“You know what’s the worst part about this?” asked Octavia. “I deserve it.”
“Oh shut up!” yelled an annoyed Vinyl. “Nopony wants to hear your ranting.”
“No, this is what I get for involving myself with a bad crowd.” continued the Earth Pony.
“Bad crowd? The bad crowd are those snobbish Canterlot Ponies you want to be so much!” argued the deejay. “They do nothing but talk down to others.”
“Well excuse me for wanting to have a little bit of class in my life! Just because I’m not wild like you doesn’t make me a snob!” fired back Octavia.
“No, what makes you a snob is that nothing is ever good enough for you! Remember when I replaced your old cello with a new one? You didn’t even appreciate that!” yelled Vinyl.
Octavia rolled her eyes, “First of all, that cello was not old. It was an antique that was passed down for generations, a priceless artifact to my family! Second, the “cello” you got me was a bass! Besides, it was in a horrible condition.
“It’s the thought that counts!” replied Vinyl, refusing to accept fault.
“Hey guys...” interrupted Spike. “...I know you’re angry with each other, but maybe we should focus on GETTING THE BUCK OUT OF HERE!?”
The three had awoken to a cramped room with the only source of light being a small bulb hanging from the ceiling. There were no windows, only a large locked metal door. No one had any idea where they were. Hope seemed futile and tensions were high.
Spike continued to pace around the cell. The dragon although usually easygoing, couldn’t help but feel stressed. He tried to stay sane, but the two mares who had been arguing since they woke up were not helping his concentration.
“I swear Vinyl, I knew one day your reckless lifestyle would get me killed!” yelled Octavia. She sat opposite of the cell, hooves crossed in anger.
Vinyl rolled her eyes, “Whatever! At least I knew how to have fun!” she argued.
“Please! Playing that silly music of yours is anything BUT fun. A trained monkey could do it!” she yelled.
“Oh, but playing that music from one thousand years ago is?” asked Vinyl “Not even the dead enjoy it!”
“Guys please stop arguing.” pleaded the dragon. “We have to find a way to get help.”
The two mares said nothing, but stared each other down in anger. Spike slumped against the metal door, “There has to be a way out...” he said unsurely.
Vinyl walked over to him, and pulled him in for a hug. “You’ve done all you can Spike, we just have to hope for the best.”
“Hope? We don’t need hope, we need results!” yelled Octavia. Spike pulled away from Vinyl, studying the classy mare. These two dated? he thought to himself, they’re so...different.
Vinyl’s scowl returned, “At least he’s doing something!” she yelled. “You’re just sitting there complaining!”
“What do you want me to do then Vinyl? You’re the unicorn, teleport us!” said Octavia.
“You already know I can’t do teleportation!” fired back Vinyl. “Why even bring it up?”
Octavia ignored the question and instead brought her attention to Spike, the dragon felt uneasy under her disapproving eyes.
“And what about you? Can’t you melt the door with your fire breath or something?” she asked.
Spike avoided her gaze, “Well...I’m still a young dragon. I haven’t really practiced breathing fire.”
Octavia sighed, “Good job Vinyl, you bring the only dragon who can’t breathe fire! What a catch.” she said sarcastically.
“Buck off!” answered Vinyl angrily. She turned her back towards Octavia and pouted like a foal.
Spike sighed, “Guys, we have to work together if we’re going to get out of here.” he said. The two mares ignored him and started to stare each other down in anger. It’s like talking to a wall! he thought. He stood up with his arms up in defeat.
“Forget it! I guess we’ll just die in here!” he shouted, at his wit’s end.
Octavia rolled her eyes, “No need to be a filly about it.” she said rudely. Spike flagged her, not appreciating her unflattering comparison.
“I’m the filly? You just argued for two hours straight but I’m the filly!?” he asked angrily.
Octavia scowled, “Don’t talk to me like that!” she yelled.
Vinyl took off her goggles, again revealing her eyes. “He can you talk to you any way he wants to!” she yelled.
“SHUT UP!” yelled Spike, a small flame shooting out his nose. Both mares went silent at his outburst. The drake’s breathing was heavy and his fists were balled in anger.
“Are we really going to just argue until whoever took us comes? If you two hate each other, that's fine. But don't let some feud get in the way of survival!" he yelled.
Vinyl stuck her nose in the air, “We don’t hate each other...” she said, not facing Spike.
Calming down, the dragon face palmed. “Okay, you don’t hate each other, that still doesn’t solve the problem at hand.” he said.
The three sat in silence, contemplating their next move.
___________________________________________________________________________
Vinyl rushed through the front doors happily. After much planning and months of saving, she finally had a home. It was her and the mare of her dreams, together forever.
