Eyes of a Musician

Chapters

Ruins
Trust
Rhythm
Feature 1: Eyes of a Mother by Sugar Moon
Feature 2: Of Storms and Wire by Jaffaarchfiend
Home
Routine
Lessons
Stars (part 1)
Wonderful (Lyrics)

Ruins

All characters either belong to Hasbro and the Hub or to the Brony fan base as a whole, with the exception to OC ponies, who belong to their respective owners. Enjoy!

-Arts

Chapter 1:
Ruins

Vinyl was the first to wake up, as usual. She wiped her electric-blue hair out of her face and waited for her eyes to adjust to the dim light. She felt the broken slab of concrete beneath her, the most comfortable bed she’d had in a week. Compared to the usual garbage piles and moist, insect-infested riverbeds her and her partner were used to sleeping in, a dry place to stay was considered lucky.

That night’s bedroom had been the broken remnants of a building, more then likely a great skyscraper. The concrete, cracked and scattered, had steel reinforcements, meaning it was extra sturdy. These metal rods stuck out here and there on the thin parts of lightly-weathered chunks of artificial rock.

If Vinyl had to guess, she’d say this city used to be bustling; full of grays, reds, blues, maybe even some green. But as she looked at the light shining through the cracks in the makeshift rooftop around her, her only thought was how yellow everything felt. The city was so sandy and dusty that the light shining from the sun above was filtered and tinted everything in a yellow hue.

Vinyl sat up and reached for her bag, hoping no rodents had made off with any of the food she kept inside. She checked and found every item there, save for the cans of soup she and her friend had shared last night.

Reaching in her bag, Vinyl pulled out her odd sunglasses. They were purple in hue with black rims, perfect to hide a pony’s eyes. She looked at the slight reflection the eyewear offered. Her hair was as spiky as ever, and her eyes gleamed bright red (although in the sunglasses they always appeared purple). She loved her eyes; they made her feel independent, free, and special. If only her problems didn’t originate from her eyes as well as her pride, then maybe she could lead something of a normal life.

But no. In this world, there is no tolerance for bright eyes, no tolerance for the gleam of inspiration. It has always been an old rumor that bright or oddly-colored eyes proved that the wearer was an inspired individual. An individual whose talent was that of sound, or perhaps of rhythm.

And if their talent was music, they had no right to live a normal life.

For, in this world, music is forbidden, unloved, unappreciated. Any and all who are even thought to know tune and rhythm are immediately sent away for life sentences. Often, it’s only by suspicion, such as if their eyes are abnormally colored. And this is why Vinyl and Octavia are constantly on the move, running and hiding from those who wish to destroy any shred of music. As much as Vinyl hated, how she loathed this prejudice, she could not deny it was true, at least for her. Her special talent was music. It was, of course, much more specific than that, but it was all anyone needed to have her arrested. Octavia and her, she reminded herself.

As her partner crossed her mind, Vinyl’s gaze wandered over to the still-sleeping mare. She was a grey-ish brown pony in both mane and fur, slim and angular like the musicians of folklore stories that one could hear if they could find somepony willing to tell them. Although she was shy to admit it, and certainly not to anyone but Octavia herself (like Vinyl’s life needed any more reason to be socially unacceptable), she was in love with this mare. Her snide humor, her level-headedness, and her caring demeanor hidden under years of snobiness all drew Vinyl like nothing else could. Although her eyes were closed, she knew Octavia’s pupils held a mesmerizing, deep purple that was often hidden under a hood or by special contacts she often bought. The artificial browns were ugly in comparison to the beauty of the naturally abnormal purples that she shouldn’t have to hide but must anyway. Vinyl was glad Octavia could share the secret of her violet eyes with her, otherwise she’d never had seen those two stunning orbs.

Vinyl looked down at her white hooves, thinking to herself about every reason she should hate everyone (with the exception of Octavia). When she was born, her parents had left her to die because of her eyes. She was taken in by a stallion sympathizers and was raised discreetly until she was 14. At that point, the stallion had been found out and was taken away, but Vinyl had managed to escape and hide.

This was when she first met her friend ‘Tavi, another runaway who had a different story. She was raised in a pampered and protected household, always told to wear her eye-changing contacts. But when her parents’ friends heard her humming, they immediately had the parents taken in. Octavia, like Vinyl, had also escaped custody and found a way to hide. She was also 14.

The two had been wandering together for about four years, hiding from the judging guards who would take them in for only their eye color and living off what little money they could make or steal. It was a tough life, but it was a life they both lived and accepted. But one dream kept them going: each hopped to one day find a safe haven where their eyes and love for music could both be accepted as a part of who they were instead of as an indicator for something disgusting and evil.

Octavia stirred, and Vinyl watched as her lids lifted to reveal her stunning purple eyes. Oh, she could never get enough of those eyes. If only she never had to hide them, then Vinyl could stare into them all day long.

“Good morning, Vinyl,” said a groggy Octavia. “We’re not in a jail cell yet, I hope?”

“Not by a long shot,” responded Vinyl, a bit more alert then her friend.

“Oh? And how are you so sure?” playfully asked Octavia.

“Well, I figured since we haven’t seen another soul in days, they’re probably isn’t much to guard. Therefore, no guards,” replied Vinyl smugly.

“As always, your logic is infallible,” smirked Octavia. She got herself onto her hooves and trotted over to her long-time friend. “Are we ready to go?”

“What, no breakfast? Come on, I’m starving!” Vinyl complained.

“I’m kidding, Vinyl! How could I possibly forget your love of gross, canned food?” Octavia was overly obnoxious about some of Vinyl’s qualities, but Vinyl loved to dish back the friendly insults just as much as ‘Tavi liked to say them.

“Once I forget about your love for fancy-pantsy gourmet meals, of course,” Vinyl retaliated. They both shared a good-hearted laugh and opened a can of corn.

As they crawled out of their temporary home, Octavia noticed the ruined city around them was just as yellow as she remembered from yesterday. Tall, but ancient looking buildings filled every possible space a road couldn’t, stretching into the sky if the structure hadn’t already failed. Certain spots were eerily vacant, only filled with rubble and debris. As Vinyl and Octavia made their way through this abandoned city, they treaded cautiously over mountains of rocks and such just to make sure they didn’t break anything.

“’Tavi,” began Vinyl, mystified, “what do you think this city was called?”

“I don’t know, Vinyl,” she answered. “I didn’t exactly get much of a formal education.”

“I was just wondering, yeesh,” grumbled Vinyl under her breath, rolling her eyes.

They continued on through the dusty streets that once probably held a name, but now only serviced as a path for these two young runaways.

After a few hours of walking in silence, the two finally saw it; the edge of the buildings. Beyond was many miles of dusty savanna, but both adventurers believed that they could make out greenery on the horizon. So they stopped to take a quick water break and then continued down the road that lead them away from the city.

They made their way across the many miles of open land, but not two hours later they found themselves back in the familiar woods. Of all the roads they could travel, these roads in the woods were their favorite. They could listen and hope to hear a songbird, or maybe hum a tune together without worrying about the sound carrying through the trees. The woods also offered the occasional stream, providing the two with water. However, the two dawn their costumes in the woods; Vinyl would put on her glasses and stretch her hooded jacket so it covered her cutie mark, and Octavia pulled a much-snugger hoodie over her eyes and rump for the same reasons as her friend. After all, wooded roads were much more populated compared to an abandoned metropolis.

The two noticed that the sun was getting low in the sky. They found a river that flowed with fresh water and set up camp, careful their small fire made as little smoke as possible.

As usual, the ground around the riverbed was slightly moist but, as the pair didn’t have any sleeping bags, they had to make due. Another law the royal sisters had somehow passed was that all camping supplies were banned. After all, a pony could only give their one-hundred percent at work if they had no other possible distractions. Octavia wondered what had happened to the royal siblings, as it was a rumor that they used to be benevolent and caring instead of oppressive.

Octavia, in tradition, sung a little goodnight tune she had come up with when they were young to help them both get to sleep. Vinyl loved the sound of Octavia’s singing; she thought that, even if the rest of the world was allowed to sing, Octavia’s voice would still be the best. ‘Tavi’s Goodnight Tune went a little something like this:

The night is young, the day is old
And every rise a blessing.
For day is warm, and night is cold
And now’s the time for resting

The night is young, the day is old
The cycle never ending
For day is warm, and night is cold
But each we are befriending

Although the tune was slightly simple, Vinyl loved each note, and was glad she could hear it. Why such a thing as singing was so unloved in society puzzled her beyond most anything else, but it was her reality.

Vinyl set herself down and facing away from Octavia’s already curled up form (for warmth, she told herself) and relaxed. “Goodnight, ‘Tavi,” she said.

There wasn’t a response for awhile. “’Tavi?” Vinyl asked.

“I’m sorry, Vinyl, I was just- Well, I have a lot on my mind,” Octavia responded. Her voice almost whined, like she was about to cry.

“You know you can tell me anything,” Vinyl turned herself over and placed a hoof on her friend's shoulder in an embrace.

“Well,” Octavia began, shifting into the hug, “We’ve been searching for more than eight years now for something. We really don’t know what we’re looking for; all we know is that it’s somewhere. But…“ Octavia stifled a sniff, “But are we really going to find some… something that can fix our problems? I mean… Vinyl,” she flipped over to face her friend, “What if there isn’t anywhere we can go?”

Vinyl could see the wetness in her partner’s eyes and hear the clearer wine in her voice that only proved she was on the verge of crying. “Now, now, Octavia. It’s okay. There’s somewhere, someplace for us. We will find a home. And if we really can’t find one, then we’ll make one! Just… just as long as it’s you and me, okay?” Vinyl held her friend in a tight embrace now, letting the grey mare sob into her chest.

“…Okay,” Octavia said after awhile. “As long as it’s you and me, together. Don’t you dare break that promise.” They shared another hug and both fell asleep in the other’s arms, each wondering what exactly the future held for them both.

A daring songbird chirped its tune into the night. It was met with another.

Vinyl’s dreams took her back in time to the one moment that she dreaded every night. But she was asleep, and had little control over what her dreams showed her.

Vinyl and Octavia were both in an alley, alone. They were sharing a can of something or another, fighting the cold of winter wrapped up with the other in the same sweater, hugging and fighting the frigid temperature. A blizzard blew around them both, pushing past their fur easily and icing them to the bone. Vinyl and Octavia together had both experienced this cold twice before, an endless cycle of frozen food in frozen weather. If they had a map, they could try to look for a place south to look for. But a map was a luxury they could not afford.

So they both sat in a dark alley, clinging to the only source of heat and care they could find in this world.

They must have fallen asleep, because Vinyl had woken up to her being lifted and shaken. The guard in front of her had a frown on his face as he spoke, but his words were lost in the freezing winter wind.

He tried again. “Hey, what’s your name? Can’t you tell me?” Vinyl remained frozen in both shock and temperature. Shaking the smaller mare again, the guard repeated himself. “Girl, what’s your name?”

Weakly, Vinyl recalled her current alias. “Spark Sky,” she said with little resolve. She was scared out of her skin, but she knew she had to stay strong for Octavi- She suddenly realized the warmth of her only friend wasn’t on her side. She began to freak out, flailing and trying to turn her head to look for her friend. Octavia was still unconscious, hanging from the hoof of another guard. “Let her down!” Vinyl shouted.

“Hey, girl, we’re here to help,” the guard lied. They had heard it before; these guards would lure in the younger suspects with promises of safety and love, none of which would be offered to someone with their colorful eyes.

Vinyl daringly kicked her hind hoof into her captor’s face, which wasn’t as protected as the rest of his armored body. She was immediately dropped, and hit the ground quite hard.

“Urg, the little brat!” the guard shouted.

Running mainly on adrenaline, Vinyl head-butted the stunned other guard, who dropped Octavia. Using what small amount of magic she knew how to use, Vinyl grunted and picked up her friend in an aura of blue. She then ran off, leaving the two guards to realize what just happened.

Vinyl was in a panic. She had to find a way out of town, a safe place to hide her and her friend. Then the reality of what just happened hit her. If she hadn’t been so lucky, she might have just lost her partner! Horror images of her traveling without her friend filled her mind. She realized this could still happen if she didn’t find some sort of hiding place outside the city.

She searched and searched, but no holes or riverbeds presented themselves to Vinyl. She could hear the guards behind her, slowly catching up. She was growing extremely desperate; she had to find somewhere, anywhere to hide her and her friend.

Celestia must have had a pang of sympathy, because a small hole in the ground presented itself, quickly disappearing in the blizzard. She pushed Octavia into it with her magic and followed, looking behind her as the snow blocked the only way out Vinyl knew about.

Completely encased in darkness, Vinyl hugged her only friend in fright. She felt her heart nearly stop when she realized the heat her partner had was barely noticeable. She embraced her even more desperately, not letting go, never giving up. She could still feel a beat besides her own, and as long as it was there, Octavia was still with her.

Trust

All characters either belong to Hasbro and the Hub or to the Brony fan base as a whole, with the exception to OC ponies, who belong to their respective owners. Enjoy!

-Arts

Chapter 2:
Trust

Vinyl woke with a start. Cold sweat coated her fur. She could see Octavia looking worried at her, apparently awoken by her friend’s dream as much as Vinyl was.

“It’s okay now, Vinyl, it’s over, you’re fine,” assured Octavia. Vinyl was still breathing heavily. “Did you have a bad dream?” asked Octavia.

“Yeah, ‘Tavi, the same one,” confirmed Vinyl. She then realized, with a blush, that the two were still embracing. “Um, ‘Tavi?” she tried.

“Yes, Vinyl?” asked Octavia.

“Uh, you’re still hugging me.”

“Oh, um, sorry.” Octavia let go and got up onto her hooves. “It was, well, warm.”

“Thanks?” giggled Vinyl in her usual hotheaded manner as she stood and stretched.

The two partners ate a breakfast of canned food and made their way down the road, costumes re-dawned. After a few minutes, they found a hill where, at the peak, they could see far into the distance. They spotted a farm and realized they were probably near a small town of some sort.

“Finally, I desperately need some contacts. I’ve been aching to get out of this hood for ages,” Octavia commented.

“You’ve only had to wear it for, like, the last two days, at best,” shot back Vinyl.

“Just because I don’t have sunglasses like you…” Octavia glared back. Her friend gave her a goofy look, and they continued on their way.

Sure enough, the two began to notice a group of straw and wood buildings on the horizon. These homes weren’t as impressive as the ancient buildings of the city they were in, of course; it was just a simple town. They reached the village and examined the homes and small offices around them. Most of these buildings never reached three stories off the ground. But there was a humble feel to the town, almost making the two travelers feel welcome.

Almost.

The feeling around the town was eerie. Sure, everypony was talking and conversing, but it was completely dull. Nothing resembling a note came from anywhere, and to ensure this, the town was watched.

Guards were still flying around, like in any city they'd ever been to, keeping an eye on the populace. 'To uphold the law' was their technical job, but what they really did was bully anypony they felt like and intimidate submission into anypony even slightly defiant. Not to mention, capture whoever they even suspect to be or to be working with somepony with colorful eyes.

A town without music is always a sad sight, even with no musical village for Vinyl to compare it to. When the clock changes hours, no bell rings its simple song. Wedding bells don't hang above the town hall. The ponies look bored no matter who they're talking to or what their talking about. Laughs feel half-hearted, smiles never wrinkle the cheeks. But the civilians themselves were unaware of their loss; the only reason Vinyl knew was because of her time with Octavia, truly laughing and talking whenever they could. These ponies unknowingly push away what very well could save them.

The two runaways wandered around, avoiding guards, and found their way into the town square. Stalls were set up, their tables full of merchandise to sell. The pair looked around for a second-hand stall, but most of the tables set up contained food items.

After wandering around, the two sat down on a bench and compared what stalls were selling what, and what they could spend their few, precious bits on. They couldn't find anything to comfort their travels (like a tarp to wrap themselves in) so no makeshift sleeping bags for awhile. They couldn't seem to find anypony selling eyewear or contacts for Octavia to wear, either, which worried the partners much more.

The tables began to pack up as the lunch rush subsided, storing their items for another day. The square quickly thinned out and became much more open, allowing the two friends a better view of the city. The ground was paved in brick in the square and dirt roads covered the areas between the houses. A tall tower, uncharacteristic for the town of hay homes, stood proud in the center of the square. A sign above the doorway proclaimed "Ponyville Town Hall".

"Looks like we'll be staying in 'Ponyville'," said Vinyl.

"Where do you think they'll need workers?" asked Octavia.

"First things first," reminded Octavia, "we have to find you your contacts."

So the two took another look around. One stall was left, the owner apparently asleep with his head laid sideways on the table. The square was nearly deserted, minus some random ponies milling about. The two got up and walked into the town hall to find a map. They actually got lucky and found a map of the land around Ponyville, too, and for free. The last map they got, which Vinyl lost while they were escaping from their most recent city, had cost them three bits. These maps were, however, just sitting on a rack by the information center. The hall was eerily quiet, though. Maybe it was closed for the day?

