//------------------------------//
// The Canterlot Garden Party 
// Story: More in Common 
// by Batgirl639 
//------------------------------//


The Canterlot Garden Party


“Up, down, up, down, up, down, up, up,”  Octavia quietly whispered to herself as she moved the bow on the strings of her mammoth cello. She let the music control her movement. She made up the notes as she played. She looked over at Vinyl who was leaned way back in a chair while she spun the records with her back hooves.
A few hoitytoity ponies made faces at Vinyl to show how much they loathed her style of music and clothing. They quickly stopped when they saw how much Fancy Pants was enjoying the music.
“This is fun,” Vinyl said to Octavia. “But too slow. We need to pick up pace a little.”
“Wait! Don’t-” Octavia quickly said. She was too late. Vinyl started playing fast disco music. She then used her magic to make colorful lights shine all over the party.
Everypony stared at Vinyl. The band, including Octavia, stopped playing. Even Fancy Pants looked disapprovingly  at Vinyl.
Vinyl didn’t notice. She just sat in her chair and nodded her head to the beat of the music. Nopony could tell what she was thinking because it was impossible to see her eyes behind her dark sunglasses.
“What is that animal doing?!” Prince Blueblood shouted. That was the on button that made everypony start talking.
“Look at her clothe!” “What kind of music is that?” “She should be Tartarus!” “I did not spend all that money to get tickets for this!” “Somepony should be fired!” “BOO!” “BOO!” “BOO!”
Octavia watched all the ponies scream and yell. Vinyl still didn’t seem to notice anypony was there.
“EVERYPONY, SETTLE DOWN!” Caesar yelled. Everypony settled down.
“The Garden Party is going to be moved to the castle grounds. Let’s go!” He said. Everypony followed Caesar out of the garden leaving a shocked Octavia and a Vinyl who was still completely unaware anything happened.
Octavia shook her head to snap out of her shock.
“What did you DO?!?!” She screamed.
“Huh?” Vinyl quickly stopped the music and lights and lifted up her glasses. “Did you say something?”
Octavia felt her eyes tear up. Her big chance was ruined. Everypony hated her and her best friend. Fancy Pants, Ceasar, Prince Blueblood, and every last high society pony were gone. Octavia pictured herself a homeless bum living on the streets. Or even worse: having to work at a club because she lost all her class. She shivered.
Vinyl cleared her throat loudly to try make Octavia stop staring into space, it worked. Octavia started breathing very fast, loud, deep as if she was about to start yelling at Vinyl. Vinyl prepared herself.
“What did you do that for?” Octavia asked very calmly.
“I-uh... Wanted the party to be funner...” Vinyl looked down in an ashamed manner.
“First of all, it’s ‘more fun;’ not ‘funner.’ Second of all, in your attempt to make the party more fun, you ruined it. Everypony hates us and you ruined my chance to be a famous, class, sophisticated, cellist. I hope you're happy.” Octavia clenched her teeth and tightened her lips. She walked out of the garden and went to see if she really was excluded from the sophisticated group.
Vinyl started to cry. “I ruin everything. Her mane, her class, that bank I accidently set on fire a few years ago,” she mumbled. “I shouldn’t be allowed to even be around ponies. I’m a menace to society.”
Vinyl looked at her turntable. She kicked it and then walked back to the hotel. Once she was at the hotel, she trotted to her room where she laid on her bed and sobbed.
“I wish I never was born! I wish Celestia didn’t pardon me when I burned down that bank! I wish.... I wish.... I wish I had a cherry soda.” Vinyl dried her tears and left her hotel room and went down to  the soda machine in the lobby.
“Out of order,” Vinyl read the sign on it outloud. “Ugh!” She trotted to the game room where she remembered seeing a soda machine. She was happy to see it wasn’t out of order.
“Aww! All they have is extra-sugar diet cherry. How can something be extra-sugar and diet? Maybe they put the sugar in and then take it out and then put more sugar in... Ah, I’ll try it.” Vinyl put in some money and waited for her soda.
Vinyl looked over at the game she was trying to beat that morning. It was so tempting to run over there, insert a coin into it and play all night long. Vinyl’s extra-sugar diet cherry soda came out of the machine. She snatched it out of the soda machine and quickly opened it. It made a loud hiss. A  bubble came out of it a popped in Vinyl’s eye.
“AHH!” She screamed and quickly pulled her sunglasses sitting on her forehead down to covering her eyes. “Owowowowowowowow!” she said.
“This better be good for all the eye pain it caused me,” Vinyl said. She drank down a big gulp of soda. She was frozen. She dropped the can of soda. Her eyes bulged. Vinyl spit out the soda as hard as she could for two reasons. The first was she enjoyed spitting for distance. The second was she wanted the repulsive, abominable, loathsome taste out of her mouth as soon as possible.
“Okay, note to self: never buy extra-sugar diet cherry soda. Blech!” Vinyl smiled when she decided what she was going to do next. She looked around to make sure nopony was watching her. Then, she dumped the soda on the floor infront of her and smashed the can on her head. Then, she threw the empty can on the ground. Vinyl was about to step on it, but then she got a very uneasy feeling like she was being watched.
“H-Hello?” She called. No response. “Anypony there?” There was still no response.
“Common, Vinyl, you’re losing it,” Vinyl said to herself.  She was about to step on the smashed can again, but then she froze. She got goosebumps all over. She could have sworn she heard breathing.
“Hey, common! Stop hiding!” Vinyl said loudling. Vinyl listened but didn’t hear anypony.
Vinyl couldn’t help herself. She sat down at the game machine and inserted a coin.
“Here we go,” she said. She played for a few minutes but then got a game over.
“What?! I totally hit the right button! This game is rigged!” Vinyl said as she kicked it.
“It helps if you hit the button twice,” somepony said. Vinyl whipped around. She saw Octavia standing in the doorway of the game room.
“Oh, hey Octavia. How’d you know I was her?” Vinyl asked.
“I don’t know. You just love it here,” Octavia said.
“Yeah....... Hey, look, I’m really sorry about the ruining your ‘big chance’ at the party. Can you ever forgive me?”
“I talked to Caesar; you didn’t ruin my music career. He doesn’t blame me. DJ Pon-3, I just wanted to say you’re the best friend a mare could have! I get mad easily and I over react. I’m sorry,” Octavia said with a weak smiling. Vinyl gave her friend a tight hug.
“Now, what?” Vinyl asked.
“Now we have to go back to the Canterlot Garden Party and play the grand finale!” Octavia said.
“Let’s go!”