The Other Side of the Vinyl

by Tunersymphon

Scratched Records

Part 1: Scratched Records _

Chapter 1: A Pinch of Luck

Jumping out of her bed with as much enthusiasm as a filly on her first real Christmare day, Rainbow Dash looked around in excitement, only having about an hour of sleep. She didn’t care. Today was her day to really shine like the streak across the sky she is.

Two weeks ago, the Wonderbolts finally recognized her true ability of flight during a casual race against another pegasus. Dash managed to go so fast, the transition between regular speed and Sonic Rainboom speed was nearly indefinite. Dash and the team hung out for the rest of the day...And not like she “hung out” with them at the Grand Galloping Gala. After a few hours of discussion, she was admitted onto the team as an honorary Wonderbolt. Dash fainted…Although fainting would be an incredible understatement.

Today, she would be doing a show with the rest of her team in front of about 1,000 ponies, big and small, at the InterEquestrian Air Show. It was an annual tradition, and every year the Wonderbolts would start off the entire show with a magnificent performance…Proformance as Dash would say. She attended the show every year as well just to watch them. She finally had the chance to be in the sky side by side with them.

It was only 1:50 A.M. but Dash just couldn’t go back to sleep, no matter how hard she tried. The only thoughts that went through her head was, “Oh my gosh oh my gosh oh my goooosh!” One thought led to the next to the next, and before she knew it, an entire flight plan was floating in her head, waiting to be shown off in triumph. And she was leading.

Suit. Check. Confidence. Check. Attitude. Definitely check. Dash kept a mental note of everything she needed for the show today…Although there wasn’t much she didn’t already have. The crowds were…Well, not cheering, but talking loudly outside of the Bolts’ tent, and it felt like the world was waiting for them. She almost galloped out of the tent to greet the shouting voices before Soarin called her back in.

“Glad to have ya here, Rainbow Dash. Not much when we see a new member to our team.”

“The pleasure’s all mine, sir! I’ve been waiting my entire life to be here.” Dash was almost spilling out with excitement.

“Good to hear that. Now…This is your first real show, right Dash?”

“Unless you count that competition you saw me in, yes. Why?”

“Well…You’re going to be leading Misty and Spitfire here out onto the field. Do whatever you want and they will follow you to make the coolest look possible. That’s what we’re here for. Me, Igni, and Bust will be doing our own thing. Got that?”

By now, Dash was nearly hopping with joy, smiling as big as she ever has. “Yes sir!”

“Good!” Soarin patted her head gently, smiling. “Let’s make this a day you’ll never forget. We have 10 minutes until we go.”

Dash hopped back to her small sitting area, trying to hold in all her joy. Not only is she flying with the Wonderbolts…She’s leading them!

10 drearily long minutes later, Dash followed behind Soarin out onto the field. She felt a bit sleepy, but this doesn’t happen every day. Her smile was as big as ever, her gallop was ecstatic, the entire crowd roaring with excitement. This was better than she could’ve ever imagined. The feeling was fantastic. She couldn’t help but look at every single face in the fans, blooming with joy.

The Wonderbolts took a modest bow to everyone, Dash and her group looking one way, Soarin and the others looking the other. Turning his head to the side just enough, Soarin spoke to Dash. “You ready?”

“Ready? That’s not a strong enough word to describe what I’m feeling.”

“I could only guess. Let’s go.”

Simultaneously, the two crouched down just a bit and then jumped up at full speed, the other 4 following behind. Dash’s colorful rainbow stuck out from the others’ clouds of smoke and lightning, making the display quite original. Each group split off into their respective direction. Dash would’ve liked to see Soarin’s performance, but it was her time at the moment.

Flying at par with the other two, Dash looked to the rows of audience, seeing all their faces now and how they would change. One pony stuck out the most: A unicorn with a off-white coat and a long light and dark blue streaked mane and tail, something that looked like glasses propped up on her head. She had a small smile, but barely noticeable.

The three slowed down a bit as Dash began to do a loop. She proceeded to make a spiral, the other two following suit, making two duplicates inside of the larger one. She looked back at the same pony from the audience and her smile was noticeably bigger. That wasn’t good enough though.

Next, the performers went for the available clouds, one of them hitting the right side, the left side, and the middle. The result was each time they hit a cloud, it would split and two small tornado looking clouds would form. The crowd jolted with excitement, either from that stunt or Soarin’s, but Dash didn’t think they ever saw her stunt before.

