Regret

Chapters

The End of One, the Beginning of Another
Moving On
Chills of the Winter Night
Two Mares, A Wolf and a New Beginning
And So It Shall Begin

The End of One, the Beginning of Another

Sniff.... sniff...

Octavia started walking off the stage, eyes glimmering with one last shimmer of hope as she turned her head and scanned the crowd for a streak of blue. Amongst the cheers, she stood behind the piano, wondering if she had ever seen blue in her performances. Jitters treaded every performer’s nerves, but Octavia felt pale in comparison to her grey coat. The more she searched, the more the color blue had grown cold in her memories; her bright skies obtruded by the hazy rainclouds that had once stood in front of her but were pushed away dimmed. Now, her rainclouds were back, and her sky had become dark.

Her rousing applauses and her dying faith had been similar; both would diminish over time. Like fire, her burning curiosity had raged at the end of her performance, with hedges of praise and appreciation formed where the crowd was, and barricades of fear and disappointment instituted where her head stood. The ever similar question popped up at the start, middle and end of every performance, her head swirling in fear as her trance-inducing, bass-loving supporting pillar of confidence crumbled with each of its presence absent.

“Are you here yet, Vinyl?”

Often, the question would delay itself until the very end, which often came as no surprise to Octavia. She had grown used to Vinyl’s empty promises and defected love; a once mare-loving pony indulged in her own passion, a now DJ-obsessed pony replaced against her will. She had kept herself going with her own façade she thought was willpower, spending the time she was left alone learning different instruments to block out and avoid the underlying problem with her relationship. Her choice of piano was an odd one, given her hate for synthesisers, a similar instrument that struck hard on her eardrums, and now her heart. After hours of solitude, the cellist cum pianist had mastered it, channelling her thoughts of her last few concerts onto the black and white keys.

With Vinyl working hard on her own music, Octavia had plenty of time to focus on her lyrics in what used to be their room, which had become solely hers as Vinyl would sleep in the underground recording studio, often exhausted from work and perhaps too lazy to climb upstairs. Her muse of lyrical ingenuity had started after the coronation of Princess Cadenze and Prince Shining Armour, where she had personally been invited by Princess Cadenze to the post-wedding dance that Vinyl herself DJed, whom had been recommended by Octavia herself. After the dance, which had been a hit, Vinyl had rode away on her train of fame, slowly distancing herself from the world, from Octavia, but closing in on her personal goal of being more than just famous: she demanded the respect. Her obsession had led more than one astray, Octavia now trapped inside Vinyl’s fissure. She wanted her best friend’s dream to be reality, but in actuality, her nightmare started. And it was all her fault.

Maybe she shouldn’t have let Vinyl chance upon the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. Maybe she shouldn’t even have fallen for her. But until now, she hadn’t regretted any of these. Now, the only thing she could do was to live on with what was still sane in her life: her own music, which she had often compared to with her own actions. There were the classic string pieces, which, like life, she would rely on muscle memory itself to execute. There were the occasional guitar pieces, which, like love, she would painstakingly press down on each string with poise to create even the slightest resonance, with every wrong execution returning nothing but static silence. And then there were the experimental piano pieces, which, like hate, she would do nothing but let her hooves do all the talking, drowning out her sorrow in melancholy and music. More often than she thought, her piano pieces had taken centre-stage in her life, fulfilling the gaping hole that punctured in her heart.

“Are you here yet, Vinyl?” Octavia asked again, but all she was replied were the praises for her performance. She glanced down onto her grey coat, which had dulled itself over the course of the performance. She wondered if it had been her natural coat in the first place, and wondered if that tint of orange she thought she had had ever existed. It looked more like a mix of grey and brown to her right about now. Her eyes danced in its sockets, and the more she stared, the more she started believing that indeed, grey had always been her natural coating, and her sugar-coated orange she always wanted had always been a faded brown. Well at least, her brown would go well with her grey, both possessing unique qualities to compensate for one another’s flaw.

“I guess not… once again,” said Octavia, who now had been dulled to her pain. She faced the audience once again, and took a graceful bow to the ponies that actually came for her. That was where she noticed in the reflection of the waxed wooden floors a face of defeat had emerged. Had she been defeated by Vinyl’s failure to appreciate her hard work? Or was this all a game her head played on her at times? Rejection and failure were common to her after years of auditions and performances. The chants and jeers had only brought herself to work harder, to strive for excellence, and to attain perfection. In return, she made it big time, her music now recognized throughout Canterlot. But unlike her song, she felt she could break all this while. She hadn't been as strong as titanium as most people perceive her to be. The masses had demanded her nothing but what she was capable of, and she was afraid of breaking down and succumbing to her emotions. Everyone knew about their relationship, how music had transformed her, but Octavia held steadfast to her heart, refusing to let any jealous ponies ruin her life. Was all of this just a game of fame- a game that she had created for Vinyl- but got sucked into it unknowingly?

She stared further into her reflection, unable to comprehend until now, the magnitude of her own actions. Was it so that she hated Vinyl so much for not showing up for her performances? She needed answers. She needed Vinyl. But Vinyl hadn’t ever been here for her. In realisation, she hadn't exactly been there for her either. On Vinyl’s birthday, Octavia thought it would be a great idea to surprise her with a song. She had invited her to one of her concerts, and planned to sing ‘Happy Birthday’ there. Yet on that day, Vinyl already had plans she wanted to do with Octavia alone, but Octavia had insisted she attended her recital. The two of them fought on that day, leaving a heartbroken, yet strong-willed Vinyl alone on her birthday, and confused, saddened Octavia alone on her stage.

Maybe she did get an answer. But she had been too stubborn to realise the upbeat DJ craved solitude, and the solemn cellist craved attention. She had always seen it as the other way around, where Vinyl would go off partying, and Octavia would stay home practicing for another recital. It looked the norm, and everypony else did view it that way. But deep inside, she knew she wanted the attention of everypony. She wanted Vinyl’s fame. Then it struck her.

I... I had been jealous of Vinyl all along.

Vinyl had been more of a best friend to her. She had been an inspiration, a motivating factor for herself to push past her limits. All this while, she had tried to overtake Vinyl in her pursuit of fame, but little did she know, Vinyl’s fame had help Octavia rise to where she was now. Octavia might have taken Vinyl in, but Vinyl pulled all the ropes in their separate careers. Without the attention of their marriage, which Vinyl proposed, they wouldn’t be in the limelight as often. Without DJ-ing for the Royal Wedding, they wouldn’t be well-known throughout Equestria. And without her absence, Octavia wouldn’t have come up with catchy tunes that made her famous. Yet with all of this, Octavia kept her head held high, riding on the success she thought she built alone, but her shame brought her head back down.

I gotta apologise to Vin. I gotta fix this before it’s too late, thought Octavia. As she looked up at the crowd one last time, she flashed a smile; tonight though, it wasn’t for her success, but rather, for the failures; the mistakes she had made throughout her life had revealed themselves to her, and played beautiful chords in her heart this evening. She backed off behind the curtains, received the standing ovation she deserved, and then bolted towards the exit as fast as possible. She looked down at her coat once again, the radiant grey now reflecting the sparkles in her eyes, the never-ending fire blazing in her heart. In the calm night skies, the silver mare rode off, and the feint orange she had had faded away. As the moon showered grace upon her, she thought maybe, just maybe, she did have a tint of brown in her coat after all.

Moving On

ARGH! She assaulted the brick red sidewalk, throwing relentless punches against the immobile, indestructible, and yet innocent target, just to vent her anger out. And when she got tired of it, she picked up pebbles and hurled them, hoping to break the wall down. One of them hit the sign above, which read ‘Backstage. Authorised ponies only allowed. No exceptions.”. She took a slightly larger pebble than the average, and took aim at the taunting words above, only stopping to reflect upon her words earlier this evening.

She doesn’t hate me. I know she doesn’t. The words, painted in crimson against a white background and black squared frame, stood out visibly in the cold, winter night, the snow refusing to blanket the rocky flooring. The streetlights shone above her, but she was a broken beacon herself; her light had died off, her flames had dried up, and she could do nothing but wait for her shattered bulb to heal itself in time. Could she still see? After tonight, she hadn’t had the slightest clue.

Disappointment had been second nature to her, as far as her music life went. But she tried hard to keep her music life and regular life apart... or at least she thought she did. With each day passing, her clock ticked faster than it should have, her ears picking up each note in the piece like a jigsaw puzzle. Except that in her jigsaw puzzle of life, she had been missing a piece all this while. Where the missing piece was, she could take forever to search for.

I… I don’t get it… I tried my best... but… She breathed a sigh out, and dropped the pebble she had been holding onto. It clinked and clanked onto the gravelly pavement, the pebble joining its companions once again. Then, as she watched it rest on the floor, the pebble broke into two, and a strong wind blew, sending half the piece across the deserted alley. She kicked the remaining piece aside, then stood there in utter silence. Then, as fate wanted her to do, she moved towards the direction of the two half-pebbles, and picked up the one she had kicked away. She looked around for the second half, but it was nowhere to be found. Frustrated, Vinyl bolted out of the alley, with half a pebble in her possession, and sulked bitterly along the streets of Ponyville.

At this hour, most ponies would be sleeping, preparing for the next day. But Octavia had found herself lumbering on the streets, unsure whether or not to go home. The streets littered with an assortment of shops, most of which had taken their due leave for the day, and would resume business after the brink of daylight. On the grassy paving, Octavia travelled on conjured illusions; in her mind, heavy bricks were all she felt.
Had I been made the fool tonight?

As she made her along rows of empty shop houses, a tiny pebble had rolled its way over to her side, gently nudging her right hoof. She stopped and stared at it, before swooping down and picking it up. The pebble rocked gently in her hoof, the half of it visibly broken straight down the centre.

“Well, hello there, little one. What are you doing here all alone?” said Octavia to the pebble. The light from the lamppost shone onto the pebble, its smooth surfacing reflecting a sparkle like one pony did when they smiled in the light.

