The Missing Half

by VinylDashxD

Rating: teen
Tags: Romance, Octavia, Slice of Life, DJ P0N-3, Human, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic
Length: 3029

Vinyl has it all, But something's still missing

Vinyl Scratch is one of the most successful and talented DJs in all of Equestria.

To the press, she seems like the most resilient person on the planet. However, her personal life is in shambles, she constantly suffers from anxiety and nightmares keep her awake at ridiculous hours.

Does any of this have to do with the lose of sleep that comes with show business? Her lifestyle decisions?

Or is it a whole lot simpler?

Maybe she's just missing her other half... Her significant other.

A humanized OctaScratch Fic..

[A note from the author]

Hope you guys enjoy this fic!

The first couple chapters will be a little grim, but I decided it wasn't enough to tag it as a "sad" fic.

PS. I saved the cover image of vinyl for this story a while ago and cant seem to find the artist again. I would love to give credit however being in this predicament its a bit complicated :/ If any of you know who made this plse message me!

-VinylDash

Published 2015-02-21 17:00:01 UTC
Last updated 2017-07-27 21:41:33 UTC

The Daily Struggles

A VinylDash Fic

Chapter 1
The Daily Struggles

The outskirts of Manehattan were dead quiet, with the exception of a DJ's footsteps which echoed down the stone brick streets.
She didn't know why or where she was exactly, but for one reason or another Vinyl Scratch was running frantically.
It was almost as if her body was strung up, performing some sort of act under the control of a puppeteer, leaving her conscious mind along for the ride.

A warm summer rain had rolled in from the west, giving the grimy city roads a slick consistency. Luckily, other than a couple close calls, Vinyl had refrained from slipping on the roads as she ran from street to street.
Suddenly, a high pitched sound pierced the air. A car had braked hard in an alley leading off the street she was on, emitting a screech as the tires struggled against the road.

"Uh-huh.." Vinyl thought to herself as the roar of the car came into earshot. "This must be why I'm here."

Normally, Vinyl would have paid no particular attention to a car in the usually busy city, but this was the first she had come upon all night, encouraging her to investigate further.

Cautiously, Vinyl approached the dark passageway.
Every fiber of her being conflicted the decision, but the strings that entwined her said otherwise.

With her back to a wall, Vinyl slowly peered around the corner of the weathered building parallel to the alley.
Her eyes widened as she witnessed a person with a sack over their head be thrown out of the SUV, landing against the alley wall with a thud. The victim squeaked in pain, but was quickly shuffled across the alley and into the building's fire exit.

Seeing her chance, the DJ ran for the door as it began to close behind the group, sliding her hand between the lock and its catch before it could close behind them.

Ever so slowly, Vinyl cautiously made her way up a stairwell, trying her best to guess which stair planks would squeak and which ones wouldn't. She regret every step more than the last, but there was no going back.
Vinyl's heart pounded as she realized what she was about to do.

The Disk Jockey picked up a two foot pipe of some sort off the floor, figuring it handy if a fight were to take place.

A faint mumbling could be heard along with a short screech before whoever it was fell silent again after a couple bumps and a final thud, which shook the ceiling above the DJ.

Now approaching the final floor, Vinyl followed the voices of the thugs that she had witnessed in the alley, leading her to a door at the end of the hall. Peering through the keyhole of the door, Vinyl could see a girl, about her age with long black hair tied to a collapsed chair in the center of the room. In shock, Vinyl stumbled back, falling to the floor.

The voices fell silent in unison, right before the door was flung open, revealing one of the captors. Vinyl struggled with her back against the wall trying to gain a footing to run, but it was too late. The captor cocked a pistol and pointed it directly at the DJ. Vinyl threw the pipe in the direction of the attacker, diving away from the door as a shot rang out, echoing down the hall and into the night sky.

*****************************************************************************************

A faint beeping began to restore the DJ to a self controlled state, as she slowly drifted away from the horrid scene.

"No.. No! NO!"

