Simply Synchronized

The setting sun in the horizon painted the sky with beautiful shades of orange and red, the once blue sky slowly dimming. The warm colors bounced off of Fluttershy's flower garden magnificently setting the verdant land ablaze with color. A warm breeze pushed through the yard carrying the smell of spring, nature and... Onions?

Vinyl Scratch snapped out of her poetic thoughts and quickly looked around in a paranoid panic. A sigh of relief escaped her lips as she recalled being at Rainbow Dash's house for a party. She sat outside in the patio watching three children chase around an energetic white rabbit while nursing a lukewarm glass of watered down cider. The kids hadn't caught critter once and the smug look on the rabbits face said it was proud of its agility and wit.

Get your head out of the clouds, Vinyl.

"Sweetie Belle, to your right!" a child exclaimed with a southern twang. "He's behind ya now, Scootaloo, get ‘im!"

"What?! HOW?!" Scootaloo screamed twisting around trying to catch the critter off guard, but stepped on her loose laces and fell face first into the grass. "Ow... No fair, Angel bunny… I’m telling mom."

The rabbit stopped running and fell on his back doing what appeared to be an exaggerated bunny laugh. Vinyl had to do a spit take to confirm what she saw before blaming the alcohol.

"Quick Applebloom, grab him while he's distracted!" Sweetie Belle instructed as she helped Scootaloo to her feet.

"Ah know!" she replied with sass in her tone.

Angel quickly recovered and hopped away with three very determined children in hot pursuit. He looked around for a safe place to hide and spotted the blue haired adult relaxing. He kicked it into high gear and charged towards her with reckless abandon. Vinyl didn't even get a warning before she found herself tackled to the ground with a laughing rabbit crouched on her forehead.

"Holy horseapples girls, you guys need to get on the football team A.S.A.P!"

"Hehe sorry, Vinyl!" the three grinned innocently.

The loud laughter caught Fluttershy's attention so she went to go see what was going on. "Everything alright?" she asked cautiously. "Oh hello Angel, where have you been off to all evening?"

The rabbit hopped off of Vinyl and ran to its master eagerly. He hopped up and down asking her to pick him up, Fluttershy was more than happy to oblige.

"You've got some rabbit, Fluttershy." Vinyl said as she pushed herself off of the ground. "Ran circles around the Crusaders."

"Only cause we let him!" Scootaloo growled trying to save face. “Y’hear that Angel? We let you get off easy this time!”

"Well I'm glad you're all having fun, but I think you should get off of Vinyl. It isn’t very polite."

"Oh right, hehe… sorry." Sweetie Belle blushed and got up first. She helped her friends up and all three offered to help Vinyl up.

Scootaloo walked up to Fluttershy and hugged her waist. The tall woman looked down lovingly running her fingers through the girl's messy red hair. "Would it be alright if Sweetie Belle and Applebloom stay the night?" she asked with an adorable pout. “We finished all of our homework at Sweetie Belle’s!”

Following in suite, Sweetie Belle and Applebloom latched onto Fluttershy’s side promising they'd behave all night.

"Um well," Fluttershy hummed giving the request serious thought. She had work early tomorrow, but Rainbow Dash would be home all day so the children wouldn't go completely unsupervised. "I don't see why not, but..."

"Aw come on Mom be cool!" Vinyl groaned, she had a crick in her neck that wouldn't leave no matter how she stretched. "Can we stay the night pretty please with a carrot on top? I promise I’ll eat my veggies and brush my teeth, so pretty, pretty please!?"

"Please, please, please?" Scootaloo insistingly begged.

Unable to say no, Fluttershy gave in and said, "If Dashie says it's alright then go ask Applejack and Rarity for permission. But I expect you girls to be in bed before 10pm."

"ALRIGHT! CUTIE MARK CRUSADERS SLEEPOVER!" the three screamed at the top of their lungs and ran in; it was almost guaranteed they’d be staying.

Vinyl dusted off her pants chuckling at the comical sight in the living room. The children tackled Rainbow Dash from behind causing another tumble and even more playful banter. "Things are always lively around here, I'm getting too old to keep up. Ow my lumbago..."

"Oh hush, you still have plenty of party left in you." Flutter said with a smile.

