Fancy Meeting YOU here...by Unbound BassChaptersPrologueRegrets, Sadness, and DeathViolence, Experience, and BitsWounded Pride...Rogue Dreams and New AlliesOut of Tune...Out of Everything....ReunionThe Mail-Mare With A Heart of....Sugar???Smooth...ProloguePrologue Manehattan wasn't always a place for dreams to come true. For the Grey Mare walking down her lonely street this was the case. Octavia was slowing walking down her street to her apartment which brought her so much pain and loneliness. She never truly felt at home in Manehattan, and for her she never would. Her thoughts trailed as she slowed pace. "Why....why did I do it..." Octavia thought as she began to break down in the middle of the street and cry. Luckily her street never was crowded and at this time of day most ponies were either at their jobs or in their homes comfortably living through their day. "At least I'm not completely alone here I guess... her thoughts wandering to that day's earlier practice with her trio as she regained her composure slightly. Earlier that day... "Octavia. Hey Octavia!" The near shout snapped Octavia out of her thoughts as a dark blue earth pony stallion was waving a hoof in front of her. "I'm fine.... thanks Tuning Fork," Tavi said meekly. "No problem Octavia just don't forget to come in on the chorale this time 'kay?" Tuning Fork said with a grin. "Kind of hard to come in AFTER you if you don't come in yourself," added the chuckling golden Pegasus stallion. "Sorry ... it's just been a hard....time," Octavia apologetically said, "It's hard to focus sometimes..." They sat in silence for a good 20 seconds. Until the golden Pegasus spoke up. "What should we practice first?" The golden Pegasus asked looking to both Octavia and Tuning Fork. Octavia sat in silence back in her thoughts. Tuning Fork simply gestured for the Pegasus to choose. "You pick Brass Bomb, I believe it was your turn to pick anyways," Fork said with a grin. He already had an idea of what he would pick. "My favorite of course!" Shouted the Up-beat golden Pegasus, "Pony Concerto No.7!" Octavia simply sat in silence with a blank expression on her face while she waited for her rests to end so she could begin her long note crescendo. Of course being as phased out as she was the note came out as a monotone note of utter sadness. The other two ponies simply looked at her with blank stares. After another long wait that was filled with only Octavia's sad monotone note Tuning Fork eventually spoke. "Let's just cut this practice short," The Dark Blue Pony looked at Octavia with a frown. "Would you like to talk to us about it... if it would make you feel better of course!" He quickly added as he noticed the tears streaming down her face. Octavia simply looked at him ignoring the embarrassment of crying in front of her new friends/colleagues. Her crying face was enough to sadden even the Up-beat golden Pegasus. Brass Bomb's face lightened up as he got an idea. He whispered it to Tuning Fork who simply shrugged. They turned to Octavia who was still crying, but now she had a questioning look on her face. "How would you like to play a video-game with us sometime?" Brass Bomb asked with a big smile back on his face. "You have a computer in your apartment right?" Octavia stared for a minute and looked down in thought. Brass Bomb and Tuning Fork simply waited for a response. "I guess I could try..." Octavia said without expression. "I mean I have way too much free time nowadays... I guess it could help alleviate some of my stress," Brass Bomb and Tuning Fork both grinned happily. They looked at each other and nodded. "Welcome to the Honor Bound Equestrians!" Shouted the dark blue pony. Catching Octavia off-guard she jumped and subsequently sending her and her chair backwards onto the floor. Brass Bomb starting laughing hysterically the moment it happened. "Octavia that was hilarious!" The Golden Pegasus walked over to her to promptly get slapped across the face by a not-so-amused Octavia. "Bucking Ouch!!!!" Tuning Fork watched the whole scene play out in front of him as if it was a play put on by a drama group. He chuckled quietly making sure that Octavia didn't hear so that he didn't get the hoof across his face as well. "By the way Octavia if you can get a headset with a built-in Microphone," Tuning Fork stated, "It is so much easier to communicate that way," Back in the Present... Octavia chuckled as she remembered the sight of Brass Bomb's reddened face. "He'll never be a gentlecolt no matter how hard he tries," She said aloud still chuckling and shaking her head while she did so. She rounded the corner and entered the door to her apartment building. She walked to the desk and reclaimed her room key. "Thanks for watching my key..." She said to the desk pony who simply nodded in response and went back to reading a magazine about houseplants. Octavia found the elevator and hit the number 4 to go to her apartment. As the elevator went up Octavia glanced into her saddlebags and saw the headset she had purchased. "This game better be worth it," Octavia thought, "these things weren't cheap!" The elevator creaked and stopped at the floor marked 4. Octavia stepped out and went 2 doors down and stopped at the apartment marked Room 18 "Well let's get this over with..." Octavia said as she unlocked her door and entered her apartment. Octavia turned on the computer she rarely used, but she had brought from Ponyville just in-case she'd need it. She waited for it to boot-up and fiddled with her new headset as she did. When it finally did she looked up the MMORPG that her friends had told her about. She typed in "Equestrians at War". She hit download and waited. She examined her headset a bit closer. It was a simple item. Its simple purpose was to allow her to hear the sound from the game and communicate with her friends. She cursed at the fact that they were so expensive for something so simple. "I guess they will do for now," She said looking back up at the screen. Her jaw dropped as she saw it was done downloading. She was met with a beautiful two-sided screen the showed one side green, bright, and prosperous. On the other side was a dark, burning, wasteland. A window in the middle of the screen asked her to register or login. "Well the artwork is beautiful..." referring to both sides not just the lush green side. She promptly filled in the information needed to register and waited for it to process. Afterwards she was met with a choice screen. It read, Royal Army or Rebellious Hearts? She picked Royal Army as her friends had prompted her to do. As soon as she had clicked it went to a character creation screen with a randomized character on it. "Interesting..." She said as she took note of what the randomized character looked like. It was a pale white unicorn mare wearing bright robes. The class read "Angel Priestess". As Octavia stared at the character...she broke into tears. Author's Note This is my first fanfic so it is most likely not formatted correctly and there may be a few grammatical errors. If you find any please tell me in the comments. I plan to do my best to keep this story updated as much as I can. Tell me what you thought please! Thanks everypony! Regrets, Sadness, and DeathOctavia sat at her desk for a good 5 minutes crying over the sheer coincidence that was being displayed on the screen in front of her. That's when Octavia realized that Vinyl really had been her Angel. "I'm such an imbecile..." Octavia thought as she wiped tears away. "There's no reason for tears!" The screaming in her mind caught her off-guard even though it was HER mind. She scrolled through the Customization Options she noticed there were buttons for: Species, Gender, Class, and many other submenus that she would probably get to later. She was told to make her character somewhat like herself in appearance. Remembering this she chose Earth Pony as the species and all of the class choices change. Instead of Angel Priestess and Light Mage they were replaced by classes that sounded as though they were for close quarters combat. Octavia thought hard and decided... "Knight seems the most royal of all of them, and Vinyl referred to me as "snooty" sometimes," Octavia smiled as she thought aloud remembering some of the good times with Vinyl. Even if she was annoyed about them at first. Octavia clicked Knight and the character flashed from being the pale white priestess mare to an earth pony mare wearing a set of simple leather armor. Octavia saw a primary weapon choice flicker at the near top of her screen. Her choices were: Longsword, Greatsword, or Rapier. Her thoughts mulled around in her head as she decided. "Greatswords are way too big..." Octavia thought. "and rapiers are a little too small and have to be deadly accurate being a thrusting weapon opposed to being a slashing weapon," Her thoughts went to her last choice. "Longswords it is then..." She said aloud. The weapon on her character's back went from a ridiculously large sword that could've rivaled even some swords in Vinyl's cartoons or "animes" to one of a much more manageable regular size. The sword itself wasn't anything special. It had no flourishes of any kind. It was a simple piece of metal that was connected to a hilt wrapped in leather. "You got to start somewhere right?" She thought. She went through the rest of the customization options quickly and did her best to make her character look as much like her as possible. After a grueling twenty minutes of trying to get it right she was finally satisfied with her work. Her character was a grey mare with black hair. It was pretty simple. The only difference was she didn't have a choice of cutie mark. "I guess that's the best it's going to get," Octavia said, talking to nopony in particular. She hit the "Enter World" Button and was met with another pop-up requesting for a character name. Octavia found this confusing since she had already entered her username in to the registry screen. After a bit of thought she decided simple was better and simply put in her name. After she hit enter it went to a loading screen and immediately after she was met with a cinematic. It showed a small town with ponies everywhere. A scrolling text read... This is the town of Hoofbarton it is the starting town for the Royal Army recruits. You will use this town as your humble beginning into Knighthood and train here until you are strong enough to venture forth into the wilderness and confront stronger enemies as you go. Be warned Knight! A darkness is rising to overthrow Princess Celestia's rule. You MUST be prepared to fight back the Rebellious Hearts during any part of your journey! Now begin your journey and prepare to defend Princess Celestia against the dark rebellion plaguing Equestria! The text ended and left Octavia in a first-person view through the eyes of her character. Octavia was trying to process the information that had been given to her only seconds before. She vaguely remembered the Rebellious Hearts being the other team choice. She dismissed thinking about it any longer. She had to meet up with her friends and she was going to be late. Her Need to Be Punctual kicked in and after learning the movement keys she took off to find her friends. She searched for a while looking for "Sunbaked Café. She found the name quite funny as she had burst out laughing when Brass Bomb had told her earlier that day that they'd be waiting there. She found the Café and noticed to ponies who looked way too much like her friends to not be them. "Hello," She simply said as she casually strolled up to them. "You finally made it Octavia!" The up-beat yellow Pegasus shouted loud enough for anypony within a ten mile radius to hear. "I thought you were all about punctuality, but here you are arriving late to the party," Tuning Fork said with a grin on his face as he put down some red drink in a glass bottle. "I'm sorry...It took me a while to learn a lot of the controls," Octavia said. Although it was true it was also the only excuse she could muster. "It's ok and here take this..." Tuning Fork said holding out a much more glamorous sword. "Its required level is 3 so you'll have to level up a bit," "Thank you Tuning Fork, I'm assuming you two are already level 3?" Octavia asked with a smirk. "Yep!" shouted the golden Pegasus with a mouthful of bread causing his character to choke. The other two watched holding back laughter as his health bar depleted. It hit zero and his character toppled over. "Maybe we should've helped him. You think?" Tuning Fork asked Octavia. "I guess... where is he now?" Octavia asked slightly worried. "He'll be revived at the nearest alter for a good three hundred bits, it's fine he may be agitated about the price though," Tuning Fork replied quickly. Octavia sat in silence and eventually then heard Brass shouting through the streets angrily at the both of them. When he finally got there he was panting. "Why...*pant*....didn't...*pant*...you help me!?!?" Brass asked angrily. "I'm new I had no idea what to do," Octavia said with a hilarious grin obviously holding back laughter. "I think it wouldn't have been as funny if you lived." Tuning Fork said with a large smile. "Fine....*pant*....let's go fight some wolves then," Brass said plainly. Most of his previous enthusiasm non-existent now. The group began to walk to the fields. Octavia simply stayed silent the whole walk. The others chatted about strategies or something like that. She wasn't truly listening. All she could focus on was that coincidence with the random character being almost exactly like Vinyl. Author's Note Thanks for Reading! I plan to keep going with this until it's done. Soooo if you like it tell you do! Feedback is appreciated! Violence, Experience, and BitsOctavia walked behind her two friends as they chatted about strategies to fight some boss monster or something. She honestly wasn't listening to a word they said even the ones directed towards her. She was lost in thought. She was snapped out of it when Brass waved a hoof in front of her. "Hey Octavia! We're here!" Brass' previous enthusiasm returning after he had gotten over the choking fiasco. Octavia silently looked around and saw an open field crawling with woodland animals. She noticed wolves were prowling around dominately. She looked at her two companions. "This is the training ground of sorts...for new players like you," Tuning Fork said simply. "So I just mull around here and K-kill things?" Octavia asked. The thought of her having to slay something even if it was virtual was not a thought she liked. "Yes ma'am!" Screeched the golden pegasus Who had turned to leave. "Where are you going?" Octavia asked. She didn't want to be left alone with these filthy wolves. "Sorry Octavia, these guys are too weak for us. We are going here..." Tuning Fork said as he marked it on her map. "Okay then...." Was the only thing Octavia could muster. "Bye Octavia." The two said in unison as they trotted off to their own hunting grounds. Octavia stood completely still. The thought of fighting those enemies, even if they are meant for beginners, was daunting. "Might as well give it a go..." She said as she approached the closest wolf. She read it's health bar and it read... Mangy Wolf Lvl:1 HP:10/10 As Octavia looked at the wolf it did look unkempt, more so than the others and also seemed to be the weakest looking. Octavia looked on and was only startled when the wolf suddenly pounced on her. Octavia was quicker than she thought she could ever be, dodging the attack by mere inches. She figured out how to retaliate and attacked the wolf before it fully recovered from the pounce. A bright red streak appeared at the wolf's neck and shoulder area. As this happened a bright red number appeared. The number was a three. Octavia noticed that the wolf's health was now at "HP:7/10". She quickly put the pieces together and figured out that the number was how much damage she had done. The wolf now had a limp causing its attacks to be even more sluggish than before. It charged Tavi at the fastest speed it could muster. This time she was ready. She brought her sword straight on the wolf's skull. There was a deafening "CRACK!". The wolf's head caved in where Tavi's sword had impacted it at full force. Instead of just a number the pop-up read: CRITICAL HIT 9!. As it caved in a pool of blood started to form as the wolf lied there. It didn't move and Tavi noticed its health bar read... Mangy Wolf(DEAD) Lvl:0 HP:0/10 She went up to it and there was a loud "DING!" and a few pop-up messages told her what she had acquired from the kill. Wolf Pelt(Common) 7 Bits 5 Exp. Tavi noticed a counter under her own health bar had changed it now read... 5/30 Exp. 25 more Exp. Needed for Lvl. Up She congratulated herself and went on to do what she heard many other players call "Farming". 2 hours later.... After a few fights Tavi began to get the hang of it. She had been farming for a while now and was now level 5. She had killed everything in the area except for the Area Boss. Tavi now had a full set of Wolf Fur Armor that was slightly better than her starter leather set and was using the sword Tuning Fork had given her. As she leveled up she had put all her SP(Skill Points) into speed and precision. She also had 4 buffs that buffed both of them. She approached the Area Boss' Lair. On her approach a almost mutant-sized wolf came out of the dark den. Many other newbies had stopped to watch her try to solo (and most likely fail) the Area Boss Fight. Its health bar appeared and read... Wolf Pack Alpha-Male Lvl:5 HP:50/50 Tavi's status read... Octavia Lvl:5 HP:75/75 Tavi had learned that the Knight class was a high health and defense class or what experienced player called a "Tank". She knew that she had more health than the boss, but on the contrary the boss would most likely be based to deal massive damage if it managed to land a hit on its target. Tavi stood assessing it. She noticed it was the same as most other wolves around just bigger. There was also foam at its mouth. Possibly a status effect. The wolf suddenly charged with unprecedented speed. Jaws open. Teeth ready to clamp down. Tavi used all four of her buffs simultaneously and dodged without a care. She decided that it most likely had the same critical hit point...The Head. The wolf did something unexpected after it missed the charge. It howled. As it did five or six of the normal wolf enemies of different calibers came crawling out of the den. Tavi facehoofed herself for not seeing it coming. It WAS the Alpha-Male after all. Tavi was then surprised to find her friends had returned. They were also level five. That meant Tavi had caught up to them. Along with some other players, the group fought off the grunts. "Octavia you can do this!" shouted Tuning Fork who had engaged a "Wolf Den Mother" "You got this!" yelled Brass as he hovered providing cover fire with his bow. Octavia nodded and went on the offensive. With blinding speed she charged the Area Boss and aimed for its left foreleg after seeing as it had pushed off from its charge using it. "SHWING! CRACK!" Octavia had successfully cut into the leg and cracked the bone slowing down the large wolf and dealing considerable damage. The Health Bar now read... Wolf Pack Alpha-Male Lvl:5 HP:36/50 But Octavia paid a hefty price as well.... Her health bar read... Octavia Lvl:5 HP:50/75 RIGHT LEG CRIPPLED!!! Octavia inhaled quickly at the sight of the blinking red message. She relied on her legs. Her build was SPD based. The wolf did something that almost seemed like a snicker and closed in slowly... Wounded Pride...Octavia kneeled petrified of what was approaching as a sudden realization came to her... she could possibly lose this fight... "....No...." Octavia slowly said standing weakly as she did so. "NO!" She raised her sword and took up the best defensive stance she could muster. The wolf donned a devilish and animalistic grin. Octavia simply waited. The wolf made a move towards her, but was hit right on the snout with a round egg shaped projectile. The projectile burst into a ball of grey dust. The wolf backed away as the symbol for the "Blinded" status effect appeared on its health bar. Octavia was suddenly grabbed, but not by a wolf. A white Angel Priestess Mare had grabbed her. The mare was silent and pulled her behind a large rock. The mare's horn lit up and Octavia's wound healed along with a small amount of health. Her Health Bar read.... Octavia Lvl:5 HP:64/75 The mare spoke in a voice Octavia was all too familiar with.... "Hey Octy...." Vinyl slowly said. "How long has it been?" Octavia quickly got up and rushed to the fight. She didn't have time to let her emotions run wild right