You can never truly understand a pony until you walk a mile in their horseshoes.
No no, that's too cliche...
Sometimes life can surprise you in the most unexpected ways.
No, too vague.
Ugh, come on. I'm a millenia old goddess of the moon. I have risen and fallen from darkness, won the hearts of my people, and have taken my place at my dear sister's side again. Yet here I am being bested by simple exposition?
...Figures...
Fine, I'll just start the story with some...
Oh...oh my hello there. Well, this is awkward...here you were listening to me while I prattled on like some crazy old mare. Please excuse that um, embarrassing incident. I'm not really used to having an audience with me. Well, since you are here, would you like to hear my story?
You would?
Oh excellent! I promise you won't be disappointed.
Anyway, where to begin...
Ah yes! A few months ago there was a sort of get together for all the musical talents of Equestria, held right here in Canterlot. I of course wanted to go, since I adore all things musical, but undoubtedly one of the Princesses attending such an event would just cause a stir. That is, unless said Princess was wearing a clever disguise.
So I, er I mean Lunar Lights, attended this...well festival isn't really the right word for it, as that implies some sort of planned fun and activity happening. It was supposed to be more along the lines of a meet and greet, meshing the musicians from the different genres together in hopes of making some sort of spark or collaboration happen.
Needless to say, it didn't really turn out that way. Oh my, but here I am boring you with details, let's just hop into the good part shall we?
The Canterlot Convention Center was usually abuzz with lively activity and conversation when it was used the few times out of the year. Normally the massive structure would play host to some sort of lively performance or exposition for anything and everything. Point being, usually the convention held itself with an atmosphere of fun and lightheartedness. Today however was not a normal day for the poor structure. It was quiet, reserved, and tame. Stuffy would be an adequate term to describe it. The type of get together that only the snobbiest of the snobs who had no idea what fun really was but they might remember seeing it on a scrap of paper somewhere once. A type of gathering more suited to the ballrooms of nobility than the floor of a convention center. The exact type of gathering that Octavia was used to attending.
The grey mare wore a slight smile on her lips as she glided from group to group, talking to ponies about their careers and future musical prospects. Mingling with musicians, especially those of the highest regard and fame in the classical music circle, was always something that she looked forward to. To her, the mares and stallions around her were colleagues and friends, in a loose definition of the word "friend" that is. She never really spent much time with other ponies, not when there were scales to be practiced and concerts to prepare for.
That didn't seem to bother her, no not in the slightest. One does not simply get their cutie mark in music, become the top virtuoso at their instrument, and then stop. No, they kept going, or at least she did. Smiling, she approached a new group of ponies, those that she had worked with for many concerts, and the ones she could consider out of all the stuffed shirts around her to be her real friends.
"Octavia, I was wondering if you'd show up," a tan stallion commented, his voice only slightly raised to get her attention, but not to disturb those around them. His greeting served as an announcement to the two others that he had been talking to; a light teal earth pony mare and a dark blue earth pony stallion, as they turned to face the mare who had just joined them. Both of their faces lit up in recognition when they indeed saw that their friend had arrived.
Straightening the pink bow tie around her neck, Octavia greeted them all with a smile before addressing the stallion that welcomed her. "Of course Frederic, would it be like me to miss such a delightful event?"
Frederic chuckled slightly, a very reserved laugh that suited his reserved personality perfectly. "Of course not my dear, I was just wondering how long it was going to take before you found us."
"HI OCTAVIA!" the mare next to Frederic shouted, enthusiastically waving her hoof in greeting. The simultaneous wincing of her friends and unrestrained glares from those around them caused the mare to shrink back a little from embarrassment. "Oh, uh, sorry about the volume," she said quietly, her cheeks tinted red.
"It's ok Beauty Brass, and it's wonderful to see you again," Octavia responded in earnest, offering a smile to ease the mare's worries. "And hello to you as well Harpo," Octavia said, turning to regard the last of her friends.
Harpo responded only with a nod and a smile.
"So tell me Frederic, how was your piano concerto last week?" Octavia asked, turning her attention back to the tan stallion. "I wanted to come see you perform, but I had an audition for a small cello solo in an upcoming Manehattan symphony that conflicted." Her ears drooped slightly from remorse.
"Oh it went wonderfully," Frederic beamed enthusiastically. "Standing ovation at the end, and I even had a few roses tossed at me by fans. Beauty included," he added with a none too subtle wink at the mare, who smiled in return.
Octaivia's gaze slowly shifted between the two ponies, her mouth opening and closing several times in a failed attempt at forming words. "You two...," her hoof pointed to the two ponies, "are...since when?" she finally managed to say. Beauty and Frederic smiled brightly at her disbelief.
"Oh for about a month now, right Beauty?"
"THAT'S RI- I mean, that's right."
Harpo nodded his head in confirmation.
"Well," Octavia began slowly, "I must say, this is unexpected. But I'm happy for the both of you!" she added quickly. "I have to ask though, how did it happen?"
"Well you missed quite a lot after the Gala dear," Beauty said with a smile. "Frederic and I ended up auditioning for a few of the same symphonic groups and the like. Since we were friends to begin with we of course spent time with each other before and after our practices."
"I would have to say though, our crystallizing moment was last month, when a friendly dinner of ours turned to topics of a romantic nature," Frederic added with a fond smile. "Ah, Beauty must have shouted loud enough for the entire district of Canterlot to have heard when I asked her formally to be my mare. I was happy as well, but I just don't have the lung power she does," he added with a laugh.
"Well, that's simply wonderf-"
CRASH
"ALRIGHT EVERYPONY! THE LIFE OF THE PARTY HAS ARRIVED!"
All manner of conversation stopped as eyes were turned to the double doors of the convention center, which were now hanging wide open to show a white mare with an electric blue mane standing on her back hooves. A cocky grin was on display below her eyes, which were hidden by a pair of purple sunglasses she refused to take off despite being indoors.
Oh Celestia, not her. Octavia groaned internally.
Dropping back on all fours, the mare trotted to one side, allowing the ponies accompanying her to file in as well. And by Celestia were they odd, but then again, thought Octavia, anyone who would willingly choose to accompany Vinyl Scratch would have to either be strange, insane, or some horrifying combination of the two.
"Yo Vinyl," the earth pony accompanying the crazy mare said with a raised voice, "I thought you said this was a party."
"If it wasn't before, it is now that I'm here, Tomb," the mare responded.
Octavia examined the earth pony that spoke, along with the others that were alongside him. The earth pony himself, apparently named 'Tomb', was a pale grey with a blue mane and tail styled in spikes. While that itself wasn't too unusual, as quite a few stallions wore the look, the unusual thing about his was the tips of each spike were dyed red in contrast to his natural blue. On top of his head he wore a pair of cerulean blue headphones that covered his ears, and was probably also the reason he was talking with a raised voice. Octavia stole a brief glance at his cutie mark, which turned into a confused stare as she tried to decipher what it meant. A tombstone wearing headphones with raised arms? That had nothing to do with music!
Shaking her glance away from the stallion, she next examined the mare standing next to him. A light tan pegasus, her two tone mane reminded Octavia of Vinyl's, although instead of the electric blue and dark blue, this mare's mane and tail were surprisingly pleasant tones of green and yellow. A convenient shifting of the mare's wings allowed Octavia a glance at her cutie mark; a toaster that was on fire. By Celestia these ponies make no sense whatsoever.
Finally turning her attention away from the pegasus, her eyes settled on a unicorn stallion that was talking to Vinyl. He had a light grey coat that was nearly the same to Tomb's, although his body was of a slightly taller stature. His mane was a pale brown color, with the very front where his horn parted being a striking red to contrast the dull look of his body. A streak of the same color red could be seen running through his tail as well. His cutie mark was a light blue pair of headphones over a microphone of the same color.
Octavia's gaze apparently lingered a little too long, as Vinyl nudged the unicorn stallion. "Ey Mic, I think that mare over there is checking you out," she snickered as she pointed a hoof directly at Octavia. "Why don't we go over and say hello."
To Octavia's horror, the trio of ponies were following Vinyl, being led directly towards Octavia and her friends. Desperately searching for a way to make a hasty escape, her plans were thwarted as Vinyl made first contact.
"Octy!" Vinyl shouted with mock enthusiasm. Prissy bitch.
"Hello again Vinyl," Octavia responded calmly, not looking the mare in the...sunglasses. Raver hussy.
"Glaze, Mic, Tombstone, it's good to see you all again."
Octavia's jaw dropped as she turned to the source of the voice. To her surprise, and simultaneous horror, Frederic was not only greeting the new arrivals, but he actually knew them too!
"Frederic! I haven't seen you since you, Mic and I collabed on Nightmare Night," the pegasus mare (apparently named Glaze) replied to Frederic with a smile. Her statement had the verbal effect akin to a brick to the face on Octavia, who could scarcely believe what she was hearing.
"Wait, Frederic, you worked with these ponies?" she asked, disbelief clear in her voice.
"Why yes," he responded, turning to face the grey mare. "Last year I was approached by this talented pegasus after one of my performances, and she wanted to know if I would be interested in doing a song with her and her friend here." He gestured to the unicorn stallion standing next to Vinyl. "I was a little taken aback at the idea they presented, but nonetheless my intrigue led me to work with them. And I must say it was quite enjoyable as well."
Octavia snorted at the thought. Enjoyable? Please, you probably did all the real work while they played with buttons, calling it 'making music' or 'remixing.'
Frederic, Beauty and the others began to chat about possible future prospects, while Tomb approached Harpo with an idea of a possible collaboration. That just left Octavia and Vinyl, and dear Celestia the tension between the two could be cut with a knife.
"So Octavia," Vinyl began, "you maybe interested in doing a collaboration with me? I was thinking something along the lines of something dark and edgy."
"Please Vinyl, the day I agree to work with you is the day that Tartarus freezes over. Us real musicians have actual work to do, we can't spend our time doing projects willy nilly."
"Riiiiiight, real work," Vinyl responded with a roll of her eyes, or what Octavia guessed was a roll of her eyes based on how her head moved. "Because standing in one spot rubbing hair on strings requires so much time and effort that you can't do it in front of a microphone."
"That's not the point. I have concerts to put on and symphonies to prepare for. Perhaps a wedding or two if the pay was high enough."
"Oh right, weddings. Speaking of Octy, I didn't see you at the royal wedding a few weeks ago." Vinyl's mouth twisted into a smug smirk. "Then again, maybe I was too busy playing at the wedding to notice a mare with so many brooms up her flank she could lean against the wall and call herself a cleaning closet."
Octavia shot Vinyl a glare that could have melted ice. Not getting to play at the royal wedding was insult to her talents enough, but knowing who was playing instead of her? That got her blood boiling.
"I'll have you know, Vinyl," the unicorn's name was practically hissed from Octavia's lips, "that I had previous engagements that day and couldn't attend." It was a lie, a pretty flimsy one at that, but Celestia be damned if Octavia was going to let the DJ get to her.
"Riiiiight," Vinyl said, not buying into her excuse for one moment. "Excuse me for doubting you Octy, but I would assume that performing at the biggest wedding in Equestria, for royalty nonetheless, would have taken priority over...whatever it was you were doing." A grin crossed her features. "Unless you're lying to me that is."
Octavia narrowed her eyes. "Well at least none of my performances end in disaster."
"What about the Gala?" Vinyl shot back.
"A fluke, nothing more," said Octavia, deflecting the statement. "My concerts are well received by the community and end without anything going wrong. Your 'gigs' however generally end up somewhere between disastrous and catastrophic."
