> A Heartfelt Symphony
>  by Star_Streak
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

> Chapter One
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------



Chapter One

The grey mare began walking to the other side of the club during a slight lull in the song, the crowd around her dancing to a beat unseen or unheard by herself. She looked around, examining the brightly coloured dance floor and stage, both of which were covered with flashing, neon lights.
How did I end up in here? Octavia thought to herself as she finally reached the VIP area where a large bouncer pulled back the red rope for her.
Octavia brushed back her mane and sat down on one of the plush couches next to the clubs new owner, a mare by the name of Vinyl Scratch. The white and blue mare gave the newcomer a quick glance through her purple shades before resuming her own conversation with the talent scout.
“He’s pretty sweet ain’t he?”
The scout looked up at the DJ who was currently preforming on a huge, cube shaped stage customized to fit any soundboards, turntables, and mixers that a DJ might bring. Lights and screens on the cube responded in time with the music, making it look alive.
“He’s okay I suppose...my agency would prefer your name on the record label though.”
“Dude, we’ve already gone over this, I will not switch labels,” Vinyl shouted in reply as the songs volume picked up. 
“And why not?  This club is as big as you’ll ever get with your current contract. If you join us, you could get huge!”
“I don’t care about getting huge if it means being an asshole and leaving my friends in the dust,” She replied with an annoyed look. “Now, if you want the new kid, let me know. Otherwise, get out of my club.”
“Fine, we’ll take him. But this is our last offer for you Vinyl”
“Oh thank Celestia, you’ve finally given up! I’ll let the kid know after he’s done here tonight.”
The talent agent sighed and stood up, “Alright, thanks I suppose.” 
Vinyl finally relaxed back onto the couch after the agent had gone before turning to the grey mare sitting beside her. “Sup?”
Octavia wiped a bead of sweat from her forehead as the temperature in the club continued to rise. “Umm…hello. I am Octavia Melody”
Vinyl gave her a blank stare through the purple lenses of her glasses. “Okay, so?”
“Have you not heard of me?”
She thought for a minute before answering, “Nope, was I supposed to?”
Octavia looked surprised at first but then looked at the club around her before, taking in the so called “music” and lights before answering, “No, I suppose a ‘musician’ such as yourself would not have.”
Vinyl’s eyes narrowed, “What’s that supposed to mean?”
“Oh nothing”
The DJ decided to let it go and find out exactly why she was here, “I haven’t seen you in any of the other clubs before, what brings you to mine?”
“Well…” The grey mare looked a little embarrassed. “I’ve been out of work for a while, ever since the Gala, and I was wo-”
“Wait, hold up. Don’t tell me it was you who played the Pony Pokey at the Grand Galloping Gala!” Vinyl interrupted, only barely trying to hide her laugh when Octavia didn’t respond. “It was! Ha! That’s awesome!” She managed to stifle her laughs. “Okay, I’m done. You were saying?”
“How is that ‘awesome’? My career is ruined because of that stupid song. Nopony will take me seriously as a musician now!” She took a moment to collect herself before continuing. “Anyway…I was hoping that you would have a job opening here. Maybe one night a week where I could perform and I could serve food the rest of the time”
“Girl, I don’t know if you’ve noticed yet, but this is a nightclub. We don’t really do…what do you do again?”
“I play the cello and I sing”, Octavia replied.
“Exactly. This place does dubstep and techno. Not classical. You should go find some mall or museum if you want to play your stuff. Now about you being a server, yea, normally I’d hire you but I’m closing this place soon. It costs me more to keep it open than I make from it. If I hire you now, not only would I be losing more money, but you’d be out of work anyway in like a month”. 
“You’re closing your club?”
“I just answered that”
“I saw some public records that read that your club is one of the most successful in all of Manehattan. How are you losing money?” Octavia asked, a little shocked. 
Vinyl gave the cellist a strange look, “Most successful? How? The guy who does most of the accounting stuff…oh…well shit…” She stood up and walked over to the office section of her building.
After a few minutes, a brown stallion carrying a box of random office supplies was shoved roughly out the door. A couple of pencils dropped from the box as he rushed through the crowd towards the door, a faint smirk on his face. 
Vinyl ran burst through the door soon after, her face making her anger obvious. “You are soo fired Cole!”
The whole club stopped and stared at Vinyl, causing her to blush and shrink back down onto the couch next to Octavia.
After a minute, they resumed their dancing which allowed Vinyl to relax a little, the anger slowly ebbing out of her. 
“What was that about?” Octavia asked, giving the still frustrated DJ a questioning glance.
“Asshole was only recording half of my profits and keeping the rest…” She replied, shaking her head a little. Vinyl glanced up at the grey mare beside her and smiled a little. “Well it looks like I need a new accountant; think you’re up for it?”
Octavia grinned.
> Chapter Two
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Chapter Two

Vinyl smiled as the deep, resonating tone of the cello echoed through the nightclub. She stepped out of her office onto soft carpet floor of the VIP area. Her gaze shifted around the room, looking at the surprising amount of ponies that actually showed up to listen to the cellist play before falling on the grey mare herself who was currently on the stage that was normally reserverd for live bands. It had been nearly two weeks since the incident with the former accountant and her profits were at an all-time high so, in reward for doing so well with the financial details, she finally agreed to let Octavia preform on one of the less busy nights.
Octavia had her eyes closed as she guided the bow along the strings of her instrument, lost in the music. It had been so long since she had played in front of an audience and she had forgotten how much she enjoyed preforming. She smiled and opened her eyes as she finished the song, blushing a bit as she saw a white mare watching and smiling at her from the VIP area. 
As the applause faded, Octavia stepped down the stages stairs, leaving her cello on stage to put away later, after the audience had gone. Vinyl approached her as she reached the floor below, a smile on her face. 
“Oh, hey Vinyl”
“That was great Octy!” Vinyl pulled the surprised grey mare into a hug, making Octavia blush a little.
“It wasn’t that great; I haven’t practiced in a while so I-”
“Nope! None of that! You were awesome. It’s not easy to get an entire club of ponies to actually enjoy any music other than dubstep. And you even got a standing ovation!” Vinyl interrupted, tightening the hug briefly before pulling back.
Octavia looked at the DJ pony and smiled. “Thanks Vinyl. That means a lot.”
“You’re welcome. Now I have a question for ya…” She said.
“Okay, what is it Vinyl?” 
“The other day, you mentioned that you had to move out of your old apartment so I was wondering…where are you staying now?” Vinyl asked.
“Oh I’ve just been staying in a hotel. Don’t worry about it.”
“You could come stay with me if you wanted to. That way you wouldn’t have to pay for rent”
Octavia shook her head slightly, “No, no. I wouldn’t want to be a burden”
“You wouldn’t be a burden Octy. I promise”
“Are you sure Vinyl?”
“Yup!” Vinyl grinned at her. “I insist”
Octavia pulled Vinyl into another hug and smiled. “Thank you Vinyl, I don’t know how I’ll ever repay you”