The two left the building and sat down with their two new maps. On the surrounding area map, they realized they were decently close to Canterlot, a city they both would want to avoid. Checking the Ponyville map, they found the Apple Tree Inn and marked its location for later. They couldn't spot any kind of general convenience store, minus the shop that apparently sold only quills and sofas. The square was completely empty at this point, all but the stallion still asleep at his stall, so there was no one to ask but him.

"Should we just... split up and look for the store?" asked Octavia hopefully, her face still covered in her hood. She was always unconfrontational with anypony but Vinyl.

"Hmm... That colt over there might know," said Vinyl, looking at the sleeping male through her tinted glasses. Octavia grimaced; she was hoping Vinyl wouldn't say that.

"We don't want to wake him up, he might be... extremely undernourished?" tried Octavia. Truthfully, he was the only other pony in the square at that point. There wasn't much choice.

"Come on, he probably fell asleep from boredom. You know stallions, they're just like that," countered Vinyl.

"Well... I suppose. And besides, if he's not supposed to be asleep, it's like we're, uh, doing him a favor, by waking him?" Octavia reasoned.

"Uh, sure. Whatever floats your boat. Let's go!" exclaimed Vinyl. She was often left wondering why Octavia had to believe everything she did was for a noble purpose, but never questioned her friend.

The pair walked up to the sleeping stall keeper. Octavia checked to make sure her hood was on right, so nopony could see her tell-tale eyes. Vinyl was more confident in her glasses, but all the same scrunched her snout to push them up her muzzle.

They stood in front of the stallion, seeing if he would wake up on his own. He was a young adult, possibly around 21, white furred and brown mane-d, with a pair of reading glasses over his closed eyes. He was snoring slightly and his head was still laid sideways across the table. His cutie mark appeared to be an equal sign, perhaps betraying his ability for math, or maybe for an obsession for perfect values. If Vinyl didn't have eyes for Octavia, she would consider this colt a plausible candidate for her attention, but that was purely based off of looks.

"Um, mister?" tried Octavia. "Can you wake up?" The white stallion didn't budge.

"You can't ask a sleeping pony to wake up, 'Tavi. You have to be louder," said Vinyl. "Here, like this: Hey! Mister!"

The stallion mumbled, but didn't wake up.

"...Wow," said Vinyl. "Heavy sleeper."

The two proceeded to shake and poke the sleeping shopkeeper in most any way the two could think of to try to get him awake. They got a few grunts, even a groggy "five more minutes", but he never actually opened his eyes.

"He's doing this on purpose, isn't he?" concluded Octavia.

Bored, the two looked at what the stallion had at his table. Believe it or not, it was actually what they had been looking for: an assortment of random nick-knacks of no particular category. They saw a sapling, a few cupcakes, a blue warm-up suit, a stack of textbooks, a few pieces of jewelry, and a bowl of apples, to name a few. But the branded box on the far right side of the table made both of their eyes fly open in surprise.

"Your contacts," Vinyl said.

Octavia trotted behind the table and stoically pushed the colt's head off of his booth. It fell to the ground and then immediately shot back up.

"Welcome to Perfect Percent’s Always Fair Merchandise!" he screamed in shock. "Where everything is fair-" he cut himself off when he realized he was shouting and looked around. Vinyl and Octavia both tried to stifle giggles at his sudden outburst.

"Oh... OH, I'm sorry, I was- I was asleep! Again! Oh, I'm sorry, I didn't mean it, I-"

"Hey, bro, no problem," said Vinyl. "We just wanted to buy something."

"Oh, uh, thank you. I'm Perfect Percent, and this is my shop. Pick anything you'd like," said the stallion. His eyes were dark brown, and Octavia could swear they were same brown as her contacts made her eyes look. She looked at Vinyl, who had noticed the artificial-ish brown too, but Vinyl's ear flick sent a message as to not to question him about it.

"Yeah, we'd like to buy that pack of contacts you have," clarified Vinyl. She was being cautious; the guards had many color-eye spies working for them. She had heard all to many stories of a supposed friend betraying a runaway's trust. So, she'd just resorted to trusting no one but Octavia.

"Oh, these?" the colt, who's name was apparently Perfect Percent, held up the slightly-worn box of eyewear. "The, uh..." He read the label. "V-17 prescription, with 086 Color?"

"We don't need the color, but yeah, that prescription," Vinyl lied.

"Sorry, this is the only box I have, so no transparent ones are available." he said. Vinyl knew for a fact those prescriptions were actually useless; it was only made for the color, back when it was secretly massed produced for the color-eyed population. "A box like this would normally go for..." Percent’s eyes took on a very excited look, regardless of their brown blandness. "It goes for an even 9 bits."

Vinyl was shocked. That was one bit higher then she was aiming to haggle it down too. She didn't know merchants to be so honest with their wears' prices.

"Plus one bit for income, and another bit for tax, and your grand total comes to 11 bits!" finished Percent. He smiled and held the box out to Vinyl. "Do we have a deal?"

"Uh, y-yeah," said Vinyl. She reached into her backpack and took out the bits, hoofing them over and receiving the box of contacts.

"Well?" said Percent.

"Well what?" said Vinyl.

"Give them to your friend to put on," explained Percent. His glasses gleamed with knowledge, his face taking on an understanding expression.

"Oh," started Octavia worriedly, "Well, you see, I'll use these when my... current pack runs out, not right-"

Percent whipped his hoof out and swiped back Octavia's hood, revealing her vibrant purple eyes. Octavia's initial reaction was to pull the hood back over hurriedly, but the stallion had already seen. He looked at Vinyl, too, almost like he could see right through her glasses and into her red eyes. Octavia didn't get the chance to cover herself back up.

Time slowed down. "Run," Vinyl got out.

The two bolted from the table and into another street. They sprinted as far away from the stall as they could, knowing to keep together due to four years of experience.

"Wait!" the stallion called out after them before giving chase. Fat chance, thought Vinyl.

The pair of runaways made it into an ally and, with some jumping and helping, both made it to the rooftops. They looked back behind them to see the 'merchant' at the bottom of the ally.

"Get down from there, they'll see you!" he yelled up.

"And why do you care?" shouted Vinyl.

"Hey, you two!" called a new voice.

Vinyl and Octavia both looked at the armored pegasus flying two blocks away. When he saw Octavia's eyes, his immediately got bigger. He called out to any other guards within earshot.

Octavia wasn't one to curse, but even she couldn't really think of anything else to say. "Flying feathers of Celestia-"

"Let's go, 'Tavi!" shouted Vinyl as she pulled her friend by the hood away from the quickly appearing force of guards. They both took off yet again, but this time across the flat slopes of wood that were used as roofs in this town.

With the aid of flight, however, the pegasi guards were catching up to the pair. They were armed with their traditional lances, along with detaining ropes for taking ponies in. Basically, they'd tie their victims up and slice them if they resisted.

They both hopped a thin gap and made their way up the slight incline. But the roof wasn't as secure as they thought, because Octavia tripped over the apex and tumbled down and over the side of the roof. Only quick thinking on Vinyl's part saved the earth pony from a dreadful drop. Vinyl was practically halfway off the building, holding onto her friends hoof with two of her own. She started to pull her friend up, but suddenly her chest was rammed into the wood. A hoof on her back held her pinned and helpless, unable to save her friend or herself.

The guard above her laughed. "You think you could get away, huh? You'd have to do better then tha- umph!" Vinyl quickly felt the weight leave her back. She looked behind her to see that the white stallion was facing off the armed guards with no weapon of his own. Six against one, as he had already knocked one unconscious.

"Vinyl, what's happening up there?" Octavia asked. Vinyl returned her attention to her friend.

"The spy... He may not be a spy after all." she said while she struggled to pull her friend up. Octavia could hear a hollow ring from the roof on her right, like something metal being struck.

"What?" shouted Octavia. "How can you be sure?"

A screaming guard suddenly fell of the building, his wings tied to his back by his own rope. "Oh," said Octavia.

When Octavia was safely over the ledge, two guards were piled in a heap out cold. The stallion pulled a spear from a guard and used the pony's own weapon to leave a nasty bruise on his temple with a smack, then noticed the two were safely up on the roof.

"Get out of here, go!" he shouted. "I'll find you later, you have to go-" he deflected a slash from a guard with his 'borrowed' spear, "NOW!"

The two didn't need any more reasons.

Vinyl and Octavia both tried to make themselves as small as possible in the tight ally they chose to be their hiding place. They hoped beyond hope that this day wasn't some sort of elaborate trap set up by the guards, but Octavia had always thought of the policing force of Equestria as too narcissistic to let any harm come to themselves. So, they waited to get the truth out of the white stallion himself.

They sat in that ally for at least an hour and a half, waiting and watching for guards. The sky was beginning to turn orange by the time they heard anything.

A rock fell down from the roof. Startled, both girls looked up, expecting an enemy. But it was their mysterious merchant instead. He climbed down in a very agile manner, using hoof holds in ways Octavia had never imagined.

He finally dropped down, then blinked a few times to help his eyes adjust to the lower light. "Are you to alright?" he asked. "Any injuries?"

"Not here. Octavia?" said Vinyl.

"Still a little shocked, but otherwise fine," Octavia answered.

"Okay, great," the male said. "Well, might as well cut to the chase. I'm not really a merchant; I'm actually Quick Step, rhythm enthusiast, and runaway shelter... captain, I guess you could say. You two?"

The two mares were shocked even more. Runaway... hideout? Could this be what they've been looking for?

"This... That's too good to be true. How can we trust you? We barely know you!" said Vinyl angrily. Octavia could tell, in her voice, that Vinyl really wanted to believe Quick Step, but wouldn't let herself.

"I guess I can sympathize," Quick Step said. "You've had to run your whole life; it's in your nature. Still, it hurts a little."

Vinyl looked insulted. "In my nature to what?" she spat.

"To be untrusting."

Vinyl frowned and turned her head away. "...Glad you can understand," she said. "But that still doesn't change anything."

"Here, give me a second," Quick Step said. He took off his glasses, reached a hoof into each of his eyes, and pulled out his fake contacts. His eyes were naturally green, which worked much better with his coloration then dull brown. "There. Now, I want you two to look."

The two mares watched Quick Step's eyes. "I will not hurt you, or let you be hurt. You can trust me," he said. His eyes did not betray any lies.

His courage stunned the girls. They had seen the truth in his gaze and couldn't deny his honesty.

"That's a method I picked up from a friend," he smirked. "Works well, doesn't it?"

"But... Why is your cutie mark an equal sign?" Octavia asked.

"That's just a bit of unicorn magic," said Quick Step. "It's pretty handy. The girl who conjured it is amazing with spells. Another really good friend of mine."

He paused for a second. "But enough about me and my friends. I want to help you, so at least give me your names."

Vinyl and Octavia looked at each other. But Vinyl didn't pass the signal to give false names. She trusted him. And Octavia trusted him, too.

"I'm Vinyl," said Vinyl.

"I'm Octavia," said Octavia.

"Pleased to meet you both," smiled Quick Step. "I bet you really want to see my hideaway, don't you?"

"Seeing is believing," quoted Octavia.

"Then I guess I'll have to show you, won't I?" He laughed a little. "I'll have to leave town to get there and prepare accommodations, so I'll get you a safe place here to hide in as soon as the sun goes down. Until then, do you two have any questions?"

The pair bombarded him with questions, all of which were about his hideaway. To these questions about his house, he responded with "If I told you, it would ruin the surprise", so they became slightly nervous as to what this place was like. But Quick Step would smile when he recalled his home, so it must be a good place. The thing about this stallion, Octavia noticed, was that his emotions were vividly painted across his face no matter what. He was easy to read, and easy to trust as well.

But this made Octavia even more wary. Maybe he was picked to be in an elaborate scheme because he could be so trusting? But then why hadn't they been captured yet? There had been plenty of chances for Vinyl and herself to be taken in.

"Come on, girls!" said Quick Step, "Ask about anything except the hideaway, please."

"Fine," grunted Vinyl. "Is this your home town?"

"Yes, I've lived here my whole life. Never really thought of leaving." He sighed. "Although I almost did, once. But there was this girl, Fluttershy; she convinced me to stay. You'll meet her soon enough."

"What happened?" asked Octavia, truly interested.

"I was almost caught, in a really stupid manner. My contact flew out of my eye when I was laughing really hard, and if I hadn't gotten away quick enough, I could have been discovered. A silly reason, I know, but I was younger. That girl, Fluttershy, told me nopony saw and that I could still live here, more of a reassurance then anything. A few months later, we decided to open the hidden shelter, with help from a few other friends-"

"Wait, hold up... Because you were laughing?" questioned Vinyl.

"Hey, its possible!" objected Quick Step. "Only happened once so far, though."

They laughed and continued to share stories. Quick Step answered all of the girls' questions, which were about his experiences here in Ponyville. He was funny, at least funny to listen to. He laughed at many situations from his past and didn't take life as seriously as he probably should have. He was still a responsible leader, but all the same stayed light-hearted. Or, Octavia thought, he could be altering, perhaps even fabricating his stories. However, Octavia didn't think of him as that kind of stallion; he seemed honest enough.

The sun set, eventually, and as he promised, Quick Step lead the two to a small warehouse of sorts. He helped them through the window and called to them: "I'll be back as soon as can, just stay here and I'll return for you." The girls heard hoofsteps fade of into the distance and, once more, they felt alone.

"Vinyl," began Octavia after a few minutes, "should we go with him?"

"I... I don't know," responded the white mare. "We could just run. We shouldn't trust so easily, but... He's being so trusting with us. I just..."

The two sat in silence for a while. They both thought about their choice, and whether or not they should take it.

"This is going to sound stupid," said Vinyl, removing her shades, "but do you kinda feel a... I don't know, a tug, a kinda longing to find out what this shelter really is?" Vinyl was mentally cursing herself for her bad explanation.

"You know..." said Octavia, "I... I do. It's like something else, and it wants me to go."

"Maybe it's destiny," chuckled Vinyl.

"Perhaps," sighed Octavia. She looked at her friend and partner, and continued: "But... But I think we should follow it."

"'Tavi, you know I can't disagree with you," smiled Vinyl. She lowered her eyelids and continued: "Especially when you get all controlling like this..." she purred.

"That- That was uncalled for!" blushed Octavia. She looked down at her hooves, used to Vinyl's teasing and knowing that ignoring it was the best way to make it disappear. She wouldn't lie, though; a part of her did enjoy the extra attention.

"You know you love it," said Vinyl, placing a hoof around Octavia's neck and hugging her close.

Octavia grumbled, but didn't object. The two mares hugged in the dim storage building, waiting for their guide to return for them.

OOC: 'Sup bronies?

Okay, so as you've probably noticed, my original character Quick Step was described in this chapter and played a very large part. He will be in future chapters, quite often hopefully. But when I wrote him into the plot, I thought: Well, that's not very fair. What if one of my readers got jealous? But then I thought: Well, I'm just going to have to make them un-jealous! So I decided to do this:

I can and will incorporate your OC into my story. OH YES I WENT THERE

If you want to be a part of this universe (at least in spirit), then you can send an application to me to have your character (possibly) be in a chapter! The next two chapters have been reserved for personal friends, after that though it's basically free-range.

But, you must know the rules!
1. I have the right to not be obliged to include everyone's character.
2. A picture or description of the character must be provided (The pony creator is a free and easy resource for physical character design).
3. A description of the character's personality must be provided ( is a free and easy resource for personalities and quirks).
4. The character must play an instrument or sing. If you want the character to be able to sing or rap, you should send me a sample of their voice with the character application; either you or an artist they should sound like (No grunge, hard rock, screaming, or anything insulting something/someone else please).
5. A story-line that revolves around your character must be provided. It should have to do with a problem the character has or had, and it should have something to do with why or how they came to the secret hideout.
6. The character must be yours! I don't want to get in trouble for using another person's character without their permission.

Send all applications in a private message here at FimFiction, or to my e-mail "artsofallkinds@gmail.com". Any other type of application will not count. The ones I like the most could even have a whole chapter dedicated to their OC!

Thanks!
-Arts

EDIT: Big thanks to DaMagiks for pointing out my spelling errors. Won't happen again, I promise!

Rhythm

All characters either belong to Hasbro and the Hub or to the Brony fan base as a whole, with the exception to OC ponies, who belong to their respective owners. Enjoy!

-Arts

Chapter 3:
Rhythm

Only another hour later, the pair heard a knock on the window. They looked to each other in silent confirmation. Both girls found courage in the other's eyes.

Vinyl replaced her glasses on her nose and the pair walked to the window. On the other side was Quick Step, without his contacts or glasses, but now wearing some kind of gray hat. The girls noticed his cutie mark had changed, now displaying wavy measure bars with two half notes, one pointing up and the other down.

