The Chance To Sayby GDapperStudiosChaptersPart One: Not My TypePart Two: What The Hell Happened?Part Three: An Asylum!? What the hell for?!Part Four: I Never Really Had Any SleepoversPart Five: You've Heard My Music?Part Six: You'll Regret ThisPart Seven: Vinyl's His Next Target!Part Eight: There Isn't Any Good News I'm AfraidPart Nine: Sir, Are You Ok?Part Ten: Just A Matter Of TimePart Twelve: Please Open Your Eyes Again...Part Thirteen: This Just Isn't HappeningPart Fourteen: Can't Say No To ThatPart Fifteen: Just LeavePart Sixteen: This Is A NightmarePart Seventeen: So, You'll Be Joining Me In Vanhoover?Part Eighteen: It Isn't ManeHatten That's Getting To MeChapter Nineteen: What's Wrong?Part Twenty: No RegretsPart Eleven: I'll Give You Two The Time You NeedPart One: Not My TypeAbout 2 weeks had passed since Hearth's Warming, and the towns and cities of Equestria were still feeling the effects of winter. Snow, cold, all the same symptoms of the season. Octavia was walking down the streets of Manehattan, cello case on her side. She almost fell when she slipped on a patch of ice, and she was already off balance from carrying the instrument. "Can't hurt myself, I just got out of the damn concert hall." Octavia had become a wild hit, nearly putting the other genres of music and their musicians to shame. She had just finished a bit show at the concert hall in Manehatten, and she was walking to her new apartment in the city. Deciding to relocate from Ponyville to Manehatten was a tough but well worth it decision to make. She had to choose between her music and her comfortable life in Ponyville. Of course she chose the music, but there were odd times when she would start to miss her old life. She continued her walk down one of the main streets of Manehattan, being careful to avoid ice patches and other ponies. Stopping for a moment to check how many bits she had got for her last gig, a voice faintly called out to her. "Excuse me miss, could you spare a few bits?" She turned to see where the weak, raspy voice was coming from and was met by a mare. She was white unicorn with an electric blue mane, wearing a deep blue sweater and a pair of pink sunglasses with one lens cracked. Octavia looked at the mare for a moment, then back to her saddlebag. She thought about giving the mare some of the bits in the envelope in her saddlebag, but a small part of her brain that wanted her cello re-strung spoke for her. "I'm sorry, I don't have any I can spare at the moment." A look of despair lashed across the other mares face when the sentence ended, and Octavia could swear she saw a tear form. "Oh, o-ok, have a good day then." The unicorn turned her back, sniffed, and crawled back into the large cardboard box that she was apparently living in. A deep feeling of regret hit Octavia's heart as she watched the mare curl up into a helpless little ball inside the box, and she tried to force herself to walk away, but a strong force inside of her stopped her from moving. Closing her eyes to think for a moment, a voice inside her head told her to do something. She turned back the other way, facing the unicorn once again. "Hey, I can't give you any bits, but maybe I can make it up to you another way?" The mare looked up at Octavia, who flashed a warm smile. "H-how do you mean?" "Well, I suppose you'd rather spend a night in a building rather than where you are now?" The mare smiled, and nodded in agreement. Octavia did the same and motioned with her head for the other mare to follow her. The white unicorn levitated a blanket and a few other assorted things with her as Octavia turned and the two began their walk. "So, I see that you're a musician." This sentence seemed rather cold, as if it was said more out if anger than out of questioning. "Yes I am, in fact I actually just left my last show at the concert hall." "That's great." Octavia now realized why the mares words seemed to have a bit of hateful edge to them. She caught a quick glimpse of the other pony's cutie mark, and noticed that it was a musical note. "Y-yeah, yeah it is." Octavia's mood had shifted quite a bit, seeming as how she felt that she might have caused this poor mares situation. Silence overtook most of the walk to the apartment, though the odd bits of conversation popped up every now and again. They came upon Octavia's apartment building and Octavia looked up for a moment, then switched her gaze to the mare beside her. She saw the mare shiver and decided that she should probably get her inside and get her some tea or something to warm her. "Well, this is the building. Up two floors and we're in." "Cool." "Shall we go on then?" "Yep." Proceeding to enter the building and walk up the stairs, the mares eventually found themselves in Octavia's apartment. Octavia put her cello case down near the door, being sure to not damage it or its contents. She turned back to see that the other mare had taken a seat at the table. The white unicorn was just sitting there staring at something that she was levitating in front of her. Octavia thought she saw another tear forming in the other mares eye, and had to try to keep one from forming in her own. "Hey, I um, I don't believe I got your name." The mare quickly switched her stare from the item in front of her to Octavia. She put the thing back in her bag and looked at Octavia again. "My name's Vinyl, Vinyl Scratch. Also known as DJ pon3. Well, formerly known as that I guess." A slight cringe came from the last sentence to Octavia. Her belief that she had put this mare out of business was confirmed, and she felt awful. "F-formerly? How do you mean?" Vinyl looked down at the table for a moment, sighed, and then proceeded to speak. "Well, I'm not exactly a DJ anymore. My music just isn't really appreciated in Equestria these days." Vinyl sighed heavily as she raised her head, and brushed some of her vibrant mane out of the way of her eyes. Octavia looked the mare in the eyes, very easily able to see the stress and sadness that Vinyl was feeling. Octavia took a seat at the table beside Vinyl before speaking. "Well, how did you end up on the street? Surely you had something else to fall back on." Another sigh from Vinyl signified that her next set wasn't going to be very positive. "Not exactly. See, my agent had me staying at his place for work, seeing as how I don't actually live in Manehatten. Once the ponies stopped liking the music that we produced, he just couldn't afford to keep me. I didn't have anypony else to help me, and somewhere along the lines I just kinda ended up on the street." Octavia was on the verge of tears. She had caused this mares misery, and she was overwhelmed with guilt. "That's awful." "Eh, I kinda expected him to kick me out at some point anyways." "Still, that is truly awful to hear about." Vinyl shifted her gaze again to the table, hiding her face from Octavia. "Hey, I didn't get your name." "Oh, I'm Octavia Melody." Vinyl looked up at the gray mare beside her again. "Wait, you're Octavia Melody? Like, the classy music Octavia Melody?" Octavia gulped. It seemed that this wasn't a question of wondering, but more of hate. "Y-yes, I'm a cellist." Octavia was expecting shouting from the mare, but instead she sat silent. Then, Vinyl grinned and leaned back in the chair she sat in. "Well well well, would ya look at that." "Wh-what?" "Two minutes ago I was out on the street, now I'm sitting here talking to the musical star of Equestria." Octavia blushed a little bit. She knew she had been popular lately, but star? Maybe Vinyl was just complimenting her, but Octavia felt as if it meant something more than just being friendly. "Oh, I don't know about star, but thank you." "No problem. What's a mare like you doin' living in an apartment like this? Not that it's crappy or whatever, just that I thought that you'd be makin' the kinda money that you would be able to have your own house or something." Octavia had to stop and think before answering that. She wondered herself why she hadn't moved out and into a house, or at least a better apartment. "Oh, I guess I'm just living here because it's cheaper." "Oh, I see." A feeling that that last statement was a little more sarcastic came over Octavia, and she blushed embarrassedly. She didn't want that mare to think that she was cheap, in fact, she was quite wealthy. Octavia got up and started towards the kitchen area, hoping to change the subject. "Can I get you a hot beverage? It's awful cold out there." "You're tellin' me. Sure, I'll take a cup of coffee if you got it." "Coming right up." Octavia quickly made the drinks and got them over to the table, putting the coffee in front of Vinyl. "Terribly sorry if the coffee isn't very good, I'm not exactly and avid coffee drinker." Vinyl took a sip, and was pleased with the taste of the drink. She was quite frankly happy to have anything warm at all, and she certainly wouldn't be complaining about coffee considering the circumstances. "It's alright, I won't complain." Both flashed a smile and took another sip of their drinks. Vinyl set her mug down and used her magic to ruffle through her bag. She smiled widely as she levitated a shiny metal object out of it. Octavia questioned the object at first, but what Vinyl began pouring into her drink made it clear. The object was a flask, full of some sort of alcohol that seemed to resemble one that Octavia enjoyed many times in Ponyville. Vinyl caught Octavia's stare and chuckled slightly. "AppleJack Daniels. Some of the finest in Equestria. You want some?" Octavia shook her head, and Vinyl shrugged and drained the rest of the alcohol into her mouth. "Good stuff. So hey, I forgot to ask you something." "What's that?" "So, you're a musician, you play a lot of big shows, a lot of them in Manehatten and Trottingham right?" "Um, y-yes I do." "And you play the more, classy stuff right." "Correct." "And, I play more, upbeat techno music, right?" "Well, I wouldn't know from personal experience, but you did say that you were a DJ." "Right. And the two kinds of music don't really go together, do they?" "I wouldn't say so. Where are you going with this by the way?" "Well, I'd bet you would never guess that I've been to almost every show you've played." Octavia looked with astonishment at Vinyl, who quickly covered her blushing face with her drink. This seemed oddly like a flirtatious sentence to Octavia, and Vinyl's reddened face was also a factor in that belief. "You? You've been to a lot of my shows? Considering the fact that you're a DJ I never would have thought that." "Yeah, I never thought I would've enjoyed your music. But this stallion I knew was way into classical, so I went to a show with him one time, and I kinda liked it." Octavia giggled a little bit at the statement, and decided to be a little bit of a gossip. "Oh, a stallion you say?" Vinyl glared at Octavia but couldn't help but laugh. "Hey, don't be thinking that I was just after some action, he's just a friend." "Oh, of course." "Thats right of course. And besides, he has a mare-friend. And I play for the other side anyhow." This made Octavia laugh so hard that she spit out some of her tea, and Vinyl just blushed and laughed along. "Well well, and here I was thinking you were some kind of a badass that lept from stallion to stallion like any former celebrity would." "Hey, I didn't say that I didn't do that at one time. You gotta sample before you buy." Again laughter arose from the two, and more drinks spilled or spat out. Octavia got up to get a towel to clean the mess that they had made. She came back and wiped down the table. Vinyl had got up and was looking at some of the decorations around the apartment. "You know most mares couldn't pull off such a good look from this kind of apartment. I know I couldn't." Vinyl chuckled slightly as she levitated a picture of Octavia and her parents in front of her. Octavia threw out the paper towels she had used and walked over to where Vinyl stood. "You're not the decorating type?" "Oh hell no. You clearly are, I couldn't decorate to save my own life." "Thank you." "No problem, so it's ok if I crash here tonight?" "Of course it is. Are you ok with the couch or would you like me to get the guest room ready?" "Hell, I've been lying on a cardboard box as a bed for the past few months, even a couch will be like a cloud." Vinyl walked over to beside the couch and unfolded a blanket with her magic. She played down on the couch and draped the blanket over her, settling in to her new surroundings with ease. "Hey, thank you so much for letting me stay here, I owe you big time." "Oh, it's no problem. Have a good sleep." "Same to you." Octavia turned off the light and walked into her own bedroom, closing the door behind her. She got into bed and turned off the bedside lamp. Once she got comfortable, she began thinking about her day all in all. So, took in a mare off the street, one that I pretty much put on the street, and now she's sleeping in my living room. Not my typical day, but at least she seems nice. To Be Continued... Part Two: What The Hell Happened?Octavia woke up to her usual alarm that she had set to an easy listening radio station. She opened her eyes and looked around her room for a moment before getting up. She walked over to the vanity and brushed her mane down into its usual form. Humming along to the radio as she brushed, she took in the comfortable surroundings of her morning routine. Something wasn't the same though, there was an odd noise coming from the living room. She got up and walked slowly over to the door, poking her head out of the slim space. Continuing her walk into the living room, she figured that the noise was coming from the white unicorn sprawled out on the couch. That's what that noise was? I could've sworn a train was in the living room. Octavia chuckled to herself as she trotted over to the kitchen and got out a large pan. She turned on the stoves right front burner and put the pan down. Quickly cracking a few eggs onto it, she fried herself up a small breakfast. Not wanting to wake the other mare, and seeing as how the space was occupied, she decided against sitting on the couch and watching T.V. She set her breakfast down on her desk in her room and walked over to the dresser. After putting on her show outfit, she debated wearing a hat or not. Instead of continuing her self-debate for more than a few seconds, she decided to review the songs for the show and sat down at her desk. She pulled open a drawer and drew from inside it a few sheets of music. Octavia looked over the music thoroughly while eating her breakfast,as there was another big show today, and if she nailed it it could be the paycheck that upgrades her apartment to a house. Would I want carpet or hardwood in the living room? Maybe tile? No, tile's for the kitchen. With my luck I'dscratch the floors all up moving the furniture through the living room. Octavia got distracted by the thoughts of her new place, and stopped caring about the music momentarily. She snapped back into focus when a loud snort-type sound came from the living room, followed by a long yawn. She must be up. Should I go out or stay here? A few rustling noises followed by a few loud, dry coughs made Octavia stand up and walk back into the living room. She saw the unicorn doing a few stretches beside the couch. Vinyl looked over and saw Octavia standing in the doorway. "Hey." "Good morning. You sleep well?" "For sure. Haven't slept like that in months." "Oh, well I'm glad you're well rested." "Thanks, and thanks again for taking me in." "Oh it's no trouble." "I didn't wake you with my snoring did I? I've been told I can be pretty noisy." "No, I wasn't bothered." "Ok, good." Vinyl cocked her head from one side to the other and back again, hearing it crack as she did so. She used her magic to bring a flip-blade comb up to her mane. With a small flourish, she flipped the comb open and straightened out her mane. At this point, Octavia had walked over to the door and picked up her cello. Vinyl had sat back down on the couch and let out a few coughs as she did so. Octavia had almost walked out door after putting her coat on and her cello on her back. She stopped in the doorway when she remembered that the mare on the couch didn't live there. Octavia turned to see Vinyl levitating an apple and taking a bite out of it. "Um, Vinyl?" "Yeah?" "I, I have to go for my concert. Um, I was wondering what you were planning to do?" Vinyl held up a hoof and swallowed the bit of apple in her mouth. She dug around in her bag and eventually pulled out a small device. After flipping it open, she frowned and looked back to Octavia. "You got a phone around here?" "Yes. It's over there beside the fridge. You're welcome to use it if you need." "Awesome, thanks." "It's no problem. I'll see you later today?" "Yeah, I'll probably be here. I got a few calls I've been meaning to make." "Alright, see you later." "See ya." As Octavia trotted out the door, Vinyl got up and walked over to the phone. It was a cordless version, so she just levitated it up and entered the number. "Alright, let's make these calls then." ______________________________ "So, let me get this straight again. You found her on the street and decided to take her in just because a feeling told you to?" "Well when you put it like that.." "Come on Tav, you know better than to do something like that. You remember last year when that band was killed by street ponies?" "Yes I remember." "Whatever, doesn't matter. So long as she doesn't start distracting you." Octavia was sitting in her dressing room with her agent, Platinum Record. He was newer to the business, but he definitely was born to do it. He was a unicorn, with a jet black coat and a silver mane streaked with blazing red. A marw poked her head in the door and looked at Octavia. "You're on in five minutes miss Melody." "Alright, thank you." The pony left the room and Platinum Record turned back to Octavia. The grey mare had taken her cello out and was fiddling around with a few minor things on it. "Alright Tav, this is it. After this show, you'll hit the top of the charts for sure. Just remember to relax and just focus on the cello." "Alright, I'm ready." "Excellent, it's time to go then." The two stood up and walked over to the door. Octavia walked down the hall to the side of the stage. Platinum Record walked past her and over to the microphone stand in the center of the stage. He levitated the mic beside him and nodded to Octavia before walking through the curtains. Octavia let out a long sigh as she looked down at the ground. She could here her agents muffled words as he addressed the crowd. "Fillies and gentlecolts, please put your hooves together for Octavia Melody!" Octavia quickly took her place on the stage as the curtains drew open. Platinum Record quickly walked over and placed the mic back on the stand. "Good luck." They nodded to each other as he trotted off the stage. Octavia pressed her bow gently against the strings of the cello, and after a brief moment of thought she began playing. The crowd was silent as she went through the song she had written and played the other day. She never strayed her gaze from the long wooden neck of the instrument, trying her hardest not to mess up even the slightest bit. She began straying from the song not in the physical sense but the mental sense. I wonder what kind of calls Vinyl had to make. Hopefully she makes a call that will get her set up with a nice place, maybe she has a- Octavia's thoughts were shattered by an ear-peircing sound coming from her cello. She looked up in a panic as the crowd let out a low sound of disappointment. Octavia went red as she looked down and continued playing. She fumbled through the rest of the song, occasionally catching disappointed glances from Platinum Record. After her song ended, she stood up and bowed. She was given a mediocre round of applause as she walked off the stage with a large amount of shame. How the bloody hell did I screw that up so bad? Was it because I was thinking about...it was! "Octavia! What the hell happened?" "Save it Platinum, I have to go be somewhere." "What do you mean by that?" Octavia had immediately taken the offensive in the argument, as Platinum knew when she was mad. She never snapped on him. Octavia packed up her cello and walked towards the back door. "I'll, I'll talk to you tommorow?" "Call me if something happens." Octavia pushed open the door and began walking home. Platinum Record put a hoof to his earpiece, answering the call that had come in. "Yeah this is Plat, what you got? Yes. Yes she did. I figured. Alright. Alright, thanks. Yeah, bye. Fuck. I hope she gets her shit together before Friday." ______________________________ Octavia stormed up the stairs to her apartment. She had been thinking about her screw up all the way home. Octavia nearly broke the door with the amount of force that she opened it with. "Vinyl! I need to talk to you now!" She set her cello case down and closed the door. She turned around to see the white unicorn sleeping on the couch. "Vinyl, wake up!" When no response came, Octavia walked over and prodded Vinyl's body. "Vinyl?" She put her head up against the unicorns chest and listened. She didn't hear a heartbeat. "Vinyl!" ______________________________ "I'm sorry miss Melody, but she's in intensive care at the moment." "And why does that mean that I can't see her?" "Are you family?" "No." "I'm sorry, but I can't let anypony in who isn't family." The receptionist pony looked at Octavia from behind the glass. Octavia felt a mixture of defeat and anger. She put her front hooves on top of the desktop and stared daggers at the pony. "Isn't there any way I can see her? Is it a money issue? I promise you I can-" "Bribery will only get us both in trouble miss Melody." Octavia lowered her hooves and looked to the floor. Another pony walked up behind the receptionist. "Your shift's over, you can go." "Alright, I'll talk to you tommorow." Octavia looked up to see another mare sitting down and adjusting her mane. Maybe she'll let me see Vinyl. "Excuse me miss, but is there a way I could see a patient?" The mare looked up and saw Octavia. A grin instantly spread across her face. "No way! You're Octavia Melody!" Octavia blushed a little bit at the pony's enthusiasm, and she nodded. "Yes, yes I am." "I'm a huge fan! What are you doing here?" "Um, there's somepony I would like to see. Can I do that?" "Sure can!" The pony dug around in a drawer and pulled out a few forms. "Who are you trying to see?" "Vinyl Scratch." "K,she's in room 2C just down the hall to the left." "Thank you very much." "No problem, but can I get an autograph?" "Sure." Octavia was given a pen and a peice of paper on which she wrote her name and a short inspirational sentence. The receptionist squealed like a filly when Octavia passed the paper back to her. Octavia ran down the hallway and quickly entered room 2C. The sight that awaited her almost made her cry. Vinyl was laid out on the hospital bed, asleep. Octavia ran over and put her hoof on Vinyl's chest, feeling the slow heartbeat. The only ambiance she had was the machine next to Vinyl's bed beeping at a slow pace. "Vinyl? Vinyl are you awake?" Vinyl's eyes fluttered open, and she rolled onto her side. She saw Octavia and tried to sit up. "Oc-octavia?" "Vinyl! You're alive!" "Yeah, I'm alive. What the hell happened?" "I don't know. When I got home I thought you were asleep on the couch, but I couldn't hear your heart beating so I rushed you here." "Wait, you rushed me here?" Octavia nodded as Vinyl pushed herself into a sitting position. Vinyl smiled and looked around the room. "Thanks. I mean, the last thing I remember was getting off the phone with an old friend and then I passed out on the couch. Now I'm here." "What did the doctor say?" "He said something about my body reacting badly to the cold. Apparently it took this long for it to become something bad." "Well, I'm just glad you're OK." "Well look who was worried about little old Vinyl." Vinyl crossed her forehooves and smirked at Octavia. Octavia's face went a little red and she stumbled over her words. "I-I was just, concerned that, that you were-" "Suuuuuuure." Vinyl chuckled and looked forwards at the clock across the room. "How'd the concert thingy go?" "Oh, umm, it went ok." "Just ok?" "I sort of messed up." Vinyl cocked her head and looked at Octavia. "Wait, you messed up? That can't be good." "No, no, my agent was quite upset." "At least you still have an agent." "That's true I guess. I have another show in a few days, I just hope I don't screw that one up too." "I'm sure you'll do great." Octavia noticed that the machine next to Vinyl had slowed down in its beeps pace. As it did, Vinyl looked to be getting more and more tired. "Vinyl, are you feeling alright?" "I'm, I'm fine." Vinyl's eyes slid shut as she slumped down in the bed and the machine held one long, high pitched note. Octavia's eyes shot open and she rushed to the door. "Doctor!" To Be Continued... Part Three: An Asylum!? What the hell for?!Something has gone wrong. We don't seem to have an archived copy of that chapter.Part Four: I Never Really Had Any Sleepovers"What do you mean she checked her out? I had her as a patient!" "I'm sorry, but Open Mind, was she really sick?" "Of course she was! She stabbed a hospital guard with a used needle!" The mare behind the desk sighed and looked at the peeved stallion. She pulled some forms out of a drawer of her desk and passed them to Open Mind. "Look, the mare who checked her out said something about rehab. I recommended her this place. Maybe you can check there and see if they'll let you see her as your patient." "Helping Hooves Rehabilitation Facility? Ugh, this job doesn't pay me enough to deal with this crap." Open Mind turned and walked out of the building, leaving the receptionist to frown. "Umm, your welcome! Jeez." The receptionist scoffed and looked down at her work. After a few minutes, another pony walked over to the reception desk holding a cup of coffee in his wing. "Hey Ice Blossom. How's things?" Ice Blossom looked up at the navy blue stallion standing with a warm smile on his face. "Hey Mickey. I'm good, you?" "Fine. Anything interesting happen?" "A mare got checked in and checked out on the same day." "I thought we had a minimum?" "I guess not." "Anypony I would know?" "Vinyl Scratch." "Hmm. Seems familiar, just can't place it. Who checked her out?" "Let's see here... Octavia Melody." "Wait a minute, Octavia Melody? Grey, black mane. Little bow tie thingy?" "Yeah, you know her?" "You don't?" "Should I?" "She's a huge hit around here, cello player I think. I don't actually listen to that stuff, I've just heard of her." "Hm. Didn't know. How's the internship going?" "Eh. I feel like my boss is sort of milking the fact that he knows I don't wanna quit." "Ah, that kinda sucks." "Little bit, but I got my ways of getting revenge." "Like?" "WHO THE HELL PUT THIS GECKO IN MY COFFEE MUG?!" "I should go." "Good luck Bolt." "Thanks Blossom." Mickey quickly trotted down a hallway and into an office. Ice Blossom chuckled to herself and continued with her work. "Wonder how those two are doing anyways." "So, when am I getting checked in?" "As soon as possible. If you're okay with it, I'd like for you to be checked in today." "Really?" "Are you okay with that?" "Yeah, of course." Vinyl and Octavia were walking back to Octavia's apartment and chatting. Vinyl stopped suddenly and put a hoof on Octavia's shoulder. "Wait." Octavia turned around to see what looked like nervousness on Vinyl's face. "What is it?" "You've, you've helped me so much lately, I don't know if a I even can repay you." "Don't worry, I'm happy to help." "Yeah but still. I wanna make it up to you somehow." Octavia looked down and thought for a second, thinking of a any way Vinyl could repay the debt she felt. When an idea popped into her head, she smiled and looked at Vinyl. "Tell you what. You go to rehab tommorow, I have a show on Friday, if it goes well, I'll get you out of rehab in a few days so you can help me move." "You're moving?" "If the show goes well." "Cool. And I'm assuming by help, you mean I do most of the work and you watch?" "You can do as much as you feel you should." "Well, guess I'm doing it all. That sounds awesome. Thank you so much Octavia." "You're very welcome. Now come on, let's go." The made their way to Octavia's apartment complex and walked up the stairs. Octavia opened up the door and the two walked inside. Vinyl flopped down on the couch and sighed. "Rough day." "I bet. Coffee?" "Sure." Octavia walked over to the kitchen and put the kettle on the lit stove burner. She walked over to the chair next to the couch and sat down. Looking at the wall clock across from her, she noted that there were still three hours left until her usual bedtime. "Are you hungry?" "Nah. I got a free meal at the hospital. Pretty sweet deal if you ask me." Octavia giggled a little bit and looked at the wall blankly. When the kettle started whistling she stood up and walked over to the kitchen. After pouring the two cups of coffee, she put them on a tray and walked back over to the living room. She set the tray down and Vinyl took a mug. "Thanks." "You're welcome." Octavia sat back and got comfortable in her chair. She took a long swig of her coffee and sighed. "Did you have any weird dreams or revelations while you were asleep?" Vinyl set her mug down and thought for a second. She did have a dream, but she wasn't sure if she wanted to share it with Octavia. "No, it was basically just falling asleep and waking up. You have any weird dreams recently?" Again sipping her drink, Octavia wondered if she should tell Vinyl about the dream she had earlier today. Not knowing how Vinyl would react was slightly worrying, so she decided to tell a different version of the story. "Well I had one today, when I fell asleep. It was me and, some stallion, we were sitting on a hill watching fireworks, and he suddenly turns to me and proposes." "Hm. Weird. Did you know the stallion?" "Not really." "Weird." Vinyl took another sip of her drink and yawned. "Hey, you mind if I have a quick shower?" Octavia had been looking at the guest bedroom and wondering if she should make up the bed so Vinyl could sleep on it. When Vinyl asked her question, she looked back and stood up. "Of course. Bathroom's that door over there, if you need anything, just ask." "Thanks." Vinyl trotted over to the bathroom and shut the door behind her. After a minute or so, Octavia heard the water turn on and she returned her focus to the guest bedroom. "Might as well make her last night sleeping here a good one." She walked over to the bedroom and flicked on the lights. Taking in how messy the room was, she got to work instantly and tried to remember the last time she even needed to use it. "Maybe I should just turn this room into something else. Would it be worth it? I suppose if I'm moving soon it wouldn't be worth all the effort. Would've been nice if I had thought of this earlier, could've made this into a room for practice, or maybe a little home gym." At this point, Octavia had gotten so lost in her ramblings that she hadn't noticed the shower turn off. Vinyl had mostly dried herself off and walked back into the living room wearing a different sweater. She looked around and saw that Octavia was in the other room and walked over. "Jeez, gonna roll out the red carpet next?" Octavia dropped the flower she was holding into the vase on the nightstand and looked turned to look at Vinyl. She blushed slightly as she looked around at the room. "I may have overdone it." "I'm just jokin' with ya. It looks great." "Well I hope you like it, it's yours for tonight." "Jeez, it's gonna take more than helping you move to repay you." "Don't worry, I've been meaning to fix up this room for a while now." Vinyl sat down on the edge of the bed and looked around. Closing her eyes and laying back, she immediately started smiling. "Oh yeah, this is nice." Octavia chuckled and went into the living room for Vinyl's things. She took the bags into the guest bedroom and and looked at the resting mare. "Well, I'm actually quite tired. I hope you have a good sleep Vinyl." "I'm sure I will, thanks Octavia. You have a good sleep too." "I'll try. Goodnight Vinyl." "Goodnight." Octavia turned off the lights walked out of the room as Vinyl's got under the covers and settled in. Octavia sighed as she put their mugs in the sink and walked back to her room. Just like Vinyl had done, she flopped down onto the bed and exhaled greatly. After about a minute of just laying down she got under the covers and settled in for the night. "You're on. Good luck." Platinum Record walked off stage as Octavia pressed her bow against the strings of her cello and took a deep breath. She began playing the song she'd written, starting slow and slowly getting faster. She kept her eyes focused on the instrument, not daring to look up. She was reaching the bridge of the song, a part she had made slightly more complex. As nervousness set in slightly, she felt she needed an inspiration, some vague reason why she needed to make this perfect. For only a fleeting second, Octavia looked up and saw a sparkling bright blue mane and when she looked down her bow was on the floor. With a red face and a racing mind, Octavia looked up at the angry crowd. The blue had disappeared from it. Octavia awoke with a gasp of nervousness and fear. She looked around and realized she was still in her bed. A look at her clock revealed that it was two thirty seven in the morning, and she could go back to sleep. For some reason she didn't understand, she felt like she needed to get up and move around. "Wonder if Vinyl's been having any weird dreams either." "I'm sorry Vinyl, I just can't keep you here anymore." "So, you're just gonna throw me out?" "I'm sorry." Octavia slammed the door shut and left Vinyl out in the hallway. Vinyl levitated her bags and walked down the stairs to the lobby. She looked back at the bottom of the stairs and sighed, tears starting in her eyes. "It's fine Vinyl. You don't need her. Yeah, I can make it outside." Vinyl held her head high as she walked out of the building and into the freezing rain. "Fuck. Wasn't expecting rain." She flicked her hood up and started walking down the street. Colder and colder the wind grew as Vinyl slowly made her way down the street. With no idea where she was going, Vinyl wandered aimlessly for what seemed to her like years. Stopping by an alley for a minute for a bottle of water in her bag, she heard a voice. "Gimme the bags." She looked over to she a stallion that was levitating a small knife. "What? No, I'm no-GAH!" Vinyl cried out in pain when the stallion impaled his knife deep into Vinyl's side. She fell to the ground as the stallion levitated the bags of of her body and ran. Vinyl laid on the ground, bleeding and staring into the distance from which she'd come. For some reason, Octavia's apartment complex was the only building she saw. Vinyl shot upright and looked around at the room she was in. After quickly checking her side, she was relieved to know that it was only a dream. "That dream was fucked." Wanting to go back to sleep, Vinyl laid her head back down on the pillow. Though she was tired enough, something inside of her wanted her to get up and out of her room. Following the non-existant command, Vinyl threw the covers aside and stepped off the bed. After a quick stretch, Vinyl peeked out the slim space in between her door and the doorway trim and looked around. She could see a faint glow coming from Octavia's room. She opened up the door and quietly snuck out and into the living room. Seconds later, Octavia opened her door and walked out into the living room. "Oh, hey Vinyl." "Hey. You're awake?" "Yeah, bad dream." "Same." Octavia walked over to the kitchen and reached into the refrigerator. "Carrot?" "Sure." Octavia took out two carrots and passed one to Vinyl. Vinyl levitated it and took a bite out of it while walking over to the kitchen table. Octavia sat down in the spot closest to her room, and Vinyl sat in the spot adjacent to Octavia. "What was your dream like Vinyl?" "I don't really remember the whole thing. Basically I was out on the streets, and some robber came up to me and stabbed me." "Jeez, that's quite morbid actually. You suppose there's anything that caused that?" "The robbery?" "No, the dream. Like some sort of event in your life that caused that dream." Vinyl sat and thought for a second. She'd never been robbed before, and she didn't want to mention the part about being kicked out. "No, not that I can think of. What was your dream like?" "Ah, I just had one of those dreams where I mess up on stage again." "Oh, that sucks. Doesn't that fuck with your nerves?" "A little, but I remember that it's just a dream and it'll be fine." Vinyl nodded and took another bite of her carrot. The two sat there for not even a minute in silence before a knock at the door broke it. "Who the hell could be knocking at my door at this hour?" "I'll get it." "You expecting somepony?" "No, but I just wanted to answer it for you." "Oh, thank you." Vinyl smiled as she walked over to the door and opened it. Her smile faded accompanied with a short gasp at the sight that met her. A stallion with a briefcase at his side and a frown on his face was standing, dripping wet from rain, in Octavia's doorway. "Hello Vinyl." To Be Continued... Part Five: You've Heard My Music?"O-Open Mind? What are-" "I'm here because of you. You are sick! You need help! I can help you if you just let me!." "Excuse me, sir, what are you doing here?" "Who are you?" "Octavia Melody, owner of this apartment." "Well, your friend here is one of my patients. I need to help her before she hurts somepony else!" Open Mind tried pushing his way into the apartment, by Octavia stood and blocked his way. "I'm sorry sir, I'm going to have to ask you to leave. And by the way, I am getting her help. You are not needed. Good day." Octavia slammed the door shut after pushing the stallion just past the doorway. She huffed as she walked back to the kitchen table and sat down. Vinyl stood, dumbfounded for a moment, but soon grinned and walked over to the table. "Got a bit of a feisty side do ya?" "Ugh, I've dealt with enough ponies like that when it comes to the media, it's worse if it's some random pony at three in the damn morning." Vinyl chuckled to herself as she sat down. She finished off her carrot and threw the remains on the garbage, as did Octavia. "Well, I think we should maybe get back to bed. Don't want to be tired for tommorow." "Yeah, true." Vinyl and Octavia got up started walking to their rooms. Just as Octavia had reached her doorway, she hung her head and sighed before turning around to face Vinyl. "Vinyl?" "Yeah?" Vinyl stopped and looked over at Octavia. With a slightly reddened face, Octavia took in a deep breath and continued. "This, may seem like an odd request, but how would you like to sleep in my room?" Vinyl cocked her head to the side as a confused expression grew on her face. "Like a sleepover." "A sleepover?" "Yes. I never really had any when I was a foal, didn't really have the friends." Vinyl stood with the same still expression. Octavia's blush deepened as she looked to the floor. For a moment there was silence, but Octavia soon heard hoofsteps coming towards her. She looked up to see Vinyl smiling. "I never really had any sleepovers when I was younger either." Octavia smiled as Vinyl stopped at the doorway. "I should probably go grab my bags though. I'll be right back." "Alright." Vinyl turned around and walked towards the guest bedroom. Octavia walked into her room and started making up the bed. Where is this going Octavia? Where exactly do you plan on taking this little sleepover of yours? And what the hell kind of idea was that? Octavia sighed as she spread the comforter out evenly on the bed. Seconds after, Vinyl walked back into the room and dropped her bags at the door. "So, is it just the one bed?" Octavia looked at the other mare with slight panic and embarrassment. Looking back at the bed, she started realizing why she always think before speaking. "Uh, y-yes. Don't worry, it's quite large I assure you. We'll both be very comfortable." "Sounds alright." "Alright, well, let's get to bed then." The two mares nodded and awkwardly slipped underneath the blanket that lay over the length of the bed. Octavia looked over at Vinyl, who had turned the other way and was getting comfortable in her position. "Well, goodnight Vinyl." "Night." Octavia moved slightly and turned off the bedside lamp. She moved back and laid her head on the pillow, closing her eyes. Vinyl was on her side, staring at the wall. She waited until she could hear Octavia's soft, melodic snoring before getting up and moving into the living room. "C'mon Vinyl, what are you doing? Look at where you are right now. Just..." Vinyl sighed heavily and looked into the bedroom at the sleeping mare. Vinyl didn't know why, but she wanted something to happen. Anything. Just one tiny little accident that could come off as even slightly romantic. Alas, she had misses her chance tonight, and she knew that most likely nothing would happen in the morning. "Damn it. Damn it all." With a heavy sigh and a forlorn expression on her face, Vinyl walked back into the bedroom. Being careful not to disturb Octavia's rest, she quietly slipped under the covers, and soon fell deep asleep. "You're on." Octavia nodded to Platinum Record as he walked off stage. As the lights dimmed and the spotlight pointed at Octavia. Gently pressing her bow against the strings of the cello and taking a deep breath, she waited for the crowd to silence. After merely and second of silence, she began playing. Starting slow increasing speed slowly, she got farther onto the song. Finding herself very uninspired, uninterested, and oddly drowsy, she looked up for only a moment for something to help her play better. Seeing for only a second a blue tuft of mane in the crowd, Octavia smiled and looked down at her instrument. The bow was laying on the ground. When she shot her glance up to the crowd, they had all stood up angrily, and the blue was gone. Octavia woke up with a gasp and quickly looked around the room. Sunlight was barely creeping through the window, and she looked to her side. Vinyl wasn't in bed. Octavia stopped and listened for a moment, wondering if she could hear if Vinyl was up. All she could here was joyful whistling and faint sizzling. Having her attention caught, Octavia slipped off the bed and walked out to the living room. "Hey there sleepyhead." "Oh, good morning Vinyl. You're up early." "Yeah, thought I'd get a head start on repaying you." Vinyl levitated a plate of chocolate chip waffles onto the table at the spot next to where Octavia was standing. Octavia locked her lips and looked up at the other mare. "Quick question. How did you get up before me?" "Eh, I woke up around and hour ago without an alarm so I just thought I'd get up." Octavia half shrugged and sat down. Staring at the pancakes for a second, she liked her lips and picked up the fork. "They look delicious." "Family recipe." "Wait, these aren't the store bought ones I had in the freezer?" Vinyl looked at the freezer for a moment and snickered. She put a small stack of pancakes on a plate and smiled. After rummaging around in the pantry for a second, she levitated her plate and a bottle of syrup onto the table and sat down. "Nope. They taste so much better when they're homemade." "I guess I'll be the judge of that." "Judge away." The mares smiled at each other as Octavia took a fork full of pancakes and put the fork in her mouth. After only a second of chewing, Octavia's eyes shot open. "My word, these are extraordinary." "Like em?" "They're delicious, this is your families recipe?" "Yep." Octavia swallowed the food in her mouth and quickly began eating more. Vinyl chuckled to herself as she ate her own. "Glad ya like em." "Glad you made them. We best not take too long, remember we have to get you down to Helping Hooves." "Oh yeah. How far is it?" "About a five minute walk." "Not bad." Continuing their conversation over breakfast, the mares soon finished up and prepared for their walk. "Bags packed?" "Yep." "Are you sure your ready to go today?" "Hey, soon I'm clean, sooner I can move on with my life." "Good. On we go then." Vinyl walked through the door that Octavia was holding open. Closing and locking the door, Octavia walked at Vinyl's side down the hallway to the elevator. Just don't go far. ------------------------------ "Well, here it is. Helping Hooves Rehabilitation Facility." Vinyl sighed and looked up at the large brick building. Octavia waited for her to say something, as she didn't want to rush her. "Well. Let's get on with it then." "Yes, let's" With Vinyl leading, the mares walked up the stone walkway to the main building. Vinyl looked from side to side, seeing some ponies in a pool, and a few at a buckball court. "Hm, place doesn't seem too bad." "No, it actually looks quite nice. I'm sure that you'll enjoy it here." "Hopefully." As they reached the front doors and walked in they were greeted with soft, ambient music and a soothing atmosphere. As they approached the front desk, a mare looked up and smiled. "Welcome to Helping Hooves Rehabilitation Facility, how may I help you?" "Hello, I'm here to sign somepony in." "Alright, name?" "Vinyl Scratch." Vinyl stayed silent and awkwardly looked around as Octavia answered the nessacery questions. As long as that prick Open Mindcan't get in hereI'll be fine. "Is this her?" "Yes it is. Vinyl?" Vinyl turned and looked at Octavia. A unicorn stallion with a brown mane and a burgundy coat was standing behind her smiling. "Hello Vinyl. I'm Healthy Living, would you like me to take your bags?" "S-sure." The stallion smiled levitated the bags off of Vinyl. Suddenly, the bags reminded her of her dream and she shuddered noticeably. "Vinyl? Are you alright?" "What? Oh, yeah Tav, I'm fine." "Tav?" "Short for Octavia?" "I sort of like it." Vinyl chuckled, as did Octavia. The mare behind the desk coughed and got the attention of the two. "Miss Scratch, if you would just follow Healthy Living, he'll show you to your room." "Alright." Vinyl sighed and turned back to Octavia. Octavia's face bore an odd mixture of sadness and happiness. "Well, here I go. Once again, I can't begin to thank you enough for what you've done, I appreciate it so much." "Don't worry about it, you just focus now on getting clean." "Will do. I'll try to call you if I can." "I'll answer." "Bye Tav." "Bye Vinyl." Both mares didn't want the goodbye, even though they both knew Vinyl needed it. Octavia turned back to discuss the financial matters with the desk mare, and Vinyl walked beside Healthy Living to her room. "So. She your friend or family?" "Good friend." "Cool. If you don't mind me asking, I usually ask my patients, what were you addicted to?" "Uh, quite a bit actually. Marijuana, Cocaine, Heroin, mainly alcohol." "Hm. Anything to do with your job maybe? I mean, you were a dj at one point." Vinyl smiled and looked at the stallion. He was smiling and looking at her with his peripheral vision. "You've heard my music?" "I love it. Own almost every album." "Sweet." The two stopped at one of the doors in a long corridor. Healthy Living put Vinyl's bags at the end of the bed to the right and turned to look at Vinyl. "Well, this is your room. I am obligated to tell you that you are to be back here by seven PM every night, and that one on one therapy sessions are every other day at nine AM and three PM. Three square meals will be provided for you at the cafeteria, all other time is your own. If you need help getting around, either ask somepony that works here or has been here longer than you, or refer to this map. Don't be getting into any trouble, and enjoy your road to recovery." Healthy Living levitated a rolled up map in front of Vinyl and smiled. As he walked out of the room and down the hall, Vinyl looked at the room. There were two beds, one on either side of the room. At the head of each was a small nightstand with a drawer and a lamp. Vinyl started putting a few smaller objects in the drawer and sat down. "Wait. I'm gonna have a roommate?" She looked over at the other half of the room, noticing that there were two bags at the end of the bed, and the nightstand had a few picture frames on it. Vinyl walked over and looked at one of the pictures. It was a very well done shot of a pegaus mare with a red and blue mane and a purple coat holding her hoof out to catch some snow. "Wonder what she's in here for." Vinyl turned around and nearly fell back after seeing the mare standing in the doorway. "Oh, sorry to scare you, I just thought I heard somepony in this room." "It's fine, it's fine." "Good. Who are you?" "I'm, I'm Vinyl Scratch. I guess I'm your new roommate." "Wonderful! I've been waiting for a roommate ever since my last one got clean. Oh, where are my manners, Hail Toss, pleasure to meet you." Hail toss held out her hoof and Vinyl met it with her own. The two smiled at each other and dropped their hooves. Vinyl walked back to her bed and sat down. "I gotta say, you seem so nice and innocent, what are you in here for?" "Well, I had a coltfriend who was sort of into crack, I got kinda dragged into it." "Aw, that sucks." "Yeah, but I don't mind. It's really nice here, I think you'll like it." "You know, I think I am." To Be Continued... Part Six: You'll Regret ThisOctavia sighed as she walked towards her apartment. She missed having Vinyl's by her side, even for the short time she was. Too focused now on wondering when Vinyl would be done with her therapy, she didn't notice the patch of ice on front of her. After slipping for a second, regaining control, and slipping again she fell to the ground. "Ah hell, that hurt." Octavia held a hoof to the back of her head, eyes still closed. She gaspef at the blurry sight that met her when she opened her eyes and looked at her hoof. A small blood mark was on the front side of it. "Holy crap, are you ok?" Octavia looked up at a white coated mare with a flower sticking out of her amber mane. "Um, yes, I-I think I'm fine." "You sure?" "Yes, thank you." Octavia got to her hooves with the mares assistance and smiled at her. "Wait a minute, you look familiar. Aren't you the mare that worked at the reception desk at Manehatten Mental Asylum?" "Actually, yes I am. I'm sort of surprised you remember." "Oh, I don't forget faces easily. Since I was a foal I could always place a face." "I'm surprised that your celebrity hasn't changed that. My co-worker tell me your a famous cello player." "Oh really? They a fan?" "Not really, he's just heard of you. Anyways, what are you doing out here?" "I was taking Vinyl to that rehab center." "Is she there now?" Octavia nodded at the pony and she smiled. "Good. I've heard some really good things about that place, I'm sure she'll be sober in no time." "That's what I'm hoping for. Well, I've got to get home. Thank you for helping me, and have a good day." Just before Octavia could start walking away, the mare slid across the ice patch and stopped at Octavia's side. "Wait. If you don't mind, I have a question." "Suppose it can't hurt. Shoot." "Well, this may seem kinda weird, but is there something going on between you two?" Octavia blushed slightly at the question. The truth would seem word and possibly result in gossip, but she hated to lie. "Well, honestly, she's just a good friend. I can't speak for her, but as far as I know she feels the same way I do." "Oh, Ok. Sorry, that's just how my mind works. See two ponies near each other and immediately think they're together." The mare laughed a little and Octavia joined in. The mare extended a hoof and looked at Octavia. "Ice Blossom, nice to meet you." "Octavia Melody, and same to you." The mares shook his head she and departed. Octavia started humming the song she'd written when she was about two minutes from her house. "Wait a minute. That isn't how the song went. It sped up at the bridge, it didn't slow down. What song was I thinking of?" Octavia was only a minute from her apartment when she remembered something very important. Her head shot up as if somepony had tased her in the rear. "The concert is tonight!" Now filled with worry and slight self-anger, Octavia started running home. She got through the door to her apartment, panting, and ran to the beeping phone. You've reached Octavia Melody, Ican't get to the phone rightnow so leave a message and I'll get back to you. "Hey, Octavia, it's Plat. What the hell? I thought you were gonna meet me at the Air Speed music hall for a run through of the night? Call me back whenever you can." The machine held a high beep for two seconds and Octavia sighed. "Damn. I guess I should meet him, but I have to practice." After a moment of thought, Octavia ran to her room and got her cello out. "Ten minutes of practice, then I'll meet Platinum." "What's taking her so damn long?" Platinum Record impatiently tapped his hoof as he watched the band that was going on before Octavia set up the stage. He looked at the watch on his front right hoof and sighed. "Try calling her again. If she doesn't pick up I'll just have to go get her." With his magic, he pressed a button on his earpiece and it started ringing. After the fourth cycle of the ringtone, Octavia picked up. "Hello?" "Hey, Octavia. Where are you?" "Sorry Plat, I got hung up with something." "Is it that street mare? Look Oc, you've gotta focus. I don't know how many more fuck-ups then fans will allow before they start losing interest!" "I'm sorry alright? I'll be there in a few minutes, meet me out front. Bye." "Alright, bye. Fucking hell." Platinum Record walked out to the front of the music hall. After pushing open the front doors and walking outside, he levitated a lighter and a cigarette. He lit the cigarette and took a long drag, then blew the smoke into the air. "That damn mare needs to get her shit together." "Mare troubles eh?" Platinum Record jumped slight when the voice suddenly spoke. He turned to where it came from and saw a brown unicorn stallion with a black mane. The stallion looked distraught, and slightly angry. "Um, who are you?" "Open Mind. I'm a therapist that's slowly losing his patience. I need to ask a favour of you." "I'm sorry sir, but I'm not going to do that." "But it involves your mare, what was her name? Octavia." Open Minds voice was edged with mischief and psychotic malevolence. He levitated his briefcase and flipped it open. "I need you to get all the information you possibly can from Octavia about this mare." When Open Mind levitated a picture of Vinyl in her orange jumpsuit in front of Platinum Record, he gasped slightly and took the picture in his magic. "Is Octavia associated with her? She looks like an ex-convict!" "Get me what I need, and I'll get you whatever you need. I can keep that mare away from Octavia if that's what you want." Platinum Record thought hard as he looked at the photo. He wanted to agree with this stallion, and be able to keep Octavia focused on her music, but some weird feeling he had told him he shouldn't. "I'm not going to do that sir. Have a good day." Platinum Record blew a puff of smoke into Open Minds face and looked away. Open Mind frowned and started turning away. "Fine. Have it your way." Open Mind spat on the ground at Platinum Records hooves and walked away. Furious and out of ideas, he mumbled to himself as he walked. "You'll regret