My Little Vinyl: Friendship Is Deliciousby AdventuringCactusChaptersWub MachineCanterlot SoundThe Life Of RoommatesWub MachineChapter 1: Wub Machine Boom. Boom. Boom. Boom. I cantered through the club doors as I often do on Saturday nights, taking in the repeating bass just outside. As I enter, it gets much more intense as multiple other sounds that couldn’t make it outside fill the room, as well as my eardrums. It was heaven. It was peace. It was my sanity. The bouncer, Buffy, who I knew all too well, stood aside with a smile on his face. “Welcome back, miss Scratch,” he said, earning a smile back. “Come one, Buffy, we’re pals. Call me Vinyl.” He nodded as I walked past him, and I could have sworn I felt him tap my flank. I glanced back with a dangerous, warning smirk, pulling down my shades and revealing my red eyes. We both let out a laugh. I made my way past the dance floor and to the bar, where I frequently sit when I’m not doing performances as my stage persona, DJ P0N3. I ordered a hard cider and passed five bits across the counter to the bartender. As I waited for my drink, I looked to the other side of the bar and noticed a light gray mare with a brown mane, who looked very out of place and very nervous. I made my way over, making sure to let the bartender know I had moved. “Somepony like you seems rather out of her comfort zone here,” I yelled over the music and crowd. She glanced at me, giving me what appeared to be a forced smile. “Yes, well, I was dragged here quite rudely by a few rowdy ponies who insisted I get out more.” Ooh, a Canterlot accent. Fancy. “Well that really depends,” I said. “How often do you get out?” “Well that’s just it. I don’t.” That honestly caught me by surprise. After shaking the blank look off my face, I extended a hoof. “Well in that case, I kind of agree. I’m Vinyl Scratch.” She grasped my hoof, shaking it gently. “Octavia Melody. Pleasure to make your acquaintance, no matter how odd a place.” “The pleasure’s all mine! So where ya from, Octavia? I sure as sugar can tell you’re not from here in Ponyville.” She lightened up at talking about her home. I made a mental note to tuck that aside whenever our conversations get a bit dull. “Well, I actually have a home in Canterlot. The friends who took me here are neighbors of mine and have wanted to try out the city life for a while, so they quite literally dragged me here. Or at least onto the carriage from Canterlot.” The last part caused me to emit a small laugh, which she smiled at. The bartender arrived with my drink, but the intercom interrupted the conversation entirely. “Attention dancers and music lovers, we have a special weekly performance that we do here every Saturday night, and now is the time for the announcement of that exact thing. Tonight we have a live performance by DJ P0N3! She will begin setup in about 5 minutes, and the show will begin in 10. Afterwards, Miss P0N3 has told me to state that she will be signing autographs and selling CDs, and will be in the club for most of the night.” There was cheering throughout the club at the mention of the show, which caused Octavia to gain a curious look. “DJ P0N3… I’ve never heard of her. Do you know anything about her, Vinyl?” I smirked at the question. “Why, DJ P0N3 is sitting right in front of ya. It’s me!” “Oh! Well then, shouldn’t you start getting ready?” “Oh, right. Right right right. Thanks! Talk to ya after the show?” She nodded happily. I downed my drink quickly and rushed backstage. Backstage was simply rolling out the speakers and turntable, plugging it in, and mental preparation. I’ve done this thousands of times, it was easy. But for some reason I felt a little nervous. Was it the cider? Maybe there’s a larger crowd? Maybe it was because of that Octavia mare. I couldn’t quite put my hoof on it. Just as my thoughts finished up, the intercom cut on again. “Fillies and gentlecolts, let’s give a warm round of applause for DJ P0N3!” I started up my music; a low, quiet tone. Smoke trailed along the base of the stage, thanks to the dry ice effects. Spotlights shot to life, colored purple, white, and blue, my color scheme. My signature smile spread across my muzzle, fireworks sparked across the stage, and the show began. *** *** *** The autographs were very dull and boring, but I enjoyed them nonetheless. “Here ya go, have a great night...there you are, enjoy the rest of the night...ah, Octavia! I didn’t think you’d come up for an autograph.” She had a look of pure joy on her face. “Well, normally I wouldn’t. I’m not the biggest fan of any forms of techno music. But the way you looked on that stage, you were so full of happiness. I could see it on your face. You play this music with an undying passion, and I admire that greatly. You see, I’m a musician myself, and I’m very well into criti- OOF!” A slightly large stallion behind her shoved her forward. “Hey, broad, hurry the hell up. We’re all fans. Just get your autograph and get lost!” “Hey, keep your hand off her, and let her talk. I give you all as much time as you want,” I told him. “How ‘bout you shut your damn mouth and give me my autograph?” “Excuse me?” “You heard me.” Now, let me get something straight here. Pissing me off is a very VERY bad decision. Especially if you piss me off while treating me or my fans like shit. I won’t state all of the details of what I did to that guy, as they would probably cause the weaker or more emotional readers to leave the story as quickly as they arrived. For curiosity’s sake, I’ll just say he was in the hospital for the next three months. Oh, and Octavia did get her autograph. Just to let ya know. Now, back to after the autographs….right. I was at the bar… “Excuse me, good sir,” I said to the same bartender as before. “Could I get a small glass of scotch for myself, and…” I turned to Octavia. “Would you like anything?” “Well, I’ve never had alcohol before, but I would like to try some. What would you suggest?” She looked at me quizzically. I looked back to the bartender. “And a light hard cider for her. On my tab.” He nodded and started making the drinks. “That was a brave thing you did at the autographs,” Octavia