Picking Up The Peices
Days had passed since Octavia asked to see Vinyl’s eyes. Days have passed since Vinyl refused. And days have passed since the two had spoken more than a few words to each other. Vinyl continued to stay at the hospital with Octavia. The first few days of Octavia’s hospitalization were extremely painful for her. Earth ponies are strong, naturally resistant to a lot of different ailments. They don’t become as sore as the other types of ponies. However when they do get injured the don’t heal nearly as fast as pegasi and unicorns. Unicorns naturally use the flow of magic in them to heal quicker. Pegasi have adapted to lower healing times due to the high number of injuries they get from falling out of the sky.
Octavia had little to do. This being said she slept most of the day due to the drowsiness side effect of the pain medication given to her. Today, though, she was up bright and early. She was going home. Back to the mansion of musicians, back to her cello, and away from the awful smell that always seems to linger in hospitals.
Octavia stared at the roof. She noticed that all the many panels that made up the roof holes in them. Approximately 465 on average. She had counted three of them at this point.
Octavia sat up in bed. She felt a slight pain from her wound but nothing too bad. They had removed the stitches yesterday night and gave her one finally x-rays to make sure everything inside her was in place. It was. She stared at the snow white blob wrapped up in a red comforter resting on a cot in the corner of the colorless room. Octavia wasn’t mad that Vinyl didn’t show her eyes, just irritated. She felt like the unicorn didn’t trust her, as if Octavia would make fun of Vinyl for her eyes.
<(‘.’)>
Vinyl was walking. The hallway she was in was dark, almost too dark to see anything at all. Her hoofs were cold. She waked slowly to assure herself that there was indeed ground where her hoofs stepped. The only sound was the clopping of hooves on stone. Just then a flash of light illuminated at the end of what looked like a long, rugged stone hallway. The light lingered and Vinyl began to walk towards it. That’s when she heard it. A giggle, the giggle. The one that drove Vinyl mad every time she heard it. She turned away from the light to see Octavia, giggling with a hoof covering her mouth.
“Tavi! I’m so glad to see you! What is this place?”
Octavia didn’t answer. Instead she turned and began to trot into the darkness. Soon all that was left was her silhouette. Vinyl was left with a choice. She could follow the mare into the darkness, or head into the warming light. It didn’t take Vinyl very long to make her choice. She galloped after the mare she loved.
“Tavi wait up!” Vinyl continued galloping towards her mare. They light faded away and she could no longer see anything. She was alone again. She looked back towards where she believed the opposite end of the hallway was. She saw nothing. Alone and scared Vinyl began to sob. This always happened. She would chase her heart and end up alone yet again.
“Vinyl are you ok?” The sweet voice echoed through the hallway. Everything began to shake.
“Wake up please, wake up!”
<(‘.’)>
Vinyl shot up in her bed. She peered around the room and noticed the nurse, Daisy, standing by the door and Octavia out of bed, shaking her. Octavia was out of her hospital gown making the bandages that covered her wound very seeable. She had one arm around Vinyl and the other placed on her face.
“I… I’m sorry just a nightmare. No need to worry.” Vinyl flashed a smile towards Octavia. Immediately Octavia could tell it was not sincere though. Octavia turned her attention to the nurse still standing next to the door.
“Do you mind giving us a moment Daisy?”
“Sure thing Hun.” Daisy exited the room after giving the pair a warm smile.
“Vinyl what's wrong with you?”
“Nothing’s wrong Tavi just don’t worry bout’ me kay?” Vinyl looked pleadingly at Octavia. Of course Octavia could not see behind Vinyl’s shades therefore had no idea of the desperation hidden in them.
“I cannot just stop worrying about you! You mumble in your sleep and then wake up crying!!! If this-” Octavia waved her hoof back in forth between Vinyl and herself “- is ever going to work then you need to open up. Who are you?”
Vinyl paused. She grabbed her glasses in her magical aura and took them off. She spoke keeping her eyes closed. “You want to know who I am? Fine. I am a bucked up mare from a bucked up family. My real name isn’t Vinyl, its Vincenza. Vincenza Staccato.”
