Manehatten was an eruption of neon colours against the impossibly dark night sky. it also fought the night with a celestial rhythm from the varying night clubs
one such club was supposed to being led by vinyl scratch aa white unicorn with an electric blue mane and tale, although you couldn't tell by the clubs interior. the room was black and filled with a small crowd of mares and stallions who produced a low mumble of questioning voices.
if you were to wonder from the dance floor to the toilets a change in noise levels would be clear the low mumble would become lower and eventually disappear whilst a sound of somepony crouched up against a bowl crying would become apparent and then more than apparent
inside a cubical within the toilets walls were a murky green the toilet was a murky white and a pony was tear striped white and blue.
inside her head were insane thoughts, scary thoughts, thoughts about Octavia and how she left, thoughts about herself and her empty future, thoughts of the end.
that last one really struck a heart string and vinyl let out a particularly loud weep, she was a mess a crying heaving shambles of a mess.
her attention was drawn to a sound at the door somepony had entered and walked over to her cubical a friend of hers, not that it made a difference vinyl was still crying and still feeling an existential terror.
"Vinyl?" said the voice, not that it could be anypony else.
Vinyl tried to talk but all that came out were deep inhales.
"Look vinyl we can go home, you don't have to deck."
"tha." she began but needed to adjust to her new situation she was no longer crying just breathing in an irregular and loud way.
"That would be good." another deep inhale.
The other mare was called Pen and she opened vinyl's door.
"Look Vinyl i know you feel like shit but you can't keep doing this."
"I, I wont deck again for..while"
pen held onto vinyls front hoof and lifted her up unto her rear legs before using the same leg to support vinyl's back.
as they headed for the back door Pen spoke up.
"It's not just the deck though, you've got to get your self into a better situation, i don't mean to be insensitive but where are you in life right now."
Vinyl dismissed that conversation with her front left hoof, and pen returned a sigh.
they were now wondering through the cold neon streets of manehatten towards Pens flat
"So you wanna watch a film or somethin' tonight?"
Vinyl looked up managed not to cry and even managed a smile before speaking "sure."
eventually they reached pen's place and vinyl was instantly reminded that pen was an artist, the room was filled with pieces of paper on the walls unfinished sketches and weird papier mache models of what looked like skinned animals.
Her film library seemed to match her artistry all her films seemed to be some combination of classic, gory, sexy, black and white, or foreign.
in the end they settled for something called something about seven seals, vinyl really felt like a creature feature... she was disappointed.
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In the morning vinyl didn't remember a lot, she remembered something pen had said where was she in life?..
The thoughts came back, she had lost the mare of her dreams, she left her friends and none of them had tried to contact her yet... maybe they didn't even notice she was gone and of course there wasn't much to look forward to.
"I need to think things through..." was that what Octavia said?
no, she was more definite... but not brutal "Goodbye"?
whatever she said she was gone and left vinyl with nothing, no job, no friends, no future.
...
what would happen if she was dead? would anypony even notice? Vinyl thought long and hard about this, about the value of an empty life.
she was pulled back into reality by a loud knock on the door and a cold wet pillow.
she was irrationally scared, but at least it was a welcome break from devastatingly melancholy.
she rolled off of her sofa, stood up, trotted along to pen's door and opened it.
a flurry of emotions, color, ponies and physical actions ended with three old friends in a group hug.
How did this happen?
"Oh my gosh vinyl i missed you, and worried up, is Octavia okay? have you talked to her? are you okay? how are you? oh and did i mention hi!"
"Ur.. I've not... she's not.. how did you get here and... wait monochrome what are you doing here? is this... to do with the band?"
Mono stepped in and spoke "do you have a kitchen let's drink and talk it through." as she spoke she lifted a six pack of bucks.
Vinyl lead them through to the kitchen before remembering that the table was covered with some kind of animatronic corpse.
"Um why don't we drink in the living room?"
Once they sat down the sound of three cans opening simulationslie graced the room and the cans were clanged together.
mono spoke loudly "a toast, to viva la wub may the wind of fortunes ever be on our back!"
Vinyl noticed the dramatic change inside her that occurred within the last ten-ish minutes, she no longer had no friends, she had her best friends or.. old best friends.
"So urm what's going on?"
"five words: equestrian, battle, of, the, bands!" Mono made an achievement signal with the her right fore hoof.
"that woul...whe..wha?.." vinyl was more than a little lost for words, she was reminded of something pen had said last night, something about a "better situation."
Mono laughed a little and responded "i know right, it was my idea, basically what we'd do is head down pinkie's have two weeks to practice and urm... look!"
What she showed vinyl was the poster specifically the part which explained the reward.
"Well!? aren't you excited because I'm excited i don't think I've ever been so excited EEEEEH!"
Mono started to roll the poster back up.
"I mean, hey it might help you get your mind off of things." she said hopefully
AN impossible smile appeared on vinyls face and it felt good she couldn't remember smiling this wide since before the break up, she laughed.
"Yeah that would be awesome, i mean i'm kinda rusty, I've not exactly been up for decking lately, but... Let's do this!"
"Another toast, to vinyl may the winds of fortune be ever on her back, here's looking at you kid!"
Vinyl began to wonder if that was Mono's only toast but soon enough the alcohol killed all thoughts of that variety.
the following day was spent drinking in pens small flat, if memory served pen joined at one point, the following evening was spent sobering up and packing inspiration materials, laptops and when there was room fresh bedding.
the following night was spent in the friendship express, it was a nice enough carriage warm carpeted and cosy lighting, as if there were a camp fire in with them.
Vinyl was the only one awake, she was still smiling and she looked out of the window, the outside world looked beautiful again, but somewhere inside, deep in the vault of her mind, the thoughts lived on.