//------------------------------//
// Ch.7 Secrets 
// Story: Seven Saviors 
// by Arcanum -Phantasy 
//------------------------------//

Nice, peaceful mornings were something that Sunset enjoyed in the smallest of quantities. At least, that's how it was before Derpy dragged her into her home. Gone were the nights spent sleeping with one eye open with the fear that someone would sneak into her shelter and kill her in her dreams. Gone was the worry that her food would spoil from not being able to feed fuel into her generator. Now she had a place that she could call home without any of the fears she grew accustomed  to. She didn't even need to sneak into the school to use their computers for assignments like she use to. The biggest and best change by far was that now she had a group of friends that she knew had her back. Granted, it would still take some time for her to open up to them completely, but as things stood, it was a very good start. At the same time, there were a few things that happened recently that made the girl's head spin. The biggest of these being the incident the day before involving Applejack and Fluttershy. While she was a little happy to see the shy teen had a change of heart, she couldn't help but be leery of her motives. But that little inquiry was quickly put in the back of her mind as her host brought the most unusual proposal to the breakfast table. 
"A rave?" Sunset asked, brow raised. "You want me to go to a rave?
"Eeyup," Derpy smiled over her breakfast muffin. "Vinyl's got a gig tonight and I think it would do you some good to have a bit of fun."
"But what about-"
"The club Vinyl works at is very exclusive," Derpy interrupted with a tired smile. "You have to either break the bank or get invited to get in. Kind've hard to do if your a high schooler."

Sunset gawked at her for a moment. She knew that the DJ had a good reputation and if that car she used to help her defeat the Dazzlings was anything to go by, very well off. But for a girl her age to be preforming at a place like what Derpy described was too big a pill to swallow.
"Besides," she continued. "I think you'd get along with Vinyl and Octavia."
"Wait," Sunset blinked. Octavia's going too?"
"Yep," the walleyed teen shrugged as she took a sip of her coffee. "She comes to perform at some of Vinyl's gigs every so often"
Sunset's mind temporarily froze as it tried to process that little tidbit of information. While her interactions with the classy girl was all but nonexistent, she couldn't imagine someone like her even looking in the same direction as a rave let alone preform at one. Just attempting to do so caused her brain to crash instantly. Once she was able to think clearly again she stared at her host, face stuck in shocked skepticism.
"What?" Derpy laughed. "Is it that hard to believe?"
She nodded, which made her laugh harder.
"Why would she even go to a rave?" 
"Why wouldn't she want to support her sister?" Derpy asked with a casual shrug.
Sunset choked on her coffee.
"They're sisters?!" she coughed.
"Technically," Derpy sighed. "If you want to know more you'll have to ask them about it yourself."
I guess that's one reason to go out tonight, Sunset thought as she struggled to get her coughing fit under control.
"Arn't you going?" the fiery haired teen asked, coughing mostly stopped.
Derpy shook her head, much to Sunset's chagrin.
"I just got an influx of info from a new informant last night and I want to see if they found something i might've missed."
"Oh, okay," she sighed.
In the short time she spent with the gray girl, Sunset couldn't help but develop a fondness for her. How could she not? In one foul swoop, the girl gave her a home, three square meals a day, a warm bed, and protection. She was even going the extra mile to help her bring down Anon-a-Miss. The gaping darkness that sat inside of her was quickly filled with the warmth of Derpy's true and honest friendship to the point that Sunset was afraid that this was all a dream. To hear that her now closest friend wasn't going to be with her tonight was a massive disappointment. But at the same time she understood the situation. The longer Anon-a-Miss was on the loose, the longer it took for her to have a normal life at school again. Not that she didn't enjoy Lightning's company, but it would be a breath of fresh air to be able to walk through CHS without the need for a bodyguard.
"Maybe next time," Derpy winked with a smile.
A soft blush graced Sunset's face as she quickly shifted her attention down to her half-finished breakfast.
"R-Right!" she squeaked. "Next time!"
How can she be so cute?! she thought as she tore into her food. Wait...did I just think she was cute?



