//------------------------------// // Chapter 8: The Canterlot Hangover // Story: A Scratch on the Cello // by TheOriginalThundersky //------------------------------// Vinyl woke up with a headache, looking over to the other side of the bed, she smiled weakly at the sight of Octavia with messy hair. Slowly getting up, so as not to disturb the sleeping gray pony. Vinyl had woken up with hangovers many times before and had learned to handle them quite well. She automatically headed to the bathroom to get some water on her face. Once she had finished, she started heading to the kitchen. Food always helped her get her mind together. "UGGHHH" Vinyl heard Octavia waking up. Well crap, here we go! She thought, heading to the bedroom with a cup of tea and a cold pack. "Morning Tavs" Vinyl said, laying back down on the bad and handing Octavia her tea. "Heeaaad huurttt" Octavia moaned, slowly taking the cup and letting Vinyl place the ice pack on her forehead. "Shhh, I know... Just lay back. I'll go get Lyra, she's the expert on this." Vinyl got up and quickly kissed Octavia before walking out and heading to the next room. The second she walked in, Vinyl knew that Lyra was the wrong person to ask for help. She was still leaning over the toilet, supported only by Bonbon. Bonbon was talking in a soothing voice and Lyra was just completely zoned out. "Sooo I'm guessing now's not the best time to ask for Lyra's help with Tavi?" Vinyl said knowingly. Bonbon looked up at Vinyl and raised her eyebrows. "You don't say?? I think she looks just fine!" Bonbon said sarcastically. "I think Lyra went a bit overboard when she drank almost half of the hand sanitizer product when the food desk closed" This time there was no sarcasm in her voice. "Alrighty then, I'll just get back to Octavia. See you in 2 hours" Vinyl responded. She walked out and headed back to the hotel room. Vinyl had been helping Octavia back to a normal state for the past hour now. At this point she had given up on talking with Octavia since she kept drifting in and out of dreamland. So the only reasonable thing left to do was to watch TV. She started scanning through the TV channels when she stopped dead in her tracks. It was the Canterlot News. There have been reports of a stampede at yesterday's bar "Hell's Angels". Vinyl Scratch, or as you may know her DJPON3 was performing live for the first time and the bar was so full that ponies started trying to force their way into the bar. If you do not already know, Canterlot's new favorite DJ will be returning to her hometown later today, don't miss the star on her way out of the city! Vinyl turned off the TV. "Vinyl??" Octavia's voice came through from under the covers. "Yeah Tavi?" Vinyl asked, cuddling up with the heap of covers surrounding Octavia. "Are we on the news?" "Yeah... We'll have some company on the way back to ponyville" Vinyl said, slowly slipping under the covers and cuddling with the gray pony underneath. "Ummm Vinyl?" Came Octavia's voice, sounding a bit hoarse. "Yeah?" "Your hooves are cold..." Octavia said, slowly slipping out of the covers and falling off the bed. Just as she was about to hit the floor, she was caught by a soft blue aura. Vinyl's face poked out on top of the bed. "Jeez Tavi, what's with you and falling off the beds in Canterlot?" She asked, playfully poking her. "Oh shut up Vinyl... It's your fault" Octavia responded clutching her head. "Can you make me a tea?" She asked, trying to give a puppy face, which wasn't easy since her mane was disheveled and her eyes were bloodshot. Vinyl suppressed a laugh and got out of bed, heading to the kitchen. She could hear Lyra throwing up on the other side of the thin hotel walls. Wow, they should really put a soundproofing spell on these walls Vinyl thought as she filled up a cup with water and setting it in the microwave. She could hear Octavia in the bathroom. God, I wish I could just go in there and... shower with her? Vinyl thought to herself. Go! Said the devil on Vinyl's shoulder... The angel just facepalmed, shaking his head. Vinyl decided to take the angel's silent advice and wait it out. Maybe someday... She thought. Ten minutes later, Vinyl and Octavia were sitting at the dinner table. Octavia had cleaned up and was already looking much better then when she had gotten up. "Soo, how does breakfast sound?" Vinyl asked Octavia. "Not too bad actually" Octavia responded with a little smile. "How's Lyra doing?" "Not too great" Vinyl said, her face going dark. "Last I saw her she was practically passed out on Bon" "Oh, that doesn't sound too nice. It's almost as if the sanitizer cleaned 99.9% of her sanity right off" Octavia laughed at her joke. Just then, Lyra and Bonbon walked in. Million right behind them, smiling as he almost always did. "Oh Haha, very funny Octypus" Lyra scowled walking in. "I'm almost dying of laughter" The three newcomers sat down and ordered some drinks from the nearby waiter. Million makers' smile dropped as he told everyone to come closer. Four worried ponies leaned in. "We're going to have to get you on that plane fast, we don't want another rush over you two. After breakfast, you pack your bags and we leave early, I have a private jet to pick you up." Million said. Lyra and Bonbon looked disappointed, but Vinyl quickly told them about the news from that morning. They all agreed that leaving early was the best idea, even after Million had said that they didn't really have a choice. The trip to the airport was no problem, and the boarding wasn't either. It was only once they were on the plane that Vinyl noticed Octavia. She was staring into nothingness and not talking. "Hey Octy?" Vinyl said, wrapping her hooves around the gray mare. "You alright?" "My parents don't know..." She whispered quietly. "What?" Vinyl asked confused. "They don't know I'm here, they have no TV and no internet. I have no idea what will happen when we get home." Octavia looked up at Vinyl, tears in her eyes. "Oh, yeah..." Vinyl said quietly. Knowing Octavia's parents and their way of thinking, Vinyl could only say one thing. "We have a problem."