"You two ready?" he asked as the mares dropped from the window.

"We were just wondering the same thing," responded Octavia.

"You... You don't have to come with me, I guess. If you don't want to," clarified Quick Step. His uncertainty betrayed that he really didn't think that not going was a good idea, but he didn't want to force them into something they didn't want to do all the same.

"We wouldn't pass up this chance," answered Vinyl. "But you should know, after four years of being on the run, we have high expectations of this place."

Quick Step laughed, relieved. "Don't worry, I'm sure you'll love it," he said. He began to trot away from the town, in the direction of the forest surrounding the city. The mares followed.” Friends, music, food, safety, and an overall good time. Not to mention all the fiction you could ever read."

"Fiction?" asked Vinyl.

"Stories," said Octavia, "but in a book. I didn't think they still existed. Weren't all fiction books burned back when they were outlawed?"

"So they thought," said Quick Step, "but I have some friends."

"You've mentioned a lot of these friends of yours," noticed Vinyl.

"I've learned, strangely enough from another friend of mine, that the more friends you have, the happier you generally are. And you can never, ever have too many friends," Quick Step responded.

The group had reached the tree line. Despite herself, Octavia gulped in nervousness. She didn't know what was ahead, and it looked easy to get lost in these woods...

"Stay close to me, and don't wander off," instructed Quick Step, surprisingly stern. "We don't want you getting lost."

"Right," Vinyl said, trying to sound brave.

The group, sticking together, made their way into the forest. Tree melted into tree, and very quickly the two mares had no idea where they were, or how they could get out. They stayed side-by-side to each other, and always just behind their guide.

"You'll learn the path, eventually," tried Quick Step. "There are certain markers along our trail you come to know."

"All I see are trees," said Vinyl.

"Yes, but certain trees are different. Like... that one! See how it's gnarled like that?" Sure enough, a tree was almost knotted at one point in the trunk, like something had twisted the wood into a bowtie.

"If you s-say so," said a very nervous Octavia.

"But you never have to go to town if you don't want to. There are some kids in there that have barely been anywhere else but our hideout and the clearing surrounding it! But like I said, it's only because they don't want to," Quick Step continued. "Oh, yeah, almost forgot!"

"Forgot what?" asked Vinyl.

"I should probably tell you our hideout's name! For convenience’s sake. It's getting kinda awkward just calling it 'the hideout'."

He cleared his throat.

"Ladies, I present to you..." he smiled and pointed his hoof through the trees, "The Rhythm Underground!"

Sure enough, the three were approaching a clearing. The mares couldn't help but become excited as the trees thinned out and a kind of structure became visible.

"Come on!" Quick Step challenged. He raced ahead into the clearing. The two mares looked at each other and shared an excited giggle before bounding off after him.

Breaking through the trees, the pair finally got a look at the "Rhythm Underground". It just looked like an old, broken down house, completely made of wood. Abandoned, perhaps. Their spirits dropped for a second.

"Don't let this fool you," explained Quick Step. "As the name implies, it’s one-hundred percent underground. We have these sound-protected vents that keep air circulating silently, and all the space we'll ever need we can make with shovels and picks!"

"Then why are we out here?" Vinyl said, her vigor renewed. "Can't we go inside?"

"Of course, follow me!" Quick Step said, trotting up to the front door of the cottage. He knocked on the door in a very specific pattern. The two mares shared an excited look.

Shuffling was heard inside as somepony walked to the door. From the other side, the three heard a voice:

"For passage into safety's home,
A riddle to solve that all should know.
Complete the challenge, and all is well.
Just finish the tale I now shall tell..."

The voice through the door was exotic, nothing that either of the girls had ever heard before. It was deep, too, but still young, almost like it knew much more then its years let on. It cleared its throat, whatever it was, and began to speak.

"'Ghastly grim and ancient raven
Wandering from the Nightly shore -
Tell me what thy lordly name is
On the Night's Plutonian shore!'
Quoth the Raven..."

Quick Step finished the riddle. "'Nevermore.'"

"A heart of gold and voice so sure,
I welcome Quick Step, student of lore."
the voice finished. A few locks were heard to be clicked out of place.

"He always has to make things dramatic," Quick Step explained. "It's in his culture. But he's a good zebra at heart."

"A good WHAT?" both girls cried.

Sure enough, in the doorway stood a green, horse-like creature. He had all of the traits of a regular male pony: fetlocks, a tail, and a mane. His mane and tail were an aqua blue. His cutie mark was of a piece of parchment with what looked like words written on it.

But there was something very different about him, too. He had tan stripes across his back, legs, and head. His muzzle was also tan, completing the zebra look. His eyes were as aqua as his mane, but deeper and more complex then the singularly-colored hair.

The two girls were stunned. Octavia and Vinyl had both received a basic education (Octavia from a tutor, Vinyl from her adopted father), and with it came a small understanding of Equestrian history. One of the biggest milestones was the war the ponies had had with the zebras many years ago. To think that a zebra was here, in front of them, was shocking.

He gasped when he saw the two new recruits for their hideaway.
"Quick Step!" he exclaimed, "are you sure?
Can we trust room for-" he paused for a second, thinking. "...two more?"
He looked down at the two girls, skeptic if he could trust them.

"I've seen them in action myself," responded Quick Step. "They're trustworthy, at least in my book. The white one's Vinyl and the brown one's Octavia."

"Vinyl, or the ancient disk.
Octavia, for a note's... pitch.
You both were named quite... riskily,
How often are... your true names a mystery?"
asked the zebra, stumbling over some of his words like he was making them up on the spot. He was about 24-ish, or at least looked like it. His powerful, ancient voice almost sounded 34 years old.

"Every chance we get," responded Vinyl shakily, still the more daring of the two mares. "Minus with Quick Step or other runaways."

"You journey, young ones has reached its end,"
the zebra said. But then he stopped completely. A thoughtful expression crept onto his face, which morphed into extreme concentration a moment later. Eventually, he gave up, and turned to Quick Step.

"What rhymes with end?" he asked. He was attempting to keep his cool, but his brow was still furrowed in frustration.

"Lend?" offered Quick Step.

"I guess, let me try that," said the zebra. He looked back at the girls and began again:

"Your journey, young ones, has reached its end.
A helpful hoof I now shall lend.
Safety is now yours to keep
As long as- Um, as long as you..."

"You don't have to rhyme all of the time, Inert!" sighed Quick Step.

"Gah, you just-! While I-! Urg, sometimes..." the zebra said, frustrated.

"Wait, I haven't properly introduced you yet!" Quick Step recalled. "Haha, whoops, my bad. Girls, this is-"

"Inert of the Scribe tribe," finished the green pony-like creature. He held out his hoof to Octavia.

"So, then, may I call you Inert?" she asked as she cautiously shook his hoof.

"Yes, the rest is just title." clarified Inert.

"But wait," interrupted Vinyl. "How did you get into Equestria? I thought zebras were our enemies ever since the war."

Quick Step sighed. "Vinyl, and you too, Octavia; you will come to learn that a lot of what you know is a lie. That pony-zebra war you were taught in school was completely fabricated by the princesses and put into your daily lesson plans. It never actually happened." Inert nodded his agreement.

"But... There are war memorials..." stuttered Octavia. Vinyl was just stunned into silence.

"Magic, my fellow earth pony, can do so much that we will never truly understand," said Quick Step. "But we do our best. Now, Inert, why don't we all take the stairs down to the main floor and see what this place really has to offer?"

Inert smiled at the pair of girls. "You'll love it. I know I did." He cleared his throat and continued: "Um, back when I was just a kid?"

"Eh, close enough," responded Quick Step. "But we really should get inside! Pinkie's probably getting impatient."

"We don't want to keep that mare waiting," agreed Inert.

The two mares, however, understood basically none of the stallions' conversation. But they both stayed close to each other, ready to take on whatever was below their hooves together. As they had always done everything before.

Although the news about the war still had them royally confused.

The inside of the house was as rickety as the outside. Vinyl had to remind herself that the real treasure was beneath her feet, she just had to trust the two stallions leading her. She was finding this very hard to do, however; both males she had met less then 8 hours ago, and one was a zebra, although apparently not bad as she had recalled her studies pointing out.

The hall was rickety, the wood chipped at the group's hooves. Was the floor's condition because of old age, thought Vinyl, or maybe it had been trodden on often?

Regardless of Octavia's silent assurance and confidence, the home was spooky. Old, shifting around them, and drafty almost everywhere, Vinyl had to admit it was a great place for a hideout. Nopony would come into this house, even if they wandered this far into the forest. And even if they did, she found it hard to believe they could get inside without knowing the special knock and password.

Based on what she saw, Vinyl believed the house had two rooms on either side of the hallway she was in. There was a staircase on their left that elevated to a second floor with two doors, one on the left of the stairs and one on the right. They were traveling to the area behind the staircase, which had two arches on either side to allow ponies to go to either of the two rooms Vinyl had guessed about.

There was a doorway on the opposite side of the staircase. It was padlocked, and if you listened closely, you could hear noise. This was the entrance to the Rhythm Underground.

"Okay, Inert, unlock it please." asked Quick Step.

"Sure thing-" Inert began, but quickly adopted a look of shock. "Uh, one second." he said as he trotted to the entranceway.

"Did he... Lose the keys?" wondered Octavia aloud.

"I think he did," confirmed Quick Step, who sighed exasperatedly. Vinyl just facehoofed.

Inert came trotting back, a proud look on his face and a key ring in his mouth. Quick Step rolled his eyes, took the keys from his zebra friend, and unlocked the padlock himself. As he slipped it out of it's loops with his hoof, he addressed the girls. "Here we go, are you two ready?" he asked.

"We've been ready since four years ago, dude," answered Vinyl. Octavia nodded in agreement.

"Glad to hear it," smiled Quick Step. "It's right down here." He opened the doorway, and pointed with his hoof down the stairs. There was sound coming from below, a lot of sound, but still indecipherable to Vinyl's ears.

The two mares walked into the staircase, followed closely by the two stallions. Inert closed the door behind him, locking it with the door's built-in lock but unable to padlock it from the inside.

As the ponies descended the staircase (Vinyl in front, Octavia after her, Quick Step following, and Inert behind them all), the sounds from below grew louder. The mares began to notice that these sounds were voices and hoofsteps. They became even more excited.

As they rounded the corner to a second staircase, the sounds grew louder. They heard laughter and happy emotion in voices, unheard of in any village Octavia and Vinyl had ever been in before. They grew even more anxious, and their speed increased. The two behind them kept pace, laughing at the two mares’ eagerness. "They all do the same thing," sighed Quick Step as they hit the final platform.

Below them, they could see a doorway. Light streamed out from the bottom, illuminating the ground. This door wasn't locked.

The two mares quickly sprinted to stand in front of the door. They both looked at each other, nodded, smiled, and together pushed the door open.

Before them was paradise.

Ponies, all colorful in both eyes and fur, were milling around, talking about whatever was going on in their lives. They were truly happy, as the grinning, the laughs, and everything else hollow about villages above the ground was gone here below. The cave was huge; it was extremely large and two floors tall and held more ponies then Vinyl could count. She and her partner ran up to the balcony's edge (as they were on the second floor), pushing past a very confused-looking pedestrian, and viewed all they could.

The Rhythm Underground was lit by magical orbs that attached themselves to the walls and balcony railings, illuminating the whole room extremely well, but not excessively. There seemed to be almost a city square below them, just without the stalls. Ponies wandered around; one pegasi even flew from the ground floor up to the wooden second floor balcony. Somehow, grass was growing across the floor of the cavern, creating a soft blanket of green. The walls were dirt and rock, supported by wooden framework. Vinyl felt a slight breeze, and her attention was momentarily drawn to the vents along the wall, very silently keeping the air clean and fresh. Magically, she supposed.

Quick Step appeared beside them, smiling the whole time. "I can never get enough if this view," he said, then turned to the pair. "Wanna see the best part?"

"This isn't the best part?" exclaimed Octavia.

"Nowhere near. You haven't gotten your- well, actually, I'll keep that a secret for now." Quick Step smirked.

He turned his head to the crowd on the ground floor. "Has anypony seen Pinkie anywhere?" he loudly asked the ponies below.

Suddenly, a pink mare jumped up and down within the crowd. "Oh! Oh! That's me! Here I am!" she said. She almost seemed to laugh as she talked, completely filling any word she said with energy and volume. Suddenly, she dashed below the balcony and up the stairs just to the group's right, appearing almost instantly next to the arriving ponies.

"Hi!" she began. "My name is Pinkie Pie, what's yours?" She seemed to be childish and hyper, and a real dozy by the looks of it. Unused to being shown kindness by strangers, the two girls stayed silent for awhile. Pinkie waited patiently, her excitement not diminishing in the least.

"Uh, I'm Vinyl. This is Octavia. We're... new." Vinyl once again showed a greater amount of extrovert-ism then her partner.

"Well, you do know what happens when you're new, right?" smiled Pinkie Pie. "Steppy, did you tell 'em?"

"Nope, I know how you love surprises." answered Quick Step, or apparently 'Steppy'.

"Ooooh! Then they can be surprised with their-" she cut herself off abruptly, then did a series of movements that started with her zipping her lips and moved on to doing some other random stuff that Vinyl couldn't make heads or tails of. After that, she shot away. Vinyl and Octavia both were still confused even after a few seconds of silence.

"She's just Pinkie,
And can be quite dinky."
said Inert from behind the two. "Oh, no offence Dinky," he said to the passing family of an adult pegasus and two unicorns, one teenaged and the other still a filly.

"None taken!" said the smaller unicorn happily as she and her family trotted on by. Was it just her imagination, or did Vinyl really see that adult mare's eyes correctly?

"Anyway, don't worry about her." said Quick Step. "You'll see soon enough. But can I ask you to come with me?"

"Oh, um, sure," said Octavia. Vinyl nodded in agreement.

The two once again found themselves following the white stallion. He led them along the balcony, but the mares only paid half attention; they were still enthralled at the majesty of the cavern. They found themselves going down a hallway. This hall was short and lead to a three-way cross, but Quick Step made his way to a door in the wall. He opened the door and ushered the two inside.

The room was rather fancy. There was a desk and chairs, a few tables with vases, and a stack of filing cabinets. It was illuminated by another magical glowing orb hanging from the ceiling.

"Welcome to my office," said the stallion. He didn't seem all that excited.

"You two need to fill out some information forms, unfortunately. It'll ask for your names and some other boring stuff, but it's all for the sake of organization. So, if you don't mind..." He passed them both a small pile of papers.

"...Really?" asked Octavia.

"Hey, I only founded this place, I don't run it," defended Quick Step. "This is the only boring part, I swear."

Quick Step noted the pair still wore their clothes. "Oh, and if you want, you can leave your clothes here. There's not much of a need for them anymore."

Both girls nodded and got up to disrobe. Octavia looked over at Quick Step. "Um, can we have a little privacy, please?"

"Oh, uh, sure?" said a confused Quick Step. He left the room and closed the door behind him. The girls laughed at his unintentional blush. The girls didn't really need privacy to change, it was just s running gag between the two. Back when they had first met, Octavia had asked Vinyl for some privacy to change, at which Vinyl outright laughed. Octavia had realized how silly her request was later (she normally had to change in private to hide her switching her contacts and hadn't known better) and the joke had begun.

The mares disrobed, Vinyl even taking off her glasses. They piled their belongings in a corner for Quick Step to deal with later. Both sat down, sighed, and looked at the first page of the small packet. At least it was a manageable number of pages and nothing too gigantic.

"Are you going to put your last name?" asked Vinyl, looking at the sheet.

"You know just as well as I do I abandoned that name when I had to run away from home," said Octavia snidely.

"But would you do it for the sake of 'organization'?" Vinyl questioned.

"No. I'm just Octavia, nothing more." finished Octavia.

"You're also 'Tavi, don't forget," reminded Vinyl with a smile. Octavia sighed and also grinned.

The packet took a few minutes to complete. Under half an hour later everything was filled out. Octavia had, understandably, finished first. Even with her horn, Vinyl simply lacked the experience of holding a quill with her horn.

"Wow, that was boring!" sighed Vinyl.

"I think it'll be more then made up for," responded Octavia. "And I read everything over again; there were no loopholes I could find about anything."

"That's good to hear," chuckled Vinyl. "I just kinda signed it; I didn't really read it..."

Octavia sighed and wondered if Vinyl, given the chance, could ever live a normal life without messing something up with her recklessness.

"So, uh, what now?" asked Vinyl.

"I assume we should leave the papers here and go look for Quick Step," decided Octavia.

"Sounds like a plan," Vinyl agreed. "Lead the way."

So the two mares left the room. They were suddenly struck with silence. What used to be a bustling underground town sounded just as desolate as a real cave. The two moved towards the balcony, only to realize all of the lights were out. They thought they heard shuffling below them.

They stumbled around until they got to the stairs that led to the ground floor. After going down the stairs, they called out: "Hello? Anypony here?"

