Vinyl sat on the park bench. A soft breeze blew through her mane. There was no way this could be happening. Birds were singing. It couldn’t be possible. The sun was setting, casting an orangish-purple tint to the clouds. Vinyl didn’t notice any of this.
She was sitting in the cafeteria at lunch earlier that day when she was approached. That in itself was an oddity; nopony ever talked to her, unless it was a teacher or to make fun of her. But who it was caught her at a loss for words: Octavia Philharmonica. Octavia was one of the most talented students in the school. Everyone said she would become lead cellist of the Canterlot Orchestra shortly after she graduated. Vinyl was nopony.
Vinyl still couldn’t believe it. She had sat down and talked to her. Not at her, to her. When the bell rang, signaling lunch was over (Vinyl hadn’t even had a chance to eat), she asked Vinyl if she wanted to catch a show with her. She said she had an extra ticket because her friend had something come up. Vinyl nodded, not really knowing what to do, and Octavia told her to meet her at the bench on the north side of the park at eight that night.
So, there Vinyl sat. She expected it to be a set-up; for Octavia to not show and laugh about it the next day. Things never went right for her. Octavia was probably laughing right now at how Vinyl thought she was actually gonna be her friend.
Vinyl looked at her watch, having lost track of time: eight thirty. I knew it. She wasn’t coming. Why did I think she actually cared? Standing up from the bench, Vinyl started to walk away, head low and her eyes filling with tears. She only got a few steps when she heard someone shout her name.
“Vinyl! Vinyl, I’m so sorry I’m late.” She turned around to the voice. “Father wouldn’t let me leave until I finished my homework, then it took me forever to find my dress.” Vinyl took the grey mare in: she had her pink bowtie on and was wearing an elegant black dress. She stood there and stared for a minute, unable to believe she was actually there.
“You look nice,” Vinyl said, still in disbelief.
“Thank you. So do you.” Vinyl was wearing a simple light blue dress with her hair combed back. “Are you ready to go?”
“Yeah. Yeah, I’m ready. Thanks for inviting me.” Vinyl walked up beside Octavia as they headed back into town.
“Well, you looked like you could use a friend.” They continued on in a companionable silence, prepared to enjoy the night, Vinyl finally having a friend to spend it with.