said, smiling at me. “Nah, that was nothing.” I looked over where I left him and noticed the paramedics were putting him on a stretcher. I winced slightly as he wailed in pain. “I just hate it when people treat my fans and friends like shit.” The bartender set our drinks on the counter, and I passed him 15 bits. Octavia looked at me. “You...consider me your friend?” “Well of course,” I said. “You’re fun to hang around….why, is it weird?” She laughed, causing me to smile. “No, of course not. It’s just that...well, I’ve never made a friend so easily.” She smiled softly. A realization struck me. “Speaking of friends,” I said. “Where are the ones who brought you here with them?” Just then, the realization seemed to hit Octavia as well. She glanced around in shock, wondering where her friends had gone off to. She tapped on an item in her ear that I didn’t notice before, and it started glowing blue. I guessed it was a bluetooth device. Damn, Canterlot ponies really do have everything. “Hello,” she said to someone on the other line. “Where in the name of Celestia are you?” There was a pause. “Canterlot!? How did you get there?” Another pause. “You WHAT!? I cannot BELIEVE you! How come you didn’t say anything to me? You know what, nevermind. I don’t even care. I’ll be perfectly fine. You’ll have to do without me.” She tapped on the device again and it stopped glowing. Tears started to lightly stream from her eyes. “Some friends of yours,” I said. She began to sob a little. “Hey, don’t cry.” I handed her the cider she ordered. “Here, have this. It’ll calm you down.” She took a sip and tested the taste. After a moment, she downed the whole thing, causing me to laugh. The laughing immediately subsided when she downed my scotch in 3 seconds flat as well. Realizing she drank my scotch, she looked down. “Oh...dammit. I’m sorry, Vinyl, I’ll pay you back if you need me to. Er...how much was it?” She started to reach into her saddlebag, but I stopped her. Smiling, I said “Don’t worry about it, I have plenty more at my place...speaking of, do you need somewhere to stay?” She looked up at me and nodded. “Great! Come on, let’s go. You just drank a whole glass of scotch and cider and it was your first drink of alcohol. You’re gonna need to lay down soon.” I led her out of the club, drying her tears from her face. *** *** *** Octavia gasped as we walked into my house, noticing all the clutter. “Oh, shit...sorry. I forgot about the mess. Clubbing is just too fun.” “Don’t worry,” she responded. “It’s perfectly fine. We just need to straighten up a little...ack!” She collapsed onto my couch, holding a hoof to her head. “Looks like the alcohol is getting to ya. Come on, let’s get you to bed.” I led her down the hall to the room on the left side. “I don’t ever use the guest bedroom, so it should be clean.” We entered the undecorated room and, as I stated, it was much cleaner than everything else. I laid her down in the bed and covered her up. She pulled me into a hug. “Thank you, Vinyl,” she said. “I had fun.” I smiled and started walking out of the room. “Oh, and just so you know, we’re cleaning your house tomorrow.” I chuckled and walked into my own room. I laid on the bed and curled up, replaying the night's events in my head. I smiled lightly and drifted off to sleep, hoping tomorrow would fare just as well, or even better. Canterlot SoundChapter 2: Canterlot Sound I woke up groggily to the sound of a vacuum running in the living room. I groaned and rolled out of bed, onto the floor. I looked up at my alarm clock that I had failed to set the previous night, and it stated the time: 8:23 AM. “Uuuugghh...too early to clean,” I yelled. Octavia must have heard me over the quiet hum of the vacuum, because it stopped. “Can’t it wait until after breakfast, at least?” She must have heard that too, because I heard hoofsteps coming down the hall. My door flung open to reveal a worn out Octavia, her mane ruffled and drenched in sweat. She looked like she’d been up for hours, and was about to fall over. She steadied herself against the doorframe. “Woah, Octavia!” I rushed up to help her. I laughed a little, then I said “The first rule of hangovers: Don’t rush yourself.” I walked her back into her room and laid her down on the bed. She let out a blissful sigh. I just stood there for a moment. Despite her horrible appearance at the time, I was unable to see her as any kind of ugly. She seemed at peace laying there, content with what she had been doing while I was asleep, which, to be honest, I hadn’t even looked at yet. I smiled and stepped out of the room and walked towards the kitchen. I froze in my tracks when I saw it. It was amazing! It was beautiful! It...it was CLEAN!!! My smile twitched over and over again at what I was staring at. My mind started asking many questions. How did she do all this with a hangover like I saw? What brought her to wake up earlier than 10:00? Where did she learn to clean this well? And what in the name of Celestia did she do with my lingerie collection? *** *** *** I started making breakfast around an hour after that. At first I had decided to go with bacon and eggs, but then I remembered I was the only omnivorous pony in Ponyville. I couldn’t risk running Octavia out of the house. I settled with grilled cheese and daisy sandwiches. Simple, but good. Let’s see...toaster, check...bread, check...cheese, check...daisies...shit, where did I put the daisies...ah, that’s right! I opened the front door of my house and looked to the left. “Daisies,” I yelled aloud, earning a strange glance from Applejack, who looked like she was on her way to Twilight’s castle. In my opinion, I think whoever created that went a little overboard for a small Alicorn and a baby dragon. “Good morning, Vinyl,” Octavia said from inside. I walked in with the daisies and shut the door, waving. “Sorry about the noise this morning, I just had this...urge to clean.” “It’s fine,” I said. “But you could have at least woken me up to help. I would have complied eventually.” She laughed, which made me feel accomplished. “Oh, by the way, Vinyl, your lingerie collection is in a drawer in the closet