***



Somethings not right, Sunset thought as she played with her lunch.
The whole day, everyone seemed to be walking on eggshells around her. It was as if they were afraid she would do something to them if they so much as breathed wrong around her. At first, she thought it was because Lightning was near her, but the odd behavior continued even when her friend wasn't around. While she was happy she wasn't getting death-glares anymore, she couldn't help but find the crowd's new behavior to be very unsettling. It was like being stuck in the eye of a hurricane and just waiting for the calm to make way for the coming disaster in the horizon.
Deciding to push the feeling aside for now, she took an absentminded bite out of her salad. With a light sigh, she took in the site of her surroundings. Like always, the only people that occupied the lunch table was Sunset herself and Lightning Dust. One of the many curses of being a social leper. A soft clunk to her left made her jump as the unthinkable happened. Someone outside her new circle of friends took a seat next to her. What made her jaw drop was who took the seat.
"F-Fluttershy?" she gawked.
"Oh, hi Sunset," Fluttershy smiled. "Is this seat taken?"
"Uh, no," she said, casting a quick stunned glance towards a leery Lightning Dust. "Go ahead?"
Fluttershy gave an appreciated nod before she dug into her own food. An awkward silence fell upon the group as Lightning and Sunset tried to piece together what was happening. Again she found herself questioning what brought this sudden change in her former friend's perception of her, but couldn't find the words needed to ask her directly. Luckily, Lightning Dust had no such difficulties.
"So," she deadpanned. "What did it take to help ya pull your head out of your ass?"
Sunset's eyes widened as she turned towards her friend and bodyguard. Before she could say anything about the light-green teen's comment, a defeated sigh from Fluttershy made her pause.
"No, she's right," Fluttershy said, lips curved into a sad smile as she stared into her food. "I've been a terrible friend, and I deserve everything you have to say about me." 
Sunset frowned as she took in the girl's features. She looked tired, as if she hadn't had a decent night's sleep in days and was only holding herself up by shear force of will. Her pink locks looked to be on the verge of turning white, the healthy shine they normally exuded now faded to near nonexistence. The butter yellow tint of her skin was now a sickly pale imitation of its formal glory and served to only accentuate the large bags under her eyes.
As she turned her head towards Lightning Dust, a small fire burned behind her tired eyes as she said, "As for what it took, it was this."
Eyes still locked with Lightning's, she reached for her backpack and opened its main compartment. What she pulled out made Sunset gasp.
"My journal?" she gawked. "How did you get that?"
It was then that Fluttershy broke eye contact with Sunset's protector to give her former friend another sad smile.
"The night you came to Sugarcube Café. Remember? You left it behind after-"
Fluttershy cringed as memories of that night came to her. The anger her "friends" aimed at Sunset. The utter despair she saw in the fiery teen's eyes. Her own fear and helplessness as she watched the girl walk out into the cold.
"Anyway," she continued. "After you...left the girls were debating on what to do with it. Rainbow wanted to burn it while everyone else wanted to hide it from you so you couldn't turn Princess Twilight against us."
Lightning growled at the mention of Rainbow's intentions, but kept her own intentions to herself.
"Let her continue."
Shut up! I know!
"I chose to take it for safe keeping so no one would do anything to it," she sighed as what little strength she held seemed to drain out of her. "But then I got curious about what you and Princess Twilight talked about."
"So, what?" Lightning frowned. "You read the journal and suddenly you don't think Sunset's Anon-a-Miss anymore?"
Fluttershy paused, took a deep breath, and the fire from before returned as she stared at Lightning.
"Yes and no."
Lightning raised a brow then motioned for her to elaborate.
"When I read the journal," she continued. "I could see that Sunset couldn't be Anon-a-Miss. She just didn't have it in her to do something like this. But that wasn't the most damning evidence."
As she said that, she opened the book to the latest used pages and presented it towards Lightning.
"Touch the stains."
Lightning did a double take as she let what the shy girl told her set in. When she saw how serious she was, the light-green teen reluctantly complied. The effects were instantaneous. Waves after waves of pure despair washed over her.  Tears poured from her eyes as she let the pain pass through her, The Voice reduced to incoherent ramblings as even it tried  and failed to process the darkness drowning it. With a quick jerk of her hand, the pain stopped and she was once again back in the cafeteria, the only evidence of her recent trauma being her heavy breathing and the wet trails of tears on her face.
"W-What the fuck was that," she gasped as she wiped the moister from her eyes.
"That," Fluttershy sighed as she took the book back. "Is what confirmed Sunset's innocence for me. I think it was Sunset's pain when she wrote that message."
"Is that possible?" Lightning asked, turning towards Sunset.
She nodded.
"Sometimes, magical artifacts take in the emotions of those that use them. It was because of that that the crown reacted so badly towards me at the Fall Formal. I was so full of anger and selfishness that when the magic linked with me, I corrupted it and turned into a monster."
All the girls shivered as they each relived memories of that night. It wasn't an experience the three of them, or any of the students of CHS were eager to relive. 
"Okay, so you know Sunset's innocent,"Lightning sighed. "What do ya want ta' do now?"
"I want to help her," Fluttershy said, determination mixed with her tired frame.
Lightning chuckled a little as she crossed her arms and leaned back in her seat.
"Okay, how are ya gonna do that?"
" I can protect her. I've already sent all the evidence I had to Meme Queen last night. Plus, I'm in most of Sunset's classes so I can be a second set of eyes when you can't be around her."
"I see," she nodded. "But can you actually protect her? No offense, but you don't strike me as the fighting type."
"That's true," Sunset sighed as she cast a cautious look at the girl sitting next to her. "I know you took care of Applejack yesterday, but can you really hold your own in an honest to god fight?"
"It's true," she sighed. "I'm not a fighter, but I do know a few tricks."
To prove her point, her hand shot forward and jammed a finger into the joint connecting Lightning's left arm to her shoulder. 
"Hey, what the he-"
She stopped talking when her arm went completely limp at her side. Lightning stared at the appendage in growing panic as she tried to move it. All she managed was a few weak twitches for her trouble.
"W-Why can't I move my arm?!" she exclaimed, staring at Fluttershy in terror.
"I hit your pressure points," she said calmly. "Don't worry, the effects will ware-off  in a few minutes."
While the girl's words made the duo let out a sigh of relief, the fact that she had the ability to do that to someone in the first place was a little concerning.
"Who taught you to do that?" Sunset asked, shocked.
"W-Well," Fluttershy fidgeted awkwardly. "Before she married dad, my mom was a field medic for the special forces. One of the skills she learned while on tour was pressure point martial arts. Three years ago, she taught me how to do it to keep me safe."
Her mom was a soldier?! both girls thought as they struggled to process what they just heard.
"Okay, so you can take care of yourself. Cool," Lightning said, voice leveling out. "How do I know your not going to go back to your friends when things look bad."
Fluttershy's face immediately darkened as a cold glare graced her features.
"I'd rather die then go back to them."
A chill shot down Sunset's and Lightning's backs as they took in the venom in their guest's words.
"O-Okay," Lightning chuckled unevenly. "I guess you're on bored. Just let me give you my number."
As she watched the two girls exchange numbers, a single thought passed through Sunset's mind. Don't make an enemy out of Fluttershy.



