Living as an independent DJ has given Vinyl Scratch a rough life. Things are not easy, and they're getting tougher. When she meets Octavia Philharmonica, she finds herself entranced as well as filled with resentment. Only time will tell if their connection through music will spawn a beautiful relationship or a formidable rivalry.
The subwoofer kicked it's surroundings, shaking the desk above it as well as the air before it. Combined with several other similar subwoofers, the beat made it next to impossible to keep anything on the table. Unfortunately for the DJ, the music just wasn't her style. Some lame pop music, horrid love songs, and enough colt band music to last a lifetime. It was always the same with these young mares parties. Her electric blue mane shifting slightly with the barely satisfying bass, the DJ watched her clients out of pure boredom. On occasion, she had wished she could just be one of those in the crowd enjoying the music. Now, just watching them dance around like idiots to some shallow mare singing about her break-up, Vinyl couldn't be happier that she was in the position she was in.
Well, maybe if she could play REAL music and not this garbage. In spite of herself, she had to admit the fillies in front of her certainly looked happy listening to some cheesy lyrics with no substance. Oh, how she wished she could just kick it into high gear, putting her equipment to good use. She knew that would never fly, and she would be denied a payment she dearly needed. As easy as it was to find gigs, they rarely paid well at all, and when they did, it was something of this sort. Rich submissive parents, whiny school-filly, and an unfortunately poor DJ. She was the DJ, in case you hadn't guessed. Vinyl laughed as the crowd of young mares began to jump up and down to some lame song. She had to admit, if she wanted to do anything but listen to music, now would be a great time to do it. Doesn't take much effort to press play on a playlist and walk away.
Sadly, Vinyl just wanted to blast her style of music on the very speakers that trembled the desk under her computer. She had considered finding a book to read, but nothing ever appealed to her. Mostly, the idea of books themselves didn't appeal to her. So there she sat, sipping coffee and impatiently awaiting the end of the night and her glorious payment. Once or twice, a filly would come to her requesting a song, to which Vinyl answered with a grunt and a button push. I'm gonna die here. She decided. This music will be the death of me. These foals need to learn what real music is before they get any further in life and corrupt more poor idiots.
At one point, Vinyl snuck a swig of liquor from her flask. The liquid burned on the way down, and she loved every second of it. There were a few thing Vinyl hated in this world, and being sober was in the Top Five. As the alcohol began to absorb into her bloodstream, the music began marginally more tolerable. On the other hoof, Vinyl also became a little less thoughtful about the crowd and more about herself. After a couple more hidden drinks, she had decided she couldn't deal with it any more. Buck this. This music blows, and if they don't like my style, they can kiss my flank. Vinyl said to herself as she stopped the cursed track. All at once the mob of mares turned to her in anger and confusion. Grabbing the headset, Vinyl rose from her seat.
The lights all around her glinted off her purple shades as she smiled a devious and decidedly tipsy grin. "You fillies wouldn't know good music if it hit you in the face. Fortunately, I CAN make it hit you in the face," Vinyl said to the quickly angering crowd. Throwing all the switches, cranking all the dials, and adjusting all the speakers, Vinyl hit play on her computer. Within seconds, a loud and slightly melodic tune began playing. A select few registered the intro to the Deadhaur5 song and smiled slightly or dove for cover. The other members of the crowd just stood there confusedly, waiting for the bad part. From what they knew of it so far, the song was just sort of different. Vinyl smiled and twisted some knobs.
The song sped up, zooming to about a minute and a half into the song. She knew the exact moment to release the button, allowing the song to slow to normal speed during a lull. The bass was just a low rumble at that point. Anypony that knew anything about Vinyl's style of music would have known to run or hide, but of course nopony in the audience knew her that well. As the rumble of the bass began to ascend, the ground shook lightly. Everypony's eyes grew larger as the rumble grew as well. Just before the beats resumed, Vinyl decided to throw in a monkey wrench. She deftly blended the end of the lull with the silence of her own song. The bass had stopped, and the crowd stood confused once more.
Vinyl grinned widely and shouted into the microphone, "NOW ALL YOU BUCKERS DANCE!" Her language threw some, while others began to fear. Of course, neither had very much time to be angry or afraid, as Vinyl had timed her shout just right. Less than a second later, the Drop hit. The bass rocked the very foundation of the building they were in, causing dust to fall from the ceiling. Even Vinyl herself was knocked back slightly by the force of the Drop, but the smile never fell from her face. Her mane shook wildly as the air trembled around her. Standing on her hind legs and gripping the desk with her front hooves, she tossed her mane back and forth with vigor.
Through her purple sunglasses, she noticed a few of the young mares were doing the same while others covered their ears. Unfortunately, thanks to the deafening music, Vinyl never noticed the owner of the building walking up behind her. When he tapped her on the shoulder with a hoof, she rocketed skyward. When she managed to let go of the rafters, the stallion turned the music off. He looked pretty angry, so Vinyl decided it best to keep her mouth shut. Based on her blood-alcohol level, she knew an intelligent response would be beyond her at this point.
"Scratch, what in hell do you think you're doing! You know I told you that you can't play your music in here! I got so many noise complaints last time, I was swamped for weeks with notices! Are you even listening to me?" The stallion asked rather belligerently. Vinyl swallowed roughly, attempting to sound as sober as possible.
"Sure am, boss. ''m just havin' a little fun, and I think the crowd liked it," she answered, her 'S's' betraying her. The brown stallion leaned in close and took a deep breath. He quickly recoiled, a furious look in his eye.
"Damn it, Vinyl! You're drunk! You damn DJ's think you can do whatever the buck you want, whenever you want! Get outta here! I'll have your stuff ready in the morning, just get out of my sight before I do something stupider than lettin' you play here," the stallion ordered with a wave of his hoof. She didn't exactly remember how it went down after that, but when she found herself tossed out on the street, she did know a few things. First off, her hoof hurt. Second, Book was gonna wake up with a black eye. And lastly, she was unpaid, with only her computer and her flask in a backpack next to her.
Damn it, Vinyl! You bucked up big this time! No speakers, no subs, no bits, and rent to pay! Vinyl kicked the ground in front of her in frustration. Grabbing the backpack, she began to head home. She hadn't made it more than five steps before running into somepony. She looked up from the sidewalk to find another mare in a bathrobe in front of her. Her mane was slightly disheveled, though it still looked more managed than Vinyl's had been in years. One eyebrow was raised, revealing more of a magical lavender iris than the other.
In a moderately condescending and refined voice, the mare asked, "Am I to assume you were the disc jockey in charge of this particular 'concert'?" Vinyl nodded slowly, unsure of who this grey mare before her was. The mare continued, "Well, I feel it necessary to inform you that your horrid 'music', if it can even be considered such, has disturbed my rest. Now, I do not wish to raise any formal charges against you, but I may deem it necessary if you do not comply."
"Alright, so whaddaya want?" Vinyl asked, staring daggers at the rude grey mare. Anypony could insult her taste in music, her looks, even her personality, but a stab at her own music was not acceptable. It took every sober fiber in her body to stop her from clocking the snobbish pony in the face.
"All I ask is a formal apology and one hour of your time tomorrow," the mare explained. Vinyl couldn't believe her ears. This mare expected her to apologize, even after her musical talent had been insulted! Vinyl spit on the sidewalk next to herself as she answered the pony.
"Miss, I mean no disrespect when I say this, but please, for the sake of everypony, go buck yourself," Vinyl said, pushing past the mare.
"Do not speak to me in such a manner! Now, apologize like a mature mare and I shall be on my way. Refuse and I shall find a way to make you suffer for this insult," the grey mare said. Vinyl just kept walking and, without turning around, responded.
"Name's Vinyl. Vinyl Scratch. Remember that, I'm sure it'll make the paperwork much easier to fill out."
The grey mare just glared angrily at her as Vinyl trotted away. She did indeed store that bit of information in the back of her mind as she set out on her quest to make Vinyl Scratch pay for disturbing her much-needed sleep.
Vinyl angrily and somewhat drunkenly staggered back to her apartment building. The whole way home, she was cursing Record Book and that mare outside the club. I'm so bucked if she fines me or anything. Oh Celestia, what if Book sues me for punchin' him? I need to get away from all this bull. She thought to herself as her hooves clopped on the rough pavement. Pushing the depressing thoughts from her head, she began to hum the Deadhaur5 she had begun playing for those idiots back at the party. The thought of the songs only brought up the thought of her payment, which she never received. She figured she could lie her way out of paying the rent for a little longer.
It helped to have the kind-hearted Derpy as a landlord. Unfortunately, her coltfriend, Doctor Whooves, was not so easy to foal. They were all friends, but Vinyl's rent was long overdue and she felt bad lying to them both every week. Sure enough, when she got to her apartment, she found the Doctor standing casually outside her door. She had completely forgotten that she had gone out of her way to make sure that Derpy knew she had a gig that night. Swearing under her breath, the white unicorn trotted up to her friend.
"What's up, Doc?" She asked nonchalantly. The Doctor just looked her with a hopeful twinkle in his eye and a great big smile on his face.
"There you are! How'd it go? They loved ya, right?" It was clear he was just being friendly, hoping to eventually get around to the topic of her rent. Vinyl was past exhausted and teetering on the edge of sober.
"Not good, colt, not good at all. Things got a little out of hoof and they didn't pay me. Plus, I think I need somepony new to help me schedule my gigs," she confessed. The Doctor's face fell as he realized the conversation wouldn't be nearly as friendly as he had hoped.
"Scratch, you can't keep this up. You know the fillies and I love you, but we can't keep letting you live here for free. Between my on and off work, Dinky's school payments, and the cost of repairing the things Derpy breaks, we just don't have the bits to let the rent go unpaid," the brown colt explained. "Things are bad, Scratch. . . Sure, life is great living with the fillies, but we just can't keep afloat like this. . . I'm afraid that I might have to go back to working my old job, and then I won't be around to see Dinky grow up." His words hit Vinyl like a runaway cart. Not only were her mistakes making her look the foal, but she was hurting her friend's by freeloading.
"Doc, I promise I'll have the payment as soon as possible. I'm never gonna be late on rent again, I swear. Please, I just need a rest and I'll go sort all this out tomorrow," Vinyl begged. The Doctor looked her over slowly. He noticed that there were visible bags under her glasses, which told him that she probably hadn't slept in days. He nodded solemnly, stepping away from her door. As she unlocked it and opened it, he noticed a single pizza box on the table. It didn't take a genius to figure out that that single pizza had been Vinyl's food for the whole week.
A sadness touched his heart at the thought that his friend was going without proper meals to pay her rent. The faint smell of cigarettes and possibly other substances normally would have made question her right then, but he knew she'd had a tough time. When he began to turn away, she stopped and looked back at him. "Hay, Doc, know a mare with a grey coat, black mane, lavender eyes? Bit of a bitch?"
The Doctor pondered it for a second, thinking of everypony he knew. Taking a chance, he asked, "A tad uptight? Seems like she likes everything just so?" Vinyl nodded quickly, confirming his guess. "Octavia. Lives over by the club you just came from, actually. 'Bout two blocks down the street," he told her.
"Thanks, dude. I have to go have a little chat with her tomorrow. Catch ya later," Vinyl said as she closed the door. Inside her apartment, things were in their usual state of disrepair. A single torn and beaten leather couch sat against one wall across the room from a small television and disproportionally large speakers. In front of the couch sat the only table in the whole apartment, on which an old pizza box rested. When Vinyl opened the box, she found her last half a slice waiting for her. She craved more, but she knew that was the only food she owned. Savoring every bite, she dragged herself to her box-spring mattress.
The bed was incredibly uncomfortable, which led to many sleepless nights, but Vinyl was too tired to care. When she lay on the bed, the busted springs did anything but support her weight, causing her to sink in. Oh, how she wanted to grab her guitar and wail out a new song about how terrible ponies are. Unfortunately, she had sold her guitar months ago to pay rent and keep herself from starving. It had been a nice guitar, so the sale had given her enough bits to enjoy two pizzas that week. After finishing her pizza, Vinyl buried her face in an uncomfortable pillow. She had a long day tomorrow, so she might as well sleep now. In moments, her exhaustion caught up to her and she was in a deep slumber.
Late morning sun broke through Vinyl's curtains, hitting her straight in the face. She slowly pulled her head from the bed, which was forming a fissure with which to swallow her. She could feel her mane sticking straight out on one side, but managed to fix it into her normal DJ chic style with a few tosses. Her stomach grumbled for breakfast, of which she had none. Instead, she took a drink or two from her flask, hoping the warm alcohol would improve her hunger as well as her attitude. Grabbing her music player and backpack, she exited the apartment.
