We Need A Vacation
[/hr]
PROLOGUE: CAREERS INTERTWINE
[/hr]
Professional musicians take their time to compose their music and they make sure to go out with a bang. Canterlot and Manehattan are no exception to the glitz and glamor that come with fame, but it's not that all cracked up to be because fame comes with a price that makes you regret your decision and wish to take it all back.
We all need a break every now and again. Once honing in our skills that we have crafted over the years, reflecting on how we climbed to the top comes to mind.
[/hr]
In the early hours of the morning, Vinyl Scratch turned her attention to the sound of an alarm clock as she let out a loud groan. Octavia was busy on her last tour with the Canterlot Orchestra, before they would go on another tour next month to travel all over Equestria. As for Vinyl, she has to perform a gig tonight at a club that was just begging for someone to bring some excitement to the table, and she's the unicorn to do it.
Vinyl's horn wrapped the alarm clock in her magical aura, clicking the button to silence the annoying device. She climbed out of bed to stretch her forelegs and made a cracking sound in the process, feeling a sense of relief to get out of bed.
The DJ made her way into the bathroom, lowering her glasses down to her muzzle for a better view of the mirror. ''Octy would complain about my mane at this point if she was here,'' she addressed and levitated a brush to her mane, brushing her mane back to its original, straight state. ''Much better.'' Upon leaving the bathroom, she trotted into the kitchen for the intent of rummaging through the refrigerator for a quick breakfast.
However, Vinyl scanned the letter on the exterior of the freezer, where the letter reads:
Dear Vinyl,
I know that you are aware of my last tour with the orchestra and that we're scheduled to have another tour next month. Hopefully you didn't set the house on fire while I was gone, hope to see you when I return.
P.S. I left coffee and a croissant on the table for breakfast, do not drink any alcohol with it.
Love,
Octavia Philharmonica
''Typical Octavia, always keeping an eye on my intake of alcoholic substances.'' Vinyl scrunched her snout, giggling. Octavia's family thought that she would be a negative influence on her from the way she acts and staying out late at night to perform at night clubs, but she never gave up to leave an everlasting first impression.
Vinyl opened the refrigerator door, taking a mug of hard cider out of the refrigerator. ''Usually I would take her advice, but sometimes loosening up never hurts.'' she said, taking each swig of the cider after swallowing every drop.
After ignoring Octavia's warning on the letter, Vinyl walked out of the room and into the hallway of the apartment, closing the door behind her. Admiration and fame didn't equal money when it comes down to their living conditions, having lived in an one bedroom apartment with other occupants in their own rooms of the apartment. Octavia wanted to keep herself out of sight to avoid the paparazzi that follow her around like a pack of ravenous timberwolves. Vinyl on the other hoof didn't mind them if they don't interrupt her slumber or her drunken antics.
[/hr]
She pulled her black glasses with the purple neon-colored lenses up to her face. Many ponies walked along the sidewalk to go their destinations for the morning commute: taking the train, doing the good old fashioned way of walking, or finding others on getting to work and school on time. Vinyl stumbled around on her hooves, still feeling the effects of the alcohol getting to her along with a splitting headache. With her head throbbing, she walked through the crowd of ponies and found a bar.
The Fancy Canteen was a common hangout for Vinyl, where she would hang out after her gigs and many bartenders that work there know her as a regular who loves to have a good time. The raving DJ bursts through the double doors of the bar, bobbing her head up and down before she popped a squat on a bar stool in front of the bartender's area.
More ponies filled the bar sitting down on leather sofas and bar stools, in need to quench their thirst for liquid courage that most ponies would never let their lips touch. ''The usual, Gary.'' Vinyl told him, banging her hoof on the black bar.
''You got it, Vinyl!'' Gary exclaimed, filling the tall glass with a red liquid. He slid the glass across the black bar over to Vinyl, catching the glass with her hoof.
Vinyl chugged the liquid down in mere seconds, swinging her head back and forth at Gary. Suds came out of her mouth as she was interrupted by a hiccup, falling off her stool to land on the floor at the time that her head made full contact with the floor. ''I... I guess I can't handle my alcoholic consumption today.''
Gary stopped serving ponies for a moment to pick Vinyl off of the floor, going by the fallen unicorn's side. ''Oh my goodness, are you alright Vinyl?'' the bartender grabbed Vinyl by her hoof and lifted her slowly off the floor, helping the DJ keep up her balance.
''I'm alright, Gary.'' Vinyl confirmed before a hiccup slipped out once again, feeling more woozy than before. She carefully grabbed the black bar near the bar stools, keeping her balance up.
''Good, making sure. Are you sure that you can't perform tonight?'' Gary inquired, still concerned about Vinyl's well-being for her performance scheduled for tonight.
Vinyl nodded her head slowly, making her way out of the bar before tripping on the sidewalk. Her hooves were sprawled out on the pavement, looking around at the ponies stopping in their tracks to help her up. ''Thanks everypony, I'm going to walk home now.''
[/hr]
She reached the apartment slowly, walking up the stairs outside of the front door. Stumbling through the rotating doors, Vinyl walked to the elevator where a note was plastered on the up and down buttons of the elevator:
Dear Residents of the Regal Apartment,
The elevators are currently being fixed after a blackout earlier today, they will be fully operational tomorrow. Use the stairs as an alternative route to the room in your apartment.
Sincerely,
Landlord Leech
Just perfect, Vinyl sarcastically thought in her head, stumbling again up to the stairs of her apartment. Directly after her karma came to bite her on the flank, she slid her and Octavia's apartment door open and closed it slowly. To her surprise, Octavia returned from the final tour with the orchestra. ''Octy, what are you doing back?''
''The orchestra and I wrapped up the tour for this month tonight, what happened to you?'' Octavia placed her hoof on her cello case and locked the case.
''I got wasted twice today and my gig was canceled tonight.'' Vinyl walked to their bedroom and fell face first on the bed's soft covers.
''What kind of circumstance could have possibly caused your gig to get canceled?'' Octavia asked curiously, sitting down near her roommate.
Vinyl's words came out muffled from the covers, ''I was too intoxicated to even perform, that was my fault since I got drunk at breakfast and at the bar where my gig was supposedly to be at.''
Octavia facehoofed at her roommate committing another intoxicated act. ''You're lucky that I love you, Vinyl.'' Her cheeks turned red with a small, red blush emanating on her face.
''We need a vacation, to at least unwind for us to escape the paparazzi and the pressures of fame.'' Vinyl flipped herself over on her back and pulled Octavia's face closer to hers, ''I'll even give up my drinking problem.''
Octavia knew that this was a one time thing. The last time that Vinyl swore to stop her drinking problem, she jumped on the stage of a rock concert and kicked the lead singer off the stage then the security guards had to carry her away. Maybe this time she meant every word.
''Alright, we can both agree on a place to go on vacation.'' Octavia declared.
''I can agree with that, we should go to Manehattan.'' Vinyl suggested, grabbing a brown paper bag.
''Alright, but try not to get too drunk.'' Octavia joked around with her roommate, she grabbed the covers and slipped under the covers of the bed.
''I'll try not---'' Vinyl's speech was cut off when she barfed the contents of her last drunken episode into the paper bag, hurling the bag to the side.
''I'll take that as a yes,'' Octavia scrunched up her snout at the foul stench of the barf, ''I'm not cleaning that up.'' the cellist turned over to her side and went to sleep, along with her roommate.
The moon's glow painted the night sky as the stars twinkled in its direction, blowing the cold wind in the air waking most ponies in their homes, except two musicians who were sleeping soundly in its presence.