//------------------------------//
// Chapter 2 
// Story: My Lil' Vinyl 
// by Count Paradox 
//------------------------------//

	Trent wiped the rain from his face as he drove along the highway, trying to get home as soon as possible. His mind kept going over the possibilities of what could have happened if he went with Allison instead of running off.
“Allison.”
“Yes, Trent?”
“I love you!”
Allison pulls over and looks at Trent, saying, “Really?”
“Yes!” Trent nods.
“Oh, Trent, I love you too!” Allison says, tears streaming from her eyes. They both lean in, their lips about to touch...
Trent shook his head, trying to push all of the thoughts of him and Allison out of his mind. He looked around, trying to find something that would occupy his thoughts. As he rounded a bend in the road, something caught his eye.
On the right side of the road, seemingly just discarded out of a car window, laid a green hoodie, bunched up and soaked with rain. Trent stared at it as he drove closer, trying to think of how it could have ended up there. He was just a few yards away, and was going to pass it soon.
And the hoodie moved.
Trent suddenly slowed down, thinking that there was some poor animal under there, cold and alone. He could never leave a defenseless animal out in the world, even though his father never let him bring them in the house. But, seeing as the didn't live there anymore, he planned on helping this one.
He turned around, slowly idling up near the hoodie so that he wouldn't scare off the animal that was underneath. Shutting off his bike, he got off and kneeled down next to it, putting his hand gently upon it.
Suddenly, a thought passed through his mind. What if this thing is mortally wounded and I can't help it? I don't think I could put it out of its misery myself... Or what if it attacks me when I take the hoodie off? He shook his head again, erasing his doubts. No, I've already stopped here... I need to do what I can...
Trent clenched his eyes closed, grabbed the hoodie and whipped it away. He braced himself to be attacked, raising his hands to his face. After a few seconds, he remained unharmed, so he slowly lowered his arms and opened his eyes.
He couldn't believe what he saw.
Laying curled up on the ground was a sleeping white pony, one which had an electric blue mane and tail.
“No...no way...” Said Trent while rubbing his eyes to clear his vision, thinking that he was hallucinating. When he opened them again, the pony was still there. “It must just be a toy, that's all it can be...” 
Trent's mind then snapped back to seeing the hoodie move. And, as he stared at the “toy” Vinyl Scratch, he noticed her shivering and saw little clouds of steam coming from her mouth and nose, her warm breath mixing with the cool air.
“This is impossible...” He shook all over, not from the rain, but from the shock. “H-how can she even...exist!?”
And at the sound of Trent's shout, Vinyl slowly opened her eyes and yawned. She looked around, shivering as if looking for her “blanket.” She looked up and stared at Trent, her red eyes shimmering.
Trent's mind had stalled at the moment, so he just said the very first thing that came to him.
“H-hello.”
Vinyl just stared at him, her eyes tired and sad, her entire body shivering from the mixture of cold air and rain. Trent looked at her body as she shivered and noticed something.
“You...you don't even have your cutie mark!” Trent said as he looked at her flank, which was entirely barren of any type of marking. He also noticed that she looked young, much younger than any of her appearances on the show. “And you're just a little filly! How is this... How is it even possible!? A-and why are you even here in my world in the first place!?”
Vinyl shrunk back as Trent spoke loudly, scaring her and making her tear up.
As he looked down at her, he noticed this and lowered his voice, speaking calmly, trying to calm down the blue-maned unicorn that was now shaking in fear in front of him. “Oh, no no no! I'm sorry, little one, I didn't mean to scare you. I was just thinking out loud...” He slowly raised his hand and moved it a little towards her, which made her shrink back even more. Trent pulled his hand back and sighed.
He and Vinyl sat there in the rain, Trent hanging his head and Vinyl still sitting there, afraid of what Trent might do. After a few moments of just sitting there, Vinyl seemed to realize that Trent wasn't going to harm her. She slowly stood, and took a step towards him. Trent noticed what she was doing, but didn't move for fear of scaring her off.
She took a few more steps toward him, just a few inches away from his other hand, which rested on his knee. Another step, and her nose nudged against it. He slowly raised his hand just a little bit, enough to let her get her nose in his palm and nuzzle his hand.
Trent smiled warmly and gently began to pet her, stroking her head and mane. She closed her eyes and raised her head upwards so that she could enjoy being petted more. She smiled and pushed her head into his hand. He stopped petting her and stared down at her, smiling. Vinyl, whose hooves were resting on Trent's knee so she could stretch up even more, opened her eyes and looked back up at him, smiling widely.
As he pet her head, he said, “See, now? I never wanted to hurt you...” He scratched her under her chin, to which she let out a contented sigh. “But, you know, I don't think I can leave you out here alone. I wouldn't be a very good brony if I did that, would I?” He joked and smiled to himself. He slowly moved his hands to Vinyl's body and gently picked her up. Vinyl didn't seem to mind it, and in fact, when Trent put her close to his body, she snuggled in, her hooves and horn poking him in the chest. He winced a little bit, but smiled as she stopped and fell asleep in his arms.
He stood up, trying not to wake up the now-sleeping filly and walked to his bike. He wiped off the rain from the seat, which didn't really help. He got on, and, with a gentle rev of his engine, looked down at Vinyl and said, “Let's get you home...” before starting back to his house.