“All strong and independent, I see. Well, care to join me on my journey?” Octavia tossed the rock slightly in the air and caught it once again. “I’ll take that as a leap of faith, a jump for joy then.”

Gently, she placed it inside her music folder, where hundreds of pages of lyrics, songs and melodies, in an array of classical, pop and the occasional dubstep pieces she had transcribed from the years spent with the rugged DJ, lived in unison. Something caught her eye in the dubstep section, and pulled out, from the corner so as not to damage the manuscript, a piece titled ‘I Knew You Were Treble – DJ P0N-3’. She recognised this piece easily, having modified the tune sometime back when she was learning how the play the piano. She also decided to leave the lyrics intact. Instead, her own rendition consisted of a piano and string duet, leaving the dubstep totally out, something which Vinyl disapproved of her.

The DJ had always enjoyed what she called the ‘resonance of bass’ and ‘pulsing euphoria’ in her dubstep songs, and having listened to both versions some time ago, Octavia had to admit, Vinyl’s version was much more catchier. It swayed her vibes in a way unimaginable to most Canterlot ponies, and she didn’t need more than the disdained looks on everypony’s face when Vinyl cranked it on her set to recognize that it wasn’t socially accepted. Before she realised, she started humming the chorus.

“Cause I knew you were treble when you walked in.”

She stopped mid-verse, and scanned her surroundings. Other than the occasional fireflies that flew by, no other living soul was in her immediate vicinity. She then continued, daring to raise to volume just a notch louder. If she had been caught singing pop tunes, she would most likely be disgraced, a risk she had however taken.

“Cause the fame’s on me now. You got me to places I’ve never been.”

She thought back to the days where they first met. A DJ-wannabe disappointed from a rejected record label bumping into a frantic cellist on her way to her rehearsals. Octavia pitied Vinyl, and introduced her to the conductor, where Vinyl had her first showcase. After five minutes of ear-splitting DnB music, which forced Octavia to shut her ears, Vinyl was offered a deal of a lifetime: to DJ for Princess Cadenze’s wedding.

“And you had me realise, I knew you were treble when you walked in.”

Vinyl had been a genius with lyrics too. Treble meant much more than high frequencies in a song. No, Octavia knew what Vinyl had meant; she called Octavia ‘treble’, a play on the word ‘trouble’, and a slur on the ‘t’ that Vinyl sung intentionally, making the word sound like ‘rebel’, because Octavia had always been a ‘treble’, a trouble rebel. During the courtship period, Octavia had always been the one getting themselves in sticky situations, but in the end, the two of them always enjoyed each other’s company.

Perhaps ‘treble’ meant ‘high frequencies’, meaning that Octavia was energetic and spontaneous, and brought the fun to the two of them. Fun. That was all that mattered to Vinyl. Yet Octavia prospected on the thought of it. Vinyl loved her music. She enjoyed it. But Octavia, she loved her fame. It wasn’t about music to her anymore. It was the recognition she craved. And she knew about it tonight, albeit a little late.

Maybe ‘treble’ did mean ‘high-strung’ as well, as Vinyl knew Octavia had the tendency to spaz a little. Or her cutie mark, although that was quite unlikely.

She smiled at her recollection of memories, before continuing the song with volume increased once again.

“Cause the fame’s on us now.” She produced a slight chuckle, and proceeded on with the rest of the chorus.

“You got us to places we’ve never been.” Her heart skipped a beat; these words were her second favourite lines, her favourites following soon after: the lines where her reasoning could not comprehend the roughness, yet raw power of this few words. She let her heart take over her soul, her brain now clocking double-time as she readied to hone her vocal capabilities. She shut her eyes, and harnessed the muscle at the back of her throat.

“Now we’re living bass and treble love. Oh!”

Those were… fun times…

“Oh!”

…eh Vinyl?

“Treble, treble love. Oh!”

… Vinyl?

“Oh!”

Sigh…

“Treble, treble love.” She ended the song and opened her eyes slowly, the low light seeping into her eyes as she squinted at the figure not too far for her, but far enough for its identity to be vague.

Is that... no... it can't be... she wouldn't... she doesn't... apologize

Yet she hoped some sort of reconciliation could happen tonight. She continued staring with an incredulous look on her face, a smile forming on top of that, but words escaped her thoughts. Her heartbeat delivered that voltage needed to jumpstart the vehicles inside of her, racing the red track, swerving and covering every vessel and tunnel with full throttled engines. Her eyes opened like flowers in spring, enveloping the radiance that stood, like sunlight to flowers, in full view of the moonlight. She dared not move a step, deciding to hang the suspense a little further. Instead, she thought if Vinyl had been thinking of her. Whether Vinyl had wanted to reconcile as much as she wanted to. Instead, Vinyl spoke first.

“Octy! There you are! I have been looking all over for you!” Vinyl galloped over and stopped in front of Octavia. She had been panting and her mane frizzled in the cold night, but the sight of her marefriend warmed her cheeks, a red streak visible. It was there when Octavia noticed not a pair of violet sunglasses, but a pair of bloodshot eyes on the face of her beloved mare, and as much as she wanted, staring into Vinyl’s eyes felt like a black hole devouring all presence of warmth. Accompanying the drained eyes were two lumps of blue and black on her left cheek, and a tiny cut on the bottom of the chin. Seeing the hard work Vinyl had tried to get to her, Octavia could feel nothing but remorse and pity for Vinyl. She then decided to end her series of silence.

“Vin… um, before you begin, I’d kinda like to talk to you about-”

“So do I actually. Um, Octy… uh… look, I’m really bumped I couldn’t attend your concert tonight. Like, I’ve got a lot of things to do and… um, the amount of projects never seems to end and, um, well… you know what? I’m here now, and… that’s all that matters, right?” Vinyl leaned forward to hug Octavia, but Octavia turned her back against her and looked away, leaving Vinyl in the cold. She stood there in silence as the chilling wind brushed against her mane, the street void of sound once again.

No... sorry, whatsoever?

“Right?” pleaded the confused Vinyl, with a hint of hurt in his tone.

Wrong.

“Vinyl Scratch, haven’t you learnt your lesson?” yelled Octavia. “It has always been you, you, you the entire time! When was the last time I heard a ‘good morning’, or a ‘good night’? For Luna’s sake, Vinyl, we’re married! Do you even stop to care about me? All you do is tinker in your basement on that machine of yours. You don’t even have time for me anymore.” Octavia’s words lashed a whip, which Vinyl flinched at the sound of her snap. At an attempt for conciliation, Vinyl had tried to envelope the raging pony with her hoof over the shoulder, but Octavia swiped it away almost immediately.

She wasn’t going to accept Vinyl’s apology tonight. Vinyl had used to same tactic on her once before: the DJ had promised a favour, which she did carry out, but no lesson had been learnt from that day. Vinyl would still revert back to her music-obsessed self after a few days, and all Octavia was given had been the cold shoulder. She wasn’t going to take it in anymore, and she was going to explain it to Vinyl the hard way, as the easy way failed.

“Octy, please, don’t do this to me! I swear everything will be fine after tonight. I promise! Remember how I told you I’ll bring you to that restaurant to eat? I’ve already booked off all plans on Saturday to go with you! I mean it! You can even order that salad that you always wanted.”

“No!” shouted Octavia. “You still don’t get it, do you?! It’s not about the food Vinyl. It’s about the meaning behind all of it. You always leave me hanging-”

“No, I don’t! Please, Octavia, listen to me!” protested Vinyl. Octavia lowered her head, closed her eyes, and sighed. She let out deep breaths to calm herself, but she knew she was still shaking inside. How long had she held it in? Maybe if she’d settle it with Vinyl in the early stages of the relationship, maybe all of tonight wouldn’t had happen.

Yet again, none of tonight could have happened if Vinyl didn’t ignore her.

“I… I just can’t take it anymore, Vinyl, please. I need some to think.”

“What?” replied a flabbergasted DJ. “You can’t be serious Octy, come on! I tried so hard, and you’re gonna throw it all away like some old, washed up piece of rag?”

“At least a rag is more useful than you,” replied a disheartened Octavia, who had given up all hope of reconciliation.

“Oh come on, Octy. I’m sorry! I promise, there won’t be a next time. Please!” Vinyl’s red eyes stared into Octavia’s, hoping for a sincere answer. However, in those fifty shades of grey that Octavia bore, none of them moved to alleviate the tension. They however, did bore the apt feelings one another had, and in chorus, decided to turn Octavia around and drag her away. Octavia’s footsteps came with impendence; the left leg made way for the right, the pair working in unity. No fights, no quarrels. Just love and tolerance.

“Octavia! I’m begging you! Please!” Vinyl chased after Octavia, stopping only when Octavia stuck her hoof out, bridging her and Vinyl. She let another depressed sigh out, looked away, and shook her head. With her eyes staring into space, even the brightest of suns couldn’t lift her spirits up. Vinyl then held Octavia’s hoof close to her chest and tugged on it, just like how little foals would plead their mums for favours, but Octavia just let the blue hoof rest against her icy, cold skin. She turned around, and faced Vinyl’s teary face for one last time.

“Just… leave, Vinyl. Don’t force me into a decision I might regret later. Please, just… I need some time alone to think.

“Please…” Vinyl tugged even harder on Octavia’s hoof, but loss had been a pain long numbed for Octavia. “Come home with me.”

“Vinyl…” pleaded Octavia. She was at a loss of words. Her mouth were shut and her heart had malfunctioned to the errors of her epiphany; Vinyl hadn’t want to apologise for her mistakes, but to just carry on living life as if Octavia owed her. Part of it was true, that Octavia’s success rid on DJ-P0N3’s name, and the pair was more than often seen out in public, the cameras wasting no time to snap away.

Reluctantly, Vinyl let Octavia’s hoof slip away from her grasp, and stared at her with a heavy heart. Her face was like a river, the episode a dam which broke.

