One in the Same

by Bullet25

Rating: everyone
Tags: Original Character, Octavia, DJ P0N-3, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, Dark, Alternate Universe
Length: 2633

Vinyl and Octavia, despite living together, have never been seen at the same time.

Vinyl and Octavia, despite living together, have never been seen at the same time. Is there a reasonable explanation for this? Or, could there be a deceptive reason?

Thanks to TheArtrix for the cover art.

Inspired by the comic "The same pony" by "TheMaiah"

"Popular Stories" tab. Feature boxed for seven days!
Randomreader-001 (webshoter) did a fanfic reading of this. You can listen to is here.

Published 2014-09-01 04:30:03 UTC
Last updated 2014-09-01 04:30:03 UTC

One in the Same

“Who’s ready for me to drop some sick beats?”

The crowd in front of the small stage began to roar. “Well, I don’t think these ponies want me to be here. I guess I’ll just pack up and leave,” the DJ yelled through the speaker. The crowd roared even louder along with stomping their hooves on the floor. “Now that’s more like it.” With a bit of magic from the DJ’s horn the electronic tones started pouring over the crowd.

It was odd to see such a well-known DJ playing at such a small and unknown club, but then again, DJ-P0n-3 was an odd pony. The club, which more accurately was just a bar with a stage, was packed. The term ‘personal space’ definitely did not apply here however none of the patrons seemed to care. Most of the patrons seemed to be hypnotized by the wubs blasting through the cheap sound system of the club, the ones that weren’t just looked at the DJ in awe. One pony though, in the back, was just staring; eyes squinted, at the DJ. There was something wrong about the DJ, she could tell, but she couldn’t quite tell what that something was.

Text message:
Sent: I’m telling you there’s something not right about them.
Received: Would you just drop it already you’ve been stalking them for two months now.
Sent: No, why doesn’t anypony else see it? AND IT’S NOT STALKING!
Received: Totally is but w/e.

The concert hall was quite noisy with the chatter of ponies as they found their sets and got settled for the upcoming performance. ‘Octavia Philharmonic – A solo, one night performance’ not quite the rare performance, but one the upper class of Canterlot wouldn’t miss nonetheless. As the last of the ponies took their seats a single note vibrated through the hall cueing the audience to quiet down. One pony in the audience didn’t need to quiet down as she was already silent, again just starting at the musician on stage.

Text message:
Received: Why do you care so much about the lives of two ponies?
Sent: Because something isn’t right.
Received: You just want something to not be right.
Sent: They both live together yet nopony has ever seen both of them at the same time. Don’t you find that odd?
Received: No, DJ-P0n-3 does night gigs and Octavia’s concerts are during the day.

“See you guys next week,” DJ-P0n-3 said while walking out the back exit of the club. As she trotted down the stairs and towards the street. She quickly lit up the dark alleyway with her horn, only to be stopped by a particular pony waiting for her. Unfortunately for her the door she came out of is locked from the outside and with the noise inside it would be doubtful anypony would hear her. “Hey if you’re looking for an autograph you’re too late.”

“Oh I’m not looking for an autograph,” the pony said while moving to block the alleyway. “I’m looking for some answers from you, DJ-P0n-3; if that is your real name.”

DJ-P0n-3 chuckled, “Of course that isn’t my real name, it’s a stage name.”

“Oh I’m quite well aware of that. You see I’ve finally figured it out I finally know who you are,” The pony continued while laughing. “It took me awhile, but I figured it out. You… You and Octavia, you’re both the same pony!”

DJ-P0n-3’s jaw just hung open for a moment while the mad mare kept laughing. “You know how crazy you sound right now, right?”

“I’m not crazy! Now you’re coming with me so I can prove it!” The mare yelled, now moving forward towards the DJ.

“Nah ah, ain’t going to happen,” the DJ said as moving backward to the steps.

“Yes you are!” The mare yelled as she now charged the DJ.

DJ-P0n-3 quickly put of a protective barrier around her, closing her eyes in preparation for the impact. Even with the barrier the impact was going to hurt.

Text message:
Sent: I GOT IT!!!!!!!!!!
Received: Got what?
Sent: The evidence I need.
Received: FCS not this again.
Sent: No I totally got it this time. They’re the same pony!
Received: Ok now you gone insane.
Sent: I’m going to make her admit it too.
Received: You’re going to what?
Sent: Its perfect I’m going to corner her after a gig and make her admit it.
Received: You’re not going to do anything. Got it?
Received: Hello?
Received: Hey answer me!
Received: For Celestia’s sake.

DJ-P0n-3 cautiously opened her eyes after a few second, still bracing for an impact that never came. To the DJ’s surprise a colt was now standing between her and her attacker.