She headed out the front of the building in the direction of the club. Just go up, tell Book you're sorry, and get whatever pay you can. Simple as that. Yeah, right. Since when has dealing with Book ever been simple? The white unicorn thought to herself as she trotted toward her fate. Of all the times she had argued over payment with Book, she had never come away with as much as she had hoped for. When she arrived at the club, she took another drink from the flask in an attempt to reinforce her confidence. As soon as she walked through the door, she spotted a grim-looking Record Book sweeping the floor.
Without even looking at her, he said, "Y'know, you really need to work on your aim."
Confusedly, Vinyl spoke up, asking, "What do you mean?"
Book looked up from his work. His nose was wrapped in gauze and both his eyes were heavily bruised. Vinyl caught her breath at the sight. Book just chuckled darkly and went back to sweeping. "Broke my buckin' muzzle, you did. But I know you. You were aimin' to give me a black eye."
Suddenly defensive of her fighting prowess, Vinyl stood taller and told him, "Give me a break, I could sock you any time I want. I just had a little than my fair share, if you know what I mean." Record Book just laughed his deep laugh and nodded.
"I sure as hay know what ya mean, Scratch. Now, you didn't just come back to apologize," he said, bringing her back to reality.
"Well, I know I bucked up last night, but I need to get paid. Bad. Thing's ain't too great right now, Bookie. Any chance I can get even fifty percent of what they were offering?" Book just chuckled again and shook his head. Vinyl's hopes were dashed.
"Got lucky this time, Scratch. Turns out the filly whose birthday it was loved the show. The end the most," he said, grinning at her now. Two and two weren't adding up in Vinyl's head. Record Book continued. "Course, she'll tell her friend's they didn't pay ya, but that's the way fillies are nowadays. Anyway, they paid double and told me to tell you their daughter will always hire you before anypony else." Vinyl's head was reeling. Double! I got paid double for a bust?! BUCK YEAH! On the outside, Vinyl was jumping for joy, her shouts of glee echoing through the large room.
"I suppose I can forgive ya for bustin' my nose up considering you getting paid double means I get paid double commission, too." He tossed her a check, which she grabbed with greed. After a quick hug, Vinyl ran to the door, stopping just before leaving.
"Hay Book, know anypony named Octavia?"
"Octavia? Sure do. Great musician, not exactly my tastes, but she works magic with a cello. 'Specially considerin' she's an earth pony. Why do you ask?" Record Book answered.
Vinyl shrugged and said, "Noise complaint. Making a personal apology. Any idea where she lives?"
"You? Apology?" Book rolled over the floor, his booming laughter bouncing off all the surfaces of the empty room. After about another minute of laughing, he wiped the tears from his eyes. "That's rich, Scratch. Yeah, she lives one street over. Take a right out of here, head to the first intersection, then turn right. Third house on the right side of the street. Take care," he told her as she walked out the door. As she walked away, she was sure she heard him say something about apologizing again.
He keeps it up, I'll have to re-break his buckin' nose. Vinyl thought to herself, instantly regretting it. She still felt guilt for punching Book in the nose, even if he was a bit of a tool. Oh well. He got paid, I got paid, everypony's happy. She thought as she rounded the corner. Soon enough, Vinyl was standing on the steps up to Octavia's condo. It looked immaculate; every brick looked as though it had been hoof-cleaned. Without so much as a knock, Vinyl barged into the house. She had to admit, she never was one for manners. Everypony got all stuffy when they minded their manners, and she hated that.
The first thing Vinyl noticed once inside that the inside of the condo was very lavish. Decorative moldings on the walls, framed pictures, and polished floors. The second thing she noticed was a faint music playing. It sounded rough and kind of jumpy, something she would listen to. As she slowly crept through the home, she found Octavia sitting peacefully in a white chair in front of the stereo. Her eyes were closed as she absorbed the music. The third thing Vinyl noticed was that the music playing was familiar. Too familiar, to be exact. . .
"You're a DJ PON-3 fan?" Vinyl inquired, cocking an eyebrow. She could have sworn Octavia's head left a small dent on the low ceiling when she jumped in shock. The grey mare quickly switched off the stereo and blushed, staring daggers at Vinyl.
"For your information, I find her style to be quite enchanting compared to the drivel you play," Octavia replied. It was intended to be an insult, but Vinyl was too busy basking in her own victory. This pony had no idea who DJ PON-3 really was, which she found hilarious. Unfortunately, nopony knew who PON-3 really was. Aside from PON-3 herself, who just happened to be standing in Octavia's condominium. Nodding, Vinyl laughed slightly.
"Yes, I have to say, she's pretty darn talented. I quite like her stuff myself," Vinyl said while attempting not to laugh.
Octavia just glared at her a little while longer before saying anything. "What in Equestria are you doing here anyway? I don't remember sending for a Charlatan-O-Gram." The comment made Vinyl laugh audibly.
"I decided to take the high road for once. I came here to apologize for disturbing your sleep last night," Vinyl explained, causing Octavia to raise her eyebrows in surprise.-
"Oh really? Well then, let's hear it."
Vinyl groaned. "Miss. . . Octavia, I am sorry for waking you last night. Perhaps I WAS playing my music a bit too loud, and, for that, I apologize," Vinyl said while attempting to hide her contempt. Octavia just smiled and nodded slowly.
"Come now, that was not so difficult was it? Now, I believe you owe me one hour of your time as well," Octavia said. Vinyl quickly shook her head.
"Nuh-uh, you said you just wanted me to apologize. I ain't stickin' around this place any longer than I have to."
Octavia gestured to the front door in the other room. "You barge into my home, nearly scared me out of my coat, and will not even give me an hour of your time? Surely even you have some form of manners, Miss. . . I'm sorry, I don't remember your name," she said, raising an eyebrow again. She actually did remember Vinyl's name, but chose just to push the unicorn's buttons.
"Vinyl Scratch, DJ extraordinaire, at your service, madam," Vinyl said, her voice dripping with venom. Octavia smile as Vinyl gave in.
"Well then, Miss Vinyl Scratch, please take a seat. I have a bit of a presentation for you to enjoy." As Vinyl sat down in a nearby chair, Octavia grabbed her cello from it's case. Vinyl sat in silence as the earth pony began gliding the bow gracefully across the strings of the large instrument. On the outside, Vinyl played it off as though the music was horrid. On the inside, she wanted to sit on the edge of her seat. The sound of Octavia's playing was majestic and peaceful. Behind her purple shades, Vinyl closed her eyes as to absorb the feel of the music better. Before she knew it, the music ceased. Upon opening her eyes, she found Octavia standing there with the cello expectantly.
For a moment, Vinyl was aware of just of beautiful Octavia looked. A gently afternoon light shone through the window in the back of the room, reflecting a glorious glow across the mare's body. She had a few drips of sweat rolling down her forehead and her large lavender eyes looked as enchanting as ever. Wow, she's like. . . Stop in, Vinyl! She's a snob, remember? The thought shook Vinyl back to reality. "That was. . . Alright, I guess. That all?" Vinyl lied. In truth, she didn't want to leave the seat. She just wanted to listen to more of Octavia's beautiful music.
Octavia simply nodded as she told her, "I lost track of time a bit, I'm afraid. Turns out we have been here for more around two hours than one. I apologize for holding you up." As hard as Vinyl tried, she just couldn't pull herself to resent Octavia's refined ways any more.
"Nah, it's cool, I guess. What was the point of that exactly?" Vinyl asked, truly curious.
"Well, if I am to be forced to listen to your music, you should have to listen to my own music. It seemed like a fair trade to me," Octavia explained. It actually did make sense to Vinyl. She rose from her seat slowly. She had a check to cash and rent to pay, so she'd have to make her exit.
"As much fun as this has been, Tavi, I gotta jet. Music to make, ponies to see, all that. It's been real," she called as she bolted out the door. As much as she wanted to stay in that room with Octavia, she knew it wasn't healthy for her to. Dumb mare and her dumb cello. Dumb condo, dumb mane, dumb gorgeous eyes. . . Those eyes. . . Vinyl didn't even notice as she stumbled off the curb and right into the street. This wasn't exactly a busy part of town, so there wasn't often much to watch out for. Unfortunately for Vinyl, a cart had rolled onto the mane street. It also happened to be uphill from Vinyl, causing it to build considerable speed before making contact. Thankfully, the cart was filled with vegetable and not bricks, but the impact was great, still.
Vinyl was in intense pain that began to dull as the world around her began to darken. The corners of her vision started to blacken, telling her she didn't have much time before blacking out. The last thing she heard and saw before everything went black was a shimmering black mane, an aromatic grey coat, and panicked shouts calling out, "Somepony call a doctor, she's hurt! Don't just stand there, this mare is hurt!" The last thing she felt was the same pony gently soothing her, brushing her mane with a hoof and holding her head off the hard pavement.
The slightly rhythmic beeps of a heart monitor were the first thing to pierce Vinyl's consciousness. It was a little strange, but the sound of her steady heartbeat actually calmed her. At first, she had no recollection of what had happened, and, to be honest, she was on such heavy pain meds that she didn't really care to think about it. For a few minutes, Vinyl just sat with her eyes closed, listening to the heart monitor. Ever so slowly, she became more aware of herself. An IV had been placed in her front leg, which worried her slightly.
When she tried to see what the machine was filling her with, she noticed that she couldn't see. She attempted to touch her face, but her limbs were not cooperating. They sat like rocks by her sides, and even her horn wasn't functioning right. The only sound she heard at the time was her own heart rate on the monitor making a steady climb. Apparently, when your heart rate goes up in a hospital, all hell breaks loose. Within moments, she heard a few voices.
"Miss Scratch, please calm down."
"It's good to see you're awake, but we're going to need you to take it easy."
"Please don't make any sudden movements."
As she listened to the nervous voices, she began to question her situation. She forced her heart rate to drop and she began piecing her memory back together. She had been at Octavia's, she walked into the street, and the next thing she knew, she was in a ton of pain, with somepony cradling her head. Slowly, Vinyl parted her lips and asked in a hoarse voice, "What happened? What's going on?"
A distinctly male voice replied, "Miss Scratch, you had an accident. It appears you wandered into the street and, unfortunately, were right in the path of a runaway cart."
Vinyl took in the fact that she had been hit by a cart, which made the whole situation easier to understand. "How did I get here?" She asked.
"Well," the same voice replied, "somepony contacted an emergency team, who brought you and your friend here."
"My friend?" Vinyl asked, confused by who could have found her so quickly.
"Yes, Miss Octavia Philharmonica. When our team arrived, she was beside you in the street, holding you. We don't normally allow those other than family members to travel with injured parties to the hospital without consent from the injured party, but she refused to leave you," the doctor told her. The first thing she took out of that was the Octavia's last name was Philharmonica. Next, she absorbed the fact that Octavia had been the mare she had seen just before blacking out. That would explain why the voice calling out for help sounded so familiar. But it didn't answer the question of why.
"Miss Scratch, since you are now awake, we've decided to remove the bandaged from your head. Please don't attempt to use your horn or make any sudden movements, we don't want any unnecessary complications," the colt said. Slowly, she felt the light pressure of her head lessening and her vision going from black to grey to white. The white was caused by the blinding fluorescent lights that occupy all hospital rooms, and it slowly ebbed away. When she could see clearly, she saw the doctor tossing the wrappings in the garbage and a nurse standing at the hoof of her bed. She also noticed that her left back leg was wrapped in a thick cast. Oh buck. Great, now I've gone and hurt myself. Vinyl thought to herself when she saw the cast.
Off to her right, on the same foreleg as the IV, she felt a light squeeze. When she turned her head, Vinyl saw the slightly tear-streaked face of Octavia. The grey mare was smiling sweetly at her and gripping her arm lightly. Vinyl opened her parched mouth to ask her, "What's wrong?"
Octavia wiped the stray tears from her eyes before answering. "I was afraid. I have only just met you, Vinyl Scratch, but I think you could make a very good friend. I was scared you wouldn't wake up, or that something would go wrong, so I haven't left your side," Octavia told her.
The last bit of information perked a dormant thought in Vinyl's head, so she inquired to her new friend, "How long have I been here, anyway?"
"Three and a half days," Octavia told her. The air was ripped from Vinyl's lungs when she heard that. Three days asleep in a hospital! Oh Celestia, what have I done? When she looked at Octavia, she cocked her head slightly to the side.
"Octavia, did you really stay here the whole time?" Vinyl asked. She found it hard to believe that a pony such as Octavia would be willing to stay by her bedside for three and a half days, just to make sure she woke up. The nurse cleared her throat, grabbing Vinyl's attention.
