Strangers

The start of my morning was pretty shitty to say the least. Waking up alone in a big bed sucked, like really sucked. I had to start my day off knowing that I’d never see Swirly again—something I was both okay and not okay with; and to make matters worse, I had some explaining to do to Neon and Octavia, who had no idea where I was last night—obviously.

It was so stupid. I almost put everything on the line, and for what? A taste of vengeance? A destroyed heart? Loss? Pfft, if I had known I was gonna get all that, I would’ve stayed with Octavia last night instead of going to the club and comforting her—which would have essentially destroyed my dreams and wrecked my heart completely—and try and have my way with her, and that would’ve been one helluva night if it had turned out that way.

Getting my ass out of bed, I headed to the restroom to wash my face and fix my mane since it was an utter mess. I looked at myself in the mirror, seeing the one thing I hated most: Myself. After washing up, I grabbed my shades from the nightstand and made a beeline to the door. There wasn’t anything else for me here, aside from memories that would haunt me for the rest of my stupid life; from the last moments I had spent with Swirly, that I knew regardless how much I may want or not want, would never be unforgotten.

I closed the door, and, this time, I really didn’t look back.

⁂

By the time I got to my hotel room, it must have been close to noon. I wondered what Octavia was doing, what she was thinking, and, most importantly, what shit Neon was going to give me. Either way, I had to face the music some day. So why not do it now?

Inserting my key card into the door, I pushed my way in and saw Octavia on the bed. She was reading the newspaper, but she quickly looked away from it when she saw me come in.

“Vinyl!” she said, leaping off the bed and coming toward me. “Where in Celestia have you been? I’ve been worried sick. I even asked Neon if he knew where you were, but he said he didn’t. Where were you?”

“I was…” I sighed, looking away from Octavia and sitting on the bed. If I wanted to actually be with Octavia, I had to tell her the truth. No lies. Just honesty. “I was with Swirly last night. She dropped by during my gig, and we talked for a bit after I was done. Then that’s when one thing lead to another and…we kinda almost did it on stage, and Neon caught me.”

As of right now, I had a feeling that Octavia would hate me for telling her the type of pony I really was: An easy mare that would do it anywhere if it moment was right. But that wasn’t the case. At. All. Instead, she said, “And then?”

Was she asking me what happened next? I thought she would…never mind that. “Well. if you really want to know, she took me to her hotel room, and that’s when it all happened. She made love to me, and we held each other close. We talked about us and if there was a chance of us being together again. But I told her it wouldn’t work out because I could never trust her again.”

I paused to gage her reaction, to my shock there was none, nothing given anyway. “After that, I pretty much told her that we’re done. I never saw her in the morning when I woke up. Nor do I ever expect to see her again. So, yeah, that was my night.”

“I, um…I don’t know what to say.”

“Then don’t.” My voice was unintentionally harsh and snarky. “What’s done is done. Swirly is in my past now. And now I gotta start thinking of my new life, and—”

Before I had the chance to finish, the room to the hotel barged open with Neon standing in the doorway with a look of outrage on his face. “Vinyl Scratch! Do you have any idea how close you were to ruining everything last night?” he asked, his voice loud and hinting anger. “You could’ve lost everything! You mind telling me what the hell that was all about, hmm?”

“It’s complicated, Neon,” I said, my voice as direct as I could possibly make it. “I’d rather not fill you in on the details. Last night was…painful for me, and I don’t wanna think about it.”

“Why’s that? What could possibly be so bad that you can’t tell me?” he asked.

“Don’t press the issue,” I said, getting up and scrunching my face down in anger.

“Alright, fine, I won’t press the issue, but you should seriously count yourself lucky that it was only me and two other ponies who caught you. you could’ve really pissed off the manager had the wrong ponies gotten word.”

“I’m sorry, alright? Can we just forget about this?”

“Not unless you promise me that you won’t pull shit like that again, this is something that can very well give the wrong impression of you.”

