//------------------------------// // Part 9 // Story: Friendship is Music // by Earl Grey //------------------------------// “I'll try and come back as soon as I can, it's been great hanging around with you guys.” Vinyl Scratch and Octavia were stood in the middle of the formers living room, saying a quick goodbye to Rainbow Dash. The cyan pegasus' time in Canterlot was up for now, her superiors on the Ponyville weather team wouldn't allow her any more time off and she needed to go home. Vinyl Scratch, the ever exuberant unicorn DJ, grabbed Rainbow Dash by the neck and rubbed the top of her head with a hoof, knocking the pegasus' already windswept mane even further into a mess. “Don't you worry about it, as I said before, we're okay to work around your schedule. After that session in the recording studio, I can't imagine anypony else I want heading my band.” Octavia nodded, smiling her agreement, “You were fantastic Rainbow Dash, your vocal range is absolutely stunning, I don't mean to cause any upset, but I wouldn't have guessed it from looking at you.” The cyan pegasus didn't look angry, “Nah it's fine, I love proving people wrong,” she flashed a victorious smirk, “Besides, I can't say that I didn't think you were a stuffy snob when I first got to properly know you. You have a heart of gold though and I know through watching you and Vinyl together that you're loyal to the cause, that's something I can respect.” “Thank you,” the grey mare blushed slightly at the compliment, “I'm usually quite modest, but proving people wrong does feel rather good doesn't it?” “Aw, little Tavi's learning,” Vinyl interrupted, knocking her in the foreleg with a hoof, “Soon we'll have her swearing and maybe even enjoying proper music.” Octavia merely rolled her eyes, “It's been a pleasure getting to know you, I hope you return soon, Rainbow.” Vinyl grinned, “What Tavi said.” “Thanks guys, I can't wait to tell my friends about all of this, they'll be so jealous.” Rainbow smiled her biggest smile yet, “I should get going though, see you when I can!” Rainbow Dash unfurled her wings and took off, flying towards the top of the back wall where an open window was waiting. “Oh wait, Dash!” Vinyl shouted towards the pegasus, who was already half way through the window, but thankfully heard the unicorn, “I've got something to say to you and Tavi before you leave.” Landing swiftly, Dash raised an eyebrow, “Oh, what's that?” “I assume it's band related if you specifically need Rainbow Dash for it.” Octavia added. Vinyl nodded, staring at each of her band-mates in turn, “Well... I've kinda come up with a name for the band. I was listening to a few old songs and one word jumped out at me, triumvirate. Three ponies of equal station working together, it kinda reminded me of us. Plus it sounds freakin' awesome.” Octavia smirked, “Wow, Vinyl Scratch knows what triumvirate means, perish the thought.” Vinyl merely glared at her, “So what do you think?” Rainbow Dash was the first to speak up, “I can't say I've ever heard of that word before, but I agree, it sounds freakin' awesome.” She grinned approval and held up her hoof for the unicorn to bump. “And you, Tavi?” The grey mare regarded her for a moment, “I feel that the name conveys an image of equality and solidarity. I like it.” The unicorn smiled, “So we're all agreed? Triumvirate it is! Hooves in, ponies.” Vinyl held a hoof out in front of her, implying that the others do the same. Rainbow Dash joined in immediately, grinning just like Vinyl. Octavia took her time, her eyes saying 'do we have to?' but she relented and placed her hoof on top of Rainbow Dash's. “Now what?” Octavia asked, genuinely dumbfounded. “Now this!” She and Rainbow Dash threw their hooves into the air, taking Octavia's grey limb with them, the earth pony squealed in surprise before covering her mouth with the offending hoof and blushing embarrassedly. Rainbow Dash clattered to the floor, clutching her side in paroxysms of laughter whilst Vinyl merely stared weirdly at the grey mare, “Did... did you just squeal?” The earth pony in question was still vehemently covering her mouth, instead she nodded meekly. Vinyl smirked, “So undignified,” she mocked, speaking in an exaggerated upper class voice, “So base, so vulgar. Such a noise is not befitting of a mare of your standing.” Then she joined Rainbow Dash on the floor, laughing maniacally. “It's not my fault!” Octavia shouted, finally dropping her hoof, the blush remained however, “It just... happens... usually when I get taken by surprise. It's embarrassing enough without you two laughing at me!” “Okay, I'm sorry.” Vinyl had gotten back up to her hooves, using one to wipe away a few tears that had formed around her eyes. “Yeah, me too.” Rainbow Dash chuckled a little before putting on a sorry looking face which ended up not looking very sorry at all. “I should really be off now though, I'll try to be back as soon as I can, okay?” Vinyl leant in for one final hug, “Don't worry about it, we'll still be here, don't lose your day job on our behalf, you'll make Tavi feel bad.” Octavia rolled her eyes, “Say hello to Pinkie for me when you get back.” “Will do!” With a final salute, she took off and dashed out of the open window, her silhouette staying visible for a few seconds before it turned south and away from Vinyl's building. “I'm hungry, want some food, Octavia?” Vinyl asked suddenly. The grey mare frowned, “Can't you at least take the slightest moment for some sentiment?” The unicorn shrugged, “Not when I'm hungry.” == One quick but tasty dinner later, Vinyl and Octavia found