> Octavia and Vinyl:The good old days > by Bronylover109 > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- > The first time > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- It was an overall warm day in Canterlot,and various ponies had either been hiding in shade,or grabbing something to drink. Octavia was too busy to even notice. Her current occupation had been organization. She was frantically rummaging through papers trying to make sure everything was in order. It was her first day of high school,and she needed to be organized for it. She then realized she already had everything she needed,for she had bought it all over a month ago,and packed it into her saddlebags quickly. She wanted terribly to make sure it was ready,as she was one for being ready for everything. Organizing was a very important part of life for her,as was being punctual,for she had grown up with those customs. It had shown that she was an elegant mare. Through her pink bow tie,and formal voice,she could have gone to the fanciest restaurant in Equestria,and still impressed the ponies there. Her grey coat shimmered in the morning light,and although her eyes were squinted against it's brightness,she didn't move from her current position on the wooden floor. _________________________________________________________________________________________________ Vinyl was attempting to cram everything into one bag. She needed it all to packed before the fifteen minutes she had left to get to Canterlot were up. She had rented a small dorm to the school,because it was really far away from were she lived. Canterlot. Her home in Ponyville wouldn't do of she was going to another town,that was hours away. She sat there,using her unicorn magic to pull several notebooks out of various shopping bags,and began putting them into her school saddle bags. Her blue mane,and white fur shimmered in the light coming through the window in her home. She was considering skipping today,as there was no possible way to reach Canterlot in the few minutes she had left,but remembered the teleportation spell she had learned. She wasn't good at it,and it took almost all of her energy,but she would need to use it if she ever wanted to make it on time. So,that's excactly what she did,her light blue magic outlining her body. A bright blue light flashed in the room,and she disappeared. ________________________________________________________________________________________________ Octavia had began moving her things into her dorm last month. She was very organized,and everything needed to be just right. Even though the dorm was most likely going to be shared with some pony,she had to feel at home. But of course,she kept her belongings to her side of the dorm. "Oh,fifteen minutes.....Well,the school is 5 minutes from here,so I'll wait about three minutes to get ready to leave." Octavia carefully planned out her entire morning,aside from what she would be doing at school. Suddenly,a pony with a blue mane and a white coat raided the dorm,and slammed the door opened,and then shut "Okay roomy! You ready to PARTY!? Octavia looked at her in surprise. "Uhm. H-hi there...I-i'm Ocatavia....and you are...?" She tried to keep her elegant nature as she spoke,but was too shocked to do so. " I'm Vinyl! You probably know me from my many shows around this joint though!" She screamed,pumped up. "Oh,well nice to meet you...But I need to go now,i only have 12 minutes to get to my first class. I need to get to school now..." "Aww,what?! First classes are in 12 minutes! You got time!" "Well,i prefer to be early,so if you'll excuse me...." The grey mare walked to the door. Ocatvia left the building,leaving the DJ shrugging,and un-packing her belongings alone in the room. The few things she had brought with her besides school supplies were her deejay equipment,a pair of glasses she was currently wearing,and a couple of music-themed posters. She took a moment to take in the dorm. It had boring white walls,and a plain light wooden floor,save for a purple carpet her roommate had brought with her. The walls had only been adorned by the gray ponys' clock,and the posters Vinyl had recently put up,making them rather bland,even for such a small room. Vinyl next moved on to explore the bathroom,which had the same boring,white walls,and blue floor tiles. The shower was white too,and it had a single glass door on it,making it only for showers,and prohibiting baths. The only other occupants of the small room were soap,shampoo,conditioner,towels,and the sink. That gray mare must've brought the shampoo,towles and stuff.. Vinyl thought to herself,with a sigh. She figured she should leave now,too,as Canterlot High had been five minutes from there,and she only had about eight minutes left. With that,she left the small bathroom,put on her saddlebags,and headed out the plain brown door of the building. She had noticed a park on the way there,and made a mental note to visit it sometime. But besides that,there didn't seem to be anything close to exciting near her building. Vinyl hadn't been able to find that pony she saw before,but she had known she'd be seeing a lot of her,considering she would be living with her for the time being. She noticed the school was in sight,and headed for it,knowing she didn't have much time. Speeding up,she ran into the school,short of breath. The building had double doors,and were able to be pushed open easily. The hallways weren't very wide,but had been very long. There had been several classrooms,and lockers that adorned the walls. The white mare trotted around,taking a glance at a paper she had been sent in the mail over the summer,that told her what locker number was hers,and what classes she had. She found her locker,put a simple sticker with her cutie mark on the top of it,and trotted to where she should of found her classroom. > Classes > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Octavia and Vinyl:The good old days When Octavia finally reached her first class,she realized she still had a few minutes to spare before class started. She decided to make the most of it,and pulled out a book on the cello. While she had read it several times,she decided it wouldn't do much harm to give it another look "It seems no pony is here yet,how odd.." Octavia remarked,taking in the empty classroom. A few minutes later,a dozen of other ponies filed into the room like a crazy bunch. They seemed to be gathered around one pony,but who it was had been a mystery. Octavia caught a glance of a shiny electric blue mane,and paper white fur. "Oh my Celestia....Not her..Anypony but her." Vinyl's face lit up,as she saw her roommate sitting at a desk in the front row of the classroom. "AYE,roomy,what's happening!?" "Uh...Well i'm reading.." the grey mare replied ,rather impatiently. Vinyl looked at her,and than to the crowd of ponies around her,clearly think up a plan. " Hey guys,I'd like you all to meet my roommate!" The other ponies began to stroll over to her,smiles on their face. 'How in Equestria did that mare walk in the school and get so popular within minutes!? Octavia thought dryly. "Oh,hello there everypony. I'm Octavia." She introduced herself as politely as possible when ponies were grouped around her in such a large crowd, as they were. Her throat was dry,she had been a little bit uncomfortable when everpony was so close to her. Even though she performed,and was used to a big crowd,and lots of attention,she hadn't like how they were getting so close. Vinyl looked at her,longer than most ponies should look at someone they barely knew. Octavia didn't want to seem rude,and ruin her chances at gaining a friend. "Um...Can i help you?" The DJ continued to stare at Octavia,making they grey mare very uncomfortable. Her face then lit up like a bulb. "I got it!" She pointed a hoof at Octavia,who had no idea what was going on. " I'll call you Tavi!" The target of her stare returned the glance. "...Tavi?" She asked,unsure. "What you you don't like it? Aw man,i tried real hard on it too.." Vinyl began sulking. "N-no,i do-honest- It's just that it was a little sudden..." She thought for a moment. "Tavi...I like it. Is that my nickname now?" The DJ's face lit up,excited about finding a name for her new friend. "Yeah! That's what I'll be calling you from now on!" The teacher then trotted in to the room,Celestia knows how late he was. He wore a vest,and despite the boiling weather outside,a scarf was placed around his neck like it was snowing. His coat was a light brown,and he had light green eyes. He was a unicorn pony,and a horn protruded out of his head. He had blonde hair,that shone in the light coming through the freshly-cleaned windows of the large room. "Okay class,this may be our first day but I'm not going easy on you. You'll be taking tests,you'll be very doing work,and you will not be slacking off." He scowled at them in a strict tone,taking the scarf off of his body. The brown colt who would be teaching the class began going on about what kind of behavior he wanted to see from the class,and had already put some of the ponies to sleep. Most of the fillies and colts had taken a seat in the back,as the teacher couldn't see when they were talking and sleeping as well back there. Octavia had been one of the few ponies who preferred a seat in the front of the room over being seated in the far back. The brown colt continued to babble on about the rules of his classroom,but Vinyl clearly had other ideas. "Psstt...Hey..Hey Tavi.." Upon hearing her nickname,she looked at the secretive DJ. "What is it,Vinyl?" She asked,annoyed at the Dj's intrusion on her note-taking. "Aww,c'mon,don't be like that." She replied to the mare. "I was wondering..." She trailed off,and began to write something down on a blank piece of paper. Octavia looked at her,both amused,and baffled. "Here." The note was handed to the grey cellist,who read it over and chuckled a bit. "Of course." The note read: "Hey Tavi,you wanna head to a cool place i know after school? I'm playing some music there and you gotta hear it!" Octavia smiled at the mare over to her side. " Of course I'll go to your performance,Vinyl." She answered the question written on the small yellow sticky note. Vinyl then snuck back to her seat in the back of the classroom. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Once the pair got to their rented building,they began to get ready for Vinyl's performance. "So,Vinyl,what do you play?" A small smirk appeared on the DJ's face,and she strolled over to an area of the room where she stapled a sheet into the wall. Vinyl lifted it up,revealing something Octavia never thought she would see. "I play-WUBS!" The white mare stepped out of the way,to let a shocked Octavia see them. "Oh..." Octavia looked at the DJ,a tad dissapointed. "Something wrong?" "Never thought I'd see those,that's all." > Making new friends > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Octavia and Vinyl:The good old days Chapter three:Making new friends It was dark when the pair finally reached the building Vinyl would be playing in that night. "Well,this is it." She looked at Octavia,who stared at the place uncomfortably. "Uh..T-Tavi...is something wrong?" "Uh...n-no..it's just that..I mean..uh...a..bar?" "Uh..yeah..what is it?" The DJ looked confused,with a hint of confusion on her face. "Vinyl! Were underage!" The cellist replied rather dryly. "Well,It's not like we have to order anything." Vinyl tried sympathetically. "They have normal stuff too,you know." The grey mare looked nervously at her. "Really?" She was confused. If they sold normal foods,why didn't it say something like 'restaurant and bar?' But then again,she didn't get out much. "You ready or what?" The paper white mare asked impatiently. "Oh! Um,yes,of course I am!" Upon getting inside of the building,the noise was blaring loud and much worse than poor Octavia was used to. "ALRIGHT PARTY PONIES,IT'S TIME TO GET THIS PARTY STARTED!!" The DJ screamed at the ponies in the building,who were cheering so loud Octavia's ear drums were practically blowing out. Vinyl ran to the stage,where several ponies had been gathered in front of,and were practically moshing to the beats that the DJ was blowing out of the large speakers in the building. Light's were flashing everywhere,making the real color of the building unrecognizable. They flashed in Octavia's eyes,making everytime she blinked like another lightshow of blues,reds,and other rainbow like flashes. Speakers had been placed everywhere,making it impossible for Octavia to escape the loud,blaring music that played throughout the building. Octavia took a seat at the bar,but didn't order anything. She simply sighed,covering her ears,and staring at the mare who she had been forced to spend time with. The bright lights illuminated her fur,making it glow different shades of blues and reds. The party had gone on for what seemed like eternity to Octavia,who had never been to a place like this before in her entire life. ____________________________________________________________________________________________ By the time the party had finally came to a close, the poor grey mare ran for the exit of the building like it had been going up in flames. "Tavi,was it too loud for you? Are you sure that you're fine?" Vinyl gave her friend a concerned look. Though she was still blown away from the noise,Octavia answered nonetheless. "Yes Vinyl,for the eighth time,I'm fine." Octavia rolled her eyes,making it apparent that she'd be just fine. The DJ suddenly stopped dead in her tracks,like a deer in the headlights. "Uh Vinyl....are you okay?" Octavia asked,looking at her friend with a concerned look plastered on her face. "Fuck" The pony may not have been able to get any paler than she already was,but if she could,it would have happened right there and then. "The test......I-I didn't...and if I...." "If you fail? Then what? I thought failing was just 'a small hinderance' as you said when i first met you..." Octavia was worried,but attempted to hide it under a small joke. "But this is a music test,Octavia!!!!" "If I don't pass MY WHOLE LIFE CAREER IS AT STAKE!!!" Vinyl seemed worried,which was a strange sight to Octavia. Vinyl had practically lived in another world, her own world. "Vinyl I-" "No Octavia...just..don't .." The Cellist watched in awe as Vinyl walked away. Her head was now down low,instead of held high in pride. She walked slowly,not matching the fast action-packed run she usually did. "Ugh..I-I should have said something.....I should have reminded her..I just didn't think it mattered.. I feel absolutely terrible.." Octavia continued frowning,feeling terrible about not reminding her friend of the music they would be having the next day. She walked back into the bar,and ordered a lemonade. By her first sip,she could tell something was in it. Alcohol. Despite that,she continued to drink it down,not caring anymore. She once again made her way out of the building,her legs wobbly,as she had ordered about three of the so-called lemonades,despite the surprise in her drink. She hadn't ever drank before,and it had made the 'lemonade' all the more strong to her. She took several minutes to make it to the exit of the building,as she wobbled,and stumbled over practically everything in sight. "Ergh-" She slammed into a couple things on the way out of the building. Octavia never thought she'd be doing the drunken walk in her entire life,but that had just changed. Her entire body shook at times,making it nearly