Prime Time of Our Lives

by Philosipony

Like a Broken Record

The midday sun shone down on the mingling packs of kids wandering about in the school courtyard. Over to one corner were the jocks; Spitfire, Soarin, Fleetfoot, and a very ecstatic Rainbow Dash goggling at them. Under the tree across the courtyard was Twilight, with her stack of books for honors classes, along with Fluttershy and Rarity. Above them, eating a bag of apples that she brought for lunch was Applejack, laying back on a branch against the trunk. Pinkie Pie, however, was sitting at one of the benches along with Octavia, both waiting for their friend, who had just exited the cafeteria, but was stopped in her tracks by something else.

“Vinyl! Hey, Vinyl! Oh for crying out loud...” Octavia tried to keep her voice down, but it was often hard to make yourself heard without yelling during lunch. However, Vinyl’s livid stare-down with the mint haired girl crossing her path remained uninterrupted. Although Octavia didn’t know Lyra personally, she heard enough to stay out of her way. Vinyl’s vulgar description of her was probably a bit melodramatic, but in any case, Lyra was bad news.

“VIIIIIIIIINYL!!!” Pinkie shouted, almost shattering Octavia’s eardrums. Never a subtle girl, Pinkie was now waving her arms at Vinyl, but it was obviously unnecessary, as she was already walking towards them with her lunch. Vinyl couldn’t help but grin, any outsider would never imagine a refined cellist and a happy-go-lucky party girl sitting together, but then again, they wouldn’t have known Pinkie Pie. Like Carrot Top, Pinkie could befriend any newcomer on the spot, but she had a different approach than Carrot Top. Her tactic was to make you laugh so much that it was impossible to deny her helping hand when you were on the ground, stitches dug deep into your sides. She was great to be around, but at length her... randomness could get under the most controlled of peoples skins. It was a godsend that classes were less than an hour, otherwise there’d be a few teachers being sent to the psychiatric center for an exam. In any case, Pinkie was everyone’s friend, no matter what tastes or personalities they had.

“Hey Pinkie, Octavia. I see you’ve both made it through the first half of the day in one piece,” Vinyl commented, while popping the lid on her drink.

“Of course we have, silly!” Pinkie replied, “It’d be hard to eat if we were in pieces, wouldn’t it?” Two pairs of rolling eyes followed Pinkie’s blissful unawareness, then Octavia replied, “Can’t say there’s been anything wrong with it. Got to see Beauty Brass and Harpo again in orchestra; Frederic is still on vacation.”

Vinyl snickered, “Still being a snob, eh?”

“Hey, I like Frederic!”

“Do you like like him?” Pinkie asked.

“NO!” Octavia and Vinyl shouted simultaneously. Octavia could understand Vinyl’s similar reaction, because she had heard this question as much as Octavia had.

“Oh, ok then!” Pinkie said, “I have lots of friends who are boys too. There’s Blue Skies, Luke, Dumb-Bell, Flash Bulb, Hoops, Milky Way, Silver Script, Spectrum, Star Hunter, and who could forget Snowflake? Then there’s Thorn, Thunderlane...” the list just kept growing, long after Vinyl and Octavia had lost interest.

“When will she stop, nobody knows...” Vinyl whispered, followed by muffled giggles from Octavia.

“Oh, I almost forgot!” Pinkie exclaimed, abruptly ending her list of boy-not-like-that-friends. “I was going to ask if you two would like to hang at Sweet Apple Acres today. Twi, Shy, Rarity and Dash are gonna be coming as well.”

“Can’t make it today, got detention with Cheerilee after school. Friday’s open though, can I come then?”

“Sure!” Pinkie replied, “It'd probably be better for AJ’s schedule anyways...”

“You mean you haven’t asked Applejack yet?” Octavia asked.

Pinkie looked down, “Well... no, but we - Applejack, Twilight, Rarity, Fluttershy, Rainbow Dash and I - have done this before, and she’d always said we could bring friends.”

Vinyl chuckled, “If that was true, Sweet Apple Acres wouldn’t be so economically sunk!” Instantly she regretted saying it, no one was laughing. “Sorry... bad joke...”

With a solemn nod, Pinkie continued, “And how about you Octavia?”

Octavia hesitated; not because she wasn’t sure what her answer was going to be, that decision was made long before the question was brought up. But that was just it, she had no choice about things like these, because her parents would always intervene. It had been like this since the very beginning; as soon as she was born, her parents safeguarded her to no end. Octavia yearned for her eighteenth birthday, for her freedom... but that was an eternity away, and hidden behind her professional attitude, Octavia was just as impatient as a little girl who wanted her turn on the carousel.

“Thank you Pinkie, but I can’t accept,” she finally replied, “maybe another day.”

“Oh, okay then...” Pinkie said, a little disheartened. “Well, I ought to talk to AJ and make sure that this thing is even happening! Talk to you guys later, alright?”

“Definitely,” they both said in return, and with that, Pinkie went to meet up with her other friends. By this point, everybody was beginning to pack up, heading to their lockers, and preparing for the second half of their day. As they gathered their things, Octavia turned to Vinyl and asked, “Detention, on your first day?”

“I am who I am, what else can I say?” Vinyl replied nonchalantly as they began to head towards their lockers.

“Vinyl, you really have got to stop doing this,” Octavia said, concern in her voice.
“Oh stop it Tavi. I’ve been like this all through middle school, but you didn’t raise a finger then, did you?”

“It’s different,” Octavia stopped walking, “Vinyl, these years are the ones that are going to be remembered, and not just by us. Every employer you go to is going to look at what happened here, the good, and the bad.”