this." "Alright, that's all the time we got, we're Fields Of Pavement, we love you Manehatten!" The band started walking offstage and the crowd cheered. As the curtains dropped and some ponies started moving the drumset and extra mics off the stage area, Platinum Record turned to Octavia. "Alright Octavia. This is the show. Give it everything vouve got. You've got this." "Thanks Platinum." "Go, you're on." Octavia took her seat on the one stool in centre staged as the lights dimmed and a spotlight shined on her. The curtains opened and Octavia kept her eyes locked on her instrument. She waited for the slight murmuring to stop before she began. Just as she had practiced, she started slowly, and got faster. Approaching the bridge of the song, she started feeling low-energy. She didn't understand. She had just eaten an hour ago, and she got plenty of sleep the night before, more than usual. C'monOctavia. You won'tscrew this upbecause you feel tired. Push through it dammit, this is for the house. She didn't dare look up. Flashbacks of the dreams she'd had were popping up slightly, and she didn't want what happened there to happen for real. Just one second. One, two, three. Octavia looked up for only one second, masking the peek with a head flourish that fit the song. She caught only a glimpse of the crowd, and swore she saw a vibrant blue mane poking out of it. Oh no. The dream, it's happening! Octavia had closed her eyes and kept playing. She opened and eye and realized she hadn't dripped her bow. She smiled to herself and continued the song. After hitting get the second last note, Octavia held her head high, and swiftly dropped it down as she played the last note. The crowd was silent for a second but soon roared loudly, going crazy at the song. Octavia smiled and stood up. As she bowed and started off stage, the crowd whooped and cheered. You nailed it! As Octavia mentally patted herself on the back, she looked up to Platinum Record, who was smiling and chuckling slightly. "You killed it Octi, they loved that one!" "I just wrote that one a few days ago, I think the new material really got them fired up." "It sure as hell did! Hold on, I've got a call. You can go home, be expecting your pay in the mail. Hello?" Octavia started walking towards her dressing room and smiled even wider to herself. After putting her cello in its case and putting on her coat, she headed for the front door. She had to sign a few autographs before leaving the building, but she eventually got outside and started home. "Now did I just imagine that blue? Or should I be calling helping Hooves to see if they missed a patient today?" "Yeah, I know! When's the next gig you can get her? Next week. Same time, same place. Sounds great. Wait, how much? Are you fucking serious?! Ok. Ok. Ok, I'll tell her. Yeah. Thanks, bye. Holy shit, I gotta call Octavia." Platinum Record paced excitedly in his living room. He waited for Octavia to pick up. "Hello?" "Hey, Octi. I got great news." "What is it?" "They want you to play at the same time next week." "That's not really huge news, but a show is a show." "That's not the best part. They're gonna pay you ten thousand bits." "Wait, what? Ten thousand?" "Ten grand. The show today was only two grand, but they're gonna group the pay for next Friday. You'll be getting twelve thousand bits at the end of next week Octavia." "I can't even believe that. They liked it that much?" "I guess so. Try and write another new song if you can, they love fresh stuff." "I'll get right on it." "Good. Also, I wanna discuss something with you tommorow. I'll call and arrange the details sometime before noon. Take care Melody." "You too Record." Platinum Record hung up the phone and levitated the earpiece off his head. He started laughing to himself slightly, laughing out of disbelief. "I can't even believe that shit. Twelve grand!" He chuckled more as he looked at a framed picture of his wife. "Our pay will be large too my dear." He set the picture down and walked into the hallway. Descending a flight of stairs and going out to the alleyway, he lit up another cigarette. He only had two full drags of the cigarette before suddenly a figure came up to him. "Do you regret it yet?" "What? What woul-AH!" The figure used its magic to jab a knife deep into Platinum Records chest, and ran away as he fell to the ground. Platinum Record coughed up some blood onto the cold hard ground and slowly closed his eyes. The figure stepped into a lighted area of the alleyway and levitated a knife in front of his face. "You're next Vinyl." Part Seven: Vinyl's His Next Target!"Yeah, it's goin' well. So far at least." "Good to hear. How are you settling in?" "Fine, fine. I mean, I really can't complain. My roommate's super chill, my escort's a fan, and the pool has a hot tub beside it." "That why you did drugs Vinyl?" "No, that's not." Vinyl laughed to herself as Hail Toss fiddled with her mane while sitting on her bed. Vinyl looked over for a second and continued. "Alright, I gotta go. But hey, visiting hours are open almost all day, maybe you could come visit after my therapy today?" "I'd like that. I'll be there around noon? Does that work?" "Yeah, it should. Bye Octavia." "Bye Vinyl." Vinyl hung up the phone and turned to the mare on the other bed. Hail Toss was giving Vinyl a playful look, and Vinyl smiled. "No, she is not my mare-friend." "I never said she was." "Well what was that look then?" Hail Toss opened her mouth to say something, but soon shut it and shrugged. Rolling her eyes as she walked to the door, Vinyl looked back at the mare. "Come on then. You're the one who was so excited to get to the hot tub." "I just figured you could use a quick unwinding before your first therapy session. By the way, it's like school. They go real easy on you on the first day. More of a get to know you session at first." "I like the sound of that." The two mares got up and started walking towards the spa area outside. Vinyl was looking around at the décor, and thought she saw a familiar black mane. She stopped for a second and craned her neck to get a better view, but the mane walked away before she could. "Something wrong?" Vinyl looked over at Hail Toss, who had turned around when Vinyl had stopped walking beside her. "Uh, yeah. Just, though I saw somepony." "Friend of yours?" "Not exactly." "Enemy?" "Sort of." "Well, let's get to the hot tub. Tell me about it there." "Alright. I just really hope it wasn't who I thought it was." "It seems the pony in question ran up to him while he was out here for a smoke, and then ran off this way. See, there's a slight blood trail that goes this direction." "Hmm, what do you suppose the motive was? I don't think this guy was in with drugs." "Well, says here he was an agent for Octavia Melody. Get somepony to go to her apartment and deliver the news." "Got it." An earth pony stallion with a blue coat and a grey and black mane walked off and started talking on the radio clipped onto his uniform. The pony standing just beside the body of Platinum Record turned to the weeping mare over near the door. "Should probably talk to her." The stallion walked over to the orange coated mare and looked at her. "Madam, officer Blind Spot, I know that you're grieving and probably confused, but I need you to answer a few questions. Can you do that?" The mare looked up at Blind Spot, her blue mane covering most of her eyes. She sniffed and looked back to where she was before. "I, I just don't know why this happened." "That's what we're trying to find out. Now I need to ask you these questions, can you answer them for me?" "If it'll help find the bastard who did this I'll do whatever you want." "Good. Now, did he have any enemies that you know of?" "No, I can't think of any." "Any connections to drugs, gangs, gambling, alcohol?" "He drank, but only on special occasions. And he smoked cigarettes, but nothing else." "Can you think of anypony that might have any motive for wanting your husband dead?" The mare kept her gaze fixated on the ground, as a tear slowly formed in the pit of her eye. "No." Blind Spot wrote a few things down on his notepad and sighed. When he looked up, he could see tears rolling down the mares face. "Thank you for your time ma'am, my dearest condolences." Blind Spot walked away and levitated his radio and held the button. "Seems we don't have anypony you that wanted him dead. Check his latest booking records, see if there was anypony at one of his clients concerts that he had a run-in with." "There we are." Octavia pushed a box against the wall beside the door and sighed. She looked at the small stack and smiled. "You've done good so far Octavia." As she giggled to herself, Octavia walked over to the pantry and pulled out the can if iced tea mix. After pouring herself a cold glass of water, she dumped a few teaspoons of the mix into the cup and stirred it. Octavia took a long sip of the beverage, and being satisfied with the taste, let out a long sigh. "Sometimes there is nothing better than a cold glass of iced tea." As Octavia took another sip, a knock at the door came three times in a row. "And a knock at the door. Coming!" She trotted over to the door and opened it up. Needless to say that she was surprised to see two ponies in police uniform standing side by side in front of her. "Good morning ma'am. Manehatten PD, we have a few questions wed like you to answer." "Oh, o-o-ok. Please, come in." Octavia closed the door behind the two ponies when they walked in, and quickly walked over to the chair after grabbing her drink. "What seems to be the problem?" "Miss Melody, we have bad news. Your agent, Platinum Record has been murdered." Octavia's mouth slammed open, and her drink went down to the floor. "Wh, what?" "Last night, Platinum Record went into the alleyway of his apartment complex to have a smoke, and his neighbor found him dead the next morning." "We were hoping for some answers, and I'm sure you are too." "When we searched the house, we found a possibly suspicious photograph in his briefcase. We suspect it could be a drug, gang, or possibly affair association." "Do you know this mare mam?" The cop closest to the door levitated a picture of Vinyl in her orange jumpsuit. Octavia gasped and took the photo. "Vinyl!?" "You know her?" "Yes, yes I do." "Does she have any connection to your late agent?" Octavia didn't speak, she just stared at the picture. The two police ponies sat in silence and watched her. "Wait a minute." Different scenes of the past few days flashed through Octavia's mind. Walking on the street, arriving at the Air Speed music hall, the stallion at the door. Something clocked inside her, and Octavias mouth dropped open. "I know who the killer is!" "How can you be sure?" "Trust me!" Octavia looked at the clock on the wall and realized there were 2 minutes until Vinyl's therapy was supposed to start. "Oh no, she's in trouble!" "Who?" "That mare, we need to get to her!" Octavia stood up and threw on her jacket. The two cops stood up and walked over to her. "Madam, I'm going to have to ask you to calm down." "No, the murderer, Vinyl's his next target!" Octavia pulled the cops outside her door and closed it. After locking it, she ran down the stairs to outside her apartment and started running towards Helping Hooves. Vinyl walked down a white corridor, Healthy Living at her side. They were walking towards the therapy rooms, and Vinyl gulped. "Nervous?" "A little." "Don't worry, the staff we have here are very friendly, I assure you." "I hope so." Healthy Living opened a door and motioned for Vinyl to walk inside. In the room were two chairs and a table, plus a security camera. "Just take a seat, a therapist will be with you any minute." "Ok, thanks." Vinyl sat down and sighed as Healthy Living left the room and closed the door. "Wonder if my therapist will be a mare or a stallion. I mean, mare would be nice because-" Vinyl was stopped when the lock on the door turned open and a horribly familiar black mane walked in. The brown coated stallion dropped his briefcase at his side. "Hello Vinyl." Vinyl shot out of her seat and got against the wall. She started breathing heavily, and looked at the security camera. "Open Mind? What the fuck are you doing here?" "Vinyl. You're sick. I help the sick." The pony's words were grim and nearly breathless, as if he was speaking on his last breath. As Open Mind locked the door and turned back to Vinyl, he smiled. "I've never lost a patient before, and I'm certainly not going to let you tarnish my record." "Listen, I just need simple therapy man, I'm not that sick!" "You are!" Open Mind slammed his briefcase down on the table with his sentence, and stared menacingly into Vinyl's eyes. "Sit." "What?" "Sit!" Vinyl gulped and shakily took a seat. She could hear faint shouting, but she couldn't make out the voice or what they were saying. "Now. What's going to happen is you are going to listen to me, and you are going to cooperate with me, understood?" Vinyl said nothing, and Open Minds expression went from what could be taken as kind to anger. "Understood!?" Just then, the door flung open and Octavia ran in. "Vin-" She wasn't even done the word before Open Mind had turned and used his magic to drive a knife straight into her abdomen. "No!" Vinyl shot out of her seat and over to Octavia as she fell to the floor. Two police stallions came in and apprehended Open Mind, pulling him out of the room. "Octavia. Octavia please say something!" Octavia looked up at the face of the mare who was now holding her in her hooves. "Vinyl..." "Octavia, don't you die on me!" Vinyl was running along side the gurney the bore Octavia. Octavia's eyes were barely open, and she couldn't talk. The ponies pushing the gurney turned into a room and a nurse blocked Vinyl's entry. "I'm sorry miss, you can't be in here unless you are family." "What? That's total crap, I need to be in there!" "I'm sorry, hospital protocol." The nurse closed the door, shutting Vinyl out of the room. "Fuck." Sorrowful, Vinyl walked to the waiting room and sat down with a sigh. Many hours passed before she looked at the clock and stood up. She walked down the hallway to where Octavia's room was. Just before she pushed open the door, she felt a hoof on her shoulder. "Miss. You can't be in there. She still recovering." Vinyl turned around to see the same nurse as before. "Let me ask you something. If somepony you cared deeply about was somewhere you can't see, possibly taking their last breath, how would you feel?" "Ma'am, please. You're going to have to leave or I'll be forced to call security." "Fine." Vinyl was about to turn around and start walking, but she quickly pushed the nurse down and ran into the room. Before turning to the bed, she jammed a broom into the door handles. "That'll hold." She could hear banging on the door as she ran over to the bed and looked at Octavia. Her eyes were closed, and the machine beside her was beeping at a steady pace. "Tavi, Octavia, wake up." Octavia's eyes slowly flickered open, and the beeps pace grew slightly quicker. "Vinyl? How did you get-" "Don't mind that. Look, for some reason I don't think either of us know, our lives have been getting weirdly dangerous since we met. And I don't know if I'm alone in thinking this, but I think we both have some strange feelings for each other that we don't know how to express. And, before anything else happens, I think we need to-" Vinyl sentence was cut off when Octavia leapt forwards and locked her lips onto Vinyl's. Just as Vinyl closed her eyes and settled into the kiss, the door burst open and multiple ponies ran in. They stopped themselves when they looked at the scene taking place. The two mares pulled their heads away from each other's and stared deeply into each other's eyes. "Vinyl. I don't ever want to lose you." "I don't ever want to lose you either Octavia." The two smiled warmly and hugged. One of the nurses cleared her throat, and the two mares turned to her with red faces. "Well, Vinyl, it seems you do have the right to be in here. After all, we don't like to keep couples apart." To Be Continued... Part Eight: There Isn't Any Good News I'm Afraid"You're doing great Vinyl!" "Yeah yeah yeah." Octavia grinned as she sat on a chair and watched Vinyl move boxes into the house. As Vinyl stopped for a moment and wiped the sweat from her brow, Octavia greeted her with a kiss and a glass of iced tea. "Thanks sweetie." "You're the one doing all the hard work." "Oh, don't down yourself. You did move that one box." Vinyl chuckled to herself and Octavia joined in. The two sipped from their drinks as they looked around the empty house. "Anypony seal the deal on the apartment yet?" "No, not yet. I don't mind, I have a little extra that I can live on for a while. Which reminds me, I've got to pay a friend back." "For?" "Remember when you were in the asylum?" "How could I not?" "Well, the fine money was given to me by a friend. We had a sort of joint account pact with me, her, and her mare-friend." "Huh." Once again the mares sipped their drinks and sighed. Octavia looked at Vinyl with a questioning face. "Vinyl, I have sort of an odd question." "Sure, go ahead." "Well, since you're on your last week of rehabilitation, should we maybe start discussing the plan for employment when you get out?" "Hmm, hadn't really thought of that. Guess it is something we should talk about." "Well, let's see." Octavia stood up and walked over to the one table she had set up for them. She sat down in one of the chairs and motioned for Vinyl to sit. When she did Octavia looked at her and put her front hooves on the table. "Well, what do you feel you'd be good at?" "I don't know. I mean, other than DJ-ing, I never really had any other hobbies or interests." "Well, what's a job that you would want to be a part of? Let's stray from the music industry." Vinyl thought for a long moment before suddenly perking up. "Ya know, I think that being a police officer would be pretty cool. Think about it, former drug addict turned cop? Seems pretty fitting." "That would be a good turn, definitely should consider that one. Any others?" "Hmm, I'll think about it. What about you? Shouldn't you be thinking about getting back into the business?" "I should, but I just can't find a damn agent. I figure I could try to run without one, but it would be harder to get more and more shows. Actually, that seems like a benefit." The two laughed at Octavias joke for a bit before a knock at the door interrupted them. "I'll get it." "Thanks honey." Vinyl trotted over to the door and opened it up. On the other side was a tall, white coated, blue, white and red maned earth pony. "Hello there." "Hello, can I help you?" "Oh, are you the ponies moving in here? I'm the next house over." "Oh, cool. Here, come in." "Thank you." The pony stepped inside and shivered for a second. Octavia stood up and walked over to Vinyl. "It sure is cold out there for the season." "You're tellin' me. Oh, how rude of me, WaveMaker, nice to meet you." "I'm Octavia Melody, this is Vinyl Scratch. Pleasure to meet you." "So, you two friends? Roommates?" "We're a couple." Vinyl blushed a little as she spoke, and she looked over to see Octavia smiling and blushing just as much. WaveMaker smiled a bit as he watched. "Well, you two do seem very happy together. Just thought I'd run over and say welcome to the neighborhood. My wife would've been here as well, but she had an errand to run, I'm sure you'll meet her some time soon." "I'm sure we will." "Well, I'd best be going. It was nice meeting you two, enjoy the house." "It was, and thank you." WaveMaker waved as he walked out the door and off towards his house. Octavia and Vinyl sat back down, smiling. "Well, nice that we already got a friendly neighbor." "You're right about that Tavi. Where I used to live, the neighbors wouldn't even say hi if you caught them robbing your apartment." This statement made Octavia laugh so hard she couldn't keep the small amount of iced tea in her mouth. "Already made a mess on the floor Vinyl!" The two laughed as Vinyl stood up and levitated a foldable mop from one of the boxes. When she started cleaning up the mess, she noticed that Octavia was staring out the window. "Something wrong honey?" "I, I'm not sure. I just have a weird feeling. I had a similar one when the police came to me about Platinums murder. I can't explain it, but it happened just at the time I figured out that Open Mind did it." "What do you think it means?" "I have no idea. I just hope it doesn't mean somepony's in trouble again." "Well, I'd say this is about good, wouldn't you?" WaveMaker was standing on one leg atop a ladder while a red maned, white coated pegasus mare watched the framed portrait he was adjusting. "Uh, maybe to the left just a little. Perfect!" WaveMaker stepped down from the ladder and looked at the picture. "Yeah, you were right. It looks good there." "Told ya." "Oh whatever." "Hey, you best take that back." "Or what?" The pegasus grinned and used her wing to grab a pillow and smack WaveMaker with it. WaveMaker stumbled slightly, giving the pegasus a change to pin him. "Well?" "Fine. I take it back. You win again Skyline Breezer." "Exactly." Skyline Breezer leaned in and quickly kissed WaveMaker on the lips. She rolled off of him and looked around. "How are the new neighbors?" "They seem really nice, I can't believe you didn't come with me." "Hey, you know how I am around new ponies." "True." WaveMaker stood up and walked over to the conjoined kitchen and dining room. He pulled out a clear bottle filled with a lemonade colored liquid. "Want one?" "Sure." WaveMaker cracked open one of the bottles and passed it to Skyline Breezer as she walked over. Then opening one for himself, he took a long drink. "As I was saying, I really wish you had come with me. They seem like perfectly nice neighbors. And get this, they're a couple too." "Oh cool! Finally we have another couple in the neighborhood. Mare and stallion?" "No, two mares actually." "Hm, alright. Anypony familiar?" "You know, now that you say it, one of them seemed really familiar, I just can't place it." "Huh. Oh well, I'm sure it'll come to you. It always does." "Here's to hoping." The two clinked their bottles together and took long swigs. Skyline Breezer convulsed for a split second and clutched her stomach. "Ooh, fuck." "Honey? What's wrong?" "I'm fine. Just that stomach ache." "I don't think that that's a regular stomach ache. I think we should get that checked out." "No, it's fine. I'm fine." "Sweetie.." WaveMaker walked over to his partner and raised her head to meet him eye to eye. "I don't want anything to happen to you. You need to tell me if something is wrong." "Nothing's wrong." WaveMaker sighed slightly and lowered his head. As he looked back up, he dropped his hoof. "Fine, but I see that little convulsion there one more time and I'm taking you to a doctor." "Fine, fine." Skyline Breezer set down her drink and started towards the door. "I'll be back in a little while." "Where are you going?" "I just have to go get something, I'll be back within the hour. Love you!" "A-alright. Love you too!" The pegasus walked out the door and let out a heavy sigh. Clutching her side again, she stumbled down the stairs and started towards the main part of the city. Once she reached Manehatten General, she walked inside and approached the front desk. The receptionist looked up and flinched slightly when she saw the mare. "Skyline Breezer? You don't have an appoin-" "I need to see Doctor Open Heart. Asap." "Uh, s-sure thing. I'll get him right now." As the receptionist got up and started quickly walking towards an office, Skyline Breezer clutched her stomach and hunched over. You should've listened to him! You should've gone earlier. "Oh, oh fuck." Skyline Breezer started trying to walk towards the office the receptionist had gone to but tripped over herself and fell to the floor. As her vision faded, she could see two sets of hooves rushing towards her. "Just make yourselves at home." Octavia and Vinyl sat down on the long couch in WaveMakers living room. He sighed as he sat in the chair across from the couch and looked at the mare. "So, I have a bit of a problem." "Problem?" "Yes. And, even though we hardly know each other, I need somepony that can maybe help me." "I'm sure Tavi and I can help. What's going on?" "Well, my wife, Skyline Breezer, she left about two hours ago and hasn't come back yet. She said she'd be back within the hour but..." WaveMaker looked at the clock and sighed again. He stood up and walked over to the kitchen area. "She hasn't come back yet." "Well, is there any place you know that she would've gone?" "I don't think so. Well, she had this one bar, but I called the mare who runs it, she said she hadn't seen her all day." "Well, was there anything about her recently that seemed weird?" "She might have been stressed." "Why?" "We have a little show coming up. Local talent show back in Ponyville, where she grew up. But I didn't think she'd be that nervous about it." "Anything else?" Before WaveMaker could open his mouth to answer Vinyl's question, the phone behind him rang. "Excuse me one second. Hello? Yes, this is WaveMaker. Yes, yes she is. She.....what!? Alright, I'll be right over." He slammed the phone back onto his stand and ran towards the door. "What's going on?" "She's in the hospital! Stay or leave, I don't really care, but I have to go!" "Do you want us to come with you?" "Whatever you want!" Vinyl looked at Octavia, who shrugged a little and started walking towards the door. "Alright, we're right behind you." "Well doc, what is it?" A tall pony with a orange coat and a white mane walked in and levitated the clipboard off of the bed. Looking it over for a minute, he sighed and looked at Skyline Breezer. "Well miss Breezer, there really isn't any good news I'm afraid." "Oh, w-well it can't possibly be that bad can it?" The doctor sighed, which pushed a few tears out of Skyline Breezers eyes. She looked down and closed her eyes before the doctor continued. "Well, I'm afraid that you have a tumor. A malignant tumor. The only good news is have is that any procedure or surgery we attempt is covered almost fully by your work benefits. Unfortunately, some of the more effective but still experimental procedures may have unprecedented side effects." No words came to Skyline Breezer. She didn't know what to think, to say, to do. All she wanted was for somepony to be there, and tell her it's ok. "I'll give you some time." The doctor walked out of the room and closed the door. Skyline Breezer immediately burst into tears. After a few minutes of uncontrollable sobbing, the doorknob slowly turned, and the door was pushed open. Skyline Breezer didn't want anypony to see her like this, and she didn't want anymore doctors to come in. She looked up and saw familiar features. The blue eyes, the red, white and blue mane. WaveMaker said nothing, but ran into the room and held Skyline Breezer in a tight hug. Skyline Breezer sobbed deeply into WaveMakers neck. Octavia and Vinyl stood just outside the door and watched the moment transpire. "Honey, I'm so sorry, I should've listened when you said to go to the doctors, I ju-" "Shshshsh, shh. It's ok sweetie." As the couple talked amongst themselves, Vinyl and Octavia had their own conversation going on. "Tav, just tell me what's going on." "What do you mean?" "I can tell something's wrong. You've been acting weird ever since that weird feeling you got earlier today." "That's not why I'm acting up." "What is it then?" Octavia, who had been looking down during their conversation, looked up at her mare-friends concerned face. "Alright, I'll tell you when we get back home." "Fine. What do you think we should do here?" Octavia peeked into the room when Vinyl motioned her head towards it. She saw a mare on the bed and WaveMaker sitting on a stool at the beds side. "Well, suppose it can't hurt to go in?" "I guess not." "Well, let's go." As Vinyl and Octavia walked into the room, the mare on the bed looked up and smiled half-heartedly. "Hey, you must be the new neighbors." Part Nine: Sir, Are You Ok?"Well, back to the old grind." "Yeah, good to see you too." Vinyl smiled as Hail Toss grinned at her own sarcastic remark. Vinyl sighed as she flopped down on her bed. The smile faded off of Hail Toss's face a little as she looked over at her friend. "Something wrong? You seem a little down." "Nah, I'm fine." "You sure?" Deciding to tell the truth, Vinyl sighed as she adjusted herself into a sitting position. "So, I got some news the other day, and I'm not quite sure how to deal with it." "What the hell is it?" "Well, my mare-friend, I'm pretty sure she wants to have a foal." "What? I'm no biologist, but that's not possible for two mares." "I know, just wait. I'll tell you the whole thing." Octavia closed the door behind herself after Vinyl walked in. As she turned around, she saw that Vinyl had opened a bottle of alcohol and drained half the bottle. "Listen miss recovering alcoholic. Put that down." "Right, sorry." Vinyl put the bottle back in the fridge and looked at Octavia. "So what's this thing going on Tav? You said you'd tell me when we were home, so." "Fine, sit down." Vinyl did as she was told and sat down on the couch next to Octavia. As she closed her eyes, Octavia took a deep breath. "Well, with all the scrapes with death you, me and and even ponies we know have had recently, I just don't think we can afford to take things slowly." "Alright, where are you going with this?" "Well, we need somepony to carry on the family." "So, hold on, you want to-" Octavia interrupted Vinyl's sentence with a kiss, and Vinyl's stopped protesting as she lost herself in the moment. As Octavia pulled away from the kiss, the two opened their eyes. "Well, we should probably get you back to rehab." "Oh, o-ok." "Wow." "Yeah. I can't believe she wants to go that fast with it." "No, I meant wow as in its that easy to distract you." Vinyl shot Hail Toss a look, and laid down again. Sighing again, she closed her eyes and got comfortable on the sheets that were growing familiar. "You know, I really should thank you for that little thing Vinyl." "What?" "I mean, I was in that relationship with my ex for like three years and we hadn't even spent a night at each other's places. I think I might've been going too slow with it." "Huh. Well you're welcome." Hail Toss rolled her eyes at Vinyl's sarcasm, and pulled the covers up on her body. Vinyl snickered to herself and did the same. "Well, you're on your last week." "Yep." "What're you gonna do when you get out? Any special plans?" "Well, I'm probably gonna go home, sleep in my own bed." "You mean the one you'll be sharing?" As Hail Toss giggled to herself, Vinyl blushed slightly and levitated a pillow. The moment Hail Toss turned back to face Vinyl, she smacked her with her pillow. "Alright, fine. I get the message." Vinyl, feeling victorious, smiled to herself and got back into a comfortable position. "You got therapy tommorow Hail?" "No, you?" "No, they're letting tommorow slide." "Oh, cool. Wanna hang out at the buckball court? I heard a few ponies talking about a tournament." "Hey, that sounds pretty cool. We should definately check that out. Well, goodnight Hail." "Goodnight Vinyl." With that, Vinyl and Hail Toss turned off their lamps and got into comfortable positions. After only a few minutes, both mares drifted off into a peaceful sleep. Octavia nervously paced back and forth in the living room. The phone sat still on its stand on the coffee table. Octavia had been pacing for almost an hour now, awaiting a phone call that to her was taking hours. "Oh come on already." Minutes passed before the phone started ringing. Only one cycle of rings could be heard before Octavia picked up the phone and held it to her ear. "Hello?" "Hey Octavia." "Lyra? What's going on?" "Uh, not much, you?" "I, I'm sort of waiting for a call right now." "Oh, sorry. But hey, there's a show going on in Ponyville in a little while. Bonnie and I would love it if you could come? Maybe bring your new mare-friend?" As Lyra giggled to herself, Octavia rolled her eyes. "Well, I suppose it couldn't hurt. When is this?" "It's a week from tomorrow." "Oh, that actually works perfectly for me." "Great! Alright. You can probably just meet us at our house and we'll all walk there. You do still know the address right?" "Of course." "Alright, see ya then Tav. Bye." "Bye Lyra." As Octavia hung up the phone, she sighed and sat down. She put a hoof to her head and closed her eyes. After merely seconds, the phone started ringing again. "Hello?" "Hey, Octavia?" "WaveMaker, hi. What's going on now?" "Well, the doctor gave me some news, whether we label it good or bad I'm not sure." "What is it?" "Well, Skyline Breezer has a malignant tumor, and there are maybe three options to deal with it." "My word, that's awful. What are the options?" "Option one is let her live the three months she has left without any treatment whatsoever, which is probably my least favorite idea. Then option two, we fight as hard as we can with medication, chemotherapy, and maybe surgeries. Third option, we try a highly experimental procedure that may result in total amnesia." "I'm so sorry. Have either of you decided on what you're going to do?" "Well, we're both leaning towards option two. She already had a cousin die from a tumor, so she knows what has to happen. And I know her, if she needs to, she'll fight like hell." "Well Vinyl and I are here if either of you need us." "Thank you, I can't begin to thank you enough for your support." "It's no problem." "Alright, well, I gotta go. Thank you Octavia, and tell Vinyl we said hello." "I will, take care. Both of you." "We will, you too." "Thanks, bye." "Bye." Both ponies hung up their phones, and Octavia looked at the clock. "Damn, it's late. I should be getting to bed." As she yawned, Octavia made her way to the new bedroom. Flopping down on the bed, she blew a puff of air out that flipped her hair into the way of her eyes. She slipped under the covers and settled into her surroundings. After only minutes, she was sound asleep. "I'm on top of the world! Wooooo!" WaveMaker stuck his head out of the top of the speeding train, then drained a bottle of alcohol and tossed it. Skyline Breezer pulled him back into the train and kissed him. "Don't forget about me there sweetie." "Oh, I didn't plan to." The two chuckled and Skyline Breezer stood up. She walked over to the door of the single trailing car and stared at the sky. WaveMaker walked up beside her and hugged her. "We have it all don't we?" "We sure do." Just as WaveMaker kissed Skyline Breezer on the cheek, the train shuddered and Skyline Breezer fell into the train car. WaveMaker tried to move to help her up, but the car door closed in front of him. "Skyline. Skyline!" Skyline Breezer stood up and ran over to the door when she heard her husbands yelling. She began pounding on the door with her hooves and screaming, though no noise could be heard. WaveMaker hit the glass with his hoof, and the car unhitched. The train started speeding away, leaving the car behind and separating the two. "Skyline!" As WaveMaker watched his wife get farther and father away, tears started falling. The car tipped on its side and started aflame. All WaveMaker could do was watch. "Sir?" WaveMaker snapped awake and looked around. He looked up with a questioning face at the dark green earth pony mare that had shaken him. "Huh?" "Sir, are you okay? You were thrashing around something terrible." "What? Oh, yeah. Sorry, just a bad dream." "Oh shoot, no need to apologize. I know where your coming from." The mare flipped her red hair back and sat down beside WaveMaker. "Where are my manners, BrickLayer, nice to meet you." "WaveMaker, and likewise." "So what're you here for? You seem to be fine." "My wife has a tumor, I came out here to sit and think for a minute." "Dang, sure hope she can recover." "Me too. What're you here for?" "Well, my cousin got a peice of rebar jammed through his one leg. Dumbass was jumpin' off the roof tryina land in the pool." "Ow, that would hurt. I hope he heals up soon." WaveMaker smiled sympathetically, but couldn't help but laugh a little on the inside at the ridiculous story. "Ah, he should be out any minute now, we've been here a few hours by now. Simple, um, removing metal from leg surgery, I'm sure they done it before. Hope so at least, it's kinda embarrassin', figure they don't exactly have a discrete code for 'dumbass with metal pole stuck in leg' around here." "That's true." BrickLayer nodded and leaned back in her seat. After a little while, an orange earth pony stallion with a tan and blue mane hobbled out and over to BrickLayer. She got up and walked over to him and the doctor that had accompanied him. "How is he doc?" "Well, we were able remove the rebar from his leg without causing any damage, and the fragment didn't hit any nerves, bones, muscles, or blood vessels. I advise you to be more careful sir, and stay away from the rooftops. Wouldn't want you bleeding out on stage now would we?" "Sure wouldn't doc, we'll keep him safe." "Alright, have a nice day now you two." "Thanks doc, you too. Well, let's get you home then. I'll see ya 'round WaveMaker, my best regards to your wife." "Thank you. Quick question though, if I may?" "Sure thing, shoot." "On stage. What did he mean?" "Oh, my cousin Critical Acclaim here's the guitarist in a rock band. They're actually playing the show in Ponyville coming up." "Oh cool. Me and my wife were gonna be in that show too, but I'm not sure if we will considering her condition." "Dang, that sure sucks. Maybe she can stay here and rest while you do the show?" "Eh, I don't know. The song we were gonna do was a duet, and she played the guitar for it." "Hmm, well. Perhaps you could find somepony else to do it with ya?" "Maybe." "Well, good luck on that. See ya 'round." "Bye." The two ponies walked out of the hospital, leaving WaveMaker alone. As he stood up, he sighed, and walked over to the snack machine. He inserted three bits and pressed two buttons in succession. After taking a view of the chocolate bar the machine dispensed, he looked at the clock. It read five forty-seven. "Hmm, maybe just another half hour or so?" WaveMaker finished the candy bar and threw the wrapper in a nearby garbage. He sighed heavily as he sat back down. After another minute, he looked down and closed his eyes for a bit longer than a standard blink. "Fuck man, I just want this while thing to be over." Octavia stretched and rubbed her eyes as the light gently cascaded through the window into her bedroom. Through only a moment of silence, Octavia could hear birds chirping and a gentle breeze blowing the trees. As she walked out into the kitchen, she yawned. "Well, sure did get a good sleep. Glad I opted for that better bed." She smiled as she poured herself a bowl of cereal. As she reached into the refrigerator for the milk, she turned and looked at the TV. "Hm, couldn't hurt." She poured the milk on the cereal and put the milk back in the fridge. As she walked over to the living room and set her bowl down, she picked up the remote and flipped on the TV. Welcome back to Can You Do It? where contestant Corporate Office is challenged with drinking fourteen liters of carrot juice in two minutes. CAN HE DO IT? "Can I change the channel? Yes." Octavia chuckled to herself at her mocking and changed the channel. Buy it now and you can earn free shipping and handling. But that's not all- Baby, you got me all wrong, it ain't like this. Then what do I do with the monkey? And there were no survivors. "Ah, here we are, the news." Up next, crowds are hyped for the upcoming talent performance in Ponyville. Here's Scratch Ticket with the report. Thanks Big Scoop. As you can see by the various posters and flyers scatteredabout, ponies are getting very excited about the talent show going on. With performances from the big and the small, the famous and the non, ponies are coming from all over Equestria to watch or perform. Miss, do you have time to answer a few questions for us? "Hmm, ponies from all over Equestria? This could be a perfect time to fundraise for drug awareness! That would help with Vinyl's resume if I can get her out for it. Hmm, I'll go down to Helping Hooves and see if I can make that work!" Octavia quickly ran into the bathroom and brushed her teeth. After brushing her mane down in the mirror, she ran out the door and locked it shut. In her excitement, she had forgotten to turn the television off. Breaking news. During a prison riot at Big Gate Prison, nine convicts have escaped. The riot was apparently started by Open Mind, murderer of former star Octavia Melodys agent, Platinum Record. While it is unknown exactly who all has escaped, we assure you the police are working as hard as possible to find these escaped convicts. Part Ten: Just A Matter Of Time"Well, your last day has arrived." "That is has Hail, that it has." Vinyl chuckled to herself as she slammed her last suitcase shut. Hail Toss walked over and flopped backwards onto Vinyl's bed. "Can't believe your mare-friend got you out four days early. Such piss." "Ah whatever, at least you're gonna be out in a little while too right?" "Nine weeks." "Hm, well, it's a start." "Better than poor ol' Stone Gate, he's here for another three years." "Damn, that's gotta suck." "I'm sure it does." Vinyl put her final suitcase on top of the others and stacked them onto a small cart. As she turned to her roommate, she sighed. "Well, it was really cool meeting you Hail Toss." "Ditto Vinyl. I just really hope my new roommate isn't some crazy ass." Hail Toss smiled at Vinyl and they both chuckled a little. Hail Toss stood up and started towards Vinyl. "Know what, come, come here." "What?" "Gimme a hug, you know you wanna." "Oh for fucks sakes." Vinyl backed up slightly as the other mare held out a hoof. "Oh come on, don't make me cry." Hail Toss put a mocked sad face on and stared at Vinyl. Vinyl rolled her eyes again and sighed. "You're weird. Come here." The two mares hugged for a moment, and then Vinyl backed off. "Well, good luck in here Hail." "Thank Vinyl, good luck out there." The two nodded to each other, and Vinyl pushed the cart outside the room. Down the hall she walked, Healthy Living at her side, up to the reception desk. There waiting for her was Octavia, who upon seeing her ran over and hugged her. "Vinyl, so good to see you!" "You too Tav." The couple started kissing deeply, closing their eyes and tuning out the world. Healthy Living rolled his eyes slightly and smiled as he raised a hoof and cleared his throat into it. "Vinyl, I have something to ask of you." Vinyl turned around and looked at Healthy Living. Healthy Living held out what looked like a small square of plastic to Vinyl. Upon closer inspection, she could see herself looking down, surrounded by notes, keys, and other music related items. "My album!" "Could you sign it for me please? It's my favourite one." "No problem." When Healthy Living levitated a pen, Vinly took it in her magic and signed her name on the front. She looked up to see a wide grin on Healthy Livings face. "Well, can't believe I'm saying this, but I'm gonna miss you Vinyl. Hope to see you around." "Yeah, I'm sure we'll see each other again, I'm gonna miss you too." Vinyl raised her hoof and it was met by Healthy Livings. "Take good care of Hail Toss for me." "Will do. Good luck Vinyl." "Thanks, you too." As Healthy Living nodded and turned away, Vinyl looked back at a smiling Octavia. "Well then Vinyl, if you're ready to go." "Hell yeah, I'm outta here." The two chuckled as they turned and started towards the exit. Octavia held the door open for Vinyl, bit Vinyl fire for a moment. As she took a deep breath, she turned around. Still holding the breath in her cheeks, she looked around. She let the air out and smile as she turned back to Octavia. "Well. Here we go." Vinyl walked past her mare-friend and out into the fresh summer air. She breathed in deeply as she levitated her bags past the doorway. Octavia walked beside her and looked at her with a slightly questioning look. "Vinyl, what's all this for? We haven't even left the gates, you've probably been in this spot like a day ago." "Yeah, the difference is freedom sweetie. Now like jet before some crazy ass comes and talks to us." "Alright, but you were in here too, you crazy ass." "Hey." Vinyl glared at Octavia, who was giggling slightly. Vinyl rolled her eyes and continued walking, Octavia following. Shortly after they left the front gates, they could hear music. "You here that Tav?" "I do. Guitar, Drums, Bass. Don't really hear a singer, do you?" "Not really. Where you think it's coming from?" Octavia looked up and around, mainly up towards a nearby apartment complex. "Seems to be coming from there." Vinyl looked as Octavia pointed a hoof to the building. She leaned her head in slightly towards the building, as if trying to hear exactly what was happening. "Hmm, you know, that song sounds familiar." "Really?" "Yeah. Sometimes when Hail Toss and I would walk around the yard and rant to each other we'd hear them playing. It's weird though, they usually have a singer." Just at that moment, a blue pegasus with a silver and brown mane ran by and into the apartment building. After about a minute, the music stopped. "I think it's safe to say that they found their singer." "Yeah." The two chuckled and continued walking down the street towards their apartment. After they arrived at the apartment, Octavia turned and looked at the T.V that she had left on. A pony was levitating a microphone to another pony on the street. "Yeah, I mean, about an hour after I watched the news report on the prison break I went out and saw a dude who was just locked up like a month ago-" "Prison break?" "What's that?" Vinyl walked into the living room beside Octavia and stared at the two ponies on the television. "And I mean, he looked like somepony that would be in a prison, I think he got in there for stabbing someone or something. By the time the cops got to where I was at, the guy had left." "Well, we'll have to keep a sharp eye out for him and any of the other convicts. Police are advising ponies to stay indoors as much as possible and-" "You don't think..." "O-Open Mind? No, th-there's no way." Vinyl forced a chuckle and sat down on the couch. Octavia uneasily followed and sat down beside her. Vinyl wrapped her one hoof around Octavia and moved closer to her. "There's nothing to worry about sweetie." Vinyl planted a small kiss on Octavias cheek, making her blush slightly as she did so. "Well, I hope you're right. We certainly don't want anything bad happening considering neither of us are in the hospital or rehab." "Yeah, see? Everything's fine right now." ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ WaveMaker paced back and forth in the hospital waiting room, his hoofsteps echoing slightly as he did so. It was around one in the morning, so nopony else was around. Until the moment a mare in a lab coat walked into the room, he had never taken his eyes off the floor. "She has completed her chemo for today." "Thank you." WaveMaker walked past the mare and down to Skyline Breezers room. As he walked down the hallway, he took multiple deep breaths. When he got to the door of Skyline Breezers room, he sniffed slightly and walked in. Skyline Breezer was sitting on the edge of the hospital bed looking at a magazine. When WaveMaker walked in, she looked up and smiled. "There you are." "Yep. Ready to go?" "Yeah, I'm hungry as hell." WaveMaker chuckled to himself as Skyline Brerzer threw a jacket around her back. "Well, we can worry about that when we get back." The two smiled at each other and shared a quick kiss before walking out of the room. They proceeded towards the door and started on their way home. About a block to their house, they passed an alleyway and could hear talking. They looked down the alley and could make out three figures. One was standing with it's back to them, and one was standing on front of the third, who was bloodied and lying on the ground. "It's that easy sweetie, now just give me the money nice and slow." "Fuck you!" "Hey now, hey now. We wouldn't want you endin' up like your mute brother over there. Hey, how you doin' over there champ?" The one figure looked towards the bloody pony on the ground. All the pony could do was raise it's head and it's look at the other figure. "Wait a minute, I think I know them." "What?" WaveMaker leaned a little to get a closer view. The bloody figure was familiar looking, orange coat, tan and blue mane, it was definitely Critical Acclaim, which meant that the other was BrickLayer. "Yeah. I for sure know them." WaveMaker started walking down the alleyway, making sure to be quiet. He approached the pony that hads it back turned and cleared his throat. "There a problem here?" The pony in front of WaveMaker turned around a immediately received a hoof across the face. WaveMaker looked up at BrickLayer and Critical Acclaim. "Run!" BrickLayer hoisted her brother up and the two stumbled out of the alley, WaveMaker at their side. Skyline Breezer saw the mugger standing up and quickly threw a trash can down behind them. The group continued to run until they were three blocks away. They all stopped and panted for a little while. "Thanks." "Ah, no problem." "Hey, I remember you. You were that stallion in the waiting room. And you must be his wife." "I am. Skyline Breezer, pleasure to meet you." "Likewise. This is my brother, Critical Acclaim. Mute. Don't expect a howdy or nothin' from him, unless you got a pen." BrickLayer started laughing at her own joke, and Critical Acclaim rolled his eyes and hit BrickLayer in the side with his hoof. "Ah, you fucker." "Anyways, We should probably get going. Was that something personal?" "That street creep? Nah, he was just some asshole. Thanks a ton though." "No problem. I'll see you guys later." "Ditto." The two pairs waved to each other and walked away from where they were. Skyline Breezer whipped the hair out of her eyes and turned to WaveMaker. "Hey, just a question, how did you know them?" "Some ponies I met in the waiting room while you were getting chemo." "Ah. I see." The couple continued down the street until they got to their house. As WaveMaker pulled out his keys, he looked to his left, at Octavia and Vinyls house. He could see that lights were on in the house, but he didn't see any figures moving. "What do you thinks going on over there?" "I don't know. Party of some kind?" "Hmm. Maybe." The two entered their house and Skyline Breezer flopped onto the couch. "Fuck that chemo stuff sucks." WaveMaker was staring out the window at the nearby house. Skyline Breezer looked up when she received no response, and walked over. "Honey?" "What? Sorry. I, I just got a really bad feeling right now." "Like, upset stomach bad feeling or shits going down bad feeling?" "The second one." "Hmm. I'm sure it's nothing to worry about." "Yeah, hopefully not. Well, we should probably be off to bed." "Hey, I'm still hungry." The two chuckled and walked from the window to the kitchen. WaveMaker couldn't help but peek behind him at the window. The bad feeling remained. "Welcome to Ponyville Inn, How may I help you?" "We just need a room. One night. We're only in town for the music festival." "Oh, that's what's keeping me in business right now dearie." "I bet it is." "Well, here are your keys, room 4B, second floor." "Thanks." "Enjoy your stay." A couple walked away from the desk as the receptionist wrote down a few things in a book. She hummed quietly as she worked, and she turned around to open up a file cabinet, not seeing the black maned stallion that walked up to the desk. He slammed a few bits onto the wooden surface, startling the receptionist and making her spin around. "I'd like a room please." "Oh, yes, any room will do?" "First floor preferred." "Oh, sorry dearie, the first floor is all full up. Three rooms left on the second floor though, will that work?" "Yes, that's fine." The stallions grim demeanor and slow speech pace gave the receptionist chills. She disregarded any bad feeling and smiled as she gave the pony his keys. "Room 5B, second floor." "Excellent. Oh, and one more thing." "What's that?" "I plan on meeting someone, do you know of a Lyra Heartstrings?" "Actually, yes I do. Her and her mare-friend have stayed here a few times. Wonderful guests really, left the room in perfect condition. Tipped nicely too." "Good, good. Would you happen to have her phone number?" "Actually, I think she left something here with her address on it. Wait, how do you know her?" "Friends." "Alright." The receptionist was weary as she held up a small piece of paper with Lyra and Bon-Bons address on it. "Here." Open Mind smiled as he took the paper. "Excellent. Thank you very much. I'll be taking my keys now." Open Minds words were edgy and grim, giving the receptionist chills every time he spoke. "Al-alright. Here you go. Enjoy your stay." "I'm sure I will." Open Mind chuckled slightly and took the keys. As he walked off towards his room, the receptionist shook her head quickly. "Ugh, that dude was creepy as hell." Returning to the small amount of paperwork she had left, the receptionist looked back down at her desk. "I hope he's not up to anything bad." "Well, tomorrow's the big day Lyra." "Sure is Bonnie. You excited?" "Yeah I'm excited, this kind of stuff never happens here." "True. The last big event that happened was Donut Joe coming out with a new flavour." Bon-Bon giggled at Lyras joke and laid down on their bed. Lyra flopped down next to her and pressed the tip of her muzzle against Bon-Bons. "You know, I'm actually really looking forward to catching up with Octavia after so long." "Yeah, it'll be nice. Well, we should probably get to sleep. Goodnight Lyra." "Goodnight Bonnie." The two were just about to lay the blanket down on themselves, but a knock at the door stopped them. "Who could that be?" "I'll get it." Lyra sighed as she got up from the bed and started towards the door. As she opened up the door, she saw a figure she had never seen before. It was a pony with a brown coat and a black mane. "Hello." "Uh, hello. Who are you?" "Who is it?" "I don't know!" Bon-Bon hopped off the bed and walked up to see who was at the door. Her pupils dilated slightly upon seeing Open Mind standing in the doorway. She remembered what Octavia had told her over the phone the day before. "But, I don't know, just the thought of him still being around is terrifying me." "Aw, I'm sure it'll be alright Octavia. How many did you say they got back in so far?" "Uh, last I checked they had eight out of eleven, so they're on a good track." "That's good. I'll be sure to report anything I see." "Thanks Bonnie." "No problem, what exactly did he look like again?" "The one we're particularly worried about has a brown coat and black mane. Unicorn stallion. Open Mind if you can get his name." "Alright, Lyra and I will keep our eyes peeled. Bye Octavia." "Later Octavia!" "Bye you two. I'll see you soon." "May I come in?" "Actually, we were just about to go to bed. See, we kinda have something going on in the morning." "This'll only take a moment." Lyra looked at Bon-Bon, sensing the terror eminating from her. Lyra stood firmly and barred Open Minds entrance. "Sorry man, you can't come in, we really have to get to sleep." "Really?" Open Mind smiled grimly as he set his briefcase down and opened it up. When he levitated a pistol out and aimed