now. Especially with her friends fighting off the Area Boss as well as its grunts. Octavia had quickly grown fond of the game that she'd previously thought she'd despise. It was now important to her. Failure was not an outcome she wanted. The white mare simply watched her rush off. Octavia re-casted all of her buffs and joined the fray. As soon as she entered the field they began to take the advantage back. As if she was a morale boost to all the newbies fighting along side her. She slayed two "Hunting Wolves" that were harassing their only offensive mage who had been up to this point providing long-range elemental support. "Octy look out!" Vinyl shouted. Octavia spun to see Vinyl's Angel Priestess character tackle a "Hunting Wolf" that had pounced from behind her stopping less than a foot away from her position. Octavia knew now that the Angel Priestess class was a healer/support class not a fighting class. Yet, Vinyl was right there using a dagger to slay the wolf that she'd pinned to the ground. Tuning Fork's voice snapped her out of it. "Help!" Tuning Fork screeched. "My shield can't block all this damage!" Octavia could see he was surrounded and was quickly losing HP. She reacted on a new-found instinct. She rushed towards the group almost as a blur. She killed one of the "Hunting Wolves" with a bludgeon to the skull. The critical was triggered and its skull caved in as it toppled over. Tuning Fork had managed to kill one of them with a sword through its chest. Blood shot out in all directions as Tuning Fork tore his sword out of the lifeless wolf to engage yet another one. "Octavia just take care of the boss!" Tuning Fork's expression was one of desperation. "I can handle this!" Octavia thought of the saying, "Never underestimate a cornered rat." She took trust in Tuning Fork and went straight into the core of the fight. The Area Boss had been whittled down a bit by some of the randoms, but was still a major threat. Octavia was confused at first to see that it had already killed off 5 of the players that had joined in even though it was still blinded. She thought hard while she approached and realized it was a wolf. It had an astounding sense of smell. "Damn..." One of the players Octavia didn't know had his sword leg crippled leaving him combat ineffective. The wolf smelled the blood coming out of his wound and attacked him specifically. Octavia arrived just in time to deflect the attack. She paid the price. Her sword had been split in two. The wolf claw had gone clean through the blade. She checked the injured Knight. He was completely still. "What in the name of Celestia are you waiting for RUN!" Octavia shouted at him and he began running to the same rock that Octavia had been behind just moments before. Octavia was now in a serious jam. She was weaponless. She knew she couldn't effectively fight back now. The wolf swung at her. She wondered why it had attacked her, but then she noticed everyone except Brass and Vinyl had retreated. She dodged swing after swing until her buffs ran out. "Damn it!" Octavia had nowhere to go and no weapon to fight with. "Octy take this!" Vinyl shouted Horn glowing profusely. As soon as she had said that a Sword of Light appeared in front of Octavia. Tavi grabbed it and felt a buff occur. Her strength and speed had been buffed. She stacked her own buffs on top of that and prepared her counterattack. "Octy be careful that sword will only last five minutes!" Vinyl's voice sounded worried. She checked the Boss' Health Bar and it read... Wolf Pack Alpha-Male Lvl:5 HP:21/50 BLINDED!!! Octavia knew her window would close fast. She sprinted the fastest she'd ever had before. It may have been from the sword's buffs on her own or maybe the mission to not let the others down. She didn't care. She knew what to do. Instead of going for the head she slid under the wolf and planted the sword of light in its chest and stomach as she slid. The deep long cut showered blood on her as she went. When she stopped she looked back just in time to see the wolf explode into pure light almost enough to blind anyone looking at it. The loot pop-ups began... Wolf Pack Alpha Skull (Legendary)(Helmet)(Lvl:7) 450 Bits 100 Exp. Octavia went from level five to seven instantly. Cheers echoed around her from everyone. She was focused on finding Vinyl. She looked hard, but Vinyl had disappeared. She allocated her skill points to SPD and PRCSN. Improved her two best SPD and PRCSN buffs and then equipped the new helmet. More cheers echoed in the field as she walked to the group wearing the Legendary Helmet. Brass landed next to her. "Well aren't you lucky?" Brass smiled wide. "You got the Legend Helmet on your first try." "That's cool I guess..." Octavia replied meekly. "Why you so sad?" Brass looked concerned now. "We won!" "I would have rather gotten something else..." Octavia looked away from her friend. "What? You mean like the Legendary Sword?" Brass asked simply. "No....I would've rather gotten Vinyl back." Octavia said. She sat back in her chair and muted her microphone. For the third time that day she cried. Rogue Dreams and New AlliesOctavia wiped her eyes and looked at her clock. It read 7:58. She'd been playing for around four hours. She couldn't believe her own a absent-mindedness. With a simple text chat message she went offline. She didn't want her friends to hear her in the state she was in. "I probably look awful..." She said as she stood and trudged painstakingly slow to her bathroom. She had been right. She was a mess. Her eyes were bloodshot and her hair was disheveled from where her headset had been. As she splashed water in her face she couldn't help thinking of Vinyl and her chance encounter with her. It seemed as though she was trying to be nice. Maybe Vinyl had forgiven her for what she had done..... "I highly doubt that..." Speaking to nopony in particular except for herself. She stood there looking at her reflection. The mare she saw there wasn't the same one she had seen so many times before in the mirror in her old home...her REAL home. The mare she saw there was a shell of what once had been a happy and slightly stuck-up pony was now a depressed and lonely shell. She decided to simply sleep away her troubles, so after a quick shower she flopped down on her bed and tried to sleep. She fell asleep after five minutes or so. In Ponyville... Octavia was happily strolling down the street with saddlebags full of apples. She occasionally waved and greeted ponies on the street around her. Nothing could ruin her mood today. Not even the dishes or Vinyl brushing her teeth. Octavia was simply over-joyed over the fact that today was the first REAL date she was going to have with Vinyl. Vinyl had asked her out over the phone while she was in Canterlot auditioning for the Royal Symphony. Her words were... "Soooo Tavi......ummm......I was wondering......wouldyouliketogooutwithmewhenyougetback." Vinyl shakily said. "Can you repeat that Vinyl....and this time don't make one long word," Tavi replied simply even though she knew exactly what she had said. She wanted to savor the moment. "Would....you.....like.....to.....go.....out....with......ME?" Vinyl said extremely slowly emphasizing the "ME" part as much as possible. "Of course I would..." Tavi said nonchalantly. "I've been waiting for so long to hear you say tho....." "Really!?!? You really will!?!? OMG OMG OMG!!!" Vinyl screeched into her phone not caring about interrupting Tavi or nearly causing to drop her phone at the sudden outburst. There was a pause and then Vinyl hung up. "Bye....I guess?" Tavi shrugged guessing that Vinyl was still freaking out. She had kept walking as she remembered and ,for the first time ever, somepony walked into Derpy. Octavia snapped out of her happy memory to see Derpy sitting on her haunches on the ground in front of her. "Owchies..." Derpy said as she rubbed her rump. "That really hurt!" "I'm so so soooo sorry for my lack of attention...." Octavia let out quickly while helping the grey mare to her hooves. "I guess you could say you just don't know what went wrong?" Derpy said with an adorable smile quoting her own all too famous line. "I suppose you could put it that way." Octavia replied sheepishly. Derpy simply started walking off and said.... "Bye Octopus!" Yelling as she left Octavia there awestruck at the fact she thought she was an eight-limbed sea creature. "She thinks I'm an octopus? " Octavia thought to herself. "Or does she just think my name is Octopus?" Shrugging it off Octavia simply continued her happy stroll back home where she knew Vinyl would be waiting... hopefully with a romantic setting. She even started humming one of Vinyl's "awful" remixes. She came into view of the home that she was so excited to enter and see the mare that she loved so much. The one that had finally confirmed her love to her as well. Octavia got giddy with excitement and anticipation. She stood at the door calming herself and telling herself to put on a convincing surprised look whenever she walked in. She started to the doorknob to find it locked. "Well....that's odd..." She simply said to herself. She rummaged around the apples in her saddlebags and found her keys. After what seemed like an eternity going through all of her keys to find the correct one she unlocked the door and opened it...her jaw near literally hit the floor. "Oh my...." Were the only words she could muster as she opened the door. She found nothing. Nothing out of the ordinary that is. She gasped and trudged up the stairs and straight into Vinyl's room to find her sleeping....at two in the afternoon. Octavia nearly shouted straight into the obnoxious, yet "adorable" DJ's ear. She calmed herself and "gently" prodded Vinyl's forehead with her hoof. Vinyl fell off her bed and onto the floor. "Ow!" Was all that came out of her at first as she hit the wooden floor back first. She was met with Octavia's stern glare. One that expressed both fury and curiosity at the same time. "Oh look it's the late date..." Vinyl said a straight look on her face. "What are you going on about!?!?" Octavia questioned loudly. She was sure the neighbors heard it. "We both agreed on when i got back!" "Yeah...,but you told me you'd be back two days ago..." Vinyl returning a serious look that Octavia had only seen a few times before. "Oh um.....I'm sorry Vinyl..." Octavia realized that she hadn't informed her date of her last minute audition. "SORRY! SORRY!?!?" Vinyl's face turned into one of fury. "I paid a hundred bits for your favorite red wine for you to not show up to drink it with me!" "Vinyl...I..." Octavia was at a loss for words. "So getting your spot in your little band was more important than your date!?!?" Vinyl shouted only inches away from Tavi's face. "H-how did you know i got the spot???" Octavia asked with a saddened expression. She wanted it to be a surprise. "I read it in the paper yesterday!!!" Vinyl replied throwing a folded up newspaper at her. The front-page read... "Local Cellist claims spot in Royal Canterlot Symphony!!!" "I guess i wasn't as important to you as i thought..." Vinyl said as she walked out the door using her magic to slam it behind her. Octavia heard another slam as she went out the front door as well. She was furious now...she wanted to just be rid of that obnoxious mare! Tavi quickly went into her room and gathered up all the belongings she wanted to take with her and left. She left a simple note on the fridge that read... Goodbye Vinyl... Tavi went to the train station and got a ticket to go back to Canterlot. She wasn't thinking and in her haste forgot about needing a place to live. She and Vinyl had shared that house for nearly a year ,and Tavi never really made any plan for moving out. That didn't concern her now she just wanted to be away from there as soon as possible. She had gotten on the train and as soon as everypony began to recognize her she began getting praise and "Congrats" from everypony within speaking distance of her seat. She simply stayed silent the entire train ride. Tavi rocketed up into a sitting position in her bed. She glanced at her clock it read 12:36. She hadn't been sleeping long, then she recalled her "dream". "Was that a dream?" She asked herself aloud. "No...it couldn't have been..." She thought hard for a few moments... "It was no dream....It was a memory...." She stared at her wall for a few seconds. She went to lay back down and found she no longer felt the need for sleep. Finding this odd she also realized she felt her mind almost ordering her to get up and play the game. Her first thought was that the game had no real importance and why he should play it at this hour. After a few more seconds of staring into the blank wall she realized... the game was a way to communicate with Vinyl. Her heart had yearned for it, but her mind rejected it. It was almost like her body and mind were locked in a war whether to forgive and forget or hold a grudge. She no longer cared what her mind said. Her heart was all that mattered. This was the first time she truly realized how shattered her heart had been for the past four months. She got up and trudged to the computer which she had foolishly left on. She cursed herself and her rising electric bill. "Might as well..." She said groggily to herself. Her mind wanted sleep, but her heart wanted Vinyl. Even if it was a small exchange of words from the mare it wanted so badly. She woke up her PC and turned on the game. She saw a message appear saying the game had been updated. Under patch notes said one thing... Area Boss "Wolf Pack Alpha-Male" Legendary Helmet Drop is now less common. "Isn't that the thing I got?" She asked herself aloud. Shortly after she cursed herself and her new habit of speaking to herself. She X'd out of the patch notes and spawned in...just in time to see a golden Pegasus mare Sniper character get wrecked by a wolf enemy. She chuckled. She realized there was a new marker on her map. The title for it was... Area 2: Forest of Shadows Lvl:5-15 She saw this and almost was foolish enough to go to the next area. At the last moment she realized... she was unarmed. Her sword had been sliced in two during the boss battle. She rushed back into Hoofbarton and went straight to the Weapons Vendor that her friends had shown her. She noticed she had a bit of junk loot that was less effective than what she currently had equipped so she sold it for the extra bits. She saw a level 6 sword that was quite powerful. She purchased it for not even a quarter of her total amount of bits. She went to the armor vendor to check his stock. She found a very intriguing shield. It's name and description were.... Animal Soul Infused Steel Shield A steel shield infused with the souls of many animals. (-50% Damage from Animal Type Opponents) She bought this almost immediately. It was quite expensive, but not enough to empty her wallet too severely. She equipped her new gear and bought some consumables. This included a splint. She wasn't going to be caught "breaking a leg" during a fight. At least not literally... She got some heads to turn her way as she left town. Many of the noobs were in awe of her Legendary Helmet whose drop had just gotten nerfed. She left town before any noob could question her about the helmet. Tavi looked around quickly for any other players that may have been useful allies, but found none. It was late after all. Tavi stepped through to the next area. She was met with a target almost immediately. It was her shadow. Herself. "Figures...Forest of Shadows after all...." She said under her breath. What frightened her most were its status. Her status read... Octavia Lvl:7 HP:115/115 The shadow's status.... Shadow Doppelganger(Octavia) Lvl:7 HP:115/115 This intrigued Tavi because if its status were exact copies wouldn't that mean it had her buffs power-ups? Her answer came quick as it used her best SPD buff. Tavi responded with a simultaneous activation of all four of her buffs including the one the Shadow had used. They circled each other waiting for the opposite to make a move. The shadow made the first move. A quick stab lunge straight towards Tavi. It used the same form as she did when she would do it. That meant..... "It knows my play-style!" She was alarmed that the devs could make such a thing happen. She dodged right much faster due to the stacked buffs she had compared to the Shadow's one. She retaliated with a slice. She usually avoided slicing with her previous sword, but this one was much different. The Shadow was caught off-guard and took the blow to the arm. The arm fell and burst into dark particles. The shadow simply regenerated the severed limb instantly. The attack still did considerable damage. The shadow's health had fallen. The bar now read... Shadow Doppelganger(Octavia) Lvl:7 HP:85/115 She was at first surprised at the thirty points of damage without a critical. She realized quickly her sword had (+30%) Demon damage on it. That meant the Shadow her was a demon type enemy. The shadow swung the shield at her for a bash attack stun effect. Tavi bounced it off her own shield, staggering the Shadow Tavi. Tavi took the chance and swiped at the neck. The head came off and burst into particles. Instead of a damage number though she was met with a red text.... INSTANT DEATH!!! She was stunned. She didn't know that was possible. She was alerted to possible threats when she heard a familiar voice in chat. "Get away you shadow creeps!!!" screeched a grey Pegasus mare archer as she fended them off with dual dagger swipes. Tavi knew her. It was Derpy. Upon closer inspection her character even had the recently added Wall-Eyes effect on it. No time for appearances though. The poor girl was in trouble. There were at least four shadow demons. One of them was her doppelganger. Three of them were identical besides weapons. They read... Shadow Demon Lvl:6 HP:75/75 Derpy's Shadow form read... Shadow Doppelganger(Derpy) Lvl:5 HP:50/50 It carried a simple Applewood bow. The same bow currently strapped to Derpy's back. Tavi realized the Shadow was level five...which meant Derpy was the bare minimum level for the area. She had three level sixes attacking her. Derpy's health bar dropped dangerously low. Tavi sprang into action. She used a One-Use Throwing Knife and aimed for the throat of the Shadow Derpy. She got lucky and it flashed "INSTANT DEATH!!!" quickly over the shadow before it burst like the one before. She lunged forward full speed and killed two of them instantly while Derpy Skill Dodged Backward and nailed the third with a flaming arrow to the throat. "Derpy are you okay?!?!" Tavi may not have been good friends with her, but still worried for the poor mare. "I'm okay...who are you?" She asked with a questioning face. "Um....ugh....O-octopus....." Tavi said. The name Derpy knew her by wasn't one she particularly liked. "Oh that's who you are!" Derpy shouted a bit too loud for Tavi's liking. "Yeah...I'm okay." "You do know those three were level six right?" Tavi asked with a grin. "Yes....I just don't know what went wrong...." Derpy said looking down sadly. "At first I was fighting the shadow "me" then those three came out of....well....the SHADOWS!" Derpy pulled out a muffin and chomped on it. Her health bar went to the minimum to be green. "Why didn't you just fly?" Tavi asked straight-faced. "One of the axes caught my left wing..." Derpy looked down again. Tavi pulled out her splint. Splints weren't specific for any body part. They just repaired broken ones such as legs and wings. She used it on Derpy. "Try to fly now." Tavi said or more accurately ordered. Derpy took off. She wasn't at full mobility, but she could hover and get a bit of altitude. "Wow....thanks Octo....Octavia." Pausing to get her name right. Derpy flew in a circle or two before flying face first into a tree. "Owchies...." She said as she pulled out another muffin. Tavi noticed she was level eight now. She used her Ability Point to get a sword buff for flame damage. Her skill points went straight to SPD and PRCSN. Derpy had leveled up level six as well. She knew a general idea of what she wanted. She was doing PRCSN and STMNA(Stamina). It allowed her to be accurate with PRCSN, and allowed her to take her time to aim with STMNA. Tavi observed Derpy as she was choosing her skills. Tavi had at first assumed Derpy was just going to barrel through the game doing whatever skills with whatever abilities she randomly chose. That was obviously not the case. Derpy was deliberately choosing what she wanted for her set-up. Which Tavi didn't know what that set-up actually was. "Derpy...what is your set-up going to be?" Tavi couldn't believe herself she was talking like she was some