When the alabaster unicorn Vinyl Scratch first came to the Manehattan middle school of the arts, she had no idea that what would happen there would impact the rest of her life.
That doesn't mean she liked it there. She hated the place, and every day was horrible to her. There was only one hour of each day that she enjoyed; her music class. Every day, after long, frustrating hours at her other classes, she could always unwind behind her mixing table, letting her worries melt away.
But after a particularly rough day, when she was looking for the joy of her modern music class, and found out that the entire class was going to go to the classical music class, she felt like yelling at the top of her lungs. The teacher said that it was to try to implement classical music into modern music, but Vinyl didn't believe a second of that. She thought that the teacher was trying to get back at her for almost blowing out the windows of the room last week.
Vinyl was boiling mad, she had had a horrible day, and she was convinced that this day was going to end horribly as well. But once she entered the class, she heard a beautiful sound coming from the center of the room. It was a cello, its sound soothing and calm, and at the center of it all was a gray earth pony. The pony seemed oddly familiar, but Vinyl couldn't quite put her hoof on it.
"She can't be the teacher, she's too young," thought Vinyl. But she was playing with such expertise that Vinyl really wondered if she was. Vinyl then decided to not pay attention and think instead of how she could apply this music into her own.
She was so absorbed in thought, she barely noticed when a mint-green unicorn went up and started playing her lyre. She was also amazing, but not as much as the earth pony. She was clearly trying as hard as she could to do better than the pony before her, but she just didn't measure up. Every time she made a mistake, she would scowl at the earth pony. Vinyl could tell that they were rivals.
Once everypony was finished playing their own instrument, both of the music teachers made an announcement.
"Class, the modern music class is doing an assignment in which they must incorporate classical music into their own modern music. We have decided to make this a group project, in which one modern student and one classical student must work together to create a neoclassical piece. You may choose who to work with, but the groups must be chosen by tomorrow."
After the class was over, Vinyl was still wondering who to work with. Many of the students in the classical class had heard of her ability and wanted to work with her, but she refused. She wanted to work with the earth pony cellist.
--
Lyra heartstrings was concerned. She needed a partner for the project, but she didn't know anypony in the modern class. What she did know, was that the unicorn named Vinyl scratch didn't have a partner. She also knew that Vinyl was a talented pony, and would probably do good no matter who she was paired up with. She wanted her as a partner, and what Lyra wanted, Lyra got.
Lyra found Vinyl after class in the cafeteria, and sat down next to her trying to be friendly.
"Soooo, you're in modern music, right?" Lyra asked nicely.
"Mmhm," Vinyl answered without looking up from her food.
"And you probably need a partner for the big project, right?"
"Mm, yeah"
"So do you want to be my partner?" Lyra asked in the sweetest tone she could.
"Mm, nah," replied Vinyl.
"What!? I mean, do you already have a partner?"
"Not really"
"So then, why don't you want to be my partner," Lyra asked sadly.
"Well, you see," the unicorn replied, finally looking up from her food, "that mare that played the cello, she was really good, and she's in a couple of my classes, so I decided to ask her later."
"And you don"t think i'm good enough for you? i'm the second best in the entire class!"
"I just don't think that the lyre is a good companion for my music style."
"And the cello is?"
"Well, yeah."
Lyra couldn't take it anymore. She leaned in angrily towards Vinyl, and whispered loudly, "YOU CAN NOT ASK HER TO BE YOUR PARTNER. SHE HAS UPSTAGED ME ENOUGH, AND I FINALLY HAVE A CHANCE TO DO BETTER THAN HER, AND YOU ARE NOT GOING TO STOP ME BY PARTNERING UP WITH HER..."
Vinyl wasn't going to just let this mare push her around. She spat back, "I CAN WORK WITH WHOEVER THE HAY I WANT TO WORK WITH, AND YOU CAN'T DO ANYTHING ABOUT IT!"
Lyra started to walk away, ”We'll just see about that, Vinyl Scratch. You have made an enemy of Lyra, and you do not want that."
"We'll see who's more sorry when this is all over!"
"FINE! And don't expect Octavia to just happily accept you as a partner, either. She's very picky about her partners, and I doubt that she'll accept somepony like you!"
"We'll just see about that, then!" Vinyl shouted across the cafeteria. She had a bad feeling inside her that Lyra; that was her name, was right. Why would the grey mare accept somepony like her?
But there was one thing Lyra had said that just stuck with Vinyl the rest of the afternoon. It was the name Lyra had said.
Octavia.
Author's Note
Sorry that this chapter was a bit short. Thats it. Nothing more.
"FINE! And don't expect Octavia to just happily accept you as a partner, either. She's very picky about her partners, and I doubt that she'll accept somepony like you!" A mint green unicorn shouted across the cafeteria.