it at the mares, they both jumped back in fright. "No screaming now." Using his magic, Open Mind closed the door behind him as he walked inside. He put the gun back in his briefcase and smiled less grimly. "There we go." Open Mind moved towards the mares, both of them matching his distance backwards until they were pressed up against the kitchen wall. "Don't worry, don't worry. I don't want to hurt either of you." "They why the hell are you here?" Lyra stepped forward, defending her mare-friend with as much courage as she could muster. "I just wish to talk." "What about?" "Somepony you know. Sit." Open Mind took a seat at the kitchen table and motioned for the mares to sit as well. Frightened, they obeyed his silent order. "Good. Now, down to business. Somepony you know has something of mine, and I need to know where to find them." "Wait, who has your thing and what is it?" "Do either of you know of Octavia Melody?" Lyra nodded, but Bon-Bon was frozen in fear still. She couldn't talk, and moving took every once of strengh in her body. Suddenly, a thought entered her mind. "I, I-I-I'm going to get us some t-tea. You drink tea mister Open Mind?" "Yes actually, one cream, two sugars." "Certainly, Lyra?" "Eh, I'm fine." "Alright." Bon-Bon walked over to the stove an put the kettle on. She looked over for a quick second to see if the conversation was continuing, and it was. She quickly took this opportunity to pick up the phone and dial Octavias number. "Hello?" "Octavia!" "Oh, hey Bon-Bon, wha-" "Open Mind, he's here! And yes got a gun! I need tou to call the cops or something! Quick!" Before Octavia could respond, Bon-Bon hung up the phone, and turned to the kettle. She took the whistling pot and turned towards the other two ponies. As she took in the full scene, her heart sank into her stomach. Open Mind was holding Lyra at gunpoint and facing Bon-Bon. "Well, it seems you've seen through me. By the way, I never said my name when I walked in, so I know you've been told to look out for me. You know Bon-Bon, when a robber asks for your wallet, ponies say you'll be better off giving them the wallet." Open Mind cocked the gun with his magic, and tears started falling down both Lyra and Bon-Bons faces. "Please! Don't hurt her!" "Well, I guess I only have so much time before some sort of law enforcement arrives, so Ill make this quick. Tomorrow, I need you to keep them as far away from that festival as possible. Got it?" Bon-Bon frantically nodded and Open Mind looked down at Lyra. She nodded as much as she could, and Open Mind let her go. Lyra collapsed to the floor and coughed repeatedly. Bon-Bon dropped down and held her, gently stroking her mane in an attempt to relax her. Open Mind stood in the doorway and whistled, prompting the mare to look at him. "Disobey my words and I'll find you again." Open Mind shot out the door and off into the night, leaving the two dumbstruck mares to wait for the police. "Hey, you're up early." Octavia was looking out the living room window, towards Ponyville. Vinyl had just woken up and walked out to see her. "I haven't slept Vinyl. Bon-Bon called last night." "Really? What'd she want?" "Open Mind is in Ponyville, and he was in their house." "Wait, what?" Octavia took a sip of her coffee and turned back to Vinyl. "Sometime after you went to sleep, Bon-Bon called me, and she said that Open Mind was in their house, and to call the police." "Well?" "I did, obviously. But she called back and said that he left before they arrived." "Damn." Octavia sighed as she sat down on the couch and put a hoof to her head, closing her eyes. Vinyl sat down beside her and leaned against her. "I'm sure they're fine. I don't think he'd hurt either of them, he doesn't exactly have a motive." "But he does! He has us, that's what he wants." Octavia stood up and walked over to the kitchen, eyeing the phone. "I should call her, I really need to know what happened." Vinyl nodded as she approached the other side of the counter and leaned against it. Octavia picked up the phone and dialed Bon-Bons number. After a few rings, Octavia perked up after hearing Lyra. "Hello?" "Lyra, hello, how are you?" "Uh, I mean, you know what happened right?" "Yes, but has anything happened since?" "Not really. Cops left, Bon-Bon and I kinda sat around after that." "Is she home?" "No, she actually went out to talk to Derpy and Doctor Whooves. Apparently they're considering entering the festival too." "Oh, cool, cool. Alright, well, tell her I said hello. I'll see you guys later?" "Yep. Same place same time." "Alright. See you then Lyra." "Yep." Both mares hung up their phones and Octavia sighed again. "I really hope they catch that crazy arse sometime soon." "Hopefully the festival will be a bit of a buffer." "Well, I'm sure security will be pretty tight. Ah, what am I worrying about, there's no way hed pull a stunt like that in the middle of a huge show." "Exactly." Vinyl leaned across the counter and rubbed her muzzle against Octavias in a display of comforting. "It'll be ok." "You know, eventually we're gonna have to get moving sweetie!" "Just a second!" Skyline Breezer looked over the side of her head in the mirror in slight disgust. She could see the hair falling out of her head. The chemotherapy was taking a toll on her appearance. She grabbed the hat laying on the counter and put it on. "Whatever." She sighed and looked down before taking in a deep breath and smiling. Another knock on the door prompted her to open it. "Finally, jeez." "How do I look?" "Just as beautiful as you always did honey." "Really? Or are you just saying that?" "Well, the hat is covering any hair that's falling out, and the rest just looks like plain old you." "Plain old me?" "Well, I meant, you know, like.." Skyline Breezer smiled and cocked her head to the side, giving WaveMaker a playful look. As WaveMaker looked at his wife's face, he squinted. "You're just fucking with me aren't you?" After a few seconds of trying to hold it back, Skyline Breezer started laughing. WaveMaker rolled his eyes hugged her. "C'mon then, let's get going. We gotta get on that train." "Yep." WaveMaker put his right front leg around Skyline Breezer and they started towards their door. "Life will beat you down if you let it Breezy." "Yeah, well, life's hitting pretty fucking hard as of late." "Just gotta push through it." "Thanks mister philosophy." Skyline Breezer smiled at WaveMaker again and he rolled his eyes in response. "I'm just saying you know." "Yeah yeah, I'm just playin' with ya." As they exited their house and locked the door, Skyline Breezer stepped off the porch and looked around. She turned her attention to Vinyl and Octavias house and stared at it for a good minute before WaveMaker said anything. "Sweetie? You alright?" "I...I got that feeling." "What feeling?" "The one you were talking about last night. Like something's really isn't right." "Skyline. There's no need to be psyching yourself out before the show. Let's just get on that train, go to Ponyville, and enjoy the festival." Her vision still deadlocked on the house down the street, Skyline Breezer took in a deep breath. She closed her eyes, exhaled, and shook off any bad feelings. "Yeah, you're right. Let's get going then." The two continued their walk down to the train station, and upon arriving sat down on the benches. "The train should only be a minute or so, so don't be falling asleep on me like last time." "Hey, I was tired and the train was taking like three hours." "Right, but it was also about two in the afternoon." WaveMaker leaned closer to Skyline Breezer and grinned. She rolled her eyes and pushed him away with a hoof. "Whatever." "Aww, I'm just joking with ya sweetie." WaveMaker warmly embraced his wife with a hug and rubbed his muzzle against hers. "I know." Skyline Breezer turned and kisses WaveMaker quickly on the lips, prompting a smile from both of them. They both leaned back and sighed almost simultaneously. "What do you think Octavia and Vinyl are up to?" "No idea. I would imagine they're probably up to roughly the same thing we are." "You just had to hit the snooze?" "I like sleeping!" Octavia rolled her eyes as her and Vinyl continued their sprint towards the train station. Octavia could see the train, just about to leave. "C'mon Vinyl! We're almost there!" "I'm running!" Just as the couple reached the train station doors and jumped through them, the train blew it's whistle and started moving. Both mares stood and painted for several seconds before regaining their breath and looking around. "Well, we made it. Shall we sit down?" "Yeah." Vinyl craned her neck to get a better view of something, but Octavia couldn't see. "What are you looking at?" "Aren't our neighbors right there?" Octavia looked at where Vinyl had raised a hoof and pointed to. Seeing a familiar red, white, and blue mane. With the presence of the red mane that typically accompanied it, Vinyl and Octavias assumed it was them and walked over. To her surprise, WaveMaker noticed her and Vinyl before they were even at the table. "Hey! It's you two! Come, sit down." "Where the hell were you two? We didn't see ya." "Yes, well, this one decided to take a cat-nap before we left, but it turned into more of a fraternity drunken passout-esque sleep." Vinyl rolled her eyes as the other three ponies chuckled. "Yeah yeah, anyways. How are you two?" "Well, alive and kicking. That's the main part." "Good to hear. Chemotherapy going well Skyline?" "Well, it's kicking just as much as I am, but it's slowly getting easier." "Well, at least you got this weekend." "Yeah. Yeah! And may we fucking enjoy it! Waiter! A round for the table." A pony in a fancy getup walked over and put four glasses down on the table, along with a bottle of champagne. Skyline Breezer smiled and took the bottle, pouring some of the alcohol into each glass. She picked up hers and held it up. "A toast. To friends, and the future wellness of hopefully all of us." "Cheers." The ponies around the table clicked their glasses together and each took long drinks. Octavia looked to her right, out the window. A big part of her was still worried about a certain pony. "Thanks for visiting Ponyville Inn, have a great day." "Likewise." Open Mind walked out of Ponyville Inn, carrying his suitcase in his magic beside him. From the inn he continued on towards the centre of town, where the show was being held. He found his way to a lone tree stop a hill, overlooking where the stage was being set up and sat down. Slowly leaning his back against the tree, he closed his eyes and exhaled. "Just a matter of time now Vinyl and Octavia." Open Mind opened the briefcase with his magic and levitated a shiny pistol into his lap. He opened his eyes and pulled the receiver of the gun back, then letting it spring back into place with a satisfying click. He grinned maliciously and looked off to the stage area. "Just a matter of time." "Ugh, my back, that was a rough wake up call." "Well, that's what you get for falling asleep again. I'm starting to think that that's a habit of yours." "I could say the same thing for Vinyl. Maybe we should have an intervention for them, what do you say WaveMaker?" "Hey, that's a great idea!" "Oh knock it off you two." "Yeah. Besides, we need to sleep in order to be able to talk to you two.' "Speak for yourself Skyline, I was just tired as all hell." The ponies in the group collectively burst into laughter at Vinyls comment as they walked through Ponyville train station. The reached the edge of the far side of the station when they ceased their laughter and stopped walking. "Well, Vinyl and I have to meet another couple I know. We'll see you at the festival!" "Yep, take care till then gals." "We'll try." The couple's waved to each other and parted, Vinyl and Octavia walking towards Lyra and Bonbons house. "So, tell me a little bit about your friends." "Well, Bon-Bon, she's actually sort of like me, but with a much different voice. And Lyra, well, how do I put this, she's Lyra. She's pretty quirky, but she's still fun to have around." "Sounds like somepony I'd be fine hanging out with." "Yes, I think we're all actually going to hit it off." "Lets hope. Just there, the festival, then we're back home." Octavia stayed silent after Vinyl's last sentence, as something had just come back to her. Open Mind was still in Ponyville, as far as they knew. "Something wrong Tavi?" "I still have that feeling." "You think it's-" "I know it is, it has to be. There's no way he isn't here, and no way he's not up to something bad." "You really think he'd be stupid enough to try and pull something at the festival? You'd think security would be pretty high, and he's already got a bad name out there, along with a photo. Anypony who sees him will turn him in for sure." Octavia stopped for a moment and thought about what Vinyl had said. She was right, but there was still a nagging feeling tearing at Octavias mind. "Well, I guess..." "C'mon, it'll be fine. We'll go hang out with your friends, go watch the festival, and go back home perfectly fine." "But what if-" "Tavi." Vinyl put a hoof on Octavias face and pulled her head closer to her own. Her eyes gazed deeply into Octavias. "Stop worrying. You'll only stress yourself out." Octavia didn't speak, she just looked down, eyes closed, and sighed. Vinyl was right, she was only freaking herself out. "You're right." Octavia looked up and smiled at Vinyl, who returned the smile. "Thank you Vinyl." Octavia leaned in and softly kissed Vinyl on the lips. Vinyl matched Octavias movement and the two enjoyed the moment. They pulled their heads away from each other and continued walking. "You're right Vinyl. It's a beautiful day, we have something big to look forward to, and we haven't seen anything this far that we should be worried about." "See, I told ya." "So, everything's ready? You don't have any last minute indiscretions?" "Nope." "Are you sure? Everytime we do something like this you have some sort of thing that you bring up right before we do whatever it is we're doing." "Ok, be that as it may, in good this time." WaveMaker rolled his eyes and turned towards the stage. He could see that the whole setup was almost fully put together, save the metal barriers they had to arrange. Past the area designated for the show, he could see a hill with a lone oak tree upon it. He squinted for a moment and leaned forwards. He could swear he saw somepony move. "Something wrong?" WaveMaker turned back to see his wife with a concerned look on her face. "Uh, no. I just, thought I saw something. I'm sure it's nothing." "Well, let's hope it is. I really don't think we-" Skyline Breezers sentence was cut off by a sudden coughing fit. She put a hoof to her mouth and tried to cover it up as best as she could. Alarms were going off in WaveMakers head, and he turned to her. "Sweetie?" "It's fine. I'm just feeling a little sick. It'll pass. Anyways, as I was saying, I really don't think we need anything else to go wrong." "Well, let's just hope that what just happened isn't something that'll cause troubles." "Like I said, it'll pass." "Hopefully." Wavemakers response was reluctant, but he did so nonetheless. A small rumbling sound came from his stomach, and he looked over at Skyline Breezer. "I heard that." "We'll I'm hungry." "Well, I don't know where to go. Wanna just wander aimlessly and see if we find something?" "Yep." The two chuckled mildly and stood up, walking down the side of the hill opposite to the stage. WaveMaker gave the adjacent hill one more look. The figure was still there, but he thought he could see it's eyes staring back at him. "I'll get it!" Lyra got off the couch and ran to the door. She pulled it open with her magic and smiled at the ponies standing on the other side of the doorway. "Octavia! Good to see you!" "Hey Lyra, you too." The two mares embraced slightly before Bon-Bon appeared in the doorway. "Octavia, glad you could make it!" "Wouldn't miss it." Octavia put a hoof around Bon-Bon and hugged her softly. When they pulled away from each other, Octavia could see Lyra smirking at her. "So, you gonna introduce us to your friend?" "Oh, yes. Lyra, Bon-Bon, this is Vinyl Scratch, my mare-friend." "Yo." "Hey." "Pleasure to meet you Vinyl." Bon-Bon extended a hoof to Vinyl, who met it with her own. They both smiled at each other before Bon-Bon started turning towards the inside of the house. "Come in. We have a bit of time before the festival starts, so why don't we catch up a bit?" "Yeah, come sit down you two." Octavia started walking inside, but noticed that Vinyl was hesitating. "Vinyl, it'll be fine, I promise. Just relax, they're good ponies." Vinyl closed her eyes and drew a long breath. She exhaled and nodded to her mare-friend as she opened her eyes. They walked inside and sat down on the side of the table opposite to Lyra and Bon-Bon. "So, Vinyl, tell us about yourself a little." "Um, alright. I used to be a DJ by the name of DJ Pon-3, I've been living in ManeHatten for roughly five years, and now I'm just out of rehab and living with Octavia." Vinyl smiled and put a hoof around Octavia, pulling her a little closer. Bon-Bon giggled and looked at Lyra, who was smiling. "Well, I'm sure you too are happy together. But, I wanna point this out, or ask this I guess." "Sure, what is it?" "What happens when you want to listen to music? I mean, what happens then?" Octavia and Vinyl simultaneously looked at each other in question. They hadn't listened to music at the same time, usually it was Octavia practicing while Vinyl was at rehab or Vinyl listening to music with her headphones on. "Well, um, actually, we haven't listened to music together before." "Yeah, usually I've been away with rehab or using headphones." "Huh. Well, I guess you'll find out what happens when the time comes." "Yeah, I guess so." Bon-Bon stood up and started towards the kitchen, looking over her shoulder at the other mares. "Tea anypony?" "Yes please." "Coffee if you have any, please." "Sure. Lyra, could you come help me with the drinks please?" "Sure thing sweetie." Lyra stood up and trotted over to the kitchen to help Bon-Bon. Octavia turned to Vinyl and smiled. "Well?" "They seem nice." "See? I told you nothing was wrong with them. They're perfectly normal. Or rather, normal enough, due to Lyra." The two mares at the table laughed while the ones in the kitchen were having their own conversation. "I don't know how I feel about her." "I don't know Bonnie, she seems alright." "Lyra, she just got out of rehab." "So? Celebrities have to go there all the time, why is it any different if she does?" Bon-Bon turned around and gave Lyra a wide frown. Lyra shrugged and levitated the now whistling kettle off of the stovetop. She levitated it and a tray of cups to the table they were sitting at and placed the items down in the centre. She opened the lid of the kettle and poured the water into all of the cups. "Here you go, I hope it's to your liking." Everypony nodded to Lyra and took a cup. Octavia looked at Vinyl, who was showing a face of comfort, and relief. She smiled to herself and held her cup at eye level in the middle of the table. "I prepose a toast. To friends, and to the comfort found in them." They all clicked their cups together and each took a sip. Octavia looked at the clock. The show wasn't on for another hour, and nothing was going wrong. Without you! I can't fly any faster I'm holding on to you Never forget about about me I can't go on without you Dont let me go As the instruments faded, the crowd started roaring. The singer smiled and approached the microphone stand. "Thank you very much Ponyville, you've been great! We are Unholy Intentions, goodnight!" The crowd cheered again as the band members stood up and walked off stage. As a red coated pony with a bright blue mane walked onto the stage, the crowd members settled. "Alright alright, that was Unholy Intentions with Your Shadow. Now, let's hear it for our next act, a band from ManeHatten called Mirror Realm, so make some noise for them!" The band members took their places and the crowd was fired up again. The red stallion talked with the singer for a second, then ran off stage. The singer walked up to the microphone and took a breath. "Hello everypony, we are Mirror Realm, and here's a little number called False Crown." He looked over his shoulder at the guitarist, bassist, and drummer. They all nodded and started grinning, then the singer repeated. Stinger started playing a riff on guitar, then all the others joined in. I sit upon this thrown And though I sit alone Just know that I am Prince of hearts YOU'RE BUT A PRINCE OF LIARS No one can bring me down This head that holds my crown I have been royal from the start YOU WILL NEVER BE MASTER OF THIS HOUSE! I'm alright IT'S ALL YOUR FAULT I'm ok LIAR LIAR Dreaming of IT'S ALL BROKEN Better days I'm know that I'm a fraud That I'm not meant to be They see a shell of who I am What would they say if they knew me? I know that I'm a fake Imitation royalty I was a moth and you a flame But now it's all on me Its been this way for years Kept smiling through the tears I'll be a regal prince someday YOUR LIFE IS AN ILLUSION They talk behind my back Of the bloodline that I lack Its will not always be this way YOU'LL ALWAYS BE A LIAR I know that I'm a fraud This is my final plea They see a shell of who I was What would you think if you saw me I know that I'm fake Not really royalty I touched the flames and I got burned Is this the way I'm meant to be I'm know that I'm a fraud That I'm not meant to be They see a shell of who I am What would they say if they knew me? I know that I'm a fake Imitation royalty I was a moth and you a flame But now it's all on me Now it's all on me Brother can't you see You were my inspiration Everything I was to be Brother can't you see I did this to me Without you I became a shell of Who I meant to be The instruments stopped, and the drummer did a quick fill before the song ended. The audience cheered as the singer approached the microphone. "That's all for us tonight. Enjoy the rest of the show, we love you Ponyville!" The members of the band walked offstage as the host walked back on. From backstage Skyline Breezer was looking at the crowd. "Shit, lotta them out there." "Yep. Don't stress though, I'm sure it'll be fine." "Hopefully. I just don't wanna fuck up in front of everypony." "Aw, you'll do fine sweetie." WaveMaker gave his wife a reassuring hug, and she closed her eyes and tuned out the world for just a moment. She suddenly started coughing, and pulled away from the hug to cover her mouth. "Skyline? You alright?" Skyline Breezer looked up. Her vision of Wavemaker was foggy, and she started wobbling a bit on the spot. A nasty feeling coming to her stomach, she lurched a bit and started stumbling away from the stage. "Skyline!" WaveMaker ran over to where his wife was vomiting behind a bush just a few feet from the backstage area. Skyline Breezer groaned as she looked up at WaveMaker. "I..I don't think-" Skyline Breezer turned back to the Bush and spilled the contents of her stomach again. WaveMaker walked over and put a hoof on his wife's back. No more than ten seconds later, he felt one on his own. "Excuse me?" WaveMaker turned around to see who had spoken, and was met by a white mare in a nurse outfit. "Hello. Who are you?" "Nurse Redheart, I work at Ponyville General. But, I'm doing a little work here today. If you'd be okay with it, I can take care of your wife for you. Is she just nervous?" "No, she, um, it's probably her chemotherapy." "Ooh, I'm so sorry." "Its fine, we're getting throuone gh it. It's just a rough patch. Um, yes, I'd be fine with that, thank you very much." "No problem, I assure you that she's in good care." Nurse Readheart nodded and smiled at WaveMaker before walking over to Skyline Breezer. WaveMaker turned to the stage and sighed heavily before perking up and running towards the front gates. "Yeah, those were the ones from the apartments across from the rehab place." "Huh. Well, they really are good live." "Yeah, I got to listen to them all the time." Lyra and Vinyl were sitting on the hill facing the stage, odd bits of conversations popping up every now and then. Bon-Bon and Octavia had gone to get drinks, leaving the other two in a bit of an awkward situation. Just as Vinyl opened her mouth to say something, a tired and panting WaveMaker walked up. "Vinyl, where's Octavia?" "She went to get drinks. Why, what's up?" "I have a question for her. It's a little urgent." "O-ok, I'll go get her." Vinyl got up off the grass and started galloping towards the concession stand. She only got halfway to it when she saw Octavia and Bon-Bon walking towards her. "Tavi!" "Vinyl? What's going on?" "Its WaveMaker, he has a question for you." Octavia looked at her mare-friend with question, but started walking a little faster. As the three mares approached where Lyra and WaveMaker were sitting, WaveMaker looked over and stood up. "Wavemaker, what's wrong?" "Um, Skylines a little sick at the moment, I'm not sure she's able to do this anymore." "Oh dear." "Yeah. So, I was kinda wondering, would you be up to singing her part?" "Me? Sing? I'm a cellist, I don't sing." Wavemaker sighed and looked down. Vinyl stood beside Octavia and whispered something in her ear. "What?" "C'mon, we can do it." Octavia sighed and closed her eyes for a moment before looking back to WaveMaker and walking forwards slightly. "You owe me Vinyl. WaveMaker, I can sing with you. "You will?" "Yes. But, Vinyl also has to help." "Well, I'm not.." WaveMaker put a hoof to his chin in thought for a moment before smiling at his realization. "You know how to play drums?" "Sorta, an old colt-friend of mine taught me a little bit. How simple is it?" "Simple enough." "Alright, let's hear it again for Riot Society!" As the crowd cheered, WaveMaker was talking to Vinyl and Octavia. "Alright, you both listened to the song? Know the lyrics Octavia?" "Yep." "Yes." "Alright, I guess we're ready." "This next entry has had some difficulties getting together, but it's all figured out, so let's hear it for Overdose!" Octavia, Vinyl, and WaveMaker took to their places on stage, and WaveMaker tapped on the mic. Before speaking, WaveMaker set up his keyboard behind him, along with a small metal folding chair. "Hello everypony. We are Overdose, or rather a pieced together version of Overdose, but we're gonna play this song none the less." He looked down and blew out a breathe before looking at Octavia. She nodded, and gulped when he looked away. He looked down at the keyboard and sighed again. A few seconds passed before he started playing a soft, melodic tune on the instrument. Vinyl sighed and looked around, still listening for her cue. She almost missed it when she thought she saw a hauntingly familiar black mane in the crowd, coming towards the stage. After about five seconds, a familiar voice was heard. "You!" All the music stopped when Open Mind staggered onto the stage and towards Octavia. "I finally got you!" He aimed the gun on between Octavias eyes and pulled the trigger. The suspect has been apprehended, and the victim is in hospital in critical condition. No names are being released at this time. "Turn it off please." WaveMaker grabbed the remote and obeyed the weak command his wife had given. Tears in his eyes, he nuzzled his face up against his wife's. "Sweetie... just stay calm ok?" "Skyline, I can't. I mean, you got shot today, and all I did was freeze up." "Baby, it isn't your fault. I took the shot for Octavia, it was my choice." "How the hell did that even happen?" Skyline Breezer looked towards the slightly open window and sighed. The numbness in her abdomen was a very new feeling to her, and the adjustment was strange. "Well...." "Is there anything you need?" "I could use some water." "Right away." Nurse Redheart nodded to Skyline Breezer and trotted off to go get what she had requested. Skyline Breezer could see where Octavia, Vinyl, and WaveMaker were standing just before they went on. Wait, did he drag them into performing? Skyline Breezer chuckled a bit and forced herself out of her chair. She walked over and stood behind and pole as the ponies got in position. Off to her left, she could hear some sort of fight or loud indesgression going on, but she ignored it. She bobbed her head along with the song, mouthing the words slightly. Just a damn shame Ican't be up there to sing it with him. She sighed and looked to the left again, where a figure was quickly moving towards the stage. When she saw the face poke out from the crowd, she remembered the newscast. "Oh shit." Skyline Breezer started stumbling towards the stage to warn the performers, but when she got to the stage, he was already yelling at Octavia. "I finally got you!" Skyline Breezer had now entered Open Minds line of fire, and the bullet went straight onto her abdomen. She landed in the hard stage floor, and a nurse immediately ran over. As she slowly opened her eyes, she saw three security guards taking Open Mind down, then her eyes closed again. "And, that's pretty much what happened." "I just can't even believe that this all happened. I just hope to Celestia that they'll be able to-" "Honey?" "Yes?" "They can't." WaveMaker staggered back a little bit at his wife's statement. "But..." "Sweetie. We both know I'm fucked anyways. I'm just glad I could go out and save a friend." Up until this point, WaveMaker had been forcing back his tears. But Skyline Breezers words cut deep into his heart, and he threw his hooves around her, crying deeply into her mane. Outside the room, Vinyl and Octavia were sitting on chairs just beside the door. Octavia had her head against Vinyls shoulder, and Vinyl was gently stroking her mane to try and comfort her. "Vinyl?" "Yeah?" "Do you think that's it?" "What?" "Do you think that that's where it ends with Open Mind?" Vinyl sighed heavily and rubbed her marefriends back. She looked at her reflection in the shiny metal floor label across the hall. "I sure as hell hope so." "So, they're getting her transferred to ManeHatten general and keeping her on life support." "Well, at least your back home, and you can see her again soon." "Yeah, I'm going as soon as ManeHatten general calls back." "Well, I wish you both the best." "Thanks, ditto for you two. Bye Octavia." "Bye WaveMaker." Octavia hung up the phone and walked back into the bedroom. She flopped down on the bed, burying her face in the pillow. "Rough day." Vinyl smiled slightly and sighed as she put the magazine she was reading down. "Yeah, it has been. But, I got a little surprise for you." Octavia lifted her face off the pillow and looked at Vinyl with a confused expression. "What?" "So, before we left, I did a little research, and I ordered something online. And I figure, the way things are going, we can't afford to not do this." "Vinyl, where are you going with this?" Vinyl smiled widely and levitated a small velvet lined box out of her nightstand. She hovered it in front of Octavia, and upon opening it, saw her mouth drop. "Octavia Melody, will you marry me?" Author's Note Songs Your Shadow by DivinumX False Crown by Princewhatever Fimfictions rules dictate that songs have to be songs from My Little Pony or the fandom, so the list was changed slightly more than the original. The last song was going to be Hurricane by Theory Of A Deadman, but you know... Part Twelve: Please Open Your Eyes Again..."Wrench." "Wrench." Derpy smiled and waited for the next moment to assist after passing Doctor Whooves the wrench he required. Seconds after Doctor Whooves completed what he need to and set the wrench down, the phone started ringing. "I'll get it. Hello?" "Doctor Whooves?" "Octavia Melody, how are you?" "Um, I'm fine. I'm in town today, I was wondering if we could sit down and talk?" "Sure, just come over whe-" A loud explosion from behind Doctor Whooves made him jump and turn around. Derpy was sitting, coat and mane singed, beside what he had been working on. As she turn her head to the doctor, she smiled and chuckled a little. "On second thought, give it about ten minutes." Octavia arrived at the door to the Whooves household and knocked three times. After a few seconds, Doctor Whooves opened the door with a smile. "Octavia, come in. What brings you into town? Or is it just this?" "Honestly, it's just this. I have some news, some more news, and a rather awkward question." Octavia watched Doctor Whooves face go through a few emotions, mainly confusion and misunderstanding. Then, a small chuckle. "Derpy, set the kettle! I believe some tea is required! Come, sit." Doctor Whooves guided Octavia to the living room at the two sat down on the couch. He exhaled and looked at her with a smile. "So, news first shall we?" "Yes. Um, news." Doctor Whooves could see the nervousness on Octavias face, and he chuckled a bit. "Well? Is it good or bad news, at least let's start with that." "Its good news, it's very good news." "Did somepony propose?" Octavia blushed a little bit as she remembered the necklace. As she looked down, she could practically hear Derpy shoot into the room. "Propose!?" Octavia looked up to see that Derpy had seated herself directly beside Doctor Whooves. Her wide smile made Octavia chuckle. "Somepony may ha-" "Who was it?" "Who!?" "Calm down, calm down. They're a nice pony, we've been together for about six months, unicor-" "Octavia, please, we have enough details. Give us a name or something." Octavia sighed in a grimace at Doctor Whooves' eagerness, but was a little comforted by his smile. Before she spoke, she let out a long sigh. "Her name is Vinyl Scratch." Silence overtook the air as Octavia hung her head. "Wait.. her name?" Octavia looked up to see a confused Derpy and a curious Doctor Whooves. "Octavia, I didn't know you were-" "You know, I really didn't either. But, i guess I really was. Here, I'll start from the beginning." "And, here we are." "Hmm, well that that certainly was quite the story." "Yeah, heh, I thought you'd say something like that." Octavia nervously rubbed the back of her head with her right hoof, and forced a bit of a chuckle. "So, Octavia, what are the plans for the wedding? Who's catering? Could I cater!?" "Calm down sweetie." "We've actually already set a date." "Ooh, do tell." "Four months from today." Both Derpy and Doctor Whooves smiled at Octavias statement. Doctor Whooves set his tea down and cleared his throat. "Why so soon might I ask?" "Well, that day would be roughly a year since her and I first met." "Ooh. That's wonderful Octavia!" Derpy got up and hugged Octavia, smiling widely. Octavia grinned and hugged the crazy grey mare back. "It is. Would you two be able to come?" "That's planning far ahead, but I'll be sure to reserve it." "Excellent. And, that brings me to my next question. This happens to be the awkward one." "Alright, let's hear it." Octavia closed her eyes and took in a deep breath. She exhaled, opened her eyes, and looked at the stallion with a forced smile. "You wouldn't happen to know anything about how two mares could have a foal do you?" The sunlight was the first thing Vinyl saw when she woke up. She rubbed her eyes and yawned as she looked at the clock. "Nine fifteen? Ugh, I knew I shoulda closed that blind." As she got out of bed, she stretched and yawned once more. Not ten seconds after she walked into the kitchen and opened a cabinet, she heard the doorbell ring. "Shit." She found a pack of gum and threw a few pieces onto her mouth, running to the door. When she opened it, a solemn looking WaveMaker was standing in the doorway. "WaveMaker, hey, what's up?" "Hey Vinyl. Is it just you here today?" "Yeah, Tavi's in Ponyville today. Why?" "I have a bit of news, I thought it would be better to tell you both at once." "Oh. Well, uh, come in, I'll give her a call. She said she'd be at her friend a house, in sure she has the number here somewhere." WaveMaker walked inside and sat down on the couch with a sigh. Vinyl looked on the side of the fridge, and surely enough found a list of numbers, Lyra and Bon-Bons being near the top. She dialed the number and waited for an answer. "Hello?" "Hey, Lyra?" "Oh, Vinyl? Hi, how are you?" "I'm alright, you?" "I'm good. What's going on?" "Not much, can I speak to Octavia?" "Octavia? She's not here, why do you need her?" "Wait, she isn't there?" "No, I didn't even know she was on town. Why, was she supposed to be?" "Yeah, she told me she was coming over to tell you guys something." "Hmm, haven't seen her. Bonnie's out getting a few things, maybe they ran into each other. I'll call you back when Bon-Bon gets home." "Alright, sounds good. Thanks Lyra." "No problem Vinyl. Seeya." "Bye." Vinyl hung up the phone and frowned. As she walked towards the couch in the living room, she noticed something on WaveMaker face. The areas around his eyes were water-stained slightly, and the eyes themselves were slightly bloodshot. "That was weird. Tavi told me she was going to be at her friends house, but her friend said she hadn't been there all day. Hmm, I guess she did say she was going somewhere else, maybe she went there first. Anyways, what's going on?" WaveMaker had his hooves up at his mouth and was blankly staring at the wall in front of him. "Skyline... they're deciding to take her off life support." WaveMaker voice was croaky and weak. Vinyls eyes shot open at his depressing statement. "Wh...what?" "Yesterday. She said she wanted to keep going, but later, the doctor came up to me and said that it would only be delaying the inevitable." There was a strange scent in the air, it smelled to Vinyl like alcohol. Tears were gently cascading down Wavemakers face at this point. He sniffled and looked at Vinyl "I...I just can't even comprehend it. It's all so surreal." Vinyl now noticed the slur on a few of WaveMakers words, and how his eyes were slightly bloodshot. "How much longer does she have?" There was a long pause before WaveMaker sighed and stood up. When he walked over to the door, he looked back to Vinyl. "I might have even been here too long. I just thought I'd let you two know." Not another word was said before WaveMaker let himself out of the house. Vinyl sat in shock as she watched the stallion walk away through the window. After he left her view, Vinyl stood up and walked over to the fridge. "His number has to be on here." "Well, it was wonderful having you again Octavia. It's always lovely catching up with you." "Thank you for having me. And yes, it always is nice catching up." "Will we see you again before the wedding?" "You know Derpy, I think I might just take you with me for dress shopping." Octavia smiled after her statement, and Derpys face lit up in excitement. "Really!?" "Are you up for it?" "Yeah!" "Alright, I'll be sure to keep in touch. Bye you two." "Bye Octavia, take care." Doctor Whooves smiled and closed the door after Octavia was a good distance away from the house. "I'll be back in the basement, I should be able to get this from here." "Okay!" Derpy started walking towards the kitchen, but the phone on the coffee table started ringing before she got too far. "Hello?" "Hey, is Doctor Whooves there?" "Yeah, just a second. Doctor! Phone!" Vinyl tapped her hoof on the countertop and waited for the stallions voice. "Hello?" "Hi, is this Doctor Whooves?" "It is, who is this?" "Fiancé of Octavia Melody. Is she there?" "Oh, she just left actually." "Really? Dammit. She say where she was going?" "Not exactly, though I suspect she'll be at Lyra and Bon-Bons house any moment." "Alright, I'll check there soon. Thanks." "My pleasure. Congratulations by the way." "Thank you." "You're welcome. Bye bye." "Seeya." Vinyl hung up the phone and smiled at the stallions kindness. Not ten seconds after she had hung up the phone, it started ringing again. "Hello?" "Vinyl? Octavia's here. I'll put her on for you." "Awesome, thanks Lyra." "Vinyl?" "Tavi, hey." "Hi, what's going on?" "Well, WaveMaker was just here-" "Oh, how is he?" "He.. he was drunk. And he had some bad news. They're taking Skyline off life support." Vinyl heard nothing for the next few seconds, but then Octavias voice came back, a tinge of anguish in it. "I'll be back soon. Wait at the door for me." Vinyl impatiently tapped her hoof on the floor and looked out the window again. "C'mon Tavi, hurry up." Vinyl looked at the clock and scoffed before turning and opening the door. She almost ran straight into Octavia, who was standing on the porch. "I'm here." "Took you long enough. C'mon, we gotta go!" The two mares started walking quickly towards ManeHatten general, keeping a steady pace. When they reached the wing of the hospital where Skyline Breezers room was, they thought they heard somepony talking, but with a weak voice. Upon reaching the doorway, both mares stopped suddenly and gasped at the sight that met them. WaveMaker was kneeling beside the hospital bed, tears running down his face, holding his wife's hoof in his own. "Skyline, sweetie, look at me. Please. Please, open your eyes. Please sweetie, I'm begging you...just open your eyes again...please..." Part Thirteen: This Just Isn't HappeningThe funeral service was held the following Friday. As if it wasn't bad enough already, a small thunderstorm had started brewing, and the mourning ponies were being rained on. Octavia, Vinyl, and WaveMaker were standing together directly in front of the casket as it slowly was lowered into the ground. WaveMaker hadn't said a word, nor sighed, sniffed, or broke down. He just stood there, staring. When the service ended, the trio was walking to their homes, and Octavia decided to try. "WaveMaker? How are you holding up?" Still no response came from the stallion as they approached his house. He opened up the door and stopped halfway into the house. As he turned back to face the mares, he sighed. "Look. I can't begin to thank you two enough for your help and support. But, I think I just need a breather." Octavia nodded, as did Vinyl, before receiving one back from WaveMaker before entering the house and shutting the door. Vinyl and Octavia looked at each other and shrugged before turning to walk back to their own home. Upon entering, the two mares shed their wet coats and laid down on separate pieces of furniture in the living room. Octavia had flopped down on the couch with her face in the pillow, and Vinyl had thrown herself over both arms of a chair. "Vinyl?" "Yeah Tav?" "When will all this shit stop happening?" Vinyl sighed before draping her head over the arm of the chair and looking at Octavia. "I don't know. Hopefully soon. But hey, let's look at the positives right now. Wedding in a couple months." A sudden realization came to Octavia when she heard Vinyls words. Her head shot up to meet Vinyls upside down gaze. "We only have four months!" "Ok, so?" "It takes longer than four months to plan a wedding! "Alright, alright, calm down. What all do we need to do?" "Well, lets see. We need to arrange a venue, catering, invites, dresses-" "Wait, dresses?" "Yes, dresses. Have you ever been to a wedding Vinyl?" "Uh, not that I can remember. I really should've thought ahead." "Well, just let this be a lesson in planning. Here, you go and get tickets to Ponyville for tomorrow, we have a lot to do there." "Have a marvelous day darling." Rarity waved the mare out of the store and turned back to something behind the counter, but after only a few seconds, the door opened. She spun around to see two mares walking inside. "Welcome! How may I help you?" "Well, this was your big idea." Vinyl chuckled after nudging Octavias side. Octavia rolled her eyes and walked up to the counter. "Yes, hello. Um, we need two wedding dresses." "Alright, well, what kind? Strapless, A-line, low back, ballgown?" "I.. I have no idea." "Well, we can start with this. Who's getting married?" Octavia quickly looked to Vinyl and then back to Rarity. Both Vinyl and Octavia motioned towards each other. "We, we are." "Yeah, us." "Oh, well then. I suppose that would make sense considering you wanted two wedding dresses and not one wedding dress and a mare of honor dress." "Yeah, sure." "Well, why don't you follow me, I'm sure I have a few in here that you might like." As the white unicorn walked into the back room, Vinyl looked at Octavia with a frown. "Oh this is gonna suck." "Oh hush up you big baby, it could be fun." "Sure. You know, I never should've asked if you had any spare change. It all led to this." "Yes, and who would still be on the streets?" "Well, maybe I woulda... ok fine, you win." "That's what I thought." Octavia smiled before planting a quick kiss on Vinyls cheek. You may now kiss the bride WaveMaker raised the Vodka bottle to his lips and down another swing as he watched the two ponies of the screen lock lips, the camera zooming in on the beautiful moment. He lifted the remote and held the rewind button for a few seconds. may now kiss the bride kiss the bride kiss the bride "Believe me pal, I wanna." He drained the rest of the bottle on his hoof and tossed it beside him. Tears had been rolling down his eyes as the footage of his wedding rolled on the TV. As he raised his hoof again and turned the TV off, his ears perked up. "Come on, it'll be fun!" "What?" He turned to look at the stairs, seeing nothing but thinking he heard a voice come from there. "Don't be a wuss WaveMaker, come on!" "Who's there!?" He ran up the stairs, stumbling and half crawling along the wall to the next floor. He looked out the window at the pouring rain, but heard no sound other than his own heavy breathing and a few giggles. He walked up to the trapdoor to the attic and quickly pulled the drawstring. When he ran up into the dark room, he saw a translucent version of him and his late wife, and he remembered what they were doing. It was one of the worst thunderstorms since they had moved there. The power was out, and they were drunkenly playing truth or dare by candlelight. When he had been too scared to accept Skyline Breezers dare to go onto the roof, she did it herself. WaveMaker watched the image fade away, tears once again running down his face. He gripped his head in his forehooves and fell to the floor, back against the wall. "Come on, do it." "Huh?" He looked up, once again met by nothing more than old furniture and dusty decor. A glare caught his eye, no more than a fleeting glance, but still, he found himself crawling towards it. "Do it!" The voice got more aggressive as he approached the object slightly covered by a sheet. "Do it, do it, do it, do it, do it!" WaveMaker ripped the sheet off the object, watching the metal door swing slowly open, and revealing the handgun inside. He pushed himself away from the safe, mouth agape in shock. As he panted, the flow of tears stopped. "Fuck." He cross his front hooves over his rear ones and put his head in his lap. After roughly ten minutes of sitting alone in the musty attic, Wavmaker heard the doorbell ring. Down both sets of stairs and to the door, WaveMaker wondered who'd be knocking at his door. As he pulled the door open, he was met with a smiling purple mare with a red and blue mane. "Hello?" "G'day. Um, have you seen Vinyl around? I heard that she lived next door, thought maybe she was around. Is she?" "Uh, no, I haven't seen her. You knock on her door?" "And rang the doorbell, yes." "Huh. I don't know, maybe her and Octavia went somewhere. If you'd like, they may be back later, you can come in and wait for a bit?" "Well, suppose there's no harm, I don't wish to be a burden though." "Oh, it's no problem. Here, come in. My names WaveMaker by the way, friend of Vinyl and Octavia." "Hail Toss, roomed with Vinyl in rehab, pleasure to meet you." "Well, I'm not gonna lie, that was actually the worst five hours of my life." "Oh hush. So you don't like wedding dress shopping? Who does?" "We didn't even decide on one!" "I was going to wait and bring some friends along." Vinyl rolled her eyes and smiled at her fiancé. "Course you were. Well, hopefully that's the worst part of today, or what's left of it, what's next?" "I guess we don't have much. Catering, venue, and guests. Are you sure you don't know anypony in town who you want to invite?" "Not really." Octavia furrowed her brow and sighed. "You know, I guess I still have to do a lot of running around. Do you want to go back to ManeHatten?" "Wait, what?" "I may need to stay overnight, I'm sure Lyra and Bon-Bon will take me in for the day, hell, they might even be able to help me. You can go back home and just wait for me. I know how much you hate being with me." Octavia gave a playful wink and looked at Vinyl. Vinyl chuckled and gave Octavia a nudge in her side. "Oh, you finally caught that did you?" "Apparently." "'Bout time. Are you sure you'll be all good on your own? I mean, you don't need me?" "It's not that I don't need you, it's just that I know how much you'd be bored. Wouldn't be surprised if you fell asleep." "Hey, I resent that. Alright, if you're sure." "Go ahead Vinyl." Vinyl and Octavia locked lips quickly before parting, waving each other off. Octavia turned and started walking towards Lyra and Bon-Bons house. "Alright, now maybe I can talk to Lyra and Bonnie alone, like I planned." "Good to be back!" It was now roughly nine at night, and Vinyl was happy to be back home. As she closed the door behind her and flopped out on the couch, she sighed and closed her eyes. Not fifteen seconds later, the doorbell rang. "Are you serious? Who in the hell?" She pushed herself off the couch and walked over to the door. When she opened it, she gasped. "Hail Toss?" "Surprise!" "Oh, Hail Toss! no way! Come here!" Vinyl wrapped her forehooves around the other mare, as did she. The two separated and smiled at each other. "Damn, when did you get out of rehab?" "Earlier today. I've been at your friends house almost all day waiting for you. Where were you?" "Wait wait wait, you were over there?" Vinyl pointed to the house the WaveMaker lives in, and Hail Toss looked, her smile fading slightly. "Yes, that one. Why? Is he-" "What did he say? How was he acting?" "Vinyl, calm down. What's up with him, and why are you freaking out?" "Here, come in." The two mares walked inside, and Vinyl motioned for Hail Toss to sit down. "Alright. All you need to know about him right now is that he might not be fully stable." "Stable?" "His wife just died." "Oh. Oh, I'm so sorry." "We all are. I don't know him the best, but I think I know him well enough to know this. Nopony can just go throigh their wifes funeral service and say nothing. He didnt even react. It's almost like he's suppressing it. My fear is that he's gonna snap." "He seemed alright when I was there. We just sat around, had some coffee, and talked. Just a lot of talking." "Really?" "Yeah. Although, not the best detective, but there were a few odd things I noticed." "Tell me." "Well, for one, his cheeks were wet. Two, his mane was messed up, but only in the spots near his temples. And three, he had a lot of dust on him." "Dust?" "Yeah, he looked awfully dusty. No idea how, the place was spotless, save for the bottles everywhere." "Wait, bottles? Like, alcohol bottles?" "Looked like them." Vinyl put a hoof to her chin and thought for a long moment. Hail Toss fiddled with her mane as she let Vinyl think. "I have no idea. He wasn't that much of an alcoholic that I know of." "Maybe it's because of his wife?" "Probably. Well, we should maybe switch subjects before the ringing in his ears drives him crazy. How are you?" "I'm actually not bad. A friend of mine offered to take me in untill I get a new job, and I'm thinking about looking around for somepony special. Maybe one who isn't into drugs this time." "Good to hear. Hopefully you find somepony soon. Which reminds me, I have to ask you something." "Ok, what is it?" "How'd you like to be a mare of honor to my wedding?" Hail Toss' face went blank of expression. Her mouth opened slightly before growing into a huge grin. "No way! You two got married!? That's awesome! I'll totally be your mare of honor." Hail Toss moved and hugged Vinyl. Both mares smiled as they held the embrace for a few seconds. "When is all this happening?" "Roughly four months." "Cool, I'll be there. Congrats Vinyl." "Thanks Hail." "Well, I'd better get back to my friends house." "Here, I'll walk with you, I got a few more things we should talk about." Part Fourteen: Can't Say No To That"Wow, so he watched the whole thing happen? That's gotta be super rough." "It was rough for everpony there. And the hospital was even worse. I don't even know what happened before Tavi and I got there." "Probably was worse. That might be something you'll have to ask him when he's feeling up to talking about it." "Yeah, it is." The wind outside was rather cold for the season, and Vinyl thought about how she maybe could've waited until tomorrow to talk. "Well, we're here." "Wait, really? We've only been walking for like, five minutes." "Yep. Right here. You wanna come in for a drink? Maybe talk about this a little more?" "What about your roomie?" "Hell, she won't mind. She'll either be asleep right now or she'll join in." "Alright, sure." The two mares walked up the stairs to Hail Toss' apartment. Hail Toss fiddled in her coat pockets and frowned. "Damn it all. Hey! BrickLayer! I locked myself out!" "Hold on!" After a few seconds, the door opened, revealing a red maned earth pony. "Oh, who's this?" "Vinyl. She's a friend from rehab." "Alright. Just don't be gettin' the girl back into the stuff alright?" "I'll sure try." The three mares giggled at their jokes, and walked to the living room. The décor was simple, sophisticated, but had touches of odd glamour or decorations that almost didn't fit. As they all sat down on separate pieces of furniture, BrickLayer cleared her throat. "So, Vinyl, you were in rehab too? Mind if I ask for what?" "I was an alcoholic." "Damn, that sounds rough." "Well, it was. But, I'm thankful I had ponies like Hail and Tavi there for me." "Hail and who now?" "Tavi. Octavia Melody." BrickLayer leaned back in her seat and smiled. "So that's where I know ya from! You've recently been in the hospital with Skyline Breezer and WaveMaker haven't ya?" "Oh, yeah, yeah I have. How did you-" "I met WaveMaker when he was in the hospital waiting room. My idiot brother was in there. How is WaveMaker now? I heard the news." Hail Toss and Vinyl looked at each other, both with frowns. Hail Toss sighed and looked back to BrickLayer. "He's....coping. In some way." "And by that you mean?" "He's repressing it. That's what it seems like." "Yes, and it's definitely going to come back and bite him. It's always healthier to talk to somepony. Maybe we should suggest a therapist for him?" "Maybe." Vinyl looked at the clock, reading that the time was ten thirty-two. "Well, I should maybe get going." "Aw, are you sure? The night isn't over yet, Octavia's in Ponyville for the night, and BrickLayer and I have three unopened bottles of wine in the fridge." "Are you seriously asking me to stay here and drink with you guys even though you and I both just got out of rehab?" Hail Toss looked at BrickLayer, who shrugged, then turned back to Vinyl and nodded. "Well, can't say no to that." The rain was now gently falling in Ponyville. Nothing more than a mist, but still enough to be noticeable. Octavia shivered slightly as she made her way down the street towards Lyra and Bon-Bons house. "Really didn't think about the rain. Should've brought an umbrella." She eventually reached the doorstep, only a few minutes after her and Vinyl parted, and knocked. "Who is it?" "It's Octavia." A few seconds after