//------------------------------// // Chapter 4: an Old Friend // Story: The Beat of Their Hearts // by Silentpegasus //------------------------------// Chapter 4 An Old Friend. Steady Beat woke up with the sun pouring through the window, as he yawned and stretched his front hooves he noticed a sleeping Vinyl lying next to him. At first he was shocked and surprised, as he looked at the sleeping mare she let out a small snore, her electric blue mane was draped over her face. Beat reached over and pushed her mane back. She’s really cute when she’s sleeping. he thought to himself. Ugh! Shut up brain, she’s probably taken. Plus remember how things went with Lilly? Who’s to say that she won’t do the same thing? No! Vinyl’s not like that. She- “WHAT IN THE NAME OF CELESTIA IS GOING ON HERE?” a voice bellowed from the doorway. The shout startled the sleeping mare, she hopped out of bed sending Beat down with her. Vinyl got off the floor and looked over to see an angered grey earth pony mare with a charcoal colored mane glaring at her with anger filled purple eyes. “HONESTLY VINYL! IN MY OWN ROOM! IN MY BED!” the angered mare yelled. Beat got to his hooves and looked over at the mare. “Look miss I know this look bad but.........OCTAVIA? Is that you?” he said as he looked at the mare. Her eyes shrank to the size on pin tips. “BEAT?” the stallion nodded and the two hugged each other while Vinyl looked at them in confusion. “I can’t believe it! I haven’t seen you in years, how are you? What are you doing here?” “I’m fine, as to why I’m here Vinyl offered me a place to stay until I find a place of my own. I didn’t know you two were roommates!” “Okay can some-pony please explain what the buck is going on? How do you two know each other?” Vinyl asked in an annoyed tone. Beat turned to her with a smile. “Sorry Vinyl. Octavia and I go way back. We went to the same High School and we tore it up in the music department.” he said with a laugh. “Oh please, you were the one who always caused me so much trouble!” she said with a sly smile. “But a bigger explanation is needed, why are you two SLEEPING IN MY BED!” she said as she began to frown. “Right that, well as I explained Vinyl offered me a place to stay and she offered me this room until you came back. As to why we’er in the same bed is a surprise to me too, last time I saw her she was in her own room.” the two ponies looked at the now blushing white mare. “I got cold.” she said with a weak smile. “That’s no excuse!” Octavia interjected. “It is when your hypo.....hypo.....what was that word?” “Hypothermic.” Beat said in a flat tone. “Right Hypothermic.” “How did you get Hypothermia?” Octavia asked as she raised an eyebrow. “I pulled your friends flank out of a river.” Vinyl said as the grey mare glared at the blue stallion. Beat rubbed his head. “Look girls, how about we all calm down and have this conversation like mature adult’s down stairs?” the two mares nodded in agreement. The three ponies trotted down stairs and Beat told Octavia the whole story, from Lilly cheating on him to his move to Ponyville. Octavia brought him into a hug. “Oh Beat, I’m so sorry about Lilly I feel so guilty.” Octavia said in a sad tone. “Why do you feel guilty?” Vinyl asked. “I introduced them to one another, I never expected Lilly to do something so horrible.” she said as she broke the hug. “It’s fine Octy, you couldn’t have known.” “And you just slipped into the water?” she said with a quizzical look. “Y-yeah that’s what-.” Vinyl was cut off as Beat raised a hoof. “No, to be honest Octy, I jumped off.” he said in a sad tone. Octavia put a hoof on his shoulder. “I can understand why you would feel that way I mean you two-” Vinyl then coughed loudly. “What I mean to say is that I’m glad Vinyl saved you.” “Yeah so am I.” he said as he smiled to the white unicorn who blushed. “But enough about that, how have you been? Vinyl said you had a gig.” “Ugh! The entire trumpet section got food poisoning. We had to cancel the whole thing.” she said as she rolled her eyes. “Bummer. You still playing the cello?” “Yes. Piano for you?” “Not really, before I moved here I worked in a music shop selling amps and instruments for eight bit’s and hour.” he said in alow grumble. “WHAT! Why would you take a job like that with your talent? You could always join my-” “No, I don’t like massive bands. Plus I usually write my own material.” “Can we hear something?” Vinyl asked. “Maybe later.” he said as he got to his hooves. “I’m gonna go look for an apartment nearby.” “You don’t have to do that! We’d love to have you stay.” Octavia said. “Yeah, stay as long as you want.” Vinyl added. Beat looked at the two mares who had concerned looks on their faces. “Well.....okay. If you two don’t mind that is.” “Of course not. Stay as long as you need.” “Thanks, but I still need a job. So I’m off to town to see if any-pony’s hiring.” he said as he began to leave the room. “Can I come?” Vinyl asked. “Mind if I come along too? It’ll give us time to