impossible for her to walk straight. She realized she couldn't do this on her own. Her body wiggled involuntarily,making her shove into a newspaper rack,and few other things that she never got a chance to identify. She needed Vinyl's help,but she couldn't ask for her friends help after she had failed her. She felt as if she would fall any second,and very often did just that. Her coat was mangled up,and her mane was a complete mess by then. Octavia grabbed everything she possibly could to get leverage on her balance. Her jumbled steps made it tricky,eve nearly impossible to trot in a straight line. Still,she tried her very best to make it back to her new home. She stumbled as far as she could in the direction of her home,before collapsing for the last time that night. Her vision faded as she fell to the sidewalk,her world soon fading away. Everything went black. > Meeting Another Pair > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Octavia and Vinyl:The good old days Chapter 4 Octavia walked out of P.E,tired out,and exhausted. Unfortunately,Vinyl wasn't in her class,so she had to work with Bon Bon and Lyra instead. "Hey! Octavia!" Upon hearing her name,the grey mare turned and looked to see who was yelling at her. A beige earth pony was running her way;Bon Bon. Along side her was a mint green unicorn,who never seemed to wander far from Bon Bon. "Oh,hello again Bon Bon,hello Lyra." Octavia greeted the pair,sounding formal as always. "Octavia,I just opened a sweet shop! Isn't that great!?" Bon Bon looked at her,as if she would explode from hearing the news. "Oh,Bon Bon,that's wonderful! But why didn't you tell me in P.E ?" "Well,I just filled out the last bit of paperwork,and had Lyra teleport it to the people giving me the building!" "That's wonderful! " Octavia exclaimed,bringing her joy back to life. Just then Lyra cut in "Uh,yeah,wonderful,but Bon! We need to get to the first Caf. remember!? If we want good food,we gotta hurry! You comin' Tavia?" The two mares stood there for a moment,a bit shocked at Lyra's sudden intrusion. "Well!?" Lyra tried,breaking them out of the trance. "Oh,of course. Thanks Lyra." Octavia accepted the offer,not like she had any lunch plans yet. Besides,she couldn't stick down to just one friend,and even if it wasn't much,having three was a start. They each began walking down the long hallway,as the cafeteria had been conveniently placed just down the hall from the main room of the P.E class. When they reached the lunch room,they saw Vinyl sitting...alone? The trio walked over to the white unicorn with their lunches, taking a seat next to Vinyl. "Sup' Tavi !.....Who are you two?" The unicorn wasn't who the two ponies by Octavia's side had been. " I'm Bon Bon,nice to meet you." The beige mare introduced herself to the DJ at the table in front of her. "And I'm Lyra...Who are you?" The mint green unicorn looked at Vinyl,who was smiling at the chance to give herself a grand introduction,and impress the two mares who stood before her. " I would be Vinyl Scratch,otherwise known as the one and only- DJ pon-3 !" Vinyl gloated,glad to show off her fame to the others. Octavia smiled,looking at her two new friends "Sorry,she's a bit of a show boat." Vinyl stood there,as Octavia had just shattered her short-lived moment of glory. "So Tavi,you thinking about last night's little rescue again?" Vinyl teased. Wow this was getting old. "Uh,what's she talking about Tavia?" Lyra asked,not exactly sure what it had meant. "I was drunk,she came from the dorm and got me off the sidewalk I was passed out on,and saved me from some filly's on the street." Octavia briefed the answer as much as possible,annoyed from her roommates pointless taunting. "Oh! Are you okay!?" Bon Bon spoke up,worried about her new friend. "Yes,Bonnie,I'm fine." "Bonnie?" Lyra snickered from the background. "It's a nickname,Lyra." Bon Bon scolded "Almost everypony has a nickname for their friends!" "Whatever!" Lyra exclaimed,still laughing at the name Octavia had given to her roommate. They all sat down at the table,talking of the day's events and what plans they had once they got home. They each had a different story to tell,and as they told them,the small amount of time they had been given to eat felt like it flew by. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- By the time they finished up in the cafeteria,history was already starting. Once all the mares and colts had settled down the annoyed teacher started with a lecture about how the states had gotten shaped,even though they had learned it long ago. There was a group of mares whispering behind Octavia,which,although it was distracting,she said nothing about it,and kept taking notes on what the teacher in the front of the classroom was saying. Other's were whispering,daydreaming,and drawing,and it looked to Octavia as if she were the only one paying attention to the poor colt,who was trying to yell at the ponies who weren't listening to him,and continue the lesson. The ponies who had been fast asleep woke up,the teachers' loud yells waking them from their slumber. Octavia felt bad for the teacher,as all the ponies had shown only bad behavior. She could only imagine how hard it was for him to settle them down,and how stressful it must have been. Doing everyday must have made it even harder on him. Octavia had been the only one in the class who even had her focus on the stallion. Finally,the bell rung,a loud flat noise coming from the speaker in each classroom of the school building. All the student's got up,relieved for the class to finally be over,and walked to their next classes,except Lyra,Vinyl and Octavia,who grouped up,and walked off to find Bon Bon,Who was the only pony of their small group who hadn't shared that class with them. On their trek to find the other mare,they ran into several others', Derpy,Amethyst Star, Berry Punch, Minutte,and even Golden Harvest,but they didn't find Bon Bon for a good five minutes,which ended the small transition time they had between classes. > In a pickle-er-cloest > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Octavia stared at Vinyl as they left their classroom "Uh.....What?" Vinyl was out of the know. "Oh nothing,just thinking about how your social abilities surpass those of a common mare your age." Octavia explained. "What?" Vinyl needed this broken down a bit. Octavia continued the look,but rolled her eyes,impatiently. "I mean, The way you can just...talk,yell,shout,and party with strangers.It's...strange...yet fascinating..." The white mare looked at Octavia with a complicated stare. Octavia broke the silence by asking "How do you do it?" Vinyl stopped,and looked at her. "I just...do. That simple." "Oh..." The grey mare had no words for it. The DJ looked at her again. "Algebra next...bummer..." "Don't be like that.." Octavia started. Vinyl looked down at her "Like what?" Octavia let a smirk appear on her face "Like..That..You know..." " You know...."She tried again "Like 'I'm Vinyl,I hate learning...bleh.." The white pony looked at her with a smile "I do not!" She playfully hit Octavia on the fore-hoof They laughed for a bit,upon reaching a closet before their class "Guess it's time to..as you would say die" Octavia smirked "Wait...you take that class too!?" Vinyl seemed surprised. "Um..Yeah?" Octavia had no idea why the DJ seemed so shocked at her going to algebra "Wh-" Before Octavia could finish, the DJ pulled her in a killer grip,and jammed them both in an old janitors closet. "Woah..." Octavia looked around at the tricked out closet. "Like it? I found it yesterday. Because the janitors got new storage,this closet is abandoned now." Vinyl smirked as she said the words. "So...why are we in here?Class starts..NOW!?" Octavia tried to dart out the door-but Vinyl grabbed her. "Chill,algebra is killer.We chill in her until it's over and go to the next class." Vinyl seems so calm about skipping class in a smelly-well-It's not smelly anymore...Er.That's not the point,....in a...tricked out janitors closet. Octavia thought. Her thoughts were cut off by a soda can thrown at her. "Wha-" Octavia was lost. "Got a cooler in here!" Vinyl yelled energetically. Octavia smiled. "I'll never understand you Vinyl." "So,Tavi. What do you think?" The DJ ran her hoof across the room,showing Octavia everything that was in there. As she skimmed her eyes over the closet,the grey mare found some sponges,a small cooler,un-opened paint cans,and several other item that Vinyl probably snuck in there to improve the small room. "Vinyl,don't you think that something like this is completely insane!?" Octavia scolded the young DJ. "What do you mean? This place is awesome!" Vinyl wasn't getting the point of her roommates statement. "I mean,skipping class in an abandoned janitor's closet!" "Octavia,it's fine. It's not like I skip all of my classes,just a few of them. Plus,now that I'm here,it's not abandoned anymore!" The cellist gave her friend an annoyed look, "You're not even worried about your grades going down,and failing?` Vinyl smiled at her "Tavi,it's fine,trust me. Just one class,okay?" Octavia resisted,but sighed,letting her friend keep her hostage. "Fine,just one class. You can keep me hostage,but only for algebra,the you let me go!" The unicorn gave a small chuckle. "Keeping you hostage!? I am not! I'm merely holding you against your will for a little while." Vinyl excused her strange behavior with fake-logic. Octavia gave a small chuckle. "You really enjoy this,don't you Vinyl?" She trotted over to her friend. The DJ smiled,and laughed for a moment, "Yep!" She continued her smirk for several minutes,before Octavia interrupted her. "So,why did you do this anyway?" Vinyl thought the question over for a moment. "Well,I found this closet,and considering the janitor dudes got new closets,I decided it would make a good hang-out. All it needs is a little fixing up,and it'll be a pretty cool place!" The unicorn's logic made no sense to the cellist at all. "Well. That sums up almost nothing for me,but if you like it,I'm not going to tell you how to live your life,Vinyl." Octavia watched as Vinyl tricked out her small closet. The unicorn had been using her powers to paint the walls,wipe down the sinks,and mop the floor. Every time she used her magic,Octavia thought about how easier things would be if she were a unicorn. She was glad for what she could do though,and she knew Vinyl wasn't that good at using magic herself. Octavia scanned the closet,running her eyes over every object in it. She let her eyes wander over to Vinyl,who still had her light blue magic holding several objects to clean,and decorate the closet. She let out a small sigh,and stood on all fours. "Vinyl,do you need help with anything?" The DJ looked up at her friend, "Got it all under control. I got my horn doing the work!" The unicorn smiled at her friend,dismissing the offer. "Thanks though." " No problem,Vinyl." Octavia beamed down at her friend. "Hey,Tavi,close your eyes." Vinyl demanded. Instead of questioning her and getting an answer that made no sense, Octavia obeyed,and did as Vinyl commanded. She could hear a few bangs and thuds from the room,and grew curious of what her roommate could have been doing. "Open them!" Octavia obliged,and once her vision returned,she could see both her and Vinyl's cutie marks painted on the wall. Half of the wall was dark purple,with her mark in the correct shade,while the other half was dark blue,with Vinyl's black music note on top of it. "What do you think?" Vinyl stood back,letting her friend admire her work. "I love it! You're amazing,Vinyl!" The cellist stood there,admiring the markings on the wall of the closet. "I don't want to brag,but I was always the best at painting in my family." Vinyl said,clearly bragging. Octavia chuckled. "You are very talented,I'll give you that." Vinyl smirked "Aren't I?" She joked, Octavia looked at her friend, "Vinyl,if anypony ever understands you,it'll be the day pigs fly." The grey mare also let a joke slide,opposing her elegant nature. The pair sat there,laughing at each other's jokes,and smiling at each other. The two mares looked at each other, their laughter still filling the closet. "Wow,We are the funniest ponies in all of Equestria! Aren't we,Tavi!?" "Well Vinyl,we certainly are!" Octavia let herself go along with her roommate on the jokes for once,seeing as her next class was nearly starting. "I will never understand you Vinyl." > I have run out of chapter names > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Octavia and Vinyl:The good old days "You know Vinyl,It's true.." Octavia sighed Vinyl looked over. "What?" "What they say about you I mean.How you do what you want-when you want." Vinyl smirked "Yeah-I'm cool like that." Octavia playfully scoffed. "Replace 'cool' with 'awesome',and you'd be like Rainbow Dash." Vinyl looked up for a minute. "Where is she anyway?" Octavia rolled her eyes,annoyed by the behavior the cyan mare showed that was the reason she was absent. "She was supposed to be going to a flight school,but they rejected her because of grades-so she goes to this school but got suspended for fighting with some Griffon over a stupid prank." Octavia remarked with scorn "She still got it" Vinyl teased "You mean 'She still has it"." Octavia corrected with a small frown. "Nope,-She still got it." Octavia really wasn't used to not speaking properly.She had grown up with a rich mother and a sophisticated family. She had high standards as a child and her mother was strict on her. She was punished when bad things happened,and only the best of things would be enough to get rewarded. She had a tough childhood. But she was over it,dwelling on it would have no effect. She should be a role-model for others,sophisticated,and always acting proper. "Wow Octavia." Vinyl's laughter filled the small closet. "Hmm? W-What!?" "What just happened?" Octavia was dazed. "The way you just dazed off and didn't blink for a full-"Vinyl paused to gaze down at her watch. "3 Minutes!" She seemed impressed at her friends not-blinking record. "That must be why my eyes burn-agh-even when they close." Vinyl snickered from the background,filling Octavia's ears with laughter. "You never fail to amaze me ,Vinyl." Octavia laughed. "Well,I have Science in 4 minutes.You?" Vinyl asked "Oh,I have English." Octavia replied,a bit upset she couldn't go to her class with Vinyl. "Alright...." Vinyl said,jotting something down on a notepad. She then stuck the note in Octavia's saddle bag. "See you around." Vinyl said,leaving Octavia-who scrambled to follow her friend out of the small closet. Unfortunately,English and Science had been in opposite directions down the hallway,so they couldn't walk with each other to their classes. Vinyl moved swiftly down the hall,but stopped only when she heard a muffled yelling noise coming her way. She looked up,finding a grey mare with crossed eyes had been falling straight in her direction. They both tumbled to the ground with a hard thump,landed in a mangled up ball. "Ugh.." The DJ scrambled to her hooves,rubbing her head with her fore-hoof. "Sorry about that." She looked up again to see the same grey mare that had landed on her not even minutes ago. "I'm Derpy,sorry about that. I do that sometimes..hehe." " It's alright. I'm Vinyl." The unicorn took a moment to study over the grey pegasus in front of her. She had a small embarrassed smile on her face,and was blushing a little bit. "Nice to meet you,Vinyl! What class are you going to?" Vinyl looked up at the other mares' face. "I got Science next." Derpy looked happy at Vinyl's response,and her bright smile showed it. "I have that class next too!" As she told the news,Vinyl noticed she had a muffin-like smell to her. "Cool,but..what smell like muffins..?" The unicorn looked around her,trying to spot if anypony had been carrying muffins nearby,but stopped when the grey pagagsus began to speak. "That would be me! I carry all kinds of muffins in my saddle bags! Blueberry muffins,chocolate ship muffins,plain muffins,chocolate muffins,strawberry muffins,banana muffins,banana nut muffins,apple cinnamon muffins,lemon poppyseed muffins,pumpkin muffins, and all kinds of muffins!" Vinyl had never seen anypony with such a vast knowledge of muffins in her entire life. "So...Do you make them yourself?" She decided to play off the strange muffin knowledge with a casual question. "Of course! I love baking muffins,and then eating them later! Here,you can have this!" Derpy handed Vinyl a chocolate chip muffin to which she happily smiled,and accepted, "Thanks Derpy." "No problem Vinyl,but we should go to class now,were already late. Vinyl looked at the door of the classroom,which was shut and locked,meaning the two would have to go through the shame of knocking,and having everypony in the room stare at them as if they had murdered somepony. Derpy was used to this,considering her eyes, "Well, we better get this over with now." She looked at Derpy,and they began to walk towards the door. 