“W-will I ever see you again?” asked Vinyl, but Octavia just broke off and walked away, head drooped and hooves lumbering. She paused for a while, staring into the grass, and burrowed the hope she once knew into the ground. Her head turned to face Vinyl for one last time, and her mouth quivered a little.

“I… I-I don’t know. Maybe. Maybe not.” With that, Octavia hurried away, afraid of what Vinyl would do to make her stay any further. Her mind was set as she galloped away from this street, and towards nowhere. She hoped that in time, her memories with Vinyl would be like this stretch of roads: the more you ran away from it, the more you wouldn’t remember living on memory lane. Like the stores at night, she wished for her past to be locked away temporary. Whether or not the sun would rise, would depend on whether she wanted to start remembering again.

With her thoughts as her only companion in the lonely night, she couldn’t help but focus all her attentions on it, which made her trip over a pile of boxes she hadn’t notice. The manuscripts inside her music folder were sent flying out, a few fortunate ones landing on the boxes, the rest making its way towards the soft grass. Had it been cruel, but the skies decided to snow on her parade, leaving most of her music sheets wet, and unreadable. She hurried to salvage as many pieces as she could, but as the wind blew stronger, so did the snow fall harder. Her tears were mixed with white powdery snow, as she watched her hard work all crumple at nature’s will.

Soon, the boxes, which had been empty, flew away, sending more music sheets to the cushioned snow. But as she tried to pick them up, the cruel wind came and blew most sheets away, leaving a ventilating Octavia and a couple of manuscripts alone in the blanket of snow. Defeated, Octavia slumped onto the cold, unforgiving floor and sobbed. Her life had blown itself up in just mere minutes; first Vinyl, then the music. These were the two things most important in her life, and in one night, she had single-handily massacred her two love.

“Come on Octavia. You’re on your own now. There isn’t anyone you live for, except yourself,” thought Octavia, trying to cheer herself up with her undying spirit. She looked down, and wondered about the future, which looked solemn as the white snow looking forward to pollution.

She wiped away her tears and stood up, opening up the folder to see the contents that she had managed to salvage. Inside it contained five of her old string pieces and two of her dubstep remixes, as well as the tiny pebble she had sheltered against this harsh weather, which she took out, and threw it against the snow. She packed the remaining survivors inside her folder, gripped it tight in between her hooves, and walked down the road. Where it led, she didn’t care, as long as it was away from her old home.

She thought of starting a new life, away from Ponyville, and maybe back to Canterlot, just to avoid Vinyl for the time being. But tonight, all she wanted was a fate without a pebble to throw. She inched her eyes, and spotted an inn, still lit, and decided to spend the night there. It was a stone’s throw away, and she could afford it, albeit the risk of filthy rooms. As she walked with head up high, she approached the inn, and knocked on the door. After a voice inviting her in, she turned her head around, and stared at the horizon. Part of her wanted Vinyl back, and part of her wanted her old life back. Whether or not her old life wanted Vinyl in it, Octavia hadn’t quite figured it out. Had she missed the days of solitude, or the days of aptitude?

“Come in , you’re gonna catch a cold in this weather,” said the innkeeper, but Octavia kept staring, hoping for a miracle to bestow upon her. As the clock ticked, the snow got thicker, but her hope got thinner.

“Vinyl, are you here yet?” Octavia thought out loud, reminding her of her stage experiences. “I guess not…” She gave the pitiful moon one last look, before she stepped hoof into the inn, shutting the door, as well as her old life, behind her. The pebble she had thrown laid still on the ground, dormant, until another pony would pick it up. With any luck, Octavia would.

Chills of the Winter Night

Octavia chugged a pint of beer down her tired throat. "Another one, please," moaned Octavia. Hesitantly, the innkeeper handled another mug to her, and wiped the spilled-over contents Octavia had left off the counter-top. How much beer had she drank? She glanced over slightly to her left, revealing the clunky tower of mini-barrels she had taken in over the course of the night. There was at least five, stacked ceremoniously on top of one another. The leftover beer dripped from the tower, like her mood had tonight.

“Hey, that’s a lot of beer you’ve drank tonight. You sure you gonna be alright?” asked the irked innkeeper.

“Yeah.” It was all Octavia muttered before she downed another mug. With a smack on her lips, she placed the newly-finished mug down with a thud, and wiped the foam off, and yet, she hadn’t been satisfied. She was about to motion for another one when she felt a wave of nausea rush over her. She paused, and eyed the rotating fans twirling in the ceilings. The more she stared at it, the dizzier she got, and she decided it wasn’t a good idea to look up. She looked back down at the beer-laden floor, but the more she looked at it, the more she felt the beer travelling back up her throat.

She tried to stand up, which sent her tumbling over the chairs in her vicinity. The other ponies glared at her, and murmurs rose in the crowd. Leaning on one of the only upright stool left standing after her mayhem, she glanced around the room, hoping for some sort of escape in her epiphany. She scanned the inn, and spotted an archway on the other side of the inn. The signs hanging aloof from the ceiling, which her intoxicated brain tried to decipher, told her the toilet was just right down it, and without hesitation, she half-limped, half-ran across the inn. It was like she had a moment of realisation, without the actualization.

As she made her way towards the hallway, she bumped into a couple of stallions who had their hooves over their marefriend, causing temporal confusion among the couple. She had apologised to them, but she wasn’t going to remember any of the faces. After all, what was ‘sorry’ going to do to help salvage any situation? She had realised ‘sorry’ had been an anaesthetic for the fact that errors had been made, and that the conflict would resolve, but the underlying root problem would remain.

At least her issue with Vinyl’s behaviour hadn’t been too hard to uproot. All she needed to do was to walk away from all of it. It was easy, and yet, Octavia felt the pain a hundred times worse than foalbirth, not that she could experience it with Vinyl anyways. She searched inside her heart if she had done the right thing, but all her woozy brain could manage were the cylindrical liquid-holding tanks, filled with raw painkillers she had consumed. It sedated her mind, although brief, she knew it would help her get over tonight.

As she made her way down the hall, the burning sensation in her stomach left a bomb ticking inside, and she could feel it counting down. The explosion would mean regurgitation, and she needed to behave herself if she wanted to spend the night here. She doubled her pace, but on wobbles, she tripped over nothing, and landed face first on the tiled floors, inciting a couple of giggles and laughter from behind her. She stood up once again, and sprinted past a couple of doors, where she spotted the little cubicle. Her problems would all soon be over behind those doors, and once she got into her little haven, she slammed the door shut, locking herself away until her stupor state had ebbed.

She slumped back on her swirly chair, and spun around, gazing at the wires that treaded along the edges of the room. Her turntable spun in front of her, and the monitor behind it had been waiting all night to be played. Behind her laid a sofa and a coffee table, where half-full, or half-empty, cups and half-eaten sandwiches laid in arrest. Guitars hung along the melancholy walls that sometimes drowned in pity at the sight of dust, the guitars often untouched. After all, the guitars were Octavia’s and she hadn’t picked one up in a while, but as of now, she wouldn’t be picking up any more of these guitars. Couple of strings had already broke off due to the tension pulling against it, making most guitars unplayable, but as Vinyl scanned the remains of her prized pony’s possession, a classical 8-string guitar laid still, the strings, however rusty, had remained intact.

Behind the red eyes had laid a hue of blue. Yet in rage, stillness had embodied her, sadness consuming joy however. She hadn’t known what to do about tonight’s incident. Octavia wanted some time alone, but Vinyl didn’t just get it. She always had time alone to think about stuff, Octavia that is, but it seemed like matters Vinyl didn’t understand had engulfed her marefriend with thoughts of hurt and grief.

She grabbed her headphones, which sat mischievously in between her legs, and held it to her face. She thought about the evening spent mixing with Neon Lights, and remembered about the tunes that they had come up with. It would have been her next single, but Octavia’s abrupt phone call had postponed it.

She donned it, the cups comfortably sitting on her ears, and hit the play button on her mixer. Thump, the beat went as Vinyl listened to it, her posture now sprung upright. Her mind slowed down as the music took over her, the invigorating music refreshing her innate ability to think.

There must be something I can do to win her back. After all, I doubt she really hates me…

With the music blaring in her ears, she sat there, the double time beat kicking in, but her contented smile changed into a concrete frown, the anaesthetic effect of the music slowly draining away. She noticed the stray halved pebble that she had picked up in the alley, and cupped it in her hooves. Without a warning, she flung it towards the heart of Octavia’s eight-stringed guitar, the pebble spiralling into the gaping hole in the centre where the breath of music would sound out from. It hit the backboard, causing a loud thud, puncturing the wooden chamber, and as the pebble hit rock bottom of the encasing, all eight strings broke with an obnoxious snap.

Great… now I’ll have to explain to Octy why her strings broke. That’s a minus one for me attempting to bring her back home.

Minus one.

The truncated notes in her head started a chorus, the DJ now playing a symphony in her mind. As her thoughts wandered to the world of bars and ledges, her hooves started to grab any spare pen and paper lying around her, and she immediately penned down what would be her next single. It was going to be meant for the other half of the pebble. Whether or not the other rock head would listen to another rock head would boil down to the winds of fate.

Octavia burst out of the tiny cubicle, stumbling out onto the once pure white tiled floors, now a shade darker that Octavia easily recognized from nowhere. Her shadow cast in front, probing her affluent brain to reason with her wild behaviour tonight.

“Who am I not to blame for her own selfishness?” thought Octavia out loud. “She is nothing but the icing on the cake. The filling itself, the cake, it can only come from within. No more will I stand for her encumbrance in my walk in fame. Today, I will walk alone!”

She took another few steps, before she bumped into the innkeeper, who hadn’t been too pleased with her ruckus. She paused and without batting an eyelid, laid a hoof onto his body.