themselves laying on the two couches under the large window. Each pony was rubbing their stomach in silent fulfilment and generally thinking about how their week up to that point had been. Octavia was thinking how unlikely her situation was, one week ago she was dreading a trip to a nightclub with some work colleagues and now she was laying on a DJ's couch just thinking. Vinyl had told her to do it, that 'digesting food always gives her ideas', Octavia thought it was nonsense but agreed to it anyway. Any time Vinyl Scratch offers to be quiet for a while is an offer you can't refuse. Octavia looked over at the DJ, who was staring out of the window, she found that she had a certain respect for the unicorn, not that she'd ever openly admit that. She was a lot smarter than the image she puts across, her knowledge of music, all aspects of it, was exemplary and her attention to the structure of the music she produced bordered on insane. Vinyl had said that she wanted Octavia to respect her as an artist and she really did. If it wasn't for her she'd still be, as Rainbow Dash so eloquently put it, a stuffy snob. She turned her head back, staring out of the window and sighing contentedly. Just as Octavia sighed, Vinyl rolled her head over and took a long look at the earth pony, as much as she could see through the murk of almost complete blindness anyway. Octavia, putting it politely, was a strange individual, Vinyl thought. She had the body of a mare, yet she had a stunted mind full of unnecessary focus and dismissal. It was as if someone had gone to great lengths to condition her to ignore entire swathes of music. She was a fantastic classical musician, you can't disagree with that, but she could have been so much more if she had been allowed to make her own choices and use all kinds of musical knowledge to incorporate into her own unique style. Vinyl was an avid follower of science fiction and she had seen the brainwashing trick countless times, Octavia was similar to the ponies who needed to be re-educated. It was up to Vinyl to be the heroic saviour and bring her onto the side of good. Octavia always seems so distant, as if she's forcing her emotions away from herself in order to depersonalise her own little world. Vinyl sighed, she couldn't have had a very good childhood. Maybe that's why Pinkie escaped when she could. – Knock knock Octavia's small grey hoof tapped against the basement door, the sound echoing around the concrete room beyond it, “Pinkamena, Father says it's time for you to come out.” Octavia's voice was small and frail. “I don't want to come out.” “But you must, sister. Father instructed me to take you to him.” The grey earth filly looked pleadingly at the door, trying her best to reach the pony within. “I hate Father, I don't want to see him.” “Please, Pinkamena, I don't want to get in trouble with Father as well.” Octavia slumped against the basement door and pressed an ear to the wood. “Stop calling me Pinkamena!” “That is your name, what else can I call you?” The grey filly began pulling on the door handle, “Please, sister, don't get me in trouble just because you are.” Click. Octavia fell forwards as the door opened, she lay on her back, staring up into the displeased face of her sister. The older pink filly's mane was relatively straight but was curled slightly towards the end, “Only for you, I'm not doing this for Father's sake.” She walked away, her head held high, but just as she reached the staircase to get to the main level of the farmhouse, she turned around, “You can call me Pinkie.” Octavia rolled onto her hooves and took chase, hurrying up the staircase only to stop at the ajar door. She could hear her father's shouting from here and she didn't want to get caught in the crossfire. She carefully lay her ear on the door, making sure not to push it open accidentally. “Why in Equestria would you commit such a foolish act, Pinkamena!” “I wanted to make you happy for once!” “There isn't any time for happiness, you will do your job to help put food on our table and you will learn the necessity of hard work. Parties and other such frivolous wastes of time should be of no importance to you!” “Doing this made me happier than you've ever managed, it even helped me earn my cutie mark. I'm not going to say sorry and apologise for this!” “What kind of example are you setting for your sisters? You're hurting them more than you're hurting yourself you know.” “If I help them realise the world is a better place without you, then I'm not hurting them, I'm setting them free.” Hooves stomped away and disappeared up the stairs to the first floor. Octavia took a deep breath and poked her head out of the basement door, checking to see if it was alright to come out. When she saw that it was clear, she rushed towards the stairs and climbed them swiftly, she wanted to see if her sister was feeling okay. At the top of the steps, Octavia could hear a gentle sobbing coming from Pinkie's room, they grey filly rushed over and attempted to open the door, only to be met by more resistance. “Pinkie? It's me, Octavia, are you okay?” The sobbing stopped and the door clicked open, Pinkie ushered her in and closed the door just as quickly. Pinkie's room was small, just behind the door, with just enough room to let it open all the way, was a small bed that reached all the way to the back wall. Lining the other side of the room was a small dresser and a cupboard. The room was decorated in a very drab style, it was clear that Pinkie's room wasn't the safe haven it should be. “I heard what Father said to you, I don't think