God... how did my life come to this? It used to be everything I wanted... I had friends, connections, a happy relationship with Tavi... now my best friend is a fermented cider bottle.
Vinyl has actually led a pretty adventurous life... travelling around the world and playing music for whoever cared to hear, her fame held within the steel walls of her laptop. But for every positive in Vinyl's life, there has been an equal or greater negative, and Vinyl finds her life in a state for which she had never planned.
Vinyl looked at the clock on her laptop and sighed. She had spent too much time at this club, and it was getting far later than she had told Octavia she would be home. She thought about taking a moment to call her marefriend and explain why she wasn't there at eleven at night, but she soon perished the thought; she was only halfway through her set, and she found no use in getting in touch with Octavia. Whatever Vinyl would say to justify her absense, Octavia had already heard. She could hear the conversation now: Octavia would pick up and ask where she'd been, Vinyl would give some half-assed excuse with a half-assed apology, Octavia would sigh in that sickeningly condescending manner, and Vinyl would simply say she didn't give a shit anymore and hang up.
It seemed like those types of conversations were increasing in frequency over the last couple of months since Vinyl's new label required her to go just about everywhere to spread her name. They payed well, but Vinyl was fully aware that, between herself and Octavia, she wasn't the provider.
So why did she do it? It wasn't like she was immensely popular or anything; she was a local act, and that was the way it had been since she started producing three years ago. No matter where she went, what posters she put up, or who she helped in the industry, she only ever found business in these independent labels.
She hardly took the time to look down at the crowds at her "performances," but she always regretted it the few times she did; either she was disappointed that the crowd was so small, she was frightened at how large the crowd was, or something would glitch on the software and she'd have to frantically return to the computer to fix it. So she simply looked at the bright white software screen and the spinning records on the DJ booth for the rest of her set , bobbing her heard rhythmically to the beat and watching the songs play themselves. She would occasionally do some DJ magic with the records or improvise a synthesizer part, always resulting in applause from the crowd.
Eventually, the set ended, the crowd left, and the dark ambiance of the club at midnight was replaced by an eerily silent and desolate club at one in the morning. She gathered her gear into her backpack, and walked down from the stage. She walked to the club owner's office, far isolated from the once-chaotic dance floor. The owner, obviously wanting to leave as soon as possible, gave her the check for the night as he hurried out the door and into the night. Vinyl followed suit and caught one of the buses back to Canterlot.
"Hey, I saw you today at the club!" She heard as she sat down. She looked to her right to see a young mare who couldn't have been more than about twenty. "Vinyl Scratch, right? "
"That's right." Vinyl said, putting on as convincing a smile as she could, even though what awaited her back at home was still concerning her. "You new in the club scene?"
"Yeah, tonight was my first rave..." the mare said in a slightly embarrassed voice, "I'm Zimmer, by the way. Was that all your music up there? Did you write everything you played tonight?"
"Yeah, actually." Vinyl said, glad to be recognized for her work for a change. "Written with love, care, and a thousand bits worth of software."
Zimmer chuckled. "I know what you mean. I produce music too, I know how expensive it gets."
Vinyl's ears perked up. "You produce, too? Since when?"
"Since I was old enough to play the synth. What program do you use?"
Vinyl genuinely smiled for the first time in a while. She and Zimmer talked for about fifteen minutes on the bus ride home about all things electronica. Turns out, they had a lot in common; they both used the same software, had similar views on modern dance music, liked the same artists, and had the same general approach to music.
"Hey, if you want to talk more about that type of thing..." Zimmer said as the bus reached her stop, looking around the seat until she found a quill and something to write on. "here's my phone number."
Vinyl held a hoof out before Zimmer had the chance to write a single digit. "Sorry, Zimmer, but I'm taken."
"No, it's not like that, Vinyl!" Zimmer responded defensively. "I just had a great time talking with you." She handed Vinyl the phone number before grabbing her belongings and heading for the bus door. "Catch you later, Vinyl!"
"Later..." Vinyl yelled back, finally coming back to reality and realizing that she still had an angry marefriend to talk to. Vinyl looked down at her watch and realized that, more likely than not, Octavia would be asleep by the time the bus got to Canterlot. Thank fuckin' Celestia for that.
The house was empty except for the quiet hum of a still-running computer when Vinyl entered the house, trying to keep the front door as quiet as possible but failing miserably. She looked around the first floor for any signs that Octavia was still awake. Luckily, there were none.
