All music ends with a double bar line...
It was a cool day outside in Ponyville. The sky wasn't clear this night, but their was no rain. Just the moon reflecting what it can from the sun an miscellaneous clouds dotting the canvas of the sky. But no one in the seemingly peaceful town was outside to enjoy the cool autumn breeze. Everyone was in the warmth of Ponyville stadium, enjoying EDM mixed by their favorite DJ, Miss DJ Pon-3.
It was her last song of the set. She was playing a pre-show for one of her good friends. She preferred playing her beats all night long, but she had to leave early, due to personal matters. Because of this she settled for partying shorter than usual and letting the main DJ take over later.
She checked her phone again, rereading the text she got from her friend earlier that day.
Can we meet at Donut Joe's later? I want to talk to you over a nice mug of coffee.
She had replied that she'd be there when her show was done.
Then their was no reply back.
Even though it was just a pre-show, she wanted it to go out with a bang. She did have a reputation after all. Multiple dials on her control pad twisted, bringing down the lights in the club. The track playing faded to a silence in sync with the lights. A sudden piano chord rang through the room. The place shook as silence fell once again. A chord, again, played. A low buzz could be heard forming in the background as more chords played through. Sounds became frantic, the build-up of her latest track was definitely one to remember. Lights flashed behind her. The crowd began building up their cries of joy in time with the music. The DJ was holding the whole room in her hoof. The buzz reached a peak, the lights dimmed again, and the crowd held their breath.
3
2
1
...drop.
Everything exploded. The low kick drum rumbled at a steady pace, the piano chords reformed to synthesizer blasts, the wobble bass was off the hook, and the lights flashed periodically with the beat, all simultaneously. The DJ liked to image a hamster inside the speakers loosing its mind on an exercise wheel. She chuckled at the thought, as the crowd cheered, literally praising her for her electronic alchemy. And she smiled, basking in the glory of being the queen of the club.
The DJ threw up her hooves to the crowd. Her job was done. Now she needed to move aside, as Neon Lights walked up to take the reigns. Neon began his introduction as Miss Pon-3 walked backstage towards a secret escape door, so performers could leave the club without being mobbed by fans under all kinds of influence. Unless the performers wanted it so. She enjoyed giving autographs to her fans. They were the reason she made it in the music business. But today, she had somewhere to be.
She checked the text again. She began making her way to Donut Joe's. Its been a while since the two of them spent any time with each other, as a couple. Sure she would come home late quite often due to her job as a DJ, but she loved her marefriend. She was her closest friend. They had both grown up together. They knew each other's deepest secrets. And best of all, she enjoyed her company. But she would never forget that day they met, back in second grade.
The DJ's soon-to-be marefriend had just transferred. The new kid. Apparently, due to an accident with her parents, she had to move in with her aunt. And with moving houses, comes moving schools. She was never told what happened to her parents, just that she wouldn't see them for a while. She eventually put two and two together and figured they had...passed away. She was devastated, and pushed away everyone who tried to help. But not the toddler who loved banging around on the lockers, making noise. No, that filly noticed the new student sitting on her own. She would always try to talk to her, but she would just be pushed away, just like everyone else. But our toddle of a DJ wasn't everyone else. She would eventually keep pushing to make contact with the new filly's tied up and chained heart.
"I promise Octy, so long as I have my hooves, I will hold you close, and never let you go."
"Oh, Vinyl...."
And she had kept that promise. Staying with her since they met. Soon enough, they became more than just friends. And both were happy in each other's presence.
A sudden crash in the the glass door of the café snapped Miss Pon-3 out of her memory. She was so caught up in her past to notice how close she had gotten to it. Almost as if it was under her nose, literally. She peeled off her face from the door, and let herself inside.
The cashier behind the counter waved in her direction. "Joe", as he liked to be called, glanced to a corner of his small café and the DJ followed his gaze. In a booth in the corner, sat Octavia, much more grown than the version she was reminiscing about earlier, staring out the window intently. Vinyl trotted up and cleared her throat. Octavia turned, startled by the interruption, to see the white mare take a seat across from her.
"Oh, ...so you made it...." Octavia shifted her gaze to her hot chocolate as she spoke. Steam wafted out of the mug to keep her face warm. Vinyl noticed the overdose of marshmallows floating above the chocolate drink. She wasn't surprised, Octavia always had her hot cocoa like that. It was far too chilly outside to smell it, but Vinyl assumed it smelled wonderful.
"Well hello to you too, Tavi. You wanted to talk with me, so here I am," Vinyl spoke. She could see the expression on her marefriend's face, and knew something was going on.
Vinyl glanced around the area, noticing that most ponies decided to retire for the night. It was only them in the café.
Octavia stayed silent, poking at the marshmallow clouds in her chocolate sky. It was as cloudy as it was outside.
"Tavi, why did we come out here? If you wanted to talk, we could have done it at home," Vinyl broke the cold silence.
No sounds could be heard, until the wind picked up and blew against the windows. The noise was absurdly loud compared to the silence. Octavia's silence.
