Chapters 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.
Vinyl Scratch sat in her small, dark apartment. The cold air from the open window blew around her, causing her to shiver. The Unicorn began to once again think about that mare she had met today. A Philharmonica! What were the chances of her meeting a famous pony, and not only that but getting to sit with her on the train? And how wonderful it was... her long, straight black hair and charcoal-grey fur. That pink bowtie- it was incredible. The DJ lit her horn with magenta magic and levitated that scrap of paper over to herself. Octavia's address resided on the open space of the white paper. She stared at the address for a few moments, and made up her mind. She would go see if Octavia wanted to get coffee tomorrow. The sun began to set, and Vinyl Scratch walked onto her small balcony as it dipped below the horizon. Tomorrow would be a great day.
I walked into my new apartment, dragging my cardboard moving boxes with my teeth. The floors were practically glistening with cleanliness. After looking around, I walked over to my piano and dusted it off. Then I trotted over to my cello. One of the most important things I have in my life- my cello means everything to me. I stood on my hind legs and took it out of its black case. I dragged the bow across the A string, sounding an opening note. With that I began to play the Sarabande by Bach. As the music flowed I thought of my new-found acquaintance. Her wonderful white fur, her blue ma- I pushed the thoughts out of my head. Right now all that mattered was my music. I played a chord, and an image of her appeared in my brain. Once again I focused on my music. As the piece ended, I put my cello in its holder and the music stand in its place. I came back down onto all fours, my grey hooves hitting the floor. As the sun set I walked out onto my majestic balcony and watched the sun fall below the hills, and the stars begin to make themselves visible. I couldn't wait to see Vinyl Scratch again.
Vinyl Scratch awoke quite early. She placed her glasses on her eyes and took one last look at Octavia's address. Yes, she had memorized it- but she wanted to be careful. The Unicorn trotted to the front door and opened it. The sun shone brightly down on the streets, and the ponies of Manehattan looked slightly less like somebody shoved a stick up their flank than usual. Yes, today would be a great day! Vinyl Scratch hailed a taxi and jumped onto the cart.
"Where to, miss?"
"22 Broadneigh."
"Gladly!" The taxi driver set off. The alabaster Unicorn looked around as the city passed. Very quickly she arrived at Octavia's apartment. She hopped off of the taxi cart after hoofing the taxi driver a few bits. Vinyl Scratch buzzed the door, and after a few moments the charcoal- coloured Earth pony opened the door.
I must admit, I was surprised to see Vinyl Scratch standing there. I thought she would have forgotten. It seemed like a one-time encounter. A strange feeling came over me as I realized she was there to see me, no other reason.
"Well hello, Vinyl."
She looked at me nervously and said,
"I'm here to take you up on your offer of coffee."
"I will gladly accompany you on this short outing." I walked out of my doorway, and onto the stone street. I fell into a pace beside Vinyl as we walked. She kept looking around nervously. After a while, the Unicorn realized I wasn't going to bite and loosened up.
"You got a nice house."
"Vinyl?"
"Yeah?"
"Do you mean, you have a nice house?"
"No, I'm preeeeettty sure it's got."
"The proper way to say it is have. Not got. But thank you for the compliment." We progressed on our walk a bit more, until we came upon my favourite coffee shop. As we entered a small bell tinged above our heads, and the barista looked up from polishing his mug.
"Octavia! My favourite customer! I see you brought a friend."
"Hello, Coffee Grind. This is Vinyl Scratch."
"Hey there, Vinyl Scratch. I'm assuming you'll be having the usual, Miss Tavi?"
"Yes. Thank you. What would you like, Vinyl?"
"Huh- what? Me?" I facehoofed.
"I'll have a triple cappuccino." The barista scribbled some notes on a piece of paper.
"Coming right up!"
Vinyl and I walked over to a table in the corner and sat down.
"Octavia?"
"Yes, Vinyl?"
"I heard the barista call you Tavi. Is it OK if I call you that?" I thought for a moment.
"Sure." We waited for a few minutes in silence, until Coffee Grind brought us our coffees. I sipped at mine as the steam rose out. Then I looked up. As soon as I did Vinyl burst out laughing.