As Vinyl quietly entered the bedroom, she could see the outline of the cello in the corner and the body sleeping quietly in the bed. Vinyl sighed in relief; a sleep-deprived Octavia was far more irritable than a healthy one, so Vinyl quietly walked to the bed, sliding across the floor with the grace and elegance of Octavia's cello playing. Unfortunately, it wasn't graceful or elegant enough.
"...Vinyl..." Octavia said sleepily, not even bothering to open her eyes. Vinyl cringed at the sound of her marefriend's sleep-afflicted voice. "Yeah, Tavi?"
"Don't.... worry.... we'll talk.... morning...." Octavia said before falling asleep again. Vinyl sighed in relief, putting the check for that night's gig on her bedside table and, for good measure, putting Zimmer's number in the deepest crevice of her gear backpack before sliding in bed with Octavia. Even if Vinyl's morning would consist of nothing but merciless scolding from Octavia, she would lay in bed with her marefriend and enjoy, as far as Vinyl could figure, the last happy moment between the two in a while.
"Sorry I have to leave so early on a Sunday, Vinyl," Octavia said as she frantically looked around for her bow and sheet music. "but the Canterlot Royal Orchestra is having a last-minute practice session before the meeting of the Ambassadors of Equestria later this week, and it's imperative that all cello players are present at it."
Vinyl sighed, having not even risen from the bed that morning. "Yeah, I get it, Tavi. Don't worry." With her musical gear in hoof, Octavia frantically rushed to the door. Vinyl was about to fall back to sleep when memories of the night prior broke her from her sleep-induced haze.
"OCTAVIA!" Vinyl yelled down the stairs, trying to catch her before she left. "WHAT ABOUT LAST NI-"
Slam.
Vinyl heard the door close, then the silence that followed, and realized that there would not be closure on this matter any time soon. She sighed, then forced herself out of bed and down to the computer; if she was up at nine in the morning, she might as well take advantage of it.
She was growing tired of the typical trance-type house music she was producing; maybe this time, she would start a chiptune song, or maybe some sophisticated dubstep, or maybe she would create something different entirely, with internet samples, or maybe-
The phone started ringing, however, before she could lay down a single note or sample. She sighed, knowing exactly who it was going to be. She picked it up hesitantly. "...hello?"
"Hey, Vinyl, how's your morning?" her label's CEO said over the phone. "Listen, we need you to come in and show a new guy the ropes... you know, interns and all that."
Vinyl sighed. "Sorry, Gio, but now's not the best time for that. Isn't there someone else you could bring in?"
"Vinyl, you're really the only one familiar with everything at this company." Gio replied. "You're really the only intellectual when it comes to the software in the company, and we need you."
"So THAT'S why you pay me so much." Vinyl remarked sarcastically. "Are we considering overtime here?"
"Out of the question, Vinyl. we need to spare every bit we can; even with all these new artists we're signing, the revenue is still just barely enough. Can we still have you come in?"
Vinyl considered turning down the offer, but she knew that Gio was fully aware of how much of a slacker Vinyl truly was, and wouldn't believe any excuse she gave. "...sure." She said through clenched teeth. "I'll be there in an hour."
"Thanks a lot, Vinyl!" Gio said on the other end. "See you then."
Vinyl headed out the door and to the recording studio, stopping along the way to admire the many wonders of early morning urban Canterlot. Most of the street vendors weren't even open, and the ones that were open were selling breakfast items to the few ponies that felt like buying. This wasn't representative of the city itself, though; Canterlot was always full of life, from the time the sun rose to the time it fell, and even at night in certain districts. Ponies were walking with each other on the sidewalks, just talking and enjoying each other's company.
Vinyl smiled. It was times like this, in the middle of all this excitement, this city filled with ponies living life just to live it, that Vinyl felt truly blessed to live so close to it.
Vinyl had recited the instructions for this digital audio workstation so many times, she was able to tell everything about it without even giving it much thought. Usually the new guy had some questions about how to do certain things, but after using this product even before she was signed, it wasn't hard to show them.
After a long day, Vinyl had taught the new guy all he needed to know, and she finally felt confident that he new the software like he needed to. She grabbed her gearpack and was headed towards the exit, though she soon realized that she wasn't walking alone.
"Listen, Vinyl," Gio said, running to catch up. "I just want to thank you for coming in and doing this; it really took some responsibility off of my shoulders, and the day was easier for me, so... thanks. Wanna get something to eat before you head home? I'm buying."