"Actually, Miss Philharmonica has indeed been here for the whole time you were asleep. In fact, if I'm correct, she didn't sleep a wink the whole time, either," the nurse told her. When Vinyl turned to Octavia, she finally noticed the great bags under her eyes, which were bloodshot far beyond normal. Octavia just nodded to confirm what the nurse had said, which blew Vinyl away. She stayed her for three whole days without any sleep for me? Why would she do that? We only just met. She locked her eyes on Octavia's own lavender ones as the nurse trotted from the room, leaving the two of them alone.
"Octavia, I can't thank y-" Vinyl started, but was cut off by a hoof in her face.
"Vinyl, what kind of pony would I be if I let an injured pony lie crippled on the ground? Besides, you are my friend, are you not?" Octavia's eyes looked bordering on hopeful at the open question. Vinyl just smiled lightly before answering.
"Tavi, I couldn't ask for a better one. But. . . Why? Why give up sleep and a bed and everything to stay with somepony you just met a few days ago? Plus, we didn't exactly get along so great, either," Vinyl admitted. Octavia just looked down at her hooves and smiled. The sun radiating through the window in Vinyl's room caught Octavia at just the right angle so that every feature of her mane, face, and body were accented by a holy glow. In that light, the sight of Octavia may have caused a stupider pony to call that some sort of angel sat before them, but Vinyl was too lost for words. She had been through a lot, and Octavia had made the conscious choice to go through it with her.
Vinyl sat there, absorbing Octavia's natural beauty in the silence. It wasn't an awkward silence, just a sign that no words could define why Octavia had done what she had.
Eventually, Octavia whispered something without even looking up. "You have beautiful eyes," she said, which caused Vinyl to reach up to her face and feel for her glasses. Sure enough they weren't there, but the compliment still hit her. A redness grew on Vinyl's face as she buried her face in a pillow. "I don't know why you choose to cover them," Octavia continued. In truth, Vinyl herself didn't know why she always wore her shades, but she had gotten past needing a reason. They had become part of who she was, and she felt naked without them.
Octavia must have sensed this, because Vinyl found a warm object being placed in her lap. When she lifted the pillow from her face, she found her glasses sitting in her lap. She looked sideways at Octavia who just said, "I've been holding onto them for you. I knew you'd want them when you woke up, so I made sure to bring them with me." Vinyl was touched by the friendly gesture as she looked back to the sunglasses. The right lens was cracked, but other than that, they were perfectly fine. Vinyl slid them onto her face before turning back to Octavia. She knew that her eyes had always given too much away, which was a problem with her new companion. She certainly didn't want Octavia catching her staring.
"Thanks, Tavi. For everything," Vinyl said in as friendly a tone as possible. Octavia just smiled again and shook her head.
"You know, the doctors told me that once you woke up, you would have to be discharged as soon as possible. Something about insurance, I believe." Vinyl's stomach flip-flopped at the words. As an independent DJ, she had no regulated health insurance or anything, meaning she was on her own to pay the medical bills. Barely a minute after Octavia told her the news, Vinyl had removed the IV and all monitor sensors from her body. She pulled herself out of bed and onto her four hooves, despite the amount of pain her broken leg gave her. Octavia rose to protest the movement, but she quickly settled herself when she realized that the situation was worse than she had thought.
Vinyl stumbled though the doorway to her room and to the desk outside. Octavia followed her cautiously, ready to help her friend at any point. "I'd like to sign myself out," Vinyl said to a nurse. The nurse didn't even need a second glance to recognize her and passed her the papers to sigh out. Vinyl quickly scribbled her signature and her initials a few times and headed for the door. On the way there, Octavia held a hoot out in her path.
"Vinyl, you shouldn't do this. You're hurt, and the pain will only get worse when the meds wear off. You really should go back to bed," she begged. Vinyl just pushed her aside and kept walking. Once out the door, Octavia took another stab at it. "Vinyl, please. I do not want you to hurt yourself any worse. Just please go back inside and lie down," the grey mare said. Vinyl had to admit, what she did then was deeply regrettable. She whipped around and stared angrily at Octavia before answering her pleas.
"Tavi, I can't go back in there. I'm not some fancy-schmancy concert cellist, I'm a DJ. I'm self-employed, and it's a tough world out there. I can't just sit on my flank and wait for the next gig like you, I have to go out there and find it. I've had one paying gig in two months, and I have to watch every expense," she ranted, poking at Octavia's chest with a hoof. "As much as I wish I could stay in the hospital, I have to go cash that one payment and pray that it's enough to cover the bills and my rent. I can't live the easy life like you, my job just won't let me. If I had the bits for it, I'd eat more than one pizza a week. It's tough living on the bare minimum, but nopony wants a wash-up DJ." With each sentence, Vinyl poked aggressively at Octavia's chest, causing her to take a step back each time. Vinyl shoved past her and began to hobble off, signaling the end of the discussion.
Octavia was shocked that Vinyl had blown up like that, but more shocked by what she heard. From Vinyl's rant, she had learned that Vinyl ate less than a small foal every day and survived on overdue rent payments. The truth hurt her as much as it hurt Vinyl, whose eyes were tearing up behind her glasses as she walked away from her friend. She felt terrible for saying those things to Octavia, but in her world, she didn't have time to feel sorry for her actions. After hobbling for about a block and a half, she founded herself in front of the bank. After a quick discussion, Vinyl walked out with more bits than she had seen at one time in months. Maybe even years.
As much as she wanted to go spent it on luxuries, she knew this were no different than before. She was still without any bits or any work, but now she had a broken leg. She hung her head and somehow managed to pull herself home. When she got to the door to her apartment, she found Doc Whooves standing at the door again. On his face, he wore a sad look, and in his mouth, he carried a letter. When he say her, he tossed it to her and she caught it using her magic. "It's for you," he said.
She opened her door and the letter simultaneously. The Doctor followed her inside and closed the door quietly. He clearly had heard about her accident and felt bad for her, but she knew he was there for business. She nearly collapsed she read the letter. Well, actually, it was a bill. A huge one from the hospital. When she did the math out, she found that between paying her overdue rent, not to mention the month coming up, and the hospital bill, she had just enough bits to eat a pizza for two weeks. Which meant she was officially broke. She broke down on the rough leather couch and the Doctor sat himself on the end of the table.
She knew she could try to hold him off a little longer with her sob-story about getting hit by a cart, but it didn't feel right. She could see in his eye that he felt terrible asking her for the rent in such a tasking time, but he wouldn't be there unless he absolutely needed to be. Slowly, she slid a bunch of bits from her backpack and placed them on the table next to the Doctor. When he cocked an eyebrow at her, she told him, "Rent. Past two months. I can't pay this months, so I'll start packing my things." She pulled herself from the couch and grabbed as much as she could fit in her backpack.
Whooves placed a hoof on her shoulder, signaling her to look at him. "Vinyl, you don't need to pack. You paid the rent, so I can wait for this month's," he said, attempting to calm her. Vinyl shook her head and went back to packing.
"There's a lot more ponies who need apartments out there, Doc. Ponies with a steady income who can actually keep up on rent. I know you want to be a pal and help me out here, but that's the problem. We're friends. I see you suffering when I can't pay the rent, which means Derpy and Dinky are suffering too. I only have two choices here: stay here and learn to hate myself for making your lives hard, or move out and feel better knowing I helped a friend in need. For once, I'm gonna stop caring about my own well-being and call it," Vinyl explained. She felt her eyes tearing up again when she thought about the fact that she could be making sweet, innocent Dinky's life harder by bumming around.
Doctor Whooves himself was tearing up slightly at the taste of reality. He slid his hoof off of Vinyl's shoulder and nodded. As much as he wanted to make Vinyl's life easier, he had to admit that Dinky and Derpy were more important. He watched in silence as Vinyl zipped up her backpack and threw it over her shoulder. She looked up at him and he noticed for the first time that her favorite glasses were cracked. "Just got ahead and sell the rest of my stuff. I'll drop by every now and again to see if anything sold," she said in a depressed voice. Quickly, she levitated a large envelope off the table and over to him. "Have Derpy run that over to the hospital tomorrow, will you? It's got my medical bills and the payment in there, so try not to lose it."
Taking the envelope in his mouth, the Doctor nodded. Vinyl dropped her house keys on the table and walked over to the door. Just before exiting out the open door, she turned back. "Take care, Doc. And don't you ever leave the fillies. They need you," she said and closed the door behind her. It hurt him to see his friend injured and depressed and alone, but he had no say in it any longer. She was gone for good. Well, the least I can do is make sure her mail gets to the hospital. I'll just give it to Derpy and. . . On second thought, I'll run it over there myself tomorrow.
Outside, Vinyl dragged herself around town for a while. She went and bought herself a large pizza and stuffed it among everything else in her backpack. After wandering the town for a while, she found herself outside Record Book's club. When she peered inside, she didn't see anything set up, which meant that nopony would be doing anything tonight. She quickly popped the lock using her magic and darted inside. Once inside, she noted that it was only about five degrees warmer in here than it was outside, which was probably just above freezing.
Regardless, it was better than blowing all her bits on a motel, so she walked to one corner of the stage. There, she dropped her heavy bag on the wood with an echoing thud. She quickly followed her bag, curling into a ball next to the curtain. Using the curtain as a blanket, she covered herself, shivering. So this is what it's come to. Sleeping in the cold with a broken leg, no bits, and little food. Why did I have to go and release DJ PON-3's music anonymously? I could be living the lap of luxury right now. Eating whatever I want, partying every day, taking time off to spend with Octavia. . . Tavi. . . Oh Luna, I said terrible things to her today. She probably hates me now. I don't think I can face those eyes filled with hate. Those beautiful eyes. . . And with that, Vinyl drifted off to sleep imagining Octavia the way she had looked in the hospital room earlier that day.
The sun broke slowly over the window sill that let light into Octavia's kitchen. Although it was just dawn, Octavia herself sat at her kitchen table sipping coffee. She tried not to drink the substance unless she had a concert, but she had not slept well the night before and needed a pick-me-up. All night she had been plagued by visions of Vinyl, depressed, livid, and in pain. Every time she closed her eyes, she had seen those sparkling ruby eyes of her new friend in pain. The images of holding the DJ after the cart had injured her haunted her mind. She had thought that after so long being alone, she had made a friend, only to be the death of them.
She pictured Vinyl, her leg twisted at an unnatural angle, her skin bruising and bleeding in places, and her glittering crimson eyes closing slowly. It was a disturbing thought which caused Octavia to break out into shakes again. The whole night and much of the day before had been the same way once she had returned from the hospital. She told herself that Vinyl didn't need her, that she had just been angry, that she was just joking about her life. Anything to ease the thought that her talented new friend could be out on her own right that moment, freezing in the icy winds and bitter cold of the city. Once she finished her coffee, Octavia had decided she had to take action.
Grabbing a thick wool coat from her closet, she bundled herself up and prepared for a long journey. She had absolutely no idea where to start, so the hospital was her best option. On the way there, every nip and sting of the chilling wind reminded Octavia of the terrible thoughts of Vinyl Scratch alone in this weather. She hadn't been watching were she went, causing her to run straight into a brown stallion. When she stood up, she looked back at the colt. He looked to be a little nervous, but he minded his manners nonetheless.
"I'm so sorry, miss. I wasn't watching where I was going. Are you alright?" The colt asked, genuinely worried. Octavia grabbed the envelope that had landed on the ground and hoofed it back to the stallion.
"I am fine, thank you. I wasn't aware the mail workers had anypony besides Derpy covering this area, are you new?" She inquired, causing the colt to chuckle slightly.
"No, actually I am Derpy's coltfriend. She's off with my daughter right now, and I had to make an important mail delivery," the brown earth pony replied. Octavia nodded understandingly.
"Oh, so that must make you Doctor Whooves. A pleasure to meet you, Doctor," Octavia said as the Doctor bowed his head slightly.
"Pleasure is all mine. I'm afraid I must run, I have a very important letter for a friend of mine who is down on their luck," he said as he started away. Before he made it through the door to the hospital, he heard the grey mare call his name. Turning around, he raised his eyebrows questioningly.
"Doctor, by chance, would you happen to know a mare with electric blue hair, white coat, goes by Vinyl Scratch? I only ask because I know your marefriend surely delivers mail to her. Doc's jaw nearly hit the pavement at the mention of his friend.
"Yes, of course I know Vinyl. Actually, this is her letter. Who might you be? I do feel as though I've met you before. . ." The Doctor said.
"Octavia Philharmonica. I met Vinyl the other day and was there when she had her accident," Octavia explained. The Doctor couldn't help but shake his head in disbelief.
