Small Choices

by Shardi

Chapter 2

The small drop-off trip to the lobby was quick and uneventful, save for a run in with the over-enthusiastic receptionist. She waved at Octavia with a grin as her magic pulled the cart away from the earth pony as soon as she saw her, levitating it into the designated nook. The cellist found her over the top friendliness and helpfulness slightly unsettling, but bowed her head in thank before promptly retreating back into the elevator. I hope she doesn't have spare keys.

One more short ride up and she was back in front of her new apartment, pushing the door open and locking them as she entered. The cardboard her roommate had crushed by tumbling over it was now gone, along with several others, leaving only two boxes left, standing by the far wall. Octavia assumed the missing luggage was Vinyl’s personal belongings, now moved into whichever room the unicorn proclaimed to be her bedroom.

With no major distractions in sight, the cellist decided to take a closer look around her new home. At a glance it was a rather modern and cozy apartment, with the entrance door leading into a small foyer, expanding into an elegant living room with a small kitchen annex. Unlike her family home back in Canterlot, it wasn’t lavishly decorated. Instead, much like the rest of Manehatten, it focused on staying practical and tidy.

Most of the furniture featured light colors; one sofa and two chairs, along with a coffee table pointed towards the entertainment center, a bit further in the back was a modest reading corner with a lounge chair. The bookcase was partially filled, and at a glance Octavia recognized the books to be some of Vinyl’s effects that had scattered across the floor when the gray pony had first walked in. Further exploration rewarded Octavia with the discovery of a side corridor, which housed the bedrooms and a bathroom. One of the doors was slightly ajar, and Octavia peeked inside.

Vinyl was seemingly already hard at work, personalising her living space with the contents of her baggage. For now though, the best decorated part of the room was middle of the carpet. The unicorn seemed to have just simply dumped the contents of one of her boxes on the floor and was picking her possessions out one by one, sending them off to their rightful place with a flick of the horn. One such object she pulled out was an old, worn down plush toy of a red fox. Vinyl looked at it thoughtfully for a moment before gently setting it down on her nightstand.

Octavia couldn’t help but find it somewhat childish yet endearing that a grown mare would keep a childhood toy. Her quiet chuckle apparently was enough to grab the unicorn’s attention, as her ears flicked and she looked towards the door, turning to face Octavia.

“Oh, you’re back. Hope ya don’t mind that I snagged this room. The corner bedroom was just too bright for me.” The white mare said before her magic dived once more into the pile of miscellaneous belongings, fishing out something vaguely resembling a wooden statuette of a pony.

Octavia shook her head lightly. “Not at all, you were here first, after all. I suppose it is only right that you got to pick your room first.”

Vinyl grinned, stepping over the small pile of miscellaneous effects as she moved closer to the other mare. “Great! Need any help with your stuff?” She offered heartily.

The earth pony furrowed her brow momentarily before calling a polite smile back onto her face. “No. Thank you, but I’ll manage. Besides, it seems you have your hooves full yourself.” She replied gesturing towards the mess behind Vinyl with a foreleg before turning to leave.

Vinyl canted her head quizzically, watching her roommate leave the room. “A’ight, fair enough I suppose.” She said with a shrug before returning to her own unpacking.

***

It had taken Octavia just over an hour, but she finally gently rested her cello case in the corner, making sure it wouldn’t fall over even if her roommate decided to throw herself against the other side of the wall. Satisfied, she turned around, taking a last look around her room. Just as Vinyl had said, the bedroom was very bright, mostly thanks to two large windows letting in generous amount of Celestia’s light. And even though the cellist’s two suitcases now laid empty at the foot of her bed, the room was for the most part in the same state as when she entered.

Both the nightstand and shelves were mostly empty, save for a couple of photographs and other small personal effects that Octavia had taken with her from her home. Unlike Vinyl, who seemingly brought her whole life’s worth of mementos, the gray pony hoped to fill the empty space with new memories and souvenirs. For now though, biggest part of her luggage was neatly sorted inside the drawers. It consisted mostly of clean sheets, formal wear, or clothes for cold weather. Winter in the coastal Manehatten was much colder than in Canterlot.

Octavia left her room and walked down the corridor, heading into the small kitchen area. She was no chef, but she knew how to cook well enough to take care of herself, and decided to familiarize herself with the layout. As she opened the various cupboard and drawers, she noticed they were pretty barren, with only several plates and glasses in total. Figured I’d have to buy some groceries on the first day, but it seems adding some kitchenware to that list would-

She jumped, nearly knocking one of the brightly-colored mugs out of the air as they soared over her head, skidding to a halt inside the cupboard Octavia was currently examining. She spun around, stomping her hoof with a furrowed brow. Before her stood a visibly amused unicorn, several other items levitating in the light red aura next to her head.

“Vinyl Scratch! You startled me!” She huffed, glaring at her roommate, "I thought you were still in your room. At least say something next time before you send objects flying at my head.”

To her credit, the unicorn looked slightly apologetic, smiling meekly as she levitated a small metal can over to Octavia. “Tea?” She offered.

