> I'll be One Beat Away
>  by wizard32363
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

> Well This Is Wubbing Fantastic...
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

“Are you ponies ready to rock this house!?” 

Vinyl pushed her glasses down, bottle of her favorite cider next to her. Her hoof went to the spinning record, a scratching sound echoing across the room. The music came to a halt, Vinyl raising a hoof. “I said, are you ready to party!?”

Sparks flew across the room while everypony cheered. With this approval, Vinyl beat her hoof down, the sounds of the bass blasting through the room. Each new bass effect had the party jumping and dancing. Half of them held drinks in their hooves, the other half pumping them to Vinyl’s beats. When she was satisfied that the crowd was in tune with her music, she raised her cider, chugging her first bottle down.

Vinyl always brought cider to these concerts. Without concerts like these, Vinyl would probably go crazy. Being drunk gave her the opportunity to have crazy parties that everypony loved. Just in case, she always brought a nice two cases of cider, which she kept under her podium. Taking out another one, the whole crowd cheered her on. 

Vinyl watched Octavia trot up onto the stage. “Vinyl, you have to stop this. If you keep drinking, someday you’ll wake up with no recollection of where you are or how you got there.” 

Vinyl laughed, shoving a bottle into Octavia’s mouth. "Lighten up, Ms. Cello! It’s a party! I can do whatever I want here, and the ponies will still love me. Am I right!?”

The whoops and hollers from the crowd made Octavia sigh. She worried about Vinyl. Her love for the DJ made it hard for her to talk to Vinyl, but it didn’t stop her from trying to make Vinyl do the right thing. 

“Fine, Vinyl, do this. Binge on your damn cider all you want. When you need my help, see where I am!” She stormed off of the stage, Vinyl watching as she exited through the back door. 

“Haha, she’s a poor sport…” Vinyl took another chug of cider, bobbing her head furiously to the beat of her music. The crowd was cheering her on, each new song proving to be more pleasing than the last.

The night raged on, the club bouncing out of control. Each pony had partaken one too many drinks, and Vinyl was no exception. Her body was lopsided by now, and she was ready to pass out. With one final scratch of the record, Vinyl was down, out like a light. 

~~~

Her eyes were half-open, her head pounding. It was like she had just gotten out of a concert, except this time she didn’t have any sort of painkiller to calm the raging ache in her cranium. All around, the loud sounds of cars and voices filled her with thoughts of Manehattan. Manehattan was the only city that could have this many voices.

Her many concerts around Equestria had given Vinyl a good understanding of each city. She always loathed going to Manehattan. It was a large city where everypony loved her, but the ponies always got too wild, and Vinyl would come home with a new bruise every time. It didn’t matter, though. She got bits for doing what she did best.

For a couple of minutes she sat, unsure of what to do. Her eyes could barely open, and she would probably get trampled if she sat around for too long. The obvious choice for her was to stand up. Though blind, she could use the sounds around her to navigate until she regained her sight. 

She stood up, hooves wobbling. The first things she noticed was the cacophony of smells around her. The aroma filling her nostrils was sweet. The sweet scent hit Vinyl as cinnamon rolls. A great treat for a quick breakfast. Vinyl took a cinnamon roll to work on a daily basis. 

The second thing she took in was that she was standing in a fairly wet environment. Papers rustling under her feet provided little protection from the drops that fell on her head. She stepped away, towards the noises of ponies who walked the streets.

Taking a few steps forward, Vinyl saw a light in front of her eyelids. It appeared to be the sunlight, but Vinyl wasn’t able to tell behind closed eyes. All around, she felt ponies walking and crashing into her, stumbling along like she had nowhere to go.

She heard rude comments about how somebody had left a “dumb” horse sitting around, and how she wasn’t supposed to be there. Other comments arose as she heard her name shouted a few times. Taking this as an incentive, Vinyl struggled, straining to pull her eyes open until she finally opened them, stumbling back from the bright sunlight that flooded her eyes.

She was face-to-face with herself. It was like looking into a mirror, but a mirror that changed your perception. Looking up, she saw her glasses, her blue hair, and her white coat, all standing two feet above her.

“Why, Vinyl, it’s you! That’s an amazing costume you’ve got on there, don’t you think?” Costume? Why in Equestria would Vinyl be wearing a costume!? She checked herself, scanning up and down for any slight differences in her appearance. 

The odd thing was that this thing was taller than Vinyl. There was obviously no muzzle on the creature, and its “mane” was cut way too short. Its coat color was more tan than Vinyl’s, and its face was way too small to be that of a pony. Even more, these things had two legs instead of four. It was pretty clear that Vinyl was not surrounded by ponies anymore, but were they still called mares and colts?

“What in Equestria are you talking about? You’re the one wearing a costume, dressing up like me! Why would anything want to copy me? After that changeling incident, you’d think all of the creatures would have learnt their lesson!”

The faker stood up, staring down at Vinyl. For a second, his eyes appeared to glaze over, as if in a stupor. Without another word, he ran off, jumping up and down, almost like his insides were on fire. Vinyl dubbed him crazy, walking towards the building with the most activity accumulating around it.

The front of the building announced “Baltimore Convention Center,” and thousands were gathered outside in some sort of crowd. Stepping up to the one with the pink mane, Vinyl tapped her back, staring as she turned around. Her shirt was just as pink as her mane was, three balloons taped to both sides.

It was obvious she was trying to impersonate Pinkie Pie, just as somepony had impersonated Vinyl. It seemed crazy at the time, until Vinyl actually got to thinking about it.

Maybe they acted like all of these ponies because the ponies inspired the costumes! In that case, the odd creature dressing up like Vinyl would actually have worshipped her music! Her character! Inside, Vinyl pranced in joy. Outside, her voice came out in her usual suave manner.

“Hey! Do you know where I can find the nearest club? I’ve got a concert to put on tonight.” The mare stared at Vinyl, almost as if Vinyl were bait to the mare’s hook.

“Y-you’re Vinyl Scratch? The famous DJ of Equestria?” Vinyl chuckled. It wasn’t everyday that she was recognized out in the streets.

“The one and only! And I have a show tonight! If you can direct me to the nearest place, I’ll even let you in for free!” The mare’s face turned bright red, her smile chasing her cheeks until she screamed.

“Of course I will!” She pointed off in the direction of a tall building with a clock on its face. “It’s that way! I can’t wait to see you! I love you, Vinyl!”

The crowd stopped. Not a single creature was talking, all turned to face the loud voice. They weren’t even focused on the convention at hand. They all had their eyes on Vinyl, all until one decided to shout out.

“My fanfictions worked! Vinyl is real! Everypony, get her!” Vinyl’s eyes went wide. They were all coming after her! She had nowhere to go, and this place didn’t even look like Manehattan! That was when she realized that she didn’t even know where she was, and she was being too ignorant to observe her surroundings.

All her body allowed her to do was run. She galloped, her eyes wide as she maneuvered through each tree with struggle. She wasn’t used to moving so quickly. She was always way too drunk to bother with exercise, not to mention that her shows lasted most of the night! She slept all day…

But now she just had a pounding headache. She couldn’t even walk straight with the annoying distraction. Bumping into most of the foliage, she finally found an escape, running right into the street.

The sounds only got louder. These machines were noisy, and they filled her ears with cacophonous sounds. The creatures were yelling, some sounding almost shocked at her presence there. She saw most moving closer to her, nearly ready to run her over. Vinyl yelped, clumsily sidestepping her way through the oncoming traffic. 

By now, Vinyl was howling, her tears in her eyes. She was being chased by a mob, which was a totally new experience for her. She had almost gotten hit by multiple vehicles, and now she realized that she didn’t even know where she was, or how she got there.

She stopped, looking left and right. Her only escape was to hide somewhere, and she spotted a small opening to her left. Galloping inside of the opening, she sighed, relieved to finally have escaped. She looked out the window in what she now saw as a door, watching as all of the weird costume-dressed creatures ran by the entrance, shouting her name as if she were missing.

Taking a small break, Vinyl sank to the floor, the sweat permeating from her forehead. “Oh goodness, why did they want me?” Vinyl looked up, the room suddenly silent. Stepping up to look out of the window, Vinyl was relieved to find that the crowd had scattered elsewhere.

Vinyl Scratch was never used to complete silence. Usually she was rocking a pair of headphones down the street, head bobbing to each beat. Now, her surroundings were still, a library to her ears.

The place itself was made of wood. The wooden walls were decorated with records, like those that Vinyl used in her concerts. Postcards lined shelves, and there were clothes everywhere. A sign hanging from the ceiling told her that this particular place was called a visiting center. Looking further down the room, she saw souvenirs of all types sitting in front of a counter encasing candied goods.

Vinyl’s eyes bulged, staring at the candy. She knew if there was candy, there was bound to be an energy drink or two, . She would never survive out here without one. The buzz from the previous night was wearing off, and soon she knew she would be too tired to move.

She eyeballed the various products at the front desk, rushing over to take a gander at the many things they owned. Finally, she discerned what looked to be a cooler, heading over to open it and pull out a cold can with her mouth. Placing it on the counter, she read the fine words, “Red Bull will help you grow wings.” Her mind was racing with energy. 

Her body jolted. This looked like an energy drink, and she was in dire longing for a taste of its fine contents. Putting it on the counter, she rang the bell that laid next to the register, watching as a large being came up to the counter.

For a second, he tried to register what had happened, but then looked down. “Oh...what are you?”

Vinyl looked up, confused. Wasn’t it obvious? She was a pony! “I’m...Vinyl Scratch. I come from Equestria, big dubstep girl...no?” The guy at the counter shook his head.

“Never heard of ya. I suggest getting out of my store. No horses allowed.” This caused Vinyl to step back in disgust. What kind of store didn’t allow ponies!? And even so, he had called her a horse! He had to be drunk.

“Sir, I just want one of your drinks! I’m willing to pay…” Vinyl groaned.  

Now it was the colt’s turn to look up. It didn’t seem like he cared if it was a talking, multi-colored horse that didn’t belong in Equestria. If he was earning money, he would probably sell to aliens!

“Well, in that case, that will cost three dollars.” He shook his head, as if amazed that he was doing this. Vinyl pulled out three gold coins, placing them on the counter and, in turn, taking the drink and walking out.

The guy at the counter coughed, but Vinyl kept on walking. She left the building without the thought of the mob that had hunted her before. In the background, the man had already picked up the phone from under the counter, placing his call in to 911.

Her horn glowed, the can lifting into the air. A pop of the can’s top provided a delicate scent to her nose, her lips upturning. The familiar rush of energy washed over her as the cool liquid slid down her throat. Her body jumped and she made a slight groan, excited to finally be up and around. 

She was happy, at least, until she heard sirens in the alleyway she stood in. She looked to both sides, cars flashing lights at her. She jumped up, her glasses shining. These sirens looked just like the lights at her club! Her head started to rock, and soon her body joined the flow, going back and forth to the loud beeps.

“Umm...horse!” a voice called from inside the car, “You’re under arrest for theft! Put your...hooves in the air and you won’t get hurt!”

Vinyl wasn’t listening. She was up in her own groove, moving to the beats inside of her head as if she was playing at a show. She didn’t notice when two figures came out of the car. She didn’t even notice when they pulled weapons on her. The one thing she did notice, though, was the two hands that grabbed her and lifted her into the air.

The records scratched to a halt and she opened her eyes. Vinyl noted that she had been seized, and the figure that had grabbed her was soaring over the tops of the closely-packed buildings, jumping between each one. It was a strong being, to say the least, and Vinyl was both surprised and angered. Her beats had been interrupted, but this guy was the type of guy Vinyl wanted to formally meet!

The being’s flannel shirt flew in connection with the winds. Vinyl watched as he stopped, climbing down a ladder on a building and running through the front door. Down the road they went, running until the city stood far behind them and the plains grew frequent. By now, Vinyl was more than impressed. And to think, he had saved her…

“Yo man, where are we going!?” Vinyl was laughing, staring him in the face. His face was rugged, a five o’clock shadow making up his beard. Freckles rested on both sides of his face, his mane covering his forehead. Vinyl looked down to observe his cutie mark, but came to the quick conclusion that, like everypony else here, he didn’t seem to have one. Perhaps he was a changeling, and she had landed within the Changeling nation. Now that would suck!

His clutch was tight, indicating that he was strong, like the ponies at Sweet Apple Acres. Tall, he didn’t gallop like any normal pony. 

He looked down, smiling at Vinyl. “Well, you were going to die, and I saved you! Now we’re going to my farm to let this big mess cool down! Is that okay? You can stay with the other horses, and I’ll live my normal life.”

If there were other ponies here, Vinyl didn’t care where she was going! She yearned to communicate with somepony who actually understood her. She wanted to feel accepted, like part of an actual family.