"Oh, Miss Octavia! Yes, of course! I remember Vinyl mentioning she had some engagement with you before this terrible accident? Actually, this envelope is regarding her bills," Doctor Whooves explained. The thought of the papers caused both of their stomachs to knot up.
"Oh? I'm glad she managed to pay them off. I can rest easy knowing she will be alright," Octavia said, but her statement was punctuated by the Doctor Shaking his head. "Is something wrong, Doctor?"
Might as well just tell her. . . "Well, you see, Derpy is Vinyl's landlord. Now, as much as I love Vinyl, she has taken advantage of Derpy's kindness a few too many times, so I prefer to deal with her. She gave me this letter yesterday evening when she. . . She moved out. She left all her furniture and paid the overdue rent. I tried to get her to stay, I truly did, but she wouldn't have it," the Doctor explained. He hung his head at the memory that he couldn't convince his friend to stay any longer.
Octavia was more than shocked at this turn of event, though she had thought it may happen. She had dreaded this reality. "So you are telling me she moved somewhere else after paying her medical bills?" She asked.
Doctor Whooves just shook his head again, his brown mane tossing back and forth. "I'm afraid not, Octavia. She had barely enough food to eat for a day, let alone move somewhere else. She's probably out looking for work right now," he said, causing Octavia's stomach to lurch. Her worst fear had been confirmed. Her new friend was out there, alone, hurt, and freezing. As much as she'd like to believe that Vinyl was somewhere nice and warm where she could make enough bits to live comfortable, Octavia knew all too well that it was difficult to survive when nopony had helped you make a name for yourself.
"Doctor Whooves, is there anything you else you can tell me? Could you show me where she lived?" She pleaded, to which the Doctor answered with a nod.
"Let me just give the nurses her payment and I'll take you back to her apartment," he said, his voice catching as he remembered the last time he had spoken to the DJ. "Well, what used to be her apartment, anyways. . ." It was clear to Octavia that the Doctor had obviously been close to Vinyl. The way he hung his head and spoke of her as though there had been some great betrayal did not make Octavia any more assure that her friend would be okay. The Doctor disappeared inside for a few moments, giving Octavia plenty of time to pace nervously. When he returned, Octavia's head perked up immediately.
They walked in silence with both of them hardly looking up from their hooves. The wind pulled at them, as if trying to pull them into the street. When they arrived at the apartment building many minutes later and the brown colt unlocked the door to what used to be his friend's home. Inside, everything remained the exact same as he had left it. After Vinyl had left, he took it upon himself to start preparing her furnishings for sale. The television sat on the table with a couple of lamps while her large speakers sat on the floor. They had been much too heavy for the pony to lift and far beyond heavy enough to break the legs on the old table.
Octavia looked at the cramped apartment with disdain. It was clearly not the most pleasant living arrangement, and if Vinyl could hardly have afforded to stay there, things were even worse than she had believed. The Doctor spoke up behind her, saying, "She didn't leave much. Just told me to sell the stuff she left behind and she'd be back for any bits later. It sucked to watch her go after such a terrible accident, but she was only trying to help us. . ." Octavia shook her head again, still trying to comprehend why her friend would just leave all her belongings behind.
"So she just left all of this to be sold to whoever wants it?" The Doctor just nodded in confirmation, causing Octavia to nod. She had made up her mind about what she would do now.
Not an hour before, a white coated unicorn had woken from a rough sleep to find herself in the cold. Her memory came rushing back as she tossed her mane. Oh right, I gave my apartment to go live my dream of being homeless. Bucking awesome. What the hay am I supposed to do now? Vinyl rose shakily and tried to stretch as best as possible. It was beyond difficult with a cast on her leg, and she nearly fell over. She glared at the clunky covering with contempt. She glanced toward the door and the glint of sunlight told her that it must at least be morning. Vinyl hadn't slept much that night, as sleeping on a cold wooden floor while wrapped in a stage curtain was far less comfortable than sleeping in her broken bed.
As she grabbed her backpack and tossed it onto her back. With a bit of difficulty, she managed to lift her music player out of the sack with magic and plug it into her ears. She shuffled slowly to the unlocked door to the club and opened it. The wind whipped quickly into the room, causing Vinyl to shiver. She had forgotten all about the wind recently. Unhappily, she pushed herself out the door and pressed play on her music player. Boulevard of Broken Dreams began playing in her ears. Oh, how ironic. . . That's just bucking hilarious, Celestia. What did I do to deserve this? Vinyl thought to herself. However ironic the random song might have been, she couldn't pull herself to change it.
Slowly, she pulled herself along the sidewalk, planning her next move. It was at this time that Vinyl discovered she had absolutely no idea what do to now. I'm unemployed, homeless, injured, and lost. Figures that I never bothered to learn my way around this city and now it's coming back to bite me in the flank. Trotting and dragging her bound leg lazily behind her, Vinyl set out to explore the town before the cold got to her. After several minutes of painfully stumbling around the streets, she found herself next to the pizza place from the night before. Swearing under her breath, Vinyl cursed the cold. Her strength was gone and the pain in her leg told her she couldn't keep going.
I'll just rest a second in the alley and then be on my way soon. Maybe I could head over to Octavia's place, I bet she'd know where I could find a gig. . . Vinyl thought as she sat herself down against a wall in the alley. I need to apologize first, though. Sheesh, I was a bitch back at the hospital. . . Her weariness had caught up to her and her thoughts were fading fast. Soon enough, the DJ was curled in a ball in the alley, fast asleep.
When Octavia reached the club where she first met Vinyl, she realized the door was closed and there were no lights on inside. Obviously Vinyl wasn't working, which made finding her all that much more difficult. Where else could she have gone? Octavia wondered to herself as she walked sluggishly away from the club. Well let's see. What do I know about Vinyl? She's a DJ, she likes to wear her sunglasses all the time, she likes pizza. . . Pizza! That's who I can ask! Octavia took off running towards the nearest pizza parlor, praying to the princesses the whole time that she would find Vinyl there.
After about two minutes of running, Octavia burst from the cold into the stuffy restaurant. Gasping for air, she managed to gasp out, "Vi. . . Vinyl. . . Vinyl Scratch. Have you. . . have you seen her?" The confused mare behind the counter just cocked an eyebrow at first, followed by a shrug.
"Saw her last night. Prolly means she won't be back for a week or so. Poor filly just won't give up on that silly DJ dream of hers. . ." The yellow mare told her. The insult to Vinyl was like a slap in the face to Octavia, and it took all her strength to fight back the urge to spout obscenities at this rude mare.
Begrudgingly, Octavia thanked the store owner and trotted back outside. The wind immediately began it's violent assault on her once more, it's shrieks pulling at her ears. Octavia attempted to turn herself away from the biting cold and a slight sound caught her attention. It was ever so slight, causing the grey mare to strain her ears searching for the noise. It sounded like the faint screech of a guitar riff. Strangely, it didn't sound as though it was produced by an actual guitar, but something more electronic. Loud headphones perhaps.
Her curiosity piqued, Octavia tried her hardest to find the source of the noise. She found herself pulled to the edge of an alley before giving up on the chase. You are supposed to be looking for Vinyl, not some random sound! Get it together! Octavia told herself with a light facehoof. As she began to turn away from the alley, a white ball caught her attention. Cocking her head to one side, Octavia noticed an eight note Cutie Mark on the ball's side. Her heart caught on her throat as the realization hit her. The ball was Vinyl as well as the source of the loud music. Dashing as quickly as possible to her friend, Octavia threw herself around Vinyl.
For a split second, she only felt the joy of finding the white unicorn, but the feeling of cold quickly hit her. She pulled back from the bundle of white fur and touched her friend tentatively. Vinyl was far below normal temperatures, meaning she had been in the cold for quite some time. Octavia began to panic and resorted to shoving the DJ, yelling in her ear, even slapping her with a hoof. Nothing seemed to rouse the sleeping mare. The grey cellist knew her new companion would die out here without help, and she knew how to help.
Struggling under the limp pony, Octavia managed to get Vinyl onto her back. She certainly wasn't strong enough to do this for long, but the underfed pony was certainly lighter than she had initially guessed. Trudging with each step, the cellist slowly but surely managed to haul her friend out of the alley. Turning in the direction of her home, Octavia made it about thirty hooves or so before tripping. She landed roughly on her chin as Vinyl's limp body rolled off of her back and onto the freezing sidewalk. Biting back a curse, Octavia scooped up the DJ once more and began again. This time she made it almost to her home before collapsing.
The pony may have been light, but Octavia was not overly strong either. Sweat rolled off of the grey earth pony as she gazed at the unconscious form of her white friend. For the first time ever, Octavia pushed herself far past physical pain. For the first time ever, it wasn't just for herself, it was for Vinyl. After she pulled Vinyl's cold body onto her back, she slowly made the final steps to the condominium. The weight of her friend bore down on her like a great burden, but Octavia managed to unlock the door and pull them both inside.
Dropping the DJ roughly onto the couch in the living room, Octavia herself collapsed next to the pony. The journey had truly worn her out and as much as she wanted to lie in her own bed, she knew she didn't have the energy to go that far. Giving up on the thought, Octavia just curled up next to the freezing pony, attempting to warm them both. Soon enough, the earth pony drifted off to sleep. A glorious sleep, the first Octavia had enjoyed since meeting Vinyl, but Octavia would gladly do it all again for her only friend in the whole world.
A light movement on Vinyl’s exposed chest caused her eyes to shoot wide open. The surprise of being touched had sent her brain into overdrive, absorbing her surroundings incredibly fast. She saw lightly painted walls and white moldings around the ceiling. She lay exposed on a soft taupe couch and a mare lay next to her. Well, next to her probably wasn’t a very accurate description. The pony had one back leg tossed over Vinyl’s own right hind leg, a grey left leg was tucked under the same hind leg, and the pony’s right foreleg was tossed over Vinyl’s chest. However, Vinyl had a harder time seeing all of this with a black mane in her face. The touch had obviously come from the other mare unconsciously nuzzling Vinyl’s chest, which caused her to blush and adjust her glasses.
After a few more seconds, Vinyl’s memory kicked in, causing her to realize the mare entwined in her own limbs was her favorite cellist, Octavia. As much as Vinyl wanted to extract herself and put an end to the awkward situation, she couldn’t pull herself to disturb the moment. Octavia looked cute with her mane messy and gently holding onto the unicorn. Vinyl tried desperately to calm her heart beat and even out her breathing, but it was no use. She just wasn’t used to having another pony so close to her, let alone another mare. It had been months since a mare had held her like this, and Vinyl loved every nervous second of it. Sadly, Octavia wasn’t nearly as asleep as she appeared.
“Nice to hear you’re awake,” the grey earth pony said without opening her eyes right away. Slowly, her eyelids rose as well as her chin, bringing her eyes level with Vinyl’s face. Even behind the tinted sunglasses, those lavender crystals melted Vinyl’s insides. Her heart rate shot skyward and she pulled her chest from Octavia’s ear before the pony noticed. Octavia pulled her head back but didn’t pull herself completely away from Vinyl’s body.
Clearing her throat to prevent embarrassment, Vinyl said quietly, “Nice to see you, Tavi. Listen, there’s something I need to say. . . I was a real bitch back at the hospi-“ She was stopped by a hoof being lightly pressed to her moving lips.
Octavia just shook her head before replying with, “Vinyl, there’s no need. I went by your apartment with Doctor Whooves and he told me it all. I had no idea you were in such a horrid situation.” The earth pony’s eyes sparkled as she said it. “I went out to find you because I was afraid you would be hurt, or worse. . .” She looked away as tears threatened to spring into her eyes.
Vinyl remained quiet for a second, pondering what the pony had told her. “I don’t remember much after waking up, to be honest. What happened?” Octavia could only shrug.
“I found you alone and freezing to death in an alley outside the pizza parlor.”
“Well how the hoof did I end up here?” Vinyl inquired, gesturing with a hoof to the room around them. She had barely noticed as the grey pony had laid her head back on the unicorn’s own chest. Octavia smiled sweetly at the question.
“Well, friendship makes ponies do stupid things. . . I carried you on my back all the way here, though I couldn’t quite get myself to my bed. I apologize if you are uncomfortable with our. . . Situation, but I was just so tired,” Octavia explained. Vinyl’s eyebrows rose at the mention of Octavia carrying her, suggesting that her eyes went wide. For a short moment, Vinyl couldn’t find her words, so she resorted to her only reply to the pony. Octavia had never felt a more heartfelt hug in her whole life, even when she had left home. Secretly, Vinyl’s eyes were brimmed with tears behind her glasses.