'Vinyl seems like a nice mare,she's a little strange,though!' Derpy thought,happily. Upon reaching the door,Vinyl lifted a hoof and put it on the door three times,making a knocking sound. An annoyed teacher opened the door,making them state why they were late. They simply played it off by saying they bumped in to each other while walking in the hall,and didn't tell him about the conversation they had with each other. If they had done so,the teacher would have probably scolded them and gave them who knows how many days sitting after school in detention. Both mares trotted into the room,ignoring the stares they got from the rest of the class. Taking their desks,they began to work on the assignment given to them by the angry teacher. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- On the way to her class,Octavia looked in her bag to see what Vinyl had put in there. She put a hoof into the pocket and began shuffling it around,attempting to find the small piece of paper. Once she finally found it sitting idly in the very bottom,she grabbed it out. After unfolding it,the cellist sighed at what she found. "Oh my goodness,Vinyl." The DJ had a picture of her and Octavia on it. But it wasn't a real picture,she had drawn them with their heads and bodies as circles,and their legs were sticks. Their faces had been simple smiley faces,and made Octavia wonder how Vinyl was passing her drawing class. ________________________________________________________________________________________ > Chapter 7 > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Octavia and Vinyl:The good old days Upon reaching her English classroom,Octavia noticed she had been about five minutes early. She chuckled to herself "I guess I wouldn't have been this early if I had come from my other class. I guess Vinyl's rebellion can be good in some ways. Still,I hope i didn't miss any notes that may be important...." "OCTAVIA!!" A voice boomed from across the hallway,making the grey mare jump in place. "Wh-what?" Octavia whipped her head around to meet a familiar face running her way. "Bon Bon..?" "Where were you!? I looked everywhere! Neither me or Lyra could find you!! You weren't in class,and we were worried!" The baker scolded Octavia as if she were here daughter. "Oh,Bonnie,I'm sorry I was just...er...." "You were what?" Bon Bon demanded. Her face suddenly lit up. The beige mare began to laugh a bit. "Wh-what?" Octavia was lost. "You..You were with Vinyl..weren't you!?" She snickered. Octavia's face went tomato red,and she stuttered when she tried to speak. "I....I...Well.and....I..." Octavia began attempting to get out the baker's wrath. Bon Bon had already told her that she spent a hilarious amount of time with the deejay,and laughed almost every time she found out that the cellist spent so much time with her. "BAHAHAHA" Bon Bon's normally nice,and forgiving posture was gone. "I..I can't believe this!" She was laughing her head off by now. " Wow,Octavia,you really gotta be more careful with your secrets! This is too rich!" She was laughing so hard she could barely breath. "I well- I mean! I just..I-..." Octavia panicked for a moment,attempting to think of a way to get out of this mess. "Only two minutes to class Bon, better get going!" Octavia used her class as an excuse,and ran away,fleeing the scene. Her face was even more red than it had been in years. Bon Bon,on the other hoof,simply sat there,laughing her flank off at the poor cellist,who was already out of eyesight. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Vinyl stalked around the corner of the hall,prey in sight. Lyra's minty hair was being combed down by a brush held by her green unicorn magic. She thought she was alone,thus she was calm,and oblivious to the world around her. The unicorn had always been one to do stupid little pranks,and sneaking up on Lyra seemed like the perfect end to a school day. She slowly took off,heading towards her friend secretly. She silenced her hoofsteps,making it nearly impossible to predict she was coming near. Vinyl crept closer...closer...closer... "BOO!" "WAGH!" Lyra fell with a thud,to an amused DJ-who was now laughing her tail off. "Gotcha!" "What the hay is wrong with you Vinyl!? You scared me!! Dear Celestia,you nearly gave me a heart attack,Vinyl!" "Awww,lighten up,Lyra! It was just a prank!" "Ugh! Really? You and Octavia disappear,me and Bon Bon finally give up after looking for you all period,and now you sneak up on me!? You can't just do that,Vinyl!" Lyra was raging at the DJ-who had shrunk to the size of a chipmunk by now,and was practically on the floor. "Uh...Sorry?" Vinyl made an attempt to repair her mistake,but the damage had already been done. "Sorry? Sorry!? You think 'sorry' Is gonna make up for it!?" Lyra screamed "Yes?" The DJ squeaked her response. Lyra seemed to grow twice in size. "This! This is why I knew I shouldn't have trusted you!!! No matter what you do-you think you can just...Get away with it!! Not this time!" Lyra spun on her hoof,and trotted into her next class,leaving a shocked Vinyl alone in the hallway. Lyra never tended to overthink things,and enjoyed pulling a small prank herself,but being on the other end of the stick wasn't exactly a cake walk for her. The mint green unicorn was gone in an instant,though Vinyl couldn't figure out what had happened. Vinyl stood there,mouth agape. "Wha....What just happened...? "You lost a friend." The new voice came out of nowhere. "Who...?" A figure came out of the shadows. "Names Rainbow Dash." > Chapter 8 > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Octavia and Vinyl:The good old days "Rainbow....Rainbow Dash!?" "Yeah,that's my name." Vinyl never actually met her,but she heard the cyan mare was tough. "What's your name,glasses?" "M..My names Vinyl Scratch." She said meekly,holding a hoof to her shades. "Heh,so Vinyl. What's the deal with the green one?" Rainbow Dash asked,her voice harsh,and demanding. "Oh...You mean Lyra...I..sorta played a prank on her....and..scared her...and now she hates me..." Vinyl sighed. "Hm,you know,She seemed kinda tense.Don't you thin she outta lighten up?" The blue mare said. "Well...if she doesn't like pranks-she doesn't like pranks.There's nothing you can do about-" "Shut up!" Rainbow Dash screamed,frighting even Vinyl. "If she has a problem with a joke,she'll need to loosen up y'know? Take a load off. Lighten up?" Rainbow slithered her words out. Rainbow Dash had been trying to turn Vinyl against Lyra,and on to her side,but the DJ was proving difficult to turn. "I..Uh...I dunno,Rainbow.She's never been one for jokes.She-She's a serious mare.Like Octavia-just not so formal." Vinyl's attempt at escape was useless. Clearly,the cyan mare wasn't giving up. "No.I don't know.I think we should play a prank so big-she'll have to laugh-and like it." The cyan pony snaked around when she spoke-it was enough to make even Vinyl tremble a bit. "I can't hurt her....I need to apologize to her. Right when she comes out of class! I'll even get her a gift!" Rainbow Dash scoffed "You seemed cool. Heh,I guess your just not the awesome type.Not willing to take risks.Not cool enough to play a prank.Not cool enough to keep a friend for more than two days.C'mon,your just not a cool pony.Your just not good enough to be awesome.To be like me" "Shut up." The DJ couldn't -wouldn't-listen to this taunting anymore. "Oh,what was that?Did i hurt your Feelings?" She hissed. "Shut up." "Awww,poor foal can't take a joke?" The cyan mare began to circle Vinyl. "Shut up." "Wow,the poor idiot can't say anything else?" The taunting went on. "SHUT UP!" Vinyl jumped on Dash,sending them both hurdling to the cold ground. Everything seemed to happen in an instant,the two mares shoving,punching,kicking,and biting each other,at a desperate attempt to win. They thrashed and fought. Hooves flew everywhere. Blood could be seen a few times. Everything was a blur,rushing by as it continued. As both mares fought,time went by unnoticed. Vinyl was holding out as best as she could,though it was a lost battle from the beginning. The fight was long,and each mare struggled to win,and shake the the other loose. It had been hours that the pair fought,and they were both in terrible condition. The last bell had ring long ago,and they were in an old area of the school that was often empty. Hooves flew around as each mare struggled to win. Rainbow Dash loved the thrill of the fight,whereas Vinyl wanted it over,wishing she hadn't snapped and jumped on Rainbow,and given her exactly what she wanted. Rainbow Dash finally found her way on top of the tired DJ,and pinned her down,putting her hooves on either side of her head. "You know,Iv'e heard of that Octavia mare. You're pretty close to her,right? If you don't come with me,I can hurt both you and her." Her lips curved into a demonic smile "I'll kill two birds,with one stone." "NO!!!" Once again,Vinyl leaped,sending the pony on top of her to the floor,once again. More blurs were all she could see,and each time Rainbow Dash flew at her,colors flew everywhere in Vinyl's glazed eyes. The deejay didn't think at all,her mind simply turning off as soon as she heard the mention of hurting Octavia. Vinyl's glasses had shattered,cracked lenses by now,small pieces were missing,and sent to the floor,where they cut the two fighters even more than they were. Rainbow Dash was clearly winning,though Vinyl still struggled to defend her friends. Hours of struggling at each other's hooves went unnoticed as both of the two punched and squirmed. Vinyl's heart raced,and she could practically feel her heart beating in her chest. Vinyl only had the image of her friends being hurt in her mind as she struggled to finally pin her rainbow-maned opponent. There were several problems with Vinyl's thinking-She had gotten into a fight with a pony who was clearly stronger than her;she had given Rainbow Dash exactly what she wanted when she pounced on her;She knew the other mare was trouble for quite some time,yet talked to her anyway. The fight went on until blackness swallowed Vinyl all in one,and the last thing she heard was Rainbow Dash's demonic laughter. > Chapter 9 > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Octavia and Vinyl:The good old days Sirens.Rushing.Voices.Blurs. Sleepy. ""Vinyl!" "Vinyl!" "Vinyl!" "Vinyl!" Octavia...Octavia!? Octavia! The noise of many nurses,doctors,and hoofsteps became audible as Vinyl regained consciousness. Through her muffled vision she could see Octavia's concerned and scared face. "She's awake!!! She's waking up!!" It was slowly playing out,but she could see Octavia screaming to the nurses and doctors.Something about being awake... Now they were in a room. But that's all that Vinyl could see before blacking out again. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ When she woke up,she could see many faces around her. Octavia. Bon Bon. Derpy. Lyra Lyra "Wha-" "Vinyl!!!" All of her friends sounded relived she was okay. They were happy to see her. "Welcome back." Bon Bon was the first to speak. Vinyl looked over at Octavia-her mouth was moving but nothing was being said.Her eyes were filled with tears. Finally though,she spoke. "Oh,Vinyl!I'm so glad your okay!Don't worry me like that anymore!!" Octavia threw her hooves around Vinyl "But....how...?" Vinyl whispered Octavia pulled away. "What?" Vinyl looked dazed and confused. "How did I get here?" It was Bon Bon's turn to speak again. "Lyra brought you here." Vinyl turned to Lyra,who was sitting in the corner of the room. She had a sour look on her face-that said 'I hate you.' written all over it. Derpy decided to cut in "Wow,Vinyl! You really had us worried! " Vinyl let out a small smile "Sorry,Derpy.." "How did you find me....?" Vinyl turned to Lyra. The others turned to her. "How did you find her?" Bon Bon asked Lyra turned to Vinyl. "I went back to the school to get something from my locker,which you weren't too far from. You were on the floor,covered in blood,and none other than Rainbow Dash is walking away from your seemingly lifeless body,laughing her flank off." A smug look appeared on Vinyl's face. "Figures." Octavia looked over. "What? Vinyl,what happened between you two?" Vinyl shuddered. "Well,she saw Lyra and I fight,tried to get me to prank or hurt her to make her lighten up,I said 'no' and hit her,she threatened to hurt Octavia to make me upset,and we continued fighting,and.....I...don't know....." Lyra's face was tight now. "She was going to do what to me?" Octavia appeared surprised. "She was going to do what to me? And then you....defended us?" "Well....yeah." Derpy looked to Bon Bon. "I feel like were the only ones she doesn't know about yet.." Bon Bon nodded her head in agreement. "Hang on a minute." Derpy stopped the chatter that filled the hospital room. "What happened between you and Lyra?" She looked to Vinyl,then Lyra,and kept moving back and forth to see them both. "Well. I-" "She friggin' scared the hay outta me!!" Octavia look confused. "What?" Vinyl sighed. "I hid-jumped out and scared her,and she got mad. Case closed." Before any pf them could interject, Nurse Redheart came into the room,clearing her throat to get their attention. "It's meal time." She rolled in a cart with food and a can of soda on it. " Would any of you like anything?" They each asked for a small something,so they could eat,but would be too much of a bother for the nurse. "Oh! Nurse!! When do I get out of here?" Vinyl asked. Nurse Redheart looked back. "In about a week." With that,she took her leave. "I'm sorry to cut my visit short,but I need to get home." Derpy spoke up from the front of the room. "Goodbye!" All of them said goodbye to each other,as one after one they left the room. Octavia-who was the only one left with Vinyl looked to her friend. "You know,they let you have one person stay overnight." "And that's where you come in." They laughed. "So,when you go back your going to get revenge on Dash,aren't you?" "Yep." > Chapter 10 > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Octavia and Vinyl:The good old days The morning light shone through the drawn,green curtains that not so long ago blocked any brightness threatening to invade the room. "Ugh...I don't want to wake up yet..." Vinyl was moaning from her bed like a zombie. "Well,you need to.If you want to shower,and get ready within an hour." Octavia's elegant voice filled the DJ's ears. "An hour? What for?" She really needs to look at her schedule more often...if she even has one.. Octavia thought with a sigh. "The nurse is coming in to change your bandages in one hour from now-So wake.Up!" Octavia pulled some of the covers off Vinyl. "Fine,fine,I'm going!" The DJ hung her head low in defeat,and headed towards the bathroom to take a quick shower,but turned back and smiled at the cellist,who had been watching her leave. "Vinyl,I'll never understand you." ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Vinyl turned the water on,and held a hoof out into the stream to test the temperature. She turned it up a little hotter,before noticing a note taped to the wall. Vinyl,only turn the nob as high as the chart below,so that your injuries don't burn,or freeze' She looked down farther on the paper,to find a picture of the shower nob turned a little bit to the hot side,but not quite escaping warm. "Aww,come on! I'm gonna freeze my flank off in there!" Hesitantly,she walked into the small shower,supplied to the guests of the hospital. The water rained down on Vinyl's electric blue mane,making it fall lower and sag down beside her. She used her magic to grab some shampoo out of a bag her friends made up for her to make her stay more comfortable. She shook the bottle,and poured some on her mane. Vinyl then idly lifted a hoof to her mane and scrubbed it around,cleaning out any blood,sweat,or dust that may be in there. She then did the same to her tail,letting all the dirt and blood wash out of it. She used her magic to look through the bag,spying for anything else that may be of use. Spotting a small bottle of conditioner,she levitated it towards her,read the label,and began to pour it onto her mane and tail. "Having a soft mane for once couldn't hurt." She said to herself. Once done in the shower,she dried her coat,mane,and tail down using a towel,and her unicorn magic. She looked at herself in the mirror,and pulled her glasses back over her eyes. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- "Oh,Vinyl,you're finally done.You know we only have two minutes until the nurse comes in here to clean your injuries!" Vinyl looked at her. "Really? It took me that long? Huh,felt like a minute!" Before Octavia could fight back,Nurse Redheart walked into the room. "Hello,I'll only be a second,I just need to clean out your wounds and such,and we'll be done before you know it!" She kindly asked Octavia to leave the room while she did so,and at he request,promised she'd take good care of Vinyl. Despite,the nurses kind reassurance,Octavia was worried about her friend. She could hear muffled cries coming from her friends hospital room. 'Oh,Vinyl,the poor dear.Having so many wounds being cleaned out must sting so much.....' Octavia's thoughts were interrupted when Nurse Redheart came out of the room. "You can go back in,if you'd like." Octavia simply nodded, and rushed into the room to check on her friend. "How you doing?" She asked.Octavia had been worried Vinyl wouldn't approve of her wounds being cleaned,and rush away. "I'm fine,they're getting better faster than the nurse thought they would. The grey cellist strode swiftly over to her friend. "Glad to hear it." Vinyl looked at her. "They gave me a bandage on one of them....You wanna sign it~?" The old teasing,playful Vinyl was back in the room. "Of course I would,Vinyl." Octavia said with a chuckle. A doctor trotted into the room,with a cart full of food. "It's lunch time,ladies!" "Today's meal is a nice sandwich,with daffodil and tulips on it! And I was made aware there was a guest in the room,so I brought an extra! There's also two soda's if you want them! I'll be taking my leave now,see you mares later!!" With that,he trotted out of the room. "Well....He was cheery,don't you think?" "You know Vinyl,that has to be about the cheeriest doctor Iv'e ever seen. You're right." "Wow,last time I've seen anyone that happy was Hearth's Warming." Vinyl joked. "Oh! Come on,Vinyl! Let the man be happy!" Octavia said. "Oh,hey Tavi?" "What?" Vinyl looked over Octavia's shoulder. "We have company! Hey guys!!" "Hey you two!!" "Hi!" "Hows it going!?" "How are you feeling!?" "Do you need anything!?" They flooded the room with innocent chatter "So.....where's Lyra,Bon Bon,you should know." Vinyl directed her attention to the beige mare. "Oh,poor Lyra isn't feeling too well...Let's just say,when she just got her paycheck,and your downstairs is a candy shop-She can't control herself." Bon Bon said,with a pitying look on her face. "I felt bad to leave her,but she said it was okay....Plus I brought candy for you guys too!" Upon hearing 'candy',Vinyl looked pleased. "Awww,yeah! Time to chow down on something but healthy flowers!" They ate,talked,and shared stories about different things until visiting hours were up. The room was filled with hugs,and goodbyes for a few minutes,until all but the two remained,and the nurse called for bedtime. > Chapter 11 > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Octavia and Vinyl:The good old days Vinyl was finally allowed out of the hospital,but she hadn't realized how embarrassing it would be to go back to school. The ponies moved to either side of the hall,and completely muted themselves as she walked by. "Oh,Vinyl,don't let it get to you..." Octavia tried. The DJ remained silent,and hung her head low. She hadn't realized how bad a fight with the on and only Rainbow Dash would effect her. "Vinyl,I have to go,will you be alright?" Octavia said in a hushed tone. Vinyl nodded her head,and the two mares hugged before the cellist departed. Just then the bell rang and ponies rushed off to their classes. It was okay to be a few minutes late,as the hospital had noted the school that Vinyl had been there. A small chuckle could be heard from the distance. "Look who showed up." Rainbow Dash "Cut the crap,Dash. Can't you just let me go to my class? Seriously,get over it." "Trying to be strong think that'll help you?" The cyan mare chuckled. Vinyl sighed and began walking away. Rainbow Dash looked surprised,but recovered quickly and swooped by the young DJ's side. "Oh my Celestia,Dash! Go away! Can you not see that I don't feel like your crap right now!?" "Well....uhm... I don't care! I'm here for a reason!" Rainbow Dash said,her voice unsure. Vinyl sighed, "And that would be....." "Revenge." The speedy mare said,her voice sounding harsh. The white DJ rolled her magenta eyes,though it was blocked by her signature shades. "For what?" Vinyl began to speed her trot up a bit. "You know what." Dash said "Dash,Let's finish this some other time. I'm not interested right now. Besides, I have a class right now." Vinyl dragged her words,bored with Dash's taunting. She then simply walked into a room,and slammed the door shut behind her,leaving a surprised Rainbow Dash flying in the hallways. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ When she walked in she was met with a silent classroom of ponies, just staring at her. It was a usual sight to see when walking into a classroom,but not the same,because they were looking at her like that for a different reason,making the stare longer than it should have been. "Can I help any of you?" She said with a scoff,heading to her seat. The colts and mared alike looked away immediately,afraid to upset her. "Vinyl Scratch-you have missed over a week of class,and are late,care to explain?" The teacher said with a frown. "Sure." Vinyl simply rolled the word off her tongue,directly at her instructor. "I doubt you'll have an explanation this time,young mare." He said,strictly. She used her magic to bring the hospital note up to the front of the room,in front of his face. He sighed and went over to his computer,changing some things on an attendance page. "Very well." He sighed. Vinyl smirked,as she finally made the dunce look dumb in front of his own class. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Octavia looked at the clock,she wasn't used to being in class,as she spent the week in Vinyl's hospital room. "Can I help you,miss Octavia?" The class instructor demanded. "Um,no ma'am." Octavia said in a rushed tone. "So you're looking at the clock every five seconds for fun? Or is it because you skipped class for a week?" "What? I didn't skip!" "So,you weren't here for a week,but it wasn't skipping?" Octavia hustled out of her seat to bring the teacher a note the hospital gave her. "Very well,Octavia." The older mare made notes of it in her files on Octavia,and moved on with the lesson. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- It was time to leave school,and the ponies were pushing,and shoving through the hallways. Finally done at her locker,Octavia closed it,and began walking to where Vinyl's locker was. The cellist was met with a white mare at her locker,just closing it,and looking up,becoming aware of her presence there. "You ready to go?" Vinyl asked. "Of course,these barbarians are shoving to no belief!" Octavia said with a chuckle. They began their trek out the building and to the dorm they rented. Vinyl raced ahead,and used her key to open the door,which she ran into in a split second,happy to be back. "Feels like forever since we've been here,huh?" Octavia said,a warm smile on her face. "Hay yeah it does!" Vinyl exclaimed,running to the back. She ran to the underneath of her loft bed. Octavia drew closer to her hideout,to see hat Vinyl kept in there,and ran to it so fast for. Upon getting closer,music started blaring from the underneath,and she was practically blown away. She kept going though. Upon lifting the sheet that separated it from the rest of the room,Octavia found Vinyl on her computer,making noises she never even knew existed. When she became aware of Octavia's presence there in a few seconds,she ran to her,and embraced her in a huge bear hug,bringing them both to the carpet. As they tumbled to the floor they laughed,glad to be back home. "Let's go out somewhere for dinner tonight,Tavi! I'm so sick of sandwiches and salads!" The white mare said with a broad smile on her face. "Sure,Vinyl! Nothing would make me happier than a fun night out!" "So....How about we go to that fancy-pants diner a few blocks down? We could walk there,and besides,you went out to that place with me for my performance that night,I owe you!" Vinyl said to Octavia with a happy look on her face. "Yes,you do. Of course we can go there,we've been here for months,and I've never gotten the chance to check out that place,like I wanted to......So,let's go!" > Chapter 12 > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Octavia and Vinyl:The good old days "You ready,Octavia?" Vinyl asked,grabbing her sweat jacket. "Yep!Just one moment,Vinyl!" Octavia yelled back,grabbing her sweat jacket,too. They walked out the door,putting their jackets on to avoid the harsh, winter weather waiting outside. "So,what's this place called again?" Vinyl asked,,glancing at Octavia. Octavia thought for a minute. "It's called Le restaurant de poney fantaisie." Vinyl looked over. "Ah,Italian?" Octavia started to chuckle. "What's so funny!?" The DJ shouted at her. "Vinyl,that's French!" The cellist said,cracking up at her roommate's stupidity. Vinyl started blushing. "W-Well! I can't help I-If I don't know French!!" "Vinyl,you're blushing!" Octavia teased. This only made her blush harder,though. "A-AM NOT!!" "Whaterver,Vinyl!" Octavia said,laughing. Vinyl smiled at her. "Since when did you tease?" "Since I felt like it." "Whatever,we're here now." Vinyl said,hiding her red face. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ When they opened the doors,you could tell it was Octavia's natural habitat. "Woah" Vinyl croaked out,staring at the chandeliers that hung from the high roofs. The place had everything you could classify as 'fancy'. From Cello music playing in the background,to the ponies eating their meals,which were also fancy. "This is going to be so expensive! Vinyl,don't worry,when I left for school I brought a lot of money with me,and I was about to find a good paying job,I'll pay for our meal!" Octavia fretted. "Nah,that's alright,I got tons of money from all of my gigs! We can split the pay - Half and Half should be fine!" "Vinyl,You're too kind! What am I going to do with you!" A throat being cleared could be heard from close by. "Table for two,I presume?" A waiter wearing a tuxedo,and a cloth from his arm was standing in front of them,waiting to seat them at a table. "Oh,yes please." Octavia said. "Please follow me,in that case." He walked them to a round table,dressed with a white tablecloth,and a candle in the middle. He used his horn to levitate two menus on either side of the table. "I'll be back in a moment,in the mean time,please enjoy a basket of breads,and some iced water." He then walked away,leaving them to the company of each other,and their waiting food. "Da-yum. This place is way fancy!" Vinyl said. "Well, I honestly like it! The waiter was rather nice,and the decor is exquisite! Not to mention the music,and the food!" Vinyl laughed. "I'm glad you like it! We'll have to eat here more often! I agree,this bread is good,and the water is actually cold! But the waiter seemed like he had almost no personality to me!" She laughed a bit,at her own joke. "Well,we do need to buy another cooler for our dorm,don't we?" Octavia said,her smile still big as ever. "I'll have the eggplant au poivre! How 'bout you,Tavi?" "I think I'll order the French onion soup. With some coke,though it's rather plain,because once again,I don't drink." "Oh yeah! I forgot about drinks!" Vinyl said,flipping a few pages in the menu. "I'll get some le vin. It's just plain wine." A smirk appeared on her face. "Because I do drink." They laughed a bit,and then the waiter came,shutting them right up. " Can I help you two to a meal,and drink of some sort?" "Yes,I'll have the French onion soup,and some coca-cola,please." Octavia said,in the most fancy manner she could. "And I'll have the eggplant au poivre,with some le vin!" Vinyl said, in a completely not-fancy manner. Octavia shot her a look. "Please." She added with a fake smile. "Very well,I'll be back in a moment." He once again left,using his magic to take the empty basket of bread and the empty glasses with him. "Vinyl,next time let me do the talking,okay?" "Haha,whatever." Vinyl responded with a smirk. When the waiter came back,his horn was glowing,carrying their food and drinks. "Your beverages." He said placing the wine and coke down on the table,in front of the pair. "And your meals." He added,setting the food on the table too. Once he left,the pair began to chow down on their food. "Man,Tavi! I gotta hand it to you,this stuff is really good!" Vinyl said,stuffing food into her mouth. Octavia used her hoof to place her napkin cloth onto her lap,and began to organize her utensils,until they were just right. She then grabbed her spoon,and began digging in.....elegantly,of course. "So,Tavi. What kind of work are you thinking of getting into,until you leave highschool? You did say you were getting a temporary job while we waited,didn't you?" Vinyl asked,looking at the cellist across the table from her. "Well,I was hoping to get some gigs around town for playing my cello. That would pay well,and I'd be able to possibly make an entire career out of it. Getting a music career is why I'm going to Canterlot High,after all." She replied,with a smile on her face. "So,You're going into the music bis. too? Great! We may not like the same music,but it's cool that were going to be doing the same type of thing,isn't it!?" The Dj asked,very exited. Octavia laughed. "Yeah,I never even considered how different our music is. I mean, I'm a cellist,you're a DJ,we're different in a way,but the same in another." "What do you mean?" "I mean, You like a completely different type of music. A different way to make it,a different genre than I enjoy. But we both have the same passion for music,a passion that no matter what changes it may make, will never really change at all. You see,we're different in one case, but if you look at it in another way...we're more similar than different,don't you think?" Vinyl smiled warmly. "I guess you're right." ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ When they stepped outside,it was freezing. They began a trudge home,trying to get as close as possible,to get warmed up. "Man,I really want to take a warm shower,and get cuddled in bed. I'm glad our dorm has a fire place in it! As soon as we get home,that's getting turned on!" Vinyl shouted,her breath visible in the frosty air. "Y-Yeah,s-s-same here!" Octavia said,her teeth chattering. "And I'm putting the shades over the skylight! The suction sups better hold to the roof!" Vinyl added. "Oh...talking about the cold is only making it colder!" Octavia shouted. "Uh...Vinyl,who'll shower first!?" "We'll think about it when we get home! I'm too cold to concentrate!" "I can see it from here,Tavi! Almost there! Just a little further! You can do it,Tavi! Don't give up!" "Vinyl,in case you haven't noticed,I'm in front of you." Vinyl looked back,then to Octavia again. "Oh." ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ When they opened the door knob,they both made a run for the indoors,as if it was for their lives. "Never walking in the winter again!" Vinyl shouted,taking her jacket off. "Agreed!" Octavia sighed,pulling her jacket off,too. Vinyl turned the fire place on,and used her magic to suction-cup some curtains onto the skylight. "You can your shower first of you want,Tavi. I think I'll lay in front of the fire for a few." Vinyl said,curling up in front of the warm,log-burning fireplace. "Thanks,Vinyl! You're too kind!" Octavia said,before grabbing some towels and a bag of shower stuff,and heading into the bathroom. As soon as Vinyl heard the water turn on,she sighed. Left alone in the room,she stayed curled in front of the fire,fighting sleep. She levitated another log into the fire,and an idea hit her. She stood up,and walked to the window. It was windy outside. The bare trees blew,and the few ponies shivered in the cold. It wasn't the sight Vinyl wanted,but she then realized it was better. She would need to get Octavia back outside,she was hoping it would snow,and they could enjoy the first snow of the year together.Man, Octavia would look really pretty with the snowflakes in her mane,wearing her grey and purple hat,with that pretty smile...and beautiful coat...wow...WAIT what am I thinking!? Octavia is my best friend!! I can't trick her into coming out side with me just to see her like that! I'd be being a terrible friend! Her mane is wet,and she'd be SO cold!! I mean...I can dry her mane with my magic..but....OH! I just don't know!!!! Vinyl sighed,and walked back to the fire place. She listened to hear the running water. Octavia was still showering. The DJ got up,and went to the kitchen. "Why am I still hungry? I had a big meal back at thee restaurant." She said to herself,getting some stuff to make a nice warm batch of cookies out. They only took twelve minutes,and Octavia took time in the shower,making sure she was clean. And then adding time for her to relax,she'd take longer than that,so Vinyl began using her unicorn magic to bake the cookies. beep.beep.beep.beep. The timer Vinyl set on the oven began to go off,attracting the DJ's attention. She took the tray out of the oven,and to her luck,they looked delicious. "She'll love these!" Just then,Octavia came out of the shower. "I'm done!" She sniffed for a moment. "What smells so good?" "Perfect timing,Tavi! I made cookies!" Vinyl cheered,grabbing her friend and dragging her to the sweets that lied on the kitchen table. Octavia lifted one into her mouth. "Wow,Vinyl! I didn't know you could bake! These are amazing!!" "I know a bit about baking,I did some as a filly!" The DJ gloated. Octavia smiled. "Well,let's sit in front of the fire place,and enjoy these!" Vinyl smiled as they made their way to the fire,and curled up together. They chowed don on the cookies,and fell asleep right there,in front of the fire. Together > Chapter 13 > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Octavia and Vinyl:The good old days The next day came too soon. Light poured through the curtains,causing the pair curled up on the floor to squint against it's radiant light. A knock soon came at the door. "Ugh...." Octavia stood herself on all fours carefully,trying not to stumble over the white mare at her hooves. "Who would be knocking this early?" She trotted over to the brown door,her mane still in a tangle. She raised a hoof to the knob,opening the door to find a complete stranger. "Hello,sorry to intrude so early,but I just moved into the building next door,and thought I'd introduce my self!" A stallion with a blue coat was now poking his hoof out to meet Octavia's for a quick shake. His glasses seemed to shimmer in the early morning sun,almost as bright as the smile on his face. Octavia extended a hoof,meeting his,and shaking it firmly. "I'm Octavia Melody,nice to meet you." She spoke. It may have been early,but she didn't want to be rude and scare him away. "Aero Flow! Nice to meet you Octavia! He had a brown mane,with a small twist protruding out,almost like Pinkie Pie's-the famous pastry chef. "It's an honor to meet you then,I'm glad you chose here to move into,it's a very nice area! Ton's of nature,and very quiet and settling. I'm sure you'll enjoy it here!" Octavia went with the warm welcome choice. Wish I didn't look so terrible.He probably thinks I don't ever know how to look proper! Octavia thought with a sigh. "Sorry to wake you up so early,I was just excited to get to know my neighbor!" He beamed at her while he spoke. "Not a problem at all! I outta wake up early more often,actually! Oh,and once she wakes up,you'll need to come and see Vinyl sometime! She's still sleeping now,but I'm sure you'll find her charming!" The grey cellist could talk up Vinyl when the time as right,but right she was meeting a new friend. "Well,I'll come by later to meet her,but I gotta go! See ya later!" Aero Took off on his wings,leaving Octavia smiling and waving behind him. "Seems like a nice fellow." She spoke to herself,walking back into the building. " 5:30. Who can be so cheery at a time like this? Oh well,I have nothing against him at all,in fact he seemed very kind. A bit clumsy,perhaps.But very kind." Octavia went to the kitchen,and began fixing tea. Winter break may have been there,but she knew she'd have to go back to Canterlot High again soon. She figured she'd relax now,while she still had the chance. Christmas was coming,and she would have that to worry about. "Wait! Christmas!? What should I get for Vinyl!? What would she like!? No! No! No! No! I don't know what to do! Perhaps ask a friend? But I don't know any of her other friends" "It's okay,Octavia! It's still a week away! You can do this! Get mother that necklace she wanted,Get Bon Bon a cookbook, Get Lyra some kind of game,and get Vinyl.....ugh...records? Nah,She has those! Dubstep software? No,she has all of that,and I don't even know how to pick it out! Clothes seem to boring for her! " She lied back on the couch,trying to relax. "Get a grip,Octavia. It won't be hard. Just go out to a shopping district with her,and see what she likes most! No,that won't do! I'll have to give her the fliers in the paper! Yeah! Sh'll want something! I know it!" With that,she continued her relax on the couch,her purple bathrobe adorning her body,warming her with help of her tea. She looked to the clock. "6:30. Was I really thinking that long? Oh well,it can't be helped." She finished her tea,and got off the couch. "Now,It's when I normally wake up. It really is quiet around here. I don't want to wake her,she was drained last night. I'l just go for a walk instead." Octavia changed into magenta running pants,with two stripes of white going down each side of the legs. She got very similar jacket on,and grabbed an mp3 player out of a drawer. Putting a stretchy headband on,she got a water bottle from the small cooler,and ran out the door. "This will be great!" She began to race down the street,past the groups of flower beds in the yards on empty houses. She had decided she would go to the park and back,and then have a nice,bowl of grapes when she got home. She was tired,even though she had only ran a block yet. "I'm in worse shape than I thought I was! Man I need to run more often!" Octavia still trotted down the roads and sidewalks of the empty streets. It was chilly,but she endured it. She was relieved to reach the park,meaning she once again could go home. "Just run back,have some grapes,take a shower,read the paper,and maybe a real book,then wake up Vinyl. Good morning!" Before she had even realized it,she was approaching the dorm had been staying in. The second she hit the door,she ran into the house like her life depended on it. She washed the grapes she would have for breakfast,and put them in a bowl to eat. She looked over at the clock again,for the third time that morning.,and saw the red numbers that read '6:52' on it. She put the empty bowl that once contained her grapes into the sink,making a mental note to clean them later. Octavia grabbed bag of shower supplies,towels,and a small rug to put on the floor to keep it from getting soaked,and trotted into the bathroom. She set up her things accordingly,and turned the 'hot' valve on. The grey mare began cleansing herself from the sweat from the walk,and dirt and dust from sleeping on the floor. The hot water streamed onto her coat,and into her mane,letting steam off of it as it did. She did everything necessary to clean herself off,from lathering shampoo into her mane,to conditioning her tail. She reached a hoof to the lever,turning it down,from hot-to cold-to nothing. She grabbed a towel and began drying herself off,making sure to get all of her coat dry,before looking into the mirror. The cellist grabbed another towel down from it's rack,and put it over her mane. The towel soon became too wet to dry it though,and thus she tossed it into the hamper. Octavia reached a hoof into a drawer,grabbing a purple and grey mane-dryer,that was placed next a similar one,with blue on top,and gray on bottom. She like purple,Vinyl liked blue,what else could she say? "Man,I'm sure glad I bought this thing!" She whipped her mane around,drying off what she could of it. "Alright,this should do." She said to herself,Putting her mane up in a clip. It wasn't going to dry any sooner,no matter how many times she ran the blow-dryer over it. The damp mane would do for now,until later when she took it down,and re-styled it. She simply shrugged it off,as usual when she had this problem,collected her things,and trotted out of the bathroom. She picked up the newspaper from the front of her house,and took it inside. There were many things in it to read,but one thing in particular stood out to her 'The amazing 'DJ P0n3 playing at 'The scratch' Friday night! 7:30 she'll be performing some of her new works to show off! "Strange....she didn't tel me she was preforming tonight. Was it because it slipped her mind,or was she hiding it? What is this mare up to?" She turned on a mental light bulb. "She doesn't need to keep me updated on her life,I understand! She doesn't lie." Octavia walked over to the pony on the floor,admiring her features. There was something that stood out though. Her glasses. She always wore them,and when she didn't,her eyes were closed. Octavia knew this pony for a year,she was best friends with her and yet...she didn't even know her eye color. She took the glasses off,and hid them in a drawer. She doesn't get these back until I see her eyes Octavia thought,with a gentle nod,and a smile to re-assure herself. This day-She would see Vinyl's eyes. "No more secrets,miss DJ mane" Next Chapter 'Secret's Spill' Coming out soon! > Secrets Spill > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Octavia and Vinyl:The good old days Vinyl woke up,her leg was numb from having her weight on it for an entire night,and most of the morning. When she fully opened her eyes,she made a small realization. Her glasses were missing. She quickly slid her eyelids shut,afraid somepony was home. "Uh...Tavi!? You seen my shades!?" Vinyl reached a hoof out,attempting to find her purple lensed glasses,with little luck. "Tavi? Taaaaaavvviiiiii!?" The DJ realized her calls would have no success,but tried once again,super loud. "TAVI!! YA' HOME!!??" Octavia was sitting on her bed,her hoof in her mouth to keep her from laughing. She was so excited to see her roommates eye's,and she had wanted to laugh at the fact that she was able to trick Vinyl. Yet,though she wanted to crack up right there,she knew it would have more consequences. "Bah! Where did they go!? Octavia! Are you seriously home!? If you are I kinda need you!" Vinyl yelled out,one last time before slowly opening her eyelids. "AH! HA!" Octavia ran down from the bed,jumping on Vinyl,to get a closer look. The white pony underneath her friend,quickly shut her eyes,and put her hooves in front,avoiding her friend from seeing them. "Eep!" The DJ seemed to shrink at he friends mercy. "Vinyl! Why do you never show me your eyes?" Octavia asked,hoping off her friend in a swift motion. Vinyl lowered her head in shame,and still refused to open her eyes. "Vinyl..really. Iv'e known you for a year,and Iv'e never seen your eyes...Were best friends,but I don't even know your eye color...." Vinyl frowned,but even with her eyes closed,she stood up quickly,and walked to her roommate. Once they were close enough that their noses were touching,Vinyl opened her eyes. ".....Vinyl......Why?...Why do you hide them...?" Octavia stared into Vinyl's magenta eyes. She had never seen anypony else with that eye color before,yet she found it beautiful. They would never match up to her light purple ones. Vinyl lowered her head in shame,and walked to the other side of the room,slumping down onto the cold floor. "..You hate me now,right?" The white mare spoke,never turning her attention away from the floor. Octavia's eyes went wide in shock for a moment,before lowering in sadness. "....Vinyl....Why would I hate you..?" Octavia lifted a hoof,beginning to walk over to her friend,before deciding against it,and letting it lower to the ground once again. "I'M A FREAK!!" "Where else have you seen a pony with this color eye!!!!?????" Vinyl was raging at her friend,which was a sight that Octavia had never seen before. She wanted to shrink under the other mares' gaze,but instead thought of the better way to handle the situation at hoof. "Absolutely nowhere." The