CHAPTER 1
When the train finally arrived Ponyville, Vinyl Scratch impatiently awaited the opening of the train's doors. When they finally slid open, she literally jumped forward, eager to get out of the train.
The white unicorn mare landed on the platform. Her electric blue mane bobbed a bit when her legs muffled the impact, and her also electric blue tail swung at her side.
When she left the shade of the train she had to squeeze her eyes shut. It was just too bright, and even her trademark purple shades which covered her eyes couldn't save her from the sun.
Vinyl looked around and took in her surroundings for the first time.
Not many ponies were standing at the platform. Some just got out the train like Vinyl. Others were just about to bord the train. Somepony also just stood around like she had just given a farewell to a beloved someone, a tear rolling down her cheek.
The station itself really wasn’t something special. First there was the wooden podest, the platform on which Vinyl just stepped on. It really was only a podest, made of wood and without a roof to protect the passengers from the elements.
The station also had a small house next to it. It was a little bigger then a normal house, but nothing compared to Manehattan's station hall she was used to. Through the window Vinyl was able to spot a station worker in the train company's uniform, giving out a ticket to a ponie. That seemed to be the only purpose of the house. And maybe the toilets.
Vinyl decided to head into town, her mind occupied by the things that made her travel to this small town, far away from her old home.
the things which had gone wrong.
Vinyl remembered a line her former boss had said to her about a month ago:
"Miss scratch, we appreciate the time we were able to work together, but unfortunetly, this now comes to an end. I am terribly sorry to tell you that we cant keep you under our contract any longer."
Of corse she also knew why her boss had said that. Vinyl remembered it just like it had been yesterday.
She had performed at a Nightclub in Manehattan. Like always her companys agent had set up the appointment, and as always Vinyl would have DJ’d until the early morning. But this time, things came different. Vinyl had only performed for about three hours when things got out of hoof quickly.
A small group of young stallions had decidet to drink a little bit too much before hitting the club.
They had been totally intoxicated by the time they were led in, and so they just punched their way through the mass of dancing pony’s to the DJ’s performing podesthalf a meter above the croud.
When they reached Vinyl's turntables, one of the stallions, a purple one with a breath like a scotch brewery, had the bright idea of having a turn as a DJ himself, and so he dragged vinyl shorthoofed from her place behind the turntables.
Vinyl might not be the strongest unicorn in Manehattan, but nopony dragged her away from her turntables while performing on stage. She probably should have informed the security, but in the heat of the moment she decided to deal with the problem herself.
She grabbed the stallion from behind and pulled him over the podest’s edge. As soon as the stallion landed on the floor, he started to attack Vinyl, and she had no choice other than defending herself.
Unfortunately someone decided to take a picture just in the moment when Vinyl swung her hoof to punch the stallion right on the nose, and it certainly didn’t help that her facials looked like the ones of a madmare.
The picture soon got published in all sorts of newspapers, and her reputation was dragged through the mud.
When her boss had heard of this accident, he, of corse, decided to give up the contract with Vinyl in order to safe his companys reputation.
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The loss of her job had Vinyl run low on money, and because of the bad reputation the newspaper articles gave her, she wasn’t able to perform in any other clubs to gather some bits she desperatly needet for a living.
After about a month with no income, Vinyl had made up her decision to leave the city. She had gathered her last bits and belongings, and bought a ticket to the smallest town on the map.
This happened to be Ponyville. She hoped her bad reputation hadn’t reached the small town just yet, so, just maybe, she could start a new life there.
It wasn't really hard for Vinyl to leave Manehattan behind as she never really liked the city she had been born in. Too many bad memorys, and only a few good ones.
Now she was here in Ponyville, with only her turntables, a small arrangement of music and about no bits left. What a great situation to start a new life.
When she walked over the platform towards the streets, Vinyl spottet a wooden board. Curious, what it might be, she took a few steps towards it, and soon she realized that it was a public announcement board.
She skimmed over the notes quickly, and one note in particular caught her eye. Vinyl stepped even closer in order to read the neat handwriting:
Octavia Philarmonica
Former cellist of the Canterlot Symphony Orchestra.
Hello everypony. I am offering cello lessons to everypony who might be interested. If you are, please feel free to come around my house, everyday around afteernoon. It’s Pinewood road 17.