Vinyl sighed, “Tavi, we’ve talked about our futures before. And like I’ve said, I’m going independent after my education’s over. My resume isn’t going to matter because there’s not going to be an employer to look at it, plain and simple. Now, can we please get going?”

Octavia shook her head in disappointment, there’s no getting through to her, is there? “Yes,” she finally said, but as they once again started towards their lockers, Octavia asked again, “but can you at least try to stay out of trouble? If not for your future, for me?”

“Fiiiiiine!” Vinyl groaned, “Now will you stop bugging me about it? Oh, and as of now, we are both officially late to class.”

Octavia took a look of utmost panic, “Oh my God, and on my first day!” Faster than a speeding bullet, Octavia fled for her locker, leaving Vinyl to her laughter.

Man, I should make her late more often, she thought to herself, still chuckling a little. Vinyl quickly realised though that she should also get a move on, as it would be hard to explain to her teacher that she already had a day one after-school detention. She walked off, leaving the courtyard as quiet and desolate as it had been merely hours ago.

. . .

As the last busses departed from Ponyville High, Vinyl entered the almost completely deserted building. Most of the teachers lacked a care for their school, and booked it almost as fast as the kids did.

“But noooo, not Cheerilee...” Vinyl thought out loud as she entered the C wing, her voice echoing slightly down the vacant hallway. Surprisingly, the new school was rather easy to navigate; a two-floor square with a courtyard in the middle. There was a gym for it once... but budget cuts had gotten rid of it long ago. It was rather sad, but only a small portion of what was happening to Vinyl’s town.

Once, the town of Ponyville was a bustling crossroad of cultures, in a quite literal sense, as people came from all points of the compass, whether just passing through or to make their share of cash. Ponyville thrived, mostly thanks to its well-connected rail system. But, as time rolled on, and planes picked up steam, the town’s heyday came to a close. Fewer and fewer travellers passed through, and the resulting loss of revenue took its toll. Ponyville fell into an immobile state, unable to keep up with the times, but still trying hard enough to stay on its feet.

Ponyville had been like this for forty years, but as the first decade of the 21st century came to a close, the small town was losing its footing. The school budget cuts were only one of the hardships facing the run-down community. Families were hard-pressed to find buyers for their houses, and businesses were making the lowest revenues in the town’s history. There was even talk of the town’s train station being closed due to lack of profit. Everybody knew that if this came to pass, it would be the last nail in the coffin.

But none of this occupied Vinyl’s mind for long. To her, it was just a prolonged waiting game. She cared little for her town, as all the teachers did for their school and students... all, except a history teacher named Cheerilee.

“Hey Cherry,” Vinyl called out as her teacher entered the room. Vinyl was waiting in the classroom room for at least 10 minutes, making doodles on the blackboard, which Cheerilee was quick to erase. “So, what’ll it be today? Writing lines, essay’s, or both?”

“No no,” Ms. Cheerilee said simply, turning from the now clean board, “I’ve wasted enough of your time already, and I’m sure you’ll only waste more of mine.”

Vinyl smirked, “Looks like I’ve finally taught you something worth remembering Cherry.” She hopped off the desk she was sitting on and began to leave, but Cheerilee stepped in front of her.

“Hold on,” she said, “now don’t expect all your detentions to go like this. Trust me, you’ll be having deja vu soon enough, but I want you to think for a minute. We’ve been doing this for a total of three years now, and at this rate it’s going to be seven by the time you leave here. But, why? This game is getting old, Miss Scratch, and its purpose, if there ever was one, is long gone. You, as with any other student that comes here, have potential to do great things, but you never strive for it. I want to help you Vinyl, I really do, but you need to let me help you.”

“But you see Cherry,” Vinyl replied, sliding past her into the vacant hallway, “that’s where you’re wrong. No matter what you say, I don’t need your help to get anywhere in life. And as for this ‘game’, it’s far from over. It was fun to push your buttons back then and still is today, and no number of detentions will change that. Now if you’ll excuse me, I have work to forget! See you ‘round, Cherry!” Cheerilee muttered a little, but did not try to stop her. As the last of Vinyl's blue hair left Cheerilee's view, she shook her head and wondered, was there nothing she could do to get through to this girl?

* * *
Hey guys, chapter 2 is finally here! I know you've probably forgotten about this little story in the month or so of its abscence, but please, leave a comment and tell me what you thought of this!
In other news, some of you probably noticed the removal of the "romance" tag. Now, don't get yourselves in a tizzy, I'll put it back when it's time. Let's just say this little story may not turn out to be so little...
So, that about wraps up this author's note! Hope you enjoyed chapter 2, and if you'd like to edit, just message me here or on my DA!

Comments

[Gabriel LaVedier]

More shoujo goodness! I love the heavy, ponderous feeling of the story, and the regretful decay of Ponyville. It's a tragic background but a great and engaging story. I can't wait for more, and for the romance.

[ZayneTheMayne]

Great to see the story back, a good over all chapter, but i have a question. The main focus of this chapter semed to be Vinyl, so will the next chapter more focus on Octavia? Just wondering.

[Philosipony]

922241 don't know what "shoujo" is, but I'm glad you like it!

[Gabriel LaVedier]

923785

That's the slang term for girl's comics and shows/movies in Japan. It literally means "girl" and tends to indicate the kinds of things seen in this story. High school is especially popular in shoujo things.

[LordOfTheParasprites]

I feared you wouldn't continue this. I'm glad you did though.

[Reed Libro]

THANK YOU CELESTIA ,AN UPDATE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Vinyl-ScratchDJ17]

925529 170 weeks and three days later...no updates XD