***



Sunset sighed as she waited in the living room for Vinyl and Octavia to pick her up. While she still had her reservations, Lightning Dust was insistent that she went to the rave. Even Fluttershy encouraged her to go. After some time, she decided she might as well give it a try. While big social functions weren't her cup of tea even before her life hit the fan, she figured that she could use the distraction. For one night, no Anon-a-Miss or a school full of people who hated her guts. Just her, a group of strangers, two new friends, and music.
"Are you sure I don't need to change?" Sunset asked as Derpy entered the living room.
Derpy sighed and took a seat in a lounge chair across from her.
"For the tenth time, yes Sunset," Derpy groaned, her tone torn between exasperation and understanding. "Most of the people who come to Vinyl's club are the Edgy-type so the tough-girl look you normally wear should fit in just fine."
"O-Okay, sorry," she said, face turning towards the floor.
Derpy sighed, then got up from her seat and joined Sunset on the couch.
"Hey," she smiled, putting an arm around the girl's shoulders reassuringly. "Don't be so tense. Your just going to a party with a few friends. Nothing to get so worked up over."
Sunset nodded, though she still kept her gaze aimed at the floor.
"Besides," Derpy continued, gently tightening her embrace. "You and I both know you need this."
Sunset sighed as she leaned into the embrace. Much like that night a few days ago, she felt herself relax as Derpy's warmth enveloped her. Slowly, Sunset felt her fear and anxiety start to disappear in the wake of her friend's act of kindness.  In its place burned determination and strength, not as much as when she was at her prime, but enough to hold her insecurities at bay. It was at that time that a knock at the door brought the two girls back to reality.
"I'll get it," Derpy said, face turning a slight shade of red as she pulled herself away from Sunset to answer the door.
Timing, thy name is Vinyl Scratch! she thought bitterly as she reached for the doorknob. 
As she opened the door, she kept her irritation under wraps as she greeted the two girls behind the door.
"Yo, Derpster! How's it hanging?" Vinyl grinned as she gave the gray teen a quick hug.
"About as good as I can considering," Derpy smiled. 
"Well," Octavia sighed. "I suppose that's to be expected. You're not overworking yourself, are you?"
Derpy laughed awkwardly, suddenly more interested in something behind the two girls. 
"Derpy?" Octavia intoned, eyes narrowing.
"Um....Hey Sunset," she called over her shoulder, tone a little shaky. "Your ride's here!"
Sunset chuckled a little at her friend's antics as she rose from her seat and made her way towards the open door. She knew that Derpy could be a bit of a workaholic. The times she had to pry the girl away from her keyboard turned pillow for the past three mornings could attest to that. A fact that seemed to be a point of contention between her and the rest of the gaggle of oddballs she called friends. She did worry that Derpy may be pushing herself too hard for her sake, but nothing Sunset said could get past the girl's stubborn desire to end Anon-a-Miss as soon as possible. So far, the only trick she found worked to get the her to rest was giving her a cup of coffee when she worked herself close to her limit. A tactic that confused her to no end.
"Hey girls," Sunset smiled.
"Hey Sunny," Vinyl cheered as she pulled her into a one armed hug. "Ready to have the best night of your life!"
Sunset chuckled awkwardly while Octavia just rolled her eyes.
"Yes love," she grinned. "I do hope you're ready to have your eardrums blasted out of your head."
The sarcastic response was met by a grinning Vinyl sticking her tongue out at the musician.
"You're just jealous people like my music more than yours."
"Yes, yes, whatever helps you sleep at night love," she laughed, smile turned smug.
Vinyl laughed then looked at Sunset, eyes shining with excitement.
"Welp, no point sitting around here. Let's head out!"
With that, she started power-walking towards her transforming car, Sunset and Octavia not far behind.
"Have fun you three!" Derpy called as they pulled open the car doors.
"That's the plan!" Vinyl cried, cheshire grin still decorating her face.
Then, in synch, the three teens got in the car and closed the doors. As the engine started, Derpy's smile faltered slightly, a single thought echoing through her as she watched the vehicle drive away.
Seriously, have fun. You deserve to be happy more than anyone right now.
With that, she closed the door and walked towards her room, her lips pulled into a cold smile.
"Time to get to work."