"Name one!"
"The wedding."
"Not my fault some psychopathic bug tried to invade Equestria."
"The fashion show in Ponyville."
"How was that even a disaster?"
"For starters, I'm pretty sure nopony was listening to your 'music,' if you can even call it that. They were busy trying to keep their lunch down from the dresses being shown. Those poor souls."
Vinyl just snorted in response. "Name one more," she challenged.
"I've heard quite a few things about your big show in Manehattan."
"Hey! How was I supposed to know the fireworks would catch the roof on fire? If anything, they should have warned me."
"You're just proving my point you know," Octavia said with a satisfied grin.
The white unicorn gritted her teeth, frustrated that Octaivia was gaining the upper hoof. Octavia just smiled back sweetly, Vinyl's frustration bringing her more joy than ever before.
"At least I don't have to jump through hoops just to have a show. All I have to do is slap my name on a poster and ponies come running." Vinyl's resolve was slipping, but she was not about to go down without a fight.
"Oh please, I do not 'jump through hoops' as you call it. It's a tryout, everypony has to go through it."
"Oh everypony huh? Isn't the point of a tryout to weed out those who aren't cut out for the job?" Vinyl held back a smile as she went for her next blow.
"It is," Octavia responded flatly. "I don't see what your point is though."
"If you're really as good as you say you are, the 'greatest cello player in Equestria-"
"I do not call myself that!"
"-you sure act like it, anyways. My point being, if you're as good as you say you are, why do you have to try out for things with no guarantee that you'll get in? Shouldn't ponies be coming to you with offers instead of the other way around?"
"I..." Octavia faltered, at a loss for an appropriate response. Her words hammered home, hitting on an old insecurity that she thought she was past.
"I mean, according to you I'm a nopony, but I need an agent to keep track of all the shows and promotions and recordings that are practically being thrown at me on silver platters. If a nopony like me can get that, what about you?"
Silence.
Vinyl smiled. "Wow, no witty response? No upturning of your prissy little nose? No-"
Nopony would ever suspect Octavia of having a mean streak. A well mannered, cultured, refined mare such as her was always seen with a small smile no matter where she went. A perfect mask for publicity sake. Everything she did was calculated so that not one pony could find a flaw in the mask, unless they were to look close enough. Fractures, insecurities well masked by time, yet nonetheless still there. And if one were to put enough pressure on those fractures, they would become cracks. And with enough pressure on the cracks, the whole mask will shatter, leaving in its destruction something entirely new, yet so very familiar.
For Vinyl, she had put enough pressure on Octavia's past insecurities that she managed to not only crack the mask, but shatter it completely for a moment.
With a yell that both caused the DJ to freeze in her tracks and draw every eye in the convention center to the pair, Octavia lunged at Vinyl, the only thought in her mind being to cause as much bodily harm to the cocky unicorn as possible. Maybe break a bone or two to drive the point home.
"AAAAH!" Vinyl yelled as Octavia landed on her, wildly swinging her front hooves at Vinyl's face but never managing to land more than a glancing blow. Rolling off to the side, Vinyl managed to dislodge herself from underneath the crazed mare long enough to get to her hooves.
"OH IS THAT HOW YOU WANNA PLAY!? THEN THAT'S HOW WE'LL PLAY!"
"BRING IT ON RAVER TRASH!"
Several ponies around them gasped, partially out of shock due to the unexpected development, and partially to Octavia's behavior. Musicians from the classical circle could only watch in shock as the two mares rolled, swung and bit each other in a flurry of what could only be called a cat fight, while some of the more 'modern' musicians began to cheer, even going as far as exchanging bits to bet on winners.
Half a minute of fighting passed before the two broke apart, ready to lunge at each other again, before they were snatched up in a blue aura of magic.
"Hey, let me go!" Vinyl protested, hooves flailing in the air trying to shake off the magical influence.
"Unhoof me this instant!" Octavia demanded, hooves flailing in a similar fashion to Vinyl's.
"THAT'S ENOUGH OUT OF YOU TWO!" came a bellowing voice.
Immediately the two struggling ponies ceased moving and turned to the source of the powerful voice. A very stern looking Royal Guard Captain, flanked by two unicorn guards whose horns were aglow, was staring them down with a look that could have made a cockatrice flinch. The captain gave a wave of his hoof to the guards at his side, telling them to release the captive mares.
The two unicorn guards lowered the mares back to the floor before releasing them from their magical hold. Their commanding officer took several steps forward until he towered over the pair, causing them to shrink back from intimidation. He examined each mare with a critical eye. Both were bruised on the body, with Octavia receiving quite a nice black eye courtesy of Vinyl. Several small cuts trickled blood from their scuffs on the floor, and teeth marks could be seen around the shoulders. Finally, after a lengthy silence, the Captain spoke.
"Now I'm only going to ask this once, and I expect an answer, got it?" he asked in a stern voice. Both mares nodded meekly in response. "Good. Now, tell me. What. Happened."
"W-w-wwell," Octavia stammered, trying to formulate a response. Vinyl's mouth just opened and closed wordlessly, far too scared to even begin formulating a sentence.
"Answer me!" the Captain shouted, causing both mares to squeak in surprise.
"She made me do it!" Octavia shouted, pointing an accusatory hoof at Vinyl.
"What!? I did not!" responded Vinyl, shooting an angry look at the cellist.
"Oh like Tartarus you did! You pushed me past my breaking point!"
"You insulted my line of work!"
"You called me a prude!"
"You called me trash!"
"Is it my fault you are?"
"THAT'S IT!"
Vinyl was about to make another swing at Octavia, and Octavia was likewise going to meet her blow before they were yanked apart by the guard's magic yet again.
"Enough of this nonsense! Both of you, OUT!"
And with those words, both mares found themselves flying through the air, through the double doors of the convention center, and finally skidding to a halt on the unforgiving pavement outside in a heap.
Groaning from their unwelcome introduction to the ground, both mares shakily got to their hooves, unexpectedly coming face to face with one another. Giving each other a final glare, they angrily trotted away in different directions.
Vinyl snorted as she walked back to her apartment. Bitch
Octavia seethed as she trotted back to her home. Slut
Meanwhile, in the convention center, an inconspicuous light grey mare had watched the entire thing unfold. Sigh, why can't those two ever get along like normal ponies? They'd make great friends for each other, and who knows what they could accomplish professionally. But I can't make them be friends.
...Or can I?
A mischievous grin spread across the mare's lips before somepony tore her away from her thoughts.
"Hey Lunar Lights, did you catch all that?"
Turning to the pony, the mare responded.
"Yeah I did, crazy huh?"
Oh my it was such an unexpected thing to see, but it gave me an idea. Perhaps they just needed to get to know one another better. Walk a mile in each others horseshoes so to speak, in perhaps a more literal sense. Needless to say, they were both in for a very big surprise come morning.
Also needless to say, this is where things get interesting.
The walk home was something that Octavia wasn't looking forward to at all. Not only would she have to trek halfway across Canterlot to reach her humble abode, but her recent scuffle with Vinyl had left her looking raggedy and hostile. Several bruises were now showing their full glory along her body, along with the bite marks on her shoulders and neck. That, combined with several small cuts that were very slightly bleeding still gave her an image she never wanted.
Needless to say, it was a long walk home.
Walking with a casual pace, she still attempted to present herself to the world in her usual manner. Unfortunately, it did not have the desired effect on the ponies around her. Ponies walking towards her on the same sidewalk would either go out of their way to avoid her by crossing the street, or would duck into the nearest shop until she passed. Those who weren't directly in her path would just stare with a mixture of disdain and shock.
Stupid Vinyl. Stupid convention. Stupid stupid stupid.
Octavia usually liked the attention of the public. It was either recognition for her musical career or musical prowess. A celebrity, that's what she would call herself, though she never made a show of it. She just kept honing her skill, sharpening an already honed skill, and ponies noticed. Now she was experiencing the other side of the coin, the downside of her fame. Every time she messed up or did something uncouth, the ponies noticed.
And not just ponies, every single news organization or trashy gossip magazine would be all over her. Even now she could feel them watching her, scribbling away at a notepad. Hearing the shutters of a camera clicking in rapid succession. 'Oh How the Mighty Have Fallen' the headlines would read, or some nonsense like that. Several times already she had to brush off ponies asking for an interview or a comment. The less she fed the trolls, the better off she would be.
After what seemed like an eternity, her home finally came into view. A modest dwelling, or at least that's what she thought of it at least. Three bedroom, two bath, a dining room, sitting room, study, and a music room, fit to store all of her instruments and built with acoustics in mind, at her own expense of course.
Retrieving the key she had hidden near her door, she fumbled with the lock for a few seconds before it opened. Being an earth pony and fiddling with something that required such dexterity would usually be a problem, but since her instrument required a bigger display of such a feat, it was little trouble for the cellist.
Stepping through the threshold and closing the door, she finally allowed herself to sink to the floor, wincing as the aches and injuries from her scuffle began to throb and sting all at once. With a heavy sigh she looked around.
Now where did I put that bottle...
Vinyl's trek home was hardly any better. Though the mare was known by many for her wild and rambunctious personality, actually getting into a fight was something new. Walking away from the convention center, and in the opposite direction of Octavia, she trotted at a quick pace through the streets of Canterlot. Weaving between ponies that she passed, she kept her head low. Unlike Octaiva's dark coat, which was able to hide some of the minor injuries that she had, Vinyl's snow white coat not only showed her scrapes and bruises, they displayed them as if they were pieces of art. She may as well have been wearing a sign proclaiming 'LOOK AT ME!'
Several ugly purple-blue blotches shone on her sides and shoulders, a couple of red cuts and scratches nearer to her shoulders and neck, and the bite marks. Oh the bite marks. She had to hand it to Octavia, the mare knew how to fight dirty. She kept her head low, not wanting to see the faces of ponies she passed. A fruitless tactic, as she could feel their stares and glares all around her.
This is going to be a PR nightmare. I really hope that Neon is in a good mood when he hears about this.
The thought only served to quicken her hooves and lower her mood. Turning at a street corner, she took brief notice of her surroundings, only long enough to make sure she was going in the right direction.
Stupid Octavia. I think she might have cracked one of my lenses.
After a few more turns, she arrived in what some would call the 'lower class' district of Canterlot. Located away from the grand palace and high class society in general, the district was home to apartment complexes in various degrees of disrepair, abandoned houses, several bars and dives, and one odd blue box about the size of a phone booth. Rounding a final corner, Vinyl was greeted with a building that on a good day might have been labeled 'condemned.' Or, as she called it, home.
She walked through the front door, through the main lobby, up several flights of stairs, and finally to her doorstep. Sighing heavily out of both relief and annoyance, she levitated her room key into the lock. Opening the door and stepping through the threshold of her apartment, she trotted to her kitchen.
After simultaneously levitating a glass and a bottle of Sweet Apple Acres' finest hard cider out, she slumped onto her couch.
"Well old friend, let's you and me forget this day ever happened."
Ponies are a curious thing. As similar as they all are, in regards to biology that is, each one of them is completely different in their own special way. The myriad of personalities, quirks, and talents are more numerous than the stars in my night sky, and trust me there are a lot of those.
Ponies are so unique in fact, that there are numerous scientific fields devoted to them. There's medicine, devoted to the health of the pony, concerned with all the biology that keeps a pony running as well as the various diseases that can afflict them. There's psychology, devoted to the mind of the pony. Trying to unlock the mystery that is the individual, their personalities and traits that make them as a whole unique, as well as the unfortunate array of mental disorders that they can have. And then there's sociology, my personal favorite, and something I have begun to look into since my return. The study of pony society, their interactions with one another and how the collective populace behaves as a whole.
