Haunting Remix

Chapter 1: Sorrow's Sweet Symphony
Vinyls eyes opened slowly, blinking away her sleepiness. Her two toned blue hair was seriously messed up, knots running rampant through it. She got up quickly, almost falling over when a wave of dizziness hit her. Her face split into her telltale daredevil grin as she grabbed a brush from the nearby table and approached the only mirror in her flat. Carefully she combed her mane, making sure that every hair was ramrod straight. Then she shook her head, deliberately tousling her mane, changing it from being straight to her signature messy style. Her ruby red eyes shone as she put her shades on. She checked herself out in the mirror and grinned. "Looking good Scratch." She grabbed a pair of headphones from the nearby shelf and then paused, thinking differently she put the headphones back and turned her stereo system on. It blasted techno music through the house, courtesy of her surround sound system. Head bobbing to the rhythm, Vinyl walked into her kitchen, grabbing a box of cereal from a cluttered cupboard. She dug through her crockery cupboard, searching desperately for an unbroken bowl. She didn't find one, but she did manage to find one that was relatively unscathed amongst the mix of plates, bowls and records stashed in the cupboard. On a whim, she looked out her window and saw the cloudless sky. She was originally going to spend the day inside, in her basement recording studio, but that sky was too inviting to skip. She sat down, munching on her cereal without milk. She felt the satisfying crunch of the cereal in her mouth as she chewed and smiled. ~*~ Melody had woken up much earlier than Vinyl Scratch and was currently sitting in the town square of Ponyville, waiting patiently for the square to become populated. Her violin was in her lap, her bow in her hoof and the violin case in front of her on the ground, wide open. Her pale red coloration was accentuated by her purple and blue mane and tail, both more than slightly frazzled. It hit nine when the ponies of the town started to come out. Melody smiled and placed her violin under her chin, raising her bow. She pulled her bow across the strings and a haunting note played, sounding throughout the square as she started to play. The music was slow and haunting, but strangely powerful. It didn't take long for a crowd to form, looking at the pale red Pegasus in wonder. A couple of ponies walked off, shaking their heads at the busker, but Melody never noticed. Her eyes were closed as she went with the ebb and tide of her hauntingly beautiful music. It didn't take long before she had at least fifteen bits in her violin case, but still she kept playing. Her music was her life now, nothing would make her let go. ~*~ Vinyl was drawn to the music. It sounded quite a bit like her friend Octavia playing her cello, but it wasn't deep enough. It sounded more like a violin. While Vinyl wasn't really a violin or classical music girl of any kind, something about this music made her want to listen, as though it was begging her for her attention. She rounded the corner to the square and her mouth gaped wide open. "No way... A street busker?" She stared at Melody in absolute wonder. Her daredevil grin returned a moment later as she walked up to the Pegasus and sat down in front of her, content to hear the lovingly crafted wailing from the ancient instrument. She took the chance to examine the Pegasus in front of her curiously. Her pale red coloration was strangely attractive and her purple mane and tail, both with a sky blue stripe running down through them appealed to Vinyls edgy style. Her cutie mark was that of a glowing violin, a musical note emerging from it. She was also very thin and her hair wasn't exactly clean or tidy. It took Vinyl a moment to realize that the Pegasus had stopped playing and was now watching her. Get it together Vinyl... She thought. Her face split into her signature grin and she pointed to the violin. "That. Is a really old violin." The Pegasus cradled the violin protectively. "Yes, and it's mine and it isn't for sale." Vinyl held up both forehooves. "I'm not asking you to sell it! After hearing that masterpiece how could I?" The pale red of the mares cheeks became deeper. "You really like my music?" Vinyl scratched the back of her neck absently. "Well yeah. Of course I did. Where did a street busker learn to play like that?" The Pegasus looked away. Vinyl facehoofed. "Oh duh! Where are my manners?" She stuck out a hoof, still grinning. "Vinyl Scratch. Resident DJ and all around sexy beast." The Pegasus giggled softly, her blush deepening. She took the proffered hoof carefully, holding her violin in the other hoof. "Melody." Vinyls face turned thoughtful, then split into a genuine smile, without the daredevil look about it. "I like that. It's a soft sort of name. Fits your music." Melody shrugged and put her violin away, putting the bits she'd earned into a small pouch in a pocket in the case. She stood up, shouldering the case using a beaten up strap. She smiled graciously at Vinyl. "Thank you, for the compliments, but I'm going to have to go now. I"m hungry." Vinyl grinned. "Sure thing. Hey, can I join you?" Melody looked blankly at Vinyl for a moment. Vinyl shrugged. "I haven't eaten lunch yet and I'm feeling a might bit hungry." Melody shrugged. "OK, I don't see why not." ~*~ Twenty minutes later the two were sitting at a cafe, waiting for their meals to arrive. Vinyl grinned. "So friend, Where'd you come from? I haven't seen you around before, so you must be..." Vinyl looked around to make sure Pinkie Pie wasn't around before continuing. "New... here." Melody looked curiously at Vinyl, who shrugged at her. "Didn't want to catch the attention of uh..." Her voice lowered to a conspiratorial whisper. "Pinkie Pie." Melody raised one eyebrow at Vinyl. Vinyl sighed. "Never mind that Melody, where you from?" Melody took a bite out of her sandwich that had just arrived and chewed for a moment. She swallowed before answering. "Phillydelphia, my family was one of the better off ones outside the projects. They paid for my music lessons." Vinyl, still chewing on a massive bite from her own sandwich, grinned. She gulped it down before speaking. "Philly huh? Cool. Never been there before." Melody smiled shyly. "No offense Miss Scratch, but I doubt many ponies from Phillydelphia would listen to your music, being a DJ and all." Vinyl shrugged, still grinning. "Don't matter much." Her grin faded slowly and turned into confusion. "But then, if you're from one of the better families in Philly, what are you doing all the way down here, in Ponyville, busking?" Melody's face fell. "My house... and all the belongings I had were lost after my parents died..." Vinyl felt a terrible sense of guilt crash down on her shoulders. Her face turned miserable. "Oh... I... uh... I'm sorry..." Melody, not quite knowing what she was doing, put her pale red hoof over Vinyls ivory one. "You didn't know Miss Scratch, so don't feel bad on my part, please." Vinyl smiled and took her hoof away from underneath Melody's. "Even so, I'm sorry."