“Innkeeper!” grumbled Octavia. “I demand a room this instance! A Canterlot mare shall not be subjected to the streets of Ponyville. It’s far too filthy!” Octavia could care less about what others would think of her behaviour. All she wanted was a bed to rest upon, a shoulder to lean upon, a Vinyl to-

Vinyl… your warm body would be nice now. Just like that one time. The honeymoon. Foalrida. Those were good times. I still remembered the warm beaches, the cooling drinks, the… fun we had in our room. On our bed. That was great. I hadn’t forgotten what you said to me. “I won’t ever leave you.” I believed you. I trusted you.

Then came the tour at Manehattan. You brought me along. We toured in the day, and partied at night. The times I would get so drunk you had to drag me back to the hotel. Just like… now… I need you to drag me back home. Back to you. Back to your warm touch.

And who could ever forget Princess Cadence’s wedding. You gave me a shout out, and I blushed the reddest I had ever blushed before. I felt happy. Then you wrapped me around your hooves and did a slow dance with me. That was the most memorable day of my life. You asked if I loved you, and I couldn’t deny it. Those hot, fiery eyes you had. All a façade. DJ P0N-3’s true self lies within the shades. The peace you want. It was all in your grabs.

The thoughts of Vinyl caused her to zone out, causing her to stick her tongue out at the innkeeper, who viewed her as a retard at this point.

“I know I should be nice, but this is far too ridiculous! What kind of mare just makes a mess and leaves it behind?” The innkeeper points at a couple of ponies cleaning up what looked like an avalanched stacks of beer lying on the floor. “I have had lots of complaints about you, and I’m sorry, but I can’t let you stay. It will ruin my business. You’ll have to find some other place to stay for the night.”

The innkeeper’s words hit her like a truck on a freeway, causing her inebriated mind to wake up. Somehow, his words had caused her head to clink together, the different pieces of reality lodging into bits and pieces of crevices in her jigsaw puzzle. She shook her head, took a deep breath and remembered what she had done- being drunk, rude and sloppy- and nearly slapped herself for her uncouthness. Vinyl would have been very disappointed.

“No, no, you’re right. I just can’t just leave a mess hanging around.” She glanced past the angry innkeeper to the sheet of white outside the tinted windows. “I’ll be on my way now. Thank you for your hospitality… and for knocking some sense into my head.” Octavia walked past him and headed towards the main doors, her body embracing the cold wind and harsh weather that she was about to face.

“Uh, no problem? That was easy.” Octavia’s words stumbled him like songs with uncanny time signatures, but a smirk grew large on his face, murmuring something on the lines of ‘damn musicians’.

After Octavia grabbed her folder, she waltzed out of her temporary haven, and danced in the heart of stormy seas. What awaited her was simple, yet the cellist had not dared to do: to quell the storm in the eye.

All this time, I had been blinded by love. Not Vinyl, but my own. I loved myself too much to see myself harming her. And when she did, who could I blame but her? Yet I didn’t see the truth. Her pain, her suffering, it would escalate ten times for me. But what of her? Wouldn’t she bear the pain ten times more than what I would feel? Her love was genuine like a stockbroker’s heart in the exchange, but in the up-and-down game of our love, hadn’t we all been losing?

Octavia quickened her pace, bending street corners and racing down avenues like music notes on a page. Her footsteps wrote her melodies, as she knew each stomp on the ground meant one step closer to her happy ending, her resolution. Yet, if butterflies could further metamorphose, the throbs in her stomach would actually measure on the Richter scale.

In a mere ten minutes, a panting Octavia arrived at the footsteps of her house, and attempted to reach for her keys in her folder, which ceased to exist at that time. “Don’t tell me… Buck.” Octavia felt the need to use such a coarse word with her blunder, something that happened one time too many. She searched around the folder, but to no avail. Her key to her home was like her key to Vinyl’s heart; it had probably been lost somewhere in the cold and dark streets.

She fumbled around, trying to search around for her missing keys, but all she was returned were the blank stares of the snow, mocking and laughing at her epitome of failure. Great. I’m locked outside my own home. Think Octavia, think. Any windows you left open before you headed to you performance? She circled the house a few times, but the windows had all been shut. How about the basement? I’m sure Vinyl’s down there…” She went down the stairs leading towards the basement and attempted to unlatch the door, but it was locked shut.

You’re usually not this careless. What has gotten into you, Octavia? As Octavia went back up the stairs, she stared at the white wooden door that separated possible warmth from definite cold. At least inside, she stood a chance to stay. Right now, Octavia could do nothing but stay calm, yet knowing that her keys are probably long buried in the snow hadn’t been the best piece of news that night. She counted in her head that amount of gloomy events she had gone through in just one night. One, when Vinyl hadn’t showed up for her concert. Two, when she and Vinyl fought. Three, when she lost most of her music in the snow and wind. Four, when she got locked outside of her own home. Things couldn’t get any worse, right? she thought positively, trying to salvage the ruins of her life.

She had been a sucker to curse herself; as soon as thought of that, a branch hovering above her gave way, dropping a load of snow onto her. She moaned and shook the snow off her rigid body, and cursed the heavenly beings above for mistreatment. Yet, as the stars kept her entertained, all she realised she could do was to accept her ill-fated night. Feeling defeated by the world around her, she slumped right in front of her door, ignoring the icy cushion underneath her, then mentally added ‘avalanched by snow’ to her list of bad luck.

At first, her body could tolerate the cold, but as the sun shifted the warmth further and further away, so did her flank. Her body started shivering and her hooves started numbing away to the winter night. The disdained snow was one, her distraught self was another, both being factors that could destroy her body and her mind, one probably sooner than the other.

She laid still, and as the snow drifted onto her pale skin, she wondered if she would die by her doorsteps, if anyone would miss her, if Vinyl would miss her. Despite all the hardship, Octavia managed to produce a chuckle, second guessing the fact she might actually die in front of her haven.

Now isn’t this ironic? Death by my own hooves. By the monster I’ve created within and of.

As her motionless body ceased any will to move, so did her brain. She leaned against the door, her drunken stupor slowly regaining its strength with the numbing wind raging against her grey coat, and then looked down. Octavia could have sworn a shade of blue started forming on the tip of her hooves, and as she stared at it, the pale blue slowly crawled up like a thermometer dipped in hot water. Yet her body temperature failed to record frostbite as a sign of imminent danger, and she just continued watching it turn magically from blue to white.

Octavia closed her eyes, and somehow felt a sign of relief. This had been ironically a good time to relax, which Octavia hadn’t had the chance to spring upon once her name had been constantly in the spotlight with Vinyl. Be it tabloids, or newspapers, their names spread far and wide throughout Equestria.

As she opened her eyes and stared at the luminescent skies above, she thought of her life before Vinyl, before courtship; she was just an ordinary cellist, hoping to attain stardom- secretly, of course. Having grown from quite a well-off family that insisted her formalities and behaviour be kept in tip-top condition, she had kept her emotions quite well-reserved, allowing only the slightest of emotions to penetrate through her pores.

She hadn’t been emotionless, of course. She thought about the happy times when she had been single- the times where she would just practice music all day, much for the love and nothing more. The way the strings resonated all sorts of cantankerous and gratifying feelings she had for her songs, and the way the conductor would praise her for her excellent technique and finesse. She felt self-accomplished, and felt no greater love for her music.

That was until Vinyl showed up in her life. She hadn’t thought of mares that way before, and yet the wild side Vinyl presented intrigued her. Slowly, she got to know the ‘hyper’ mare that constantly raved about her beat, and too, got sucked into her vortex of excitement. As the amount of time spent with Vinyl increased, so had her boldness level, to the point she broke and narrowly escaped the laws a couple of time.

She still remembered her first escape, being on the run with Vinyl for trespassing unsanctioned grounds, where she had convinced a reluctant DJ to take a ‘shortcut’. If it weren’t for Vinyl’s magic, the both of them would have seen the last of their careers. After all, no pony would hire a convict to bring entertainment; it would attract the wrong crowd. Or no crowd, rather.

Of course, she still remembered the lecture Vinyl had given her, which accused her of being foolishly reckless. But Octavia cherished the bond she shared with her best friend turned life partner, and so did Vinyl. She knew she was doing this all to impress Vinyl, which seemed to work.

"Huh, I wonder what Vinyl sees in me…" As the night aged, a bluish-grey mare rested under a blanket of white.

Vinyl had trouble coming up with the lyrics to her next single. As the pen doodled away on pieces of papers, circle and crosses filled from border to border. Lyrics were cancelled out, re-written on top of it, before being re-cancelled out once again, only for Vinyl to find that the entire sentence didn’t fit the beat. Frustrated, she threw her hooves, and her pen, up in the air, swivelling her chair around as she grunted hopelessly. She stared at her room briefly, her eyes wandering around the corners, before settling onto a picture frame by the bedside drawer. It had been a shiny gold, dust now covering on top of it, and had a quarter note on the top right of the frame.

Vinyl stood up, and lifted the picture frame onto her tired hooves. Behind the glass laid two pair of youthful eyes that Vinyl once knew, yet he couldn’t recognise that same glimmer in neither of them now. In hers, lacked the spark and fire that contributed to her wild side, the blazing spirit in her now quenched to a mere kindle. In the other, lacked the stillness and composure that invited peace, the rational beliefs in Octavia now turned awry.

Octavia had turned into a loose cannon, but that was not why Vinyl had fallen for her. Rather, Vinyl had learnt to appreciate the little things in life that Octavia would had been proud of- her little accomplishments, like learning to ride a bicycle, something Vinyl had failed to even try in her childhood.

She liked how Octavia could be so calm and rational even when faced with difficult situations. Heck, Vinyl dastardly hungered for Octavia’s level-headedness, and yet as more time was spent with her, the less Vinyl saw of that side. There were the rare occurrences she would act insane, going about doing whatever she wants, but she knew the Octavia she yearned for was still deep inside.