After she had finished reading, Vinyl’s face brightened and a little smile appeared on it. Maybe, just maybe not all of her luck had slipped away just yet...
Octavia Philarmonica. She knew that name:
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It had been a long time since she had heard that name the last time. Probably seven years or something like that. It was when Vinyl still had been a litlle filly, attending school when one day her teacher opened the door and introduced a new pupil.
Vinyl had looked the new filly, standing infront of the class. It din’t took too long for Vinyl to make up her mind about this new student:
This filly was a total snob; Her parents, probably rich as hell. Her mane accurately styled, and a pink bow-tye arrogantly around her neck. She was just standing there, looking at her new class, just like she was one of the ruling princesses.
At least Vinyl had assumed all that. She had a problem with the "upper crust" of Manehattan, or, better, the upper crust in general. They were impolite and acted like they own all the other ponies. She didn't only not like them, but literally hated them. So it was no surprise that she didn't like this little snob fill either.
Of corse the teacher, miss Blueberry, decided to seat the new filly, named Octavia, right next to Vinyl.
When the Octavia grabbed the seat next her, Vinyl did her best to avoid talking to the newcomer. Of corse Octavia was asking questions all along the next lessons, but Vinyl ignored most of them. If she did answer, Vinyl didn't bother answering them in a really friendly way.
Soon Octvia had learned that she and Vinyl din’t got along well, and so she stopped bothering her. They spend the rest of their schooltime like that, neither of them interested in what the other one was up to. If they did had to work together, they did so. But often fought while working on the same thing.
In the end they had parted their ways, and Vinyl hadn’t heard anything from Octavia since.
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Well, even though Vinyl and Octava had never been friends, Octavia wouldn’t turn a pony in need of help down, or would she?
Vinyl didn’t knew. Of corse she didn’t. She had never really known Octavia after all, so she had absolutely no idea how she might react when Vinyl would appear at her door asking for shelter.
Vinyl didn’t even knew if Octavia would remember her.
Anyway. She had no other choice if she wanted a warm place to sleep, so she decidet to take the note off the board and seek Octavia out. Hopefully the streak of bad luck Vinyl had experienced over the last few months had endet now, Vinyl thoght to herself when she started walking to the stairs leading into town, but soon she stopped again.
After all, she had no clue were Pinewood road was, or in which direction she had to go. Maybe she could ask somepony for the way?
The unicorn looked around, if maybe there was somepony she could ask, and indeed there were a few ponys around.
A small pegasus filly looked like she might be able to help finding the adress Vinyl was looking for, so Vinyl slowly approached the filly. When she was only a few feet away, she opened her mouth to speak:
"Hey kid" Vinyl said, carefull not to scare the young pony away.
"Uhm, hey?" Responded the orange filly, turning around and answering with a twich of hesitation in her voice.
Hastely to give no chance to the filly to run away in fear, vinyl spoke again:
"Yeah I know don’t talk to strangers n stuff, but I just need your help to find my way..."
"Oh, sure. No problem. Where do you need to go?" The fillys expression lit up, now that she knew why this strange looking pony had started talking to her, she felt way more comftable. It also helped that the filly actually knew the town by hoof, since she spend most of her time scooting around the streets.
Vinyl held up the note she had taken off the board; "Do you know where I can find Pinewood road?" She asked, happy that the filly seemed to know her way around the town.
"Yeah, I know that one. It’s just up the street, and then left, next to the town hall. You can’t miss it. The hall has a big blue sign on it reading " -TOWN HALL-."
The young pony pointed down the street with a big grin on her face.
Vinyl beamed. "That sounds great. Thank’s alot for helping me out here." She waved at the filly and started walking down the street in the pointed direction, but then she stopped once more.
She turned around to ask the filly for her name, but found the street empty with no sign from the young, orange coulored ponie.
Vinyl shrugged, a bit dissapointed that she din’t asked for the filly's name earlier, but then turned to face the street once more.
Happy about that she knew where to go now, she trotted down the street. It din’t took Vinyl long until she reached the end of the road, and on the Instant she spotted the big town hall building, just like the orange filly had said.
Infront of the hall, there was an open place with carts over it. The carts oners seemed to pack together the articles which had been on them for trade. It looked like there was held a daily market on that place.
