Broken Strings and BPM's

Broken Strings, Ch. 19: Regrezza

(I think the two story paths are gonna take a Mass Effect-ish turn. And I mean Mass Effect 1. Not 3. Oh, and by the way, the story's going to take a dark turn here.)

The situation had just gotten rather intense. Especially when I heard the sound of somepony rolling off the couch, and landing on her hooves as gracefully as a buffalo in a ballet recital. "Hmm? What's going on? Who's at the do- You?!"

I looked back at the mare, who was struggling to stay on her hooves, then turned back to Vinyl, in the doorway. "What do you want, Scratch?" I had only just noticed a few bruises on her neck, and her black eye. It looked like she had just lost a wrestling match with a Manticore.

"I… I…" I could tell from her voice, as well as the tears, that something bad had happened. I don't know why, but I felt somewhat sorry for her. "I came to say I'm sorry… for everything. What I've done, what Flats has done. Everything."

"And why should I trust you?" I shot her a stern look. A look that spoke volumes.

"Because Flats is an abusive, manipulative asshole. You should know, just as well, Ivory."

I turned, and looked at Ivory, a look of slight concern on my face, as I watched her expression shift from anger to sympathy. Almost as if she was reliving some horrible memory. "I do know, Vinyl…" And here came the 180. "…But I never hurt anypony because of him! You did so all too happily! And now that you see his true colors, you regret it, don't you?"

What happened next is something that I don't think either myself or Ivory were expecting. "No.…" Vinyl dropped her head, and looked to the floor, tears dripping from her face to the carpet. "Not at all. If I hadn't done what I did, Bass wouldn't have found you, and he wouldn't truly be happy." My jaw dropped, and Vinyl turned, and ran out of the apartment. I thought about following her, but decided against it. I turned back to Ivory, who was just as astonished as I was. She tried to speak, but it seemed like the recent event had just caused her brain to shut down.

"What in Equestria just happened, Bass?"

"I have no clue." I was slightly confused by what had happened, myself. It took a moment for me to snap out of it. "I just heard something on the radio about some letter she wrote in 'Musical Weekly,' then next thing I know, she was here."

"Have you read it, yet, baby?" Ivory looked at me with a small hint of concern.

"No, not yet. I don't really know if I want t-"

"You should! It could be really important, Bass! Read it!"

I shot a quizzical look at the mare who had trotted up beside me. "Are you sure?" My question was only answered with a nod. Without further ado, I headed toward the table, where Ivory's subscription copy of Musical Weekly was resting. I flipped it open, taking a seat at the table.

"Oh, and don't let me forget to ask you what the hay happened to my living room."

"Gotcha." I located the page number in the table of contents, and quickly flipped to the page. As I began reading, I could hear Ivory's soft breaths in my ear.

"Dear Musical Weekly,

Hello. My name is Vinyl Scratch. A lot of you know me as Sharp Flats's musical partner, and marefriend, DJ PON-E. Well, I've got quite a few things to get off my chest, and I want to get right to the point. Many of you remember me from the concert In Steedston, when I took the stage with my colt-friend, Deep Bass. More of you remember the loving, and heartfelt speech that Bass gave, just before he asked me to marry him. And almost everypony knows that Bass and I split up a few months ago. What you don't know, however, is WHY we split up. You see, not long after the concert, Bass and I were happily engaged, living the storybook romance life of two young ponies in love. Until the day that it all got pissed away. Looking back, I probably don't deserve anything that I was given. It was about nine months after the concert, and we were soon to be married. One day, I got a letter from a record company, offering me some studio time. Bass, being the kind, and loving stallion he is, knew how much I had wanted a record deal, so he encouraged me to go. The next day, I was in Manehattan, recording with Hydra Records. On the way back to the hotel, I was approached by another pony, who was signed to Hydra. His name was Sharp Flats, and he invited me to dinner. Of course, I was only happy to oblige, taking it as an opportunity to get to know one of my fellow musicians. Well, liquor is as liquor does, and next thing I knew, I was back at his apartment. He had tried to make advances on me, but was shot down, time and time again. Eventually, I caved, and slept with him. I felt so… dirty. I knew that I wouldn't be able to face Bass the same, after that, so I tried to go about my schedule, yet constantly found myself face to face with Flats again. I played along, as he tried to make more advances, hoping he'd leave me alone. He didn't. And on my last day, in Manehattan, he forced me into a kiss in public. I pushed him away, and took off, back to my hotel, packed my things, and headed back to Ponyville, excited to get back to my old life, yet broken over what I had done. When I returned home, I found Bass talking to his friend, Rainbow Dash. After I arrived, Dash left, and Bass told me that he had seen me kissing Flats. I couldn't believe it. I couldn't bear seeing him so torn. I had to leave. That's right. That's the real reason Deep Bass and I are no more. He gave me everything I wanted in this world. He gave me unconditional love, kindness, and something I had always wanted. A pony to call mine. Everypony also knows that Flats and I have been in a relationship, since Bass and I split. In my time with Flats, I thought I was happy. Everything was sunshine and bucking daisies. Until I got to see his true colors. He is an abusive, egotistical, conceited, manipulative jackass. I deeply regret having anything to do with him. And after I saw Bass and Ivory Keys together, I just lost it. I was so jealous that I tried to cause as many problems between them as possible. Only now do I realize that I made a complete bitch out of myself. Now, I'd like to take a moment to apologize. I'm sorry for what I've done, Ivory. I'm sorry for being such a bitch to my best friend, Octavia. And Bass… I still love you. I always will.

-Vinyl Scratch"