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Chapter 2

I remember when I got home in the winter break. The snow was on the ground, and if my parents rage could melt it, the city would have flooded. "You did what!" they screamed at me.

"I traded the cello for a mixdeck, deal with it," I replied matter of factly. On the way to my house, I had messed up my hair to make them see all the more they couldn't control me anymore.

"We wanted a structured, well mannered young mare. What we got is nothing like what we expected. I don't know what we'll do with you now, but one thing's for sure, you will never go back. And your music career, is over." My dad had said and with a small nod of his head, two big butlers approached me. One of them held me down, my hoof trying to find someway to push him off. The other stallion was taking my mixdeck and synthesizers away.

"You aren't getting it, I'm not your perfect little child anymore! You can't control me, even with your damn bouncers." My own rage easily matched my parents but they only turned on me harder.

"I see that," my mother said before turning to the butler carrying my instrument. "Destroy it, just throw it down and destroy it." He nodded, his short gray mane swaying slightly.

I couldn't take anymore and I remember kicking the colt holding me down as hard as I could in between his back legs. My magic seemed so much stronger now, I guess adrenaline does that to you. My horn began to glow fiercely and a coffee table covered with a magnificent vase rose into the air and hurled towards the butler getting ready to destroy my stuff.

It cracked like thunder against him, causing the stallion to fall over unconscious, a heavy thud on the floor. My magic soon moved the body off my stuff which I slung over my shoulder without hesitation. Completely shocked by my outburst my parents had ordered me to my room. This was my first real step to becoming a good DJ, I got the guts and said no. When they told me You'll never live in this house again, I simply smiled at them and responded with, "I didn't plan to, goodbye." Without another word I turned around and blasted the door off its hinges. I didn't even know I was capable of that powerful magic, and despite me trying again and again, I could never replicate it. I guess rage makes magic, as my friend Octavia explained, "Exponentially more powerful," or something like that.

But now I faced a huge problem, I was out on a strange street, without any money, and the only life I had ever known was the easy one. But it seemed like Celestia was smiling on me at least partially that day. The sun was shining, and the weather was warm, a gorgeous day.

The world was my oyster now, and I completely ignored my parents yelling and threats as I strolled down the streets. The fancy houses of the richest district soon behind me. The nicely paved roads were soon replaced with broken asphalt, and a few shady ponies standing on a corner.

I didn't know much about the streets, but I knew I needed new clothes, I keep thanking my blessings that day. Like how there had been a clothing store with better clothes, only a few feet from the strange ponies. As I passed them they asked me if I wanted any "S," but when I asked them what it was they only laughed and gave me their phone number. I guess they thought I was cool, because they turned out to be my first hard drug dealers, amazing guys.

After spending only ten minutes in the store and putting a small bag of bits on the counter I looked more presentable and began wandering around aimlessly. My stomach was empty now and I had almost no more bits or food.

But I did find solace in the music, such amazing music coming from such a dirty place. Was it possible, it wasn't my kind of beat filled music. Instead it was more, I don't know, pure, a note every few seconds. I found myself walking towards the source, but when I realized this I didn't care, nothing that made such an amazing sound could be harmfull. It wasn't just something played with hooves or magic, it had was played with somepony's heart behind it.

The sound gradually grew louder as I continued on the road only to have it turn softer all of a sudden. I backtracked a few steps and looked to my side to see a dark outline of somepony sitting in an alley. The music coming from a dark instrument hidden by the lack of any real light. My stomach growled again, reminding me of how long it had been since I ate. My mind struggled to remember how long I had been walking towards her, but it had no luck. It seemed almost like I had taken a backseat as my body did what it saw fit.

As I got closer to the unknown mare, I began to see a more refined shape. What looked like a harp of sorts illuminated by a strange tealish glow. It took my groggy mind a full five seconds before realizing it must be a unicorn playing the instrument. From the light of the magic, a teal mare, the same color as the glow, was holding the stringed piece of metal gently. Almost as if it was every piece of her existence, but as I got closer, the elegant mare distorted. Her stomach was much smaller than I had first seen, she looked like she hadn't eaten anything in a week. You could literally see the ribs through her skin and muscles that should have been protecting them.