Ahem, but I'm getting off track. My point being is ponies are unique. With each personality comes a different way to deal with a situation, but observe enough ponies under stress and you can begin to see some common factors.
Take anger for instance. For some ponies, their reaction is to strike whatever it is that is making them mad, or the closest object at hand. Others tend to bottle their anger up, placing it in a mental container until eventually it overflows and all their pent up frustration is taken out on whatever is unfortunate enough to be near them at the time. Some ponies rigorously exercise, channeling their anger into strenuous physical activity until it is gone.
Then there are ponies who delve into vices. Alcohol, drugs, or even urges that are carnal in nature.
Anyways, getting back to the story at hand, it was rather heartbreaking to see two ponies delve into their individual vices. While Octavia may not have drank as much as Vinyl (who's binge drinking could probably challenge those in Stalliongrad), she too found comfort in the form of a bottle. For a while at least. I must say, seeing a drunk musician attempt to play something as intricate as a cello while mildly intoxicated is rather entertaining, if not a little sad.
Though I knew I would catch some flak for it, especially when the morning came, I had to do what nonetheless had to be done.
Octavia was sprawled out on her bed, sheets loosely draped over half her midsection, leaving her back legs exposed. As refined as the mare was in the public eye, she was less so in private. Her mane was a disheveled mess and her pillow was accumulating a nice collection of pony drool. She was heavily asleep, which was essential.
A blueish mist seeped under her windowsill, enveloping the mare in its grasp, emitting a subdued glow as the mare shifted slightly in her sleep. After a few minutes, the mist drifted off the mare and off into the night.
Vinyl had outdone herself this time. Of all the drunk sleeping positions she had attempted in the past, this one had to take the cake. Sleeping on a mattress made of a broken lampshade and some cardboard, the mare had somehow turned her couch upside down. Not only that, but she was also using it as a makeshift tent, the bend in the furniture blocking out most of the light coming from the streetlamps outside.
Next to her, an empty bottle of cider with a very sloppy face drawn on it was tucked in with a napkin. If one were to ask her what she was doing, she would have replied with 'having a sleepover with my best friend.'
Slowly, through the crack under her door, a familiar blueish mist drifted into her room, drifting through the apartment before finding the passed out mare under the couch. Slowly surrounding the mare, the mist pulsed with a faint light for several minutes before finally slipping back outside, never making a sound the whole time.
Let it never be said that I'm a sadistic two thousand year old goddess of the moon. I love each and every one of my subjects, though there are still some that don't return the sentiment. I view each of them as my children and only wish for them to be happy.
However, just like a mother would punish a misbehaving child, sometimes my sister and I must punish our subjects. It isn't like it used to be thankfully, as torture or executions are generally frowned upon by most modern day ponies. But usually the task of enacting punishment is carried out by local authorities through a series of laws and procedures.
There are some cases that I do take special interest in however, and this was one of those cases. While my methods in the past have been...unorthodox to say the least, the results were nonetheless effective. I still remember when I forced Starswirl the Bearded and Clover the Clever to exchange bodies. Oh what a week that was! But that's a story for another time.
When Vinyl Scratch dreams it isn't like most ponies. While their dreamscapes are usually filled with images that places them in various imaginary scenarios, the dreams of this particular mare are quite different. One could akin it to one of her events, with music and lights dancing about, shifting into wondrous and vivid patterns in her mind's eye. A continuous creative spring that one would never guess her to have. However, like most ponies, those dreams are eventually shattered with one very unwelcome noise.
BEEP! BEEP! BEEP! BEEP!
SLAM!
Gah! An alarm clock? Really? Drunk me is an asshole.
After very sternly silencing the offending device with an irritated hoof, reality slowly began to pull Vinyl out of her sleepy stupor. Rubbing her eyes with her hooves, she sat upright in the bed, before several thoughts finally crept their way to the forefront of her mind.
Wait, I don't have an alarm clock...
Glancing over to the offending device, and to her dimly lit surroundings, her eyes took note of the unfamiliar surroundings. She was in a bed, a very nice one at that, in a room that she had no memory of period. Her eyes slowly adjusting to the darkness, she noticed that the room itself was very well kept, the exact opposite of any room in her apartment, and that all the furniture seemed to be of the not-cheap bargain style furnishings she owned.
Oh Celestia, please don't tell me I slept with somepony last night.
Shuffling to the edge of the bed, her hooves landed on soft carpeting. Concentrating hard, she attempted to reach for her sunglasses with her magic. Several strained seconds passed with utterly no results, not even the telltale hum of magic being used, nor the soft blue glow of her magic aura providing brief illumination.
Puzzled, she reached towards the nightstand next to the bed, fumbling around for her sunglasses.
Cmon, they have to be here. Even when I'm drunk those things never leave my face.
Finding the nightstand utterly devoid of her prize, she sighed, looking around for a light switch or a lamp, or something to give the room light so that she may continue her search. Finding a switch on a wall, she trotted over and hesitated with a hoof on the switch.
This is going to make my hangover hurt like a motherbucker.
Shutting her eyes tightly, she flicked the switch on and the room immediately was bathed in light. After a few seconds, she slowly cracked open her eyes, mentally prepared for the assault on her hungover senses.
Only it never came.
A thoughtful frown came over the mare, who's mind was adding this strange (but not unwelcome) addition to her morning.
Ok,so far I've woken up somewhere I don't know, my shades seem to be AWOL, I can't seem to use my magic, and on top of that I'm not hungover in the slightest. Something isn't right here.
And indeed, something was amiss.
With the room fully illuminated, she went back to the nightstand to search around for her missing shades. The search was cut short however the instant she stuck a hoof out to look under something. Instead of a familiar white coat, there was a slate grey one instead. Shocked, she slowly placed the hoof down and lifted the other, only to find it clad in the same grey as the other.
What...the...buck?
Her head whipping around, she glanced at her cutie mark, praying to several deities that may or may not have existed that at least it was unmolested. A purple treble clef, where two beamed eighth notes should have been. The color drained from the mares face.
Mirror! I need a mirror!
Rushing out of the well kept bedroom and into an adjacent room, Vinyl finally managed to find a mirror. No amount of preparation could have made her ready for what she saw. Instead of her usual unkempt but easygoing self, the mirror showed the last pony she wanted to see.
Octavia.
Her mouth opening and closing in sheer shock, she finally managed for form a thought.
"Well...this isn't good."
The voice made her shudder; she even sounded like Octavia.
Wait...If I'm Octavia, then...
Without pause, she about faced and headed to the front door, or where she thought the front door was. After opening several doors, with one being to a closet, she finally managed to escape the dwelling of Octavia and make a beeline for her apartment.
I almost feel sorry for Octavia, she's in for a rude awakening.
Octavia wasn't usually a heavy sleeper. Any sudden, loud noise or slight touch could shatter the hold sleep had on her, sending her crashing back into reality. No Octavia wasn't a heavy sleeper at all, but despite this fact she always managed to sleep soundly. Her mornings, while usually started with the incessant blare of one rather abused alarm clock, never left her with the "five more minutes" syndrome. She always woke up refreshed and ready to tackle the day.
This morning however, was not like most mornings.
Rather than being awoken by her usual alarm clock, the mare was instead stirred awake by the sounds of shouting and banging of hooves on the front door.
"Octavia!"
Slam! Slam! Slam!
"Octavia I know you're in - NO YOU SHUT UP! - I know you're in there!"
Slam! Slam! Slam!
"Octavia, get your flank up and open this door before somepony calls the cops!
...
What do you mean you're calling the cops!? OCTAVIA!"
Muttering to herself incomprehensibly, Octavia stirred from her slumber, at least partway. Though she was herself in mind, much like Vinyl, she was not herself in body. Therefore sleep never shook itself completely off her and instead clung to her like a wet blanket as she blearily made her way to the source of the banging.
Slam! Slam! Slam!
"OCTAVIA! OCTAVI-"
Vinyl's shouting was cut short when the door opened suddenly. Octavia looked at the pony in the doorway through half lidded eyes and a sleepy mind. Likewise, Vinyl stared at, well, herself with open eyes and a fully awake mind, though she was still having a hard time processing what she was seeing.
Octavia gave the mare at the door (herself) a sleepy smile.
"Oh, hello me. How am I doing today?" the mare obliviously asked.
"Er, Octavia?"
"Yes?"
"Can I come in?"
Octavia took a few clumsy steps backwards, allowing Vinyl to enter the apartment. Crossing the threshold of the room, Vinyl quietly closed the door and locked it. Turning around to face a still half asleep Octavia, Vinyl took in a deep breath.
"Octavia, are you feeling ok?"
"Why yes, why do I ask?" Octavia answered before yawning heavily.
Vinyl groaned, realizing that she was talking to Octavia, but only in mind. The body she occupied was still very much her (Vinyl's) own, and that meant that she had to either wait half the day for the body to catch up to the mind, or to speed up the process a bit.
Time was not an option.
Trotting quickly to the kitchen, Vinyl fumbled about for a glass, which she quickly filled with the coldest water she could muster from the sink. Returning to the living room of the small apartment, she stood in front of the half asleep Octavia, water in hoof.
"Sorry Octy, you'll thank me for this later, I think," Vinyl said before turning the glass atop Octavia's head, sending its cold contents splashing down upon the mare.
"Gack!" was the only response Octavia gave to the sudden deluge of liquid. Eyes now fully shot awake, and her mind snapped out of its sleepy reverie, Octavia joined the waking world. Her eyes narrowed in anger and she shot a glare at the pony responsible, only to have them snap back open in shock and disbelief.
Yeah, seeing yourself in front of yourself might cause that kind of a reaction.
After seeing Octavia's jaw open and close several times, Vinyl spoke.
"Glad to have you join reality Octy," Vinyl stated with an unamused look on her face.
"I...er, huh?" Octavia managed to stammer, clamping a hoof over her mouth at the voice that came out.
Vinyl trotted over to the upturned couch, plucking the sunglasses that were laid haphazardly on the floor with her hoof. Walking over to an end table, she grabbed a CD delicately with her mouth so that it wouldn't scratch. She approached Octavia with the objects, the mare watching Vinyl's every move.
"First, this," Vinyl stated, placing the sunglasses over Octavia's eyes. "And then, this," she said, holding the reflective side of the CD towards Octavia.
Octavia stared at the reflection the small disc created for her. Instead of seeing, well, herself, she instead saw a white face with an unkempt electric blue mane and a pair of purple sunglasses. She didn't see herself, she saw Vinyl.
Octavia's jaw hit the ground, metaphorically speaking of course, at the sight. Vinyl lowered the disc and placed it aside.
"Ok, now that we both seem to be on the same page, are you ready to properly freak out now?" Vinyl asked.
"Yes..." Octavia answered distantly, "yes I think I am."
"Good, shall we?" Vinyl asked before clearing her throat.
Several seconds passed in silence, then..
"AHHHHH!"
"AHHHHH!"
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"
(And it looked something like this.)
"AAAAAHHHHHH-owwwwwwww...." Octavia groaned, pressing a hoof to her forehead. "Why does my head feel like somepony put a bucket over it and played the introduction to Hot For Teacher?"
"Well, I MAY have had a little too much to drink last night..." Vinyl answered softly, rubbing a hoof to the back of her head. "Wait, how do you know what that sounds like?"
"Ahem," Octavia cleared her throat. "That's not important," she said, avoiding the question. Looking around at the living room, what could only be described as a graveyard of alcohol surrounded her. "...how much did you drink?"