No doubt about it. This wasn’tsomething that could be swept under the rug. I was careless, stupid, and incompetent of holding back from Swirly. And for what? Makeup sex? Closure? Or was it just me being a desperate pony that wanted it right there on the stage? I didn’t have the answer to any of those questions. Nonetheless, if I wanted to keep my dreams—and, maybe, get with Octavia—I owed it to myself, and to Neon to never do something like that ever again.

Getting out of my thoughts, I said, “I know, I bucked up really badly and—”

“If I’m going to help you live your dream, you can’t go around and pull shit like that again. We clear?” Neon said simply, his tone directing no bullshit.

“Yes, Neon.”

“Good. I hate sounding like a nagging mother or something, but I had to drill this into your thick skull, otherwise we might have a dreamless pony. And nopony wants that.”

“I get it, I get it, can we stop talking about this now?”

“We can. Anyways, I have to head out now. I’ll see you two later.” At that, he left.

I plopped myself onto the bed, buried my face in a pillow, and hollered into it, letting out my frustration.

“How about we go outside for a bit and get some air? It might do you some good,” Octavia said to me.

I turned to her. “Am I an embarrassment to you?”

She came up to me. “What kind of question is that?”

“A legitimate one.”

“You’re not an embarrassment. You just made an honest mistake. I’d say you’re noble for admitting your faults rather than trying to deny them.”

“You really mean it?”

“Of course I do. I never say anything I don’t mean.”

When I heard that, I smiled. “Is that offer to go out for a walk still a go?”

“If you want it to be.”

“Let’s go then. I need to get outta this place for a bit.”

⁂

The Manehattan park was totally something I’ve always wanted to check out. Not so much for the sightseeing of the ocean and beyond, which was to the the east, but for the kick-ass stage that was right in the dead centre of the park. The stage was often taken by various bands and DJs that would perform during special events like New Year’s Eve or the play of Heart’s Warming Eve. I remember telling Swirly once that I always dreamed of rocking out on that stage with the fans cheering for me below.

But that didn’t happen. And it wouldn’t, not with Swirly at least.

Trailing along the outskirts of the park looking over the ocean, Octavia and I glanced at each other, but didn’t say anything worthwhile. There was something bugging the living crap out of me, yet I couldn’t figure out what it was. Maybe it was the aftermath of sleeping with Swirly—all the while knowing that I’d never be the one to do it again with her? Or maybe it was because I hated myself for letting her go for good? But that couldn’t be it. I ended this with her because it was the ending that we both needed.

Now that I thought about it, the only bad thing about all of this—and probably the thing that was bothering me—would be if Octavia was no longer interested in me. If that was true, I couldn’t blame her. Who’d want to be with a loser like me? I couldn’t even get my head on straight when Swirly came back into my life, even if it was only for a night. Hell, I even did it on stage with her last night, only to be caught by the same pony who helped put me there in the first place. That didn’t seem like a pony Octavia would want to be with, let alone be friends with. Plus, when I put myself in her horseshoes, if we were just starting out, and she slept with her old boyfriend that day….

The only thing I could do now, rather than making stupid assumptions—like I always do—was ask her if she and I could be a thing.

I stopped about mid-way in our walk at a park bench that was on a patch of grass which lead off to an open field. I hopped on the bench and Octavia soon joined me. Two friends on a bench. Could this get any better?

“Look, Octavia,” I said, hoping I didn’t sound like a jackass, “the past few days have been crazy for me, and probably for you too. Finding out that your ex was abusing you, starting my career here in Manehattan, running into Swirly and sleeping with her…it’s a lot for me and you to take in, I know. But since you and I became friends that night, I can’t help but think you’re the one, my one.”

Celestia, I sound like a jackass.

“And I’ve been meaning to ask you something since I got back to my hotel room this morning, but I couldn’t since Neon barged in.”

“What is it?” Octavia asked, her voice sounding unconcerned and incurious.