“What in Tartarus is your problem?”

“I’m not going to let you hurt her over some stupid theory of yours,” The colt turned his head to the DJ. “Why don’t you get out of here, I’ll handle her.”

“S-Sure,” DJ-P0n-3 responded. She quickly ran off out the alleyway and out of sight.

“What the buck?! I had her!”

“Would you just shut the buck up?! You could have hurt her. Buck, you're lucky I don’t turn you into the royal guards.” The colt put his foreleg around the mare, sighing, “Come on let’s get you home.”

~~~~

“You’re home. Come on, Amber, wake up,” the colt said while shifting the mare off his back. “Come on wake up.” During the walk home the mare fell asleep forcing the colt to carry her home. “Ugh, where does she keep that damn spare key?” After a minute of searching he found the key in a fake rock. Armed with the key he opened the door, put the mare on his back once again and brought her inside.

“Man the crap I do for you,” he said while putting the mare down on her couch and turning on a light. “I hope you appre…ci…ate…” his words were stopped in their tracks upon seeing the room in the light. “What in the princesses’ names have you gotten yourself into?”

The walls were lined with different documents and papers taped to them. News articles, official papers, magazine clippings, hoof-written papers, almost every part of the walls were covered. He walked up to a wall and started reading some of the items.

Magazine article:
New DJ making waves
DJ-P0n-3, as she goes by, is the hot new name in the club scene here in Canterlot. This new upstart has been filling clubs all over Canterlot word has it that some of the top nightclubs have been requesting her. For somepony who doesn’t even have a manager that’s very impressive, but how long can it last?
Note written on article: Never existed before this!

“That article is ten years old. What the buck does she mean, never existed before this?”

Newspaper article:
Canterlot Orchestra’s newest cellist
Canterlot Orchestra has a new cellist, Octavia Philharmonic, is turning some heads in the music industry. While only joining the orchestra a mere month ago, she has already done two solo pieces during their performances. The Canterlot Orchestra sure has a keeper on their hands. Don’t forget to see their next performance next Tuesday night at the Canterlot Opera House.
Note written on article: New name?

“New name?” The colt walked over to another wall.

Photocopy of a birth certificate:
Canterlot General Hospital
Name: Octavia Melody Date and Time of Birth: 05/09/1980 6:32 PM
Race: Unicorn Weight: 75 lbs
Mother: Six Strings Father: Unknown
Note written on certificate: Her real name.

“She doesn’t really think that Philharmonic, the earth pony, is this Melody, a unicorn? Does she?”

Photocopy of a Diploma:

Canterlot Institute of Arts and Music
Certifies that
Octavia Melody
Has fulfilled the requirements for a
Bachelor of Music

“Where the buck is she getting these documents?”

Several online packing slips, each dated roughly 2 months apart:
Package contains:
10 – 1lt bottle white coat dye $120.68
5 – 1lt bottle electric blue mane dye $62.59 Address: 1560 South Lunar Ave.
12 – 1lt bottle mane/coat dye remover $87.78 Canterlot, Equestria,

Total: $271.05 34391

Shipping: Free
Charged to card ending in xx32 to Vinyl Scratch. Thank you for shopping at Flim and Flam Online emporium.
Note on the packing slips: Name doesn’t exist anywhere.

“Th-That’s a lot of dye. Umm, isn’t that Octavia and DJ-P0n-3’s address though? I know DJ-P0n-3 is a stage name, I guess Vinyl Scratch is her real name. But what does she mean that name doesn’t exist, if it’s her name it’s got to be in record somewhere.”

“Do you see it now, Silent?”

The colt jumped in place. “Holy crap, don’t scare me like that.” After taking a deep breath he asked, “Where did you get all this stuff anyway? You shouldn’t have half of it.”

“Not important,” the mare said, waving a hoof, then jumped off the couch to the colt. “Don’t you see it now?”

“It would be a bit compelling if you could explain how a unicorn turns into an earth pony.”

“Here look at this.” Amber walked over to a desk, opened a drawer and pulled out a scroll. Unrolling the scroll on the table in front of them she explained. “You’re looking at a nearly three thousand eight hundred year old scroll.”

“Pfff, how’s it look new then?”

“There’s a preservation spell on it, dimwit,” she said while hitting him in the back of the head.

“Ow!”

“Anyway, I got it translated; it describes a spell for a unicorn to hide their horn.”

“And why would a unicorn need to do that?”

“Well, from the best I can gather certain parts of the world had never seen a unicorn before. Not knowing what a unicorn was or could do they were seen as a sort of demon and hunted. A lot started to cast this spell to hid their horns and pass as, what was at the time, a normal pony.”

“So does the spell work?” Silent asked, staring at the scroll.

“Don’t know,” Amber said while plopping onto the couch. “The pony at the university who translated it for me was an earth pony, he said the scroll was complete hogwash, I’m a pegasus, so that makes you the first unicorn I’ve shown it to.”

“Why’d the translator say the scroll was hogwash?” Silent asked while joining the mare on the couch.

“He said there are some inconsistencies with the way the magic is casted; something about mana being channeled from the horn to the hooves.”

“Well, in extreme cases unicorns have been known to cast magic from their hooves.” Silent turned himself to look at the scroll better. “It generally is very rare to happen and I’ve only heard about it happening when a unicorn is in a life threatening situation and their horn is damaged. So how’s it casted?”

“He said the unicorn creates a mental image of their horn and a mental image of their hooves. Then they mentally overlay the two images while having the image of the horn fade away. After that the horn should sort of just poof away and magic would be casted normally through their hooves, for the next few hours.”

“Well, let’s give it a try,” the colt said, rubbing his forehooves together. Silent closed his eyes and his horn lit up. After a few mere seconds his horn stopped glowing and suddenly disappeared. Silent opened his eyes to see Amber with her eyes and mouth wide open.

“Oh my Celestia! Do you know what this means?” Amber asked while putting her hoof on Silent’s head where his horn once was. “Holy crap! It’s not just invisible, its actually not there!” She exclaimed. “Quick, quick, quick, do some magic!”

Silent raised his hoof towards the scroll and began to levitate it. “There isn’t even a glow,” he said softly. “We need to tell somepony. You could have just discovered not only a long lost unicorn spell but also uncovered a lie being told by the two of the biggest names in music.”

“Correction, One of the biggest names in two musical fields,” The mare stated triumphantly.