Wherever she was, she would never be able to have a family. None of these things were ponies, and the only one who actually treated her like a sister, a friend, wasn’t there to comfort Vinyl.

Staring up at the man holding her, Vinyl was reminded of the season. It was turning into fall, and soon cider season would start. If this being had any cider, Vinyl was sure going to try some! He reminded her of life in the country, which Vinyl herself had never experienced before. 

“Will there be music there?” Vinyl’s face brightened at the words. If this thing had any way to give her music, she would be the happiest pony in Equestria! 

“I’m afraid not...life on the farmlands is fun, though. I bet you’ll enjoy the grazing, eh? That’s what ponies do, right? Graze?”

Vinyl rolled her eyes. They slowed down and the man let go of Vinyl. 

“My name’s Vinyl Scratch.”

He looked down at her, slightly bewildered. “Well, I see that you’re talking. I’m actually not very surprised. I haven’t been able to get much sleep lately, and I’m probably imagining all of this. Either way, my name is Mike.”

They both smiled at each other and Vinyl looked straight ahead to see a barn and a house next to it. “Is that your place? It looks a little bit small for a person as large as you, don’t you think?”

All Mike could do was laugh. “Large as me? Well, I live in the country! It’s not the best life in the world, but it’s the life I chose! I work all day, and then at night, I have a hearty meal before getting to sleep and doing it all over again. You’re lucky that today was one of the days I came into town to sell goods to people! If I wasn’t there, you probably would’ve been dead!”

Vinyl looked down, her hooves stopping in place. “What do you mean, dead? They weren’t trying to hurt me! They were playing music for me!”

Mike tried to hold back his amusement as he continued. “Those were police, you know. You wouldn’t stop when they asked you to, and they pulled out their guns. Guns are bad, and they kill things. So, I think you were going to die.”

“Well, I could’ve found my own way out!” 

Mike chuckled, rubbing Vinyl’s head. “Let’s go. I have a lot to do, and you have horses to acquaint yourself with.”

Walking alongside Mike, Vinyl looked to the sun, setting behind the horizon of the mountains off in the distance. It was probably one of the most stupendous things she had seen in nature, given she was always inside and didn’t take any time to observe the world around her. She sighed, ready for a good night’s rest.

She had forgotten all about the concert she was supposed to perform at. She forgot about her troubles. She even forgot that she was somewhere unfamiliar. Right now, she was focused on sleep. Cello music was the muse that rocked Vinyl to sleep every night, and cello music reminded Vinyl of Octavia.

Vinyl loved Octavia, even if she had never personally told her. Octavia was a beautiful pony. She could get really bland at times, but that didn’t cause Vinyl to adore her any less. Her beautiful music lured Vinyl in, which is what had originally made Vinyl begin to have feelings for her. They even shared a kiss once, which Vinyl told Octavia was for “good luck.” 

Vinyl’s face flushed red, her eyes down to the ground. “I was just...I was listening to music in my head!” It felt good to lie about that. Nopony could know her secret. 

“Well...just stay alert, all right?” Vinyl nodded her head, being led to what appeared to be a group of stables.

“Mike, why are we here? Don’t you have sofas? All these horses are in pens, not sofas.

This statement was followed by chuckles from Mike. “Vinyl, this is your new home!”

> You Can't Make Wubs Without An Echo
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Her neck was throbbing, her eyes drooping. Vinyl had experienced the worst night of her life, and now she was trapped in a stable surrounded by ponies of her own kind, much less colorful than herself. Standing up, a crack reverberated throughout the room. Her joints were aching, and her head felt wobbly.

“Goodness, was that a night or what? I can’t believe I actually had to sleep in a stable…” Vinyl had slept in some pretty bad places before, but this had to be the worst. What made it so bad was that not a single pony would talk to her. That didn’t stop her from trying to communicate.

“Hey, so why does he have you trapped in here? Did you mess up and hurt somepony?” She was nudging the horse in the only stable next to her. Being at the end, the white stallion looked over at Vinyl, spitting at her. Getting a large wad of snot in the face, Vinyl gagged, throwing up in her mouth. “Can’t you talk to me!? I can help you escape if you’d just let me help you!”

She was getting nowhere. This horse refused to speak with her, and Vinyl would respect that. It wasn’t as if every other pony was going to aid her in vanishing from this place. That made Vinyl remember exactly where she was: A place that she had never been before.

The previous day, Vinyl hadn’t cared about where she was, getting chased across the town and all, but now she actualized the fact that these things around her weren’t ponies.

“They’re called humans. They have these things, called hands! I can’t believe you’ve never heard of them! You’ll know when you meet one, because even though they look weird, some of them want to travel to Equestria, and will do anything to get there.”

Lyra’s voice rang through Vinyl’s head. For years, she was dubbed the craziest pony in Equestria, due to the fact that she would never shut up about these creatures named humans. Now, though, Vinyl was starting to think that maybe she wasn’t so wack after all. Whatever had captured her was kind enough to “save” her, but it was obvious that this “Mike” had no idea how to take care of a horse’s needs

Even so, how did she get in this place? All she could remember was a wild party the night before. Vinyl had forced Octavia to come to the party…





“Aww, come on! It’s gonna be awesome! You can’t just bail on me after all those years of making me sit at your boring “masterpieces!” This was an outrage. Her show tonight was going to be epic, and Vinyl wanted Octavia to get out of her bland routine for once.

“Vinyl, how many times do I have to tell you that I have a cello concerto tomorrow? If I went to your thing tonight, I would never make it in time!” Vinyl knew that Octavia didn’t want to go. The constant drinking disgusted Tavi.

“Tavi, please...isn’t there any way I can get you to go? This is going to be one of the biggest and best shows I’m hosting, and it would break my heart if you ditched me for your concert. I promise you I’ll be at yours...just go to mine. Please…” Vinyl had fake tears in her eyes. It was the only way that she knew Octavia would get up and go to her concert.

Octavia sighed, her breath hot with anger. “Fine, Vinyl, I’ll go. But if you drink yourself silly, I’m leaving. All I want is for you to have one normal night in your life, and if you fail me, I’m not going to help you when you need it most.”

Vinyl wiped away her “tears,” jumping up and hugging Octavia. “Thank you, Tavi! I hope you have fun! I have to get ready!” With a bounce, Vinyl was off.





That was basically all Vinyl remembered of the day, other than the show itself. At the show, she had guzzled down enough cider to make even Rainbow Dash slow. One moment she was passing out on her record, scratching it to a halt. The next moment, she was in a new world, unaware that so many other things wanted to get her.

“Well, I guess I’ll have to find a way back to Tavi myself…” Vinyl was muttering under her breath, searching around for an escape plan. She didn’t have much time to think, the door on the opposite side of the barn opening up.

“Feeding time! Come and get it!” Vinyl immediately recognized Mike’s voice. The only word she partially understood was the word food. She hadn’t eaten anything in days, save the drinks she had been gorging on. Vinyl rushed over to the front of the stable.

“Give me food! I’m starving over here, and my belly isn’t supposed to make sounds like it is!” Mike finished putting extra hay in each of the horses’ stables, rushing over to Vinyl’s quicker than Octavia had bailed the concert.

“I’m not dreaming! You can actually talk, and you’re really a multi-colored, glasses-wearing horse! How did you get here!? Who are you!?” 

Vinyl rolled her eyes behind her dark shades. Was he really asking her all of these questions? “I’m the one who should be asking questions! You put me in this smelly hole instead of letting me get comfortable in a real bed! So, before I answer any of your lame inquiries, you’re going to listen to me, and that starts with being let out of this trap!”

Vinyl saw Mike’s eyes go wide. It seemed like the situation at hoof was finally getting through his brain. But was he really going to go along with this? He seemed to think she was nonsensical. Anything and everything had the potential to go wrong in this situation.

Shrugging, Mike carefully turned the lock on the stable, watching as Vinyl strutted out and wiped herself off, shaking the remaining debris from her body. “All right, first, where am I?”

Vinyl really needed to ask that question. If she couldn’t know where she was, she wouldn’t know how to return to Ponyville. Mike looked at her, a slight smile on his face.

“I’m sorry for laughing, but this is just ridiculous. I’m still not sure if you’re even real. To answer your question, you’re on Earth, in America, I’m Mike, and this is a farm. Now your turn.”

America? Earth? These words were rocket science to Vinyl. “My name is Vinyl Scratch, I’m from Equestria, and I’m trapped with a guy named Mike who still can’t believe he’s talking to me after a whole five minutes of it!” She turned away, a frown on her face. Her glasses glinted in the sunlight, beaming into the stable.

“You know, I can’t even...wait, Equestria, you said? I’ve heard that word...every August I hear it! Those damn bronies at that convention never shut the hell up about that place...I hate all these “fandoms” and things like that. It’s a wonder I didn’t figure this out until now. You’re obviously not real. You’re just something created by one of those beasts…”

Vinyl turned around quickly, slapping Mike hard across the face with a hoof. “I am not a creation! If you can’t even see what’s right in front of you and believe it, you have some problems! Why did you even save me!? I’m just a dumb pony who probably would’ve been better off dead to you, right?”

Mike rubbed his face, a large bruise appearing. His eyes weren’t as angry as they were amazed. “Vinyl, I’m not just going to let any innocent creature die. Whether I don’t like what you are or not doesn’t affect how I should treat that certain thing. I saw a small horse that I could easily carry about to get shot, and I took my chance. Nothing wrong with that, right?”

By now, Vinyl felt bad. He obviously didn’t want to lock her up, he just saw her as the same old horses he was used to every day. “Then...why won’t these horses talk to me? In Equestria, everypony can talk to everypony. These ponies won’t even say hello to me

They both chuckled, one nervous and one confused. “Well,” Mike explained, “the horses here can’t talk. Wherever you come from, it’s nothing like it is here. Now, I know that you’ll bother me if I make you stay in there, so feel free to roam my farm. But if you touch and destroy anything, I swear that I’ll put you back in there, maybe even put you down.”

Vinyl’s eyes widened. Did he just threaten her? If he really didn’t like her, it was a miracle that he hadn’t sent her out yet. “All right, fine, but if I start making beats, you’re not allowed to stop me.”

Mike didn’t respond. Standing up, he walked out, a slight stomp in his step. Vinyl watched as he stormed out, confused as to why he didn’t like her. She was everything a person could want in a pony, wasn’t she? He lived a normal life, but couldn’t even respect the fact that he had a talking horse in his home…

Vinyl looked at the wooden walls of the stables, watching as the horses slowly nibbled on their food. Mike had intentionally left the door open for Vinyl, but she wasn’t quite ready to leave. The cement on the ground made a great echo in the room. She tapped a hoof on the ground, listening as the clop slowly faded off. She moved to the front of her stable, making a tap on it and hearing the whack.

She liked what she was hearing. Holding one hoof on the door, she tapped both hooves in unison, her mind flowing with her new beats. Her eyes closed, her spirit going to other places as the music rang across the farm. When the three minutes of smooth melody came to a stop, Vinyl was calm, finally taking a moment to step outside and get a good view of her surroundings.

She hated what she saw.

The view was beautiful, yes, but it was nothing compared to stepping outside and getting hoof bumps from everypony. She saw plenty of trees. The town from before was no longer in her sight, replaced by fields of tall plants and large patches of grass. There was a small area off behind her that housed animals, a large mass materializing to Vinyl’s eyes.

“Whoa...this guy really loves animals, doesn’t he?” She walked over to them, already understanding that they wouldn’t talk to her, let alone give her a second glance when she passed by. Her eyes scanned the large amount of animals, scanning the familiar pens she saw back in Equestria. There were pens for every type of animal: cows, chickens, lambs, you name it!

One animal in particular stood out from the rest. One of the sheep looked out of place, like the time Octavia had made Vinyl dress up for Nightmare Night. Tavi had put Vinyl in a cellist’s uniform for Nightmare Night, and Vinyl looked absolutely ridiculous. 

Walking over to the odd sheep, Vinyl realized that it was, in fact, not a sheep. It was just as she expected: A costume worn by some random person. Peering over the fence, Vinyl felt two cold hands grab her.

“I’ve finally got you! Of course that dumb Mike would take you, but I’ll treat you so nicely! My name is James, and I’ll be your new owner!” Vinyl struggled, wriggling to get out of the trap she had set for herself. It was obvious that this was another one of those “bronies” Mike had described, and even Vinyl was starting to hate them. She had already outrun a whole mob of them, and now she was being choked by a brony dressed like a domesticated animal.

The bleats from the sheep helped to mask Vinyl’s screams. She tried desperately to attract Mike’s attention. Her eyes were popping, her vision blurring. She knew that soon she truly would be in the hands of one who wanted to hurt her.

