//------------------------------// // Chapter 11: A Musical Reunion // Story: Wreck of the Bridleway Limited // by Locomotion //------------------------------// Perspective: Octavia My heart skipped a beat, and everything around me seemed to fade from existence, until all that was left was a soft pink void with my long-lost love standing at the other end. Even the music was reduced to a faint hum in the background as my galleon slowly drifted across the water, towards the island that held the flame of my teenage years. Though her dark shades concealed her expression, her body language showed clearly that she too was gazing upon me in disbelief, almost like she wanted to reach out to me, albeit a little afraid to do so for fear of it being but a mere dream. Even I couldn't ascertain whether this was truly happening to me or I was still in a coma; but with closer proximity came an ever-increasing clarity that I could no longer ignore, and at last, I managed to choke out that one solitary word that had caught in my throat... “Linsey?” I whispered. She lifted her shades, revealing an awestruck glint in her magenta eyes. “Tavi? Is that really you?” The use of her old nickname for me prompted another flutter in my heart as she slowly made her way round her station, never once averting her gaze. Unable to formulate a comprehensible reply, I affirmed her query with a simple nod – and then, in a split second, our floodgates burst open and all my decorum vanished as the two of us embraced. I didn't even care that other ponies were staring in confusion at us, or about the discomfort I was causing in my broken arm; this was a long overdue moment for which I had been craving so sorely, and now it had finally come to pass. “Oh, Linsey,” I wept, once we had composed ourselves, “I can't even begin to tell you how happy I am to see you again.” “Again?!” Locomotion's confused tone snapped us both back to reality, and I hastily released her from my forelegs, remembering where I was. “You mean to say you know each other already?” he asked, eyebrow raised. “Yes,” I affirmed unashamedly. “You remember what I told you in the hospital when you first visited me?” “What, about that...close friend of yours who ran away from home?” said Locomotion. Inside my head, I could only giggle at his naivety; he was clearly attempting to avoid touching any raw nerves, as any real gentlecolt would, but he still couldn't seem to fit the puzzle pieces together, bless him! “And who has now fulfilled her ambition as a DJ?” I added as a subtle hint. Only then did Locomotion finally crack the code, and he stared in astonishment at the white mare by my side. “Wait a minute – you're Linsey Woolsey?” “Well...used to be; and I'd rather you didn't call me that, kid.” A noticeable cringe of embarrassment crossed her face at the mention of her previous name. “So...that friend Octavia told me about was you all along?!” Vinyl nodded in reply, her expression turning solemn. “Yeah – so it would seem. I dunno how much she told you about me, but....well, let's just say my parents were absolute......they didn't give a toss what I wanted to do with my life. That's kinda how I ended up here – and why I changed my name to Vinyl Scratch,” she explained, turning to gaze upon me with a glimmer of remorse in her eyes. “But why did you never write me?” I questioned. “Did you just forget all about me, or...” “No, Tavi,” objected Vinyl, “I could never get you outta my head even if I tried. It's just...first off, I was kinda carried away with trying to start off my career, and second...” She gazed down at her hooves with shame, tears welling up in her eyes. “...I never wrote down your address. I see now what an idiot I am for missing that out – all my life, I'd been thinking about how much I missed you, and what I'd give to have you back in my life, and how different things could have been if those damned llamas what call themselves my parents hadn't sent me packing like this! I never did forget you, Tavi – if anything, I've fallen for you and fallen hard since we parted. Leaving you behind was the stupidest mistake I'd ever made, and I'd do anything to make up for it. I really would.” I was so full of emotion by this time that I could barely hold back my own tears any longer. To actually see her in the flesh after so long was a miracle in its own right, but seeing the beautiful young mare she had become, hearing her pour her heart out to me, filled me with a warmth that I never thought I would ever feel again. Conversely, the tone of her voice seemed to imply that the price she had had to pay for fame and fortune had impacted much harder upon her than she was letting on, so any joy I felt was tainted with inklings of dread and sorrow for whatever she might have done to herself during that time. But what in heaven's name was she trying to hide? Dare I even ask what it was? After all the hardships we'd been through, there was only one answer... “Please excuse us, Loco,” I managed to say once I had found my voice again. “Vinyl and I need a moment to ourselves.” Locomotion was so moved by what he was witnessing that he could only nod solemnly in reply. I did feel a little guilty for having put a damper on his party (completely out of the blue, just to make that crystal-clear), but there were still a number of unanswered questions that I didn't wish to bring up in a public setting – questions that I couldn't possibly withhold any longer. Judging by the agitated look on Vinyl's face as I led her outside, it wouldn't be long before she buckled under the pressure herself. Sure enough, as soon as we were out of earshot, Vinyl grabbed hold of me in an embrace far tighter than I had ever experienced and began sobbing feverishly into my shoulder fur, as if she expected me to fade away the moment she let me go. Not that I had any intention of leaving her so abruptly, of course; but her distress still managed to deal a tiny crack to my heart, and I finally let my tears flow freely as I hugged her back. Thus we remained until Vinyl finally spoke, in a low but fervent whisper; “Tavi...thank you so much for remembering me. You dunno how much it means to me, seeing you first time in a zillion years.” “Shh, it's alright,” I whispered back, trying my utmost to soothe her broken feelings. “No, really,” continued Vinyl, still sobbing, “I'm surprised I managed to last five minutes away from you. Sure, I had loads of friends and I'm still making pretty big bucks even now – but it just wasn't the same without you around, not even when I had Pinkie helping me with all my music stuff.” She sniffled loudly, and I felt her tensing up with what I suspected must have been deep frustration. “No wonder I ended myself up in that damned rehab!” she murmured bitterly. It was that last word – rehab – that left an ominous tickle in the back of my mind. “You mean...psychiatric submission?” I stammered, pulling away. As I did so, I noticed an expression of fear in Vinyl's eyes that mirrored my own – clearly, I realised, she was as scared of explaining herself as I was of learning what she had done to warrant a visit to a rehabilitation clinic. Vinyl guiltily hung her head in reply. “Only that one time not long ago, but yeah.” Overcome with shock and dismay, I could only stare blankly upon her for a moment before finally forcing out that one word; “Why?” With a heavy sigh, Vinyl closed her eyes and turned her head away, seemingly preparing herself for an interminable fusillade of angry words. “Well...I'll tell you why,” she replied uneasily, “but you're gonna have to hear it right the way through. See, back when I left Canterlot, I didn't really have anywhere in particular in mind – I just picked a station at random and took it from there. Pinkie let me stay here at Sugarcube Corner rent-free, but I had no end of trouble getting my DJ career kick-started, and even when I did get it going, I still had you in the back of my mind the whole time. Even those lame parents of mine kept creeping into my thoughts at all the wrong times, and it just drove me up the wall! When I hit 18, I started taking a flask of whiskey with me wherever I went, so if I ever started thinking of you, I could take a sip to stop me getting into a tizzy – only a small one, mind.” I acknowledged her defence with a shaky nod, not liking where this was going one bit. “But back in my pad, it's a different story. I don't have anypony to share it with, so it gets lonely in there pretty quick. That's when I really start to go at the booze, and more than once, I've woken up on the floor with a massive hangover and several empty bottles on the floor. There was one time I came home after a gig in Rainbow Falls and saw somepony on another train who looked just like you. I kinda went into a panic, ran off back home and tanked myself up until I was drunk off of my flanks,” Vinyl went on. “Then I was woken up by a whistle from outside, came outta the condo, and saw the...wrecking train or whatever Loco calls it, being taken out. Then a cop came and took me away and...I think you know the rest.” I choked back a horrified gasp, my right hoof springing upwards and over my mouth as I recalled that fateful final station stop before the crash. So it was her on the platform that night – and I hadn't even dared to acknowledge her with a friendly wave. I had just left her to intoxicate herself to the point of losing her sanity, and the Bridleway Limited to convey me and my group to a sticky end. How could I have been so...blind? “Oh, Lin...Vinyl!” I faltered, mentally reminding myself that she had long since changed her name. “How could you do this to yourself?” “I'm sorry, Tavi,” whispered Vinyl, not daring to look at me. “I guess I wasn't thinking straight at the time. As soon as I saw what I thought was you, I thought I must be losing my mind.” “But...that was me!” I blurted out. “I was travelling to Manehattan to partake in a musical drama performance, 'The Legend of the Night'. I even saw you myself when my train stopped at Ponyville.” That was enough to break Vinyl out of her repentant reverie, and she gazed back at me in pure disbelief. “You...that was actually you?” “Yes. It was my train that crashed in the Buckskin Mountains that very same night. I did catch a glimpse of you at Ponyville, but I couldn't be too sure it was you either.” I stared ruefully at my cast, deeply upset with myself for having let it come to this in the first