//------------------------------//
// I Am Your Best Friend (Alternate Ending) 
// Story: Who Am I? 
// by Zeck 
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	Octavia Melody sat on her sofa and stared at the wall. Or rather, she stared at the calendar hanging on her wall. It had been two weeks since she had returned from Ponyville, and while her life felt like it was back together, tonight was going to be the real test of that feeling. Tonight she would find out if she had wasted the past month worrying over a pony who was not worth worrying about, or if a certain mare was worthy of carrying the title of ‘best friend’.
Octavia glanced again at the phone sitting on her coffee table. Still no text or call. That both comforted her and caused her to worry.
On the one hoof, Vinyl not calling meant that she had not suddenly come down with something, or had a last minute change of plans, or that an old friend was dropping in. No messages meant that Vinyl had not cancelled on her.
Of course, it could very well mean the exact opposite. 
Octavia’s mind drifted back to the night of her last big performance, and the night so many things in her life had changed.
She had arrived for the show early, like always. She prided herself on arriving well ahead of the deadline for any of her performances. It gave her plenty of time to set up, introduce herself to sponsors, and see if anything further needed to be done on her part.
That night, nothing had been required of her. The stage had been set, the wiring and lights properly adjusted, Fredric’s piano had already been placed on stage, and everypony had had a clear idea of what needed to be done. So Octavia had spent her spare time sitting in her dressing room, trying to calm her nerves. She could handle playing in front of thousands of ponies, or even in front of Canterlot elite at events like the Grand Galloping Gala. But the thought of singing in front of ponies had terrified her. She had never done any professional singing in her life. She had sung a few times at small performances or when she had practiced with her ensemble, but never something as big as that night’s show. 
Thoughts of doubt had plagued her while she had sat alone, staring at her reflection in the dressing room’s mirror. What if she hit the wrong note? What if she forgot the words? What if it was off key? What if she tripped? What if her voice was not as pleasant as Beauty Brass, Fredric, and even Harpo, had insisted it was? What if she was shunned off stage?
A loud thought had drowned all those fears out of her mind. Vinyl would never let that happen. Octavia had smiled as that thought had sprung to life in her head. 
If any pony had dared to object to Octavia’s singing, Vinyl would track that pony down and possibly throttle them. She would certainly say harsh things, and very likely end up getting thrown out of the theater. She would cause such a commotion that the show would probably be put on hold, or even postponed, and Vinyl’s outburst would be on the front page the next day, not Octavia’s failings.
Certainly, Octavia would be crossed with the D.J., but secretly she knew she would be grateful. Vinyl would make a fool of herself if it meant saving Octavia from disgrace. She was that type of pony, and one of the reasons Octavia valued her so much.
Octavia had felt lighter after that thought, the weight of her doubts lifting from her shoulders. She had left the dressing room at that point and gone backstage. So many ponies had been shuffling and hurrying about, getting things set for the big moment. Octavia had peered around the curtain to look into the audience and had nearly fainted. 
The place had already started filling up. The filled seats had already outnumbered the open ones, and the open ones were quickly filling up as well. As Octavia had stared, baffled, as the last empty seats visible from the stage had been claimed, the doubts had swelled up again in her mind. Her breathing had become quicker and the bow tie around her neck had started to itch. Her amethyst eyes had scanned the crowd, until they had fallen on a calming sight.
A single chair in the front row had remained empty, with a piece of parchment sitting on it. Octavia had not been able to read the note from the stage, but she had known what it said: Reserved for Miss V. Scratch, by Miss O. Melody.  
Octavia had stared at the empty seat for several seconds as her nerves calmed down. Vinyl would be sitting up front, and if anything went wrong, all Octavia would have to do would be to look at her friend to know that everything would be fine.
The minutes had ticked by, and what was relief at the sight of an empty chair had slowly turned into worry. True, Vinyl was often running late for just about anything, but Octavia had made it very clear that the D.J. had had to be on time for the concert, or she would not be allowed in.
Finally, with only five minutes before curtain and still no sign of her blue mane friend, Octavia had found a quiet little corner backstage and dialed Vinyl’s number.
She had spent the rest of the night staring at an empty seat in the first row, hating herself for believing in Vinyl, and hating herself even more for realizing that, even after being stood up again, she would still forgive the mare.