Hearing her tone of voice scared me to the core. But I spoke up anyway. “I’ve wanted to ask you if you’d like to go out with me…on a date? And before you say anything, yes, I know we’ve both just been dumped, and no you’re not a rebound, I jus—”

“Vinyl…” Octavia trailed off, after which she picked up my forehooves with her own. “I’ve really enjoyed the friendship you’ve given me so far. Sure it’s only been three or so days, but I can tell you’re loyal and protective to your friends. Especially to me. At least from what I can tell…”

Why did her voice—the same one I loved a second ago—make me want to run for the hills?

“But I have to be honest with you, we can’t be together. The other night when we cuddled, I like it, and I did feel safe in your hooves, but…”

“But?”

“How would you feel if I went and had sex with him the very next day?” Octavia asked, her voice sincere, but direct. “Look, Vinyl, you’re very sweet, but I never really saw myself with a mare, and not one that would have sex with her ex the day after cuddling with someone new.”

I didn’t freaking believe it. I blew it, and I thought…you know what, never mind. I spoke up. “So, you're saying we’ll never be more than friends, huh?”

“Quite so, I’m afraid.” Octavia pulled me closer so our noses would almost touching, despite everything she just said. “I’m more than happy to be your friend, though if that counts for anything now.”

“Of course it does.” I lied; because it felt like my heart was being squashed on. “I just hoped that maybe we had something…. But I guess I thought wrong.”

“I’m sorry.”

“Nah, don’t apologize. It’s my fault for stupidly thinking we could be together. Forget we even had this conversation,” I said, my voice unintentionally harsh.

“Vinyl, I didn—”

“Hey, you two.” A familiar voice called out from the distance.

Our heads whirled around, and we both shirked when we saw Wheelie making his way to us.

“Wheelie? What the buck does he want? If he tries anything again—”

“Don’t bother wasting your energy on him. He won’t listen to you,” Octavia said. “Let me deal with him.”

“Hey, I’m talking to you,” Wheelie said, only a few hoof steps away.

“What do you want, Wheelie? I already told you we’re done,” Octavia said.

“Yeah, and I’m telling you we’re not.” He took a step closer to her.

“If you take another step, shithead, you won’t know what hit you,” I said, jumping in front of Octavia. “I’m serious. You hurt her, and I’ll make sure you’re dealt with properly.” I really hoped he would, I really needed something to hit right now.

The idiot laughed. “Is that a threat?”

“Nope, it’s a promise. And I never make a promise I can’t keep.”

“Blah, blah, blah, blah, blah. Do you hear yourself? You’re nothing but an annoyance. And you know what I do to ponies that get in my way? I put them in their place.”

I wasn’t scared. At. All. The only thing Wheelie was to me was a maggot at the bottom of a trash can; because that’s where he belonged. “Are you stupid? Wait, don’t answer that. I already know the answer to that.”

The expression Wheelie had on his face was nothing but an ambitious one, though it quickly faded away, then back up again. His eyes were glued on us like some creep you’d see in a sketchy old bar, and the smirk on his face only grew wider and wider as time went by. I was ready for anything that he would try—at least I thought I was.

Suddenly, he took a swing at me with a hoof—right on my left cheek—and Celestia did I ever feel it: The amount of force that struck me, right there and then, hurt worse than any pain I’ve ever felt in my life. At that point in time, I thought my jaw had shattered. I wished he had knocked it off; losing it wouldn’t have hurt this badly. “You m-ucking m-ocmucker!” I rambled, unable to form a coherent sentence.

I had heard about an earth pony’s strength, but I had never experienced it before. Well, before that day anyway.

“What was that? I can’t understand you from your rightful spot on the ground. Don’t worry though, I’ll teach you to always know your place.”

The next second happened in a blur of grey. Before I could even blink, I heard a loud crack and then, in the next instant, Wheelie was on the ground with me. I could see the look of utter pain he was in, pain that could only be caused by another earth pony.

“Don’t you lay one more effing hoof on her again!” Octavia was standing over his limp body. She had just bucked him square in the chest as hard as she could. “I’m so sick of you’re abusive ways, and I won’t have you hurt her.”

She spat in his face before saying, “I am so done with you, Wheelie. I’ve put up with your nonsense long enough, and now you can feel what you put me through everyday.” She bucked him in the chest again, causing him to cough hard.