Octavia was at first skeptical, knowing Vinyl, she thought the deejay would get money from a loan shark to pay for the house. She was relieved to see that Vinyl took this seriously, seeing how she was a ‘go with the flow’ kind of mare.
The house had more space than they needed. A simple one bedroom would have done them fine. But Vinyl didn’t settle for just enough, she was always hungry. She always wanted more, and didn’t stop until she had the very best.
With Octavia’s recitals and Vinyl’s deejay gigs, they had a solid income. Being the responsible one, the cellist saved her extra cash for a rainy day. Vinyl’s money went straight to her Rock & Roll life.
Many would think that having a dignified marefriend like Octavia would calm the deejay down, many were wrong. Octavia instead acted as the spark that ignited an even more extreme Vinyl.
Once in a blue moon, Octavia would let Vinyl drag her to one of her gigs. Even then, the she never enjoyed it. She wasn't much of a drinker and the loud music hurt her ears. Not forgetting the bright flashing lights that almost sent her into a seizure.
For a while, Octavia hid her discomfort with Vinyl's partying. She hated Vinyl stumbling home 3 in the morning, drunk and irritable from partying all night. She hated having to worry about somepony taking advantage of Vinyl in her drunken state. But most of all, she hated the fact that Vinyl saw nothing wrong with her lifestyle.
Trying to convince Vinyl to calm down was pointless. Partying was in fact her special talent, despite it being a destructive one. Telling Vinyl to go against her cutie mark was like telling a Pegasus not to fly.
One particular night broke Octavia's patience.
It was a Friday night in Equestria. The Summer was always a busy time for deejays and Vinyl was no exception, she was working double shifts and running on pure adrenaline. Octavia had begged Vinyl not to go out that night, but the unicorn persisted.
Octavia had just slipped in bed after a particularly tiring day of rehearsal with the Equestria Sympathy Orchestra. It was just after midnight and she closed her eyes to drift off to Dreamland.
RING, RING
She opened her eyes and glanced towards the phone at her bed stand. With a grumble, she lifted herself up and put the phone to her ear.
"Hello?" she said, obviously irritated.
"Yes, are you Octavia?" said an unfamiliar Colt's voice.
Octavia hesitated before answering, "Er, yes. Can I ask who's calling?".
"This is Shield Lancer with the Ponyville Guard, do you know a Ms....Vinyl Scratch?” he asked.
Octavia’s heart skipped a beat, “Yes! Is she okay!?” she asked panicky.
“Ms. Scratch was arrested for Public Drunkenness just after Midnight, this was her emergency contact number.”
“Public Drunkenness!? Is she alright?” asked Octavia.
“Quite ma’am, she’s resting in her cell.” said Lancer.
Octavia breathed a sigh of relief, “Thank Celestia.” she said.
“Can I ask your relation to Ms. Scratch, Octavia?” asked the guardsman.
“Oh...yes. I’m Vinyl's partner.” she answered. There was some shuffling on the other end.
“Okay, and are you aware that this is Vinyl’s fourth arrest this month?” asked the colt.
Octavia bit her bottom lip, “Yes.” she lied.
“Well, that kind of track record can be dangerous. Had this been a more serious crime, she could’ve served some time.” he said.
“Yes, I’m sure Vinyl knows the consequences of her actions.” Octavia lied again. “I’ll do everything in my power to make sure this never happens again.”
“I would hope so. But now we should focus on Vinyl’s bail.” said Lancer.
“B-Bail?” asked Octavia.
“Yes, currently the bail is set for 18,000 bits.”
“18,000 BITS!?” she yelled, making sure she heard correctly. “How much time do I have to pay?” she asked.
“Well...that’s just the problem.” answered Lancer. “You see, we aren’t allowed to keep prisoners in the holding cell over the weekends. You have until sunrise to pick up Ms. Scratch or she’ll be sent over to the county jail.”
Octavia sighed, “I...I understand....” she said, her voices laced with annoyance. “I’ll be there shortly.”
She calmly hung up the phone up.
______________________________________________________________________________
By the time Octavia had reached the Guard Station, she realized sleep wasn’t going to be an option. The station was 8 miles away and mostly uphill. As if to make sure Octavia would be miserable, the Weather Patrol had scheduled an early rainstorm, that the cellist was sure would turn into a tropical storm on her way back.
Equipped with only a saddlebag filled to the brim with bits, the Earth Pony finally reached the station tired from her unappreciated walk.
As she walked in, she was greeted by an obviously bored receptionist.
“Umm...can I help you Ms.?” asked the cherry red Pegasus.
