Octavia Melody had her eyes squeezed shut, gently running her bow over the cello strings, hitting all of the notes on the sheet of music in front of her with flying colors. She knew the song by heart, so she wasn't worried about having to read it. She sang softly, her voice melding beautifully with the pitch her cello was emitting. The crowd she was playing for cheered, but kept the volume to a minimum, so they wouldn't be louder than her. Every so often, the cellist looked up to the empty seat in the front row, a card sitting on it with the words "RESERVED" printed on it, each time expecting to see the familiar face of her best friend Vinyl Scratch, to be smiling and waving at her. Octavia didn't know why she assumed she would be there, she never was. She began pondering why she even considered Vinyl being her best friend, they originally became roommates because neither of them could afford a house on their own, she remembered when she first met the DJ when they were fillies, she was disgusted with her uncultured taste in music, but gave her a chance. Vinyl was mostly nice to her, she simply had a different personality. She remembered all of the crazy things Vinyl dragged her into over the years, though she usually had her back when Octavia needed it. Octavia snapped out of her thoughts when she realized that she repeated the same part three times now, she gulped, trying to regain her composure and hoped nopony noticed her mistake. After quickly glancing at the music sheet, she picked up the pace of the song, which was due a few minutes ago with a sigh. I wonder what her excuse is this time... She thought as she finished the last line in the song, earning much louder cheers from the crowd. Octavia smiled and walked off of the stage.
"Maybe she lost the ticket I gave her..." She tried to comfort herself. "She wouldn't just be a no-show...would she?" The grey earth pony carefully put away her cello in its case and put the strap over her shoulder with another sigh, starting out the door into the night. She held her head low, sulking home. The only other ponies walking the streets were workponies who were also going home. When she reached her house, she used her key to unlock the door and went inside, to see it empty, no sign that Vinyl had come home yet. She set down her bag and grabbed a book. She sat down in a recliner and began reading its contents and becoming absorbed in it.
A couple of hours later, Octavia opened her eyes and realized she must have nodded off. She glanced up at the clock which read 1:30 AM. "Ugh! This is ridiculous!" She stood up and marched over to her phone to call Vinyl.
Vinyl Scratch sat on the couch, bobbing her head to the beat of the music that surrounded her while chatting with a few other ponies. "Yeah, this party is kinda lame. There are totally not enough ponies here! They should be tearin' the roof off this place by now!" Vinyl states, rolling her magenta eyes, which were covered by her shades. "I should so show all these ponies what a real party's like! But my stupid roommate won't let me throw one." Just then, her phone buzzed next to her. Vinyl picked it up and answered it. "Yo, This is Pon-3."
"Vinyl! Where are you?! It's one in the morning! Are you alright?" Octavia asked, Vinyl put it on speakerphone and briefly covered the microphone to mouth 'It's her!' to her friends.
"Uh, yeah. Who are you, my mom?" She says sarcastically, earning a giggle from the other mares. Octavia growled.
"Where are you?!" She repeated. Vinyl shook her head and rolled her eyes again dramatically.
"At a party, jeez. Why do you care? I thought you had a-" Vinyl gasps, dropping her phone, but caught it before it hit the floor. "Oh my Celestia! Your concert tonight! Look, it won't happen again, I promise!" The other end was silent for a few moments.
"That's what you said last time, Vinyl. And the time before that...Are you mad at me or something?" Octavia squeaked.
"Naw, naw! Nothin' like that. It's just, Windy Wishes told me about her party earlier and-"
"I've been telling you about my concert all week! I even had a seat saved up for you!" Her voice was scratchy, as if she was on the verge of tears. Vinyl's friends looked at her curiously, awaiting what she would say next. Before Vinyl could open her mouth, Octavia interrupted her. "You know what? Don't bother coming home." Octavia couldn't believe what just came out of her mouth, but she didn't want to take it back. Vinyl's mouth dropped open and her eyes grew wide.
"You're joking right?" Octavia had threatened to kick her out many times before, but there was a certain seriousness in her voice that made Vinyl question it.
"No. I'm not. Goodbye..." She whispered, hanging up the phone. Vinyl just stared at the phone in her hoof, her friends exchanged glances before walking away.
"Wait! Guys, don't just leave me here!"
The mares just continued on, without a second glance back. Vinyl got up and rushed out the door, in a full gallop. Maybe she just said that to get me to come home...
When she starts to get over the hill, she sees an object in the distance on their front lawn, upon closer inspection, she recognizes it as her turntable, and her record dealer/good friend, Neon Lights, helping put out her stuff! When Vinyl finally reaches her house, all of her things are in the front yard.
"What the hell, Neon!? Why would you help her?" She yells in anger as he carelessly tosses her box of records on the sidewalk.
"I'm with Octavia on this one, sorry, Vinyl." He replied plainly. "But hey, I talked her out of burning it."
"This is so damned stupid! This is my house just as much it is hers!" Vinyl shakes her head as Octavia comes outside with her nose upturned.
"You failed to pay your half of the rent for the passed three months, Scratch."
"Tavi! You can't be serious! We've been friends for years!"
"DON'T call me that." Octavia responds strictly. "I never did like that nickname.
Vinyl gazed up at her, heartbroken. "B...But-"
"Now get out of my yard before I call the authorities." She waltzed back inside and slammed the door. Vinyl felt tears stinging in her eyes, but quickly wiped them away. She used her magic to pick up her turntable, she figured she'd come back in the morning for the rest, maybe by then Tavi would have a level head and realize how harsh she was. Vinyl wandered around Ponyvile, not another pony in sight. She sighed and sat on a cold park bench, looking off into the distance at Princess Luna's sky. It was so pretty at night...why did she feel so terrible? She'd been kicked out of many places, multiple times before. Maybe...it just hurt more that it was by the pony she thought she could always count on. The pony that always cheered her up in a pinch...and actually understood her for the most part. The pony...that she secretly loved since the day she met her.