Vinyl tossed and turned violently under her bed sheets, eventually kicking them off and shooting up from her sleep with a loud gasp, choking on her own throat.

Trying to catch her breath, it took her a minute to realize what she had experienced was all a dream. She was no longer trapped in that dark weathered apartment, instead, she was in her own.
She was able to control her own action and perhaps most importantly, she wasn't getting shot at.
The DJ plopped her head back onto the pillow, trying to fight off the images that still tormented her.

The sound of calming raindrops knocked lightly against Vinyl's bedroom window which overlooked the bustling city nightlife.

"What do they mean?"
Vinyl wondered as she tried to put the dream back together.

However, the period of remembrance was at its end and the visions slowly fleeted, leaving only a puzzle of thoughts and worries.
This was the third time in the better half of a month that she had this exact dream, and it was beginning to become a bit of a nuisance.

Not wanting to associate herself with the dream any longer, the DJ slid out of the bed and walked to the bathroom sink, turning the alarm clock off on her way out.

A splash of cold water shot the DJ out of her drowsy state, bringing her bright red eyes wide open as they strained against the bombardment of light. Unfortunately, the partial nights sleep hadn't done much to help Vinyl recover from the night before.
A pounding migraine tightened its hold on her head, causing wave after wave of sharp pains.
Vinyl was no stranger to hangovers, but the constant bookings night after night had cut the DJ to her core.

Moaning in a mix of agony and sleep deprivation, the DJ slipped out of her clothes and stumbled into the shower, flipping the radio on before shutting the door behind her. Vinyl sat on the shower bench and let the rush of hot water work away at her aching body as she tried to recall the previous night. After twenty minutes of empty thought, Vinyl stepped out of the shower, grabbed a towel and wrapped it around herself.

Lets see.. I was at a gig- She could barely start thinking before the mystery was solved for her.

"Now, if any of you pay attention to Manehattan EDM media you've probably heard of the incident which occurred at Neon Palms the other night." Exclaimed Silver Bolt; Manehatten EDM's radio show host.

"Last night, the renowned DJ Pon-3 had reportedly collapsed on stage about two thirds the way through her set."

"PON-3's management stated the DJ suffered sleep deprivation and vomiting, however many are jumping to other conclusions, including substance abus-."

Vinyl shut the radio off in disgust before the twisted media could get to her head.

Who do they think they are? Drawing 'conclusions'.. She thought, mentally cursing the station. What a load of bullshit!

The blue haired 19 year old steamed out of the bathroom and into her bedroom closet where she quickly selected her attire for the day. A pair of ripped, black, skin tight jeans. They were her favorite, mostly because they were worn-in and soft. A black sports bra and a loose white tank top, proudly sporting her record label's Logo.

On the way out of her bedroom or den, as she liked to refer to it, Vinyl swiped her phone and shades off her dresser. Activating the device, Vinyl sighed shutting it down almost immediately after noticing the abnormal count of social media alerts that littered the lock screen.
She would have liked to think getting that well noticed musically could happen over night, but sadly that wasn't the case.

After quickly making a meal out of a peanut butter and zap apple jam sandwich, the young producer grabbed a few bottles from her collection of booze and began fixing a drink for herself.

What did Berry call it? Berry Punch?.. er, whatever. Vinyl dismissed the thought and focused on drinking her worries away.

After a couple of Berry's signature drinks and almost a third, a faint buzzing caught Vinyl's ear.

After a bit of investigation, the DJ realized someone was buzzing her room. Strange.. Vinyl thought to herself. The buzzer hasn't worked in years now.. Well, I guess that's one problem less I have to deal with. Without another moment wasted, Vinyl leapt over the living room couch and slid to the intercom.

"Ello?" She asked curiously, wondering who would be buzzing her apartment unannounced.

"Vinyl! It's me."

The DJ sighed in hesitation as she buzzed the visitor in.

After a moment that felt like forever, the industrial skeletal elevator revealed Neon Lights, a fellow producer and owner of the label Vinyl belonged to.

The elevator doors rattled open with a final CLANK

"You wanna talk about it?" Lights asked, breaking the silenced that had begun to cling to the room.