experienced MMORPG player when in truth she had just started earlier that same day. "I was hoping to make an Accurate Archer that relied on critical hits to deal massive damage!" Derpy happily shouted. "I'm waiting to get to level ten so I can get the skill that tells me where an enemy's critical hit areas are." "That's an interesting skill...too bad it's exclusive to archers and snipers." Tavi replied a little disappointed. "I know, but you don't seem to need it... you seem to know what you're aiming for." Derpy said as she turned to look at her. "I learned the instant kill spot by accident while fighting Shadow Octavia." Octavia said pulling out an apple to restore a little bit of health she had lost earlier. "Wanna be in a party!?!?" Derpy's sudden outburst of a question startled Tavi thoroughly. "Um....What's that?" Octavia asked slightly confused. "It's a group where the members share the Exp. and Bits from kills even if they are made by a different member." Derpy replied quickly. "Come on...it'll be fun!" "Ok...my friends aren't on at this hour, so I guess I can team with you." Tavi replied with a grin. She was excited for the extra support and the person to talk to during slow moments in between fights. A notification popped up in the bottom left corner of her screen that read... Player "Derpy" has invited you to a party! (CLICK TO JOIN) Tavi clicked it and a new interface popped up under her health bar. It read: "Party" and under were the names Derpy(Party Leader) and Octavia. "There!" Derpy ecstatically shouted. "Now we can know where the other is at at all times and know what their health and other status are at at all times as well." "This'll be a nice experience..." Tavi said not sounding as excited as she truly was. With that the new allies ventured forth an amazing ten paces before meeting a couple of shadow demons. "I got the two at the back!" Derpy shouted. Tavi was surprised that the mare she thought was simple-minded was actually strategizing. "I'll take the two in the front with the shields!" Tavi knew that Derpy would have a tough time getting arrows around the shields. The shielded shadows took up defensive stances. Their status merged into a new shadow foe... it read... Shadow Demon Phalanx Lvl:6 HP:150/75 Their max HP's had also merged over matching the maximum amount of HP they would normally have. "Oh that's just wonderful...." Tavi said to nopony in particular, but Derpy responded anyways as soon as she nailed both of the archer targets with a double shot ability. "Need an assist?" Derpy asked with a smile. "I think i'll return the favor." She loaded an explosive arrow and shot it behind the Phalanx. The explosion split them up. Tavi made short work of them once they split. She downed one with her second and last throwing knife and destroyed the second with a precise stab through it's neck. "I guess we're even now?" Tavi asked smiling. "I guess we are..." Derpy grew a huge grin. "Not for long once I screw up again." The pair chuckled and continued deeper into the forest. By the time they reached the Area Boss Tavi was level 16 and Derpy was level 15. Tavi had upgraded her existing buffs as well as gotten the lightning elemental sword buff. Derpy had the critical area indicator skill unlocked as well as PRCSN that nearly matched Tavi's. "This is the area boss?" Derpy asked looking at the small run-down building in front of them. "The map says it is..." Tavi replied. "Maybe it's glit..." She was cut-off by a loud bang and smoke started to surround the entire area. A figure appeared. A shadow larger than the ones before. Its health bar read... Farok Master of Shadow Lvl:15 HP:200/200 Tavi and Derpy were ready their status read... Octavia Lvl:16 HP:250/250 Derpy Lvl:15 HP:100/100 Derpy jumped up and readied herself to start flying or dodging. Tavi took up a defensive stance shield raised. Farok spoke.... "You cannot defeat me...if you cannot not defeat yourselves!!!" He created two more doppelgangers and these now matched their new status. Expecting to fight themselves they weren't prepared for when the opposite's doppelganger attacked. Tavi had her shield raised and bounced an explosive arrow straight up that exploded at the top of the tree-line. Derpy dodged a lunge from a fully-buffed Lightning Elemental Tavi. Farok spoke once more... "Try defeating the fake ones now!!!" As he spoke the doppelgangers went from shadow black to the exact same appearance as their real counterparts. Their names lost the "Shadow Doppelganger" meaning they were now identical. "Derpy we're going to have to communicate if we want to get through this without either of us destroying each other!" Tavi shouted desperately as she dodged a five arrow volley of fire arrows. "I know who's who!" Derpy responded. "My critical hit area shows me the critical areas for hostile targets not friendlies!" "So I have no markers on me!?!?" Tavi shouted dodging a dagger lunge from the Doppelganger Derpy. "Exactly!" Derpy shouted back, but as she did she lost focus and took a sword slash to the wing. She fell and hit the ground hard. Her HP bar went orange. Tavi noticed the other her lunging towards the downed pegasus sword held high to finish her. Tavi acted on that same rather strange and new instinct and with her heavily buffed SPD sprinted in front of the Doppelganger and held her sword straight outward. The copied Tavi could do nothing to stop herself from hurdling straight into the outstretched sword. The impalement wasn't enough to kill the shadow off, but with a swift pull upward taking the sword up through the neck area of the shadow it burst into dark particles. Derpy was still down, but was recovering health from yet another muffin. Tavi was waiting for Derpy to recover and in doing so forgot about the Doppelganger archer. The copied Derpy sent an explosive arrow straight towards Tavi's skull and skull helmet. Derpy reacted as soon as she recovered. She sprang up without a word and sliced the arrow in two with her left dagger and smacked the explosive tip straight back at the user. The arrow exploded directly in front of the fake Derpy and sent it flying into a tree where it burst into dark particles. "I can't fly Tavi...,but I'll provide fire support from here." Derpy said quickly. Tavi nodded and lunged toward Farok. As she closed the distance he teleported backwards. He spoke slowly.... "Naughty...." He raised a hand and Tavi was caught in a stasis field of sorts made of pure dark magic. "Octavia!" Derpy didn't know what had happened, but Octavia could no longer move. "I can't get out of this thing!!!" Tavi shouted as if she were actually in danger. As soon as she finished her sentence a ball of light hit the dark energy that surrounded her and caused it to dissipate. "Derpy what did you do?" Tavi asked stunned at what had just happened. "I didn't do it!" She replied dodging a ball of dark energy Farok had fired at her. "She did it!" Pointing at a white mare in the shadows with a glowing horn. Tavi knew who it was, but as soon as she looked at her Vinyl backed farther away. Refocusing Tavi looked back to the fight. Derpy had taken his health down with a few splash damage explosions, but that was it. "His critical area isn't the neck!" Derpy informed Octavia. "It's where a heart would be." Tavi formulated a plan. Everytime he teleported she noticed he went back, then the next time he went right or their left usually. "Derpy I'm going to make him teleport!" Octavia told her companion. "As he does shoot an explosive arrow around ten feet behind him!" "Okie dokie!" Derpy shouted happily now that she had some kind of plan of action. Tavi lunged towards Farok and as predicted he teleported backwards. Derpy did as she was told and the arrow landed in the ground right where he appeared. The arrow exploded and caused minimal damage, but did what Tavi was hoping for... it stunned him. Tavi took the opportunity and lunged once more sword outstretched. She pierced where a heart would be to find a heart was actually there, but it was enveloped in the same shadow magic. The shadow magic around dissipated and blood began to gush out. Tavi had long gotten used to it, so it didn't affect her as much as it did when she first started. She withdrew her sword an sheathed it. Derpy rushed to her side and together they watched as the large shadow demon turned into a seemingly normal pony. Farok spoke one last time... "Thank you..." Derpy suddenly sounded like she was crying. Tavi understood why. It was a pretty sad moment. The loot notifications popped-up. 500 Exp. 1500 Bits Chest-plate of Shadows Lvl:15 (Uncommon)(Chest Armor)(Octavia) Shadow-Wood Bow Lvl:16 (Rare)(Bow)(Derpy) Derpy went from crying to cheering in a matter of seconds. Tavi simply equipped her new chest-plate and waited for Derpy to calm down while she looked for Vinyl. Vinyl did what she had done before. Vanished. Out of all the ponies to turn into a bucking ninja it was one of the loudest and most obnoxious ones. "Octy...can I call you that?" Derpy asked as if she was going to get punished for simply asking. Tavi winced at the name Vinyl used to call her, but if it made Derpy happy... "Sure..." Tavi replied slowly. "Can you call me Derpsters from now on?!?!" Derpy asked grinning. "Let's not get out of hoof here..." Tavi said slowly with a teasing grin. "Derpsters..." Unknown to the both of them Vinyl had cast an invisibility spell on herself and had watched the whole thing play-out. She especially noticed the wince at the name "Octy". "Maybe she does still care..." Out of Tune...Out of Everything....Derpy was sitting on her haunches munching on another muffin. Tavi was still trying to figure out how she had the inventory space for so many muffins. She also wondered how Derpy was still up at this hour. "Hey...um....Derpsters...." Tavi said slowly while she was thinking. "Ya-uh....Oc-tee?" Derpy replied mouth full of something in real life Tavi guessed. "How are you not tired?" She asked expecting a normal answer. It wasn't. "With the muffins I'm eating right now!!!" Derpy replied and shortly after sounds of eating could be heard through her microphone. "What kind are they?" Tavi asked. Surely no normal muffin could provide such energy. "Sugar..." Derpy replied slowly and then stuffed her face some more. "You're eating pure sugar muffins?" Tavi asked a bit worried. "Yepperoonies!!!" She replied happily. Tavi dismissed it. The chat had alerted her of her own weariness. She glanced at her clock. It read 3:21. "Derpy...er....Derpsters I'm going to sleeeee.....eeeep." Tavi said yawning as she did so. "See you tomorrow?" "Sure thing Octy!" Her tone embodied a hint of sadness. "I'm not going to go on without you!" Tavi logged off satisfied with the progress her and her new ally had just made. She showered....again. As soon as she got out she went to bed. She didn't bother with night clothes. There wasn't any point. Not that she bothered with them when Vinyl had been around either. She was out like a light. This time she dreamt sweetly. She dreamt of Vinyl. She woke up that morning groggy and extremely thirsty. She went into her kitchen and got a bottled water and glanced at the stove clock. It blinked 12:48. "WHAT!!!" Tavi screamed. "SHUT UP DOWN THERE!" Shouted her rather despicable upstairs neighbor. If the clock was right, then she was late for practice. She had slept past noon. It was technically lunch-time. She ran out her door and ran down the street to the auditorium where they were allowed to rehearse. She didn't realize she had forgotten something... She burst through the doors, causing both musicians to turn and look at her. "You're late Octavia." Tuning Fork said. "You look like sh.... I mean you had a good night's rest." Brass caught his tongue as he remembered what had happened last time he opened his big mouth. He rubbed his cheek gingerly. "Hey...Where's your Cello?" Tavi's jaw dropped. She had left it by the door of her apartment. She facehoofed so hard her nose started bleeding. "BLOODY HELL!!!" Tavi shouted straight up at the auditorium ceiling. "Yeah, literally." Brass chuckled and then promptly got slapped on the same cheek. "NOT-SO BLOODY HELL!!!" He shouted somehow keeping his laughing even after the slapping he was just served. "Would you like me to serve your rump on a silver platter?" Tavi replied trying to be as lady-like as possible. "I guess i was the BUTT of that jo..." He was cut-off by a swift back-hoof slap. "You'll never learn when you just need to shut up and BUTT out will you Brass?" Tuning Fork said chuckling, but stopped as he saw Tavi raise her hoof. "I think i may need to learn too..." "I'm going home and cleaning myself up...I'll see you online..." Tavi walked out the door. As soon as she was out Brass spoke... "Speaking of butts I couldn't help ,but stare at hers." He said with a smile. Slapping him in the back of the head, "She doesn't SWING that way idiot." Tuning said as he broke into laughter at his own music pun. The door opened and Tavi appeared holding a rock. She chucked it in their direction. Brass saw it and moved two steps to his left. Tuning didn't he was still hysterically laughing at his own pun. It hit him square in the nose. His nose started to bleed... "Oh bloody hell..." Tuning said as he went to wipe the blood. 20 minutes later... "Aaah...much better." Tavi said as she exited the her shower yet again. She had been unknowingly humming a song Vinyl had once made for her. She didn't remember what she had called it, but she actually enjoyed it. She stopped to see she had a voicemail from a number she recognized instantly. Vinyl had called her. She hit play and heard this... Hey Octy...I...um....I wanted to apologize for what happened....um yeah....if you still care please come home and talk to me...bye forever or for now. Love you.... Tavi noticed Vinyl sounded horrible. She almost sounded completely broken. Her last words were almost a plea. The very last words touched Tavi's heart where she never thought she would feel again. "I love you too Vinyl..." She whispered to herself. Tavi sat down at her computer. She pondered what she should do. She wondered why she felt like she shouldn't go to her. She made her choice. She grabbed what little money she had left and went to the train station. On the train ride back to Ponyville Tavi thought of what they would say to each other. Who would apologize first? She didn't even know what she herself would say. Tavi stared out the window and slowly fell asleep. Tavi was snapped awake by a train attendent slowly shaking her. "We've arrived in Ponyville ma'am." The attendent said sweetly. "It's time to exit the train." "Oh....Thank you..." Tavi said as she got up to exit the train. "I must have been asleep the whole ride." She rubbed her eyes as she stepped off of the train. The station was never very busy. There were a few ponies that must have been waiting for somepony to arrive or seeing somepony off. She had a few bits leftover after she bought the train ticket so she decided to get Vinyl a gift. She stopped by Sugarcube Corner on her way home. She was greeted with...well... "HEY YOU'RE BACK!!!!" Yelled the pink party pony as soon as Tavi had opened the door. Everypony in the place turned to look. One of them just so happened to be a grey pegasus mare that had saddlebags literally full of pure white sugar muffins. "Octy???" Derpy looked at her with a questioning look. "What are you here for?" "I'm here to get something for a...."friend"...." Tavi said hesitantly. "Ooooo....Who is it?" Derpy asked with a grin and a nudge. "Oh! Is it me!?!?" She had started jumping up and down. "Um....N-no." Tavi said worried about how Derpy would react. "Oh...O-o-okay." Derpy sounded sad, but she was still smiling. "Will you be playing later?" "My computer is back at my apartment in Manehattan." Tavi said frowning as she did. "HEY WAIT!!!" Pinkie sudden shout startled nearly everypony in the shop. She rummaged a hoof in her poofy hair for a minute or two. She pulled out a pink laptop with her cutie mark on it, then a mouse. "Here use this!" "Isn't this yours" Tavi asked confused. "Yes, but if I know the game you're talking about it's on here." Pinkie frowned. "I never did too well. Everytime I tried to hug one of the wolves they would attack me!" "Pinkie you're supposed to fight them. The hug command is for social areas." Tavi said holding back hysterical laughter. "You can have the laptop until you go back to Manehattan." Pinkie said smiling. Derpy had left without saying anything. "Pinkie can I get....Vinyl's regular." Tavi asked trying not to attract attention. "ARE YOU TRYING TO GET BACK TOGETHER WITH VINYL!?!?" Pinkie shouted for all of Ponyville to hear. Tavi facehoofed so hard her face could've caved in... ReunionTavi regained conciousness after a few minutes. She was on the floor and both her face and the back of her head hurt. She didn't know why the back of her head hurt. She had fallen on her face. "ARE YOU OKAY?!?" Pinkie asked in a happy shout. "Sure...I'm just fiiiiinnnneeee....." Tavi said sarcastically. "Okie Dokie Lokie!!!" The pink party pony shouted as she hopped away to get Tavi's order. "Okay then..." Tavi said quietly to herself. Tavi stood up and found a chair. She sat and waited for Pinkie to return with her order. Tavi pulled out her phone and found that Tuning Fork had sent her a message. It simply asked if anything was wrong and why she hadn't been online. She replied with "I'm visiting somepony." She put her phone back in her saddlebag as Pinkie skipped back into the main room. "Here you go!" She said smiling, handing Tavi a paper bag ,much like the ones donuts go in, with a muffin inside. Tavi knew that it was more of a cupcake being as it had bright blue frosting and white sprinkles on it. "Now I remember why she likes these so much..." Tavi said with a grin. "They remind her of herself." Tavi finished taking the bag from Pinkie with her teeth. She said goodbye and trotted out of the store humming that same tune from earlier as she went down the street to her home. A few hummed away minutes later.... "Breathe in....Breathe out..." Tavi slowly told herself as she stood in front of the door to her old home. She had been standing there for a few seconds now. She had no idea if she should knock or just go right in. "I guess I can be polite..." Tavi raised a hoof and knocked twice. She heard slow hoofsteps from upstairs a lot of bumps and thumps and... "I knew I would trip over that eventually..." From the pony she had been missing from her life for so long. Her memories were cut short as that Vinyl opened the door rubbing her head. "If you need me to sign some...." The white unicorn stopped when she noticed it wasn't a mail-pony. She didn't move for a few seconds. "Vinyl are you alri-AGH" Tavi was cut short when the white unicorn jumped forward and hugged her so tight she couldn't breathe. Vinyl let go and broke into a happy smile that Tavi knew and loved so much. She hadn't noticed, but Vinyl looked horrible...even for Vinyl's own standards of good and bad. Her mane was unkempt, but not the happy medium that was her style it was a mess of blue and white strands. She didn't have her trademark shades either. Her magenta eyes were slightly reddened either from lack of sleep or crying. "It's been too long Octy..." Vinyl said her voice almost sounded as if she was crying. Vinyl hugged her once more. Tavi couldn't tell. Vinyl's face was buried in her neck at that point, but she knew she was crying when her neck began to feel damp. She always knew Vinyl as the "cool party animal" type of pony. That was the moment that Tavi realized she wasn't the only one hurting inside. At that point though...she was really hurting on the outside. Vinyl had somehow squeezed even tighter then when she had began. Tavi's arms began to hurt as they were being squeezed to her side, and what little air she had been getting was now cut-off. "Vi-...yl.....t-....too....TIGHT!!!" Tavi let out the last word as loud as she could which was near a Fluttershy-like volume by now. "Oh sorry..." Vinyl apologized as she let go. "Do you want to come in?" "I shouldn't need an invitation...this is my home after all." Giving Vinyl the most loving grin she could muster as she was still regaining her ability to breathe. Tavi in an almost Pinkie Pie fashion skipped into the room happily. Unbeknownst to her the white unicorn was silently jumping up and down happily in the doorway. Vinyl eventually closed the door and followed Tavi before she turned around to see the ecstatic happiness that had just burst out of her. As Tavi entered her old home she noticed something that surprised her greatly. Vinyl's shades