Vinyl had toned herself down in order to capture that side once again, but to no avail. With each passing day, her hunger for trouble increased, which led to Vinyl’s muse for her fiftieth single, ‘I Knew You Were Treble’. To escape her crazy antics, Vinyl had to move to the basement just so she could work on her songs in peace. But her own peace had been constantly interrupted by countless demands to attend to Octavia’s request. At first, Vinyl would gladly go, but as things started to shape up for Octavia’s solo career, so did her attitude, to the point that Vinyl had subconsciously forgotten about Octavia’s concerts, which had led to the fight that just happened.

Vinyl blew the dust off the golden frame, which resulted in a sneeze. She rubbed her nose, then placed the frame back down. She regretted not spending more personal time and less fame time with her, but still loved her equally as much, no matter how much the both of them had changed over the years. Sadly, the damage had been done. She knew ignoring Octavia had resulted into this, and had resented how selfish she had been, secretly wanting to fulfil her personal desires over hers. All Octavia wanted was someone to rely on, to depend on, but Vinyl ignored this fact, until this very night.

Vinyl went back to her workspace, and without much of a thought, trashed the newly written lyrics, sending a possible hit down the baskets of no return. She then grabbed her headphones, and too, banished it from her life, accompanying the once lone lyrics that cried to be saved and reused. Like her new trash, she powered everything off, and flicked the light switch off. This room would have been part of Vinyl’s life, until now. Like a sealed chamber in a maze with no return, no undo, she locked this part of her life away, the key now thrown away into the pits of Tartarus. Only would salvation offer to one who would offer sacrifice, and Vinyl needed redemption as much as she wanted peace.

With one last glance, she closed the door, promising herself that she would never step foot in music ever again, and headed upstairs, to the room she once slept in. All she needed to do now was to send a letter to the local press, revealing to the world that DJ P0N-3 was indefinitely going into retirement. But first, she had one more dedication, one more party she had to throw. That one last one that would decide it all.

Octavia, where… where are you? Please… come back…

“No! You’re not going to do this to me Octy! You’re not leaving me!” A heavy weight bore on Vinyl’s shoulder as she pushed on in the unforgiving snow, trudging an unconscious Octavia on her back. Where Vinyl had left a trail stood grim dark, and where his path forward returned absolute fear.

“Why?! Why are you so foolish? Why didn’t you knock?! And why did you drink so much? You know you can’t drink too much with your weak liver! Argh!” ranted Vinyl to the wall of grey. “Stupid, stupid! I should have known earlier that you were outside! Argh!” With tears forming by the edge of her sockets, Vinyl held steadfast to Octavia, and ran towards Ponyville Hospital. However hard Vinyl tried to tread in this night, Octavia’s weight would eventually cause her body to give way to the sheer ache. It was a matter of time, but Vinyl had left the delusion of time behind her; it was to be her enemy and friend in the next coming hours.

“I swear Octy, if you leave me, I’ll… I’ll…” Vinyl’s tears dripped in the snow, her sweat now profusely dripping despite the cold weather. “I’m not ready Octy. Don’t do this to me!” The moon shone bright, seeming warm but harbouring only the gloominess of the night. The bright stars offered no condolence to Vinyl’s plight, but they flickered anyways. Like hope, they had always flickered.

“Doctor! Nurse! Some pony, any pony. Help! Help!” Vinyl yelled down the quiet hallways, waking up a few ponies in white who had taken a nap unknowingly. At the sight of the two mares, they jumped up instantaneously, and rushed towards different directions. Then, in mere seconds, they came back with a stretcher, an IV stand and a couple of wires, and without missing or dropping a beat, tied Octavia on the stretcher, securing her tightly with the straps.

“Okay, let’s go,” one of the orderlies spoke as they wheeled her towards the emergency room, leaving a panicking Vinyl with a nurse in accompaniment. She paid no heed to the nurse, frantically pacing around the white hospital tiles as the red light turned on.

“Come on, please be okay. Please!” shouted a mad Vinyl, at particularly no pony, seeming like she just wanted to rant her frustration out. She stared at the two swivelling doors in front of her, and shut her eyes. “Please…” Vinyl’s voice had been reduced to a mere whisper now, her heart feeling heavy as she drooped her head over her hooves, fretting at the possibilities that would happen when the light turned off.

“No, this can’t be… No… Octavia…” Vinyl slumped back against the wall and slid down, then covered her face in her hooves, using her raised knees as a blockade from the outside world. Usually, she would don her shades, but they were snatched and thrown away by that burly guard. She thought about her shades, and remembered why she insisted on wearing them. No pony needed them at night, for it would seem ridiculous, but Vinyl would wear them anyways. Not for sight, or fashion if anything, but for hiding what she didn’t want others to see. In the past, it was for her meek self inside of her. For now, it was for the messy tears.

The nurse stood beside Vinyl and simply stared past the torn unicorn. But Vinyl had refused to bulge, choosing to remain in that position. She shivered, not because of cold weather, but cold feet. Tiny sobs echoed throughout the hallways, and the only accompaniment had been the sound of rotating fans above her, but this quietness wasn’t what Vinyl wanted.

The nurse let a deep breath out, with it a small frown, and tried to put a hoof on Vinyl’s shoulders to pacify her, but all she got was hostility. “No! Go away!” Vinyl flicked her hooves at the nurse, who complied with her request and walked away, leaving a lone DJ by the doors.

The tears had drained all emotion and energy from its host, and no sooner did Vinyl find herself feeling rather sleepy, yet Vinyl refused to succumb to the pressures of sleep. I can’t sleep now… Octavia’s in there! Her mind tried to keep herself awake, but with so much that had happened, the night pony hadn’t had much energy in reserve. She fought the temptations to close her eyelids, but with each growing minute, the evil forces of Sandpony sprayed their magic dust onto her eyes, causing them to grow heavier. After a long fight, Vinyl felt no need to open her eyelids anymore, for any resistance met had been completely futile, and the eradication of unwanted waste in her body had begun.

Vinyl woke up, and she could have sworn someone touched her, or moved her rather. She found herself on a bed rather than the hospital floors, and noticed not only the faces of Octavia, but hers around the room. Her eyes shot wide open, head pivoting eyes swivelling, as she tried to reason as to why she was back in her sleeping quarters. In Octavia’s and hers.

“What the… buck?” Vinyl swore out loud, jumping out of the covers of the blanket, searching the room for any signs or clues as to why this happened. Everything seemed in place though- the desolate room bore nothing but a mahogany bed, cupboard and dressing table- but some things had been missing.

“Huh? I’m back home? But… if this is our room, then… where are Octavia’s instruments? This… this doesn’t make sense at all!” Her eyes flashed, and for once, she stood in grace of Princess Luna. Vinyl customarily bowed at her, only to stop with a hoof forward.

“Don’t bow down to me, Vinyl Scratch. The dreamscape is my domain, and I shall not resort to the methods of my sister. Rise,” spoke Luna.

“P-Princess Luna… I-“

“No need to fear me. I am not who I once was, although I see the resemblance in your eyes.”

“Wait.” In a spur of the moment, Vinyl touched her forehead where her shades often rested when un-used, and sure enough, the purple-tinted glasses were there. Eagerly, she put it on, but the moment she did, she shrieked in terror and tossed them aside, then swore and cursed at nothing as if there were a ghost there.

“What did you see there my child? What have your glasses shown you?”

“I s-saw you as Nightmare Moon… and I totally didn’t freak out just now,” said Vinyl in attempt to keep her cool.
“I’m afraid that was no illusion.” Princess Luna shook her head. “You only saw what you needed to see. Nightmare Moon didn’t need to surreal, but it had appeared in front of you. Is there something of the nature you’ve committed yourself to? Some jealousy perhaps?”

“I… I… It’s true. I’m jealous of Octavia. She found the perfect balance in her life until now. She had the perfect career, had the perfect life, but I had just been the flawed stake in her heart.”

“No pony’s perfect, for perfection amounts to greater imperfection. And no stake can be planted firmly on the ground, for the soil it’s planted on will cave in and cause the stake to fall on its own,” spoke Luna in parables.

“But why is it that she’s on her deathbed, and I can do nothing about it? Why?! Tell me!” shouted Vinyl.

“There is not nothing, but something you can do. Reach for the key to her heart. Play the instrument you solely desire to give her the life you want, and she will play melodies that will last you a lifetime.”

“Argh! Why do you have to speak like this? Just tell me what I have to do!”

“Very well, I shall help you see the ways of your life.” Luna materialized a key, and gave it to Vinyl. “Over at her cupboard, you shall open the doors, like you have done so in her life. But what she stores in her cupboard takes a great commitment to retrieve, and only one instrument can save both you and Octavia.” Vinyl immediately hurried to open the cupboard, revealing at least ten instruments inside. “Take it out, and play to your heart’s desire.”

“So, which one is it?” asked Vinyl.

“May Celestia be with you,” said Luna ominously, and with that, she faded to the world, leaving a dumbfounded Vinyl with a cupboard of instruments. “No, wait! Don’t go!” But it had been too late, Vinyl was all alone again. Utterly confused, Vinyl turned to the rack of instruments in the cupboard and deliberated about which instrument was the one Luna had been talking about.

“Ah ha! It must be the cello!” The cello towered over the other instruments, taking nearly half the cupboard. Vinyl tried pulling it out from its rack, but it wouldn’t budge.

“Hmm, perhaps it’s the guitar! She loves to play it sometimes.” In the same fashion, she tried pulling it out, but to no avail.

“No? Hmm… how about the lyre?” Likewise, her attempts had been futile, yet Vinyl kept yanking instruments out. She had repeatedly tried to remove the humungous cello, but as time, if dreamscape had anything existence of it, counted down, so did Vinyl’s patience. She pulled nearly all the instruments out, but left the 78 keys of black and white resting in the bottom left corner of the cupboard until the very end. Vinyl had thought that maybe that was the last thing that Octavia would be interested in, but if she recalled correctly, Luna said that only one instrument would undo the damage.