Close to Vinyl, there was a cart full with applebaskets, and the owner was just putting the last basket of apples on it with a powerfull lifting of his head, the busket's handle in his mouth.
Vinyl felt her stomach rumble. She couldn’t remember the last time she had eaten properly, but she surely knew that it was a while ago.
She decidet to use the rest of her few bits to get some food.
Slowly she approached the cart with a friendly smile on her face.
"Hey there. I can see that you are already closing the shop, but would it be possible for me to buy something off you before you close completely?" Vinyl said with a friendly voice. She really hoped she could get one or two of these yummy looking apples before the stallion closed up completely and then decided to walk away with them. Luckily, it seemed like she would get what she wanted.
"Eyeeup" was the only responce she got from the owner, and she whatched him lifting the basket off the cart.
Vinyl smiled and opened the side of her luggage with her magic. She levitated her money bag out of her suitcase. It felt frightening light.
Alarmed by the weight, or better, the lack of weight she took a carefull glimpse inside it. Vinyl was a bit shocked by the result.
The bag was completely empty. She thought, she still had at least some bits left, but obviously she had spend her last ones on the train ticket.
Vinyl’s ears dropped back and her happy smile fadet. Slowly she lowered the bag and gulped. "I-I am sorry but it seemes like I am broke..." Her voice trailed off.
The stallion had whatched her the entire time. Vinyl was embarressed. She turned around to walk away in shame, but the „EHEM“ of the stallion behind her froze her to the place.
She looked around, only to see a mid-sized bag being held infront of her muzzle. Vinyl looked at the bag in surprise, then her eyes perked to the stallion holding it, and then back to the bag.
"Is this for me?" She asked, unsure of how to react. "Eyeup" was the only thing the stallion said in response.
"But I can’t pay for it..."
"Nope" The stallion said with a big grin on his mouth, then he chuckled and set the bag infront her. "No need to." he said. "You look hungry, and It would ta be just be rude of me to let a hungry pony stay hungry, just because she lacks the bits."
Vinyl’s jar dropped. She wasn’t used to such kindness. Where she came from, ponys only looked at themself and didn’t care about others. Carefully she grabbed the bag in her magic.
"Tha- thank you..." was all Vinyl managed to respond.
"No problem" the cart’s oner said when he lifted the basket up on the cart once more, then he pulled it all together towards one of the streets leading away from the town hall.
Vinyl found herself dumbfoundet. It surprised her to see a pony which thought of others, and even helped them without expecting something in return.
She dropped the bag infront of her to take a closer look at it’s contents. Her jaw dropped once more when she found a total number of 12 apples inside it; They all looked Perfect, and when she took one out to take a bite, the juicy flavour of the apple spread in her mouth. It tasted delicious.
Vinyl levitated the bag from the ground and let it hoover beside her. Then she started walking again.
It didn’t took long for her to find Pinewood road, and soon she had also spotted the number '17' on the outside of a middlesized, two floored house.
It was a wooden house. The roof was made out of reed, just like many old houses. Nevertheless it looked new, just like it had been renovated only a short while ago. The property was surroundet by a metal fence, and a fine worked metal gate was the only way leading on to the property.
Vinyl took a deep breath. Hopefully Octavia would remember her... And be so kind to give her a shelter. If not permanent, then maybe at least for tonight. Vinyl really hoped so. Even though Vinyl had beed thinking of Octavia in a rather bad way, she could really use some help right about now.
It wouldn't matter if it came from Octavia or any other pony in Equestria and Vinyl was clever enought to realize that. But if she had to choose, she rather took help from somepony she barely knew, instead of somepony she didn't knew at all.
She looked up to the sky, only to realize how late it had gotten since she left the train in late noon.
When she opened the gate she felt her heart sink, and with every step towards the door it sunk a bit more. When she finally reached the door, Vinyl was worried close to death. Octavia and her never got along verry well.
They had never been friends. But here she stood, about to ask Octavia to let her in her house just like old friends. Vinyl must have gotten mad.
It wasn’t like she had much of a choice anyway. Without any money she couldn’t afford a hotel room. And before she had to spend a night on the street, she could at least give Octavia’s place a try.
Breathing in once more, Vinyl lifted a hoof to knock at the door.
Three times she knocked, and when the third knocking sound faded away, Vinyl was left in silence, nervously awaiting for the door to open.