The pair stepped into Vinyl’s small apartment, both of them exhausted from the last night’s events. Later into the evening, there had been an unexpected amount of ponies show up and, since Wednesdays were usually slower, they had been completely understaffed. Vinyl had been able to put some of her music on the DJ table but had to quickly rush back to help work at the bar after she had put on the new song but she also had to rush back to put on a new song whenever the old one ended.
Octavia, being new to the job, had been mixing drinks for the customers when the new crowd had come in. She was only able to keep up once Vinyl had come to help her and even then it was difficult.   
Vinyl took a deep breath and smiled at Octavia, “Quite a night, huh?”
“Yea, I am utterly exhausted,” she dropped her small bag of stuff onto the floor next to the couch.
Vinyl raised her eyebrow at her, “What are you doing?”
“I am about to go to sleep. Is it not obvious?”
“On the couch?”
“Of course, unless you have a bedroom other than your own that is.”
Vinyl shook her head, “No, I don’t but you can have my bedroom, I’ll sleep on the couch. You’re my guest.”
“That will not be necessary Vinyl, I will be perfectly content here,” She sat down.
“Maybe you will but I’ll feel weird with you sleeping here”.
“Well what do you suggest we do?” the cellist asked, bringing a faint blush from Vinyl. “What? Why are you blushing?”
“Oh, um…no reason…” Vinyl turned her head a little to hide her face. “I just had a stupid idea.”
“Well what was it?” Octavia asked.
“Nothing, it’s dumb. Please just take the bed Octavia,” The white mare replied.
“I hate to intrude but if you insist, I shall take the bed,” Octavia relented. She picked up her bags again and walked into the bedroom where she dropped them onto the dresser. She unpacked a few small items such as her brush and bowties before returning to the living room where vinyl was laying a blanket out onto the couch. “We should probably go to sleep. It’s been a long night and we have to be back at the club tonight”.
“Yea, you’re probably right. I guess I’ll see you when you get up,” Vinyl said as she sat down on the end of the couch. “I’ll probably be up before you anyway.”
“Okay. I’ll see you later then,” Octavia said before trotting back into the bedroom and lying down. 
Why is that mare so nervous around me? She doesn’t act that way when she’s with anypony else. I’ll have to ask her later I suppose, Octavia thought to herself as she pulled the covers over her. A few minutes later, all that could be heard was her breath as she slept.
Even after Octavia had fallen asleep, Vinyl Scratch was still wide awake on the couch. She was on her back staring at the ceiling, her thoughts always drifting back to a certain grey mare. 
Finally, she sat up, “Ugghh! Why can’t I stop thinking about her?!”
She buried her face in her hooves, letting out a soft sigh, “I can’t like her! She’s so preppy and neat and...and cute and different and…” She stopped, realized where this was going. 
Okay...maybe I like her a little bit but theres no way she’d like me. She’s probably gonna marry some rich stallion or something, She laid back on the couch, running a hoof through her mane and letting out a long breath.  Okay Vinyl...just close your eyes and go to sleep. Just don’t think about her. Or do. Whatever works. Her eyes slowly close and she takes another deep breath. Just relax...and go to… 
Her thoughts trailed off as she finally fell asleep.

> Chapter Three
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Chapter Three	

