Octavia rose bright and early the following Monday, having spent the day after the festival packing for her return to Ponyville. Her friends had the double-agenda of letting her know that the remodel was completely finished. It was finally time to return home and bid this tiny apartment farewell. No more concerts were planned and she had absolutely no desire to stick around and deal with snobby noblecolts trying to worm their way into her pants or wallet or both. The last time she had tried to suffer through the advances of some Lord something-or-other, the date had ended with all parties involved embarrassed, covered in fondue, and unlikely to ever make eye contact again.
Her personal items were boxed and waiting for the moving company that would be arriving later. The cellist planned to take the train and return home early to make sure everything was properly done. As she exited her apartment, she heard something slam into the door on the opposite side of the hallway, followed by a loud shout of pain. Realizing she hadn't seen her neighbor since before her performance, Octavia carefully knocked.on the door, "Vinyl? Are you okay in there?"
The musicians sensitive ears could hear someone shuffling around before the door slowly opened a crack, "Tavi? Dat you?" the mare hidden in the dark asked. The smell of booze and vomit leaked out into the hall and Octavia scrunched her nose.
"It's me."
"Oh, thought it wash ponylord again."
"Ponylord?"
"Landlord. Shilly Tavi. Comin' by to get somethin I ain't got," Vinyl had slipped so far out of her usual Canterlot accent she was starting to sound like one of the ponies who sold apples in the market.
"Something you do not have? Rent? You don't have rent?"
Vinyl let the door swing open further, revealing the horrible mess that was the DJ's living space. Empty bottles of liquor and wine were strewn about the entire place, and a small pool of liquid was slowly drying next to the chair. The unicorn had smears of the same liquid on her face and her right hoof. Her glasses were nowhere to be seen and her deep red eyes were even redder from their bloodshot state. The drunk's mane was in complete disarray, though that made it look almost tidy, "Course I don't! I din git a single gorram deal last night or today! Can't pay rent if I ain't got bits, right?"
"Celestia, Vinyl, why didn't you say something? I could have helped you out."
"Pffffffft," Vinyl let out, failing to contain some drunken laughter, "Lil miss priss homeowner helpin out lil ol dj scratchy? Why in Tartarus would somepony bother helpin out a mare like me. Hell, that kiss last night was... was prolly just a big ol joke to you! Get some headlines and boost your career! Famous cellisht revealed fillyfooler!"
"N-Now see here!"
"No, you see. I've been workin my flank off since High School. I've got me own business, my own gorram fanclub, and I can't even keep myself fed on a regler bassist. Some priss miss like yerself couldn' unnerstand."
Octavia sighed and set her cello case down, "Vinyl. You're my friend, and you're obviously drunk off your plot, so I'm going to put this as simply as I can. Pack a bag, sober up a little, and come to Ponyville for a break. You can stay with me, I'll have your... equipment shipped, and you can get back on your feet without worrying about rent, okay?"
"You... you'd lemme shtay with ya?"
"Of course. Come on, wash that... whatever that is off your face... and grab your toothbrush. It's time for a vacation."
"Wuh... What about ma stuff?"
"I'll have someone on the moving crew pack up what's salvageable and bring it along with my stuff."
"O-oh... Then I, uh, should... Wait here, k?" Vinyl said with a blush before closing the door and galloping off into the apartment.
Octavia sat in the hallway, straightening her bow tie in the reflective glass of the apartment door while various disconcerting sounds snaked their way through the gaps in the door. Thuds, scrapes, bangs, and then the sound of shattering glass caused the cellist to wince. Eventually, Vinyl re-emerged from the apartment, carefully closing the door behind her. She had cleaned herself up a bit and put her opaque glasses back where they belonged. It helped to hide her bloodshot eyes as she staggered into the hallway, levitating a suitcase behind her. It wobbled just as much as she did, so the earth pony strapped it between her cello and her back to ease the struggle for her friend.