"Tavi?" Vinyl tried again to reach out to her. "Are you ok?"
"You tell me Vinyl. It may not seem so obvious, but that was the first time you ever asked that question in months." Octavia finally spoke. It was almost a whisper, but not as raspy. Her voice was shaking, like it walked to this café without a coat.
Vinyl was surprised by the sudden tone from her. "What do you mean?" she asked, worrying why her marefriend was almost crying.
"Do not play dumb with me, Vinyl. I know you understand what I said as clear as anything."
"Tavi...?" Vinyl trailed off, before that trail was cut short.
"It's been almost a year since we've been an official couple. And not once do I remember you asking that same question. If that isn't enough of a hint, then maybe I should be more blunt. No, Vinyl. I am not ok." Her tone was flat. No emotion, of any kind. No hesitation, as if she had this all planned.
"Octavia," Vinyl used her full name, "what's going on? Why don't we go home and talk about this?"
"Because, Vinyl, we don't live in the same house." This confused Vinyl. To her knowledge, they've been sleeping in the same bed for months. "Vinyl, I'm moving out."
Again confusion hit Vinyl. "What? Why? Is it the mice? I told you I would buy traps and stuff to take care of it."
"How can you still not understand Vinyl? I don't care about the damn mice. I am scared of them,but what bothers me is that I have to huddle up with a pillow to sleep, hoping you could get home sooner and rock me to sleep like you used to." She paused to sniffle.
"Tavi, I'm sorry, but I told you, I've been touring lately. I can't always be hom-"
"I can understand that Vinyl," she was cut off again, "I understand you can't always be home, but you could be home more than just three to nine in the morning to sleep before you head back out again. And that's just recently. You have an excuse with your tour, but what about before that? What is your excuse for having the same damn pattern every day. I wait for your return, only to find you stumble in, in the middle of the night, drunk off more alcohol than Captain Morgan himself would store on his ship! And I have to pick you up and walk you to bed, lucky to get a simple 'Good night' instead of a reeking sloppy excuse of a kiss." Octavia was clearly holding back tears. Some leaked out and splashed into her cocoa. It seemed as though the sweet drink was better at comforting her than the mare across from her.
"Octavia, I understand how you feel, but just give me a chan-"
"You've had plenty of chances, Vinyl," she was cut off a third time, "And don't you dare think you can tell me that you understand. Do you know how many times I've asked you if maybe sometime soon, we could go out? Just the two of us?"
"But we di-"
"I don't mean you taking me to another one of your hectic clubs late at night, just so I can sit at the bar while you talk with your friends. Now please, continue with what you were saying." Octavia was raising her voice now, something she'd never done without the intention to be heard over blaring music.
Vinyl couldn't speak. Her confusion was turning to sadness, as she began to slowly realize all her mistakes. She sighed and spoke again "Tavi, please don't do this...."
"Why, Vinyl? So you can ramble on about how you can change? Let me ask you something. What did you get me for Hearths Warming Day?" Octavia asked, not once this entire conversation, had she looked up from her mug.
Vinyl could only stare at her marefriends forehead. "What are yo-"
"Answer, the question," Octavia remarked sternly. Her hoof was trembling from its crushing grip on her mug. The marshmallows had almost completely melted, as if to escape the tension in the air of the conversation in the small café.
More wind rattled the windows as Vinyl stayed silent. After a pause she spoke, "I got you a ticket to see me perform live at the Hearths Warming Day Extravaganza."
"Yes, you did. And I went to that concert to support you. No matter how close to the speakers I was, I stayed there to cheer you on. Now tell me, what did I get you for Hearts and Hooves Day?" Octavia was not wasting time to bring her points across.
Vinyl learned to do as Octavia said and answer the question. "You got me tickets to see you perform live at a Hearts and Hooves Day Concerto in Canterlot."
"Correct again. Those were not cheap, but I begged to have those tickets. They were front row seats, exactly in front of where I was going to perform, just so I could see your face to keep me calm in front of all five thousand ponies that would be there. I even got you a specially made dress from Rarity's Boutique so you could have something to wear. But what did you do with the tickets?" Octavia was full out crying now. Clenched teeth, runny nose, and a replica of Neighagra Falls for a pair of eyes.
"...I had to give them away," Vinyl spoke, now her voice lacked emotion compared to the words Octavia spoke in Staccato as she sobbed.
"Why did you give them away?" Octavia knew the answer, but she wanted to hear Vinyl say it.
"Because I was asked by the mayor to DJ at her Hearts and Hooves Day party for all of Ponyville."
"I have been telling you for weeks before then how hard I was working to perfect my solo. The solo could have gone to anyone, but they chose me because I worked so hard. I asked you if I got you tickets, if you could make it, and you told me that you would be happy to. But instead, you blew me off for your own concert. I even asked Mayor Mare if it would be alright if someone else could take your shift. She said she had many replacements but you assured her that you weren't rejecting her offer. Hell, Vinyl, there was even enough time for you to finish playing at that party, and you could have made it in time to see me perform since I was the last act. But you chose to stay back, and get drunk with your friends like you do every night." Octavia was heaving from shouting so much. Her tone quieted a bit as she breathed her last sentence. "If that is you way of showing that you can change, then why do I even bother."
