//------------------------------// // Capriccio // Story: The Music That Binds Us // by Dreams of Ponies //------------------------------// "Octavia? Wake up, Octy." The grey mare stirred slightly, struggling to pull herself from the dark embrace of sleep. Slowly, she opened her violet eyes and peered up at Vinyl. The stark white hospital room came into existence around her terribly worried friend, the early morning sun peering through her window. "Vinyl? Wha-what happened?" She raised a hoof to her head, groaning as it rubbed against the thick bandages that wrapped around it. "Redheart said you're suffering from an 'MTBI', but all I know is that when you tried to stage-dive, you whacked your head pretty hard." "That's a mild traumatic brain injury, Vinyl... And I tried to do a what!?" "I didn't even know that you drank, Octavia. We've been together for a while, and I've never seen you have so much as an apple cider." Octavia's face scrunched in anguish as she pulled herself into a sitting position. "I don't drink, Vinyl. At least, I hadn't until last night..." Her face reddened as Vinyl's worried expression eased just a tad. "Is my music so bad that you need to get hammered to enjoy it?" Vinyl managed to crack a smile, but her eyes didn't quite meet Octavia's. Octavia sputtered, looking up at Vinyl with a half-formed excuse already on her lips. It faltered, however, when she saw the defeated look on her roommate's face. "Vinyl... " she started to say. Vinyl shook her head, stopping Octavia with a hoof. "No, Octavia. I'm sorry for pushing you to go." Vinyl forced a soft smile to her lips. "I know my music isn't really your thing, but I love spending time with you, and... no, I'm sorry regardless." "I appreciate the sentiment, Vinyl, really." Octavia smiled at the forlorn unicorn, her hoof moving to brush through Vinyl's mane. "You still owe me that dinner, though, Ms. 'Queen of Wubs'." "I owe you more than that, filly." Vinyl pulled away and moved towards the hospital door, turning her head just after she turned the knob. "You rest up. I'll be back later and we'll go out, just me, you, and the classiest joint in the city." "Alright, Vinyl. Just don't do anything — " Whatever she had said next went unheard as Vinyl shut the door, cantering off towards the front exit. The entire train ride home, Vinyl sat frowning as she peered out the window, her headphones resting beside her. A minute or so later, Ponyville came into view, the large crystal tower visible high above the town. "I hope she's not off on some friendship quest or something," Vinyl said, closing her eyes. The train arrived soon after, the whistle blowing as ponies departed. Vinyl made her way through the center of town, her sights set on Princess Twilight's castle. Many ponies waved at her as she passed, and by the time she'd arrived at the crystal castle, she had a smile spread across her lips. "I love Ponyville." She raised a hoof and knocked it against the heavy door. A minute passed and she knocked again, her hoof tapping as she stared up at the enormous door. "She better be here. I have a real friendship problem here, and it's way more important than some bugbear attack." Vinyl straightened when hoofsteps came from the other side. A unicorn popped her head out at Vinyl, her purple and toothpaste-streaked mane following her a moment later. "Can I help you?" she asked, blinking at Vinyl. "Um, yes. Is Princess Twilight here? I have a bit of a friendship problem." "Ah, Twilight's off helping Rarity with something fashiony." She pushed the door open and waved Vinyl inside. "I'm Starlight Glimmer, her personal student. Why don't you come in and sit while we wait for her?" Vinyl nodded, following after her. The door swung magically closed behind her as they moved inside the crystal castle. The pair of ponies passed through a door-ridden hallway, taking a right to another set of large doors that opened into a grand library. Vinyl gave a low whistle as she scanned the columns of literature. "That's a lot of books." "Well, yeah," Starlight said, waving a hoof. "Given that Twilight's the Element of Magic, and was even Celestia's prized pupil at one time, I'm surprised we don't have more books." They shared a laugh as they settled down onto a pair of plump purple cushions. "Now, tell me about your friendship problem." "Oh, well... I was gonna wait for Twilight..." Starlight's smile faltered slightly, seemingly deep in thought for a moment. "Twilight wants me to be more active in helping ponies. Please give me a chance..." She finished it off with a slightly pouty look, her bottom lip quivering slightly. "Fine!" Vinyl said, rolling her eyes in exasperation. "That was pretty good, by the way." "Thanks," Starlight said, her smile returning. "I learned it from Rarity, it's surprisingly effective at times." Vinyl raised an eyebrow, but decided to move on. "Well, basically, Octavia and I have been friends for a good while now. More than friends really..." "Uh-huh," Starlight murmured, conjuring a quill and paper from the aether. The scratching against the paper actually made a decent rhythm, which Vinyl noted for later. "We've always had very different tastes in music, and while I've gone to most of her concerts, and vise-versa, we haven't managed to change that." "I see..." Starlight said, a pair of glasses magically appearing on her muzzle. "And you live together, do you not?" "Yeah, we moved in together about a year ago." "Then how do you put up with the difference in music at home?" "Well, I have my headphones," Vinyl replied, pulling them from a small saddlebag on her side. "I just plug 'em in and she can't even hear it." The sound of gears turning in Vinyl's mind was nearly audible, then she jumped up, her eyes wide. "Wait... I think I just had the sweetest idea ever!" Then she jumped forward and hugged a startled Starlight. "You're a genius at this, just so you know." Starlight blushed, waving the compliment off with a hoof. "I've got a good teacher." An hour later, they'd had it worked out. Vinyl trotted out of Twilight's castle, a happy grin on her face. She made a quick beat across town and within a few minutes had arrived at her next destination. Vinyl stood outside Carousel Boutique, catching her breath just as she opened the door. Before her stood a rather strange sight: Twilight Sparkle, Rarity and Fluttershy, all whom she knew in passing, were bickering back and forth like the world would soon end. Poor Fluttershy stood between the bickering mares, dressed in what looked like a floral costume of some exotic plant. "That red is just too garish, Twilight. It makes my eyes want to scream in protest," Rarity proclaimed, her hoof covering her eyes dramatically. "It's the most technically accurate color, Rarity. Offensive or not, it'd be wrong to be any other color." Twilight shook her head in exasperation. "This play needs to be historically accurate as possible." Poor Fluttershy just shifted her hooves slightly before she noticed Vinyl's entrance. She smiled apologetically before coughing into her hoof. Twilight and Rarity stopped as Fluttershy gestured forward at Vinyl, their eyes widening in acknowledgement that their conversation was no longer private. "Oh, um, sorry about that, darling." Rarity stepped forward, a small blush easily spotted on her snow-white fur. "Please excuse our little debate. Now, how can I help you?" "I need a little bit of work done for a close friend of mine." "How close?" Rarity asked, a sly smile sneaking onto her features. "As close as two ponies can be," Vinyl replied, blushing slightly. "Sometimes it feels like we're perfect for each other, and other times, we seem to bicker like foals." "That's not unusual," Twilight said, flashing Rarity a smile. "Even the best of friends will have their differences." "Twilight is absolutely correct, Ms. Scratch. Now... can I inquire as to the specifics of your request?" Rarity asked. Vinyl ran a hoof through her electric-blue mane before levitating something out of her saddlebags. "Starlight sent me here," Vinyl said, beaming at Twilight. "She already worked the magic out and everything, I just need a few, err, fashionable touches." "Of course, darling," Rarity replied. "She's a good student," Twilight said with a proud smile. "She's got a good teacher," Vinyl and Rarity said in unison, making Twilight blush.