over there.” Oh. That’s what. “What is that I smell,” she said as she sniffed the air curiously. “It smells like daisies and cheese.” I made another sandwich and busted out a couple plates. “That’s because it is. Grilled cheese and daisy sandwiches! Want some?” I turned around and noticed she was sat at the table, eyes wide staring at me. Slowly, she licked her lips. “Yes.” *** *** *** “I think I ate too many sandwiches,” I said as I held down a hurl. Octavia looked at me like I had just snorted Celestia’s shit off a dumpster lid. “And what was your first guess, Miss Daisy Sandwiches?” “My food baby.” I looked down at the bulge in my stomach. “They seem to be getting larger every time I eat…” We sat in silence for a moment, staring noiselessly at the ceiling fan above us. The house creaked just barely as it tends to do when the air conditioning turns on. I looked over at Octavia as she looked at me. “Hey, Vinyl?” “Yeah?” “I should probably head back to Canterlot soon. I don’t want to miss my rent payment.” She stood up and headed for the door. “Wait,” I called out. “Don’t think you’re going to Canterlot without me. I’ve never been, and you’re pretty much the only way I can get there!” She looked at me with a surprised expression. “And on top of that, I can’t let my new friend go somewhere fancy without me.” She started pondering the thought of letting me tag along. I stared as she thought, right into her deep brown eyes. They matched her mane so well, it’s like they were one and the same. Now I can’t say I’ve ever really had a thing for mares, but at that point, just seeing Octavia standing there with that adorable thinking look, I widely considered changing my mind. “Very well, Vinyl,” she said, snapping me out of my trance. “You can come along.” A little pony in my head did a happy dance, thankful that I could spend that much more time with Octavia. My outside self, on the other hand, stayed quite calm. “Oh, my Celestia, are you SERIOUS!?” Okay, maybe not as calm as I care to admit. “Thankyouthankyouthankyouthankyouthankyou!” I pulled Octavia into a tight hug and only let go when I realized she had started turning blue. “Oh...sorry.” I pulled away and Octavia looked like she had just seen two ghosts giving each other tentacle anal. I proceeded to drag her out the door. About halfway down the way to the train, Octavia had regained her composure. We were moving at a hearty trot to the station. As we approached it, I read the sign above the main building. “The Friendship Train...why do you think they call it that?” I turned to Octavia, only to realize she wasn’t there. I started to panic a little. Had she been a dream? No...she’s not real, is she? Shit, this is happening AGAIN? Why do all the ponies I like end up being fake? It’s not fa- “Vinyl, are you coming?” Celestia dammit, I hope I didn’t openly freak out just then… *** *** *** The Friendship Train isn’t the friendliest of machines. As we rounded the next turn, I felt my stomach lurch up to my throat. I held back vomit for the eighth time that day. Octavia patted me on the back which gave me a bit of comfort, but not enough to ease the “timber wolf eating my stomach from the inside” feeling. Eventually, and to my relief, the train came to a stop. Many ponies were in the passenger booths ahead of us, but I made sure I was the first one off that damned thing. I stood in front of the station for five minutes waiting for Octavia who, despite my rush, gave me a sympathetic look. On the walk to Octavia’s apartment, I got a good look around me. The buildings here had so much more architectural work, so much more color, so much more...everything! It was magical in every way, and I’m a unicorn. I know my magic. I was surrounded by that wonderful and enchanting Canterlot accent, the same one Octavia had attracted me with. We reached her apartment in a short amount of time, but as we arrived, there was a note on the door, and Octavia’s things appeared to be in boxes outside in the hall. Nice cello, I thought. Dear Octavia, We here at the Knightly Noble regret to inform you that there has been an infestation of, and I know this sounds ridiculous, but there has been an infestation of...rabbits. Before anyone says or does anything they will regret, these are particularly peculiar rabbits. They...eat furniture and drywall. The maid was cleaning and discovered a small nest of them under one of your counters. Unfortunately they had eaten most of your furniture in your absence and there’s almost no drywall left for this place to be hospitable. Luckily, though, none of your other belongings were harmed. Due to this horrible event, we will have to evict you, as your particular apartment has been foreclosed for the next couple of years, as the damage is quite horrifying. I apologize if there’s any inconvenience, and we have put a full furniture refund (plus interest) into your bank account. Hoping you are well, Madame Bitsford Wow...what a harsh way to be nice. I heard a sob next to me and looked over to see tears streaming from Octavia’s eyes for the second time in 12 hours. That’s never good. I approached her slowly, but she just burst into a yell. “They could have at least put my things somewhere safer!” She went to buck at the wall of her ex-apartment, but I threw myself in front of her aim. Her hind hooves launched into my side, throwing me into the wall. Luckily enough I didn’t crash through, but my side still hurt. “Oh, my Celestia, Vinyl!” She rushed to my side. “What in Equestria did you do that for!?” I coughed from the lack of air I was receiving shortly, but I regained my ability to speak. “Well,” I said hoarsely (no pun intended). “I couldn’t let ya cause any more damage to the damn place.” I started to laugh at my own comedy, but clenched my side in pain. “I think my rib is cracked…” *** *** *** Hospitals are NOT fun. They’re too proper, and they smell like excessive cleanliness. But at least Octavia was there. I offered for her to stay in the guest room at my apartment, and she had insisted I stay in the hospital in Canterlot while she and a friend of hers ran her stuff back to Ponyville. I had a letter