"Hey Tavi- you got something on your snout!" She kept laughing until she fell out of her chair. I wiped at my snout and on my hoof was foam. The alabaster mare got back up into her seat, and when she was fully seated I made a quick gesture across the table and wiped the foam on her snout.
"Hey!"
"You shouldn't have laughed," I said in a teasing manner.
"Geez. I'm sorry." She giggled a bit, and wiped the foam off of her snout. We sat for a while. When our coffees were finished, we stood up.
"Thank you, Coffee Grind!" We walked out the front door. The bell tinged again and our hooves touched the hot cobblestone streets. As we walked, the Unicorn bumped into me sideways. I stopped, and looked at her. I bumped her back. We both giggled, and set on our way.
We didn't get back to her house until the sun had been gone for almost an hour.
"Goodbye, Vinyl Scratch."
"Tavi- you wanna get dinner sometime?" I looked at her, and simply said-
"Yes." She smiled, and walked into her apartment. I smiled back. Then I began the walk home.
Author's Note
And... here we are. The second chapter of Octavia's Melody. This story will be on a short hiatus as I am going on a trip for a few weeks, but as soon as I get back it should be on a regular writing schedule.
I awoke groggily from a deep sleep. I looked side to side, and then grabbed my bowtie and tied it onto my neck. After standing up and getting out of bed I took my hairbrush and brushed my dark grey hair. I trotted into the entry hall, opened the door, and stepped outside. The sun was gone in the clouds. They formed a thick layer in the sky, masking any sunlight that tried to escape. I sighed and continued walking. The stones under my hooves were cold, and the wind was strong. A sudden gust of wind came out of nowhere, and my bowtie flew off. I thought I saw Vinyl see it on the ground and bring it to me- until I realized it was just a passing pedestrian. I trotted over to get it. I tied it on, and continued my walk.
After a few minutes I arrived at the coffee shop. The bell tinged as I walked in, as always, and Coffee Grind was already waiting for me. I always came at the same time.
"No friend to-day, Miss Octavia?" I wearily smiled.
"Not today, Coffee Grind."
"What can I get you? Your usual latte?" I nodded and walked over to give him 2 bits. The table in the corner I had sat at with Vinyl poked fun at me, being all alone. I sat down in the seat I had yesterday. The memory of wiping foam on the Unicorn's snout made me laugh a bit, but the feeling soon faded as I realized she was not here. Coffee Grind brought me my latte. I took it and slowly made my way to the door.
I walked down the freezing street with my coffee in hoof, looking at the overcast grey sky and then at the foals playing next to a fountain. I imagined Vinyl walking next to me, talking and laughing in that unique manner. The trees blew in the strong wind. My hair blew and tangled itself into knots, but I didn't care. I began to pick up my pace before the wind got too strong. Of course, the sky picked now to start raining. The foals across the street whined and galloped inside. The rain got harder and harder- then I saw a streak of light dash across the sky. Thunder followed in close pursuit. The bolt of lightning hit in the near distance, and another bolt struck. This time it was much closer. I hurried to get inside before it got too close, but I was too slow. In a flurry of yellow light a streak hit a tall tree nearby, and it fell. It landed on my tail- I was trapped.
I waited for at least an hour for help until I heard a voice.
"OCTAVIA!" It came again, this time closer.
"OCTAVIA!" The owner of the voice was approaching quite quickly.
"Octavia! Are you OK?" It was a white Unicorn. I had not been so happy to see anypony in a very long time- if ever.
"Vinyl! I am so happy you are here. Do you think I could possibly have some assistance?"
"Well, duh. Why do you think I'm here?"
"Oh... right. Thank you for coming. How did you know I needed help?"
"Actually, I didn't. I was just passing by because I needed to pick up some new headphones from the store. Glad I picked today to get some!"
"Oh, Vinyl... me too." The Unicorn lit her horn and trails of magenta magic reached out to the tree branch, picking it up off of my tail.
"Thank you so much!"
"Ppht. It was nothing. Hey, you wanna come home with me? It's closer than your house, and I have hot chocolate..." She trailed off at the end, realizing what she had asked.