The DJ stared at the synthesiser lookalike, but hadn’t had the thoughts to pull it out, partially due to fear, and partially due to confusion. “Why the keyboard?” she hesitated. “It’s nothing like what she is. It’s so… violent, jarring, and the keys make a fool of itself with its clunky appearance. The sounds they make aren’t beautiful, aren’t sophisticated. It’s basically a low-tiered instrument. How can something so ugly be paired with someone so beautiful?”

At that moment, Vinyl realised something. It hadn’t been the instruments that Octavia would play to satisfy her. It wasn’t about writing songs, composing melodies and arranging orchestral versions of Vinyl’s song. It was something far greater then that. Something that money couldn’t buy, fame couldn’t attain, and power couldn’t manipulate.

As of that insight, Vinyl grabbed her fallen shades and donned them once again, her eyes now hidden in sight from the cupboard. The instruments themselves had cloaked away mysteriously, leaving a bare wooden cupboard in full audience of Vinyl.

“I get it now… these aren’t the instruments Princess Luna was talking about. It’s… it’s-.” A bright white light shot out Vinyl’s glasses, shattering it and causing Vinyl to tumble over. She glanced around as the walls started to melt like iced desserts and the wooden furniture dissolve into a pool of bright green. The ceilings cracked and the floors crumbled, but Vinyl had dashed around looking for the bedroom door, which had suddenly been missing.

“It’s time to wake up now.” A cheerful voice called out loud.

“But I can’t! I… I-I don’t know how!”

“Wakey wakey, DJ P0N-3!”

“Huh? Pinkie Pie? What in the world?”

Vinyl eyes shot opened to the familiar white walls and Pinkie Pie, head tilted, eyes beaming, smile encasing, staring at her. “Oh goody!” said Pinkie Pie gleefully. “You’re finally awake! Now you’re not going to miss my super awesome, super spectacular party that I’m going to throw. Oh it’s going to be so much fun! There’s balloons, candies, cakes and oh, my favorites, cupcakes!” Pinkie licked her lips. “Mmm, cupcakes!”

Vinyl scratched her head and stared at her pink reality, still wondering if this was part of her dream. “Pinkie Pie! Whaaat... what are you doing here?”

“You silly filly, don’t you remember? I’m throwing a party for-.” And that was all Vinyl wanted to hear out of this helium-filled balloon of euphoria. Parties were the last thing she wanted to hear about now. She recollected her dream, knowing now what Octavia desired, yet Vinyl declined to a mere whisper as she said, “Love. The instrument of love.” Such strong words, yet the timidity of Vinyl carried it and hid in in her heart, not knowing how to apply such an act.

“- and that’s why you were invited!” Pinkie Pie stuck a hoof out, offering to pick the still-grounded Vinyl, but Vinyl just smiled and shook her head.

“Not today, Pinkie Pie. I… I gotta stay here for a while,” said Vinyl calmly, looking at the red light which was still on. She pushed herself off the ground, then wiped the drool stains off the side of her lips and swiped the dirt off her hooves.

“Aww, not even for one hour? One minute? One second?” pouted Pinkie Pie, which made Vinyl chuckle a little. Pinkie had always known how to do that, and the godly element she possessed was merely an understatement to her true powers.
“Nah man. You go ahead and have fun. I’ll just…” Vinyl scratched her head and stretched her arms, causing her to produce a yawn. “I’ll just stay here.”

“Oki doki loki! The party is at room 302, just in case you forgot! Ok, time to go! I don’t want to be late for the party that starts in an hour!” Pinkie disregarded the actual term for punctuality and zipped off, leaving Vinyl staring at the red light.

As soon as Pinkie Pie was gone, Vinyl’s mood went straight back down as she thought of the impending fate. “Please Luna. Please be right,” said Vinyl as she slumped back down onto the floor, legs stretched and hooves tapping incessantly at the floor. She couldn’t lift her eyes off the red button; the moment it turned off, she knew she would rush in there immediately.

But as she waited for the light to diminish, so did her patience. Her nervous wreck had caused her mane to frizzle, and her eyes to turn dark. Minutes turned to hours, and Vinyl was still staring at the red light. Her stomach growled, but she didn’t care. All she cared for was the unconscious grey pony behind the two white doors.

Then, at the corner of her eye, she saw a nurse walking towards the two doors. Immediately, she sprung up, and bolted towards the nurse. “Why is it taking so damn long? I… I want to see her. Now!”

Vinyl tried to brush past the nurse, but got stopped with a hoof extending out, blocking the door. The nurse shook her head and stared at Vinyl with intent eyes, silently asking Vinyl to step away from the doors.

“Hey! C’mon, my friend’s in there, so let me in!” yelled Vinyl, forcing the nurse to grunt angrily at her.

“Keep your volume down! This is a hospital. And no, you may not go in! You can only go in when the red light turns off.” It was backstage all over again. Distraught, she panicked and jabbed the nurse, causing her to tumble slightly. The nurse regained her balance instinctively, and her eyes emitted fear.

“I… I can’t wait any longer! I want to go in now! I need to be in there now! I-I-I gotta see here!” She tried to storm past the nurse, but she stood steadfast, blocking the doors with her body now.

“S-s-sorry, I can’t allow it,” said the trembling nurse, who kept a façade of composure. “P-please, just wait it out here!” Vinyl, who grew irked at her request to just ‘wait it out here’, clenched her hooves and gritted her teeth. She lifted a hoof, ready to send a punch down the poor nurse’s throat, causing the nurse to gasp and flinch, but then, she reflected the situation and remembered the night before, and deliberated her actions. She stared at the nurse, who Vinyl knew those eyes were of harmless intentions, and with much consideration, dropped her hooves. She sighed and looked away, and breaths were taken to calm herself down, but the fact that she had to wait it out didn’t help.

Rejected, Vinyl walked away from the two doors, and went back to her old spot. She leaned her forehead against the wall, and placed a hoof on it for stability. “Just… just go do whatever you have to do,” motioned Vinyl absent-mindedly to the nurse, who stopped shivering and hurried past the white doors. For once again, Vinyl had been left alone, something that she still hadn’t grown used to ever since Octavia stepped into her life.

She closed her eyes and reminisced of her past. Her life before Octavia had been generous. Every stallion would find means and ways to approach DJ P0N-3, but Vinyl had always broken up with them after a short while. It wasn’t that she wasn’t into stallions; it was just how materialistic they all seemed to be. It had always been the musicians too, Vinyl realised, that wanted her attention.

High school had been an interesting time for her; it was a time where she experimented with techno, and with different stallions of different music genres. She subtly found out that she enjoyed more of the company of the quiet pianist, such as Most Zart, and violinist, Joe Suabel, who hadn’t tried to hit on her, rather than the outgoing, loud guitarist, Jimie Drix, and lead singer, Just Beeb, who desperately wanted a chance with her. After all, who wouldn’t want to know such a cool pony?

She graduated, but adulthood had been tough for her. Having found no stable job in the music industry, she wandered from bars to bars, often performing little stints for them just to survive. That all changed when she met Octavia, who introduced some big-shot to her. Vinyl didn’t care who it was. All she cared for was that Octavia had gotten her a prospect. That was where feelings erupted for her then best friend, and the rest, was history- a memorable one.

Beep. And the red light was switched off.

Author's Note

Oh my. 7k. That's a record.

And yes, cliffhanger ending for this chapter. The last chapter(s) will... take a while. :) Planned a little thing for all of you.

Two Mares, A Wolf and a New Beginning

“What the buck, man. You pulled me away from a good book, so we can go chill at your place?” groaned Vinyl.

“Yeah, mon.” Vinyl looked at Neon Lights with disdain as they trotted along the streets of Ponyville. “Cmon, I ain’t got lots of free time, and when I wanna throw a punch or two with you, you no wanna hang with Neon.” Neon Lights pretended to pout, but much to Vinyl’s amusement.

“Yo bro, that’s low. ‘Cos I got time for you.” Vinyl shoved Neon Lights playfully, well-knowing she had only been trying to tease her. Other than Octavia, the wild musician had only two close friends after high school, with the rest having drifted away. Vinyl and Neon, both driven by their passion for electronic music, what started off as a collaboration project had turned into flowers blossoming at every seasonal opportunity.

“But seriously, why are we going over to your place? Last time I was there, I was… wait a minute,” deliberated Vinyl, and after a while, gave Neon Lights a look of disbelief. “You’re throwing me a party, aren’t you?” Vinyl facehooved herself.

“Ya know DJ N30N too well, mon. Nothing escapes you,” said a chuckling Neon Lights, whose smile was contagious and left Vinyl giggling. It was short-lived, however, as the glint of the DJ’s teeth faded back into nothing but as when that one winter night.

“But,” frowned Vinyl, “Buck man, this ain’t right without her.”

“Hey, Taytay would want you to enjoy your birthday, mon.”

“Dude, only I can give her nicknames. Not you.”

“Heh, whatever, mon,” shrugged Neon Lights, which caused Vinyl to stomp her hooves in anger.

“Don’t you whatever me. As a matter of fact, I take this very, very seriously.” Neon Lights raised an eyebrow and glanced at the fuming DJ.

“Yo mon, you have got to chillax! Let loose!” said Neon calmly. “Sheesh, me thinks Vi needs a trip to the wackos.”

“I’m not insane or sick! I’m just… I… I miss her, alright?” sighed Vinyl as she stood still and stared at Neon’s shades. They were purple, like hers, but only darker and slightly bigger. “Life hadn’t been the same without her. Part of me regrets that day, if not all.” Vinyl felt her hooves numbing itself in memory of her past.

… Wake up Octy! Wake up! You can’t freeze on me tonight!...

… You told me we’re in this together forever. I promised you! I ain’t leaving you. Don’t leave me Octy!