The cellist scrunched her nose as the container almost bumped against her muzzle. She threw the white mare another vengeful glance before letting out a small sigh. “That’d be lovely, thank you.” She replied, moving out of the way.

Vinyl smiled as she walked past her, getting to work on brewing the tea as Octavia took a seat on the couch.

“Although I must say, I’m surprised. If anything, I expected you to favour coffee over tea, if you don’t mind me saying.” Octavia said, watching the unicorn as she poured hot water into their mugs.

“Ah, my dear Octavia, while I do enjoy caffeine, I would be amiss if I did not appreciate the finer things, such as a well steeped hot leaf juice.” Vinyl said in a poorly fabricated accent before breaking into a grin.

The unicorn placed one mug in front of Octavia as she took a seat next to her. The cellist did her best to not roll her eyes at Vinyl’s broken Canterlot accent.

“Jokes aside, while we’ve got no other pressing matters, I think we should discuss our living arrangements.”

Vinyl’s mug stopped halfway to her lips as the unicorn blinked, looking at Octavia. “Living arrangements?” She repeated.

The gray pony nodded, picking up her own cup and stirring it slightly. She blew a bit of cold air to cool it. “Yes. If we’re going to live under one roof, I think it’s a good idea set some ground rules from the start. By that I mean how we’re going to share chores and other responsibilities.”

The unicorn rolled her eyes, taking a small sip. “Are you always this formal and strict? Very well then, tell me whatcha got.”

***

The late afternoon bathed the room in warm light as Octavia finally sat back on the couch, dropping the pen she had used to mark a day in the calendar.

“That should cover it for the first three months. After that hopefully we’ll memorize the schedule well enough to not need more reminders.” She said with a nod, looking towards her roommate.

For her part, Vinyl was sprawled out on the couch, taking up most of its available space. “Yeah, our lives will become so monotonous and samey we’ll be able to do it in our sleep. What a time to be alive” The unicorn said, rubbing her eyes.

Octavia blushed lightly, poking at her now empty mug. “I understand it might be a bit too much. It wasn’t my intent to come off as strict or pushy, I just think this will save us headaches in the long run.” She said apologetically.

Vinyl opened her mouth to respond, but before she could say anything, loud knocking came from the front door. Octavia raised her brow, looking at the unicorn as she sat up, but Vinyl simply shrugged. Apparently she weren’t expecting guests either.

Trying to ignore the convenient timing, the cellist picked herself up to answer the door. Pulling it open revealed two ponies waiting on the other side. One of them was a cream mare with colourful mane, and the other…

“Hello again, miss Heartstrings. Is there something wrong?” She queried, trying to sound pleasantly surprised at the unexpected visit. The unicorn was missing her formal shirt, and was levitating a small box beside her.

Lyra grinned, shaking her head. “Not at all! In fact, my shift’s over, so Bon Bon here and I decided to welcome our new neighbors! Can we come in?”

Octavia stared blankly at the two ponies before her brain finally ticked.

“Oh, is that why you seemed excited to learn the number of my apartment earlier today? And yes, of course, please come in.” She said moving to the side, waving a hoof to invite the guests in. Wonderful, the crazy mare is my neighbor.

“More tea!” Vinyl exclaimed as she jumped over the couch, her magic pulling the two mugs with her into the kitchen.

Octavia closed the door after the pair entered, moving to the living room with them.

“I think I already spoiled the introduction, but nevertheless! This is my good friend Bon Bon.” Lyra gestured to her companion with a smile.

The cellist greeted the cream coloured mare with a slight bow of her head and, as she learned from Vinyl, a hoofshake.

“Pleased to make your acquaintance. I am Octavia Melody, and my brewing friend’s name is Vinyl Scratch. Although I suppose miss Heartstrings already knew that.” She said politely. Vinyl simply waved a hoof across the counter, filling up the four mugs.

“What you got there, Lyra?” The white unicorn asked motioning towards the levitating box.

Lyra smiled, floating the box over to her and opening it to reveal a delicious looking blueberry pie. “Just a little something to welcome you guys! When Vinyl first checked in this afternoon, I told Bon Bon and she immediately went to work.” Lyra leaned in closer, “Don’t let her tell you otherwise, she’s the best baker in Manehatten.”

The mare in question blushed slightly and smiled. “I wouldn’t say that, but I do have a knack for making sweets and pastries. In fact, I work at a confectionery not far from here, if you’d like to visit it some day.”

Octavia nodded as all four took seats around the small table, each with a mug of hot tea and a plate with slice of pie in front of them. It did look delicious

“I must say I’m a bit surprised though, miss Heartstrings. Isn’t it a bit unconventional to work at the same place you live?” Octavia asked as her guests got comfortable, sitting next to each other on one end of the sofa.

The unicorn chuckled, flicking her mane away from her golden eyes. “Just call me Lyra please, there’s no need to be so formal around neighbors” Lyra shifted, “And well, I don’t technically. Bon Bon is the one who owns the apartment.” She explained looking at her companion.

The pink and blue maned mare smiled warmly, picking up her mug. “That’s how we’ve met, in fact. Lyra worked at the reception when I checked in, and we quickly became good friends. After some time, she moved in with me, and we’ve been living together ever since.” She concluded with a small blush.