sent to Big Mac asking to help. According to Octavia, he did most of the work. But at least it got done! Now we were in the hospital, waiting for the nurse’s report. She kept giving me severely apologetic glances, but I responded with reassuring smiles. “Quite the buck ya got there,” I said, breaking the strange silence that had seemed to build between us. It made her laugh, which brought a warmth to my heart. “Yes, I suppose it is quite impressive, though I apologize that I used it on you.” Another apologetic glance was shot my way. There was a pause between us, which she chose to break this time. “So what do you think of Canterlot, from what you saw?” “Well,” I responded. “It’s not so much the sight as it was the sound.” “And what does Canterlot sound like, then?” “Cracking ribs.” At this response we both shared a laugh, but mine was cut short by a sharp pain in my side. Dammit ribs, could you be any more annoying? I fell asleep in the hospital bed. I don’t exactly recall much about what had happened after that last laugh. It’s all kinda blurry. But I must say that, despite my injury, that was the best sleep I had in over a year. And I’d do it all again if it meant another day like that with Octavia. The Life Of RoommatesChapter 3: The Life Of Roommates It was a week after Octavia’s eviction incident, and we still hadn’t unpacked all her stuff yet. My rib healed up well, though, with a special (300 bit) spell from one of the doctors. They told me it wouldn’t hurt a bit, and they were right. It hurt a lot. Octavia lay on the couch in the living room, completely worn out from moving all of the boxes. She insisted I rested for the next few days while she and Big Mac do the work. Every time I tried to get up and help, she would yell me into submission. I decided instead to focus on my music. “Do you want anything to eat, Tavi?” She turned and looked at me funny. “Tavi?” “Yeah, I thought I’d give ya a nickname. You okay with that?,” I asked her. She stopped to think about it with that strangely adorable thinking look. “I don’t mind,” she finally said. “And yes, I would like something to eat. Thank you for asking!” She smiled sweetly and walked over to my turntables where I was standing. “Do you mind picking up some hay fries?” “No problem, I’ll get right on that.” I walked out the door as Big Mac dragged in a box. “Do ya want some hay fries, Big Mac? I’m heading out now.” “Eeyup,” he responded simply. He dragged the box inside and I made my way down the road. *** *** *** I walked back through the door with the hay fries to see that Big Mac had decided to make fruit smoothies for everypony. I set the fries on the counter in the kitchen and grabbed my smoothie. Tavi dove right into her food. “You hungry there, Tavi?” I said, laughing as she demolished the fast food between her jaws. She stopped abruptly and glanced at me, a small blush growing larger on her face, causing myself and Big Mac to laugh. “Eeyup.” I walked over to my liquor cabinet and grabbed some cider, placing it on the counter. As I went to pull off the cork, Octavia blurted out. “Vinyl, what in the name of Celestia are you doing?” I looked at her quizzically. “I’m spiking my smoothie, what’s it look like I’m doing?” “Vinyl! Big Macintosh made that smoothie from apples fresh from Sweet Apple Acres...and some berries from the market, but out of the goodness of his heart nonetheless.” She gave me a comically hurt stare, which was actually quite adorable. “Do you really think he would want you ruining it like that?” I paused and looked over to Big Mac. It appeared that he had the biggest smirk on his face, like he was enjoying our playful argument. “Hahaha, nope.” *** *** *** Later Finally, everything was unpacked. I must say, Octavia moving in gives quite a few benefits. For one thing, we now have a television. Never had one of those before. Should be fun. Moving things was horribly tiring. My arms felt like jelly and my hooves were numb, but it was worth it. Like I said, we have a TV! Octavia lay sleeping next to me on the couch. She didn’t look very comfortable. A thought popped into my head. I rushed over to where she had placed herself on the couch. Fortunately for me, she seemed to be sitting just like Lyra does, very similar to those fictional creatures she invented. What were they called again? Harbins? Hamlens? Celestia dammit, I can never remember. I gently took one of her back hooves in mine and started to slowly massage it. This seemed to rouse her from her sleep a little, but she let out a blissful sigh and laid her head back. After a few minutes, I switched over to the other foot. In between transitions she seemed to lose her comfort, but the smile went right back to her muzzle when I started up again. "Oh, my Celestia, Vinyl, that's amazing," she exclaimed softly. "Where did you learn to use your hooves like that?" I smirked with pride. "Nowhere. Runs in the family," I bragged. She sighed again and slouched down, drifting back off to sleep. *** *** *** As the hay and flowers I was cooking began to sautée in the pan of olive oil, the sizzling sound caused Octavia to stir. "Hmmmmhm..." she mumbled. "Morning....pancakes?" She stirred a little, and fell off the couch with a quiet thud, causing me to emit a slight chuckle. "As much as I would love some pancakes, that's not what I was making. And it's not morning, you slept for two hours." I momentarily left the pan to the stove as I went to the refrigerator and picked up a can of Manticore Energy, opening it with my magic. I took a sip. "Ahh," I sighed. "It's good to have sponsors." Octavia groggily walked towards the kitchen. "Sponsors," she asked. "Like...for your music?" I grinned rather too excitedly as the caffeine had its usual immediate effects on me. I nodded very quickly and finished sautéeing the food. I threw it as a seasoning onto the food I had already made - carrots with a nice secret sauce - and brought the plates to the table. We both sat in silence, happily munching on our food, and immediately crashed into our beds afterwards. I drifted off to sleep with images of those soft, bright purple eyes drawing me towards the dreamscape. Ah, bliss. That caffeine didn't last very long...