Very, very quietly, she whispered to her friend, “Thank you, Tavi. . .” She hadn’t realized that she could have died in that alley, but she now knew that Octavia had saved her life. Twice, actually. Octavia returned the hug as best she could. When they released each other, Octavia rolled off the couch and trotted into the kitchen. When Vinyl managed to pull herself and her injured leg off the furniture, she followed her grey friend. Inside the kitchen, Octavia had a coffee already sitting out for them both. Sitting in the slightly uncomfortable chairs, they drank in silence. The silence was anything but awkward, more a content silence.
Once Vinyl had finished her coffee, she stretched and cracked her neck. The sound made Octavia twitch, but she bared with it. Yawning, Vinyl said to the mare, “Well, I can’t thank you enough for what you did. Any of it. But I’ve overstayed my welcome, so I’ll let myself out.” When she stood up and turned towards the doorway, she immediately found her grey friend blocking her path.
Octavia confidently shook her head in disagreement. “Oh no, you’re not going anywhere. You’re going upstairs right this minute and getting into bed,” the cellist told her.
“Tavi, you’ve done enough, you don’t need to go out of your way to help me anymore.”
“Vinyl, your life is hard enough right now. You need a place to stay and I could use somepony to spend time with. Now go up to my bed and I’ll bring you breakfast in a bit,” the pony ordered. Vinyl realized she had absolutely no say in this, and she didn’t want to offend her host. With an exaggerated groan, the DJ pulled herself slowly up the white carpeted stairs. At the top of the stairs, three doors sat. One sat slightly ajar, showing the corner of a messy bed. Vinyl was shocked by the sight of an unkempt bed, as she had expected every aspect of Octavia’s home to be spotlessly neat.
With a tasking jump, Vinyl’s body sent bed sheets flying all over. Pulling herself up to the pillows on the bed, she noticed a small open book on the nightstand. It’s probably Octavia’s diary. I should just leave it alone. It would be wrong to read it. Vinyl thought to herself as she grabbed the book and leafed to the latest entry. In immaculate hoofwriting, it read ‘Dear Diary, today I finally made a friend. She’s a bit strange, and she has a different taste in music, but I think we’ll be great together. We had a bit of a falling out after she had an accident, but I hope to mend things later. Oh Celestia, the accident. I can still see Vinyl’s broken body lying unconscious in my hooves. I swear I could feel her dying while I sat there helplessly. I told myself I wasn’t sleeping in the hospital because I didn’t want to miss her waking up, but I know I couldn’t have slept even if I wanted to. Every time I blink, I see her lying there. It’s so terrible to watch a friend in pain, even a new one like Vinyl.
‘She really is a great pony. We haven’t talked much, but I can tell she’s not one to betray her friends. It feels so great to finally meet somepony. I just hope everything is alright with her, she seems to be having a hard time with life right now. Tomorrow I’ll go find her address and tell her I’m sorry.
P.S. She has these magical ruby eyes that catch the light in a way that takes my breath away.’ Once she finished Vinyl blinked a few times to try and absorb what she had just learned. Apparently, she was Octavia’s only friend. Not only that, but it sounded like she had made the pony’s life particularly difficult. Also, it sounded as though the cellist might have a bit of a crush on the DJ. Vinyl sat staring at the journal for a bit before she heard hootsteps coming up the stairs. The unicorn panicked and quickly stuffed the diary under her flank as Octavia entered the bedroom.
“I brought you some eggs, toast, and yogurt. I hope you like it,” the earth pony said as she slid the tray onto Vinyl’s lap. The food smelled delicious and, despite her terrible sadness from reading her friend’s diary, dove right in. In minutes the plate was cleared and Octavia just sat there smiling at her. Vinyl looked up at her and smiled uncomfortably, looking anywhere but her eyes. With a deep breath, Octavia said, “You know, Vinyl, I know you’re out of a home right now. It just so happens that I have a spare bedroom down the hall. . . If you’d like, you can stay here until you get back on your hooves. . . Or you know, as long as you want. . .” The mare whispered, her eyes boring deep into the carpeted floor.
“Octavia, I don’t want to bother you. I mean, I just met you and we’re pretty different. For one, I’ll admit I can be a little annoying with my music sometimes. I’m also kinda sorta unemployed, so I wouldn’t be able to pay rent a lot. . .” She looked up to Octavia who was just waving a hoof back and forth.
“I don’t expect you to. Let me rephrase what I said. What I meant was that I’ll be banished to the moon before I let my friend live on the street, feeding herself on a single pizza for a whole week. I won’t be taking no for an answer, so I recommend you make this as simple as possible.” The mare looked dead serious, so Vinyl swallowed hard and nodded silently. Smiling again, Octavia rose from the corner of her bed as the doorbell rang. Once she reached the door out of the bedroom, she paused.
Looking over her shoulder, Octavia looked intensely at Vinyl’s face. The earth pony’s face became a light pink color as she said, “I wasn’t lying; you do have beautiful eyes.” With that, the grey mare trotted down the stairs. Vinyl just stared in awe at the doorway where her friend had stood just seconds before. She knew. She knew I’d read her diary. Oh hoof, I feel terrible now. . . Quickly, Vinyl took the journal out from under her behind and placed it back on the nightstand. In the distance, she heard Octavia call her name.
After a struggle and some near-death stumbles down the stairs, Vinyl found Octavia and several boxes in the living room. Lifting an eyebrow in confusion, the DJ looked at her new roommate. Octavia grinned and told her, “When I went by your apartment, the Doctor told me about your situation. I figured if I found you, I’d convince you to come live with me. . . Sure, it was a tad presumptuous, but I didn’t think you’d have the heart to decline, so I went ahead and bought your things from him. Well, actually, when he heard my plan, he just gave them to me and thanked me a bunch for helping you out.”
Once again, Vinyl felt like she had been slapped in the face by reality. All her worldly possessions aside from her computer and music player had been in that apartment, and Octavia had gone out of her way to reunite her with her things. Vinyl just gave up trying to hold back tears any longer, Octavia’s kindness and generosity were just too much. She tackled the grey mare to the ground, her glasses falling from her face in the process. Vinyl hugged her roommate for a long moment before standing over her. Her crimson eyes glittered like rich jewels, her tears making them shine even greater than before. The sight of her friend in such a state caused Octavia to stare deep into those endless eyes.
They’re so amazing. . . I’ve never seen anypony with just beautiful eyes. . . The cellist thought before Vinyl asked, “Do you know what this calls for?” Confused, Octavia shook her head slowly. Vinyl hobbled over to the boxes and opened the largest one. Inside were random furnishings and the only thing she had ever kept in her fridge. One single tall bottle filled with a clear liquid. Lifting it with her magic, she shouted out, “SHOTS!” Octavia’s eyes grew wide as the DJ kicked one box and it fell apart. Inside sat an enormous speaker, to which Vinyl plugged her music player into.
In seconds, the entire condominium was filled with sporadic beats and earth-shaking bass. Octavia recognized the song as one of DJ PON-3’s, and she grabbed the bottle of vodka from the DJ. Vinyl frowned at her, but the frown quickly grew into a grin as Octavia took a big drink from the bottle. If she was going to be living with Equestria’s wildest DJ, she might as well start it off right. Together, they drank, talked, and danced well into the night. The whole thing wore them both out, but they loved every minute of each other’s company. Some time roughly two hours before Celestia’s golden sun rose on the horizon, they called it a night. They had no idea where the hoof they were when they fell asleep, but they lived together now, so they couldn’t care less.
The last thing Vinyl remembered was staring into the lavender abyss of Octavia’s eyes. She had no idea how long they had lain there, looking into each other’s eyes, but Vinyl didn’t remember in the morning anyway. Unfortunately as well as fortunately for Octavia, she remembered every moment she spent with Vinyl that night. Which wouldn’t have been so bad if the DJ had kept to herself. But of course, after sharing so many nice moments that day, the unicorn took it upon herself to drunkenly pull Octavia closer.
“You’re the bes’, Tavi. Jus’ great, I tells ya. So talented, so nice, and beautiful, too. . .” The compliment hadn’t even sunk in to Octavia’s mind before Vinyl pressed their lips together. On any other occasion, Octavia would have pulled herself away, but she was far too intoxicated and entranced by the unicorn’s mystic eyes. So instead, she pulled Vinyl even closer as their tongues began to share an intricate dance. The taste of vodka and electricity ran through Octavia’s whole body as they both fell asleep, their lips still pressed together. It was certainly going to be a rude awakening for one of them. . .
Sometime around noon, the sounds of the city finally broke the quiet of Octavia's delicately furnished condominium. The gruff shouts of angry ponies, the yapping of small dogs, and the occasional cooing of a bird. Normally, these sounds would have been routine for the cellist, but then again, Octavia didn't normally drink herself into unconsciousness. When the sounds broke through her deer slumber, her bloodshot eyes slowly slid open. Her head was throbbing with pain and she felt like she was going to be sick. She probably would have if her mouth was not covered for some reason. Struggling to focus her vision, Octavia could barely make out the form of a white muzzle pressed against her own. Instantly, her head cleared and her eyes bolted open as adrenaline was injected into her bloodstream.
In front of her lay Vinyl Scratch, her new roommate, her signature glasses tucked messily behind one fuzzy ear. The DJ was snoring through her nose, a clear sign that she was fast asleep. Her soft, warm lips were melded with Octavia's own, and the cellist was nearly positive their tongues were not confined to their own mouths. Oh my, what should I do? If I try to leave, she might wake up, but if I don't she'll know for sure! Why in Equestria would I kiss Vinyl? I mean, she's nice and all, and beautiful, but I don't like mares! Do I?. . . Octavia thought to herself. Taking a chance, Octavia tentatively pulled her mouth away from her friend's. The unicorn stirred slightly, but quickly settled herself. Now for the hard part.
Apparently, Octavia had chosen the night before to climb on top of the white mare. After much tossing and turning, they had ended up lying on their sides facing each other, but still thoroughly entangled. Very slowly, she slid her arms and legs out of Vinyl's grasp. It was kind of cute, how vulnerable the rough and tough DJ looked cradling her friend's grey limbs. For a moment, Octavia was reluctant to pull herself all the way off the couch. She quickly reminded herself that any intimate feelings she seemed to have for Vinyl must just be the remaining alcohol talking. With a graceless thud, the grey mare landed on her back on the rug. Ever so slowly, Octavia righted herself and staggered into the kitchen. After hitting her head on the doorframe, she struggled to focus her vision as she attempted to pour herself some coffee.
Normally, she would add creamer or milk, but she was much too tired and hung-over to walk anywhere else. Staring at her own reflection in deep brown liquid, Octavia pondered her strange feelings for Vinyl. Well, I hardly know her, but that's never stopped relationships before. I like her enough to invite her to stay in my house with me. . . I also know that she's very beautiful. But she's a mare. . . I don't even like mares! I mean, I don't think I do. I've always like stallions, but I haven't felt this way about anypony in a while. Okay, pros and cons time. Cons: she's rude, she's loud, she's unemployed, she and I are nothing alike, she read my journal, so I know she doesn't respect privacy, and she was probably just as drunk as I was when she kissed me. That's a lot of cons. Well let's look at-
Octavia's thoughts were cut short as a hoof brushed lightly across her shoulder and a tall glass of water slid gently in front of her. When she looked up, her eyes full of curiosity and confusion, she saw Vinyl's sweet, smiling face. Surprisingly, the unicorn's glasses were propped up on her head instead of over her eyes. "Drink. It'll help a lot more than coffee," Vinyl said knowingly. Octavia had to force herself not to make eye contact with her roommate as she drank the water. It went down easily and was amazingly refreshing. Her parched throat felt as though it were crying out with joy at the touch of the liquid. Setting down an empty glass, she looked across the table at her roommate.
Vinyl's mane was even more disheveled than normal, but she managed to make it work. Her smile was cocked to one side in a casual smirk and her ruby eyes sparkled with kindness. Looking over at the mare, Octavia silently started her list. Pros: she's kind of sweet some times, she's cute, she's not terrible at making music, she likes to listen to me play, she's got beautiful eyes. . . Oh Celestia, her eyes are amazing. . . Vinyl just leaned back in her chair as Octavia lost herself in the DJ's eyes. Setting her chair down, Vinyl cleared her throat. "So, that was some party last night, huh?" The white mare asked with a grin. Octavia blushed lightly at the mention of the night before. "I mean, I didn't even know I could have that much fun with just one other pony!"
Octavia studied her roommate's face for any hints of anything more. As easy as her eyes were to read, they betrayed no other thoughts. She really has no idea what she did. Oh thank the princesses! They ARE merciful! "Oh, yes. I must admit, that was quite fun, and your taste in music was not as. . . Horrid as I had thought. Although, I must admit, I don't think I'll be drinking like that with you for quite some time," Octavia told Vinyl, who smiled at her drinking prowess. Her teeth were somehow perfectly white, much like her coat. "How do you manage to drink so much and never feel. . . Well, this?" she asked, gesturing to herself.
