//------------------------------// // Octavia Melody's Escape from Electric Mountain // Story: Club Vinyl // by BlazzingInferno //------------------------------// The club always looked different in the morning. Octavia made her way down the staircase and let her bleary eyes wander. The tables were filthy, the floor was littered with trash, and the stage was covered in so many black cables it looked like a snake pit. This place was, without question, owned and operated by Vinyl Scratch. She stared at the stage and began to remember the previous night. “Did I really shout–” Vinyl popped out of the DJ booth. “Respect the arts! Yeah, you totally did. It was awesome.” Octavia stumbled backward and ended up sitting on the floor. “Vinyl! Did you have do to that?” “Morning, Tav.” “Ugh… morning. Why are you up at a decent hour?” Vinyl dove back into the booth. Cables slid across the stage and the tip her tail flicked in and out of view. “Couldn’t sleep, so I decided to fix the sound. There’s a buggy cable in here somewhere that I can’t ever find.” “You do… sleep, don’t you?” “Not when things are going this good. We pulled in some serious change last night. I’ll divide up your share this afternoon.” “Yes, about that… How would you feel about doing a charity performance? Our orchestra is doing a benefit concert this Saturday, and I’d love to do the same thing here.” “Charity? For what?” “Funding music education in public schools.” “Lame.” “Vinyl! You can’t possibly–” Her head appeared again, and she was grinning. “Got ya. Sure we can do a charity night. This Saturday, right?” “If you please.” “You got it. Can you help me move these boxes?” Octavia climbed onto the stage and peeked into Vinyl’s hiding place. To her surprise there really wasn’t much room in the DJ booth, at least not in its current state. Vinyl’s head was buried somewhere underneath one of the synthesizers and her body was contorted around several boxes of records. “Really, Vinyl, how can you work in such a cramped space?” “There’s no other way, Tav. I gotta have as much music on me as possible, just in case the crowd wants to hear a something different.” “And where precisely am I helping you move these boxes to?” Vinyl wriggled herself free and gestured to the back wall. “There’s a storage room back there. That’s where I keep the rest of my tunes.” “You mean there’s more boxes like these?” “Heck yeah! I can’t just play the same ten tracks all week like you can.” Octavia rolled her eyes. “They’re called performances, Vinyl. An orchestra repeats the same music for several nights in a row so that more ponies have an opportunity to hear it. Thankfully that won’t be the case with this blasted concert on Saturday. One night and we’re done.” Vinyl slid a box along the ground until she reached the door. “What’s got you so worked up about this one, anyway?” Octavia followed her with a second box. “Our conductor’s been positively obnoxious about it. I suppose he has his reasons, but still… his behavior almost convinced me to give up music.” Vinyl fiddled with the squeaky doorknob until it turned. She swung the door open and revealed a sizable room lined with shelves full of records. Most of the shelves looked ready to buckle under the weight. The room’s only light, from a single bulb hanging from the ceiling, cast long shadows everywhere. “Funny thing is, if you two hadn’t come to the club the other day… I’d probably be packing up my stuff right now… maybe moving out of town.” Octavia pushed her box across the threshold and into the back corner. “I’m glad we could help each other out. All the same I’ll be happy when this week’s over; no more rehearsals, no more performances, no more late nights… we might even take a vacation. Con’s always wanted to see the Crystal Empire, we could use some of our share of the profits to–” The door slammed shut. Octavia looked back to see Vinyl standing in front of it with her teeth bared. “What?” “I just said we need a vac–” Vinyl pounded a hoof on the ground. “I get it. All of your own problems are fixed, so now it’s time to ran back your perfect little life and leave me hanging. Some friend you are!” Octavia glared at her. “Excuse me? I put my reputation on the line to help save your sleazy club and this is the thanks I get? Maybe I should’ve just sat back and watched you fail for once, maybe then you’d finally see how life is for the rest of us.” Vinyl ran up and stared her down from an inch away. “What’s that supposed to mean, you uptight, prissy perfectionist? You think you’re better than me? You think I deserve this?” Octavia charged forward until Vinyl’s horn was pressing into her forehead and her tail was against the door. “I mean