For the final thing she had up her sleeve, she motioned Misty and Spitfire to go ahead, herself nearly going to a stop. The crowd slowly hushed as the distance between them grew and grew until nearly 2 minutes went by. The cloud trails were nice and solid left from the other two. Before she executed her plan, she looked to the pony one more time. Her smile was definitely considerable, waiting in anticipation for the next move. And for a moment, Dash’s eyes and the pony’s contacted, just enough to be noticed. Dash suddenly felt relaxed, feeling even more confident in her abilities. She gave an obvious nod to the pony before she started forward, quickly gaining speed.

The wind flowed through her rainbow mane smoothly, the environment starting to blur a bit behind her, her mind racing. But even in this crucial moment, she seemed distracted. Dash wasn’t sure by what, but that would have to wait until later. Her lack of sleep started finally catching up to her as she exerted herself, her muscles also relaxed other than her flapping wings. The speed continued to grow until a resistance could be felt, a visual line forming around her. This was it. Only her fourth time doing the Sonic Rainboom, and it was nearly a mere playground trick to her now.

The line narrowed to her form, everything a complete blur now other than the distinct trails beside her. Her weariness continued to try to drag her down, but she pulled through. The Sonic Rainboom was heard by everyone within miles and seen by everyone within the same distance. The trail she left was magnificent as she maneuvered around the trails by Misty and Spitfire gracefully, making a figure 8 pattern. The sight was spectacular.

However…She felt the sleepiness finally starting to overcome her. She was not used to lack of sleep, and the sudden exertion pushed her to her limits. Slowly falling towards the ground, she tried to slow her speed of approach, but it was a bit too much.

Before she crashed, the image of that off-white and blue pony, smiling wide, flashed into her mind. As long as she made others happy.
Rainbow Dash hit the ground from an aerial routine…going the speed of sound.

Chapter 2: The More You Know
Hoof steps echoed through the nearly empty streets of Ponyville. The only remaining residents being ponies that had more important things to do than to see the Air Show today, which was unlikely, or ponies that are running a bit late. Vinyl Scratch was one of them.
With a few records in her mouth and focusing her magic on signing a copyright paper, she had her hooves full with business and she really wished she didn’t. She knew quite well the IEAS was today, she had her ticket, and she was not planning to miss it. Managing to miss the show 2 years in a row since she got back here from San Manetonio, she wasn’t going to miss it again. Hearing so many things about these Wonderbolts and not seeing them once is a pain.

Dropping by her house, Vinyl quickly finished the paperwork with her neat but unique signature at the bottom of each page, setting the records down next to it. She didn’t have time to change into anything, and she barely had time to find and grab the ticket before the clock said it was going to start soon.

Already on her way down the trails to the show area, Vinyl heard a call from behind. “Yo, Scratch! Wait up! Forget about me?!” Tune was yelling at the top of his voice, running up to Vinyl. “Don’t tell me you forgot about little ole Tune Symphon, Scratch.”

Tune Symphon was a shorter colt with a sage green coat and a white mane and tail. It wouldn’t usually match, but he somehow managed to make it look respectable.

“Oh, sorry Tuner. Got caught up in some of my business, y’know how it goes.”

“Yeah, yeah. You always say that. Just like last year at the Air Show you didn’t even come.” Tuner pouted a bit, turning away.

“Come on, Tune. Y’know what happened then. That was beyond my control. I wouldn’t ditch out on ya if I wanted. We all good?” Vinyl stuck out her hoof, smiling weakly at him.

Grunting, Tune lifted up his hoof also and hit it against hers, smiling just enough. “Whatevah.”