A rough but melodic laugh carried throughout the condo as Vinyl tossed her head back. Struggling to her hooves, Vinyl rose and put her shades on. Putting a hoof on Octavia's shoulder, she replied, "Years of practice, Tavi. Years of practice." With that, she hobbled back into the living room, leaving Octavia alone with her thoughts. Okay, Octavia, get a hold of yourself. She's your friend and you kissed while drunk. She has no memory of it, so it was probably just a spur of the moment thing. Yes, that must be it! But those feelings. . . I may need to go out and find a colt to spend some time with. Octavia hated telling herself that her feelings would just go away if she stopped thinking about them, but she refused to accept that she cared intimately for her new roommate.
Octavia rose from her chair and walked to the doorway out of the kitchen. Vinyl appeared to be lounging comfortably on the couch, possibly even trying to sleep again. Octavia decided there was only one thing she could do to clear her mind, so she crept upstairs as gently as possible. Vinyl lay quietly on the couch, trying her best to recall the events of last night. Much of it seemed to be the usual drunken haze, but this time with much more grey. She sat there with her eyes closed trying to make heads or tails of the night, but parts didn't seem real. Okay, so I remember drinking and laughing, and Tavi was there. . . Gah! Half of this crap seems made up! There's no way Tavi and I kissed; she doesn't roll like that. And even if she does, if I ask if we kissed, and we didn't, she'll think I was dreaming about it!
Vinyl picked up a pillow and slammed it into her face. Once she was sure no sound would escape, she screamed at the top of her lungs. When she stopped and uncovered her face, she heard a familiar, gentle sound. Hopping of the couch, Vinyl trotted closer to the noise. It seemed to be coming from upstairs in Octavia's room. Slowly the sound grew louder and louder, not just because Vinyl was walking up the stairs either. At the top of the stairs, Vinyl looked through the open crack of Octavia's door to see her standing there playing her cello.
The sing of the instrument entranced Vinyl, and she slowly edged the door open. Octavia played the string instrument with her eyes closed, so she didn't see when Vinyl gently sat herself down on Octavia's bed. The sound made Vinyl want to sleep in a way, but it also made her want to sit there all day and just listen to the melody. Neither of the mares had any idea how long they had been there in their own little worlds until Octavia pulled her bow from the strings for the final note and opened her eyes. She found Vinyl Scratch staring at her, her glasses sitting next to her on the maroon bed sheet.
Startled, Octavia asked, "Vinyl, when did you get here?"
Vinyl seemed to ponder the question for a few second before answering with, "No idea, Tavi. I just came in and you were playing, so I sat down and started listening. Hope I didn't bother you." Her answer seemed so genuine and innocent that Octavia just accepted it and waved a hoof.
"Oh no, you were no bother at all. In fact, I didn't know that you were there. But since you were here for most of it, what did you think?" The grey mare asked, setting the cello carefully back in its case.
"I loved it. It was awesome," the unicorn replied, sitting up on the bed.
Octavia smiled and reminded herself not to look at Vinyl's ruby eyes. "I'm glad you liked it. I wrote that piece myself, actually," Octavia told her roommate. Vinyl's mouth dropped open when she heard that.
"You wrote that all by yourself?" The DJ sounded truly amazed for once.
"Well, yes, I did. It's just a simple piece I wrote, really," the modest cellist mumbled, a small blush creeping into her cheeks.
"That was amazing, Tavi. Really," Vinyl insisted, setting a hoof on Octavia's shoulder and looking her squarely in the eye. The DJ's dazzling eyes and touch sent Octavia's stomach fluttering, and she gulped deeply.
"I, umm- I need to go to the store, actually. We're running low on food, so I'm going to go grab some," she said, stepping toward the door.
"Oh, well okay. I'll wait here, I guess," Vinyl replied as Octavia started down the stairs. Octavia wasn't but three steps from the door before Vinyl called down to her, "Hay, Tavi, about last night. . ." Octavia's stomach lurched and her heart raced at the mention. She had never been particularly great at lying, and she knew she'd break if she looked Vinyl in the eyes.
Tensely, Octavia called back, "What about it?" Vinyl appeared at the bottom of the stairs, and Octavia pretended to see something out the window.
"Well, I had this weird feeling. . . I think it may have just been one of those weird drunk dreams, but. . . Did we kiss?" Vinyl prepared herself for any kind of verbal abuse. Octavia, on the other hoof, practically had her heart burst out her chest, it was hammering in her ribcage like never before.
"I- Well- Let's talk when I get back from the store, alright?" Octavia nervously stammered.
Vinyl didn't even have time to look up and reply before she heard the door close and her roommate was gone down the street. That's either good, or really, really bad. Vinyl thought to herself. Nervously, she sat down and waited on the couch for the cellist to return. She barely took notice when sunset came and Octavia still hadn't returned. When night was almost upon them, Vinyl heard the door unlocking. Looking up, she found Octavia in the arms of some stallion Vinyl had never seen before. She went from surprised to filled with despair when she saw Octavia kiss the colt.
"Oh, hay," the blue colt said to Vinyl when he took notice of her. Still shocked, Vinyl waved slowly. It seemed Octavia had had more than her fair share of drinks as she attempted to pull the large stallion toward the stairs. The cellist didn't even notice the unicorn still sitting on the couch when she and the colt disappeared upstairs.
Inside, Vinyl felt like vomiting. She had no idea that Octavia could or would do something like that, and it made it even more crushing that it had come the way it did. Grabbing a few thick blankets and a pillow, Vinyl decided that sleeping on the front steps would be better than subjecting herself to the torture of listening to the two ponies upstairs. Opening the door and making herself comfortable as possible on the concrete outside the door, Vinyl pressed her face into the pillow has hard as possible and begged for the relief of sleep to take her. Eventually, the exhaustion of being up the previous night beat out the cold of sleeping on the street and Vinyl fell into a deep slumber.
Vinyl was quite used to waking up in cold places, having accidently passed out on the sidewalk on many a night, but this time, she didn't have the familiar warmth of inebriation upon waking up. Instead, she found that she felt much colder than she normally did. This time she actually remembered why. I guess I should go inside and shoo out the unwanted company. . . Sliding out from under the mass of blankets, the DJ began to stretch as the door flew open and a blue colt came rushing out, tripping on her 'bed' and knocking them both onto the curb.
"Watch were you're goin', pal!" Vinyl shouted, rubbing her head where it had collided with the cement. When she saw who it was, her grimace of pain turned into a snarl of contempt. "Oh. It's you," she growled.
"Yes, it's me. Who the hay are you?" The colt asked gruffly, and it took every ounce of willpower Vinyl had not to clean his clock.
"Name's Vinyl Scratch, and that's my buckin' house you were in. You know, where you slept with my roommate?" Vinyl spit, jabbing the colt in the chest pointedly. At first, the colt's face fell, but then he grinned devilishly.
"Well, Scratchie, I should have known you and that mare were more than just friends. Damn filly wouldn't shut up about you at the bar; I swear you'd think she's in love or some shit," the colt said, his tone full of condescension.
"Watch what you say, bud. You're walking a very fine line here, and it leads right to the hospital," Vinyl threatened. For effect, she took her shades off that she hadn't even noticed having on before. The colt's grin twitched for a moment as he comprehended the fury in Vinyl's crimson eyes. Upon regaining his composure, the colt leaned in closer and narrowed his eyes.
"Your roommate makes love like a fillyfooler. Wonder w-" That was as far as the colt got before his cheek collided with the pavement. A few hooves away, a couple of teeth landed on the sidewalk.
"I dare you to try that one again," Vinyl growled, standing over the colt formidably. She had to admit, when he stood up, he earned a bit of respect.
"Buckin' fillyfoolers takin' over this city," the colt managed to get out before a hoof collided with the underside of his jaw. He could feel his teeth racking against each other as well as blood flowing from the new tears that surely formed. Instead of flying back as he expected, only his head jerked back. When the world stopped spinning, he looked forward to see himself levitated by unicorn magic. He didn't even have time to look scared before Vinyl punched him squarely in his private parts, which nearly caused him to vomit right there. Fortunately for him, the pain didn't last long, as he was tossed like a ragdoll into the outside wall of Octavia's condominium.
The impact sure would hurt later, but he didn't worry much about that, seeing as the hard impact of skull-on-brick managed to knock him out cold. Walking back toward the door, Vinyl spit on his bleeding face before sliding her glasses over her eyes. I'm gonna need them for this one. . . Vinyl thought to herself. Trotting inside and up the stairs, the white unicorn found herself face-to-face with Octavia's door. Taking a deep breath, she stepped inside.
On the other side of the door, the bed sheets were crumpled terribly on one side, and bundled around a grey form on the other side. Wish my bed looked like this. . . Vinyl thought to herself. Err, not like that, of course. Like, without Octavia. That's what I meant. . . Right? Shaking the self-doubt off, she stepped forward. Not wanting to come in contact with whatever foulness befell the bed sheets last night, Vinyl walked around the mattress until she was standing right in front of Octavia. The mare looked so peaceful in her sleep that Vinyl hated that she had to wake the pony up.
Brushing a few strands of hair out of Octavia's face, Vinyl whispered, "Octavia, sweetie, I know you're probably worn out after last night, but you really should get up. I'll make you breakfast if you want." Slowly, Octavia's eyelids slid open gently. She smiled slightly as she blinked.
"I think I love you, Vinyl. . ." Octavia whispered back, and Vinyl's heart momentarily stopped. "I mean, you know just how to treat a lady. Breakfast sounds awesome," the grey earth pony said, yawning. Upon hearing the word 'awesome' uttered from Octavia's mouth, Vinyl's heart resumed it's normal beating. She's still drunk. She loves you because you have food for her. . . Vinyl thought as she frowned and walked back downstairs. Once in the kitchen, Vinyl started on breakfast for her roommate. Unfortunately, it seemed there was only cereal to be had, but it would have to do. Making her hoofsteps as gentle as possible, the unicorn crept up to Octavia's room again.
Inside, the mare had fallen asleep again, and Vinyl decided to exact her revenge for Octavia nearly sending her to the hospital again. Without a second thought, Vinyl smacked her hoof right in the middle of Octavia's forehead. The impact sent the mare bolting upright. Within a second of recognizing her surroundings, Octavia pressed a hoof into her head and squeezed her eyes closed tightly.
"What on earth was that for, Vinyl? Have you no common sense?" Octavia said, wincing at the volume of her own voice. Vinyl levitated the bowl of cereal onto Octavia's lap and a glass of water in front of her nose.
"Drink," Vinyl ordered, and Octavia immediately obeyed. She knew from experience that you do not question Vinyl Scratch on how to recover from a hangover. Once the water was all gone, which took about three seconds, Octavia turned to the cereal and began eating slowly. Vinyl just sat and watched, leaning against the window with her forehooves crossed. Eventually, Octavia picked her head up and looked at Vinyl. The first thing Vinyl noticed was that her roommate's ears were pressed flat against her head, showing she was very saddened. The second thing Vinyl noticed was the look of apology in Octavia's lavender eyes.
"Vinyl, I'm very sorry for what happened here last night. . . As much as I'd rather not think about how foalish I'd been, I must apologize for the fact that you had to see me in such a state and with such a stallion. He was as rude as he was stupid, and he was no genius. And thank you for helping me recover from this, I know you didn't have to. I just hope we didn't keep you up," Octavia mumbled, her gaze peering deeply into the cereal bowl. A bright blush was adorning her face, and it actually made Vinyl sweat a little that she looked so cute.
"It's no problem, Tavi. We've all had our fair share of 'em. Me, I'm done with that game. Just lookin' for the right one, y'know? And no, you didn't keep me up at all. I just hope you didn't plan on meeting up with him anymore," Vinyl commented, scratching the back of her head uncomfortably.
For a moment, Octavia looked confused. "Why's that?" She asked, somewhat afraid of the answer.
"I'll just put it bluntly. He was talking shit about you outside when I met him and I decided to teach him a lesson everypony should know," Vinyl grumbled, remembering the cold words the colt had uttered.
"What lesson would that be, roomie?"
Vinyl cocked an eyebrow at the word 'roomie', but didn't say anything. "You don't buck with my friends. Ever. Only I can do that." Behind her glasses, her eye blazed with passion.
Looking slightly scared, Octavia inquired, "What did you do?"