Octavia’s eyes slowly adjusted to the soft, afternoon light that filled the room. She sat up in her bed and stretched, looking around at the room before her. The walls were full posters of other DJs and musicians such as Deadpon-3, who was obviously one of her favorites. Octavia stood up and walked over to a desk that stood next to a window. She looked at her reflection for a second in one of the three monitors before looking down at the contents of the desk itself. There were multiple CDs and a large electronic device with a large number of knobs and buttons which she left alone before trotting over to the bathroom door, still groggy from the hours of sleep that she’d gotten. 	
I haven’t slept that well in weeks, she thought to herself as she opened the door, releasing a wall of warm air and steam. What in the-?!
“Oh! H-hey Octavia. Do ya think you could knock next time you hear the shower running?” Vinyl said from behind the glass door of the shower, her face turning a deep shade of red.
Octavia blushed as well before looking away.
“I-I’m sorry. I didn’t hear it, I just woke up and I…sorry…” She stammered out before turning to leave the bathroom. 
“It’s okay Octy, you just surprised me,” Vinyl said before turning off the shower and stepping out, her face back to its normal color. “Can you hand me that towel over there?” 
“Y-yea, sure,” the grey mare said, walking over to the towel and picking it up. She tossed it over to Vinyl who started to dry off.
“I made breakfast if you want some; it's over on the table,” Vinyl said as she shook out her mane, allowing it to go back to its usual, wild state. 
Octavia regained her usual composure, “Thank you Vinyl. I apologize for walking in on your shower. I'll be in the other room.”
She stepped back out into the bedroom and took a deep breath before continuing on into the kitchen. She found the plate of food sitting on the table just where Vinyl had said it was. 
Vinyl came out of the bedroom, completely dried off, wearing her trademark purple glasses, just as Octavia finished cleaning up her plate.
“Morning Octy”
“Good morning Vinyl. Did you sleep well?” the cellist replied.
“Yep. Did you?” Vinyl asked her.
“Yes”
A few moments went by in silence. 
“Soo…Octavia…” Vinyl trailed off.
“Yes Vinyl? What is it?
“Nothing…never mind, it’s stupid” Vinyl blushed a bit and appeared to be very interested in a small discoloring in the wall. 
“Okay. Vinyl, can I ask you something?” 
“Sure Octy”
“Okay, well I was wondering why you have been so nervous around me lately. Have I done something wrong?” Octavia asked.
Vinyl’s face turned red as she spoke, “I umm…no, you haven’t done anything I just…yea…”
“What?” Octavia asked, confused.
“It-it’s no big deal, don’t worry about it,” Vinyl forced a smile and tried to change the subject. “So…how are you liking working at the club so far?”
“The customers can get very loud and annoying when they’ve had a few too many ciders. Other than that I’m enjoying it well enough.” Octavia replied, deciding to drop the previous conversation. 
“How’s the number stuff coming along?”
“Number stuff? Oh you mean the accounting. That’s going very well; you’re turning an average profit of seven thousand bits per night after purchases, paychecks, mortgages and taxes.” 
Vinyl whistled. “Wow, I didn’t realize I was making that much”.
“Well you are the most successful club in Manehatten right now. I looked into it the other day. Your numbers nearly double all of your competitor’s.”
The DJ’s jaw dropped. “Are…are you serious?”
“Why wouldn’t I be?”
Vinyl was on her in a second, hugging her tightly. “Omygoshohmygoshohmygosh! You’re the best!”
“I am simply doing what you hired me to do. There is no need to thank me”.
Vinyl let Octavia go and stepped back. “I know but…seven thousand bits! After payments! That’s incredible!”
“Well we had better get to the club, my shift starts in an hour and I want to be there before most of the customers arrive.”
“Yea okay. I’ll wait here for you to get ready.”
“I am ready.”
“Umm…what about that tie thing you always have on?”
Octavia looked down and realized that she had not put on her signature pink bowtie. “Oh yes, of course. Thank you Vinyl”. She walked back into the bedroom and picked one up, revealing a small piece of paper underneath. She paused and picked up the paper as well.
"Oh wow..." she said softly as she looked at the drawing that filled the paper. It showed a mare sitting at a desk, concentrating on whatever she was doing in a record book that looked very similar to the one at Vinyl's club. Whoever had drawn the picture had gotten everything just right, from the way the mares mane fell across her shoulder to the shadows on the desk. It was only then that Octavia noticed that the mare in the picture had a small bowtie around her neck.
"Octy? You comin'?" Vinyl called from the other room.
She quickly put the picture back and covered it with her bag before returning to Vinyl. “Okay, I think I’m ready to go now.”
They left Vinyl's apartment and started walking towards the club. 
After a couple of minutes spent in silence, Vinyl glanced over at the mare beside her. 
“Soo...Octy...Where are you from?” She asked, wanting to find out more about the cellist.
“I was born in Canterlot where I studied music but I moved to Manehatten to work, until that pink pony appeared at the Grand Galloping Gala that is.” She replied.
“Oh you're one of those Canterlot ponies. I knew it. Anyway...what else do you do other than play that cello of yours?”
“I study classical music and compose my own works.”
“Is that it? No clubbing, no parties, no drinking or anything like that?” Vinyl asked.
Octavia looked at her, a little confused, “Why in Equestria would I partake in such activities?”
“Oh I don't know, maybe because its fun”
“Fun? How can blacking out and waking up with a headache possibly be fun?”
Vinyl stopped walking and turned to her before speaking, “Hold up, you're telling me that, throughout your entire time at high school, you never once went to a real party?”
“No, I have never been to what you would call a 'real party'.”
Vinyl just grinned a little.
“What's that look for?” The grey mare asked, not sure where this was going.
“Oh nothing” Vinyl turned and trotted in the other direction, away from the club. 
“Vinyl! Where are you going? We have to go to work!” Octavia ran to catch up. 
“You just said that you've never been to a party right?”
“Yes”
Vinyl gave her a sly smile, “Well I guess we'll have to fix that, won't we?
> Chapter Four
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Chapter Four