No, she had decided right then. Missing her big singing performance, even after Octavia had stressed how important it was that Vinyl be there, had been the last straw. Something had broken in Octavia that night. She had heard it snap in her mind, felt it break in her chest, and had tasted it swelling in her throat. She had decided, as she had poured her pain and anguish into a song that had not originally been about Vinyl, that she and Vinyl were done. There would be no more forgiveness, no more second chances, no more softening of her heart.
When Vinyl had called after Octavia’s concert, Octavia had felt a sense of relief, even a sense of joy, when she had hit the ignore button.
Of course, Octavia had quickly realized something during the following weeks. When something broke, it needed to be fixed. It could not stay broken, or it would only grow worse. The damage would spread, until the decay ate away at everything, but even though she had realized that, she still had not been able to confront it. Because she had not been certain that she could fix it, at least not to the point where she would no longer have to worry about more.
As Octavia thought back on the past month, she was filled with conflicting emotions. The sadness ate at her, but it was still kept at bay by the embers of her anger, and both of those emotions bothered her. She and Vinyl had made up, due in no small part to their friends, but the feelings still lingered. 
Tonight, they will be put to rest. One way, or another. 
Octavia shook her head to clear it. It was not healthy to dwell on such negative thoughts and emotions. What would happen would happen. Either Vinyl would keep her promise, or Octavia would cut the pony out of her life completely and be done with her—no matter how much it hurt. 
Octavia looked at the clock. She needed to start getting ready. She and her ensemble had a performance tonight in upper Manehattan. The show had sold out within twenty-four hours, largely due to the fact that it was common knowledge that Equestria’s newest singing sensation would be playing. Octavia had had to pull several strings just to reserve a ticket for Vinyl. 
The cellist stood up from her sofa and walked into her bathroom. She needed to take a shower first. She stepped into the shower and sighed as the warm water flowed across and down her body. She hung her head so that the water beat down on the back of her neck and soaked her mane so that the black hair fell around her face. She reached out for her shampoo, knowing exactly where it was without having to look, and applied it to her mane and coat. She ran her hooves through her mane, scrubbing her scalp and feeling several of her worries dissolve with the soap. 
She lifted her face and allowed the warm water to splash against her muzzle and wash the suds away. She stayed in the shower for another five minutes, just letting the water soak into her muscles and relax her, before she turned it off and stepped out. She breathed deeply, inhaling the steam and enjoying the sudden temperature change. It felt brisk and did wonders for keeping her mind sharp. She grabbed a towel and dried herself, frizzing her mane and smiling to herself when she saw her reflection. If Vinyl could see her now, the D.J. would probably tell her to keep her mane that way. 
Knowing that she could never bring herself to willingly appear in public as such, Octavia straightened her mane and fixed it into her favorite style. She then brushed her coat, smoothing it out and combing it until it sparkled with the last drops of water that clung to it. After that she brushed her teeth and left the bathroom, feeling refreshed and ready to face her coming performance.
As she walked down the hall to her bedroom, she shot a look at her clock. She would need to leave in thirty-three minutes if she planned to make it to the concert hall an hour ahead of time like she always did. She made a mental note of that, then walked into her bedroom’s closet. 
Octavia did not own many clothes, despite frequently going to Canterlot. An elegant, if simple, black coat was the first thing that greeted her eyes. She only wore that when it was unbearably cold outside and snow covered the streets. It was chilly, but not enough to justify the coat. 
Next were her everyday clothes, if a pony who rarely wore clothes could have everyday clothes. Her saddlebags, a fashion saddle, socks, some dress shirts, a few skirts and dresses, and two jackets. Nothing terribly impressive, and certainly nothing fancy enough to wear to her concert.
She also noticed that Vinyl’s hat was hanging on the door hook, just where Octavia had left it when she had gone to Ponyville. 
Next was the dress she had worn at Rarity’s fashion show. The unicorn had been kind enough to give Octavia the article of clothing for free. She was not sure when she would ever wear it, as she was often at important events as part of the entertainment and not as a guest, but she had to admit that the thought of owning something so fashionable—and sexy, as Vinyl had pointed out—was thrilling. Perhaps she should wear it tonight? She was, after all, going to be the star of the show.
Octavia thought about that for a moment, then decided against it. She wanted her music and her singing to be the star, not her physical being.  She settled on her normal look: no clothes and her favorite bow tie around her neck. After she put it on, she checked herself in the closet mirror to make sure she had it perfectly straight, then left her bedroom.