***



Something Sunset discovered pretty quickly was that Octavia and Vinyl interacted in an interesting way. By all accounts, the two should hate each other due to how opposite they were. While Octavia was calm, collected, and direct, Vinyl was energetic, boisterous, and blunt to the point of seeming tactless. In many ways, she reminded her of Lightning when she talked, but while her bodyguard had a more aggressive weight to her words, Vinyl was more playful, like she held all the cards and just wanted to see you try to take them.
"Hey Tavi, what are you gonna play when ya lose?" Vinyl asked with a teasing smile.
"Well," Octavia smirked. "I don't know what world you live in, because you are the one who will lose tonight, love."
"Yeah, yeah. Whatever, sis."
That got a slight flinch out of Sunset as the conversation she had with Derpy brought a question back to the front of her mind.
"Don't take this the wrong way or anything, but are you guys really sisters?"
"Yep!" Vinyl responded without a second of hesitation.
"Technically," Octavia corrected as she gave her sibling a sharp glare.
Sunset raised a brow at that.
"What do you mean "technically"?"
Octavia sighed then looked back at her from the front passenger seat.
"First off, who told you?"
"Derpy mentioned it, but told me to ask you two for details."
Vinyl laughed while Octavia let out a relieved breath.
"Good," Octavia smiled. "The last thing we need is for you to have your perceptions of us tarnished by slander."
"Don't get why you're so jumpy about it," Vinyl smirked as she changed lanes. "Its not like it's some kind of deep dark secret. Besides, who wouldn't want ta be my sis?"
Aside from an eye-roll, the elegant girl didn't react to her sister's antics.
"Regardless, I would like to think that she should hear the tale from us as opposed to...other less reliable sources."
"Oh," Vinyl frowned, her grip tightened on the wheel. "Right."
Sunset curled in on herself as she took in her friend's change in demeanor.
"S-Sorry. If you guys don't want to talk about it, we can just drop it."
Octavia gave her a sad smile then said, "No, no, it's fine love. It's just that that story has more than one teller and let's just say that the other author is-"
"Full of bullshit," Vinyl interrupted, tone colder than ice.
"Yes," Octavia sighed, casting an understanding look at the DJ behind the wheel. "It's because of that that I prefer it that we tell it with as little outside impurities as possible."
Sunset nodded, though she still felt like she was stepping in on something a bit more personal then she initially thought. Just what kind of things did these two girls get involved in that their family lines would be so touchy? Curiosity waged war with her decorum, but before a winner could be decided, Octavia made the decision for her.
"Now let's see," she said, eyes becoming distant. "It was five years ago, correct?"
"Yep!" Vinyl said, her tone a touch more warm as a gentle smile played across her face.
"Thank you," she smiled as again as she searched her memory. "Back then, I was much more focused on my craft than I was in regards to socializing. For as long as I could remember my daily routine consisted of school and playing my cello with my only breaks being eating and sleep."
"In short, a real workaholic," Vinyl added, lips pulled into an impish smirk.
"Yes, I suppose that is the the best way to describe me back then," Octavia said, an embarrassed blush coloring her cheeks. "Sometimes I would get so focused on my playing that I would forget to take care of myself. One summer break, I pushed myself far too hard and had to go to the hospital."
Sunset's eyes widened in disbelief . Granted, she could understand how you could loose yourself doing what you love, but to get dragged so far into your own world that you get hospitalized seemed a bit excessive. Though, considering the girl in question was sitting in front of her and in good health was perfect evidence that such events were rare moments in the girl's present life.
"But as odd as it may sound," she continued. "I'm glad that I went to the hospital that day."
"Same," Vinyl smirked. "Now quit jerking the girl along Shakespeare and tell her how we met!"
"Very well," she giggled. 



***



A light buzzing filled the room as its only conscious inhabitant stared blankly at the ceiling. A dull throbbing filled her whole body as her thoughts floated through her muddled mind. It was a simple plan; a basic routine that even a five-year old could follow. Wake up, eat, practice, rest, practice, rest again, practice, then turn in for the night. Then rinse and repeat the next day. Granted, she may have pushed past her scheduled breaks the last few days, but how could she not? Her form, her harmony, everything had to be perfect. Even if her hands grew numb and her vision blurred, she had to be more than her best. She had to be perfect.
	My, isn't this quant, she thought bitterly as she stared at the dull white ceiling. The least they could have done was bring my cello. Even if I can't play immediately it would be a productive way to kill time when I am able.
With a sigh, she turned her head to get a better look at her surroundings. While there was a great deal more to see then what she had observed on the ceiling, none of it was anything of any real merit. From her observation, she was in a two bed hospital room with an open dividing curtain between her bed and its occupied neighbor. Beyond that were the standard hospital furnishings such as heart monitors, wastebaskets, a wall mounted television, and several dozen pieces of medical equipment that the young musician couldn't identify with any certainty. Be that as it may, most of her attention was on the patient that laid in the bed five feet away from her. While Octavia herself had nothing but a IV stand feeding her a combination of water and some sort of tranquilizer, her neighbor was hooked up to several different devices in addition to an IV of her own feeding her five different clear liquids of unknown purposes. With so many machines surrounding the person, Octavia could barely see more than a few trace details beyond the short two-toned blue hair on the crown of the patient's white head. With some effort, Octavia was able to force herself into a sitting position to get a better look at her mystery roommate. What she saw knocked the metaphorical ground out from under her feet. It was a girl, not much older than her, but her condition was far less stable from the looks of it. Her complexion was pale and sickly as opposed to the glistening shine of Ivory that Octavia often associated to people with her tone. Thick bags hung under her sunken eyes like she had been drained to the point of near mummification. In short, the poor girl looked to be knocking on death's door with her heavy, labored breathing and the rhythmic beeping of her heart monitor functioning as the only proof to the contrary.
What, in the name of god, happened to her? she thought, mouth agape and eyes wide.
Suddenly, the barely alive girl's eyes fluttered open, the red orbs nearly giving the refined girl a heart attack. She watched as she groggily took in her surroundings before her pale hand shakily reached for a small device on her lap. A soft click filled the air as she pressed a button on the device.
"Nurse!" she croaked, voice as rough as sandpaper. "I need some water! Think ya can get off your lazy ass and get me some?!"
Octavia grimaced in the wake of the girl's vulgar tongue. How could someone be so rude to people that make it their busyness to help others? The very people who, most likely, were the very reason she was still alive at that! The young musician shifted into a more comfortable position to continue to glare at her roommate, an action that drew said occupant's attention.
"What?" she snapped.
"You should't be so rude to the staff here," Octavia chastised, her brows furrowed.
"Says who?" the girl growled, her dead frame giving her glare more impact.
"No one. It is just a common courtesy."
"Oh yeah?" she snapped. "Then let me tell ya what ya can do with your 'common courtesy'. Piss off bitch!"
With that, the rude zombie turned her eyes towards the ceiling, all the while Octavia silently fumed. While she was not a violent person by any stretch of the imagination, nothing would make her more happy then having a chance to make the mouthy teenager eat her own IV stand.
Fine! she thought as she turned to face away from her in her bed. Go rot in a sack for all I care you damned delinquent.