Octavia looked shocked. The Staccato family was infamous. A once grand grand piano playing stallion whose scandalous marriage to a drugged up, no-talent pop singer nearly ruined his career. The pair started to release songs of their own. The Earth mare, named Vibrato Pitch, was infamous for her less than classy ‘stage dances’. She sold music through sexual appeal therefore her music was considered trash among the high society. So when she married one of the most famous, and stuck up, pianists of the time, Triton Staccato, ponies were surprised. Well… less surprised and more outraged. They released three albums called ‘Universal Love’, ‘Earth and Magic’, and ‘Things change’. The three albums reached top of the charts a matter of days after their initial release. They still hold the record for ‘most songs in the top ten at one point in time’. After that they disappeared out of the public eye everypony kind of forgot all about them.
“You’re a Staccato? Like a Staccato Staccato? Ohmygoshiloveyourparents!” Octavia proceed to shove a hoof in her mouth at the rather uncouth display.
“Yeah Tavi, those are my parents. Buckin’ awesome…” Octavia could immediately see the distress hidden on Vinyl’s face. Vinyl still held her eyes closed tight, afraid to reveal herself to her marefriend. The pair sat in silence for a few moments. It wasn’t an uncomfortable silence, rather one of understanding. Vinyl needed a moment and Octavia was happy to supply the time. She could talk to Vinyl later, right now she needed comfort. Octavia lowered her head and nuzzled Vinyl. Vinyl jerked back at the unexpected contact but the welcomed it, taking all the warmth and comfort the cellist had to offer.
“My dad was a dick, to put it nicely.” Vinyl finally spoke “He would constantly come home with other mares. He wasn’t the nicest pony either. He would scream and yell at me and my mom for doing absolutely nothing. He blamed the fall of his career on my mother, as if she was some temptress that seduced him into loving her. I love my mom. She’s the closest thing to sanity I had as a child. I was constantly getting shit about my eyes and my appearance. Hay, I looked like a cotton ball before I got my hair dyed. She refused to leave him, which was the funny part. She would get so much shit from him, day and night. She would watch him cheat on her and wouldn’t do anything. Before I ra… moved out during high school I asked her why. Why is she doing this to herself?” Vinyl finally took a breath. After her rant she deserved one. “She answered plain and simple; she still had love for him. She said he was a good pony who was just making some bad decisions.”
Vinyl stopped. Tears burned her eyes. She finally opened them to reveal their magenta coloration made redder by the tears dripping out. She looked at Octavia and winced when Octavia gasped. “Vinyl… as cheesy as this may be, your eyes are… something else! I feel as if I could get lost in them. There is no reason to hide those Vinyl! Why ever do you cover them with your goggles?”
Vinyl had a smirk on her face. She was terrified of what the cellist would think. Luckily for the jockey, Octavia reacted the way the jockey thought she would. She liked them. But the worrying wasn’t done. People liked her eyes before, but they only liked her for her eyes. Nopony knew, but that was the reason for wearing the glasses. She wanted people to get to know Vinyl, not her eyes.
“Thanks Tavi… I still would prefer to wear my glasses though.”
“That’s fine; I just want you to be happy.” Those words made Vinyl’s heart flutter. The sentiment was immediately followed by the cellist wiping the tears away from Vinyl’s eyes with her cheek, damping her fur. She gave Vinyl a peck on the cheek and pulled away with a fierce blush covering her face. Vinyl cracked a smile and looked up at the Cellist. She floated her glasses back onto her face, covering her eyes and stood up along with her marefriend. The two trotted to the door.
“Vinyl?
“Yes Tavi?”
“What do you do for a living?” Vinyl stopped dead in her tracks and shook her head.
“Well currently I don’t do anything. I used to DJ but then… you know. So recently I ran out of the bits I had saved up and I started working as a janitor for Fancy Pants. Didn’t really work out… Now I’m unemployed.” Octavia gave her a warm smile. One that said everything she needed to say. She didn’t care that Vinyl was unemployed, well didn’t care all that much.