Wub MachineChapter 1: Wub Machine Boom. Boom. Boom. Boom. I cantered through the club doors as I often do on Saturday nights, taking in the repeating bass just outside. As I enter, it gets much more intense as multiple other sounds that couldn’t make it outside fill the room, as well as my eardrums. It was heaven. It was peace. It was my sanity. The bouncer, Buffy, who I knew all too well, stood aside with a smile on his face. “Welcome back, miss Scratch,” he said, earning a smile back. “Come one, Buffy, we’re pals. Call me Vinyl.” He nodded as I walked past him, and I could have sworn I felt him tap my flank. I glanced back with a dangerous, warning smirk, pulling down my shades and revealing my red eyes. We both let out a laugh. I made my way past the dance floor and to the bar, where I frequently sit when I’m not doing performances as my stage persona, DJ P0N3. I ordered a hard cider and passed five bits across the counter to the bartender. As I waited for my drink, I looked to the other side of the bar and noticed a light gray mare with a brown mane, who looked very out of place and very nervous. I made my way over, making sure to let the bartender know I had moved. “Somepony like you seems rather out of her comfort zone here,” I yelled over the music and crowd. She glanced at me, giving me what appeared to be a forced smile. “Yes, well, I was dragged here quite rudely by a few rowdy ponies who insisted I get out more.” Ooh, a Canterlot accent. Fancy. “Well that really depends,” I said. “How often do you get out?” “Well that’s just it. I don’t.” That honestly caught me by surprise. After shaking the blank look off my face, I extended a hoof. “Well in that case, I kind of agree. I’m Vinyl Scratch.” She grasped my hoof, shaking it gently. “Octavia Melody. Pleasure to make your acquaintance, no matter how odd a place.” “The pleasure’s all mine! So where ya from, Octavia? I sure as sugar can tell you’re not from here in Ponyville.” She lightened up at talking about her home. I made a mental note to tuck that aside whenever our conversations get a bit dull. “Well, I actually have a home in Canterlot. The friends who took me here are neighbors of mine and have wanted to try out the city life for a while, so they quite literally dragged me here. Or at least onto the carriage from Canterlot.” The last part caused me to emit a small laugh, which she smiled at. The bartender arrived with my drink, but the intercom interrupted the conversation entirely. “Attention dancers and music lovers, we have a special weekly performance that we do here every Saturday night, and now is the time for the announcement of that exact thing. Tonight we have a live performance by DJ P0N3! She will begin setup in about 5 minutes, and the show will begin in 10. Afterwards, Miss P0N3 has told me to state that she will be signing autographs and selling CDs, and will be in the club for most of the night.” There was cheering throughout the club at the mention of the show, which caused Octavia to gain a curious look. “DJ P0N3… I’ve never heard of her. Do you know anything about her, Vinyl?” I smirked at the question. “Why, DJ P0N3 is sitting right in front of ya. It’s me!” “Oh! Well then, shouldn’t you start getting ready?” “Oh, right. Right right right. Thanks! Talk to ya after the show?” She nodded happily. I downed my drink quickly and rushed backstage. Backstage was simply rolling out the speakers and turntable, plugging it in, and mental preparation. I’ve done this thousands of times, it was easy. But for some reason I felt a little nervous. Was it the cider? Maybe there’s a larger crowd? Maybe it was because of that Octavia mare. I couldn’t quite put my hoof on it. Just as my thoughts finished up, the intercom cut on again. “Fillies and gentlecolts, let’s give a warm round of applause for DJ P0N3!” I started up my music; a low, quiet tone. Smoke trailed along the base of the stage, thanks to the dry ice effects. Spotlights shot to life, colored purple, white, and blue, my color scheme. My signature smile spread across my muzzle, fireworks sparked across the stage, and the show began. *** *** *** The autographs were very dull and boring, but I enjoyed them nonetheless. “Here ya go, have a great night...there you are, enjoy the rest of the night...ah, Octavia! I didn’t think you’d come up for an autograph.” She had a look of pure joy on her face. “Well, normally I wouldn’t. I’m not the biggest fan of any forms of techno music. But the way you looked on that stage, you were so full of happiness. I could see it on your face. You play this music with an undying passion, and I admire that greatly. You see, I’m a musician myself, and I’m very well into criti- OOF!” A slightly large stallion behind her shoved her forward. “Hey, broad, hurry the hell up. We’re all fans. Just get your autograph and get lost!” “Hey, keep your hand off her, and let her talk. I give you all as much time as you want,” I told him. “How ‘bout you shut your damn mouth and give me my autograph?” “Excuse me?” “You heard me.” Now, let me get something straight here. Pissing me off is a very VERY bad decision. Especially if you piss me off while treating me or my fans like shit. I won’t state all of the details of what I did to that guy, as they would probably cause the weaker or more emotional readers to leave the story as quickly as they arrived. For curiosity’s sake, I’ll just say he was in the hospital for the next three months. Oh, and Octavia did get her autograph. Just to let ya know. Now, back to after the autographs….right. I was at the bar… “Excuse me, good sir,” I said to the same bartender as before. “Could I get a small glass of scotch for myself, and…” I turned to Octavia. “Would you like anything?” “Well, I’ve never had alcohol before, but I would like to try some. What would you suggest?” She looked at me quizzically. I looked back to the bartender. “And a light hard cider for her. On my tab.” He nodded and started making the drinks. “That was a brave thing you did at the autographs,” Octavia said, smiling at me. “Nah, that was nothing.” I looked