I couldn't believe it, why would my friend try to kill me?
She began to talk and I tried to tune her out. But that familiar voice seemed so comforting, "oh don't worry Vinyl, this won't hurt a bit. It's just somepony placed a hit on you, and Octavia had just been bait to bring you out. I'm kind of glad that I won't need to kill her."
"But, you're my friend," I stuttered out like an idiot.
"Ya, I was your friend, I got to know you because I needed to. Besides, it led to some great sex, huh?" My former friend asked.
I nodded my head slightly and felt the knife's edge cut slightly into my throat. "But who'd place a hit on me..."
"Probably some drug dealer or pimp or something." she responded uncaringly. My mind was racing with possibilities, until I remembered that job I had in order to pay for that last semester.
"You know I hate to do this, just remember this, it's just business," Bonbon said before moving the knife a bit to accentuate her point.
I began to accept my fate, I would die there at the hands of a mare I thought was my friend all that time. But my body obviously wasn't ready to die yet, magic reserves I barely knew were there were unleashed, magic that sent the would be assassin back into the warehouse through one of the windows. A sharp shattering noise and a scream of surprise came from inside. That's when I learned life lesson number two, never trust anypony.
I didn't turn back, I knew Octavia was smart and wouldn't trust Bonbon as easily once she saw her smash through a window with a knife. I did hear screaming from the door, the warm voice of my marefriend calling out to me, truly like an angel. But I couldn't turn back, somepony wanted me dead, and the less I stayed near my friends, the better it would be for us all.
***
I soon came to the all too familiar shady part of Canterlot. This was where all the clubs were, and this was where I would succeed. But this time I had no money at all, no food whatsoever, so I did the one thing I knew how to really do. Played my music, cranking up the speakers I walked to the front of an alley. My set up was unimpressive and small, but it would get my job done, so with a hoof I turned the machine on. It had a mobile battery that would only last an hour, if I couldn't make an impression by then, I would be out of luck.
My mixes came furiously and concentrated, but a few passing ponies stopped to look and continued on. I stopped playing and listened to a recording of the last song, it sounded forced and unnatural. So with a deep breath I began again, this time playing it more than fun than anything. I knew I would never get a proper audience in an hour, but the music continued nonetheless. It was almost as if the tunes I made, and the rhythms I mixed incorporated the elements of the area I was in. The sadness and depression of the surroundings soon changed to a more happy tempo. A few ponies were standing there nodding their heads, and a single bit was dropped in front of me.
That night I continued to play, more and more ponies gathering until my power failed. But next to my machine I found a pony in a suit. He invited me into his club, it was my big chance and I wouldn't mess it up. Ten minutes later I had packed and entered into the club. There was already a DJ on the turntable's, playing strong beats with interesting noise, but it had the same effect as my music first had. Nopony was really dancing, they were just mingling.
With a smile I stepped up the small flight of stairs to the side of the stage and trotted towards the professional turntables. A strange logo was on them, the same logo as the club. With confidence I tapped the adult stallion on his shoulder, and told him to beat it. When he refused I picked him up with my magic and put him down in the crowd.
I stopped the music completely, everypony in the club stopped as they stared at me. All those faces, all those eyes, landing on a still young mare. My first real audience, and they were going to be rocked. The music began again, easy and calm at first. But almost immediately I had already done what the previous DJ couldn't. They were bobbing their head, and I saw that stallion that dared call himself a DJ trot out of the club angrily. This was my element, and it was time I showed it.
The night went by quickly as I went from song to song on the fly. Each more progressive than the last, and each one caused a different reaction from the ponies on the floor. But finally, they were dancing, not just bobbing their heads, or moving their feet a bit, but full on dancing. The venue owner walked up to me on stage and said, he'd pay me if I came back and did that again next week. I eagerly agreed, and after the club had shut down, I had thirty bits in a small sack as payment.
With those few bits, I went to the bar in the club. A few barponies greeted me and gave a me a shot glass with tequila on the house. After asking why, they told me they'd never seen ponies dance like that, at least not in this club, and they'd never drank as much either. I told them about how I had agreed to come back tomorrow and they confidently told me, that I could probably get a job at any club in the city. But my logical and educated side of me said to not let this compliment go to my head, that warning did nothing.
With the few bits I had left, I bought a tiny generator which I immediately plugged into my instrument, but if this gig went through for a few more nights, I wouldn't need more batteries, I could maybe afford an apartment. The thought sent a shock through me, I was only a few gigs away from being able to afford a small down payment. This would lead to me having my first ever place alone, I wouldn't have to listen to the damn teachers, or my parents, or anypony.
I wouldn't even have to share with a roommate... I had decided then that my thoughts had traveled far enough in that direction, but I couldn't stop a few tears from falling. I knew Octavia would always be there for me, but how could anypony ever believe me about Bonbon. It was weird though, I almost didn't believe it myself, it seemed like a powerful dream.
Experimentally I bit my hoof causing a shockwave of pain to travel through it, nope I wasn't dreaming. Well I couldn't linger on the past, so I walked to a sleazy motel nearby and slept in the alley next to it, a small newspaper used as my blanket.