“It’s about time we got here. I think just in time for the show to actually start, too. No thanks to the slow tempo over here.” Tune nudged Vinyl, chuckling under his breath.
“Like I said, Tuner. It wasn’t my fault.”
“Loosen up, will ya? You’re here for some fun, not to be all tense about how this small contract might work out. Just forget all about your troubles and relax. It’ll be a change for you in public.”
“Oh, hush you. I’m plenty loose. Just a bit tired, that’s all. Let’s just sit down and watch the show. Never seen these guys before. Heard they were good.”
“Good?! These Wonderbolts are amazing! They recently got a new member today, too. First pegasus to do a Sonic Rainboom. Rainbow Dash, is it?”
“No clue, myself. Hm…Rainbow Dash?”
“Yup, if I remember right. Why?”
“Oh, no reason. Let’s just watch. It’s starting.” In the back of Vinyl’s mind, something was scratching away. Rainbow Dash was a very familiar name and she swore she saw her before. Maybe not meet her, but at least see her.
“You serious, Scratch? You left your DJ glasses on you. They’re still on your head up on your horn.”
“Ah, shoot. Ah well. Not like they don’t make me look awesome.”
“We could discuss th-“
“Shush! They’re coming out!”
The two, not to mention the audience, watched as the six Wonderbolts trotted onto the field.
“Oh, there they are!” Vinyl shouted.
“Yes, we know, Scratch. We can see them.”
Feeling somewhat offended by his abrupt comment, Vinyl shut up and watched as the six lined up, each having a smile of their own. Her mouth formed a smile within a few seconds, a bit giddy but trying not to show it.
The Wonderbolts darted upwards towards the sky so quickly, Vinyl almost couldn’t catch up. Among the clouds of smoke, a bright sparkling rainbow was visible. That was probably Rainbow Dash. Trying to follow the rainbow, it quickly led her to 3 spirals, 2 made of smoke, the biggest made of, of course, rainbow. Her eye caught up to the speeding pegasi, dashing through countless clouds, splitting them into 2 spinning puffs of condensation.
“Man, these ponies are fast!” Vinyl thought to herself. She looked at Tune for a moment, noticing him staring in awe also. The rest of the crowd was cheering. “Wonder why no one ever thought of that cloud trick?”
Rainbow stopped as the other two flew ahead at full speed. “I wonder what she’s planning?…” Vinyl could see Dash turn her head towards her. Vinyl wasn’t sure if Dash knew, but their eyes met, and she could tell even from this distance. Dash nodded, and it looked like it was towards her. Maybe she was just imagining, but it really looked like it.
Before she knew everything that was going on, Dash was off and flying at her signature speeds. The distance grew but the Sonic Rainboom became more and more seeable, bending itself around Dash’s body as she began breaking the sound barrier. With what seemed like not even breaking a sweat, Rainbow Dash made the Sonic Rainboom, making everyone cover their ears and make sure nothing flew away. It was beautiful. The long rainbow trail circled around the smoke majestically, creating a flowing wave pattern...Until she saw the trail start heading towards the ground.
Vinyl turned to Tune. “Is that supposed to be happening?”
“You have as much idea as I do. I’m gonna guess no, though.”
Jumping from her seat, Vinyl headed towards the rails of the bleachers, leaning against them as she looked off towards the sinking rainbow…Until a huge dust cloud rose where the rainbow stopped. She felt like yelling out her name, but Dash was way too far. The medical ponies were already on their way to the crash site. It was going to be a while until Vinyl saw her, but she understood. She didn’t even know her, but she felt like she should…

“Vinyl, why do you even want to stay here? You don’t even know her!” Tune stamped his hoof at the ground, standing near the exit. Vinyl was sitting near a cot where Rainbow Dash laid, one wing held up and multiple burns and wounds and unconscious.. The cot wasn’t exactly a gory sight, but it wasn’t pretty. Other than small bits of the cot cover, which was red from some blood, and the ponies inside, the small tent infirmary was completely white and shook from anything from a weak hit on the ground to a loud noise.
“I know I don’t, Tuner, but I…There’s a feeling inside me, alright? You ever have one of those?” Vinyl looked at him with plead, putting her hooves to her chest. A few long moments drug by before Tune towards the exit, smirking.
“You know I’ve never been good with feelings. I’ll leave you alone. Just hurry up.”
“Thanks Tune…” Vinyl sat quietly next to Dash’s cot, putting her hooves next to her thighs. “I remember where I saw you now…It was at Rarity’s outfit debuting. To be honest, the dress was horrible…but you looked exquisite none-the-less. Nopony really thought me as the type to fancy a few girls, but it’s true…”
“Heh. That’s all I’m assumed to like,” Dash replies back, making Vinyl jump and fall out of her chair as she thought she was still unconscious. “It’s true though…You’re not a bad pony yourself.”

Chapter 3: Just A Feeling
Rainbow Dash turned her head towards Vinyl, smiling faintly. The crowd was still cheering in the background, already moving on from the huge crash. Crashes happened nearly every year, but no one realized how severe that one could’ve been. There about 3 burns on Dash from friction, many cuts and tears, and a minor concussion. In fact, how she lived was a miracle, and the fact that she came out with so little injuries is phenomenal.