“Vinyl! Don’t worry!” As soon as her vision blacked out, she heard a couple of hard hits, like those of the mosh pits Vinyl sometimes encountered. She fell to the floor, heart pumping fast and breaths shallow.





She sat up on the couch, her head shaking from side to side to try and combat the blasting headache, only making it worse. “Mike!? Are you there?” She called out in success. She watched as Mike entered the room, a small bowl of water in hand.

“Vinyl, don’t move too much, you’re going to be pretty out of it. Here, I brought you something for your head and some water for any thirst you may have.” She opened her mouth, her body becoming motionless on the soft cushion of the couch. Mike elevated her head, throwing the pills into her mouth and helping get water down her throat.

Just at the thought of the pills’ effects, her head started to feel better. Her smile was evident on her face. “Thank you...so...can we talk right now...please?”

Grabbing a chair, Mike sat down, facing Vinyl. “I’m quite reluctant to talk to you, you know? I don’t even know if you can be trusted…”

“I’m immobile on your couch. I’m not going to reach out and kill you, so don’t worry. I just want to know what you do for a living, the things you like, dislike...your personality.” She coughed, her throat still slightly constricted.

“If you wanna know about me, you have to help me in return. All I want to know is how you got here. But you asked first, so I’ll be hospitable to my guest, as much as I may not like her…” 

Vinyl glared at Mike.

“Hey, it’s not my fault that bronies ruined it for me...all right...to start off, I love the farm life. Growing up in the country, I was raised to be quite the farmhand. I didn’t ever see the city much. When I go into the city, I sell the vegetables that I grow, occasionally a cow or two. It’s nothing much, but it pays the bills.

“I’m a nice guy if you get to know me, but I’m a little bit stubborn. People are intimidated by me, my large figure and all...I eat a lot of meat, mostly coming from the cows. I’m definitely a hard worker. I’m the only one who works on the whole farm all day. With as many acres of land as I have, it’s hard to harvest all of the crops in time for winter.”

That’s where he stopped. It wasn’t a nice closure to his description, but it was something. Vinyl turned her head to the side. “You said you hated bronies and ponies like myself.” 

Mike scowled. 

“But what else do you dislike?”

“Well...I don’t hate a lot of things, really. Like I said, I really hate MLP and all those bronies. It’s stupid that guys like them should like things like you...you were created for girls. It’s just a little weird, wouldn’t you say? I also hate seafood. Fish is just...too fishy. The only other thing I could hate would have to be money. We spend so much money on useless electronics that we forget to spend it on our families and friends. Nobody understands the gift of sharing anymore Yeah, some inventions are fine, but most of them are just wasting peoples’ time. I do have a computer, but I rarely ever use it, as I’m always up and doing something else.”

By now, Vinyl had gotten to know Mike a little bit more. Obviously he wouldn’t accept her into his life, but she was forced to accept him into hers. “All right...and why do the horses stay in the stables all day?” This question seemed to hit Mike as a hard question. For a few minutes he sat with his face in question.

“Well, the horses can’t be killed, so I keep them inside of the pens at night. During the afternoon I let them out of their stables to roam around the farm.”

“They should be free, though!” Vinyl rebutted. “They have souls, too, you know?”

Mike chuckled. “Well, I’ve never seen any of my horses talk, and none of them have started a fuss yet, so either they’re just playing a jest, or they can’t think like the ponies in your Equestria do. You can’t blame me for taking care of my prized animals.”

It was true. Vinyl couldn’t complain. They got a shelter and daily meals, free to roam in the day. It seemed like a fair life for horses here on Earth.  In Equestria, some ponies were starving on the streets, and not a single soul would dare to help them in thoughts of their reputation being ruined.

“But now it’s your turn. I want to know how you got here, and why there are so many people who want you.” This question took Vinyl even more time than Mike did to answer this question. She 
closed her eyes tightly, hoping to Celestia that, somehow, she would remember everything. Her memory was still failing her, and she couldn’t provide a response for Mike.

“Honestly dude, I couldn’t tell you even if I wanted to. All I can remember is passing out drunk at one of my concerts. Then, I woke up to a mob chasing me.” That was all she could say. It sounded pathetic, but it was the only truth she could think of.

Mike sighed. He wasn’t getting anywhere with this pony. He already thought bad of them, and Vinyl wasn’t making his distaste any better. “You know what...I can’t just let you live on my farm, in human conditions, without a little something in return. If you want to sleep in a bed, eat my food, and use my shower, you have to work for it.

Vinyl was up now. The word work hit her hard in the rain. She never worked. All she did was take a couple of sounds and put them together, making what everypony else called “wubs.” “W-work? What do you mean, work?”

Mike put a hand on Vinyl’s shoulder. “I mean, you’re going to help me get set for the winter. Since I always fall short of my goal, it’d be good to have an extra working hand...err, hoof, on my side. So if you want to live like you do in your world, you’re going to have to do this with me.”

Vinyl growled, despondent that she would be working in the hot sun all day long, not getting a single time for herself.

Her mind raced with thoughts of her lost friend in Equestria. “Well...at least Octavia can’t be having a day any worse than mine…”

> Searching Through the Past to Find the Present
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

“Dammit, Vinyl, can’t you at least have the decency to clean up your atrocious wrecks?” Octavia was muttering under her breath again. If they were going to share a room together, Vinyl would have to learn to stay organized with her stuff, not just throw things all over her room. Octavia always had to pick up Vinyl’s messes, and she was getting tired of it. All of the nights she spent trying to take care of a drunken Vinyl were beating the essence out of Tavi. She couldn’t keep this up for much longer.

Vinyl hadn’t come home after the party, and Tavi was fine with that. Octavia did say that she wasn’t going to help Vinyl after her nights in the club, and she meant it. 

After the third day, Octavia began to worry. Usually, Vinyl came home, trying to atone for everything she had done. Most of the time, Tavi condoned with Vinyl. It was completely understandable that you would be pushed to drink at parties like Vinyl’s. She had just become addicted. Tavi refused to swallow the stones that Vinyl so constantly pushed on her.

Picking up a pair of socks, Octavia jumped. Why would Vinyl wear socks? Tavi looked them up and down. They were as electric as Vinyl’s mane, soft as the bow strings for her cello. Sniffing them, Octavia found them to be surprisingly clean. This was completely unnatural

It took only a second. It took a complete second to slip them on, the warmth engulfing her back hooves. “Wow...who knew that these...things, were so comfortable!” The socks filled her mind with thoughts of Vinyl. Memories flooded her, a thought from her first days with Vinyl moving to the front of her mind.





“Sup, name’s Vinyl Scratch. I’m sure you’ve heard of me?” Her hoof was outstretched, pulled back for a hoof bump. Octavia lifted her hoof, grabbing Vinyl’s and shaking it as if it was a flower. 

“No, actually. I can’t recall ever hearing the label before.” Vinyl stared down at her hoof, shocked. 

“Never? Are you sure? I’m a big deal throughout Equestria!” Tavi just stared at her. 

“I’m pretty sure I would recognize a mess of a pony as yourself. As for me, I shall not associate with the likes of you.” Vinyl stepped into Tavi’s path, blocking her from the not-so-cleverly planned escape.

“Yo, yo, yo...you can’t just skip out! I’ll prove to you I’m somepony worth knowing! Just give me a chance, will ya?” Her voice did sound friendly to Tavi, but Vinyl’s music was just way too...futuristic. Octavia preferred to soothe herself with the breeze of an orchestra, an ocean consuming her body as each bow flew like the heavens across the strings; she had no time to mess around with techno music as the type she had heard of this “Vinyl Scratch.” 

“I’ll tell you what, Vinyl: Learn to play me two minutes of a famous concerto, then maybe I’ll listen to you. On the piano it should not be hard, but I assume you will procrastinate as you look like you would, so I don’t expect to see your face near mine ever again.” She turned away, walking off as Vinyl stamped her hoof down, walking the opposite direction.

It wasn’t that Octavia was a stubborn, stuck-up pony; that would be over exaggerating. Octavia only dressed as if she were. Her formal bow tie on her neck and her mane perfectly styled, she gave off a professional impression; she looked as if she were a senior, ready to graduate with the highest of credits.





Honestly, Octavia always thought of herself as lesser than the other ponies. She knew that she would never be “popular” like them, but all she really wanted was to get out of college and move on with her life, expected to live out in Canterlot. That, though, turned out to be the exact opposite of what happened that year.





The end of first year so close, Octavia was at the top of her classes. She always paid far more attention in her studies, taking extensive notes at each of her seminars. Favored by the whole lot of boys around the school, she walked with the high strut of a proper mare.

“Hey, Octavia! I have something to show you!” She recognized that voice, even if just faintly. At the starting of the year, hadn’t she met...oh Celestia, no…it was Vinyl Scratch. This time, though, Octavia had a plan. She just wouldn’t come into contact with Vinyl. If she didn’t see her, she could avoid all interactions, therefore staying clear of any distractions the modernized DJ could attach to Tavi.

Turning around, Octavia started slow. Her gentle trots were accompanied by her soft humming, which grew increasingly louder with each step, which was quickly turned into a gallop. She couldn’t bear to gaze upon that mare plagued with the “wubs;” It wasn’t natural to have music like that! She turned a corner, stopping briefly behind it for just one second; Hooves grabbed her shoulders, dragging her back as she struggled. Her muffled screams were drowned out by the hustle of the school, on its way to the peaceful dorms around campus. 

She had stopped trying to fight long before; She wasn’t going to escape by fighting, so she would wait until her captor let go, in which case she would kick his face, probably knocking him out for a good couple of minutes, giving her ample time to escape.

Octavia always had plans in her mind. She was a heavy thinker; She just never found the time to apply her smarts for the greater good of Equestria. She would end up as any normal pony would.

When she finally felt the grip on her back loosen, she swerved around, only to face the pony she dreaded the most. With a sigh, she began the conversation. “What do you want, Vinyl?”



Tavi’s eyes wandered to the stage, where there rested a large grand piano. If this was about the deal she had made so many months before, Octavia had no choice but to laugh. A mare like Vinyl Scratch would never accomplish what it took so many years for Octavia to master.

“Please...Octavia, you don’t know what it would mean for me to be your friend. Let me try! I’ve been practicing for so long, and I think you’ll really like it! I composed it myself...inspired by you! You fill my heart with joy, even if we never talk...and you can’t imagine how it feels.”

Without another word, Vinyl soared to the stage, resting on the bench in front of the clavier that had been so delicately brushed off before. She closed her eyes as if in remembrance, bringing her hooves to the parlor grand. 

What filled the room at that moment all but caused Octavia to explode inside. She loosened up her bow, stepping up to the stage to watch over Vinyl’s shoulders. With each gentle stroke of a hoof, they glided over each key with benign grace. Octavia tracked each key’s placement in the masterpiece created, closing her eyes to allow imagery to escapade inside of her consciousness. 

What she saw couldn’t even begin to be described. Her eyes opened up to a luscious forest, Vinyl in the middle going away at her tune. The birds were glissading overhead, their tweeting accompanying the beautiful melody of the piano. The clouds in the sky curved and twisted into fine shapes, those of musical notes and instruments of all kinds. The wind wafted through Octavia’s mane; She had never seen a piece of music so delicate since her years with Luna. She couldn’t help herself; Stopping Vinyl mid-song, she cantered up and threw her arms around Vinyl. 

“You are definitely going to be my roommate next year, Vinyl Scratch!”





That was where it all started, and that was when Octavia saw Vinyl for more than what she let loose in the real world. Outside, Vinyl made herself out to be a cool pony who didn’t care about the rules as long as she was popular. Around Octavia, though, she acted different.

When she was alone with Octavia, Vinyl wasn’t afraid to let her feelings out. She practiced learning the cello all day during their college years together. When Vinyl had finally asked Octavia to share a house with her, they were both happy as can be. This was, of course, before Vinyl started to play at the clubs.

Octavia sighed, forgetting about the comforters that strapped themselves to her hind hooves. Looking out of the window, tears filled her eyes. She missed Vinyl, and wasn’t able to bear a single minute more without her. She rushed over to her desk; This was the desk where she had spent many hours preparing music exquisite, just right for a princess. Taking out a large stack of papers, she began to write.

Many hours later, she was prepared, saddlebags strapped on her back and mane brushed to perfection. She rushed outside as quickly as she could with her solid posture. Rushing around Ponyville, she started to hand out flyers about the missing mare; Nopony seemed to know where Vinyl had gone. They all gave the exact same story.

“Well, we were all at that party. After you stormed off, everything got really wild, Octavia. Drinks rose high in the club, and Vinyl’s songs got faster. Finally, she just...I don’t know how to say it exactly. She just passed out. There was no sign that it was going to happen. Everypony began dropping, and finally I fell under the spell, falling to the floor just as everypony else did. When I woke up, Vinyl was gone; We all assumed that she went home with you.”