… Stupid, stupid! …

… Doctor! Nurse! Some pony, any pony. Help! Help! …

… No! Go away! …

… “I… I can’t wait any longer! I want to go in now! I need to be in there now! I-I-I gotta see here!” …

… Doctor, how is she? …

… No! No, no, no! This ain’t happening! …

… Wake up Octy! I’m sorry, alright? I should have listened to you more! Please! …

… Get away! I want to see her, now! …

… What do you mean I can’t see her? She’s my partner! …

… What do you mean I’m banned? Oh, just cause I’m too loud? …

… No! Get away from me. I need to see her… Octavia! …

She dropped her ears and stared at the flower-laden floor. Her memories lingered on like dark stains on a white dress, and she hadn’t woven enough fabric to hide it. Most ponies knew how much it affected Vinyl’s life, some say to some drastic degree, but they didn’t understand the pain behind those purple shades, which even Vinyl had herself had fooled once. She suppressed her emotions, something which, like a kettle left under the fire for too long, had caused two things: one had been the scars of the flames which melted her kettle, affecting her interaction with life, the other had been the evaporation of all that’s inside which left her empty, killing off the very essence of who she was. She had changed, something she was very well-aware off. Yet every time she looked back, she could only wonder if the winter night had come like wildfire.

Neon Lights noticed the torn face Vinyl bore, and in attempt to console his best friend, wrapped a hoof around her shoulder. “I’m sure, bro. I feel you. I really do.”

“Really?” Vinyl looked up in surprise. Neon Lights wasn’t known to be empathetic around any pony, including Vinyl.

“Nah. Actually, I don’t,” said Neon Lights, which caused Vinyl to roll her eyes and continue walking again. She had smelled the sarcasm a mile away, but at the same time, she was hoping for something more behind those goofy blue eyes. “But you taught me something on the day of your wedding, mon. Two things actually.”

“Hmm?” Vinyl shot a glance at Neon Lights, a smile forming at the thoughts of sweet recollections, and raised her eyebrows quizzically, hoping for an answer that would shine light onto her desolated world.

“Aye.” Neon lights nodded as she casually paid two bits for a cup of lemonade from a lemonade stand. “For one, you can’t stop having fun, even in the worse possible scenario ever.”

“You call that the worse?” Vinyl knew what he meant, and half-grinned, half-scorned at the thoughts of Octavia’s wedding dress.

“Hey mon, I wouldn’t like to get my dress soaked. Especially from a clutz with a punch bowl.” During their wedding, Vinyl had tripped over something, sending the punch bowl she was carrying onto the shrieking Octavia, which caused the white dress to turn a dull yellow. But instead of being mad or upset, Octavia kept smiling and laughed it off.

As the night went by, the dance floor was packed with shoving stallions and moving mares. One pair however, over at centre stage, had the luxury of a wide open space as no wanted to touch the stained dress. Octavia thought it was perfect. Vinyl just wanted to dance with her, as well as avoid any more mishaps for the night.

“Bro, I told you a couple of times already. Some pony tripped me.”

“Uh-huh, sure thing, mon,” said Neon Lights sarcastically. Vinyl shook her head and facehooved herself again.

“Ugh, whatever. What’s the second thing anyways?”

“I’m glad you asked. This.” Vinyl turned around just in time to watch Neon Light’s lemonade fly out of the cup and towards her. Vinyl could only flinch, then grimace when it splashed all over her, the once-pristine white coat she had bore turning now-filthy yellow.

“What the buck?!” asked a furious Vinyl as the lemonade dripped from her body. ‘Traitor’ and ‘betrayal’ had been written all over Neon Light’s face.

“What the buck?!” asked Vinyl again, this time using magic to clean herself. However, Neon Lights started laughing, and soon, the once-confused Vinyl started laughing too.

“Thanks, I needed that,” said Vinyl.

“No problemo. But that wasn’t the second thing.”

“Hmm?”

“I realised… white goes well with yellow,” grinned Neon Lights. Vinyl thought about it slightly, then rolled her eyes, shook her head, and chuckled.

“Oh, buck you Neon. You’re a real pain in the flank, you know that?” asked Vinyl rhetorically.

“Yeah. And you’ll always be a clutz,” said Neon Lights as they trotted happily towards Neon Light’s house, chuckling over crude jokes and past memoirs.

“We’re here. Come on, go in.” Neon Lights pushed his mahogany door open and ushered Vinyl in.

“Surprise!” yelled many different ponies as Neon Lights flicked the lights on, or that’s what Vinyl had thought. She had recognised a few of them; over at the corner stood Lonely Ness, putting on a half-smile and waving unenergetically. Behind the couch beamed a half-contented Melan Choly who had been indulging in a now-empty bag of fries, and the table with the cake on it hadn’t really hid Were Reese and his bag of candy.

Vinyl took a small stride in and slumped on the couch as he greeted them all who accompanied him on this fine birthday. He thought that they had all gone their separate ways, but it had been evident that they came back for Vinyl. Smiling, he reached out for the bag of potato chips conveniently lying on the couch, then enjoyed in his self-indulgence.

“Hi Vinyl!” said Lonely Ness as she approached Vinyl. “How has Octavia been? I bet she’s having a wonderful time in there!”

“Yeah. She’s… sleeping now.” Vinyl nodded as she munched on, and Lonely Ness took the opportunity to sit beside Vinyl. Melan Choly bounced over next and wedged in between the both of them, causing Lonely Ness to frown.

“Hey Vinyl! I think I saw you the other night! A few months ago actually. Heard you were going for a concert, but missed the show. What a shame!” beamed Melan Choly.

“It was,” replied Vinyl nonchalantly, who turned her eyes and stared at Were Reese enjoying the piece of celery Lonely Ness had given him; Were Reese was a wolf of some sort. Some had heard him howl in the night, and for whatever reasons he had kept recurring. He never left Lonely Ness’s side though; a faithful companion was all she ever needed, and she was all he ever wanted. She taught him how to sustain on natural foods, and he provided nothing but hope.

“Hey, Were Reese, come here!” His ears instantly popped up and he stopped biting into the vegetable. “Vinnie wants a kissie!”

“No, no, no, no, no, no.” Vinyl tried to scramble away, but was outmatched by the ferocity of the beast. He pounced on top of her and held her there, then licked Vinyl a couple of times.

“Get away from me!” yelled Vinyl as she tried to push Were Reese away, but his weight had kept Vinyl from getting up. After another few licks, he released his grasp and sprinted towards Lonely Ness, who stopped him just in time with her magic before he could pounce her too.

“No. Bad Were Reese! Naughty, naughty Were Reese.” The wolf whimpered and pouted like a little cub, realising his mistake. Instead of punishing him, Lonely Ness dropped him, then came over and patted him on his head. That caused him to coo, and as his tail fluttered, he brushed his head against Lonely Ness’s body.

“You know, Were Reese had been a big problem for me in the past. But having kept him under control, he can be as adorable as you want him to be,” said Lonely Ness. “Even Melan Choly over here has got over her fear of Were Reese.”

“Yeah,” mentioned Melan Choly. “I’m much happier now. I now live with Lonely Ness and her pet wolf.” She chuckled as she stroked the wolf’s head. “At first, it was problematic. I kept kicking him to the curbs, tying him up against the front gates, because he kept causing trouble. But even so, he howled day and night, causing me serious unrest. However, one day I realised how much he yearned to be with Lonely Ness, and then it made sense.”

“What made sense?” asked Vinyl.

“That you can’t just tie problems one side and hope for things to happen. After I let Were Reese go, he stopped howling. He stopped bugging me and hey, I never knew how tame he could be until that day.” Melan Choly smiled happily as she grabbed a cup of punch on the table. “So don’t let Were Reese scare you.”

Vinyl stared at the wolf which had lain down on the wooden floors. Part of her wanted to go pat him once more, but she was still scared. What if Were Reese decided to bite her? That wouldn’t be good, would it? And what if Were Reese went on a rampage, destroying everything around her? Of course, that couldn’t happen unless Vinyl had let it. He had entertained Octavia’s wild side before, how was this any different?

Yet as she kept her eyes on it, she couldn’t help but wonder if Were Reese was as big of a problem as she imagined.

Vinyl opened her eyes to a familiar environment: Ponyville Hospital. However, she had been tucked into a bed, and was confused as to why she was.

“Ah, you’re finally awake, Miss Scratch. Or dare I say DJ P0N-3,” said an excited orderly wielding a clipboard.

Wow, that was some dream I had… Neon Lights had thrown me a surprise party… but who the hay were those three? And the wolf? I thought I knew them...

It wasn’t a simple dream after all, was it?

“It’s a thrill to finally see you in person. Name’s Doctor IV,” said the doctor. Vinyl Scratch groaned and stretched her hooves out, then promptly got off the bed. “You collapsed from exhaustion earlier on while waiting for your friend, so we had to ward you temporarily. As for your friend-”

“Octavia!” Vinyl yelled as she rushed out of the room, and sprinted down the halls towards the operating room. The red light had been turned off, and Vinyl didn’t hesitate to barge right into it. However, she was met with disappointment and confusion as she stared at nothing but the bare operating table.

“Miss Scratch!” called Doctor IV, who stood by the doors. Immediately, Vinyl swung around and ran up to him.

“Doctor! Where is she?” Vinyl grabbed hold onto the alarmed doctor, whose eyes beamed wide open.

“Calm down! If you had finished listening to me, you would have known your friend is fine!” said Doctor IV as he tried to shake her loose.

“Tell me where she is! I need to see her. Now!” cried Vinyl, who started shaking the doctor.

“I said calm down! If you had only just let me finish talking, you would have known she had been warded right beside you all this time!”

Vinyl then felt some pony smack her at the back of her head. Irked, she spun around, and got ready to smack whoever had hit her, but only to be smacked in the face once more, causing her to tumble onto the floor. She groaned, and tried to see which fool had landed the punch, but the bright light in the operating room had conveniently faced her and blinded her.