were on the table the left lens had a crack from bottom to top. This was surprising due to the fact that Vinyl took care of two things...Her sets and her shades. Secretly Tavi wished that she was the third thing to appear on that list sooner rather than later. "Oh yeah...um....since you're here do you by any chance remember that place that fixed them last time?" Vinyl asked with a grin and a blush. "Vinyl it's on the fridge..." she said pointing to the note that was magnetically bound to the refrigerator door. Tavi at the time was trying so hard not to facehoof herself into a coma, but it seemed easier if it was about Vinyl. It also seemed that Vinyl had done it for her as she had a hoof on her face as she shook her head. "Whoops..." Vinyl could only utter that one word as she took her hoof off of her face. "It's okay....it's partially my fault." Tavi said smiling. "I should've put it on my goodbye note." She chuckled at the thought of Vinyl, out of all ponies, to be the one to NOT look at the fridge. "About that...." Vinyl started, but stopped. "Yes Miss Scratch?" Tavi asked with a grin. She knew how much Vinyl hated formalities. "Does this mean....you're coming home?" The Mail-Mare With A Heart of....Sugar???Tavi stopped smiling. She went into deep thought. Vinyl stared and waited patiently...for once. Tavi stood unmoving for a while until.... "HEY!!! OCTY DID I BREAK YOUR BRAIN OR SOMETHING!?!?" Vinyl shouted suddenly and caused Tavi to ever so clumsily fall backward onto her haunches with a "THUD!". Tavi stood back up rubbing her now very sore haunches. "No, I'm not broken Vinyl I was thinking." Tavi said with no sense of such urgency that Vinyl had had moments before. "Okay...would you like me to rub that for ya'?" Vinyl said with a cheeky grin. "Um...." Tavi blushed as she realized what the unicorn had meant. "No!" She could've climbed into an apple tree and passed off as a deformed apple with the shade of red she was. "Awwwww.... come on please???" Vinyl said making quite adorable puppy eyes. "No Vinyl....besides that's a little too....Presto for the situation don't you think?" Tavi chuckled as she knew Vinyl would understand her pun. "Really??? I didn't think so." Vinyl replied with a light chuckle. "I never thought that when YOU started making jokes they'd be....that bad." "Well, it is a litt....HEY!!!" Tavi processed Vinyl a little too late as Vinyl had already bolted upstairs and into one of the rooms. Tavi chased after her as soon as she processed the comment fully. She ran into Vinyl's room, throwing the door open in the process, she found Vinyl giggling like a little school-filly on the bed. Tavi tackled her. Which turned out to be a mistake as they rolled around playfully until Vinyl was directly on top of her. "I thought you said it was me who was moving too fast?" Vinyl said with that same cheeky grin. Vinyl proceeded to give Tavi a light peck on the lips as she giggled at Vinyl's comment about her being a hypocrite. Tavi stopped and turned back into an apple at the unexpected gift. "I guess I did sort of jump on top of you..." Tavi playfully bucked Vinyl off, but not so hard that it hurt. Vinyl landed on her back and laughed out loud. "What's so funny?" Tavi asked afraid of what the answer might be. "You bucked my stomach!!!" Vinyl screeched while still laughing. "What about that is so hysterical to you?" Tavi asked again. "Don't you remember? I'm ticklish!!! And when you tickle my stomach it's really REALLY hard to stop laughing!!!" Vinyl was turning red from lack of oxygen. "VINYL DON'T FORGET TO BREATHE!!!" Tavi shouted worried that her friend was about to pass out. Tavi could only think of three things that could snap her out of this. Wubs, Something else to laugh at, and her. Tavi already learned Vinyl didn't find her jokes funny and Vinyl wasn't in any condition to make music. Meanwhile, Vinyl was turning as purple as her lens shades. She knew what must be done, and it made her even more of a hypocrite. She held Vinyl still for a moment and gave her a little peck. Vinyl stopped almost immediately and started to turn white again. "I thought you-" Vinyl started. "Don't even say that I'm a hypocrite." Tavi said as she put a hoof to Vinyl's mouth, and since Vinyl was Vinyl she did the most disgusting thing possible and.... licked it. "Eeeeewwwww!!!!! Vinyl that's unsanitary!!!" Tavi shouted horrified at her now saliva-covered hoof. "What have you been putting that somewhere you don't want me to know about?" Vinyl asked with a raised eyebrow and devilish grin. "No, but I have put it on every part of the ground I walked on to get here!!!" Tavi ran to the bathroom and began washing the saliva off. No matter how much she liked Vinyl she could always be too obnoxious sometimes...not to mention slightly disgusting. There was a knock on the door and the sound of their mailbox slamming closed. "I got it!!!" Vinyl shouted down the hall as she knew Tavi was still washing her hoof off. Tavi could hear Vinyl run down the hall and then once again fall down the stairs. Tavi started giggling. "For buck sake!!!" Vinyl shouted to nopony in particular, but it was loud enough that if they had neighbors they would've heard it. Tavi finished washing her hoof and turned off the water. Only to be questioned... "Hey Octy!!! Who is..."The Derpster"? Vinyl asked as Tavi walked down the stairs. "That's Derpy. Why?" Tavi answered then questioned. "Well she really seems to like you...like a lot." Vinyl blushed as she read through more of the letter. "Hey! Stop reading MY mail!" Tavi angrily shouted as she reached the bottom of the stairs. "Wait...what do you mean?" "Looky here..." Vinyl said as she used her magic to float the letter over to Tavi. Tavi skimmed over it, and promptly blushed. "Oh my..." Was all that the grey musician could muster as she read through more of the letter. "I didn't know that Derpy had feelings for me. I thought we were just friends." "Well it doesn't seem like she thinks so." Vinyl said with a chuckle. The current situation didn't seem to bother her in the slightest. The white unicorn currently had her head inside the refrigerator. "How are you so calm about this?" Tavi asked, head cocked sideways with one eyebrow raised. "Two reasons. One: You never said we were getting back together. Two: This just seems like some little crush or something." Vinyl turned around and had something in her magical grasp. "What's that?" Tavi questioned as she gestured to the item that Vinyl had just put in the microwave. "My dinner. Duh." Vinyl said as she leaned against the kitchen counter. "What did I tell you about vague answers?" Tavi asked. She knew it would annoy Vinyl. "Okay geez. It's some boxed dinner or lunch thing that you microwave then eat. Happy?" Vinyl said as she rolled her eyes. "I don't think you're supposed to put those in the fridge." Tavi said smiling. "Are you sure? Hold on." Vinyl opened the microwave as it beeped signaling it was done heating its contents. "Do NOT refrigerate. Could cause sicknesses." "Well?" Tavi said with a smile and an arched eyebrow. "What? Have I gotten sick? I don't think so." Vinyl said killing Tavi's thoughts of Vinyl puking her guts out over the toilet. Tavi shivered. "Why did I think of that?" Tavi thought in her head as Vinyl came over and sat in the chair to her left. "So what does your little mare-friend want?" Vinyl said giggling. "It says- HEY! She isn't my mare-friend. How can she be if YOU are?" Tavi said as Vinyl leaned back in her chair. Tavi never understood how Vinyl could balance like that, but she found a way to make her lose it. Vinyl suddenly processed what Tavi said. "Whoaaaa!!!!" Was the only thing Vinyl could say before she toppled over backwards. Tavi covered her muzzle with her hoof to avoid the wave of laughter that was about to overtake her. "A-are you okay Vinyl?" Tavi asked as the white mare laid there on her back staring up at the ceiling. "You-you said th-that I was your..." Vinyl slowly said. "Mare-friend." Tavi finished for her. "Now, Are you okay?" "My head hurts, but I think I'm okay." Vinyl replied standing up and using her magic to fix the chair's positioning. Tavi stood and walked around the table, going behind Vinyl as she went, she planted a little kiss on the back of the unicorn's head. She proceeded to head up the stairs. "Oh, by the way I'll be in my room. The door will be unlocked of course." Tavi heard a thud, but she didn't stop. She didn't even bother showering. She went into her old room which Vinyl had tried to keep "clean" for her. She closed the door slowly until only a crack of an opening was left. She went and got into her bed. She slowly drifted off into sleep. Vinyl's POV "Oh by the way I'll be in my room. The door will be unlocked of course." Octy said as her hoof-steps stopped for a moment. Vinyl didn't have any comprehension of what Octy truly meant by that. Vinyl stood still for a moment, and then in true style slammed her head against the table. It made her head hurt, but what was worse was that her dinner was sent all over the floor and opposite wall. Vinyl didn't care. She was in a sea of happiness and nothing could sink her ship. She got up and grabbed her phone. She started a playlist she made. She made sure it wasn't too loud. Just in case Octy was asleep. Vinyl started cleaning, but she noticed she had gotten some on the love letter for Octy. She went to see if it was significantly bad or not. When she did she saw... ...If you to want meet me in the meadow outside the Everfree Forest at 6:00 P.M. -Derpy Vinyl wondered if Octy had read it. She wondered even more if she was going to go. Vinyl thought back to what she had said, but Octy wasn't heartless...even if she was a little too cold in some situations. It seemed that Octy had changed. Vinyl decided that she would remind her in the morning. Vinyl finished cleaning the mess she had made. She crept up the stairs and turned on the shower. She wasn't dirty, but if she was going to sleep next to Octy she wanted to smell at least "good". She showered and played one of her mixes in her head. She turned off the water and opened up the curtain and found... "Hello beautiful..." Said the grey mare leaning against the doorway to the bathroom. "Whaaa!!!" Vinyl screeched rather loudly. It wasn't that Octy hadn't seen her this way, but she just hadn't expected her to be there. They didn't wear clothes often anyways. She hadn't closed the door. She floated a towel over to cover herself. "Awww...Why are you covering all that up?" Octy asked with a grin. Vinyl smiled and moved the towel around with her magic to dry herself off. Her hair went back to the unkempt mess that it always was. "How about we go to sleep?" Vinyl suggested. She just wanted to end the awkwardness of the whole situation. "Together?" Octy asked with some rather adorable puppy dog eyes. Vinyl had to admit she had gotten a lot better at that. She remembered the first time Octy had tried that on her. The only reason it was cute was because of how hard she had tried. "I guess so..." Vinyl replied. She wanted to sound as if she hadn't been thinking about it during her shower. "Are you done then?" Octy said with a bored expression on her face. "Are you rushing ME now?" Vinyl asked with a grin. "I remember when you'd take hours to get ready just so you could get some music book or collection or something." "Why would you care? You never use sheet music." Octy replied grinning the same way right back at her. "That's because everything comes from in here." Vinyl said as she put a hoof to her head. "I never knew ideas could come out of something so hollow." Octy said chuckling as she walked back to her room. Vinyl simply finished up in the bathroom and followed Octy into her room. She found her getting under the covers. Vinyl went to the opposite side and got in with her, but as she did she gave the other mare a playful push and sent her rolling off the bed. Consequently, the blanket went with her. Vinyl hadn't thought of that and was quickly dragged toward Octy's side of the bed. There was a bump which was followed by a certain grey mare's groan. Vinyl's head was over the edge of the bed. What she saw was a mass of blankets, hair, and grey pony. "Hehe....whoops?" Vinyl said, somewhat attempting an apology. Octy just gave her a playful bop on the nose. "Ouch!!!" Vinyl screeched faking actual pain. "You can't be serious. The Vinyl I remember was a lot tougher than that." Octy said jokingly as she stood up and attempted to fix the blankets, but that proved hard for the earth pony. Vinyl knew this would be since she was rolling around like a foal on the bed. Octy gave her a much less playful push and sent her sprawling over the other side of the bed. Tavi's POV Tavi blushed as she saw the position that Vinyl had landed in. The unicorn had went front first over the side of the bed with her rear still on the bed. This gave Tavi a somewhat full view of Vinyl's nether region that was only obscured by the mare's electric white and blue tail. "Um...Vinyl I can see your-*ahem*-nether region." Tavi said trying to not sound awkward. This sight wasn't new to her. They rarely wore clothes save for their signature looks, but Tavi couldn't help but feel slightly awkward at how the situation was. "My what?" Vinyl said playfully as she lifted up her tail. Tavi knew she had done this on purpose. "Stop that." Tavi said as she threw the mass of blankets over her. "Now YOU can fix the bed." "Awwww." Was the only muffled sound that came out of the pile of blanket and bed-sheet. The blankets were then caught in the unicorn's magic aura and put back on the bed. "Do you even want to sleep?" Vinyl asked with a frown. "I'm not particularly tired." Tavi replied thinking of what they could do. "Do you want to play the game?" "What game?" "I don't remember what it's called. The...RPG? I think that was its genre." Tavi answered. The unicorn's face lit up. "Oh! That one." Vinyl began to go to the room down the hall that had her computer. "Wait what will you play on?" "Pinkie gave me her laptop to borrow while I was here." Tavi replied happily as she went over to her saddlebags and pulled it out. "See?" "PINK OVERLOAD!!! AHHH!!!!" Vinyl yelled playfully as she ran down the hall. Tavi smiled. She had missed times like these with the crazy DJ. "Yet...She'll DJ a wedding with the same pink pony. How strange." Tavi couldn't help it. It just didn't make sense. In hindsight Vinyl nor Pinkie would actually make sense. Vinyl rarely gave logical answers, but... Pinkie somehow....repeatedly....breaks the laws of physics. Tavi thought back to the laptop. "How did this fit in her hair?" "HURRY UP!!! YOU'RE GOING SO ADAGIO!!! I'LL BE IN MY GRAVE BY THE TIME YOU GET HERE!!!" Tavi trotted into the room. This room hadn't been kept "clean" like the others. "You said my jokes were bad...and stop being so fortissimo." Tavi said with a glance at the blushing unicorn. "My bad..." The embarrassed mare said simply. "Come on get your game started." Tavi ordered. "I wanna see what your character set-up is." "Really?" The unicorn cocked her head. "Why would you care?" "Because it's the character of my sweet little Scratch." Tavi was smiling a slightly seductive smile at the mare to her right. Vinyl was silent as she turned on the game and logged in. Tavi opened up Pinkie's laptop and hit the power button. She was surprised to find that the battery life indicator just had a picture of Pinkie's cutie mark. She wondered how this laptop would run the game. Her computer in her apartment barely ran it smoothly. Tavi smiled as she remembered that this was Pinkie's laptop and she broke the laws of everything on a near-daily basis. "What level are you Vinyl?" Tavi asked suddenly. The unicorn was currently enthralled in reading the description of a rare staff that was a merchant's current item of the day. "Level 17." Vinyl said absent-mindedly "Wait how are you the same level as me?" Tavi asked surprised. "Well....remember how you were trapped in that shadow stuff?" Vinyl asked to see if the mare remembered. Tavi gave a nod. "Well I got you out of it with a spell and it technically counted as helping with the fight. I got rewards for it and everything. Nothing good though...just bits and experience." Tavi had been logging in as Vinyl was explaining. "You ready?" Tavi asked with a cocky smile. "What do you think?" Vinyl said as she teleported in front of Tavi and twirled her new staff into combat position. The one that she bought minutes before the item of the day had randomly switched. Both mares look at each other nodded. "Let's rock this melody and Drop that bass!" The mares were both grinning as they both had somehow subconsciously knew to say the line they would say before they started playing a song together. Smooth..."We're back!!!" Vinyl shouted enthusiastically. "I guess we are." Tavi mildly said as she prepared for battle. "Wait!!!" "What's wrong?" Vinyl asked concerned slightly for the sudden urgency. "Hold on." Tavi ran out of the room and back into her bedroom and grabbed her phone. She ran back to the computer room with her phone in her right forehoof. It wasn't a true run. It looked like a horrible limp. "What was so important?" Vinyl asked leaning back in her rolling chair. "I have to get Derpy." Tavi said smiling. "Ooooooh!!! This is about your little friend." Vinyl chuckled and consequently earned a glare from Tavi. "She promised that she wouldn't go on without me. It seems reasonable that I do the same." Tavi huffed as she finished. "What makes you think she'll be up right now?" Vinyl asked skeptically. "It is like 11:45 at night." "That's easy. She eats pure sugar muffins. She'll be up for sure. Honestly...I don't know if she ever sleeps." Tavi said with a puzzled face. This was the first time she'd thought about it. "I doubt she's up right now." Vinyl said with a grin. "Betcha 20 Bits!" "Okay...prepare to be 20 Bits less rich." Tavi said. "Hahaha!!! I doubt you even have 20 bits on-" The unicorn was cut off by a loud ringtone. The ringtone was singing "It's Muffin Time!!!" over and over. "I told you she would." The grey mare put on a smug face. "Fine...let me go get your bits." Vinyl said with a frown. "Vinyl I was only kidding. It's okay you don't have to pay me." "Really?" The white mare asked with a confused face. "In a way you already have..." Tavi said as she looked down to read the text Derpy had sent her. YAY!!! LET'S DO IT!!! Tavi sat in her chair. She realized something. She didn't have her headset. "Uh...Vinyl?" "Wh-aaa-t?" Vinyl was stuffing her face with chips. Tavi had no idea where they came from. "Do you have a spare headset?" Tavi asked as she watched the horrid sight that was...Vinyl eating. The unicorn rummaged around in a desk drawer until she pulled a spare headset out. Instead of doing the more effective and probably less painful way of giving them to the earth pony she didn't use her magic, but instead she simply threw them over her shoulder blindly. Tavi had turned around to check her phone and when she turned back around she got a headset straight to the muzzle. "Vinyl!" Tavi seemingly forgot that some neighbors were trying to sleep. "What n-aaa-wwww!" Vinyl asked as if she didn't know what she had done. "Nevermind." Tavi couldn't be mad at the poor mare for long. It was just Vinyl's reckless personality...admittedly it was one of the reasons Tavi loved her. Tavi turned to the screen to see a request pop-up in the bottom left corner of her screen. Friend "Derpy" has invited you to a party! (CLICK TO JOIN) Tavi clicked it and the party interface came up. She invited Vinyl and waited for her to join. Vinyl's name appeared in the interface. "Oh..." Derpy said sounding quite sad. "What's wrong Derpster?" Tavi asked. She heard Vinyl giggle. It had an awkward echo. "I feel awkward now." Derpy said letting out a nervous chuckle. "Why?" Tavi asked. "SHE is here." Derpy said softly. "Who?" Tavi asked oblivious to the obvious answer that was sitting in the same room. "Your mare-friend..." Derpy said sadly. Tavi inhaled quickly. She had completely forgotten about the letter and Derpy's feelings for her. "Whoops..." Tavi said as she exhaled. She hadn't realized she'd been holding her breath. "I think I'm going to leave." Derpy said she sounded the way she did before she was about to cry. Tavi could hear her crying right before her name disappeared form the party interface. "Buck..." The two mares said in unison. They sat silently after that. The room was filled with the hum of electronics. Tavi began to quietly sob. Vinyl sat there silent. The white unicorn was pondering something. Then she said aloud... "Why not three?"