She checked the clock again. She had twenty-one minutes before she needed to leave.
As she reentered her living room, she looked around for her cello. It was in its proper place right next to the door, ready to go. It had been considerably lighter since she had returned from Ponyville, and Octavia was glad for that. It meant that she would not need to see a physician about her weakening body. She was also starting to wonder if the entire thing had been in her head.
Octavia started to walk toward her kitchen, looking for something light to eat before she left, when she noticed the blinking light on her phone. She immediately dashed over to the cellular device, perhaps a bit quicker than she meant to, and turned it on. 
Five new texts in just the past ten minutes. Octavia’s eyes widened and she began to feel a little bit of doubt creep into her. Still, she opened the messages and braced herself.
“You there? I need to talk to you.”
“Hey, Octy, where are you?” 
“Respond already, filly”.
“Look, I’m running a bit late”
“Why won’t you holler back? Please tell me you haven’t left yet. You’re going to be so mad with me.”
Octavia felt her blood turn cold. The only reason she could think of as to why she would be cross with Vinyl would be if the D.J. had backed out at the last second. And all those texts certainly made it seem like she was trying to. Well, fine. If Vinyl did not value their friendship enough to make an effort, then she would not either.
Still, Octavia found that thought a little disheartening. After all she and Vinyl had gone through over the past month, after all Vinyl had said she had gone through, to realize that the unicorn had not truly learned anything from all of that was…it was unbelievable, even by Vinyl’s standards. Could she really fall right back into her old ways so quickly, after she had told Octavia how much of a wreck she had been? 
Another thought crossed Octavia’s mind, this one much darker than before.
What if that was the point? What if she played up all those feelings? What if those tears were for my benefit, because she knew I would never be able to turn her away after seeing her like that? 
Octavia’s blood boiled at the thought. How dare Vinyl think she could manipulate her like that! Using their bond as a form of emotional blackmail, believing that all she had to do was break down and cry again and Octavia would forgive her.
“If that is the case, Vinyl Scratch…” Octavia hissed to herself. She was not sure what she would do, but violence seemed like a very real possibility at the moment. At the very least, Vinyl would never be allowed anywhere near Octavia’s presence ever again. 
Furious to the point of shaking, Octavia set her phone back down on the coffee table—a little too hard—and tried to find something else to occupy her mind.  She dug through her refrigerator, but nothing seemed appetizing anymore.  Her bow tie was starting to scratch at her neck and she viciously tore it off and tossed it on the table. A few loose strands from her mane fell down and tickled the front of her face and she quickly brushed them aside, ruining her look. Her grey fur felt too hot and clung to her skin as sweat ran down her body.
How could Vinyl do this to her?
A sweet melody from the living room saved Octavia from going down her dark path. She walked back and found her phone ringing. She looked at the number and noted that it was Vinyl.
“She is likely calling in an attempt to apologize,” Octavia said to herself. She was not certain she wanted to talk to the D.J., but she felt that if she did not air her feelings right then, she would be unable to perform. 
She picked up the phone and answered the call.
“Yo, Octy, there…there you…are,” came Vinyl’s voice through the speaker. “I’ve been trying to—”
“Vinyl, if you are calling to—” Octavia suddenly realized that Vinyl was panting. “Is everything all right?”
“Huh? Oh…yeah. Everything’s…everything’s cool.”
Octavia focused for a minute, trying to hear other sounds besides Vinyl’s heavy breathing. “Are you…running?”
“Uh…yeah. I’m…I’m in a…a bit of a…hurry,” Vinyl said between gasps. 
“Oh really?” Octavia said, her eyes narrowing slightly. “And the reason for your haste?”
“I…I can’t…I can’t tell…you. Argh! This is so hard to run in!”
“I knew it!” Octavia said with a raised voice. “Vinyl, if this is you trying to get out of coming tonight, Celestia help me I will—”
“What? No. I’m…I’m coming, I—”
“I do not want to hear it!” Octavia shouted. “I cannot believe you! What did you do? Tick off some stallions and now they are casing you through Manehattan?”
“No, I’m—”
“If you are running from the authorities, I—”
“Octy, I’m…I’m not…running from any…anypony. I swear!”