The two took the elevator down after Octavia left a note for the moving crew and one on Vinyl's behalf to the landlord. They walk to the train quickly became a trudge thanks to the alcohol coursing through the unicorn's system. The sun was not being kind either, causing her to sweat profusely, "Sweet Celestia... Why'd she have to go and make today hot..."
"It's only hot because you're drunk. We're almost to the train station, it'll be cooler down in Ponyville."
Vinyl just nodded and suffered in silence until the reached the station and boarded. Flopping onto one of the available seats, the unicorn quickly passed out, snoring loudly. Her earth pony companion too the seat next to her and tried to decide how she should feel. Part of her was happy to have a roommate. The house really had too much space for a single pony. The other part was worried that the unicorn would find out certain things that the cellist would rather be kept secret. She could sense the DJ had a few secrets of her own. The way the unicorn had acted when she packed was a bit suspicious, and the suitcase seemed rather light and unassuming for something locked so many times.
Shaking herself slightly, Octavia slid into a more relaxed position in her seat. Vinyl's head fell over and landed on her at that point, right next to her own face. In any other situation she would have found it cute, but the smell of booze and... other things coming out of the mare's muzzle ruined the image. Pushing the drunk away, she stood and hunted down the cafe car. Returning with two cups of coffee and some mint gum, she nudged the unicorn awake, "Here, coffee and something for your breath," she said with a grimace.
"Mmmm, coffee..." Vinyl said, taking a sip and grimacing like her friend, "Ugh, train coffee. Better than no coffee..."
With a sigh, the two mares sipped their drinks before Octavia forced her companion to chew the gum. It did wonders for the air quality in the train car. After the unicorn slipped back into the clutches of alcoholic nothingness, the cellist sat across from her charge and thought. She wondered if the drinking was stress related and would pass, or a sign of alcoholism. Berry Punch would know better than she would.
Letting her eyes travel over the sleeping... no, not an angel, not with her tongue lolled out and a snot bubble inflating and deflating on her nose, the earth pony again let herself consider the advantages of being open about her sexuality. The unicorn was quite beautiful, when she wasn't hammered. There was something interesting about her. The passion that Vinyl felt for her music, despite the precision with which she played, or perhaps because of it, had served to only increase Octavia's desire to be closer to her.
By the time the train had pulled into the station at Ponyville, Vinyl's situation had gone from "still drunk" to "Full-blown hangover." The poor mare staggered off the train into the bright sun, shading her eyes even behind her sunglasses before running off to a secluded location to purge her stomach. Octavia waited politely out of sight until the unicorn was finished before helping Vinyl back to her feet and nudging her along towards the main village.
"Ugh, I feel awful..."
"You drank quite a bit."
"Don't remind me..." the DJ said, spitting a little onto the grass as they walked, "I hope you have something to drink cause my mouth tastes..."
"Don't worry, Vinyl, I'll be going to the market once I get you in bed."
Both mares blushed as the cellist realized what she just said, "While I'm flattered, Tavi... I'm a little too hungover."
"I...That... You know what I meant!" she shouted, drawing a raised eyebrow from a passing pegasus.
Vinyl giggled, then gagged and swayed, "I need out of this sun... NOW..."
Octavia nodded and turned a corner, "It's right here anyway," she said, pointing to a large house situated in a copse of trees close to the market but not so close as to have noise pollution from the commotion.
The DJs jaw dropped and she stopped in her tracks, looking at the sheer size of the place, "You... You live here?!"
"Yes?"
Slightly cheerier than her hangover should have allowed, the unicorn started to trot forward, "Wow! After I wake up, I want the full tour. Sheesh, first you think I'm cute, then it turns out you have a massive house in Ponyville. What else are you keeping a secret from me?"
The cellist was glad that her friend was looking the other way as she looked down at the ground. One thought trickled through her head before she moved to catch up and enter the house, 'If only you knew...'