Vinyl lived on one of the upper floors of an apartment complex on the outskirts of Canterlot. That meant she had a comfortable amount of money but wasn't an up-mountain snooty-snooty who walked with her nose up all the time and wore a top hat and monocle even when sitting on the toilet. Vinyl's apartment complex was clean, quiet, and had an elevator with mirrored walls so you knew the place was pretty fancy. But not too fancy. It was fancy enough that each room had magic sound bafflers so Vinyl could unplug her headphones if she wanted to and turn up her speakers pretty loud before somepony complained. Which was nice.
Canterlot was the arts capital of Equestria but ponies usually said that in regards to sculptures and paintings and orchestra music and other "fine" arts. A lot of rich ponies here liked to use their money to buy a good, charitable reputation by becoming the patron of an artist or two, giving their client enough money to do their artistic thing, thereby allowing the rich patron pony to claim credit for the art their client made. But a noble didn't get a "good" reputation by sponsoring anything that had been invented in like the last 300 years so that meant Canterlot's mainstream art was stuck in history. Which was lame.
Vinyl didn't have a noble patron, a fact which she was kind of proud of. She had an agent, sure, a promoter, but she signed on with him, and she could quit whenever she wanted to. Vinyl, or, more accurately, DJ-PON3, was supported by her fans, and that meant she could produce and play whatever art she candysnaps-well pleased. Vinyl enjoyed her independence. She was that kind of pony. And part of that being that kind of pony and having that kind of independence meant she got to sleep in really late. Which was great.
So it was that the next morning Vinyl awoke to a sudden, skull-rattling torrent of bass.
One night a while ago one of her electronics geek friends had playfully rigged a clock to a series of speakers around Vinyl's bed so that it played a random track from a playlist at a pre-set time. This morning's track was from one of her first releases, back when she was a new artist, and the track was still one of her favorites. The track was this "morning's" track in the loose sense that "morning" was the time she woke up- a healthy 1 PM. The music rumbled and thundered out of the speakers. It was impossible to sleep with it on.
Vinyl groaned and wrapped a pillow around her ears. "Mute," she said out into the air.
The music kept playing.
She raised a hoof and mimed pressing an "off" button.
The music kept playing.
She raised her hooves and gave them a sharp double-clop.
The music kept playing.
Vinyl growled. "Silence! Music off! Sound off!" Nothing. "MUTE, I say!" Nothing. "Mute, please?" Nothing. "...Celestia says mute??"
The music kept playing.
Vinyl sat up in bed and rubbed her sleep-clouded eyes. "I forgot I wasn't living in the future yet," she said to nopony in particular. She dragged herself out from under the covers and tripped across the room to the sound system's knob and turned it down to a less wake-the-dead volume.
She pressed a hoof to her forehead. Ugh, I drank too much. Vinyl's head ached and was thick and swampy and there was not a lot of room inside for thought. Or memories.
She patted at her bare face. My glasses. She looked around her ruined bedroom, opening cluttered closets and drawers, lifting crumpled clothing (more clothes underneath,) looking behind crooked nightstands (dusty extension cords,) under the bed (socks and empty cans,) and beneath a pile of sleeves without records in them (records without sleeves beneath.) Vinyl sifted through the mound of blankets and pillows on the bed amongst which she nested.
There they are. Vinyl pulled her shades out with a hoof. But they were bent. This was no good. Her glasses were still warm to the touch from being crushed under her fat flank all night. Vinyl sighed.
Vinyl lifted her glasses in her magic and focused. The magical aura around Vinyl's unicorn horn darkened as she channeled magic into the glasses. The metal and plastic popped as they unbent and smoothed themselves back into shape. After a few moments her glasses were like new and she unsteadily floated them over into her nose. She was a little out of breath as she pushed the glasses back up her snout. Her headache was definitely worse now. Vinyl wasn't used to channeling so much brute magic like that and especially not while mildly hungover so it took a bit out of her. Vinyl fought the urge to just turn around and flop back onto bed. Must keep waking up.
Her mouth felt like a sewer so she went and brushed her teeth. This made her feel a little better.
She looked into the mirror.
Vinyl was a unicorn but that didn't mean she was the picture of grace and beauty. Vinyl was a bit petite and she would allow herself to be called pretty, especially if she decided to actually put on makeup. But that was work and why bother putting on eyeliner every night when you're just going to wear sunglasses all the time? And why wear clothes when you're just going to be behind the DJ booth? It was easier to not. Vinyl had even got her naturally-streaked mane cut deliberately so that it fell in an awesomely spiky way when she did nothing at all to it. Especially including rolling out of bed after a night of drinking.