Octavia tried to catch her breath before answering, “Yes..*huff*...I’m picking up someone.”
The Pegasus unfolded her arms, “Name?”
Octavia took a step forward, “Vinyl Scratch.” she answered.
The receptionist's hand traced the lines of the log, “Let’s see...Ah, Vinyl Scratch. Arrested for Public Drunkenness, Cell No.8.” She cleared her throat as she closed the book, “Her bail is set for 18,000 bits.” she said pushing a tray towards Octavia.
Octavia emptied her saddlebag into the tray, cringing at every CLINK.
The Pegasus quickly counted the small fortune, “Okay, looks like everything is here.” she said with a smile. “Just sign some papers and she’ll be all yours.”
“Thanks...” Octavia grumbled through clenched teeth. She signed the papers and took a seat on a nearby waiting area bench.
After a while a young colt made his way towards her, “Right this way Ma’am.” he said escorting her through a small passageway and down a dim hallway.
The two passed small cells, most empty, some housing shady looking characters. The colt abruptly stopped, “CELL No. 8, OPEN!” he yelled. The cell door slowly creaked open revealing a very pathetic looking VInyl.
The unconscious unicorn was propped against the other end of the cell, snoring extremely obnoxiously. Her electric blue mane was disheveled, making it look like an angry bright blue porcupine. Even from Octavia’s far distance, the reeking smell of alcohol infected her nostrils like a plague.
The guard stepped into the cell, “Ms Scratch?” he said in a singsong tone. “It’s time to gooo!”
Vinyl shuttered before raising her head and yawning, she turned towards the interruption of her sleep. “Tavi!” she said in a drunken slur. “Whaddya do’in here?”
Octavia rolled her eyes, “Come on Vinyl, let’s go home.”
______________________________________________________________________________
As a soaked Octavia walked through the front door of her home, it took every ounce of her strength to not pass out on the spot. On their way back, the rain had only increased like she had predicted. To make matters worse, Vinyl kept stumbling and forced Octavia to carry her on the Earth Pony’s back for the last 2 miles.
Vinyl stumbled into the home, falling onto the couch face down. “Uhh, I think I had to much to drink tonite.”
The understatement was enough to set Octavia off.
“OH, you think you had too many drinks?” she asked sarcastically. “How did you possibly get to that conclusion?”
“Cut me some slack, I’ll be paying for it tomorrow with the mean hangover.” she grumbled.
“Cut you some slack? Vinyl you were arrested!” Octavia argued. “It cost me 18,000 bits just to bail you out!”
Vinyl sat up on the couch and removed her goggles. Her normally beautiful eyes were bloodshot and dry. “I make more than 18,00 bits a night, I’ll pay ya back.”
“That’s not the point!” yelled Octavia, moving closer to her estranged marefriend. “You’re an...ALCOHOLIC!” the words felt like acid on her tongue.
Vinyl rolled her eyes, “Babe I-”
“No! Don’t ‘babe’ me! You have a problem Vinyl, the sooner you realize that, the sooner I can help you overcome it.”
“I don’t have a problem! Neon dared me to drink some rival deejay under the table, and I obliged.” reasoned the unicorn.
“Why am I not surprised Neon had something to do with this?” asked Octavia. “I don’t like you spending time with one of your Ex’s.”
“Don’t tell me you're jealous?” asked Vinyl. “Me and Neon stopped dating years ago.”
“I’m not jealous!” lied Octavia. “But it is obvious he’s a bad influence on you.”
“I can take care of my self Octavia, I don’t need any role models.” argued Vinyl, she made her way towards the kitchen but was blocked by Octavia.
“The four arrests this month say otherwise! Why didn’t you tell me?” she asked, blocking the tears trying to escape.
“Because I knew you’d freak out like you are now!” yelled the deejay.
“When are you gonna start taking responsibility for your actions?” asked Octavia becoming flustered. “What if the Orchestra finds out about this? I may be looked at as uncouth!”
“Oh! So this is what it’s really about, you’re ashamed of me!” responded Vinyl.
Octavia gave her a look of distress, obviously hurt from her accusations. “How could you say that? I’ve never been ashamed of you!” she yelled, ignoring the lone tear falling down her cheek.
“You want to change me into some little preppy snob like you!” Vinyl yelled, immediately regretting it.
Octavia held her hoof to her mouth in shock, tears freely flowing down her face.
Vinyl tried to give her a comforting hoof but was cast aside. “Octavia, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean t-”
“No Vinyl.” interrupted Octavia. “You made it clear your true feelings. I was wrong to try and change you, continue partying, see if I clear.” she looked the deejay in the eyes. “But I can’t watch you kill yourself like this, so do it alone.”