Right now the only logical conclusion that Octavia could come up with was that Vinyl ran away, but that made no sense. If she ran away, where in Equestria would she go? Would Octavia really scour Equestria just to find this one mare? That in itself was a stupid question to ask herself. Of course she would: She would go to the ends of time to find Vinyl Scratch, no matter how long it would take.

Once the flyers were all evenly distributed around Ponyville, Octavia returned home, the darkness falling upon Ponyville. Even Octavia knew better than to go out after dark. There was always the rumor that Princess Luna went out to prank any ponies still out after dark, and Octavia did not want to go through that pain again.

Taking her normal place in the large bed, Octavia truly began to feel life without Vinyl around. For the first few days, she had peace in the house, but now it felt empty. She missed Vinyl’s body next to her at night; she missed hearing the dishwasher on high volume every morning. Everything that Vinyl did added a piece to Tavi’s heart that was no longer there.

She couldn’t hold back tears. Crying herself to sleep, all she could think was that all of this was her fault. 





“Come on, Tavi, don’t be a slowpoke! Last one there has to buy hay sandwiches!” Vinyl was running off ahead of Octavia. It was a cool day on the campus, the Equestria games soon to start in the Canterlot Castle; Vinyl had supposedly never missed the Equestria games, and she definitely wasn’t going to start now. 

“Vinyl, wait up! I’m going as fast as I can here among all of these ponies!” It was true; Octavia was being bombarded by a wave of students, most of whom she had never met before. Pushing her way through the infestation of plebes, she saw Vinyl’s buzzing mane just up ahead, disappearing behind a wall of undergraduates. 

Octavia sighed, finding a space in the crowd to run quickly so she could catch up. When she turned the corner, she saw the tip of Vinyl’s shades peeking out of the top of the crowd. She chased them down, catching up quickly and pouncing to land on Vinyl. Laughing, she looked down, only to discover it wasn’t her Vinyl Scratch; Somepony was definitely wearing her glasses, but the pony in possession was not Vinyl.

Standing up, Octavia quickly apologized and spun around the entire mob multiple times, trying to find Vinyl. She couldn’t see her, beginning to yell out Vinyl’s name. It was as if she had disappeared, and Octavia frantically rushed around to find the missing mare. Finally realizing all was hopeless, the tears streamed down her face as she collided with the grass. She tipped over to fall onto the dirt…





And she sat up in bed, wet from the apparent onslaught of tears she had shed in her dreams. The sun radiated through the window. That was it. She was going to find Vinyl, whether she had to travel to the ends of Equestria or not. Vinyl meant the world to Octavia, and it would be so...unthoughtful if Tavi left Vinyl sitting in the gutter somewhere, probably begging for money wishing she had just listened to Octavia. 

Dammit, Vinyl...you may have messed up this time, but hell if I’m not going to find you and save you...wherever you may be...

> I Can't Work On This Farm! It's Too Hard!
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

She hadn’t moved from the spot, continuing to stare at the objects in front of her; Mike had placed her in front of a cow and a bucket. “It’s simple!” He had told her, “All you have to do is grab the udder of the cow, give a slight squeeze, and pull down.”

“And...this will give us milk? Are you sure about this?” Vinyl was dumbfounded. She had never seen a pony grab a cow’s underparts, let alone drink what emerged from those depths. She was reluctant to try this, but if it was what Mike had wanted, it could only be the right thing to do. As he had walked out, he only gave her one warning.

“Watch out for the back hooves and make sure you don’t get hit in the face!” Slamming the door of the barn shut, he left Vinyl to her work, which hadn’t even begun. She was anxious enough about doing work on this dump, and “milking a cow” wasn’t making it to the top of her favorite list. 

“All right...cow...bear with me and we’ll both be fine. All I need to do is fill this one bucket with your milk, and then I can spend the rest of the day relaxing!” She reached a hoof very shakily towards the udder of the cow, who stood at the window eating a big mouthful of grass, fresh from the feeding trough Mike had always sat at to get the cream he would use in his products. 

As her hoof touched the udder, she closed her eyes, using the other one to grab onto one of the tentacles that was attached to this disgusting mass. Vinyl almost threw up in her mouth at just the touch. “I-I can’t do this! MIIIIIKKKKKEEEEE!”





They met outside of the barn, Vinyl still shivering as Mike shook his head at her. “So now we know never to make you do that again. I’ll go in and do it, and I want you to go collect eggs from the chicken coop. I think you know how to collect eggs, right? Don’t scare the chickens; That’s all you need to know!”

Vinyl shook away her fear, straightening up again. “Fine, but afterwards I get to show you an easy way to relax! Deal?”

They shook hoof and hand on it, Vinyl walking off as Mike opened the door of the barn. 







The coop was a cacophony of noise, feathers flying and chickens clucking. The dominant animal in the coop, Vinyl, had obviously not flustered them as much with her presence as she did with her hooves under their butts. “Don’t any of you make eggs! I think you need some music; I heard it helps when you need to concentrate!”

She didn’t know what it meant to collect the eggs, but she knew how they were made. She lifted each hen very carefully, checking for any sign of the small life forms they would have created. After the first two, Vinyl was agitated. It was obvious that none of these stupid hens had anything to offer her, so what difference did it make if she checked them all? She assured herself that the next hen would be the last one she checked.

Grabbing it by both wings with her hooves, she lifted the chicken, gasping. Right there, in the nest, there was a small egg, full of life and deliciousness! She threw the hen behind her, a loud squeaking sound coming from the chicken as it hit the side of the coop. Vinyl took into account that it would make a good noise for her next song, grabbing the egg between both of her hooves, using her magic to hover the egg-collecting basket next to her hooves. Holding her hooves and the egg over the basket, she reached down to gently let it drop in, only to have the egg break into mush all over her hooves.

“Eeeeeww, what is this!?” The syrupy liquid felt cold in Vinyl’s hooves; She watched as the yolk inside slid down her hoof and through the wooden boards. It wasn’t often that she found herself eating uncooked eggs. Already disgusted, Vinyl continued on with the task, using her magic for everything after that.

When she came out of the coop, she was covered in feathers. Luckily her task was over. She was about ready to pass out; she wasn’t used to this much work. When she walked into the house, all she could hear was a dead silence. Setting the basket on the counter, she began to call out. “Mike? I finished with the chickens...messily...can I go to bed now?”

When no response came back, Vinyl’s thoughts began to race around. “Well, I didn’t hear a no!” Charging through the hallways, she began to kick open doors, rushing to find the bathroom so she could cleanse herself of the icky things she was covered in. 

At the front door, Mike was coming in as a door slammed down the hall; Mike hadn’t heard Vinyl nor seen her since he had sent her to collect eggs from his hens. “I didn’t think that was that hard…” He set his flannel shirt on the chair, looking around and spotting the basket full of eggs lying on the counter. Vinyl heard Mike call out to 

Of course Vinyl had heard Mike calling, but she was not going to answer back; At least, she wouldn’t answer back until she took a nice, warm shower. Using a small magic spell she turned the knobs on the shower, taking off her shades. Blinking a few times, her eyes adjusted to the brightness of the room. A smile creeping up on her face, she carefully stepped into the balmy water, a groan escaping her lips. This was probably the best thing she had felt on her body in a while. She never got the chance to take showers back in Equestria; She was always either sleeping or playing some concert.  Most ponies didn’t care, given they were also sweaty and dirty during her concerts.

The only pony that seemed to notice was Octavia. Vinyl sometimes thought that Tavi washed her during her sleep.

Feeling the water run down her back, she felt electricity in her body. This was almost exactly like the time that Octavia had taught Vinyl how to play the cello; Those were the days…”Tavi, why can’t I just see you!? Just once…”

Looking up from the ground, Vinyl jumped back about three inches, given the small space she had within the shower space. Octavia stood right in front of her, reaching a hoof out that passed straight through Vinyl. “Vinyl!? VINYL!” The figure ran towards Vinyl, dissipating into a fine mist under the water. 

But that was Octavia! Vinyl saw her. It was like her prayers had been answered. To Vinyl, it looked more like an apparition created by the steam from the shower, but the unmistakeable bowtie that Tavi always kept on herself told Vinyl that it was Octavia.

“T-Tavi!” -Vinyl blinked in confusion- “Is that you!? Tavi? Tavi!!” Octavia had just been in front of her, but now she was gone; Was Vinyl seeing things? Was Octavia…

She refused to even think of that. There had to be a more logical explanation as to how Octavia ended up in the same place as Vinyl at the exact same time that she was taking a shower. Too afraid to move, Vinyl sat down in the shower, the water dripping down her face as she shed tears for her long-lost friend and potential lover.

As time passed, Vinyl could feel the steamy warmth on her coat. The bottoms of her hooves were starting to shrivel, but she couldn’t move. Was that the opportunity? Could she have done something in that one moment to bring herself back to Ponyville, to her home with Octavia? Vinyl didn’t know; what she did know was that she couldn’t give up. She needed to find a way back.

When she finally had the energy to stand up, Vinyl turned the water off and hovered a towel over her head, shaking it furiously through her mane, as well as her coat, to dry it. The cloth felt rough on her head; It hurt when she rubbed it over her mane. Each wince of pain sent a searing heat to her entire body.

Stepping out of the bathroom, Vinyl glanced up to view Mike, who had fallen asleep on a folding chair in front of the bathroom. Nudging him with her hooves, he shook his head, the drool flying across the room, the wall in the bathroom becoming coated with saliva. 

“Dammit Vinyl, you were in there forever! What happened!?” Vinyl looked down, saddened.

“Sorry, Mike...just remembering an old friend who I probably won’t be able to see again.” She started to walk away, a pat causing her coat to stand on edge. Mike was petting her, and Vinyl was frozen in place. Her hooves felt nailed to the ground, and her body was stiffened, only her eyes daring to move. “W-what are you doing!?”

“I’m comforting you, dummy...just accept it and we’ll get back to work.” Vinyl didn’t care about the work; The comfort she felt being pet reminded her of Octavia, and Vinyl was fine with treating Mike as Tavi. Scooting back into Mike’s arms, Vinyl snuggled her head into his lap.

“Thank you so much, Mike...I know you don’t like me, but it means so much to me that I can be here now...I just miss her so much!”

“Shhh...I know, Vinyl...just please…” In truth, Vinyl wasn’t the only one experiencing something new. She could also feel the change in Mike, as if he felt different with her in his arms. It wasn’t different in the sense of being weird; it was just the right thing to do. It was true that he didn’t like the thought of talking ponies, but Vinyl knew that she was different. She could be compassionate if she actually wanted to. She wasn’t as much of a bother as Mike had originally thought her to be.





“Goodness Vinyl, could you be more of a bother!?” -This had been the last straw for Octavia.- “Do you think you can just continue through life living like you are? Someday it will all catch up to you, and I’ll be left alone with memories of a drunken bastard who thought that they were cooler than everypony else!”

“Tavi, can you shut it for just one minute!? You think I can’t handle myself, don’t you? I’m just some big baby that you have to take care of? I’m Vinyl Scratch, dammit, and I wish you treated me like a friend!” Vinyl hated when Octavia judged her; Vinyl could live life however she wanted. Ponies didn’t get sent to the moon for having a fun time, right?

“Since you think you’re such a big shot, let’s see how you survive without your maid around! I’m leaving, Vinyl!” Vinyl’s eyes narrowed as she watched Octavia come out of their room with a briefcase trailing behind her in a cart. As Octavia slammed the door shut, Vinyl shouted out after her.

“Good riddance!”





Maybe she was bothersome.

As Vinyl’s tears slowed down and both had gone through heavy thinking, Mike let go, both leaving the house towards the fields.

The corn towered over Vinyl Scratch.

“All right, so we’re going to take all of this corn and tear it down. I think you can deal with a simple tool, as I don’t think you could handle a tractor. I think you’ll handle the scythe just as fine. All you have to do is knock it down, and I’ll pick it back up. We’re going to do three acres, and then the rest of the day, however much is left, will be ours!”

Vinyl nodded, determined to finish this day off as her horn lit up. The weapon flew up in front of her and she grinned. “Time for a lesson in music, you crazy corn!” The beat in her head powered up, her eyes zipping left and right with each bob of her head. With each pump of her head bass, the scythe cut another strip through the vegetation. 

The plants fell as trees to the ground, wind aiding in the harvesting. Today, Mike and Vinyl were children of the corn, happy to finally see each other approaching the middle of the field. Vinyl was surprised that she was going just as fast as Mike and his machine, but unicorns had magic which seemed to work almost as quickly as man-made machines, especially when working to a rhythm. 