Suddenly, a recognizable, high energy voice called out. "One, two, three!"

The lights suddenly came on to unveil a huge crowd of ponies, all standing at one end of the square. "SUPRISE! Welcome to the Rhythm Underground!" they all shouted. They seemed to be organized into rows, standing excitedly, all of their attention on the two mares.

But it was the ponies after the second row that truly held the pair's attention. Each held a device in their hooves, certain ones keeping strings taunt, others ready to make sound from airflow. A few in the back even held sticks in their hooves and stood over some kind of cylindrical object. There was even one pony behind a large contraption with what appeared to be parts to press down labeled in black and white.

"Are these... Instruments?" asked Octavia, completely in awe.

"Eeyep," sounded a voice from the audience. Everypony in the crowd laughed.

"And now we're going to play a song for you!" said the energetic pink mare, in the front row and practically exploding from excitement.

Vinyl and Octavia couldn't believe it. A song? For them?

"Ready everypony?" asked Quick Step from the center of the front row. A large number of "Yes”es gave his answer. He turned specifically to the mare next to him, who was yellow with a pink mane and looked unnaturally nervous, and whispered something to her while the rest of the band waited for the signal. She smiled and appeared to gain confidence at his words, looking at him in thanks before returning his attention to the two guests of honor.

"Okay," conducted Quick Step, "a-one, a-two, a-one two three four-!"

[Click Here for the Song]

The room began to fill with the sounds of the piano and percussion setting the pace for the others to follow. Another stringed instrument joined in, but very quickly was drowned out by an entire orchestra of sound. The ponies in the front row burst out into singing and movement, keeping harmony with the violins and singing their message:

"Music is grand
It just won't ever fade!
We make a stand
They can't take it away!
Every note planned
But it never grows dull.
Music is grand
It's so wonderful!"

The music toned down a little, and from the choreographed singers/dancers, who now surrounded Vinyl and Octavia, a purple unicorn removed herself from the crowd and began to sing a solo, still in time with one section of the violin orchestra.

"Vocalists up front
And Lyra's there, back at the rear."

Another pony, white and with a styled indigo mane, also stepped forward from the crowd.

"Drums help keep the beat
And Violins help us change gears."

An orange pony with a blonde, ribbon-tied tail stepped forward next.

"Piano is distinct
While this here Bass gets the low part."

All three came together in harmony for the final part of the verse:

"All of us have a job
From the finish back to the start!"

Quick Step and his cream partner appeared from the dancing crowd, and began their solo, still in time with at least one section of the band behind them. The two danced together for the duration of their solo in a practiced, ballroom-like pattern. Quick Step's partner was first, her voice light and clear:

"Every sound heavenly,
All across the sky."

Quick Step then took his turn, more certain then his partner:

"We'll play it loud
We make it shine now."

The yellow pegasus continued her solo, now reassured by the white stallion.

"Every sound pure,
Proud and true"

They both came together for a harmony as the second part of the verse finished, complemented by the string section:

"It comes from our hearts
I'm sure this music loves you, too!"

The room once more burst into perfect sound and rhythm, filling every part of Vinyl and Octavia as the chorus repeated itself.

"Music is grand
It just won't ever fade!
We make a stand
They can't take it away!
Every note planned
But it never grows dull.
Music is grand
It's so wonderful!"

Halfway through the chorus, Quick Step and his partner came up to the excited pair. "Okay, you two, next is your solo!" he said over the beautiful noise.

"W-what?!" the two mares exclaimed.

"Don't worry, it comes naturally to everypony. Give it a try!"

The two mares looked at each other in shock. It was so sudden, too much. But the chorus was ending, and it was up to the two mares to continue the song.

The violins stopped playing as strongly, although one still played as a guide to Vinyl. The percussion still held the beat for her, too. Everything was set up for her to succeed. So she took the chance and sang a line that suddenly came to her;

"Tavi, I can't believe
That a place like this exists!"

Octavia quickly picked up where her partner left off:

"Vinyl, I think that here
We have friends; that we fit in."

Vinyl kept up, leading Octavia in their chorus. An ecstatic smile spread on both of their faces.

"Tavi, don't wake me up.
If I've died, consider me gone."

Octavia chuckled at this, and sang her own made-up part.

"Vinyl, I am here, too!
And our dream is inside their song!"

They both silently decided to join their newfound friends in their chorus this time. They sung along with the violins (now adding more flare with a second pattern to complement the first), and danced with the performers as the chorus welcomed them to their new home.

"Music is grand
It just won't ever fade!
We make a stand
They can't take it away!
Every note planned
But it never grows dull.
Music is grand
It's so wonderful, oh,"

Vinyl and Octavia were surprised at the extra 'oh', but were soon rewarded with a new chorus, sung by everypony in the room as they danced in pattern:

"Music is life
And we live on the sound!
Everything's right
When the music is found!
Music takes flight
Through the wings of our soul.
Music is life
And that's wonderful!"

A pegasus with a very vibrant rainbow mane flew up and over the crowd, landing in front of the pair to sing her solo:

"This place is our home
We're like a group, a big family.
Music can unite
We learn a song, and we all sing."

A familiar pink blur shot up to stand beside her friend and to sing her half of the verse:

"You two can stay here
Where you'll be safe, warm, and secure!
You can practice all day
'Till you can play all notes and chords."

Quick Step and his dancing partner once again took center stage, this time flanked by two other pairs of dancers mimicking their movements. The solo's pattern remained the same, however, and the cream mare was the first to sing:

"Every sound heavenly,
All across the sky."

Quick Step continued the verse from there, using a similar line as before:

"You'll play it loud
You'll make it shine now."

The yellow pegasus then changed lyrics, still dancing with her partner:

"Every sound pure,
Strong and free."

They both came together yet again for the verse's send-off line, still in perfect, practiced harmony:

"It comes from your heart
I'm sure you'll play beautifully!"

A familiar chorus rung through the cave. Quick Step danced up in time with his fellow runaways, telling the two mares "Your turn again." He then re-includes his voice in the chorus:

"Music is grand
It just won't ever fade!
We make a stand
They can't take it away!
Every note planned
But it never grows dull.
Music is grand
It's so wonderful!"

Vinyl was ready this time, with a line prepared for her to sing.

"Tavi, what do you think?
Can you call this place a home?"

She awaited her partner's answer, who quickly and gladly supplied it:

"Vinyl, this is the place
We can stay, we won't have to roam!"

Vinyl smiled and recalled something else:

"Tavi, maybe we'll find
The right instrument to play!"

This got Octavia very excited. She began to hop in time to the music, completely exhilarated:

"Vinyl, let's have some fun!
Cause our dreams, they start today!"

The two were pulled apart to dance with a specific group of ponies. They joined in with the singing and tried to keep up with the dancing as the instruments played the merry tune:

"Music is life
And we live on the sound!
Everything's right
When the music is found!"

The two mares pushed out of their respective groups, each ecstatic and looking for their friend.

"Music takes flight
Through the wings of our soul."

The two mares found each other and ran to meet in the middle.

"Music is life"

The two ran in for a hug. But Vinyl was just so happy, too happy to even care. She wanted to give something other then a hug to the mare she loved.

"And that's wonderful!"

The two came together. Vinyl didn't even hesitate. Suddenly, Octavia found herself in her partner's arms, their lips locked and Vinyl's eyes closed. She was surprised, but quickly too happy to care, closing her eyes as well. They both smiled into the other's faces, completely overjoyed to share this moment together.

The song continued on without interruption. The singing was done, minus some ponies "da"ing or "la"ing to the tune, so some ponies gave out foalish "Ooooh!"s. No pony disapproved, however, and they all continued dancing around the couple.

Vinyl and Octavia shared that one moment in time. The music had stopped altogether in their ears, each of the partners' level of excitement and joy doubled over, if that was even possible. They both thought they would never have a moment like this again in their lives.

Their lips left their embrace. The two looked into the other's pure, unveiled eyes. Each knew they saw the eyes of somepony they loved, and somepony who loved music as much as they did.

They both saw the eyes of a musician. And better yet, the eyes of their musician.

--(End of Part 1)--

Feature 1: Eyes of a Mother by Sugar Moon

OOC: 'Sup bronies?

If you like my story, Eyes of a Musician, but maybe wanted it darker, then have I got the treat for you! Sugar Moon did an amazing job with her adaptation of the world with no music:

Imagine, if you will, a horrifying tale of the life of Ditzy Doo before she found her way into the care of the Rhythm Underground. It's all too much, the way she's treated. She is lost in the realm of the cages that surround her. Can she stay strong for her... and her daughter?

WARNING: Note the Dark tag. This story does touch upon subjects that will not be included in my story. Some of these subjects may not be suitable for certain people.

Eyes of a Mother

Thanks!
-Arts

Feature 2: Of Storms and Wire by Jaffaarchfiend

OOC: 'Sup bronies?

A friend of mine, Jaffaarchfiend, had requested I add his character, Ikuze, into Eyes of a Musician. I, of course, was happy to. However, he preferred Ikuze be more of a veteran member of the Underground, thus making a introductory chapter about her while staying in the perspective of Vinyl and Octavia more complicated. So, he decided to write up Ikuze's genesis on his own terms, and did an amazing job:

Never stop running. Don't stop running. Keep on running.

Traveling alone for so long, how can a single pony keep her innocence? The young unicorn heroine is nearly captured by a guard, but is saved by a pegasus sculptor. He takes her in and gives her a name, the same one of a warrior of the past, Ikuze. Has she finally found a home? Or will her new-found fortune be short-lived?

Warning: Note the Dark tag. This story does touch upon subjects that will not be included in my story. Some of these subjects may not be suitable for certain people.

Of Storms and Wire

(And don't worry, chapter four is currently in the works!)

-Arts

Home

All characters either belong to Hasbro and the Hub or to the Brony fan base as a whole, with the exception to OC ponies, who belong to their respective owners. Enjoy!

-Arts

Chapter 4:
Home

Wind is powerful.

The wind itself could and can be any strength at any moment. No one told it what to do. It could be non existent, or maybe a gentle push on your fur. Or it could be all you can hear, sucking up whole cities in no time flat. Sometimes dangerous, yes, but sometimes enjoyable, too. Free as a bird...

But the term “free as a bird” didn’t really seem relevant if one thought about it. The bird itself is unchained, yes, but what is it riding? Can a bird truly be free unless a strong wind blows it off course of centuries-old migratory patterns? Could a strong wind help it escape a predator, or might it push a hatchling out of its nest too early? The wind is what’s free, the bird just a slave to whatever blows its way.

Wind can mean the difference between life and death, especially for a pegasus like Everbreeze. She’s rode the currents of wind ever since she was young. She was taught by her mom, and a few of her older siblings; her dad wasn't extremely... prevalent in her childhood. Most of her time was spent with her mom, if anypony at all. But it was those moments alone that she really treasured, above anything else.

Now she was fleeing because of that time alone, the midnight wind violently whipping at her fur. A strap-bound bag hung over her back, holding the only objects she had to remember her old life by: a framed picture of her family and a small device she had no name for, but used religiously. It created a beautiful noise when she pressed her lips to one end and carefully pushed air through the complex tubing. There was food, too, but if what she heard was legitimate, then she wouldn't need that anymore. She was off to a place where she could be accepted. Her unnaturally bright blue eyes led her through the blinding and soaking storm, her ears informing her of the guards still somehow chasing her.

With great exasperation, she realized she'd have to shake her pursuers before she could go even within the vicinity of the rumored old, wooden house that holds haven beneath. With a tilt to the left, she shifted into the wind and quickly felt her course alter, barely keeping balance as every tired muscle and joint in her body protested. It was becoming harder and harder to stay aloft.

The lamps behind her, cutting through the storm, followed her in her altered course. They wouldn't leave her that easily.

She desperately dove below the tree level, attempting to avoid the branches as she sped along. The lights dove down too, shouting at each other through the roar of the rain to keep up; they wouldn't let a 'Bright Eye' get away. Everbreeze thought about dropping her bag so she wouldn't have to carry so much, but immediately thought against it. She would rather die then forfeit what was in there.

Suddenly, a branch shot out of the darkness and flat into Everbreeze's face. The pain was sudden and shocking, spinning her and throwing her down onto the dirt floor of the woods. Stars flew across the edges of her vision, a dull and throbbing tone muting any sound but itself.

She could barely think. But as she watched the darkness, the nothingness close in around her, she thought she felt something grab her by her hoof.

Vinyl woke up.

Naturally, she checked her surroundings for other ponies before doing anything else. Being on the run for four years will do that to a pony. But as she looked around, Vinyl remembered the occurrences of the past few days. Relaxing her head back on the unbelievably comfortable pillow, she drifted through her recent memories.

Vinyl and Octavia had been completely overwhelmed by the friendliness and acceptance of the Rhythm Underground's ponies. Quick Step had assigned them a room, which had a couch, a chair, a table, and a separate room for... well, the other necessities. The suite only had one bed, but Quick Step had guessed (with a wink) that that wouldn't be a problem.

Octavia had sung her lullaby song, and the two had slept like foals that night in the other's hooves.

The next day Quick Step had introduced them to the general system of their new home. Everything was very fair, in the girls' opinions. Ponies voted on new rules and laws the small 'government' thought up. The economy ran on the same bits that the outside world ran on, too. The government mostly kept out of economic affairs, except to pay those in the government and to fund concerts held every week by compensating anypony who wanted to perform a new set. If the crowd enjoyed it, they got more money; a magic crowd-enjoyment-measuring-meter specified the perfect and fair amount. Some talented ponies gained all of their income from these performances.

There were taxes, but they were completely on a weekly collection basis. Everypony had to pay the same amount, even Quick Step and other ponies in the government. It all pooled into a treasury and the ponies voted on what to use it for. If somepony wanted to, say, start up a fashion business, like a certain stylish pony they met by the name of Rarity, the population voted by magically unchangeable slips of paper if she should be given a loan from their vaults. This vote, in particular, had passed, and the loan was given and quickly paid off as Rarity's fashion expertise changed many ponies' opinions on clothing.

Quick Step showed Vinyl and Octavia both floors of the Rhythm Underground. The topmost floor held the residential hall, where he said all the ponies lived and often hung out. The small government also had its offices on this floor; it was the hall Quick Step had led them to when he had the pair sign the papers. The wooden balcony around the main square was well supported and held the magical lights in place.

When you descend the stairs, things become more complex. The main floor has the somehow-grassy square, where ponies often meet up, eat, chat, and play their instruments. The foals and colts have their school lessons here as well, run by a mare known as Miss Cheerilee. They hadn't seen her or any kids last night because it was well beyond both of their bedtimes; the children because they need their sleep, Cheerilee because she has to keep up her energy to deal with the kids. But they were out today, Miss Cheerilee giving her lesson and the kids paying attention somewhat.

There was a hall under where the entrance to the government hall is that leads to the retail hall. Here, shops and stalls are opened daily for ponies to browse. They met the Cakes (the town's baker family), their two kids, and their kitchen hand, Pinkie Pie, who had met them yesterday and thrown them the celebratory party they had after the music had finished. They also met the head of the library who, even though a library was a free thing for anypony to use, also had a space in the hall. Her name was Twilight Sparkle and her assistant's was a small dragon called Spike. They had similarly met Rarity in her shop, where they were immediately fitted and measured. Rarity boasted that she had everypony's measurements memorized so she could make clothes for anypony at anytime. The clinic was at the end of that hall; Nurse Redheart introduced herself and told Quick Step that the patients were looking up.

Quick Step told them he'd leave the rest of the exploration up to them, as he had a meeting to attend, but left them at a much worn doorway in the town square. He winked and went his way. The two looked at each other and Vinyl bravely pushed open the door.

Inside was a large storage area. There were shelves upon shelves, each labeled. Instruments, sorted by type and name, lined up and filled a majority of the room. Pipes with flayed ends, wood forms keeping strings taunt, sticks and cylinders, even a few large devices with black and white... Vinyl couldn't actually think of a name for them, but even that instrument, too. They were all there.

Octavia had squealed in delight. "Vinyl... Do you think...?"

"He wouldn't have brought us here if..." continued Vinyl.

They looked at each other yet again and both smiled wide. Octavia grabbed Vinyl in a huge hug and took off to try the many devices in front of her. Vinyl happily sighed and followed her partner.

The two explored every inch of the racks. Vinyl picked up something labeled as a 'Bass Guitar' and strummed a hoof along the strings, but found them coarse and too thick to work with. Octavia saw something labeled a 'Flute' and blew through it, only to create a note that might have been able to shatter glass, had there been any nearby.

Vinyl was looking through some of the larger stringed instruments when something caught her eye. It looked old, but very peculiar in size; it was between the larger and smaller ones like it, and seemed to be the only one of that size. She read the label: 'Double Bass, requires bow'.