"Enough," was all that Vinyl said in response.
"...uh huh," Octavia answered flatly before sitting down.
"What, don't you drink to forget? Or is that too far below your high and mighty standards?" Vinyl said a little defensively.
"I do partake in some alcohol, but I don't binge drink. Unlike SOME," Octavia responded, her eyes narrowing at Vinyl. "Now I see why you live in such deplorable conditions. For somepony who talks of having bits thrown at them, I thought you'd live in a better place. But no, it seems that a standard of living comes second to your insatiable thirst for alcohol."
"Hey! You don't know what the hay I go through! Maybe sometimes I NEED a drink from time to time, like say when I get in a fight with an uptight cellist at a promotional event."
"Don't you get started with that! As arrogant as you are, I'm surprised I'm the first one to have thrown a punch at you."
"You aren't, but that's not important right now," Vinyl said, her eyes dropping to the ground.
Taking a deep breath, Octavia released it in a heavy sigh. "As much as I hate to admit it, you have a point. We need to figure out why we are in each others bodies, and fix it before other ponies find out."
"Yeah," Vinyl quietly agreed. "Wait, you said you drank from time to time, right?"
"I did, but what does that have to do with anything?"
"Was last night one of those times?" Vinyl asked, her voice becoming more and more excited.
"...yes, it was. I had a glass of wine before practicing my cello. But I don't see why that matters," Octavia answered with obvious annoyance in her voice.
"Octavia, stay with me on this. But what if, last night when we were both drunk-"
"I wasn't drunk!"
"What if, last night when we were drinking," Vinyl corrected flatly, to which Octavia only raised an eyebrow. "What if we somehow stumbled upon an alcoholic singularity that swapped our minds!"
"..."
"Do you think that's what happened?" Vinyl said, pacing around a little.
"Vinyl, can I answer that with another question?"
"Sure."
"Were you born this idiotic, or did you have to work for it?"
Vinyl glared at Octavia. "For your information, no I'm not stupid. And secondly, I don't see YOU coming up with any explanations for what happened."
"Somepony could have played a prank on us," Octavia offered.
"That would be one hell of a prank. I don't know of anypony with that kind of a magical ability, other than maybe the princesses or Celestia's student whats-her-face."
"Maybe it was a potion?" Octavia said, her argument growing weaker.
"Slipped in to our drinks?" Octavia nodded. "Possible, but probably not what happened."
"When did you become reasonable..." Octavia grumbled.
Vinyl sat down across from Octavia, the both of them trying to find a logical conclusion to the dilemma they were in. They sat there for what felt like hours, each coming up with a possible explanation that would immediately be shot down by the other. Finally after an hour of fruitless brainstorming, Vinyl's impatience came through.
"AH! What in the name of Luna happened to us!" she yelled at the top of her lungs.
As soon as the sentence left her lips, a thunderous boom echoed through the room, scaring both of them. They immediately clung together in fear as dark clouds that came out of nowhere began to swirl and spread across Vinyl's ceiling. Wind from an unknown source began to whip around them, blowing loose pages of paper around the pair. Several more thunderous sounds boomed before all the curtains were drawn shut on their own and the lights flickered out. Finally, a dark form began to rise from the floor in front of the pair, who were now screaming at the top of their lungs.
The form was a shapeless mass of black, black as the night sky on a starless night. It rose a good head above the two cowering ponies before it began to change. Great wings unfurled themselves, extending to their full, magnificent length. A head rose from the middle, ending in a horn. The shape began to lighten in color before it became a midnight blue. Finally, in an unusual paradox, a flash of dark happened (you know, like when you flicker the lights off then on?) and before them stood a midnight blue alicorn. The two gaped up at her, unable to believe what they were seeing.
Princess Luna was there. Right in the middle of Vinyl's living room. And she was staring right at them.
Oh I always did know how to make an entrance. It was no jumping out of a bat guard pulled chariot to land in the middle of Ponyville's town square, but it was a dramatic one nonetheless. Still though, I wish I brought my cloak. There's hardly anything more awesome than a cloak that turns into bats. Though back when I was Nightmare Moon, the swirling mass of stars was a close second. Either way, my entrance did what it was supposed to; scare the living daylights out of them! Haha!
Princess Luna looked down at the pair, who were still staring slack-jawed and clinging to one another. A barely noticeable smile played across her lips, but was gone before anypony would notice.
"Good day, Vinyl Scratch and Miss Octavia," she said, the lack of her usual volume apparent. "I trust you are doing well?"
The two ponies just nodded wordlessly.
"Oh? You're doing just fine?" Luna asked, disbelief plain in her voice. "You don't feel a little bit...off? Shall we say?"
"Uhhh..." the both of them said in unison.
"Perhaps something isn't where it should be?" Luna offered.
"You...could say that," Octavia answered shakily.
"Yeah," Vinyl agreed. "We...don't exactly feel like ourselves today."
"Ah, then it worked then," Luna said in a satisfactory manner.
"Wait, what worked?" Vinyl asked.
"Oh nothing," Luna answered, inspecting a hoof nonchalantly. "Just a mind swapping spell we cast on the two of you while you were asleep is all."
...
"YOU WHAT!?" both Vinyl and Octavia yelled, all manner of politeness thrown out the window at the revelation. "You did this to us!?"
"We did," Luna answered
*THWACK*
"Oww," Vinyl said, rubbing her head. "What did you hit me for?"
"I TOLD you it was a prank!" Octavia yelled at her.
"Really Octavia, we just found out that the princess did this to us, and you're more concerned about winning an argument against me?" Vinyl said in annoyance. "It's glad to see that your priorities are in the right place."
"Whatever," Octavia said, dismissing Vinyl's statement. "So you did this to us?" Octavia asked, turning to face Luna.
"Mhmm," Luna responded.
"Ok, so how do we fix it?" Octavia asked impatiently.
"Oh that? That's easy," Luna said with an air of disinterest. "All it takes to break the spell is true love's first kiss."
Octavia's jaw dropped at this statement, and Vinyl, who had gotten up to stand next to her, only regarded this revelation with a look of obvious curiosity.
I hate to break up the flow of the story like this, but the looks on their faces were just too priceless to share! It took a lot of willpower to not burst out laughing at them! Hang on, I have a picture of it around here somewhere.
Let's see...
*CRASH*
Nope, that's not it.
*THUD*
Nope, not it.
*CLANG*
Why do I have an anvil in my closet?
*RAWR*
And on a similar note, how did Miss Rarity's cat get in my closet?
AH! Here we are.
Like I said, priceless! Anyways, let's get back to the story shall we?
The pair sat in stunned silence, looking at Princess Luna, waiting for the joke. The Princess just stared back at them, no hint of amusement in her eyes.
"Well, works for me," Vinyl said after a long silence. "Pucker up, Octavia."
"What!?" Octavia answered, obviously repulsed. "Why?"
"Didn't you hear, it's the only way to get back to normal."
"As I recall, she said TRUE LOVE. I don't love you. I don't even like you!"
"So?" Vinyl said before attempting to lean in for a kiss.
"Ugh, get away from me!" Octavia yelled, shoving the suddenly affectionate pony away.
"Come on Octavia, just one quick smooch," Vinyl answered, diving for the unicorn.
"No!" Octavia shrieked, turning tail and running away from Vinyl.
"COME BACK HERE AND LET ME LOVE YOU!" Vinyl yelled, her words a battle cry. She began to chase Octavia around the room, attempting to tackle the unicorn so she could deliver the mind swapping kiss. Octavia began to knock over objects, attempting to impede Vinyl's relentless chasing. Alas, it was futile, as Vinyl was able to corner the mare.
"nononononNO!" Octavia yelled, throwing her hooves to guard her face as Vinyl closed the gap between them.
"Just real quick, and it'll be over," Vinyl whispered soothingly, parting the mares hooves. Octavia began to shake her head back and forth, refusing to make eye contact with the crazed mare.
"Just...one...quick...kiss," Vinyl whispered, each word growing softer as her warm breath tingled Octavia's lips. Vinyl's lips were just centimeters away from Octavia's, where the slightest movement from either mare would cause the organs to brush against one another. Octavia was paralyzed, her forelegs pinned to the wall behind her by Vinyl and unable to move her head out of fear. She just swallowed hard and waited for the nightmare to be over.
Vinyl took her stillness as a concession and made the first contact, pressing her lips against the other mare's. While it was weird that she was technically kissing herself, it didn't really matter so long as they were returned to their own bodies. Then she would be kissing Octavia, something that, while she would never admit it to another living soul, was something she had given thought to several times.
Octavia on the other hoof sat through the entire ordeal, rigid as a board. She was inexperienced with this kind of intimate contact, having never before kissed or been kissed by another pony. Yet here she was, being kissed by herself but not herself. The thought of it made her sick, or what she thought was sickness. The movement of her stomach didn't make her feel any better than before.
After several seconds, the ordeal was over and Vinyl backed off. The two ponies stared at each other, the slightest hint of a blush showing through their coats. Both blinked at each other.
"Did it work?" Vinyl asked.
"No you idiot, you're still in my body," Octavia answered angrily.
"Darn," Vinyl said rubbing a hoof to her chin. "Maybe it wasn't long enough. Hold still Octavia, I'm giving this another go."
"NOOOOOOOOO!" Octavia yelled, darting from the wall and behind Princess Luna.
Vinyl looked at Octavia, ready to chase her again, before her eyes shifted to Princess Luna, who seemed to be trying very hard to...not laugh? Puzzled, Vinyl stood up from her crouched position and gave a questioning look to the Princess.
Luna couldn't take it anymore.
"BAHAHA! OH OUR SIDES!" she bellowed, the Royal Canterlot Voice shining through in all it's outdated glory. "THE TWO OF YOU ART TRULY TOO MUCH!"
"What are you talking about?" Octavia asked, creeping out from behind the alicorn.
Attempting to suppress her laughter, Luna answered after a couple of seconds. "We cannot believe the two of you fell for it. The old 'true love's first kiss' prank! Tis a classic!" Luna answered, wiping a mirthful tear from her eye.
"Wait, so kissing Octavia doesn't fix it? THEN WHAT DOES!?"
"Ah, now we shall give you the real fix," Luna answered. Octavia and Vinyl sat in front of the mare, eagerly awaiting for the answer to their problem.
"The two of you will not switch back until you garner a full appreciation for one another," Luna stated with a tone of seriousness. "You will have to live the lives of the other as they would, and continue to do so until you realize that there is more to them than you thought there was."
The two mares sat at rapt attention, not attempting to interrupt the Princess.
"You may be wondering why we did this. The answer is simple really; the two of you have potential to be great friends, yet it is your shortsightedness that prevents this friendship from blooming. So I took matters into my own hooves, to provide the means for the two of you to know the other."
"Wait," Vinyl interrupted, "you mean to tell me that you switched our bodies and caused us great trauma and difficulty, just to force us to be friends? I'm sorry Princess, BUT YOU'RE ABSOLUTELY INSANE!"
"You could think of it like that," Luna responded. "Or you could call this your punishment for not only disrupting one of the most important musical events of the year, but also for assault and battery of another pony. If you want, I could swap the two of you back right now and let you serve jail time for such an act, in the process garnering so much bad press that your careers would be virtually over, as nopony wants that kind of a performer for anything. At least with the arrangement we have so far, your careers are virtually intact, and I have stopped press release of the debacle at the convention so that nopony outside knows what happened. So what will it be?"