“What are you doing here, kid?” Rainbow Dash questioned. She had a smirk on her face despite the pain, hiding it like she always did. Her mane and tail practically shone in the lighting in the white room. They were a bit dirty but altogether still radiant.

“To tell you the truth, I’m not entirely sure. A feeling?” Vinyl’s mane was a bit messed up from the sudden panic. Despite this, it still was in a near neat composure along with her tail, the calming blues agreeing with the blank white of the tent. She smiled back at Dash, closing her eyes a bit.

“Yeah, I heard that last conversation. I was nearly unconscious, not dead. I had a bit of a feeling too…Part of the reason I crashed. But, eh, to be honest, the crash wasn’t as bad as I would’ve thought. My Wonderbolts outfit is pretty jank, though. Speaking of which, where are they?” Vinyl sprung back to her senses, looking around a bit.

“Not entirely sure. I think they’re still out there, judging the fliers. Even when it’s not a competition, it is.” She rolled her eyes. “Never for fun, huh?”

“Oh, that’s not for the audience or anything. Just bragging rights.”

“That…That makes sense…” Vinyl looked down towards her hooves, sighing. The room grew quiet, the two looking away from each other a bit nervously. Not all the time where two ponies don’t know each other and suddenly feel an urge to meet them for apparently no reason. Dash broke the silence, turning to Vinyl.

“You had the feeling too?”

“Of course. That’s why I’m here. It was when our eyes met. It was an odd and I never felt before. You?”

“Same here. It was…odd, to say the least, but good feeling. I have no idea what it is…But I’m glad you came to me. I might’ve just blown off the feeling. I tend to do that to a lot of things, haha.”

Vinyl chuckled, looking up and smiling. “Good thing, then. No one blows off Vinyl Scratch.”

“Oh, so that’s your name? I’m glad introducing yourself was important. My name is-“

“Rainbow Dash, of course. I know you. You’re a Wonderbolt, how I couldn’t?”

“Ha. I guess you’re right, huh? Anyway, I better get back to the others, actually. I’ll talk to ya later.” Dash began stepping out of her cot, grunting.

“No wait! The doctors said you shoul-“ She face-planted into the ground as soon as she stepped down, grunting. Vinyl trotted over to help her back into the sheets, struggling. She was a bit heavier than expected of her stature, but she was a strong flier. Both of them panting a bit from the small bits of exercise, they both sighed.

“Heh…Never mind, I guess I’m staying here with you.”

“You better. I let my friend go ahead of me so I could stay here with you. Speaking of which, I will have to go soon. I have a lot of stuff to deal with. I will leave in a minute, but…I know this is odd to ask, but would you like to meet me at Sugar Cube Corner?” Vinyl smiled, blushing just a bit. “Y’know, you seem cool and all.”

“Haha, are you blushing? Are you asking me on a date?”

Vinyl’s blush turned 20% darker, jumping back a bit. “Huh?! No no! I was just-“

“I’m just messing with. Hahaha. I’ll meet ya there tomorrow morning. Don’t worry, either. I’ll be better by then. I’ll see ya there.” Dash gave a warm smile, sitting up right. “And don’t you forget it.”

Vinyl couldn’t help but smile back, shying away a bit at the same time. “Sounds good. I’ll be off then. I’ll see you tomorrow, Rainbow Dash.” She started walking away from the cot, sighing contently before Rainbow Dash called for her.

“Hey! You’re forgetting to give me a hug or something!” Laughing a bit, she opened her forelegs.

Vinyl turned around, trying to hold back her smile and acting like she is giving a sigh of disapproval. “Fine, I guess I have to, now that you ask me.” She trotted back over, lifting herself into a hug, hugging Dash tight for a few moments. Right before she started to back away, Dash gave a small kiss on her cheek, causing Vinyl to blush dark crimson. She stepped away from the hug, shying away as she turned around. “I-I’ll see you tomorrow, then…Bye.” Vinyl started to trot back out, thoughts rushing through her head. As the sun came into view in the sky and she stepped out of the tent, she could hear Dash yell, “C’ya Vinyl!”

Vinyl smiled up to the sun for a few seconds, soaking in the light before starting to gallop home.