"Huh, okay," mumbled Vinyl, looking back to the basket of sticks with wide strings labeled 'bows'. She took one and brought it back to the Double Bass. She held it as the picture under the sign depicted, her standing on her rear hooves and holding it up, using her magic to support the bow, and drew the bristly fur across the taunt strings.

She liked the sound. It was like the guitar she had tried, but more full and echo-y. It grew in intensity if the bow moved across the string faster, and the note would shift if she moved her hoof not holding the bow up or down along the string she was playing. But it wasn't her. It was too calm, too pleasant...

Too Octavia.

"Hey, 'Tavi?" she called out. "You might like this."

A shrill note, not unlike her experiment with the flute, sounded before Vinyl got a response. "Sure, one second." Hoofsteps echoed dully on the packed dirt floor.

When Octavia rounded the corner, Vinyl could have sworn her eyes grew in size. Her muzzle hung open as she eyed the instrument and walked to her friend.

"I... I saw something like this last night... But it looked to big..." she stated. She replaced her friend and imitated her position, holding the Double Bass like Vinyl had been. "Um, can you give me that?" she asked.

Octavia hadn't seen the diagram, which depicted a unicorn only, but regardless Vinyl hoofed the bow to her friend. She held it, notched in the crook of her hoof. She somehow found a good grip there and proceeded to pull the hairs across the strings.

If Vinyl's playing had been any good, Octavia's single note was that of something better then the song Vinyl had heard the night before, which was the closest thing to heavenly she knew of. The note was the opposite of scratchy, the pinnacle of smooth. It rose softly and slowly, hitting a kind of apex as she ran out of bow and naturally pulled it back towards herself. It was a measure of perfection in Vinyl's ears.

"...I don't know," said Octavia, with obvious uncertainty. "It feels a little-"

"Do that again," Vinyl asked. Red eyes pleaded their case at the brown earth pony.

"W-what?" stuttered a shocked Octavia.

"That, what you just did. Please, again," begged the unicorn.

"Oh, um, okay," Octavia got out. She straightened herself out again and once more pulled the bow across the string.

"Oooh," sighed Vinyl as the note filled the room again. She closed her eyes as the note once more grew to its fullest and shuttered as it receded. "Yes, that's nice," she said as she reopened her eyes.

Octavia opened her eyes, too, and smiled at the Double Bass. "You know... That did feel really, really good." She set the bow back up on the strings.

"Aw yeah," Vinyl said as a new note reached her ears. It grew in volume 'till that wonderful apex, then shot a shutter through Vinyl as Octavia moved her hoof and switched the note. The final note faded away as the bow ran out of space, tugging Vinyl's heartstrings with it.

"That's amazing," complemented Vinyl.

"Thank you, and... And I think you're right," confirmed Octavia.

Vinyl looked at the Double Bass, now polished to shining perfection and resting against their room's wall. Quick Step had invited Octavia to lessons on how to use it, which she gladly accepted. Vinyl couldn't be happier; for her partner because after four years of running she was finally doing something she loved, and for herself because every night Octavia would come home with a new note to play for Vinyl's eager ears.

Octavia, always seeming to wake at the perfect moment, began to stir. Vinyl reached out her hoof and laid it on top of her now roommate's shoulder, so she could be the first thing her partner thought of that morning.

"Good morning," yawned the brown earth pony, pushing herself closer to her companion.

"Good morning," responded the white unicorn, wrapping herself tightly around her lazily cuddling... marefriend. There's no denying it now, Vinyl figured; it was official ever since the kiss a few nights back. Strange how the Rhythm Underground made her comfortable enough with herself to explore, and experience, this kind of thing she didn't have much time for back Aboveground.

Aboveground... such a fitting name for the rest of Equestria. Exposed, unpredictable, vulnerable; this is what the Aboveground meant to the ponies of their new home. Not many ventured up, simply because they wanted to leave their past behind. They couldn't be happy out there.

Vinyl and Octavia laid close together in their bed for a few minutes. Why they never fell asleep like this, Vinyl didn't know. Maybe one of them tossed in her sleep?

"I guess we should probably get up now," sighed Octavia. She didn't shift.

"Probably," breathed Vinyl. Her eyes remained closed.

"Start the day, meet some new ponies," continued Octavia softly, as if the air around them would shatter the moment if she talked too loud.

"Maybe," confirmed Vinyl, holding her friend closer still. Her head rested on the side of the earth pony's.

"Just sitting here in bed would get nothing accomplished," whispered Octavia, smiling dreamily and mentally laughing at the sarcasm of the conversation.

"Uh-huh," agreed Vinyl. She couldn't decide whether the pillow was comfier then Octavia or not. She'd have to keep laying her head on Octavia's then, just to make sure.

They hugged there together, simply enjoying the other's company and touch, getting 'nothing' accomplished for who knows how long. The hotel-like window by the door (currently curtained off) betrayed signs of activity from the outside world, but the girls didn't care. Their lights were off, their mare was with them, and their day was starting perfectly.

Until the alarm bell rang.

Vinyl and Octavia both shot up in shock. It was kind of like music, but not pleasant. Neither of them actually knew what it was, but they could both felt that something as loud and shrill as this had to be important.

Quickly, the two unkempt mares trotted out of their room, Vinyl grabbing the unnecessary key to their door from her nightstand (the only real use for it would be for privacy). They moved along with the crowd of stunned ponies to the second floor balcony. Two mares, one mint green and the other yellow with purple and pink hair, blocked some of their view of the main plaza, but they still saw the scene:

The pegasus with the rainbow mane (a performer by the name of Rainbow Dash, so the pair had been told) was just flying off of the balcony with another pegasus on her back. Quick Step and a red stallion ran out of the doorway that led to the Aboveground, just behind the multi-colored streak. Unfortunately lacking wings, both earth ponies resorted to taking the stairs as Nurse Redheart appeared from the crowd. Worried conversation filled the hall.

"Okay everypony," began Quick Step, breaking through the gathered ponies on the ground floor, "by the looks of it we have a concussion, a lot of injuries, and fatigue. You know what to do."

The crowd grew silent as Nurse Redheart began her work. The unconscious grey pegasus was on a table in the center of the square, giving everypony a good view. The nurse began to prepare ice bags and pillows to ease the patient back into the world.

A rouge voice separated itself from the crowd: "Her wing looks broken!" The crowd murmured things like "That's horrible!" "Terribly unlucky," "Worse then just broken," and "Poor thing," before dying back down into a worried silence.

"You'll have to set it, might as well do it now," instructed Rainbow Dash. "We definitely want that to heal right."

"Noted," said the busy nurse. After putting a rag in the pony's mouth, she found a wooden splint in her medical bag and, using the advice of Rainbow, pressed the unconscious mare's wing suddenly back into what Vinyl assumed was how it was supposed to look.

The pegasus's eyes flew open in shock, then squeezed shut in pain. An agonizing scream filled the air before the nurse yelled at her to bite down, which she did. She shuttered through the pain, the alto only dulled as the waves of apparent agony continued.

She eventually stopped, her brow sweaty and her breath hard. The nurse removed the rag from her mouth and tied the splint with fresh gauze, but the new arrival still kept her eyes closed. The crowd let out a collective sigh of relief when they say the pony was awake and taken care of.

"Oh, thank Celestia, she's up. Nurse Redheart, you're a miracle worker," sighed Quick Step.

"I just did what I knew how to do," sighed the nurse. "I'll get her to the hospital room as soon as she can be moved. Until then, thank you, everypony, for your help. I can take it from here."

The crowd began to move around them again, off to their jobs or lessons. Quick Step, however, made a motion at Vinyl and Octavia, telling them to meet him down by the table.

The two trotted in that direction, curious about the patient. Quick Step greeted them as they walked up: "Hello, girls. It's been quite the night for me, so don't blame me if I'm snappy. This is Big Mac," he motioned to the stallion on his right, who nodded his head, "and he, Dash and I were just in time to save this mare here." They walked towards the table to take a better look at her. "She was flying away from the guards, probably looking for the Underground. We were keeping pace with her, waiting for a moment we could get her away from her chasers. And when she collided with a branch she didn't see and toppled down, we got that opportunity, as bad a cost that opportunity was to get."

The grey mare was lying on the table on her back, supported by pillows. Her long, blue and green mane was tangled and soaked in either rain, sweat, or both. Her wings were spread out on the table, one wrapped in the temporary cast held in place by gauze. Both eyes were screwed shut and she was muttering to herself incomprehensively.

"Poor thing," sighed Octavia.

"She was in the best care we offer. Seriously," Quick Step said, sounding like he was about to explain another aspect of the Underground to the two new mares. "We gather everypony here to see if they can catch anything the nurse doesn't. That way, patients get literally the most attention possible. If two heads are better then one, then many must be even better, right?"

"I can see that," agreed Vinyl.

"Big Mac, could you give me a hoof here?" asked the nurse. She had tied some ice bags to specific parts of the unfortunately injured mare and by the looks of it she was ready for transport.

"Eeyep," said the large stallion. Vinyl realized this was the one who said the same thing a few nights ago, before the song.

Big Mac walked over to the table and took a second to look at the mare. Before he looked away to help the nurse, however, her eyes slowly opened. Green stared into blue for a moment, and if Vinyl could compare it to anything, she could have sworn the shared gaze looked like fireworks.

After a few seconds, the mare tilted her head away, breaking the moment. Her eyes were wide, and was it just the bruises or were her cheeks red, too?

"Alright, I'm just gonna move you onto this stallion's back. Are you okay with that?" asked the nurse clearly.

"S-sure," shuddered the injured mare. Her voice was light and high, but still mature, and seemed caring even in that one word.

The nurse cautiously pulled the pony onto Big Mac perpendicularly, and with hooves hanging off either side. The mare had closed her eyes, but Vinyl's feminine rumor-mill side had to wonder if it was out of pain, or maybe shyness.

Octavia pushed opened the door to her apartment, carrying the Cello-like instrument on her back. It was heavy, but all the same compensated by its sound; beauty came at a high price, and this beauty was worth every cent.

She saw her partner on the couch, promptly passed out in a rather crude fashion. One of her back hooves was on top of the couch's cushion, and one of her front hooves was dangling off the side. Octavia loved her for it, but Vinyl was just so strange sometimes, even in the way she napped.

Regardless, Octavia set her Double Bass down and grabbed her bow. Positioning herself, she played a simple string of notes she had perfected that day. Calm and slow, she believed it would be a great thing to hear as one woke up.

Octavia watched as her unicorn partner flickered open her eyes and saw what the sound was. Her red pupils were only fractionally shown, as her eyes were still half-lidded. As the string of notes replayed itself, Vinyl's eyes rolled into her head and she sighed in pleasure. She closed her eyes again and, without moving, smiled and listened to the song.

After a few bars, Octavia decided that was enough of a wake-up call. She ended the piece on the last note, drawing it out just a bit to signify the finish. With no more music, however, Octavia heard a small humming, still continuing her tune, coming from the couch before it stopped in sudden embarrassment. Vinyl's eyes fluttered open and she pouted her lip.

"Done so soon?" she half-asked, half-pleaded.

"Well, that's kind of all I know how to do," Octavia shrugged.

"And it's amazing, keep doing it!" encouraged the groggy unicorn, still in the same position on the couch.

"Uh-uh, that's all you get," teased the earth pony, setting down the stringed instrument and stashing the bow.

"Aww," whined Vinyl, rolling off the couch and face-first into the floor. Muffled, but still comprehendible, she continued: "I like your music; I need to hear it all the time." Still pouting, she looked up. "Pleeeeeeese?"

"Vinyl," Octavia giggled, "My hooves are tired. And it's not like we're never going to see each other." She plopped herself down on the couch. "Now come here, I'm in need of a hug," she smiled.

Vinyl giggled. "You know you're always going to get a hug from me, whether you like it or not," she said. She pounced up and grabbed Octavia, laying in between her and the couch cushion and wrapped her hooves around her neck.

They sat there for a few moments, enjoying the other's company. They found early on that cuddling with their partner was an activity they both greatly enjoyed, so they often found themselves in the other's hooves.

A minute later, Octavia broke the silence. "Vinyl, can we go check on the poor mare from this morning?" she asked. The earth pony couldn't help but worry about the new arrival, and had to see for herself if she was okay.

Vinyl pouted. "Aww, but we just started," she complained.

"It's been really bothering me, though," explained Octavia. Putting on her best doggie face, she turned to Vinyl and said "Pleeeeeeese?"

"Depends," giggled Vinyl. "Will you play for me later?"

"Oh, of course, if we can go right now!" smiled Octavia.

"Right now?" asked Vinyl disapprovingly.

"Come on, pretty please? We can get back to cuddling tonight," Octavia pleaded.

Vinyl paused for a second. Octavia knew what she was thinking about. On one hoof, she could stay here with a less-then-satisfied Octavia, who would probably not be up for cuddles. On the other, she could spend a few minutes checking on a very sick pony, scoring a few brownie points with Octavia, getting more willing cuddles, and listening to more of Octavia's music. There, unfortunately for the still-groggy unicorn, wasn't much of a choice.

"Okay, let's go," sighed Vinyl as she got herself up on her hooves.

"Yay! Thank you, Vinyl!" Octavia said, jumping up and kissing her marefriend on the cheek. The earth pony saw white cheeks grow red cutely as she walked to the front doorway.

The two mares trotted through the hallways close together, no longer afraid of either hiding themselves or who they were with. They made their way down the stairs of the balcony and through the retail hall to the infirmary.

They walked into the only room in the Rhythm Underground they knew of that had tile floor and asked Nurse Redheart if they could see the mare.

"Oh, her name's Everbreeze," explained the nurse. "She's been napping all day, so I don't see why not. Go ahead, fourth room on the right."

"Everbreeze," both mares copied. Octavia liked the name, and had to wonder what her cutie mark was. She hadn't seen it that morning.

Vinyl took the lead and opened the door to the fourth room on the right. She poked her head in, but stopped dead in her tracks. She slowly slid backwards and quietly closed the door.

"She's fine," Vinyl said.

"Wait, hold on," Octavia began. "What's in there?"

"Nothing," pleaded the unicorn.

"Let me see!" she cried.

Vinyl blocked the door. "C'mon, let's go ba-"

Octavia pushed past her partner, annoyed. She opened the door and poked her head inside.

The mare was sitting up on her bed, and Big Mac was sitting next to her. Her grey fur was dry and groomed, as was her blue and green mane. His mane was blonde and slightly ruffled, his red coat also slightly lacking attention. They both were facing the wall opposite the door. They were close together, almost touching.

Actually, Octavia realized they were touching. On the lips.

She backed out and closed the door softly. Purple eyes wide with shock, she turned to her partner.

"Was she...?"

"Uh-huh."

"But he...?"

"Uh-huh."

"...But how?"

"I don't know. And honestly, Octavia, it's none of our business."

Still in a state of confusion, Octavia followed Vinyl out of the infirmary and all the way back to their room. She couldn't figure out for the life of her how any relationship could move that quickly. She hoped it had a logical explanation. She hoped even more the two knew what they were doing.

"Don't worry, I'm sure they're fine," Vinyl reassured. She reached into their icebox and pulled out two bottles of juices. "Apple cider or cherry juice?"

"How can you be so... Nonchalant about that?" asked Octavia.

"Simple, really," Vinyl said, pouring herself a glass of the cherry juice. "I can tell Big Mac is one of those respectable types. The courteous ones that every girl admires as out of their league. And when you wake up to find this kind of stallion hanging over you and volunteering to help you, how can you not fall head over hooves for him?" Vinyl took a gulp from her juice. "Naturally, he wants to take care of her, and she wants to be taken care of by him. Maybe one of the two got daring and acted on instinct, doing what they both wanted. Who knows? But it is what it is." She took another swig from the glass.

Octavia was stunned for a second. "How did you know all that?" she asked.

"Easy," smiled Vinyl. "Just keep an eye open, you'll be amazed at what you find."

Octavia sighed and smiled. "Okay, I believe you. I'm watching them, though, just to be sure."

"Whatever makes you happy," grinned Vinyl.

"Oh, but do you know what would really make me happy right now?" Octavia asked her partner.

"Hmm... I don't know, what?" Vinyl responded playfully.

Octavia smiled and suddenly sprinted to the back of the room. She jumped into the air and spread-eagle dived onto her shared bed. She quickly flipped under the covers and held herself down as best she could.

"Wha- Hey!" exclaimed Vinyl.

"And you can't make me move!" laughed Octavia from under her sheets.

"Is that a challenge?" Vinyl questioned as she set her cup down.

Very quickly, the room was filled with giggles as the earth pony was unsuccessfully wrestled with. Both parties pushed and shifted, but neither could get the other to stop in her efforts, so eventually they both gave up and dropped flat on the bed, panting hard. Vinyl and Octavia laid next to each other, giggling and catching their breath.