"...I'll take the forced body change..." Vinyl grumbled.
"Excellent," Luna replied happily. "Now there are some rules that must be followed, or the two of you will be forcibly swapped back and punished. Firstly, you must not tell anypony that you are in different bodies. Secondly, you must not do anything damaging to the other physically, emotionally, or to their career. The spell has its own judgement for what is damaging and what isn't. And lastly, you must spend time together at least once every other day, to tell the other what happened to you since the last time you spoke. Now, are there any questions?"
Vinyl raised a hoof, which Princess Luna acknowledged with a nod.
"Princess, I have one that's been bugging me since this thing started. If Octy and I were to bang right here, right now...would it be gay? Or the highest form of clopping possible?"
Princess Luna facehoofed, while Octavia took the liberty of smacking Vinyl upside the head.
"Are there any serious questions?" Luna asked flatly.
"Just one," Octavia asked. "What do we do now?"
"That? Tis simple, Miss Octavia. Now you two need to teach the other how to act. You only have a day before the two of you start the lives of the other. Better learn all you can," Luna said with a wink. Princess Luna's horn then began to glow brightly, before the alicorn disappeared in a loud *POP*, leaving two stunned mares alone in the room.
"...ok...THAT was unexpected," Vinyl muttered after a lengthy silence.
"To say the least," Octavia responded, flicking her electric blue mane out of her eyes. She looked over at Vinyl, the DJ meeting her gaze with her amethyst eyes. Ok, this is going to take some time to get used to. She observed as Vinyl ran a hoof through her long black mane, giving an unsatisfied grunt and a look of displeasure at the lengthy locks. Ok, there isn't enough time in all of Equestria to get used to this.
"So now what do we do?" Vinyl asked, turning her attention away from her mane and looking at Octavia.
"Well, the Princess gave us a suggestion, I say that's as good of a place to start as any," Octavia answered. Looking over at the upturned couch, her eyes furrowed in dissatisfaction. "But first, let's get this thing righted so we at least have somewhere in this hellhole to sit."
"You call it a hellhole, I call it home," Vinyl shrugged, moving with Octavia towards the couch. Vinyl watched as Octavia navigated her way to one end of the couch, placing her hooves under the bend in the couch seating. With a heavy grunt, Octavia attempted to right the stubborn piece of furniture, only to have it barely lift despite her effort.
"Come on Octy! Put your back into it!" Vinyl shouted encouragingly, still not helping Octavia move the couch. Pantomiming herself lifting a heavy object, Vinyl continued to cheer Octavia on; "You can do better than that! Show some muscle!" Octavia redoubled her efforts, sweat beginning to drop from her brow as she tried again to turn the couch upright. "OCTAVIA! DO YOU EVEN LIFT!?"
Octavia finally slumped back, panting heavily as she glared at Vinyl. "What *pant pant* does that even *pant* mean?" She took in several deep breaths, trying to get her breath back as she continued to glare at Vinyl. "And for that matter," she continued after her breathing calmed down, "why aren't you helping? Oh, I think I pulled a muscle," Octavia moaned, rubbing a hoof across a particularly sore portion of her foreleg.
"Psh, fine," Vinyl said as she rolled her eyes, "if you're gonna be a baby about it, I'll help." Trotting over to the couch, Vinyl placed both hooves on the furniture and flipped it right side up in one motion, leaving Octavia dumbfounded at what she just witnessed.
"How..did you..." Octavia managed to say, pointing a hoof between Vinyl and the couch.
"Huh? Oh, that," Vinyl stated, catching on to what Octavia was trying to say. "It wasn't that heavy."
"Wasn't that heavy!?" Octavia exclaimed, throwing both hooves in the air in exacerbation. "I couldn't lift it, and I carry a heavy instrument around.
"Used to carry one around."
"Pardon?"
"You aren't in your body anymore Octy," Vinyl answered with a snicker. "Which is why I could, since I'm you now." Octavia narrowed her eyes at Vinyl, as if she had just been insulted. "Speaking of Octy, why didn't you use magic?"
"Pardon?" Octavia said inquisitively, raising an eyebrow.
"Well, you're me now, and I'm a unicorn," Vinyl explained, gesturing to the horn atop Octavia's head. "So why didn't you just use magic to flip the thing instead of making yourself look like an idiot?"
"You're one to talk," Octavia glowered, "but to answer your question, I don't exactly know how. I just got shoved into a completely new body, a new species no less, so I'm not exactly going to know how to use magic you twit."
"Well, it looks like we've found a starting place," Vinyl beamed brightly, an unnerving grin spread across her face. "Hop up on the couch Octy, I'll go grab some supplies," she said as she disappeared into the kitchen.
"...you're insane, you know that right?" Octavia sighed as she hoisted herself onto the couch. No sooner than when her entire weight was on the furniture that it let out a sickening *CRACK*. "Eep!" Octavia squeaked, leaping from the couch and whipping around like it was going to attack her. The sound of slowly splintering wood filled the apartment before the two halves of the couch fell away from each other, hitting the floor with a soft *thud*.
"What was that?" Vinyl asked, poking her head out of the kitchen. Seeing a panicked Octavia on one side of the room, and a broken couch on the other, Vinyl let out a heavy sigh. "Well, it was bound to happen sooner or later. Rest in pieces, my faithful friend," Vinyl said with a mock salute to the broken furniture.
"Vinyl..." Octavia began slowly, "what just happened?"
"Your fat flank broke the couch Octy, what does it look like?"
Octavia's face began turning red in anger, and she snorted a couple times threateningly before she realized that she was in Vinyl's body. Anger was replaced by annoyance as she glared at the snickering mare in the kitchen. "Very funny, but it's your flank remember? Now I'll ask again, what the BUCK happened just now?"
"Language Octy, there are fillies next door," Vinyl chided. "But in all seriousness, the couch just reached the end. I'm surprised that thing lasted as long as it did actually, it was in pretty bad shape when I found it."
"Wait, when you found it?" Octavia asked, picking up on the distinct lack of the word "bought." "What do you mean 'when you found it?'"
"Just what it sounds like," Vinyl replied in a plain tone of voice. "I found the thing lying around the streets of Canterlot, and I needed a couch, so I took it." She sighed; "Gonna be a while before I can find a replacement."
"Can't you just buy one? You know, like a normal pony?" Octavia asked.
"Does it look like I'm swimming in bits here Octy? I barely have enough for the essentials, let alone for a luxury like that."
"Barely have enough- weren't you the one bragging about 'shows being thrown at you on silver platters?' I would THINK that you have more than just enough for the essentials," Octavia asked before a look of shock, then anger appeared on her face. "Oh I get it, you spend all your bits on food and alcohol, mostly the latter, so it's not that you don't have enough, it's that your buzz comes before your home," Octavia verbally jabbed. "I'm really not surprised, after all, you-"
"That's enough!" Octavia's words caught in her throat as she saw a look of pure rage overcome Vinyl's features. "You do NOT know how my life is! Don't you stand there from your 'high and mighty' Upper Canterlot point of view and tell me what is and isn't right with my life!" Vinyl shouted, pointing an accusatory hoof at Octavia. "I barely have enough for food as it is, and that's only because - you know what? I won't tell you. You'll find out soon enough anyways," Vinyl growled. "Now just SIT and wait until I find what I'm looking for, understand?"
Octavia nodded weakly, shocked at Vinyl's sudden outburst, watching in silence as the mare retreated back into the kitchen. Slowly sitting back on her haunches, Octavia waited for Vinyl in silence, her mind reeling from the verbal lashing that Vinyl had given her. Before she could think more on the subject, her thoughts were interrupted.
"Catch Octy!" Vinyls voice commanded before Octavia saw an object flying right towards her. In a panic, Octavia threw her hooves in front of her face, shielding herself from whatever Vinyl had just thrown at her. Without even making a noise, the object harmlessly bounced off Octavia's forelegs and fell to the floor.
Peeking out from behind her hooves, Octavia's eyes fell on the object that Vinyl had just lobbed at her; a lemon. "Vinyl...why are you assaulting me with citrus fruit?" Octavia asked as Vinyl stepped out from the kitchen.
"I'm not Octy," Vinyl chirped, surprising Octavia again with her sudden change in attitude. "These," Vinyl said, punctuating the word by dropping a bowl full of lemons in front of her, "are to help you with your magic."
"What am I supposed to do with this?" Octavia asked as she picked up the lemon that was thrown to her. "Am I supposed to eat it?"
"Yes Octavia, you're supposed to eat it," Vinyl deadpanned. "How did you know? Are you a wizard?"
"Oh shut up," Octavia snapped, doing her best to suppress the embarrassed blush creeping on her cheeks. "I know nothing about the workings of magic."
"That's obvious," Vinyl smirked, dodging the lemon Octavia threw at her in response.
"Then what am I supposed to do? Rub it on my horn?"
"No!" Vinyl exclaimed, causing Octavia to jump in surprise. "I mean uh, no," Vinyl said, regaining some composure. Don't rub anything on your horn."
"Why?" Octavia asked innocently. "Is it a bad thing?"
"Yes, er I mean no, I mean, ugh," Vinyl fumbled, trying to find a way to explain in a way that made sense. "It's just, a unicorn's horn is sensitive."
"Sensitive? How so?" Octavia pressed, causing Vinyl to look extremely uncomfortable.
"...Octy," Vinyl said slowly, "have you ever been with anypony before?" The look on Vinyl's face was a strained one, as if she was completely out of her comfort zone.
"I've had the pleasure of being acquainted with several ponies before, usually nothing more than polite conversation though. Why is that important though?" Octavia asked, completely oblivious as to what Vinyl meant.
"No no, I mean BEEN with anypony," Vinyl pressed desperately. "You know, dunk the doughnut? Plow the field? Plant the corn? Burying the bone? Going for a roll in the hay? Wink wink, nudge nudge?" A blank look was all Vinyl got as an answer, causing the mare to facehoof. "Sex, I'm talking about sex."
"Oh," Octavia answered in surprise, blushing a deep shade of crimson. "N-no, I've never done that!" Octavia hid her face behind her hooves, blocking the vulgar earth pony from her view. "What does that have to do with anything?"
"Oh Celestia," Vinyl groaned, "she HAD to be a kinesthetic learner, of course. Well, looks like I'm going to have to show you, ugh. For science, I guess," she halfheartedly stated before moving in front of Octavia. Lifting a hoof, Vinyl traced from the tip of Octavia's horn to the base and back, causing the unicorn to lock up at the sensations running directly to her brain. Octavia involuntarily let out a little whimper of a moan before Vinyl took that as the perfect time to stop. "Ew, I can't believe I just did that," she said with minor disgust.
"Why...did you have to do that!?" Octavia nearly shouted, her face so flushed her coat seemed to be a different color entirely. "That was uncalled for!"
"Well, if I didn't do anything now, it could have happened later, in public," Vinyl deadpanned, causing Octavia to groan and hide behind her hooves again. "Besides, it's not like I WANTED to do that. It's not my fault you're so sheltered."
"...just...shut up and let me keep what little dignity I have left," Octavia moaned.
"No time for that," Vinyl said, placing a lemon before Octavia. "We have stuff to do. Now this is really simple Octy, all you have to do is pick up the lemon."
Coming back from hiding behind her hooves, Octavia looked at the lemon, then to Vinyl, receiving a nod from the mare to continue. Slowly extending a hoof, she reached to pick up the lemon before promptly being swatted by Vinyl's hoof.
"Ow! What was that for!?" Octavia exclaimed, pulling her hoof back and rubbing it. "I was doing what you told me to you dolt!"