“Vinyl, I don’t think that this is a good idea...” Octavia said nervously as they approached a large house, just outside the city.
“Oh come on Octy; you can’t back out now. We’re already here,” Vinyl replied, determined to get Octavia to the party. 
Octavia glanced back at the house, which was alive with lights flashing different colours. “I’m just nervous, I suppose. When is this party scheduled to end?” 
Vinyl laughed a little.
“What’s so funny?” The cellist asked with a small frown.
“It’s not scheduled to end at all. For all I know, this party could go on for a couple of days. It is a Pinkie Pie party after all,” Vinyl replied.
“A couple of days?!”
“Oh don’t worry, we won’t stay that long. We’ll just be here for a few hours”
Octavia sighed in relief, “Well alright, that’s fine then. I thought Pinkie Pie lived in Ponyville.”
Vinyl nodded, “She does but she comes up here every now and again to throw parties like this one.”
“She can’t have parties like this in Ponyville?”
“Well she can but it’s a small town and the turnout wouldn’t be nearly as big as this.” She motioned to the crowd.
They approached the door and Vinyl reached for the doorbell. Suddenly she stopped. 
“Hey Octy, one more thing before we go in: this is Lyra’s house and she tends to go a little overboard on the cider. If you meet her when she’s like that and Bon Bon isn’t around, find me.”
“Why is that? And who’s Bon Bon?” 
“She tends to get a bit…flirty when she’s drunk around other mares and Bon Bon is her marefriend. She’s also the only one who can keep her a little restrained…kind of…” She rang the doorbell.
“What do you mean by ‘kind of’?”
Vinyl was about to answer when the door was opened by a light blue pegasus with a rainbow coloured mane.
“Vinyl! You made it!” The pegasus shouted over the music, giving a hoof-bump to the DJ
Vinyl grinned at her, “Of course I did! You really think I’m gonna miss one of Pinkie’s parties?”
“Well with your new club I just thought…whatever,” She looked to Octavia, “And who’s this?”
Octavia shifted nervously under the mares questioning gaze.
“Oh yea! Octavia, Rainbow Dash. Rainbow, Octavia. She’s one of my employees at the club.”
Octavia smiled and held out her hoof, “It’s very nice to meet you Rainbow Dash.”
Rainbow shook the other mare’s hoof before turning back to Vinyl, “You brought an employee to a party?”
“Well she’s also been staying at my place lately and I thought this’d be fun”
Rainbow smirked a little, “Oh well come on in, we’re just getting started”
The two mares stepped into the house, which wasn’t as crowded as the yard but still had quite a few ponies in it. Rainbow pulled Vinyl to the side, away from Octavia before leaning in close to her.
“So…is she just staying with you or is there something else going on?”
Vinyl blushed a little but quickly covered it up. “There’s nothing going on between us. She just needed a little help getting back on her hooves.”
“Come on Vinyl…there’s got to be something going on. I mean-” Rainbow persisted then stopped, giving Vinyl a grin.
“What? Why are you smiling like that?”
“She doesn’t know does she?”
Vinyl’s face grew red once again, “What are you talking about? Know what?”
“Oh come on Vinyl, you know exactly what I’m talking about,” The pegasus said before taking a drink of the cider she’d been holding. 
Vinyl tried changing the subject, “Where did Octavia go anyway?”
“Don’t change the…actually, I have no idea. Where is she? She was here a second ago wasn’t she?” 
The DJ looked around the room, peering through her glasses, “I thought she was…maybe we should go find her.”
“Yea okay...and don’t think I’m just gonna drop that other thing. We’ll get back to that.”
Vinyl sighed softly as they began their search.
Octavia stood by the two mares as they talked for a few minutes before wandering off to explore the rest of the house. 
Just as she entered the living room, a pale green pony came stumbling into the room, her manner clearly telling just how much alcohol she’d had already. Octavia looked to her flank and, seeing her lyre shaped cutie mark, assumed that this must be the mare that Vinyl had mentioned earlier. 
She quickly headed for the closest door to avoid an encounter with the drunken mare. 
Lyra spotted the unfamiliar grey mare from across the room and stumbled towards the door, blocking Octavia’s path. She stood in front of the new mare and looked her up and down, examining her in her drunken state. “Wh-whu ur yu?”
Octavia replied calmly, attempting to end their conversation before Lyra did anything, “My name is Octavia.”
“Whu brought yu too mah party?” She asked, still curious.
“A mare named Vinyl Scratch.”
Lyra walked around Octavia, still looking closely at her before giving a drunken smile, “Ah know Vinyl,” She said with a small giggle.
Octavia started towards the door again, only to be stopped again by the green mare.
“Excuse me, I’m trying to get through” She said, her patience wearing thin.
Lyra leaned close to Octavia, giving her the same drunken smile as before, “Soo…whut ‘ave you ‘nd Vinyl do together?” 
“She hired me at her nightclub.”
“Is that all?”
Octavia nodded.
Lyra leaned in a little closer and Octavia took a step back. “Soo…no marefriend then huh?”
The cellist shook her head. “No no, our relationship is purely professional. But I do hear that you have one. Am I correct?”
Lyra opened her mouth to answer when a beige pony with a blue and pink mane walked through the door. “Yes. Yes she does.” 
The new pony trotted over and pulled Lyra back a few paces. “I’m sorry about her, she gets weird when she’s drunk. I’m Bon Bon.” She held out her hoof and Octavia shook it.
“I’m Octavia. It’s nice to meet you.”
“And you as well. Are you new in town? I haven’t seen you at any of the other parties before.”
“This is my first party.”
“Oh. Well how did you find out about this one?” Bon Bon asked.
Lyra poked Bon Bon’s nose and giggled, “Vinyl brought ‘er.”
Bon Bon smiled, “Vinyl brought you?”
Octavia nodded, “Yes.”
“Are you that new mare she hired at the club?”
Again, she nodded. “I am.”
“She mentioned you a few days ago when I stopped by to tell her about the party.” 
She mentioned me?, the cellist thought to herself. “What did she say?”
Bon Bon smiled again, “Nothing bad, she did seem pretty excited that you were going to stay with her. How is that going by the way? I know Vinyl’s apartment is a little small.”
“It’s going well. I’ve only spent one night there.
Lyra tugged on her marefriend’s ear, “Ah’m gonna go over there.” 
She stumbled off without waiting for a response.
”Where’s she going now?” Octavia asked as Lyra left the room.
Bon Bon shrugged, “I don’t know. Probably to get more booze.”
They both turned towards another door as Rainbowdash and Vinyl entered the room.
“Hey Vinyl, good to see you,” Bon Bon said as the other mare approached.
Vinyl grinned at her, “Hey Bonnie! I see you already met Octy.” She stood next to Octavia.
“Yea, she just met Lyra,” Bon Bon said, laughing a little.
The mares talked for a minute before Bon Bon offered them a drink Rainbow declined, motioning to the drink she already had and said that she was going to see if Pinkie was still at the party. She trottted off as Octavia and Vinyl followed Bon Bon into a large room where a bar had been set up along one wall with a large bucket of ice and drinks on top of it and a television on the other. There were about ten other ponies in the room, most of which were watching the Cloudsdale games that were playing on the TV. The music was much quieter in the room, allowing them to speak normally and without raising their voices.	
Two of the mares took a bottle out of the bucket, leaving only the cellist without a drink.
“Hey Octy, ya gonna get a drink or what?” Vinyl asked , taking a sip of her own.
Octavia shook her head slightly, “No thank you. I don’t drink alcohol.”
The DJ grabbed another bottle and held it out to her. “Come on Octy, it’s a party. You’re supposed to make exceptions.”
“I believe one of us must be sober to help the other home.”
Bon Bon laughed a little, watching the mares argue over the drink before interrupting, “Octavia, Vinyl isn’t going to give up so you might as well take it, you’ll be fine.”
Vinyl smiled and nodded eagerly, moving the bottle just a bit closer to the cellist. “Yea, what she said!”
Octavia looked back and forth at the two mares before gingerly taking the bottle from Vinyl. She examined it for a couple of seconds before twisting off the cap and, after another moment of hesitation, took a small sip. 
It’s not as bad as I had imagined…It’s actually quite good, she thought to herself as the cool, citrusy liquid ran over her tongue and down her throat. 
“Sooo…what d’ ya think?” Vinyl asked.
“It’s surprisingly good.” She took another sip, the alcohol making her feel warm on the inside.  
Bon Bon chuckled, “See? It’s not so bad now is it?”
Octavia shook her head, “No, not at all. It’s actually quite nice.
Vinyl downed the rest of her bottle and grabbed another. “Now how about we go see the real party out back?”
The grey mare tilted her head a bit, confused, “This isn’t the real party?”
Vinyl laughed a little, “You can’t have a real Pinkie Pie party inside.”
“And why is that?”
“Cause there’s no room for the cannons.”
Octavia gulped, “Cannons…?”