My gag reflex kicked in as I realized exactly what I was looking at. Well on the bright side, my hunger had dissapeared. But something was different now, it took me a second to realize the music had stopped. I looked back at the disfigured mare sitting there, her light orange eyes so memorable. As if they knew exactly what I was going through myself and had been there before. Even though I had been saving a bit of food for when I was really in danger, this unicorn needed it much more than I did. With my magic I grabbed the chunk of bread and handed it softly to the teal mare.

I remember her grasping it hungrily and nibbling on it like some kind of rodent. A full five minutes later she was still working on it, so I took a step forward slowly. "My name's Vinyl, what's your name?" I asked, my voice being the only sound in the night.

"I'm Lyra," she responded so softly. It seemed like she hadn't spoke in way too long, because when she did talk, she flinched. I guess she hadn't had any reason to talk. My hoof reached out to hers and took it in my hand.

"Come on, we're not going to die here, I know a place we can go to in a weeks time, but for now we have to make money. I know a way, but it won't be nice, or clean." I said with a scowl, already hating myself for even having the thought, but I knew that music school was my only chance. I'm sure they'd accept her once they heard her skills on the lyre.

"Ok," Lyra responded to me. I didn't think she knew what I was talking about at the time, but she seemed tough. After all, our number one goal was to survive. I remembered my parents, how they were still at the house, but I also remembered the curses they yelled after me. Their words still burn me to this day.We never even wanted you, we wanted a nice colt, we'll be glad when your gone! No I could never go back, not after they had said that to me. I knew it was true and not something they had just said in anger, because throughout my childhood they always looked at me with the slightest hint of dissapointment.

At that moment I had decided my own fate, I'd get money however I could. I'd go back to music school. Finally I'd get a successful career as a DJ, and nopony was going to get in my way.

My mind was yanked from what I would do to what I had to do now, and it wasn't going to be safe. I remembered once reading about an illegal bussiness, where mares met stallions on the streets and for a price they'd... Well I can't tell the rest, it's to disgusting. Anyways, the owners of these girls always got rich while the mares got next to nothing. However if me and Lyra went into this bussiness as our own owners, we could make enough money to get back to school easy.

***

So it went that way for the week, the most primal desires of stallions, and us having to satisfy them. Neither me or Lyra liked it, but we didn't go hungry. It was disgusting work, and we had to find a spa every night so we could get clean, and ready for the next day. I had never stooped so low, and will never go so low again.

Before you ask, no, I can't remember any of their faces, or any details. Thank sweet Celestia my mind has apparantly decided to repress most of these memories. I never discussed them with Lyra after work was over. I never told anypony before this, and never will afterwards.

We arrived at the school eager to learn, eager to play. We paid the entry fee's and after an initial exam Lyra got in. Everything seemed great as Lyra met another mare named BonBon, who was a piano player. Strangely she was an earth pony as well which reminded me of Octavia.

My room mate for the first day was a snore, she was nice enough I guess but wanted no part in late night music playing or anything else me and 'Tavia used to do. That day I had searched through endless rooms and endless classes before finally asking the office in the afternoon. I wanted to know where Octavia was, they said she hadn't shown up. My heart broke at that moment and I decided to get answers from Octavia herself. Why she had left me alone in this school, after all she hadn't known I had met Lyra or anything.

After a bit of convincing the staff at the office I managed to extract her adress. I ran into Lyra and BonBon's room but what I saw shocked me. They were sitting on Lyra's bed, not practicing or studying, but just making out. They split apart for a few seconds and Lyra walked up to me. "Sorry, but I have a marefriend waiting, later." Without another word she shut the door in my face. The one pony left in the world that I thought could have helped me had just shut me out. Over this new friend of hers, so I had to find Octavia on my own.

And once I got her, I was going to show her off, make Lyra hurt like she had just hurt me. I know it sounds selfish and useless, but I was angry and saddened. A strange combination which I've learned, unfortunately, often comes hand in hand.

The next day I left the school, my tools of trade on my back. But luckily the house in question wasn't that far from the school, unfortunately it was in the bad side of the city again. Everything seemed normal until I saw a small smoke stack rising from the distance. With a lump in my throat I sprinted towards the smell of smoke and fire. I knew that smell all to well from my job often placing me next to factories. But this wasn't a waste being disposed of smell, it was a something is burning that shouldn't be smell.

I screeched to a halt as I looked towards a burning building exactly where Octavia's house should have been. From inside I heard a loud and high pitched scream, and a frantic earth pony clawing at a shut window.

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