***



Sunset stared back and forth between the two girls, their lips pulled into nostalgic grins while a slight trace of confusion decorated her features.
"So you guys met in the hospital? How the heck did that happen?!"
"Dumb luck and even dumber circumstances," Vinyl sighed. "Tavi over worked herself while some asshole tried to drug me. The fucker apparently didn't know how much to use on someone my size and almost ODed me."
"What?!" 
"Yep," the DJ growled."The whole detox process was a total bitch and I almost died about four times. Tavi got shacked up with me after I was put through an activated charcoal procedure, so I wasn't in the best mood."
"Oh please Vinyl," Octavia laughed, eyes rolling. "Even when you recovered you were difficult."
"Yeah, I guess," she laughed. "I was kind of a bitch back then, wasn't I?"
Octavia nodded.
"Though to be fair," the classical musician continued. "I wasn't the most civil of people at the time either."
"God," Vinyl grinned, shaking her head. "The two of us made a sport out of arguing back then. We fought over some of the stupidest things. Food, sports, clothes, you name it!"
"The only thing we could talk civilly about was music," Octavia sighed. "While our tastes differed by significant magnitudes, we could still respect each others views of our craft as musicians."
"Course' things didn't really start ta' get good between us until about a week later when Tavi showed me she had balls."
"What?!" Sunset exclaimed as she gave the classy girl a wide-eyed once over.
"She means in a metaphorical sense, love," she said, giving the driver a stony glare.
Vinyl burst with laughter as she continued where Octavia left off.