over where I left him and noticed the paramedics were putting him on a stretcher. I winced slightly as he wailed in pain. “I just hate it when people treat my fans and friends like shit.” The bartender set our drinks on the counter, and I passed him 15 bits. Octavia looked at me. “You...consider me your friend?” “Well of course,” I said. “You’re fun to hang around….why, is it weird?” She laughed, causing me to smile. “No, of course not. It’s just that...well, I’ve never made a friend so easily.” She smiled softly. A realization struck me. “Speaking of friends,” I said. “Where are the ones who brought you here with them?” Just then, the realization seemed to hit Octavia as well. She glanced around in shock, wondering where her friends had gone off to. She tapped on an item in her ear that I didn’t notice before, and it started glowing blue. I guessed it was a bluetooth device. Damn, Canterlot ponies really do have everything. “Hello,” she said to someone on the other line. “Where in the name of Celestia are you?” There was a pause. “Canterlot!? How did you get there?” Another pause. “You WHAT!? I cannot BELIEVE you! How come you didn’t say anything to me? You know what, nevermind. I don’t even care. I’ll be perfectly fine. You’ll have to do without me.” She tapped on the device again and it stopped glowing. Tears started to lightly stream from her eyes. “Some friends of yours,” I said. She began to sob a little. “Hey, don’t cry.” I handed her the cider she ordered. “Here, have this. It’ll calm you down.” She took a sip and tested the taste. After a moment, she downed the whole thing, causing me to laugh. The laughing immediately subsided when she downed my scotch in 3 seconds flat as well. Realizing she drank my scotch, she looked down. “Oh...dammit. I’m sorry, Vinyl, I’ll pay you back if you need me to. Er...how much was it?” She started to reach into her saddlebag, but I stopped her. Smiling, I said “Don’t worry about it, I have plenty more at my place...speaking of, do you need somewhere to stay?” She looked up at me and nodded. “Great! Come on, let’s go. You just drank a whole glass of scotch and cider and it was your first drink of alcohol. You’re gonna need to lay down soon.” I led her out of the club, drying her tears from her face. *** *** *** Octavia gasped as we walked into my house, noticing all the clutter. “Oh, shit...sorry. I forgot about the mess. Clubbing is just too fun.” “Don’t worry,” she responded. “It’s perfectly fine. We just need to straighten up a little...ack!” She collapsed onto my couch, holding a hoof to her head. “Looks like the alcohol is getting to ya. Come on, let’s get you to bed.” I led her down the hall to the room on the left side. “I don’t ever use the guest bedroom, so it should be clean.” We entered the undecorated room and, as I stated, it was much cleaner than everything else. I laid her down in the bed and covered her up. She pulled me into a hug. “Thank you, Vinyl,” she said. “I had fun.” I smiled and started walking out of the room. “Oh, and just so you know, we’re cleaning your house tomorrow.” I chuckled and walked into my own room. I laid on the bed and curled up, replaying the night's events in my head. I smiled lightly and drifted off to sleep, hoping tomorrow would fare just as well, or even better.
Canterlot SoundChapter 2: Canterlot Sound I woke up groggily to the sound of a vacuum running in the living room. I groaned and rolled out of bed, onto the floor. I looked up at my alarm clock that I had failed to set the previous night, and it stated the time: 8:23 AM. “Uuuugghh...too early to clean,” I yelled. Octavia must have heard me over the quiet hum of the vacuum, because it stopped. “Can’t it wait until after breakfast, at least?” She must have heard that too, because I heard hoofsteps coming down the hall. My door flung open to reveal a worn out Octavia, her mane ruffled and drenched in sweat. She looked like she’d been up for hours, and was about to fall over. She steadied herself against the doorframe. “Woah, Octavia!” I rushed up to help her. I laughed a little, then I said “The first rule of hangovers: Don’t rush yourself.” I walked her back into her room and laid her down on the bed. She let out a blissful sigh. I just stood there for a moment. Despite her horrible appearance at the time, I was unable to see her as any kind of ugly. She seemed at peace laying there, content with what she had been doing while I was asleep, which, to be honest, I hadn’t even looked at yet. I smiled and stepped out of the room and walked towards the kitchen. I froze in my tracks when I saw it. It was amazing! It was beautiful! It...it was CLEAN!!! My smile twitched over and over again at what I was staring at. My mind started asking many questions. How did she do all this with a hangover like I saw? What brought her to wake up earlier than 10:00? Where did she learn to clean this well? And what in the name of Celestia did she do with my lingerie collection? *** *** *** I started making breakfast around an hour after that. At first I had decided to go with bacon and eggs, but then I remembered I was the only omnivorous pony in Ponyville. I couldn’t risk running Octavia out of the house. I settled with grilled cheese and daisy sandwiches. Simple, but good. Let’s see...toaster, check...bread, check...cheese, check...daisies...shit, where did I put the daisies...ah, that’s right! I opened the front door of my house and looked to the left. “Daisies,” I yelled aloud, earning a strange glance from Applejack, who looked like she was on her way to Twilight’s castle. In my opinion, I think whoever created that went a little overboard for a small Alicorn and a baby dragon. “Good morning, Vinyl,” Octavia said from inside. I walked in with the daisies and shut the door, waving. “Sorry about the noise this morning, I just had this...urge to clean.” “It’s fine,” I said. “But you could have at least woken me up to help. I would have complied eventually.” She laughed, which made me feel accomplished. “Oh, by the way, Vinyl, your lingerie collection is in a drawer in the closet over there.” Oh. That’s what. “What is that I smell,” she