The streets of Manehattan are often quite busy, even at the late hours of the evening. A discarded wrapper from a sugarbread on a stick vendor blew across the road, passing right in front of the grey earth mare's hooves. She sniffed the air, and sighed. It wasn't horribly polluted like the reputation had suggested, but the air was simply not as clean as it was in Canterlot.
"You grew up in this... dingy place...?" she said quietly to nopony at all. She was alone, had been since she left Canterlot and headed toward Manehattan. Even before that, she had been pretty much alone. Bandmates aside, she had few friends in Canterlot because there weren't many ponies in Canterlot with whom she really connected anymore.
She sighed and continued her pace down the street, her heading was for the corner. A bright neon sign lit up the intersection and advertised strong refreshments at reasonable prices. The Barehooves Bar was one place that Vinyl Scratch had talked up a lot of the time. She never offered the slightest hint that she might be interested in returning to her home, never offered any complain about Canterlot at all.
She wasn't widely accepted there, her style often clashed with the lifestyles of the typical Canterlot resident. Vinyl Scratch was a child of the streets, rough and down to earth. She worked hard to get to where she was now, her fame had not come without cost but neither did she spend much time complaining about her life. Octavia was not sure how Vinyl Scratch held her tongue so often when so many ponies in Canterlot chose to look down their snouts at her. She was proud, but deeply sorry as well.
The sign flashed, and this brought Octavia out of her revery and into reality. The thoughts of Vinyl Scratch were crushing her, things hadn't ended well and she hated that. As unpredictable and loud as she could be, she'd always meant well and treated her right. The fight seemed silly now, and she wanted nothing more to find Vinyl and put an end to it.
She approached the double doors of the bar and met up with a large stallion that wore a leather jacket and sunglasses at night. He looked down at her, and she up at him. Her upbringing did nothing to prepare her for these sorts of encounters, and just now she wished Vinyl were here to talk to this rough looking stallion.
"Um...," she began with a stammer.
"ID?" he asked, his deep voice causing her to tremble.
"Oh! Oh yes, yes of course!" she said nervously, unable to stifle a small chuckle that went along with it. She fished a plastic card from her saddlebag and, with her mouth, held up for him to see. He eyed the ID carefully, then tilted his head.
"Octavia...? Say, Scratch talked about you... You that same one?"
"I... um... Yes. My name is Octavia... and... Yes, I am the very same that she has spoken of...," she said quietly, she felt sure the words weren't good and this did not help her to enter the bar. Still, she chose to be honest.
"Oh, well why didn't you say that in the first place? Any friend of Scratch is a friend of mine!" he said heartily, slapping a hoof on her back and snickering. He stepped aside to allow her passage into the bar, "Go on in! Have some sun! Maybe loosen that collar of yours and live a little!"
Octavia blinked, going rigid at the feel of his hoof on her back. Nevertheless, she nodded at him and sighed. The inability to relax herself made her gait slightly awkward as she stepped up to, and through, the door. The smell of alcohol and overwhelming din of chatter made the place instantly uncomfortable for her. It was not at all clear to her where she might begin to search for Vinyl.
"Uuumm...," she said nervously, approaching a maroon mare with a mop of pink hair. She was a little on the heavy side, and clearly had begun drinking long before this part of the night. The mare turned to look at Octavia, and raised an eyebrow.
"Whaddayer want...?" the mare bellowed, her voice was deep and rough. Gravelly, but not entirely unpleasant. Only a very slight slur was evident in her speech, but this didn't do much for her. Octavia noticed her cutie mark, a paint brush, and understood even less the mare's decision to be drinking here.
"I-I... Perhaps... uh... Could you tell me where I might find Miss Vinyl Scratch?" replied Octavia in her refined Canterlot accent. The mare scowled at her, and sneered as she rounded on Octavia and went nearly nose to nose with her. The mare was a little shorter than Octavia, but her stocky build and state of intoxication made her intimidating anyway.
"You one of them Canterlot snobs?!" she spat out. The mare's breath stank of alcohol, and some of her spittle landed on Octavia's muzzle. Octavia blanched in turn, and backed off of the mare.
"N-N... Well... I am from Canterlot, yes... But I am no snob!" she replied, unable to keep the indignity from her voice. The mare glared at her, then turned back to her place at the door and slammed a hoof down.
"Hey! Keep! Gimme another one!" she looked over her shoulder at Octavia, "And you... Go find somebody else to bother!"
Octavia swallowed, and nodded. She sighed and wiped the spittle from her muzzle, then began to search out any other pony that might be of help to her. As she began walking along the bar, searching out anyone that looked remotely more approachable than the mare, the heavy music of the bar went silent and a single voice came over a set of powerful speakers.
Octavia's ear twitched, she recognized the voice. She turned to the bar, seeing the electric blue mane and familiar shades on the white mare. She sighed with a mixture of relief and disappointment. She had found Vinyl Scratch, but there was simply no way she could approach her now.
"Dadadada... Dadadada...
Dadadadada...
Dadadadada..."
Vinyl Scratch's voice was harmonious, syncing nicely with the instrumental that had begun as she stepped up to the microphone. The lights had begun to flash and move with the beat of the music, Vinyl Scratch looked perfectly at ease standing there on stage.
"I don't know if I could yell any louder...," she began quietly, swaying her flank from side to side and swishing her tail at the same time. The light glimmered off her shades as she waved her head from side to side, soon her entire body was in motion with the quickening beat.