Damn, what a mare.

She kept hitting him, getting him back for all the shit he pulled. I managed to get back to my hooves in that time and walk up to her. Part of me, a rather large part, took a shit-ton of enjoyment from this. The condescending ass deserved every hit, every broken rib he got and more, much more. However, I also didn’t want Octavia to overdo it. If she did, he could actually wipe out. “Octavia, t-that’s enough.”

To my amazement, she actually stopped.

Then I noticed there was a decent size group of ponies surrounding us, and most of them were whispering things amongst themselves. I turned back to Octavia and said, “I never thought you’d have it in you to do something like that, Octavia.”

She didn’t say anything. Instead, she rushed over to me and helped balance me. “Are you alright? He hit you pretty hard. Earth ponies are known for their strength so that had to hurt, a lot.”

I rubbed my cheek again, feeling bolts of pain go through me as I touched it. “Yeah, it hurts like hell. It’s gonna bruise that’s for sure, and—”

“Manehattan Guard here! We got a report of a violent fight breaking out and…oh…”

The guard was a large unicorn stallion, outfitted with light armour covering his chest, small metal bracers around his hooves, and a metal helmet that only left his nose, eyes, ears, and mouth exposed. He was looking down at Wheelie squawking in pain. “Is this the stallion that was causing problems?”

“Yes! He’s the one that hit the white unicorn over there!” somepony shouted out from the crowd.

The guard came up to me and noticed the bruise that was swelling on my face. “Were you assaulted by him?”

“Yeah I was. My friend and I were minding our own business, and then he suddenly showed up. He’s my friend’s ex. I told him to back off, but he didn’t listen. Then he hit me on my cheek. That’s when she knocked his ass on the ground, and then bucked him right in the chest, a few times. That’s why he’s on the ground crying like a foal.”

“I see,” the guard said. “Very well. He’s coming with me. He won’t be hurting anypony else, that’s for sure. Oh, and before I go, what’s your name?”

“My name is Vinyl Scratch, and this is Octavia,” I said.

“I’ll remember that if I ever have to contact you for questioning. Also, let me help you with that bruise.”

I nodded.

The guard lit up his horn, and a pale blue aura enveloped my jaw. The feeling was odd, prickly, and strange, causing me to almost break out in laughter. What really shocked me though, he wasn’t straining at all. That was weird; healing spells normally take a lot of unicorns.

Eventually, I felt the swelling in my chin die down, until it stopped pulsing under my skin. Pain was no longer present in my cheek, almost like it never got hit to begin with. After rubbing my chin for few seconds, I said, “Thanks.”

“No need to thank me, ma’am. It’s my job.” He paused to help Wheelie up to his hooves. “All right, come along you. We’ve got a nice cold cell with your name on it.” The guard lifted Wheelie up with his magic to prevent him from running off. “C’mon, get moving. And don’t try anything funny. I have backup in my favour if I need it.”

Before I knew it, they were gone, and so were the crowd of ponies.

“So much for our little walk, huh, Octavia?” I said to her, my voice a little downcast.

“It was rather eventful…but I have to tell you something,” she said.

“What is it?”

“Promise me we won’t stop being friends.”

“I promise,” I said. In truth, it was going to be hard for me to accept the reality that Octavia didn’t want to be with me.

“You’re one of a kind friend, you know that?”

“I thought I was the ace of spades?”

“That you are…that you are.”

⁂

Later on in the day, right after sunset, I met up with Neon in the VIP lounge at The Spotlight. We were the only ones there for the time being, so it gave me a chance to tell him everything that went down at the park earlier today, as well as what would be happening later on. He grinned while I told him how Wheelie had his ass handed to him by Octavia, and how the guard dragged the pathetic excuse for a pony out of our sights; hopefully putting an end to his relentlessness once and for all.

It felt good to be a part of his arrest; even if my role had been a punching bag.

“So what you gonna do now?” Neon asked.