grey cellist drew closer to the white pony,who was still slumped down on the hard floor of their small home. "And that's what makes them special." She slid her hoof under Vinyl's chin,forcing her to turn around and look her straight in the eye. "Your eyes are beautiful,Vinyl. They're amazing. Iv'e never seen an eye color like you'rs. True. But,Iv'e never seen an eye color like you'rs-because they're unique. And only unique ponies,get unique eye colors." Octavia gave a smile,before using a hoof to pull her friend off the floor. The cellist wrapped her arms around Vinyl in a swift motion,and though she held her tight,she made sure she wasn't hurting her. " And you. Are a special pony." She lied down,letting a weeping Vinyl lay in her shoulder. She lifted a hoof,and began to stroke the DJ's mane,carefully. She used firm,yet soft strokes,comforting the pony lying in her arms. "Vinyl..." The white pony looked at her friend,questioningly. "C'mere." Octavia sat up,putting on a light pink scarf with stripes that had an almost transparent shade of pink on it, tassels hanging from the ends,from a black hook that was set in front of their plain brown door. She put a hoof on the knob,before turning back to her friend. " You coming?" Vinyl let out a small smile,before wiping her eyes,and nodding to Octavia. She got up quickly,trotting to her friend. She too,grabbed a scarf off of the hook,but her's had been a light blue,with stripes that had a nearly transparent shade of blue on it,with small string hanging from the end. She also grabbed a grey beanie,and placed it over her mane,before exiting the building with Octavia. The DJ let the door shut behind her,with a small click noise,ad headed in the direction her friend had been walking towards. Vinyl considered saying something,but decided against it when she saw the park in view. Octavia let out a small sigh,her breath visible in the winters' frosty air. "I thought you should see this." Vinyl paused,taking in the empty,barren park before her. She was in awe of it's bare beauty,despite the fact that it was empty inside. The trees had no leaves,and no foal played,for winters' harsh conditions and weather's had trapped them inside their homes for the season,until Spring came out,and warmed the land. "It's beautiful,isn't it?" Octavia had a beautiful,elegant voice. And her mane blowing in the winter breeze didn't make it easier for Vinyl to ignore her raw beauty. "Vinyl!" Octavia had been halfway down the street already,making a rapid dash towards the park. Vinyl laughed,immediately running to the park. Their arrival made way for laughing,giggling,yelling,cheering,and all else. But that had come to and end as they sat down on a bench together. Just as soon as their small conversation had come to an ending,the snow began falling from the sky above,making a beautiful sight for all to see. "The first snowfall of the year. What do you think,Vinyl?" Octavia said,her voice reaching Vinyl,who sat right next to her on the park bench. "I think it's beautiful. Like you." She stayed smiling for a moment,before she realized what she had said. "I-I mean! Y-You're very pretty and-I-I!! I-I M-M-m,mmean! I-" She tried to take back what she said,but the damage was already done. Octavia smiled,the fresh snowflakes from the crisp winter air landing swiftly in her mane. She giggled,and leaned in closer to a shocked Vinyl. She kissed her roommate's lips,tenderly and passionately. Vinyl's eyes widened quickly,and her normally white face turned tomato red. She smiled into the kiss for a moment,before pulling away to look at her friend's face. Octavia giggled with what she saw. Vinyl's face had been completely covered over red. Vinyl shook her head quickly,letting her mind slip back to awareness. Just like in her day dream from before,Octavia's mane and coat had been lightly dotted in the snow,and she had a bright smile on her face. Vinyl smiled at her,just seeing her like that would be enough for a life time. "Hm. First snow. And our first kiss. What do you think about that,Vinyl?" Octavia smiled with that same face that Vinyl had fallen in love with,making her smile,too. "N-Now your just getting sappy,Tavi!!" They both laughed at Vinyl's stupidity,but only had a few seconds before they realized the sudden change in the weather. The wind wasn't gentle anymore,but it whipped around them in a what seemed like a raged fury. The snow had intensified,making it hard to see what lied in front of their own hooves. "Octavia?" "Yes,Vinyl?" "Blizzard?" Blizzard!" The pair attempted to trek through the weather,and return home,but were having little success. The sow covered their bare hooves,making them quiver under frost bites' fury. They had fallen several times already,and were covered in the white substance which also covered the streets. Vinyl was losing traction onto the ground,an ended up slipping in an ugly mess. Octavia reached out a hoof,helping her friend off the ground. "We need to find somewhere to stay! I don't even know where we are!" The cellist shouted,attempting to raise her voice over the strong winds. "But where!? I can't see anything over the snow!!" The DJ called out,hoping her friend could hear her. They saw a small light in the distance,almost that of a flashlight. "Hello!? Is somepony out here!?" The pair of musicians could hear a familiar voice coming from the source of the light. They gave each other a giddy look-they were saved. "If you're out here,you'd better speak up,or else were leaving!" Another recognizable voice could be heard over the howling winds. Bon Bon and Lyra "Bon Bon! Lyra! Is that you!?" Octavia shouted out to the source of the recent noise,hoping her friends would be the ones to respond. "Octavia!?" Lyra called,confused. "Yes! And Vinyl's here too!" The grey mare smiled,and dashed to her friends by Vinyl's side. "You two! It's great seeing you-don't get me wrong! But we need to get back to my shop! I'll lead the way!" Bon Bon Began leading them down an invisible trail,that would soon be their source of shelter. The four mares ran back in the direction of Bon Bon's candy shop/home,running as fast as their hooves could carry them through the blizzard. The very second they saw the store,their motivation grew,and they began running faster. Lyra used her magic to swing the color-splattered door wide open,allowing entrance to each one of her friends. As soon as they got inside,they began rubbing their arms,and breathing heavily,in an attempting to regain their body heat. Bon Bon led the other three ponies up a narrow staircase,leading out of the candy shop,and into a home. Bon Bon turned to her to guests. " You two will probably have to stay here tonight,the blizzard is pretty intense. Vinyl frowned for a moment "You're not going to try to keep us captive here are you...?" Everpony looked at Vinyl, "Vinyl...Why would I do that...?" Bon Bon shook her head slowly as she asked the question,knowing she'd regret asking as soon as she heard the answer. "Eh,I dunno,just asking." Vinyl smiled and stated her answer regularly,as if the question wasn't strange at all. Lyra,who had been placing a log in the fire place,and turning a dial for the heat on spoke up. "You two can stay in me and Bon Bon's beds if you want." Octavia smiled,but shook her head, "No,we can stay on the couch for a night,you two ave been kind enough to let us stay in your lovely home for the night." Bon Bon looked at her,raising an eyebrow,but giving a polite smile. "Are you sure,Octavia? It wouldn't be too much trouble.." Octavia out a hoof in the air,dismissing the offer. " It'll be fine,Bonnie. It won't kill us to sleep on a couch for the night." Lyra smiled, "Alright then,bathrooms down the hall on the left,kitchen is to the right of that,and our room is just down the hall,if you need anything. I'm hitting the hay for the night,i'm exhausted." The mint unicorn,retreated the room,and began her trek down the hall. Bon Bon looked at the pair before her. "Goodnight you two! I'll see you in the morning!" "Good night,Bon Bon!" Octavia remarked,in her 'proper manner' voice " 'Night" Vinyl lifted a hoof,though barely off the ground,it was enough to be a wave. "Okay,Goodnight Vinyl!" Octavia grabbed one of the few blankets placed on the armrest of the couch with a swift movement. She positioned herself comfortably,and rested the fleece sheet over herself. " Night,Tavi!" Vinyl did the same as her roommate had done. The night grew darker,and they fell asleep on the couch,making way for dreams about each other,and beautiful eye colors. > Surprises > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Octavia and Vinyl:The good old days Octavia awoke, the smell of sweets and other candies and treats filling her nostrils. She looked to the pony on the couch next to her,and smiled,her friends sleeping face was adorable. She stood,getting on all fours without much difficulty. The cellist then walked in the direction her friend gave her for the bathroom. As she walked across the hallway,she admired the walls,and the fresh paint. "Maybe Vinyl and I should have our walls painted. White is a little bit repetitive in our house." Octavia pondered the thought for a moment,before remembering,and returning to the task at hoof. She looked straight ahead,keeping her posture in check. Once the bathroom had been located,she inspected it,and trotted in. The grey mare shut the door,keeping herself invisible to anypony who passed. Vinyl woke,smelling the delicious candies that filled the floor below her. She took a moment,letting her brain remember where she was,and processing that Octavia was gone,and she had probably gotten up long ago. She was surprised to look at the clock,and see '8:30' in green,glowing numbers on the small screen. "Wow,I got up early.... And that smells good,whatever it is!" Vinyl walked to the kitchen,doing the same as her roommate,and noticing the clean paint that covered the walls. She noticed the only pony in there was Lyra,and she hadn't been doing anything but eating a bowl of cereal,meaning the wonderful aroma was coming from elsewhere. The mint green unicorn looked up,and swallowed her mouthful of cereal to greet her friend. "Hey,Vinyl. Where's Octavia?" " Not really sure where 'Tavi went off to. Just woke up a few minutes ago." The white mare gave Lyra the information she had asked,though she had wondered where Octavia was as well. Lyra's face lit up,and because Vinyl had no idea why,she turned around to see her grey friend trotting towards them. "Oh,hey Tavi! Where ya' been?" Octavia smiled. "I was in the bathroom. I'm surprised to see you up so early,Vinyl. Normally you don't wake up so soon." Vinyl smirked,looking at her friend, "Yeah,I'm surprised too,but you can't hide the fact that you wanted me to wake up early,just so you could see me." The DJ teased her friend,hoping for a reaction. "Yes,I was hoping you'd wake up earlier Vinyl,I love to spend time with you." Instead of the embarrassed reaction Vinyl thought she'd have,Octavia said the entire truth,with a smile. Vinyl sulked for a moment,before returning to her usual self, "So,Lyra. Where's Bon Bon?" Lyra looked up from her empty bowl of cereal, "She's making more sweets for the shop in the shop's kitchen. We're getting more customers recently,so she had to make more than she normally would. I was about to go help out,so if you want,you two could come with me and help,or watch us." The green unicorn looked at the pair,waiting for an answer. Vinyl and Octavia looked at each other,ans smiled. "We'd love to,Lyra. Thanks." The three mares walked downstairs,entering the colorful candy shop below. Lyra took a breath in,admiring the smell of the fresh candy. "Hey! Bon Bon,these two woke up,so they're gonna stay with us while we cook." Bon Bon came out of the kitchen,she wore a white apron with a few multi-colored stains on it,and a smile plastered on her face. "Sure! I'd be glad to have you two with us!" The trio walked towards the room Bon Bon occupied,all smiling at each other. Octavia looked at her two friends,who were hard at work. "Do you two need any help? I took a class on how to make this kind of stuff not too long ago,and I'd be glad to help." She took a glance over at Vinyl for a moment,before returning it to the working pair. "And Vinyl makes some really good cookies,she could help too." Bon Bon and Lyra looked at the two, "Sure thing! We'd love some help! Thanks,you two are great friends." "No prob,Bon Bon!" Vinyl said,cheering for herself. "Just like Tavi said,I can make cookies,so If you need any help with that,I'm here." Lyra looked back at the DJ, "Sure,Vinyl. There's some ingredients for cookies over there." She lifted a hoof,pointing in the direction of a few bags and cans of things that were sitting on a counter,showing her friend where to go. Vinyl smiled,and walked over to the ingredients on the counter,beginning to levitate the things together how they should be. Bon Bon looked at Octavia, "Hey,Octavia,can you help me make these chocolate covered strawberries?" The cellist smiled, "Of course,Bon Bon." They were all hard at work,putting things in bags,boxes containers,and on trays. They baked all of the things they would need,heating up the room,to add to the intensity of the job. By the time they had finished,it was 2:00 P.M. The only break they had taken was for lunch,which took until twelve O' clock,until twelve-thirty P.M. By the current time,two thirty,Octavia and Vinyl had to leave to their own home. The trek through the snow-covered streets was no cake walk,and had proven to be very difficult to the pair. " So,kinda gonna be a boring night,huh,Vinyl?" Octavia once again thought about the newspaper article saying that the famous DJ-P0n3 would be performing that night,and how Vinyl never said a single thing about it. "Yeah,nothing really to do,and it's still three O' clock." The Dj smiled at her friend,but it faded as soon as she looked to her friend,who had been frowning. "Something wrong,Tavi?" Octavia looked up,and gave a small fake smile to her friend. "No,just tired,that's all." Octavia lied. "Oh,alright then." ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- They soon reached their rented building,and walked inside to avoid the cold. It was 3:30 P.M and they hadn't both needed a shower desperately from all the sweating in their friends kitchen. "You can take your shower first Vinyl." Octavia offered,as an excuse so that she could be in peace for a moment alone. "Kay'Thanks,Tavi!" Vinyl smiled,walking in to the small bathroom. "No problem,Vinyl." Octavia stayed on the couch,staring at the newspaper article,saddened by her friends untruth. She thought of every possibility. Maybe Vinyl forgot she was performing,Maybe she didn't want me to know,maybe she didn't want me to come see her perform. Octavia sighed,and put the paper down on the coffee table,and walked to the black case that held her cello. On the top,it was decorated with a purple treble clef,matching her cutie mark. She grabbed her cello,and it's bow,emptying the inside of the case. She brought the bow up to the strings,postined her hooves properly,and began her symphony. She hadn't even realized that Vinyl came out of the bathroom and had been watching her play for quite some time. "You know,You're really good on that thing." Octavia jumped,surprised at her friends sudden interruption. "Oh..Th-thank you,Vinyl." Vinyl smiled. "No problem,Tavi!" Now quick,It's 4:00-get in the shower! " "What's the rush?" Octavia looked at her friend,sensing a connection between the newspaper article,and the rush to get her in the shower. Maybe she wants to sneak out while I'm in the shower... Octavia thought,sighing. She put her Cello away,and trotted into the bathroom sadly. She turned hot valve on,and let the water pour down her ,soaking her coat and mane. I can't believe she would do this. I wouldn't be surprised if she's already gone! Why would she lie to me..? I thought we were friends... Octavia sighed,and cleaned herself off. She wasn't in the shower to mope,she needed to clean the sweat and dirt off of herself. The sound of the running water was relaxing,but she wished she could hear what had been going on outside the small bathroom. She grabbed the shampoo,letting it cover her hoof and run off of it for a moment,before lifting the shampoo-covered hoof to her head,and rubbing the shampoo into her wet mane. She let the shampoo run out of her mane,as she used her hooves too cover her coat in body wash. It felt nice to touch the cold soapy substance run down her body,forced to the bottom of the small shower space by the running water raining down on her body. Octavia ran her hooves through her mane,coat,and tail,making sure no soap or dirt remained on her body. She dried off with a towel,running the mane-dryer through her mane and tail,blowing the water and wetness off of herself until her tail and mane were only damp. Putting her pink bowtie back on her neck,she walked out of the shower,surprised to see Vinyl sitting on the couch,eating a snickers bar. "Oh,hey Tavi." The DJ looked up from her candy bar,and greeted her friend. "Hey Vinyl...." Octavia said,a little confused as to why her roommate hadn't made a run for it while she was occupied. Vinyl shot Octavia a confused glance, "What's wrong?" She seemed genuinely concerned about Octavia,who was confused by this even more. "Nothing,just that the bathroom lighting is so different,and much darker,so coming the light room like this made me dizzy for a moment,that's all,Vinyl." Octavia let another lie slip out of her elegant lips. She wasn't happy about lying to someone she called her friend,but it was for the greater good,and she knew it. "Hey,Octavia. Grab your cello,it's time to go." > Ponies Can Change. > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Octavia and Vinyl:The good old days "Hey Octavia,grab your cello,it's time to go." Vinyl flashed a warm smile at Octavia,who was confused by her friends sudden statement. The grey cellist frowned at her roommate. " What are you talking about...?" Octavia frowned at her friend,considering if she should tell her she knew about the concert. Vinyl got up,putting her glasses upon her face. "We need to get going,so grab your cello and let's go!" Octavia was surprised when a light blue aura suddenly swept her off of her hooves and lifted her into the air. Her cello soon followed in suit,and began rising just behind Octavia,wrapped in the same light blue coloring. "Wha! Vinyl! What do you think you're doing!?" Octavia flailed around for a moment,attempting to break free from her friends magical grip on her. "Getting your flank out the door!" The DJ used a hoof to grasp on the door and opened it up,allowing herself to walk through. She did not release Octavia or her cello from her magic,and simply walked out of their building. Though their only neighbor had been Aero Flow,few ponies ventured the cold street as a path to get to their daily errands. Few joggers on the street slowed their pace,wondering if they should be concerned of the pony carrying another with their magic. Despite the strange looks she was getting from passing ponies,Vinyl continued her hold on Octavia and her instrument,gently trotted the streets. "Vinyl,what the hay is the meaning of this?" The cellist sighed,clearly defeated. "What do you mean?" Vinyl smiled at her friend,her telekinetic grasp on her still firm. Unicorns Octavia thought with a slight roll of her eyes. "I mean you telling me it's time to go,grabbing me with your magic,then parading me down the streets!" Octavia tossed an annoyed glance at her friend,though it soon grew cold and angry. Vinyl kept quiet. "Vinyl! I'm serious!!" Still nothing. Octavia sighed,knowing she wouldn't get the truth. "Ah,Were here!" In front of them stood a large building,it was coated with large red bricks,and the line in front of the door went on for longer than Octavia's eyes could see. Loud music blared from it's insides,making it nearly impossible to hear anything else going on. Vinyl simply walked pass the large crowd waiting at the doors to get in,allowing entry to herself. Once inside,the DJ on the stage in the front finished his performance,clearing the stage. Walking passed and through crowds,the blue-maned DJ let herself to the front of the room,even with the looks she got from her crowd. The white mare still held fast to Octavia,who was no longer protesting. Once center-stage,Vinyl began speaking to the ponies below her through a microphone. "Though this was supposed to be my performance,both me and my friend,Octavia are gonna play for you tonight!" The words confused the crowds,even more so when they saw the cello in their beloved deejay's magic. "Vinyl! What are you doing!?" Octavia croaked,careful not to let the populated building hear her. The DJ threw her a meaningful glance. "Just relax,it'll be fun." She let Octavia to the floor gently. The pair walked out onto the stage,the DJ un-packing her friends cello case. The crowd became confused when Octavia began her soft melody,but perked up when DJ-Pon3-as they knew her-began adding small sounds to make it sound more interesting. Octavia never knew you could add dubstep to a cello,or cello to dubstep. To her they were two different things,and now,as she stood on the stage with her best friend,she learned they could be more. Octavia moved her hooves according to her memory,making her instrument ring out a beautiful symphony. Vinyl used her computer to create several noises,making a low-tone dubstep. They put it together and found that their two varieties of music blended well when put together in just the right way. The crowd cheered them on. Never had they heard something like this. Two ponies had just managed to blend their two tastes in music,and entertained an entire building of ponies who had came here for one. The entire world seemed to stop for the two musicians,who stood together in perfect harmony on the stage. Time stopped as the pair played on,making a symphony unlike any other. The large building of ponies whistled,stomped their hooves on the ground and listened. But like all good things,it had to come to an end. Their song was over,along with their stage time. Instead of staying for the rest though,they silently walked back to their home. _________________________________________________________________________________________ "Vinyl,why didn't you just tell me you wanted me to play?" Octavia looked at her friend with curiosity. "It was a surprise~" The DJ cooed. The cellist simply sighed,trotting towards her bed. "Well,I'm exhausted,I'm going to hit the hay." She stood before her bed,only to be stopped by her friend. "Octavia,wait...." Octavia looked to her friend,who had been tossing her glasses off to the side,head held down. "A few days ago....." She began. "What about a few days ago?" Her friend seemed like what ever she was about to say,it had been important. "Well,when you........what did you...mean by it...?" Octavia remembered back a few days ago. It was cold,and it had begun to snow. The pair sat in the park. She was looking at Vinyl,unable to believe that at one point,she found her annoying.That's when she looked looked at Vinyl. "You know,it's kinda beautiful,like you." She then began stuttering like a foal. Also when Octavia kissed her. Octavia cheeks flushed. She felt her face go warm. Octavia paused,taking a glance at Vinyl,then beamed,tears forming in her lavender eyes. "I love you." It was a simple phrase,something that often was flung around,used in the wrong way, bashed around and contained many broken promises. A complicated phrase that was only to be used when it was truly meant. And Octavia had meat each of the three words she spoke. The white pony's eyes gleamed. Vinyl looked at her for a moment,flashing a bright smile at her friend. "I love you too." Time seemed to stop between the two of them. They stared at one another,not needing anything else. At one point in her life,Octavia had doubted love. It was an un-needed sentiment for her at the time. She believed all she need to do was to focus on her music. And she did. Until Vinyl came along and changed everything. Now,she had something she never did;Somepony she loved. She never thought she would hear the words that just came out of Viny's mouth. I love you too. > Chapter 17 > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Octavia ad Vinyl:The good old days Octavia awoke to the fresh rays of sun flashing through the curtains of the room. To the other side of her had been a sleeping DJ,who had yet to awake. Ever since they made the decision to be a couple last night,they had pushed their two beds together so it was somewhat like a big bed for them both. She stood herself on all fours,blushing when her stomach growled. Once she heard the growling noise,she headed over to the small fridge in the small kitchen section of their living area. Upon looking in the fridge,she realized that most of the food had gone bad,or had been something she had bought for dinner. Sighing,she simply walked into her bathroom;she'd have to take a shower,get ready,and then head to the market to buy more cereal for herself. She simply slipped her pink bowtie off off her neck,and placed it neatly on the towel rack next to the sink. She walked across the small area,and pulled the lever that would open the warm water valve. In less than in instant,Octavia hopped into the small shower section of her shared bathroom. Finished with her shower,Octavia brushed out her black mane,styling it in her traditional curved-around the neck style. She put her bowtie around her grey coat once again,slipping the white strip to to the back of her neck. Now that she was ready for the day,she trotted out of the bathroom,and into the main room of the small building. Winter had been harsh,so she made sure not to skip on the scarf,hat,and boots,and simply opened the door. What she found outside her door,however,was not a sight she wanted. No,instead of being met with the soft,fresh,Winter air,she was met with the sight of a familiar face. "M-Mother!?" Octavia's pupils decreased in size,and she stepped back a few paces. "Wh-What are you doing here!?" Octavia's mother continued her dark frown. "What? A concerned mother can't stop in to see her own daughter?" She resembled Octavia in a lot of ways. She had a light grey coat,and a black mane,the style was even the same. The only differences were that her mother had blue eyes,and no bowtie slipped around her neck. "I-I didn't know you were coming,I would have gotten ready..." Octavia turned her neck to follow her mother's figure,pushing passed Octavia and trotting into the building. "A nice building,but may I ask where I'm staying tonight,Octavia?" Her mother didn't waver her eyes off her inspection of the building as she asked the surprise question. "St-staying?" Octavia gasped quickly. Her mother hadn't yet known she had shared the dorm with anypony,let alone loud DJ. "Well,Yes. I came all the way to the other side of Canterlot to see you,and I refuse to stay in a cruddy hotel. At least I know you follow my hoof-steps and keep everything clean." Quaver breathed,becoming conceded about herself less than five minutes after walking in. "O-Of course mother,it's just that i-it was so sudden.." Octavia tried,attempting to keep her mother from the bedroom so that she wouldn't see Vinyl. "Octavia,dear,you;re stuttering like mule. Are the English classes not good enough? Should I take you out of this school?" Quaver couldn't have known that her daughter had been sharing her dorm,she assumed that when Octavia was given the space,it was private. "No,It's fine. I just...." The grey mare trailed off,not able to find the correct words to tell he mother about Vinyl. It was much too soon that her mother found the bedroom,and despite Octavia's efforts to keep her as far away from it as possible,she entered the room. "What.Is.THAT!?" Quaver shrieked,pointing a hoof at Vinyl,who had been standing by the windows,making the beds. "Oh,she's-" Octavia began,only to be cut off by her mother again. "Oh,is she the maid? I'm so sorry,pleasure to meet you." Vinyl raised a confused brow "Maid? Uh...I'm Tavi's roommate,Vinyl Scratch...Are you her mother? You two look like clones!" The DJ introduced herself to a disgusted mother. "Roommate? Octavia,you never told me about that. And besides,why would you share a dorm with this...ruffian? Vinyl gave a nervous glance to he marefriend. "What's going on,Tavi?" The white mare continued her stare. "I could ask the same to you. Why are you calling her...Tavi?" The two mares looked at each other for a long time. Finally though,Vinyl broke the growing silence. "I'm Octavia's roommate and marefriend,Vinyl Scratch. Who would you be?" The DJ's glare was like a dagger to the heart,and could easily intimidate any pony. Well,anypony except Octavia's mother. "I'm Octavia's mother,Quaver Melody." The two continued to stare at each other in silence. "Um....Mother? Vinyl? How about we go out to breakfast...?" Octavia broke the silence. She hadn't gotten the chance to eat yet,and if she didn't get something in her system soon,she swore she would be sick. Her mother nodded. "I suppose a breakfast would be nice. I only had a small snack in the carriage on the way here,after all." She spoke as if the meal was a celebration for her,her proper accent only making all the more cocky. Vinyl sighed,excusing herself from the room and trotting off into the small bathroom. Quaver gave Octavia a stern look. "Octavia,I do not approve of you having a...marefriend. Go get yourself a nice stallion,dear. You can do so much better." Octavia knew her mother wouldn't understand Vinyl. She was smarter than she appeared to be,and nopony could tell from the first impression. In fact,the DJ's personality even had Octavia fooled at first. "Mother,I..I'm a grown mare now. I can make my own decisions." Octavia huffed,her shoulders broad,and a confident look appearing on her face. Quaver looked as if she might explode. "Octavia!" She began. "Look what she has done to you." Quaver took a brief pause to show her authority. "You can't go off and get yourself a marefriend,let alone a roommate without telling me." Maybe she changed me,but it was about time I stopped acting like a prick. Now that I see you again,I realize how much everypony must have hated me before Vinyl came along. Octavia could only think what she wanted to say. She knew if she actually said what she thought her mother would immediately force her home and cut all her communication with Vinyl. "My Celestia Octavia,what do you even do for a living?" Quaver spat. "I perform my cello on stage,and Iv'e been thinking about giving others' lessons." They both spoke in disapproving tones,showing their hatred for one another's ideas and views. "Maybe I misunderstood,Octavia. Maybe I shouldn't have come all the way over here to see you. Was it really worth this?" Quaver obviously hadn't like Octavia's new lifestyle. It was then that a