Vinyl softly grabbed Octavia above the shoulders and held her close. Octavia was shocked, but by no means mad or annoyed. In fact, as her partner's breath slowed, she realized she enjoyed it very much. It was a cute gesture, and Octavia decided to return it. Slowly, she hugged her marefriend back. Lazily humming her lullaby tune, she smiled and shut her eyes, feeling her body grow numb as sleep overtook her.

Even that night, in the sea of dreams, she knew Vinyl was there next to her, sleeping soundly and lovingly holding her.

And she was happy.

OCC: 'Sup bronies?

Huge thanks to my friend Everbreeze for letting me use her character! And yes, she specifically asked to be shipped with Big Mac. If you didn't think I gave enough of an explanation, then tell me to ask her what she thinks went down.

And remember, if you want your OC in a chapter, you can send an application to me! Check Chapter Two: Trust for details.

Sorry about this being super sappy and stuff. I'm experimenting. Not to mention, Vinyl and Octavia are a couple that want the attention from each other after not being able to act on their feelings for 4-ish years. Imagine that, then imagine finally getting the chance to. You'd more then likely get sappy about it as well.

Thanks for reading!

-Arts

Routine

All characters either belong to Hasbro and the Hub or to the Brony fan base as a whole, with the exception to OC ponies, who belong to their respective owners. Enjoy!

-Arts

Chapter 5:

Routine

Thunder Roller walked along with his colleges, quietly approaching their target. Another quick Bright-Eye capture and arrest. There had been reports of music coming from the area, and he was part of the squad sent to investigate. They heard the unlawful noise, too, and were following it to its source. Routine, repetitive routine, with no change. Thunder was sick of it, but at least he knew what to expect.

He shifted his wings slightly. The pegasus guard would never admit it to anypony, ever, but the sound that he heard, the sound he often heard before capturing musicians before, was by no means bad. In fact, he actually found himself drawn towards the melodies not to vanquish them, although he often did anyway against his better judgment due to his unchanging routine. He hated himself for being so weak, but what was he supposed to do? He was just one pony, and was probably just going through... Through a phase, or something. That's all; it would wear off eventually.

"Psst!" whispered one of his allies. "There he is! Heh, look at that sorry excuse for a pony!" The pegasus next to him looked like a mirror image of Thunder Roller himself, with a pure white coat and golden armor. They all looked like that, because the armor was enchanted to do so. The unicorns had their own separate 'uniform', as well; silver armor with a medium-grey coat. Regardless of their type, their eyes stayed brown, if not dulled to create a kind of emotional barrier between their target and them.

"Yeah, just another easy capture," laughed Thunder half-heartedly.

"Aww, you scared, Shakie?" jeered the other guard. It wasn't Thunder's fault he didn't grip their standard lances well, but the other guards made fun of him for it anyway. He didn't like it, but he was... used to it.

The guards had all noticed their target. Thunder looked, too, but he wasn't frightened by what he saw, though he knew he should have been. There was a pegasus, like him, sitting on a log in a small clearing, which they were approaching. His fur was rainforest green, from muzzle to flank, and his mane was black, long, and straight. His eyes were closed. But most importantly of all, he held a strange, shell-like device in his hooves. Thunder watched as the pegasus brought the device to his lips, and listened as it created an airy sound, like wind but more tangible. Thunder felt himself grow curious rather then apprehensive, as he always did before in situations like this. But, as always, nothing would change this stallion's fate.

"I'm going to see your hooves in the air in three seconds, musician, or I will be forced to detain you violently," demanded the squad leader as he immerged from cover, spear pointed at the pegasus on the log. The windy sound ceased, and the pegasus lowered the instrument. The guard ponies had him completely surrounded, and, as always, Thunder's lance was pointed less evenly then the other guards.

“One," counted the squad leader.

The green pegasus opened his eyes. The pupils shocked Thunder; they were a sky blue sheen, seemingly no separation between pupil and color.

"Two," continued the captain.

The musician's eyes didn't move; he seemed to be barely using them. The circle tightened. He slid off the trunk and onto his hooves, slowly and deliberately. His long, black mane made him appear even more mysterious in the shaded afternoon light.

The captain gripped his spear. "Three- umph!"

The green pegasus had quickly plowed towards the captain, taking the spear and pushing it back at the owner, stunning Thunder's commander. That certainly wasn't normal, although not unexpected. Thunder fell in with his companions, knowing it was his job and his duty, but at the same time not wanting to capture the owner of such amazing musical knowledge.

The resisting pegasus had reverted to a motionless stance, the fallen officer still on the ground, as the guards positioned themselves around him again. Spears had him pinned on all sides, and Thunder sighed in disappointment. He had thought maybe, just maybe, this guy would be the one to break the pattern, to prove that musicians were more then just targets, as he knew they were but would never say. But he guessed he was wrong.

A unicorn levitated a rope up to tie the prisoner. The pegasus didn't move. That is, until the rope was within reach, whereupon he grabbed it and used it to quickly wrap up Thunder and another two guards' spears together and throw the tied weapons up and away, effectively disarming them all. Thunder backed off, watching the pegasus with renewed hope. The other two scrambled for their spears. Four left.

The other guards, Thunder's so-called friends, charged the musician with obviously violent intentions. The pegasus used his wings to flick himself over the four pointed weapons in an impressive back flip. He landed on top of all four spears at once and drove the points into the dirt.

He sped at a pegasus guard, shouldering him to the ground. It didn't knock him out, but it did leave him stunned. Three left.

A unicorn charged him, but a buck to his helmet changed that course of action. The pegasi and unicorn left held back, but the mysterious pegasi wasn't finished yet. He flicked up a sizable stone and wacked it, using his wing like some kind of catapult, launching the stone right into the face of the pegasus.

One left.

The musician charged the unicorn, but Thunder's fellow guard got smart and casted a spell to stop him and hold him. At first he just glowed yellow and didn't seem to slow, but then the pegasus's galloping became more labored until he was not two inches in front of the frantic unicorn straining himself with magic. The pegasus struggled and pushed, but the magic held him in place.

Something snapped in Thunder's head. They were going to capture this musician. Even after he tried so hard, disarmed them all, got so close to showing up everything and finally settling Thunder's restless inner conflict, he was still powerless. Powerless to the force that stopped such a thing... Such a wonderful thing as music.

Why was he on that side?

Thunder Roller flew as fast as he could. It wasn't a flight, really; it was a launch. It wasn't a thought, either; much more of an action. He felt the collision like a million, not just physically, but emotionally too. The spell around the pegasus musician broke and, now freed, he quickly sped and grabbed Thunder, carrying them both to the edge of the clearing. Thunder felt his ears fill with blood, although one was stinging.

"Why are you helping me?" the musician asked hurriedly.

"I-I... I don't know..." Thunder said. His own actions confused him.

"Celestia, you're in it now, bro. If you wanna live, stay with me, got it?" he skeptically smiled as he examined Thunder.

"Y-yeah," stumbled the ex-guard. He stood up strait. He was scared, suddenly, very scared as friend now became foe and foe turned into friend. But in the rush, he felt a lack of something else. He didn't feel pressured anymore.

"Traitor!" screamed one of the guards.

"I should've known!" yelled another.

Honestly, they were never friendly voices to begin with, but now he didn't have to put up with them. He could get away from it. It wasn't routine anymore.

"Let's get outta here," chuckled the musician. Thunder looked to his right and was met with the odd, but still friendly, pure blue eyes. He realized this fugitive, even in just a few sentences, was being nicer and more accepting then anypony else Thunder knew. He somehow seemed to honestly care.

"Sure," nodded Thunder.

"Get them!" shouted the captain. All the guards charged forword.

Thunder wasn't very good at much. But he knew he was faster then anyone else in his squad.

The musician and the ex-guard dodged through the trees, speeding along faster then their pursuers. Every obstacle that presented itself was evaded, and soon the sounds of their pursuers quieted until they vanished completely.

Thunder couldn't help but smile. His whole life had just been flipped upside down, beyond just a broken routine, and yet he was the happiest he could ever remember being.

"What's so funny?" asked the musician over the sound of the whipping wind as they flew on.

"I have no idea!" Thunder exclaimed.

They both shared a good-hearted laugh and slowed down, listening to make sure that they left the guards in the dust. When they didn't hear anything, both pegasi landed and sat down, each out of breath.

After a few seconds of gulping air, Thunder broke the silence. "I'm Thunder Roller," he said.

"Cloudy Bolt," said the musician.

"Um... Thank you, Cloudy."

"No problem," he grinned. "You're new to this, aren't you?"

"I have no idea what I'm doing," sighed Thunder.

"That makes two of us," laughed Cloudy.

They both relaxed after that, catching their breath as they watched the sun set.

Cloudy shifted. "Hey, I have a proposition."

"Yeah?"

"I've heard about this place, something called the Underground. Apparently, it's far away and very hidden. But if we get there, we can listen and play as much music as we want."

Cloudy looked at Thunder, and held his gaze.

"Wanna... help me find it?"

Thunder smiled. A place just for music sounded beyond perfect, and for whatever reason this pegasus was so happy and easy to trust. Why would he not wanna go? He was free to do whatever he wanted now. No more schedules, no more chains of restraint, no more routine.

Free... Finally.

"Of course."

"Good luck, Vinyl!"

Octavia closed the front door behind her as she left. Wow, a front door. Vinyl never really thought they could have a front door. Well, more like she never thought she and Octavia could ever have a house, but the front door comes with the package.

Vinyl had just woken up to catch her marefriend leaving for her lessons. She was practicing really hard, that much Vinyl could see. Not to mention, every time she played Vinyl was blown away, regardless of how Octavia herself viewed her own playing.

The white mare sighed and relaxed on the couch, thinking about her friend and partner. Minutes pass by both slowly and quickly as she shifts between missing Octavia and envisioning her.

After awhile, Vinyl realized she did have some work to do. Octavia had found her instrument a week and a half ago, but Vinyl...

It wasn't easy for her. She'd shifted through section after section of instruments, all of which sounded nice but just weren't clicking. Quick Step had come to help yesterday, even evaluated her voice to see if that was what her talent lied in, but even though he said she could figure out her way around most instruments and certainly was a good singer, she wasn't specializing in anything.

Vinyl sighed and got up from the couch. She walked out of her door, closing it behind her with a small pang of magic, and made her way to the main plaza.

She overlooked the town square from the second-floor balcony. No matter how often Vinyl found herself here, the biggest room in the Rhythm Underground never ceased to amaze her. There was always something going on, be it Cheerilee's classes, some sort of concert or competition, or just a group of picnics and lots of conversation. Today appeared to be dancing lessons, as couples lined the grassy field. A small orchestra started up and stopped at the conduction of the dance instructor, who'd also tell the couples what they were doing right and wrong if she wasn't teaching a new step. Among the ponies there were Lyra and Bon-Bon, who she met two days ago, Everbreeze and Big Mac, and Twilight Sparkle and some pony with a yellow coat and blue mane.

Vinyl trotted across the upper platforms to the nearest staircase, descending it as she made her way to the storage room. She walked around the dancing couples, wondering if she could come by later with Octavia. But the doorway couldn't stay a destination for too long, and Vinyl found herself opening it sooner then she'd like.

Once more, Vinyl trotted past shelves of instruments she had already failed at playing.

She ran through her checklist. Wind instruments, x. Strings, x. Percussion, x. Today, she'd planned to look through some of the stuff she'd neglected to try, like the Harps. She had thought these were kinda boring, but who knows? Maybe she'll be good at one.

Vinyl pranced around, slightly optimistic. She first sat down at what she now knew was called a piano, and pressed a few of the keys. She liked the ease at which the notes played, but didn't particularly enjoy the sound itself. She wondered if there was a way to make different sounds while using the same basic mechanic.

She picked up a huge tuba next, and tried blowing through it like Quick Step had shown her. She also found the way the keys were pressed to be simple, but between the weight and the heavy, comedic sound, she knew this wasn't for her, either.

Vinyl sat at the harp and tried pulling her hoof across the strings. It was a good sound, but it was heavenly and beautiful. It wasn't bad, it just wasn't Vinyl.

She slammed her hoof into the harp in frustration. She took a few deep, agitated breaths.

Is... Is there just no instrument for me?

A crash came from Vinyl's right. She turned her head, stunned, but was only met by a wall. Wait, how had a crash come from behind a wall?

Vinyl curiously got up and walked to the wall. She knocked on parts of the wall, to test if there was space beyond it. To her surprise, there was a hollow echo to each knock.

Vinyl examined the wall carefully. A bit to her left, the wall seemed to be made of something else, like a different kind of wood. She walked up and pressed at this panel, but it didn't budge.

The white unicorn pushed harder, feeling something creak. Old wood splintered as what used to be a door swung inward to finally allow Vinyl access. Parts of the door were still stuck to the frame, but she stepped around these parts and into the unlit room.

Vinyl wandered in the dark, wondering what this room was. She decided an illumination spell would probably help. So, she lit her horn, and the room was quickly wrapped in a blue aura.

She felt a tug, but not in the sense that something grabbed her. The aura of the horn itself was misting off, the waves tugged towards one corner of the room.

Vinyl approached this corner. There was a large table of some kind, wide and black-

The pull in her horn suddenly increased, enough to actually knock her off balance. Like a fishing rod, she fought the pull, yanking her head back. When the magic attraction subsided, she nervously took a few steps towards the table, eyes wide for danger.

The stand had three segments on it, two on the sides and one in the middle. The two side ones each had a few dials surrounding a round indent with a rod sticking over it. In the middle stood an army of dials and buttons, some labeled some not, and something that looked like a small piano, but only the keys.

As she walked around the table to the side all the letters were facing, she got a weird feeling. She felt powerful, important, the entertainment of a crowd of ponies-

Wait, what?

The yank came back, stronger them ever. Vinyl felt her horn burn and freeze in a painful intermingling, felt everything buzz and static, a burning white noise... Wait, white noise? What's tha- But the shock continued to occupy her mind.

Like a glowstick- wait, what's a- the whole magic tug burst and broke. Her illumination spell was broken, and suddenly the whole ordeal was over.

Vinyl was slumped over the table, some of the knobs pointing uncomfortably into her face. How she got there, she didn't know. Breathing hard, she raised herself off the device. The white unicorn's eyes eventually became used to the low lighting of the room, and she examined the table once more, hesitantly.

Many knobs and switches did have labels, but what "Pan" and "Balance" meant was beyond her. In fact, the only switch that did make sense was the "On/Off" switch...

Nervously, Vinyl reached her hoof to that switch. Her hoof hovered over it for a second, questioning whether this was a good decision.

Well, why not?

She flicked the switch.

Nothing happened.

Vinyl waited a few seconds. Still, nothing happened.

Wow, that's anticlimactic, she thought.

"I know, right?"

Vinyl jumped strait into the air. She could have sworn she was alone in here-

She looked up, and standing on the other side of the table was another pony. It was dark, but Vinyl could still tell she was white in fur and blue in mane, kinda like Vinyl...

Wait... The pony standing in front of her wasn't like her... She was her...

"Hey, wazzap?"

The other Vinyl was looking up at her from behind the same purple shades Vinyl used to wear. Vinyl hadn't recently worn them, although she still knew where they were. She had the same white fur, the same cutie mark, the same blue hair, and more then likely the same red eyes.

"Y-you're..."

"I'm what?"

"You're me!"

The other Vinyl laughed. "I look like you, yeah. But I'm not you. I'm a message, from the past. A powerful spell made by the world's greatest DJs and put on this Turntable to combat the Princesses' anti-music law. And I guess you get to be the world's second-first DJ."

"What?"

"Do you want the long story, or the short?"

Vinyl was taken aback. She even acted like Vinyl. "Uh, short?"

"Yep, you're a DJ. Short attention span, it's a trademark attribute."

"...Thanks?"

"Anyway, think about me as the greatest source on how to use this device." The copy placed a hoof on the table. "It's called a Turntable, and it plays music just like any other instrument." She smiled. "But... more so."

Vinyl was still a bit shocked she was talking to herself. Her jaw was slack, her eyes wide. She reached out and tried to place a hoof on the other her, but her hoof went right through it.

"I'm just an apparition," explained the copy, "and right now, you're the only one who can see me."

Vinyl shook her head. "So... I'm crazy?"

The copy cracked up. Vinyl didn't get it.

"Yes, you're crazy! You have to be crazy! It's a job requirement! Sanity bores the masses; they want the crazy thump of a bass drum, weather they know it or not!"

Vinyl didn't really get anything this pony was saying.

"And aren't you already crazy?" the Vinyl copy said as she pointed to the real Vinyl's cutie mark. "You're a musician. The population of Equestria hates you, yet here you are approaching a Turntable. You may not believe me yet, but you're crazy."

Quite the introduction, thought Vinyl.

"And by the way, I know what you're thinking," grinned the copy. "I can read your mind."

"Great," sighed Vinyl.

"Well, you gonna tell-slash-think your name, or what?" asked the other Vinyl.

"Um, I'm Vinyl Scratch."