Vinyl laughed as they walked down the busy main road. "Gio, I've been to a couple of company parties with Octavia, so surely you must know I'm taken and I'm not... like that."
"It's not that, Vinyl." Gio laughed. "I just wanted to show my appreciation by buying you some dinner."
Vinyl shrugged. She was never one to turn down a free meal.
"Alright, Gio." Vinyl said as they finally got their meals. "Why don't you tell me why you ACTUALLY invited me to dinner?"
"What do you mean?" Gio said, looking down at his food and avoiding eye contact.
"Gio, I've busted my ass at this company for the last three years. I've been helping out on weekends since I started here, and you've never once offered to take me to dinner. Hell, you've never been this nice to me before. What's up?"
Gio sighed, putting his napkin down. "Vinyl, this company is going under. I got the financial statements today, and our financial advisor has proven to have the competency of a fucking ant. We have six months before I'm filing bankruptcy, and as arguably the most devoted artist here, I felt I should tell you before it's too late."
Vinyl was in shock. Gio had always had the label's artists under the impression that the label was one step away from prosperity. The only reason Vinyl stayed with the company was because Gio had her believing that she was ONE more single or ONE more EP away from hitting it big, and moving on to bigger and better things.
"Before you get mad..." Gio said, almost as if reading Vinyl's mind. "... I have a proposition. In these six months, I will let you release your final album with this company. If that gets heard and goes mainstream, and a bigger label contacts you, best of luck. If it's a fluke, however, and it stays underground, then I'll refer you to one of my buddies up in Baltimare who's looking to create his own label."
Vinyl saw an opportunity here, an opportunity to do something that she hadn't done since she was independent, writing tunes in her dorm room with no pressure or rushing. "Yeah, I'll take you up on that offer, but here's my demands: You can't fine-tune my album. I write what I want to write, record what I want to record, and release it exactly as I want it. You can't request I make anything "less harsh" or "more mainstream." This is my last creation with this company, and I can do it exactly as I please."
Gio sighed, and reached for his drink. "Sure thing, Vinyl. Your creation completely."
Vinyl smiled; ever since she was signed, there was always a pressure to conform with what was popular at the time, to make her music more "club-friendly." It felt very good to be able to write only by her definition.
Gio and Vinyl sat in silence for a while, eating their meals slowly and letting the awkward feeling between them fade until finally, Gio spoke up. "Hey, Vinyl, can I ask you something and hope that you aren't offended?"
Vinyl looked up as the waitress came by and refilled her cider glass. "Sure, Gio. What's up?"
Gio sighed, not quite knowing how to approach this subject but eventually just cutting the bullshit. "How are you and Octavia doing? I wouldn't ask it, but you don't seem to be in as good a mood as you used to be."
Vinyl felt weird talking about this, but she decided that Gio was trustworthy enough. "I don't even know anymore, Gio. It's like things were decent for the first year or so, but things have been getting shittier since then. It's like we didn't care about each other's differences until they started conflicting with our schedule; my music is keeping me out late, and Octavia isn't believing that it's part of my career."
Gio sighed. "I know the feeling. That's why the wife left me a few years ago. I produced before the managerial opportunity arose, and I only ever took the position of CEO in the vain attempt to keep us together. I regretted the decision from day one, though; things only got worse from there, and it wasn't even the job that was tearing us apart. It turned out to be more than that.
"Shit... I'm sorry." Vinyl said, not exactly sure what else could be said. This was very unfamiliar territory for her; she had never really gotten this personal with anyone except for Octavia, and it really caught her off guard to discuss it with her superior.
"Don't worry about it, Vinyl." Gio said with a weak smile. "That was years ago. Things have changed, and we're both happy now."
Vinyl felt as if he was trying to convince himself of that more than he was trying to convince Vinyl of it, but she held her tongue.
"Hey..." Gio said, looking at the clock on the wall. "It's getting late. You might want to be getting home." Vinyl looked at the clock. "Shit, thanks for the warning." she said, grabbing her backpack and exiting the booth. "Octavia's probably wondering where I am.
"You wanna head home with me?" She offered. Gio simply shook his head. "Nah, you head on without me. I usually stay here for a while anyway."
"Alright, man. I'll see you tomorrow." Vinyl said, walking towards the exit. She looked back, and saw Gio ordering even more drinks. She felt like if she left, she was letting him get drunk and was only further supporting whatever depression he had. She didn't feel like interrupting, though; she knew how helpful alcohol was at times like these.