Octavia called out, Lyra opened the door and smiled. "Hey Octi! What brings you by again?" "Well, I was actually just in town doing some wedding shop-" "Ooh! Ooh! Come in! Bonnie will love this!" Lyra giggled and ran back into the house, using her magic to shut the door behind Octavia. "Bon-Bon! Tavi's here!" "Coming!" "So, tell me, what'd you buy?" "Well, I didn't, we just looked." "Wait, we? Well where's Vinyl?" Vinyl looked up at Bon-Bon, who had entered the room with the question. "Well, she, she went home." "Went home? Why did she go and you stay?" "Did she not want to stay?" "Well, no, it was more my idea." "Why?" "I know how much she hates all the fancy wedding dresses and such, plus I figured it would give me a chance to bring you girls along. I also promised Derpy I'd take her with me." "Well, I guess that's true. Derpy could actually be good to tag along. I mean, she's the only one out of us four who's had any marriage experience." "Good point Bonnie. So, should we run over there and get her? Still got lots of time left today." "Sure, let's go." "Ooh, what about this one?" Derpy held up a ruffly dress in it's protective plastic wrap and showed it to Octavia. "Oh, I don't know, seems a bit flashy." "What about that one?" Derpy pointed to a one peice wedding dress with an a-line skirt. Octavia walked over to it and got a closer look. "You know, I actually feel really good about this one." "Want me to go get the lady?" "Yes please." Derpy smiled and trotted off to go get Rarity for Octavia to try the dress on. How in the hell am I going to get Vinyl to try on a dress? "You needed me darling?" Octavia looked to the purple maned mare that had strutted into the room and smiled. "Yes, I'd like to try this one on." "Alright, let's go to the fitting room then" Octavia followed Rarity into a room a few metres from where they stood, and Rarity pointed her to a small area sectioned off by a curtain. "If you need any assistance, just ask dear." "Thank you." Octavia smiled as she entered the room and closed the curtain behind her. "Alright Octavia, just try it on, you're not deciding yet, calm down." Meanwhile, back in ManeHatten, the three mares in the apartment had been playing truth or dare. They had already gone through several glasses of wine each, and it was now Vinyls turn to ask. "BrickLayer, truth or dare?" "Uh, dare, dare." "Alright, I dare you, to kiss Hail Toss." "What?" "C'mon, it doesnt mean anything! Besides, it's a dare!" BrickLayer looked at Hail Toss, who shrugged and put down her glass. "I mean, it's a dare." "Oh you ow me double rent after this shit. You lead it then." Hail Toss smiled and quickly leaned in and planted a quick kiss on BrickLayers lips, making an over-exaggerated kiss noise at the same time. "Alright, that wasn't too bad now was it?" "Speak for yourself! I swear you had your mouth full of saliva. Jeez." BrickLayer looked at Vinyl, who was laughing and trying to keep the remainder of her wine in her mouth. "Alright miss smartass, truth or dare?" "Oh I'm not an idiot, truth." "Why do you love Octavia?" The room went so silent that you could practically hear Vinyls eyelids shoot open. "Well, I, I don't really know. I guess it's just one off those relationships where you just know you're with the right pony." "Little philosophical for you Vinyl, but I'm pretty sure you're wasted so whatever." "Hail, I used to be a DJ, this is me sober." The three mares laughed and drank the remaining alcohol in their glasses. Hail Toss was the first to look at the clock, and also the first to stand up. "Well, I think I'm set to hit the hay. I call the bed tonight!" "Hell no you don't!" BrickLayer jumped over the end of the couch and followed Hail Toss into the one bedroom. After a few moments of noise, Hail Toss pushed out of the room and the door was shut behind her. "She always wins the damn room." Hail Toss and Vinyl both drunkenly chuckled as Hail Toss walked back over to the couch. "I mean, we got the guest bedroom, how's my place sound?" "If it's got a bed, it'll be better than this ratty old couch." "It does." "Sweet. Hear that BrickLayer? I'm getting to sleep in a bed!" Instead of a response, all the two other mares heard was a loud snort and sheets ruffling. "Yeah, she's out. Onwards?" "Yep." Hail Toss grabbed another bottle of wine and the keys from her coat pocket before walking out the door behind Vinyl. "Better lock it, she wouldn't wake up if a cow broke through the window and stole her pudding." Vinyl laughed at Hail Toss' ridiculous attempt at logic. "What?" "That made no sense." "Shuddup, I'll say what I want." Hail Toss took a swig of the wine and stumbled towards the stairwell. She stopped atbth e top and looked down the stairs, then back to Vinyl. "Where's the elevator?" Vinyl chuckled again and pressed the button on the console beside the elevator door. "C'mon ya drunk, let's go." When the two got down to the lobby, they looked out the glass front doors at the pouring rain. "Well shit." "That, that wasn't supposed to happen. Well, won't get any more went if we wait!" Hail Toss ran out of the building, alcohol bottle still in her wing, leaving Vinyl to question what she had said once again. "Again, that didn't even make sense!" Vinyl ran out into the rain, just a few metres behind her friend. The rain instantly matted down her mane and tail, but she laughed at Hail Toss regardless. Hail Toss wrapped one hoof around a light pole and took another drink from the bottle. As Vinyl walked over, she chuckled. "You know you can get a drunken disorderly doing this, right?" "Shut up! I'm having fun, and that's what matters! Take that ManeHatten! And you fair madam!" Hail Toss descended from the light pole and started talking in a horribly fake accent. "You must save the even fairer princess from the castle of dangerous things." "Hail Toss, can we just get home?" "Nein! We have to proceed, to the castle of danger!" "C'mon Hail, let's-" Vinyl couldn't finish her sentence before Hail Toss grabbed her and pulled her to her, kissing her deeply on the lips. Hail Toss had her back to the light post, and her head hit against it slightly as Vinyl pushed away from her. "Hail Toss! What the hell?" "I'm, I'm sorry. I don't know what came over me, I just..." Hail Toss sighed and hung her head. "I'll just go back home." As Vinyl watched Hail Toss walk away in the rain, three different feelings came to her; nausea, from the thought of how Octavia would react; Hurt, from the act itself; and Anger, from how Hail Toss could do such a thing. "She's, she's drunk. It was a mistake. I should..." As they were not far away, Vinyl could see Hail Toss go back into her apartment from where she stood. A small glimmer on the ground caught her eye as she went to turn around, and she levitated it to herself. "Hail's apartment key?" Vinyl looked at the building in contemplation for a moment, then turned and started walking away. As Hail Toss stumbled out of the elevator and over to the door, she went to reach for the keys she kept in her coat, but realized she wasn't wearing it. "Was I carrying my keys? BrickLayer! Open up!" As Hail Toss knocked on the door, the realization of her fault hit her, and she slumped down against the door. Drunk, soaked in rain, and trying to process how badly she had screwed up; not only her life but Vinyl's, Hail Toss gently wept as she curled into a ball against the outside of her apartment door. Part Fifteen: Just LeaveAs BrickLayer awoke in the morning, she immediately felt the pounding headache of her hangover. "Ugh, damn it, shouldn't've let them rope me into drinkin' all night." BrickLayer practically fell out of bed and walked out to the living room, stretching and yawning as she did so. "Morning Hail Toss." When no response came, BrickLayer stopped in place and looked at the couch. "Hail Toss? Where the hell?" After a quick search around the apartment for any kind of note came up empty, BrickLayer walked over to the door and opened it. When her sleeping roommate rolled over right in front of her, she yelled slightly. "Ah, wh-what? Oh, BrickLayer, Finally." "Just what the hell are you doing sleeping on the floor? You just scared me half to death!" "Sorry, I lost my key on the way home to Vinyl's." "What? Why were ya goin' there?" "She offered me the guest room." "Alright, makes sense. But, if she offered the guest room, why are ya here?" Hail Toss looked down in shame and sighed. "I'll tell you about it over breakfast." "Good morning Tavi." "Morning Bonnie." "How'd you sleep?" "Pretty well. My damn head hurts though, no idea what the hell that's about." "Is this your first night away from Vinyl?" "Technically not. Where's Lyra?" "Still sleeping." Octavia yawned and sat down at a spot at the kitchen table. As she rubbed her sleepy eyes, she looked at the clock. Blurry at first but slowly growing clearer, Octavias eyes widened at the time. "It's one thirty in the afternoon!?" "Oh, yeah." "What the hell happened?" "I guess you wouldn't remember much after you passed out." "Passed out?!" Bon-Bon chuckled and put a plate of waffles on the table in front of Octavia. "Yep. You and Lyra both. I'm used to being the responsible one with Lyra around though." "Well, what happened after that? What happened before that?" "Before, you got upset about not finding a dress, then you walked into a bar, sat down, and before we knew it, you and Lyra were both three shots in." "Three sho-, I don't even like shots! I'm a wine mare myself." "I guess you were really upset." "I don't even remember. Ugh, I hope Vinyl is having a better time than me." "Aw, don't worry, I'm sure she's fine." "You did what?!" WaveMaker's eyes shot open and followed Vinyls quick pace across his living room floor. "I know, I know, I fucked up bad." "I'd say. Well?" Vinyl stopped and looked at WaveMaker for a second. "Well what?" "Well are you gonna call her or what?" "Call her!? I get sick at the thought of telling her, let alone fucking calling her about it!" "Alright, calm down. Just, wait till she gets back, wait for a good moment, and just be honest. You'll get in a hell of a lot less trouble than if she finds out on her own." Vinyl sighed and put a hoof to her head. "Alright, fine, I'll just see what happens. I gotta get going. Thanks for listening." "No problem, good luck Vinyl." "Thanks, I sure as hell need it." Vinyl waved to WaveMaker and closed the door behind her. As she let out a long sigh, she closed her eyes. "Fuck, why did things have to go wrong now?" "Vinyl!" Vinyl looked up to see a familiar, but at this moment rather unnerving face. "Hail Toss, what's going on?" "I seriously need to apologize for last night. It's just, I was drunk, your offer was so nice, I don't know what I was thinking. I'm sorry." Vinyl heaved a sigh and looked away from Hail Toss. She then shook her head and started walking back to her house, not saying a word. "Look, I don't know if there's anything I can do to make it up to you, but at least I'm trying!" "Well you'd better hope there's something you can do that'll make Octavia understand what you did." Hail Toss stopped when Vinyl snapped at her, and when Vinyl reached her doorstep, Hail Toss shuddered when her door slammed. She stood motionless where she stood for a few minutes before wiping the tears from her eyes and walking home. "Well, thank you ladies for the wonderful time, we'll have to do this again soon." "We sure will. Bye Octavia!" "Bye Lyra, bye Bon-Bon!" The three mares waved to each other as Octavia board the train. She took a seat at he window and let out a long sigh ad she closed her eyes and eased into the seat. "It's been a hell of a weekend. I just can't wait to get the hell back home, where everything will be alright." Octavia slept most of the way to Ponyville, and due to the minimal amount of passengers, Octavia was awoken by the conductor. All the way from the station to home, Octavia was smiling and thinking about Vinyl; how she'd rush to greet her at the door, and then they'd kiss, then they'd both sit down and talk about each other's weekend apart. She closed her eyes and pushed the door open. "I'm home sweetie!" After no response came, Octavia opened one eye, then the second, and looked around the room. On the couch was Vinyl, sitting with her front hooves gently resting on her back hooves, staring straight off into nowhere. "We...need to talk." "You did what!?" Octavias eyes were wide opened as she stared at Vinyl. "Look, it was a big mistake, w-we were drunk, I'm sorry!" "You were.. Vinyl, you aren't making this any better for yourself!" "Well I don't know what to say!" "No, you never do, do you? Well let's start with this. You violated my trust just over three months before the wedding, you were drunk, when you just got out of rehab, and didn't think to call me about any of this!?" "I..." Octavia shook her head and sighed. After a few moments of silence, Octavia wiped her eyes and cleared her throat. "I want you to go." "Wh..what? "Out. I want you out of my house tonight." "Tavi... please." "Out. I don't care where. Go sleep at her house for all I care. Just leave." Vinyl hung her hung and sniffles as she turned and opened the door. "I'm sorry." After Octavia heard the door close, she looked down to the floor and wept at a more audible volume. WaveMaker sighed again as he looked out the window. It had been three hours since Vinyl left, and he was worried about how the conversation following Octavias arrival would go. "Ah, I gotta stop worrying. It'll be fine." He laid down on his couch and closed his eyes. He hadn't meant to doze off, but when he lifted his head, it was dark outside. "Shit, I didn't wanna fall asleep!" He shot off the couch and over to the window, tossing open the curtain and looking at the nearby house. No lights were on, and there wasn't any other sign of anypony even being home. "I hope they figured it all out." As he turned around, he gasped at the sight that met him. He saw a vision of himself lying on the couch, limp and lifeless, his pistol laying on the floor. "You're such a great pony. But sometimes, you let your head get the better of you." "What?" WaveMaker looked over to see his late wife standing beside the couch. She smiled at him before a breeze blew her away like a pile pile of dust. "No, no come back! I need you!" You may now, kiss the bride "What the?" WaveMaker turned back to see that his tv was on, replaying the same part of his wedding footage. May now kiss the bride Kiss the bride Kiss the bride "Enough!" Without a moment of question, the gun was in WaveMakers wing, aimed, and the trigger was pulled. Octavia snapped awake in a cold sweat. Strange, Octavia hadn't had a nightmare like that since around the time she first met Vinyl. She looked around the room, but saw nothing. In this moment, the word nothing was hauntingly accurate. The roomed seemed so...empty to Octavia. Every piece of furniture was exactly where it should be, but it felt like there was something missing. Octavia shivered as she stood up and looked out the window at the adjacent house. "Wow, it really isn't the same without Vinyl." She smiled half-heartedly and sighed. Octavia was just about to turn away from the window when she saw a flash of light, accompanied by a muffled gunshot. "WaveMaker!" A light mist of rain was just starting, but Vinyl continued walking down the sidewalk. She shivered slightly and stopped to look at where she was. The sign above her read ManeHatten Correctional Institute Visitors Clinic "Maybe just a quick visit." Vinyl walked up to the door of the small building outside of the prison and pushed it open. After quickly shaking herself off, she walked up to the desk. The mare looked up from her paperwork and smile at Vinyl as she took a seat. "How may I help you ma'am?" "Yes, I'd um, I'd like to visit somepony." "Alright, well who is that?" "Open Mind?" "Ah, yes. Now, if I may, you look awful familiar. Weren't you a big music star once?" "Yeah, a-actually yeah I was." "I thought so, and aren't you with that other one? Octavia was it?" Vinyls heart sunk, and she took in a deep breath. "No. No, you must be mistaken." "Ah shoot. Well, I suppose there are plenty of ponies who look similar. Anyways, right down this hall, you'll be looking for room C7." "Thanks." Vinyl stood up and forced a small smile at the mare behind the desk. She took the door to the left of the desk and started walking down the long, white hallway. Down te way, she could she a guard with a gun in his holster sanding beside one of the doors. "C5, C6" "C7" Vinyl looked up at the guard, who looked back and smiled a little. "Right here madam." The guard pushed open the door to the visitors room and nodded her in. Vinyl walked into the room and sat down on the nearest chair. "He'll be in shortly." As the door closed, Vinyl let out a sigh and looked around the room. On the side opposite of her, there was a pane of what she assumed was one sided glass, and a large metal door. After a few minutes, she her muffled voices on the other side of the door, then it started opening. Seeing that stallion almost made it hard for Vinyl to breathe. He had put Octavia in the hospital, and he just As easily could've killed her, just as well as Octavia. As he sat down with a grin in the chair across from her, Vinyl quickly sorted through her thoughts. "Hello again Vinyl." "Hey." "I take it you're doing well?" "I'm fine. How's prison?" Open Mind chuckled at Vinyl's cocky tone and leaned back in his chair. "It's quite nice, I assure you. Three square meals, I don't have to pay bills. You know, I actually have quite a reputation around here for stabbing your mare-friend. Nothing like the reputation that you ruined!" Open Mind stood up and slammed his cuffed hooves on the table. The guard standing in the corner looked over and clicked off the safety of his gun. "Eh, take it easy pal." "You know, you ruined your reputation yourself, I didn't need you." "See Vinyl, that's what you think. But I can see it in your eyes. You still need help, you're pushing a lot aside." "Oh please, what do you know?" "I know that something's wrong with your relationship. The way you tensed up when I mentioned, Octavia is it? Anyways, I know that, I know that you lied to me about how you're doing, and I know that you probably lied to the secretary." Vinyl just sat and stared at Open Mind. He was right, but how did he know? Did she make her emotions that obvious? "That's crap and you know it." "Keep lying to yourself Vinyl, maybe you'll end up here too. This was....pleasant. However, I feel you need my help. Should you not, then go from here and stay. Should you however require my help, then let's say, same time next week?" Vinyl deeply hesitated as she looked at the slightly outstretched hoof. Her mind was reeling. Then, within seconds, she was shaking Open Mind's hoof. "Deal." Vinyl started walking towards the door that she had come in after Open Mind waved her out. "And don't worry dear, I can help you." Part Sixteen: This Is A NightmareOctavia put the blanket over WaveMakers shoulders and sat beside him. WaveMaker had a class of whiskey in between his hooves, and it shook in his grasp. "Are you alright now?" WaveMaker drank the whole glass and set it down on the table in front of him. "I'm...I-I-I'm not. I'm not. I just..." Octavia looked at WaveMaker. At the tears in his bloodshot eyes, his tangled mane, his shaky hooves. He wasn't fine. "Look, you're going to get through this." "How? How? It's so fucking hard, I just can't-" "WaveMaker." WaveMaker looked over at Octavia with tears now rolling down his face. "It'll be alright. You just have to move on. For your own health. Look at what almost happened. Or rather, look what did happen." Octavia motioned towards the television that had a small hole near the center of the screen. WaveMaker let out a long sigh as he turned to face forwards again. "You're right. You're absolutely right. Fuck, this is a nightmare." "Don't worry, I can help you through this. I went through something similar when my agent was killed. We had worked together for years, it was a heartbreak. I know this is far worse, but I just want you to know that I know what I'm talking about." "Thank you. You've been so helpful to me." The two smiled at each other for a moment, then silence ensued. "So, h-how did things go with Vinyl?" Octavia sighed, and tears came to her eyes. "We...I'm...she's elsewhere tonight." "You mean?" "Yes, I kicked her out. What the hell was I supposed to do?" "I figured you two would work things out. You've been through so much shit together, I figured something like this wouldn't matter that much." Octavia stared at WaveMaker for a moment, but then her glare softened, and her vision went to the floor. "You're right. I cant just let this come between us. I gotta find her." Octavia stood up and started towards the door. "You'll be alright?" "Yeah, I'll be fine. I really hope you two can figure things out." "I just hope I can find her, the rest should be easy now." "Good luck." "Thanks." Octavia closed the door behind her, quickly galloping towards the inner city. Having no concrete ideas of where Vinyl could be, Octavia aimlessly wandered through the city, occasionally calling her name again. "Vinyl!" And again. "Vinyl!" And again. "Vinyl?" The cry got more and more empty and dissconnected, as Octavia slowly started losing hope. Octavia stopped walking, and simply stood where we was, outside ManeHatten General. The rain was heavier now, and Octavia was hanging on her last thread of hope. "Vinyl!" As the cry rang out, Octavia stood motionless and waited. After what seemed like hours of waiting, the voice Octavia had been hoping for called to her. "Octavia?" Octavia spun around, and was then standing just meters away from Vinyl. "Vinyl! I'm so sorry! I overreacted, it was silly of me to think that something this petty could ruin our relationship!" Vinyl said nothing. To Octavia, it was unclear if Vinyl was truly crying or if it was just the rain. "Please. Just come back. We can work this out, we need to work this out." The white mares gaze went to the sidewalk upon which she stood. After a long, breathless moment, Vinyl turned, and started walking. "Vinyl please!" Vinyl continued walking, not responding to Octavias plea. "Please Vinyl, I love you!" As the words reached Vinyls ears, she stopped. A small amount of hope rose in Octavias heart as Vinyl turned her head to look back at her over her shoulder. "You, love me?" "Yes, yes of course I do! I don't know how you feel, but I certainly love you." "Would, would you be surprised if I said that I loved you?" "Honestly... yes." Vinyl scoffed a little and turned fully around to face Octavia. "How could you think that? I've been by your side for all the shit we've been through as much as I physically could have been! How could you think that I don't love you?" "Well, neither of us have ever said it to each other." Both mares froze and remained locked in each other's gazes. Vinyl took a few steps closer to Octavia, and Octavia could swear she started smiling. "I, I guess we haven't." "No. I actually can't think of any times we have." "Well, I guess we gotta change that?" Vinyl was now within hooves reach of Octavia, and their eyes remained locked onto each others. "Octavia, I love you." "I love you too Vinyl, with all my heart." They both smiled at each other, and with seconds were wrapped in each other's hooves. The embrace lasted for no more than a minute, but it was almost as if time had slowed down for the two. "Vinyl, please, let's never put ourselves through something like this again." "Deal." Vinyl leaned in and kissed Octavia quickly on the lips, filling Octavias heart with hope again. "Well, suppose we should get home then, before one of us catches our death out here." WaveMaker had at this point moved from the living room to his bedroom, and was laying on the bed staring at the ceiling. There was a half-empty bottle of whiskey in his hoof, and three empty ones on the floor. "I tell ya. It was better that way." He threw the bottle to the floor after draining it. He rolled over onto his stomach and buried his face in the pillow. His ears perked up when he heard a few creaks coming from elsewhere in the house. "Who's there?" No response came, only another series of creaks, louder this time. "Look, the TV's broken, there's nothing good to steal here." Again, nothing in response but louder creaks. "Oh for for love of.." He rolled off the bed onto his hooves and started walking towards the stairs. When he reached them, he looked down at the lower floor with a questioning look. "What the?" He quickly fumbled down the stairs and wobbled into the living room. That image was back. His limp, lifeless body sitting on the couch, blood streaked through his mane and onto the couch. The ghostly version of his late wife standing beside the couch staring at the corpse showed no emotion at all. A glimmer from the table caught WaveMakers eye, and his heart sank when he saw what it was. The pistol was sitting on top of a CD case, aiming towards the couch. He put a hoof to his head as the pace of his breathing quickened. "No, I'm not gonna!" He picked up the gun and ran up to the attic. When he found the safe, he threw the gun into it, and ran downstairs with it. Outside, in the pouring rain, he found the shovel that Skyline Breezer had used for gardening and threw the safe down. He breathed heavily as he dug the hole as deep as his quickly draining strength would let him. When he hit a patch that he couldn't dig through, he tossed the shovel aside and threw the safe into the hole. Using the last of his strength, he tossed the dirt back into the hole, then collapsed against the house. The rain still poured, mixing with the tears that ran down his face. "Well, that was a good movie." "Yeah, I've always liked it." Vinyl stood up and started walking towards the kitchen to empty the kernels from the dish of popcorn I to the garbage. Octavia stood up with a serious face and looked at Vinyl. "Vinyl, we need to talk." Vinyl put the bowl down and walked back to the couch. "Alright, what is it?" "Sit." Both mares sat down, and Octavia sighed. "So, we need to talk...about..." "About what?" "About...uh.. WaveMaker!" "WaveMaker? O...k, what about him?" "He's been acting strange recently." "That's not what you wanted to tell me is it?" Octavias face started turning red, and she was about to start speaking the truth when the phone started singing. Vinyl gave Octavia a suspicious look as she went to answer the phone. "Hello?" "V-Vinyl?" "WaveMaker? Hi, what's up?" "Can you two come over for a minute? I think we should all talk." "Uh..y-yeah. We'll be right over." "Thanks." Vinyl hung up the phone and shrugged as she looked at Octavia. "Ok, fair enough." "What?" "He was acting weird, he wants us to go over so we can talk." "Strange, that's not really like him. Oh well, must be something important." "Thank you both for coming." "Its no trouble, what seems to be the matter?" WaveMaker continued pacing and looking at the floor, but sighed and spoke. "Octavia, you know what happened. I have since discarded the item, and I thought I could move on. I don't know why, but it's still happening, but nothing's there. I feel as if, I only have one reasonable solution before I decide which therapist to go to." "What's that?" WaveMaker sighed and stopped pacing. As he turned face forwards, he looked up. "I think I need to move." Vinyl and Octavia both gasped at the statement. "Wh-what? Move? Where?" "Vanhoover." "Vanhoover!?" "That's across the map man, why there of all places?" "I got a good group of friends over there, little bit of disconnected family. Look, I'm not sure yet, it's just a thought." Nothing was said for a while after WaveMakers statement. After another heavy sigh, WaveMaker started walking towards the staircase. "Look, things sure as hell haven't been easy lately. As much as I'd love to stay here, I don't think I can. So much just...reminds me. It would be a relief to get away from it all, even just for a bit. No matter what happens, I'll always remember how much you did for me." Without saying a word, not even one asking the mares to leave. They took upon themselves to leave a few awkwardly silent moments after they heard a door slam. When they were back in their own house, both mares flopped down on separate pieces of furniture, as they were used to doing at this point. "You think he'll actually move?" "I don't know Vinyl, I just don't know." Vinyl sighed and closed her eyes, but had little time to settle in before the phone rang. "Really? What now?" "We need to unplug that phone Vinyl." Vinyl practically fell off the couch and levitated the phone to her ear. "Hello?" "Vinyl?" "Hail Toss, hey, what's up?" "Is, is Octavia there?" "Y-yeah she is, why?" "Great, could you put me on speaker please?" "Uh, sure." Vinyl walked over to the machine and pressed the speaker button. She set the phone down and motioned for Octavia to come over. "Alright, we're here, what's going on?" "First off, Octavia, I'm so so sorry about what happened, it was a huge mistake that never should've happened." "Well, I guess Vinyl and I have made peace with it. Sure, apology accepted." "Aw, that's such a relief to hear. Alright, second. Vinyl?" "Yeah?" "How'd you like to go to Vanhoover with me?" "What?" "Don't worry, it's just for a couple days. There's some stuff I need to get back from a couple old friends of mine, I sure would appreciate the company." Vinyl looked at the phone for a moment without saying a word, then suddenly, she perked up. "Actually Hail, I don't think I can." "Oh? Why not?" "Well, y'know, with the wedding being so soon, we got a lot to do, I actually think we'll be in Ponyville." "Oh, th-that's understandable." "But you know, I think I know somepony who would want to come with." "Really? Who?" "Just come over whenever you're heading outg tomorrow, we'll all ride to Ponyville, then you two can go do what you need to." "Alright, that sounds fine. Thanks Vinyl, bye you two." "Bye." "Bye." As Vinyl hung up the phone and started walking to the bedroom, Octavia noticed the smirk on her face. "Did, did you just?" "Kill two birds with one stone? Yep. But we can let them figure that out themselves." Part Seventeen: So, You'll Be Joining Me In Vanhoover?"So, run me through this again? What exactly is it that makes this plan of yours so genius?" Vinyl put her hoof that was reaching for the doorknob down and turned back to Octavia. "I told you already, Hail Toss and WaveMaker are going to go ManeHatten, and we're going to go to Ponyville, right?" "Yes, go on." "So, while we're doing whatever, wedding stuff I assume, they'll be going to Vanhoover and getting to know each other. Bird one. Bird two is that Hail Toss will be going to get her stuff and we don't have to go." "Yeah, not sure I understand bird one." "WaveMaker said it's been hard for him since Skyline died. Maybe this'll help him, move on." Octavia made a questioning face at first, but shrugged and walked over to the door. "I hope you're right." Octavia opened the door and held it for Vinyl,who walked through it. As she stood on the porch, Vinyl sighed and looked off into the distance. "Hail Toss said she'd meet us at the train station. Just don't make it obvious that we're, you know." "Know what?" Vinyl and Octavia both jumped when WaveMaker spoke. "Jeez, you really snuck up." "Sorry. Anyways, we ready to go?" "Yes, let's go." The three walked off towards the train station, though none of them said anything. Without making it obvious, Octavia tried to take a full look at WaveMaker. He looked awful; his mane was ruffled, his coat was dull and unkempt, and she swore she could smell alcohol on his breath. When they arrived at the train station, Hail Toss turned and smiled at them. "You made it! I was starting to wonder. Who's your friend?" "WaveMaker, nice to meet you." "Oh, I remember you. It's good to see you again." Hail Toss met WaveMakers outreached hoof with her own and shook it gently. Vinyl smiled and leaned back to whisper to Octavia. "Told ya." "Don't jump the gun, nothing's even happened yet." "You two ready to go?" "Yes, let's go." The four boarded the train and all sat down at a table near the rear of the car. "Waiter, a bottle of Amaretto and four glasses please. I'm assuming you ladies are all fine with that?" "WaveMaker, that's so generous, you don't have to do that." "Its no trouble Octavia, it's my treat." "Hm, free booze, I think this guy's alright." The table let out collective laughter at Hail Toss' joke. When the waiter came back with the drinks, WaveMaker filled all the glasses as raised his own. "A toast. To what will hopefully be a good day." "Cheers." The ponies at the table drank their drinks and WaveMaker started on a second round. "So what's the plan for you two in Ponyville?" "Well, I'm going to try my hoof at getting this one to actually try on a dress." "Hey." Hail Toss and WaveMaker chuckled as Octavia turned and flashed a mock smile at Vinyl. "Yeah, well, good luck with that Octavia." "Yeah, I don't know if Vinyl's even capable of being formal." "Hail, you're my friend, but I will hit you." The table collectively burst into laughter at Vinyls 'threat'. Vinyl and Octavia both took sips from their glasses, and Vinyl shot Octavia a 'my plan is working' look. "So, WaveMaker, tell me, what made you come on this trip?" "Well, I was actually just invited by Vinyl and Octavia." "Oh. So, you'll be joining me in Vanhoover?" "Yes, yes I will." "Have you ever been?" "No, but I've been thinking about going." "Ah, it's lovely there. The train ride from ManeHatten to Ponyville to Vanhoover takes a while though, so it may be dark when we get there." "I'm sure that's fine." "You know, you two should consider honeymooning there, it's a super romantic city, especially the winter." "Well, I have always wanted to go there, Vinyl?" "I've heard that it's nice there." "Well? You two gonna go?" "Lets just get to the wedding first Hail Toss." A while after the train had departed from Ponyville, WaveMaker was sitting in the caboose, staring out the back door at the stars. "Hey." He jumped a little when the soft, accented voice came from behind him. "Hey. What're you doing?" "Oh, I just figured, why fall asleep when I'll have to wake up again in a little while." "That's true I guess." "What about you? "I just came out here to look at the stars I guess." WaveMaker sighed heavily before walking out through the door and onto the back open part of the caboose. Only a few seconds after he had put his right front hoof on the guard rail, he heard the door open and shut. A dark purple hoof placed itself on the railing near his, and in his peripheral vision, he saw Hail Toss. "I wish there were an easier way to travel, trains have always made me really nervous. I'd never really even have the courage, let alone the will to stand up on a moving train. Too long a flight to VanHoover though." "Yeah, it is. Especially if you have to carry something." "True." For a moment, both ponies stood motionless, staring off into the night sky. The train shuddered, and Hail Toss lost her balance slightly. She threw her hooves onto the rail and let put a few short, panicked breaths. "That's what I'm talking about. I never liked standing on trains, I would always just lay down and just wait for the ride to be over." It took her a few seconds after she stopped talking to see that she had tightly wrapped her hoof around WaveMakers. "Sorry." "No, it's fine." Hail Toss pulled away from the slightly awkward moment and turned her head to face the sky again. "So, who are you getting this stuff from?" "I'm not." "Wait, what?" Hail Toss sighed and looked at WaveMaker. "I'm not picking anything up. I just needed some time away from ManeHatten. So much bad stuff has happened there man, I just need a breather." "Oh, so, what will you be doing in Vanhoover?" "I don't know. Just look around I guess. Tomorrow's gonna be a long day. Im sorry you got dragged out here." "No, it's no problem. I was, actually thing about moving out there myself." "Really? Why is that?" WaveMaker let out a long breath, and the tear on his eye made Hail Toss remember the conversation her and Vinyl had. "Ah, I see. I'm, so sorry by the way. I heard about what's happened." "It's fine, it's just, it's just hard to move on. I thought maybe a change of scenery would do me some good." "But, what about Vinyl and Octavia? I mean, you have them back in ManeHatten." "I guess, yeah." Hail Toss looked back to the sky, and a deep silence overtook the night air. Hail Toss even jumped a little when WaveMaker started speaking. "Hail Toss, can I ask you a question?" "Sure, go ahead." "If you always hated walking on trains, what made you come out here?" For a moment, Hail Toss was at a loss for words. WaveMaker didn't look at her when he asked the question, but turned to see the slight blush on her face after the silence returned. "I..I really don't know." WaveMaker chuckled a little bit and turned back to the tracks that were quickly disappearing into the night behind them. "Well, look at it this way. At least you seem to have gotten over your fear of walking on a moving train." "Yeah, heh, I guess I did." "Look at that, a train ride where you didn't fall asleep." "Ah shut up." Vinyl and Octavia both chuckled as they departed from the train station and started towards Lyra and Bon-Bons house. "So, what's the plan here again?" "I'm going to try my hardest to get you into a wedding dress." "Ha, good luck." "Oh, you think I won't? I bet you'll be dancing around the boutique by the end of tomorrow." "Yeah right. I think I'd actually pay you for doing that." "Well, you're savings fund." As they approached Lyra and Bon-Bons house, they could hear muffled shouting, and stopped. "What's going on in there?" "Beats me, I've never heard Lyra and Bon-Bon shout before, honestly didn't think they had it in them." Vinyl and Octavia stood beside the house and listened to the muffled argument for a while, but finally, it stopped. Octavia peeked around the side of the house to see Lyra shutting the front door and storming off. "Wow, must've been something quite horrible to make one of them walk out on each other." "They ever do this before?" "No, never. They have little spats, like any couple would, but nothing where they'd shout." As they watched Lyra eventually dissapear into the distance, Octavia sighed. Suddenly, her ears perked up, and she turned to face Vinyl. "Plan. It's a little cheesy, kinda cartooney, but I think it'll work." "Alright, what is it?" "OK, I'm going to go talk to Bon-Bon, maybe I can figure out what's going on." "Well, what am I gonna do." "If I know Lyra, and I'm sure I do, she's at the bar just down the road. Go there, and talk to her. Don't make it seem like we're setting this up." "Alright, I'll try." "Good luck." "You too." The two shared a kiss before Vinyl quickly ran off towards the bar. Octavia waiting a little while before walking to the door and knocking. "Who is it?" "It's Octavia." After a few seconds, Bon-Bon opened the door, and Octavia smiled at her. "You're in town? What's going on?" "Oh, not much, Vinyl and I were-" "Where's Vinyl?" "Oh, we had a bit of a rough train ride and she went to go get a drink." "Wait a minute, are you trying to set something up?" "What?" "I can tell what you're doing Octavia, we've been friends for too long, and you're a bad liar." As Bon-Bon frowned, she went to close the door. Octavia quickly put her hoof out to stop it. "Ok, fine, but, what did Lyra do that made you so upset?" "I don't wanna talk about it." Bon-Bon forced the door closed, shutting Octavia out of the house. Octavia frowned as she also looked and saw the inside blinds quickly close. "Damn it all." "Another one." "Alright Ly, just watch it, ya goin' pretty quick here." The bartender walked away from the green unicorns seat and went to get her her next drink. Lyra heard the bell above the door ring, and after a few seconds, saw a white unicorn sit next to her. "Hey, Vinyl?" Vinyl turned to face Lyra and smiled. "Hey Lyra, what're you doing here?" "I was gonna ask you that, at least I live in this town. Where's Octavia?" "She went to go visit somepony. Doctor something or other." "Ah, Doctor Whooves probably. Here, let me but you a drink, what is it?" "I-I shouldn't." "Oh come on, just one drink." Vinyl took in a deep breath, and then shrugged and blew it out. "Ya know, why not. Just a shot of rum." "There you go. Bartender, shot of rum along with mine!" After the unicorn behind the bar sat the two mares' drinks in front of them, Lyra levitated hers up in between them. "A toast, to friends." "To friends." The two clinked their glasses together and drank, Vinyl completing her shot and Lyra downing almost half her glass in one go. Not long after, once again the bell at the door chimed, and Octavia sat down beside Vinyl. "Well, mission abort. Lyra, what the hell did you do?" "A glass of red wine down here please?" "What do you mean what did I do?" "Bon-Bon is more upset than I've seen her in years, and I just figured you twongot into an argument about something one of you did." "Well, I didn't technically do anything." "Technically?" "Well, it's more what I didn't do." "Oh good lord, let's get a booth before talking about this." The three mares moved over to a circular booth in the corner of the bar, and the bartender placed a glass of wine in front of Octavia. "Vinyl, no more for you, you're recovering." "Fine." "Anyways, what happened?" "Well, she brought something up that I just wasn't ready to talk about." "Which was?" "Marriage. It's not that I wouldn't want to, it's just, I froze up when I heard it from her." "Lets get this out, do you love her?" "Yes." "Do you want to spend your life with her?" "Yes." "Is their anypony else you would want to spend more time with than her?" "No, no there isn't." "Well?" Lyra sat and looked at Vinyl for a second, then her gaze went to the table. "Jeez, you're right. I, I gotta tell her that I feel this way." "Maybe not now though, you seem kinda drunk Lyra." "Tavi, I'm fine." "Lyra, just stay here, we'll get this sorted out in the morning." "Fine." Part Eighteen: It Isn't ManeHatten That's Getting To MeAs the train slowed and eventually came to a stop, WaveMaker and Hail Toss both opened their eyes slowly. Hail Toss' were the first to shoot open when she saw how close WaveMakers red, white, and blue mane was to her. WaveMakers eyes soon shot open and he flinched backwards, falling off the bed that they were both on. Both ponies stood up and looked around the train car room. "Nothing happened, right?" "No, I don't think so." "We should go?" "Let's." "Ok, you first." WaveMaker held the room door open and Hail Toss quickly walked through it. Most of the other ponies had already exited the train, and the two quickly followed. There was a long awkward silence as they walked through the streets of Vanhoover, until Hail Toss heard her stomach growl. "Hey, wanna stop somewhere to grab a bite?" "Sure, you know any places?" "I can think of one, it's pretty good, not too far either." "Alright, lead the way." Hail Toss nodded to WaveMaker and turned down a road towards the restraint she spoke of. It took them a while to get there, and until they sat down inside, it was an unfortunately long, awkward silence. "Can I get you started with some drinks?" "Whaddya say, alcoholic or no?" "Little early isn't it Hail?" "Eh, guess you're right. Iced tea please." "Excellent, and you sir?" "Just the same." "Alright, I'll return with those soon, here are your menus." As the waiter walked away, Hail Toss scoffed slightly. "What's that for?" "Ugh, I forgot how much I actually hated these kinds of places. Everyone's so snobby, it's too fancy, and the food isn't even great." "I thought you said it was pretty good?" "Well, it's alright, but it just kinda gets ruined by the downsides. Don't'cha think?" "I guess you're right." Hail Toss sighed and propped her head up with her hooves as she looked out the window. "It's just, after being in ManeHatten for so long, I've grown so attached. I guess I get homesick easily." "Ah. I see." "Here are your drinks, and what may I get you today?" Hail Toss looked at WaveMaker and smiled for a second before pulling a few bits from her purse and putting them on the table. "Actually, we've lost our appetites. Thank you for the drinks. C'mon." Hail Toss stood up and started towards the door. WaveMaker stood up and shrugged at the waiter, but then followed. "So..that was?" "We're ditching that place, let's just get something here." WaveMaker looked up at the fast food building that they were at. "Here?" "Yeah, I like this place. My ex kinda hated fast food, but on the few solo trips I made out here, I kinda bonded with the guys who run the show. C'mon, they got some of the best burgers in town." "Well, can't argue with that." The two entered the restaurant and almost immediately, a tall earth pony with a blonde mane and a deep blue coat walked over. "Hail Toss! You're back in town!" "Hey Killswitch! Still keeping the place shop shape?" "Oh, you know it. Who's your friend?" "WaveMaker, nice to meet you." "Nice to meet you too. So what brings y'all up to Vanhoover?" "Oh, I just needed a little break from ManeHatten, and he came with me for the same reason." "Huh. I see. Well, enjoy your stay here." "I'm sure we will." "Hey, is that crabby old bat still working here?" "Hell no, ThunderBolt and I got that crotchety old bastards resignation letter two weeks ago." "That's great! ThunderBolt, he still around?" "Fuck, that boy's been everywhere twice, who knows where he is now." "True, true. Well, guess we should eat then." "Yeah, take a seat, I'll get the menus." "Excellent." Hail Toss and WaveMaker sat down at a booth close to the kitchen, and WaveMaker chuckled. "You really do have quite a history here." "Yeah, these guys are pretty nice to me. Then again, I think they're just nice to everypony. Might be a Vanhoover thing." "Well, if we're stuck here all of today, I sure hope it's a Vanhoover thing." "Amen to that." After a few seconds, Killswitch returned and placed a couple menus down on the table. "What drinks can I get ya?" "Iced tea for the both of us. Right?" "Yes." Hail Toss smiled, and Killswitch nodded. "Awesome, I'll get right on it." As he walked away, Hail Toss looked back to WaveMaker. "The ice tea here is marvelous. Good choice may I say." "Well, I figured, that's what we ordered before." "Well, ice tea is my favourite." "Oh, that's good." Killswitch placed the drinks on the table and pulled the pencil from behind his ear, placing the tip gently against the pad of paper. "What can I get you?" "You first." "Uh, I guess I'll just get the hayburger and fries." "Same here." "Two hayburgers and fries coming right up." Killswitch walked away and started talking to someone else in the kitchen. WaveMaker sighed and leaned back in the booth. "Something wrong?" "Well.. can, can I tell you something?" "Sure, go ahead." "I was, kinda thinking about moving out here." "What? Really?" "Yeah. Shit's been pretty rough for me back in ManeHatten, I needed a break. Was thinking about moving here but, I'm already homesick just thinking about it." "Well, what is it about ManeHatten that you miss so much?" WaveMaker took a deep breath in and held it for a long moment. He hadn't thought about any specific reasons why he loved ManeHatten so much. "I..I don't know." "Well is it the food? Shopping, sights? All the pretty mares walking around?" Hail Toss chuckled a little bit at her joke, but WaveMaker didn't move. After moving his lips to a word Hail Toss couldn't make out, WaveMaker shot his gaze to Hail Toss. "It isn't ManeHatten that's getting to me." "Back again darlings? Oh! And is this the other lovely bride?" "Yes, that's her." "Lovely, are we picking out the next dress today?" "We'll be trying." "Alright, if you could follow me into the back room." Rarity walked through the doorway to the back of the boutique. Vinyl and Octavia starte d following, but not before Derpy, Lyra, and Bon-Bon came through to door. "Oh, you all made it. I see that you two have made up have you?" "Yes, we're all better now. Not to say that Lyra won't do something wrong later down the road of course." All but Lyra laughed at Bon-Bons joke, and then they walked into the back of the boutique. Vinyl looked around and saw a manniquenn with a wedding dress on it sitting alone in a corner. "Uh, Tavi?" "Yes sweetie?" "I'm gonna go look around." "Oh, alright." The two quickly kissed each other on the lips, and Vinyl started towards the dress. It was a simple sheath dress with a decorative pattern embroidered along the side. Strangely, it appealed to Vinyl. She wasn't sure why, she hated the whole girly-girl dressy mare act in total. But something about this dress was just so... "Perfect." "Admiring my work dear?" Vinyl snapped out of her slight trance and looked up at Rarity, who was smiling and walking towards her. "Uh, y-yeah." "I had quite the time with this one. The embroidering was just a pain in the flank to get perfect." "I bet." Vinyl quickly looked around, then leaned in closer to Rarity. "How much?" "Well, it's no more expensive then some in here, I'll say that. However, since I was swamped for time after completing it, I never put a definitive price on it." "Well how much do these things usually go for?" "Well, the highest I've sold was ten thousand bits. But, this one I'll put and six and a half thousand." "Are you serious?" "Completely." "Jeez." Vinyl shook her head as she looked at the dress more. She looked around the room again and then leaned in closer to Rarity. "Look, you do payment over time?" "Yes. We have a few plans." "I'll put two and a half grand down in this now, I'll get the rest to you. One thousand bi-monthly work?" "The thousand a month is actually one of the plans we have. So you are taking the dress?" "Yeah." "Splendid darling! Fitting rooms are just over to the right there." Vinyl gulped as she looked at where Rarity was pointing. "Could you actually do me a favour please?" "What is it?" "Could you distract them? I don't want them to see it." "Oh, no problem. I'm quite used to having to do that actually. Be quick though, I don't quite know how long they'll wait." "I'll try." Rarity quickly ran off to the part of the store where the rest of the mares where. After a few seconds, Vinyl, with the wedding dress, ran to the changerooms. Once inside, she sat down and sighed. "This sucks. I hate this." Vinyl sighed and listened to the chatter happening outside the dessing room. She heard Octavia laugh, and she smiled a little. "Well, I guess it's worth suffering just a little." As Hail Toss and WaveMaker got off the train, Hail Toss stopped and cleared her throat. "Uh, WaveMaker?" "Yeah?" "Would you care to, come over for a bit? Maybe have a some coffee? Tell me why you ran out of the restaraunt and didn't say anything to me until now?" WaveMaker stopped and turned his full body to face Hail Toss. He sighed and walked towards her. "Look, I'm sure I'll find a eay through this by myself." "But what if you don't? That actually seems to be your problem." "Excuse me?" Hail Toss sae the anger on WaveMakers face and thought about not saying it, but sye needed to. It would benefit him, not just her. "You never let anyoje help you. Everytime you have to deal with something, its always alone." "You know what?" WaveMaker tried to put on a tough look, but Hail Toss could see in his eyes that she was right. WaveMaker huffed and started walking away, and Hail Toss let him. Hail Toss threw her bag down onto the floor and flopped onto the couch in her apartment. BrickLayer was sitting in the chair next to her, and looked over at her friend. "Somethin' the matter sweetheart?" Hail Toss raised her head up to speak, but the phone rang before she could say anything. "Don't worry, I'll get it. Hello? Yeah, she is. Ok. It's for you Hail." Hail Toss sighed and picked herself up off the couch. BrickLayer passed the phone to Hail Toss and sat back down. "Hello?" "Hey, Hail Toss?" It was WaveMaker. Hail Toss could hear the emotion and pain in his voice, and could only imagine what he had put himself through before calling. "WaveMaker? What's going on?" "I think I'd like to..take you up on that offer, from before. You.. you were right, I try to do this myself too much. Could you maybe come over here so we can talk?" "Yah sure, I'll be right over." "Thank you, I'll see you then." "Yep, there in a flash. Bye." Hail Toss hung up the phone and quickly started towards the door. "Where are you off too now?" "WaveMakers. Finally he realizes he needs somponys help. I'm just glad I can be there." "Well, good luck." "Thanks." As Hail Toss left the apatment, BrickLayer chuckled to herself. "Mare ain't as smart as she looks. Still too damn to realize how smitten she is with him." "Well, another unsuccesful trip to Ponyville." "I really do think you're being too difficult with the whole wedding thing." "Sorry, it's just that I hate the whole frilly thing. Getting all dressed up and acting proper isn't my idea of a fun time." "Well it's only for one night Vinyl, surely you can suffer through just one night. For me?" Octavia made a joke sad face and Vinyl chuckled. Then she remembered something, and stopped. "That, that reminds me. I still got one favour I gotta call in." "What for?" "It's actually something for our wedding. An old friend of mine owes me like two and a half thousand bits, I'm gonna go call it in." "Oh. Well alright, just be careful, ManeHatten sure gets dangerous at night it seems." "Don't worry sweetie, I'll be fine. Love you." "Love you too." The couple quickly kissed, then Vinyl started off towards ManeHatten Correctional Institute. She had a small amount of hope in her heart as she softly repeated the last words she had heard from him. "I can help you. I can help you. I can help you." She entered the building and was immediately greeted by the same receptionist fom the last time. "Vinyl is it? He's been waiting for you. Same room." "Thanks." Vinyl quickly made her way down the hallway, and saw a guard standing by the door to the room she had been in before. He nodded to her and opened the door, following her in once sje was through. He closed the door and made his way through the one on the opposite side of the room as Vinyl sat down. Letting out a long breath, Vinyl tried to organize her thoughts. She had a few things she knew she needed to get out now, that she should've the first time, that she may never get off her chest if she didn't say them now. Minutes after minutes passed, but the door in front of her remained closed. Nearing the half-hour mark, she started to worry. A few times she heard voices, but nothing more than that. How long does it take to get that sick fuck out of his cell? Vinyl let out another sigh just as the guard from before came and stood in at the doorway. She stood up, looking at the guards solemn face. "Miss Scratch, I'm here to inform you that Open Mind has just been found dead in his cell." Vinyls mouth opened in shock. He was really dead? Her emotions were conflicting on a strange level. On one side, he was dead, and out of her life, never to torment her or Octavia again. However, what he had promised last time she came here was now gone. She had to take a seat again, to collect her thoughts. In her confusion, Vinyl had failed to notice the second pony that had walked in and gave something to the guard. The guard placed what looked like a letter down on the