“So you are going to be late to my show again? Vinyl how could you—”
“Hey, listen,” Vinyl’s breathing slowed down slightly and the sound of hooves pounding the ground vanished. “I’ve…I’ve got to go. I…I promise I’ll…be there…tonight.”
“Vinyl Scratch, do not dare hang up—” there was a beep and the phone ended “—on me.”  Octavia glared at her phone. Vinyl was just making excuses now. The D.J. fully intended to miss her performance again. Well that was just—
There was a banging on Octavia’s door that was so loud that she jumped and dropped her phone. Who in Equestria could that be? 
Octavia walked to her door and threw it open, feeling sorry for whoever was on the other side at the moment. She needed to vent to somepony, and this pony was going to listen to her, whether they wanted to or not.
“How may I…” Octavia stopped and just stared at the pony at her door. 
“Hey…Tavi. You…you look…a little…surprised.”
At the sound of her nickname—the one she had told Vinyl to never ever use unless the two of them were alone and goofing off in ways that Octavia would die of embarrassment from—the cellist suddenly became very aware of her appearance. Her mane was a mess from her pacing, her bow tie was laying somewhere in her house, her coat was no longer shiny but covered in sweat from her anger, and her eyes were wide with utter shock.
In short, she looked exactly like she normally did whenever Vinyl called her that, only instead of feeling exhilarated, she felt ashamed.
“What…what are you doing here?” Octavia asked, trying to recover. 
“I…I told you I’d be there tonight. I was afraid you…you had already…left and that…I had missed you. So…I had to hurry. And…Hey, can I have a glass of water?”
“Certainly.” Octavia opened the door all the way to let Vinyl in and the unicorn trudged into her living room. Octavia fetched a glass of water and brought it to her friend. The D.J. drank it in one swing. 
“Oh boy, thanks,” Vinyl said as she wiped her muzzle. “I ran all the way here. You have no idea how hard it is to run in a dress like this. Anyway, since I didn’t want to risk you thinking I’d flaked on you—not after last time, believe me—I decided I’d be your, well, date to your gig. You’re okay with that, right? Well, not date-date, but more like an escort? Uh, no, definitely not that. Wingpony? Except we’re not pegasi. Company? Does company work? I mean, the star shouldn’t be showing up to her big show solo, right?” 
Octavia nodded, still trying to grasp what she was looking at. Vinyl was wearing the dress she had worn at Rarity’s fashion show. It was a little wrinkled and scuffed in a few places, likely from her running, and it did not seem to be sitting as elegantly on her as it should be, but she was wearing it. That was the part that was baffling Octavia. Vinyl hated dressing up, especially in what she called ‘marey-mare’ outfits. 
“Why in the name of Celestia are you wearing that dress?” Octavia asked, no longer able to keep her mind silent.
“Well, you said tonight was important, and I thought I should look the part,” Vinyl said with a sheepish smile. “I…uh, couldn’t get my hair right. I was hoping you could help me with it.” Sure enough, the D.J.’s electric blue mane was its typical spiky mess. Octavia could see evidence of where Vinyl had tried to style it into something fashionable, but the attempts had been fruitless.
“You look fine,” Octavia said with a guilty smile. How could she have ever doubted her friend? Her best friend? She felt horrible for doing so. Vinyl had promised she would change, and instead of believing her, Octavia had doubted her the very moment the first opportunity had come up. She was not certain if she deserved to be called Vinyl’s best friend if this was how she thought of her.
“Good, because I think you need to fix your own look instead.” 
Octavia felt her stomach fall out. Vinyl was right! She quickly looked at the clock—she had three minutes—and realized there was not enough time to even take another shower, let alone get her appearance back up to standards. She could not go to her performance like this! She would be a laughing stalk! The papers would tear her down. She would bring shame to her ensemble. Her friends would never speak to her again if—
“Hey, Octy, calm down,” Vinyl said, cutting through her panic. Vinyl had always seemed to be able to tell when Octavia was having one of her nervous breakdowns, and right then it was a talent Octavia was glad the unicorn possessed. “You look fine. Here, let me help you a bit.” The unicorn’s horn glowed a soft blue and Octavia felt something tie around her neck. She looked down and saw her bow tie back in its rightful place, if a little crooked. “There. Now no pony will notice.”