place. “Is that how you ended up with a broken arm?” asked Vinyl tentatively. “Unfortunately, yes; and lost my cello to boot. I really do wish I hadn't restrained myself so, otherwise I would have spared myself of both.” All fell silent again as I let Vinyl take in the information with which I had presented her, all the while berating myself for having hurt her – and myself – so badly. Vinyl seemed to understand exactly what I was thinking, because after a while, she put a hoof under my chin and slowly lifted it to meet her gaze. “Hey, don't sweat it, Tavi,” she said unto me with a gentle, sympathetic smile. “Train crash might happen to anypony. I'm just glad you made it out alive – I don't think I could have lived with myself if you'd been smashed along with your cello.” Her eyes began to brim with tears again as she drew me forth into another hug. “I'm so happy you're back in my life, and I never wanna leave you again.” “Nor I you,” I agreed, holding onto her with all the pent-up emotion that I had been unable to channel for far too long. “I really have missed you, Vinyl.” “I've missed you too, Tavi.” Vinyl nuzzled me softly and ran her left hoof up and down my back, gently massaging away all the long years of pain, sorrow and regret that had plagued me so heavily. My grip tightened around her barrel as further tears flooded my eyes, not enough to restrict her breathing, but enough to reassure the both of us that this was truly happening – we were meant to be, and we finally were. This was how it always should have been; me and my foalhood friend, whom I had long since come to realise was far more than just a friend, in the loving, caring relationship that I had always yearned for. All I needed now was one final gesture to seal the deal... I drew back slightly to gaze into those beautiful magenta eyes of hers, and we spent a minute or so just gently embracing and sharing breath. As we did so, I leaned towards her ever so slowly until our noses were touching – and then, like a firework exploding in my chest, my heartbeat seemed to increase tenfold as our lips met for what was only the second time in our lives. It was the moment of pure, untainted bliss that it should have been in the first instance, a feeling sadly negated by the excruciating knowledge that she would be leaving the following day. This time, I didn't have to worry about anything of the sort; now that I had managed to rekindle my relationship with Vinyl Scratch, formerly Linsey Woolsey, I would do my utmost to ensure that that relationship continued to flourish for as long as I lived. Perspective: Locomotion As the two mares exited the lobby, I turned back to the rest of my guests and apologised profusely for the unexpected “intermission”, promising that I would resume the party as soon as Vinyl felt ready. There isn't really much worth adding here, apart from me having to explain what was going on – although I will say that Scootaloo's reaction was pretty comical if a little inconsiderate! But yeah, most of it was just me and the others talking among ourselves for a quarter of an hour, until at last Vinyl and Octavia returned. The warm smiles on their faces as they approached my table told me everything I needed to know – they had rekindled their relationship, and were a couple once again. Vinyl was the first to speak up. “Loco,” she ventured softly, “thanks a million for bringing Tavi back to me. I dunno how you knew about us, but...thank you, just...thank you.” “Oh...that's okay, Vinyl,” I replied modestly. “To be honest, I didn't even know you two had a history in the first place. I just thought Octavia would appreciate my offer of friendship.” “I most certainly do, Loco,” put in Octavia wholeheartedly. “If you hadn't invited me to this party, goodness knows if I would ever have seen Vinyl again. We owe you a great debt of gratitude for this,” and she gently pulled me into a grateful hug, which Vinyl promptly joined in on. I could only smile as I returned the gesture; though unable to formulate a verbal response, I felt it wasn't needed at this point. All that mattered right now was that they were back together. Perspective: Vinyl Entry 3721 and a bit 11pm Dear Celestia, Luna and every other god and goddess in existence, I can't thank you enough for putting my whole life back to how it should have been all these years. I was expecting another night of partying at Sugarcube Corner for a foal what just turned a year older, and then Octavia of all ponies walks in – and it turns out Loco knew her all along too. Okay, so maybe he didn't even know Tavi and I had a thing going on back when we were teens, but he sure took it pretty well. That little guy's really gone out of his way to bring us back together – even if he didn't realise it – and me and Tavi owe him big-time for this. I'm surprised I never heard about her from Pinkie first, though, 'cause it turns out Tavi was that cousin of hers what got caught in the train wreck. When I asked her why she never told me, she was like “I got a lot of cousins, Vinyl, you should'a been more specific”! Typical Pinkie Pie! But hey, what does that matter? Today is the happiest day of my life, and there's no way I'm gonna lose my love ever again.