said as she sniffed the air curiously. “It smells like daisies and cheese.” I made another sandwich and busted out a couple plates. “That’s because it is. Grilled cheese and daisy sandwiches! Want some?” I turned around and noticed she was sat at the table, eyes wide staring at me. Slowly, she licked her lips. “Yes.” *** *** *** “I think I ate too many sandwiches,” I said as I held down a hurl. Octavia looked at me like I had just snorted Celestia’s shit off a dumpster lid. “And what was your first guess, Miss Daisy Sandwiches?” “My food baby.” I looked down at the bulge in my stomach. “They seem to be getting larger every time I eat…” We sat in silence for a moment, staring noiselessly at the ceiling fan above us. The house creaked just barely as it tends to do when the air conditioning turns on. I looked over at Octavia as she looked at me. “Hey, Vinyl?” “Yeah?” “I should probably head back to Canterlot soon. I don’t want to miss my rent payment.” She stood up and headed for the door. “Wait,” I called out. “Don’t think you’re going to Canterlot without me. I’ve never been, and you’re pretty much the only way I can get there!” She looked at me with a surprised expression. “And on top of that, I can’t let my new friend go somewhere fancy without me.” She started pondering the thought of letting me tag along. I stared as she thought, right into her deep brown eyes. They matched her mane so well, it’s like they were one and the same. Now I can’t say I’ve ever really had a thing for mares, but at that point, just seeing Octavia standing there with that adorable thinking look, I widely considered changing my mind. “Very well, Vinyl,” she said, snapping me out of my trance. “You can come along.” A little pony in my head did a happy dance, thankful that I could spend that much more time with Octavia. My outside self, on the other hand, stayed quite calm. “Oh, my Celestia, are you SERIOUS!?” Okay, maybe not as calm as I care to admit. “Thankyouthankyouthankyouthankyouthankyou!” I pulled Octavia into a tight hug and only let go when I realized she had started turning blue. “Oh...sorry.” I pulled away and Octavia looked like she had just seen two ghosts giving each other tentacle anal. I proceeded to drag her out the door. About halfway down the way to the train, Octavia had regained her composure. We were moving at a hearty trot to the station. As we approached it, I read the sign above the main building. “The Friendship Train...why do you think they call it that?” I turned to Octavia, only to realize she wasn’t there. I started to panic a little. Had she been a dream? No...she’s not real, is she? Shit, this is happening AGAIN? Why do all the ponies I like end up being fake? It’s not fa- “Vinyl, are you coming?” Celestia dammit, I hope I didn’t openly freak out just then… *** *** *** The Friendship Train isn’t the friendliest of machines. As we rounded the next turn, I felt my stomach lurch up to my throat. I held back vomit for the eighth time that day. Octavia patted me on the back which gave me a bit of comfort, but not enough to ease the “timber wolf eating my stomach from the inside” feeling. Eventually, and to my relief, the train came to a stop. Many ponies were in the passenger booths ahead of us, but I made sure I was the first one off that damned thing. I stood in front of the station for five minutes waiting for Octavia who, despite my rush, gave me a sympathetic look. On the walk to Octavia’s apartment, I got a good look around me. The buildings here had so much more architectural work, so much more color, so much more...everything! It was magical in every way, and I’m a unicorn. I know my magic. I was surrounded by that wonderful and enchanting Canterlot accent, the same one Octavia had attracted me with. We reached her apartment in a short amount of time, but as we arrived, there was a note on the door, and Octavia’s things appeared to be in boxes outside in the hall. Nice cello, I thought. Dear Octavia, We here at the Knightly Noble regret to inform you that there has been an infestation of, and I know this sounds ridiculous, but there has been an infestation of...rabbits. Before anyone says or does anything they will regret, these are particularly peculiar rabbits. They...eat furniture and drywall. The maid was cleaning and discovered a small nest of them under one of your counters. Unfortunately they had eaten most of your furniture in your absence and there’s almost no drywall left for this place to be hospitable. Luckily, though, none of your other belongings were harmed. Due to this horrible event, we will have to evict you, as your particular apartment has been foreclosed for the next couple of years, as the damage is quite horrifying. I apologize if there’s any inconvenience, and we have put a full furniture refund (plus interest) into your bank account. Hoping you are well, Madame Bitsford Wow...what a harsh way to be nice. I heard a sob next to me and looked over to see tears streaming from Octavia’s eyes for the second time in 12 hours. That’s never good. I approached her slowly, but she just burst into a yell. “They could have at least put my things somewhere safer!” She went to buck at the wall of her ex-apartment, but I threw myself in front of her aim. Her hind hooves launched into my side, throwing me into the wall. Luckily enough I didn’t crash through, but my side still hurt. “Oh, my Celestia, Vinyl!” She rushed to my side. “What in Equestria did you do that for!?” I coughed from the lack of air I was receiving shortly, but I regained my ability to speak. “Well,” I said hoarsely (no pun intended). “I couldn’t let ya cause any more damage to the damn place.” I started to laugh at my own comedy, but clenched my side in pain. “I think my rib is cracked…” *** *** *** Hospitals are NOT fun. They’re too proper, and they smell like excessive cleanliness. But at least Octavia was there. I offered for her to stay in the guest room at my apartment, and she had insisted I stay in the hospital in Canterlot while she and a friend of hers ran her stuff back to Ponyville. I had a letter sent to Big Mac asking to help. According to Octavia, he