catch up.” Octavia said. “Sure, I don’t see why not. We’ll leave in a few minutes.” he said as he trotted back upstairs. Octavia then turned to Vinyl with a smug grin on her face. “What?” “Don’t ‘what’ me Vinyl. It’s obvious that you like him.” Vinyl’s face turned bright red. “What? that’s crazy. Wh-what gave you that idea?” she said with a sheepish grin. “Let’s see, blushing every time he talks to you, always looking at him when he isn’t looking at you and the fact that you snuck into MY bed just so you could sleep next to him.” she said as she cocked an eyebrow. Vinyl was about to protest but found it futile. “Alright I like him, I admit it, he’s so nice, funny and he’s in the music business.” “I know, he’s a good stallion. But he needs time, he’s still getting over Lilly. You of all ponies should know how it feels to be ch-” Vinyl shot an angry look at the grey mare. “I get it, I’ll give him his space, I just don’t want to wait to long.” “Good idea, and Vinyl one more thing.” “What?” “If you hurt him, I swear to Celestia I will ram my cello bow down your throat so far it will stick out your flank.” she said in a cold tone. Vinyl looked back at her with fear in her eyes. “We may be best friends, but Beat and I have been through a lot together, and I will hurt any-pony who tries to hurt him. Understand?” she gave the white unicorn a stare that would make Princess Luna cringe in fear. “G-got it.” Vinyl said in a scared tone. “Good.” she said as she trotted over and put on a purple scarf and purple ear muffs, soon Beat came back sporting a blue and white striped scarf and was sporting a brown flat cap hat. “You two ready?” he asked. “Yes.” Octavia chimed. “Cool. Vinyl, you okay? You look like you’ve just seen a ghost.” he said with a confused look on his face. “Y-yeah. Let me just get my scarf and shades.” Vinyl levitated the two items onto her body and joined her two roommates. The three made it their way through the snow covered town, Vinyl mostly listened to Beat and Octavia shoot the breeze. Eventually Beat went inside a store, Vinyl and Octavia went to go get a cup of coffee. The two sat in silence until Vinyl spoke up. “So Tavi, how far back do you and Beat go?” “Well we went to High School together and-” “C’mon it’s gotta be more than that. In the entirety that we’ve been roommates never have you threatened me like that evan after I broke your cello for the sixth time.” “I guess you have a right to know, Beat and I have a.....complicated history.” Vinyls’ eyes went wide. “Please tell me you two didn’t date!” Octavia burst into laughter. “Of corse not, you know I like mares.” Vinyl breathed a sigh of relief. “But it does have something to do with that.” Vinyl looked back at her friend in confusion. “I was in High School when I ‘came out of the closet.’ When I did, no-pony looked at me the same way again, my friends abandoned me and even the teachers started to treat me differently. Colt’s and mares started to make fun of me every chance they got, they made my life a living hell. It was so unbearable that I almost decided to kill myself.” she said as she looked away from the mare. “But Beat stopped me, he was there for me every step of the way, he was the only one who supported me. One time, some colt’s from school tried to ‘correct my mistake.’ Beat defended me, when the police finally arrived he had three broken ribs, a fractured tibia and a concussion, he spent three months recovering in the hospital.” Vinyl looked back with tears in her eyes. “What about the colt’s?” “Beat had completely pulverized them. They were hospitalized for six months each, after that no-pony messed with me or him. When graduation came I changed from a shy little filly to a pony who could stand on her hooves, he always watched my back, when I got accepted into the orchestra I was scarred. Beat reassured me that he would be there if I needed him, he attended quite a few of my performances, after I introduced him to Lilly he started coming less and less. I didn’t mind, he had his life to lead and I had mine.” “But he doesn’t seem like the violent type.” “He isn’t. But if he get’s angry, he can cause some damage, especially if he’s using his screech.” Vinyl tilted her head in confusion. “His what?” “His Screech is when he-” they were cut off when Beat joined them at the table. “How’s the job hunting going?” “Bad, that was the tenth shop I’ve been to. I guess there’s no work around here for a musician.” he rested his head on the table in disappointment. Vinyl put a hoof on his shoulder and gave him a grin. “I’m sure something will turn up eventually.” Octavia said. “Yeah....I guess.” he said in a low grumble. Octavia looked over at Vinyl with a concerned look. “How about we get ourselves a real drink. There’s a bar not to far from here.” Vinyl suggested. “I’m in.” Beat said as he got to his hooves. “I suppose I could go for some wine.” Octavia added. “Alright then, follow me!” Vinyl said as she trotted off with the two ponies following close behind.