The train cars rattled as I sat on the red seats. The compartment door shook in its place, and when the train hit a bump ever so often the door would jump slightly and hit the ground again. I gave a short sigh. I curled my straight black tail around my hind legs a little tighter. The train began to come to a stop, and the brakes hissed. As it stopped I stood up. My bowtie had come loose during the trip, so I adjusted it before getting off of the train to quickly stretch my legs before the next stop. I jumped off of the train and onto the platform. I began to trot to the gates. Before I got there, however, a white Unicorn crashed into me and we fell over in a heap. Her spiky mane spilled over onto mine. Before I could sit up she lit her horn and tendrils of magenta magic found their way to her tinted glasses. She put them on, and then turned to face me.

"Er, heh heh... sorry about that?" She looked quite embarrassed.

"It's quite alright. Just... try to watch where you're going next time, will you?" The Unicorn's face relaxed as she realized I forgave her. I realized she must be quite intimidated- the Philharmonicas were very well known, and to crash into one was almost to commit treason. I continued walking as the white pony got onto the train.

After getting a glass of water from the platform cafe I walked to board the train again. I realized time had gotten away from me a bit- the train was leaving in two minutes! I galloped over to the entrance and boarded. Many ponies were already on board, and I searched for an empty compartment. I walked over to one that only had one light blue Pegasus pony sitting in it. She had a kindly face, and she seemed like one who wouldn't judge.

"Excuse me, ma'am? Is anypony sitting here?"

"Oh dear... I'm sorry. I'm saving this seat for a friend." She seemed quite worried, and I gave her a smile.

"There's no need to be worried. Have a nice day." I trotted away to find another compartment. It was no use. Every single one was full. Except one. There was but one pony sitting in it... the white Unicorn I had crashed into earlier that day. I walked over to her.

"Hello again." She looked surprised, and looked around to see if I was indeed talking to her.

"Um... hey?" Her face had contorted into a state of disbelief.

"Really, there's no need to look so surprised. May I sit here?" She gave a simple nod, and I took a seat. The train hissed- we were setting off to Manehattan. We sat in silence for a while. Every so often she would turn her head, looking at something. Quickly I snuck a look at her cutie mark, out of sheer curiosity. It was a black beamed note. Breaking the silence, I asked what her name was.

"I don't mean to intrude on anything, but if I may ask- what is your name?"

She looked surprised at me asking her this. "It's Vinyl Scratch."

"I'm Octavia."

"I know. You're famous."

"That really doesn't matter." I sighed shortly.

"Are you kidding? It's a huge deal! I'd give anything to be famous!"

"What is your profession?" I was curious after she said that she would give anything to be famous.

"I'm just a DJ."

"Is that what your cutie mark represents?"

"Oh- yeah. It is." There was a few moments of silence.

"Is being a DJ an entertaining job?"

"Oh, it's fun. I like it a lot. I'm not very well known though- if you ask most ponies who DJ PON-3 is they'll have no clue." The spikes of her gelled blue mane waved in the soft wind that was generated by the slightly open window.

"That's enough about me, though. I'm not very interesting. Is being a famous classical musician a cool job?"

"Oh, I guess. It wasn't really my choice to become one though."

"What do you mean?"

"My mother wanted me to be a musician from day one. When I turned two she bought me my first cello, and I practised every day. The first time I played for my tutor it had brought tears to his eyes. Incredible, he whispered. That was when I got my cutie mark."

"Wow... that would be tough. Not really having a choice in your future."

"I learned to accept it. It was hard- I never had any secrets, because as soon as my mom got the slightest hint that I was hiding something she sent me off to a boarding school where I could be watched 24/7. Because of me travelling around so much and always practising cello I never had time for any friends. My only acquaintances were the groundskeepers."

"I'm so sorry, Octavia." Vinyl Scratch truly looked upset.

"It's OK. Like I said, I have learned to accept it." With this the train's brakes hissed and we came to a stop. I heard the conductor shouting that we had arrived in Manehattan from the other room.

"Vinyl Scratch... would you like to come to coffee with me sometime?"

"Sure." I scribbled my address on a spare piece of paper. We parted ways, and I disembarked the train and jumped onto the platform. Before I left, I looked back at Vinyl Scratch walking away. I gave a small smile and walked through the gates into the cold bustling city of Manehattan.

Author's Note

After a long hiatus I have come back into the writing world. I hope everyone enjoys the first chapter of Octavia's Melody. It should be updated every Thursday, barring unforeseen circumstances. Let's hope that doesn't happen.