Octavia’s eyelids flickered as the world slowly came into view. Her mane was mussed, frayed, and dingy, as though she hadn’t washed it in a week. Her eyes were bloodshot, her movements sluggish as she glanced around at her surroundings.
She lay in a queen-sized bed, the silken sheets that covered her body in utter disarray, as though she had been tossing and turning in her sleep. On the nightstand next to the bed sat an almost empty bottle of fine wine, while the pillow she had rested on had been stained with the salt of many tears.
A loud buzzing alerted her to her cellphone text notification. Groggily she stared at the message from Nowhacking:
Hey, where are you? Vinyl’s going crazy, and stormed our set in a drunken stupor! Help!
Urgh, not again. I really don’t wanna deal with her today.
Please help!
Rolling her eyes, Octavia slid on her bunny slippers and started towards the door; half in a drunken stupor, half annoyed as she texted back:
Fine. Fine, I’m on my way, stay calm.
“Is she coming?”
Glaze, a lime green Earthpony mare with a green mane of varying shades, stared hopefully at Nowhacking, a purple pegasus with a surly gaze, who nodded.
“Yeah, how are we on the instruments?”
A gray Earthpony with a red and blue mane by the name of Tombstone, called out from behind a drumset they were setting up for a blue earthpony; by the name of Danceparty.
“We’re good to go back here. How’s Vinyl?”
The aptly named Mic, known as ‘the Microphone’, was wrestling to remove a very drunk Vinyl Scratch from his mic stand.
“Urgh, she won’t let go!”
A yellow Earthpony with a lollipop cutie mark, and six freckles, by the name of Elie Monty just laughed.
“Oh she’ll let go when Tavi gets here, alright everypony she’s here. It’s showtime! Raise the curtain!”
The curtain rose as Octavia staggered into the karaoke bar; her head pounding. The room was filled with hundreds of ponies from all over Equestria. Octavia groggily watched Vinyl storm out, practically strangling the mic in a drunken rage, as she shouted into it.
“Tavi!”
Octavia watched as the crowd parted, and Vinyl pointed at her.
“It’s been one week. Since we had our fight. Hit it!”
A loud guitar riff was slammed as Vinyl began to sing, slightly off-key at first, but slowly getting into a rhythm as her words sped up.
It's been one week since you looked at me
Dropped your head down
and said "I'm angry"
Five days since you laughed at me saying
get over it and come back and see me
three days since the living room,
I realized it's all my fault but couldn't tell you
yesterday you'd forgive me
but it'll still be two days till I say I'm sorry.
Hold it now and listen to the Mic,
As I make you hear my words,
You'll think you're hearing Pegasus Device
A failure, I place bread on my plate,
Although I love the greens you make,
I like the bread,
as I can't cook for my sake,
cold, like the shoulder you gave me
big like Lullaby,
cause I'm all about value,
Magpie's got mad hits
You try and match wits,
You try to hold me, but I bust through
Gotta take a break and be fake
I'd like a painful, lonely shake
I like strawberry it's the finest of the flavors
Gotta hear the beats
Cause then you'll know
Against The Sisters
They’re twisted and so dangerous
That the ponies just can't win
How can I help it if I think you're funny when you're mad
Trying hard not to smile though I feel bad
I'm the kind of mare who laughs at a funeral
Can't understand what I mean?
Well, you soon will
I have a tendency to show my mind in my songs
I have a history of dropping the bass
Octavia watched the crowd part before her, making a path to the stage as the guitarist and drummer paused as though expecting a reply. She looked down at the half-empty bottle of wine in her hooves. I’m not nearly drunk enough for this. Downing the bottle amidst cheers in a single gulp, Octavia strutted up to the stage with a skunked swagger as her head was abuzz with her side of the story. Snatching the mic from Vinyl, she shouted into it.
“Oh yeah? It’s been a rough week for you? You idiot, do you know how my week was without you? Here let me clue you in.”
Once more the musicians started up again, the guitarist jamming, and the drummer keeping time with a bopping beat. Suddenly Elie and Nowhacking brought out a microphone stand and began providing backup vocals.
It's been one week since you looked at me,
Threw your hooves in the air and said you're crazy
Five days since you tackled me
I've still got those rug burns on all my knees
It's been three days since the afternoon
You realized it's not my fault not a moment too soon
Yesterday, you’d forgiven me
And now I sit back and wait till you say you're sorry
Sugary, sugar, Sugercube's kitchen,
You hear Cupcakes and your brain stops ticking
Watching Elements of Insanity with no lights on
We're dans la maison
I hope Brutallight's in this one
Like Little Miss Rarity I'm getting vicious
Like Applejack I'm Sleepless
Listening to Smile HD is guaranteed to satisfy
Like Fluttershy I wait in Shed.mov
Okay I don't have a shed
but if I did I probably would dissect ponies
Gotta get you a better turntable
Gotta find the kind that auto-syncs
Just so the vocals aren't always screeches
Gotta jam to Rainbow Factory
Cause that song has Glaze making me
thinking all the wrong things
How can I help it if I think you're funny when you're mad
Trying hard not to smile though I feel bad
I'm the kind of mare who laughs at a funeral
Can't understand what I mean?
You soon will
I have a tendency to write my mind into my music
I have a history of losing my sheets
At this revelation, Vinyl looked ashamedly at her partner, as Octavia looked at her the same way. Both faced each other and shouted slurredly into the mic as the audience went wild to pyrotechnics that lit up the stage and air in a flurry of fireworks.
It’s been one week since you looked at me
Dropped your eyes to the side and said I’m sorry
Five days since I laughed at you and said
You just did what I thought you were gonna do
Three days since the living room
We realized we’re both to blame but what could we do?
Yesterday you just smiled at me
Cause it’ll be today when we say we’re sorry
It'll be today when we say we're sorry
It'll be today when we say we're sorry
Both looked the other in the eyes and Octavia kissed Vinyl.
“I’m sorry Vinyl.”
“I’m sorry too, Tavi.”
The massive crowd cheered excitedly, as a Stallion told his marefriend.
“I love this show! It’s always so wholesome at the end!”
The mare responded.
“Yeah, this jam is so good too!”
Nearby a pony who was new in town asked the Stallion.
“Wait, show? They aren’t mad at each other?”
The stallion laughed as Vinyl passed Octavia a bouquet of roses.
“Nah, they do this every other week.”