ProloguePrologue Manehattan wasn't always a place for dreams to come true. For the Grey Mare walking down her lonely street this was the case. Octavia was slowing walking down her street to her apartment which brought her so much pain and loneliness. She never truly felt at home in Manehattan, and for her she never would. Her thoughts trailed as she slowed pace. "Why....why did I do it..." Octavia thought as she began to break down in the middle of the street and cry. Luckily her street never was crowded and at this time of day most ponies were either at their jobs or in their homes comfortably living through their day. "At least I'm not completely alone here I guess... her thoughts wandering to that day's earlier practice with her trio as she regained her composure slightly. Earlier that day... "Octavia. Hey Octavia!" The near shout snapped Octavia out of her thoughts as a dark blue earth pony stallion was waving a hoof in front of her. "I'm fine.... thanks Tuning Fork," Tavi said meekly. "No problem Octavia just don't forget to come in on the chorale this time 'kay?" Tuning Fork said with a grin. "Kind of hard to come in AFTER you if you don't come in yourself," added the chuckling golden Pegasus stallion. "Sorry ... it's just been a hard....time," Octavia apologetically said, "It's hard to focus sometimes..." They sat in silence for a good 20 seconds. Until the golden Pegasus spoke up. "What should we practice first?" The golden Pegasus asked looking to both Octavia and Tuning Fork. Octavia sat in silence back in her thoughts. Tuning Fork simply gestured for the Pegasus to choose. "You pick Brass Bomb, I believe it was your turn to pick anyways," Fork said with a grin. He already had an idea of what he would pick. "My favorite of course!" Shouted the Up-beat golden Pegasus, "Pony Concerto No.7!" Octavia simply sat in silence with a blank expression on her face while she waited for her rests to end so she could begin her long note crescendo. Of course being as phased out as she was the note came out as a monotone note of utter sadness. The other two ponies simply looked at her with blank stares. After another long wait that was filled with only Octavia's sad monotone note Tuning Fork eventually spoke. "Let's just cut this practice short," The Dark Blue Pony looked at Octavia with a frown. "Would you like to talk to us about it... if it would make you feel better of course!" He quickly added as he noticed the tears streaming down her face. Octavia simply looked at him ignoring the embarrassment of crying in front of her new friends/colleagues. Her crying face was enough to sadden even the Up-beat golden Pegasus. Brass Bomb's face lightened up as he got an idea. He whispered it to Tuning Fork who simply shrugged. They turned to Octavia who was still crying, but now she had a questioning look on her face. "How would you like to play a video-game with us sometime?" Brass Bomb asked with a big smile back on his face. "You have a computer in your apartment right?" Octavia stared for a minute and looked down in thought. Brass Bomb and Tuning Fork simply waited for a response. "I guess I could try..." Octavia said without expression. "I mean I have way too much free time nowadays... I guess it could help alleviate some of my stress," Brass Bomb and Tuning Fork both grinned happily. They looked at each other and nodded. "Welcome to the Honor Bound Equestrians!" Shouted the dark blue pony. Catching Octavia off-guard she jumped and subsequently sending her and her chair backwards onto the floor. Brass Bomb starting laughing hysterically the moment it happened. "Octavia that was hilarious!" The Golden Pegasus walked over to her to promptly get slapped across the face by a not-so-amused Octavia. "Bucking Ouch!!!!" Tuning Fork watched the whole scene play out in front of him as if it was a play put on by a drama group. He chuckled quietly making sure that Octavia didn't hear so that he didn't get the hoof across his face as well. "By the way Octavia if you can get a headset with a built-in Microphone," Tuning Fork stated, "It is so much easier to communicate that way," Back in the Present... Octavia chuckled as she remembered the sight of Brass Bomb's reddened face. "He'll never be a gentlecolt no matter how hard he tries," She said aloud still chuckling and shaking her head while she did so. She rounded the corner and entered the door to her apartment building. She walked to the desk and reclaimed her room key. "Thanks for watching my key..." She said to the desk pony who simply nodded in response and went back to reading a magazine about houseplants. Octavia found the elevator and hit the number 4 to go to her apartment. As the elevator went up Octavia glanced into her saddlebags and saw the headset she had purchased. "This game better be worth it," Octavia thought, "these things weren't cheap!" The elevator creaked and stopped at the floor marked 4. Octavia stepped out and went 2 doors down and stopped at the apartment marked Room 18 "Well let's get this over with..." Octavia said as she unlocked her door and entered her apartment. Octavia turned on the computer she rarely used, but she had brought from Ponyville just in-case she'd need it. She waited for it to boot-up and fiddled with her new headset as she did. When it finally did she looked up the MMORPG that her friends had told her about. She typed in "Equestrians at War". She hit download and waited. She examined her headset a bit closer. It was a simple item. Its simple purpose was to allow her to hear the sound from the game and communicate with her friends. She cursed at the fact that they were so expensive for something so simple. "I guess they will do for now," She said looking back up at the screen. Her jaw dropped as she saw it was done downloading. She was met with a beautiful two-sided screen the showed one side green, bright, and prosperous. On the other side was a dark, burning, wasteland. A window in the middle of the screen asked her to register or login. "Well the artwork is beautiful..." referring to both sides not just the lush green side. She promptly filled in the information needed to register and waited for it to process. Afterwards she was met with a choice screen. It read, Royal Army or Rebellious Hearts? She picked Royal Army as her friends had prompted her to do. As soon as she had clicked it went to a character creation screen with a randomized character on it. "Interesting..." She said as she took note of what the randomized character looked like. It was a pale white unicorn mare wearing bright robes. The class read "Angel Priestess". As Octavia stared at the character...she broke into tears. Author's Note This is my first fanfic so it is most likely not formatted correctly and there may be a few grammatical errors. If you find any please tell me in the comments. I plan to do my best to keep this story updated as much as I can. Tell me what you thought please! Thanks everypony!
Regrets, Sadness, and DeathOctavia sat at her desk for a good 5 minutes crying over the sheer coincidence that was being displayed on the screen in front of her. That's when Octavia realized that Vinyl really had been her Angel. "I'm such an imbecile..." Octavia thought as she wiped tears away. "There's no reason for tears!" The screaming in her mind caught her off-guard even though it was HER mind. She scrolled through the Customization Options she noticed there were buttons for: Species, Gender, Class, and many other submenus that she would probably get to later. She was told to make her character somewhat like herself in appearance. Remembering this she chose Earth Pony as the species and all of the class choices change. Instead of Angel Priestess and Light Mage they were replaced by classes that sounded as though they were for close quarters combat. Octavia thought hard and decided... "Knight seems the most royal of all of them, and Vinyl referred to me as "snooty" sometimes," Octavia smiled as she thought aloud remembering some of the good times with Vinyl. Even if she was annoyed about them at first. Octavia clicked Knight and the character flashed from being the pale white priestess mare to an earth pony mare wearing a set of simple leather armor. Octavia saw a primary weapon choice flicker at the near top of her screen. Her choices were: Longsword, Greatsword, or Rapier. Her thoughts mulled around in her head as she decided. "Greatswords are way too big..." Octavia thought. "and rapiers are a little too small and have to be deadly accurate being a thrusting weapon opposed to being a slashing weapon," Her thoughts went to her last choice. "Longswords it is then..." She said aloud. The weapon on her character's back went from a ridiculously large sword that could've rivaled even some swords in Vinyl's cartoons or "animes" to one of a much more manageable regular size. The sword itself wasn't anything special. It had no flourishes of any kind. It was a simple piece of metal that was connected to a hilt wrapped in leather. "You got to start somewhere right?" She thought. She went through the rest of the customization options quickly and did her best to make her character look as much like her as possible. After a grueling twenty minutes of trying to get it right she was finally satisfied with her work. Her character was a grey mare with black hair. It was pretty simple. The only difference was she didn't have a choice of cutie mark. "I guess that's the best it's going to get," Octavia said, talking to nopony in particular. She hit the "Enter World" Button and was met with another pop-up requesting for a character name. Octavia found this confusing since she had already entered her username in to the registry screen. After a bit of thought she decided simple was better and simply put in her name. After she hit enter it went to a loading screen and immediately after she was met with a cinematic. It showed a small town with ponies everywhere. A scrolling text read... This is the town of Hoofbarton it is the starting town for the Royal Army recruits. You will use this town as your humble beginning into Knighthood and train here until you are strong enough to venture forth into the wilderness and confront stronger enemies as you go. Be warned Knight! A darkness is rising to overthrow Princess Celestia's rule. You MUST be prepared to fight back the Rebellious Hearts during any part of your journey! Now begin your journey and prepare to defend Princess Celestia against the dark rebellion plaguing Equestria! The text ended and left Octavia in a first-person view through the eyes of her character. Octavia was trying to process the information that had been given to her only seconds before. She vaguely remembered the Rebellious Hearts being the other team choice. She dismissed thinking about it any longer. She had to meet up with her friends and she was going to be late. Her Need to Be Punctual kicked in and after learning the movement keys she took off to find her friends. She searched for a while looking for "Sunbaked Café. She found the name quite funny as she had burst out laughing when Brass Bomb had told her earlier that day that they'd be waiting there. She found the Café and noticed to ponies who looked way too much like her friends to not be them. "Hello," She simply said as she casually strolled up to them. "You finally made it Octavia!" The up-beat yellow Pegasus shouted loud enough for anypony within a ten mile radius to hear. "I thought you were all about punctuality, but here you are arriving late to the party," Tuning Fork said with a grin on his face as he put down some red drink in a glass bottle. "I'm sorry...It took me a while to learn a lot of the controls," Octavia said. Although it was true it was also the only excuse she could muster. "It's ok and here take this..." Tuning Fork said holding out a much more glamorous sword. "Its required level is 3 so you'll have to level up a bit," "Thank you Tuning Fork, I'm assuming you two are already level 3?" Octavia asked with a smirk. "Yep!" shouted the golden Pegasus with a mouthful of bread causing his character to choke. The other two watched holding back laughter as his health bar depleted. It hit zero and his character toppled over. "Maybe we should've helped him. You think?" Tuning Fork asked Octavia. "I guess... where is he now?" Octavia asked slightly worried. "He'll be revived at the nearest alter for a good three hundred bits, it's fine he may be agitated about the price though," Tuning Fork replied quickly. Octavia sat in silence and eventually then heard Brass shouting through the streets angrily at the both of them. When he finally got there he was panting. "Why...*pant*....didn't...*pant*...you help me!?!?" Brass asked angrily. "I'm new I had no idea what to do," Octavia said with a hilarious grin obviously holding back laughter. "I think it wouldn't have been as funny if you lived." Tuning Fork said with a large smile. "Fine....*pant*....let's go fight some wolves then," Brass said plainly. Most of his previous enthusiasm non-existent now. The group began to walk to the fields. Octavia simply stayed silent the whole walk. The others chatted about strategies or something like that. She wasn't truly listening. All she could focus on was that coincidence with the random character being almost exactly like Vinyl. Author's Note Thanks for Reading! I plan to keep going with this until it's done. Soooo if you like it tell you do! Feedback is appreciated!
Violence, Experience, and BitsOctavia walked behind her two friends as they chatted about strategies to fight some boss monster or something. She honestly wasn't listening to a word they said even the ones directed towards her. She was lost in thought. She was snapped out of it when Brass waved a hoof in front of her. "Hey Octavia! We're here!" Brass' previous enthusiasm returning after he had gotten over the choking fiasco. Octavia silently looked around and saw an open field crawling with woodland animals. She noticed wolves were prowling around dominately. She looked at her two companions. "This is the training ground of sorts...for new players like you," Tuning Fork said simply. "So I just mull around here and K-kill things?" Octavia asked. The thought of her having to slay something even if it was virtual was not a thought she liked. "Yes ma'am!" Screeched the golden pegasus Who had turned to leave. "Where are you going?" Octavia asked. She didn't want to be left alone with these filthy wolves. "Sorry Octavia, these guys are too weak for us. We are going here..." Tuning Fork said as he marked it on her map. "Okay then...." Was the only thing Octavia could muster. "Bye Octavia." The two said in unison as they trotted off to their own hunting grounds. Octavia stood completely still. The thought of fighting those enemies, even if they are meant for beginners, was daunting. "Might as well give it a go..." She said as she approached the closest wolf. She read it's health bar and it read... Mangy Wolf Lvl:1 HP:10/10 As Octavia looked at the wolf it did look unkempt, more so than the others and also seemed to be the weakest looking. Octavia looked on and was only startled when the wolf suddenly pounced on her. Octavia was quicker than she thought she could ever be, dodging the attack by mere inches. She figured out how to retaliate and attacked the wolf before it fully recovered from the pounce. A bright red streak appeared at the wolf's neck and shoulder area. As this happened a bright red number appeared. The number was a three. Octavia noticed that the wolf's health was now at "HP:7/10". She quickly put the pieces together and figured out that the number was how much damage she had done. The wolf now had a limp causing its attacks to be even more sluggish than before. It charged Tavi at the fastest speed it could muster. This time she was ready. She brought her sword straight on the wolf's skull. There was a deafening "CRACK!". The wolf's head caved in where Tavi's sword had impacted it at full force. Instead of just a number the pop-up read: CRITICAL HIT 9!. As it caved in a pool of blood started to form as the wolf lied there. It didn't move and Tavi noticed its health bar read... Mangy Wolf(DEAD) Lvl:0 HP:0/10 She went up to it and there was a loud "DING!" and a few pop-up messages told her what she had acquired from the kill. Wolf Pelt(Common) 7 Bits 5 Exp. Tavi noticed a counter under her own health bar had changed it now read... 5/30 Exp. 25 more Exp. Needed for Lvl. Up She congratulated herself and went on to do what she heard many other players call "Farming". 2 hours later.... After a few fights Tavi began to get the hang of it. She had been farming for a while now and was now level 5. She had killed everything in the area except for the Area Boss. Tavi now had a full set of Wolf Fur Armor that was slightly better than her starter leather set and was using the sword Tuning Fork had given her. As she leveled up she had put all her SP(Skill Points) into speed and precision. She also had 4 buffs that buffed both of them. She approached the Area Boss' Lair. On her approach a almost mutant-sized wolf came out of the dark den. Many other newbies had stopped to watch her try to solo (and most likely fail) the Area Boss Fight. Its health bar appeared and read... Wolf Pack Alpha-Male Lvl:5 HP:50/50 Tavi's status read... Octavia Lvl:5 HP:75/75 Tavi had learned that the Knight class was a high health and defense class or what experienced player called a "Tank". She knew that she had more health than the boss, but on the contrary the boss would most likely be based to deal massive damage if it managed to land a hit on its target. Tavi stood assessing it. She noticed it was the same as most other wolves around just bigger. There was also foam at its mouth. Possibly a status effect. The wolf suddenly charged with unprecedented speed. Jaws open. Teeth ready to clamp down. Tavi used all four of her buffs simultaneously and dodged without a care. She decided that it most likely had the same critical hit point...The Head. The wolf did something unexpected after it missed the charge. It howled. As it did five or six of the normal wolf enemies of different calibers came crawling out of the den. Tavi facehoofed herself for not seeing it coming. It WAS the Alpha-Male after all. Tavi was then surprised to find her friends had returned. They were also level five. That meant Tavi had caught up to them. Along with some other players, the group fought off the grunts. "Octavia you can do this!" shouted Tuning Fork who had engaged a "Wolf Den Mother" "You got this!" yelled Brass as he hovered providing cover fire with his bow. Octavia nodded and went on the offensive. With blinding speed she charged the Area Boss and aimed for its left foreleg after seeing as it had pushed off from its charge using it. "SHWING! CRACK!" Octavia had successfully cut into the leg and cracked the bone slowing down the large wolf and dealing considerable damage. The Health Bar now read... Wolf Pack Alpha-Male Lvl:5 HP:36/50 But Octavia paid a hefty price as well.... Her health bar read... Octavia Lvl:5 HP:50/75 RIGHT LEG CRIPPLED!!! Octavia inhaled quickly at the sight of the blinking red message. She relied on her legs. Her build was SPD based. The wolf did something that almost seemed like a snicker and closed in slowly...