"Never said I was too old to party!" Vinyl barked in defense. "How do you and RD manage? I was just sitting here just watching them and I’m already pooped."

"Scootaloo does her own thing and never gets into any trouble, so we haven’t run into any serious problems trying to raise her."

"Speaking of RD, has she... Y'know?"

Fluttershy quirked her eyebrow and asked, "Do I know what?"

"Taken an arrow to the knee?"

"Oh heavens no!" the green eyes woman gasped in horror. "That's a terrible thing to say, Vinyl Scratch! How would you like it if I asked you if you'd like an arrow anywhere in your body?"

Vinyl face-palmed hard and regretted it even more when her sunglasses rammed into the bridge of her nose. "Flutters, it's a phrase for getting married."

"Ohh..." Fluttershy felt her face heat up at the thought of getting married. "I-I wouldn't mind if it was with Dashie, but no she hasn't asked."

"Any plans though?" Vinyl pressed on as she took her seat back in the patio. “I’d totally rock the reception party for you.”

Fluttershy joined her and answered, "We have a home, a child and a life together, I'm perfectly content with the way things are. And a wedding takes so much effort, and so many people… all staring at me… uhm..."

"T-That makes sense, I guess? It was kind of silly for me to ask. You guys are practically married anyways, haha."

Giggling, Fluttershy patted Vinyl's hand telling her it was alright. She didn't notice the sharp intake of air or the longing look in Vinyl's eyes.

"That reminds me, why wasn't Luna with you tonight?" Fluttershy waited for a reply, but after a minute of silence she asked, "Vinyl?"

"Huh?" jolting up right, the Dj took her glasses off and pinched the crease on her bridge. "Sorry about that, what did you say?"

"Are you alright?" Fluttershy asked with concern, Vinyl nodded her head weakly. "I know you and I aren't as close as you and Dashie are, but I consider you a very good friend nevertheless... That is if you don't mind"

"Sorry for being such a space case, and I think of you as a good friend, too." Vinyl let herself relax around Fluttershy enough to open up a bit, in hindsight she should have spoke to someone sooner than let it fester.

"I've just been really tired lately. Lots of stuff goin’ on in this empty noggin’ o mine, just a shame none of it involves a wicked bass line."

"It doesn't have anything to do with Octavia does it?" Rainbow's lover had hit the nail on the head. Vinyl tensed up at the sound of the sound confirming Fluttershy's theory. "You can tell me, I promise I won't say anything… and if it helps, I did minor in psychology--not that I’m profiling you or anything like that! I just want to help."

"Do you think she hates me?" Vinyl finally managed to ask in a meek voice.

"Um..." Fluttershy didn't know how to answer without hurting the other woman.

"She does doesn't she? She totally hates my guts! I can see it on your face, no need to lie."

"I wasn't lying... Per se. Hold on is this the reason why you won't join the others in the living room?"

"Yeah, silly ain't it? Never thought I'd see the day when DJ PON-3 worries about making friends!" Vinyl angrily scratch her head and groaned. "Argh why'd I go and Vinyl things up?! She won’t even look me in the eyes."

"Oh I don't think you messed up that badly... But it was pretty bad, I can’t deny that."

"Did she tell you about it?" Fluttershy nodded causing Vinyl to convulse in her chair. "Bloody hell I'm embarrassed just thinking about it! Oh gawd kill me now."

"She said you "wubbed" the chalk off her board, how did you manage that?"

"I did... I thought it woulda been cool--nah, it was definitely cool."

"I'm sure it was, um, cool... But not for a classy woman like Octavia." Fluttershy explained. "If you did that for Dashie on the other hand, personally I think she'd love it."

"Who do you think gave me the idea in the first place?" Vinyl wept as loudly as she could. "I asked her how I could break the ice and she said to just be myself! She’s high class and I’m well… I’m me. I’m the Vinyl Scratch, DJ PON-3!"

"Dashie's advice wasn't wrong… I think you just took it a little too literal."

Slumped over and depressed, Vinyl let out a exaggerated whine and, "What was I supposed to do then? Walk up to her, smile and say "Hi the names Vinyl Scratch, and welcome to the herd!" That just isn't me."

"It would have worked though," came a sultry Canterlot accent. "Had you only presented yourself in a polite manner, we may have been friends."