table, and Vinyl took it in one hoof. "Miss Scratch, it seems he left this for you, but we ask you to leave the facility at once." Vinyl shakily stood up, gulped, and nodded to the guard before she turned and quickly walked out of the room. A blank, expressionless look remained on her face as she quickly left the building. Once outside, Vinyl fell with her back against the brick wall and opened the letter. Dear Vinyl You didn't think it would be that easy did you? Perhaps you really are dumber than you look. Well, either way, thanks for showing up, but it looks like you'll be dealing with your problems stuck in you own head. Sincerely, Open Mind Chapter Nineteen: What's Wrong?A Little More Than 3 Months Later Doctor Whooves awoke, his fluttering eyes adjusting to the beams of light poking in through the shutters. His ears twitched sharply, then he closed his eyes and sighed. He instinctively made his way to the bathroom and held Derpys mane back. "Thanks sweetie." "It's no problem sweetheart. The morning sickness really did come back didn't it?" "Yeah." "Of all the cases where it never returns and it just happened to-" "Doc." "Right, sorry." As Derpy pushed herself up and away from the toilet, Doctor Whooves assisting her. Derpy wiped her mouth with the back of her hoof and looked in the mirror. "I look awful." "You look fine sweetie, don't worry." "But think about all the pictures that are going to be taken today! I don't want to look horrible for their wedding photos." "You won't look horrible dear, you always look beautiful." Doctor Whooves wrapped his hoof around Derpy's abdomen and nuzzled his cheek into hers. Derpy blushed and closed her eyes as she nuzzled back. "What would I do without you Doc?" "I ask myself the same question about you dear. Now come on, we have plenty of time before the wedding, you should lie down for a while." "So, why again are you freaking out Twilight?" Spike set the multiple boxes he was carrying down and looked at the princess with a confused face. "I already told you Spike, I've been requested as a minister at a wedding in ManeHatten and I've never done that before!" "A wedding? You can do that?" "Yes. As a part of my princesship, I was told that I am legally qualified to marry two ponies." "I never knew that. So when is the wedding?" "It's today! That's why I'm freaking out, Spike!" "Just calm down, what do you even have to do?" "Basically I have to give a little speech about love and marriage and stuff, then I say whether or not they've written vows, then I just say that they can kiss." "And the problem is?" Twilight stopped suddenly and turned back to Spike. "I, I guess there isn't really one. I've been to weddings, I know what to say, I guess actually running the wedding was just getting to me." "Also, why do you have so many freaking bags if you're only going to be there for one day?" Spike lost his footing carrying the suitcases and fell to the floor, the suitcases falling on top of him. Twilight laughed and walked over to him. "Here, let me help you with those." "So, what do you think?" Octavia gently set the book she had written her vows in down and looked at Lyra and Bon-Bon. Both mares looked at each other, keeping their mildly shocked expressions on their faces. "Wow Octavia, I didn't know you had that much of a poetic side." "Well, I'd like to say that it was easy, but it sure as hell wasn't. I wonder if Vinyl had this hard a time with it." "Ah don't worry Tavi, I'm sure she wrote something beautiful." "I wish I had a little more faith in her than I do now. I don't know if either of you know this, but Vinyl isn't exactly the 'lovey dovey romance stuff' kind of mare. She's sweet, but not exactly that sweet." "Well, either way, I'm sure she'll have something nice." "True. She has said quite a few things that surprised me. Hm, maybe she'll surprise me again." Octavia sat down at the table and drank some water out of the cup in front of her. "Well, there's still a lot of time before the wedding, what do you want to do?" Octavia let out a long nreath amd ran through her thoughts. "Well, I guess since Vinyl and I aren't allowed to see each other until the wedding, we should maybe go pick up the dresses?" "Sounds good." The three mares stood up simultainiously and walked out of the house. On the walk there, a thought came to Octavia and she stopped. "Wait, what if Vinyl is already there?" "Please Tavi, you really think Vinyl would be jumping the gun?" "Bonnie's right, I really don't think we have to worry about that." "Maybe you girls are right. Vinyl did say long ago that she really isn't one for the whole dressy thing. We don't have anything to worry about." "Well?" Hail Toss stepped back from the low table Vinyl was on and looked at WaveMaker. "What are you looking at ne for? She asked you." "C'mon, I'm asking you both." "Well, considering I've never seen you like this, I'd say you look weird. But from a non-bias point of view, I'd say you look great." "Really? Hail Toss?" "You look amazing." Vinyl looked at herself in the full-length mirror to her side and smiled. She looked so...not herself. The dress, the veil, her mabe being straightened down instead of it's usual spike. It was a strange feeling, but it felt almost kind of nice. "Yeah, yeah, I guess I do." WaveMaker and Hail Toss smiled at each other and bumped hooves as Vinyl turned and observed herself in the mirror. "Alright beauty queen, we still got time before the wedding, what should we do?" "You have your vows written yet?" "Uh, I may or may-" "She forgot." "Yep." "Oh screw you both." WaveMaker sighed and signaled for the mares to follow him to the dining room table. He sat down, followd by Hail Toss, who had grabbed a pen and some paper, then Vinyl. "So, you know how to write these?" "Not really. I haven't been to a wedding since I was a filly. Never had to." "Alright, well, ever seen any romance movies with marriage in it?" "Maybe, but not that I can remember." Hail Toss laughed a little, while WaveMaker tilted his head back, eyes closed, and sighed. He opened an eye to look at the clock, and sighed again as he stood up. "We got time, I'll find you a highlights reel or something." "So, are you ready?" Octavia took in a deep breath before responding to Rarity's question. "I'm...very, very nervous." "Well that's natural darling, it is said to be the biggest day in a mare's life." Octavia's breathing was progressively getting quicker and more shallow as Rarity spoke, and her vision started getting slightly fuzzy. "Uh, miss. I, I need to see one of my friends." "Is everything alright?" "Just please go get my friend. Call for Bon-Bon." Rarity hurried out of the room as Octavia sat down and stated mildly hyperventalating. A few seconds later, Bon-Bon came rushing into the room and ran over to Octavia. "Octavia, what's wrong?" "I don't know, I think I may be having a panic attack." "Oh my, just wait here, and just breathe. Lyra!" As Bon-Bon ran out of the room, Octavia ran a hoof through her mane and started trying to regulate her breathing. Just calm down. Everything's fine. Today is a good day Octavia, don't forget that. I just hope Vinyl isn't freaking out. "So, you think you got it?" "Yeah, I just hope Octavia hasn't seen any if those, I'm not sure if I can top those." "Well, as long as it's from the heart, that's what matters." "Yeah." WaveMaker turned the TV off and motioned for the other to come with him. "So, you got anything?" "Well, I don't know." Hail Toss sighed and look at the clocking. "Oh shit, WaveMaker, we have to go get dressed up ourselves, there's only two hours until the wedding." "Is it that close already? Fuck. Alright, let's go. Vinyl, you good to stay here?" "Yeah, but quick question." "Better be quick." "Where are you getting your clothes? Tavi's getting hers from PonyVille, are you guys too?" "No, I got a place here that we checked out. I went there back when, you know, last time I needed to." "Ah, got it." "Alright, WaveMaker and I will be right back, you better get to work on those vows missy." "What are you, my mother?" Vinyl laughed as she waved her friends out the door. She stood up and layed down on the couch once she was sure they were gone, letting out a long breath as she looked at the ceiling. "I am so screwed." She sat upright suddenly, and stood up, looking around for just about anything that could help her. "Movies!" Acting on her exclamation, Vinyl quickly walked over to the drawer on the TV stand. "Comedies, no. Horror, no. Ah, that looks sappy." Vinyl quickly took the CD out of the case and put it in the player. Taking the remote in her magic, Vinyl stared fast-forwarding to where she hoped she would see a wedding scene. "City, rain, house, blah blah blah, where the hell is- oh, there we go. Now I guess I just gotta make some notes." "Ready?" "Ready." Bon-Bon opened the curtain, allowing Octavia to move into the main room of the boutique, just as Lyra moved her hooves away from Derpy's eyes. Derpy gasped when she looked to see Octavia in her full dress. Her white veil covered her now straightened black mane bur still let her brilliant magenta eyes shine through. "Octavia, you look so beautiful!" "You really think so?" "Of course!" Derpy ran up to Octavia and gave her a gentle hug. Octavia smiled and returned it. "Thank you Derpy. And thank you Lyra and Bon-Bon for helping. Feel like I've been losing my mind trying to make sure everything's prepared for the wedding but now, I think it's all working out." "Hopefully it stays that way, the wedding is in an hour." "Nervous Octavia?" "A little, Derpy, a little. I think it'll be fine though." "Well, we have a little surprise for you waiting at the ManeHatten train station, so maybe we should get on the train?" "Sounds good Bonnie." "I didn't even think we knew this many ponies, are you sure Octavia isn't just bringing all of PonyVille with her?" Hail Toss chuckled and pushed the flowery headband further up her head. "Don't worry Vinyl, most times weddings don't even fill up." "I hope not. Usally I can hide behind a pair of shades and a sick beat when I'm around this many ponies." "Well, today you got a veil and Ocatvia's musical friends playing." Vinyl smiled as Hail Toss adjusted her veil for her. WaveMaker rolled his eyes and smiled as he walked over. "So when is Octavia getting here?" "I don't know, but I think the guests will be here first." "When do you think that'll happen?" "I don't know, maybe they'll all be here in about half an hour." Vinyl let out a long breath and look around at the layout. There were two sections of chairs with a large division in between them, covered by a red carpet. Where they were standing was a small wooden platform covered by a section of lacy cloth suspended by poles at the corners. Vinyl brushed her now straightened mane out of her eyes and sighed again. "Nervous Vinyl?" "Sorta. I just wanna get to it already, the suspense is what's really killin' me." "Well, just don't worry, it'll all be fine. Besides, I'm sure Octavia is just as nervous as you are." "I don't know Hail, usually she keeps her cool better than me, she just has that. I don't know how she does it." "What happened?" "You passed out after we started talking about the wedding." "Yeah, you freaked out a little." Octavia put a hoof to her forehead and pushed herself up in the train seat. She looked around, seeing only Lyra to her right and Bon-Bon across from her. "Where is Derpy? And the doctor?" "They're already off the train making sure our little surprise is ready." Lyra shot Bon-Bon a little wink and pulled on Octavia's hoof a little as she stood up. "C'mon, let's go." Bon-Bon stood up and covered Octavia's eyes with her hoof. "No peeking." She chuckled as she slowly led Octavia off of the train and over to where the road was. "Alright, now look." When Octavia opened her eyes, she gasped at what she saw, and brought a hoof to her mouth. Lyra was standing beside a long black carriage pulled by two stallions. "You rented a limo?" "We certainly did." "I can't believe you, you're too good to me." Octavia hugged Bon-Bon, who motioned for Lyra to come over and join. "Well? What are you waiting for? There's a ceremony just waiting for you." Vinyl's heart started beating faster when the limo arrived and the door opened. Lyra and Bon-Bon in their bridemare dresses were the first to exit, but seconds later, Octavia stepped out. The breath in Vinyl's chest dissapeared for a second, and she had to take a deep breath to remain concious. The musicians played a soothing melody as Octavia walked up to the platform and took her place across from Vinyl. The two mares smiled warmly at each other, and Vinyl stepped slightly closer. "Wow, you look so amazing." "You look pretty amazing yourself Vinyl, I've never seen you like this." "Well, let's not get too used to it." Twilight walked to her spot in between the two and cleared her throat. "Friends, family, and partners for life, we've assembled here today to join these two in marriage." The ceremony went on for quite a while, Twilight delivering her speech with minimal error, and even a joke part way through. But a small choke came to each of the mares throats at her next words. "The couple has written their own vows and will recite them now." Vinyl motioned with her head for Octavia to go first, and Octavia fumbled for the piece of paper she has written her vows on. When she eventually found it, she cleared her throat and smiled at Vinyl. "Vinyl. My nearest and dearest. We've been through just about everything in the short time we've been with each other. Seen everything, heard everything, and-" Octavia took in a deep breath and closed her eyes. Slight mumbling could be heard in the rows of chairs as the pause hung in the air. Octavia then took in a deep breath, threw the slip of paper to the side, and looked up at Vinyl again. "And we've said just about all there is to say, except, I still need to say that you are the most important pony in the world to me, and I never want to know what my life could be like without you in it now that you have been in it. I love you Vinyl." A large amount of 'awws' could be heard as the two nodded at each other and Vinyl levitated a slip of paper in front of her. "Octavia, I thought this was going to be the most difficult thing I ever had to do. But when I saw you walking down that aisle, I realized how simple it was. I love you. You are the pony I was meant to spend my life with." Another round of 'awws' was heard, and Vinyl saw Octavia tilt her head down, tears starting in her eyes. "You got that from a movie didn't you?" "A show, yeah." "I love you so much. Please say it Twilight." "You may now kiss the bride." Octavia took no hesitation and immediately lifted her veil, Vinyl lifting hers, and the two locked lips, the gathered ponies cheering. Part Twenty: No RegretsAuthor's Note Quick authors note if you choose to read. If you notice any weirdly placed capitalizations, it's a part of an 'easter egg' I was doing on the site I originally posted this on, so they are supposed to be there. Enjoy! Part Twenty: No Regrets Vinyl and Octavia both fell on the bed, genuinely laughing and smiling more than they had in a long time. They laid there, facing each other and giggling, for minutes and minutes. They were enjoying a laughter not forced, but honest, one they hadn't experienced in quite some time. There had been too much stress, too much awkwardness since they met. The first few days, rehab, Open Mind, SkyLine Breezer's passing, and now the wedding. But they felt as if now, they finally had some room to breathe, as if they finally could close the chapter. Octavia propped herself up, and looked at Vinyl. "So, wife..." Octavia playfully poked Vinyl on the snout and giggled. "What do you want to do?" "I don't know, wife..." Vinyl added the same comedic inflection on 'wife' as Octavia had, and propped herself up the same way. "We still have some daylight left, we could do whatever we want." "How about we go out for a nice dinner, maybe show ourselves off a little?" "Well, little did you know, showing off is something I've been doing for a long time. Oh, I almost forgot, be right back." Vinyl turned and lifted herself off the bed as Octavia pushed herself into a sitting position. When she reached the door, she motioned for Octavia to close her eyes, which she did. After a couple seconds, Vinyl returned to the room. "No peeking. You ready?" "As much as I can be I suppose." "Aright, open!" Octavia opened her eyes and looked at what was sitting on the bed in front of her. "It's, my cello case?" "That's not it, look inside." Vinyl was smiling widely as Octavia clicked open the case and slowly pushed it open. Octavia's eyes widened, and she covered her now open mouth with a hoof. "It's, it's magnificent." It was a cello, almost the same body shape as hers was, but this one was jet black,and had intricate carvings along the side of the neck. The body had a shimmering glossy finishing, and was embelished by a perfect resemblance of her cutie mark across it's length. "I, how did, where is, what?" Vinyl laughed at Octavia's shock, and sat down on the bed beside her. "Let's just say that waitress tips go a long way. And I had it stashed at Hail Toss' apartment because I knew we'd probably be at WaveMakers house at some point." "You are the best." Octavia wrapped her hooves around Vinyls neck and hugged her tightly. Vinyl returned the hug and gently rubbed her wife's back. "I thought you'd like it." "Like it? I love it! It's the most amazing thing I've ever been given!" Octavia continued gazing at the instrument for almost another full minute without saying a word. Noticing her silence and the blank expression on her face, Vinyl chuckled and nudged her. "Hey, you alright? Getting pretty blank-faced there." Octavia perked up for a second and turned to Vinyl before standing up and off the bed. "I have something for you I forgot all this time. Wait here." Vinyl waited paitiently as Octavia scrambled out of the room and down the stairs. After a minute or two, Octavia returned with a small felt box. After closing her cello case up and setting it gently to the side, she placed the box in front of Vinyl and layed down. "I've had these for quite some time. I guess I was waiting for the perfect moment, and now just seems like a good time." "Alright. You seem pretty excited, I'm not sure what could possibly be-" Vinyl's mouth dropped open just as Octavia's had, and she started stuttering the same way. "It, these, my, these are, these are my shades." Vinyl lifted the shaded out of their case and examined them. "When we first met, you jad these on. Even though the one lens was damaged, you still had them. I figured they must be of some importance to you, so I kept them. When we were packing up to move here, I remembered them and got them fixed so I could give them to you, but you were still in rehab. I guess there's no better time than now though, right?" Vinyl remained speechless as she looked the glasses over. Then, for just a second before Vinyl wrapped her hooves around her, Octavia saw a tear in her wife's eye. "I love you Octavia." "I love you too Vinyl." "C'mon, here we are." "Thanks a bunch, Hail, but where did I park again." "Alright, I think I'll just set yoi down on the couch and let you kinda, you know, pass out, or whatever you do when you're smashed." Hail Toss helped WaveMaker down on his couch, and walked to go get him something to absorb the alcohol in his system. "Wasn't exactly the best of plans to drink as much as you did, having not eaten anything today." "I don't wanna hear it." "Well, I'm saying it anyways. You really jave to watch that, you don't want to develop a dependency." Hail Toss sat down on the arm of the couch and passed a sleeve of soda crackers to WaveMaker. "Thanks." Hail Toss sat down on the adjacent chair with a sigh as WaveMaker opened up the sleeve and took a bite out of a cracker. Hail Toss sighed as she stared out the window at the house next door. "They finally did it didn't they?" "What?" "They're finallg married. Would'a thought." "What do you mean? They love each other, why is it such a surprise?" "No, the whole thing. From start to finish, just as Vinyl told me. It almost seems, kinda like a fairy tale, you know? I just wish I could find something like that, something just as magical as what they have." "How haven't you?" Both heads in the room jolted upwards, as the meant to be silent phrase hit both pairs of ears. Hail Toss turned around as WaveMaker tried to hide his slight blush. "What did you say?' "Nothing. I-I said nothing." "No, I heard you say something. What was it?" Realizing too late that there wasn't a way out of this, WaveMaker sighed and looked up at Hail Toss. "I was just wondering how you haven't found that." "H-how do you mean?" WaveMaker sighed again as Hail Toss sat down beside him. "It's just...I've been doing a lot of thinking in the last few months, a lot of reflecting. I know that by now I should've moved on, but I really haven't. But, whenever you're around, it all just kinda seems to fade away. You're just, you're so kind and caring, I've never really had anypony like that in my life before, other than, well, you know." There was a long moment of silence before Hail Toss slolwy, but not subtly enough for WaveMaker to not notice, pushed herself closer to the other pony on the couch. Another long moment passed before Hail Toss cleared her throat. "So, I guess I have a question to ask you." "What's that?" Hail Toss quickly turned to WaveMaker, who, sensing the hasty motion, turned to face her. "Would, would you maybe, go out with me?" It had just turned to ten in the evening when the lights at Lyra and Bon-Bons house were all off, save for their bedroom. "Well, Tavi finally got married. I'm so happy for her." Bon-Bon giggled a little foalishly as she laid down on the bed beside her mare-friend. "Yeah, I am too. But you know, I think I hage something that you'll be even happier for." "What?" "Ah, I'll save it for tomorrow." "Lyra, you can't just say something like that and then not do it, that's so mean." "I should also wait until you aren't drunk, Bonnie." "Smart decisions, smart decisions." Lyra chuckled as Bon-Bon laid her head down in a drunken, "everything is funny" type of state. She laid down also and pulled the covers over the two of them. "So, you aren't gonna try to guess what it is or anything? No questions at all?" Lyra looked to her left to see Bon-Bon completely passed out on the bed beside her. She chuckled slightly and quickly slipped out of bed, making sure she didn't wake the sleeping mare as she levitated something out of the nightstand. Slowly pushing the door open as closed as she snuck out of the room, Lyra gazed at the necklaces in the small box she held in her magic. "You just wait until tomorrow Bonnie, then I'll really make you happy." "Is it much further?" "Almost there, just hush up." After spending the night, Hail Toss told WaveMaker that he needs to truly move on. She gave him a blindfold and said nothing else, then started leading him near the outside of the town. "Alright, you can take it off now." "Finally. Now what is this plan of-" WaveMaker cut himself short as he looked at where they were. The mild fog in the area was thin enough for WaveMaker to see the sign near perfectly. "Wh-why are we at the cemetery?" "I told you, you need to move on. Come with me." Hail Toss ushered a nervous WaveMaker through the graveyard, looking for something she didn't evrn know herself. But, as she had hoped, instinct took over for her friend, eho started walking hap-hazardly down to a certain tomb. A short thickening of the fog seperated the two for a moment, and when it passed, WaveMaker was nowhere in sight. "Shit, WaveMaker?" Hail Toss started walking through the slowly fading fog, and as she reached the top of a hill, she stopped calling out. Down where the hill plateaued, she could see the red, white, and blue mane clearly, sitting in front of the grave. Skyline Breezer's grave. As she got closer, trying not to disturb him, Hail Toss could hear WaveMaker saying something. "I know that you would've wanted to see it. I'm...I'm so sorry. I'm sorry that, I wasn't there when you needed me, that I didn't insist on getting you checked out when you were getting sick, I'm, I'm sorry that, I froze up, and you took a bullet for Octavia. Most of all, I'm just...I'm just so sorry that you aren't here right now." WaveMaker was now starting to sob in his place, resting one hoof on the stone, and wiping his eyes with the other. Hail Toss sat down just beside him after a few moments had passed and put a hoof on his back. WaveMaker turned and pulled her close to him, hugging her as he cried openly into her mane. Hail Toss felt as if she needed to do nothing more than simply comfort him in this moment. "Can I get you started with some drinks?" "Yes, a bottle of champagne for the table. We are celebrating, aren't we dear?" "We sure are." "A bottle of our finest champagne it is." The waiter smiled at the two and walked off to retrieve the celebratory bottle of alcohol. Octavia noticed how hard Vinyl seemed to be minding her manners and chuckled. "Ever eaten at a fancy restaraunt Vinyl?" "Nah, I never liked these places. I like either smething quick and easy, or just doing something at home, somewhere where everypony isn't looking at you. I'm guessing you have?" "My agent would almost always take me out for a dinner here after a show. It was nice, but usually I wouldn't even get to eat over all the paparazzi and fans. Not trying to brag or anything, but I think this may one of the only times I've eaten here that hasn't been photographed." "Well, can't say I don't fully know that pain. Bck when thr EDM industry was still popular, I couldn't be seen with anypony people didn't know or tomorrows newspaper article would be something about some fabled relationship between me and them." "Tell me about it. The news industry is so saturated nowadays, everypony just wants their big article." "I know, anything for a story it seems. It's almost sickening how fast ponies sell out in order to get their five minutes of fame." "I don't even want to go back to the music industry, it's almost not even worth it. But, when you have a passion, sometimes you'll do whatever it takes, right?" "I agree with every word." The two chuckled at the conversation, even though it was very well true. The waiter brought the bucket of ice with the bottle in it and set it on the table along with two glasses. "And are we ready to order here?" "Um, just a few more minutes actually." The waiter nodded at Vinyl, who was now levitating the bottle out of the ice. After he walked away, Vinyl smiled at Octavia and popped the cork. "And there we are." She filled the two glasses and set the bottle back in the ice with her magic, while pushing one glass over to Octavia with her hoof. "I would like to propose a toast. Our lives have been... well, interesting, so to say, since we met. But, everything is finally coming into fluition. We have each other, and that's all we need right now." "Agreed." Once more the waiter came back, and once more the couple shooed him away, not placing an order. Their conversations and drinking continued for quite a while, making it an evening of both serious conversations and comedic relief. Eventually the waiter stopped showing up at the table. "So, returning to the topic we were on a while ago. If we're both agreeing to not return to the music industry, and we have, haven't we?" "Oh yeah, I don't want to be a part of that again." "Good, then if we're both straying from that, we'll need to probably discuss other occupations." "I guess I knew this would be a topic again at some point. Alright, whatcha got?" "Well, when we talked about this the first time, you mentioned soemthing about being a police officer?" "Yeah, I think that would be alright." "You know that there's a lot of physical testing to be a cop, right?" Vinyl looked at Octavia through the now empty champagne glass and smiled. "Hey, I keep myself in shape." "When? I haven't seen you exercise since I met you, and I know you don't go to the gym." "You know how much of a workout stage energy is? And physical therapy at rehab included steady exercise." "Well, proved me wrong I guess." "I guess so. What about you? If you're not going back to music, what's your plan?" "Well, you know, the plan I had in mind, would sort of involve me needing to, um, stay home." "How do you mean?" "Well Vinyl, I've been doing some thinking. Last time I wanted to talk about this, I kind of shut it down before you could speak. However, after mulling it over, I think that we should have a foal." Vinyl choked on the champagne in her mouth and coughed a few times before looking around and leaning in closer. "You what?" "You heard me, clearly." "You, you realize that that, you know, isn't possble for us." "Not the, traditional way, I suppose. But you know that there are many other ways we could." "And, you actually think we're ready for something that big?" "Vinyl, we're married, we're living together, where else is there to go from here if we want to go further?" "I, I guess you're right, but, would we adopt or?" Vinyl trailed off her sentence, leading on that she knew other ways around the obvious barrier, but she didn't. Octavia finished her glass and sighed, putting down the bits for the drinks. "Well, there's this friend of mine, I'll tell you at home. Let's go." "Good morning sweetie." "Ugh, not so loud please Lyra." "Still hungover?" "Yes." Bon-Bon groaned quietly as she set her head down on the kitchen table and put her hooves around it. Lyra chuckled as she put a plate of pancakes down in front of her soon to be more than mare-friend. As she sat down, she smiled and levitated the box to her side. "I uh, I had something important to ask you last night, but I figured I should wait until you were able to make a good decision. You know, unimpaired." Lyra pushed her chair away as she spoke and opened up the box as she dropped to one knee. "What's that Lyra? Is it something ab-" Bon'Bon stopped and brought both front hooves to her mouth as she gasped. "Bon-Bon, will you marry me?" Bon-Bon was too speechless, and was barely able to make the few unintelligible whispers she was making. After a while, Lyra felt that Bon-Bon was able to speak and asked again. "Well?" "Lyra, I, I wanted to t-t-talk to you for a while. I-I feel that now is a good time." A bad feeling came over Lyra as Bon-Bon stood up and hung her head. "I, I just don't feel like this is working out. It's just, we're too different, it doesn't feel like it should." Lyra's mouth dropped open, and the necklaces fell from her magical grasp. She felt like somepony had stabbed her in the heart, which, figuratively had just happened. "Y-.....y-y-you what?" "It's not that I don't love you for who you are, it's just that I think we don't suit each other. I thought maybe you'd be happier with somepony more like you." "B-Bonnie, how could you even think that? I love you more than anything! I don't care if we're different in every way, we love each other, right?" Tears were in the eyes and running down the cheeks of both mares at this point, and neither could do anything but stare at the other. "Lyra..I love you, I just think we need to see what else is out there." "Is, is there somepony else? Is that why you're doing this?" "No, no, there's nopony else. I just think that maybe there is somepony who each of us that we'd find more...compatable." Lyra took a few long moments to sort through her thoughts, before finally coming to terms. "So, you want me out then?" "I'm sorry Lyra." Bon-Bon could barely get the sentence out through her tears, but Lyra heard what she needed to before Bon-Bon ran off and locked herself in the bathroom. As she listened to Lyra's faint sobs added to the the sounds of her packing and inevitably walking through the door, Bon-Bon looked at herself in the mirror. "What did just I do?" When Vinyl awoke in the morning, she could already hear Octavia in the kitchen, occasionally sighing loudly or knocking something over. When she walked out into the kitchen, Octavia smiled at her. "Oh good, you're up. Now we can talk." "Can I get some coffee first? I'd rather be awake before we start." "Of course, it is a rather serious matter." Vinyl walked over to the kettle, which was already warm from Octavia making her tea. After making what she deemed enough coffee to at least keep her awake, Vinyl sat down on the couch and waited for Octavia to follow. "So, what is this big thing you seem to be schemeing about?" "I am not schemeing. It's just, an idea we've have together since I told her I was, you know." "Wait wait wait, who is this her, and why wasn't I in on it?" "Well, I wasn't sure how things would go between our marriage and when I told her, so I wanted to wait until I could be sure." "Sure of what?" "Sure that you were ready." Octavia put her mug down and grabbed Vinyl's hooves with her own, staring deep into her eyes. "Vinyl, she's nine months pregnant. With our child." Vinyl's eyes widened, and she sat blankly for a few seconds before shaking her head. "I'm sorry, what?" "Well-" "Wait a minute, nine mon-. Ho-how long, have you two been planning this?" "Well, they were already planning to have another child, and I wasn't sure what would happen bewteen the two of us. But, since she found out, her and her husband have been thinking about maybe, letting us adopt it." "Tavi, are, are you sure we're, you know, ready for this?" "Well, I mean, we'll need to be more financially stable, but we have time, right?" "Well, how far past nine months is she?" "She's, a couple months." "Hm. Ok, alright, last question." "Go ahead." "Yeah, who is this mare?" "At the wedding, the mare with the yellow mane on my side? Did you happen to see her?" "Yellow mane...yeah, yeah I did see her. She's got the eyes that kinda work on their own, right?" "That's, one way to put it, yes." Vinyl took a long pause and looked away, before Octavia had to say something. "Look, I know I've kind of sprung this on you, and believe me I am just as nervous as you are. But, considering our circumstance, and considering how-" "Alright. I'm up for it." "You, you what?" "I want to do this. It's a big step, but, I'm think we're ready for it." "You really believe that we are?" "I know we are." Octavia smiled widely and practically leapt into a hug with Vinyl. All Vinyl could do was smile and hug Octavia back. Lyra's hooves slowly dropped down and made contact with the floor of the ManeHatten train station, emitting a softly timbred click as she stepped down from the train and onto the polished hardwood. She sighed a heart-heavy sigh as she looked up through tearful eyes, and toward the one place she knew she could go. Levitating two suitcases behind her, she dragged her way down the crowded streets, avoiding all eye contact, and eventually stepped up onto the front step of Vinyl and Octavia's house. Heaving another sigh, Lyra set the bags down beside her and raised her hoof to knock on the door. A few moments after knocking, the door opened, and a slightly concered Vinyl tilted her head when she read the expression of Lyra's face. "Lyra? What, what brings you here?" "I, uh, I, I have to talk to Octavia and you." "Um, s-sure. Come in." As Lyra stepped in, Octavia walked from the kitchen into the living room, spotting Lyra and her luggage. Just before Vinyl was going to, Octavia asked the question they were both wondering. "Lyra? Why do you have luggage?" "Can...can I stay here for a while?" "So, that's really all that happened? That's the end?" "I don't know. Believe me, I really wish it wasn't, but I'm afraid that it just may be." "How could she say that? You two have been together for years, just recently she said that she wanted to marry you!" "I know, I know. I guess a lot can change in a few months. I just can't believe that it's really over." Octavia pulled Lyra closer and tried her best to comfort her. Vinyl was standing in the kitchen, watching the scene unfold. She took a long sip of her coffee and thought for a second before an idea hit her. She quickly started toward the door, not even saying anything. "Vinyl? Where are you going?" "Just a sec, I'll be right back." Vinyl ran outside and let the door close behind her. Octavia looked out the window, but couldn't see Vinyl. "Octavia?" "Yes Lyra?" "Do you think maybe she's right?" "What?" "Bon-Bon. Maybe what she said was right, maybe we just aren't meant to be." "But, you and her were so happy together." "Yeah, well, I guess sometimes things really aren't what they seem." Octavia watched Lyra as she propped herself up with her hoof, playing with the bit of mint-colored mane that was laying on the couch. She took another quick glance out the window and wondered. Where the hell did Vinyl go bugger off to? Vinyl was at the backdoor of the neighboring house, and checked around her before knocking. After quite a few seconds, she heard hoofsteps, and WaveMaker answered the door. "Vinyl? Why the backdoor?" "Nevermind that, we gotta go do something." "Um, o-ok. What exactly?" "We gotta go to Ponyville." As the train slowly pulled into the station at ManeHatten, Vinyl and WaveMaker rushed on board. As they sat down, Vinyl pooked around at the other riders. "So, any particular reason this is happening?" "I'll give yoi the short version. Tavi's friends just broke up and I wanna go see what's going on." "Ok, second question, why?" "Because, something doesn't seem right about it. I've only known them for so long, but damned if they weren't a good couple. Basically the definition of opposites attract." "Is that how you and Octavia are?" Vinyl smiled and looked down for a second before looking back up. "I think I'd say that." WaveMaker chuckled slightly and looked around the train before it started moving. "So, are we looking for anypony specifically?" "Why would we be? I know where she is." "Yes, but what if she's on the train or something?" "Oh, pfft, what are the odds of that? Anyways, I was basically woken up for this, so I'm gonna catch some Zs." As Vinyl stretched out on her seat and folded one hoof over her eyes, WaveMaker slouched back and looked around. Being somewhat tired himself, he slowly drifted off and fell asleep. The train arrived at the PonyVille train station, and Bon-Bon was the first t get on board and take her seat. Her breaths were short, and always off time with each other. As she waited for the train to start moving, she brushed her mane back with her hooves and stared at the table. Before too long, ponies were rushing by her in both directions, and she could've sworn she saw a familiar mane or two rushing by in the crowd. Having more important things to think about, she looked oit the window and sighed. "I hope you'll be where you always go." Both a smile and a few tears came about Bon-Bon's face as she looked at the small picture she was holding of her and Lyra in front of a tall buolding that looked to resemble a church. "Our little getaway in ManeHatten." ManeHatten Sancuary All are welcome here Lyra looked at the old, decrepid building that still held memories. Tears were slowly falling down her face as she slid her hoof down the faded plaque. After all these years it was still here, but like the rest of the building, it had lost it's allure. Her and Bon-Bon had come here one time when it was fully functioning. Bon-Bon had wanted to check it out because a friend of hers frequented it. Lyra fell to the side as her sobs became louder and more apparent. After a few seconds, she was too lost in her anguish and racing thoughts to hear the hoofsteps behind her. When Bon-Bon set her hoof on Lyra's shoulder, Lyra jumped up and spun around to face the other mare. "You? What are you doing here?" "Lyra, please, I was wrong, I never should've said no, I don't know what I was thinking! Please." "You know, while I was sitting here, looking back at, well, us, I thought of something funny. When I froze up when you started talking about marriage, I felt like crap. I did. But I got over it because you did. Then when I proposed and you said no, I thought to myself, how am I always in the wrong? I lost both ways! What more could you have wanted from me?" "Lyra, I just wanted to talk it out. The first time, I just wanted to know where you wanted this to go! Please, I just want to talk now." "No. No, stay away from me!" Thunder cracked and lightning flashed through the sky as Lyra turned and ran through the for some reason partially opened door and into the sanctuary. Bon-Bon hesitated for a moment, but soon ran in after her. "Lyra!" The sacntuary was very much showing it's age and lack of care. The walls had lost their lustre and were tagged with various graffiti. The glass ceiling was falling apart, and had multiple holes in it. The only part that was still in tact within reason, was the tall oak tree that stood in the center. It was able to just get by on the scant sunlight and small amount of rain that fell through the shattered glass above. Bon-Bon stopped and stood still near the badr of the tree, looking around for where Lyra could have run off to. "Lyra?" Hearing nothing but a soft echo, Bon-Bon hung her head and sat down at the base of tree, resting the top her head against the trunk. After what felt like an eternity to Bon-Bon, she heard hoofsteps on the hard tiles, then on the wood chips at the base of the tree, then they stopped. She looked to her right and saw Lyra sitting at the base of the tree beside her. Both of them looked away from each other at the same time, but eventually Lyra pushed herself slightly closer and started talking. "Hey. I, um, I'm ready to talk now." "Ok. Well, what is there to say?" "Look, I messed up ok?" "We both have. It wasn't just you." "I know, I know. But, I'll own up to my half, and I'm willing to start over, if you'd do the same?" Bon-Bon wiped her eyes and Lyra set her hoof on her shoulder. After a few seconds, Bon-Bon looked up and lunged at Lyra, immediately wrapping her in a hug. "Let's not start completely over, ok?" "I think we can do that." The storm picked up as the embrace went on, now showering the couple in rain as it poured through the broken glass panes. They looked up simultainiously and quickly ran over to a nearby archway, sheltered from rain. After a few seconds, the two looked at each other from their opposite pillars and started laughing. "So, back to PonyVille when the rain's gone?" "Well, I should probably get my stuff from Vinyl and Tav's first." After knocking for the third time in a row, Vinyl sighed and turned back to WaveMaker. "I don't know, I guess she isn't home." "Alright, well, let's look at this reasonably. Where else could she be?" "Maybe at her friend's house. The Whooves." "Alright, let's go." Vinyl led the way in the direction of the Whooves household, WaveMaker following at here side. "So, what's the plan if you do find her?" "I just wanna talk to her, see what exactly happened and maybe if we can fix it again." "Again? This has happened before?" "A few times, their relationship has had some bumps." "I see. So what are we planning to do at the friends house?" "I don't know, see if she's there, maybe see if we can call her or something?" "You really didn't have a plan for this, did you?" "I, uh, I guess not." After a few more minutes of walking, the duo found themselves at the Whooves household. Vinyl waaked up to the door and knovked three times, then waited for what seemed like too long for anypony to answer. "They not home?" "I don't know. Seems like everypony in town-" Vinyl turned around when the door opened, and she spotted a panting Doctor Whooves. "Doctor?" "Vinyl, what brings you by?" "Oh, um, n-not much. What's goings on?" "Well, let me just say that you two arrived at a hell of a time." "Oh yeah? How so?" "You're about to be a mother." "Wh-what?" "Derpy's just gone into labour, I rushed up here when I got a moment, but we have to get her to the hospital now!" "Right, ok, uhh, WaveMaker, go find us a carriage or something!" "On it!" As WaveMaker kicked off and flew away looking for a ride, Vinyl quickly followed Doctor Whooves into the house. "Hey, I need to call Tavi, you guys have a phone?" "Upstairs in the bedroom to the left, tell her to get here fast." "That was my plan." Vinyl quickly ran up the stairs and into the bedroom she was pointed to. She levitated the phone up close to her face and dialed her house's number. "C'mon, pick up, pick up." Octavia was pacing nervously as the thunderstorm pounded the city. Lyra and Bon-Bon were still out there, and she wasn't even sure if Bon-Bon had found Lyra yet. But, if she had, maybe they were safe in the sanctuary? She groaned and put a hoof to her forehead. She was so lost in though that the high pitched ring of the phone made her jump slightly. "Hello?" "Tavi, hey, listen. I really, really, reeaaally need you to come to PonyVille asap." "Vinyl? What the hell are you doing at the Whooves house?" "I was looking for Bon-Bon, I wanted to fix this, those two are Still Worth Fighting For." "Don't worry, Bon-Bon came here, I assume her and Lyra are hiding out of the storm somewhere, but I don't know if they'll come back anytime soon." "Well, this is a little more important." "Why?" "We're about to have a family." There was a long pause as Octavia put the peices together. Her mouth dropped open, and she struggled to keep the phone in her grasp. "Uh, Tavi?" "Y-yes, I-I'm here." "Well, you're gonna wanna be here in a second, let's go!" "O-ok, I'll be right there." "Ok, good, see you then." Octavia quickly hung the phone and wrote a note for Lyra and Bon-Bon's predicted return on the notepad beside it. Within seconds of slamming the pen down on the counter, she was at the door, not even caring to throw on a raincoat. Once outside, she quickly put the note in the mailbox so that it was poking out just enough to be noticed. She turned and started down the steps, but accidentally bumped into who she saw in the darkness to be either Lyra or Bon-Bon. When she stood up, now soaked by the rain that had already collected on the ground, and the rain that was falling. The other mare stood up and peered through her raincoat. "Tavi?" "Hail Toss? What are you doing out in the rain?" "I was going to see if WaveMaker was next door before the rain came, and I wasn't sure if you and Vinyl were home or not. I eventually came over to see if you were or not, and here we are. Where are you running off to?" "Vinyl and I are about to be mothers." "Say what now?" "I'll explain on the train ride to PonyVille, my treat." "Wow, that, sure is generous of her." "I know, I don't think a way to repay her will ever be able to exist." "Well, how do you feel?" "About what?" "About having a foal. You and Vinyl are taking a really big step here, and I just want to know how you're feeling about it." Octavia set her drink down after taking a long sip, then eased back in her seat as she let out a sigh. "I'm... very, very nervous, I kind of feel like I'm Going In Blind. I have no experience, or knowledge on parenting or even foalsitting, so I feel a little unprepared for this. But at the same time, I feel like it's, almost destined to be. I can't explain it, I just feel like this whole series of events, right from the beginning, was just set in the stars. It's beyond me, it really is, what Vinyl and I have been given. We're just so lucky to have the life, and the friends, and now the family, that we've been given." "That's really beautiful Octavia, I think you're going to be a great mother." "Thank you. What about you?" "What?" "How do you feel about foals? Would you ever want one?" "Well, I used to foalsit all the time, but it wasn't exactly my strong suit. I guess maybe having one would be fine, if I met the right stallion." Something strange about the sentence struck Octavia, and she just had to bring up what Hail Toss had said. "Hey, Hail Toss." "Yeah?" "When you said that you were waiting at WaveMaker's house, why were you there?" "Oh, um, I've been going to his place quite regularly recently. I've been, well, helping him cope so to say. My father was a therapist, I learned a good bit of relaxation and coping mechanisms through him, I'm hoping to kind of bring him back, help him not Drown in his sorrows." "Huh. Well, I hope that goes well." "Me too, it's really hard to tell where his mind's Gone Away to since Skyline's passing." An awkward silence filled the rest of train ride, until the train eventually finished Crawling to it's stop. Octavia ran to be the first one off the train, Hail Toss close behind. "So, gotta admit, haven't really been here, where's the hospital?" "It's this way, we gotta hurry!" Octavia and Hail Toss sprinted all the way from the train station to PonyVille General, panting harshly when they stopped at the reception desk. "May I, help you two?" "Mare... last name... Whooves...having a foal." "Ah, the expecting couple and their friends. Room 2C, down there and to the left." "Thanks." Octavia smiled at the receptionist stallion and quickly turned and ran down the hall, Hail Toss again close behind. Octavia's moith dropped open when she opened the door and took in the full scene. Derpy was lying on the bed, eyes closed and slowly breathing in and out, while Doctor Whooves held her hoof. Vinyl was sitting on a chair to the right, WaveMaker on the one next to that. After seeing no doctor or nurse, Octavia put the pieces together. She had just missed it. Vinyl was the first to look and see Octavia standing in the doorway, panting as if Asthmatic. "Hey, come over and meet your first colt." Everypony in the room turned and looked at Octavia. Even Derpy, who was only able to turn and give a weak smile, motioned over to Vinyl. Hail Toss noticed Octavia's frozen stance, and chuckled slightly. "Well, what are you waiting for?" She gave Octavia a sligjt push, and Octavia started shakily walking toward Vinyl and WaveMaker. Vinyl slowly stood up and walked over to Octavia. "Here he is." Gingerly, Vinyl passed the blanketed foal into Octvia's hooves as she took the spot in the chair. Octavia stared intently at the foal, taking in every visible feature. He had a black mane, but seemed to take a darker shade of Derpy's grey coat. It had fallen asleep, but had a small smile spread across it's face. Octavia stared in adornment for quite some time, before she suddenly looked up. "Wait, what did you mean by 'first' colt?" Smiles appeared on almost every face in the room as Doctor Whooves slowly raised another blanketed foal into Octavia's view. Vinyl took the first one from Octavia as Doctor Whooves slowly walked over and gave the second one to her. "He was sitting here beside me the whole time. Turns out we had twins." Octavia looked down and stared at the foal Again. This one had mane just slightly darker than Doctor Whooves', and had almost the same color coat, just a few shades darker. "Well?" "Huh?" "You thought of any names, sweetie?" Octavia looked blankly at the foal in her hooves. Her mind was completely blank, and she struggled to even think of any names. "I, I didn't think about that. Did you?" "To be honest, I didn't really either." "Can I make a suggestion?" Octavia and Vinyl both looked at Hail Toss, who had moved closer to get a look at the foal. "You wanna name it?" "Well, if you two can't think of one, I have one that I was saving. But, If It Means A Lot To You, you can have it." "Well, what is it?" "Flyleaf." "Flyleaf." Octavia looked back at the foal, and smiled as she repated the name to herself. "I like it." "I do too, but what about the other one?" Both mares looked at Doctor Whooves, who was holding the second colt in his hooves. "What about, Roulette?" "Roulette?" "Yeah, you know, 'cause sometimes you just gotta leave it up to chance. Kinda like we've done a lot." Octavia paused for a second before chuckling slightly and looking back to Vinyl. "I like it. Flyleaf and Roulette it is." The rain had slowed but not stopped, and Lyra and Bon-Bon had taken the opportunity to run all the way to Vinyl and Octavia's house. Lyra was the first to arrive at the door and knock multiple times, shouting for Octavia over the storm. Bon-Bon however was the first one to find the note and start reading it aloud. "Dear Lyra and/or Bon-Bon, I am sorry that I am not home to let you in, but I had to be somewhere else. I'm about to be a mother." As Bon-Bon finished the last sentence, Lyra perked up and spun around in a second. "The what now?" "They had their foal! Lyra, this is great news! They're finally starting their lives together!" "Didn't they do that when they got married?" "Well, yes, but this is even better!" Bon-Bon, in a wild excitement, leaped out amd wrapped Lyra in a hug. Lyra was surprised but eventually hugged her in return. When the two seperated, Bon-Bon started running out into the rain. "Where are you going?" "Come on, we've gotta go see them!" "Oh boy, This Probably Won't End Well. Wait up!" "So for the first night, since they were both so late in the evening, they must stay in the room here. Do you have any friends or family that you can stay with in town?" "You can't let us stay here?" "Well, some ponies have waited overnight in the waiting room, but it isn't, well, optimal. And the earliest in the morning you can leave with them is about ten thirty by tee current time." "We can wait, we're willing." "If you say so, I'll alert the nurses." "Thank you." Vinyl walked away from the doctor and quickly back into the room. Octavia was trying to dry her mane off while a nurse was talking to Derpy and Doctor Whooves. WaveMaker had stepped out for a second. "So just take a few of these, it'll make movent sligjtly difficult due to numbing but it will also make it as Painless as possible." "Thanks Redheart." "No problem, it's my job. Congratulations you two." She smiled at Vinyl and Octavia as she turned and left the room, all ponies exchanging waves. "Well, what did he say?" "They have to stay overnight, but we can too. We'll be stuck in the waiting room all night, but that's what it's used for, right?" "I guess so, that's jist dissapointing is all." "Trust me, I'm just as bummed as you are. But it is protocol, isn't it?" "I suppose so." Vinyl pulled Octavia closer with a hoof and kissed her on the forehead, making Octavia both smile and blush. "There's that smile. I'm gonna go grab something from the snack machine, you want anything?" "No, I'm fine." "Suit yourself." Vinyl chuckled slightly to herself as she left to room and started fowm the hall. She stopped for a moment when she looked down a halleay and saw WaveMaker staring at a wall. "What the?" As she slowly walked up, she noticed the glass window that was in between the hallway and a room where newborn foals were sleeping. "Uh, WaveMaker?" "Huh? Oh, Vinyl, hi." "What's going on?" "I uh, well, I don't know. I was walking by here, and I just got sorta drawn to it. Gosh I just, I just feel so Worthless since she died, you know? Hail Toss has been around, kinda trying to make me not feel like such a Loser, but I just don't know." "Well, I can't say I know exactly where you're coming from, but I guese I see what you mean." "You ever lost anypony?" "Well, nopony really close. You lose grandparents and stuff once you get to a certain age, but nopony closer than that." WaveMaker nodded and turned back to watch the foals. When one close to the window yawned, WaveMaker noticably smiled, prompting Vinyl to ask her question. "Did you ever want foals?" "Well, that was Skyline more than me who