The moon was high in the night sky, just luminescent enough to make most of the town seeable. Nopony was out, nearly all the lights were out, and everypony was asleep…Except for Vinyl. The living room light was on, her scratch table lit with all the various lights, the computer screen next to it shining onto her face. Everything had their volume down low, allowing everyone else to sleep. The two discs were spinning slowly, the styli right above the discs. Vinyl adjusted some of the settings on the computer before setting one of the styli down onto the right disc, allowing some of her favorite band, DeadMar3, to start playing. The tune was slow at first, a very peaceful melody. She swayed her head to the music, closing her eyes and soaking in the notes. She wished life was as peaceful as this song all the time. Her eyes watered up a bit, the rhythm flowing through her like a stream. Vinyl’s environment went inside of her head, turning a cold blue color, relaxing her every muscle.

This is what she nearly always did was listen to music. This song always stuck with her, allowing peace to move through her life when she most needed it. As the song began speeding up, she always realized that she couldn’t always stay back and relax all through life. The only thing you can really do is move forward after a fall and keep going. The beat dropped and she began bouncing her head to the tempo. Caught in the moment, she even forgot to put the stylus on the second disc. The song playing right next to her, she fell asleep at the table.

It was 10 in the morning and Dash was sitting at Sugar Cube Corner, waiting impatiently. Her hoof was taping the ground, looking all over the restaurant. She got here as soon as the place opened which was at 9. Her wing ached a bit, resting in a sling. There was a root beer with a straw in it sitting in front of her, but she was anxious. She barely got any sleep again, but this time because of all the feelings she got. Thoughts of that pony, Vinyl, kept speeding through in and out of her head. She didn’t even really know her, but in a way, she felt like she did.

The kiss…That brief cheek kiss phased. She didn’t even realize she did it until a few minutes after Vinyl left. She wasn’t even sure if it was her that did it, it seemed unreal. But, she did realize it was the past and as long as Vinyl didn’t bring it up, she didn’t have to explain herself. “Hey, can I get a sundae over here?” she called to the waitress.

As she waited for her sundae to arrive quickly, she heard the restaurant door open. Dash jumped a bit, looking over at the entrance. “Vinyl?”

“Who’s that? Nah, Dash, it’s not one of your lame friends. Miss me?” Dash watched as a tall gryphon walked up to the foot of her booth and sink one of her talons into the tabletop.

Chapter 4: Quick Disunion

“What are you doing here, Gilda?” Dash said to the towering gryphon crossly, getting out of her booth seat. “I thought you ditched these “lame ponies” here, including me.” Dash lifted herself onto her back legs, looking Gilda straight in the eyes.

“Yeah, you’re right, I did. But, something like what you did to me isn’t easily overlooked, tough one.” Gilda poked Dash hard in the chest, pushing her back onto all fours. “We were buds, Dash. Then like I was just something you could throw away, I was gone in your eyes. That’s not something forgiven.” The gryphon began taking slow steps towards Dash, causing her to step back. “Let’s just say I came back to settle the score with you.”

“Look, Gilda, I don’t want any kind of trouble with y-“

“Yeah, you got that right. I don’t think anypony would. You know I’m stronger than you; you don’t even have to question that. Bigger than you. And…” She placed one of her talons against Dash’s head, making a small incision. The pegasus yelped, not expecting the cut. “Sharper…than you…In two different ways.”

“Gilda, this whole thing was your fault. You treated my friends wrong. To think I would let that slip past me was a mistake because no one hurts my friends.”

“Oh ho ho, Dashie. But I was your friend. And you hurt me. Are you calling yourself a no one? Because if that’s true, I guess no one will miss you when you turn to pulp!” Gilda lifted her claw, bringing it down with full force. Everything started to move slowly. Dash knew even with her great speed, she wouldn’t escape this blow…Especially with her wing broken. She merely waited the blow to injure her or even kill her…

The moments when by as slow as it could ever go, making Dash feel every heartbeat, hear every movement. This was probably how it all ended…

That’s what she thought until she felt the vibrations of hooves on the floor, the sound of somepony running closer. The sound stopped for a moment until the same sound, but much louder, resonated from the table next to her. Dash lifter her head just in time to see Vinyl jump from the table, spinning towards Gilda before hitting her straight in her beak. The gryphon felt the entire blow, stopping mid swing and beginning to fall to her side. Vinyl landed between her and Dash, holding out her chest triumphantly as Gilda hit the floor, groaning in pain.

“Oh, you little-“

“You are SO lucky that I was here to stop you, or you would’ve been hurting a lot more later!”