"Are you drunk, Octy?" Vinyl got up from her chair and offered it to the inebriated woman. "Come on sit down, I'll get you a glass of water."

“Hold on I’m no--”

“Yeah, you’re definitely wasted. Sit down.” The concerned DJ offered her chair again.

"I do not need your chair or-or a glass of water," Octavia walked up to Vinyl and glared at her, their faces mere inches apart. "You think you can... -Hick- You think you can butter me up by acting civil, you can think again Ms. Scratch! I know what kind of woman you are and I refuse to be fooled."

"You reek of cider, how many have you had? I'm taking this away." Vinyl wrestled the half empty glass and chugged it down before Octavia could complain. She forced her co-worker to sit down against her will and received a flurry of posh insults. "Fluttershy, take this and get her a glass of water please. We need to let her sober up."

"R-Right, I'll be right back."

Vinyl watched her friend rush into the kitchen before turning her attention back to the source of her frustration and sleepless nights.

"Seriously how many have you had to drink tonight?" Violet eyes darkened as Octavia struggled to free her wrists from Vinyl's grasp. "Calm down, bowtie. I'm not here to hurt you, I’m here to help."

"You managed to call me by my name before, please refrain from making these inane nicknames. We are adults not children, let us act as such."

Clicking her tongue, Vinyl refrained from speaking her mind and opted to be diplomatic. "You really need to calm down, Octy."

"I would still be calm if you hadn't grabbed me and accused me of being intoxicated you... you... you brash, overbearing, loathsome troglodyte." Octavia heaved, she had never lost her temper like that before. It felt exhilarating.

"Hold on let me get a dictionary," Vinyl pulled out her cellphone and tried to punch in the words Octavia spoke, but found herself unable to spell a single word. Giving up, she screamed in exasperation, "Was that even English!? It's only an insult if the person you're saying it to understands!"

"Well fine, how about you take this one on for measure," Octavia smirked, "You blue pineapple."

The two rivals entered a heated staring match where neither one refused to budge. Octavia's smile widened as Vinyl's face began to falter, she had won the battle with her eloquent speech and superior facial control. Sobriety be damned!

"Babe, I’m a DJ. I work clubs of a living, I know what a drunk looks like and you fit the bill.”

“Do not call me “babe”, it is an insult to me as a grown woman.”

“Where the hell is Fluttershy with that water?” Vinyl looked over Octavia’s shoulder and grimaced when she saw the shy woman fumble with a glass.

Octavia took to the offensive and stepped on Vinyl’s foot with her feel. The DJ recoiled in agony releasing Octavia who sat before her grinning smugly. “Now then Ms. Scratch, I would like to make some things very clear.”

“God damnit I’m about to slap a bitch…” Vinyl snarled under her breath.

“I heard that, but I’m feeling rather forgiving tonight so I will let it slide. Do not, and I repeat, do not test my patience.” Octavia uncrossed her legs and recrossed them before speaking again. “I couldn’t help but overhear your conversation with dear, sweet Fluttershy.”

“What of it?”

“First of all I do not appreciate crude assumptions being made about me and my upbringing. I am not “high class” or any of the sort, I fancy myself as rather down to earth if anything. And for the record I most definitely do not hate you.” Octavia explained rubbing her forearm nervously, “But I suppose my previous actions could state otherwise, to which I sincerely apologize. It was wrong of me to let my anger control my actions.”

“Now I definitely know you’re drunk,” Vinyl chuckled. “The Octavia I know would never stoop down and say sorry.”

“But you do not know me and likewise I do not know you, this is where the misconceptions began I believe.”

“Yeah I guess, look Octy I’m sorry. That was a stupid thing I did and I really regret it, can you ever forgive me?” Looking straight into Octavia’s eyes, Vinyl looked for any signs of redemption in the beautiful mauve eyes that had haunted her dreams the past week. But she saw nothing there and withered under Octavia's calm and collected expression.

“Only if you can forgive me as well,” she said letting her poker face slip away and finally smiled.

Like an over eager puppy, Vinyl nodded her head and launched herself at the staunch musician trapping her in a tight embrace. “AHYEAAA! I knew you were totally awesome!”

“Likewise,” Octavia awkwardly patted her new friend on the head. “Now, would you care to join us all for a drink?”

“I would love to.”