As they came to a halt at the center of the corn, Vinyl took the last chop, watching as the stalk of corn swooshed to the ground. “Yay! Finally done...now you have to live up to your promise and let me teach you wubs! Well, the best way I can without any equipment…”

Mike sighed, nodding in agreement. “Well, first we need to go fetch the daily mail along with the newspaper. I’ll read the top stories and then you can teach me your...wubs.”

The mailbox seemed to take eons to reach; Upon arriving, Mike found himself to be disappointed at the lack of mail he had received. Checking the newspaper, though, his eyes went wide. “Vinyl, you have to check this out...right now!” Vinyl took the newspaper with her magic, bringing it close enough to read the small print on the parchment. 

Mysterious Pony Cosplayer Still At Large

Yesterday evening, what witnesses say they saw as a “pony” went into an alley shop in hopes to buy an energy drink. He was caught on tape stealing this beverage, instead paying with gold coins, and has evaded the police with the help of an unknown accomplice. 

With the wide event known as Bronycon plaguing our wonderful city of Baltimore, we can only hope that this criminal is brought to justice soon. He appears to be small; small enough to fit inside of a pony costume fit to scale. Police say that the culprit’s hair is an electric blue, but they also swear that they saw an actual pony in comparison to the cosplayers gathered outside of the Convention Center.

As Detective Brown states, “The mouth of this horse was moving. If any costume can do that, it’d be freaking amazing. This was no damn cosplayer; what we saw out there was a talking horse!”

The origins of said pony are unknown, but our BPD swears to catch this culprit within the coming week, before Bronycon ends. We can only hope that nothing worse happens to Baltimore. Suspects are being taken in as cosplayers revolt against the tyranny against bronies.

“We are not just stupid animal lovers! We only believe in love throughout the land!
“You can’t arrest us during Bronycon!
“It was me! I’m the mysterious Vinyl Scratch! Take me away, officers!”

With all of these conflicting sides of the argument, there is only one hope for Baltimore: We must arrest all bronies.

“W-what!? I’m being hunted!? Mike, what’s going on!? I paid for my energy drink! Two bits!” Vinyl was going nuts. She wasn’t used to people wanting to get her; She rarely had a pony bring a gun to her concert!

“Vinyl...there’s no need to worry. I’m not well known in the town for jumping across buildings. They won’t find you, I promise. Just stay low and everything will be fine, okay?” Vinyl nodded, her face contorting with anger. She didn’t mean to hurt anypony, much less ruin a whole concert! With all of these humans loving her, she felt bad making them go to some mysterious place to be questioned. 

“I actually feel worse for all those bronies that got their con ruined...that seems to be their only real time to talk with each other and socialize in the real world.”

Vinyl felt just as bad. “Mike, can we please just go back and rest? I don’t think I’ll show you any wubs tonight; Maybe tomorrow, if it’s okay with you?”

Mike smiled down at Vinyl, his voice soft. “It’s okay, Vinyl; We actually don’t have any work to do tomorrow, so you have all day to show me how to groove.”

Vinyl’s horn glowed, the light radiating off of the trees around and the warmth emanating throughout both bodies. Mike looked down, the light engulfing his body as he found himself being lifted into the air; As scared as he was, he was also having a great quantity of fun. As they walked, well, floated, back to the house, Vinyl remembered more from that night, that fateful concert that brought her here to Baltimore.





The bass was pumping through the crowd, bottles flying through the air.

“Turn the bass up, Vinyl! Let’s party!” Vinyl was dizzy enough, pushing all of the buttons on the soundboard until the music blasted at full volume; It was possible that all of Equestria could see the lasers through the building. Her vision was blurred and Vinyl looked around, spotting an unidentifiable mare in the corner of the room, looking intently at Vinyl Scratch. 

“Hey, looks like somepony wants a little bit of me…” She burped, staggering over to the pony, much larger than Vinyl. She looked the mare up and down, spotting the wings and the horn clear as daylight, the rest of the pony invisible to Vinyl’s eyes. Her hooves went around the mare’s shoulders. 

“So, darling, I see you’re an alicorn! Wanna hook up with the best music maker in Equestria?” The mysterious mare jumped back, freaked out at the sudden coming on of Vinyl Scratch. Vinyl saw a bright light, her vision turning black.





“Mike, I know how I got here! We need to rush home quickly!”

Vinyl ran, Mike floating in the distance behind her. “Slow down, Vinyl!”

> Where am I...?
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

“Yes, I mean a princess! I’ve said it three times already!” Vinyl had been trying to get it through Mike’s head that Princess Celestia had sent Vinyl here. Vinyl assumed it was a punishment for hitting on the most powerful mare in Equestria. Then again, she did look pretty cute under Vinyl’s blurred vision.

“That’s impossible! I must be hallucinating! it was silly to think you could even exist! Magic just isn’t real…” Hearing his own words made Mike feel badly about what he said. He meant what he said, but could he even offend one of his own hallucinations? “I-I’m sorry...this is all just...surreal, you know?” Vinyl nodded her head in agreement, turning to face the kitchen.

The sounds of a late night party now shook her mind around, her face expressionless. “I’m not just some dream, Michael. I’m being serious here...I’m from Equestria, and if you can’t see that, then why am I even around? Do you care about me? Do you want me to return home!? Who am I to you!?” With one final yell, Vinyl galloped off, through the kitchen and out the open door. 

Mike watched, scared. He was scared of himself, of Vinyl, of the entire world. He could have just lost his chance at a lifelong friend, the first he’d probably ever had, and it was because he couldn’t believe in the impossible.

Out in the fields, Vinyl Scratch stormed off, making her way into the woods through the cornfields and past the animals. It didn’t matter where she was going. All she cared about was love. Mike had shown her compassion, and now he was willing to throw all of it away because of some crazy superstitions. 

Her tears streamed down her cheeks, long-gone memories and future thoughts clouding any happiness she had left in her soul. 

Where would she go now? She couldn’t go back to Mike; he would probably yell at her, telling her that she was stupid for running off. Vinyl might even be put back into that dreaded stable. She couldn’t endure another night in there!

She stopped for a second, the creaking sounds finally hitting her ears. “Where...am I?” Looking up, the sky seemed almost black, the stars providing no solace to the droopy atmosphere around.

No birds were chirping, and the only evident sound was a low grumble, one very much similar to that of a sound in the Everfree Forest. 

“Could I be…? That’s not possible…” As Vinyl’s eyes began to adjust to the darkness, her suspicions were confirmed. She recognized the trees, pitching their depressing shadows into a sea of bleak, dull sorrow. 

The first thing Vinyl said wasn’t one of displeasure, though. “I’m home! The Everfree Forest! I can’t believe it! I’m coming Octavia!” Her glee was cut short, though, when the trees began to shift. “Wha…” 

“You are not playing by the rules, Vinyl Scratch!” Backing up, Vinyl covered all corners, making sure that nopony was going to jump out at her.

“Who are you? I just want to see Octavia!” Her voice was quivering, the fear running up her spine and down her hooves.

“Do you not recognize my voice!? I am the one who will drop you into the shadows if you disobey me once more!” A sudden lighting burst erupted from the sky, smoke filling the air. Vinyl coughed, hacking the smoke away with her hooves.

When the dust cleared from the air, Vinyl rubbed her red eyes, prying them open for a view of the land around.

It had changed. It wasn’t a bad change, really. She was back in her house in Ponyville, but it seemed to be in a drab. Well, more of a drab than usual. 

The house itself had cobwebs littering the corners and the floors, all of the contents from the shelves scattered about onto the floor. 

“What have you done with Octavia!?” Vinyl couldn’t stand it anymore. She needed answers, even if from an evil voice.

“I have done nothing, Vinyl Scratch. In fact, your friend is up in Canterlot Castle as we speak, talking to Princess Celestia about your disappearance. I, on the other hand, sit back and watch as night rolls around. It is a time where I can have my-”

“Princess Luna?” For a moment, all noise ceased, and it was almost as if the voice of the Princess was surprised.

“Do not interrupt me! No, I am not your puny princess. I am but a higher evolution of the one who controls the moon, but you may call me Nightmare Moon.”

> O-Octavia?
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

At that moment, all of Vinyl’s tension floated away from her body, leaving her laughing on the ground. “T-that’s the best thing” -She wheezed, her breaths catching short in her mouth- “that I’ve ever heard!” 

Vinyl’s laughing was quickly cut short by a loud booming, thunder echoing and fading into the distance. “This is no game, Vinyl Scratch! You think this is funny!? I will show you funny.”

The world began to spin, Vinyl clumsily standing up and trying to keep her focus in one direction. All of the late-night parties had helped her learn to keep a keen focus in one area rather than letting herself succumb to dizziness and passing out drunk. 

Vinyl stared into the darkness, now quickly turning into light as the faint shape of Canterlot Castle came into view. “Oh, so first you tell me I’m not back, and then you take me to my best mare, eh? You must be pretty dumb!”

A small chuckle rang in the air, one that only Vinyl heard amongst the large crowds of bustling ponies. Vinyl turned left and right, hoping that at least one of the other ponies had noticed something amiss in the air. 

“I am not bringing you to see your friend. I have already stated that you are not in Equestria. I am going to show you how I play the game.” 

Vinyl rolled her eyes. She was already done with this stupid suspenseful stuff. It sounded idiotic to her, and even if all of this wasn’t real, Vinyl knew it had to be a dream, which would explain Nightmare Moon’s presence. After a quick second of thought, Vinyl smirked and looked up at the dark cloud shadowing her.

“Fine, Nightmare Moon, I’ll play your silly game. What could possibly go wrong if I don’t ‘play by the rules?” The low grumble of anger above gave Vinyl a grim yet bubbly feeling in her heart. The more she pushed with the buttons of her captor, the more fun she would have trapped alone in the forests back on Earth. 

Vinyl stepped forward, the forceful push from nowhere edging her towards the doors of the large abode. Vinyl held out a hoof to open the door with, but found herself falling onto the floor as she passed directly through the thick wood. Quickly positioning herself back up into place, Vinyl stared forward, keeping the bright red flushing into her cheeks hidden from all, though she knew they couldn’t see her. 

“Let us go, Vinyl Scratch. I do not have time for incompetence on your part.” Vinyl’s thoughts quickly turned ugly, her mind forming devilish schemes to rid herself of the cloud that was starting to torment her with its loud voice and constant shadowing. 

Vinyl grunted, her eyes dropping towards the ground as she walked forward. “When are we going to see Octavia? I’m starting to miss her, and she’s the only one that you can possibly bring me to see, right?”

“Right.” 

“And what? Are you just suddenly back from nowhere to watch me suffer?”

“No.” The short answers were beginning to get quite annoying, but Vinyl kept trying to make small talk. It wasn’t as if she was going to get back to Mike by running off. If she did that, she would be forced to live an eternity among the rest of Equestria, unknown and unseen by all. 

Looking up, a large force knocked Vinyl back, another pony in front of her giggling as she fell to the ground. Groaning, Vinyl nudged herself up, a hoof lifting her into the air as she flew back onto the ground. 

“You should watch yourself, Vinyl; it’s dangerous to walk with your eyes low! Keep that smile going, amiright?” Once her eyes stopped shaking and the world stopped spinning, Vinyl looked towards the voice, her eyes resting on the soft pink color of Pinkie Pie. 

“Wait, you can see me?” Vinyl was almost as confused as Nightmare Moon, or the cloud version of her, was. Neither had expected a soul to see them, but it seemed Pinkie was only focused on Vinyl, not the large overcast fluff ball hanging above her.

“Of course I can see you! Though, you might want to check in with Princess Celestia. I just brought her some delicious cakes, and I couldn’t help myself when I heard her talking with that lovable friend of yours. Apparently, they both think you’re missing, but that’s impossible, because you’re right here! Silly, huh? Anywho, I should be heading off. These sprinkles aren’t going to sprink themselves!” A jar of rainbow sprinkles popped out of her mane, landing in the curl at the end.

As she trotted off, neither of the two were inclined to move. They were both stunned. How could there be any pony like that in all of Equestria? Vinyl wouldn’t be surprised if she wasn’t able to open a cherry jar, let alone a tub of sprinkles! 

“Let us move along now, Vinyl. We don’t want her to return!” For once, Vinyl could laugh at the scared voice of what was once Nightmare Moon. Not once had she ever heard Nightmare Moon terrified of another living pony. Releasing a slight chuckle, Vinyl continued on until the large doors of the Princess’ Throne Room came charging at her. 

It was an odd feeling, to say the least. The whole world felt as if it was slipping the cold grasps of reality and flowing freely in its own directions. Everything either moved faster or slower, and sometimes things appeared where they shouldn’t, like the door to the throne room, for example. 

“Why not go inside, Vinyl Scratch? I promise you that you’re friend is in there right now.” Vinyl took no hesitation in slamming into the door, her body transcending straight through and into the room, the only occupants being Princess Celestia and Octavia. 