“No one humiliates me!” Gilda swung her talons near the ground and Vinyl quickly reacted, jumping over them in a nearly cheerful hop. The other claw came down at her directly after, making Vinyl jump to the side. There was a smug grin on Vinyl’s face, as if this wasn’t anything but a daily duty. In one huge swing, Gilda brought down both of her claws down at the unicorn. She merely jumped back, dodging the blow completely, following up with another hop towards Gilda, reaching right up to her face. She spun and gave another kick, giving a nice, satisfying CRACK noise. The gryphon fell once more, this time unconscious.

Vinyl did this all with headphones on. She walked over and kicked Gilda gently, making sure she was unconscious. She then proceeded to take off her headphones and turn them up all the way, allowing the song she was listening to finish with a loud, “KO!”

“Seems like you’re no one, huh?...That song was way too convenient, wasn’t it?” She scratched her head, chuckling.

Dash sat there, dumbstruck from the speed of what just happened. “How did you-“

Vinyl quickly interrupted, walking towards the restaurant’s door. “We better get going. This isn’t exactly the best place to hang out at the moment.” Dash shook herself to her senses, lifting herself onto her feet and quickly following behind Vinyl, giving Gilda’s unconscious body a concerned look.

The sun was as bright as ever, the skies absent of any cloud, even without Rainbow Dash’s help. It was spring at the moment, 3 weeks after the Winter Wrap-up. The creatures were all out and about, minding their own business as the ponies did theirs. There was still a slight cool breeze in the air, but it was nothing like weeks ago.

The two ponies walked side by side of each other, the streets of Ponyville packed with bustling buyers and sellers, talkers and wanderers. The grass was as green as it could get for spring, flowers budding out from the blades. Everything was relatively quiet for such a lively and busy place.

Vinyl stopped at a bench, laying down and looking up at the goggle-tinted skies as Dash stood, still in shock. After about a minute, she set herself down next to the bench, looking up at Vinyl. Without looking back at her, Vinyl asked, “You have something to ask?”

Shaking herself out of her thoughts again, Dash lifted herself back up again. “How did you do that back there? That was incredible.”

“When I was a kid, I was one of the last ones to get my cutie mark. In attempt to get it faster, I tried a bunch of stuff that I enjoyed, one including martial arts classes. Not much other than that.” She said all this calmly as though she didn’t do anything. “Not to mention, I had the drop in on her. That made it a lot easier.”

“But that much easier? I mean, you took her out in 10 seconds flat. It was-“

“I get it. Can we not talk about it?” Vinyl replied with a slightly saddened tone. Dash hushed, looking down at her hooves regretfully.

“Thanks…For helping me.”

“Ah, it was no problem.” Vinyl spun herself on the bench and sat up right, slipping her glasses over her eyes and smiling. “Don’t mention it.” She pushed herself forward, landing on all fours in front of the bench before looking over her shoulder at Dash. “Let’s get somewhere else so we can talk. Maybe get a bite to eat on the way there.

“Oh, yeah! How about some cotton candy?” Forgetting instantly about the last event, Dash came trotting with a hop to her step beside Vinyl.

“This early in the morning? That is not good for you.”

“Yeah, that might be true. But you only live for so long! Enjoy everything you have and do everything today!”

Vinyl sighed and turned to look the pegasus. Responding slowly with an odd tone to her voice, she said, “I knew someone like you. What if by doing everything today, you have nothing left for tomorrow? What if something you did today prevents you from doing something tomorrow? I can see what you mean, but to do it with no regrets may prove difficult.”

Dash slowed down a bit, still following directly behind her. Vinyl didn’t seem like a pony to say something like that. She seemed like somepony like Dash. Fast-paced and exciting. Maybe that’s just what she was saying, but she sounded convincing. Maybe she just needs someone to help her.

Passing by a food booth, Dash tossed up two bits onto the counter and was quickly handed a stick of cotton candy. Beginning to eat it the best she can while still walking, Dash caught back up with Vinyl’s side, biting happily away at the fluffy snack.

Vinyl turned to Dash again. “Where would you like to-…Oh, heh. Looks like you already have something to eat. Never mind, then. Is it good?”

Cotton candy stuff in her mouth, Dash replies, “Ah corsh! Ish dehicious!”

Chuckling, the unicorn turns her head back in front of her. “Good. You better get me some later. It looks good.”

“Wan’ shome?”

“No…Heh. I’m good for now…Ah, okay, we’re almost there. Keep following. I have a sweet hang out spot.” Dash looked around, smiling warmly, noticing they were walking onto Sweet Apple Acres.