He was an old friend of Vinyl's, since junior high to be precise. However, Their conflicting busy careers had over time caused them to drift further apart, most of the communication between the two being more business than small talk.

"What's there to talk about?" Vinyl finally said.

"I don't know.. uhh, How about the other night? For starters." He finished.

"Like I said.. What's there to talk about? I screwed up. End of story."

"Everyone screws up here and there, don't beat yourself up too badly."

Vinyl looked up at Neon, who she had avoided eye contact with up until that moment, surprised at the lack of anger.

"So.. You're not mad?" Vinyl asked carefully.

"If you're talking about making a bad reputation for the label, I wouldn't worry about it. In fact, you probably did more good than bad." He added with a chuckle.

Vinyl couldn't help but break a smile at the remark.
She was happy at least one person she cared about wasn't drawing conclusions.

"You are okay though, right?" He asked

"Oh, umm.. yeah. Just tired. You know."

"Uh huh.."
Not satisfied with the delayed and mixed response, he thought about digging deeper, but a glance at his watch reminded the producer that he was running late, yet again.

"Yo, I've gotta split" He said before a quick fist bump from vinyl.

Closing the elevator cage behind him, he realized the reason he had visited his friend in the first place.

"Hey, one last thing!" Neon yelled to vinyl, now a floor apart.

"What's that?" She yelled back

Neon took something out of his jacket, wound it around itself a couple times and threw it towards Vinyl. Reaching through the bars she caught it and upon opening her hand revealed an access pass necklace.

"Something came up and I won't be able to make it to my shift at Platt's theater."

"A shift at Platt's?"
The DJ asked back curiously, wondering why her party loving friend and boss would have a job at a classical venue.

"I know, I know.. but I promised I would fill in for a sound technician friend of mine and well.. the rest you know."

Vinyl didn't need to think it over. "Sure thing boss!" she shouted down the elevator shaft, signing off with a salute.

A final "Thanks!" could be heard from downstairs as Vinyl walked away from the elevator and into the studio.

********************************************************************************************

Author's Note

I've got a feeling I'll be editing this chapter quite a bit. If you notice any flaws please pm me and I'll change it accordingly. Thnx!

A New Friend

The lack of traffic was a godsend, but vinyl still had a way to go before "on time" was a reasonable way to describe her predicament.

A pair of dice shook in place above a dashboard, and the engine of Vinyl's car purred with power. It was a nice car, low profile and built for the city, yet sporty enough to send lustful chills through any motor enthusiast.

Even Though rush hour traffic had become rather heated, her prime concentration remained intact.
It remained back home in her studio, feverishly plotting the perfect hook for the melody that accompanied her utmost attention.

*It needs to be an instrument..* she thought.
"Literally all of my work is synthesized so.. it needs to be.. An instrument."

*Guitar? No.. Piano? Done it already..* "OH, I know!!"
SCREECHH!!
Vinyl's car came to a grinding halt after a split second look saved her from rear ending the tail end of gridlocked traffic.

"Well, balls.." The DJ muttered, looking for a way out of the situation.
A quick look to her right presented a relatively wide alleyway.
Without further thought, Vinyl cut a sharp turn and blazed up the alley slamming on her brakes yet again, before hitting a fence that blocked her way.
The DJ hesitantly threw the car in park, grabbed her gear bag and started for the fence. A small gap between the building and the obstacle allowed safe passage around it instead of over and the DJ was quickly on route again. The rain began to pick up even more causing the DJ's hair to wilt to her shoulders.

In hopes of not getting completely soaked, Vinyl rubbed shoulders with the passing buildings, skipping from awning to awning, that is, until a door met her face.

The familiar sound of a prepped kettle began to whistle throughout a Manehatten flat. The sound flew room to room, from the kitchen, to the living room, and finally, to the ear of its brewer.
She was a musician, however, rather than modern, her talents rested in the realm of classical work. Octavia finished tuning her cello, striking a key on a baby grand and quickly comparing. Her formal attire; from her fit slacks to her bow tie complemented her perfectly and gave her an unintentional look of wealth, as wealthy as an independent student cellist could be, that is.