"No Octavia, you're supposed to pick it up with magic, that's the whole point of this. To teach you magic," Vinyl answered.
"Oh..."
"I swear, and you call me the idiot," Vinyl stated humorlessly.
"You still are," Octavia grumbled, turning her attention back to the lemon. Squinting her eyes, Octavia tried to will the lemon to lift off the ground. The lemon refused to budge. Trying again, Octavia gritted her teeth and willed even harder, screaming at the fruit in her mind to rise. Come on you stupid, I mean nice lemon, please levitate. Please? The lemon, being a fruit and therefore having neither ears or a conscious mind, paid no heed to her desperate mental pleading and remained firmly on the ground.
Octavia took the fruit's insolence as an insult and glared daggers at the yellow object that seemed to mock her attempts. A pox on you and the tree you came from. Octavia stood up, taking a broad stance and pointing her horn at the lemon, grunting and straining with all her might. Finally, after a couple minutes, she slumped down, tired and defeated, while the lemon sat on the ground in triumph. "Dumb fruit," Octavia grumbled.
Vinyl snickered, her facial features hinting that she was on the verge of hysterics. "You're doing it wrong Octy."
"You think?" Octavia snapped before returning to glaring at the fruit.
"Magic's actually pretty simple," Vinyl stated, grabbing Octavia's attention again. "You don't just glare at something to make it move. It's an inanimate object, you can't scare it, it doesn't even have eyes, or a brain for that matter. Think of it this way; your magic is like having an extra limb that's all wibbly-wobbly. All you have to do is imagine you're reaching out to the object," she stated, reaching a hoof out for demonstration, "and that's pretty much it. Now give it another shot."
Octavia slowly stood back up, processing the information that was given to her. Looking down at the lemon once more, her face hardened into a look of determination. Just reach out and grab it. Slowly, she allowed her mind to imagine it was reaching out and grabbing the lemon. At the same time, her magic flared to life, emitting a high-pitched hum and enveloping the lemon in a blue aura. Grinning to herself, she then imagined that she was lifting the lemon off the ground, and sure enough, her magic lifted the fruit slowly off the floor.
Vinyl cracked a grin. She sure is a quick learner. Or maybe I'm just a great teacher. Yeah, let's go with that one.
Octavia held the lemon in place, hovering a few feet off the floor while she grinned in triumph. I did it! I actually did it! I'm using magic! Her internal celebration took away from her concentration however, and her active magic, lacking direction, began to overload. The lemon began to glow brightly, pulsating with a white light as Octavia's directionless magic seeped into the fruit, causing Octavia's grin to be replaced with a look of fear, and Vinyl backed away in concern. Without warning, the lemon became overloaded with magic and promptly burst into flames, burning brilliantly before falling back to the floor as a pile of ash.
The two mares sat absolutely still, shocked at what they had just witnessed. After the shock of the situation wore off, Vinyl spoke up; "Huh, combustible lemons...that's a new one." Octavia continued to sit, staring slack-jawed at the pile of ash that used to be an edible fruit. Vinyl nudged the shocked unicorn, breaking her out of her stupor. "Come on Octy, we've got more lemons, we can keep going. Just don't lose your concentration and you'll be fine."
Twenty minutes (and a dozen lemons) later, and the only progress Octavia had made had been the lemons, instead of bursting into flames, instead smouldered until the outside was charred black. Vinyl sat behind Octavia, scratching her head in confusion at what could be causing the volatile reactions. Ok, maybe I'm not as good of a teacher as I thought I was.
"Let's...take a break Octy, you're looking a bit worn from this. More importantly though, I'm out of lemons now."
"Whatever," Octavia sighed in defeat. "Well, while I'm resting, I might as well attempt to teach you something. Celestia knows I have to be a better teacher than you," she stated, a little resentment seeping into her voice.
"Fine with me," Vinyl answered, oblivious to the mare's frustration.
"Alright," Octavia stated, "let me think a minute of what I could teach you easily and quickly." As Octavia tried to think of something to teach Vinyl, she allowed her eyes to wander aimlessly around the apartment. Proper table manners? No, that would be like pulling teeth. Proper hygiene? No, that would take forever. What about - hello, what's this? Octaiva's eyes fell upon a familiar shape, the neck of a stringed instrument, sitting on one of the shelves near the door to Vinyl's bedroom. Trotting over, she picked up the instrument (which turned out to be a viola) and examined it.
This is in remarkably good condition, but what is it doing here of all places? Ah, no matter, I think I've found the perfect thing to teach her. Idiot probably wouldn't even know which end to hold. Octavia grinned wickedly. This will get her back for the magic. Truth be told, she knew it wasn't Vinyl's fault the lemons failed, but Octavia was in Vinyl's body, so it was close enough.
"Hey Octy, you think of anything?" Vinyl asked from across the room.
"Oh yes," Octavia responded with a bit of smugness in her voice. "I've found just the thing."
Vinyl watched as Octavia sauntered back towards her, holding something behind her back. Craning her neck to get a better look, her efforts were thwarted by Octavia moving her body to continue hiding whatever it was she found. Finally, when Octavia was right in front of her, Vinyl was presented with the instrument.
"Play this," Octavia commanded, trying her best to conceal the grin of sadistic glee that was threatening to overtake her facial features.
Vinyl slowly reached out and took the instrument and bow in hoof, glancing from one to the other in what to Octavia looked like confusion. She can't be serious? Sigh...not this again. Well at least Octy is in for a surprise.
(Meanwhile, in Octavia's head) Oh she has no idea what to do. This should be good.
Vinyl reared up on her back hooves, assuming a stable yet comfortable stance before bringing the viola to bear, resting it with practiced ease in the crook of her neck. With her other hoof, she brought the bow to rest lightly on top of the strings. With her posture set, she looked back at Octavia, the unicorn raising one eyebrow in surprise that she was able to get into the stance quickly.
"Well, go on," Octavia urged, waving a hoof in emphasis.
With a deep breath, Vinyl drew the bow slowly across the strings, producing a pure, somber note the entire duration of the bow's draw. Once the note ended, Vinyl paused momentarily, closing her eyes and gathering her concentration. Slowly, she began to run the bow faster across the strings, her face furrowed in concentration as her playing took form into a melody that was both upbeat in tempo yet somber in sound. As Vinyl finished her piece, she opened her eyes and exhaled slowly. Looking at Octavia, Vinyl was greeted with a look of dumbfounded surprise on the unicorn mare's face.
"But...how..." Octavia stammered in disbelief. "That...was Handel's Sonata VI...played perfectly..." Her words trailed off as she regarded Vinyl with a wonderment and confusion.
"Music, Octavia," Vinyl sighed, her mood depressed by the playing.
"Pardon?"
"My special talent is music. I didn't become a DJ until after I got my cutie mark. This instrument I'm holding," she regarded the viola with a look between sadness and disgust, "it's the instrument that gave me my cutie mark."
"I...I didn't know," Octavia whispered.
"No, you didn't," Vinyl spat. "Let's just drop it and move on, ok," Vinyl stated, not leaving anything up for debate.
"No, wait," Octavia attempted to reopen the conversation, "I just need to know -"
"You don't need to know anything!" Vinyl shouted, her words having an effect on Octavia akin to if she had been slapped across the face. "I said to drop it, but no! You had to keep pressing. When can you learn to just butt out of ponies' business Octavia!?" Vinyl angrily trotted to the front door, throwing it open in a fit of rage. "Goodbye," she spat at Octavia before trotting away, leaving the door wide open.
Rooted in place by the initial shock, Octavia shook herself out of it and realized that Vinyl had just left her. As the realization sunk in, her hooves sprang into action, galloping through the door as she passively slammed the door shut with her magic. Oh Celestia I hope that I didn't just set the door on fire. Looking out over the railing, she saw Vinyl just getting off the stairs at the bottom floor and trotting towards the Middle District of Canterlot. What's gotten into you Vinyl Scratch? Octavia sprinted towards the stairwell and leaped down each flight of stairs, determined to not let Vinyl get away from her. I don't know what's going on, but I have to help...Oh Octavia, what are you getting yourself into and why?
I don't get it. What's gotten into Vinyl? She certainly doesn't sound like the carefree mare that I've heard about.
Bwuh!? Sister!? H-how long have you been there!?
The whole time, but that's not important. What happened to Vinyl? And for that matter, what about Octaiva? She's acting different as well.
Oh, uh, right. Well, I didn't know this until recently, but Vinyl Scratch has a bit of a bad past, and Octavia wasn't exactly helping. Their history isn't exactly helping either.
Oh? Care to elaborate on that dear sister?
Ah ah, that would be telling sister.
Yeah! You don't wanna give away all the juicy bits right away, otherwise there's nothing to look forward to!
Gah! Miss Pie, how in Equestria did you get into my room!? ...and for that matter, where did that popcorn come from?
Hehe! That's an easy one! The popcorn came from corn, silly!
Yes, I know that, but-
Then why did you ask if you knew already?
Sister, I would advise you just let it lie.
The popcorn isn't important! How did you get into my room? It's the most secret and hidden room in Canterlot, and you just appeared in it!
*GASP* I'm in Canterlot!? Oh wowie!
...nevermind. Now where was I...
"Vinyl! Vinyl slow down!" Octavia exclaimed, running through the Lower District of Canterlot in pursuit of the grey earth pony. Her hooves thundered on the uneven road underneath her, and her breathing was ragged, but the only thing on her mind was catching up to Vinyl. "For Celestia's sake, are you even listening!?"
Vinyl kept her eyes forward, her lids lowered into a directionless glare in front of her, hooves gradually picking up their pace from a angry trot to nearly full on gallop away from her dwelling. If she heard Octavia's frantic shouts, she gave no indication of hearing the mare, let alone listening to her pleas to slow down.
Octavia continued the pursuit, hardly giving notice to the confused ponies watching the pair run through the Lower District, nor the guards' surprised shouts as the two barreled their way through the gateway to Canterlot's Middle District. Her only thought was catching up to Vinyl, and doing...something. She didn't know, but she was determined to get answers. Vinyl, I swear to Celestia when I catch you...
Vinyl slowed down just enough to begin turning around a corner without losing her balance, fully intent on losing the mare who had made her life nothing but very problematic in such a short amount of time. However, just as she was making the turn she felt the full force of a desperate unicorn slam into her sides. The two tumbled over each other, eventually crashing against the wall to the nearest building.
Octavia let out a low moan of pain. She wasn't sure why she did it, but she had just tackled Vinyl in an effort to slow the mare down. While it worked in that regard, it also caused some unnecessary pain on her part. Rubbing her aching head with a hoof, she began to shakily stand at the same time as Vinyl, who looked like she was ready to bolt again.
No, not again.
Octavia's horn began to glow threateningly at Vinyl. "Vinyl, stop this right now or I will use magic. As much as I've claimed to dislike you in the past, I don't want you to end up like the lemons," Octavia threatened, determination setting into her features.
Vinyl however made no move to attempt to run again, instead opting to close the small gap between her and Octavia. Her face was doing its best job to convey the pure, unadulterated rage that the earth pony was feeling at the moment. Her piercing gaze was doing its very best to penetrate the purple sunglasses Octavia was wearing, and it must have been working, as she saw Octavia begin to shrink back as her resolve wavered.
"Vinyl..." Octavia began to speak softly before she felt a sting on her left cheek. Raising her hoof to the sore spot, she realized what just happened; Vinyl had slapped her.