Octavia stepped through the door into the backyard, following Bon Bon and Vinyl. She took a second to look around, shocked at just how many ponies had shown up to the party. Near the fence on the far side of the yard, a DJ was blasting music through the large speakers on each side. There were lasers and flashing lights set up all around the yard and there was even an electronic dance floor that was flashing to the beat of the music.
Vinyl clapped her hooves together in front of Octavia's face. "Hellooo...Earth to Octy!"
Octavia blinked, "Hm? Oh, yes. I was listening". 
"No you weren't. I just asked what you think and you were just gazing off into the distance", Vinyl said. "So, again, What do ya think? Pretty awesome right?"
Octavia nodded, "Yes, it's 'pretty awesome'."
A glass bottle flew over her head, thrown by a pony to their left. 
"Though it does seem to be a bit out of control..." Octavia continued.
Vinyl glared at the bottle thrower before answering, "It's not really out of control. You'd know if it was out of control".
Bon Bon laughed, "Yea, I've seen some pretty ridiculous parties. But Pinkie usually calms it down before it gets to that point." 
They walked around for a few minutes before someone called Bon Bon away to deal with Lyra, who was currently yelling at everyone in the living room for no apparent reason. 
"So...what did you say earlier about cannons?" Octavia asked.
"Oh yea! They're..." Vinyl trailed off, noticing the surprising lack off cannons. "I actually have no idea where they are. They're usually over there" She motions to the space on either side of the DJ Booth. "Hmm...well that kinda sucks. It's not a real Pinkie Pie party without the-" 
BOOM
Two loud booms echo through the yard, making both Vinyl and Octavia jump as confetti rains down. The rest of the ponies in the backyard turn around towards the house and cheer just as two more booms erupt from the cannons that have been mounted in the second story windows, sending confetti raining down around them again.
Vinyl looks over at Octavia, jumps as the cannons continue to fire and laughs, "You should've seen the look on your face!"
The cellist frowns at her, "As i recall, you were scared too."
"What? Me? Nahh, I was just just pretending to be scared so you wouldn't feel bad"
Octaiva shook her head and chuckled, "My hero." She went to take a sip of her drink and stopped, realizing that it was empty. "Hey Vinyl, do you think you could get me another drink?" 
Vinyl grinned, "Sure, but this time, how about something a little stronger?"




	

	

> Chapter Five
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Chapter Five

Octavia stumbled into the apartment (with Vinyl's support) just as the sun began to rise over the horizon. Neither of them were completely drunk although Octavia did need a little help on the stairs. They made their way over to the couch and sat down beside each other. Octavia smiled and gently leaned against Vinyl who blushed softly but made no effort to move her away. 
"Thank you for taking me to the party Vinyl, I had a really good time." 
"No problem. I had a good time too", Vinyl said. 
The cellist looked up at her, "But I'm so boring compared to you or Bon Bon."
Vinyl looked back at her and smiled, "No you're not. I would've just gotten drunk again if you weren't there. I actually really enjoyed hanging out with you." 
Dear Celestia, I'm so cheesy, She thought to herself.
Octavia giggled softly, "You're so sweet. I can't believe that you don't have a coltfriend already."
"Yea, uhh...me neither. I mean, I can't believe you don't have one either", Vinyl's blush darkened. Smooth Vinyl...real smooth, she thought.
Octavia looked away from the white unicorn with a soft sigh, "Have I told you why I moved to Manehatten?"
Vinyl frowned a little, confused by the sudden change in mood. "Didn't you wanna get big or something? This is the place to do it after all."
"No, I used to live in Los Pegasus with my mom and dad. I used to take cello lessons with a private tutor every Saturday and Sunday, each one lasting for a few hours. Then, when my cutie mark showed up, they decided it was time for me to start preforming at their parties for the guests. Why they were so insistent on the cello, I don't know." She paused for a moment.
"But, what does that have to do with you moving here? And why are you telling me all this now?"
"I'm getting to that and I don't know why I'm telling you this now, I just feel like I need to do it."
Vinyl shut up as the other mare continued.
"My parents are very contemporary. They do not approve of modern, electronic music and most definetly not approve of where I live now. That being said, I was always told that I had to be a perfect gentlepony. Perfect manners, perfect posture, perfect preformances, etcetera. After a while, I just got tired of it; and so I left."
"You just left? But what about that thing in Canterlot with the Pony Pokey? Wasn't that like a year and a half ago?" Vinyl asked, surpried that Octavia was telling her all of this. 
"I went back after a couple of weeks when I realized that I had no idea what I was doing in the real world. I had no money or connections to get me anywhere. Of course, my parents were furious. They didn't allow me to leave the house for weeks. Then, on my nineteeth birthday, my father told me that I was to get married to a stallion from another family. The only problem was that I didnt like him, much less love him."
"Well why didn't you tell him that you didn't love him?" Vinyl asked.
"Believe me, I did. But it wasn't just that. He told me that if i could find any other noble pony for me to marry, then it would be arranged. That was when I told him that there was no stallion at all..." Octavia trailed off.
Vinyl tilted her head a little, "What do you mean?"
She can't mean...no, there's no way I'd be that lucky.
Octavia shook her head softly, "Goddesses you're so thick sometimes Vinyl. I'm saying that I dont like stallions."
Oh Celestia, she did mean that. Vinyl stayed quiet, waiting for Octiavia to continue.
"When I told him that, he 'freaked', as you say. I was forced to stay in my room, 'Until I make the right choice and decide to be their daughter again.' This was about eight months ago. After that, I realized that they would never consider me their daughter and so I left again. I tried to make it on my own but, because of my Pony Pokey reputation, I couldn't get a job anywhere. So I finally gave up on finding a job like I used to get and applied for a job at a new nightclub", Octavia stopped talking and looked up at Vinyl, waiting for a reaction.
Vinyl stared at the musician for a moment, releasing a breath that she hadn't realized she'd been holding. 
"Wow...I-I don't know what to say. I just...wow..." The unicorn said, still unsure of why Octavia had revealed all of this now. 
"And I have a confession to make..." Octavia said slowly.
There's more?!, Vinyl thought.
"I've had enough money to move out for a while now."
"Wait...what? Wasn't that your goal? To move out when you had the money?"
Octavia nodded, "Yes, it was my goal. I wanted to move out for the first couple of nights but, when I'd gotten to know you a little more, I realized that I wanted to stay. I didn't want to just see you at work..." Her blush was visible even through her grey coat. "If you want me to leave now, I understand."
Vinyl stared at her for the seventh time that day. "No, you don't have to move out. I like having you here with me. I also kinda...ya know. I like you." 
Why. Am. I. So. Awkward?!
Octavia smiled, relieved and a little surprised. "I'm so glad you'll let me stay. I..." Her eyes widen as she realizes what Vinyl said. "Y-you do?!"
The white pony nodded, her electric blue mane falling in front of her face. "Yea."
Octavia smiled again, much wider this time and brushed Vinyl's mane out of her face. She leaned back against the other mare and nuzzled into her neck softly. Vinyl nuzzled back and slowly wrapped an arm around the cellist. 
"Does this mean that you and me...?" Vinyl asked nervously.
Octavia giggled and nodded, "If you want it to." She rested her head on the DJ's shoulder softly, snuggling into her embrace, "Oh, and it's 'you and I.'"