"Exactly? Well, let's see. . . He's missing two teeth, I imagine his jaw is fractured, he may never have foals, and, last I checked, he was passed out and bleeding up against the bricks outside. By the way, I'll clean them later," Vinyl answered, her voice particularly cold and calculating, as though she had taken no joy in injuring the colt. In all honesty, she didn't enjoy it one bit. It had been Octavia's choice to sleep with him, he had probably been drunk out on the street, and he probably needed surgery to repair the damage Vinyl had done. In reality, he was just at the wrong place at the wrong time whenever it was that Octavia had decided to pour her heart out to somepony at the bar, and now he might never grace the world with his little idiotic foals.
Octavia, however, burst out in laughter not two seconds after Vinyl had finished speaking. "Serves him right! But what did he say that made you so volatile?" Octavia pried, asking just the question Vinyl had hoped to avoid.
Clearing her throat, Vinyl answered, "He, uh. . . He called us fillyfoolers and said you buck like one." The words hadn't hardly left her mouth before Vinyl regretted it. Her face lit up like Hearth's Warming Eve lights, as did Octavia's. They both stared uncomfortably at something around the room.
"Oh, I see. Well, thanks. . ." Octavia mumbled. Vinyl waved the thanks aside without even looking back at her friend. Without another word, Vinyl started for the door.
"Finish your cereal and take a nap, or come downstairs, or whatever. I don't care, I'm not your keeper," Vinyl said coldly, perhaps more coldly than any response Octavia had ever gotten from her. It actually shocked Octavia a bit to hear the unicorn use that tone with her. Octavia stared at Vinyl as she left the room and practically slammed the door behind her.
What the buck is wrong with you, Vinyl! That's not how you should be thinking about Octavia! She's your best friend now, and you better not buck that up! Vinyl said to herself as she facehoofed. Back in the living room, the DJ sat down on the couch and stared out the front window. Out in the street, there were at least two couples walking around, one of which appeared to be two mares, one a pegasus with a wing draped over the other. The sight made Vinyl smile on the outside, but it tore her up on the inside.
You can't be this close to Tavi without it being the death of you. Vinyl thought to herself. You gotta get outta this place if you're ever going to stop having these feelings for her. . . She hardly took notice as Octavia emerged from her bedroom and rushed down the stairs carrying her cello case. As Octavia grabbed the doorknob, she turned back.
"Don't wait up for me, I have practice and a late concert that I nearly forgot about. There's food in the-"
"No there isn't. I checked," Vinyl interrupted coldly. Octavia's rambling was cut short by the interruption and she was tempted to set her cello down and sit next down next to Vinyl Scratch.
"Vinyl, is everything alright? You seem kind of. . . Ang-"
"If you say angry, I'm gonna blow. I'm fine, just got to work," the DJ growled. Her tone was practically hostile toward the cellist, so Octavia slid out the door and closed it behind her. Not two seconds after her roommate was out of view, Vinyl furiously slammed her hoof down on the table without looking. Unfortunately for her, her leftover cup of coffee from the night before sat right where her hoof landed. The cup shattered into dozens of tiny pieces, and several lodged themselves in Vinyl's skin. A slow trickle of blood leaked down the mare's forehoof, and she swore. She was about to begin picking the bits out of her hoof when a slam at the door caught her attention.
Hopping off the couch and limping over to the door, she tossed it open angrily only to find one of her only friends in the whole world on the sidewalk. "Hiya, Scratch!" The mare said, smiling adorably.
As usual, Vinyl couldn't tell if the pegasus was looking around or looking at her, but she just laughed. "Hay, Derpy. What brings you to the neighborhood?" Vinyl asked the mailmare, who got a look of intense concentration on her face.
"Oh, what was it I needed to tell you. . . Something about your cousin, I think. . . Hmm. . ." Derpy answered, poking herself in the chin in deep thought.
Vinyl took her shades off and raised her eyebrow. "A message from Pinkie? Well let's hear it!" Vinyl was quite surprised at the sudden mention of her somewhat-distant cousin. The pink pony had always been a bit of an oddity, but Vinyl had always liked her 'take everything in stride' attitude.
"Oh, alright! Well, my honey, the Doctor, you know the Doctor, right?" Derpy inquired, her memory clearly slipping for a moment.
Chuckling, Vinyl replied, "Yes, Derpy, I know the Doctor quite well, actually."
"Oh! Good! Well, he was on a trip to visit a mare who's been stirring up some magicky trouble out in Ponyville, Twilight something was her name. . ."
"Twilight Sparkle?" The DJ suggested and Derpy's face lit up. Vinyl had heard much about the famous Twilight Sparkle in older messages from Pinkie. While the two of them weren't particularly close, Pinkie was kind enough to keep her informed on major things like meeting Twilight Sparkle and becoming the bearer of the Element of Laughter.
"Yeah! That one! Well, Honey was visiting Ponyville and Pinkie Pie stopped in for a second with a message! She said. . . What was it she said. . . Oh, right! She said that she knew you were hitting it big with the whole music-y thingy, but if you ever wanted to take a break from the big city, she heard of a nice, small house in Ponyville up for somepony to live in," Derpy finished, feeling accomplished for reciting such a lengthy and important message from memory. Vinyl, on the other hoof, was dumbstruck.
Pinkie wants me to move out there? In that tiny little town? How would I ever find work! Plus, nopony I know lives there! No Bookie, no Derpy, no Doc, no Tavi. . . No Tavi. NO TAVI! This is the break I need! I can finally get out of here and clear my head of all these weird feelings! By the end of her thoughts, Vinyl was nearly jumping for joy.
"Derpy, I need you to run an express message. As soon as possible, I need you to fly to Ponyville and tell Pinkie something. Ready?" Vinyl asked, preparing her message mentally. When Derpy nodded vigorously and bit her tongue in concentration, Vinyl started. "Tell Pinkie Pie that things aren't too great with the DJ thing, but I would really like to move out there. Tell her I'm packed and on my way already, and if there's nothing I can do, I can always come back to Manehattan. Got all that?" When Derpy nodded vigorously again, Vinyl smiled brightly.
Derpy launched herself into the air and nearly slammed into the side of Octavia's condominium as she started her flight for Ponyville. Vinyl just chuckled and closed the door. Inside, she gathered her things. A jacket she was technically stealing from Octavia, her computer, her headphones, her music player, and hairbrush that had been used maybe once. It took her all of five minutes to do, and she quickly grabbed a piece of paper and a pen with her magic. Forming her thoughts gently, she decided to let it all out.
Dear Tavi,
I know you really saved me out there in these past few days. You're a fantastic friend, and that's why I can't do this anymore. You see, I've always kind of liked mares, but I never liked one enough for it to bother me. Until I met you. What I'm saying is. . . I like you, Tavi. A lot. And it tears me up to know that you don't feel the same way. When you came home with that colt, my dreams were shattered. I never make friends because I always end up getting hurt, and this is just another one of those cases. I thought that maybe we had something, but I was sorely mistaken. I'm not mad at you, more mad at myself. I fell for you, and it was foalish of me. Now of the hard part. I know I will never see your smiling face again, or hear your hypnotic music again, or feel the soothing look of your lavender eyes again, but I have to do this. I'm moving far away from Manehattan for good. I found a place in a small town out by the country, and if that doesn't work out, I'll keep looking. I just can't risk having these thoughts that there might still be a chance for me, a chance for us. I'm going to miss you, and it's going to sting, but I'm glad I didn't have to do this face to face. You would have just tried to talk me out of it, and I wouldn't have been able to say no. Please just know you're the best friend I've ever had and the most beautiful pony I've ever met.
-Love, Vinyl
By the end of her letter, the paper was dotted with tears of both joy and sorrow. It felt great knowing that Octavia would finally know how Vinyl felt, but it was something of a last hurrah. After this note, there would be nothing. Vinyl's heart was breaking at the thought of leaving Octavia forever, but she knew it had to be done, for her own good. Setting the pen down, she went back into the living room and set the note down on the table where shatter pieces of coffee cup still remained. Sliding her backpack on, Vinyl Scratch opened the front door to Octavia's condo. Then, taking one last look around the room with a faint smile, she closed it for the last time.
The door flew wide open, letting a shaft of moonlight sneak into the small living room and light up the space. Normally, a professional would take great care of their instrument, but in this case, Octavia had had enough that day. Sleeping with some strange pony, being confused with Vinyl, a long practice, and playing her flank off at a big concert. It was tiring stuff, and she barely made it to the couch before flopping down onto it. The gust of air from the impact was just enough to carry a small piece of paper off the table and onto Octavia's nose. She barely felt anything but the throbbing in her head and her legs, but she opened her eyes to peer at the note.
"What's this?" She mumbled to herself as she slowly grabbed the note. Sitting upright, she knew the note was from her roommate. In the darkness, she found it easier to repeat parts of the letter out loud. "Dear Tavi. . . Fantastic friend. . . I like you, Tavi. . . Dreams were shattered. . . Sorely mistaken. . . The hard part. . . far away from Manehattan. . . A chance for us. . . Best friend I've ever had and the most beautiful pony I've ever met. Love, Vinyl. . ." By the time she finished reading the note, Octavia felt sick. The message and feeling behind the note hit her like a wall, and the dried tear stains made it all that much harder on her.
She leaned her head back until she was staring straight at the ceiling above. She's gone? Just like that? I can't believe it. . . And she liked me. . . And I knew it, and I went and bucked up. I had to go sleep with some random colt. Why did I even do that! Just to remind myself of a false reality! Octavia was so frustrated with herself that she slammed her head against the wall. Just admit it, Octavia. . . You like Vinyl. Or liked. . . She's gone because of you, and she might even lose her career because of it. . . What have I done? Where could she be? The tears were rolling down Octavia's cheeks at this point. She was hurt by her own stupidity, and that made this realization that much more bitter.
If anypony knows where she would go, it would be the Doctor. . . Octavia decided. Wrapping her scarf tightly around her neck and muzzle, she began her walk to Vinyl's old apartment.
"Where is she?" The determination and threatening nature of her tone would have terrified many a pony, but not the Doctor, no so easily. No, he only felt like wetting himself. Backing himself into the corner of the hallway, he looked around nervously.
"Look, Octavia, I know you miss her, but she made us swear that we'd never tell anypony, especially you," the colt admitted. Using her anger as fuel for her strength, Octavia pushed a hoof into the Doctor's chin and lifted him up, his back pressed against the wall tightly.
"Where. Is. She," Octavia growled, and the Doctor attempted to gulp in fear.
"She'd kill me if she knew I told you!" The brown colt said, attempting to rationalize his stance.
"I'LL kill you if you don't tell me!" Octavia shouted. Sighing, the Doctor resigned himself.
"Fine. Let me down and I'll tell you," he groaned, and the mare set him down. Rubbing his neck, he told her, "She moved to Ponyville. With her cousin."
Immediately, Octavia's mind went to the few times she had been to Ponyville. Fastest way would be by train from here. Best start there. She thought to herself. Looking up, she said to the Doctor, "Thank you for your cooperation, Doctor Whooves."
Bitterly, he grumbled, "Not like I had much of a choice. . ." Without dignifying his response with a reply, Octavia took off toward the door. Once on the sidewalk, she began at a gallop toward the train station. Last she remembered, it was hardly fifteen minutes away, but she felt like she had been running forever before she could finally see it in the distance. She had a stitch in her side for the past mile, and it made her want to stop and give up, but that wasn't an option.
Every minute counted, and even then she had no idea if she could make a train to Ponyville tonight. Still, she cursed herself repeatedly on the way there for not being more physically active. Eventually, her gallop slowed to a canter as she came to the station. It was a wonderfully made place that was situated on the edge of town, leading trains into its first story while the second story served out tickets. Octavia came to the second story, the one level with the street, and began searching for signs talking of Ponyville.
She saw ones for Las Pegasus, Stalliongrad, Baltimare, even Canterlot, all closed for the night, but none for Ponyville. Her head hung in despair as she heard a loud whistle and a loud voice all out, "All aboard for the last train to Ponyville!" Her heart sped up as her mind comprehended that the call had been sounded downstairs. Using whatever adrenaline she had left, she bolted to the stairs, skipping every other step. Normally she would have worried about breaking her neck, but not now. She had a train to catch.
When her hooves hit the first floor, she realized there was only one train in the far left corner on the station, and it was slowly starting to roll. Well, that certainly helps narrow it down. Kicking into a gallop again, Octavia raced for the back of the train as it tried to get away. She would never make it to a door, she realized. Her only option was to try and jump onto the small, flat space connected to the end of the last cab. Pushing her legs harder than she had when carrying Vinyl back to her home, she surged onward to the platform just as the train was gathering real speed. It was now or never. She bunched her legs up and leapt through the air.