Vinyl didn't stop there though, and before the unicorn could react, Vinyl had grabbed Octavia by her shoulders, pulling the frightened unicorn muzzle to muzzle with the enraged earth pony. Vinyl's teeth were gritted, her breathing making a hissing noise that was disconcerting to Octavia each time she breathed. Her eyes had narrowed to the point where all that was visible was a tiny slit. Octavia gulped; she was in for it now.
"Octavia," Vinyl hissed, "what the BUCK are you doing?" Her volume was lowered, but the anger in the voice was the same as if she had been screaming right at the mare.
"I..."
"I'll tell you what you're doing," Vinyl continued, "you're making a scene. As if the shouting wasn't getting enough attention, or the sprinting through Canterlot, you were saying my name from my body." Octavia tried her best to swallow the lump that had appeared in her throat, the seriousness of Vinyl's words fully realized by the unicorn. "If, no scratch that, when we are in public, we have to try to act like nothing is wrong. Remember what Luna said. Got it?"
Octavia weakly nodded in response. "Good," Vinyl finished before shoving the mare away from her suddenly, causing Octavia's balance to be thrown off, sending her tumbling onto the pavement below. She quickly scrambled back to her hooves as Vinyl turned around, fully intent of trotting away.
Before she had the chance to, Vinyl felt a gentle hoof on her shoulder. Snapping her head around, the anger in her eyes melted away when she saw Octavia looking at her. The purple sunglasses, the trademark of DJ Pon-3, were pushed up and resting atop the unicorn's horn, and Octavia's eyes were full of concern.
"Vinyl," she said weakly, "what's gotten into you? You aren't acting like yourself and it's worrying me."
Vinyl narrowed her eyes again. "What do you care? It's not like we're friends or anything," she spat at the unicorn, trying anything she could to make her go away. Still, she couldn't deny that Octavia's words had an effect on her, slowly melting the anger away.
"Maybe not," Octavia replied as she placed her hoof back on the ground. "But that doesn't make me any less concerned about you. Please tell me, what's wrong? What's gotten into you Vinyl?" Her words, while soft spoken, sounded more like pleas than questions. Vinyl could begin to see tears forming in the very corners of the unicorn's eyes, causing her to sigh in defeat.
"I don't know anymore Octy..." Vinyl replied dejectedly, "I just don't know." Looking back into Octavia's magenta eyes, she continued, "It's just...ugh...just forget about it for now Octy." Reaching a hoof towards Octavia, she plucked the glasses from atop Octavia's horn and slid them back over the unicorn's eyes, shielding them once more from the world. "Keep the shades on whenever you're in public or around ponies. It's part of the image," Vinyl stated quietly, all traces of anger gone from her voice.
"Ok," Octavia responded in an equally quiet voice. Again, Vinyl went to turn away, but was stopped when Octavia suddenly enveloped the mare in her hooves, the act eliciting a surprised noise from Vinyl. Nonetheless, Vinyl returned the hug, seemingly grateful for the show of concern.
Vinyl broke the hug first, standing back on all four hooves before speaking to Octavia. "Come on Vinyl," she said with a wink, "might as well get something to eat while we're in this part of town. I'll buy."
Octavia smiled at the sentiment as she too got back on her hooves. "That would be generous if you weren't using my bits, you insane mare," Octavia replied mirthfully, getting a chuckle out of Vinyl, who had seemingly returned to her old self.
"Your words, they wound me so," Vinyl stated in mock offense, but couldn't help but laugh along with Octavia. The two mares swiftly trotted away from the site of their impromptu scuffle (and the shocked ponies too) and made their way deeper into the Middle District, following the claim that Vinyl "knew a place."
"Hey Vinyl," Octavia whispered so that nopony could overhear, "are you sure you're alright?"
This caused Vinyl to pause her stride, her eyes giving a faraway stare as she mulled the question over. After a minute of silence, she sighed; "No, I'm not alright. Please," Vinyl said preemptively to cut Octavia off, "don't press it. I appreciate the concern, I really do, but I'm just not ready to tell you. Or anypony else for that matter," she muttered. Vinyl looked imploringly into Octavia's eyes, "just drop it for now, please?"
"...fine," Octavia finally consented before the two of them continued their search for the restaurant. "But don't think this means I'm forgetting about this," Octavia added after they were walking again. "I've got my eye on you."
"Is that so?" Vinyl asked with a wink before pulling ahead of Octavia. Playfully swaying her flank, she looked back at Octavia; "Like what you see?"
"Oh shut up," Octavia said, giving Vinyl a playful shove. "You're impossible, you know that right?"
"It's a perk of being me," Vinyl chuckled. "Speaking of, I need to give you a lesson in 'Vinyl Scratch 101' later. Being me is a lot harder than you think it is."
"Oh, you mean there's more to it than being completely insane, irrationally spontaneous, and wearing gaudy sunglasses?" Octavia asked with a smirk.
"...well when you put it that way it takes all the fun out of it. Besides, 'Vinyl Scratch 101' sounds so much cooler."
"I suppose," Octavia said with a roll of her eyes. "Are we almost there?" Octavia asked, "we've been walking for a good twenty minutes now, and chasing you down has made me famished." As if on cue, Octavia's stomach let forth a loud gurgle, indicating its desire for some form of nourishment.
"Haha, well it's a good thing we're here then," Vinyl proclaimed, pointing a hoof to a building that looked no different to the buildings around it. Octavia glanced up, looking for the building's sign to figure out where they would be dining. A simple wooden sign hung above the door, the words "Home Sweet Home" written in a flourished style.
"It doesn't exactly stand out from anyplace else on the street," Octavia noted. "There isn't even outdoor seating."
"Oh, that's all out back," Vinyl stated simply. "Wait," she said, throwing a hoof in front of Octavia as she tried to enter the building. "You can't just go in there like a normal pony."
With a roll of her eyes, Octavia spoke, "Why am I not surprised?"
"I have a very specific way of entering, that way they know it's me and they don't have to waste time with all the formality. Ok, so what you've gotta do is throw both doors open at the same time and yell 'Honey, I'm Home!' as loud as you can."
Octavia cocked an eyebrow.
"Hey, I've got my own way of doing things," Vinyl defended, her cheeks taking on a light tint. "And since you're me now, you have to do it in my stead. Think you can handle that?"
With a soft sigh, Octavia agreed. "I suppose it could be worse. But it's just so..." Octavia paused, searching for the right word, "obnoxious." Vinyl's smile didn't waiver from the statement. Sighing yet again, Octavia muttered, "Though it is you we're talking about. Do I really have to do this?" Octavia asked, trying to weasel her way out of losing more of her dignity.
"Yep," Vinyl replied cheerfully.
"Fantastic, oh well. Here goes everything I guess." Steeling her nerves, the unicorn mare reared up on her back hooves and lightly placed both her front hooves on the double doors to the establishment. Inhaling deeply, she paused before throwing the doors open with significant force before loudly announcing her presence. "Honey, I'm Home!"
"Welcome home!" a number of voices shouted back at her, making Octavia feel surprisingly welcome. Octavia saw a grey pegasus stallion make his way his way from behind a counter and towards her, a big smile encompassing his face.
"Vinyl, you crazy mare, where the hell have you been!?" he asked enthusiastically.
"Around," Octavia answered quickly, not wanting to speak too much. It was bad enough that she had to enter the way she did, so she didn't want to continue the trend with conversation. When the stallion looked at her with an eager look, she narrowed her eyes at him, "that's all you're getting out of me."
"Fine, fine," he replied, throwing his hooves up in mock surrender. "So, do you want the usual table or-". His sentence was cut off when Vinyl entered the doors, taking her place next to Octavia. The colt's eyes grew as wide as his smile, before narrowing down into a mischievous look. "Oh, I see you have company today. Would you like a private table instead?" he asked with a waggle of his eyebrows.
"Don't get creepy," Octavia said flatly. "But a private booth would be nice."
"Wow Vinyl, you sure are formal today," the colt commented as he retrieved menus from behind the maitre d' podium. "Is rubbing elbows with the Upper Crust starting to affect you?"
Vinyl bit her tongue, lest she speak out to defend herself. Octavia however was one step ahead. With a swift flick of her hoof, she swatted the stallion atop the head, followed by a chuckle. "You wish." Vinyl felt her chest swell with pride, she couldn't have done it better herself.
"Haha, fine fine," the stallion said, rubbing his head. "Follow me and I'll get you seated." With that, he began to make his way to the back of the restaurant, weaving his way between tables with the mares hanging back.
Vinyl leaned in so she could whisper to Octavia as they followed the colt. "His name's Cloud Hopper, and he will be expecting a hoof bump when he leaves to get our drinks. Oh and call him Hops, it's a nickname I gave him when I first started coming here. Don't let me down Octy."
Octavia rolled her eyes as they were finally shown their seat. True to the stallion's word, this particular booth was not only in a more secluded part of the restaurant, but also had a privacy wall erected so there was only one open side, away from the other tables. "Here you go girls, one private booth to your liking," Hops said with a fake posh accent.
"Thanks Hops," Octavia stated, knocking her hoof against the other pony's. "Just water today for us, gotta live on a budget after all."
"Budget, HA!" Hops commented, "since when do you live moderately? Ah well, not my place to ask, I'll get this right back to you." A short time later, after the two mares were seated, Hops brought back their drink orders. "When you're ready to order, you know what to do, Vinyl," he stated as he made his way back to the front of the restaurant.
When they were finally alone again, Octavia let a sigh of relief escape her lips. Vinyl on the other hoof slumped down onto the table and groaned.
"What's your problem?" Octavia asked.
"I miss being me," Vinyl grumbled in response, grabbing a salt shaker and gently nudging it for no particular reason than it was something to do.
"I don't see what's so great about it," Octavia responded, levitating the salt shaker out of Vinyl's reach. "It's just...annoying."
"But it's fuuuuuuuun," Vinyl whined. "Now that I'm you I don't get to have fun. 'Octavia the Fun Nazi'" Vinyl said, waving her hooves around in a dramatic fashion. "That's me," she finished as she slumped her head back onto the table.
"Oh be quiet," Octavia chided, swatting Vinyl with her menu. "My life's not that bad." Octavia paused, "Vinyl, what's a Nazi?"
"Beats me," the mare shrugged. "It just sounds like something bad."
Meanwhile
Berlin, 1939
Adolf Hitler sat at his desk, his finger tapping furiously at the worn wood beneath it. Nearby, Joseph Goebbels watched warily at Hitler's growing frustration.
"Mein Fuhrer, what is it that troubles you?"
"I can feel it again, Joseph. Someone, somewhere is mocking our regime." Hitler's eyes furrowed as the pace of his tapping increased. "They call us evil, insane, monsters. What have we done? Pulled Germany out of the recession it found itself in after our humiliating defeat, yet still we are mocked!" His fist slams against the desk, causing Goebbels to jump. "NO MORE!" Hitler shouts, spittle flying from his mouth. "I'll silence this slander against our name!"
Hitler pauses, seemingly deep in thought. "...yes," he states, the tapping of his finger resuming once more. "That's it Goebbels, THAT'S IT! We shall create a new German empire, uniting Europe under a single banner once more. It will be the Third Reich of Germany, a rule lasting one thousand years! Rally the army, for soon, we begin by taking Poland..."
"I think those whispers might be right," Goebbels whispered under his breath before bowing to Hitler. "At once, mein Fuhrer."
"Gotta say Octy, you aren't too bad at being me," Vinyl stated as she took a drink from her glass.