“You two leaving already?” They both jumped at Daisy’s voice. Turning to address the nurse, Vinyl spoke up.
“Yeah were out. Um, thanks I guess, you know, for everything.” Daisy trotted up to the pair and wrapped her forelegs around them.
“No, thank you. You don’t know how hard it is to love. Nopony seems to understand what love is anymore. But you Vinyl, you supported me that first night. I was tired and I let my secret slip… But you supported me. I went home to my marefriend feeling proud of being the way I am. I got a counsel with the princess. I know that a signature on a piece of paper saying that people like us are supported isn’t going to solve all our problems, but hay, it’s a damn good place to start.” Daisy pulled away and gave the DJ and the Cellist a warm smile. Octavia flashed a smile of her own back while Vinyl averted her gaze to the tiles below. Vinyl cleared her throat and decided to speak.
“You know Daisy? You are more brave than I could ever be. I wish you luck-” Vinyl looked at the cellist then back to the nurse. “We wish you luck. Now I think Tavi should get home and get some rest. Also I’m sure her roommates are terrified right now.” Octavia immediately dawned a face of absolute terror.
“I completely forgot about them. Do they know what happened to me? Where I was? Do they know if I am ok? I hope I did not make them worry too much. Do you know if-” Octavia’s rambling came to an abrupt stop when Vinyl shoved her hoof into the cellist’s mouth. Daisy gave a chuckle at the display before trotting away down the hallway. She turned and waved at the two before turning into another patient's room.
“Tavi chill will ya? They came by two days ago. You were asleep so I told them you’d be released today. They said to give you their best regards and then they left. No biggie.” Octavia’s eye twitched.
“Are you telling me somepony stopped by to see me and you neglected to tell me? What, pray tell, is wrong with you?” Vinyl gasped in mock hurt.
“Tavi, after all we’ve been through! I can’t believe you would say something like that!” Octavia grunted and cantered in anger past Vinyl and out the doors. After Vinyl recovered from the fit of laughter that hit her she chased after her marefriend.
“Tavi wait up! Is it all good if I walk you home? I kinda need the exercise. Being in that hospital kills!”
“Of course you may Vinyl. I will have to ask that we part ways at the police station though. You would already have gone much too far out of your way for me.”
“Nonsense filly, It’s no trouble at all.” Octavia gave the Jockey a puzzled look.
“Did you just call me a filly?”
“Yea, problem?”
“Yes problem. I’m no filly; in fact I am much more mature than you are.” The wall Vinyl had put up finally broke as she burst into a fit of laughter. “Oh very mature.”
“You’re expecting a DJ to be mature? Really?” Vinyl raised an eyebrow at Octavia whose mouth twitched slightly upward. The two continued their chat, slowly drifting towards each other as the walk. Eventually they reached the police station. Octavia turned to Vinyl who removed her glasses.
“I just wanted you to know Tavi… I’m really glad you decided to give us a try.”
“Not as glad as I, Vinyl.” Vinyl cracked a huge smile and wrapped her forelegs around the stunned cellist. “Bye Tavi, be safe will ya?”
“Sure thing, now go get some rest. We both could use a real bed for once.” Vinyl backed away from Octavia and gave her a nod. She turned in the opposite direction and began trotting back towards her ghetto bungalow. Octavia smiled and watched the jockey’s hips sway back and forth as she headed in her own direction. She snapped out of the trance Vinyl’s vibrant tail had put her in and headed home. Home. Bed. Oh sweet Celestia the bed! It’s a real shame Vinyl won’t get to experience it.
<(‘.’)>
Octavia trotted up to her door and knocked twice. Exhausted and in pain, she wanted to take some meds and take a nice long nap. The door slowly creaked open after the cellists knock. She poked her head in the door and looked left and right, making sure the house wasn’t trashed. Slowly pacing into the house the lights flashed on revealing a group of three musicians and a banner that read ‘Welcome Back Tavia!’