"Awesome. I guess I don't have a name, but I do really like this one name one of the DJs had. So call me DJ Pon-3!" She held out her hoof to shake with the original Vinyl.

Vinyl rolled her eyes. "We can't do that, my hoof will just go through yours," she said.

"Wanna bet?" asked DJ Pon-3.

Vinyl turned her head. She wasn't serious... was she? The real Vinyl moved her hoof forward apprehensively. Again, she didn't know what to expect.

And again, her hoof went right through the other pony's.

"Whoops, guess I'm wrong," sighed the Vinyl look-alike, moving the held-out hoof to scratch the back of her head. She wore a huge, goofy smile.

"H-hey!"

"Oh, we're gonna have some fun, you and me," sighed DJ Pon-3.

Octavia frowned. Vinyl was always home.

And yet their shared room was empty. The couch was un-napped-upon, their bed un-messy, and the juice un-touched. Everything was like Vinyl hadn't been there all day.

Octavia set her Double Bass against the couch and left her room again, this time to search for her marefriend. She trotted to the square, past the band packing up, and to the first place Vinyl would probably be; the storage room.

The bassist pony wondered if Vinyl had found her instrument, and was playing it non-stop. She giggled, imagining Vinyl holding some ridiculous device neither of them had ever heard of before.

Sure enough, when Octavia opened the door, a song was playing. Strange, it didn't seem like Vinyl was alone. She could count at least three instruments being played.

As the bassist listened further, she realized everything sounded... weird. The instruments, most of which had a strange sound she'd never heard of before, seemed jumpy almost, like a bunch of notes strung together rather then an actual instrument. Not to mention the drums were much heavier then was naturally possible, and yet they still reverberated the whole room.

Octavia walked closer, to what appeared to be a broken door she hadn't noticed in her previous trips to the storage room. Suddenly and shockingly, the whole song stopped on a single note, even the echoes vanishing immediately. That was the last straw, and Octavia trotted through the door. "Vinyl, is that-"

Vinyl stood at the other side of the room, her purple shades over her eyes. She was behind some sort of table, but it wasn't just a table; there were long cables poking out of it, leading to a stack of boxes on either side of the room. These boxes seemed to have circles in them, but were covered by some kind of fabric, so it was hard to tell.

Vinyl was using her magic, but on what it wasn't obvious. The blue glow on her horn was a tell-tale sign, however. Her hooves were positioned over the table, moving things Octavia couldn't see. She looked up and froze, however, when she realized her marefriend had just walked into the room.

"'Tavi!" Vinyl exclaimed. She was shocked, but suddenly ecstatic. "Oh my gosh, 'Tavi, you have got to hear this!"

"Wait, was..." Octavia tried. Vinyl was the only pony in the room. But there was so much sound before, it wasn't possible she was alone with the unicorn in here. "How did you..."

Vinyl appeared to be finished with her strange table. "Okay, are you ready for this to blow your mind?" she half-asked, half-giggled.

With a flick of a switch and the press of a few buttons, the music began.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Agluuflcpos&feature=youtube_gdata_player

The song began with something that sounded to Octavia like a guitar. The notes were coming from the weird boxes, though. How was that possible? They were boxes!

Vinyl was nodding her head to the song, messing with more stuff on the table. She pressed her hoof down, and suddenly a mare's voice joined the guitar-thing inside of the boxes, but it sounded far away, or like it was just the echo in a valley.

"Uh uh uh,
Woa-oh-ah, oh o-oh,"

A male suddenly chimed in, with the same kind of effect implemented on his voice.

"It's always a good time..."

The female repeated her interjectory phrase:

"Woa-oh-ah, oh o-oh,"

"It's always a good time..."

A very strange sound filled the room, cheery but scratchy at the same time. The guitar-like pattern was joined by unnaturally heavy crash drums and a bass-guitar-sounding instrument, plus what sounded like a crowd of ponies clipping their hooves together in a pattern. After a small dramatic pause, the male sung another few lines, the effect from before lifted:

"Woke up on the right side of the bed,
What's up with this prince song inside my head?
Hooves up if you're down to get down tonight!"

Octavia was beyond stunned. "Vinyl, how-"

"Shhh!" interrupted the white unicorn. "It gets even better!" Her face was screwed into complete elation, her eyes closing as her head beat to the heavy bass.

"'Cause it's always a good time!"

Light cymbals joined the too-heavy bass, making the beat sound much more peppy. Vinyl was mouthing along to the lyrics as she checked these moving, glowing bars on the table.

"Slept in all my clothes, like I didn't care,
Hopped into a cab; take me anywhere!
I'm in, if you're down to get down tonight!
'Cause it's always a good time!"

Somehow, the voice had harmonized with itself in those last two lines, creating an exciting effect. A drawn out clip filled the air before a light kinda-flute-sounding sound filled the air to accompany the female singer's solo:

"Good morning, and good night,
I'll wake up at twilight."

The two singers in the boxes combined their voices in a duet as a wind seemed to pick up, emphasizing a point of interest within the song:

"It's gonna be alright!"

The male took over, then, and lead the song as the music sped up, the drums getting faster until they stopped completely.

"We don't even have to try!"

Everything held still.

"It's always a good time!"

The room exploded with sound. Vinyl had even exploded herself, unable to contain a "Woo!" in the middle of the last line, before everything had started up again. Octavia realized that, somehow, Vinyl was in control of the whole song, all from the table she was so interested in.

"Woa-oh-ah-oh-oh!
Oh ah oh!
Woa-oh-ah-oh-oh!
It's always a good time!

Woa-oh-ah-oh-oh!
Oh ah oh!
We don't even have to try!
It's always a good time!"

The song reverted to its tamer verse pattern. Vinyl hit a few more buttons and twisted some knobs, all with a smug look. She knew what she was doing, Octavia realized. She's really into this.

The female singer continued the song with the next verse:

"Freaked out, dropped my phone in the pool again.
Checked out of my room, hit the ATM.
Let's hang out, if you're down to get down tonight.

'Cause it's always a good time!"

The song reverted to the bridge, but this time the male started singing first:

"Good morning and good night."

"I'll wake up at twilight."

They both harmonized together as the beat picked up:

"It's gonna be alright!"

And again, the male singer crossed the gap between the bridge and the chorus.

"We don't even have to try!
It's always a good time!"

The chorus exploded for the second time, Vinyl losing no energy or excitement compared to the first chorus. She swung her head side to side in time with the beat. Octavia walked over to Vinyl's table looking at all the knobs, dials, switches, and buttons. Unable to contain it, her hoof tapped along with the happy beat.

Vinyl looked up. "Crazy, huh?" she asked. Octavia nodded.

"Woa-oh-ah-oh-oh!
Oh ah oh!
Woa-oh-ah-oh-oh!
It's always a good time!

Woa-oh-ah-oh-oh!
Oh ah oh!
We don't even have to try!
It's always a good time!

Woa-oh-ah-oh-oh!
Oh ah oh!
Woa-oh-ah-oh-oh!
It's always a good time!

Woa-oh-ah-oh-oh!
Oh ah oh!
We don't even have to try!
It's always a good time!"

Keeping a close eye on Vinyl's movements, Octavia listened as Vinyl's song was played for her. The male sung from the boxes:

"Doesn't matter when, it's always a good time then!"

The female continued the song:

"Doesn't matter where, it's always a good time there!"

And the male finished the segment:

"Doesn't matter when, it's always a good time then!"

What sounded like a crowd of ponies suddenly burst from the speakers. A whole crowd of ponies spoke through the device:

"It's always a good time!"

The final chorus blared, with its heavy bass and catchy lyrics. Octavia admitted, it was new, but it wasn't... bad. She smiled at her partner, and she smiled back. Between the song and the pony that shared it with her, she believed she had an amazing experience with whatever new instrument Vinyl had just shown off. She nodded her head with Vinyl, mouthing with her to the parts of the chorus she knew. Together, they ended the song:

"Woa-oh-ah-oh-oh!
Oh ah oh!
Woa-oh-ah-oh-oh!
It's always a good time!

Woa-oh-ah-oh-oh!
Oh ah oh!
We don't even have to try!
It's always a good time!

Woa-oh-ah-oh-oh!
Oh ah oh!
Woa-oh-ah-oh-oh!
It's always a good time!

Woa-oh-ah-oh-oh!
Oh ah oh!
We don't even have to try!
It's always a good time!"

The song faded away, to the last second completely under Vinyl's control. Just like any song with any instrument in it, the whole ordeal was over. Octavia realized Vinyl was breathing heavy, with a huge smirk plastered on her face.

"How was that?" asked the unicorn.

Octavia thought for a second. No word in her vocabulary could even begin to describe all of these new sounds and effects. But one word stood out above them all.

Octavia walked around the table-like device and placed a kiss on her marefriend's cheek. She smiled at Vinyl, whose glasses did nothing to hide her blush, and spoke the one word on her mind.

"Riveting."

OOC: 'Sup bronies?

Huge thanks to Hillbilly1 and Darkakorri for allowing me to use there characters! I took some liberties with Thunder Roller, I know, but hey, he was okay with it.

Something I'd like to point out: Brown eyes do not actually mean anti-music, and colorful eyes do not actually mean pro-music. Your pony OC does not have to have colorful eyes to be on the Underground's side, should you submit them (remember, the rules are here: Chapter 2: Trust).

Yay! Vinyl got an instrument! I personally like the title "The world's second-first DJ". Totally works and stuff. =P

As always, thanks for reading!

-Arts

Lessons

All characters either belong to Hasbro and the Hub or to the Brony fan base as a whole, with the exception to OC ponies, who belong to their respective owners. Enjoy!

-Arts

Chapter 6:

Lessons

I’m not alone.

Sheathed Lance snuck around the forest; he always had, and always would. Other ponies, no matter pegasi, unicorn, or his fellow earth ponies, were just trouble he'd rather avoid. His crimson coat was not perfect for blending in with his surroundings, but he made due by sticking to the shadows and keeping his black mane long. Some days, he felt like a predator. Most, he felt like prey.

A scarf was tied around his neck. He kept it close, a reminder of who he was. He was all he had, and was all he needed. If he forgot who he was, there wouldn't be anything left. Home was far away, but he didn't miss it. He came and went, and he liked it that way.

His trot became a climb as the land around him sloped upward. A challenge like this wouldn't stop him, not when he'd faced all he had.

The steep slope reminded Lance about the time he'd helped that griffin girl. The poor thing was trapped by a landslide caused by the melting spring snow; the earth pony had barely heard her crying for help. Of course, he freed her, but she was drained and her wings were broken, so he carried her away and made a camp. He kept watch over her that night before she even came to, and helped her home when she was fit to walk a few days later. She had said her name was Ginger, and that she was eternally grateful. Heck, she had even kissed him in thanks. But Lance told the girl that he couldn't stay, that nothing in the world could end his quest. She wanted to go with him. She told him she'd find him when she was better.

But that had been three months ago, when the leaves were barely growing on the trees.

The peak of the hill was in sight. Lance tried to put the past behind him, but trying to forget something never lets you remove it from your mind. He remembered his parents, telling him to run and not to look back (something he forever took to heart). He remembered his first big good deed years ago, helping a filly his age find her way home. He remembered the guards, the endless woods he traveled, the countless number of camps he made over his lifetime. He remembered all that called him hero; not just the griffin, although she stood in his memory the most vividly.

He remembered his loneliness, too.

He reached the top of the hill, and he remembered why none of that mattered.

The forest stretched on for what looked like an eternity. In any season, on any hill, the view of a woodland before and below him was all the comfort he needed. He might be alone... However if this was his reward, he would always be happy.

Lance sighed. A breeze caught his scarf, and the forest rustled an undeniable call for him. A call he answered without hesitation.

UN TIS UN TIS UN TIS UN TIS

By Celestia, that bass!

Vinyl Scratch was turning the dial slowly to the right. It was about 75% to "10", but already the sound from the speakers was shaking the ground below her hooves. Specks of dirt were falling from the ceiling. The speakers and subwoofers were practically jumping in place.

"Oh, come on!" screamed the mirror image of Vinyl, also behind the Turntable. "That can get at least 20 percent louder!"

"What?" shouted Vinyl in response.

"DROP THE BASS!!" screamed DJ Pon-3 as she pushed Vinyl out of the way. Shocked, Vinyl tried to regain her balance as her doppelganger rotated the dial labeled "Master Bass" all the way up to 10.

The white unicorn couldn't even feel. The bass of the song reverberated through everything equally. She noticed her brain was rattling in her head and her lungs didn't seem to want to work right. The blood roared in her ears. Half the time, she wasn't sure she was touching the floor.

And yet...

"This... Is... AWESOME!!"

"And that's today's lesson, DJ-in-training." sighed Pon-3. "When one says 'Drop the bass', you better flippin' drop the bass!"

Vinyl was downing a cup of water, completely exhausted. Something about the way the crystals within the Turntable worked drained her magic and created a lot of heat, leading to exhaustion for whatever DJ was doing the set. The cup fully empty, Vinyl wiped her lips and looked at her mentor. "But... I thought you couldn't touch me?"

"Correction;" smiled the pony behind the purple shades, "you can't touch me. I can do whatever the hay I want." Her grin was annoyingly triumphant.

"Great..." sighed the real unicorn. She checked the Turntable; everything looked ready for shut-down. "See ya tomorrow, Pon-3."

But the apparition wasn't going to be sent away without her usual sage words of advice. "Hey, don't be late tomorrow! Make sure to drink tons of soda; it keeps your magical energy up. And don't even think about touching broccoli-"

"Yeah yeah, love ya too, GOOD-bye!" Vinyl finished exasperatedly before flipping the Power switch to the "Off" position. The final lights flicked down, the minor electrical buzz was silenced, and the strange mentor that was DJ Pon-3 disappeared from both sight and sound.

"She's more annoying then helpful sometimes," yawned the DJ-in-training. Not quite sure what time it was, she wandered out of the hidden area and replaced the bookshelf that blocked any other ponies from entering the side room. Cliché as it was, she and Octavia both agreed that something so... What was the fancy word she used... Evolutionary? Revolutionary? Anyway, the two agreed the Turntable would be kept a secret until Vinyl knew enough to show-and-tell what it was for everypony. As the bookshelf was the closest concealing object, it had been volunteered to cover up the doorway.

She trotted through the shelves of strings and tubes. She really did like this room; it was her favorite room in the whole Rhythm Underground beside the room she shared with Octavia. There were so many sounds to hear, so much she could experiment with. Her Turntable could emulate sounds to a certain extent, so if she found an instrument she really liked, she could play with it in more ways then should be possible, thanks to her device.

She entered the plaza from the instrument room and instantly stopped. Everypony was in the plaza.

As in, everypony.

Vinyl looked around and quickly spotted her marefriend. They both exchanged eye contact and made their way towards each other.

"Vinyl!" Octavia whispered. The room was eerily quiet and nopony talked above a hushed tone. "Where have you been? I was so worried..."

Vinyl blinked. Why should 'Tavi be worried? "Huh?" she asked.

"The earthquake! Didn't you feel that?" specified the earth pony.

"Earth-" started the training DJ, but stopped herself. Earthquake meant the ground was shaking. And Vinyl was just...

Vinyl face-hoofed, hard.

What small conversation was going on was silenced when Quick Step reached the edge of one of the balconies. "Is everypony okay?" he asked. The ponies all nodded and muttered their assurance. "Awesome. When this place was founded, a few years back, we worried about earthquakes."

Quick Step looked around at the audience before him. "So we built this place with safety in mind. Everything should still be structurally safe, but don't be afraid to inform me or somepony else if you're uncomfortable with a particular area." He nodded his head and continued on his way, dismissing the Underground back to it's activities.

That guy always knows just what to say, thought Vinyl. Too bad he had no idea what that really was.

The white unicorn tapped Octavia on the shoulder. "Do you think we should tell Quick Step?" she asked.

"He should be the first to know," the bassist nodded. "But not yet."

Vinyl sighed. It was hard to keep a big secret like this, especially from so many ponies. But she knew she had to, for now at least. If for no other reason, then because Octavia had a plan. And if Vinyl knew anything, she knew she trusted her partner.

A pair of ponies walked through the archway that lead to the cafeteria, helpfully labeled "Cafe" on a sign overhead. Well, technically, there were many ponies walking through the archway to the cafeteria, but Vinyl and Octavia were the only two mares there trotting in a way that was obviously only intended for couples.

The cafeteria was the main food source for all the Rhythm Underground's residents. While a trip to Sugarcube Corner was nice every once and awhile, it just didn't have much of a selection compared to the Cafe. Anything they could grow, they sold here. The cool thing about the magic lights that kept the Rhythm Underground illuminated was that some of them could be set to imitate sunlight; ponies' fur would actually get lighter if one were to stand under one for too long, and all the energy a farm would normally need from the sun was found in the orb's glow.