"Hey, Tavi." Vinyl said, dropping her backpack in the computer room and joining Octavia on the couch. "How was your day?"
Octavia sighed. "Well, the violin section was incompetent as usual, and the rehearsal was boring and useless. How was yours?"
Vinyl sighed. "Weird, to say the least." She relayed every detail of her day to Octavia, from the time she left to the studio to the time she left the restaurant. It was refreshing to Vinyl to have a conversation like this with Octavia, and, even if it was for just a short time, it gave Vinyl the feeling of being in a true, non-failing relationship.
"Hey." Vinyl said as she and Octavia headed upstairs to bed. "Weren't we going to talk about last night?"
Octavia simply shrugged. "I really don't know what to say about it. I mean, you've been out late for so many nights, it's become too regular an occurrence to get mad about. It doesn't even matter anymore, really."
Vinyl tried to keep a straight face, but she couldn't help the hurt and disappointment from showing in her face. Not only did it show how little regard Octavia kept Vinyl in at this point, but it showed how failing their relationship was; if Octavia no longer cared about Vinyl's shortcomings, Vinyl had effectively lost her trust.
"Okay..." Vinyl said as she sat on the bed, not joining Octavia under the covers. "Wait, Octavia." she said, getting up from the bed and walking towards the bedroom door. "I just got an idea for a song, and I don't want to lose it. I'm gonna go downstairs and get it down on the software real quick before I go to sleep and forget it, so don't wait up on me."
Octavia looked at Vinyl quizzically, but shrugged and laid down anyway. "Whatever, Vinyl, just come back and get some sleep soon. Tomorrow is Monday, after all."
Vinyl nodded and closed the bedroom door behind her. She walked down to the computer room and grabbed her backpack, reaching in the deepest, darkest crevices until she found what she was looking for. She walked into the living room, picked up the phone, and punched the numbers in, waiting patiently for the call to go through.
Of course... Octavia thought as she looked into the computer room to see her marefriend slaving over the computer. Octavia had developed a nasty habit of waking up in the darkest hours of the morning for the sole purpose of having the house to herself. Even if it was only for a couple of hours every day, the longer she could go without hearing Vinyl's "music," the more bearable the morning was when it did gain momentum.
It only seemed fitting that Vinyl had woken up this early to write; with this "no restrictions" on her next LP, Vinyl must be spending ungodly amounts of time on it. Even now, her head hypnotically bobbling to the odd rhythm of her music, Octavia could see the determination and concentration in her marefriend's demeanor; her eyes were glazed over, fully engrossed in the software screen, editing parameter... after parameter... after parameter....
It almost inspired Octavia. But her calling was the symphony, and the rich sound it caused. It's rich history and amazing composers were far more interesting than the main producers in electronic music, who probably made most of their music for the sole purpose of the money. Even though Octavia knew this was not Vinyl's intent at all, she did wish Vinyl picked up a real instrument and learned it, instead of the computer's programmed sound.
"Hey... Vinyl..." Octavia said, realizing how fruitless trying to get Vinyl's attention would be as soon as the words left her mouth. Vinyl had her noise-cancelling headphones in, and was blasting her breakbeats so loud Octavia could hear them. Seeing no use in staying up when Vinyl was within twenty feet of her, Octavia decided to simply go back upstairs and get more rest.
What she neglected to notice, unsurprisingly so in the pitch dark, was the 10 digits on her table and the phone off the dock.
"Wow, 'Gio, you... you don't look too hot."
"It's just sleepiness, Vinyl," Arpeggio responded assuringly. "I'll be fine."
Arpeggio had decided to join Vinyl on the walk to work again, although this time it was much less interesting; "Monday morning" interesting in Canterlot was far different than "Sunday evening" interesting. It was far harder to have a casual conversation with someone when you're surrounded by frantic ponies on their daily commute to work.
Vinyl knew Arpeggio was bullshitting her; she had woken up many times not fully "woken up," and they were nothing like this. But she held her tongue; she didn't want to get into an argument with the person that gave her a paycheck every month.
"So what are you gonna do today?" Arpeggio inquired. Vinyl considered this question thoroughly; usually, Arpeggio gave her interns to show the ropes to, but with the recent news, there was no use in hiring interns, and therefore no job for Vinyl.