Chapter 5:

“What are we doing out here, Vinyl? This is AJ’s farm.” The apple trees, ripe and right for picking, were slowly becoming denser the farther they went into the farm.

“AJ? Never heard of her.” Some rotting apples were laying on the ground not from the trunk of the tree while the fresh ones have rolled down the hill, far away from its producer.

“AppleJack, silly. Y’know, the Apple Family. AppleJack, Big Mac, Apple Bloom, Granny Smith. Them.”

“Oh, right! The ones that own Sweet Apple Acres. Like I said, I have a hangout spot just for us. It’s nice, cozy, and far away from everything. Used to go there every day after…” Vinyl grew quiet, looking down at the ground and then closing her eyes. Nudging her gently, Dash smiled at her.

“After what, Vinyl?” Quickly becoming concerned, Dash pushed Vinyl’s head up with her wing. “You can tell me. I know we haven’t been friends for that long, but you can trust me.”

Letting out a long sigh, Vinyl lifted up her head and started walking faster. The pegasus kept up, wiping away the smile as they walked on. Vinyl lifted up her goggles for a moment and wiped at her eyes before putting them back on. “I’ll tell you what happened when we get to where we’re going…” She began to trot through the trees, taking a turn every few steps, almost looking like she was trying to shake Dash off. Dash pursued just as quickly though, only not staying by her side because of the few wounds she still had from the day before. The nurse unicorn did a great job overall, though.

The trees grew thicker and thicker, trying to reach out and trip the crippled pony, sticking out their roots in desperation. Dash kept running as fast as she could, jumping over the obstacles and dodging the hanging limbs. It seemed like the Everfree Forest all over again. She’s never gone this far into the orchard on foot. Actually, she’s never gone into the orchard on foot at all.

Light erupted in her face as she exited the thicket and into an slightly open clearing with one single apple tree in the middle, a tree house built on it. Vinyl was casually walking up the walkway into it, her goggles now up. The tree house had a bit of color though there were many things falling off and such. The door was off its hinges mostly and there was CMC written on the front of it. It seemed almost as old as Dash herself.

She quickly followed behind Vinyl, starting to walk up the walkway as the unicorn walked into the house itself. Something about this dinky little clubhouse seemed familiar. She couldn’t quite put her finger on it, but she’s seen or heard of it before. Maybe she was just imagining it.

Stepping inside, she witnessed Vinyl kneeling herself down with her hooves together in front of a small portrait, although it was too dark to tell who it was. Her voice was hushed, barely even audible across the small room. The entire interior had no light other than one window, and there were curtains over that also. Vinyl’s goggles were now on the ground next to her, the first time Dash actually saw the goggles off of her body.

Dash began walking more into the house, treading carefully as to not disturb Vinyl. Even getting closer, her words weren’t recognizable at all. They were too quiet. Vinyl didn’t seem like someone to be talking to themselves…Dash then realized the connection between the portrait and her talking quietly. She was talking to her. It must’ve been a close pony that died. That would explain a lot.

Vinyl finished up her nearly inaudible talk session with, “Thank Celestia for letting me talk to you again. I will back soon.”

“You two were really close, weren’t you?” Vinyl jumped in fright, turning around quickly, her horn glowing. Just for a second, it lit up the portrait bright enough to show a pony with a grey coat and a long grey mane with a small pink bowtie on. She was smiling, looking away from the photographer as if she didn’t want to be taken a photo of, although it was obvious she did.

The unicorn in front of the portrait, calmed down, slipping on her goggles over her noticeably red eyes. “Don’t sneak up on me Octy…” She realized what she said and turned back around, blushing a bit and sniffling. “I mean Dash!”

“Vinyl…are you alright?” Dash walked closer to Vinyl, putting her hoof on her back. “It looks like we need to talk about something.”

The unicorn let out a long sigh, her horn glowing again to move her goggles up. “Yeah…I told you I ‘d tell you what happened…” She sat down, wiping her eyes again and looking up at the portrait she was kneeling in front of.

“That’s Octavia. An earth pony I met back when I was a tiny mare. Still in the schoolhouse and all. Had our cutie marks but that’s the only thing mature about us back then. Well, actually, me specifically. Octavia was the mature one that got me out of stuff. We were best friends, hung out all through school. Filly school, middle school, high school, even went to the same university. Yeah, we were both music people. She loved the cello, I loved mixing music. Quite opposite sides of the scale, I know, but we tolerated each other’s music and actually grew to love it.