> Chapter Six
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Chapter Six

The two mares sat on the couch for a couple of hours, wrapped in each others arms as they talked about whatever came to mind. Neither of them minded that the others questions ranged from deep and thoughtful to funny, hypothetical ones. They were simply trying to find out as much as they could about the other. Eventually, Octavia asked about how Vinyl got to be where she was.
"When I first wanted to be a DJ, I was a little filly. Like, waay  before i got my cutie mark. Anyway..I was on my way to my friends house to get away from my parents and I heard this music coming from the town square. I'd never heard anything like it in Ponyville before so I went to get a closer look." Vinyl stopped and smiled for a second at the memory before continuing, "When I saw that stage for the first time, with the lights and lasers all moving with this super upbeat song made with a bunch of instruments all mixed and distorted...I knew that that's what I wanted to do. 
"I galloped as fast as I could to my friend's house to tell him my idea and he absolutely loved it. He got his parents to get him some basic equipment and we started making songs and trying to figure out our 'secret identities'." She giggled with Octavia and smiled as she thought back on it. "After that we practiced at his house until we got the nerve to show our friends who made us put on this mini-concert for them."
Octavia put her hoof on Vinyl's lips, silencing her. "I have two questions. One, what were your secret identities?" 
She giggled softly and looked down at the mare laying against her chest. "My first 'secret identity' was ' The Incredible Scratch'. " She blushed softly as Octavia laughed. "My friend's was a bit cooler than mine."
"What was it?" 
"Dead Pon-3." 
Octavia paused, remembering the posters on the wall. "Is that the same one that's on your wall?"
"Yea, that's the guy. Since he had the stuff at his house, he got a lot better a lot faster so he kinda took off."
"Wow, that's incredible. Are you two still close?" Octavia asked.
Vinyl nodded, "Yea, we still talk online and meet up at parties sometimes but we don't preform together anymore. I've been trying to get him to come to the club for a while but since it wasn't making money before, he wouldn't come. But maybe now that you're here, we'd be able to afford the cost."
Octavia nodded, "I've actually been in contact with his agent. He's willing to come if he can bring his own set up instead of our cube. I was going to surprise you with it after all of the arrangements were made."
Vinyl gasped and hugged her tightly. "Oh really?! Thankyouthankyouthankyou!" 
Octavia giggled and nuzzled her softly, "You don't have to thank me."
The DJ smiled and looked at her, "So..you had a second question?" 
"Oh, yes. I was wondering where your parents were during all of this. You seem to be leaving them out of your stories quite a bit."
Vinyl's smiled faded a bit and she sighed softly, shifting a little as she gently stroked the other mare's mane. A moment passed as she gathered herself before she spoke again. "I never really got the chance to tell my parents."
"What do you mean?" Octavia asked, a bit concerned by the sudden change in mood. 
"I mean that I never got a chance to tell them. They never found out." Vinyl said, her voice wavering softly. She took a deep breath before continuing. "About a month after I started making my own music instead of just remixing old songs, I was rehearsing for our first gig with DP. We were down in the basement when his mom called down, telling us to come upstairs. A cop was waiting for me at the front door and so I asked why he was here. He told me that he couldn't tell me and that I just had to follow him down to the station." 
Octavia blinked. 
"After waiting in the station for like..and hour or two, someone in a suit called me into his office. It was kinda small but nice. Dark wooden desk, chairs, walls. Thick carpet and a window that looked out over the town square. He started asking me a bunch of questions: Were my parents ever abusive? Did they fight a lot? Did they ever hit each other? Stuff like that. I told him that dad drank a lot, mom did too but not quite as much. He yelled at us, got angry a lot. He hit me once or twice but it wasn't a common thing."
"He hit you?"
"Yea, but it was okay as far as I was concerned. After a bit, he left the room and the officer came in and sat on the desk. He took his hat off and told me that my mom had been found dead in our house. Apparently dad shot her.."
Octavia gasped softly. "I'm so sorry.."
Vinyl shook her head. "No no, don't be. They caught my dad a few days later in a bar. He was sentenced to life so he's still in prison."
"Where did you live?" Octavia asked, looking up at the white mare.
"I bounced around foster homes for a while until my friends parents decided to take me in. That's when I really dove into my music. I lived with them until I was sixteen and could afford my own place. I'd started preforming and stuff before that so I had some money. I moved in here and finished school." She chucked softly. "The rest is history I guess. Bought the club a couple years later, met you, here I am."
Octavia took a deep breath, "Wow..and I thought my life was difficult." 
Vinyl smiled down at her, "Oh stop it. You just had different things happen. But I'm glad it all happened.
"And why is that?" 
"Because if things hadn't gone the way that they did, I wouldn't have met you." She nuzzled Octavia softly, making her giggle.
"That was sweet, if a little cheesy."
Vinyl blushed faintly, "Hey!"
Octavia giggled again and gave her a quick kiss on the nose, "What? I like cheesy. It's cute."
	