wanted them. You know that she wanted three foals? I just want one filly she said, and I don't care whatbthe others are. She was so prepared, had her whole life planned out to the very end. Aside from, well, you know. Wanted foals soon after she was married, and-" "Wait, then why didn't you?" "That was my fault. She wanted them, really pressed me for them. I told her that I Respect her decision, but we should wait until we were a little more stable. I wasn't good enough for her. She was willing to put everything on hold for a couple years just for me. And of course, just our luck, the time came, and it was too late." As WaveMaker hung his head down, Vinyl put a hoof on his shoulder and tried to think of some comforting words. "Well, I'm sure there's somepony else out there for you." "Yeah, hopefully. Well, I assume you were going somewhere, I'll let you be on your way." "No, it's fine, not like there's a Doomsday clock on the snack machine." Vinyl's attempt at humor seemed to work when WaveMaker smiled and turned away from the glass. "Either way, I should be going. Good luck until the morning, to Octavia too. I'll see you all later." "Thanks." As WaveMaker left, Vinyl took his spot at the glass and looked at Flyleaf and Roulette. "Look at you two. You don't even know it yet, but Life Starts Now. For all of us." Once the goodbyes had been said, and Octavia had many times expressed her gratitude towards the Whooves', everypony had departed but Vinyl and Octavia. A short time after the departures, roughly two in the morning, Vinyl and Octavia were sitting together, alone in the waiting room. Vinyl levitated a bottle of water to Octavia, and she quickly accepted it and drank a quarter of it in one go. "Tavi." "Yes?" "Is this the end?" "What?" "For us. Now that we have foals, where is there to go?" "Well, we still have to raise them, Vinyl. I hope you don't think that'll just be a walk in the park." "No, no, of course not. I'm just saying that we've really done everything, haven't we?" "Everything we can, I suppose so. Huh, I guess this really is the final step isn't it?" "It looks like it." "But wait, don't you think that if we're rasing foals, and now two of them, we should get better jobs? At least one of us?" "I guess so. Wait, haven't we already gone through this? Didn't we agree on police officer for me?" Octavia sighed and looked at the floor. There was a moment of silence, and Vinyl thought she saw Octavia mutter something to herself. "Ok, look. We did settle on you being a police officer. But I've been trying to get you away from that field." "What? Why?" "Vinyl, nopony's Bulletproof, ok? Policing is dangerous, and I don't want to lose you." "Wait, so, that's why you've brought this up over and over? You were trying to get me to change my mind?" "Yes, yes I was. Vinyl, we've just taken possibly the biggest step we could ever take together, and I don't want you to not be a part of that because you-" Octavia was cut short when Vinyl wrapped her in a quick hug. Octavia hugged back, and wiped the teats from her eyes while Vinyl couldn't see them. "Look, Octavia. I know our the track record shows that something will always go wrong, but think about this for a second. I lived out on the streets, I had to Suffer It All for, what, three years? I didn't have anything to defend myself, nopony to watch my back, no training of any kind, and I survived. I'm certain, that if I am out there as a cop, trained and armed, I'll be just fine." A look of hard thinking spread across Octavia's face as she looked down at the floor. "You're right. You're right again." Octavia smiled as she looked back up at Vinyl, and quickly after leaped out to hug her again. As the embrace continued, the two heard the hospital doors slide open, and turned to see Lyra and Bon-Bon, rain soaked and smiling. "Hey, bout time you two showed up." "Yes, a little late, aren't you?" "Sorry, we got locked out of your house, and we so convieniently just missed the train." "We brought you this though." Lyra levitated an already opened bottle of champagne in front of the other mares, and they smiled a little at the sight. "Lyra, are you allowed to have that in here?" "Probably not, so let's hurry up and do this." Bon-Bon hastily setbthe four glasses down, and Lyra filled them with equal speed. Lyra set the bottle down and raised her glass in the middle of the group. "Here's To The Heartache, to everything that's been fucked up all the way through. Here's to Vinyl and Octavia finally completing their journey together." "I'll drink to that." The four mares quickly drained their alcohol, and Bon-Bon took the glasses back. Lyra quickly and subtly put the bottle in a nearby garbage, and walked close to the hallway. "Hey, can we go look at them?" "Sure, let's go." The group walked down the hallway and all the way down to the room where Flyleaf and Roulette, among others, were peacefully sleeping. "Those two. That one is Flyleaf, and that one is Roulette." "They're adorable Octavia." "I know, I just can't wait to take them home. I'm actually going to be a mother." Octavia, who was starting to break into tears of happiness, turned and hugged Bon-Bon. After a couple seconds, Octabia motioned the other two over. "Ah what the hell." Lyra and Vinyl ran up and joined the group hug, and the formation held for a full minute afterwards. Derpy eased into the couch, having walked there with the aid of Doctor Whooves. She stared out the window and watched the sun starting to set on the cool summer evening, smiling at the fact that the February Winds no longer blew, and that her best friend in the world was now blessed with the greatest gift she could give. She turned to him and smiled as he laid beside her and stroked her mane. "Thank you." "No thanks needed sweetheart, there isn't anything I wouldn't do for you." There were a few moments of silence as the two continued to embrace the tranquility of the eveing and watch the sun set through the windows. Eventually, Doctor Wooves' curiosity got the better of him, and he had to speak. "Sweetie?" "Yes?" "You think we made a good decision?" "Of course. Do you?" "Well, the better part of me says yes, however I feel a small, small amount of regret giving up our children. Of course it was for a good cause." "And we can still see them." "That too. I guess I just have a few regrets in general. But at a certain time you just decide that you've Had Enough. Do you?" "Nope." "Really? You think we've dome everything just right?" "M-hm. No regrets." Part Eleven: I'll Give You Two The Time You NeedThe necklace was stunning. It was a solid gold pendant in the shape of a diamond, with a large circular emerald in the center, strung up by a chain of solid gold. Octavias mouth was dropped open, and she held her hoof over it. Her head was facing the necklace, but she was looking up at the smiling mare with her teary eyes only. "Yes." The words were barely audible. Octavia moved her hoof and wrapped both her front hooves around Vinyl. "Yes!" Tears of joy flowed from both pairs of eyes. Vinyl hugged Octavia tightly until she pulled away. "Here." Using her magic, Vinyl put Octavias mane in a single straight line behind her head, and pulled the necklace out of the box and gingerly put it on Octavia. She smiled widely as Octavia spun around to look at herself in her vanity. "Vinyl, it's beautiful." "I hoped you'd like it." "I love it! How, and when did you get this?" "Well, I may or may not have called in a few favours ponies owed me." "When did you get this? There wasn't-" "Remember when I had that weirdly long phone call at your friends house that I took outside, and no matter how you craned your neck, you couldn't see me out the window?" "Wha, was that just a coincidence or-" "Yeah, remember when I took a weirdly long time getting us drinks? Yeah, my old rehab roomie got me on that one." Octavias face was a face of pure disbelief as Vinyl walked up behind her. Vinyl saw the reflection of Octavias face change into a warm smile, and suddenly she was thrown back onto the bed. Octavia planted a large kiss directly on Vinyls lips before she could even speak, and Vinyl soon help up her end of the kiss. "Vinyl, you're amazing. I just can't believe that any of this happened, and that you could put this all together!" "Oh, now you're doubting my abilities? Jeez, if that's what I have to look forward to, I want a divorce." Vinyl chuckled a little bit and Octavia joined. The two mares turned back to lay on the bed correctly, and after a few minutes of talking, they decided to go to bed. "Goodnight Vinyl." "Goodnight Tavi." Both turned off their lights and got comfortable in their positions. Just before Vinyl fell asleep, she heard Octavia again. "Hey, Vinyl?" "Yeah Tav?" "Which one of us will have the mare of honor and which one will have the best stallion?" Vinyls eyes opened wide and she frowned. As she rolled over to look at Octavia, she sighed. "Uhh, I really didn't think about that." "Well, I suppose there are a lot of things we didn't think about that will come up later. But, I suppose we'll cross those bridges when we reach them." "What if we each had one? Like, one of each?" "Well, I guess that's fair. Although, I'd like to ask, who would you have as yours?" "Honestly, I'm not even sure. Other than you, I don't have too many ponies that are very close to me. Maybe Hail Toss as my mare of honor, no idea who I'd have for best stallion. What about you?" "Its between Lyra and Bon-Bon for mare of honor. Best stallion, I have no idea. I guess I'll ask Doctor Whooves." Vinyl nodded a little bit and rolled over again to go to sleep. "Goodnight Vinyl." "Goodnight Octavia." "Sir?" WaveMaker snapped awake, and looked up to the doctor with a solemn expression. "I'd like to talk to you." WaveMaker nodded and followed the doctor out of the room, glancing over his shoulder at his wife sleeping in the hospital bed. "Sir. There's something I need to-" "Just...get to it. Please." Tears were already forming in Wavemakers eyes, but he knew something worse was bound to start. "It seems, that the bullet has done quite a bit of damage to your wife's circulatory system. We, aren't fully sure if its, repairable." Now looking towards the floor, WaveMaker let the tears flow from his eyes down to his face and onto the floor. He felt a hoof on his left shoulder and heard a sigh. "I'm, sorry." WaveMaker nodded slightly, just enough to let the doctor know he had heard, and left the hoof leave his shoulder. As the hoofsteps started and faded away down the hall, WaveMaker started losing his grip. He walked back into the room and sat down in the chair, face in his hooves. "I just fucking can't believe this." He muttered phrases over and over to himself until he heard a soft groan from beside him. The figure in the bed moved slightly, and WaveMaker stood up and put his two front hooves on the rail of the bed. "Skyline? Sweetie?" "H-hey. Hey baby, h-how are you?" Skyline Breezer could see that her husband had been crying, but she asked the question in case there was any good news. "I've... I've been better. But that doesn't matter, not anymore. How are you?" "Tired. So much of this shit's been draining me lately, sleeping doesn't seem to help either, which is a little ironic." Skyline Breezer chuckled and raised a hoof to run it through what was left of her mane. A small amount of strands fell off of her scalp and cascaded gently down to the floor. "Anything you want?" "Well, you got another one of those jellos?" "I can go get one." WaveMaker stood up and started walking out the door before Skyline Breezer could get another word out. She sighed and looked around the hospital room. She had been out in one of the 'one patient only' rooms, so there wasn't another bed or any other machines in the room except for the ones around her. She looked up at the hear at monitor and listened to the slow, steady beat. She turned her head the other way when she heard the door open again, hoping to see WaveMaker. Instead, the pony she saw was the doctor that had been running her tests. He smiled a little bit as he walked in, but the smiled faded as he reached the bed. "Miss Breezer. I have some bad news." "Y-yeah?" "I'm..I'm afraid that there isn't any way to reverse the damages. I've discussed this with your husband, but he hasn't responded with any sort of decision. I'll, give you two the time you need." The doctor nodded solemnly and turned to walk out of the room. Tears were running down Skyline Breezers face, and not soon after the doctor left, WaveMaker walked in. "Hey sweetie, I know you don't like green as much, but it was all I c-" WaveMaker stopped himself short when he walked in and saw Skyline Breezer, and the tears upon her face. "Skyline? What's wrong?" "The...the doctor talked to me. I know he talked to you too." "Yes...yes, he did." "I know I said earlier that, I knew I was gonna die, but, I never actually thought it would happen." WaveMaker moved closer to the bed, and the couple wrapped their hooves around each other. The embrace lasted for what felt like forever to both ponies, but still neither wanted it to end. They eventually separated when they heard the door creak open. "Hey?" The southern accent seemed a little familiar to WaveMaker, and he smiled a little as he turned around. "BrickLayer, hi." "Hey. I heard about what happened. I wanted to come talk to her." "Yeah, sure. Skyline Breezer, sweetie, this is BrickLayer. I met her in the ER waiting room a while back." "Nice to meet you." "Yeah, nice to meet you too." "So what's the situation?" BrickLayer sat down in a chair and pulled it up beside the bed. Skyline Breezer smiled, but sighed as she looked at the other mare. "Well, it's not what one would call a great situation. I'm kinda backed into a corner here, and there's really only one way out, ya know?" "Damn. I hear what you're sayin' though. My cousin had somethin' kinda like this." "Cancer?" "No, but he got shot on stage. Three years back, middle of a song. Guy ran up there and shot em' in the chest. Didn't think he was gonna make it." "What happened?" BrickLayer sighed and looked at the floor for a second, biting her bottom lip. "Well, he was in the hospital for a while, then he was home, then he was right back up performin' again. He pulled through just fine. I always had that little bit of hope, and sometimes I feel like that's the only thing that helped." The three ponies in the room sat silent for some time before a doctor eventually came in. "Sorry miss, but visiting hours are over." "Oh, ok." BrickLayer got out of her chair, but turned to Skyline and smiled. "Just keep hoping Skyline, I know you got this." "Thanks BrickLayer, I sure hope so." BrickLayer smiled and the doctor guided her outside the room. After closing the door, he walked over to the two other ponies in the room. "I thought I'd give you a few more minutes. I figured you two would have a bit to talk about." "No, we don't?" Both the stallions in the room opened their eyes widely at Skyline Breezers quick response. "Honey..." "Keep me on life support." "I hereby sentence you to life imprisonment, with no chance of parole." The words followed by the slam of the judges gavel brought a strange feeling of happiness to Vinyl and Octavia. Vinyl sighed a sigh of relief as she watched the police ponies cuff Open Mind and start walking him out of the courthouse. There were a few seconds of ominous silence after they left before ponies started leaving. Vinyl and Octavia got up and walked outside, not feeling any particular reason to stick around. "Ah, does it do me good to know that that fucking psycho is locked up now." "Yes, I'd say that's quite the relief. No more worrying about him means we're almost one hundered percent care free." "Yeah, I guess we are." Vinyl chuckled and looked up at the open sign flashing in the window of the bar they were beside. "Hey, how 'bout a round for celebration?" "Vinyl, it's four in the afternoon, should we really be drinking?" "C'mon, I wanna show you what it's like to be a rockstar." "You were a DJ!" "Don't ruin this for me!" The two mares laughed as they entered the bar and sat down at the counter. A unicorn stallion with a blue coat and black and white mane walked up and smiled at them. "What can I get for you?" "A glass of whiskey for me please." "Um, I'll just have what she's having I guess." "Wonderful. One moment." The bartender walked away, and the couple took the moment to take a quick look around the bar. Almost nopony was there, save for them, the bartender, and a group of three stallions in one of the corner booths. "Here you go girls, enjoy." "Thanks." "Thanks." "Wait a minute, I recognize you. You were one being followed by that guy on news today." "Uh, yeah. Yeah, we were." "And now he is locked up! Opa! Round is on the house for you." "Wow, thanks. To crazy stalkers." "To crazy stalkers, and even crazier brides to be." Octavia chuckled at her joke and lightly tapped her glass against Vinyls raised one. They both drank roughly half their beverages in one go, and sat them down with a sigh. "Vinyl, I meant to ask this, but I forgot to this morning." "What's that?" "Are we going to set a date for the wedding anytime soon." "Hmm. I never really thought about it. I guess it should be sometime soon, right?" "Well, there's no rush, but there's no harm in getting it done sooner." Vinyl took another sip of her drink and looked at the floor for a minute as she thought. "Why don't we do it close to the winter? That's when we first met, and that gives us about four months to plan everything out." "That seems reasonable. Is it settled then?" "Four months today?" "Sounds like a plan." Octavia smiled as she held her glass up for another toast. Vinyl met it and both mares drank the rest of their drinks. "Not used to drinking in the afternoon like that." "Don't worry, I'll get you some crackers or something." "Why?" "Absorbs the alcohol, might help a bit." Octavia laid down on the couch and Vinyl went to the kitchen. After searching through a few cabinets, she returned to the living room with a box of crackers. "Here you go." "Thanks. Oh, I meant to tell you, I have to go back to Ponyville tomorrow." "Why?" "First off, I need to tell Lyra and Bon-Bon about the wedding, and second, there's somepony else I need to talk to about it." "That doctor guy you talked about?" "Yes. Him. Have to ask him about being a best stallion." Octavia chuckled slightly nervously, prompting suspicion from Vinyl. "Wait a minute, are you planning something I shouldn't know about?" "What? No. I go into Ponyville every now and then, I like to catch up with Lyra and Bon-Bon." Vinyl was still suspicious, but she sighed and smiled at her fiancé. "Alright, I guess I'll let you have this one." "Good. Excuse me for a moment." Octavia stood up and walked into the bathroom on the same floor. She shut the door and let out an extended sigh. "That was close."
Part One: Not My TypeAbout 2 weeks had passed since Hearth's Warming, and the towns and cities of Equestria were still feeling the effects of winter. Snow, cold, all the same symptoms of the season. Octavia was walking down the streets of Manehattan, cello case on her side. She almost fell when she slipped on a patch of ice, and she was already off balance from carrying the instrument. "Can't hurt myself, I just got out of the damn concert hall." Octavia had become a wild hit, nearly putting the other genres of music and their musicians to shame. She had just finished a bit show at the concert hall in Manehatten, and she was walking to her new apartment in the city. Deciding to relocate from Ponyville to Manehatten was a tough but well worth it decision to make. She had to choose between her music and her comfortable life in Ponyville. Of course she chose the music, but there were odd times when she would start to miss her old life. She continued her walk down one of the main streets of Manehattan, being careful to avoid ice patches and other ponies. Stopping for a moment to check how many bits she had got for her last gig, a voice faintly called out to her. "Excuse me miss, could you spare a few bits?" She turned to see where the weak, raspy voice was coming from and was met by a mare. She was white unicorn with an electric blue mane, wearing a deep blue sweater and a pair of pink sunglasses with one lens cracked. Octavia looked at the mare for a moment, then back to her saddlebag. She thought about giving the mare some of the bits in the envelope in her saddlebag, but a small part of her brain that wanted her cello re-strung spoke for her. "I'm sorry, I don't have any I can spare at the moment." A look of despair lashed across the other mares face when the sentence ended, and Octavia could swear she saw a tear form. "Oh, o-ok, have a good day then." The unicorn turned her back, sniffed, and crawled back into the large cardboard box that she was apparently living in. A deep feeling of regret hit Octavia's heart as she watched the mare curl up into a helpless little ball inside the box, and she tried to force herself to walk away, but a strong force inside of her stopped her from moving. Closing her eyes to think for a moment, a voice inside her head told her to do something. She turned back the other way, facing the unicorn once again. "Hey, I can't give you any bits, but maybe I can make it up to you another way?" The mare looked up at Octavia, who flashed a warm smile. "H-how do you mean?" "Well, I suppose you'd rather spend a night in a building rather than where you are now?" The mare smiled, and nodded in agreement. Octavia did the same and motioned with her head for the other mare to follow her. The white unicorn levitated a blanket and a few other assorted things with her as Octavia turned and the two began their walk. "So, I see that you're a musician." This sentence seemed rather cold, as if it was said more out if anger than out of questioning. "Yes I am, in fact I actually just left my last show at the concert hall." "That's great." Octavia now realized why the mares words seemed to have a bit of hateful edge to them. She caught a quick glimpse of the other pony's cutie mark, and noticed that it was a musical note. "Y-yeah, yeah it is." Octavia's mood had shifted quite a bit, seeming as how she felt that she might have caused this poor mares situation. Silence overtook most of the walk to the apartment, though the odd bits of conversation popped up every now and again. They came upon Octavia's apartment building and Octavia looked up for a moment, then switched her gaze to the mare beside her. She saw the mare shiver and decided that she should probably get her inside and get her some tea or something to warm her. "Well, this is the building. Up two floors and we're in." "Cool." "Shall we go on then?" "Yep." Proceeding to enter the building and walk up the stairs, the mares eventually found themselves in Octavia's apartment. Octavia put her cello case down near the door, being sure to not damage it or its contents. She turned back to see that the other mare had taken a seat at the table. The white unicorn was just sitting there staring at something that she was levitating in front of her. Octavia thought she saw another tear forming in the other mares eye, and had to try to keep one from forming in her own. "Hey, I um, I don't believe I got your name." The mare quickly switched her stare from the item in front of her to Octavia. She put the thing back in her bag and looked at Octavia again. "My name's Vinyl, Vinyl Scratch. Also known as DJ pon3. Well, formerly known as that I guess." A slight cringe came from the last sentence to Octavia. Her belief that she had put this mare out of business was confirmed, and she felt awful. "F-formerly? How do you mean?" Vinyl looked down at the table for a moment, sighed, and then proceeded to speak. "Well, I'm not exactly a DJ anymore. My music just isn't really appreciated in Equestria these days." Vinyl sighed heavily as she raised her head, and brushed some of her vibrant mane out of the way of her eyes. Octavia looked the mare in the eyes, very easily able to see the stress and sadness that Vinyl was feeling. Octavia took a seat at the table beside Vinyl before speaking. "Well, how did you end up on the street? Surely you had something else to fall back on." Another sigh from Vinyl signified that her next set wasn't going to be very positive. "Not exactly. See, my agent had me staying at his place for work, seeing as how I don't actually live in Manehatten. Once the ponies stopped liking the music that we produced, he just couldn't afford to keep me. I didn't have anypony else to help me, and somewhere along the lines I just kinda ended up on the street." Octavia was on the verge of tears. She had caused this mares misery, and she was overwhelmed with guilt. "That's awful." "Eh, I kinda expected him to kick me out at some point anyways." "Still, that is truly awful to hear about." Vinyl shifted her gaze again to the table, hiding her face from Octavia. "Hey, I didn't get your name." "Oh, I'm Octavia Melody." Vinyl looked up at the gray mare beside her again. "Wait, you're Octavia Melody? Like, the classy music Octavia Melody?" Octavia gulped. It seemed that this wasn't a question of wondering, but more of hate. "Y-yes, I'm a cellist." Octavia was expecting shouting from the mare, but instead she sat silent. Then, Vinyl grinned and leaned back in the chair she sat in. "Well well well, would ya look at that." "Wh-what?" "Two minutes ago I was out on the street, now I'm sitting here talking to the musical star of Equestria." Octavia blushed a little bit. She knew she had been popular lately, but star? Maybe Vinyl was just complimenting her, but Octavia felt as if it meant something more than just being friendly. "Oh, I don't know about star, but thank you." "No problem. What's a mare like you doin' living in an apartment like this? Not that it's crappy or whatever, just that I thought that you'd be makin' the kinda money that you would be able to have your own house or something." Octavia had to stop and think before answering that. She wondered herself why she hadn't moved out and into a house, or at least a better apartment. "Oh, I guess I'm just living here because it's cheaper." "Oh, I see." A feeling that that last statement was a little more sarcastic came over Octavia, and she blushed embarrassedly. She didn't want that mare to think that she was cheap, in fact, she was quite wealthy. Octavia got up and started towards the kitchen area, hoping to change the subject. "Can I get you a hot beverage? It's awful cold out there." "You're tellin' me. Sure, I'll take a cup of coffee if you got it." "Coming right up." Octavia quickly made the drinks and got them over to the table, putting the coffee in front of Vinyl. "Terribly sorry if the coffee isn't very good, I'm not exactly and avid coffee drinker." Vinyl took a sip, and was pleased with the taste of the drink. She was quite frankly happy to have anything warm at all, and she certainly wouldn't be complaining about coffee considering the circumstances. "It's alright, I won't complain." Both flashed a smile and took another sip of their drinks. Vinyl set her mug down and used her magic to ruffle through her bag. She smiled widely as she levitated a shiny metal object out of it. Octavia questioned the object at first, but what Vinyl began pouring into her drink made it clear. The object was a flask, full of some sort of alcohol that seemed to resemble one that Octavia enjoyed many times in Ponyville. Vinyl caught Octavia's stare and chuckled slightly. "AppleJack Daniels. Some of the finest in Equestria. You want some?" Octavia shook her head, and Vinyl shrugged and drained the rest of the alcohol into her mouth. "Good stuff. So hey, I forgot to ask you something." "What's that?" "So, you're a musician, you play a lot of big shows, a lot of them in Manehatten and Trottingham right?" "Um, y-yes I do." "And you play the more, classy stuff right." "Correct." "And, I play more, upbeat techno music, right?" "Well, I wouldn't know from personal experience, but you did say that you were a DJ." "Right. And the two kinds of music don't really go together, do they?" "I wouldn't say so. Where are you going with this by the way?" "Well, I'd bet you would never guess that I've been to almost every show you've played." Octavia looked with astonishment at Vinyl, who quickly covered her blushing face with her drink. This seemed oddly like a flirtatious sentence to Octavia, and Vinyl's reddened face was also a factor in that belief. "You? You've been to a lot of my shows? Considering the fact that you're a DJ I never would have thought that." "Yeah, I never thought I would've enjoyed your music. But this stallion I knew was way into classical, so I went to a show with him one time, and I kinda liked it." Octavia giggled a little bit at the statement, and decided to be a little bit of a gossip. "Oh, a stallion you say?" Vinyl glared at Octavia but couldn't help but laugh. "Hey, don't be thinking that I was just after some action, he's just a friend." "Oh, of course." "Thats right of course. And besides, he has a mare-friend. And I play for the other side anyhow." This made Octavia laugh so hard that she spit out some of her tea, and Vinyl just blushed and laughed along. "Well well, and here I was thinking you were some kind of a badass that lept from stallion to stallion like any former celebrity would." "Hey, I didn't say that I didn't do that at one time. You gotta sample before you buy." Again laughter arose from the two, and more drinks spilled or spat out. Octavia got up to get a towel to clean the mess that they had made. She came back and wiped down the table. Vinyl had got up and was looking at some of the decorations around the apartment. "You know most mares couldn't pull off such a good look from this kind of apartment. I know I couldn't." Vinyl chuckled slightly as she levitated a picture of Octavia and her parents in front of her. Octavia threw out the paper towels she had used and walked over to where Vinyl stood. "You're not the decorating type?" "Oh hell no. You clearly are, I couldn't decorate to save my own life." "Thank you." "No problem, so it's ok if I crash here tonight?" "Of course it is. Are you ok with the couch or would you like me to get the guest room ready?" "Hell, I've been lying on a cardboard box as a bed for the past few months, even a couch will be like a cloud." Vinyl walked over to beside the couch and unfolded a blanket with her magic. She played down on the couch and draped the blanket over her, settling in to her new surroundings with ease. "Hey, thank you so much for letting me stay here, I owe you big time." "Oh, it's no problem. Have a good sleep." "Same to you." Octavia turned off the light and walked into her own bedroom, closing the door behind her. She got into bed and turned off the bedside lamp. Once she got comfortable, she began thinking about her day all in all. So, took in a mare off the street, one that I pretty much put on the street, and now she's sleeping in my living room. Not my typical day, but at least she seems nice. To Be Continued...
Part Two: What The Hell Happened?Octavia woke up to her usual alarm that she had set to an easy listening radio station. She opened her eyes and looked around her room for a moment before getting up. She walked over to the vanity and brushed her mane down into its usual form. Humming along to the radio as she brushed, she took in the comfortable surroundings of her morning routine. Something wasn't the same though, there was an odd noise coming from the living room. She got up and walked slowly over to the door, poking her head out of the slim space. Continuing her walk into the living room, she figured that the noise was coming from the white unicorn sprawled out on the couch. That's what that noise was? I could've sworn a train was in the living room. Octavia chuckled to herself as she trotted over to the kitchen and got out a large pan. She turned on the stoves right front burner and put the pan down. Quickly cracking a few eggs onto it, she fried herself up a small breakfast. Not wanting to wake the other mare, and seeing as how the space was occupied, she decided against sitting on the couch and watching T.V. She set her breakfast down on her desk in her room and walked over to the dresser. After putting on her show outfit, she debated wearing a hat or not. Instead of continuing her self-debate for more than a few seconds, she decided to review the songs for the show and sat down at her desk. She pulled open a drawer and drew from inside it a few sheets of music. Octavia looked over the music thoroughly while eating her breakfast,as there was another big show today, and if she nailed it it could be the paycheck that upgrades her apartment to a house. Would I want carpet or hardwood in the living room? Maybe tile? No, tile's for the kitchen. With my luck I'dscratch the floors all up moving the furniture through the living room. Octavia got distracted by the thoughts of her new place, and stopped caring about the music momentarily. She snapped back into focus when a loud snort-type sound came from the living room, followed by a long yawn. She must be up. Should I go out or stay here? A few rustling noises followed by a few loud, dry coughs made Octavia stand up and walk back into the living room. She saw the unicorn doing a few stretches beside the couch. Vinyl looked over and saw Octavia standing in the doorway. "Hey." "Good morning. You sleep well?" "For sure. Haven't slept like that in months." "Oh, well I'm glad you're well rested." "Thanks, and thanks again for taking me in." "Oh it's no trouble." "I didn't wake you with my snoring did I? I've been told I can be pretty noisy." "No, I wasn't bothered." "Ok, good." Vinyl cocked her head from one side to the other and back again, hearing it crack as she did so. She used her magic to bring a flip-blade comb up to her mane. With a small flourish, she flipped the comb open and straightened out her mane. At this point, Octavia had walked over to the door and picked up her cello. Vinyl had sat back down on the couch and let out a few coughs as she did so. Octavia had almost walked out door after putting her coat on and her cello on her back. She stopped in the doorway when she remembered that the mare on the couch didn't live there. Octavia turned to see Vinyl levitating an apple and taking a bite out of it. "Um, Vinyl?" "Yeah?" "I, I have to go for my concert. Um, I was wondering what you were planning to do?" Vinyl held up a hoof and swallowed the bit of apple in her mouth. She dug around in her bag and eventually pulled out a small device. After flipping it open, she frowned and looked back to Octavia. "You got a phone around here?" "Yes. It's over there beside the fridge. You're welcome to use it if you need." "Awesome, thanks." "It's no problem. I'll see you later today?" "Yeah, I'll probably be here. I got a few calls I've been meaning to make." "Alright, see you later." "See ya." As Octavia trotted out the door, Vinyl got up and walked over to the phone. It was a cordless version, so she just levitated it up and entered the number. "Alright, let's make these calls then." ______________________________ "So, let me get this straight again. You found her on the street and decided to take her in just because a feeling told you to?" "Well when you put it like that.." "Come on Tav, you know better than to do something like that. You remember last year when that band was killed by street ponies?" "Yes I remember." "Whatever, doesn't matter. So long as she doesn't start distracting you." Octavia was sitting in her dressing room with her agent, Platinum Record. He was newer to the business, but he definitely was born to do it. He was a unicorn, with a jet black coat and a silver mane streaked with blazing red. A marw poked her head in the door and looked at Octavia. "You're on in five minutes miss Melody." "Alright, thank you." The pony left the room and Platinum Record turned back to Octavia. The grey mare had taken her cello out and was fiddling around with a few minor things on it. "Alright Tav, this is it. After this show, you'll hit the top of the charts for sure. Just remember to relax and just focus on the cello." "Alright, I'm ready." "Excellent, it's time to go then." The two stood up and walked over to the door. Octavia walked down the hall to the side of the stage. Platinum Record walked past her and over to the microphone stand in the center of the stage. He levitated the mic beside him and nodded to Octavia before walking through the curtains. Octavia let out a long sigh as she looked down at the ground. She could here her agents muffled words as he addressed the crowd. "Fillies and gentlecolts, please put your hooves together for Octavia Melody!" Octavia quickly took her place on the stage as the curtains drew open. Platinum Record quickly walked over and placed the mic back on the stand. "Good luck." They nodded to each other as he trotted off the stage. Octavia pressed her bow gently against the strings of the cello, and after a brief moment of thought she began playing. The crowd was silent as she went through the song she had written and played the other day. She never strayed her gaze from the long wooden neck of the instrument, trying her hardest not to mess up even the slightest bit. She began straying from the song not in the physical sense but the mental sense. I wonder what kind of calls Vinyl had to make. Hopefully she makes a call that will get her set up with a nice place, maybe she has a- Octavia's thoughts were shattered by an ear-peircing sound coming from her cello. She looked up in a panic as the crowd let out a low sound of disappointment. Octavia went red as she looked down and continued playing. She fumbled through the rest of the song, occasionally catching disappointed glances from Platinum Record. After her song ended, she stood up and bowed. She was given a mediocre round of applause as she walked off the stage with a large amount of shame. How the bloody hell did I screw that up so bad? Was it because I was thinking about...it was! "Octavia! What the hell happened?" "Save it Platinum, I have to go be somewhere." "What do you mean by that?" Octavia had immediately taken the offensive in the argument, as Platinum knew when she was mad. She never snapped on him. Octavia packed up her cello and walked towards the back door. "I'll, I'll talk to you tommorow?" "Call me if something happens." Octavia pushed open the door and began walking home. Platinum Record put a hoof to his earpiece, answering the call that had come in. "Yeah this is Plat, what you got? Yes. Yes she did. I figured. Alright. Alright, thanks. Yeah, bye. Fuck. I hope she gets her shit together before Friday." ______________________________ Octavia stormed up the stairs to her apartment. She had been thinking about her screw up all the way home. Octavia nearly broke the door with the amount of force that she opened it with. "Vinyl! I need to talk to you now!" She set her cello case down and closed the door. She turned around to see the white unicorn sleeping on the couch. "Vinyl, wake up!" When no response came, Octavia walked over and prodded Vinyl's body. "Vinyl?" She put her head up against the unicorns chest and listened. She didn't hear a heartbeat. "Vinyl!" ______________________________ "I'm sorry miss Melody, but she's in intensive care at the moment." "And why does that mean that I can't see her?" "Are you family?" "No." "I'm sorry, but I can't let anypony in who isn't family." The receptionist pony looked at Octavia from behind the glass. Octavia felt a mixture of defeat and anger. She put her front hooves on top of the desktop and stared daggers at the pony. "Isn't there any way I can see her? Is it a money issue? I promise you I can-" "Bribery will only get us both in trouble miss Melody." Octavia lowered her hooves and looked to the floor. Another pony walked up behind the receptionist. "Your shift's over, you can go." "Alright, I'll talk to you tommorow." Octavia looked up to see another mare sitting down and adjusting her mane. Maybe she'll let me see Vinyl. "Excuse me miss, but is there a way I could see a patient?" The mare looked up and saw Octavia. A grin instantly spread across her face. "No way! You're Octavia Melody!" Octavia blushed a little bit at the pony's enthusiasm, and she nodded. "Yes, yes I am." "I'm a huge fan! What are you doing here?" "Um, there's somepony I would like to see. Can I do that?" "Sure can!" The pony dug around in a drawer and pulled out a few forms. "Who are you trying to see?" "Vinyl Scratch." "K,she's in room 2C just down the hall to the left." "Thank you very much." "No problem, but can I get an autograph?" "Sure." Octavia was given a pen and a peice of paper on which she wrote her name and a short inspirational sentence. The receptionist squealed like a filly when Octavia passed the paper back to her. Octavia ran down the hallway and quickly entered room 2C. The sight that awaited her almost made her cry. Vinyl was laid out on the hospital bed, asleep. Octavia ran over and put her hoof on Vinyl's chest, feeling the slow heartbeat. The only ambiance she had was the machine next to Vinyl's bed beeping at a slow pace. "Vinyl? Vinyl are you awake?" Vinyl's eyes fluttered open, and she rolled onto her side. She saw Octavia and tried to sit up. "Oc-octavia?" "Vinyl! You're alive!" "Yeah, I'm alive. What the hell happened?" "I don't know. When I got home I thought you were asleep on the couch, but I couldn't hear your heart beating so I rushed you here." "Wait, you rushed me here?" Octavia nodded as Vinyl pushed herself into a sitting position. Vinyl smiled and looked around the room. "Thanks. I mean, the last thing I remember was getting off the phone with an old friend and then I passed out on the couch. Now I'm here." "What did the doctor say?" "He said something about my body reacting badly to the cold. Apparently it took this long for it to become something bad." "Well, I'm just glad you're OK." "Well look who was worried about little old Vinyl." Vinyl crossed her forehooves and smirked at Octavia. Octavia's face went a little red and she stumbled over her words. "I-I was just, concerned that, that you were-" "Suuuuuuure." Vinyl chuckled and looked forwards at the clock across the room. "How'd the concert thingy go?" "Oh, umm, it went ok." "Just ok?" "I sort of messed up." Vinyl cocked her head and looked at Octavia. "Wait, you messed up? That can't be good." "No, no, my agent was quite upset." "At least you still have an agent." "That's true I guess. I have another show in a few days, I just hope I don't screw that one up too." "I'm sure you'll do great." Octavia noticed that the machine next to Vinyl had slowed down in its beeps pace. As it did, Vinyl looked to be getting more and more tired. "Vinyl, are you feeling alright?" "I'm, I'm fine." Vinyl's eyes slid shut as she slumped down in the bed and the machine held one long, high pitched note. Octavia's eyes shot open and she rushed to the door. "Doctor!" To Be Continued...
Part Three: An Asylum!? What the hell for?!Something has gone wrong. We don't seem to have an archived copy of that chapter.
Part Four: I Never Really Had Any Sleepovers"What do you mean she checked her out? I had her as a patient!" "I'm sorry, but Open Mind, was she really sick?" "Of course she was! She stabbed a hospital guard with a used needle!" The mare behind the desk sighed and looked at the peeved stallion. She pulled some forms out of a drawer of her desk and passed them to Open Mind. "Look, the mare who checked her out said something about rehab. I recommended her this place. Maybe you can check there and see if they'll let you see her as your patient." "Helping Hooves Rehabilitation Facility? Ugh, this job doesn't pay me enough to deal with this crap." Open Mind turned and walked out of the building, leaving the receptionist to frown. "Umm, your welcome! Jeez." The receptionist scoffed and looked down at her work. After a few minutes, another pony walked over to the reception desk holding a cup of coffee in his wing. "Hey Ice Blossom. How's things?" Ice Blossom looked up at the navy blue stallion standing with a warm smile on his face. "Hey Mickey. I'm good, you?" "Fine. Anything interesting happen?" "A mare got checked in and checked out on the same day." "I thought we had a minimum?" "I guess not." "Anypony I would know?" "Vinyl Scratch." "Hmm. Seems familiar, just can't place it. Who checked her out?" "Let's see here... Octavia Melody." "Wait a minute, Octavia Melody? Grey, black mane. Little bow tie thingy?" "Yeah, you know her?" "You don't?" "Should I?" "She's a huge hit around here, cello player I think. I don't actually listen to that stuff, I've just heard of her." "Hm. Didn't know. How's the internship going?" "Eh. I feel like my boss is sort of milking the fact that he knows I don't wanna quit." "Ah, that kinda sucks." "Little bit, but I got my ways of getting revenge." "Like?" "WHO THE HELL PUT THIS GECKO IN MY COFFEE MUG?!" "I should go." "Good luck Bolt." "Thanks Blossom." Mickey quickly trotted down a hallway and into an office. Ice Blossom chuckled to herself and continued with her work. "Wonder how those two are doing anyways." "So, when am I getting checked in?" "As soon as possible. If you're okay with it, I'd like for you to be checked in today." "Really?" "Are you okay with that?" "Yeah, of course." Vinyl and Octavia were walking back to Octavia's apartment and chatting. Vinyl stopped suddenly and put a hoof on Octavia's shoulder. "Wait." Octavia turned around to see what looked like nervousness on Vinyl's face. "What is it?" "You've, you've helped me so much lately, I don't know if a I even can repay you." "Don't worry, I'm happy to help." "Yeah but still. I wanna make it up to you somehow." Octavia looked down and thought for a second, thinking of a any way Vinyl could repay the debt she felt. When an idea popped into her head, she smiled and looked at Vinyl. "Tell you what. You go to rehab tommorow, I have a show on Friday, if it goes well, I'll get you out of rehab in a few days so you can help me move." "You're moving?" "If the show goes well." "Cool. And I'm assuming by help, you mean I do most of the work and you watch?" "You can do as much as you feel you should." "Well, guess I'm doing it all. That sounds awesome. Thank you so much Octavia." "You're very welcome. Now come on, let's go." The made their way to Octavia's apartment complex and walked up the stairs. Octavia opened up the door and the two walked inside. Vinyl flopped down on the couch and sighed. "Rough day." "I bet. Coffee?" "Sure." Octavia walked over to the kitchen and put the kettle on the lit stove burner. She walked over to the chair next to the couch and sat down. Looking at the wall clock across from her, she noted that there were still three hours left until her usual bedtime. "Are you hungry?" "Nah. I got a free meal at the hospital. Pretty sweet deal if you ask me." Octavia giggled a little bit and looked at the wall blankly. When the kettle started whistling she stood up and walked over to the kitchen. After pouring the two cups of coffee, she put them on a tray and walked back over to the living room. She set the tray down and Vinyl took a mug. "Thanks." "You're welcome." Octavia sat back and got comfortable in her chair. She took a long swig of her coffee and sighed. "Did you have any weird dreams or revelations while you were asleep?" Vinyl set her mug down and thought for a second. She did have a dream, but she wasn't sure if she wanted to share it with Octavia. "No, it was basically just falling asleep and waking up. You have any weird dreams recently?" Again sipping her drink, Octavia wondered if she should tell Vinyl about the dream she had earlier today. Not knowing how Vinyl would react was slightly worrying, so she decided to tell a different version of the story. "Well I had one today, when I fell asleep. It was me and, some stallion, we were sitting on a hill watching fireworks, and he suddenly turns to me and proposes." "Hm. Weird. Did you know the stallion?" "Not really." "Weird." Vinyl took another sip of her drink and yawned. "Hey, you mind if I have a quick shower?" Octavia had been looking at the guest bedroom and wondering if she should make up the bed so Vinyl could sleep on it. When Vinyl asked her question, she looked back and stood up. "Of course. Bathroom's that door over there, if you need anything, just ask." "Thanks." Vinyl trotted over to the bathroom and shut the door behind her. After a minute or so, Octavia heard the water turn on and she returned her focus to the guest bedroom. "Might as well make her last night sleeping here a good one." She walked over to the bedroom and flicked on the lights. Taking in how messy the room was, she got to work instantly and tried to remember the last time she even needed to use it. "Maybe I should just turn this room into something else. Would it be worth it? I suppose if I'm moving soon it wouldn't be worth all the effort. Would've been nice if I had thought of this earlier, could've made this into a room for practice, or maybe a little home gym." At this point, Octavia had gotten so lost in her ramblings that she hadn't noticed the shower turn off. Vinyl had mostly dried herself off and walked back into the living room wearing a different sweater. She looked around and saw that Octavia was in the other room and walked over. "Jeez, gonna roll out the red carpet next?" Octavia dropped the flower she was holding into the vase on the nightstand and looked turned to look at Vinyl. She blushed slightly as she looked around at the room. "I may have overdone it." "I'm just jokin' with ya. It looks great." "Well I hope you like it, it's yours for tonight." "Jeez, it's gonna take more than helping you move to repay you." "Don't worry, I've been meaning to fix up this room for a while now." Vinyl sat down on the edge of the bed and looked around. Closing her eyes and laying back, she immediately started smiling. "Oh yeah, this is nice." Octavia chuckled and went into the living room for Vinyl's things. She took the bags into the guest bedroom and and looked at the resting mare. "Well, I'm actually quite tired. I hope you have a good sleep Vinyl." "I'm sure I will, thanks Octavia. You have a good sleep too." "I'll try. Goodnight Vinyl." "Goodnight." Octavia turned off the lights walked out of the room as Vinyl's got under the covers and settled in. Octavia sighed as she put their mugs in the sink and walked back to her room. Just like Vinyl had done, she flopped down onto the bed and exhaled greatly. After about a minute of just laying down she got under the covers and settled in for the night. "You're on. Good luck." Platinum Record walked off stage as Octavia pressed her bow against the strings of her cello and took a deep breath. She began playing the song she'd written, starting slow and slowly getting faster. She kept her eyes focused on the instrument, not daring to look up. She was reaching the bridge of the song, a part she had made slightly more complex. As nervousness set in slightly, she felt she needed an inspiration, some vague reason why she needed to make this perfect. For only a fleeting second, Octavia looked up and saw a sparkling bright blue mane and when she looked down her bow was on the floor. With a red face and a racing mind, Octavia looked up at the angry crowd. The blue had disappeared from it. Octavia awoke with a gasp of nervousness and fear. She looked around and realized she was still in her bed. A look at her clock revealed that it was two thirty seven in the morning, and she could go back to sleep. For some reason she didn't understand, she felt like she needed to get up and move around. "Wonder if Vinyl's been having any weird dreams either." "I'm sorry Vinyl, I just can't keep you here anymore." "So, you're just gonna throw me out?" "I'm sorry." Octavia slammed the door shut and left Vinyl out in the hallway. Vinyl levitated her bags and walked down the stairs to the lobby. She looked back at the bottom of the stairs and sighed, tears starting in her eyes. "It's fine Vinyl. You don't need her. Yeah, I can make it outside." Vinyl held her head high as she walked out of the building and into the freezing rain. "Fuck. Wasn't expecting rain." She flicked her hood up and started walking down the street. Colder and colder the wind grew as Vinyl slowly made her way down the street. With no idea where she was going, Vinyl wandered aimlessly for what seemed to her like years. Stopping by an alley for a minute for a bottle of water in her bag, she heard a voice. "Gimme the bags." She looked over to she a stallion that was levitating a small knife. "What? No, I'm no-GAH!" Vinyl cried out in pain when the stallion impaled his knife deep into Vinyl's side. She fell to the ground as the stallion levitated the bags of of her body and ran. Vinyl laid on the ground, bleeding and staring into the distance from which she'd come. For some reason, Octavia's apartment complex was the only building she saw. Vinyl shot upright and looked around at the room she was in. After quickly checking her side, she was relieved to know that it was only a dream. "That dream was fucked." Wanting to go back to sleep, Vinyl laid her head back down on the pillow. Though she was tired enough, something inside of her wanted her to get up and out of her room. Following the non-existant command, Vinyl threw the covers aside and stepped off the bed. After a quick stretch, Vinyl peeked out the slim space in between her door and the doorway trim and looked around. She could see a faint glow coming from Octavia's room. She opened up the door and quietly snuck out and into the living room. Seconds later, Octavia opened her door and walked out into the living room. "Oh, hey Vinyl." "Hey. You're awake?" "Yeah, bad dream." "Same." Octavia walked over to the kitchen and reached into the refrigerator. "Carrot?" "Sure." Octavia took out two carrots and passed one to Vinyl. Vinyl levitated it and took a bite out of it while walking over to the kitchen table. Octavia sat down in the spot closest to her room, and Vinyl sat in the spot adjacent to Octavia. "What was your dream like Vinyl?" "I don't really remember the whole thing. Basically I was out on the streets, and some robber came up to me and stabbed me." "Jeez, that's quite morbid actually. You suppose there's anything that caused that?" "The robbery?" "No, the dream. Like some sort of event in your life that caused that dream." Vinyl sat and thought for a second. She'd never been robbed before, and she didn't want to mention the part about being kicked out. "No, not that I can think of. What was your dream like?" "Ah, I just had one of those dreams where I mess up on stage again." "Oh, that sucks. Doesn't that fuck with your nerves?" "A little, but I remember that it's just a dream and it'll be fine." Vinyl nodded and took another bite of her carrot. The two sat there for not even a minute in silence before a knock at the door broke it. "Who the hell could be knocking at my door at this hour?" "I'll get it." "You expecting somepony?" "No, but I just wanted to answer it for you." "Oh, thank you." Vinyl smiled as she walked over to the door and opened it. Her smile faded accompanied with a short gasp at the sight that met her. A stallion with a briefcase at his side and a frown on his face was standing, dripping wet from rain, in Octavia's doorway. "Hello Vinyl." To Be Continued...