As soon as Vinyl entered the room, a new aura filled the air. Princess Celestia turned her head up to the door, the conversation halting to a silence. 

“What is it, Princess? I understand this issue might seem a bit troubling to you, but you must listen to me. If we are to find my friend, immediate action must first be taken.”

For a second, Celestia seemed frozen, her eyes fixed on those of Vinyl. It was as if she knew Vinyl was standing there, but she couldn’t see it. Just as suddenly, a smile fixed itself on Princess Celestia’s face as she looked back down.

“I understand your concern, Octavia. I don’t think we’ve ever had a pony go missing for this long before, and I can’t say that it will be easy to find your friend, but I have sent all of my guards out for a detailed search of my land. That is the best I can do. I’m sorry, Octavia, but Vinyl Scratch may never be found. If that is true, I will make sure you get full compensation for her loss, and we will find the bandit who committed this crime.”

Octavia looked down, the slightest bit of regret in her voice. “This is my fault, Princess. I blew Vinyl off for trying to have fun, and I guess my boring personality drove her away. Wherever she is, I want her to know I am sorry.” 

Tears welled in Vinyl’s eyes, her mind bringing her to run over to Octavia and wrap her hooves around the soft, gray fur she remembered. As her hooves came around Octavia, Vinyl found that Octavia couldn’t be touched. All of her attempts at grabbing Octavia only resulted in Vinyl’s hooves coming together. 

“Octavia! I’m right here! Can’t you see me!? OCTAVIA!!!” Vinyl began to cry, something that she had become accustomed to. She never realized how much Octavia was affected by her, and now it was too late to tell her goodbye. 

“Octavia, I have no doubt that Vinyl will turn up eventually, but do you not have a cello concert tonight at the Manehattan Theater? I would advise you to get prepared. I can’t wait to see another one of your brilliant performances.” Princess Celestia closed her eyes, a teleportation spell flashing over the room until they were both gone.

“Vinyl, she does miss you, but you are gone now. I cannot bring you back until you learn.”

Anger went straight from Vinyl’s mind to her heart. “What do you want me to learn!? Not to party so much!? Octavia is more important than anything!? I just want to go back! I’ll change! I mean it! Just bring me back. I can’t do this anymore. I can’t stare Mike in the face. The farm is too hard to work on…” She couldn’t yell at the air any longer. Her throat was becoming sore again and she was tired of looking crazy, although no other pony could hear her nor see her. 


“It delves much deeper than that, Vinyl Scratch. Why not check on Octavia at the concert? I am sure you would love to hear her once more before you’re sent back, would you not?” Vinyl solemnly nodded her head, the air whooshing around her until she could feel the cool breeze of the air. 

Looking around, she immediately noticed that this wasn’t a crowded theater. It wasn’t even Manehattan. She stood outside Fluttershy’s cottage, the cold snow covering everything, from the ground to the trees. 

“I thought you said we were going to see Octavia!” Vinyl’s confusion mixed with the anger from previously was only making the situation worse.

“You foolish mare! Do you think I would lie to you!?” That was a question Vinyl would rather not answer. “We are here to check up on your friend before her big performance. Though I highly doubt she’ll make it once I’m done with her.”

Right then, all of Vinyl’s fury, rage, and even a little bit of passion leapt out above her. She reached up, desperately trying to harm the black smoke that hovered around her. “If you lay one finger on her, I promise you that I will find and destroy you! Don’t ever touch my Octavia!”

“Who said anything about touching her? A simple spell, maybe a little power, and I can harm your friend without ever laying a hoof on her.” The voice chuckled, Vinyl running through the walls of the cottage and into Fluttershy’s home. 

The first thing she noticed was the distinct smell of animals. It was as if the bunnies, bears, and birds had all teamed up together in a marathon. Vinyl tried to breathe through her mouth, but that only made it worse.

“Why would Octavia come to a place like this?” Vinyl couldn’t remember Octavia ever visiting Fluttershy. Stepping through the halls, a song could be heard, and Vinyl knew the voice almost instantly. Having to constantly listen to Octavia singing in the showers wasn’t such a bad thing now that Vinyl craved to hear just one word from her mouth.

“...It never was easy
To give you away
And now my chances are gone.”

Her song ended the instant Vinyl touched the top step of the flight of stairs. She had almost turned around, ready to go back to Mike, when she heard Octavia begin to talk. 

“Thank you so much for letting me stay here, Fluttershy. I can’t seem to be able to step hoof into that house since Vinyl went missing. I feel like I made her leave. She’s never disappeared on me like this before…” 

Stepping past all of the sleeping animals on the floor, Vinyl stepped into a room on the left, almost running straight into Fluttershy. “It’s fine with me, Octavia. I’m glad to provide homes to any pony in need! I never knew Vinyl, but years of talking with you gives me a great vision of your friend.”

Vinyl smiled, turning to Octavia for a good response. Any good words with the ponies around could mean extra credit for Vinyl. 

“She’s...not what you’d expect. I think she’s quite full of herself, to be honest. In my opinion, though, she’s much more than a friend. She’s been there for me when I needed her most, whether she was drunk or not. She tried to attend my concerts all of the time, and even though she’s mostly selfish, she acts different towards me, and I seem to find some connection between us that I can’t seem to explain. She’s a wonderful pony, yes, but she’s definitely not for everypony.” 

At first, Vinyl was almost dismayed to hear those words come from Octavia’s lips, but then she felt a sense of peace. Octavia was much more than a friend to Vinyl, and both could sense the bond they had. Vinyl never seemed to find the courage to talk straight to Octavia, though. That might be why she got drunk off cider so often; maybe Vinyl wanted to tell Octavia things without worrying about her fears.

“Nightmare Moon, I think I’m ready to serve the rest of my sentence, if you will. I have faith that Octavia will break your spell.” A dark blue pony poked Vinyl from behind, softly whispering into her ears. 

“You’re doing swell, Vinyl. You’ve come a long way in the past few days. Now, I think there’s a special human waiting for you back in Baltimore, don’t you think?” 

Vinyl closed her eyes, the tranquility of it all settling over her. She felt her head getting heavy, her mind going to worlds unknown. As she nestled herself on the ground, she could hear the last words from Octavia.

“...And to be honest, I love Vinyl Scratch.” 

> Shopping For Wubs
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Vinyl woke up to water dripping into her eyes. Holding back a yelp, she sat up, almost colliding with the figure in front of her. 

“Oh, calm down, crazy, you just passed out for a few minutes. It’s nothing too big.” Vinyl couldn’t say that she wasn’t relieved to hear Mike’s soothing voice. She knew it was wrong for them to be talking, but she couldn’t help herself -- she needed to feel Mike’s comfort. 

Before he could stop her, Vinyl threw her hooves around Mike’s shoulders. “I’m sorry I ran away, Mike! I won’t do it again, I promise!” 

She felt almost...safe, holding him there. He hadn’t lifted his hands back up to reciprocate her hug as before, but she knew he wouldn’t let her get hurt. He would be her passage back to Equestria.

“Vinyl,” -- he gave her a slight push, moving her away -- “it’s fine to go and spend some time alone, but why in the world would you think it was okay to run off like you didn’t want to be there?” 

Vinyl didn’t know how to sugarcoat it for him, and she didn’t want to make him sad, but she wasn’t going to lie. “Mike, I didn’t want to be there. I may have fun doing one activity, but my life is in the music business, and if I keep spending time on the farm, I’ll never have a chance at getting back to my home. I think music is the key. Where’s your bass, Mike?” 

Michael went silent -- Vinyl knew he didn’t have anything more than a couple of country CDs stored away. 

“Mike, I need to go into town. Whether you want to come or not is your own choice, but you can’t stop me.” Vinyl was praying dearly to Celestia that Mike wouldn’t see through her statements. Mike had already proven that he was stronger than Vinyl, and who would she go to if he was to chase her?

Mike sighed, closing his eyes for a minute. “Fine, Vinyl. We can go into town, and I’ll accompany you, but if you drag any unwanted attention behind you, you can consider yourself a farmer, got that?” 

Vinyl was nodding before he even finished his sentence, the smile on her face spreading over to Mike. ‘What are we waiting for, then!?” 

Once again Vinyl ran off, her tail floating in the air behind her. Michael scoffed, jumping up and running after her. 





“So, what exactly are we looking for?” Mike seemed almost confused. They had been walking around the same circle of stores for about an hour.

Vinyl didn’t seem to find any trouble in answering him, though she did seem a bit sarcastic. “Well Mike, we’re looking for a record store. They have plenty in Manehattan, but I doubt you’ve ever seen the wonders of one.” 

Mike shrugged, sticking a hand out in front of Vinyl. “And what if we don’t find one?” This stopped Vinyl in her tracks, the air from the nearby clothing store chilling her. 

“We’ll find one. I’m sure of it.” That was all she would say. Accelerating her pace once more, she finally broke free of the trap they had walked into, turning a corner past the sign that welcomed all to “Main Street.” 

As soon as they had rounded the bend, a large board blocked their path, Vinyl hiding a small smirk meant for Mike. The sign read “Daryl’s Delicate Disc Dome.” 

“Wow…” Michael almost felt a twinge of anger towards Vinyl -- she had been right the entire time. 

Vinyl didn’t bother rubbing it in Mike’s face -- instead, she turned and stepped inside, the glorious sound of an upbeat bass filling her ears. She closed her eyes, softly moaning at the feeling in her body. Bass lines always seemed to find a warm place in her heart.

“Vinyl, let’s get in and out -- I can’t stand this…” Vinyl felt a scowl creep up on her face. He wasn’t going to interrupt what she had been missing out on for so long. She was going into shock from wub loss!

“I said you can go if you want, Mike. I will spend as much time as is needed, but I will need to borrow some bits from you to purchase what I need.” She knew that she was playing Mike along. The only way to get back would be through the same pony that had sent her here, not music itself. Even so, she needed to get her hooves on something instrumental before she snapped. 

“Bits? What are...bits?” 

“Money! Don’t you all use bits here?” Mike shook his head, pulling out his wallet and showing her the bills and coins inside. Disappointed, Vinyl looked up to Mike in desperation.

“Can I please take some of your delicious looking paper for wubs? I promise I won’t purchase it all at once…” She added in a whimper for effect, watching Mike’s face turn to one of what seemed to be love.

His pitch was higher, his eyes narrowing to match his smile. “Why should I give you anything, Ms. Scratch?” 

Vinyl looked up to him, concealing her laugh behind a hoof. Without warning, she grabbed his wallet, running off into the store. Mike kneeled over, placing a hand to his forehead. Sighing, he chuckled. “Does that creature ever learn...?” 





When she was positive Mike wouldn’t go after her, Vinyl stopped to take a quick breath. Spitting the wallet out from her mouth, she lowered her horn to it, expecting a faint glow to open it for her. When none appeared, she shook her head, hoping to, at the least, get a spark.

“C’mon, you stupid horn...work!” Her magic seemed to be off today. Groaning, she grabbed the wallet in both of her hooves, trying to pry it open. Inside, she was secretly hoping it would open itself, but she knew that wasn’t going to happen. 

Grabbing it in between her teeth, she tried ripping it apart. When it wouldn’t open, she threw it against the floor. 

Leaning her head up, she heard a small crack. “Ugh! This human stuff is impossible!” Looking back down, she realized her brute force against the ground had cracked it open a bit. That was when she got an idea.

Leaning her horn down once more, she poked at the wallet, using the tip of her horn to lift the cover. Chuckling, she turned it over, watching the money pool out. Looking over it, she went wide-eyed. 

How is he carrying so much...he’s just a farmer...right?

As she looked up to go and get Mike, a store clerk came over to her, looking down and  reaching a finger over. At first, Vinyl had no idea what he was doing.

“Boop.” When his finger hit her nose, she scrunched up, trying to lick the part where he had touched. 

“Hey, what do you think you’re doing, pal?” The clerk jumped back, obviously surprised at her sudden voice. 

“Y-you can talk!” He seemed almost as surprised as Mike did on his first day with her.

“Yeah, and? So can you.” What seemed like a joke to her was taken as an insult in his eyes. Giving her a sneer, the clerk walked off, putting on a wide smile for the next customer. 

Celestia...why are these people so rude…

Before she could think it over, a large box landed in front of her. She jumped back, a small scream escaping her mouth. These people just didn’t know when to give up.

“I know who you are, Vinyl Scratch. They’re already bought, on the house.” On the house? They were right in front of her! Looking up, she was almost startled to see Pinkie Pie staring down at her, only...it wasn’t Pinkie Pie. “C’mon, then, take a look!”