~~~~Meanwhile on the other side of town.~~~~

“Phew, that was close. Thank Celesta that colt was there to stop that crazy mare from charging me,” Vinyl said, out loud to herself, closing the door to her house behind her.

‘Hey, are you going to take a shower already so I can get one myself? I have a recital tomorrow for the Orchestra.’

“Yeah, yeah Octy, I hear ya,” the DJ said out loud although nopony but herself was around to hear it.

‘Well, I can’t go looking like a vagabond.’

“I heard you the first time. Jeez you never let me have any fun.” Vinyl picked herself up and walked to the shower.

‘Fun? Fun?! You’ve just been out for two days gallivanting around to Celesta only knows where,’ the voice inside the DJ’s mind continued, ‘and for what? Some, some piss poor paycheck from that nightclub.’

Vinyl turned the shower on, getting the temperature just right before jumping in. “I’m guessing you’ve been practicing for most of the last two days, haven’t you?”

‘Of course I have been. This recital is a big deal for me, plus I can’t stand that electronic music of yours.’

Vinyl smirked, “Well that’s good.”

The voice gasped ‘Vinyl please tell me you didn’t.’

“Didn’t what?” Vinyl asked while lathering up a good amount of dye remover.

‘Viiiiiiinyl, What have I told you about jumping just any old member of the stage crew at your gigs?’ The voice nagged. Vinyl just ignored her and continued with removing the blue and white dyes from herself. Just as the last bit of dye was washed away, Vinyl’s right eye twitched and her horn disappeared.

Shaking her head, Octavia picked up the emptied bottle of dye remover off the shower floor and threw it into the trash can, then turned the water off. “I swear to Celestia, you do these things just to annoy me.”

‘Hey I have needs too, you know,’ the voice said. ‘Let’s talk about this in the morning don’t you have a recital you need to rest for?’

“Yeah, you're right,” Octavia replied walking into her bedroom and getting into bed. “Goodnight.”

‘Goodnight.’

~~~~

‘Good morning sleepy head,’ the voice said.

“Good morning,” Octavia replied, stretching.

‘Hey last night, what do you think that mare meant by you and me being the same pony?’

“I don’t know,” Octavia said while walking into her kitchen. She grabbed a bowl from the counter and some cereal and began to make her breakfast. “She was just some crazy mare, probably high on something.”

‘Yeah I guess. Oh hey turn on the T.V.’

Sighing, Octavia picked up the remote, turned on the T.V. and started flipping through the channels.

‘Oh, oh, there stop,’ the voice said.

“Why? It’s the tabloid station. Can’t we watch the news?” Octavia asked then went back to eating her cereal.

‘Yeah and celebrity gossip is the best news. I wonder what juicy story will be next.’

Two photos appeared on the screen side by side, one of a white mare with an electric blue spiked mane. The other of a grey mare with an ash styled mane. ‘Hey look it’s us.’

“Could the famous DJ-P0n-3 and Octavia be one in the same?” the announcer on the television asked. “Striking evidence sugges–”

*Click*