“For now, I’m gonna focus on my career, and my friendship with Octavia. We aren’t together if you’re wondering.”

“Oh? Why’s that?”

“Swirly.” He nodded, fully understanding how that event had messed up any chances I might have had with Octavia.

“Hmm…well, for what it’s worth, it’s a shame. You two are complete opposites, but in a good way. It’s like you two were meant to be together.”

“I guess not,” I said, slightly depressed that even he noticed. “I just hope can get past my ex, you know, now that we’ve officially ended it.”

“I think you will. I know it messed things up with you and Octavia, but, if you ask me, that was the ending you both needed. You know, one last going away fuck with your ex.”

“I thought you were pissed we almost did it on stage?”

Neon hugged me, catching me by surprise. “I see now why you did what you did on stage.” He pulled back. “I take back what I said earlier to you this morning, back at the hotel.”

“I wouldn’t have expected you to know.”

“So, listen. I hate to end our conversation so abruptly, but it’s almost eight. Didn’t you say you were meeting up with Octavia for dinner or something?”

“Wait, it’s eight already? I told Octavia I’d be there at seven thirty! Shit. I gotta go. See ya, Neon,” I said making a break for the door, only to poke me head inside on last time. “Oh, and, Neon.”

“Yes?”

“Thanks for everything.”

He looked confused. “It’s the least I can do for you.”

I paused. “What do you mean?”

He laughed. “You really don’t remember do you?”

“What?”

“Let’s just say, I owe my cutie mark to a spunky little white filly that showed me the power of wubs one day.”

“Wait…what?”

“A story for another time. Don’t you have a certain friend waiting on you?”

“Right, later, Neon.”

⁂

By the time I had gotten back to the hotel’s restaurant, it must had been twenty-five after eight, meaning I was almost one hour late. With a huge sigh of relief, I saw that she was still waiting on me.

I took a seat at our table; there weren’t an exchange of words, at least not yet. I expected anger to come from her, but, instead, a smile greeted me; a smile that I would see for a very long time.

“Hello, Vinyl,” Octavia said, her voice calm, “I’m glad you could make it.”

I didn’t know if she was being sarcastic or honest.

“But I’m late. Like really late.”

“I don’t care if you’re late. What matters is that you’re here now. I wouldn’t be much of a friend if I scorched you for making an honest mistake.”

“Hehe, yeah. I guess you’re right. To hell with time! Vinyl Scratch is in the house,” I said, unintentionally disturbing the high-class atmosphere of music and chatter. “Sorry.”

Octavia giggled. “You’re adorable when you're embarrassed.”

“Am not.”

“I think you are.”

Sound logic.

“Okay, then I am.”

“All right then.”

“You know, I might be throwing around the word friend a lot, but you really are a good one.”

How can I both love and hate that word?

“So are you.”

I smiled at her.

I’d love to say we had this great awesome night, one in which I convinced her I was all that and a bag of chips, but that wasn’t the case; the evening was largely idle nonsense and chatter with me making a fool of myself more often than I cared to admit; not that it was too bad because it always seemed to make her laugh; but, when the night was done, I went back to my hotel room, alone.

Octavia told me she’d be staying five doors down from her original room—not able to sleep in the same room she had suffered years of abuse in. When she asked if I’d be alright, I told her that, somehow, even if I was forced to live in this big ass hotel room all by myself, completely free, I’d manage to make it through.

It’s so tough roughing it.

I lay on my bed, flipping to my left side, only to see that seventy percent of it was vacant. I wondered who’d fill that spot from here on out, or if anypony would. I didn’t know for sure, but I was certain that it would be somepony else very soon, if not that, then not at all.

Looking up at the ceiling, my mind dug up the memories of today, specifically at the park. Tears pooled in my eyes, and my body jerked around as I felt all the pain—tearing through me, as if I were a cheap rag doll being ripped apart by a dog—I endured over the last while. Today, when Octavia had told me she and I couldn’t be a thing, there was only anger and another broken heart that would go unsettled and unfixed.

And because of that, I never loved anypony else ever again.

And that was good.