"I don't mean like that, I meant like as friends never mind maybe I should just go-" I clamped a hoof in her mouth.
"I would like nothing better."
We began to run back to her house, getting soaked. The rain came down hard on our heads. Her apartment appeared in the fog and we dashed to the entrance. Vinyl flung open the door and we got inside as quickly as we could. I slammed the door and we fell on the floor laughing. The Unicorn across from me was wet, to say the very least. Her spiky mane was dripping and flat. The water had made the hues of blue at least a few shades darker than they were naturally. Her mane clung to her now-grey coat. At that moment, I realized something.
I was in love.
Vinyl broke the staring silence.
"Wow- that was exciting! So, how about that hot chocolate?" She dashed off to her kitchen before I could say a word. I sat down where I was, as I did not want to get her apartment wetter than it already was. I heard her kettle whistling, and a few minutes later she came in with steaming mugs of hot chocolate.
"Thank you!" I sipped at the cup. As I looked up, I realized she had been staring at me instead of drinking her beverage. She quickly looked down and drank some of the hot liquid. We sat in silence- we didn't need to say anything.
"Vinyl, I just wanted to thank you for helping me when I needed it. I don't know what would have happened if you hadn't come when you did." She simply smiled in return.
"Tavi- yesterday I asked you if you wanted to go to dinner sometime. Are we still on?"
"Oh, definitely. Tomorrow night?"
"Hmmmmmmm. I'll have to check my schedule." We both burst out laughing. The DJ walked over to her fireplace and started a fire. We sat in front of it drinking our hot chocolate. I scooted a bit closer, and she tensed but then relaxed. The rain was still pouring down outside. The fire was warm on our soaked fur, and I couldn't be happier.
I awoke in Vinyl Scratch's apartment to the sound of a tree branch hitting the window. The wind whistled loudly outside, leading me to believe the storm was still raging. I got out of bed and walked into her living room, only to find that the Unicorn was sleeping soundly (and snoring, I might add) on her pull-out couch. She had generously offered to let me take her bed for the night. I trotted into her kitchen. The black-and-white tiles were freezing on my hooves. If I hadn't been awake before, I certainly was now. I stood on my hind legs and checked her cabinet for pancake mix- surely she wouldn't mind if I made some pancakes. Searching, searching... Ah! There was a bag sitting pristinely in the middle of the cabinet. I wrapped my hoof around it and pulled it down, setting it on the counter. I opened the bag with my teeth and poured it into a mixing bowl. After putting some water in I mixed it and placed small dollops of pancake batter into a pan. As I cooked the pancakes Vinyl awoke in the next room.
"Octavia? Is that you?" The white Unicorn sat up and rubbed her eyes, yawning as she did so.
"What's that smell? It smells like... waffles?"
"Pancakes, actually. They're almost done." I flipped one of the smaller ones over. The other side of it was burnt. I flipped the rest, and after a few minutes scooped them all onto a plate. Vinyl walked in and lit her horn, floating a pancake over to her mouth and taking a huge bite.
"Hankth Octafhia!" I made a face at her for talking with her mouth full.
"You could at least use a plate and a fork, Vinyl."
"Ppht. Who needth plateth?" I took a plate from the cabinet and walked over to her.
"Plate. Now." She sullenly dropped the pancake onto the ceramic plate. I raised my eyebrow.
"And?" The Unicorn sighed and took a fork in the hold of her magenta magic.
"Good! Now use the fork to cut a small bite out of the pancake." She did as I told her, albeit not very cheerfully.
"OK. Now continue like that." I got another plate out and placed a pancake on the surface. With a fork I cut a bite, only to look over and see that Vinyl had tossed aside her fork and was simply levitating her breakfast. I gave her a disapproving look, and she froze in mid-bite and picked up her fork slowly.
"Heh heh... oops?"
"I'm only trying to teach you manners, you frustrating pony." I smiled at her.
When I finished my pancake I washed my plate.
"Thank you for having me over, Vinyl. This was quite lovely."
"It was no problem, really. Come over whenever you like."