“SURPRISE!” Harpo and Beauty bellowed out a loud, obnoxious call while Frederick blew on a zoomer that rested in his mouth. Only he could keep his stoic expression throughout the whole show.
Octavia jolted backwards. “Please don’t stab me I have foals!”
“WOAH CHILL OUT OCTAVIA, WE JUST WANNA WEL-” Harpo shoved his hoof into Beauties mouth.
“Please loud-mouth, let me do the talking. We wanted to welcome you home Octa-” Harpo flew across the room and crashed against the piano, causing the keys to make a rather unpleasant sound. Beauty stood in the space Harpo previously occupied with her hind legs outstretched.
“I told you once Harp-ho, never stick ANYTHING in my mouth!” With that she trotted towards the groaning harpist still lying on top of the piano. Harpo was the only one that had not moved. Instead he took another blow into his zoomer and trotted into the kitchen. He came back holding a tray piled high with cupcakes and a glass of water. Setting them down on the table, Octavia quickly cantered over to the water glass and took a pill out of the small saddlebags full of medication and bandages received from the hospital. She popped a pill and swigged the water.
“Thanks Harpo.” Octavia trotted over to the stairs and cleared her throat. “Listen, I am incredibly grateful for you guys going through all this effort to make me feel welcomed back but I am afraid I shall call it a night. It is so hard to sleep on the hospital beds… they feel like rocks.”
“OH THAT’S NO PROBLEM, WE'LL SAVE SOME CUPCAKES FOR YOU!” Beauty returned to kicking the fallen harpist while he was down. Harpo was absorbed in a blue and yellow colored cupcake, twirling it in his hand as if he was studying its shape to make sure it was good enough to eat. Octavia shook her head and trotted into bed. The pain meds kicking in, the pain in her side melted away and the world began to spin. Octavia enjoyed the ride, closed her eyes and drifted off into the world of slumber.
<(‘.’)>
Vinyl slowly paced. Down the street towards her apartment building. Her mind was wandering as she hummed a melody that had been going through her mind for the past few days. It started slow. Filled with long notes packed with emotion. It built into an arc. Quick, frantic notes that ended in an echoing pause. Seconds tick by without any sound, the notes play again. Long notes that put Vinyl at ease. The notes, however, were sour. They left plenty of room for questions. What will happen next? What will happen do the notes? Why do the notes have to fade?
Vinyl chuckled as she saw one of her many art pieces which found its home on the side of an abandoned building. People responded to what she made. Below the dark stallion with his bloody blade was writing. Everything from ‘We got your back, bro’ to ‘Welcome to the street’ could have been found. She didn’t stop to read all of the responses as to not draw attention to herself. She instead turned the corner and passed a familiar Burger shop. A sign was hanging from it that read ‘Now Canon!’ Probably some obscure food term to symbolize fresher vegetables or something.
Vinyl began humming her same familiar melody again. She lost herself in the music and almost passed the turn down the corridor to her apartment. She began walking down the hall and took a deep breath when she saw the dark spot that rested on the floor. Nobody even bothered to clean the blood. It was now a dried remainder of the incident that happened a few days ago. After a cold exhale Vinyl continued towards her apartment.
She passed door after door, wondering who lives behind them. She may live in the same 200 yards as these people, but they were still a mystery to her. She arrived at her door and went to open the door. After a firm jiggle she thought it was probably locked. She went to magically grab the key she kept on the other side of the door but she couldn’t reach it with her magic. Something… someone was blocking any magic from entering. That’s when she noticed the note hanging on her door.
‘Dear occupant of this apartment,
We regret to inform you that no payment has been made on the particular residency in the required time period. The room will be seized by Canterlot’s finest motel and the possessions that rest within pawned off on March 4. If you wish to retrieve your possessions before the pawn you will be required to pay a moving and holding fee. We are sorry for any inconveniences caused. THIS HAS BEEN AN EVICTION NOTICE. ANY ATTEMPT TO ENTER THE ROOM WILL BE CRIMINAL BREAKING AND ENTERING. Thank you for your time.