Vinyl liked easy living, living chill, not worrying about unimportant stuff like clothes and hair and stuff. It gave her time to concentrate on more important stuff, like her music. Vinyl had a mostly sedentary life and didn't starve herself and also basically had an alcoholic drink next to her own personal nutrition plate. Vinyl had a jiggle in her backside and a little chubby pony belly but that was okay because plenty of mares liked that- bellyrubs, you know. Mares liked her and Vinyl herself appreciated a good, solid flank.
And besides these assets, Vinyl had charisma. Ponies just liked her. She had charisma and a fantastic smile. Which was good because Vinyl enjoyed her life, enjoyed her work, and honestly had a lot of occasions to smile because she loved her job, fit in well to her little culture here on the outskirts of Canterlot and, well, she lived in Equestria. Good things happened here!
But of course, even in Equestria, alcohol was nopony's friend the morning after. Her eyes were red and bloodshot and it didn't help that Vinyl basically surfed on the edge of sleep deprivation every day with her DJ hours and sitting up late at her computer making music. So what she really needed now was to get over her hangover.
Water.
Vinyl went into the kitchen and opened her fridge and her stomach turned at the sight of solid food. Very definitely drank too much. Nothing looked appealing, not even the usually tasty and delicious vanilla pudding cups to which she had dedicated an entire crisper drawer.
She took a bottle of cold water out and sipped it, tossing the plastic cap out onto the kitchen island where it rattled among the heaping mound of empty bottles, cans, unwashed dishes, plates, utensils, and takeout boxes before settling in some unseen crevice within the pile of garbage.
This wasn't Vinyl's first hangover-rodeo so she thought of her go-to cure of a banana smoothie. She looked around the kitchen vaguely before realizing she had no bananas. And hadn't for a while now. Ugh.
Must go out shopping. And maybe pick up a coffee? Yes.
Vinyl rubbed a hoof through her mane and got ready to present herself to the world and went through her mental checklist of things she needed to do in order to complete her public image before she stepped outside her front door.
Item 1: Put on sunglasses. Check.
Alright, I'm good to go.
She took a long drink of water and then put the bottle on the edge of the kitchen island, pushing junk out of the way to make room. Vinyl stuck her head back into her bedroom, found and lifted up her phone from the floor, then turned and crossed to her apartment door and opened it. She floated the phone in front of her face and checked it for messages as she stepped outside, turned, and locked her apartment door.
Nothing more from Neon. That was a bit more unusual of him- just sending one short message last night and then nothing else for hours. Eh, he was probably just busy. But they were besties, right? She and Neon? They made time for each other. Whatever could have happened to him so that he couldn't send another message?
"Oh, hallo there, Vinyl."
The voice was low and warm and posh and sent a little shiver up Vinyl's spine. Vinyl jumped, making a very cute but uncool squeak, nearly dropping her phone. She whirled.
It was that dark mare from... sometime before, staring at Vinyl with entrancing lavender eyes, those rich, velvety-orchid eyes. The mare's soft black mane was perfectly brushed and her cute, crisp little pink silk tie was neatly fastened around her elegant throat. She smiled a small, secret smile.
Vinyl lost time, not knowing how long, before she realized that the mare had a large bag of groceries held in her foreleg. The bag slipped a bit and the mare struggled with it. "Bother!"
Vinyl jumped forward. "Whoa, hey, lemme help you with those!"
The dark mare smiled. "Ah, thank you! How fortuitous this is! You, leaving your apartment the very moment I need a helping hoof!" She tried to steady the bag but it slipped from her foreleg and started to fall.
Vinyl reached out with her magic and caught the bag before it fell, carefully keeping it upright. "Gotcha! Yeah, it's a nice coincidence, huh?"
"Indeed. Thank you, this is so very kind of you!"
"Nah, it's nothin'. Here." Vinyl floated the grocery bag over to the dark mare.
"Oh, would you mind holding it a moment? I've got to open the latch here." The dark mare turned to the apartment door across the hall from Vinyl's. She produced a key and fitted it into the lock (not easy for an earth pony) and opened the door a crack. Then she turned back to Vinyl and extended a foreleg, ready to accept the bag of groceries.
Vinyl helpfully floated the bag back to her and the mare reached out to take it but she didn't get good enough of a grip on it when Vinyl released her magical hold.
The bag fell and groceries went everywhere.
"Crickets!!"
"Oh bother again!"