he was being very fair.” Pinkie looked at her sister, her eyes were still watery and red from crying but a small smile was on her lips, “Then you agree with me?” “Well...” Octavia had a conflicted look on her face, “I don't think it was fair that he punished you for throwing that party, it looked really fun. Father has our best interests at heart though, he wouldn't do this if he didn't think it was good for us.” Pinkie growled, a look of deep frustration appeared on her face, “You've been brainwashed by him, the home schooling, the life lessons, the hard work, he's deciding your life for you instead of letting you choose for yourself. I hate that he's doing it, that's why I'm running away.” “You're running away?” Octavia gasped and climbed up next to her sister on the bed, “Where are you going to go?” “Anywhere but here, I've heard Mother say that Ponyville is the closest town, so I'll start there. I'll see what happens after that.” Pinkie got off the bed and grabbed a battered saddlebag, filling it with what little possessions she had. “But I don't want you to leave, you're my best friend.” The saddlebags fell from Pinkie's grasp and the pink filly turned to stare pityingly at her sister, “That's why I have to leave, a sister shouldn't be your best friend, she should be your sister. I've already had my fillyhood taken away from me, I don't want the same to happen to you.” “What will I do when you leave, I'll be all alone.” “Come with me then,” Pinkie had picked up her saddlebag and tied it around her waist, “We'll find a new home together, far away from this place.” The conflicted look appeared back on Octavia's face, “I can't leave, Father relies on me too much to help.” Pinkie sighed before opening the window in her room, climbing onto the windowsill and jumping out onto a nearby tree branch, “It's a shame Octavia. If you ever change your mind, come to Ponyville, ask about me and we'll be a proper family.” And just like that she was gone, the pink filly that Octavia had looked up to was gone. She left a hole in Octavia's heart, one that she had tried to fill with classical music, one that had only now begun the healing process. – “I've just had an idea.” Vinyl sat up, looking over at the grey mare. Octavia opened her eyes slowly, she had fallen asleep during their unofficial reflection period, “Huh? What?” “Were you just asleep? Sleeping isn't thinking Tavi!” Vinyl got up onto her hooves and walked around the coffee table, knocking Octavia upside the head. “It's a good job I'm still on the ball.” “I don't see a ball” Octavia mumbled, rubbing her head where Vinyl had hit her. Vinyl hit her again for good measure, “It's a figure of speech and wake up!” “I am awake!” Vinyl's horn began flashing blue for a moment and a cup of steaming hot coffee came flying over towards the table. Octavia stared at it incredulously, “Where did you get this from?” “Stop asking questions and drink your damn coffee!” Vinyl walked away and began rooting around inside a nearby cupboard, her tail waving to and fro as she inspected the corners for anything she might have missed. Octavia stared at the black liquid as it steamed away in it's little ceramic prison, she took a gentle sniff and recoiled immediately, “You don't have any tea, perchance?” Vinyl's irritable looking head appeared from it's hiding place in the cupboard, “What's wrong with my coffee?” “It's coffee,” Octavia stuck her tongue out, “I don't like coffee. I prefer tea, Earl Grey is my favourite.” “I don't got no stinkin' tea, okay!” Octavia sighed and rolled her eyes, “I am loathe to use this phrase, but it seems appropriate given the circumstances. Who has urinated in your coffee, Vinyl?” Vinyl's electric blue mane quivered, the white head hidden within it's wild tresses had a look of shock upon it, “Did you, Octavia... just make a pun? A crude one at that?” “I'll have you know that I possess a rapier wit.” The grey earth pony got to her hooves and put on the most haughty look she could manage, “I've impaled many upon it's razor sharp edge.” “I thought you said you were modest, how's that for falling on your own sword?” Vinyl smiled at her rebuttal. Octavia smirked in a perfect impersonation of Vinyl Scratch herself, “Rainbow Dash taught me how boring modesty can be sometimes. I've also decided that any time I can rub something in your face is a moment to cherish.” “Oh Celestia, what monster have I created!?” The unicorn turned tail and galloped out of the living room, heading straight for her bedroom. The grey mare smiled, casually checking a hoof to make sure it was clean and presentable, 'Octavia, one. Vinyl Scratch, zero.' * * * Welp, so much for me taking a break on this. Turns out trying to stop writing this for a while is hard work xD So anyway, you might have read this and thought, "what the crap, Pinkie's dad liked the party in the Cutie Mark Chronicles flashback!" Well, with the kind of attitude I've given him in this fic, liking that party is the last thing he'd do. Octavia and as-of-yet-unnamed-other-sister did though (Octavia especially) so Pinkie still got her cutie mark for it, but she also got punished by her father for it. A spell in the basement apparently. You'll also notice that I made a little more progress with the whole 'band' aspect on this fic. Yup, they have a name, it's official (well, official in terms of I made it up in the confines of my fic :P) Poor Pinkie, at least she got her wish, Octavia did come to Ponyville and they did become a family again. I wonder if that's the last we'll ever see of the Pink Baker of Love? Only time will tell.