Slowly tilting her head back down, Vinyl read the words across the box. “For the DJ who wants to look cool while making quality dubstep! From Fazed Records“

“Those headphones you usually wear seem to be wearing out, so enjoy your new ones. Oh, and if you didn’t know yet, you’re all over the news…” Vinyl? News? She was in the papers!?

“Miss, what did they s-” Springing up, she was alarmed to find that she was the only being in the area. “That’s...weird…”

Using her horn tactic, she cut the tape from the box and opened it, reaching her hooves in and pulling out a ball of bubble wrap. 

The first pop made Vinyl jump back. Staring down at the large mass, she gently reached her hoof down again. 

POP!

Finally beginning to understand the concept, Vinyl began to giggle, breaking more and more of the bubbles until she couldn’t find one she hadn’t burst open. Vinyl was cracking up, her curiosity peaked when she realized there were more things inside of the fun wrapping. 

Pulling it apart with her horns, she began to drool, the contents inside marvelling her. Wrapped neatly inside of the bubble wrap was a pair of headphones, lightning blue and white with a musical note etched into the side. For some reason, she felt that she had seen these, or something like it, somewhere before. 

Slipping them onto her neck, she stood up, posing for all to see, although nopony was around to watch her strut around in her newest accessories. 

When she was done prancing around, her heart skipped a beat, her voice dropping. “I look like a princess!” 

Dropping the act, she marched outside, head held high. “Mike?” Looking around the corners and into the alleys, she wasn’t able to find the man who had brought her into the town, and she had no idea how to get out. “C’mon, I was only kidding about the farm thing!” 

The sounds overhead seemed unalarming to her, the sudden voice in her head pushing her back. “Run, you idiot!” 

Vinyl had no idea what she was doing, but she felt her hooves start up, the blurred figure of cars trailing by her eyes. Before she knew it, the sound of sirens blasted into her ears, the deep voice seeming to come out of nowhere. 

“Vinyl Scratch, stop now, in the name of the law!” Looking up, she was surprised to see a floating object hovering above her, the men inside covered in dark blue suits. Vinyl was ready to follow their commands, right up until she saw the gun. She had no idea what it was, but it was pointed straight at her, and she wasn’t going to stick around to find out how it worked. 

“You can’t make me!” She was screaming, forcing her hooves to move faster. Closing her eyes, she focused her mind on her horn, but yet again it elicited only sparks, a sudden pain sweeping her body. 

She stopped for one second, only to check and see if she was injured, but in that second, she felt a large pair of icy hands sweep under her, a cool liquid falling into her mouth. Spitting it out, Vinyl could feel her jaw begin to tighten, her eyes starting to droop. 

“You can’t fall asleep now! Do you want to die!?” She couldn’t help herself. She tried to fight the drowsiness that had suddenly overcome her body, but only found another yawn responding to the pleas she had sent to her mind. 

As the world went black, she saw Mike running after her, his screaming slowly fading away. 

> The Government
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Her eyes flickered open, the sudden rush of urgency sweeping the relief of waking up away. 

“Don’t kill me!” her voice rang across the room, bouncing back into her ears. Sighing, she lowered her hooves, which were raised in defense against her attackers. 

Looking around, Vinyl saw darkness. It wasn’t like the room was pitch black, but only a small lamp in the corner gave any luminescence and leeway to her limited vision. 

Looking down, Vinyl was relieved to find that she wasn’t strapped up, and even more ecstatic that no harmful tools were visible, at least to her eyes. 

“Hello?” she called out. 

The room was devoid of life, the only sign of life ever in here being a small tray of food set against the back wall.

Standing up from the bed, Vinyl’s back made a large cracking sound, her mouth releasing a small moan. 

This place is surprisingly lonely...where is Mike? Did they get him too? 

From the moment she had woken up, though only bare seconds earlier, Vinyl’s first thoughts were of Mike. The last thing she saw before those...things...took her away was Mike. If they were holding him captive, she needed to go and get him!

Reaching her hooves up to her head, Vinyl groaned, the sudden realization hitting her that her neck was void of all accessories. “Damn humans…”

Taking a quick trot around the enclosed space, she was almost unsurprised at the lack of a simple door. 

“That would be too easy, wouldn’t it?”

Shaking her head, she turned to the wall, lowering her head as she had at the store before this incident. Stepping towards the wall, she was under the impression that her magic would not work. Pushing her horn against it, she twinged at the cool metal, nearly chilling her coat over.

Grunting, Vinyl pressed harder, hoping that, beneath the hard shell, there was something soft to penetrate in the wall, something to poke a hole through so that there was at least a glimmer of hope in the thought of escape.

The harder she pressed, the angrier she felt. Just as before, flashes of everything flashed past her thoughts until finally, the teapot of anger she kept inside bubbled over, a giant energy surge bursting through Vinyl’s body and up to her horn, which gave off a huge shockwave of power that covered the room in a blue light.

“Do not try that, Ms. Scratch. I think you will find that, in this room, you will only hurt yourself.” The voice caused her to jump back. 

It had obviously come from the ceiling, or a corner, but it sounded like it could’ve been everywhere. Turning around, Vinyl searched every nook in the room for the speaker that bore the voice.

“W-who are you?” Vinyl screamed out, “And where is Mike?”

“Ms. Scratch, I assure you, your Michael is safe. This is a simple observation room.” 

“Observation...why do they want me…”

Taking a step back, Vinyl took one final look around the room, finally coming to the conclusion that the voice was coming from inside of her head. “Well, why do you humans need me? I haven’t done anything to you! Get me out of here!”

A slight chuckle came through the static. “Heh, Ms. Scratch, that would be nearly—”

“And how do you know my name!?”

Cough. “Well, you are all over the news. If the bronies had not already told us who you were, then I’m sure Michael would have given us your name for the usual price.”

“He said...price. Is Mike...no…”

“I refuse to believe you! Bring him to me. NOW!”

But this time, no voice came through the invisible speakers. Vinyl stomped her hoof to the ground, once again trying to summon magic through her horn. This time, at the exact moment her horn lit up, the floor dropped out beneath her. 

A mix of both excitement and fear washed over Vinyl. Did she make the floor disappear? Where would she land? She had no time to think about it before she felt the hard ground rise up to meet her plot.

Vinyl help in a scream, the pain shooting up into her brain. “Celestia! Buck…” Taking a glance down, Vinyl was relieved to find that her plot was free of lacerations, but it was bruised like nothing she had seen before.

“Well, I guess it can’t get much worse…” She didn’t know how to check for broken bones, and since she saw none, Vinyl assumed that she was perfectly fine.

Before she had time to get a good sense of her surroundings, a light above her blinded her eyes. She raised a hoof to block the light just enough for her to see, but found a hand grabbing her hoof instead.

Pulling against the force, she grunted, a tear beginning to fall down her cheeks. “Let go of me!”

The grabbing didn’t stop. The more she struggled, the harder they seemed to grab onto her before she saw something coming from the darkness in front of her. It had a light blue color, but it was crackling, crackling like a bonfire.

“What the—” her sentence was cut off as the blue light was jabbed into her side, a sudden shock running up her side. Vinyl felt her body stiffen up. She couldn’t move.

She watched, paralyzed, as the two humans on either side of her held her down. In front of her, a figure stepped out of the darkness.

He was tall, heavy built, but Vinyl was more mesmerized by his mask. In Equestria, whenever a fire broke out at one of her concerts, mainly due to faulty wiring, these fireponies came in wearing the same thing. They called them “gas masks,” but Vinyl thought they were the creepiest things a pony could wear.

Stepping up to Vinyl, the man reached out a hand and rested it atop her horn. Vinyl tried to turn her head, but he just gently held her in place.

“You are quite the thing...magic, huh? And you can talk! It’s a miracle...I never thought it would work.”

“What are these things talking about!? They didn’t bring me here! It was that damn Luna...or ‘Nightmare Moon,’ as she calls herself.”

Vinyl rolled her eyes. It obviously wasn’t the first time somepony else had wanted to inspect her, but it was definitely the first time she had been held down while they did so.

“Bring in Doctor X.” That was the man’s final words. He stood up and turned around, his rigid legs almost in a march as the door closed behind him.

Vinyl felt the weight on her hooves lift. Without second thoughts, she jumped up to her hooves, slightly wobbly as the blood rushed back into her body. 

Turning around, Vinyl nearly gasped. The rest of the room was empty. No people were there, and the only escape was through the door from which the mysterious man had come through. 

“Don’t mess with me! I will use my magic on you!” 

No response.

“And who is this ‘Doctor X’ you mentioned!?”

Still, the air rang silent. There was no more voice, just Vinyl’s own echo in the room. 

Sitting down, Vinyl closed her eyes, hoping that she could work her magic to provide an escape out of here. She had never studied portals, but if she could imagine one, conjuring it would be easy, or so she thought.

Every time she had a good idea of what escape would look like, her horn lit up, but as soon as she started to feel confident about herself, her magic would malfunction, and once again she would find herself back in the dimly-lit room. 

Very faintly, Vinyl heard the soft creaking of the door behind her.

“Hey…” she knew that voice. It was unmistakable. 

“MIKE!!!!” she turned around, the smile widening at the sight of his face. “How long have I been here? What do these people want? Are you here to rescue me?”

“Well…” he seemed nervous, his voice shaky.

Vinyl stopped, her mind screaming at her once more.

“Get away! He’s going to hurt you!” 

She wasn’t going to listen. After all they had been through, Mike wouldn’t hurt her, no matter what.

“Mike,” she began, not sure what was going to come from her mouth, “I’m sorry. This entire time, I feel like I’ve been a bother. You’ve been saving my plot all of this time, and I’ve been super lazy, but I also need my bass, and I thought that I would never find it. But with you, my bass starts up. My head booms with music and it’s all caused by you. I think I want to stay in this world with you, but Luna has to bring me Tavi, because you two mean so much to me. Please forgive my laziness; I’ll do my best to make you proud of me while on your farm!”

By now, the tears had automatically started up. Back in Equestria, she rarely ever cried near another, but now she found it common. She actually started to wonder if she was becoming a human just by being in their homes.

“Vinyl—” He paused, almost as if he was trying to think of what to say as well, “I...thank you, Vinyl Scratch, but that’s unnecessary now. We have all of the info we need.”



“Vinyl, I never meant for us to gain such a horrendously strong bond. The deal was simple: if I got you to this point, they would pay me, and I would go on as usual…”

Vinyl felt the tears change from those of happiness to waters of despair. Had this entire relationship been a lie? How did they get to her so fast, then, if he was hired?

“Mike, don’t lie to me...don’t play with me! All of this time, all of the games and laughs, it couldn’t have been a lie!” 

Vinyl refused to believe it. Mike would never betray her. They had...she slept in a bed, he laughed with her! If everything they had done was a lie, then why hold her tightly when she has a nightmare? Why tell her she was special?

Vinyl watched Mike look down, a tear going down his own cheek. At the same time, it almost seemed like he was...smiling. 

“You don’t understand, Vinyl! I tricked you, all right!? They told me the portal was going to work, but I didn’t expect you to just fall through!”

The words burst out of Vinyl’s mouth, her screams echoing all around. “Then tell me! Exactly why am I here, Mike!? How did I get here; why not just study my actions on the farm? WHO ARE YOU!?”

Mike sighed, standing up and stepping away from Vinyl. “Well, I guess it all started a couple of months ago…”





“Hurry up! I can feel it, this time it’s going to work!” Mike got closer to the crowd, the endless stream of people in pony costumes, smiling intently at them.

They were all staring at the large object on the stage behind Mike. For months they had heard rumors of an actual portal to Equestria, but it was a ludicrous thought. Every brony from around the world would be coming from around the world to see it. 

Mike smirked down at the crowd. “Are you bronies ready to see a once-in-a-lifetime thing? Are you ready to have your minds blown!?”

His earpiece started pumping static into his ears, followed by the deep voice of Doctor Tjaden. “If this doesn’t work, X, we will find you.” 

Mike shuddered. He had been in the labs; he knew what they did with all of the screw-ups. He was sure he didn’t want that.

“Then let’s do this, folks!” He took out a small device with a button in the center. Taking a step away from his “portal,” he pressed the button. 

The crowd cheered, all in anxious anticipation. The lights on the portal flashed up, a spark flying into the air and exploding into colors. 

A swirl started in the center, slowly spiraling outward until a clear picture could be seen. 

Equestria was on the other side. 

The bronies cheered, and Mike grinned, the newfound thought of money fresh in his mind. After working underground for years, he was finally going to be known, even if it was just for these...people. 

Sometimes he didn’t even know if he would call them “people.” Anybody who dressed up like a TV character like they actually were that character doesn’t deserve a place in the world. At least they would all be gone soon enough, and Michael would be rich.