did most of the work. But at least it got done! Now we were in the hospital, waiting for the nurse’s report. She kept giving me severely apologetic glances, but I responded with reassuring smiles. “Quite the buck ya got there,” I said, breaking the strange silence that had seemed to build between us. It made her laugh, which brought a warmth to my heart. “Yes, I suppose it is quite impressive, though I apologize that I used it on you.” Another apologetic glance was shot my way. There was a pause between us, which she chose to break this time. “So what do you think of Canterlot, from what you saw?” “Well,” I responded. “It’s not so much the sight as it was the sound.” “And what does Canterlot sound like, then?” “Cracking ribs.” At this response we both shared a laugh, but mine was cut short by a sharp pain in my side. Dammit ribs, could you be any more annoying? I fell asleep in the hospital bed. I don’t exactly recall much about what had happened after that last laugh. It’s all kinda blurry. But I must say that, despite my injury, that was the best sleep I had in over a year. And I’d do it all again if it meant another day like that with Octavia.
The Life Of RoommatesChapter 3: The Life Of Roommates It was a week after Octavia’s eviction incident, and we still hadn’t unpacked all her stuff yet. My rib healed up well, though, with a special (300 bit) spell from one of the doctors. They told me it wouldn’t hurt a bit, and they were right. It hurt a lot. Octavia lay on the couch in the living room, completely worn out from moving all of the boxes. She insisted I rested for the next few days while she and Big Mac do the work. Every time I tried to get up and help, she would yell me into submission. I decided instead to focus on my music. “Do you want anything to eat, Tavi?” She turned and looked at me funny. “Tavi?” “Yeah, I thought I’d give ya a nickname. You okay with that?,” I asked her. She stopped to think about it with that strangely adorable thinking look. “I don’t mind,” she finally said. “And yes, I would like something to eat. Thank you for asking!” She smiled sweetly and walked over to my turntables where I was standing. “Do you mind picking up some hay fries?” “No problem, I’ll get right on that.” I walked out the door as Big Mac dragged in a box. “Do ya want some hay fries, Big Mac? I’m heading out now.” “Eeyup,” he responded simply. He dragged the box inside and I made my way down the road. *** *** *** I walked back through the door with the hay fries to see that Big Mac had decided to make fruit smoothies for everypony. I set the fries on the counter in the kitchen and grabbed my smoothie. Tavi dove right into her food. “You hungry there, Tavi?” I said, laughing as she demolished the fast food between her jaws. She stopped abruptly and glanced at me, a small blush growing larger on her face, causing myself and Big Mac to laugh. “Eeyup.” I walked over to my liquor cabinet and grabbed some cider, placing it on the counter. As I went to pull off the cork, Octavia blurted out. “Vinyl, what in the name of Celestia are you doing?” I looked at her quizzically. “I’m spiking my smoothie, what’s it look like I’m doing?” “Vinyl! Big Macintosh made that smoothie from apples fresh from Sweet Apple Acres...and some berries from the market, but out of the goodness of his heart nonetheless.” She gave me a comically hurt stare, which was actually quite adorable. “Do you really think he would want you ruining it like that?” I paused and looked over to Big Mac. It appeared that he had the biggest smirk on his face, like he was enjoying our playful argument. “Hahaha, nope.” *** *** *** Later Finally, everything was unpacked. I must say, Octavia moving in gives quite a few benefits. For one thing, we now have a television. Never had one of those before. Should be fun. Moving things was horribly tiring. My arms felt like jelly and my hooves were numb, but it was worth it. Like I said, we have a TV! Octavia lay sleeping next to me on the couch. She didn’t look very comfortable. A thought popped into my head. I rushed over to where she had placed herself on the couch. Fortunately for me, she seemed to be sitting just like Lyra does, very similar to those fictional creatures she invented. What were they called again? Harbins? Hamlens? Celestia dammit, I can never remember. I gently took one of her back hooves in mine and started to slowly massage it. This seemed to rouse her from her sleep a little, but she let out a blissful sigh and laid her head back. After a few minutes, I switched over to the other foot. In between transitions she seemed to lose her comfort, but the smile went right back to her muzzle when I started up again. "Oh, my Celestia, Vinyl, that's amazing," she exclaimed softly. "Where did you learn to use your hooves like that?" I smirked with pride. "Nowhere. Runs in the family," I bragged. She sighed again and slouched down, drifting back off to sleep. *** *** *** As the hay and flowers I was cooking began to sautée in the pan of olive oil, the sizzling sound caused Octavia to stir. "Hmmmmhm..." she mumbled. "Morning....pancakes?" She stirred a little, and fell off the couch with a quiet thud, causing me to emit a slight chuckle. "As much as I would love some pancakes, that's not what I was making. And it's not morning, you slept for two hours." I momentarily left the pan to the stove as I went to the refrigerator and picked up a can of Manticore Energy, opening it with my magic. I took a sip. "Ahh," I sighed. "It's good to have sponsors." Octavia groggily walked towards the kitchen. "Sponsors," she asked. "Like...for your music?" I grinned rather too excitedly as the caffeine had its usual immediate effects on me. I nodded very quickly and finished sautéeing the food. I threw it as a seasoning onto the food I had already made - carrots with a nice secret sauce - and brought the plates to the table. We both sat in silence, happily munching on our food, and immediately crashed into our beds afterwards. I drifted off to sleep with images of those soft, bright purple eyes drawing me towards the dreamscape. Ah, bliss. That caffeine didn't last very long...