"We'll just see about that, then!" An alabaster unicorn shouted back with equal force not noticing that everypony in the cafeteria was staring at her. The alabaster unicorn pulled on her headphones and walked out of the cafeteria, either not knowing that everyone was looking at her, or not caring.
There was a pale green unicorn however, that took more interest in the situation than everyone else.
"What do you think all that was about?" the unicorn asked his friends.
"I haven't got a clue Neon, and I don't think that it's a good idea to get involved in 6th grade problems, either," said his friend.
The unicorn didn't share the same thought as his friend. "I dont know, there's just something about that unicorn that just walked out...something different..."
"NEON LIGHTS! DO NOT TELL ME YOU ARE CHECKING OUT A SIXTH GRADE MARE! I AM ASHAMED OF YOU!"
"Shut up, Time Turner," Neon said to his friend," Last I checked, you were doing the same thing."
"Ditzy's different, Neon. She looked at me first."
"Yeah, sure."
"Whatever. You can have my apple, i have to be somewhere."
"Good luck, Neon. Dont expect her to just gallop into your arms."
"I wasn't talking going to talk to her, Time. I need to get to my next class early, my teacher's expecting me."
"Yeah, sure."
--
Octavia couldn't believe her ears. She had to work with a pony to put her own music into somepony else's. Why was life so unfair? And Lyra would do just about anything to get her to fail, like TRYING TO PAIR UP WITH THE OTHER CLASS'S BEST MUSICIAN! Octavia had to find out who that was and pair up with them before Lyra! Her hand shot up.
"Yes Octavia?' the teacher asked.
"I was just wondering, who is the other class's best musician?'
"I believe that would be the unicorn Vinyl Scratch, now if you would all turn your music books to page seventy eight-"
Vinyl Scratch, Vinyl Scratch. Where had Octavia heard that name? She racked her brain trying to remember. Then, all of a sudden, she had a revelation. Vinyl was in most of her classes! And the next time she usually saw her was...7th PERIOD, HER NEXT AND FINAL CLASS! She would meet her and ask to be her partner! She almost shrieked in joy until she realized that Lyra was probably thinking the same thing. She had to be quick, she had to be cool about it to beat Lyra to Vinyl!
She was on her way to the next class when all of a sudden, somepony grabbed her and shoved her into a wall. She didnt have to think twice to know who it was. "Lyra," she muttered, "I assume your'e on your way to class?"
"Don"t play with me, Octavia," Lyra scolded, "you know just as well as i do why I'm here."
"I cant say i do."
"Whatever! You know I want the best of the best for my partner."
"And who would that be, dear?"
"DON'T PLAY DUMB WITH ME, OCTAVIA! YOU KNOW I'M TALKING ABOUT VINYL!"
"Who? Oh her!"
"What the hay are you DOING, Lyra!?" a new voice asked.
"Oh, hey Bonbon. What are YOU doing? I thought you liked to get to class early," answered Lyra.
"I do, but when i heard you picking on another student, I had to come check on both of you. Seriously Lyra, i thought you didn't do this anymore!" the pale yellow mare answered.
"But, I...sorry."
"Dont apologize to me, apologize to her!"
"Ok. I'm sorry, Octavia," Lyra said with the sweetest tone she could muster."It was wrong for me to let my emotions take the best of me."
"I accept your apology, Lyra."
Just as Bonbon was walking away with Lyra, Lyra whispered one last thing to Octavia: "If I find out that you're working with MY partner, I swear I will-"
"LYRA! we're going to be late!"
And with that, Lyra and Bonbon headed of to class, leaving Octavia all by herself.
--
There was something wrong with Octavia. Vinyl had never seen her this upset, even though she really didn't pay attention to her often. She was going to ask her to work on the project with her, but she just didn't think that know was a good time, since she seemed so upset. Because of that it REALLY surprised her when Octavia came up to HER towards the end of class and asked,
"Uh, hey. Your name's Vinyl Scratch, right? I was told you're the best musician in your class."
"Yeah I heard the same about you. Your name's Octavia right?"
"Who told you my name?"
"Oh this pony named Lyra. Is she-"
"Wait, are you working with Lyra?"
"What? No! She hates my guts after i stood up to her at lunch."
"Really? Well, in case you didn't know, Lyra wants you as a partner."
"Yeah, she's REAL subtle about it.'
"Well, anyways, i would like to know if you would like to be my partner."
"Wow, really? I was thinking the same thing! I can't wait to know you better, and become friends, and-"
"No, thats not what I meant. We are just partners for a project, nothing more, nothing less."
"Um, okay," answered a confused Vinyl as the bell rung, signaling the end of the school day.