“Best decision I’ve ever made.” Lyra said dreamily, grinning at the mare beside her. “But anyhow! If you don’t mind me saying, neither of you sound like you’re from around here.”

“Actually-” Vinyl cut in, putting her plate down. Half of her pie was already gone. “I am. Kind of. My mother and I moved to Ponyville when I was still a filly, but that still counts, right? Especially since I’m back now. It was a nice town, but didn’t have what I need.”

“I’ve been thinking about moving to Ponyville some day.” Bon Bon chimed in. “Not for a while yet, but once I’ve got enough bits to my name. I want to start my own business and open a confectionery store away from the city.”

Octavia took a sip from her mug as her companions carried on the conversation. Her first day in Manehatten was definitely going much differently than she had planned it. On one hoof, it annoyed her somewhat that her carefully crafted plans were now shattered. On the other, perhaps it were a good thing. She left Canterlot to try a new life. Her own. And so far, the time she had spent in Manehatten has been anything but what she was used to.

While she was never antisocial, Canterlot had its own standards and rules. Maintaining a professional appearance meant that while everypony was polite, making friends was not something that was done on a whim. Yet here she was, on her first day in a strange new city, having tea with three ponies she had just met as if they were already good friends. She couldn’t help but lightly smiled to herself at this blatant disregard of proper etiquette that would send most Canterlot ponies running.

She shook her thoughts away, rejoining the conversation. If fate had decided to give her an easy start to her new life, who was she to argue.

***

Several hours have passed and the sun had already set by the time Lyra and Bon Bon left, both parties having spent that time getting to know their new neighbors. Octavia stifled a yawn as she finished washing the mugs and plates. With the remainder of Bon Bon’s pie safely put away, the gray pony sat down in one of the chairs, the sofa already occupied by lounging Vinyl. The unicorn had prepared their impromptu tea party, so Octavia decided to let her relax afterward and clean up by herself.

“Well, I’d say that was a rather interesting but pleasant experience.” She said carefully, pulling her roommate’s attention away from the book she was reading.

“Yeah, they sure seemed like cool ponies. Finding good company’s not the easiest thing in this city, guess we got lucky. Most ponies are out for themselves.” Vinyl said, levitating the book over her head as she laid on her back, glancing at the clock. “Though I sure lost track of time thanks to that. Should start getting ready to go.”

“Go where?” Octavia asked, trying to mask the surprise in her voice. She was hoping to spend rest of the evening getting to know her roommate more, carrying on after their neighbors left.

“Work, I got night shifts.”

The cellist furrowed her brow. “But didn’t you just move in to Manehatten today?”

The unicorn put her book away, stretching out as she got up. “Well, yeah. Remember how I said I lived here before moving out? I crashed at an old friend’s place the last few days and picked up a job, then took a quick trip to Ponyville this morning to grab the rest of my stuff.”

Octavia nodded, biting on her lip. This surprise was much less pleasant and welcome. Vinyl was seemingly way more responsible and mature than she initially gave her credit for. Perhaps even more so than Octavia herself. Should she have found work before moving out from Canterlot? Was it expected from ponies living in Manehatten?

Her savings were enough to last about two months, more if she were frugal. And how hard could it be to find work? She was a talented musician, a graduate from the Canterlot conservatory. Surely she’d be able to find employment quickly.

A white hoof waved in front of her nose, bringing Octavia out of her thoughts.

“Ya okay there? Thought I lost you for a moment.” Vinyl asked with an expression that was a weird mix of concern and amusement..

“Yes, I mean I’m fine, sorry for that. I get lost in my own thoughts sometimes. What do you do, if I may ask?”

Vinyl chuckled, rubbing her foreleg and looking down. “I work at a nightclub several blocks from here. I set up the equipment for DJs and then serve drinks rest of the night. It’s not much, but it’s something. And it lets me get to know ponies and start making connections.” She looked up at Octavia, smiling hopefully. “I want to get on the stage myself one day, but we all have to start somewhere, right?”

Octavia smiled back with a nod, watching as the white unicorn began preparing to leave. While she did initially assume Vinyl to be the kind to frequent nightclubs, she was much more than that, and the cellist found the way the young mare talked about her dream endearing in a way.

She wished Vinyl luck as she left, leaving the cellist by herself in the new apartment. She sat in silence for a moment, replaying the last couple hours in her head. The morning train ride seemed so far away now as Octavia finally got up and trotted to her room, taking her instrument out of its case. In just one short day her life changed so much from what the last twenty odd years had taught her. The young mare from Canterlot smiled, picking up her bow and balancing the large instrument, standing on her hindlegs.

“I told you it was a good choice, father” She murmured to the empty room, closing her eyes and beginning to play.

Author's Note:

How hard can it be to get a job anyways, right?

Comments

[Blue_Blazes]

Nice story so far dont let it go unfinished pls

[reader238]

I take it this story is pre nightmare moon correct. seems like a nice bit of an origin story I would love to be able to read more

[Shardi]

6760718 It's technically taking place right before/during season 1, but since MLP timeline is timey-wimey as hell, I do what I want.