Vinyl could only sit there and take the lashing. She knew that everything Octavia said was right. And she should have realized it before. "Octavia. I'm so sorry."
"Don't be sorry Vinyl. I'm the one who should be sorry. I'm sorry to have been a weight that only held you back from working on your career. But most of all, I'm sorry I thought it wasn't a foolish idea staying with you longer than I needed." Octavia sniffled again. All of her tears were gone, and she turned to leave. Vinyl couldn't do a thing to stop her. Her words pierced her very soul in the way Vinyl had to Octavia all this time.
Vinyl zoned out. Her mind went blank in an attempt to cool her sadness, which raged inside the remain of her broken heart. She had always loved Octavia, but she never seemed to show it. And it was all her fault. When she refocused on reality, she remembered that she was in the café. But the only thing across from her, was a mug of cold cocoa.
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It's been a couple days. Octavia didn't get good sleep yet again after everything that happened two days ago. She felt bad having to do such a thing to Vinyl, but what else could be done? It was hurting Octavia how much she was being neglected. But now she had to move on. She had woken up in the hotel room she rented for the next few days as her luggage was sent to her aunt's. She would have to live with her until she could find a new apartment.
Octavia's stomach rumbled as she sat up from bed. The hotel offered free meals to its residents in the form of a buffet. And Octavia was so hungry, the hotel staff may need to install speed bumps in the buffet line. She stood up and trudged outside. Her hair was in acceptable shape, and she could always shower after breakfast.
Now fully away with stretched legs, she stopped wandering and made her way to the dining hall. It was late morning, so not many ponies were here eating breakfast. They most likely had left to do whatever it is they do in this town. Octavia grabbed a plate, the larger one of course, and made her way down the line. Scrambled eggs, hash browns with ketchup, fresh toast with margarine and jam covered her plate as she found a place to sit.
A tenant had left a newspaper on an empty table. Octavia was curious as to what nonsense the media is spreading, and plus, she wanted something to do as she ate. She sat down and at the mercy of her stomach, nearly inhaled a third of her eggs before she glanced at the paper. But instead of typical gossip, the front page broadcasted a headline that caused a loud clang when Octavia's fork chose to jump out of her hoof and body slam her plate.
"DJ Plays Her Last Ballad," Octavia read the headline out loud. She couldn't believe it. She continued reading aloud. "Neighbors could hear loud music...not unusual due to her constant parties...strange because the music never turned off," Octavia was whispering the words to herself since she couldn't seem to believe the words on the paper. "No response to knocking or ringing the doorbell...took twelve hours...floor littered with empty bottles of all kinds...empty canisters found on her bedside...one an empty bottle of over the counter Advil and the other an empty orange container of...Wellbutrin...confirmed prescription drug...overdose...self inflicted...doctor explained that she's been on the medicine for years...most surprising thing was her still warm corpse, limp on her bed with a smile on her face...."
Octavia simply stared at the paper in front of her. No tears, no expression, nothing. She didn't know what to think. She couldn't do anything about it. She did make the right choice, didn't she?
Octavia sniffled.
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It's no surprise that there are a multitude of things on this Earth that bring joy to us. Everyone has their pleasures. Maybe it's the feeling in middle school, when you finished your test before everyone else, and you got to walk up to the teacher and hand it in before anyone. Maybe it's the feeling when you hug your mother, because you hunted down the source of the wonderful smell in the house to find she had baked cookies for you. Maybe it's that feeling when you catch your high school crush eyeing you across the room, and instead of turning away quickly you just smile as they return the gesture.
One that interests me is endorphins. An endorphin is a neurotransmitter in your brain that produce a state of well-being. They are the human body's naturally made version of morphine, that work to cause a feeling of exhilaration in response to forms of stress. Have you ever exercised a lot and instead of the expected fatigue, you felt like you could do more? That's endorphins playing their part. They give you a temporary feeling of positivity instead of the negativity you'd expect.
Now I may be the only one here, but I've heard the expression, "When opportunity knocks, invite him in for dinner." Does it sound familiar? Maybe? Anyway, to me, this is not how the expression should be worded. Instead, I think if opportunity knocks at your door, don't invite him in. Knock him out. Drag him into your basement and tie him to a chair. If he asks any questions, don't answer. Simply keep him locked away and don't ever let him out. Because if you have been given an opportunity at happiness, even if it's just the slightest, be grateful. Some people barely ever get even a chance, and instead live one hell of a life in dismal. When something or someone brings joy to you, be happy. Take what you can from it. As Dr. Seuss said "Don't cry because it's over, smile because it happened." Because no matter what happens, just like endorphins, all forms of happiness are
Temporary.