"How many times have I kicked you outta here?" she sang, her voice matching the pitch of the song and not missing anything. She had chosen the career of a DJ, but she had a great deal of talent in the entire range of music. Octavia knew this, she'd been honored with a one and one recital from her very own cello, and Vinyl had played it beautifully.
"or... said something insulting?" her voice rang through the bar. Octavia noted that the bar had gone silent, that all eyes were on her. So far as she could tell, Vinyl Scratch hadn't noticed anypony at all from where she was. Octavia sat on her rump, and listened.
"I can be so mean when I wanna be...
I am capable of, really, anything..." she continued to sing. Octavia closed her eyes, concentrated on the lyrics. The words spoke to her, probably were meant to. Except, Vinyl Scratch had no idea that Octavia was here.
"I can cut you into pieces...
When my heart is...," she was quiet, her voice had gone soft and so had the music. She had stopped moving, focused on the microphone, closed her eyes behind her shades.
"...broken," she added.
The beat picked up, the music grew louder, Vinyl Scratch swung into full motion as it did.
"Pleeease... Don't leave me...
Pleeease... Don't leave me..."
The beat changed again, Vinyl Scratch looked out at the crowd, failing to notice anyone special in the mix.
"I... always say how I don't need you
But it's always gonna come right back to this!" she sang, passion painted her words beautiful.
"Please don't leave me..."
The music hit a steady beat, and Vinyl Scratch paced the stage humming and dancing. Octavia could tell she'd closed her eyes and lost herself in the tune, the microphone held before her with her magic. Suddenly, the unicorn stopped in the middle of the stage and brought the microphone closer to her mouth. The audience had a view of her in profile, head hanging slightly and her mane swinging into her eyes.
"How did I become so obnoxious...?
What is it with you that makes me act like this...?
I've never been this nasty...," she said quietly, but with no less passion than the rest of the song. Octavia's ear twitched, the words sank in, she felt tears burning at the lower rim of her eyes but she fought to keep them in check.
"Can't you tell that this is all just a contest?
The one that wins will be the one that hits the hardeeeeest...
But... Baby... I don't mean it...
don't mean it...
I promise...," she sang softly, then the music picked up again.
The beat picked up again, then she was in full motion and singing loudly again.
"Pleeeeease... Don't leave me...
Oh... Pleeeeease don't leave me...
Don't leeeeeeeeeeeave me..."
Vinyl's voice softened, but not by much. Passion continued to enliven her tune, she carried on.
"I always say how I don't need you...
But it's always gonna come right back to this...,"
"Please... Don't leave me!"
The music's beat changed, Vinyl Scratch had stopped moving again. She faced the audience once again, the microphone hovering in front of her. Magic gripped her shades and removed them, she threw them aside and revealed her bright red eyes. The audience went nuts, but realizing she wasn't done caused them to go silent again.
"I forgot to say out loud...
How beautiful you really are... to me...
I cannot be without...
You're my perfect little punching bag
And I need you...
...I'm sorry...," she sang, going from loud to soft and she sang. The beat picked up again, she was in full motion again.
"Dadadada... Dadadada...
Dadadadada...
Please... Please... Don't leave me...
Baby...
Please don't leave me...
Pleeeeeease don't leave me...
I always say how I don't need you...
But it's always gonna come right back to this..."
Manehattan's air was stale and unwelcoming, at least not to Octavia. She sat outside the bar, beginning to shiver but refusing to move until Vinyl Scratch came out of the bar. She'd lost track of time, but the changing panorama of colors on the visible horizon told her that it must early morning. A breath of orange broke through serene hues of violet and deep blue as a ball of pure golden light made it's first light known to the day.
The sound of the door opening caught Octavia's attention, and she snapped her gaze to it. The mare from earlier in the evening, the same she'd spoken to and been spit on by, walked through the door followed by Vinyl Scratch. The two were having a conversation when Vinyl Scratch went completely silent, stuck staring at Octavia.
Octavia's purple eyes locked onto Vinyl Scratch's shades, and a small smile played across her lips.
"Tavi... What the... When did...?" sputtered the white unicorn, not usually at any loss for words, "H-How long... I-I mean..."
"I caught your show... If that's what you're wondering," replied Octavia, suppressing a giggle. She stood and walked up to Vinyl Scratch.
Vinyl turned to the other mare, the maroon one with the shock of pink mane, "Hey, Sugar... I'll catch you later, okay? It was nice talking to you again... and... Thank you for the advice."
The mare nodded, then staggered off in a fit of intoxication.
"I... um... I'm sorry...," said Vinyl Scratch quietly, not turning to face Octavia immediately.
"Oh... I know... I heard you entire apology," she said with a smile.
"Look... I don't think I'll ever really get along with you snooty friends, but... I mean... I'll still try," said Vinyl.
"Oh those windbags aren't worth the trouble... and they don't deserve you in their lives if they can't look past the rough edges!" Octavia replied.
Vinyl Scratch finally turned to face Octavia who immediately pressed against her nose with her own.
"It's silly of me to try to change you... After all... I fell for you... the real you... the one I am speaking to right now... The one that sang to an entire bar full of ponies just to say two words to me... I'm sorry, Vinie, for ever trying to...," she said softly.
"You... are way too good for me, Tavi...," Vinyl replied softly.
"I was just thinking the same thing about you...," said Octavia, a hint of sadness in her voice.
No further words were needed, in fact they would have been an instrustion on the moment. Octavia pressed her lips to Vinyl's and kissed her passionately, in that moment she forgot the rest of the world and threw off her own insecurities, and was just there with Vinyl Scratch.