"I'm not sure whether I should be proud or insulted at that," Octavia replied as she took another bite of her omelet. Vinyl likewise took a sizable bite out of the hayburger she had ordered, causing Octavia to cringe at her distinct lack of table manners. The food was better than Octavia had expected it to be for such a small establishment, though ordering it had been a little more complicated. Having to order each other's food then swapping it once the waiter was gone was a little awkward, but she couldn't complain otherwise.
"No, I mean really," Vinyl continued after she had swallowed her food. "You had me down pretty good. If I didn't know better, I'd say you were an actor instead of a...uh...music...pony...thing," she stumbled.
"Musician," Octavia deadpanned. "And I guess that's to be expected after the acting classes I took as a filly."
"Wait, really?" Vinyl blurted in surprise.
"Yes," Octavia sighed. "Mother was adamant about my cutie mark being in the fine arts. As soon as I was able to walk, she had me enrolled in classes for acting, dancing, painting, singing, and music."
"But why?" Vinyl asked, tilting her head to the side. "A cutie mark is supposed to be a special talent that's, like, a picture of a pony's soul or something. You can't force that kind of thing."
There was a pause in the conversation, the silence only broken by a cacophony of sound outside.
"CUTIE MARK CRUSADER GUARDPONIES, YAY!"
"GIRLS, YOU GET BACK HERE THIS INSTANT! AND PUT THOSE SPEARS DOWN BEFORE YOU HURT SOMEPONY!"
...
"Well, tell that to my mother," Octavia continued, not phased by the odd yelling outside. "She was from a noble Canterlot house, and as such wanted me to exude class. Canterlot being a city of the fine arts, that meant I was destined to become a part of that culture. It's too bad that I missed most of my foalhood because of it."
"Wow, that sucks," Vinyl said quietly.
"You have such a way with sympathy," Octavia stated sarcastically. "Anyways, what do you have to do this week? I feel that I should know that before it's too late."
"Huh, oh! I don't have to really be anywhere until Friday, when I have a show in Manehattan," Vinyl said. "I usually use the time from tomorrow to Wednesday to make the track list for my show, then spend Thursday traveling to the gig. Should be easy enough for you."
"I suppose, if I had any idea what I was doing."
"Don't worry, I'll show you when we get back to my place. Anyways, what about you?"
Octavia thought for a moment. "Well today is Sunday, so it's my free day, as well as tomorrow I don't have any pressing engagements. Tuesday I have to be in Phillydelphia for an audition, Wednesday in Las Pegasus for another, and finally Friday there is the big audition for the Manehattan Symphony Orchestra that I've been preparing for."
"Aw sweet! We can totally hang out then!" Vinyl exclaimed excitedly.
"...maybe. I'll think about it."
"Anyways, we should probabl-"
"Excuse me, is this seat taken?" a cultured voice spoke from the edge of the table.
"Actually it is, sorr-" The words died as they left Octavia's lips as her eyes met the pony they were directed to. Standing at the edge of their table was Princess Luna. The Princess wore a smirk at the shocked looks coming from both ponies and let them gather their wits before she spoke to them.
"Good afternoon you two, I trust you're doing well?" Not waiting for an answer, Luna continued, "Don't worry, you aren't in trouble, I just wanted to see how you were doing is all, and to bring you a little gift."
"Are you going to change us back?" Vinyl asked hopefully.
"No."
"Damn..."
"I wanted to bring you these," the Princess said as she levitated out two candles and placed them on the table, "so that you may keep in correspondence with one another this week. They're magically linked to one another, simply hold you're letter over the flame and it will send it to the other."
The two mares only nodded, not sure what they could really say.
"Excellent, I leave you two to finish enjoying your meal." With that, Luna's horn glowed briefly before the Princess disappeared with a loud 'POP.'
"..."
"..."
"...let's get out of here Octy."
"...agreed."
"Is it just me, or did the Princess seem a little...odd...to you?" Octavia asked as they walked through the park. After being surprised by Princess Luna back in the cafe and hastily making an exit, the two silently agreed to keep walking wherever their hooves took them. As it turned out, the eight combined limbs bore their masters towards Canterlot's popular park district, situated only a stone's throw away from where they were eating. The park itself, nestled between the Middle and Upper districts of the city, was a popular location for ponies of all walks of life to come and relax in its scenic atmosphere.
"Well, maybe she was stressed," Vinyl replied. Octavia nodded in agreement, it seemed like a simple enough reason. Co-ruling an entire nation and getting re-acclimated to society after a thousand years of isolation would seem like reason enough to be stressed. "Or," Vinyl continued after a brief pause, "maybe she was brainwashed."
"Brainwashed..." Octavia deadpanned back. "You're right, that makes total sense, because a brainwashed pony capable of enacting new laws and moving a celestial body has absolutely nothing else to do but make us their own personal playthings."
"I know!" Vinyl exclaimed, Octavia's sarcasm going so far over her head that it was probably in orbit by now, "think about it, she wasn't the way she usually was with us, she didn't even try to tease us or anything! It has to be the changelings, they must have infiltrated our system and are planning to take us down from the inside, except now we can't just fire the orbital friendship cannon at them!"
"Orbital...friendship...cannon..." Octavia slowly repeated.
"Yeah, you know, that rainbow thing that happens when those six ponies wear the flashy jewelry. They nuke the baddie, and everything's back to normal. Except they aren't here so they can't do that. It's the perfect plan...except we caught on to it. We can still stop it Octy, you and me. Vinyl and Octy vs. the world!"
"Vinyl, I'm going to ask you to do something," Octavia stated slowly.
"What's that? Kick flank? Chew bubblegum? Oh, but I'm all out of gum..."
"Vinyl, shut up."
"Geez Octy, you have no imagination," Vinyl groaned, bumping Octavia's hip with her own.
"No, unlike you, I live in something normal ponies call reality. It's quite nice actually, maybe you should move there sometime. I hear the food's good."
Vinyl tried to hold back a snort at the remark. "Wow Octy, I didn't know you had a sense of humor in there. Tell ya what, for making me laugh, I'll think about getting a timeshare or something in this 'reality' place."
"It's a start, I suppose," Octavia sighed.
The two continued their slow pace through the park, greeting ponies as they themselves were greeted. It was a nice experience for the both of them; it was a taste of normality, something that was extremely lacking in light of recent events. Despite the stressful situation she was in, Octavia actually began to relax, letting the calm surroundings melt away her worries for a while as if she were under the skilled hooves of a masseuse. Perhaps the surroundings worked a little too well on her, as she soon found herself trying to stifle a yawn, a yawn that did not go unnoticed by Vinyl.
"You tired, Octy?" Vinyl asked. It was a simple question that usually would warrant a simple answer, but Octavia was a little shocked at the mare it was coming from. Maybe she was reading too much into it, but that question coming from Vinyl made it seem like Vinyl actually cared how she was feeling. Octavia must have taken a little too long to respond, as the next thing she new she was staring into Vinyl's amethyst eyes.
"Yo, Equestria to Octy," Vinyl asked as she waved a hoof between their eyes, "I asked if you were tired and you kinda spaced out on me."
"Huh? Oh!" Octavia stammered, her cheeks flushing a little bit in embarrassment, or what she sincerely hoped was just embarrassment. "Y-yes, I am a little tired I suppose..."
"Alright, I guess here's as good as anywhere," Vinyl declared, causing Octavia to raise an eyebrow. The signal was not lost on Vinyl, as she clarified moments later. "I mean you can lay on this bench and catch some z's, travel to dreamland, or nap as the popular saying goes." She gestured to a vacant bench near underneath a nice shady oak tree that seemed like it would be perfect for the activity.
Octavia thought for a moment. Sure she was tired, but to sleep like this out in public? It would be a disgrace to her image...except she remembered that her image wasn't hers anymore, that was in the hooves of Vinyl now. She suppressed a shudder at the thought. But what about Vinyl, would she also decide to take a nap as well? It sure seemed like her, at least. But then, where would she be sleeping? On the ground? No, that would not do, if Octavia's body were to stoop so low as to be seen sleeping in public, it would at least have some form of proper bedding. After a few moments, Octavia made up her mind.
"I appreciate the offer Vinyl, but if we're both going to take a nap, I would just assume go back to one of our dwellings and sleep there."
Vinyl raised an eyebrow, "I never said anything about me sleeping. You seemed tired and I thought you'd appreciate the chance to take a rest."
"Wait, you're not going to sleep?" Octavia asked in surprise.
"Nah, I like to pony watch when I come to the park, and besides I don't want to throw off your body's sleep schedule or anything like that. So I'll just stay up and wait until you're finished napping, then we can go back. Sound ok?" Vinyl asked, a small tone of pleading, nigh detectable, creeping into her voice.
Octavia smiled warmly at her, "Alright, you've convinced me. Let's go then."
Vinyl smiled widely as she half walked, half bounced to the aforementioned bench, Octavia in tow. Vinyl hopped up on the bench and patted the spot next to her, inviting Octavia to sit along with her. Octavia took the invitation and sat down, looking up at the view in front of them. While the bench itself was a little off the path, it was also on slightly elevated ground, giving ponies sitting on it a nice view of the center of the park where other ponies would be playing. The fact that it was out of the way also made it quieter than other places in the park, and one could be easily lulled to sleep from the tranquility. It was almost as if they were detached from the world around them and they were merely observers.
Octavia began to settle down when she noticed a problem; the bench wasn't big enough for both Vinyl to sit and Octavia to lay down.
"Uh, Vinyl..."
"Yeah?"
"I can't lay down with you sitting there without our bodies overlapping..." Octavia muttered quietly.
"Huh? Oh, just lay your head in my lap," Vinyl replied casually, not making eye contact with Octavia.
"What!?" Octavia yelped in surprise, her cheeks flushing hotly.
"Hey, i-it's not like I chose this bench because of that..." Vinyl stammered in defense. "I just thought you'd like someplace out of the way so you could, uh, relax and stuff."
Octavia calmed down a bit at that. True, their location was nice and quiet, and it wasn't like there were other ponies around to see them, clearly at least. It's a nice thought of her at least, as ill thought-out as it was. I suppose it can't hurt...oh I sure hope none of this makes it back to Mother...
Without a word, Octavia managed to slowly shift her position, lightly resting her head on Vinyl's lap, causing the mare to jump a little in surprise. Octavia looked up towards Vinyl's eyes, which were looking anywhere but at her. She looks so embarrassed and uncomfortable...
"Vinyl are you sure-"
"Yeah, i-it's alright, you just caught me off guard, heh..." Vinyl dismissed, rubbing the back of her head. "Get some rest Octavia, you look like you could use some."
"Mhmm," Octavia mumbled in agreement as she turned her head away from Vinyl's body. This is surprisingly comfortable actually... Octavia's eyes closed as she sighed contentedly, the calls of dreamland beckoning her to join them. As she drifted off, she smiled slightly wider as she remembered something. She called me Octavia this time...
Hey everyone, sorry to get your hopes up when you saw the update, but rest assured it is for good reasons. I recently posted a very important blog post regarding the direction of the story. How important you ask? Important enough for me to make a public announcement through medium of chapter updates.
You may find the blog here: http://www.fimfiction.net/blog/164982/i-need-your-help-the-next-chapter-is-in-the-works-but
To give a short explanation, I have two directions I want to go with this story, but I don't know which I want to do. So I'm asking my readers which they would prefer (no this isn't lazy, because I can write it).
I'm asking, please read the blog and consider the options. I want to finish this story for you guys but I haven't been stuck on a decision like this in a very long time. I'll begin writing whichever option receives the most votes/positive feedback and I will try to have it published shortly thereafter, real life permitting. I look forward to your feedback.