> Chapter Seven
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	Ding dong!
Vinyl's eyes fluttered open at the sound of her doorbell ringing. She lifted her head slowly, yawning softly, and glanced down at the still sleeping mare beside her, the sight of her sleeping face making her smile.
Ding dong!
She sat up as the doorbell rang again, silently cursing whoever had woken her as she walked over to the door. She blinked as she opened it, the bright sunlight making her squint as she tried to make out the pony standing in the doorway. 
"Who are you?" She asked sleepily, the glare dying down, allowing her to make out a dark grey stallion. His mane was very well kept, combed and slicked back. He wore a black tie and a pinstripe suit, his head held high and a poorly concealed scowl on his face. 
"Are you Vinyl Scratch?"
She nodded, "Yea, that's me. Why?
"Is there a mare by the name of Octavia Philharmonica staying here or nearby?" He asked, trying to look around the DJ.
She stepped in front of him, blocking his vision, "Who wants to know?"
He frowned, looking down at her, "Her father. I have been asking around and ponies have informed me that she has been staying with her boss. Am I correct in assuming that you are her employer?"
She took a step back, closing her door a little and trying to conceal her anger and shock, "Yea...I'm her boss. And this is my house. Now get away from here before I called the police".
"I can offer you more bits than you've ever made in your entire life if you tell me where my daughter is. She should not be living in such...common housing". 
She paused a moment at the offer before snapping back to her senses and shaking her head, closing the door further, "Why do you want her anyway? She obviously left for a reason".
"She is my daughter. I wish to take her back home. I have arranged for her to meet a stallion in two weeks and she must be there. If you do not tell me where she is, I can and will press charges for kidnapping".
"She's old enough to move out legally, it's not kidnapping if she wants to be here. Now get out", she slammed the door, making Octavia jump up in surprise. She watched as Vinyl stormed down the hall towards the bedroom. She heard the door close and, a few moments later, she could hear the thumping of her sub woofers as she worked on a new song. 
After a moment, Octavia yawned and stood up, following her in to the room, knocking softly on the door. After getting no response, she knocked harder and called through the door, "Vinyl, are you okay?"
The music paused.
"Yea.."
"Whats wrong?" She tried turning the doorknob, stopping when she noticed that it was locked. 
Vinyl's voiced was muffled by the wooden door, "Nothing..I'm fine."
Octavia frowned. "Vinyl, please unlock the door". She heard a click and opened opened the door, stepping in and looking over at the white and blue mare sitting at her desk, the last bit of light fading from her horn from when she had magically unlocked the door. "What's going on Vinyl? Who was at the door?"
Vinyl sat there, her head in her hooves, "Nobody..its not important".
"Clearly it is..you only lock yourself in here when you're upset." Octavia moved over to the desk, stepping over old papers that the DJ had scattered all over the floor, and kneeled down, wrapping her arm around her marefriend's shoulder. 
Vinyl sighed, "It..it was your dad. He was looking for you."
Octavia gasped softly, hearing the news. "H-how did he find out where I am?"
"I'm not sure..I'm pretty sure that he paid off someone at the club. Or maybe someone in the apartment." She leans into the cellist's, nuzzling into her neck. 
"Well..what did father want?" She nuzzles back softly.
"He want's to take you away from this 'common' apartment. I didn't tell him anything, I promise! But I hesitated when he offered me a bunch of money.." Vinyl looked down at the desk, a little ashamed.
The cellist looked at her for a moment before smiling softly and nuzzling her cheek. "Vinyl, dear, it's okay. Anyone would have considered it. And we only just started dating.  Though..it is a pretty strange coincidence that, of all times for him to show up, it happened to be right after I explained everything."
"Yea.." Vinyl nuzzles back, "It is kinda weird, now that you mention it".
They sat there in silence for a moment before Octavia pulled back a bit and looked away, her voice growing a bit softer, “Maybe...Maybe I should go with him..”
“What?!” Vinyl jumped out of her chair and gently lifted Octavia's chin with her hooves, looking into her light purple eyes. “Why do you say that? He has no right to make you go with him. Why should he get to take you away from me? It’s not fucking fair…”
Octavia looks back at her and sighs, looking away again. “I know that Vinyl...I know. But he is my father. and he could help me get my cello career back on track with all of his connections and his money.”
“But you’d be miserable Octy! You shouldn’t have to go back to that. I won’t let you. I’m not gonna let him win..” Her voice trailed off as she spoke. “I care about you too much..”
The cellist looked back at her and leaned in, giving her a gentle kiss before speaking. “I care about you too Vinyl. Truly I do. And this is why I feel like I need to go with him. He know’s where I live now and he’s not just going to drop this and let me live my life. He will either come back here on his own every day or he will start sending people to do it for him. And even if we do make it past that, he is going to try and use every law in Equestria to get you put in prison and get me back in his custody. I can’t put you through that Vinyl..”
The DJ glanced around frantically, trying to come up with something, “W-we’ll battle him in court! We can say that he’s harassing you and trying to force you to come back with him. He's gonna make you marry some stupid stallion! We can-” She stops when Octavia kisses her, her face a light red as she fights the urge to cry. 
“Vinyl, sweetie...We have a nightclub. He has millions. We have Mia Neigh. He has an entire team of lawyers at his disposal. We can’t win.” She looks at her and gives her a soft smile. “But it’ll be okay. I’ll be okay.”
Vinyl pulls her into a tight hug, throwing her arms around Octavia’s neck and nuzzling her. “Please don’t go..Not until we at least try to fight it. There’s got to be a way. I know we’ll think of something. You’re smart..”
They stood there for a moment before Octavia finally hugged and nuzzled the mare back. “Okay...Okay. You’re right. We’ll think of something. But if it starts to affect you...I’m going to end it. I can’t have my problems hurting someone I care about.” She looks at the clock. “Now..lets go back to bed, okay? It’s too early to go to the club.”
Vinyl nods softly and stays close, not letting her go as they move over to the bed. She lays beside her marefriend and nuzzles into her side, wrapping an arm around her belly. Octavia smiles a bit and wraps her own arm around Vinyl’s shoulder, kissing her head. Still sleepy from earlier, Vinyl starts to doze off, relaxing in Octavia's arms.
Just before she falls asleep, she whispers, “Don’t leave me...I’ll have to chase you down.” She giggles softly as sleep finally overtakes her, leaving the cellist lying awake in bed.
After a few minutes, she gently lifts Vinyls arm up and places it on the bed, sitting up and unraveling herself from the mare. She sits up and sighs, looking down at the sleeping mare. 
“I’m so sorry Vinyl...I just can’t put you through this..” She  mutters softly, her voice low and soft to keep Vinyl from waking up. She turns and walks into the other room. A few minutes later, the soft click of the front door closing is heard, greeted only by the soft snores of the still sleeping DJ in the other room.

	
> Chapter Eight
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	Vinyls eyes fluttered open and she frowned for a moment, not seeing or feeling the other mare beside her. She sat up and looked around, listening for the sound of a shower. 
Hmm...must've gone to make breakfast...
She scooted over to the edge of the bed and stood, stretching for a moment as she let out a yawn. She paused once again before walking over to the bathroom and turning on the water, waiting for it to get hot before stepping into the shower, relaxing as the warm water ran over her. 
After washing, she stepped out and dried off, wrapping the towel around herself before walking into the living room.
"Hey Octy? What are...you..." Her voice trailed off as she looked around the empty apartment. "Octavia...? Are you here...? Look, if you're hiding or playing a joke or something, it isn't funny!" She looked around for her, even peeking under the couch. 
She eventually spotted the note sitting on the table, a drawing of Vinyl and Octavia laying beside it. She slowly walked over, a heavy feeling in her heart. Each step feeling like she was walking through syrup. She hesitated for a moment before lifting the paper with her magic, her heart pounding in her chest as she read.
My dear Vinyl,
My time with you had been fantastic and you have been so kind to me. I didn't ever wish for our time to end but...I cannot stand the thought of my father harassing you and I forever. You should not have to be dragged into my personal problems. And so this is why I must leave. Don't worry about me though. I will be alright. I wish you luck in everything, though you hardly need it. I'm sorry i couldn't tell you this in person...but you will always be in my heart.
Goodbye my love,
~Octavia
Vinyl dropped the note, tears welling in her eyes as she ran to the door, throwing it open. She bolted down the stair and left her apartment building, stopping in the middle of the street. She looked around frantically, galloping up and down the street as she looked for the cellist. 
Maybe...maybe she missed a train..maybe she's waiting there? Oh Celestia let her be there... She sprinted to the train station, hoping to see her. 