pony could live on their own and grow away from their family. Quaver had wanted Octavia to be serious,and dull. She had wanted Octavia to be a miniature version of her. "Mother. I couldn't have helped that the ponies at the company who gave me the building assigned me a roommate as well,and you know it." Octavia huffed,though it was the truth. Quaver had told her to contact them and make it so that she would not be given a pony to share the space with. Luckily for both her and Vinyl,she had been bust moving in when Vinyl had been given the space to share. This had started when Octavia was young. Her mother had always been serious,and her stern additude hadn't even been topped when she kicked Octavia's father out into the streets for being an alcoholic,and constantly doing drugs. He had been a jerk,and Octavia was grateful he wasn't in her life. "Octavia,I don't care that she's your roommate,I care that she's your marefriend. What does she do?" Quaver spat at her daughter. "She's a musician. Vinyl is a DJ." Octavia attempted to say it in such a way that her mother wouldn't notice the 'DJ' part of her statement. "And what is she like?" Quaver added,no personality in her voice at all. "She's fun,but she's very smart,mother." The younger mare gave a small attempt to show her mother Vinyl's true good qualities. "I do not approve,Octavia." ____________________________________________________________________________________________ Vinyl had been done getting ready for some time now. At the current moment,she was listening to the voices she could hear from outside the door. "I do not approve,Octavia." It had come in a dull,flat tone. Quaver's voice had a proper accent,as did Octavia's,though nopony could quite make out what it had been. Vinyl slumped against the door,going limp and letting herself fall to the blue tiled ground. There has to be something can do..But what? If I say anything,Octavia's mother won't ever let us be together let alone contact one another. The DJ became lost in thought,she wanted to come up with a way she could make Octavia's mother see that she deserved Octavia. She knew wasn't a perfect pony,and that Octavia was out of her league,but that wouldn't stop her from letting her favorite cellist be happy. In a stride,she left the bathroom. When she got out,she saw Quaver leaving the house,claiming she'd be staying in a hotel for the time being. "Octavia,if you aren't going to listen to me,I'll stay in a hotel instead. I'll be back tomorrow to see if you have your common sense back or not." With that,she took her leave. Letting her grey coat shimmer in the sun,she hailed a taxi to take her to the nearest hotel. Octavia clicked the door shut with a sigh,before turning to Vinyl. "What are we going to do,Vinyl..?" Her expression was panicked. The DJ quickly threw her hooves around the other mare. "I don't know....." _________________________________________________________________________________________ The two mares spent the rest of the day attempting to figure out how to solve the issue. Yet,all their ideas were ones that wouldn't work;like tricking Quaver into thinking the dorm was haunted,or pretending to be gone whenever she came over. Just then,Vinyl's face lit up. "I got it!" Octavia looked over,a some what relieved and expectant look on her face, "We need a unicorn who's good enough at magic to teleport my stuff for a little while,and I'll hide. Your mom will come here,think you dumped me and forced me to move out,and BAM! No more problems!" Octavia pondered the thought for a little while,before turning her attention back to the DJ, "That just might work." She took a pause. Her smile soon faded,leaving a questionable frown in it's wake. "But where are we going to find somepony good enough at magic to do that? The only unicorn we know that well is Lyra,and she doesn't really study magic." The cellist thought on with Vinyl,thinking of where they could possibly find a talented unicorn who'd be willing to help them. "Maybe we could just move your stuff for the time being?" Octavia tried. "No,she's coming tomorrow,and we don't know anypony that strong." The DJ replied sadly. The grey mare gave a nervous smile, "Maybe Derpy could help? I mean,she's pretty strong...." But her efforts failed. Vinyl shook her head. "No,She's hanging out with some doctor guy." The pair sat,not knowing what there next move would be. Just then a knock at the door interrupted them from their thoughts. The two mares exchanged a look and answered the door. Upon opening it,they were greeted with a mare who had a coat a tad darker than Octavia,and a mane similar to Vinyl's. "Uh,hi,I'm Orange glow. I'm attending Canterlot High,and i'm moving in on the street. I thought I'd introduce myself,seeing as it's very small,and,you know, not many ponies seem to live around here..." She trailed off for a moment,a hint of shyness in her voice. The trio chatted on for what seemed like hours before Vinyl and Octavia decided she was the perfect candidate for the job. Octavia was the one to speak. "Orange Glow,if it's not too much of a favor to ask:could you teleport all of Vinyl's things for a little while so we can fool my mother into leaving and thinking I dumped her and that I'm living on my own so she'll leave and let me stay at the school and go out with Vinyl!?" She took a large breath at the end of her overly-long sentence. Though she normally would never say 'and' so many times and would regularly punctuate correctly,she needed to get straight down to business. They came to an agreement after Vinyl and Octavia decided to go into more detail about needing help. "So basically,you need me to fool her into leaving..?" Orange glow asked,uncertainty reaching her tone. Vinyl nodded. "Yes. If she doesn't go now,me and Tavi probably won't ever talk again." The trio sat in silence for a moment before the silence was finally broken. "I'll do it." _____________________________________________________________________________________ Quaver walked into the shared home. "So,where are that's DJ's things,dear? Finally decided to listen to me and leave her so you can lead a happy life?" Her mother spat,her tone flat dull and mocking. "Actually,yes. I realized that I didn't need distractions in my life,thanks to you,mother." Octavia forced herself to stay calm,even under that much stress. The atmosphere seemed darker to her,and to Vinyl who was at Lyra and Bon Bon;s house,making sure Quaver wouldn't find her. "I'm glad to see I put you on the right path,I always knew I'd need to use my knowledge to help you out of a phase you may be going through in life,but I never would have thought it'd be this bad." Instead of welcoming Octavia to advise,the grey pony simply raised her reputation. Her voice was cocky,and she used it to self-glorify herself all the time from when Octavia still lived with her until now. "Yes mother,I'm very sorry I went astray. I apologize for giving you a hard time." Octavia falsely apologized. She knew this plan would work. It had been an entire half-hour since Quaver set hoof in the door and already the plan had gone off without a hitch. This is going better than I thought. I might even be able to convince her to leave...I'll tell her that I'm sorry we don't have any food,and that I'm going to the market to get hat we need today. She'll think she's intruding on my personal plans,and she'll leave! problem solved!" She became enthusiastic in the end of her mental speech. "Octavia dear,I'm parched. Don't mind me,I'll just go get some water." Quaver simply strode off to Octavia's small kitchen. The young mare smiled to herself. She was glad and sorry that she had tricked her mother. Countless times she had to tell herself 'It's for Vinyl,it's for Vinyl'. She was well aware by now that she had to go through with this,seeing as she was already in the middle of the master plan. Just then loud,ear-splitting shriek came from the kitchen. Octavia didn't waste a second in running to her mother's side. "What's wrong,mother?" "What.Is.THAT!?" Quaver did her signature I'm disgusted with this,now tell me what it is scream. She then relaxed,and sighed. "Oh,I get it. That noisy DJ left it here when she moved. I'm sorry if I startled you,dear." Inside the fridge was a 'Beast' energy drink that Vinyl had left here when her and Orange Glow were relocating her belongings. She had drank it almost every day,and loved the stuff. Whereas Octavia hadn't drank things like that. She believed that nopony should drink it because it was bad for their health. "It's quite alright,mother." Hesitantly,Octavia took the large can out of the refrigerator ,and trotted over to the plan,netted,metal trash can that stood next to their plain white counter. I'm sorry,Vinyl. She dropped it from her hoof with a slight wince,knowing that Vinyl would be upset with her for throwing her drink out. "It's quite alright dear,I understand that that stupid DJ would be forgetful." Quaver began to stride back to the main room of the small building. Suddenly,Quaver stopped in her tracks. "What is it,mother?" Octavia,who right behind her,asked. Quaver moved her hoof,revealing a record in it's now shattered glass cases. "What.Is.THAT!?" Once again,Quaver screamed the same thing. "Oh,she must have left this here too. What an idiot." Octavia lied. "Yes. She must be a bigger idiot than I thought to leave a drink whatever this is here." Octavia swallowed. "Yes,she really was a stupid pony to waste my time on,I'm sorry." The young cellist simply frowned. She hated talking about Vinyl like this. She knew that if she didn't it'd be the last she ever saw of Vinyl,but it still felt wrong. Quaver sat back down and sipped her water. "Indeed." She we with a one-word answer,leaving Octavia with nothing to say. "i'm sorry there's not much food,I'm going to the market later today.." Octavia let herself trail off in midst of her sentence. She wasn't sure how many more lies she could tell before she cracked and told her mother everything that was going on. "Oh,well. Don't let me be in your way,I need to leave now anyway. I have a spa appointment now." Quaver stood on all four hooves,letting herself out of Octavia's building. But then stopped dead. "What.Is.THAT!?" Again,she let out her signature scream. Octavia rolled her eyes. "What is it mother?" She asked,not a single drop of emotion in her voice "Those." Quaver pointed to a pair of black-rimmed magenta-lensed DJ glasses laying in Octavia's lawn. Before Vinyl left,she had grabbed the glasses with her magic. As she exited the building she fell,she must have dropped the glasses then. "Oh,Vinyl must have dropped them this morning when she left,she tripped on a rock...." Octavia tried. "No. Three coincidences? What's going on Octavia?" Quaver's eyes seemed like daggers to Octavia,who frowned under her gaze. "Okay..Vinyl still lives here and were still going out. We meet a unicorn named Orange Glow and she helped us get Vinyl's thing out of the dorm so we could be together...." Quaver remained upset. "Hwy would you come up with something like this,Octavia?" The older mare addressed her daughter as if she were ten. "It was her idea. We were thinking of ways to get you to think she was gone so that we could be together....I'm sorry." As if on cue Vinyl strode up to Quaver,coming back from their friends house. "Look,Quaver. I care abut Octavia too much for you to take her away." The DJ stood her ground,a fierce look appearing on her face. Quaver's eyes suddenly turned to sharp daggers. "I will do whatever I want with my daughter." She spat,words staining both younger mares ears. "No you won't,mother." Octavia suddenly let herself cut in,going against everything her mother had taught her. "Excuse me?" Her mother turned on her grey hoof and turned to her daughter. "I said I'm not going anywhere." Octavia's voice was demanding. She stood her ground and wouldn't let anything take her away from Vinyl and the rest of her friends. Lyra and Bon Bon,who had walked Vinyl home and listened to the explanation on the problem walked behind the white DJ. "You heard her." Lyra cut in. "She said she isn't leaving." Bon Bon was next to speak. They all stared down Octavia's mother,not willing to let their friend go. "I'm not going to leave with you mother. I'm grown up now and I'm making my own decision to stay here,with my friends." The four young ponies nodded their heads and continued to glare at Quaver. Defeated,she simply sighed. "Octavia,dear. You know I only want what's best for you." Before she get another word out,the cellist cut her off. "And how is this what's best for me,mother?!" Octavia exclaimed fearlessly. She had her mother in such a bad position she would have to spit out the truth. For years,she had tried to talk to the shapely mare with little success. For once,she would get a real answer. "Because you should be more like me. Elegant,refined,orderly,trimmed,dapper,smart. I'm trying to keep you from being worn,feeble,frail,ragged,impish,stale-" Before she could could finish Vinyl placed a hoof over her mouth. "What are you,a dictionary?!" The DJ yelled,stopping the shapely mare from babbling on with over one-hundred adjectives. "But why should I be more like you?" Octavia demanded. "Well because....Because...You should. I'm a good role-model and you simply have yet to notice it." Quaver stuttered her sentence and began tumbling over words that a foal could pronounce. All of the younger ponies suddenly began frowning and glaring once again. "You don't even have a reason!" Vinyl gawked. The DJ began advancing on Quaver,along with Lyra and Bon Bon. "You've been shaping me into you for all these years for no reason at all!" Octavia shouted,anger growing in her voice. "I can't believe you would do that! And to think I called you my mother." Octavia simply stood,unable to move. Tears began forming in her eyes. Immediately seeing their friend in distress,Lyra,Bon Bon,and Vinyl began running over to Octavia. They grey mare leaned into her friends as fresh tears streamed down her face,making her coat shimmer. Soon enough,Quaver trotted over to her daughter. "I'm so sorry,Octavia...I had no idea what I was doing. I thought it'd be a good thing if you ended up just like me,but..you need your own personality and I should let you have that. I thought it'd be good if you were like me,and without a reason I forced it on to you..." Her mother also had tears welling in her violet eyes now. The older mare began to trot over to her daughter. Octavia's friends reluctantly let go of her to make way for Quaver to wrap her hooves around Octavia. "I suppose with friends who are willing to go through all that trouble for you,I shouldn't be worried." They simply embraced for what seemed like eternity to the five ponies in the room,and by the time it was over all as better between the mother and her daughter. "Would you like to stay here for the night,mother?" Octavia offered,knowing of her mother's hatred of hotels. "Of course I would,Octavia. Let me go get my things out of my room and check out." With that her mother spun on her hoof and walked out the door. *** When Quaver returned,Derpy had come over too. Sleep tugged at all six ponies,so they simply decided to go to bed. Vinyl and Octavia had enough room on their floor to coat blankets and pillows down on it,and let Derpy,Bon Bon,Lyra and Quaver stay down there. The six dosed off into dreams,letting their consciousness slip for the night,allowing their princess to guide their dreams once more.