Without waiting for a response, Octavia rushed past Vinyl and up the stairs.
_____________________________________________________________________________
Spike never felt as helpless as he did now. Being friends with some of the most powerful mares in Equestria would make anyone feel useless, but even then, Spike made an effort to help.
However as time passed and tension grew, Spike felt a deepening level of failure. His date had turned into a disaster on multiple levels.
“I’m hungry...” complained Vinyl, growing more and more impatient.
“We’re all hungry, stop bellyaching.” answered an annoyed Octavia.
“Who do ya think ponynapped us?” asked Spike, breaking his silence.
“I’m not sure, do any of you have any enemies?” asked the cellist.
“Well...it could be Gilda, but that’s unlikely.” thought Spike aloud. “Then there’s the Flim Flam Brothers, they probably want revenge from this bar fight we were in. Hmm...the Changeling Queen could be invading, or maybe Discord got loose again!”
“So pretty much anypony then?” asked the frustrated Earth Pony. Spike gave her a sheepish grin. Octavia sighed, “What about you Vinyl?”
“Huh?” asked the distracted unicorn. “Yeah, I owe tons of ponies money.” she said certainly.
Octavia face hoofed at her cell mates’ possible adversaries.
Vinyl suddenly turned her attention on Spike, “Have you really fought against all those ponies?” she asked.
Spike blushed at the unnecessary flattery, “Well, my friends did most of the fighting. But...I did help save the Crystal Empire by myself!”
“You’d think a hero like yourself would never be single.” interrupted Octavia.
Spike didn’t know rather to take the statement as an insult or compliment, so he just went with the latter.
“Well, for a long time I’ve been interested in one mare...” he began, memories of his childhood haunting him. “...but it wasn’t meant to be.” he quickly added.
“Was that the one you were talking about before?” asked Vinyl. “I think her name was....Ranmady?”
“Rarity.” Spike corrected. “And yes, she’s the one.”
“What happened?” asked Octavia.
“The poor guy never got to tell her how he felt. She’s married to some Saddle Arabian Prince.” answered Vinyl.
“No.”
“Huh?” asked Octavia.
“No...that was a lie.” revealed Spike.
“What do you mean?” asked Vinyl.
“...I did tell her.”
______________________________________________________________________________
‘TELL HER, THIS COULD BE YOUR LAST CHANCE!’ it said.
“I...you can’t leave.” he said.
Rarity walked towards him, “What do you mean?” she asked.
Spike clenched his fist, he couldn’t just let her go. “Well, I’m gonna miss you.”he said.
Rarity’s bottom lip stuck out, in an almost mocking way. “Don’t worry, you’ll always be my
Spikey Wikey.” she said.
Spike died a little inside, he hated that name. It was a pet name, a name somepony would use when talking down to someone. Was that what he was to Rarity? A pet? The annoying little brother of one of her friends?
“Is that all?” he asked. Rarity looked at him in surprise.
“I don’t understand.” said Rarity.
Spike looked back up, “Am I nothing more to you than you ‘Spikey Wikey’?” he asked.
Rarity paused, “No, you’re not. You’re one of the best friends I’ve ever had.”
‘...best friends I’ve ever had’ Spike was Rarity’s friend, and nothing more.
“Okay,” said Spike holding back tears. “I just wanted to make sure.”
Rarity’s smile came back, “That’s good! Now, there are just a couple of more things to pack.”
“.....”
“If we hurry now, we’ll even have some time to grab a bite to eat.”
“.......”
“Where would you like to go Spike?”
“......”
“Spike?”
“...why?”
“Excuse me?”
“WHY HAVE YOU TORTURED ME FOR THE LAST 5 YEARS!?” yelled Spike.
Rarity turned to face the drake, “Spike, what are you talking about?” she asked.
“Rarity...I love you. I always have loved you. My love for you was so strong, that I focused every second of my free time in your Boutique, just so I could spend time with you. It was your love that turned me back to normal, when I was on a greed fueled rampage around the city. I would sacrifice my well being just to see you smile. I’d pay any fortune just to hear you laugh. And I would walk into the hells of Tartarus if it meant making you happy. It would make me the happiest dragon to ever live if we were together. So I’m begging you, don’t go to Saddle Arabia. Please...don’t leave me alone.”
The room’s silence was deafening. Spike’s confession had unleashed tons of emotional frustration.
Rarity’s face was unreadable. For the first time, Spike saw her completely emotionless. Soon however, Rarity’s look changed. She instead took on a predatory look. A look a manticore gave its prey right before his teeth pierced its neck.
“You must be joking.”