***



Silence. That was what dominated the room as its two inhabitants recovered from their latest verbal sparring match. The artillery the two combatants armed themselves with was their opinions on movies. While the battle ended in a stalemate, they couldn't help but admit a small part of themselves enjoyed the arguments. It wasn't often that either girl met anyone who could match them in their stubbornness, and while they could live without the raised blood pressure, it was refreshing to finally meet someone who could. 
The two girls recovered well in the week they spent together. Octavia managed to get back enough strength to leave her bed for short periods of time. Meanwhile, Vinyl was still bed bound, but had filled out some and had a more healthy glow to her complexion. While these were all pluses to the two of them, it became a minus to the hospital staff in the form of longer arguments. At one point, Vinyl's doctor tried to move her to a different room, but that lead to an argument between her and the poor physician. Granted, it was a lot quieter then the ones the roommates had, but it was equally heated. In the ocean of swearing and death threats, a simple declaration made Octavia question the true arrangement she had with the crude teen.
"I don't always meet someone cool enough ta' be my friend. Don't take that from me."
When she asked her about what she said some time later, Vinyl told her not to think too hard about it before turning to face away from her in her bed.
As she laid there in her bed staring at the ceiling, her thoughts kept cycling through that moment. Unaware to her, Vinyl was doing the same thing.
Why the fuck did I say that? she thought, her exhaustion catching up to the adrenaline rush her recent fight burned through. I barely even know her, so who cares if I never see her again. Hell, the second one of us checks out of this shit hole that's a given.
As much as she hated to admit it, she knew why it was such a big deal to her. It had always been a big deal to her and in a weird way was the reason she was in the hospital to begin with. Loneliness. For as long as she could remember, she had always been alone, even when her parents were right next to her. In fact, it was when she was with them that she felt the most alone. It was the loneliness of an outsider being forced to convert to a groups way of life. Her family gave her love when they felt she earned it. When she did what they wanted and expected of her, but the second she did anything that they thought was strange or otherwise outside the norm, she was punished. It was always "walk like this" or "Talk like that" with the most transparent forms of affection that she couldn't help but see through them. 
Eventually, she found her passion; modern music, and her whole world changed. What she couldn't express with words she could through song and rhythm. She could create something that was all hers and give it to the world on her own terms. Finally, finally she was free to be her true self. It was liberation that became the ultimate form of euphoria to the shackled teen. But of course, even that didn't last long before her family decided to invade her paradise. Before long, they tried to determine how her music should sound. As their claws started to sink into Vinyl's craft, she could feel the magic start to leak out of it. She felt the pure love she put into it become tainted. So, for the sake of the only tether of freedom she had to her name, she made the most important decision of her young life; she escaped.
After weeks of careful planning, she gathered enough money to get the best gear she could then searched for the biggest party she could find. It took some work, but eventually the guy running the club decided to give her a shot. It was at that night, under the flashing lights of a shady nightclub that Vinyl Scratch tasted true freedom, and DJ-PON3 was born. The lights, the sounds, the people, all of it filled the void in her heart and made her forget the solitude that waited for her at home each night. It was amazing! In time, she established such a massive following that when her folks discovered what she was doing, she had enough of a steady income that she didn't need to come back to the house. 
She chuckled a bit as she remembered the look on her mother's face when she finally told her to take a hike when she left with her gear. That was priceless! she thought with a smirk. The weeks of stalking that followed? she thought with a  frown. Not so much.
For the weeks that followed, her parents would sneak into the crowds at her gigs. She knew why they were there. They wanted to put her back in her cage. They wanted to see her fall and drag her back. But she wouldn't give them that benefit. Especially her harpy of a mother. As they watched her, she locked eyes with them and played. She mixed harder songs together into more complex beats. She filled the room with cheers of excitement with her craft as her ultimate form of defiance. Her mother's frown turned into her driving force as she earned her own money and fame without Record Scratch's influence. And then it happened, a drugged drink made it to her and her life almost ended. If she wasn't quick enough to get her phone out, she would've died at her turntable.
Even though she had to go through hell to recover, she had to say, her time in the hospital was probably the most relaxing she had in a long time. She even met a cool person that could match her temper blow for blow. In short, she was in a pretty good place all things considered. But like all things in her life, something had to come and spoil it for her.
"Well, well, well," a smug female voice said. "What do we have here?"
Vinyl froze, eyes wide, blood a strange mix of furious flame and frozen dread. Stiffly, she turned her head to face the door. Standing with the poise of a professional, was a tall woman in a perfectly ironed business suit. Her pale skin and blue hair marked her as the mother of the recovering entertainer, but that was only in the most technical of standards as far as Vinyl was concerned. While her narrowed red eyes locked with the cold violet orbs of her progenitor, Octavia's own lavender eyes took note of the tension between the two.
What in the world is she doing here? the cellist mused.  
"What do you want?" Vinyl growled.
A cold grin graced the women's face as she ignored Vinyl's hostility.
"Why, wouldn't any good caring mother come to visit her daughter in the hospital?" she said, true care absent from her tone.
A cold laugh slipped past Vinyl's lips.
"Yeah. They would. So what's your excuse?"
A grimace replaced the cold woman's smile. 
"I see almost dying didn't improve your vile behavior. No matter. I suppose finding a new life will do a better job of that."
Vinyl raised a brow at that.
"What the fuck are you talking about?"
A look of false shock graced the woman's features as she beheld her daughter.