“And there you have it, folks! A portal to Eque—” Michael was interrupted by the screams of the crowd. He couldn’t even hear his own thoughts.

“Now all, I know this is exc—” Once again he was cut off by shouts from the crowd. 

“Vinyl Scratch!”

“It’s a pony!”

“They’re real!”

Mike looked down, an angry scowl across his face. “What are you dimwits talking about!?”

Stepping down from the stage, Mike pushed aside the other people to get to the center of the crowd.

After shoving the rest of the bronies away from his path, his eyes went wide as he looked to the center. Standing there in the center was an actual pony!

His earpiece rang once again, an angry voice filling his ears. “What in the world is that!? Get that pony out of there now before she comes to her senses!”

Mike knew he had to follow orders, but when he took a glance back down, he was almost surprised to find that the pony had gone. Taking a glance up, he saw her scurrying off.

“Don’t worry, sir, I’ll get that damned thing in due time.” Putting a smile on his face, he ran off to find out where the mysterious equine was heading off to.





“So...you’re part of an organization for ponies?” Vinyl was still confused. Obviously Michael was some sort of evil person, but exactly what did he do?

“N-NO!” he screamed back at her, “I’m part of a secret gathering of scientists testing for transportation between universes. I was picked to create a working portal to another world in hopes that we could discover other life forms. For years we have been trying, but finally decided that working for one universe rather than simultaneously switching between them was the best option. Unfortunately, yours was picked first. I didn’t even want to bring you here! You must have just fallen through...but it’s different now. I’m your friend, we’ve had our good times, right?”

By now, Vinyl couldn’t control herself. The anger had welled up to an unbearable amount. Without much hesitation, she started to buck her hooves back and forth, all shots directed towards Mike. “This was all a silly game!? I could still be in Equestria with Octavia, Mike; or whatever the buck your name is!” 

She wasn’t going to hold back. He had given her feelings; feelings that she would never find in somepony else. If he was just going to let her cry, he was going to know what it felt like to be broken.

 Nearly every kick missed Mike’s figure, but one lucky buck landed square on his chest. The odd thing: he didn’t seem to care. Mike had let Vinyl sock him to the floor. 

For a second, Vinyl hesitated, a twinge of regret in her eyes. Then she remembered why she was here, and kicked at Mike one more time, only near his head to scare him. 

“Nopony messes with me...I will get you, Michael.”

Looking down at Mike, Vinyl snarled at Mike, but Mike was still smiling. Faintly, almost out of breath, he whispered up to her.

“Trust me, Vinyl, I will get you out of here. Our research is done, but you’re still my friend, and I would never let them hurt you. You just have to trust me.”

Vinyl opened her mouth to speak, but quickly closed it in fear that anything she said would be heard. She just shook her head, trying to make a nodding motion to show that she understood what he was saying. 

“I’m sorry for hitting you, Mike. Just get out of my sight before I do it again…”

The loud voice came over the speakers once more. The man, now known as Doctor Tjaden, boomed loudly into the room. “All right, X, I think we are done for the day. Give her the shot, and we can call it a finished session.”

“S-shot!? Please...no…” 

Mike stood up, nearly falling over. Blood was dripping from his nose. Reaching in his back pocket, he pulled out a tiny needle. 

“Don’t worry, Vinyl. This is mandatory. It will only give you nutrients and slowly put you to sleep. I promise that is all it will do.”



“I won’t.” 

His answer was so blunt, Vinyl wondered if it was safe to let him do anything to her. 

Before she had a time to tell him to be careful, she felt the needle poke into her neck. Mike was rubbing Vinyl’s mane delicately.

“Sleep well, Vinyl Scratch,” he whispered, almost silently. 

Just like Mike had said, Vinyl started to feel drowsy. Seconds passed, and she could feel her head pounding, the room beginning to spin. She felt like she could throw up, her eyes going off in all of the wrong directions.

Her vision became white, and she felt the energy from earlier slowly slipping away from her. 

Before Vinyl knew it, she fell over, Mike’s hands grabbing her before she hit the cold cement beneath them. 





> Memories That Don't Matter
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

“Oh, this is pointless! She could be anywhere, and I’ve fooled myself into thinking it was here! Hi, I’m Vinyl Scratch, music extraordinaire, and my buddy Tavi can go kiss my plot!” Octavia’s impressions of Vinyl weren’t good. Then again, they weren’t meant to be nice and realistic. She had been searching for days now, and had been to every town, kingdom, species, and ruler of Equestria. Queen Chrysalis, Shining Armor, Princess Celestia, Princess Luna; none had seen Vinyl recently. The only ones that seemed to have even glimpsed Vinyl last were the two sisters of Canterlot Castle. 

“Octavia Philharmonica, I didst see thine friend at the club that night! She, like usual when drunk, found her way to Celestia and I to hit on us. I hit her with a sleep spell, and we haven’t seen her since.” Luna was very calm when she mentioned Vinyl, but the lack of concern in Luna’s eyes worried Octavia. Was the sleep spell the only thing that Luna and Celestia cast on Vinyl?

“Thank you, Princess, for your time. I’m also afraid I must cancel my showing tonight down at “The Prancer.” I hope it’s not too much trouble for you.” Octavia spoke with vexation as the words slid their way past her lips. This would have been her biggest concert since the end of high school, and all of the biggest ponies would be there. All but Octavia Philharmonica, who would be out, frantically searching for her friend once more.

Octavia looked up, watching Luna nod in acknowledgement before trotting off, most likely to attend other “princess” duties, but Octavia knew that that meant eating cake and sitting in a hot spring all day.

She sighed, slowly turning around to walk out the doors of the castle. At that point, it seemed hopeless. Nopony in Equestria had seen Vinyl. Nopony but Octavia, who saw her friend for a brief second before she disappeared into thin air.

“I just cancelled a huge concert for that drunkard. What am I doing with my life? Why is she so damn important to me!?” Vinyl had forgotten everything, all the time. She even missed that one concert, the one from high school, the duet they had worked so hard to put on…





“You know I have the club to play at tonight. I promise you, I’ll be there in time for our duet, but if I miss my gig, I’ll be fired for sure.” Vinyl seemed so sure of herself. A three-hour performance, and she’d be back, dressed nicely, in two?

Octavia slid behind Vinyl, nearly knocking her in the head. She leaned in to Vinyl’s ear and blew a long sentence of impatience into it. “And I’ll be forever embarrassed if I’m the only one doing a duet, Vinyl. I’ll sound ridiculous, and I’ll never live it down. So if you’re not there, I swear I will find a way to make your life absolutely-”

“Miserable.” It was as if she had said it millions of times before, and she had. Vinyl knew how to complete Octavia’s sentences, only because she had said the same things so many times over and over before.

“Trust me, Octapus, I’ll be there!”

“Octavia.”

“Whatever.” Vinyl shrugged it off, taking her glasses and sliding them gently over her eyes. “I’ll see you later!” As Vinyl dashed by her, Octavia felt Vinyl’s lips collide with her cheek. It was the first and last time Vinyl had kissed Octavia. She loved it, though she’d never admit it to Vinyl.

“Don’t ever do that again!” Octavia shouted over the slamming of the house door. 

And two hours laters, Octavia was sitting on stage, cello in hoof with an empty piano next to her. The crowd below stared resolutely up at her, all expectant for the greatest show the school had ever seen. After weeks of listening to constant boasting from Vinyl about how awesome it was, the entire school had been in constant excitement over the duet to be played. 

The duet that was to never be played.

That night, Octavia had run off crying, something she was used to by now. Vinyl had always done this, every time. It was nothing new to the gray mare that thought for once in her life she actually had made an influence on somepony. 

And even then, when she returned home, there was that electric blue mare, drinking her cider again…





“Stupid, stupid Vinyl… stupid me…” the words came as glass to her. For years she had hidden behind that wall, afraid to admit she had a problem. Vinyl had solved all of that. Now, that barrier was shattered. Octavia had nopony to lean on anymore, lest she wanted to find some old college friend who wouldn’t mean anything to her, not like Vinyl.

Slamming open her front doors, she felt the cool breeze inside of her home wash over her, and suddenly she paused. The house truly was empty. The normally colorful gray and blue walls seemed to turn black in the night, and the plants inside were all withered. The instruments had collected more than bunnies, monsters, even, of dust. 

She sat down on the couch, brushing away a sneeze while she blew off dust. She kept her hooves underneath her, hoping to hide the stress she had chewed off of her hooves, now furless at the tips. Memories flashed through her head, but the only one she noticed was that one, the one where Vinyl destroyed her music career. It wasn’t that Octavia couldn’t go back to writing her classical melodies, but rather that if she did, ponies would ask questions, questions that she would not mention if she had spears to her head. 

She flinched when a cool drip of something hit her on the tip of her ear. Shaking off her head, she sneezed, just as another little droplet of what she only assumed to be the same liquid smacked her in the snoot. “God dammit, Vinyl, turn that water off!” The words slowed themselves as her sentence reached its conclusion. Of course, Vinyl wasn’t in the house, but the bathroom was located just above the living room, and anytime anypony took a shower, it would leak onto the couches, something that annoyed Octavia to death. But then it hit her; if Vinyl really wasn’t here, then who in Celestia’s name was in the bathroom, taking a shower?

Looking around, she felt her breaths grow heavier. It was hard for her to see, given that she hadn’t initially flicked that lightswitch as usual upon entering, and was only now aware of how dark it really was around her. The shapes twisted and turned in her mind, and now she only saw moving figures within the darkness. 

“No immediate weapons in my vicinity -- great.” Octavia’s thoughts were rampant. “I saw it. There it is again -- it moved!”

She squinted her eyes, hoping to avoid the glaring presence she felt in the murky shadows of just her living room. Just as quickly as she pushed the silhouettes away, she spotted a lamp, but wasn’t able to grab onto it, only resulting in knocking it to the floor. She froze up, sure that the pony in question upstairs had heard it, but the only sound that came into the room was the pounding tap of the water onto the cushions. 

For a second she flinched, scrunching her nose up. There it was again -- that sneeze that persisted to come out of her. This time, she booped herself in the nose, and fortunately, the urge went away. 

“What in Equestria is making this awful itching?” She asked herself, even knowing that there was no answer that she could give. It had only started recently, and there was this strange smell inside of her house, too. She had neglected to check it out because she didn’t notice it often against her concerns and quick in-and-outs of the house. 

Pushing that aside as what she knew Vinyl would call a “side quest,” Octavia sighed, inching towards the staircase. Anypony upstairs probably wasn’t dangerous. For all she knew, it could just be a friend casually waiting for her arrival home, which would be a plausible theory if Octavia had many regular friends. She tended to lose ponies just as easy as she would make them, whether through “egghead” talks about music, neglect to play with them, or just because the other pony went away someplace else, Octavia never seemed to have one clear, concise, steady friend to depend on. She had Vinyl, and that was more than she could ask for, even considering that Octavia didn’t really see Vinyl as a friend, the more she thought about it, as she did in a special sense, one even she couldn’t define. 

There was no light up the staircase, which was the first sign of trouble. If anypony were here, they would had to have gone out by now, but the only exit for a pegasus or earth pony would be through the downstairs front door. It made her feel a little safer knowing the intruder could be gone, but it was weird, too. Vinyl was a unicorn, and only Vinyl would feel this comfortable taking a shower here, right? Then again, it wouldn’t be the weirdest thing that’s happened this week. 

There was no noise coming from the room to the left, the bathroom. Creeping along the side of the floral wall, Octavia tried to peer in on an open, maybe slightly cracked door, but it was shut, just as she had left it last time she used it (Celestia knows when that was). She sighed, standing on all fours straight up and flicking on one of the lamps on a side table in the hallway. So there really was nopony there. 

Maybe the pipe had a leak in it. She really didn’t want to have to call a plumber, especially not Flippy. Flippy was the nickname that Ponyville had given to the local plumber, on account of her obsession with fish. It had gone so far that whenever she got into a pool of water, at the least a puddle, she would begin flopping around, halfway between playing in it and appearing as if she was drowning in the air, as a fish would. It was insane, and something Octavia would rather not go through, not now. 

Feeling more relieved now, Octavia walked at a quicker pace to the door, placing a hoof on the knob. She would have to change that, too, it annoyed her. Tavi never could get the hang of doorknobs. Whenever she thought she had latched onto it, she only managed to slide her hoof off of it, and it was weird. She had even come up with a nice lever-pulley system thing, but had never had the time to build it. 

When she finally had a firm grasp, and was sure of it, she turned her hoof, wincing her eyes just slightly in case there really was something bad behind the door, and opened it. When she knew there was no trouble, she opened her eyes and gasped.

Trotting slowly over to the bathtub, she looked inside and saw white fur, just a wet pinch of it, on the floor of the tub.

But not a single drop of water.