"Really? Well, in that case, I extend the same invitation to you. I will see you at dinner!" I waved goodbye and trotted out the door.
I walked home in the heavy mist that remained after the long storm, my hooves clopping on the cobblestone streets. The mist swirled around me- it was so heavy my mane was actually beginning to get damp. I adopted a faster pace, as it was quite cold out. After what seemed like an exponentially long time I arrived back at my warm apartment. Reaching under the doormat, I took the key out and unlocked the door. As soon as the door was open I was hit by a blast of warm air. Needless to say, I trotted in quickly.
Vinyl Scratch was still thinking about Octavia- she needed something to get her off of her mind. The grey Earth pony dominated most of her thoughts these days. She walked into her bedroom to make her bed, only to discover Octavia had made her bed and left her pink silk bowtie.
"Oh well... I'll just return it to her tonight at dinner." At that moment an epiphany struck the Unicorn.
"Hello, this is Mountain Meadow restaurant. How can I help you?"
"I'd like to make a reservation for two at 9:00."
"Oh good! We'll set up the table immediately."
"Actually... I need you to do something else as well. I do hope you don't mind." Vinyl Scratch was dancing inside her mind. It was a sock hop, a fox trot, a tango! She picked up her phone and called Octavia. It rang for a few seconds, then stopped. Octavia's voice came onto the speaker.
"Vinyl?"
"Meet me at Mountain Meadow at 8:30!"
"Mountain Meadow? But that's the most expensive restaurant in Mane-" The white Unicorn hung up.
I sat at home, quite confused. Vinyl was taking me to Mountain Meadow! But why? It is RIDICULOUSLY expensive there. I have only been once, for my sixteenth birthday. I checked the clock- it was already 7! I had to get ready! I rushed about my large apartment until I realized what I was actually doing. Wait. Where was my bowtie? I looked everywhere! Eventually I remembered leaving it at Vinyl's house. Hopefully she found it and would bring it tonight. I walked into my bedroom and opened my closet. I had few dresses, but there was one that I loved. It was dark blue velvet, long, and sparkly. It had always looked like the night sky to me. I quickly put it on, and some shoes as well. It was 8:00. I ran out the door and hailed a taxi.
The city flew by me, seeming to be going much more slowly than it was. Sooner than soon I arrived at Mountain Meadow. It was beautiful! Fairy lights adorned the entrance and enchanted lanterns showed the way to the door, floating in mid-air. A sharp gasp escaped me- in the middle of it all stood Vinyl Scratch. She was wearing a lovely dress. It was medium length, and white and grey in colour. Most of all, however, I noticed her eyes. They were bright magenta, and somehow had more depth than usual. I trotted up to her.
"Vinyl... you look incredible!"
"You do too, Tavi!" A Pegasus waiter walked outside.
"Your seat is over this way, ladies. Follow me." We walked behind him. As we did so, Vinyl brushed her tail against mine. I looked at her, but she simply looked forwards. I smiled and looked away. The waiter had us sit at a two-pony table and handed us menus.
"So, uh... I brought your bowtie."
"Oh, thank you! I couldn't find it anywhere!" I took it and fastened it around my neck. After this I looked at the menu. Vinyl, across from me, did the same.
"What are you getting, Tavi?"
"I was thinking about the daisy sandwich."
"It's our first date! Live a little!" At once she realized what she had said. An awkward silence filled the air.
"Date?" I knew in my heart that was what this was, but to hear it in words... it was entirely different.
"I didn't mean that, Octavia- I was just trying to say-" she got up from the table and ran into the night.
"Vinyl! Vinyl?" I walked amongst the dark shadows, calling for Vinyl Scratch after she ran off. I was worried about her. My eyes were invaded by the complete black- I couldn't see anything at all. A swish of air flew past me.
"Vinyl, is that you?" A face loomed out of the shadows- it was a certain white Unicorn. Her eyes were red and puffy, making it look like she had been crying.
"I didn't mean it like that, Octavia."
"Don't be silly. I know you did. Just so you know... I feel the same way." At exactly 9:57 on a Saturday night, we kissed.