"That's a great question, 'Gio." Vinyl chuckled. "What do you want me to do?"
Arpeggio over at Vinyl, sipping from his coffee and rubbing his eyes. "How about you work on your album? I don't care how you do it, but your last LP is going to be the last BIG thing this company produces, and I want to go out with a bang. So that's what you can do during your day now."
Vinyl was pleasantly surprised by this; work was usually pretty monotonous and dull, with the only variation between one lesson and the next being the rookies' questions. But to have complete control over her day, and do whatever she wanted... well, it was a pleasant position, to say the least.
"Oh dear sweet Celestia, those fucking violinists..." Octavia said that afternoon, on her lunch break with her fellow cellists, Vas and Eli. "I hear enough sour notes with Vinyl's electronica, I don't need to hear it at rehearsal, you know?"
Eli sighed. "Listen, Octavia... not to invade your personal business, but you've been talking about Vinyl these days in a... continually less flattering light. What's going on with you two?"
Octavia was taken aback. "What do you mean 'what's going on?'" All couples have their quarrels occasionally, right?"
"Yeah, they do." Eli said, finding it increasingly harder to maintain eye contact with Octavia. "Amati and I still butt heads about certain things. But-"
"What he's trying to say is that you trash her to pieces whenever you talk about her!" Vas suddenly stated in a hushed yet forceful tone. "I've never seen a couple with this much animosity between them! So I guess the question stands; what's up?"
Octavia was cornered; her friends were going to find out about it, so they might as well hear it from the most reliable source.
"It's just... the sense of intimacy is gone. It's like, we're not a couple anymore in the traditional sense, we just live together and share responsibilities. Those little pet names are gone; She's not 'DJ-PON3' anymore and I'm not her 'Tavi' anymore. Things like that, the simple things that reinforced a sense of wellness in our relationship, are absent now, and I don't know who to blame."
Eli and Vas looked at each other, and they immediately knew they were thinking the same thing. Eli spoke up. "Do you think that the reason Vinyl isn't paying much attention to you now is because she has... well... someone else?"
"Oh Celestia, no!" Octavia said unconvicingly. "I mean, who else would take her?"
"His point does hold ground, though, Octavia." Vas said, recieving the check from the waiter and pulling out her share of bits to pay. "That would explain the lack of intimacy recently."
Octavia sighed. "Do you really think that notion hasn't gone through my head a million times by now, Vas? I've tried justifying it with other means, but it really all boils down to that when I use logical deduction."
The three stood up from the table, wiping off the crumbs from their bodies. In the Sunday afternoon sun-glow, though, the urge to talk was not there anymore. The cellists' minds were on the practice material for their upcoming concert, and not the relationship problems of one dysfunctional mare.
"You sure you want to stay late tonight, Vinyl?" Arpeggio said as he locked his office door that evening. It was around eight o'clock, and Vinyl had been writing dilligently; she had used up the first fourth of her notebook for one song that, according to Vinyl, was not even good enough to put on the album.
"Yeah, 'Gio, I just need to wrap up this one... part..." Vinyl muttered, her concentration obviously in a completely different place.
"Vinyl, remember how Octavia reacts to your late nights?" Arpeggio said, only thinking of what was best for his coworker. Vinyl didn't seem to hear him, having reapplied the soundproof headphones and gone back to toying with the software and scrolling through plugins.
It was nine o'clock when Octavia entered her dark, empty residence. She could tell Vinyl wasn't home when the computer was idle and the house was not filled with glitchy sounds. Octavia reached for the light, illuminating the living room and all its contents. She laid her cello bow down on the TV and simply laid down on the couch. It's warm softness was all Octavia needed at that moment as she took in the conversation she had over lunch. Was it really possible that Vinyl was... that type of mare? Did Vinyl really care so little about Octavia that she would just shack up with the next pony she saw?
The possibility was always so foreign to her, no matter how many times it presented itself as a possibility. Vinyl had always said she detested the club scene that she fed her music to, but was it really possible that she was just another one of those raving idiots, putting Celestia-knows-what into her drinks and living in a fantasy world on that nightclub floor?
Octavia decided to run from that possibility by flooding her mind with her cello's warm tones, not allowing herself time to think through the thick resonant sound. She reached for her bow, but her hand met something different, something foreign that Octavia didn't notice there.
She brought it up to her face. It was a small piece of paper, with ten digits and the name "Zimmer" imprinted on it in sloppy, rushed hoofwriting.