Canterlot’s finest motel’
Vinyl stared at the note, trying to process the fact that she was homeless and possessionless. When it finally hit her she folded up the note and tucked it behind her ear. Then she stared at her ex-home.
“Good bucking riddance.” She gave a hearty chuckle and turned to walk out of the building. It wasn’t the first time she found herself bitless with no place to stay.
She cantered out of her housing complex and down the road. She passed the burger shop and the police station, passed the market and the Musicians household that divided the rich from the poor, and the home of her marefriend. She walked the streets of downtown Canterlot. Big buildings and suited ponies filled the streets. The air smelled of big business and fresh ink. The richest of the rich lived here. The closer to the princesses, the closer to the nobles. The closer to the nobles, the closer to the wealth. The closer to wealth… well you get it! She walked down the street. The sun had set on her walk and Luna’s beautiful moon rose high. The jockey passed many closed shops and overpriced apartments void of any light. That is until she came across a building similarly resembling a warehouse. Above the building housed a bright neon sign. It read “Neon’s Euphoria”. Bypassing the huge line of ponies that stretched long down the sidewalk, Vinyl came to a large orange stallion with a green crew cut.
“Name?” The large stallion nearly grunted when he talked.
“DJ Pon3, move tubby.” Vinyl brushed past the bouncer who was left with a look of shock on his face. Tubby Biceps had not heard that name in a while.
“Hey why the buck can she go in?!?!” A navy blue stallion with a white man and a chinstrap beard complained from the front of the line. Tubby proceed to pick the stallion up with his wing and propel him through the air towards the back of the clubs line.
Vinyl walked through the hallway and opened the door. A feeling of bliss came over her as the fast paced wubbing of the bass hit her. She loved this place, she helped build it after all. Vinyl trailed along the edge of the wall avoiding the huge crowd of ponies culminating on the dance floor of flashing tiles. She passed the bar and looked longingly at the bottle of Jameson whisky that sat on the shelf of drinks. No time for that though, she gave up drinking a while ago.
She trotted to the door next to the stage and pushed it open. It took a surprising amount of force to open the door but behind the door was a soundproof lounge filled with computers, all queued up to play Dubtrot of different nature to match the mood. A door on the other side of the room swung open and a light blue stallion with spiky black hair came cantering in. Not even noticing Vinyl, he walked up to one of the computers and hit play. The stallion looked up from his computer and paused when he noticed the invader standing at the far end of the room.
“Celestia’s shit, hey Pon-3!” Neon Lights flashed a smile and his horn lit up.
“Sup Neon. Listen man I got kicked out of my cardboard shack and kinda need some bits. Mind if I cover a set here in the next few?” Vinyl and Neon’s relationship was always like this. Very blunt. Vinyl looked to neon as a mentor almost. Vinyl’s first hit was performed with Neon before he moved to Canterlot. Vinyl gave all profits from the song to Neon to help him make the very building they were standing in.
“Wait… You wanna spin again? The great Pon-3 is making her comeback? Buck yea! You can perform here! When do you wanna spin Vee?” He floated over a bottle of whisky and two glasses.
Vinyl cringed at her old nickname but kept a calm demeanor “Asap, not many bits left in the bank. Oh and no drink for me, I quit.” Concern spread across Neon’s face.
“Really? The great Pon-3’s sober? The same mare that took 20 shots and still beat me in a game of beer pong? Wow… Well listen bro, if you need a few bits I can help you out. After all, you do own half this place.” Neon gestured to the club spread around him. “Anything you need Vee I can help.”
“Dude please stop calling me that!” Vinyl snapped. Immediately she regret it. “Sorry it just… brings up some bad vibes ya know?”
“Yea… yeah I completely understand. Listen if you need a place to sleep tonight there’s a soundproof room with a couch through the door to your left. I use it as a dressing room but… you can stay as long as you need.”
“Thanks man, that be really chill.” Vinyl smiled warmly at the entrepreneur and began trotting towards the room.
