Broken Record

by Scourgeous

Replay

Warm water streamed off Vinyl's fur as she doused herself under the shower. She quickly rid her mane of tangles, then shut off the water and stepped out into the cold, misted bathroom. The tiles clicked under her hooves, and she raised her head to look into the mirror. Her reflection stared back, looking tired and withered. She sighed and grabbed a towel using her magic and began to rough up her wet fur.

"Vinyl?" Octavia called through the door. "I've put new sheets in the guest bedroom if you want to stay the night."

The towel slumped to the ground as she looked up, losing her focus. "Oh.. I... sure!"

The sound of Octavia's hooves retreating faded, and Vinyl gave her hair one last shake before walking out of the bathroom. As Tavi had said, the tidy guest bedroom had been recently changed, and Vinyl's scarf and saddlebags were folded neatly at the foot of the bed. She smiled gently and sniffed them before sitting on the edge of the bed, staring around the posh room.

I've never met someone from Canterlot who is so kind. She thought, then she let her gaze trail to the ground. She felt bad that she couldn't pay Tavi for her kind services. Slumping against the bed, Vinyl closed her eyes and drifted into a dark, restless sleep.

---

"Wakey wakey," Octavia was leaning over Vinyl, her gentle eyes glowing.

The white unicorn shifted against the soft mattress and looked up at the gray mare, then stretched out her legs. "Morning."

Octavia set a tray on the edge of the bed. There were a couple of plates, one with pancakes, the other with bread and salad. She smiled and blinked at Vinyl, who was clumsily getting to her hooves and looking down at the breakfast laid out for her.

"For me?" She breathed, looking over the selection. Never in her life had Vinyl seen such nice food. She'd usually eat porridge in her flat, but nothing fancy.

"Of course."

As soon as Tavi had left the room, Vinyl ate as fast as she could, her stomach groaning with hunger. She'd never tasted anything so delicious in her life. She licked her lips and swallowed the last scrap, looking around as if expecting Octavia to wheel in a trolley full of food. She let herself sigh with content at the feeling in her belly, then she hopped down from the bed and pushed her way out into the hall.

Octavia's home was elegant and tidy. It looked as if she cleaned it every day. Vinyl struggled to find a single flaw through the rooms. She eventually bumped into Tavi again, who was sitting in the kitchen, staring down at a picture frame and a wrinkled old letter.

"Tavi?" She called gently, not wanting to intrude on the mare's privacy.

She jumped with shock, and the frame slid out of her hooves and hit the floor, the glass in front of the picture shattering into several pieces. Vinyl flinched and stared with horror as Octavia stared down at it, then slowly placed the letter on the table and slowly looked up.

"I'm so sorry!" Vinyl gaped, rushing forward to pick it up, but Octavia gently pushed her back, eyes full of emotion.

"No... I'm letting go." She breathed, pushing the frame away from herself. "Forget it."

Vinyl looked down to see a pony that looked like Tavi, just with different colors smiling at the camera. She was hugging a very young Octavia close to her chest. Tears burned at the edges of Vinyl's eyes.

"Is that your mother?"

Octavia nodded and picked up a sweep and began to dust the shards away. She didn't say any more, just cleaning up, then folding the letter neatly and putting it up in a cupboard that was almost out of her reach. Then she turned to Vinyl, smiling.

"I had to leave her to find my own destiny. I was never going to earn my cutie mark on the farm." She sighed, rubbing her flank gently with a hoof.

Vinyl glanced at her own cutie mark, then back at Octavia's. "So you like music?"

"I play the cello for many of the Princess' occasions." She said gently, eyes glittering with a hind of pride. "What music do you perform?"

The words seem to lodge in Vinyl's throat, and she turned away, nerves pricking her all over. "I'm a DJ..."

"That is amazing!" Octavia's eyes filled with wonder. "How do you do it? Is it weird not having an instrument? Or is like controlling them all?"

She blinked, opening her mouth to speak but Octavia over-rided her and kept flooding her with questions. "Do you have a DJ name? You should be DJ Ponypower! No no! DJ Pon3!"

Warmth ignited within Vinyl like a flame as she stared at the excitable gray mare, and she nodding, rushing forward without thinking to hug Octavia tightly. "Yes! DJ Pon3 is the best name ever!"

Tavi went stiff for a moment, then she relaxed and hugged Vinyl back. "I'm glad you like it!"

"I don't like it." She said, red eyes suddenly serious. Tavi stared at her with confusion, then Vinyl grinned. "I love it!"

Comments

[Scourgeous]

2248110

Considering she is a background pony it's not really something we can judge on.

[ponytrash]

Yep. Liking, faving, email updates. Looking foreword to more.

[FightingOreo]

Loving the excitable Octavia in this one. Very original.

[Scourgeous]

2249126

OctaScratch or Vinyltavia I believe. Glad you like.

[PeggyDreamcloud]

LOVE IT SO FAR! :)

Moar please :)