***
No matter how tired I was, or how much I wanted to sleep I just couldn't. It felt as if somepony was always watching me, so I stayed up and tapped my hoof in a random rhythm. I guess I was kind of getting paranoid, I mean what do you expect when somepony powerful, whoever they are, wants you dead?
But eventually the morning sun rose with its comforting glow. Hungrily I scrounged around some of the garbage cans, finding a few dirty scraps of food. Well at least it was better than earning money the way I had before. I sat there in that same alley, my thoughts drifting randomly as I bit down carefully on a old piece of bread. It tasted almost like rust, but I didn't dare look down on what I was eating; at least I wouldn't die.
Eventually my mind settled on the biggest problem of my new life, why does somepony want me dead. The first thing that popped into my mind was that job I had to take up during winter break. But that couldn't really have done it, could it? Could one week of illegal activity get a hit placed on your head now? The next thing that came into my mind was my parents may have done it. A dark alley to travel down, but I had to explore every possibility. But I quickly dismissed it as impossible, deep down I knew they loved me, no matter what I did.
I guess time flies when you're considering life's troubles, because I soon found out it had turned to night again. My time to prosper and earn a living, this time I'd actually buy a blanket and some real food instead of drinks.
The guards outside the club let me in for free, no doubt they'd been told that I was a performer for the night. The best part was seeing all the gangster ponies and stuff staring at me, a seemingly innocent unicorn. Their envious little eyes on me as I was let in before the club even opened, and for free at the same time.
Inside there were a few ponies making last minute preparations for tonight, but my attention was soon drawn to the same suited pony from last night. "Oh, hey Vinyl, how's it going?" He asked pleasantly.
"I'm doing good, um, how much," but he cut me off by raising his hoof.
"Don't worry, a few more performances and you'll have a solid career here if you want. Either way, each night the pay will increase. Last night was just a tiny little taste of what's to come." He had stated in a plain, yet somehow excited voice.
"Ya, ok I'm ready." I had replied as I walked up to turntables, a flick of a switch causing the laptop on top of them to hum to life. I preloaded a few songs before erasing them again. I didn't have to preload things the first night, I wouldn't do so that night. I found everypony in the club staring at me, it seemed like the staff were waiting on my mark. A quick glance at the club owner confirmed my suspicions, so with a bit of concentration the records started to spin and a heavy bass hit the club.
The doors opened, a steady stream of ponies entering the club, but they weren't dancing. I was never one for orderly, or the guards deciding who got in or not. The microphone floated up next to my mouth and I simply asked, "so everypony still outside, why are you? Do I have to enjoy these bass drops on my own? Come on, just push past those guards, they can't handle you all!" I tempted them.
Every staffpony just stared at me and then stared at the owner. Another look at the owner showed he approved as the force of a thousand ponies rushed into the building. A gorgeous sight for my tired eyes, it filled me with the energy I needed. But it wasn't enough energy to last the night, so I came over the mic once more and asked, "anypony got a manticore for me? If you do, get the fuck up here and maybe you can help me."
Soon a single pony approached the side stairs and I nodded at the ponies standing there to let him past. In her hoof was a Manticore energy drink, a hoodie hid her face. I added another detail to the already complicated series of sounds playing throughout the club before turning to the pony. "So who are you?" My magic pushed back her hood gently but her head was down. Carefully my hoof brought up her head so I could see her eyes.
Her brown mane swayed slightly as her purple eyes looked into mine. "What are you doing here Octavia?" I screamed at her over the loud music worriedly.
"Can't I come see my marefriend perform, hell, half the world was talking about what happened last night!" Octavia said, a uncharacteristically lose laugh in her voice.
"Are you drunk?" I asked shocked.
"Maybe just a bit," Octavia said, her cheeks flooding with color as the lights focused on me.
I turned back to the console and after a few minor changes the entire song had changed direction to one that was less dark and more ecstatic. My feelings were as complicated as the music, so glad to see my marefriend again, but afraid that she was in danger here.
"Octavia, listen to me, I love you so much. But apparently somepony has placed a hit on me, meaning they are paying ponies to kill me. Bonbon was one of those assassins," I quickly whispered in her ear. My rational mind told me I couldn't explain it right now, but otherwise she'd never believe me.
She said the exact opposite of what I expected her to say, "me and Lyra figured that much out. Especially after your magic launched her through a window with a knife still clutched in her hoof, with a skin tight suit on. I was watching you go before seeing you disappear off the road slightly before the light actually ended. But I thought it had been your choice, then I heard your scream of terror and saw Bonbon come through the window. That's partly why I came to see you. We found out who exactly placed the hit, but now you will have to believe me."
I nodded, trying to remind myself to keep my mind open. But first I turned to the console and brought on a wicked bass drop, which reverberated throughout the club. Man that place had great acoustics. But the song quickly recovered into an even more frenzied pace. A large crowd of the ponies in the club had gathered in front of the stage and were dancing to the same pace as my music.
"Ok, Vinyl, the ponies who placed the hit on you, were your parents..." Octavia said grimly.
My world shattered completely.