Part Five: You've Heard My Music?"O-Open Mind? What are-" "I'm here because of you. You are sick! You need help! I can help you if you just let me!." "Excuse me, sir, what are you doing here?" "Who are you?" "Octavia Melody, owner of this apartment." "Well, your friend here is one of my patients. I need to help her before she hurts somepony else!" Open Mind tried pushing his way into the apartment, by Octavia stood and blocked his way. "I'm sorry sir, I'm going to have to ask you to leave. And by the way, I am getting her help. You are not needed. Good day." Octavia slammed the door shut after pushing the stallion just past the doorway. She huffed as she walked back to the kitchen table and sat down. Vinyl stood, dumbfounded for a moment, but soon grinned and walked over to the table. "Got a bit of a feisty side do ya?" "Ugh, I've dealt with enough ponies like that when it comes to the media, it's worse if it's some random pony at three in the damn morning." Vinyl chuckled to herself as she sat down. She finished off her carrot and threw the remains on the garbage, as did Octavia. "Well, I think we should maybe get back to bed. Don't want to be tired for tommorow." "Yeah, true." Vinyl and Octavia got up started walking to their rooms. Just as Octavia had reached her doorway, she hung her head and sighed before turning around to face Vinyl. "Vinyl?" "Yeah?" Vinyl stopped and looked over at Octavia. With a slightly reddened face, Octavia took in a deep breath and continued. "This, may seem like an odd request, but how would you like to sleep in my room?" Vinyl cocked her head to the side as a confused expression grew on her face. "Like a sleepover." "A sleepover?" "Yes. I never really had any when I was a foal, didn't really have the friends." Vinyl stood with the same still expression. Octavia's blush deepened as she looked to the floor. For a moment there was silence, but Octavia soon heard hoofsteps coming towards her. She looked up to see Vinyl smiling. "I never really had any sleepovers when I was younger either." Octavia smiled as Vinyl stopped at the doorway. "I should probably go grab my bags though. I'll be right back." "Alright." Vinyl turned around and walked towards the guest bedroom. Octavia walked into her room and started making up the bed. Where is this going Octavia? Where exactly do you plan on taking this little sleepover of yours? And what the hell kind of idea was that? Octavia sighed as she spread the comforter out evenly on the bed. Seconds after, Vinyl walked back into the room and dropped her bags at the door. "So, is it just the one bed?" Octavia looked at the other mare with slight panic and embarrassment. Looking back at the bed, she started realizing why she always think before speaking. "Uh, y-yes. Don't worry, it's quite large I assure you. We'll both be very comfortable." "Sounds alright." "Alright, well, let's get to bed then." The two mares nodded and awkwardly slipped underneath the blanket that lay over the length of the bed. Octavia looked over at Vinyl, who had turned the other way and was getting comfortable in her position. "Well, goodnight Vinyl." "Night." Octavia moved slightly and turned off the bedside lamp. She moved back and laid her head on the pillow, closing her eyes. Vinyl was on her side, staring at the wall. She waited until she could hear Octavia's soft, melodic snoring before getting up and moving into the living room. "C'mon Vinyl, what are you doing? Look at where you are right now. Just..." Vinyl sighed heavily and looked into the bedroom at the sleeping mare. Vinyl didn't know why, but she wanted something to happen. Anything. Just one tiny little accident that could come off as even slightly romantic. Alas, she had misses her chance tonight, and she knew that most likely nothing would happen in the morning. "Damn it. Damn it all." With a heavy sigh and a forlorn expression on her face, Vinyl walked back into the bedroom. Being careful not to disturb Octavia's rest, she quietly slipped under the covers, and soon fell deep asleep. "You're on." Octavia nodded to Platinum Record as he walked off stage. As the lights dimmed and the spotlight pointed at Octavia. Gently pressing her bow against the strings of the cello and taking a deep breath, she waited for the crowd to silence. After merely and second of silence, she began playing. Starting slow increasing speed slowly, she got farther onto the song. Finding herself very uninspired, uninterested, and oddly drowsy, she looked up for only a moment for something to help her play better. Seeing for only a second a blue tuft of mane in the crowd, Octavia smiled and looked down at her instrument. The bow was laying on the ground. When she shot her glance up to the crowd, they had all stood up angrily, and the blue was gone. Octavia woke up with a gasp and quickly looked around the room. Sunlight was barely creeping through the window, and she looked to her side. Vinyl wasn't in bed. Octavia stopped and listened for a moment, wondering if she could hear if Vinyl was up. All she could here was joyful whistling and faint sizzling. Having her attention caught, Octavia slipped off the bed and walked out to the living room. "Hey there sleepyhead." "Oh, good morning Vinyl. You're up early." "Yeah, thought I'd get a head start on repaying you." Vinyl levitated a plate of chocolate chip waffles onto the table at the spot next to where Octavia was standing. Octavia locked her lips and looked up at the other mare. "Quick question. How did you get up before me?" "Eh, I woke up around and hour ago without an alarm so I just thought I'd get up." Octavia half shrugged and sat down. Staring at the pancakes for a second, she liked her lips and picked up the fork. "They look delicious." "Family recipe." "Wait, these aren't the store bought ones I had in the freezer?" Vinyl looked at the freezer for a moment and snickered. She put a small stack of pancakes on a plate and smiled. After rummaging around in the pantry for a second, she levitated her plate and a bottle of syrup onto the table and sat down. "Nope. They taste so much better when they're homemade." "I guess I'll be the judge of that." "Judge away." The mares smiled at each other as Octavia took a fork full of pancakes and put the fork in her mouth. After only a second of chewing, Octavia's eyes shot open. "My word, these are extraordinary." "Like em?" "They're delicious, this is your families recipe?" "Yep." Octavia swallowed the food in her mouth and quickly began eating more. Vinyl chuckled to herself as she ate her own. "Glad ya like em." "Glad you made them. We best not take too long, remember we have to get you down to Helping Hooves." "Oh yeah. How far is it?" "About a five minute walk." "Not bad." Continuing their conversation over breakfast, the mares soon finished up and prepared for their walk. "Bags packed?" "Yep." "Are you sure your ready to go today?" "Hey, soon I'm clean, sooner I can move on with my life." "Good. On we go then." Vinyl walked through the door that Octavia was holding open. Closing and locking the door, Octavia walked at Vinyl's side down the hallway to the elevator. Just don't go far. ------------------------------ "Well, here it is. Helping Hooves Rehabilitation Facility." Vinyl sighed and looked up at the large brick building. Octavia waited for her to say something, as she didn't want to rush her. "Well. Let's get on with it then." "Yes, let's" With Vinyl leading, the mares walked up the stone walkway to the main building. Vinyl looked from side to side, seeing some ponies in a pool, and a few at a buckball court. "Hm, place doesn't seem too bad." "No, it actually looks quite nice. I'm sure that you'll enjoy it here." "Hopefully." As they reached the front doors and walked in they were greeted with soft, ambient music and a soothing atmosphere. As they approached the front desk, a mare looked up and smiled. "Welcome to Helping Hooves Rehabilitation Facility, how may I help you?" "Hello, I'm here to sign somepony in." "Alright, name?" "Vinyl Scratch." Vinyl stayed silent and awkwardly looked around as Octavia answered the nessacery questions. As long as that prick Open Mindcan't get in hereI'll be fine. "Is this her?" "Yes it is. Vinyl?" Vinyl turned and looked at Octavia. A unicorn stallion with a brown mane and a burgundy coat was standing behind her smiling. "Hello Vinyl. I'm Healthy Living, would you like me to take your bags?" "S-sure." The stallion smiled levitated the bags off of Vinyl. Suddenly, the bags reminded her of her dream and she shuddered noticeably. "Vinyl? Are you alright?" "What? Oh, yeah Tav, I'm fine." "Tav?" "Short for Octavia?" "I sort of like it." Vinyl chuckled, as did Octavia. The mare behind the desk coughed and got the attention of the two. "Miss Scratch, if you would just follow Healthy Living, he'll show you to your room." "Alright." Vinyl sighed and turned back to Octavia. Octavia's face bore an odd mixture of sadness and happiness. "Well, here I go. Once again, I can't begin to thank you enough for what you've done, I appreciate it so much." "Don't worry about it, you just focus now on getting clean." "Will do. I'll try to call you if I can." "I'll answer." "Bye Tav." "Bye Vinyl." Both mares didn't want the goodbye, even though they both knew Vinyl needed it. Octavia turned back to discuss the financial matters with the desk mare, and Vinyl walked beside Healthy Living to her room. "So. She your friend or family?" "Good friend." "Cool. If you don't mind me asking, I usually ask my patients, what were you addicted to?" "Uh, quite a bit actually. Marijuana, Cocaine, Heroin, mainly alcohol." "Hm. Anything to do with your job maybe? I mean, you were a dj at one point." Vinyl smiled and looked at the stallion. He was smiling and looking at her with his peripheral vision. "You've heard my music?" "I love it. Own almost every album." "Sweet." The two stopped at one of the doors in a long corridor. Healthy Living put Vinyl's bags at the end of the bed to the right and turned to look at Vinyl. "Well, this is your room. I am obligated to tell you that you are to be back here by seven PM every night, and that one on one therapy sessions are every other day at nine AM and three PM. Three square meals will be provided for you at the cafeteria, all other time is your own. If you need help getting around, either ask somepony that works here or has been here longer than you, or refer to this map. Don't be getting into any trouble, and enjoy your road to recovery." Healthy Living levitated a rolled up map in front of Vinyl and smiled. As he walked out of the room and down the hall, Vinyl looked at the room. There were two beds, one on either side of the room. At the head of each was a small nightstand with a drawer and a lamp. Vinyl started putting a few smaller objects in the drawer and sat down. "Wait. I'm gonna have a roommate?" She looked over at the other half of the room, noticing that there were two bags at the end of the bed, and the nightstand had a few picture frames on it. Vinyl walked over and looked at one of the pictures. It was a very well done shot of a pegaus mare with a red and blue mane and a purple coat holding her hoof out to catch some snow. "Wonder what she's in here for." Vinyl turned around and nearly fell back after seeing the mare standing in the doorway. "Oh, sorry to scare you, I just thought I heard somepony in this room." "It's fine, it's fine." "Good. Who are you?" "I'm, I'm Vinyl Scratch. I guess I'm your new roommate." "Wonderful! I've been waiting for a roommate ever since my last one got clean. Oh, where are my manners, Hail Toss, pleasure to meet you." Hail toss held out her hoof and Vinyl met it with her own. The two smiled at each other and dropped their hooves. Vinyl walked back to her bed and sat down. "I gotta say, you seem so nice and innocent, what are you in here for?" "Well, I had a coltfriend who was sort of into crack, I got kinda dragged into it." "Aw, that sucks." "Yeah, but I don't mind. It's really nice here, I think you'll like it." "You know, I think I am." To Be Continued...
Part Six: You'll Regret ThisOctavia sighed as she walked towards her apartment. She missed having Vinyl's by her side, even for the short time she was. Too focused now on wondering when Vinyl would be done with her therapy, she didn't notice the patch of ice on front of her. After slipping for a second, regaining control, and slipping again she fell to the ground. "Ah hell, that hurt." Octavia held a hoof to the back of her head, eyes still closed. She gaspef at the blurry sight that met her when she opened her eyes and looked at her hoof. A small blood mark was on the front side of it. "Holy crap, are you ok?" Octavia looked up at a white coated mare with a flower sticking out of her amber mane. "Um, yes, I-I think I'm fine." "You sure?" "Yes, thank you." Octavia got to her hooves with the mares assistance and smiled at her. "Wait a minute, you look familiar. Aren't you the mare that worked at the reception desk at Manehatten Mental Asylum?" "Actually, yes I am. I'm sort of surprised you remember." "Oh, I don't forget faces easily. Since I was a foal I could always place a face." "I'm surprised that your celebrity hasn't changed that. My co-worker tell me your a famous cello player." "Oh really? They a fan?" "Not really, he's just heard of you. Anyways, what are you doing out here?" "I was taking Vinyl to that rehab center." "Is she there now?" Octavia nodded at the pony and she smiled. "Good. I've heard some really good things about that place, I'm sure she'll be sober in no time." "That's what I'm hoping for. Well, I've got to get home. Thank you for helping me, and have a good day." Just before Octavia could start walking away, the mare slid across the ice patch and stopped at Octavia's side. "Wait. If you don't mind, I have a question." "Suppose it can't hurt. Shoot." "Well, this may seem kinda weird, but is there something going on between you two?" Octavia blushed slightly at the question. The truth would seem word and possibly result in gossip, but she hated to lie. "Well, honestly, she's just a good friend. I can't speak for her, but as far as I know she feels the same way I do." "Oh, Ok. Sorry, that's just how my mind works. See two ponies near each other and immediately think they're together." The mare laughed a little and Octavia joined in. The mare extended a hoof and looked at Octavia. "Ice Blossom, nice to meet you." "Octavia Melody, and same to you." The mares shook his head she and departed. Octavia started humming the song she'd written when she was about two minutes from her house. "Wait a minute. That isn't how the song went. It sped up at the bridge, it didn't slow down. What song was I thinking of?" Octavia was only a minute from her apartment when she remembered something very important. Her head shot up as if somepony had tased her in the rear. "The concert is tonight!" Now filled with worry and slight self-anger, Octavia started running home. She got through the door to her apartment, panting, and ran to the beeping phone. You've reached Octavia Melody, Ican't get to the phone rightnow so leave a message and I'll get back to you. "Hey, Octavia, it's Plat. What the hell? I thought you were gonna meet me at the Air Speed music hall for a run through of the night? Call me back whenever you can." The machine held a high beep for two seconds and Octavia sighed. "Damn. I guess I should meet him, but I have to practice." After a moment of thought, Octavia ran to her room and got her cello out. "Ten minutes of practice, then I'll meet Platinum." "What's taking her so damn long?" Platinum Record impatiently tapped his hoof as he watched the band that was going on before Octavia set up the stage. He looked at the watch on his front right hoof and sighed. "Try calling her again. If she doesn't pick up I'll just have to go get her." With his magic, he pressed a button on his earpiece and it started ringing. After the fourth cycle of the ringtone, Octavia picked up. "Hello?" "Hey, Octavia. Where are you?" "Sorry Plat, I got hung up with something." "Is it that street mare? Look Oc, you've gotta focus. I don't know how many more fuck-ups then fans will allow before they start losing interest!" "I'm sorry alright? I'll be there in a few minutes, meet me out front. Bye." "Alright, bye. Fucking hell." Platinum Record walked out to the front of the music hall. After pushing open the front doors and walking outside, he levitated a lighter and a cigarette. He lit the cigarette and took a long drag, then blew the smoke into the air. "That damn mare needs to get her shit together." "Mare troubles eh?" Platinum Record jumped slight when the voice suddenly spoke. He turned to where it came from and saw a brown unicorn stallion with a black mane. The stallion looked distraught, and slightly angry. "Um, who are you?" "Open Mind. I'm a therapist that's slowly losing his patience. I need to ask a favour of you." "I'm sorry sir, but I'm not going to do that." "But it involves your mare, what was her name? Octavia." Open Minds voice was edged with mischief and psychotic malevolence. He levitated his briefcase and flipped it open. "I need you to get all the information you possibly can from Octavia about this mare." When Open Mind levitated a picture of Vinyl in her orange jumpsuit in front of Platinum Record, he gasped slightly and took the picture in his magic. "Is Octavia associated with her? She looks like an ex-convict!" "Get me what I need, and I'll get you whatever you need. I can keep that mare away from Octavia if that's what you want." Platinum Record thought hard as he looked at the photo. He wanted to agree with this stallion, and be able to keep Octavia focused on her music, but some weird feeling he had told him he shouldn't. "I'm not going to do that sir. Have a good day." Platinum Record blew a puff of smoke into Open Minds face and looked away. Open Mind frowned and started turning away. "Fine. Have it your way." Open Mind spat on the ground at Platinum Records hooves and walked away. Furious and out of ideas, he mumbled to himself as he walked. "You'll regret this." "Alright, that's all the time we got, we're Fields Of Pavement, we love you Manehatten!" The band started walking offstage and the crowd cheered. As the curtains dropped and some ponies started moving the drumset and extra mics off the stage area, Platinum Record turned to Octavia. "Alright Octavia. This is the show. Give it everything vouve got. You've got this." "Thanks Platinum." "Go, you're on." Octavia took her seat on the one stool in centre staged as the lights dimmed and a spotlight shined on her. The curtains opened and Octavia kept her eyes locked on her instrument. She waited for the slight murmuring to stop before she began. Just as she had practiced, she started slowly, and got faster. Approaching the bridge of the song, she started feeling low-energy. She didn't understand. She had just eaten an hour ago, and she got plenty of sleep the night before, more than usual. C'monOctavia. You won'tscrew this upbecause you feel tired. Push through it dammit, this is for the house. She didn't dare look up. Flashbacks of the dreams she'd had were popping up slightly, and she didn't want what happened there to happen for real. Just one second. One, two, three. Octavia looked up for only one second, masking the peek with a head flourish that fit the song. She caught only a glimpse of the crowd, and swore she saw a vibrant blue mane poking out of it. Oh no. The dream, it's happening! Octavia had closed her eyes and kept playing. She opened and eye and realized she hadn't dripped her bow. She smiled to herself and continued the song. After hitting get the second last note, Octavia held her head high, and swiftly dropped it down as she played the last note. The crowd was silent for a second but soon roared loudly, going crazy at the song. Octavia smiled and stood up. As she bowed and started off stage, the crowd whooped and cheered. You nailed it! As Octavia mentally patted herself on the back, she looked up to Platinum Record, who was smiling and chuckling slightly. "You killed it Octi, they loved that one!" "I just wrote that one a few days ago, I think the new material really got them fired up." "It sure as hell did! Hold on, I've got a call. You can go home, be expecting your pay in the mail. Hello?" Octavia started walking towards her dressing room and smiled even wider to herself. After putting her cello in its case and putting on her coat, she headed for the front door. She had to sign a few autographs before leaving the building, but she eventually got outside and started home. "Now did I just imagine that blue? Or should I be calling helping Hooves to see if they missed a patient today?" "Yeah, I know! When's the next gig you can get her? Next week. Same time, same place. Sounds great. Wait, how much? Are you fucking serious?! Ok. Ok. Ok, I'll tell her. Yeah. Thanks, bye. Holy shit, I gotta call Octavia." Platinum Record paced excitedly in his living room. He waited for Octavia to pick up. "Hello?" "Hey, Octi. I got great news." "What is it?" "They want you to play at the same time next week." "That's not really huge news, but a show is a show." "That's not the best part. They're gonna pay you ten thousand bits." "Wait, what? Ten thousand?" "Ten grand. The show today was only two grand, but they're gonna group the pay for next Friday. You'll be getting twelve thousand bits at the end of next week Octavia." "I can't even believe that. They liked it that much?" "I guess so. Try and write another new song if you can, they love fresh stuff." "I'll get right on it." "Good. Also, I wanna discuss something with you tommorow. I'll call and arrange the details sometime before noon. Take care Melody." "You too Record." Platinum Record hung up the phone and levitated the earpiece off his head. He started laughing to himself slightly, laughing out of disbelief. "I can't even believe that shit. Twelve grand!" He chuckled more as he looked at a framed picture of his wife. "Our pay will be large too my dear." He set the picture down and walked into the hallway. Descending a flight of stairs and going out to the alleyway, he lit up another cigarette. He only had two full drags of the cigarette before suddenly a figure came up to him. "Do you regret it yet?" "What? What woul-AH!" The figure used its magic to jab a knife deep into Platinum Records chest, and ran away as he fell to the ground. Platinum Record coughed up some blood onto the cold hard ground and slowly closed his eyes. The figure stepped into a lighted area of the alleyway and levitated a knife in front of his face. "You're next Vinyl."
Part Seven: Vinyl's His Next Target!"Yeah, it's goin' well. So far at least." "Good to hear. How are you settling in?" "Fine, fine. I mean, I really can't complain. My roommate's super chill, my escort's a fan, and the pool has a hot tub beside it." "That why you did drugs Vinyl?" "No, that's not." Vinyl laughed to herself as Hail Toss fiddled with her mane while sitting on her bed. Vinyl looked over for a second and continued. "Alright, I gotta go. But hey, visiting hours are open almost all day, maybe you could come visit after my therapy today?" "I'd like that. I'll be there around noon? Does that work?" "Yeah, it should. Bye Octavia." "Bye Vinyl." Vinyl hung up the phone and turned to the mare on the other bed. Hail Toss was giving Vinyl a playful look, and Vinyl smiled. "No, she is not my mare-friend." "I never said she was." "Well what was that look then?" Hail Toss opened her mouth to say something, but soon shut it and shrugged. Rolling her eyes as she walked to the door, Vinyl looked back at the mare. "Come on then. You're the one who was so excited to get to the hot tub." "I just figured you could use a quick unwinding before your first therapy session. By the way, it's like school. They go real easy on you on the first day. More of a get to know you session at first." "I like the sound of that." The two mares got up and started walking towards the spa area outside. Vinyl was looking around at the décor, and thought she saw a familiar black mane. She stopped for a second and craned her neck to get a better view, but the mane walked away before she could. "Something wrong?" Vinyl looked over at Hail Toss, who had turned around when Vinyl had stopped walking beside her. "Uh, yeah. Just, though I saw somepony." "Friend of yours?" "Not exactly." "Enemy?" "Sort of." "Well, let's get to the hot tub. Tell me about it there." "Alright. I just really hope it wasn't who I thought it was." "It seems the pony in question ran up to him while he was out here for a smoke, and then ran off this way. See, there's a slight blood trail that goes this direction." "Hmm, what do you suppose the motive was? I don't think this guy was in with drugs." "Well, says here he was an agent for Octavia Melody. Get somepony to go to her apartment and deliver the news." "Got it." An earth pony stallion with a blue coat and a grey and black mane walked off and started talking on the radio clipped onto his uniform. The pony standing just beside the body of Platinum Record turned to the weeping mare over near the door. "Should probably talk to her." The stallion walked over to the orange coated mare and looked at her. "Madam, officer Blind Spot, I know that you're grieving and probably confused, but I need you to answer a few questions. Can you do that?" The mare looked up at Blind Spot, her blue mane covering most of her eyes. She sniffed and looked back to where she was before. "I, I just don't know why this happened." "That's what we're trying to find out. Now I need to ask you these questions, can you answer them for me?" "If it'll help find the bastard who did this I'll do whatever you want." "Good. Now, did he have any enemies that you know of?" "No, I can't think of any." "Any connections to drugs, gangs, gambling, alcohol?" "He drank, but only on special occasions. And he smoked cigarettes, but nothing else." "Can you think of anypony that might have any motive for wanting your husband dead?" The mare kept her gaze fixated on the ground, as a tear slowly formed in the pit of her eye. "No." Blind Spot wrote a few things down on his notepad and sighed. When he looked up, he could see tears rolling down the mares face. "Thank you for your time ma'am, my dearest condolences." Blind Spot walked away and levitated his radio and held the button. "Seems we don't have anypony you that wanted him dead. Check his latest booking records, see if there was anypony at one of his clients concerts that he had a run-in with." "There we are." Octavia pushed a box against the wall beside the door and sighed. She looked at the small stack and smiled. "You've done good so far Octavia." As she giggled to herself, Octavia walked over to the pantry and pulled out the can if iced tea mix. After pouring herself a cold glass of water, she dumped a few teaspoons of the mix into the cup and stirred it. Octavia took a long sip of the beverage, and being satisfied with the taste, let out a long sigh. "Sometimes there is nothing better than a cold glass of iced tea." As Octavia took another sip, a knock at the door came three times in a row. "And a knock at the door. Coming!" She trotted over to the door and opened it up. Needless to say that she was surprised to see two ponies in police uniform standing side by side in front of her. "Good morning ma'am. Manehatten PD, we have a few questions wed like you to answer." "Oh, o-o-ok. Please, come in." Octavia closed the door behind the two ponies when they walked in, and quickly walked over to the chair after grabbing her drink. "What seems to be the problem?" "Miss Melody, we have bad news. Your agent, Platinum Record has been murdered." Octavia's mouth slammed open, and her drink went down to the floor. "Wh, what?" "Last night, Platinum Record went into the alleyway of his apartment complex to have a smoke, and his neighbor found him dead the next morning." "We were hoping for some answers, and I'm sure you are too." "When we searched the house, we found a possibly suspicious photograph in his briefcase. We suspect it could be a drug, gang, or possibly affair association." "Do you know this mare mam?" The cop closest to the door levitated a picture of Vinyl in her orange jumpsuit. Octavia gasped and took the photo. "Vinyl!?" "You know her?" "Yes, yes I do." "Does she have any connection to your late agent?" Octavia didn't speak, she just stared at the picture. The two police ponies sat in silence and watched her. "Wait a minute." Different scenes of the past few days flashed through Octavia's mind. Walking on the street, arriving at the Air Speed music hall, the stallion at the door. Something clocked inside her, and Octavias mouth dropped open. "I know who the killer is!" "How can you be sure?" "Trust me!" Octavia looked at the clock on the wall and realized there were 2 minutes until Vinyl's therapy was supposed to start. "Oh no, she's in trouble!" "Who?" "That mare, we need to get to her!" Octavia stood up and threw on her jacket. The two cops stood up and walked over to her. "Madam, I'm going to have to ask you to calm down." "No, the murderer, Vinyl's his next target!" Octavia pulled the cops outside her door and closed it. After locking it, she ran down the stairs to outside her apartment and started running towards Helping Hooves. Vinyl walked down a white corridor, Healthy Living at her side. They were walking towards the therapy rooms, and Vinyl gulped. "Nervous?" "A little." "Don't worry, the staff we have here are very friendly, I assure you." "I hope so." Healthy Living opened a door and motioned for Vinyl to walk inside. In the room were two chairs and a table, plus a security camera. "Just take a seat, a therapist will be with you any minute." "Ok, thanks." Vinyl sat down and sighed as Healthy Living left the room and closed the door. "Wonder if my therapist will be a mare or a stallion. I mean, mare would be nice because-" Vinyl was stopped when the lock on the door turned open and a horribly familiar black mane walked in. The brown coated stallion dropped his briefcase at his side. "Hello Vinyl." Vinyl shot out of her seat and got against the wall. She started breathing heavily, and looked at the security camera. "Open Mind? What the fuck are you doing here?" "Vinyl. You're sick. I help the sick." The pony's words were grim and nearly breathless, as if he was speaking on his last breath. As Open Mind locked the door and turned back to Vinyl, he smiled. "I've never lost a patient before, and I'm certainly not going to let you tarnish my record." "Listen, I just need simple therapy man, I'm not that sick!" "You are!" Open Mind slammed his briefcase down on the table with his sentence, and stared menacingly into Vinyl's eyes. "Sit." "What?" "Sit!" Vinyl gulped and shakily took a seat. She could hear faint shouting, but she couldn't make out the voice or what they were saying. "Now. What's going to happen is you are going to listen to me, and you are going to cooperate with me, understood?" Vinyl said nothing, and Open Minds expression went from what could be taken as kind to anger. "Understood!?" Just then, the door flung open and Octavia ran in. "Vin-" She wasn't even done the word before Open Mind had turned and used his magic to drive a knife straight into her abdomen. "No!" Vinyl shot out of her seat and over to Octavia as she fell to the floor. Two police stallions came in and apprehended Open Mind, pulling him out of the room. "Octavia. Octavia please say something!" Octavia looked up at the face of the mare who was now holding her in her hooves. "Vinyl..." "Octavia, don't you die on me!" Vinyl was running along side the gurney the bore Octavia. Octavia's eyes were barely open, and she couldn't talk. The ponies pushing the gurney turned into a room and a nurse blocked Vinyl's entry. "I'm sorry miss, you can't be in here unless you are family." "What? That's total crap, I need to be in there!" "I'm sorry, hospital protocol." The nurse closed the door, shutting Vinyl out of the room. "Fuck." Sorrowful, Vinyl walked to the waiting room and sat down with a sigh. Many hours passed before she looked at the clock and stood up. She walked down the hallway to where Octavia's room was. Just before she pushed open the door, she felt a hoof on her shoulder. "Miss. You can't be in there. She still recovering." Vinyl turned around to see the same nurse as before. "Let me ask you something. If somepony you cared deeply about was somewhere you can't see, possibly taking their last breath, how would you feel?" "Ma'am, please. You're going to have to leave or I'll be forced to call security." "Fine." Vinyl was about to turn around and start walking, but she quickly pushed the nurse down and ran into the room. Before turning to the bed, she jammed a broom into the door handles. "That'll hold." She could hear banging on the door as she ran over to the bed and looked at Octavia. Her eyes were closed, and the machine beside her was beeping at a steady pace. "Tavi, Octavia, wake up." Octavia's eyes slowly flickered open, and the beeps pace grew slightly quicker. "Vinyl? How did you get-" "Don't mind that. Look, for some reason I don't think either of us know, our lives have been getting weirdly dangerous since we met. And I don't know if I'm alone in thinking this, but I think we both have some strange feelings for each other that we don't know how to express. And, before anything else happens, I think we need to-" Vinyl sentence was cut off when Octavia leapt forwards and locked her lips onto Vinyl's. Just as Vinyl closed her eyes and settled into the kiss, the door burst open and multiple ponies ran in. They stopped themselves when they looked at the scene taking place. The two mares pulled their heads away from each other's and stared deeply into each other's eyes. "Vinyl. I don't ever want to lose you." "I don't ever want to lose you either Octavia." The two smiled warmly and hugged. One of the nurses cleared her throat, and the two mares turned to her with red faces. "Well, Vinyl, it seems you do have the right to be in here. After all, we don't like to keep couples apart." To Be Continued...
Part Eight: There Isn't Any Good News I'm Afraid"You're doing great Vinyl!" "Yeah yeah yeah." Octavia grinned as she sat on a chair and watched Vinyl move boxes into the house. As Vinyl stopped for a moment and wiped the sweat from her brow, Octavia greeted her with a kiss and a glass of iced tea. "Thanks sweetie." "You're the one doing all the hard work." "Oh, don't down yourself. You did move that one box." Vinyl chuckled to herself and Octavia joined in. The two sipped from their drinks as they looked around the empty house. "Anypony seal the deal on the apartment yet?" "No, not yet. I don't mind, I have a little extra that I can live on for a while. Which reminds me, I've got to pay a friend back." "For?" "Remember when you were in the asylum?" "How could I not?" "Well, the fine money was given to me by a friend. We had a sort of joint account pact with me, her, and her mare-friend." "Huh." Once again the mares sipped their drinks and sighed. Octavia looked at Vinyl with a questioning face. "Vinyl, I have sort of an odd question." "Sure, go ahead." "Well, since you're on your last week of rehabilitation, should we maybe start discussing the plan for employment when you get out?" "Hmm, hadn't really thought of that. Guess it is something we should talk about." "Well, let's see." Octavia stood up and walked over to the one table she had set up for them. She sat down in one of the chairs and motioned for Vinyl to sit. When she did Octavia looked at her and put her front hooves on the table. "Well, what do you feel you'd be good at?" "I don't know. I mean, other than DJ-ing, I never really had any other hobbies or interests." "Well, what's a job that you would want to be a part of? Let's stray from the music industry." Vinyl thought for a long moment before suddenly perking up. "Ya know, I think that being a police officer would be pretty cool. Think about it, former drug addict turned cop? Seems pretty fitting." "That would be a good turn, definitely should consider that one. Any others?" "Hmm, I'll think about it. What about you? Shouldn't you be thinking about getting back into the business?" "I should, but I just can't find a damn agent. I figure I could try to run without one, but it would be harder to get more and more shows. Actually, that seems like a benefit." The two laughed at Octavias joke for a bit before a knock at the door interrupted them. "I'll get it." "Thanks honey." Vinyl trotted over to the door and opened it up. On the other side was a tall, white coated, blue, white and red maned earth pony. "Hello there." "Hello, can I help you?" "Oh, are you the ponies moving in here? I'm the next house over." "Oh, cool. Here, come in." "Thank you." The pony stepped inside and shivered for a second. Octavia stood up and walked over to Vinyl. "It sure is cold out there for the season." "You're tellin' me. Oh, how rude of me, WaveMaker, nice to meet you." "I'm Octavia Melody, this is Vinyl Scratch. Pleasure to meet you." "So, you two friends? Roommates?" "We're a couple." Vinyl blushed a little as she spoke, and she looked over to see Octavia smiling and blushing just as much. WaveMaker smiled a bit as he watched. "Well, you two do seem very happy together. Just thought I'd run over and say welcome to the neighborhood. My wife would've been here as well, but she had an errand to run, I'm sure you'll meet her some time soon." "I'm sure we will." "Well, I'd best be going. It was nice meeting you two, enjoy the house." "It was, and thank you." WaveMaker waved as he walked out the door and off towards his house. Octavia and Vinyl sat back down, smiling. "Well, nice that we already got a friendly neighbor." "You're right about that Tavi. Where I used to live, the neighbors wouldn't even say hi if you caught them robbing your apartment." This statement made Octavia laugh so hard she couldn't keep the small amount of iced tea in her mouth. "Already made a mess on the floor Vinyl!" The two laughed as Vinyl stood up and levitated a foldable mop from one of the boxes. When she started cleaning up the mess, she noticed that Octavia was staring out the window. "Something wrong honey?" "I, I'm not sure. I just have a weird feeling. I had a similar one when the police came to me about Platinums murder. I can't explain it, but it happened just at the time I figured out that Open Mind did it." "What do you think it means?" "I have no idea. I just hope it doesn't mean somepony's in trouble again." "Well, I'd say this is about good, wouldn't you?" WaveMaker was standing on one leg atop a ladder while a red maned, white coated pegasus mare watched the framed portrait he was adjusting. "Uh, maybe to the left just a little. Perfect!" WaveMaker stepped down from the ladder and looked at the picture. "Yeah, you were right. It looks good there." "Told ya." "Oh whatever." "Hey, you best take that back." "Or what?" The pegasus grinned and used her wing to grab a pillow and smack WaveMaker with it. WaveMaker stumbled slightly, giving the pegasus a change to pin him. "Well?" "Fine. I take it back. You win again Skyline Breezer." "Exactly." Skyline Breezer leaned in and quickly kissed WaveMaker on the lips. She rolled off of him and looked around. "How are the new neighbors?" "They seem really nice, I can't believe you didn't come with me." "Hey, you know how I am around new ponies." "True." WaveMaker stood up and walked over to the conjoined kitchen and dining room. He pulled out a clear bottle filled with a lemonade colored liquid. "Want one?" "Sure." WaveMaker cracked open one of the bottles and passed it to Skyline Breezer as she walked over. Then opening one for himself, he took a long drink. "As I was saying, I really wish you had come with me. They seem like perfectly nice neighbors. And get this, they're a couple too." "Oh cool! Finally we have another couple in the neighborhood. Mare and stallion?" "No, two mares actually." "Hm, alright. Anypony familiar?" "You know, now that you say it, one of them seemed really familiar, I just can't place it." "Huh. Oh well, I'm sure it'll come to you. It always does." "Here's to hoping." The two clinked their bottles together and took long swigs. Skyline Breezer convulsed for a split second and clutched her stomach. "Ooh, fuck." "Honey? What's wrong?" "I'm fine. Just that stomach ache." "I don't think that that's a regular stomach ache. I think we should get that checked out." "No, it's fine. I'm fine." "Sweetie.." WaveMaker walked over to his partner and raised her head to meet him eye to eye. "I don't want anything to happen to you. You need to tell me if something is wrong." "Nothing's wrong." WaveMaker sighed slightly and lowered his head. As he looked back up, he dropped his hoof. "Fine, but I see that little convulsion there one more time and I'm taking you to a doctor." "Fine, fine." Skyline Breezer set down her drink and started towards the door. "I'll be back in a little while." "Where are you going?" "I just have to go get something, I'll be back within the hour. Love you!" "A-alright. Love you too!" The pegasus walked out the door and let out a heavy sigh. Clutching her side again, she stumbled down the stairs and started towards the main part of the city. Once she reached Manehatten General, she walked inside and approached the front desk. The receptionist looked up and flinched slightly when she saw the mare. "Skyline Breezer? You don't have an appoin-" "I need to see Doctor Open Heart. Asap." "Uh, s-sure thing. I'll get him right now." As the receptionist got up and started quickly walking towards an office, Skyline Breezer clutched her stomach and hunched over. You should've listened to him! You should've gone earlier. "Oh, oh fuck." Skyline Breezer started trying to walk towards the office the receptionist had gone to but tripped over herself and fell to the floor. As her vision faded, she could see two sets of hooves rushing towards her. "Just make yourselves at home." Octavia and Vinyl sat down on the long couch in WaveMakers living room. He sighed as he sat in the chair across from the couch and looked at the mare. "So, I have a bit of a problem." "Problem?" "Yes. And, even though we hardly know each other, I need somepony that can maybe help me." "I'm sure Tavi and I can help. What's going on?" "Well, my wife, Skyline Breezer, she left about two hours ago and hasn't come back yet. She said she'd be back within the hour but..." WaveMaker looked at the clock and sighed again. He stood up and walked over to the kitchen area. "She hasn't come back yet." "Well, is there any place you know that she would've gone?" "I don't think so. Well, she had this one bar, but I called the mare who runs it, she said she hadn't seen her all day." "Well, was there anything about her recently that seemed weird?" "She might have been stressed." "Why?" "We have a little show coming up. Local talent show back in Ponyville, where she grew up. But I didn't think she'd be that nervous about it." "Anything else?" Before WaveMaker could open his mouth to answer Vinyl's question, the phone behind him rang. "Excuse me one second. Hello? Yes, this is WaveMaker. Yes, yes she is. She.....what!? Alright, I'll be right over." He slammed the phone back onto his stand and ran towards the door. "What's going on?" "She's in the hospital! Stay or leave, I don't really care, but I have to go!" "Do you want us to come with you?" "Whatever you want!" Vinyl looked at Octavia, who shrugged a little and started walking towards the door. "Alright, we're right behind you." "Well doc, what is it?" A tall pony with a orange coat and a white mane walked in and levitated the clipboard off of the bed. Looking it over for a minute, he sighed and looked at Skyline Breezer. "Well miss Breezer, there really isn't any good news I'm afraid." "Oh, w-well it can't possibly be that bad can it?" The doctor sighed, which pushed a few tears out of Skyline Breezers eyes. She looked down and closed her eyes before the doctor continued. "Well, I'm afraid that you have a tumor. A malignant tumor. The only good news is have is that any procedure or surgery we attempt is covered almost fully by your work benefits. Unfortunately, some of the more effective but still experimental procedures may have unprecedented side effects." No words came to Skyline Breezer. She didn't know what to think, to say, to do. All she wanted was for somepony to be there, and tell her it's ok. "I'll give you some time." The doctor walked out of the room and closed the door. Skyline Breezer immediately burst into tears. After a few minutes of uncontrollable sobbing, the doorknob slowly turned, and the door was pushed open. Skyline Breezer didn't want anypony to see her like this, and she didn't want anymore doctors to come in. She looked up and saw familiar features. The blue eyes, the red, white and blue mane. WaveMaker said nothing, but ran into the room and held Skyline Breezer in a tight hug. Skyline Breezer sobbed deeply into WaveMakers neck. Octavia and Vinyl stood just outside the door and watched the moment transpire. "Honey, I'm so sorry, I should've listened when you said to go to the doctors, I ju-" "Shshshsh, shh. It's ok sweetie." As the couple talked amongst themselves, Vinyl and Octavia had their own conversation going on. "Tav, just tell me what's going on." "What do you mean?" "I can tell something's wrong. You've been acting weird ever since that weird feeling you got earlier today." "That's not why I'm acting up." "What is it then?" Octavia, who had been looking down during their conversation, looked up at her mare-friends concerned face. "Alright, I'll tell you when we get back home." "Fine. What do you think we should do here?" Octavia peeked into the room when Vinyl motioned her head towards it. She saw a mare on the bed and WaveMaker sitting on a stool at the beds side. "Well, suppose it can't hurt to go in?" "I guess not." "Well, let's go." As Vinyl and Octavia walked into the room, the mare on the bed looked up and smiled half-heartedly. "Hey, you must be the new neighbors."