A silent buzz from her phone alerted her that it was time to depart for the theater.

"Blast" she whispered.
"It appears I'll have to finish tuning this old thing at Platt's"

The cellist lowered her prized instrument into its case, locked it, then headed for the hallway. Wrapping herself in a dress coat, Octavia prepared an umbrella and stepped outside.

*BING!*

"Owww..." moaned a voice.

It wasn't until the steel door closed that Octavia noticed Vinyl at at her feet, holding a hand over a both pain-filled and embarrassed face.

"I'm sooo sorry" Octavia squeaked, also embarrassed by her carelessness.

The cellist reached out a hand to the DJ, helping her to her feet. "Are you okay?"

The DJ blushed at her own blunder. "Wouldn't be the first time" she responded, brushing the mud from her jacket.

Octavia gave a worried chuckle, still feeling obligated to make sure her new friend was okay.

"Here," the string player pulled the Vinyl into the safety of the umbrella, catching the DJ of balance.
The two met with a half-hearted embrace making sure the potential for injury was still at bay.

Vinyl blushed even harder. "Hahah,, um,, sorry.

"Its quite alright!" The cellist assured, cracking a smile.

"This it the most excitement I've had all day, I ought to thank you actually."

"No need," Vinyl said smiling back with gleaming magenta eyes. "The umbrella was enough."

"She's really good," Vinyl said under her breath. "Almost makes me enjoy this stuff.."

"Who?" Asked the other audio technician, looking in the direction of the DJ's gaze.

"The cellist with the jet black hair," Vinyl cued a button on the mix console, filling the booth with the sounds of the soloed instrument. "Octavia."

"Oh, bow tie?" The fellow technician nodded his head in agreeance. "yeah, she's been with the orchestra for a couple months now, she's new in town, just started at some uppity school for classical music or something."

"Huh.." Vinyl added, half aware of what he was saying while trying to soak in the liquid energy of the cello. "Cool."

-

The show went by quick, the curtains drew shut, and the orchestra packed up for the night..

A State of Trance

A State of Trance

Waves of harmonic bass shifted through Vinyl's core, locking her in a state of trance.

Her eyes were closed, but the young producer's ears were hard at work.

Vinyl's hands tweaked knobs on the mixing console as she progressed through the track.

The towering monitors knocked Vinyl's hair back with a flow every time a new chord was produced, leaving it a stylish mess.

This was why she did it. This is what she loved.

Work on the track continued until a barrier was reached.

The quality was there, but a hook was required to breath life into the track. It needed something that would set it apart from all the other electronic songs.

Vinyl scrolled through bank upon bank of sound samples, desperately looking for something that could fill the emptiness of the track.

"Come.. on..." Vinyl moaned, resting her head on crossed arms readily admitting defeat.

It was never this hard for the DJ to think of a clever answer to her production problems. However, battling the writers block that clouded her mind proved pointless, and she soon accepted the inevitable.

"I need to sleep on it.. Or, something."

A cell phone buzzed at the end of the production desk, alerting Vinyl that she would have to leave for Platt's soon.

"Ughhh..."

The DJ flung the phone into a bean bag across the room in disgust.

Enduring two hours of pure boredom was not high on her list of evening activities. But Neon had gone far out of his way plenty of times for her, and it was high time she returned the favor.

After spinning around a couple times in her office chair, Vinyl grabbed her gear pack and started stuffing it with things she might need. A variety of cords and adapters, a couple microphones, her laptop and a miniature two-input mixer, for the sake of mobility.

She was certain Platt's would have everything she needed and more, but as she liked to put it, luck favors the prepared.

Checking her phone, Vinyl noticed that she had spent way too much time packing, giving her a mere twenty five minutes to make the thirty minute drive.

"Shit, shit, shit" Vinyl mumbled, while fumbling with her shoes and throwing on her leather jacket.

"Gotta go!"