“Doctor, you may leave us to be. She’ll be fine,” spoke the attacker. Vinyl could recognise that voice from anywhere. “Oh Vinyl. You’re so stupid.”

That was all Vinyl had heard before the attacker charged her again, wrapping a hoof around the mare and squeezing her in a choke. Except that it wasn’t a choke, it was an embrace, and the attacker had been Octavia.

“Urghhh, you’re… crushing… my… lungs” coughed Vinyl.

“What’s that?”

“I said… you’re… choking… me.” Octavia released her grasp, causing Vinyl to gasp for air. “I’m sorry, I don’t speak stupid,” teased the grey mare.

“Not funny, Octy,” said Vinyl who struggled to get up, only to be pinned down once again.

“Maybe this will be.” Octavia leaned in for the kill; she closed her eyes and kissed Vinyl, who started hyperventilating. The blows had knocked the wind out of Vinyl, and the kiss had made it harder for her to breathe. Initially, she struggled to break free, but after a while, she decided to cave in to the passionate act, and started kissing her back.

She remembered what Octavia would do when they kissed; her tongue would swirl in places Vinyl thought no pony could ever reach, and her lips would start massaging and caressing Vinyl’s. Vinyl tried to manage her already-shallow breathing; Octavia liked to kiss for a long time, and this wouldn’t be an exception. Their tongues met and danced in harmony, then parted as they explored each other’s mouth.

Eventually, it was Octavia who broke out of the kiss. The pair opened their eyes simultaneously and stared at each other’s. Vinyl missed Octavia’s warm touch. She could feel Octavia’s heartbeat racing against her own as they both smiled as wide as when that one blissful night.

“Octavia, I…” stammered Vinyl.

“Shh.” Vinyl tried to speak, but Octavia had put a hoof over Vinyl’s mouth. “I forgive you.”

“I thought you didn’t want me anymore. For real.”

“Hey, we may fight all the time, but I can never stay mad at you truly,” said a smiling Octavia. She deliberated, then admitted shortly after, “I had time to think before I was… incoherent. I was… upset you didn’t come, but I was more upset with myself for demanding too much. I…”

“Hey, it’s all my fault. Don’t blame yourself too much. I should have been more supportive.” Vinyl put a hoof over Octavia’s cheek.

“But I should have been more understanding.” Octavia returned the favour and placed hers on Vinyl’s.

“You were right though. It was wrong for me to ditch you at times of need. I know how nervous you can be when you’re up on stage solo. I mean like, you’re used to being in a group, and getting used to performing alone isn’t easy. I should have been there for you, Octy. I really should have.”

“Vinyl, I have a confession. I… I’m actually jealous of you.”

Vinyl shot a dumbfounded look at Octavia. “Jealous? What for?”

Octavia turned her head and looked away. That was when Vinyl noticed the tears forming on the edge of her eyes. “You… you became so successful after I introduced you into my conductor. You remember the day we met?”

“Mhmm.” Vinyl nodded.

“Like, it was hard for me to accept the fact that you’ve become more… more well-known than me. I… I want to be equally as famous as you Vinyl.” Octavia had trouble confessing this to Vinyl- it had been her dark secret that tore her apart at times- and stammered as she tried to control her tears from flowing out.

“Octy… you don’t have to be famous to enjoy music.”

“No Vinyl, you don’t understand. I like being famous. I really do. Secretly, I want the attention more than you do.”

Vinyl sighed and gently caressed Octavia. “Actually Octy, I’ve got a confession for you too.”

“What is it?” Octavia turned her head back and looked at Vinyl.

“I… I don’t like being in the spotlight for too long. I liked what you had. You could practice your music in peace, and could play to your heart’s desire. That’s all I ever wanted. The fame and the money was a bonus. All I ever wanted was to play music that I myself enjoyed, and hoped that people would enjoy it too,” said Vinyl as she choked on some of the words. Unlike Octavia’s, Vinyl’s eyes were dry. “In a way, I was also jealous of you.”

“You don’t have to be jealous of me.” Octavia sniffled. “I am nothing without you, Vinyl. Because of you, only than had I a taste of fame. What was I back then in the Canterlot Symphony Orchestra? Nothing but just some other cellist. I was lucky enough to play for Princess Cadence’s wedding, but since we got married, Vinyl, there had been more… opportunities for me.” Tears started streaming down Octavia’s face. “I’m sorry… I’m… I’m not as strong as everyone thinks I am, Vinyl.”

Vinyl wiped the tears off Octavia’s face and held it close to her. “You’re strong to me, Octy. Who went on to perform on stage even though this doodoo head didn’t attend?”

Octavia snickered at Vinyl’s use of the word ‘doodoo’. “I… I did.”

“And who managed to receive a standing ovation from the crowd?”

“How did you know about that?” asked a surprised Octavia, who bore a tiny smile.

“I was outside hearing you sing and play, Octy. And you did well. You really did,” said Vinyl from the bottom of her heart.

“Why didn’t you come in then?”

“Some meanie didn’t let me in until the interval. I couldn’t wait of course. It was your turn, and I knew how much it meant to you if I was there. So I… I tried to barge in, but he was too strong and barred me from entering. He called for security, but I managed to slip away. Ugh, too bad he took my shades. I liked those shades.”

“But I like your red eyes better,” whispered Octavia, who leaned in again for another kiss. This time, Vinyl didn’t hesitate to return the favour. Octavia broke off again after a while. In the reflection of Vinyl’s eyes bore a smiling mare.

“I love you, Vinyl.”

“I love you too, Octavia.”

The two mares locked lips once again. As usual, after a period of time, Octavia broke off from the act, then promptly stood up and dusted herself.

“Let’s get going. The doctor says I’m free to go. Turns out you brought me in just in the nick of time, otherwise I would have suffered from pneumonia.”

“Aww, come on. Can we stay here a bit longer? I’m too lazy to get up,” whined Vinyl.

“Well, I’m just going to rearrange your basement then.”

“Oh, umm… sure go ahead.”

“Huh? You’re not worried I might throw your precious records away?” teased Octavia.

Vinyl lifted herself off the floors and headed towards the window. She stared outside, contemplating of what to tell Octavia. “Maybe I don’t want to be a DJ anymore. Maybe a writer, or a poet.”

Octavia was stunned. It was the first she had ever heard of Vinyl not wanting to be in the music industry. “Wait, you’re serious? What? Don’t be silly, Vinyl. You love your music.”

“At first, I couldn’t choose between my two loves, but when I finally did, I realised you were more important to me than my turntables.”

“Vinyl… you don’t have to do this for me at all.”

“I’ve already decided, Octy.” Vinyl turned and faced Octavia. “I’ve learnt that you can’t have it all, even when you’re famous. You have to sacrifice some things to achieve a greater goal. At times, it can be a gig or even a record deal, but as for this, I’m sacrificing my time for you. And to do that, I’m giving up my job.”

The two mares stared at each other, dumbfounded expression sparing neither one of them. The warm morning air misted against the cool windows, and the birds chirped merrily as the leaves rustled slightly in the wind. Other than the occasional beep for patients to receive their medication, it was quiet around them.

“I’m… I’m sorry, Vinyl.” Octavia bowed her head and sighed, which Vinyl saw as an invitation to console her with a hug. She wrapped a hoof around Octavia’s shoulder, and lifted Octavia’s head with the other.

“Don’t be. Support me, like how I’ll support you.”

“You… you sure you want to this?” Octavia stared at Vinyl’s red eyes as if it was a mirror.

“Yeah. I think so. It’s not so bad outside the music industry. Who knows, I may be good at writing,” chuckled Vinyl.

“I never knew you wrote.”

“I never knew you wanted to be famous.” Vinyl grinned, knowing she won this argument. “Come on, let’s go. I thought you wanted to leave this place?”

“Yeah. Shall we?” Octavia looked at Vinyl expectantly, a smile visibly shaped on her once-crestfallen face. The question had been rethorical; Vinyl grabbed Octavia’s hooves, and in harmonious syncopation, they waltzed out of the room.

“Where are we going?” asked Vinyl.

“For starters, I’m famished. Let’s go eat at that restaurant. The one you offered to bring me to? Unless you tell me you have plans now and can’t make it,” teased Octavia.

“Hey, like I told you before, I’m not a DJ anymore, right? So I’m here for you whenever you need me. But yeah, let’s go! DJ P0N-3- I mean Vinyl Scratch- is hungry!” Octavia giggled at Vinyl’s silly antics.

“Well, after that, maybe we can spend the day together, catching up on lost time. How’s that sound to you?”

“Dude, you don’t have to ask. Like you said, we’re married. Of course we’re spending the day together.”

“Any idea where you want to go?”

Vinyl thought hard about this question. Outside of the fancy parties that Vinyl brought Octavia to, there were a few places that Vinyl had always secretly wanted to go. The calm side in Vinyl spoke to her, giving her suggestions as to where to take Octavia to.

“How about we just walk around Ponyville? Nothing special, just us taking a stroll,” suggested Vinyl.

“That sounds… fun.” Octavia smiled and nodded.

As the pair left the hospital and headed towards the restaurant, two half-pebbles rolled around Ponyville in search of their other half. As the wind blew in different directions, so did the pebbles travelled. They rolled on grass patches, mud fields and gravelled walkways, and yet their search had been as relentless as the winds. One bumped into a mint green pony, who subtly picked it up and held it in her hooves. Then, she kept it inside her pouch, and trotted away. The other half-pebble found itself rolling towards an alley, where a burly pony picked up, then threw away into the trash bin. The pebble had found a companion though: a pair of purple shades.

Author's Note

Well, that's it. That's the end! I hope you enjoyed it as much I as wrote it, although I dreaded writing the interaction between Neon Lights and Vinyl Scratch.

And So It Shall Begin

Hey guys, if you haven't realised yet, I have a threequel! Here's the link: A Fall in Fall. Do enjoy, and tell me what you think! :) Good things, bad things. All sorts. Merci beacoup!