“Hey Vinyl, how are you?” Vinyl stopped dead in her tracks and turned towards Neon.
“Better man, Better. Got a new marefriend. Well… we’re complicated. We kinda jumped into this thing ya know? Now I know I want to be in this relationship. I REALLY like her. But I don’t know if she wants what comes with this relationship. The pain, the ridicule… It’s all a lot to take in and… I just don’t know man.” Neon took a swig of his drink and turned away.
“Vinyl you always did overthink things. Five bucks says that mare is lost without her marshmallow.” Neon flashed a wicked smile and turned away towards the door to the stage. He took a swig straight from the Jameson whisky bottle and exhaled. Setting the bottle down he trotted onto the stage with his same cocky douche bag attitude.
Vinyl sighed and walked into the dressing room. There was a long couch with comfortable enough looking pillows. It had a blanket hanging across its back. Obviously Neon intended to sleep on it some nights. Vinyl laid down and stared up at the ceiling. Sighing and thinking about the day’s events she laughed. All she wanted was to embrace her marefriend one last time. There was no way Vinyl was getting any sleep.
She got up and went to the closest computer in the room. Closing out of the three or four graphic pornography sites Neon had left open, she went on YouHoof and opened up EIM (Equestrian Instant Message). She hadn't been on it in nearly a year...
<(‘.’)>
Octavia tossed and turned on her overly comfortable bed. She couldn’t seem to find sleep. She felt empty. She didn’t know if it was the lack of activity that she had gotten used to at the hospital or the lack of one mare in particular. She wanted to hear vinyl’s sweet voice one last time. She wanted to feel Vinyl’s forelegs wrapped around her neck. She wanted to feel Vinyl’s lips on hers. She wanted to nibble on the jockey’s ear. She wanted to slowly kiss down her neck and across her chest all the way to her...
What was that? Octavia felt hot and flustered. She wanted so bad squeeze the DJ until she turned purple. Wanted so badly to tell her goodnight. What was happening to her? She had never felt this way before. She had never been attracted to, well, anypony before. She needed a glass of water.
She walked down the stairs and grabbed a glass from one of the cupboards. She proceeded to fill the glass to the brim and walked over to the computer. Sitting down she noticed that somebody had left their EIM open… interesting. She hadn’t been on there in forever. She made it back in college, or rather her roommate made her one. Octavia was a bit of a social recluse in her younger days and this was her roommate’s way of getting her to talk to, well, anypony at all.
She logged out of ‘Harp Stud’s’ profile and logged onto her own. She had one friend… her roommate. Her cursor lingered over the search bar wondering whether Vinyl would have a profile or not. Of course she would! She’s a DJ! She’s on the computer, like, 24 hours a day! She typed in the name Vinyl Scratch and one profile appeared. Master Spinner. She sent him a friend request. She then went on YouHoof and clicked on one of the many cute kitten videos it had to offer.
About a minute in the EIM icon lit up on her taskbar. She opened up the EIM window. On screen was a popup that read ‘Friend Request Accepted’.
Stats
Page generated in 0.017 seconds
Total duration
1,080 users online
1,418,536 hits today, 1,996,409 yesterday
FIMFiction
My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic Fanfiction
Designed and coded by knighty & Xaquseg - © 2011-2024
Follow & Support Us
Support us
SubStar
Chat!
Discord
Follow us
Twitter
MLP: Friendship is Magic® - © 2024 Hasbro Inc.®
Fimfiction is in no way affiliated with or endorsed by Hasbro Inc.®
4081913 Whoops
I got so used to Microsoft word automatically capitalizing my I's. But after my hard drive crashed I starting writing on Google Docs... They don't really help you out as much as word.
Thanks a lot for telling me. I'm really sad at the reaction to this chapter so far. No new likes... 1 dislike... I didn't think it was that bad!
<(Bronco)>
This story is awesome, has some great vibes!
I can't wait for more, write on! It is one of those stories that I don't take notice to mistakes on because I am captivated by the story itself. So good job on that! So now I shall peacefully wait for more. 