“Yes they will,” Octavia said, flattered that her friend was trying to make her feel better, but knowing full well that she still looked like a right mess.
“Ugh. Fine. Then go put something on if you’re that worried. Wow the crowd and whatnot.”
Octavia’s eyes lit up. Sometimes, Vinyl knew just want to say. She dashed back into her room and opened her closet. The white dress with blue sapphires was still hanging there in perfect condition. She immediately slipped it on and sighed when she felt it fall around her body. Why had she decided not to wear the dress originally again? Her worries about her appearance disappeared the moment the fabric touched her coat. No pony would notice her scruffy appearance now, of that she was certain.
Octavia was about to close her closet when her eyes fell on another piece of clothing. She stared at it for a long moment, and then smiled to herself and pulled it off its hook. She walked back into the living room, her heart light and her mood finally relaxed for the first time that evening. 
“Damn, filly, you and I are going to rock this show tonight,” Vinyl said when Octavia came back out. The unicorn looked her over once and winked. “We’re going to be beating the stallions back with sticks. Or, well, you will be, anyway.”
“There will be no ‘rocking’ at my performance, Vinyl,” Octavia said, though she could not help but smile. “Although I am certain you will need your own stick. Just please try to behave yourself until after the performance at least.”
“I’ll try, but I’m sitting in the way back. It might be hard to not make a scene if I have to squeeze closer to see you.”
“Wait, what?” Octavia asked, confused.
“Yeah, sorry about this,” Vinyl said, looking down at the floor. She pulled out a ticket and made it float in front of her. “All the good seats were long sold out. This was the best I could do, and I still had to pay a scalper’s price for it. But hey, at least I’ll be there!”
Octavia’s heart melted. She would need to pay Vinyl back for her ticket of course, but the amount she was receiving for tonight’s performance was nothing to laugh at, so she would be able to do so. Still, the fact that the mare had been so determined to get a ticket to a sold out show meant a lot to the cellist, and it was something she would not soon forget.
“You are very sweet, Vinyl, but I have your ticket.”
“What?! Do you have any idea what I had to do to get this ticket?”
“You will be sitting up front.” Octavia smiled as the D.J.’s mouth fell open. “And before you even think of it, no, you cannot sell the ticket. It is reserved for you alone.”
“Nuts,” Vinyl said with a grin. “I mean, I wouldn’t dream of it. Thanks, Octy.”
“You are welcome, Vinyl,” Octavia said. “And…I apologize for yelling at you over the phone. I thought that—”
The unicorn held up a hoof and shook her head. “No problem. I would have thought I was bailing too if I was talking to me. Does that make sense? It made sense in my head.”
“Thank you, Vinyl,” Octavia said softly. 
“You bet!” The unicorn closed her eyes and grinned. “Uh…for what?”
Octavia giggled. “For being my friend. Now come along, we must be going. I do not wish to be late.” Octavia collected her cello and looked at the clock. She was ten minutes behind schedule, but she found that it did not bother her in the slightest. She walked out the door and into the cool night air. As she did, she pulled out the other piece of clothing she had collected from her closet and placed it on her head. The warmth it brought, both from the actual item and the memories attached to it, far outweighed the fact that her mane would be even messier when she arrived for her performance…and the fact that it was, at the end of the day, a bit of a fashion disaster.
“Oh wow, that’s an awesome hat,” Vinyl said. “Where’d you get it?”
“Why, my best friend made it for me. It is a bit like her, actually. Wild, unorganized, and sometimes a bit of an embarrassment—”
“Hey!”
“But, it is one of a kind and one of my most valued treasures.”
Vinyl walked up beside her, a smile spreading so far across her face that Octavia found it infectious.
“Must be a lucky pony then, for being so disorganized and crazy yet still able to be called your best friend.”
“I like to think so, and she seems to realize how important that is now too. I like to think I am her best friend too.”
“I’d bet my entire sound system and all my records that you are.”
The two friends walked down the street toward the theater where Octavia would be performing. Normally, Octavia would have been frantic because she had left her home ten minutes late, meaning that she would arrive with only fifty minutes before curtain instead of her usual hour, but she did not care tonight. Instead, she found herself enjoying the company of her friend while the two of them walked together and talked about everything and nothing at the same time. She would still have plenty of time to prepare for her show, and with her best friend sitting right up front, she knew that there were a lot less things she would need to worry about.