The Cafe was another popular hangout for everypony. On almost any eating hour, the place was pretty packed, and sometimes sported some sort of mish-mash of musicians making melodies. The line was impossibly kept moving at a decent pace despite the average length of the group of waiting ponies. Octavia guessed it was unicorn magic of some sort.

"Uh, have you ever heard of 'soda' before, 'Tavi?" asked Vinyl. They were both just talking about what they were going to order, their tastes ludicrously different.

"I think it was a drink. Like sparkling cider, but without the cider part," Octavia guessed. " Why, do they have it here?"

"No idea, I was just gonna check," shrugged the unicorn.

They both reached the line and began the wait. Octavia casted a look at the informal band playing at a table. "Hmm, perhaps I could test my newest tricks here, with those ponies. Should I run home after we finish our meal and get my instrument? Oh, but the instructor would get so mad if I were to drop my Bass on the-"

Vinyl stumbled for a second. Octavia turned her head to find her partner holding in what looked like either a huge laughing fit or a burp. But considering the way her head was bobbing in time to concealed giggles, Octavia had to guess the former applied. " How is that funny?" she frowned.

"S-sorry," chuckled Vinyl. "It's that... you said..." Her face resembled a pony holding a gulp of water in her mouth (but more entertaining) before she outright busted out laughing.

Octavia wasn't going to even pretend she knew what was going on in that mare's head.

The line shortened, and Vinyl and Octavia both paid for and got their food. They saw a small table made for two and walked to it. To get there required they go by the makeshift band set up in the center of the room.

As they trotted past, one band member jokingly played the first few bars of "Here Comes the Bride". After a few chuckles from the group (and a heavy blush from Octavia), they did start playing a slow, pretty, romantic tune. For an unplanned meet up, this group really does work well together, thought Octavia.

The pair sat down to eat. Vinyl, of course, tore into her meal. Octavia took a more civil approach, at least using utensils.

Vinyl smiled up at her marefriend, who was sitting strait in her chair. The music flowed in the background. "You're so adorable when you do that, you know."

Octavia blushed. "D-Do what, Vinyl?" she asked, looking down and to the right.

Vinyl rolled her eyes. "When you're all fancy! It's just..." She shrugged. "Adorable."

"Well, thank you," answered Octavia, wondering where the random complement came from. It wasn't bad, just unexpected, out of the blue, spontaneous.

Just, well, Vinyl.

They both dug into their meals. The band continued to play on. The crowd ate and talked, and many friends passed by.

"Hey, girls," Quick Step called as he trotted up.

"Hey," said Vinyl. Octavia nodded her head, not quite done chewing.

The white earth pony smiled. "Wow, it's been three weeks since you've been here. Octavia, you're showing serious ability, you know!" He turned to Vinyl. "And don't even think about not spending all the time you can finding an instrument. You'll get it, you just gotta keep trying!"

Vinyl nodded. "Thanks, Step."

Octavia swallowed her food and turned towards the Underground's leader. "Why are you here, Quick Step?" she asked.

Quick Step raised an eyebrow. "Well, it is lunchtime," he pointed out. "I was gonna meet some friends for a meal- Ah, here they are!"

Two ponies walked up. The first, the girls knew; Inert Scribe, the green zebra from when they first came to the Underground with Quick Step. He was as thinking and cautious as ever. But a second pony joined him, a unicorn with dark sea-green fur and a bored expression. She was younger then Octavia, and her glare seemed rather rebellious. Her cutie mark was a sideways purple triangle, the same purple as her irises.

"You, of course, already know Inert Scribe," Quick Step said, Inert nodding at the two mares. "But I don't believe you've meet Ikuze."

"I've seen her around," smiled Vinyl.

"Yeah, and I've seen you too, you know," spat Ikuze. Octavia noticed Vinyl become taken aback.

"Uh, hello, my name is Octavia, and this is my friend, Vinyl," introduced the bassist. "What's your cutie mark for, Ikuze?" She was a bit put off my this filly's attitude, but regardless tried to make conversation.

"It's a guitar pick. I play guitar." Ikuze looked away, and Octavia thought better of asking her to go into more detail.

Quick Step shot an apologetic look. "Um, we're gonna go get our food now. I could really use a dandelion sandwich. See you around!" he said.

"Nice to see you again, my friends," rhymed Inert Scribe. Ikuze just began walking, forcing the two stallions to catch up.

"Cute kid," scowled Vinyl when the three were a respectable distance away.

"She was at least twelve, Vinyl, not that much younger then us," Octavia pointed out. "And besides, everypony here's got a story. Her story may just be a bit more... sad."

Vinyl sighed. "Nopony's mean for no reason," she agreed.

"Yeah, and with Quick Step, we know she's in good care." Octavia smiled at her marefriend. "Now, I have to ask, what was so funny about what I said a few minutes ago? Is dropping an instrument that laughable?"

The unicorn rolled her eyes. "You really had to be there," smiled Vinyl as she took a swig of water.

‘Sup bronies?

Yeah, it’s short. I’m at one of those dull moments in a story where I know what I want to do next but I haven’t figured out how to get there. Keep sending me your OCs, I’ll get there eventually!

*sigh* So many ideas, so little… uh… transition?

Also, I really wanna do the National Pony Writing Month Competition. Basically, write 50,000 words in 31 days. I already have an idea, and a basic storyline, so I can’t wait to see how I do. This probably means I won’t be updating Eyes at all in the month of August. But you do get an extra-long story out of it, so chin up!

As always, thanks for reading!

-Arts

Stars (part 1)

All characters either belong to Hasbro and the Hub or to the Brony fan base as a whole, with the exception to OC ponies, who belong to their respective owners. Enjoy!

-Arts

Chapter 7:

Stars

The serenity of a library.

Octavia sighed in content. Enjoying a book here was much easier than anywhere else in the entire Underground. After all, a whole city based around musicians tends to be a bit more on the loud side. It was amazing, but not the best place to concentrate on anything except how your sound contributed to the piece as a whole.

So the library was kept quiet. No music, no talking, and some sound-proofing all mixed up perfectly to create a safe haven to read, within the safe haven for instrumentation. Octavia turned the page of her book, "Techniques for Cellos and Basses", and started the next chapter on the used-to-be-world-renowned methods.

This book looked great for being who knows how many years old. Wait, this isn't actually the original book, Octavia remembered, shaking her head. During the tour she had received a few weeks ago, she had learned that the librarian rewrites old books into a readable copy so the older one can be stored, but still kept technically usable. Many of these books were very new looking, but the knowledge they held was actually many generations past their original publication.

As she read, Octavia subconsciously moved her hoof to imitate the methods she was learning. She was imagining herself actually on her instrument, pulling a bow across the strings to create the crescendos she was reading about. Terms like "estacado" and "half rest" flew through the musician’s mind as she progressed through the writing, and eventually the bassist pony realized she was already halfway done.

She walked over to the librarian, whose desk sported a little metal piece that declared her name was Twilight Sparkle. The purple unicorn was hunched over a table facing away from the desk, the table where she'd re-write books as closely to their actual counterparts as she could.

"Um," Octavia tried quietly, not wanting to interrupt the tedious process.

"One second, please," the purple unicorn said, finishing the line she'd been working on. When she turned around, Octavia blinked a few times. What is she... wearing? It was some sort of contraption that buckled around her forehead like a bandana. It seemed to hold a magnifying glass over her right eye, distorting the way the eye looked and making the booky pony look rather absurd.

"How can I help you?" the librarian asked politely.

"I, uh, just wanted to check out this book." The brown earth pony was finding it hard to keep a straight face.

"Right, one second." The magenta mare took the book in a magical aura not unlike her coat's color, and placed a small note card in the front flap, making a note in a journal on the desk. "There we go, due back in ten days," she smiled.

"Thank you," Octavia smiled back, placing the book on her back and walking out to the retail hall. The bassest sighed as she left the library, letting out a slight, ladylike giggle at the odd spectacle as she made her way farther down the hall. She turned left and trotted the short distance into the hub for the Underground, the somehow grassy plaza that was always bustling with activity. It blew her mind that, according to Quick Step, it was actually nighttime. But the clocks are smartly reversed down here, so the loudest times are in the middle of the night, when the Aboveground ponies would be asleep. After all, no guard would want to patrol the Everfree at night, most not even during the daytime.

A horde of foals stampeded up the stairs, quickly followed by Miss Cheerilee. Octavia could tell today was another trip to the surface for them. Nothing was more exciting for the little ones than seeing the sky, hearing the critters if the night, and just having that brief sense of adventure. Octavia found it kind of sad that they couldn't live Aboveground, but staying safe down here was much better than being on the run up there; that she knew.

She suddenly missed the outdoors. It had been a dangerous place for her in the past, but even the Underground, as big as it was, gave her a bit of cabin fever. Maybe I could go up just for a little bit...

Octavia trotted up the stairs, following after the young ones. When she got close to Cheerilee, she called out to her.

The teacher turned to her fellow earth pony. "Yes, Octavia?" she asked, smiling. The rowdy crowd of students waiting at the door made it hard to hear her.

"Do you mind if I tag along?" the brown earth pony asked over the noise. "It's been awhile since I've seen the moon and stars, and all."

The teacher smiled. "Of course. Would you like to be introduced?"

Octavia couldn't help but giggle. "Sure, go ahead," she allowed.

"Class!" the purple-pink earth pony called, smiling. The foals quieted down somewhat. "This is Miss Octavia. I'm sure you've seen her around. She'll be coming with us today!"

The class didn't seem to react much at first, but a small, white unicorn filly made her way to the front of the group. "Hi, Miss Octavia!" she said, "I'm Sweetie Bell. Can I ask what instrument you play?" The small unicorn looked inquisitively up at the new guest, not smiling, but not frowning. Her words had seemed practiced, a bit unnatural, like she had wanted to impress the other foals by how well she could say them.

Octavia, not completely sure how to proceed, looked at Cheerilee. The teacher just smiled and nodded her head, so the brown earth pony turned back to the filly.

"Well... I play the Double Bass. It's like a Cello, um, kind of." Octavia answered nervously.

"Oh, cool!" Sweetie Belle smiled, putting Octavia at ease. "My sister plays the Cello, and she sings, too! AND she runs the fashion boutique!" The filly was absolutely beaming, her practiced tone forgotten. "I wanna be just like her one day!"

An orange pegasus filly jumped her way to the front, wings fluttering, eyes sparkling. "But she's nowhere near as cool as Rainbow Dash! Dash can sing, play the guitar, and is on the Underground's defence team! You can't beat that!"

Sweetie Belle scoffed and turned her head, clearly unconvinced.

The class had already fallen back to chattering away, but a third filly came trotting up. She was an earth pony with yellow fur and a big bow in her hair.

"Mah 'sis can!" she bragged, smirking. "Applejack sings, plays harmonica, and runs th' farm! Without her, we couldn't eat!" The yellow foal had a thick drawl that seemed natural, so Octavia guessed she'd picked it up from her family.

The pegasus filly rolled her eyes. "The harmonica isn't a real instrument."

"Is to!" the young earth pony shot back.

"Is not!"

"Is to!"

“Girls!” Cheerilee interrupted, clearly irritated. The fillies became quiet, Sweetie Belle shaking her head as if the other two disappointed her.

The teacher glanced around, then smiled. “Ah, here he comes.”

“He who?” Octavia asked, looking the way she was, but seeing a few different ponies that fit the description of “he”.

“Well, we can’t go up without a guard, of course,” Cherilee explained in a very teacher-like voice that reminded Octavia of the private tutor she used to have. “So Big McIntosh is going to be escorting the class and guarding them as well. It’s great to have a full-fledged member of the Guard to help me keep these foals in check.”

The large, red pony walked up, staying silent. Octavia recognised him as the stallion that mare with the broken wing had been kissing a few weeks back, and she blushed a bit, a feeling of intrusion and guilt making her timid. The yellow filly from before ran up to him and gave him a hug, talking excitedly. The conversation was lost in the noise of the other fillies and colts, but it was clearly the smaller one who was doing all the talking.

Cherilee called out to her class to get in a single-file line, and with her in the front, and Octavia and Big McIntosh at the rear, they began their ascent to the surface.

Climbing the rickety, wooden stairs, the brown mare decided to make small talk. “So, Big McIntosh... Do you go to the surface often?” she tried.

“Eeyup.”

There was a silence between them for a few seconds. The stallion’s droopy eyes gave off an air of indifference.

Must be one of those strong, silent types, Octavia decided. With a dejected look, she turned her head forward and continued to follow the foals up the stairs.

The journey through the old house was uneventful, the zebra- Invert Scribe, was it?- only nodding as they passed by him on their way out. Octavia stepped through the doorway, and for the first time in who-knows-how-many weeks, she was outside. She looked up and saw the stars, even a waning moon hanging at the top of it all. A breeze blew by, and Octavia wondered if she should have grabbed a scarf. The trees were gray in the moonlight, but they were trees all the same, something the mare hadn’t seen since forever. She slowly trotted out from the porch and onto the grass, then couldn’t help but frollic a bit, giggling at how foalish she was being.

The girls from before came up to her, and in perfect three-part unison, asked her if she wanted to play with them. The bassist pony smiled and nodded.

They were to play tag, said the fillies, and that Octavia would be “it” first.

She blinked a few times. “Um... This may be a silly question...”

Sweetie Belle smiled encouragingly. “Miss Cheerilee says there’s no such thing as a silly question.” The other two nodded.

Octavia let out a giggle. “Well... um... I’ve never actually played ‘tag’ before. How do you play ‘tag’?”

The orange pegasus filly gave her a look, raising her eyebrow in disbelief. “Okay, that was a silly question.”

Octavia immediately felt a bit ashamed, but the yellow filly with the pink bow rolled her eyes. “Scootaloo, that’s hardly the weirdest question we’ve ev’r heard.” She then smiled and coughed a bit.

“Tag’s a simple game,” she began. “One pony is “it”, and th’ others are not. If you’re “it”, then ya have to tap, grab, or basically touch another player to pass on your... “it”ness to them. If you’re not “it”, then you run, jump, and dodge th’ pony who is “it” so ya don’t become “it”. And ya keep playing until everypony decides to stop!”

“Hmm...” Octavia was never really one for physical activity in her youth, and when she did go outside, it was to look at the flora, not to play with other foals. She was excited at play, and nodded at the fillies. “Okay, so I have to tag one of you?”

All three said “Yep!”

Octavia smirked, and with a playful lunge at the one called Scootaloo, the game was on.

Wonderful (Lyrics)

All characters either belong to Hasbro and the Hub or to the Brony fan base as a whole, with the exception to OC ponies, who belong to their respective owners. Enjoy!

-Arts

Lyrics to:
Wonderful

Originally: Rooftop Run (Modern) for Sonic: Generations
Lyrics by Artsofallkinds

[Click Here for the Song]

Music is grand
It just won't ever fade
We make a stand
They can't take it away
Every note planned
But it never grows dull
Music is grand
It's so wonderful!

Vocalists up front
And Lyra's there, back at the rear
Drums help keep the beat
And Violins help us change gears.
Piano is distinct
While this here Bass gets the low part
All of us have a job
From the finish back to the start

Every sound heavenly
All across the sky.
We'll play it loud
We make it shine now.
Every sound pure,
proud and true
It comes from our hearts
I'm sure this music loves you, too

Music is grand
It just won't ever fade
We make a stand
They can't take it away
Every note planned
But it never grows dull
Music is grand
It's so wonderful!

Tavi, I can't believe
That a place like this exists!
Vinyl, I think that here
We have friends; that we fit in.
Tavi, don't wake me up.
If I've died, consider me gone.
Vinyl, I am here, too!
And our dream is inside their song!

Music is grand
It just won't ever fade
We make a stand
They can't take it away
Every note planned
But it never grows dull
Music is grand
It's so wonderful, oh,

Music is life
And we live on the sound
Everything's right
When the music is found
Music takes flight
Through the wings of our soul
Music is life
And that's wonderful!

This place is our home
We're like a group, a big family
Music can unite
We learn a song, and we all sing
You two can stay here
Where you'll be safe, warm, and secure.
You can practice all day
'Till you can play all notes and chords.

Every sound heavenly
All across the sky.
You'll play it loud
You'll make it shine now.
Every sound pure,
strong and free
It comes from your heart
I'm sure you'll play beautifully

Music is grand
It just won't ever fade
We make a stand
They can't take it away
Every note planned
But it never grows dull
Music is grand
It's so wonderful!

Tavi, what do you think?
Can you call this place a home?
Vinyl, this is the place
We can stay, we won't have to roam!
Tavi, maybe we'll find
The right instrument to play!
Vinyl, let's have some fun!
Cause our dreams, they start today!

Music is life
And we live on the sound
Everything's right
When the music is found
Music takes flight
Through the wings of our soul
Music is life
And that's wonderful, oh,

Music is grand
It just won't ever fade
We make a stand
They can't take it away
Every note planned
But it never grows dull
Music is grand
It's so wonderful!