"Oh my, you don't know? Well," she smiled. "After what happened, I took the liberty of informing all of your employers and fans about what happened. How you foolishly indulged in some offered drugs at one of your performances and nearly died."
Vinyl's jaw dropped like the stone she felt fall into her stomach.
"Y-You're lying," she said, voice a dry whisper.
"Now why would I do something like that?" the woman's smile turning predatory. "After all, your employers  have every right to know that they have a potential drug user on their pay-role."
Vinyl was doomed. She knew that there was no way to get out of this. Without a good reputation she can't get a gig. Add to it, she probably lost all of her fans that she managed to acquire so quickly seeing as she hadn't been performing long enough to earn any loyalties yet. She was done. Her career was killed before it could even take flight.
Tears. Actual tears started to run down her face as everything she wanted was taken away from her and torn to shreds.
"Oh don't cry my dear," Vinyl's mother cooed, her caring tone a mockery of true compassion. "If you come back home, and do as you're told from now on, I'll make everything all better. You can even continue to play music if that is what you want. Of course, it will have to be something other then those travesties you've been playing lately."
Vinyl stared at her mother, her heart and mind broken. She could have her freedom and nothing else to her name, or she could go back to her cage and be well taken care of. She could have her wings in a sky full of raptors or have them clipped to be someone's song bird. There was no way to win.
"I-I-"
"SHE WILL DO NO SUCH THING!"
Both girls flinched at the declaration as they turned towards its source. Standing, as tall as she could manage, using her IV stand as a makeshift cane, Octavia glared daggers at Vinyl's mother.
"Excuse me?" she frowned. "Do you have any idea who you are talking to?"
"Of course," Octavia said, glare sharpened. "You are Record Scratch; CEO of Scratch Music Incorporated. You have one of the largest music production companies in the country and are the matriarch of one of the big five families in the city's musical industry."
"Correct," she smirked, both impressed that the girl was educated in her achievements and annoyed that she didn't know her place in spite of what she knew.  
"You are also the most vile woman I have ever had the displeasure of meeting."
Record's eyes narrowed.
"Excuse me? Who do you think you are?"
A smile colder than any Record could've produced graced Octavia's lips as she said, "I am Octavia Melody, granddaughter of Philharmonic Melody. The very same Philharmonic that is the matriarch of the Melody Performance Academy of Music as well as the strongest member of the five families."
Record's face shifted to pure terror, before she regained her composure.
"My, that certainly is impressive, but I fail to see how this is any of your problem. This is a matter between my daughter and I. Now perhaps you should go back to your bed before you hurt yourself."
"Oh, I intend to, but before that, I have a few questions."
"Such as?" Record intoned, brows raised.
"Were you involved in what lead to her current condition?"
"I fail to see-"
"Answer the question!" Octavia barked.
Record flinched. For a moment, she felt that she lacked power over the situation. A flash of anger ran through her at such an indignation as she locked eyes with the weakened girl that stood before her.
"You will need to clarify," she responded, jaw tight.
"Very well. Were you responsible for her being in the club where she was drugged?"
"Again, you will need to be-"
"Answer!"
Again, Record felt her grip on the situation weaken as she answered with a, "Yes. Vinyl and I had a disagreement and she left the manor six months ago. Since then, I have been a witness to all of her performances."
"I see," she said, her demeanor stone cold and impossible to read. "Then you were also present at the performance that lead to her present condition."
"Yes."
"Quite the coincidence," Octavia grimaced. "That your daughter would have no problem holding her own in such a rough environment for so long only to recently fall victim to circumstances that benefit you so perfectly."
"As you said, it is a rough environment that my little girl put herself into. It was merely a matter of time before something happened."
"Yes," Octavia frowned. "And what better way to capitalize on your daughter's weakness then to wait for such a world to provide you just the blade needed to cut her ambitions short."
"What are you implying?"
"Oh, it is quite simple, love," she sneered. "You failed to take control of your daughter when she found her independence and left her in an unstable environment so that you could sink your claws into her while she was most vulnerable. A twisted yet effective tactic for a conniving shrew such as yourself."
Record glared at the young girl, but then let out a small laugh as she tried to regained a sense of authority.
"Very well. You managed to figure me out. But what of it? Even if you are from a powerful family, its still the word of a child against the head of a major company. You can't change anything."
"Your not wrong," Octavia sighed. "I personally can't do anything meaningful. Luckily, you did all of the work for me."
As she said that, she reached into the pocket of her sweatpants and pulled out a phone. A phone, that was currently sending a call out to a contact titled Grandmother.
"Did you know," Octavia smiled as all blood drained away from Record's face. "That some phones could record voice messages and send calls at the same time? Personally, I never understood what the purpose of such a function could possibly serve. But now I find such a feature to be a truly blessed coincidence."
The room was quiet, each inhabitant silent for their own reasons. Shock kept Vinyl's mouth sealed while fear did the job for Record, but confident victory prevented Octavia from violating the silence. What did, was a clear and cold voice that came out out of the phone's speaker.
"Octavia dear, could you please set the phone to loudspeaker mode?"
"Gladly Grandmother," Octavia smiled as she activated the requested feature.
"Mrs. Record Scratch," Philharmonic said, tone as cold and absolute as an arctic gale. "I want you to listen and listen clearly because I have no intention of repeating myself. You will leave this room and never come near either your daughter or my granddaughter. You will hear from my lawyers shortly. In addition, young Vinyl will be living with my daughter and her husband until she is able to live on her own."
"Y-You can't do that!" Record exclaimed. "I am her mother! No one can take her away from me!"
"We shall see about that," Philharmonic said, a sharp edge to her tone. "I will look forward to seeing you in court."
And with that, the call ended.
Record was livid, as she glared at the young lady before her. The one responsible for ruining everything she so carefully put together for this moment.
"Checkmate," Octavia smirked as she returned to her bed.