Wounded Pride...Octavia kneeled petrified of what was approaching as a sudden realization came to her... she could possibly lose this fight... "....No...." Octavia slowly said standing weakly as she did so. "NO!" She raised her sword and took up the best defensive stance she could muster. The wolf donned a devilish and animalistic grin. Octavia simply waited. The wolf made a move towards her, but was hit right on the snout with a round egg shaped projectile. The projectile burst into a ball of grey dust. The wolf backed away as the symbol for the "Blinded" status effect appeared on its health bar. Octavia was suddenly grabbed, but not by a wolf. A white Angel Priestess Mare had grabbed her. The mare was silent and pulled her behind a large rock. The mare's horn lit up and Octavia's wound healed along with a small amount of health. Her Health Bar read.... Octavia Lvl:5 HP:64/75 The mare spoke in a voice Octavia was all too familiar with.... "Hey Octy...." Vinyl slowly said. "How long has it been?" Octavia quickly got up and rushed to the fight. She didn't have time to let her emotions run wild right now. Especially with her friends fighting off the Area Boss as well as its grunts. Octavia had quickly grown fond of the game that she'd previously thought she'd despise. It was now important to her. Failure was not an outcome she wanted. The white mare simply watched her rush off. Octavia re-casted all of her buffs and joined the fray. As soon as she entered the field they began to take the advantage back. As if she was a morale boost to all the newbies fighting along side her. She slayed two "Hunting Wolves" that were harassing their only offensive mage who had been up to this point providing long-range elemental support. "Octy look out!" Vinyl shouted. Octavia spun to see Vinyl's Angel Priestess character tackle a "Hunting Wolf" that had pounced from behind her stopping less than a foot away from her position. Octavia knew now that the Angel Priestess class was a healer/support class not a fighting class. Yet, Vinyl was right there using a dagger to slay the wolf that she'd pinned to the ground. Tuning Fork's voice snapped her out of it. "Help!" Tuning Fork screeched. "My shield can't block all this damage!" Octavia could see he was surrounded and was quickly losing HP. She reacted on a new-found instinct. She rushed towards the group almost as a blur. She killed one of the "Hunting Wolves" with a bludgeon to the skull. The critical was triggered and its skull caved in as it toppled over. Tuning Fork had managed to kill one of them with a sword through its chest. Blood shot out in all directions as Tuning Fork tore his sword out of the lifeless wolf to engage yet another one. "Octavia just take care of the boss!" Tuning Fork's expression was one of desperation. "I can handle this!" Octavia thought of the saying, "Never underestimate a cornered rat." She took trust in Tuning Fork and went straight into the core of the fight. The Area Boss had been whittled down a bit by some of the randoms, but was still a major threat. Octavia was confused at first to see that it had already killed off 5 of the players that had joined in even though it was still blinded. She thought hard while she approached and realized it was a wolf. It had an astounding sense of smell. "Damn..." One of the players Octavia didn't know had his sword leg crippled leaving him combat ineffective. The wolf smelled the blood coming out of his wound and attacked him specifically. Octavia arrived just in time to deflect the attack. She paid the price. Her sword had been split in two. The wolf claw had gone clean through the blade. She checked the injured Knight. He was completely still. "What in the name of Celestia are you waiting for RUN!" Octavia shouted at him and he began running to the same rock that Octavia had been behind just moments before. Octavia was now in a serious jam. She was weaponless. She knew she couldn't effectively fight back now. The wolf swung at her. She wondered why it had attacked her, but then she noticed everyone except Brass and Vinyl had retreated. She dodged swing after swing until her buffs ran out. "Damn it!" Octavia had nowhere to go and no weapon to fight with. "Octy take this!" Vinyl shouted Horn glowing profusely. As soon as she had said that a Sword of Light appeared in front of Octavia. Tavi grabbed it and felt a buff occur. Her strength and speed had been buffed. She stacked her own buffs on top of that and prepared her counterattack. "Octy be careful that sword will only last five minutes!" Vinyl's voice sounded worried. She checked the Boss' Health Bar and it read... Wolf Pack Alpha-Male Lvl:5 HP:21/50 BLINDED!!! Octavia knew her window would close fast. She sprinted the fastest she'd ever had before. It may have been from the sword's buffs on her own or maybe the mission to not let the others down. She didn't care. She knew what to do. Instead of going for the head she slid under the wolf and planted the sword of light in its chest and stomach as she slid. The deep long cut showered blood on her as she went. When she stopped she looked back just in time to see the wolf explode into pure light almost enough to blind anyone looking at it. The loot pop-ups began... Wolf Pack Alpha Skull (Legendary)(Helmet)(Lvl:7) 450 Bits 100 Exp. Octavia went from level five to seven instantly. Cheers echoed around her from everyone. She was focused on finding Vinyl. She looked hard, but Vinyl had disappeared. She allocated her skill points to SPD and PRCSN. Improved her two best SPD and PRCSN buffs and then equipped the new helmet. More cheers echoed in the field as she walked to the group wearing the Legendary Helmet. Brass landed next to her. "Well aren't you lucky?" Brass smiled wide. "You got the Legend Helmet on your first try." "That's cool I guess..." Octavia replied meekly. "Why you so sad?" Brass looked concerned now. "We won!" "I would have rather gotten something else..." Octavia looked away from her friend. "What? You mean like the Legendary Sword?" Brass asked simply. "No....I would've rather gotten Vinyl back." Octavia said. She sat back in her chair and muted her microphone. For the third time that day she cried.
Rogue Dreams and New AlliesOctavia wiped her eyes and looked at her clock. It read 7:58. She'd been playing for around four hours. She couldn't believe her own a absent-mindedness. With a simple text chat message she went offline. She didn't want her friends to hear her in the state she was in. "I probably look awful..." She said as she stood and trudged painstakingly slow to her bathroom. She had been right. She was a mess. Her eyes were bloodshot and her hair was disheveled from where her headset had been. As she splashed water in her face she couldn't help thinking of Vinyl and her chance encounter with her. It seemed as though she was trying to be nice. Maybe Vinyl had forgiven her for what she had done..... "I highly doubt that..." Speaking to nopony in particular except for herself. She stood there looking at her reflection. The mare she saw there wasn't the same one she had seen so many times before in the mirror in her old home...her REAL home. The mare she saw there was a shell of what once had been a happy and slightly stuck-up pony was now a depressed and lonely shell. She decided to simply sleep away her troubles, so after a quick shower she flopped down on her bed and tried to sleep. She fell asleep after five minutes or so. In Ponyville... Octavia was happily strolling down the street with saddlebags full of apples. She occasionally waved and greeted ponies on the street around her. Nothing could ruin her mood today. Not even the dishes or Vinyl brushing her teeth. Octavia was simply over-joyed over the fact that today was the first REAL date she was going to have with Vinyl. Vinyl had asked her out over the phone while she was in Canterlot auditioning for the Royal Symphony. Her words were... "Soooo Tavi......ummm......I was wondering......wouldyouliketogooutwithmewhenyougetback." Vinyl shakily said. "Can you repeat that Vinyl....and this time don't make one long word," Tavi replied simply even though she knew exactly what she had said. She wanted to savor the moment. "Would....you.....like.....to.....go.....out....with......ME?" Vinyl said extremely slowly emphasizing the "ME" part as much as possible. "Of course I would..." Tavi said nonchalantly. "I've been waiting for so long to hear you say tho....." "Really!?!? You really will!?!? OMG OMG OMG!!!" Vinyl screeched into her phone not caring about interrupting Tavi or nearly causing to drop her phone at the sudden outburst. There was a pause and then Vinyl hung up. "Bye....I guess?" Tavi shrugged guessing that Vinyl was still freaking out. She had kept walking as she remembered and ,for the first time ever, somepony walked into Derpy. Octavia snapped out of her happy memory to see Derpy sitting on her haunches on the ground in front of her. "Owchies..." Derpy said as she rubbed her rump. "That really hurt!" "I'm so so soooo sorry for my lack of attention...." Octavia let out quickly while helping the grey mare to her hooves. "I guess you could say you just don't know what went wrong?" Derpy said with an adorable smile quoting her own all too famous line. "I suppose you could put it that way." Octavia replied sheepishly. Derpy simply started walking off and said.... "Bye Octopus!" Yelling as she left Octavia there awestruck at the fact she thought she was an eight-limbed sea creature. "She thinks I'm an octopus? " Octavia thought to herself. "Or does she just think my name is Octopus?" Shrugging it off Octavia simply continued her happy stroll back home where she knew Vinyl would be waiting... hopefully with a romantic setting. She even started humming one of Vinyl's "awful" remixes. She came into view of the home that she was so excited to enter and see the mare that she loved so much. The one that had finally confirmed her love to her as well. Octavia got giddy with excitement and anticipation. She stood at the door calming herself and telling herself to put on a convincing surprised look whenever she walked in. She started to the doorknob to find it locked. "Well....that's odd..." She simply said to herself. She rummaged around the apples in her saddlebags and found her keys. After what seemed like an eternity going through all of her keys to find the correct one she unlocked the door and opened it...her jaw near literally hit the floor. "Oh my...." Were the only words she could muster as she opened the door. She found nothing. Nothing out of the ordinary that is. She gasped and trudged up the stairs and straight into Vinyl's room to find her sleeping....at two in the afternoon. Octavia nearly shouted straight into the obnoxious, yet "adorable" DJ's ear. She calmed herself and "gently" prodded Vinyl's forehead with her hoof. Vinyl fell off her bed and onto the floor. "Ow!" Was all that came out of her at first as she hit the wooden floor back first. She was met with Octavia's stern glare. One that expressed both fury and curiosity at the same time. "Oh look it's the late date..." Vinyl said a straight look on her face. "What are you going on about!?!?" Octavia questioned loudly. She was sure the neighbors heard it. "We both agreed on when i got back!" "Yeah...,but you told me you'd be back two days ago..." Vinyl returning a serious look that Octavia had only seen a few times before. "Oh um.....I'm sorry Vinyl..." Octavia realized that she hadn't informed her date of her last minute audition. "SORRY! SORRY!?!?" Vinyl's face turned into one of fury. "I paid a hundred bits for your favorite red wine for you to not show up to drink it with me!" "Vinyl...I..." Octavia was at a loss for words. "So getting your spot in your little band was more important than your date!?!?" Vinyl shouted only inches away from Tavi's face. "H-how did you know i got the spot???" Octavia asked with a saddened expression. She wanted it to be a surprise. "I read it in the paper yesterday!!!" Vinyl replied throwing a folded up newspaper at her. The front-page read... "Local Cellist claims spot in Royal Canterlot Symphony!!!" "I guess i wasn't as important to you as i thought..." Vinyl said as she walked out the door using her magic to slam it behind her. Octavia heard another slam as she went out the front door as well. She was furious now...she wanted to just be rid of that obnoxious mare! Tavi quickly went into her room and gathered up all the belongings she wanted to take with her and left. She left a simple note on the fridge that read... Goodbye Vinyl... Tavi went to the train station and got a ticket to go back to Canterlot. She wasn't thinking and in her haste forgot about needing a place to live. She and Vinyl had shared that house for nearly a year ,and Tavi never really made any plan for moving out. That didn't concern her now she just wanted to be away from there as soon as possible. She had gotten on the train and as soon as everypony began to recognize her she began getting praise and "Congrats" from everypony within speaking distance of her seat. She simply stayed silent the entire train ride. Tavi rocketed up into a sitting position in her bed. She glanced at her clock it read 12:36. She hadn't been sleeping long, then she recalled her "dream". "Was that a dream?" She asked herself aloud. "No...it couldn't have been..." She thought hard for a few moments... "It was no dream....It was a memory...." She stared at her wall for a few seconds. She went to lay back down and found she no longer felt the need for sleep. Finding this odd she also realized she felt her mind almost ordering her to get up and play the game. Her first thought was that the game had no real importance and why he should play it at this hour. After a few more seconds of staring into the blank wall she realized... the game was a way to communicate with Vinyl. Her heart had yearned for it, but her mind rejected it. It was almost like her body and mind were locked in a war whether to forgive and forget or hold a grudge. She no longer cared what her mind said. Her heart was all that mattered. This was the first time she truly realized how shattered her heart had been for the past four months. She got up and trudged to the computer which she had foolishly left on. She cursed herself and her rising electric bill. "Might as well..." She said groggily to herself. Her mind wanted sleep, but her heart wanted Vinyl. Even if it was a small exchange of words from the mare it wanted so badly. She woke up her PC and turned on the game. She saw a message appear saying the game had been updated. Under patch notes said one thing... Area Boss "Wolf Pack Alpha-Male" Legendary Helmet Drop is now less common. "Isn't that the thing I got?" She asked herself aloud. Shortly after she cursed herself and her new habit of speaking to herself. She X'd out of the patch notes and spawned in...just in time to see a golden Pegasus mare Sniper character get wrecked by a wolf enemy. She chuckled. She realized there was a new marker on her map. The title for it was... Area 2: Forest of Shadows Lvl:5-15 She saw this and almost was foolish enough to go to the next area. At the last moment she realized... she was unarmed. Her sword had been sliced in two during the boss battle. She rushed back into Hoofbarton and went straight to the Weapons Vendor that her friends had shown her. She noticed she had a bit of junk loot that was less effective than what she currently had equipped so she sold it for the extra bits. She saw a level 6 sword that was quite powerful. She purchased it for not even a quarter of her total amount of bits. She went to the armor vendor to check his stock. She found a very intriguing shield. It's name and description were.... Animal Soul Infused Steel Shield A steel shield infused with the souls of many animals. (-50% Damage from Animal Type Opponents) She bought this almost immediately. It was quite expensive, but not enough to empty her wallet too severely. She equipped her new gear and bought some consumables. This included a splint. She wasn't going to be caught "breaking a leg" during a fight. At least not literally... She got some heads to turn her way as she left town. Many of the noobs were in awe of her Legendary Helmet whose drop had just gotten nerfed. She left town before any noob could question her about the helmet. Tavi looked around quickly for any other players that may have been useful allies, but found none. It was late after all. Tavi stepped through to the next area. She was met with a target almost immediately. It was her shadow. Herself. "Figures...Forest of Shadows after all...." She said under her breath. What frightened her most were its status. Her status read... Octavia Lvl:7 HP:115/115 The shadow's status.... Shadow Doppelganger(Octavia) Lvl:7 HP:115/115 This intrigued Tavi because if its status were exact copies wouldn't that mean it had her buffs power-ups? Her answer came quick as it used her best SPD buff. Tavi responded with a simultaneous activation of all four of her buffs including the one the Shadow had used. They circled each other waiting for the opposite to make a move. The shadow made the first move. A quick stab lunge straight towards Tavi. It used the same form as she did when she would do it. That meant..... "It knows my play-style!" She was alarmed that the devs could make such a thing happen. She dodged right much faster due to the stacked buffs she had compared to the Shadow's one. She retaliated with a slice. She usually avoided slicing with her previous sword, but this one was much different. The Shadow was caught off-guard and took the blow to the arm. The arm fell and burst into dark particles. The shadow simply regenerated the severed limb instantly. The attack still did considerable damage. The shadow's health had fallen. The bar now read... Shadow Doppelganger(Octavia) Lvl:7 HP:85/115 She was at first surprised at the thirty points of damage without a critical. She realized quickly her sword had (+30%) Demon damage on it. That meant the Shadow her was a demon type enemy. The shadow swung the shield at her for a bash attack stun effect. Tavi bounced it off her own shield, staggering the Shadow Tavi. Tavi took the chance and swiped at the neck. The head came off and burst into particles. Instead of a damage number though she was met with a red text.... INSTANT DEATH!!! She was stunned. She didn't know that was possible. She was alerted to possible threats when she heard a familiar voice in chat. "Get away you shadow creeps!!!" screeched a grey Pegasus mare archer as she fended them off with dual dagger swipes. Tavi knew her. It was Derpy. Upon closer inspection her character even had the recently added Wall-Eyes effect on it. No time for appearances though. The poor girl was in trouble. There were at least four shadow demons. One of them was her doppelganger. Three of them were identical besides weapons. They read... Shadow Demon Lvl:6 HP:75/75 Derpy's Shadow form read... Shadow Doppelganger(Derpy) Lvl:5 HP:50/50 It carried a simple Applewood bow. The same bow currently strapped to Derpy's back. Tavi realized the Shadow was level five...which meant Derpy was the bare minimum level for the area. She had three level sixes attacking her. Derpy's health bar dropped dangerously low. Tavi sprang into action. She used a One-Use Throwing Knife and aimed for the throat of the Shadow Derpy. She got lucky and it flashed "INSTANT DEATH!!!" quickly over the shadow before it burst like the one before. She lunged forward full speed and killed two of them instantly while Derpy Skill Dodged Backward and nailed the third with a flaming arrow to the throat. "Derpy are you okay?!?!" Tavi may not have been good friends with her, but still worried for the poor mare. "I'm okay...who are you?" She asked with a questioning face. "Um....ugh....O-octopus....." Tavi said. The name Derpy knew her by wasn't one she particularly liked. "Oh that's who you are!" Derpy shouted a bit too loud for Tavi's liking. "Yeah...I'm okay." "You do know those three were level six right?" Tavi asked with a grin. "Yes....I just don't know what went wrong...." Derpy said looking down sadly. "At first I was fighting the shadow "me" then those three came out of....well....the SHADOWS!" Derpy pulled out a muffin and chomped on it. Her health bar went to the minimum to be green. "Why didn't you just fly?" Tavi asked straight-faced. "One of the axes caught my left wing..." Derpy looked down again. Tavi pulled out her splint. Splints weren't specific for any body part. They just repaired broken ones such as legs and wings. She used it on Derpy. "Try to fly now." Tavi said or more accurately ordered. Derpy took off. She wasn't at full mobility, but she could hover and get a bit of altitude. "Wow....thanks Octo....Octavia." Pausing to get her name right. Derpy flew in a circle or two before flying face first into a tree. "Owchies...." She said as she pulled out another muffin. Tavi noticed she was level eight now. She used her Ability Point to get a sword buff for flame damage. Her skill points went straight to SPD and PRCSN. Derpy had leveled up level six as well. She knew a general idea of what she wanted. She was doing PRCSN and STMNA(Stamina). It allowed her to be accurate with PRCSN, and allowed her to take her time to aim with STMNA. Tavi observed Derpy as she was choosing her skills. Tavi had at first assumed Derpy was just going to barrel through the game doing whatever skills with whatever abilities she randomly chose. That was obviously not the case. Derpy was deliberately choosing what she wanted for her set-up. Which Tavi didn't know what that set-up actually was. "Derpy...what is your set-up going to be?" Tavi couldn't believe herself she was talking like she was some experienced MMORPG player when in truth