After rising to stardom following Rarity's first, poorly received fashion show, Vinyl Scratch struggles to adapt to the higher class of life celebrity status bestows. Her personality and own moral values do not mix with the fake, corporate ideals of her agent, and her sponsors are only interested in her as long as she conforms to their expectations. Her life is barely her own and soon she will have to decide what's more important; her existing relationships, her fame and fortune, or perhaps something unexpected in the form of a refreshingly grounded Canterlot Elite who just invited her to breakfast during the Canterlot Music Convention.

A Vinyl Scratch x Octavia story where the two Ponies involved don't instantly form a romantic relationship the moment they meet, and instead allows it to grow over time with good old character development.

All criticism is welcome, and of course some spoilers follow in the comments below so please read cautiously.
Mega thanks go to Cruel September for her fantastic cover art for the story. Go show her lots of love, she's an amazing artist. http://cruelseptember.deviantart.com/

A diplomatic crisis arises between Equestria and the small, poor kingdom of Tarandroland, ancestral home of the reindeer. Celestia and Luna agree that it is time Luna takes a more active hand in foreign relations again, and Luna brings Twilight with her as someone she actually trusts and can talk to. But the mission turns out to be much more than political discussions - if scheming unicorn courtiers, unfriendly surly reindeer, bloodthirsty pirates, ancient sorcery and dangerous monsters weren't enough, our heroines must deal with something old - older than Luna. And is Luna really ready for diplomatic action, will Twilight learn to use a fan properly, and exactly how wrong are Spike's superhero comics about reindeer mythology?

Now has a TV tropes page

Her car's a mess, and so is her life. What better way to start making sense of the cruel world than to take the city bus? Octavia is in for a bumpy ride as she journals her observations and feelings about using the Equestrian Transit System. What will she discover? Only one way to find out!

The fights between Octavia and Vinyl have only worsened, and now their relationship is hitting it's breaking point. But when Lyra gets four tickets for the Lunar Maiden, an eloquent cruise liner, both are invited. Now cramped together aboard the fancy ship, Vinyl and Octavia must cope with the circumstances. Can they hold on to the slivers they have left? And will they take Lyra and Bonbon down with them?

Art used with permission by: filipinoninja95

My great editors:
AwesomeSauce57
Calvinandhobbes
Nanomight
Cenitopius

Octavia has hit rock bottom. After the Gala and being forced to play that song, she was cast out by high society. Now she must gather the shreds of her pride, only to have to swallow them to work under the only pony that seems willing to hire her. Now it's time for her to make a name for herself all over again, and she's determined to make it no matter what, even if she has to start over from Scratch.

It's been a few weeks since Luna's returned from the moon, and all is not well. She's become more introverted than ever, rarely leaving her room and obsessing over work. Celestia hopes that studying Twilight Sparkle's Friendship Reports will at least help her get out of her shell, though an unusually talkative servant may just help in that regard...and is anypony else getting strange feelings from that statue out in the gardens?

As of May 4th, now featured on Equestria Daily. *Squee*