***



Sunset's jaw was in her lap as she processed what she just heard. The two girls just laughed at her reaction as one of them tried to find a way to navigate the busy streets of Canterlot City safely. 
"Are you okay, love?" Octavia asked as she regained her composure.
Sunset just blinked as her eyes shifted their gaze between the two girls.
"Yo Sunset," Vinyl called, concern lightly coloring her voice. "You alright?"
Sunset blinked again, only this time, her mind managed to resemble itself enough to bring her back to the land of the living.
"Oh! S-Sorry," she chuckled awkwardly. "That was just a lot to take in I guess."
Octavia nodded while Vinyl just sighed.
"Yeah. Life was total shit for me for a while, but it all worked out in the end."
"Indeed," Octavia smiled as she placed a comforting hand on her sister's shoulder.
"Yeah! I got a family that actually loves me for me, and Tavi got the coolest sister in the world! Total win-win!"
"While I would not have worded it quite like that, yes. Yes it is."
For a moment, Sunset just watched the two girls and marveled at the sheer level of care the two shared between them. It was clear to her that the two had a strong bond that would be difficult if not impossible to break. Octavia had Vinyl's back and Vinyl, Octavia's. This was what a real family bond looked like, and compared to what she had with most of her former friends, was like comparing gold to lead.
No wonder my friendships died so easily,  she thought, her heart sinking into a dark pit. Except for Fluttershy, they never really cared to begin with. And even saying that is a stretch when you really think about it.
She was quickly brought back to reality when the car gently pulled into a parking place and came to a stop. The three girls exited the car, two of which were filled with excitement while their fiery-haired friend was a bundle of nerves. She had never been to a rave before, though most of the things she heard about them were rarely good. Yeah, they could be fun, but for every exciting story, there was five tales about people selling drugs or disappearing into the night only to be found in a gutter somewhere. But as she followed her two friends towards the building that the rave was going to take place, her jaw dropped for the second time that evening.
Towering over her was a massive five story building crafted in the shape of a cube. All across its surface were large music notes as if the gargantuan box was made of sheet music with a single blue and read glowing sign that read String Record dominating the front of it. A one hundred person line stood in front of a set of chrome doors guarded by a bouncer covered with more muscle than a bull. 
Still a little stunned, Sunset barely registered it when they approached the hulking man.
"Hey Willy," Vinyl cheered, giving the bouncer a playful swat on the back. "How ya' been?"
"Iron Will's been doing fine Miss Scratch," the bouncer, Iron Will smiled.
"Aw, c'mon man," Vinyl groaned. "I told ya' not ta' call me that."
"My apologies," he smirked as he opened the doors for them. "Force of habit, boss."
"'Boss'!?" Sunset exclaimed as she followed her friends into the building. "You own a club?"
"Kinda'?" Vinyl shrugged. "Technically, Grandma owns it, but I'll get it when I graduate. Till then, I'm just their DJ."
Sunset was going to ask more but then she saw the club's main room and gawked. Red, blue, and purple neon lights weaved through the walls in long thin streams like radioactive vines of ivy while illuminated  black and white floor tiles in the shape of records filled the room with light from below. From the ceiling above, theater lights lazily rotated as means of adding to the already amazing spectacle. Scattered throughout the room were several mini bars that were already catering to guests with servers dressed in white suits or what appeared to be lolita-style dresses for the waitresses. At the farthest wall in the back stood a huge stage, easily big enough to hold ten bands. One half of the stage was dominated by a veritable fortress of speakers and electronics, while the other half was filled with various types of string instruments with a beautifully polished cello at the center.
"Like what ya' see?" Vinyl smirked, snapping Sunset out of her stupor with a playful nudge.
"This is amazing!" Sunset exclaimed.
"Indeed," Octavia smiled as she took her place at Sunset's left. "But just wait until you see the main event, love."
"Yeah! Just you wait! It'll blow you away!"
"I'm looking forward to it," Sunset laughed.
"Well then, I guess we'd better get set up," Vinyl said, giving her sister a playful glare. "Hope you don't lag behind this time."
"Me? Lag?" Octavia chuckled, returning the expression. "Perish the thought. If anything, you should worry less about me and more about yourself my dear sister."
The two girls laughed then turned towards Sunset.
"You'll want ta' get as close to the stage as you can get for this before all the good spots are taken."
"And do make sure to avoid the mosh pit," Octavia continued, cringing. "It tends to get rather rough in there, even during a slow performance."
"Got it," Sunset smiled. "And thanks."
With a nod, the three girls separated, Octavia and Vinyl to get ready to perform and Sunset to find some way to kill time. As she did, she noticed that Derpy had been right when she said she didn't need to worry about being underdressed. Aside from the staff, everyone was dressed in what could be best described as formal tough. Black leather jackets and jeans seemed to be the more common outfits, but even Sunset's undisciplined eye could tell that they were all high quality name brand goods. Be that as it may, she couldn't help but notice a few approving gazes from some of the other guests as she made her way towards one of the bars closest to the stage. A small part of her was happy that people weren't looking down on her based on her appearance, but a larger part was sure it wasn't just her jacket some of them were admiring.
"So, what can I get you miss?" the server asked.
"A Sprite please."
"Right away," he said, quickly getting to work.
As soon as he set the drink on the table, Sunset asked how much and was shocked when he said that it was free.
"Only booze costs money here. Stuff like soda and water is free so long as it's by itself."
"Oh, well, that's neat," Sunset said, taking a sip of her drink.
For the next five minutes, Sunset just stood there by the bar enjoying the atmosphere while she waited for something to happen. Fortunately, she didn't need to wait long as the over head lights suddenly shifted their light towards the stage. Sunset looked and saw Vinyl sitting in a chair at the center of the the tower of electronics as if it was a throne, and she, its Queen. Standing at the center of the circle of string instruments on the opposite side of the stage stood a lone figure that Sunset suspected to be Octavia, but appeared to be wearing some sort of disguise. A green hooded vest covered her top half while a pair of ratty brown shorts covered her bottom. A thick gray scarf covered the lower half of her face like a mask. Before she could marvel at the spectacle before her, her two friends began to speak to the crowd.
"Hey everybody! Who's yer favorit DJ?!"
A resounding "Pon-3!" echoed through the room.
"I can't hear ya!"
"PON-3!"
"LOUDER!"
"PON-3!!!"
"Now that's more like it!" Vinyl cheered.
"Oh please," 'Octavia' sighed, rolling her eyes. "You know the real reason they're here is because I add some class to that boorish swill you call music. ISN'T THAT RIGHT?!"
As she said that, a part of the crowd chanted a single word.
"Strings! Strings! Strings!"
"See Vinyl?" 'Strings' taunted. "They love me. You may as well just go home."
"Ah bite me Strings," Vinyl snapped. "Or better yet, let's get this show on the road."
"I couldn't agree more."
With that, Vinyl turned on her machines, Strings grabbed a violin, and the two began to play. It was incredible! As the two artists brought everything they had to the contest, the crowd was driven even further into a frenzy. Vinyl would use one combination of songs to create a new rhythm at the drop of a hat while Octavia would counter by alternating between different instruments whenever she could to change her performance at almost the same speed. In a lot of ways, it reminded Sunset of the battle she had with Lyra, but while that was a battle to decide a victor, this was a battle to improve. As the two musicians clashed, they pushed each other to outshine the other while at the same time, the two were gradually harmonizing with each other. By the time Octavia brought her cello to the forefront of the battle, the two were no longer competing, but performing together, using their combined music to bring the crowd's excitement to a fever-pitch before ending it with a grand finale that literally shook the ground. When the music stopped the room was deathly quiet, but then, a resounding chorus of cheers and whistles filled the air, Sunset's cheer among them. For the first time in days, the girl felt truly alive.



***



Scootaloo, stared at the ceiling in her room, eyes glazed as she let the weight of their latest actions settle in her. It wasn't often that the girl felt guilty about something, but the past few weeks had changed that by considerable degrees. But as bad as she felt the last few days, the way she felt now was borderline disgust.
Earlier, the three of them snuck out of their homes and into the school. It wasn't the first time they did it, seeing as the school had next to no security, but while the previous times had been to pickup things they had forgotten the day prier, this time had been for more nefarious reasons. She still remembered what Sweetie had typed in the message she sent to no less than fifty people just two hours ago.

I have a feeling that Meme Queen is closing in on me and while you may not care, that means she's closing in on you too. I'm sure you're too stupid to figure out the logistics of this by yourself so I'll make it simple for you. If she busts me, you will be busted too for giving me secrets. And if you think I'm getting grief now, just wait until the whole school finds out you helped me. And don't bother trying to track me through this message seeing as I'm using a dummy account to send it in the first place. Anyway, like it or not, we're in this together so if you help me, you guarantee that the whole school won't turn you into a punching bag. How can you help me? Simple. Just keep an eye on me and send me a message every time someone from school gets close to me other than my dog. Do that, and everything should be all sunshine and rainbows. Understand? Good.

Scootaloo groaned in frustration as she rolled over in her bed, desperate to get some trace of sleep. But no matter what she tried, her guilt refused to let her rest.