The station was quiet, only a few ponies milling about as they waited for their train. Across the platform, Vinyl saw a grey mare. She ran over to her and spun her around, the hope that had filled her draining away as she saw the blue eyes glaring back at her. 
"O-oh..I'm so sorry..I thought you were someone else.." She took a few steps back, falling to her haunches as realization set in. Octavia was gone. She stared down at the cold tile, watching a few tears fall to the floor. Octavia was gone. 

She eventually stood, her eyes downcast as she trudged back towards her apartment, eyes burning as she struggled to hold back her tears. Each step leading up to her apartment felt like she was climbing mountain. As she reached the landing, she used her magic to open the door and looked inside at the dark room. Unable to hold it back anymore, she broke down, sobbing at the entrance to her home. Hearing her neighbor coming up the steps, she quickly moved inside and shut the door, locking it before sliding to the floor, her head in her hooves as she cried. She couldn't understand why she couldn't have stayed. 
"It...it's not fair... It's just not fair..." she sobbed, trying to wrap her mind around Octavia's reasons. She had read the note but it just didn't seem real. She hoped that this was all just a bad dream and she would wake up to see the sleeping grey mare laying next to her. She wanted to be able to brush that strand of her mane out of her face again, to feel her playfully kiss her chin as she woke up. She hadn't realized how special those moments had been before but now that she was gone, and the thought of it never happening again hit her like a freight train.

Vinyl sat there against the door, only moving once she noticed the afternoon light fading into darkness. She stood, wiping her burning eyes even though her tears had long since dried. Across the room, on the counter sat a small pink bow tie. Moving over, the DJ looked down at it for  a moment before lifting it up, carefully wrapping the item in the soft, blue light of her magic. She had run out of tears hours before, the sight of the tie drawing a sharp sob from her before she put it back down and walked back into her bedroom, collapsing on the bed. She wrapped herself tightly in her blankets, turned off the lamp that sat on her nightstand, and closed her still red eyes.
> Chapter Nine
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	Octaivia sighed softly as the door to the apartment clicked behind her. She knew full well that Vinyl would be heartbroken but she just couldn't make her go through dealing with her parents. She was making the best choice for them both. She picked up her bag and her cello case before walking down the stairs, the urge to run back inside growing stronger with each step. She finally reached the bottom and started towards the nearest train station, hoping to catch the next one back to Fillydelphia where her parents were still living. 


The ticket was twenty bits, a bit pricey but not unreasonable considering the distance. The train was scheduled to leave in just over an hour, giving the mare time alone with her thoughts, something she had been trying to avoid since she had made the decision to leave. She hadn't originally planned to leave. She'd really wanted things to work out between her and Vinyl but her father would never let that happen. He would never leave them alone. And she couldn't put Vinyl through that. She cared for her too much...

She looked around, seeing the few other ponies who were catching the late night train before looking down, staring at her ticket. She couldn't stop thinking about her. The way she smiled when she slept. The ridiculous way that she'd turn her speakers all of the way up when making music, only to play the same sound over and over again, changing it in ways so subtle that only the DJ could hear the difference, wanting every song to be perfect. Any time she would finish a song she'd listen to it over and over again on full volume before dragging Octavia in to hear it again, only without the walls to mute it to a semi reasonable volume. What she wouldn't give to listen to another one again...

The train pulled into the station right on time, the sound of the whistle and the cheerful conductors call snapping her out of her daze. She quickly stood, lifting her baggage and trotted towards her car, struggling to hold back her tears. At last, she set her case on the carrying rack and sat down, looking out the window at the station. She knew that Vinyl would be standing on this very platform first thing in the morning, looking for her. She could almost picture her there, her bedraggled mane that she had every morning. Her glasses that she always wore outside actually missing for once. She shook the thoughts from her head before turning away from the window, trying to just clear her mind. 

The train pulled away, giving her car a soft jerk as it began to move. She sighed, knowing that there was no turning back now.  





Octavia snorted, her eyes opening as the train screeched to a halt, the warm morning light sifting in through the window. She looked around, her still half asleep mind expecting to see Vinyl sitting next to her. She sighed softly, the music she'd been hearing coming from another pony in the seat across from her head bobbing in time to the music audible through her headphones. The cellist smiled softly, the headphones were the same as Vinyls, colour and all. She'd tried to tell Vinyl that they weren't soundproof. She wasn't sure how  many times she'd told Vinyl that she'd hurt her ears if she kept the volume that high. Supposedly her headphones were soundproof but...
She stopped, shaking the thoughts from her head. "Excuse me sir? Would you please tell me what stop this is?" She says, looking up at the usher who was checking the passengers tickets. 
"Yes ma'am. We're just arriving at the train station in Phillydelphia. This is your stop yes?" 
She nodded, stretching and standing up, reaching up to grab her bag from the overhead storage. She made her way down the aisle and stepped off of the train, looking up at the street sign. The station sat on Fourth street, her parents were on twenty-ninth. She waved at a cab, smiling at the driver as he pulled to a stop. 
"Would you take me to thirty-four fifty-three on twenty-ninth street please?" She asked.
He nodded, "Sure, that'll be forty-three bits miss." 
She frowned. "You...wish me to pay before we arrive? I've never heard of this in a taxi company before."
"It's a new policy. Too many people been jumpin' out without payin' up." He replied, the distinct Filly accent thick in his voice.
Octavia smiled a little, remembering just how thick her own accent had been while she was growing up. "Oh alright. I understand. " 
She reached into her saddlebags, digging around for her purse. Her smile faded as she realized that she'd left her purse sitting on the bathroom counter back at home. "Oh...crap...Could you maybe make an exception just this once? I just got off the train and I must have left my purse back at home. The address I gave you is my parents and I'm sure they'd be happy to pay you back."
"Ah...lady? Ya look sweet and all but it's against company policy. You'll just have to find some otha' way to get to ya moms house. Have a nice day ma'am." He gave her a smile and rolled up the window, driving off. 
Octavia sighed, watching the yellow cab drive off down the street. She shouldered her bag again and started her walk, heading off in the direction of her parents.