takes the liberty of magically clamping the earrings onto my ears.  I put a hoof to them, feeling the cold metal and stone that will now be permanently on my ears for the rest of my life.  I start to feel tears building up.

Vinyl also places a hoof over the earrings.  “D-do you like them?”

The tears are now flowing freely down my cheek.  I bury my muzzle into Vinyl’s chest, happily crying.  “Yes, Vinyl… They’re… they’re beautiful.  Thank you.  Thank you so much.  For everything you’ve done to me.”  I hold my head back up, looking into her gorgeous red eyes.  “I love you, Vinyl.”

I dive in for another kiss.  I put all my built up excitement and energy into it.  I could tell Vinyl was putting as much passion behind her end as I felt her tongue poking it's way into my mouth.  I allowed it entry happily.  I wrap my hooves around the back of Vinyl's head, pulling her in closer.  The fires inside me rage higher than ever.

We break apart, and I hug her with such force I’m surprised her spine didn’t break.  I giggle at first, then it turns into a full out laughter attack.  “I’m getting married Vinyl!”  I laugh louder and sway from side to side with Vinyl in my forelegs.  “We’re gonna get married!”

“Celestia H Faust what’s with all the noise?”  Moondancer approaches us looking very disheveled.  She rubs her head and stretches her legs as soon as she stops in front of us.  “I’m tryin’ to sleep here and you’re wakin’ the dead!  Which is illegal by the way.  Gonna have to arrest you for use of necromantic magic, Tavioso, sorry.”

Ignoring her tomfoolery, I lunge at Moondancer in a vice hug.  “Moondancer!  Vinyl just proposed to me!  We’re getting married!”

“...That’s… great… can I… breathe now?”  I release her and she pounds on her chest.  “Frikin’ earth ponies…”  She clears her throat.  “Anyways, proposed?  How many carats?,” she says, pointing to my ear.  “If it’s any less than ten, I’m going to be severely disappointed in you.”  She says to Vinyl.

I turn my head to show her my earrings.  In a puff of magic, a pair of magnifying glasses situate themselves on her muzzle.  “Mmmhmm… Custom cut, very nice… Amethysts, nice touch.  Matches the bowtie quite nicely  Wait wait, Pure silver?  Not just silver coated?”  The glasses disappear and Moondancer looks at Vinyl with a pout.  “Viiiiiiiiiiinnnyyyyyyllllll!  You never bought me something this nice!”

Vinyl narrows her eyes.  “Excuse me?  I bought you those Ray Ban aviators you wanted so much, that you never wear anymore!”

Moondancer scoffs, bringing a hoof to her forehead and flicking it down.  A pair of silver mirror lensed aviators slide down her face and land in front of her eyes as if they were on top of her head the whole time.  “I do still wear them!  I’ve kept them this whole time!  And do you know why?  Because… because they were a gift from you.”

Without warning, Moondancer lunges at Vinyl, nearly tackling her.  Vinyl gasps and flails her hooves to regain her balance.  Even though Moondancer is so small, she can still bring a pony to their knees.  Moondancer buries her face in Vinyl’s shoulder and starts to openly bawl.  “Viiiinyl!  Why do you ha-a-a-ate me?  What did I… What did I do?  I’m sorry I wasn’t a good marefriend! I’m sorry I was never there for you because of Frostbite’s dirty work I had to do!  I’m sorry I accidently burnt off half of your mane when my spell backfired!  I’m sorry I tried on multiple occasions to subtly convince Octavia to agree to a threesome!”  

“Uhhh…”  Vinyl stood there, very confused, with her forelegs hovering above Moondancer as if she’s contemplating whether or not to return the hug.  She looks to me for help.  Sorry, Vinyl, this is something you two need to work out.  The only thing I can do is smile and gesture towards Moondancer.  Come on now Vinyl, take the hint… stop looking at me like that.  

Vinyl eventually wraps her foreleg around Moondancer.  “Uhh… there there Moondancer… everything’s gonna be alright.”

Moondancer is unconvinced, “N-n-no it’s not!  You hate me… and… and now I only have two friends left… a-and… if you two are getting m-married, then Octavia w-w-won’t want to hang out w-with me… and then I’ll only have one friend le-e-e-e-eft!”

Again, Vinyl looks to me, and again I shake my head.  “Hey now… that’s not true… I don’t hate you.”

“Then why didn’t you want me to come?!”

Vinyl manages to wrestle her way out of the hug and look Moondancer in the eye.  “Look I just… I’m sorry if I came by a little harsh.  I honestly didn’t mean to sound so… snarky.  It’s just that… well… to be honest you… well,” Vinyl shakes her head, “You’re you, ok?  

Moondancer looks at her with teary eyes that get wetter by the second, but says nothing.

“No wait, I meant… uggg!  I mean that I was really nervous about popping the question and I didn’t want you around to ruin the moment with your… you-ness.”  Moondancer’s lips quiver uncontrolably, Vinyl attempts to salvage her sentences before she breaks down again.  “B-b-but look!  That didn’t happen!  So all is well!  Right?”

She looks to me, I shake my head and decide to take control of the situation.  I approach Moondancer and hug her.  “Come now, Moondancer, Vinyl just wanted everything to be perfect.  Although she could have handled it a better way, I’m sure she’s very sorry for hurting your feelings, right love?”

Vinyl immediately nods, “Yeah!  I’m really sorry, Moondancer!  We’re still cool!”

Moondancer sniffles and wipes her eyes.  “O-ok.”

I pick her up and give her a smile, “Moondancer, how would you like to be my best mare for the wedding?”

Still in a sorrowful tone she mumbles, “Ok.”

I pull the three of us into one big hug.  “See, we’re all still friends.  And friends work things out, no matter what the problem is.”  I break the hug and motion for the other two to follow me.  “Now come on, I want to tell our parents the news over dinner.”

Moondancer still has her head down as she walks beside me.  “Can I have more key lime pie?”

I giggle, “Yes, Moondancer, you can have more pie.”

“Ok.”