you’ve never had work hard for anything, you lazy, arrogant slob! I slaved my way through college and you hardly ever showed up to class, I struggled to make friends and you had more of them than you knew what do with, and let’s not even mention how many stallions pushed me aside so they could chase after you. Now we’re doing the same thing all over again: you sleep half the day and have your own business, I work all the time and barely make enough to–” Vinyl pushed her away and turned to the door. “Screw this, I need some air.” The doorknob squeaked, but didn’t turn. Vinyl shook the knob hard enough to rattle the whole door on its hinges, and yet nothing happened. “Great. I’m stuck in here with Friend of the Year.” “And I’m stuck with Incurable Slob of the Century.” Neither said anything else for a while. Vinyl sat facing the door while Octavia stared at one of the back shelves. The only sound was that of their quick breathing; the sound of two bitter enemies forced to share a cage. Eventually Vinyl stood and pounded on the door again. “We’ve got like six hours before my buddies show up for work.” Octavia shook her head. “Con’s a heavy sleeper; who knows when he’ll be up. Could we break down the door?” “Nope, it’s super solid. That’s why I keep my stuff in here.” “Lovely.” Vinyl sat down across from her. “Stuck in a tiny room with you and a bunch of records… sounds like our old dorm.” “If this was our dorm the records would be all over the ground.” “Heh, yeah. I stepped up my game after I slipped on a bunch of them. Not bad for an incurable slob, right?” “I’m sorry I said that… it wasn’t very–” Vinyl sighed. “It’s cool, it’s the truth.” “Now, Vinyl–” “That other stuff wasn’t cool, though. I busted my tail to get through college.” “We were roommates, Vinyl. You were asleep half the time.” “I was working for the other half, Tav. I didn’t have a big fancy scholarship helping me out; I had to play gigs just to stay there.” Octavia’s ears folded back and she bowed her head. “I’m sorry, Vinyl, I guess I never thought about that… I guess I really am a lousy friend. Why did you ever put up with me, anyway?” Vinyl walked over and thumped her on the shoulder. “Stop beating yourself down, Tav. Sure you’re uptight but you work crazy hard. Some nights I’d be heading out and see you passed on top of your books, that made me want to try harder… or at least set my alarm for once.” “Why?” “Because I knew you were going places. Sure I’ve got my club now, but way back then I knew you’d be the one living the dream.” “I don’t really see how I’m doing that. Con and I both work, and yet we’re dirt poor.” Vinyl thumped her again. “Tav, you’ve got it backwards.” “How?” “Bits are cheap, Tav. You’ve got all the important stuff: a steady job, a nice place to live, and…” “… and?” Vinyl scuffed a hoof on the ground. “You’ve got your stallion.” “What do you mean? You’ve had your pick of them ever since I met you.” “Yeah, but that’s not the same… it’s always been dudes like LP. There’s never anypony like your guy.” Octavia’s eyebrows shot up. “Are you jealous? Jealous of Con?” Vinyl held up her hooves. “Hey, I’m not trying to steal him if that’s what you think. He’s a little too clean-cut for me. I just… I just want to find my guy; somepony that’s romantic and committed like he is… maybe with a cooler mane.” Octavia tried to suppress a giggle. “All this time I figured you liked the… variety that your little flings brought you.” “Nah. Once you go out with one moron you’ve–” The doorknob squeaked and turned. A second later door swung open and Concerto stared at the two of them sitting on the floor in the dim light surrounded by records. “Am I… interrupting something?” Vinyl scrambled for the door but Octavia held her back. “We’ll be right out, Con. Whatever you do, don’t close the door.” His stare shifted to the doorknob his hoof was resting on. “This thing is pretty rusty. I was about to go out and get us all breakfast; I could stop at the hardware store and pick up some oil too.” “That sounds lovely.” He pulled a loose cable out of the DJ booth and wedged it against the doorjamb. “Okay, I’ll be back in twenty minutes.” Vinyl looked at Octavia and grinned. “See what I mean? If that dude loved you any more he wouldn't let your hooves touch the ground.” Octavia hugged her. “I’m sorry I made it sound like I was walking out on you, and for all the dumb stuff I said. Even if we take a vacation we’ll still come back and play here… possibly not every night, but we’ll come back.” “Aw, that’s cool, Tav. Sorry I got mad. We good?” “As long as you don’t mind being friends with a uptight perf–” This time Vinyl hugged her, which made it hard to breath. “Any time, Tav.”