“So…When it came for graduation, we obviously both graduated with modest positions in our class…Modest being I was near the bottom for having creativity and she was at the top because she knew how to work with restrictions. We continued to hang out for a while, but like most friends, saw each other less and less. That was expected. When she was…” Vinyl paused and sniffled a bit, choking on her words. “Sorry…When she was traveling to one of her shows…A harpy attacked her. She only had her cello with her, and it was a family heirloom. She couldn’t use it to defend herself. Instead, she got mauled and clawed close to death…That’s all the harpy wanted. Nothing else. Right after that, the harpy flew off and someone discovered Octavia, barely alive.

“When I learned she was hurt and at the hospital, I went as fast as I could to see her…I broke down when I did. She had cuts all over her body. Most of her bones broken…It was…horrible. She smiled when she saw me though. That was the first time I cried ever, and she saw it. She said she felt privileged because she knew that it was.” Vinyl sniffled again, tearing up. “I was right next to her when she died…She didn’t have any immediate family and I was the only real friend she knew…She said she gave everything to me on her will.” Tears began to roll down her face, causing her to look away a bit. “I didn’t want anything. I said the only thing I wanted was her to live…She responded with…” Vinyl coughed, trying to keep talking but it started to prove difficult. “She said…’That can’t happen now. I don’t want you to live with me as a burden…I want you to live as much as you can. I didn’t do it like you did, and I regret it now…” Vinyl was almost balling now, wiping her eyes over and over again. “I want you to regret nothing and protect everything you love…That…That is how you actually live, not just survive.”

Vinyl buried her face in her hooves, letting go of everything. Dash sat nearby, listening and watching, unsure what to do yet. “She…She died moments after those words. I cried the entire night, but the next day, I acted like nothing was wrong, and lived, like she said.” She lifted herself from her hooves, closing her eyes to hold back the tears. “But everyday since then, I came back here…Where me, her, and AppleJack used to hang out…When we were really small…And I talked to her…Until AppleJack’s little sister and friends moved in, and that’s when I moved to the thicket of the trees…Until, again, they grew older and stopped coming. Everyday I could. She will never leave my thoughts…” She began crying again, hanging her head, letting her tears soak into the wooden floor.

Dash scooted over and swung her foreleg over Vinyl’s shoulders, pulling her closer. The same feeling she had when flying, when she first saw Vinyl, overcame her again. “That’s not what she told you to do.” Vinyl turned her head, confused.

“W…What?”

“Octavia didn’t tell you to stop living because someone else did. You’re not living yet. You’re letting something in the past shackle you down. That’s not living. Living is what she said. Having no regrets. Right now, you’re regretting her death. You need to move forward and take a hold of what’s ahead of you. Looking at what’s behind you only makes you crash. Trust me, I know.”

Vinyl managed a small chuckle, wiping the tears from her eyes one last time. “I…I guess you’re right…Sorry…for dumping this all on you.”

“Don’t mention it. I accidentally dumped my crash onto you yesterday, I’ll take the same times 10.” Vinyl put her head on Dash’s shoulder, sighing and chuckling again.

“Heh…If that’s true…” She sniffled again. “Will…You help me not to look behind me?” Neither of them blushed, this wasn’t somepony asking another out, this was a question to salvation and happiness.

Dash smiled. “I couldn’t say no. You’ll always have my rainbow leading the way.”

-They returned to Ponyville an hour afterwards. Neither say what happened in that hour. By noon, they confirmed that they were dating. Gilda was seen leaving Ponyville a little bit after the fight between her and Vinyl. She didn’t speak to anyone but seemed to have a broken beak. Vinyl only returned to the treehouse one more time and it was to retrieve Octavia’s picture. She keeps it in her living room only as a reminder to keep moving forward.-

Part 1
FIN
Part 2 will be out as soon as possible, including another 5 chapters. The other Mane 6 characters shall be met, so expect some…well…unexpectations. I know that’s not a word.

Comments

[Breakfateschain]

Its good, but it feels a bit rushed

[neighsmith]

wow, i really liked it... nice use of octavia

[Nights]

The plot is absolutely amazing so far, I love it!! There are, however, massive amounts of grammatical errors. I had to, on several occasions, reread a section due to these errors. It takes away, slightly, from the story itself. That is to say, nevertheless, I still found myself diving into the story. It is absolutely wonderful ^^ I'd recommend having a proofreader read over your work though.