She hit the platform and tumbled and slid, barely catching herself as loose strands of her mane dangled off the edge of the platform. Had she slid just another hoof further, she would have missed the train entirely and probably seriously injured herself. A little frightened by being in the unenclosed space on a fast-moving train, she opened the door on the cab and crawled inside. Once inside, her pulse finally started to slow. She thought back to what it took to catch the train, and she laughed at her own wonderful, dumb luck. Without another thought, she continued to laugh until she finally got the long-deserved rest she so desperately desired.
*****
In a small, unfurnished home in Ponyville, a lone mare sat on the floor, staring at her computer screen. It told her it was about fifteen minutes past two in the morning, but she didn't care. The bottle of Applejack Daniel's beside her said it was whatever time she wanted it to be, and in her head it was drinking time. She took another gulp of the liquor with a satisfied sigh and tried to focus her eyes on the screen. Reluctantly, she took off her shades to see better, and it helped a lot. She could finally see the media player open and the song names as she selected one and the intro started.
A slight smile came to her lips as she thought of the last time she had heard the song. Octavia's house, only a short while ago, when the pair of them had shared not only drinks and a couch, but a kiss, she was sure of it. The memory of her only friend and that she was gone forever plucked at her heartstrings, and she took a big drink of the liquor beside her. "I need some air," she grumbled to herself before sliding away from the computer, but levitating the Applejack Daniel's after herself. The front door to her home opened up to a beautiful, white moon, and Vinyl finally realized what she had missed most in the city.
It wasn't the friendliness of the country foalk, or the fresh air, or even cute mares, it was the moon. Behind skyscrapers, the moon could hardly be seen in its low arc, and it truly was a sight to behold. Or so Vinyl thought to herself before taking a long drink of her alcohol because, while she now had the moon, she had lost her best friend and true love. Her eyes twitched as a streak flew through the sky, and she recognized the pegasus.
"Oh my gods. . . YO RAINBOW DASH!" She called, probably waking her neighbors, but she didn't care. The dot in the air stopped mid-flight to look at her as she waved, and it grew quickly as Dash approached her.
"Yeah, who wants to kn- Vinyl is that you?!" Dash said, blown away. She zoomed through the air and embraced her old friend who smelled like hell. Letting go, Dash made a face. "What's with the smell, Scratch? Been drinkin' again?" Vinyl grinned as she held up the bottle for Rainbow Dash to see.
"'Course I been drinkin' again, what're you, stupid? Now get in here and help me finish this baby off! I got two more to split, as well," Vinyl told Dash with a smile. Dash pulled her hoof back from Vinyl's and scratched the back of her neck uncomfortably.
"I dunno, Scratchie. You get frisky when you're drunk, and I'm kinda with somepony now and-" Vinyl's eyebrows rose immediately and she laughed.
"No foolin'? You finally found somepony to take your sorry ass in? That's fantastic! I'll drink to that," Vinyl Scratch said with a laugh before taking another gulp of her Applejack Daniel's.
Dash just chuckled and punched her friend's shoulder. "You big idiot, you'll drink to anything!"
"Amen, I'll drink to that!" Vinyl replied, and Dash couldn't help but laugh as she took another drink. "So who's the lucky colt, Dash? Finally land the stallion of your dreams?" Vinyl asked with a wiggle of her eyebrows.
Dash turned slightly pink at the mention. "No, I gave up on Soarin' a long time ago. Actually, it's, umm, it's Applejack," Dash mumbled under her breath. Vinyl cocked an eyebrow for a moment.
"Applejack?" Dash nodded. "As in," Vinyl levitated the bottle of liquor into view and pointed to the mare on the front, "this Applejack?" Dash nodded. Vinyl nodded thoughtfully before grabbing her friend's hoof and tossing her inside.
Dash hit the floor with a thud just before Scratch closed the door. "What the hay was that for, Vinyl?" Suddenly, her old friend was at her hooves, practically in tears with her head bowed.
"You gotta help me, Dash! I'm going nuts here! Everywhere I look, there's something that reminds me of her, and I don't know what to-"
"Slow down, Vinyl!" Dash cried, lifting the unicorn up. "Start from the beginning," she ordered, and Vinyl nodded, sniffling.
"Okay, so there was this concert. . ."
*****
"Miss, what are you doing back here?" Octavia's eye bolted open at the stallion's voice, and she realized she had fallen asleep.
"Oh, I, umm, well you see-" Octavia started, but the old stallion raised a hoof.
"Calm down, miss, I'm not going to get mad at you, I just think the chef's cabin is a tab odd for a place to take a nap," he joked, and Octavia relaxed and smiled.
"Thank Celestia. Well, you see, I need to get to Ponyville very badly, and this is the last train there. I almost didn't make it, and I had to jump on at the last second, and I haven't slept in a while, so I guess I just fell asleep here," she said nervously. She shrank down as she awaited her punishment for sneaking onto the train without a ticket. The stallion scratched his grey beard for a moment.
"What's so important about Ponyville?" He inquired, and Octavia swallowed uncomfortably.
"Well, you see, my friend, she moved away without telling me, and I want to see her again to tell her. . ." Her voice faded as she realized she didn't know what to say. "I- I don't know what I'm going to tell her," Octavia mumbled.
The old stallion smiled kindly. "Why not tell her the truth?" He asked knowingly, and Octavia furrowed her brow at him.
"Whatever do you mean?" The old stallion chuckled.
"Miss, you just ran your flank off to get onto this train, the last train to Ponyville, instead of waiting until tomorrow when there were sure to be less chances of hurt yourself. But you did it anyway, just to go see her. Sure seems pretty clear to me what you want to tell her," he explained, and Octavia's eye grew wide with realization as the stallion spoke the truth. There really was only thing she could say to Vinyl to explain her showing up out of the blue. . .
"Thank you, sir, I needed that," Octavia said with a smile. The old stallion smiled back and stepped aside.
"Now then, wouldn't you much rather wait in the passenger cabin than in the kitchen? I'm not sure the chef will be as kind, he's a bit of a jerk." Octavia smiled and rose, walking with the old stallion until they got to a set of open seats in the passenger cabin. "Now, then, you catch up on your sleep, I'll wake you up when we reach Ponyville. Sound good?" Octavia smiled and nodded, so the stallion walked away with a bit of a spring in his step.
Octavia just looked out the window at the countryside rushing by while thinking of how to greet Vinyl at her new home. She smiled. "I know just the way," she muttered under her breath, and leaned her head back to fall back asleep.
*****
"So you're telling me you met a mare, some stuck-up bitch, outside one of your concerts, and you went to her house to apologize, and you ended up falling in love with her, but she wasn't interested, and after you moved in, she broke your heart, so you moved to Ponyville to get away from the pain? That about it?" Dash said, sounding somewhat skeptical. Vinyl thought for a moment, eye pointed to the ceiling before nodding.
"That's all of it. I figured since you and Applejack, and all, you might be able to help me out here. . ." Vinyl mumbled, and Dash threw a hoof around her friend.
"Scratchie, the only thing I have to say is. . . You're a moron." Vinyl raised her eyebrows and Dash nodded. "That's right, you're a moron. You let her go, Vinyl. You loved her, and I'm positive you could have made her love you back, but you went and did what you always do: you chickened out. You've been doing that for years, and you did it again. Just think where you would be if you hadn't chickened out. You'd be ultra famous, the most popular DJ in the world, living happily wherever you wanted, with plenty of friends. Hell, you might have even been married to Spitfire, Celestia knows you guys had a thing going for a while! But you couldn't grow some balls and take a risk, so here you are again," Dash ranted, and Vinyl nearly felt like crying. She put her head in her hooves and shook it.
"You're right, you're right, you're right. . . I'm a loser, and a failure, and a chicken, and I don't deserve to be happy." Vinyl looked up as Dash spoke her name, and her head snapped to the side quickly as a hoof met it quickly.
"Forget that! You DO deserve to be happy, you just don't get it! You need to take a chance, and then maybe MAYBE, you'll get it," Dash told her friend, and Vinyl frowned. Rainbow Dash wrapped a wing around the unicorn and pulled her close. "Listen, sweetie, it's all about the risk. When AJ and I got together, I took the risk of telling her I liked mares. I was scared, but she told me soon after that she knew what I meant, and that she felt the same way. And now it's two months later, and I've never been happier. It's all because I took the chance on her, and it paid off."
Vinyl nodded understandingly for a moment before taking a short sip of Applejack Daniel's that would have been a long gulp if Dash hadn't snatched it away. "Stop that! I want you to get your shit together and march back to Octavia's house and tell her how you feel! You got that?!" Dash shouted, and Vinyl stood up, fire in her eyes.
"Yeah!" She shouted back.
"I can't hear you!" Dash shouted.
"YEAH!" Vinyl cried back, and Dash cheered with her for a second before a soft knocking at the door caught both their attentions.
Dash flew to the door hesitantly, mumbling, "Please don't let it be AJ, please don't let it be AJ. . . " When she opened the front door of the home, she was greeted with the sight of a grey earth pony wearing a pink bowtie with crystalline lavender eyes. The mare cleared her throat.
"Umm, excuse me, but isn't this Vinyl Scratch's residence?" The mare asked, and Rainbow Dash realized the fancy-speaking pony in front of her was Vinyl's ex-roommate.
"Oh, umm, yeah it is," Dash stammered.
Octavia cocked an eyebrow before her eyes grew wide and she blushed furiously. "Oh, I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to interrupt anything, I was just- I'll come back another time, if that's okay with you. . ." Wheels spun in Dash's head for a moment for she connected the dots. She dropped right out of the air and turned bright red.
"Oh, shit, no, we're not- I was just- Scratch is just- I'm taken!" Rainbow Dash sputtered. "I'm just gonna go now. . . VINYL!" Dash cried just before taking off. Vinyl came to the door, admiring the floorboards.
"Yeah, what is it?" She asked nonchalantly before looking up and her red eyes grew wide. "Tavi! How did- When did- You're- Ponyville- WHAAAAAT." Vinyl said very unintelligently as Octavia blushed.
No sooner did Vinyl shake her surprise away before a hoof went sliding across her face fast enough to make her neck crack. Rubbing her cheek, she looked back to Octavia, who looked slightly perturbed. "Vinyl Scratch, in all my years, I have never met anypony as frustrating as you! You keep me up at night, you become my friend, I let you into my home, you kiss me, and then you run off to another town, telling me you love me in a NOTE, for Celestia's sake! Why, at times, I wondered why I was even coming here, but I had to do this! I can't simply let you get away with this after turning my life upside down!" By this point, Octavia seemed practically furious.
Vinyl's ears leaned back against her head as she pouted. "I'm sorry, Tavi, I just didn't have the guts to do it myself, and I can't tell you how-" The words were muffled as Octavia pressed her lips tightly against the white unicorn's, and Vinyl's thoughts melted away. A long moment later, Octavia pulled back and looked at Vinyl.
"And how dare you try and run away without letting me do that first!" She cried, and Vinyl looked at her confusedly.
"But why did you- Why are you here, Tavi?" Octavia smiled sweetly and gave Vinyl another quick peck before the DJ could even react.
"Because I love you, you big idiot. I couldn't let you leave without saying that. And I'm sorry I was so weird before, I just- I've always been so sure I like colts even though I was hardly ever with any, so I thought that if I loved you, something was wrong with me, but I was just being stupid, and so I took a train here to tell you how I felt, but I didn't really know while I was on the train, and so this stallion, he-" Her ramblings were silenced by a passionate kiss from Vinyl. They stood there for a moment, one pony in the house, one out, lips locked together.
Vinyl pulled away and looked back at her friend. "You talk too much. . ." She whispered before kissing the grey mare again. All their problems, all their animosity, all their anger, melted away with that single kiss, and they both knew that, no matter where they lived, they were always home as long as they were with each other.
*****
"So, Tavi, what do you say we break in this new bed?" Vinyl joked, and Octavia slapped a hoof on her new marefriend's chest with a giggle. She trotted inside and looked around before walking over to the bed. The earth pony looked back at Vinyl as lustily as possible.
"Are you coming? I can't do this by myself," she said in a sultry voice. The cogs in Vinyl's head spun for a moment as she tried to think of a response.
"Buck yeah," was all she could muster before kicked the front door closed, and outside the faint sound of an excited shout of, "Cannonball," could be heard before a crash and two fits of laughter. And so it was that Vinyl Scratch and Octavia Philharmonica became roommates once more, as well as lovers that were sure to stand the test of time.
Quick note to anybody who read or is going to read this story: this isn't the end. A Song to Remember, found at https://www.fimfiction.net/story/72070/a-song-to-remember , is the sequel to this story and it is currently under way of being written. If you want Octavia and Vinyl Scratch's turbid romance to continue, head on over and check it out. That is all.