"Aw, gosh, sorry. I'm sorry-"
"-no, it's alright-"
"-let me help-"
"-no, I've got-"
"-least I can do-"
Vinyl, not quite trusting her magic anymore, crouched across from the mare and used her hooves. They quickly picked up groceries one by one, putting them back into the bag. Vinyl picked up a package of sweet baby carrots, a baguette, a carton of orange juice, and then all that remained was an apple and she extended her hoof and reached out for it at exactly the same time the mare did and their hooves nearly touched.
They both retracted their hooves, waiting for the other to take the apple.
Then, seeing the other wasn't going to take it immediately, both again extended their hooves to take it at the same time, nearly touching hooves again.
They both froze a moment, before glancing at each other and laughing in embarrassment. Vinyl stood back up and let the mare take the apple and put it into the grocery bag.
Vinyl glanced away and frowned to herself, feeling a small flush of embarrassment in her cheeks. Oh my gosh, I can't believe we just did that! It's like something out of a romance movie. So lame! But a second part of Vinyl squealed and thought Ohmygosh, I can't believe we just did that! It's like something out of a romance movie! So cute!
Vinyl frowned harder and pushed her glasses up her snout. Shut up, second part of me! That's not cool! You're Vinyl Scratch, the infamous DJ-PON3! So act like it!
The second part of Vinyl said awww, hung her head in shame, and trudged off to her mental compartment in disappointment.
When Vinyl looked up after her little reverie, the dark mare was widely backing out of the apartment across from Vinyl's and locking it.
Vinyl's first thought was 'can-dy-SNAPS! Filly's got a luscious flank...' but her second thought was 'hey, doesn't Blue live in that apartment?'
"I didn't know Blue moved."
The dark mare turned, removing her wide, muscular, and oh-so-attractive behind from Vinyl's view with a slow sway and swish.
Vinyl had the vague recollection that somepony had just said something.
Vinyl looked up, away from the direction that hypnotic flank had gone, and blinked. "I'm sorry, did you just say something?"
The mare had a tiny smirk on her face. "I said that yes, Miss Sky is no in residence at this location."
Vinyl grinned. "Aww, good for Bluey! Finally sold one of her screenplays, did she?"
The mare smiled. "I'm sure it's something like that." She really did have an enchanting smile.
After a moment, Vinyl shook her head to clear it. Don't let this totally hot mare get to you, V! Quick, do something cool! "Uhh, hey! You know, dontcha think we should get all neighborly and know each other? You wanna get a coffee sometime?" Vinyl threw in a semi-suggestive grin to show that she didn't really care, you know, but she did care if you want to you know-you know, you know, right? Nice work, but don't say 'uhh,' it makes you sound indecisive.
The mare's eyelashes fluttered as if she had never considered the possibility of going out for coffee with anypony ever before. She looked into Vinyl's eyes and said, "yes."
Vinyl internally leaped up with a raised hoof. Yes! Alright! Great! But calm down! Externally she gave a confident, lopsided grin. "Sweet, how 'bout we met at-"
"Moosebuck Coffee! Let us meet there. It is my favorite coffee shop."
Vinyl closed her mouth for a moment. "Wow, that's... so weird! That's exactly where I was about to say!" And it's my favorite, too.
The mare beamed. "Oh, how delightful! It's like we already know each other, isn't it? What say we meet tomorrow at 1 PM."
"Yeah, and that's exactly when I'm free." And not too early to wake up.
"Wonderful!"
"Yeah!"
They smiled at each other from across the hall, only a length away.
After a moment, Vinyl blinked. You're acting like an idiot again! Do something to stop looking clueless! "Oh, haha, sorry, you were, um, going into your apartment, weren't you. ..Right?" That didn't help!
"Yes, I suppose I was." She smiled a small, secret smile at Vinyl.
"Well," Vinyl started to back down the hallway, towards the end with the elevator. "I guess I'll see you then I guess. Filly."
"Yes."
Vinyl turned and pressed the call button on the mirrored elevator and the polished doors opened with a cheerful little ding!
Vinyl got onto the elevator car and turned back. The mare had unlocked her apartment door and was half inside.
"Hey!" called out Vinyl.
The mare turned and looked out of her room. "Yes?"
"I actually just realized I don't even know your name."
The dark mare put a hoof to her mouth in surprise and tittered. "Oh! How inexcusably rude of me!" She smiled at Vinyl, those orchid-colored eyes twinkling. "My name is Octavia."
The light in the overhead of the elevator car buzzed and flickered off for a moment.
Vinyl glanced up at it. When she looked back down, the hallway was empty and dark mare's- Octavia's- apartment door was closing.
The elevator doors made a cheerful little ding! and closed in front of Vinyl. She could see her own reflection in the polished doors, grinning like an idiot.
The elevator made a soft hum as Vinyl descended.