she had just started earlier that same day. "I was hoping to make an Accurate Archer that relied on critical hits to deal massive damage!" Derpy happily shouted. "I'm waiting to get to level ten so I can get the skill that tells me where an enemy's critical hit areas are." "That's an interesting skill...too bad it's exclusive to archers and snipers." Tavi replied a little disappointed. "I know, but you don't seem to need it... you seem to know what you're aiming for." Derpy said as she turned to look at her. "I learned the instant kill spot by accident while fighting Shadow Octavia." Octavia said pulling out an apple to restore a little bit of health she had lost earlier. "Wanna be in a party!?!?" Derpy's sudden outburst of a question startled Tavi thoroughly. "Um....What's that?" Octavia asked slightly confused. "It's a group where the members share the Exp. and Bits from kills even if they are made by a different member." Derpy replied quickly. "Come on...it'll be fun!" "Ok...my friends aren't on at this hour, so I guess I can team with you." Tavi replied with a grin. She was excited for the extra support and the person to talk to during slow moments in between fights. A notification popped up in the bottom left corner of her screen that read... Player "Derpy" has invited you to a party! (CLICK TO JOIN) Tavi clicked it and a new interface popped up under her health bar. It read: "Party" and under were the names Derpy(Party Leader) and Octavia. "There!" Derpy ecstatically shouted. "Now we can know where the other is at at all times and know what their health and other status are at at all times as well." "This'll be a nice experience..." Tavi said not sounding as excited as she truly was. With that the new allies ventured forth an amazing ten paces before meeting a couple of shadow demons. "I got the two at the back!" Derpy shouted. Tavi was surprised that the mare she thought was simple-minded was actually strategizing. "I'll take the two in the front with the shields!" Tavi knew that Derpy would have a tough time getting arrows around the shields. The shielded shadows took up defensive stances. Their status merged into a new shadow foe... it read... Shadow Demon Phalanx Lvl:6 HP:150/75 Their max HP's had also merged over matching the maximum amount of HP they would normally have. "Oh that's just wonderful...." Tavi said to nopony in particular, but Derpy responded anyways as soon as she nailed both of the archer targets with a double shot ability. "Need an assist?" Derpy asked with a smile. "I think i'll return the favor." She loaded an explosive arrow and shot it behind the Phalanx. The explosion split them up. Tavi made short work of them once they split. She downed one with her second and last throwing knife and destroyed the second with a precise stab through it's neck. "I guess we're even now?" Tavi asked smiling. "I guess we are..." Derpy grew a huge grin. "Not for long once I screw up again." The pair chuckled and continued deeper into the forest. By the time they reached the Area Boss Tavi was level 16 and Derpy was level 15. Tavi had upgraded her existing buffs as well as gotten the lightning elemental sword buff. Derpy had the critical area indicator skill unlocked as well as PRCSN that nearly matched Tavi's. "This is the area boss?" Derpy asked looking at the small run-down building in front of them. "The map says it is..." Tavi replied. "Maybe it's glit..." She was cut-off by a loud bang and smoke started to surround the entire area. A figure appeared. A shadow larger than the ones before. Its health bar read... Farok Master of Shadow Lvl:15 HP:200/200 Tavi and Derpy were ready their status read... Octavia Lvl:16 HP:250/250 Derpy Lvl:15 HP:100/100 Derpy jumped up and readied herself to start flying or dodging. Tavi took up a defensive stance shield raised. Farok spoke.... "You cannot defeat me...if you cannot not defeat yourselves!!!" He created two more doppelgangers and these now matched their new status. Expecting to fight themselves they weren't prepared for when the opposite's doppelganger attacked. Tavi had her shield raised and bounced an explosive arrow straight up that exploded at the top of the tree-line. Derpy dodged a lunge from a fully-buffed Lightning Elemental Tavi. Farok spoke once more... "Try defeating the fake ones now!!!" As he spoke the doppelgangers went from shadow black to the exact same appearance as their real counterparts. Their names lost the "Shadow Doppelganger" meaning they were now identical. "Derpy we're going to have to communicate if we want to get through this without either of us destroying each other!" Tavi shouted desperately as she dodged a five arrow volley of fire arrows. "I know who's who!" Derpy responded. "My critical hit area shows me the critical areas for hostile targets not friendlies!" "So I have no markers on me!?!?" Tavi shouted dodging a dagger lunge from the Doppelganger Derpy. "Exactly!" Derpy shouted back, but as she did she lost focus and took a sword slash to the wing. She fell and hit the ground hard. Her HP bar went orange. Tavi noticed the other her lunging towards the downed pegasus sword held high to finish her. Tavi acted on that same rather strange and new instinct and with her heavily buffed SPD sprinted in front of the Doppelganger and held her sword straight outward. The copied Tavi could do nothing to stop herself from hurdling straight into the outstretched sword. The impalement wasn't enough to kill the shadow off, but with a swift pull upward taking the sword up through the neck area of the shadow it burst into dark particles. Derpy was still down, but was recovering health from yet another muffin. Tavi was waiting for Derpy to recover and in doing so forgot about the Doppelganger archer. The copied Derpy sent an explosive arrow straight towards Tavi's skull and skull helmet. Derpy reacted as soon as she recovered. She sprang up without a word and sliced the arrow in two with her left dagger and smacked the explosive tip straight back at the user. The arrow exploded directly in front of the fake Derpy and sent it flying into a tree where it burst into dark particles. "I can't fly Tavi...,but I'll provide fire support from here." Derpy said quickly. Tavi nodded and lunged toward Farok. As she closed the distance he teleported backwards. He spoke slowly.... "Naughty...." He raised a hand and Tavi was caught in a stasis field of sorts made of pure dark magic. "Octavia!" Derpy didn't know what had happened, but Octavia could no longer move. "I can't get out of this thing!!!" Tavi shouted as if she were actually in danger. As soon as she finished her sentence a ball of light hit the dark energy that surrounded her and caused it to dissipate. "Derpy what did you do?" Tavi asked stunned at what had just happened. "I didn't do it!" She replied dodging a ball of dark energy Farok had fired at her. "She did it!" Pointing at a white mare in the shadows with a glowing horn. Tavi knew who it was, but as soon as she looked at her Vinyl backed farther away. Refocusing Tavi looked back to the fight. Derpy had taken his health down with a few splash damage explosions, but that was it. "His critical area isn't the neck!" Derpy informed Octavia. "It's where a heart would be." Tavi formulated a plan. Everytime he teleported she noticed he went back, then the next time he went right or their left usually. "Derpy I'm going to make him teleport!" Octavia told her companion. "As he does shoot an explosive arrow around ten feet behind him!" "Okie dokie!" Derpy shouted happily now that she had some kind of plan of action. Tavi lunged towards Farok and as predicted he teleported backwards. Derpy did as she was told and the arrow landed in the ground right where he appeared. The arrow exploded and caused minimal damage, but did what Tavi was hoping for... it stunned him. Tavi took the opportunity and lunged once more sword outstretched. She pierced where a heart would be to find a heart was actually there, but it was enveloped in the same shadow magic. The shadow magic around dissipated and blood began to gush out. Tavi had long gotten used to it, so it didn't affect her as much as it did when she first started. She withdrew her sword an sheathed it. Derpy rushed to her side and together they watched as the large shadow demon turned into a seemingly normal pony. Farok spoke one last time... "Thank you..." Derpy suddenly sounded like she was crying. Tavi understood why. It was a pretty sad moment. The loot notifications popped-up. 500 Exp. 1500 Bits Chest-plate of Shadows Lvl:15 (Uncommon)(Chest Armor)(Octavia) Shadow-Wood Bow Lvl:16 (Rare)(Bow)(Derpy) Derpy went from crying to cheering in a matter of seconds. Tavi simply equipped her new chest-plate and waited for Derpy to calm down while she looked for Vinyl. Vinyl did what she had done before. Vanished. Out of all the ponies to turn into a bucking ninja it was one of the loudest and most obnoxious ones. "Octy...can I call you that?" Derpy asked as if she was going to get punished for simply asking. Tavi winced at the name Vinyl used to call her, but if it made Derpy happy... "Sure..." Tavi replied slowly. "Can you call me Derpsters from now on?!?!" Derpy asked grinning. "Let's not get out of hoof here..." Tavi said slowly with a teasing grin. "Derpsters..." Unknown to the both of them Vinyl had cast an invisibility spell on herself and had watched the whole thing play-out. She especially noticed the wince at the name "Octy". "Maybe she does still care..."
Out of Tune...Out of Everything....Derpy was sitting on her haunches munching on another muffin. Tavi was still trying to figure out how she had the inventory space for so many muffins. She also wondered how Derpy was still up at this hour. "Hey...um....Derpsters...." Tavi said slowly while she was thinking. "Ya-uh....Oc-tee?" Derpy replied mouth full of something in real life Tavi guessed. "How are you not tired?" She asked expecting a normal answer. It wasn't. "With the muffins I'm eating right now!!!" Derpy replied and shortly after sounds of eating could be heard through her microphone. "What kind are they?" Tavi asked. Surely no normal muffin could provide such energy. "Sugar..." Derpy replied slowly and then stuffed her face some more. "You're eating pure sugar muffins?" Tavi asked a bit worried. "Yepperoonies!!!" She replied happily. Tavi dismissed it. The chat had alerted her of her own weariness. She glanced at her clock. It read 3:21. "Derpy...er....Derpsters I'm going to sleeeee.....eeeep." Tavi said yawning as she did so. "See you tomorrow?" "Sure thing Octy!" Her tone embodied a hint of sadness. "I'm not going to go on without you!" Tavi logged off satisfied with the progress her and her new ally had just made. She showered....again. As soon as she got out she went to bed. She didn't bother with night clothes. There wasn't any point. Not that she bothered with them when Vinyl had been around either. She was out like a light. This time she dreamt sweetly. She dreamt of Vinyl. She woke up that morning groggy and extremely thirsty. She went into her kitchen and got a bottled water and glanced at the stove clock. It blinked 12:48. "WHAT!!!" Tavi screamed. "SHUT UP DOWN THERE!" Shouted her rather despicable upstairs neighbor. If the clock was right, then she was late for practice. She had slept past noon. It was technically lunch-time. She ran out her door and ran down the street to the auditorium where they were allowed to rehearse. She didn't realize she had forgotten something... She burst through the doors, causing both musicians to turn and look at her. "You're late Octavia." Tuning Fork said. "You look like sh.... I mean you had a good night's rest." Brass caught his tongue as he remembered what had happened last time he opened his big mouth. He rubbed his cheek gingerly. "Hey...Where's your Cello?" Tavi's jaw dropped. She had left it by the door of her apartment. She facehoofed so hard her nose started bleeding. "BLOODY HELL!!!" Tavi shouted straight up at the auditorium ceiling. "Yeah, literally." Brass chuckled and then promptly got slapped on the same cheek. "NOT-SO BLOODY HELL!!!" He shouted somehow keeping his laughing even after the slapping he was just served. "Would you like me to serve your rump on a silver platter?" Tavi replied trying to be as lady-like as possible. "I guess i was the BUTT of that jo..." He was cut-off by a swift back-hoof slap. "You'll never learn when you just need to shut up and BUTT out will you Brass?" Tuning Fork said chuckling, but stopped as he saw Tavi raise her hoof. "I think i may need to learn too..." "I'm going home and cleaning myself up...I'll see you online..." Tavi walked out the door. As soon as she was out Brass spoke... "Speaking of butts I couldn't help ,but stare at hers." He said with a smile. Slapping him in the back of the head, "She doesn't SWING that way idiot." Tuning said as he broke into laughter at his own music pun. The door opened and Tavi appeared holding a rock. She chucked it in their direction. Brass saw it and moved two steps to his left. Tuning didn't he was still hysterically laughing at his own pun. It hit him square in the nose. His nose started to bleed... "Oh bloody hell..." Tuning said as he went to wipe the blood. 20 minutes later... "Aaah...much better." Tavi said as she exited the her shower yet again. She had been unknowingly humming a song Vinyl had once made for her. She didn't remember what she had called it, but she actually enjoyed it. She stopped to see she had a voicemail from a number she recognized instantly. Vinyl had called her. She hit play and heard this... Hey Octy...I...um....I wanted to apologize for what happened....um yeah....if you still care please come home and talk to me...bye forever or for now. Love you.... Tavi noticed Vinyl sounded horrible. She almost sounded completely broken. Her last words were almost a plea. The very last words touched Tavi's heart where she never thought she would feel again. "I love you too Vinyl..." She whispered to herself. Tavi sat down at her computer. She pondered what she should do. She wondered why she felt like she shouldn't go to her. She made her choice. She grabbed what little money she had left and went to the train station. On the train ride back to Ponyville Tavi thought of what they would say to each other. Who would apologize first? She didn't even know what she herself would say. Tavi stared out the window and slowly fell asleep. Tavi was snapped awake by a train attendent slowly shaking her. "We've arrived in Ponyville ma'am." The attendent said sweetly. "It's time to exit the train." "Oh....Thank you..." Tavi said as she got up to exit the train. "I must have been asleep the whole ride." She rubbed her eyes as she stepped off of the train. The station was never very busy. There were a few ponies that must have been waiting for somepony to arrive or seeing somepony off. She had a few bits leftover after she bought the train ticket so she decided to get Vinyl a gift. She stopped by Sugarcube Corner on her way home. She was greeted with...well... "HEY YOU'RE BACK!!!!" Yelled the pink party pony as soon as Tavi had opened the door. Everypony in the place turned to look. One of them just so happened to be a grey pegasus mare that had saddlebags literally full of pure white sugar muffins. "Octy???" Derpy looked at her with a questioning look. "What are you here for?" "I'm here to get something for a...."friend"...." Tavi said hesitantly. "Ooooo....Who is it?" Derpy asked with a grin and a nudge. "Oh! Is it me!?!?" She had started jumping up and down. "Um....N-no." Tavi said worried about how Derpy would react. "Oh...O-o-okay." Derpy sounded sad, but she was still smiling. "Will you be playing later?" "My computer is back at my apartment in Manehattan." Tavi said frowning as she did. "HEY WAIT!!!" Pinkie sudden shout startled nearly everypony in the shop. She rummaged a hoof in her poofy hair for a minute or two. She pulled out a pink laptop with her cutie mark on it, then a mouse. "Here use this!" "Isn't this yours" Tavi asked confused. "Yes, but if I know the game you're talking about it's on here." Pinkie frowned. "I never did too well. Everytime I tried to hug one of the wolves they would attack me!" "Pinkie you're supposed to fight them. The hug command is for social areas." Tavi said holding back hysterical laughter. "You can have the laptop until you go back to Manehattan." Pinkie said smiling. Derpy had left without saying anything. "Pinkie can I get....Vinyl's regular." Tavi asked trying not to attract attention. "ARE YOU TRYING TO GET BACK TOGETHER WITH VINYL!?!?" Pinkie shouted for all of Ponyville to hear. Tavi facehoofed so hard her face could've caved in...
ReunionTavi regained conciousness after a few minutes. She was on the floor and both her face and the back of her head hurt. She didn't know why the back of her head hurt. She had fallen on her face. "ARE YOU OKAY?!?" Pinkie asked in a happy shout. "Sure...I'm just fiiiiinnnneeee....." Tavi said sarcastically. "Okie Dokie Lokie!!!" The pink party pony shouted as she hopped away to get Tavi's order. "Okay then..." Tavi said quietly to herself. Tavi stood up and found a chair. She sat and waited for Pinkie to return with her order. Tavi pulled out her phone and found that Tuning Fork had sent her a message. It simply asked if anything was wrong and why she hadn't been online. She replied with "I'm visiting somepony." She put her phone back in her saddlebag as Pinkie skipped back into the main room. "Here you go!" She said smiling, handing Tavi a paper bag ,much like the ones donuts go in, with a muffin inside. Tavi knew that it was more of a cupcake being as it had bright blue frosting and white sprinkles on it. "Now I remember why she likes these so much..." Tavi said with a grin. "They remind her of herself." Tavi finished taking the bag from Pinkie with her teeth. She said goodbye and trotted out of the store humming that same tune from earlier as she went down the street to her home. A few hummed away minutes later.... "Breathe in....Breathe out..." Tavi slowly told herself as she stood in front of the door to her old home. She had been standing there for a few seconds now. She had no idea if she should knock or just go right in. "I guess I can be polite..." Tavi raised a hoof and knocked twice. She heard slow hoofsteps from upstairs a lot of bumps and thumps and... "I knew I would trip over that eventually..." From the pony she had been missing from her life for so long. Her memories were cut short as that Vinyl opened the door rubbing her head. "If you need me to sign some...." The white unicorn stopped when she noticed it wasn't a mail-pony. She didn't move for a few seconds. "Vinyl are you alri-AGH" Tavi was cut short when the white unicorn jumped forward and hugged her so tight she couldn't breathe. Vinyl let go and broke into a happy smile that Tavi knew and loved so much. She hadn't noticed, but Vinyl looked horrible...even for Vinyl's own standards of good and bad. Her mane was unkempt, but not the happy medium that was her style it was a mess of blue and white strands. She didn't have her trademark shades either. Her magenta eyes were slightly reddened either from lack of sleep or crying. "It's been too long Octy..." Vinyl said her voice almost sounded as if she was crying. Vinyl hugged her once more. Tavi couldn't tell. Vinyl's face was buried in her neck at that point, but she knew she was crying when her neck began to feel damp. She always knew Vinyl as the "cool party animal" type of pony. That was the moment that Tavi realized she wasn't the only one hurting inside. At that point though...she was really hurting on the outside. Vinyl had somehow squeezed even tighter then when she had began. Tavi's arms began to hurt as they were being squeezed to her side, and what little air she had been getting was now cut-off. "Vi-...yl.....t-....too....TIGHT!!!" Tavi let out the last word as loud as she could which was near a Fluttershy-like volume by now. "Oh sorry..." Vinyl apologized as she let go. "Do you want to come in?" "I shouldn't need an invitation...this is my home after all." Giving Vinyl the most loving grin she could muster as she was still regaining her ability to breathe. Tavi in an almost Pinkie Pie fashion skipped into the room happily. Unbeknownst to her the white unicorn was silently jumping up and down happily in the doorway. Vinyl eventually closed the door and followed Tavi before she turned around to see the ecstatic happiness that had just burst out of her. As Tavi entered her old home she noticed something that surprised her greatly. Vinyl's shades were on the table the left lens had a crack from bottom to top. This was surprising due to the fact that Vinyl took care of two things...Her sets and her shades. Secretly Tavi wished that she was the third thing to appear on that list sooner rather than later. "Oh yeah...um....since you're here do you by any chance remember that place that fixed them last time?" Vinyl asked with a grin and a blush. "Vinyl it's on the fridge..." she said pointing to the note that was magnetically bound to the refrigerator door. Tavi at the time was trying so hard not to facehoof herself into a coma, but it seemed easier if it was about Vinyl. It also seemed that Vinyl had done it for her as she had a hoof on her face as she shook her head. "Whoops..." Vinyl could only utter that one word as she took her hoof off of her face. "It's okay....it's partially my fault." Tavi said smiling. "I should've put it on my goodbye note." She chuckled at the thought of Vinyl, out of all ponies, to be the one to NOT look at the fridge. "About that...." Vinyl started, but stopped. "Yes Miss Scratch?" Tavi asked with a grin. She knew how much Vinyl hated formalities. "Does this mean....you're coming home?"
The Mail-Mare With A Heart of....Sugar???Tavi stopped smiling. She went into deep thought. Vinyl stared and waited patiently...for once. Tavi stood unmoving for a while until.... "HEY!!! OCTY DID I BREAK YOUR BRAIN OR SOMETHING!?!?" Vinyl shouted suddenly and caused Tavi to ever so clumsily fall backward onto her haunches with a "THUD!". Tavi stood back up rubbing her now very sore haunches. "No, I'm not broken Vinyl I was thinking." Tavi said with no sense of such urgency that Vinyl had had moments before. "Okay...would you like me to rub that for ya'?" Vinyl said with a cheeky grin. "Um...." Tavi blushed as she realized what the unicorn had meant. "No!" She could've climbed into an apple tree and passed off as a deformed apple with the shade of red she was. "Awwwww.... come on please???" Vinyl said making quite adorable puppy eyes. "No Vinyl....besides that's a little too....Presto for the situation don't you think?" Tavi chuckled as she knew Vinyl would understand her pun. "Really??? I didn't think so." Vinyl replied with a light chuckle. "I never thought that when YOU started making jokes they'd be....that bad." "Well, it is a litt....HEY!!!" Tavi processed Vinyl a little too late as Vinyl had already bolted upstairs and into one of the rooms. Tavi chased after her as soon as she processed the comment fully. She ran into Vinyl's room, throwing the door open in the process, she found Vinyl giggling like a little school-filly on the bed. Tavi tackled her. Which turned out to be a mistake as they rolled around playfully until Vinyl was directly on top of her. "I thought you said it was me who was moving too fast?" Vinyl said with that same cheeky grin. Vinyl proceeded to give Tavi a light peck on the lips as she giggled at Vinyl's comment about her being a hypocrite. Tavi stopped and turned back into an apple at the unexpected gift. "I guess I did sort of jump on top of you..." Tavi playfully bucked Vinyl off, but not so hard that it hurt. Vinyl landed on her back and laughed out loud. "What's so funny?" Tavi asked afraid of what the answer might be. "You bucked my stomach!!!" Vinyl screeched while still laughing. "What about that is so hysterical to you?" Tavi asked again. "Don't you remember? I'm ticklish!!! And when you tickle my stomach it's really REALLY hard to stop laughing!!!" Vinyl was turning red from lack of oxygen. "VINYL DON'T FORGET TO BREATHE!!!" Tavi shouted worried that her friend was about to pass out. Tavi could only think of three things that could snap her out of this. Wubs, Something else to laugh at, and her. Tavi already learned Vinyl didn't find her jokes funny and Vinyl wasn't in any condition to make music. Meanwhile, Vinyl was turning as purple as her lens shades. She knew what must be done, and it made her even more of a hypocrite. She held Vinyl still for a moment and gave her a little peck. Vinyl stopped almost immediately and started to turn white again. "I thought you-" Vinyl started. "Don't even say that I'm a hypocrite." Tavi said as she put a hoof to Vinyl's mouth, and since Vinyl was Vinyl she did the most disgusting thing possible and.... licked it. "Eeeeewwwww!!!!! Vinyl that's unsanitary!!!" Tavi shouted horrified at her now saliva-covered hoof. "What have you been putting that somewhere you don't want me to know about?" Vinyl asked with a raised eyebrow and devilish grin. "No, but I have put it on every part of the ground I walked on to get here!!!" Tavi ran to the bathroom and began washing the saliva off. No matter how much she liked Vinyl she could always be too obnoxious sometimes...not to mention slightly disgusting. There was a knock on the door and the sound of their mailbox slamming closed. "I got it!!!" Vinyl shouted down the hall as she knew Tavi was still washing her hoof off. Tavi could hear Vinyl run down the hall and then once again fall down the stairs. Tavi started giggling. "For buck sake!!!" Vinyl shouted to nopony in particular, but it was loud enough that if they had neighbors they would've heard it. Tavi finished washing her hoof and turned off the water. Only to be questioned... "Hey Octy!!! Who is..."The Derpster"? Vinyl asked as Tavi walked down the stairs. "That's Derpy. Why?" Tavi answered then questioned. "Well she really seems to like you...like a lot." Vinyl blushed as she read through more of the letter. "Hey! Stop reading MY mail!" Tavi angrily shouted as she reached the bottom of the stairs. "Wait...what do you mean?" "Looky here..." Vinyl said as she used her magic to float the letter over to Tavi. Tavi skimmed over it, and promptly blushed. "Oh my..." Was all that the grey musician could muster as she read through more of the letter. "I didn't know that Derpy had feelings for me. I thought we were just friends." "Well it doesn't seem like she thinks so." Vinyl said with a chuckle. The current situation didn't seem to bother her in the slightest. The white unicorn currently had her head inside the refrigerator. "How are you so calm about this?" Tavi asked, head cocked sideways with one eyebrow raised. "Two reasons. One: You never said we were getting back together. Two: This just seems like some little crush or something." Vinyl turned around and had something in her magical grasp. "What's that?" Tavi questioned as she gestured to the item that Vinyl had just put in the microwave. "My dinner. Duh." Vinyl said as she leaned against the kitchen counter. "What did I tell you about vague answers?" Tavi asked. She knew it would annoy Vinyl. "Okay geez. It's some boxed dinner or lunch thing that you microwave then eat. Happy?" Vinyl said as she rolled her eyes. "I don't think you're supposed to put those in the fridge." Tavi said smiling. "Are you sure? Hold on." Vinyl opened the microwave as it beeped signaling it was done heating its contents. "Do NOT refrigerate. Could cause sicknesses." "Well?" Tavi said with a smile and an arched eyebrow. "What? Have I gotten sick? I don't think so." Vinyl said killing Tavi's thoughts of Vinyl puking her guts out over the toilet. Tavi shivered. "Why did I think of that?" Tavi thought in her head as Vinyl came over and sat in the chair to her left. "So what does your little mare-friend want?" Vinyl said giggling. "It says- HEY! She isn't my mare-friend. How can she be if YOU are?" Tavi said as Vinyl leaned back in her chair. Tavi never understood how Vinyl could balance like that, but she found a way to make her lose it. Vinyl suddenly processed what Tavi said. "Whoaaaa!!!!" Was the only thing Vinyl could say before she toppled over backwards. Tavi covered her muzzle with her hoof to avoid the wave of laughter that was about to overtake her. "A-are you okay Vinyl?" Tavi asked as the white mare laid there on her back staring up at the ceiling. "You-you said th-that I was your..." Vinyl slowly said. "Mare-friend." Tavi finished for her. "Now, Are you okay?" "My head hurts, but I think I'm okay." Vinyl replied standing up and using her magic to fix the chair's positioning. Tavi stood and walked around the table, going behind Vinyl as she went, she planted a little kiss on the back of the unicorn's head. She proceeded to head up the stairs. "Oh, by the way I'll be in my room. The door will be unlocked of course." Tavi heard a thud, but she didn't stop. She didn't even bother showering. She went into her old room which Vinyl had tried to keep "clean" for her. She closed the door slowly until only a crack of an opening was left. She went and got into her bed. She slowly drifted off into sleep. Vinyl's POV "Oh by the way I'll be in my room. The door will be unlocked of course." Octy said as her hoof-steps stopped for a moment. Vinyl didn't have any comprehension of what Octy truly meant by that. Vinyl stood still for a moment, and then in true style slammed her head against the table. It made her head hurt, but what was worse was that her dinner was sent all over the floor and opposite wall. Vinyl didn't care. She was in a sea of happiness and nothing could sink her ship. She got up and grabbed her phone. She started a playlist she made. She made sure it wasn't too loud. Just in case Octy was asleep. Vinyl started cleaning, but she noticed she had gotten some on the love letter for Octy. She went to see if it was significantly bad or not. When she did she saw... ...If you to want meet me in the meadow outside the Everfree Forest at 6:00 P.M. -Derpy Vinyl wondered if Octy had read it. She wondered even more if she was going to go. Vinyl thought back to what she had said, but Octy wasn't heartless...even if she was a little too cold in some situations. It seemed that Octy had changed. Vinyl decided that she would remind her in the morning. Vinyl finished cleaning the mess she had made. She crept up the stairs and turned on the shower. She wasn't dirty, but if she was going to sleep next to Octy she wanted to smell at least "good". She showered and played one of her mixes in her head. She turned off the water and opened up the curtain and found... "Hello beautiful..." Said the grey mare leaning against the doorway to the bathroom. "Whaaa!!!" Vinyl screeched rather loudly. It wasn't that Octy hadn't seen her this way, but she just hadn't expected her to be there. They didn't wear clothes often anyways. She hadn't closed the door. She floated a towel over to cover herself. "Awww...Why are you covering all that up?" Octy asked with a grin. Vinyl smiled and moved the towel around with her magic to dry herself off. Her hair went back to the unkempt mess that it always was. "How about we go to sleep?" Vinyl suggested. She just wanted to end the awkwardness of the whole situation. "Together?" Octy asked with some rather adorable puppy dog eyes. Vinyl had to admit she had gotten a lot better at that. She remembered the first time Octy had tried that on her. The only reason it was cute was because of how hard she had tried. "I guess so..." Vinyl replied. She wanted to sound as if she hadn't been thinking about it during her shower. "Are you done then?" Octy said with a bored expression on her face. "Are you rushing ME now?" Vinyl asked with a grin. "I remember when you'd take hours to get ready just so you could get some music book or collection or something." "Why would you care? You never use sheet music." Octy replied grinning the same way right back at her. "That's because everything comes from in here." Vinyl said as she put a hoof to her head. "I never knew ideas could come out of something so hollow." Octy said chuckling as she walked back to her room. Vinyl simply finished up in the bathroom and followed Octy into her room. She found her getting under the covers. Vinyl went to the opposite side and got in with her, but as she did she gave the other mare a playful push and sent her rolling off the bed. Consequently, the blanket went with her. Vinyl hadn't thought of that and was quickly dragged toward Octy's side of the bed. There was a bump which was followed by a certain grey mare's groan. Vinyl's head was over the edge of the bed. What she saw was a mass of blankets, hair, and grey pony. "Hehe....whoops?" Vinyl said, somewhat attempting an apology. Octy just gave her a playful bop on the nose. "Ouch!!!" Vinyl screeched faking actual pain. "You can't be serious. The Vinyl I remember was a lot tougher than that." Octy said jokingly as she stood up and attempted to fix the blankets, but that proved hard for the earth pony. Vinyl knew this would be since she was rolling around like a foal on the bed. Octy gave her a much less playful push and sent her sprawling over the other side of the bed. Tavi's POV Tavi blushed as she saw the position that Vinyl had landed in. The unicorn had went front first over the side of the bed with her rear still on the bed. This gave Tavi a somewhat full view of Vinyl's nether region that was only obscured by the mare's electric white and blue tail. "Um...Vinyl I can see your-*ahem*-nether region." Tavi said trying to not sound awkward. This sight wasn't new to her. They rarely wore clothes save for their signature looks, but Tavi couldn't help but feel slightly awkward at how the situation was. "My what?" Vinyl said playfully as she lifted up her tail. Tavi knew she had done this on purpose. "Stop that." Tavi said as she threw the mass of blankets over her. "Now YOU can fix the bed." "Awwww." Was the only muffled sound that came out of the pile of blanket and bed-sheet. The blankets were then caught in the unicorn's magic aura and put back on the bed. "Do you even want to sleep?" Vinyl asked with a frown. "I'm not particularly tired." Tavi replied thinking of what they could do. "Do you want to play the game?" "What game?" "I don't remember what it's called. The...RPG? I think that was its genre." Tavi answered. The unicorn's face lit up. "Oh! That one." Vinyl began to go to the room down the hall that had her computer. "Wait what will you play on?" "Pinkie gave me her laptop to borrow while I was here." Tavi replied happily as she went over to her saddlebags and pulled it out. "See?" "PINK OVERLOAD!!! AHHH!!!!" Vinyl yelled playfully as she ran down the hall. Tavi smiled. She had missed times like these with the crazy DJ. "Yet...She'll DJ a wedding with the same pink pony. How strange." Tavi couldn't help it. It just didn't make sense. In hindsight Vinyl nor Pinkie would actually make sense. Vinyl rarely gave logical answers, but... Pinkie somehow....repeatedly....breaks the laws of physics. Tavi thought back to the laptop. "How did this fit in her hair?" "HURRY UP!!! YOU'RE GOING SO ADAGIO!!! I'LL BE IN MY GRAVE BY THE TIME YOU GET HERE!!!" Tavi trotted into the room. This room hadn't been kept "clean" like the others. "You said my jokes were bad...and stop being so fortissimo." Tavi said with a glance at the blushing unicorn. "My bad..." The embarrassed mare said simply. "Come on get your game started." Tavi ordered. "I wanna see what your character set-up is." "Really?" The unicorn cocked her head. "Why would you care?" "Because it's the character of my sweet little Scratch." Tavi was smiling a slightly seductive smile at the mare to her right. Vinyl was silent as she turned on the game and logged in. Tavi opened up Pinkie's laptop and hit the power button. She was surprised to find that the battery life indicator just had a picture of Pinkie's cutie mark. She wondered how this laptop would run the game. Her computer in her apartment barely ran it smoothly. Tavi smiled as she remembered that this was Pinkie's laptop and she broke the laws of everything on a near-daily basis. "What level are you Vinyl?" Tavi asked suddenly. The unicorn was currently enthralled in reading the description of a rare staff that was a merchant's current item of the day. "Level 17." Vinyl said absent-mindedly "Wait how are you the same level as me?" Tavi asked surprised. "Well....remember how you were trapped in that shadow stuff?" Vinyl asked to see if the mare remembered. Tavi gave a nod. "Well I got you out of it with a spell and it technically counted as helping with the fight. I got rewards for it and everything. Nothing good though...just bits and experience." Tavi had been logging in as Vinyl was explaining. "You ready?" Tavi asked with a cocky smile. "What do you think?" Vinyl said as she teleported in front of Tavi and twirled her new staff into combat position. The one that she bought minutes before the item of the day had randomly switched. Both mares look at each other nodded. "Let's rock this melody and Drop that bass!" The mares were both grinning as they both had somehow subconsciously knew to say the line they would say before they started playing a song together.
Smooth..."We're back!!!" Vinyl shouted enthusiastically. "I guess we are." Tavi mildly said as she prepared for battle. "Wait!!!" "What's wrong?" Vinyl asked concerned slightly for the sudden urgency. "Hold on." Tavi ran out of the room and back into her bedroom and grabbed her phone. She ran back to the computer room with her phone in her right forehoof. It wasn't a true run. It looked like a horrible limp. "What was so important?" Vinyl asked leaning back in her rolling chair. "I have to get Derpy." Tavi said smiling. "Ooooooh!!! This is about your little friend." Vinyl chuckled and consequently earned a glare from Tavi. "She promised that she wouldn't go on without me. It seems reasonable that I do the same." Tavi huffed as she finished. "What makes you think she'll be up right now?" Vinyl asked skeptically. "It is like 11:45 at night." "That's easy. She eats pure sugar muffins. She'll be up for sure. Honestly...I don't know if she ever sleeps." Tavi said with a puzzled face. This was the first time she'd thought about it. "I doubt she's up right now." Vinyl said with a grin. "Betcha 20 Bits!" "Okay...prepare to be 20 Bits less rich." Tavi said. "Hahaha!!! I doubt you even have 20 bits on-" The unicorn was cut off by a loud ringtone. The ringtone was singing "It's Muffin Time!!!" over and over. "I told you she would." The grey mare put on a smug face. "Fine...let me go get your bits." Vinyl said with a frown. "Vinyl I was only kidding. It's okay you don't have to pay me." "Really?" The white mare asked with a confused face. "In a way you already have..." Tavi said as she looked down to read the text Derpy had sent her. YAY!!! LET'S DO IT!!! Tavi sat in her chair. She realized something. She didn't have her headset. "Uh...Vinyl?" "Wh-aaa-t?" Vinyl was stuffing her face with chips. Tavi had no idea where they came from. "Do you have a spare headset?" Tavi asked as she watched the horrid sight that was...Vinyl eating. The unicorn rummaged around in a desk drawer until she pulled a spare headset out. Instead of doing the more effective and probably less painful way of giving them to the earth pony she didn't use her magic, but instead she simply threw them over her shoulder blindly. Tavi had turned around to check her phone and when she turned back around she got a headset straight to the muzzle. "Vinyl!" Tavi seemingly forgot that some neighbors were trying to sleep. "What n-aaa-wwww!" Vinyl asked as if she didn't know what she had done. "Nevermind." Tavi couldn't be mad at the poor mare for long. It was just Vinyl's reckless personality...admittedly it was one of the reasons Tavi loved her. Tavi turned to the screen to see a request pop-up in the bottom left corner of her screen. Friend "Derpy" has invited you to a party! (CLICK TO JOIN) Tavi clicked it and the party interface came up. She invited Vinyl and waited for her to join. Vinyl's name appeared in the interface. "Oh..." Derpy said sounding quite sad. "What's wrong Derpster?" Tavi asked. She heard Vinyl giggle. It had an awkward echo. "I feel awkward now." Derpy said letting out a nervous chuckle. "Why?" Tavi asked. "SHE is here." Derpy said softly. "Who?" Tavi asked oblivious to the obvious answer that was sitting in the same room. "Your mare-friend..." Derpy said sadly. Tavi inhaled quickly. She had completely forgotten about the letter and Derpy's feelings for her. "Whoops..." Tavi said as she exhaled. She hadn't realized she'd been holding her breath. "I think I'm going to leave." Derpy said she sounded the way she did before she was about to cry. Tavi could hear her crying right before her name disappeared form the party interface. "Buck..." The two mares said in unison. They sat silently after that. The room was filled with the hum of electronics. Tavi began to quietly sob. Vinyl sat there silent. The white unicorn was pondering something. Then she said aloud... "Why not three?"