Part Nine: Sir, Are You Ok?"Well, back to the old grind." "Yeah, good to see you too." Vinyl smiled as Hail Toss grinned at her own sarcastic remark. Vinyl sighed as she flopped down on her bed. The smile faded off of Hail Toss's face a little as she looked over at her friend. "Something wrong? You seem a little down." "Nah, I'm fine." "You sure?" Deciding to tell the truth, Vinyl sighed as she adjusted herself into a sitting position. "So, I got some news the other day, and I'm not quite sure how to deal with it." "What the hell is it?" "Well, my mare-friend, I'm pretty sure she wants to have a foal." "What? I'm no biologist, but that's not possible for two mares." "I know, just wait. I'll tell you the whole thing." Octavia closed the door behind herself after Vinyl walked in. As she turned around, she saw that Vinyl had opened a bottle of alcohol and drained half the bottle. "Listen miss recovering alcoholic. Put that down." "Right, sorry." Vinyl put the bottle back in the fridge and looked at Octavia. "So what's this thing going on Tav? You said you'd tell me when we were home, so." "Fine, sit down." Vinyl did as she was told and sat down on the couch next to Octavia. As she closed her eyes, Octavia took a deep breath. "Well, with all the scrapes with death you, me and and even ponies we know have had recently, I just don't think we can afford to take things slowly." "Alright, where are you going with this?" "Well, we need somepony to carry on the family." "So, hold on, you want to-" Octavia interrupted Vinyl's sentence with a kiss, and Vinyl's stopped protesting as she lost herself in the moment. As Octavia pulled away from the kiss, the two opened their eyes. "Well, we should probably get you back to rehab." "Oh, o-ok." "Wow." "Yeah. I can't believe she wants to go that fast with it." "No, I meant wow as in its that easy to distract you." Vinyl shot Hail Toss a look, and laid down again. Sighing again, she closed her eyes and got comfortable on the sheets that were growing familiar. "You know, I really should thank you for that little thing Vinyl." "What?" "I mean, I was in that relationship with my ex for like three years and we hadn't even spent a night at each other's places. I think I might've been going too slow with it." "Huh. Well you're welcome." Hail Toss rolled her eyes at Vinyl's sarcasm, and pulled the covers up on her body. Vinyl snickered to herself and did the same. "Well, you're on your last week." "Yep." "What're you gonna do when you get out? Any special plans?" "Well, I'm probably gonna go home, sleep in my own bed." "You mean the one you'll be sharing?" As Hail Toss giggled to herself, Vinyl blushed slightly and levitated a pillow. The moment Hail Toss turned back to face Vinyl, she smacked her with her pillow. "Alright, fine. I get the message." Vinyl, feeling victorious, smiled to herself and got back into a comfortable position. "You got therapy tommorow Hail?" "No, you?" "No, they're letting tommorow slide." "Oh, cool. Wanna hang out at the buckball court? I heard a few ponies talking about a tournament." "Hey, that sounds pretty cool. We should definately check that out. Well, goodnight Hail." "Goodnight Vinyl." With that, Vinyl and Hail Toss turned off their lamps and got into comfortable positions. After only a few minutes, both mares drifted off into a peaceful sleep. Octavia nervously paced back and forth in the living room. The phone sat still on its stand on the coffee table. Octavia had been pacing for almost an hour now, awaiting a phone call that to her was taking hours. "Oh come on already." Minutes passed before the phone started ringing. Only one cycle of rings could be heard before Octavia picked up the phone and held it to her ear. "Hello?" "Hey Octavia." "Lyra? What's going on?" "Uh, not much, you?" "I, I'm sort of waiting for a call right now." "Oh, sorry. But hey, there's a show going on in Ponyville in a little while. Bonnie and I would love it if you could come? Maybe bring your new mare-friend?" As Lyra giggled to herself, Octavia rolled her eyes. "Well, I suppose it couldn't hurt. When is this?" "It's a week from tomorrow." "Oh, that actually works perfectly for me." "Great! Alright. You can probably just meet us at our house and we'll all walk there. You do still know the address right?" "Of course." "Alright, see ya then Tav. Bye." "Bye Lyra." As Octavia hung up the phone, she sighed and sat down. She put a hoof to her head and closed her eyes. After merely seconds, the phone started ringing again. "Hello?" "Hey, Octavia?" "WaveMaker, hi. What's going on now?" "Well, the doctor gave me some news, whether we label it good or bad I'm not sure." "What is it?" "Well, Skyline Breezer has a malignant tumor, and there are maybe three options to deal with it." "My word, that's awful. What are the options?" "Option one is let her live the three months she has left without any treatment whatsoever, which is probably my least favorite idea. Then option two, we fight as hard as we can with medication, chemotherapy, and maybe surgeries. Third option, we try a highly experimental procedure that may result in total amnesia." "I'm so sorry. Have either of you decided on what you're going to do?" "Well, we're both leaning towards option two. She already had a cousin die from a tumor, so she knows what has to happen. And I know her, if she needs to, she'll fight like hell." "Well Vinyl and I are here if either of you need us." "Thank you, I can't begin to thank you enough for your support." "It's no problem." "Alright, well, I gotta go. Thank you Octavia, and tell Vinyl we said hello." "I will, take care. Both of you." "We will, you too." "Thanks, bye." "Bye." Both ponies hung up their phones, and Octavia looked at the clock. "Damn, it's late. I should be getting to bed." As she yawned, Octavia made her way to the new bedroom. Flopping down on the bed, she blew a puff of air out that flipped her hair into the way of her eyes. She slipped under the covers and settled into her surroundings. After only minutes, she was sound asleep. "I'm on top of the world! Wooooo!" WaveMaker stuck his head out of the top of the speeding train, then drained a bottle of alcohol and tossed it. Skyline Breezer pulled him back into the train and kissed him. "Don't forget about me there sweetie." "Oh, I didn't plan to." The two chuckled and Skyline Breezer stood up. She walked over to the door of the single trailing car and stared at the sky. WaveMaker walked up beside her and hugged her. "We have it all don't we?" "We sure do." Just as WaveMaker kissed Skyline Breezer on the cheek, the train shuddered and Skyline Breezer fell into the train car. WaveMaker tried to move to help her up, but the car door closed in front of him. "Skyline. Skyline!" Skyline Breezer stood up and ran over to the door when she heard her husbands yelling. She began pounding on the door with her hooves and screaming, though no noise could be heard. WaveMaker hit the glass with his hoof, and the car unhitched. The train started speeding away, leaving the car behind and separating the two. "Skyline!" As WaveMaker watched his wife get farther and father away, tears started falling. The car tipped on its side and started aflame. All WaveMaker could do was watch. "Sir?" WaveMaker snapped awake and looked around. He looked up with a questioning face at the dark green earth pony mare that had shaken him. "Huh?" "Sir, are you okay? You were thrashing around something terrible." "What? Oh, yeah. Sorry, just a bad dream." "Oh shoot, no need to apologize. I know where your coming from." The mare flipped her red hair back and sat down beside WaveMaker. "Where are my manners, BrickLayer, nice to meet you." "WaveMaker, and likewise." "So what're you here for? You seem to be fine." "My wife has a tumor, I came out here to sit and think for a minute." "Dang, sure hope she can recover." "Me too. What're you here for?" "Well, my cousin got a peice of rebar jammed through his one leg. Dumbass was jumpin' off the roof tryina land in the pool." "Ow, that would hurt. I hope he heals up soon." WaveMaker smiled sympathetically, but couldn't help but laugh a little on the inside at the ridiculous story. "Ah, he should be out any minute now, we've been here a few hours by now. Simple, um, removing metal from leg surgery, I'm sure they done it before. Hope so at least, it's kinda embarrassin', figure they don't exactly have a discrete code for 'dumbass with metal pole stuck in leg' around here." "That's true." BrickLayer nodded and leaned back in her seat. After a little while, an orange earth pony stallion with a tan and blue mane hobbled out and over to BrickLayer. She got up and walked over to him and the doctor that had accompanied him. "How is he doc?" "Well, we were able remove the rebar from his leg without causing any damage, and the fragment didn't hit any nerves, bones, muscles, or blood vessels. I advise you to be more careful sir, and stay away from the rooftops. Wouldn't want you bleeding out on stage now would we?" "Sure wouldn't doc, we'll keep him safe." "Alright, have a nice day now you two." "Thanks doc, you too. Well, let's get you home then. I'll see ya 'round WaveMaker, my best regards to your wife." "Thank you. Quick question though, if I may?" "Sure thing, shoot." "On stage. What did he mean?" "Oh, my cousin Critical Acclaim here's the guitarist in a rock band. They're actually playing the show in Ponyville coming up." "Oh cool. Me and my wife were gonna be in that show too, but I'm not sure if we will considering her condition." "Dang, that sure sucks. Maybe she can stay here and rest while you do the show?" "Eh, I don't know. The song we were gonna do was a duet, and she played the guitar for it." "Hmm, well. Perhaps you could find somepony else to do it with ya?" "Maybe." "Well, good luck on that. See ya 'round." "Bye." The two ponies walked out of the hospital, leaving WaveMaker alone. As he stood up, he sighed, and walked over to the snack machine. He inserted three bits and pressed two buttons in succession. After taking a view of the chocolate bar the machine dispensed, he looked at the clock. It read five forty-seven. "Hmm, maybe just another half hour or so?" WaveMaker finished the candy bar and threw the wrapper in a nearby garbage. He sighed heavily as he sat back down. After another minute, he looked down and closed his eyes for a bit longer than a standard blink. "Fuck man, I just want this while thing to be over." Octavia stretched and rubbed her eyes as the light gently cascaded through the window into her bedroom. Through only a moment of silence, Octavia could hear birds chirping and a gentle breeze blowing the trees. As she walked out into the kitchen, she yawned. "Well, sure did get a good sleep. Glad I opted for that better bed." She smiled as she poured herself a bowl of cereal. As she reached into the refrigerator for the milk, she turned and looked at the TV. "Hm, couldn't hurt." She poured the milk on the cereal and put the milk back in the fridge. As she walked over to the living room and set her bowl down, she picked up the remote and flipped on the TV. Welcome back to Can You Do It? where contestant Corporate Office is challenged with drinking fourteen liters of carrot juice in two minutes. CAN HE DO IT? "Can I change the channel? Yes." Octavia chuckled to herself at her mocking and changed the channel. Buy it now and you can earn free shipping and handling. But that's not all- Baby, you got me all wrong, it ain't like this. Then what do I do with the monkey? And there were no survivors. "Ah, here we are, the news." Up next, crowds are hyped for the upcoming talent performance in Ponyville. Here's Scratch Ticket with the report. Thanks Big Scoop. As you can see by the various posters and flyers scatteredabout, ponies are getting very excited about the talent show going on. With performances from the big and the small, the famous and the non, ponies are coming from all over Equestria to watch or perform. Miss, do you have time to answer a few questions for us? "Hmm, ponies from all over Equestria? This could be a perfect time to fundraise for drug awareness! That would help with Vinyl's resume if I can get her out for it. Hmm, I'll go down to Helping Hooves and see if I can make that work!" Octavia quickly ran into the bathroom and brushed her teeth. After brushing her mane down in the mirror, she ran out the door and locked it shut. In her excitement, she had forgotten to turn the television off. Breaking news. During a prison riot at Big Gate Prison, nine convicts have escaped. The riot was apparently started by Open Mind, murderer of former star Octavia Melodys agent, Platinum Record. While it is unknown exactly who all has escaped, we assure you the police are working as hard as possible to find these escaped convicts.
Part Ten: Just A Matter Of Time"Well, your last day has arrived." "That is has Hail, that it has." Vinyl chuckled to herself as she slammed her last suitcase shut. Hail Toss walked over and flopped backwards onto Vinyl's bed. "Can't believe your mare-friend got you out four days early. Such piss." "Ah whatever, at least you're gonna be out in a little while too right?" "Nine weeks." "Hm, well, it's a start." "Better than poor ol' Stone Gate, he's here for another three years." "Damn, that's gotta suck." "I'm sure it does." Vinyl put her final suitcase on top of the others and stacked them onto a small cart. As she turned to her roommate, she sighed. "Well, it was really cool meeting you Hail Toss." "Ditto Vinyl. I just really hope my new roommate isn't some crazy ass." Hail Toss smiled at Vinyl and they both chuckled a little. Hail Toss stood up and started towards Vinyl. "Know what, come, come here." "What?" "Gimme a hug, you know you wanna." "Oh for fucks sakes." Vinyl backed up slightly as the other mare held out a hoof. "Oh come on, don't make me cry." Hail Toss put a mocked sad face on and stared at Vinyl. Vinyl rolled her eyes again and sighed. "You're weird. Come here." The two mares hugged for a moment, and then Vinyl backed off. "Well, good luck in here Hail." "Thank Vinyl, good luck out there." The two nodded to each other, and Vinyl pushed the cart outside the room. Down the hall she walked, Healthy Living at her side, up to the reception desk. There waiting for her was Octavia, who upon seeing her ran over and hugged her. "Vinyl, so good to see you!" "You too Tav." The couple started kissing deeply, closing their eyes and tuning out the world. Healthy Living rolled his eyes slightly and smiled as he raised a hoof and cleared his throat into it. "Vinyl, I have something to ask of you." Vinyl turned around and looked at Healthy Living. Healthy Living held out what looked like a small square of plastic to Vinyl. Upon closer inspection, she could see herself looking down, surrounded by notes, keys, and other music related items. "My album!" "Could you sign it for me please? It's my favourite one." "No problem." When Healthy Living levitated a pen, Vinly took it in her magic and signed her name on the front. She looked up to see a wide grin on Healthy Livings face. "Well, can't believe I'm saying this, but I'm gonna miss you Vinyl. Hope to see you around." "Yeah, I'm sure we'll see each other again, I'm gonna miss you too." Vinyl raised her hoof and it was met by Healthy Livings. "Take good care of Hail Toss for me." "Will do. Good luck Vinyl." "Thanks, you too." As Healthy Living nodded and turned away, Vinyl looked back at a smiling Octavia. "Well then Vinyl, if you're ready to go." "Hell yeah, I'm outta here." The two chuckled as they turned and started towards the exit. Octavia held the door open for Vinyl, bit Vinyl fire for a moment. As she took a deep breath, she turned around. Still holding the breath in her cheeks, she looked around. She let the air out and smile as she turned back to Octavia. "Well. Here we go." Vinyl walked past her mare-friend and out into the fresh summer air. She breathed in deeply as she levitated her bags past the doorway. Octavia walked beside her and looked at her with a slightly questioning look. "Vinyl, what's all this for? We haven't even left the gates, you've probably been in this spot like a day ago." "Yeah, the difference is freedom sweetie. Now like jet before some crazy ass comes and talks to us." "Alright, but you were in here too, you crazy ass." "Hey." Vinyl glared at Octavia, who was giggling slightly. Vinyl rolled her eyes and continued walking, Octavia following. Shortly after they left the front gates, they could hear music. "You here that Tav?" "I do. Guitar, Drums, Bass. Don't really hear a singer, do you?" "Not really. Where you think it's coming from?" Octavia looked up and around, mainly up towards a nearby apartment complex. "Seems to be coming from there." Vinyl looked as Octavia pointed a hoof to the building. She leaned her head in slightly towards the building, as if trying to hear exactly what was happening. "Hmm, you know, that song sounds familiar." "Really?" "Yeah. Sometimes when Hail Toss and I would walk around the yard and rant to each other we'd hear them playing. It's weird though, they usually have a singer." Just at that moment, a blue pegasus with a silver and brown mane ran by and into the apartment building. After about a minute, the music stopped. "I think it's safe to say that they found their singer." "Yeah." The two chuckled and continued walking down the street towards their apartment. After they arrived at the apartment, Octavia turned and looked at the T.V that she had left on. A pony was levitating a microphone to another pony on the street. "Yeah, I mean, about an hour after I watched the news report on the prison break I went out and saw a dude who was just locked up like a month ago-" "Prison break?" "What's that?" Vinyl walked into the living room beside Octavia and stared at the two ponies on the television. "And I mean, he looked like somepony that would be in a prison, I think he got in there for stabbing someone or something. By the time the cops got to where I was at, the guy had left." "Well, we'll have to keep a sharp eye out for him and any of the other convicts. Police are advising ponies to stay indoors as much as possible and-" "You don't think..." "O-Open Mind? No, th-there's no way." Vinyl forced a chuckle and sat down on the couch. Octavia uneasily followed and sat down beside her. Vinyl wrapped her one hoof around Octavia and moved closer to her. "There's nothing to worry about sweetie." Vinyl planted a small kiss on Octavias cheek, making her blush slightly as she did so. "Well, I hope you're right. We certainly don't want anything bad happening considering neither of us are in the hospital or rehab." "Yeah, see? Everything's fine right now." ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ WaveMaker paced back and forth in the hospital waiting room, his hoofsteps echoing slightly as he did so. It was around one in the morning, so nopony else was around. Until the moment a mare in a lab coat walked into the room, he had never taken his eyes off the floor. "She has completed her chemo for today." "Thank you." WaveMaker walked past the mare and down to Skyline Breezers room. As he walked down the hallway, he took multiple deep breaths. When he got to the door of Skyline Breezers room, he sniffed slightly and walked in. Skyline Breezer was sitting on the edge of the hospital bed looking at a magazine. When WaveMaker walked in, she looked up and smiled. "There you are." "Yep. Ready to go?" "Yeah, I'm hungry as hell." WaveMaker chuckled to himself as Skyline Brerzer threw a jacket around her back. "Well, we can worry about that when we get back." The two smiled at each other and shared a quick kiss before walking out of the room. They proceeded towards the door and started on their way home. About a block to their house, they passed an alleyway and could hear talking. They looked down the alley and could make out three figures. One was standing with it's back to them, and one was standing on front of the third, who was bloodied and lying on the ground. "It's that easy sweetie, now just give me the money nice and slow." "Fuck you!" "Hey now, hey now. We wouldn't want you endin' up like your mute brother over there. Hey, how you doin' over there champ?" The one figure looked towards the bloody pony on the ground. All the pony could do was raise it's head and it's look at the other figure. "Wait a minute, I think I know them." "What?" WaveMaker leaned a little to get a closer view. The bloody figure was familiar looking, orange coat, tan and blue mane, it was definitely Critical Acclaim, which meant that the other was BrickLayer. "Yeah. I for sure know them." WaveMaker started walking down the alleyway, making sure to be quiet. He approached the pony that hads it back turned and cleared his throat. "There a problem here?" The pony in front of WaveMaker turned around a immediately received a hoof across the face. WaveMaker looked up at BrickLayer and Critical Acclaim. "Run!" BrickLayer hoisted her brother up and the two stumbled out of the alley, WaveMaker at their side. Skyline Breezer saw the mugger standing up and quickly threw a trash can down behind them. The group continued to run until they were three blocks away. They all stopped and panted for a little while. "Thanks." "Ah, no problem." "Hey, I remember you. You were that stallion in the waiting room. And you must be his wife." "I am. Skyline Breezer, pleasure to meet you." "Likewise. This is my brother, Critical Acclaim. Mute. Don't expect a howdy or nothin' from him, unless you got a pen." BrickLayer started laughing at her own joke, and Critical Acclaim rolled his eyes and hit BrickLayer in the side with his hoof. "Ah, you fucker." "Anyways, We should probably get going. Was that something personal?" "That street creep? Nah, he was just some asshole. Thanks a ton though." "No problem. I'll see you guys later." "Ditto." The two pairs waved to each other and walked away from where they were. Skyline Breezer whipped the hair out of her eyes and turned to WaveMaker. "Hey, just a question, how did you know them?" "Some ponies I met in the waiting room while you were getting chemo." "Ah. I see." The couple continued down the street until they got to their house. As WaveMaker pulled out his keys, he looked to his left, at Octavia and Vinyls house. He could see that lights were on in the house, but he didn't see any figures moving. "What do you thinks going on over there?" "I don't know. Party of some kind?" "Hmm. Maybe." The two entered their house and Skyline Breezer flopped onto the couch. "Fuck that chemo stuff sucks." WaveMaker was staring out the window at the nearby house. Skyline Breezer looked up when she received no response, and walked over. "Honey?" "What? Sorry. I, I just got a really bad feeling right now." "Like, upset stomach bad feeling or shits going down bad feeling?" "The second one." "Hmm. I'm sure it's nothing to worry about." "Yeah, hopefully not. Well, we should probably be off to bed." "Hey, I'm still hungry." The two chuckled and walked from the window to the kitchen. WaveMaker couldn't help but peek behind him at the window. The bad feeling remained. "Welcome to Ponyville Inn, How may I help you?" "We just need a room. One night. We're only in town for the music festival." "Oh, that's what's keeping me in business right now dearie." "I bet it is." "Well, here are your keys, room 4B, second floor." "Thanks." "Enjoy your stay." A couple walked away from the desk as the receptionist wrote down a few things in a book. She hummed quietly as she worked, and she turned around to open up a file cabinet, not seeing the black maned stallion that walked up to the desk. He slammed a few bits onto the wooden surface, startling the receptionist and making her spin around. "I'd like a room please." "Oh, yes, any room will do?" "First floor preferred." "Oh, sorry dearie, the first floor is all full up. Three rooms left on the second floor though, will that work?" "Yes, that's fine." The stallions grim demeanor and slow speech pace gave the receptionist chills. She disregarded any bad feeling and smiled as she gave the pony his keys. "Room 5B, second floor." "Excellent. Oh, and one more thing." "What's that?" "I plan on meeting someone, do you know of a Lyra Heartstrings?" "Actually, yes I do. Her and her mare-friend have stayed here a few times. Wonderful guests really, left the room in perfect condition. Tipped nicely too." "Good, good. Would you happen to have her phone number?" "Actually, I think she left something here with her address on it. Wait, how do you know her?" "Friends." "Alright." The receptionist was weary as she held up a small piece of paper with Lyra and Bon-Bons address on it. "Here." Open Mind smiled as he took the paper. "Excellent. Thank you very much. I'll be taking my keys now." Open Minds words were edgy and grim, giving the receptionist chills every time he spoke. "Al-alright. Here you go. Enjoy your stay." "I'm sure I will." Open Mind chuckled slightly and took the keys. As he walked off towards his room, the receptionist shook her head quickly. "Ugh, that dude was creepy as hell." Returning to the small amount of paperwork she had left, the receptionist looked back down at her desk. "I hope he's not up to anything bad." "Well, tomorrow's the big day Lyra." "Sure is Bonnie. You excited?" "Yeah I'm excited, this kind of stuff never happens here." "True. The last big event that happened was Donut Joe coming out with a new flavour." Bon-Bon giggled at Lyras joke and laid down on their bed. Lyra flopped down next to her and pressed the tip of her muzzle against Bon-Bons. "You know, I'm actually really looking forward to catching up with Octavia after so long." "Yeah, it'll be nice. Well, we should probably get to sleep. Goodnight Lyra." "Goodnight Bonnie." The two were just about to lay the blanket down on themselves, but a knock at the door stopped them. "Who could that be?" "I'll get it." Lyra sighed as she got up from the bed and started towards the door. As she opened up the door, she saw a figure she had never seen before. It was a pony with a brown coat and a black mane. "Hello." "Uh, hello. Who are you?" "Who is it?" "I don't know!" Bon-Bon hopped off the bed and walked up to see who was at the door. Her pupils dilated slightly upon seeing Open Mind standing in the doorway. She remembered what Octavia had told her over the phone the day before. "But, I don't know, just the thought of him still being around is terrifying me." "Aw, I'm sure it'll be alright Octavia. How many did you say they got back in so far?" "Uh, last I checked they had eight out of eleven, so they're on a good track." "That's good. I'll be sure to report anything I see." "Thanks Bonnie." "No problem, what exactly did he look like again?" "The one we're particularly worried about has a brown coat and black mane. Unicorn stallion. Open Mind if you can get his name." "Alright, Lyra and I will keep our eyes peeled. Bye Octavia." "Later Octavia!" "Bye you two. I'll see you soon." "May I come in?" "Actually, we were just about to go to bed. See, we kinda have something going on in the morning." "This'll only take a moment." Lyra looked at Bon-Bon, sensing the terror eminating from her. Lyra stood firmly and barred Open Minds entrance. "Sorry man, you can't come in, we really have to get to sleep." "Really?" Open Mind smiled grimly as he set his briefcase down and opened it up. When he levitated a pistol out and aimed it at the mares, they both jumped back in fright. "No screaming now." Using his magic, Open Mind closed the door behind him as he walked inside. He put the gun back in his briefcase and smiled less grimly. "There we go." Open Mind moved towards the mares, both of them matching his distance backwards until they were pressed up against the kitchen wall. "Don't worry, don't worry. I don't want to hurt either of you." "They why the hell are you here?" Lyra stepped forward, defending her mare-friend with as much courage as she could muster. "I just wish to talk." "What about?" "Somepony you know. Sit." Open Mind took a seat at the kitchen table and motioned for the mares to sit as well. Frightened, they obeyed his silent order. "Good. Now, down to business. Somepony you know has something of mine, and I need to know where to find them." "Wait, who has your thing and what is it?" "Do either of you know of Octavia Melody?" Lyra nodded, but Bon-Bon was frozen in fear still. She couldn't talk, and moving took every once of strengh in her body. Suddenly, a thought entered her mind. "I, I-I-I'm going to get us some t-tea. You drink tea mister Open Mind?" "Yes actually, one cream, two sugars." "Certainly, Lyra?" "Eh, I'm fine." "Alright." Bon-Bon walked over to the stove an put the kettle on. She looked over for a quick second to see if the conversation was continuing, and it was. She quickly took this opportunity to pick up the phone and dial Octavias number. "Hello?" "Octavia!" "Oh, hey Bon-Bon, wha-" "Open Mind, he's here! And yes got a gun! I need tou to call the cops or something! Quick!" Before Octavia could respond, Bon-Bon hung up the phone, and turned to the kettle. She took the whistling pot and turned towards the other two ponies. As she took in the full scene, her heart sank into her stomach. Open Mind was holding Lyra at gunpoint and facing Bon-Bon. "Well, it seems you've seen through me. By the way, I never said my name when I walked in, so I know you've been told to look out for me. You know Bon-Bon, when a robber asks for your wallet, ponies say you'll be better off giving them the wallet." Open Mind cocked the gun with his magic, and tears started falling down both Lyra and Bon-Bons faces. "Please! Don't hurt her!" "Well, I guess I only have so much time before some sort of law enforcement arrives, so Ill make this quick. Tomorrow, I need you to keep them as far away from that festival as possible. Got it?" Bon-Bon frantically nodded and Open Mind looked down at Lyra. She nodded as much as she could, and Open Mind let her go. Lyra collapsed to the floor and coughed repeatedly. Bon-Bon dropped down and held her, gently stroking her mane in an attempt to relax her. Open Mind stood in the doorway and whistled, prompting the mare to look at him. "Disobey my words and I'll find you again." Open Mind shot out the door and off into the night, leaving the two dumbstruck mares to wait for the police. "Hey, you're up early." Octavia was looking out the living room window, towards Ponyville. Vinyl had just woken up and walked out to see her. "I haven't slept Vinyl. Bon-Bon called last night." "Really? What'd she want?" "Open Mind is in Ponyville, and he was in their house." "Wait, what?" Octavia took a sip of her coffee and turned back to Vinyl. "Sometime after you went to sleep, Bon-Bon called me, and she said that Open Mind was in their house, and to call the police." "Well?" "I did, obviously. But she called back and said that he left before they arrived." "Damn." Octavia sighed as she sat down on the couch and put a hoof to her head, closing her eyes. Vinyl sat down beside her and leaned against her. "I'm sure they're fine. I don't think he'd hurt either of them, he doesn't exactly have a motive." "But he does! He has us, that's what he wants." Octavia stood up and walked over to the kitchen, eyeing the phone. "I should call her, I really need to know what happened." Vinyl nodded as she approached the other side of the counter and leaned against it. Octavia picked up the phone and dialed Bon-Bons number. After a few rings, Octavia perked up after hearing Lyra. "Hello?" "Lyra, hello, how are you?" "Uh, I mean, you know what happened right?" "Yes, but has anything happened since?" "Not really. Cops left, Bon-Bon and I kinda sat around after that." "Is she home?" "No, she actually went out to talk to Derpy and Doctor Whooves. Apparently they're considering entering the festival too." "Oh, cool, cool. Alright, well, tell her I said hello. I'll see you guys later?" "Yep. Same place same time." "Alright. See you then Lyra." "Yep." Both mares hung up their phones and Octavia sighed again. "I really hope they catch that crazy arse sometime soon." "Hopefully the festival will be a bit of a buffer." "Well, I'm sure security will be pretty tight. Ah, what am I worrying about, there's no way hed pull a stunt like that in the middle of a huge show." "Exactly." Vinyl leaned across the counter and rubbed her muzzle against Octavias in a display of comforting. "It'll be ok." "You know, eventually we're gonna have to get moving sweetie!" "Just a second!" Skyline Breezer looked over the side of her head in the mirror in slight disgust. She could see the hair falling out of her head. The chemotherapy was taking a toll on her appearance. She grabbed the hat laying on the counter and put it on. "Whatever." She sighed and looked down before taking in a deep breath and smiling. Another knock on the door prompted her to open it. "Finally, jeez." "How do I look?" "Just as beautiful as you always did honey." "Really? Or are you just saying that?" "Well, the hat is covering any hair that's falling out, and the rest just looks like plain old you." "Plain old me?" "Well, I meant, you know, like.." Skyline Breezer smiled and cocked her head to the side, giving WaveMaker a playful look. As WaveMaker looked at his wife's face, he squinted. "You're just fucking with me aren't you?" After a few seconds of trying to hold it back, Skyline Breezer started laughing. WaveMaker rolled his eyes hugged her. "C'mon then, let's get going. We gotta get on that train." "Yep." WaveMaker put his right front leg around Skyline Breezer and they started towards their door. "Life will beat you down if you let it Breezy." "Yeah, well, life's hitting pretty fucking hard as of late." "Just gotta push through it." "Thanks mister philosophy." Skyline Breezer smiled at WaveMaker again and he rolled his eyes in response. "I'm just saying you know." "Yeah yeah, I'm just playin' with ya." As they exited their house and locked the door, Skyline Breezer stepped off the porch and looked around. She turned her attention to Vinyl and Octavias house and stared at it for a good minute before WaveMaker said anything. "Sweetie? You alright?" "I...I got that feeling." "What feeling?" "The one you were talking about last night. Like something's really isn't right." "Skyline. There's no need to be psyching yourself out before the show. Let's just get on that train, go to Ponyville, and enjoy the festival." Her vision still deadlocked on the house down the street, Skyline Breezer took in a deep breath. She closed her eyes, exhaled, and shook off any bad feelings. "Yeah, you're right. Let's get going then." The two continued their walk down to the train station, and upon arriving sat down on the benches. "The train should only be a minute or so, so don't be falling asleep on me like last time." "Hey, I was tired and the train was taking like three hours." "Right, but it was also about two in the afternoon." WaveMaker leaned closer to Skyline Breezer and grinned. She rolled her eyes and pushed him away with a hoof. "Whatever." "Aww, I'm just joking with ya sweetie." WaveMaker warmly embraced his wife with a hug and rubbed his muzzle against hers. "I know." Skyline Breezer turned and kisses WaveMaker quickly on the lips, prompting a smile from both of them. They both leaned back and sighed almost simultaneously. "What do you think Octavia and Vinyl are up to?" "No idea. I would imagine they're probably up to roughly the same thing we are." "You just had to hit the snooze?" "I like sleeping!" Octavia rolled her eyes as her and Vinyl continued their sprint towards the train station. Octavia could see the train, just about to leave. "C'mon Vinyl! We're almost there!" "I'm running!" Just as the couple reached the train station doors and jumped through them, the train blew it's whistle and started moving. Both mares stood and painted for several seconds before regaining their breath and looking around. "Well, we made it. Shall we sit down?" "Yeah." Vinyl craned her neck to get a better view of something, but Octavia couldn't see. "What are you looking at?" "Aren't our neighbors right there?" Octavia looked at where Vinyl had raised a hoof and pointed to. Seeing a familiar red, white, and blue mane. With the presence of the red mane that typically accompanied it, Vinyl and Octavias assumed it was them and walked over. To her surprise, WaveMaker noticed her and Vinyl before they were even at the table. "Hey! It's you two! Come, sit down." "Where the hell were you two? We didn't see ya." "Yes, well, this one decided to take a cat-nap before we left, but it turned into more of a fraternity drunken passout-esque sleep." Vinyl rolled her eyes as the other three ponies chuckled. "Yeah yeah, anyways. How are you two?" "Well, alive and kicking. That's the main part." "Good to hear. Chemotherapy going well Skyline?" "Well, it's kicking just as much as I am, but it's slowly getting easier." "Well, at least you got this weekend." "Yeah. Yeah! And may we fucking enjoy it! Waiter! A round for the table." A pony in a fancy getup walked over and put four glasses down on the table, along with a bottle of champagne. Skyline Breezer smiled and took the bottle, pouring some of the alcohol into each glass. She picked up hers and held it up. "A toast. To friends, and the future wellness of hopefully all of us." "Cheers." The ponies around the table clicked their glasses together and each took long drinks. Octavia looked to her right, out the window. A big part of her was still worried about a certain pony. "Thanks for visiting Ponyville Inn, have a great day." "Likewise." Open Mind walked out of Ponyville Inn, carrying his suitcase in his magic beside him. From the inn he continued on towards the centre of town, where the show was being held. He found his way to a lone tree stop a hill, overlooking where the stage was being set up and sat down. Slowly leaning his back against the tree, he closed his eyes and exhaled. "Just a matter of time now Vinyl and Octavia." Open Mind opened the briefcase with his magic and levitated a shiny pistol into his lap. He opened his eyes and pulled the receiver of the gun back, then letting it spring back into place with a satisfying click. He grinned maliciously and looked off to the stage area. "Just a matter of time." "Ugh, my back, that was a rough wake up call." "Well, that's what you get for falling asleep again. I'm starting to think that that's a habit of yours." "I could say the same thing for Vinyl. Maybe we should have an intervention for them, what do you say WaveMaker?" "Hey, that's a great idea!" "Oh knock it off you two." "Yeah. Besides, we need to sleep in order to be able to talk to you two.' "Speak for yourself Skyline, I was just tired as all hell." The ponies in the group collectively burst into laughter at Vinyls comment as they walked through Ponyville train station. The reached the edge of the far side of the station when they ceased their laughter and stopped walking. "Well, Vinyl and I have to meet another couple I know. We'll see you at the festival!" "Yep, take care till then gals." "We'll try." The couple's waved to each other and parted, Vinyl and Octavia walking towards Lyra and Bonbons house. "So, tell me a little bit about your friends." "Well, Bon-Bon, she's actually sort of like me, but with a much different voice. And Lyra, well, how do I put this, she's Lyra. She's pretty quirky, but she's still fun to have around." "Sounds like somepony I'd be fine hanging out with." "Yes, I think we're all actually going to hit it off." "Lets hope. Just there, the festival, then we're back home." Octavia stayed silent after Vinyl's last sentence, as something had just come back to her. Open Mind was still in Ponyville, as far as they knew. "Something wrong Tavi?" "I still have that feeling." "You think it's-" "I know it is, it has to be. There's no way he isn't here, and no way he's not up to something bad." "You really think he'd be stupid enough to try and pull something at the festival? You'd think security would be pretty high, and he's already got a bad name out there, along with a photo. Anypony who sees him will turn him in for sure." Octavia stopped for a moment and thought about what Vinyl had said. She was right, but there was still a nagging feeling tearing at Octavias mind. "Well, I guess..." "C'mon, it'll be fine. We'll go hang out with your friends, go watch the festival, and go back home perfectly fine." "But what if-" "Tavi." Vinyl put a hoof on Octavias face and pulled her head closer to her own. Her eyes gazed deeply into Octavias. "Stop worrying. You'll only stress yourself out." Octavia didn't speak, she just looked down, eyes closed, and sighed. Vinyl was right, she was only freaking herself out. "You're right." Octavia looked up and smiled at Vinyl, who returned the smile. "Thank you Vinyl." Octavia leaned in and softly kissed Vinyl on the lips. Vinyl matched Octavias movement and the two enjoyed the moment. They pulled their heads away from each other and continued walking. "You're right Vinyl. It's a beautiful day, we have something big to look forward to, and we haven't seen anything this far that we should be worried about." "See, I told ya." "So, everything's ready? You don't have any last minute indiscretions?" "Nope." "Are you sure? Everytime we do something like this you have some sort of thing that you bring up right before we do whatever it is we're doing." "Ok, be that as it may, in good this time." WaveMaker rolled his eyes and turned towards the stage. He could see that the whole setup was almost fully put together, save the metal barriers they had to arrange. Past the area designated for the show, he could see a hill with a lone oak tree upon it. He squinted for a moment and leaned forwards. He could swear he saw somepony move. "Something wrong?" WaveMaker turned back to see his wife with a concerned look on her face. "Uh, no. I just, thought I saw something. I'm sure it's nothing." "Well, let's hope it is. I really don't think we-" Skyline Breezers sentence was cut off by a sudden coughing fit. She put a hoof to her mouth and tried to cover it up as best as she could. Alarms were going off in WaveMakers head, and he turned to her. "Sweetie?" "It's fine. I'm just feeling a little sick. It'll pass. Anyways, as I was saying, I really don't think we need anything else to go wrong." "Well, let's just hope that what just happened isn't something that'll cause troubles." "Like I said, it'll pass." "Hopefully." Wavemakers response was reluctant, but he did so nonetheless. A small rumbling sound came from his stomach, and he looked over at Skyline Breezer. "I heard that." "We'll I'm hungry." "Well, I don't know where to go. Wanna just wander aimlessly and see if we find something?" "Yep." The two chuckled mildly and stood up, walking down the side of the hill opposite to the stage. WaveMaker gave the adjacent hill one more look. The figure was still there, but he thought he could see it's eyes staring back at him. "I'll get it!" Lyra got off the couch and ran to the door. She pulled it open with her magic and smiled at the ponies standing on the other side of the doorway. "Octavia! Good to see you!" "Hey Lyra, you too." The two mares embraced slightly before Bon-Bon appeared in the doorway. "Octavia, glad you could make it!" "Wouldn't miss it." Octavia put a hoof around Bon-Bon and hugged her softly. When they pulled away from each other, Octavia could see Lyra smirking at her. "So, you gonna introduce us to your friend?" "Oh, yes. Lyra, Bon-Bon, this is Vinyl Scratch, my mare-friend." "Yo." "Hey." "Pleasure to meet you Vinyl." Bon-Bon extended a hoof to Vinyl, who met it with her own. They both smiled at each other before Bon-Bon started turning towards the inside of the house. "Come in. We have a bit of time before the festival starts, so why don't we catch up a bit?" "Yeah, come sit down you two." Octavia started walking inside, but noticed that Vinyl was hesitating. "Vinyl, it'll be fine, I promise. Just relax, they're good ponies." Vinyl closed her eyes and drew a long breath. She exhaled and nodded to her mare-friend as she opened her eyes. They walked inside and sat down on the side of the table opposite to Lyra and Bon-Bon. "So, Vinyl, tell us about yourself a little." "Um, alright. I used to be a DJ by the name of DJ Pon-3, I've been living in ManeHatten for roughly five years, and now I'm just out of rehab and living with Octavia." Vinyl smiled and put a hoof around Octavia, pulling her a little closer. Bon-Bon giggled and looked at Lyra, who was smiling. "Well, I'm sure you too are happy together. But, I wanna point this out, or ask this I guess." "Sure, what is it?" "What happens when you want to listen to music? I mean, what happens then?" Octavia and Vinyl simultaneously looked at each other in question. They hadn't listened to music at the same time, usually it was Octavia practicing while Vinyl was at rehab or Vinyl listening to music with her headphones on. "Well, um, actually, we haven't listened to music together before." "Yeah, usually I've been away with rehab or using headphones." "Huh. Well, I guess you'll find out what happens when the time comes." "Yeah, I guess so." Bon-Bon stood up and started towards the kitchen, looking over her shoulder at the other mares. "Tea anypony?" "Yes please." "Coffee if you have any, please." "Sure. Lyra, could you come help me with the drinks please?" "Sure thing sweetie." Lyra stood up and trotted over to the kitchen to help Bon-Bon. Octavia turned to Vinyl and smiled. "Well?" "They seem nice." "See? I told you nothing was wrong with them. They're perfectly normal. Or rather, normal enough, due to Lyra." The two mares at the table laughed while the ones in the kitchen were having their own conversation. "I don't know how I feel about her." "I don't know Bonnie, she seems alright." "Lyra, she just got out of rehab." "So? Celebrities have to go there all the time, why is it any different if she does?" Bon-Bon turned around and gave Lyra a wide frown. Lyra shrugged and levitated the now whistling kettle off of the stovetop. She levitated it and a tray of cups to the table they were sitting at and placed the items down in the centre. She opened the lid of the kettle and poured the water into all of the cups. "Here you go, I hope it's to your liking." Everypony nodded to Lyra and took a cup. Octavia looked at Vinyl, who was showing a face of comfort, and relief. She smiled to herself and held her cup at eye level in the middle of the table. "I prepose a toast. To friends, and to the comfort found in them." They all clicked their cups together and each took a sip. Octavia looked at the clock. The show wasn't on for another hour, and nothing was going wrong. Without you! I can't fly any faster I'm holding on to you Never forget about about me I can't go on without you Dont let me go As the instruments faded, the crowd started roaring. The singer smiled and approached the microphone stand. "Thank you very much Ponyville, you've been great! We are Unholy Intentions, goodnight!" The crowd cheered again as the band members stood up and walked off stage. As a red coated pony with a bright blue mane walked onto the stage, the crowd members settled. "Alright alright, that was Unholy Intentions with Your Shadow. Now, let's hear it for our next act, a band from ManeHatten called Mirror Realm, so make some noise for them!" The band members took their places and the crowd was fired up again. The red stallion talked with the singer for a second, then ran off stage. The singer walked up to the microphone and took a breath. "Hello everypony, we are Mirror Realm, and here's a little number called False Crown." He looked over his shoulder at the guitarist, bassist, and drummer. They all nodded and started grinning, then the singer repeated. Stinger started playing a riff on guitar, then all the others joined in. I sit upon this thrown And though I sit alone Just know that I am Prince of hearts YOU'RE BUT A PRINCE OF LIARS No one can bring me down This head that holds my crown I have been royal from the start YOU WILL NEVER BE MASTER OF THIS HOUSE! I'm alright IT'S ALL YOUR FAULT I'm ok LIAR LIAR Dreaming of IT'S ALL BROKEN Better days I'm know that I'm a fraud That I'm not meant to be They see a shell of who I am What would they say if they knew me? I know that I'm a fake Imitation royalty I was a moth and you a flame But now it's all on me Its been this way for years Kept smiling through the tears I'll be a regal prince someday YOUR LIFE IS AN ILLUSION They talk behind my back Of the bloodline that I lack Its will not always be this way YOU'LL ALWAYS BE A LIAR I know that I'm a fraud This is my final plea They see a shell of who I was What would you think if you saw me I know that I'm fake Not really royalty I touched the flames and I got burned Is this the way I'm meant to be I'm know that I'm a fraud That I'm not meant to be They see a shell of who I am What would they say if they knew me? I know that I'm a fake Imitation royalty I was a moth and you a flame But now it's all on me Now it's all on me Brother can't you see You were my inspiration Everything I was to be Brother can't you see I did this to me Without you I became a shell of Who I meant to be The instruments stopped, and the drummer did a quick fill before the song ended. The audience cheered as the singer approached the microphone. "That's all for us tonight. Enjoy the rest of the show, we love you Ponyville!" The members of the band walked offstage as the host walked back on. From backstage Skyline Breezer was looking at the crowd. "Shit, lotta them out there." "Yep. Don't stress though, I'm sure it'll be fine." "Hopefully. I just don't wanna fuck up in front of everypony." "Aw, you'll do fine sweetie." WaveMaker gave his wife a reassuring hug, and she closed her eyes and tuned out the world for just a moment. She suddenly started coughing, and pulled away from the hug to cover her mouth. "Skyline? You alright?" Skyline Breezer looked up. Her vision of Wavemaker was foggy, and she started wobbling a bit on the spot. A nasty feeling coming to her stomach, she lurched a bit and started stumbling away from the stage. "Skyline!" WaveMaker ran over to where his wife was vomiting behind a bush just a few feet from the backstage area. Skyline Breezer groaned as she looked up at WaveMaker. "I..I don't think-" Skyline Breezer turned back to the Bush and spilled the contents of her stomach again. WaveMaker walked over and put a hoof on his wife's back. No more than ten seconds later, he felt one on his own. "Excuse me?" WaveMaker turned around to see who had spoken, and was met by a white mare in a nurse outfit. "Hello. Who are you?" "Nurse Redheart, I work at Ponyville General. But, I'm doing a little work here today. If you'd be okay with it, I can take care of your wife for you. Is she just nervous?" "No, she, um, it's probably her chemotherapy." "Ooh, I'm so sorry." "Its fine, we're getting throuone gh it. It's just a rough patch. Um, yes, I'd be fine with that, thank you very much." "No problem, I assure you that she's in good care." Nurse Readheart nodded and smiled at WaveMaker before walking over to Skyline Breezer. WaveMaker turned to the stage and sighed heavily before perking up and running towards the front gates. "Yeah, those were the ones from the apartments across from the rehab place." "Huh. Well, they really are good live." "Yeah, I got to listen to them all the time." Lyra and Vinyl were sitting on the hill facing the stage, odd bits of conversations popping up every now and then. Bon-Bon and Octavia had gone to get drinks, leaving the other two in a bit of an awkward situation. Just as Vinyl opened her mouth to say something, a tired and panting WaveMaker walked up. "Vinyl, where's Octavia?" "She went to get drinks. Why, what's up?" "I have a question for her. It's a little urgent." "O-ok, I'll go get her." Vinyl got up off the grass and started galloping towards the concession stand. She only got halfway to it when she saw Octavia and Bon-Bon walking towards her. "Tavi!" "Vinyl? What's going on?" "Its WaveMaker, he has a question for you." Octavia looked at her mare-friend with question, but started walking a little faster. As the three mares approached where Lyra and WaveMaker were sitting, WaveMaker looked over and stood up. "Wavemaker, what's wrong?" "Um, Skylines a little sick at the moment, I'm not sure she's able to do this anymore." "Oh dear." "Yeah. So, I was kinda wondering, would you be up to singing her part?" "Me? Sing? I'm a cellist, I don't sing." Wavemaker sighed and looked down. Vinyl stood beside Octavia and whispered something in her ear. "What?" "C'mon, we can do it." Octavia sighed and closed her eyes for a moment before looking back to WaveMaker and walking forwards slightly. "You owe me Vinyl. WaveMaker, I can sing with you. "You will?" "Yes. But, Vinyl also has to help." "Well, I'm not.." WaveMaker put a hoof to his chin in thought for a moment before smiling at his realization. "You know how to play drums?" "Sorta, an old colt-friend of mine taught me a little bit. How simple is it?" "Simple enough." "Alright, let's hear it again for Riot Society!" As the crowd cheered, WaveMaker was talking to Vinyl and Octavia. "Alright, you both listened to the song? Know the lyrics Octavia?" "Yep." "Yes." "Alright, I guess we're ready." "This next entry has had some difficulties getting together, but it's all figured out, so let's hear it for Overdose!" Octavia, Vinyl, and WaveMaker took to their places on stage, and WaveMaker tapped on the mic. Before speaking, WaveMaker set up his keyboard behind him, along with a small metal folding chair. "Hello everypony. We are Overdose, or rather a pieced together version of Overdose, but we're gonna play this song none the less." He looked down and blew out a breathe before looking at Octavia. She nodded, and gulped when he looked away. He looked down at the keyboard and sighed again. A few seconds passed before he started playing a soft, melodic tune on the instrument. Vinyl sighed and looked around, still listening for her cue. She almost missed it when she thought she saw a hauntingly familiar black mane in the crowd, coming towards the stage. After about five seconds, a familiar voice was heard. "You!" All the music stopped when Open Mind staggered onto the stage and towards Octavia. "I finally got you!" He aimed the gun on between Octavias eyes and pulled the trigger. The suspect has been apprehended, and the victim is in hospital in critical condition. No names are being released at this time. "Turn it off please." WaveMaker grabbed the remote and obeyed the weak command his wife had given. Tears in his eyes, he nuzzled his face up against his wife's. "Sweetie... just stay calm ok?" "Skyline, I can't. I mean, you got shot today, and all I did was freeze up." "Baby, it isn't your fault. I took the shot for Octavia, it was my choice." "How the hell did that even happen?" Skyline Breezer looked towards the slightly open window and sighed. The numbness in her abdomen was a very new feeling to her, and the adjustment was strange. "Well...." "Is there anything you need?" "I could use some water." "Right away." Nurse Redheart nodded to Skyline Breezer and trotted off to go get what she had requested. Skyline Breezer could see where Octavia, Vinyl, and WaveMaker were standing just before they went on. Wait, did he drag them into performing? Skyline Breezer chuckled a bit and forced herself out of her chair. She walked over and stood behind and pole as the ponies got in position. Off to her left, she could hear some sort of fight or loud indesgression going on, but she ignored it. She bobbed her head along with the song, mouthing the words slightly. Just a damn shame Ican't be up there to sing it with him. She sighed and looked to the left again, where a figure was quickly moving towards the stage. When she saw the face poke out from the crowd, she remembered the newscast. "Oh shit." Skyline Breezer started stumbling towards the stage to warn the performers, but when she got to the stage, he was already yelling at Octavia. "I finally got you!" Skyline Breezer had now entered Open Minds line of fire, and the bullet went straight onto her abdomen. She landed in the hard stage floor, and a nurse immediately ran over. As she slowly opened her eyes, she saw three security guards taking Open Mind down, then her eyes closed again. "And, that's pretty much what happened." "I just can't even believe that this all happened. I just hope to Celestia that they'll be able to-" "Honey?" "Yes?" "They can't." WaveMaker staggered back a little bit at his wife's statement. "But..." "Sweetie. We both know I'm fucked anyways. I'm just glad I could go out and save a friend." Up until this point, WaveMaker had been forcing back his tears. But Skyline Breezers words cut deep into his heart, and he threw his hooves around her, crying deeply into her mane. Outside the room, Vinyl and Octavia were sitting on chairs just beside the door. Octavia had her head against Vinyls shoulder, and Vinyl was gently stroking her mane to try and comfort her. "Vinyl?" "Yeah?" "Do you think that's it?" "What?" "Do you think that that's where it ends with Open Mind?" Vinyl sighed heavily and rubbed her marefriends back. She looked at her reflection in the shiny metal floor label across the hall. "I sure as hell hope so." "So, they're getting her transferred to ManeHatten general and keeping her on life support." "Well, at least your back home, and you can see her again soon." "Yeah, I'm going as soon as ManeHatten general calls back." "Well, I wish you both the best." "Thanks, ditto for you two. Bye Octavia." "Bye WaveMaker." Octavia hung up the phone and walked back into the bedroom. She flopped down on the bed, burying her face in the pillow. "Rough day." Vinyl smiled slightly and sighed as she put the magazine she was reading down. "Yeah, it has been. But, I got a little surprise for you." Octavia lifted her face off the pillow and looked at Vinyl with a confused expression. "What?" "So, before we left, I did a little research, and I ordered something online. And I figure, the way things are going, we can't afford to not do this." "Vinyl, where are you going with this?" Vinyl smiled widely and levitated a small velvet lined box out of her nightstand. She hovered it in front of Octavia, and upon opening it, saw her mouth drop. "Octavia Melody, will you marry me?" Author's Note Songs Your Shadow by DivinumX False Crown by Princewhatever Fimfictions rules dictate that songs have to be songs from My Little Pony or the fandom, so the list was changed slightly more than the original. The last song was going to be Hurricane by Theory Of A Deadman, but you know...
Part Twelve: Please Open Your Eyes Again..."Wrench." "Wrench." Derpy smiled and waited for the next moment to assist after passing Doctor Whooves the wrench he required. Seconds after Doctor Whooves completed what he need to and set the wrench down, the phone started ringing. "I'll get it. Hello?" "Doctor Whooves?" "Octavia Melody, how are you?" "Um, I'm fine. I'm in town today, I was wondering if we could sit down and talk?" "Sure, just come over whe-" A loud explosion from behind Doctor Whooves made him jump and turn around. Derpy was sitting, coat and mane singed, beside what he had been working on. As she turn her head to the doctor, she smiled and chuckled a little. "On second thought, give it about ten minutes." Octavia arrived at the door to the Whooves household and knocked three times. After a few seconds, Doctor Whooves opened the door with a smile. "Octavia, come in. What brings you into town? Or is it just this?" "Honestly, it's just this. I have some news, some more news, and a rather awkward question." Octavia watched Doctor Whooves face go through a few emotions, mainly confusion and misunderstanding. Then, a small chuckle. "Derpy, set the kettle! I believe some tea is required! Come, sit." Doctor Whooves guided Octavia to the living room at the two sat down on the couch. He exhaled and looked at her with a smile. "So, news first shall we?" "Yes. Um, news." Doctor Whooves could see the nervousness on Octavias face, and he chuckled a bit. "Well? Is it good or bad news, at least let's start with that." "Its good news, it's very good news." "Did somepony propose?" Octavia blushed a little bit as she remembered the necklace. As she looked down, she could practically hear Derpy shoot into the room. "Propose!?" Octavia looked up to see that Derpy had seated herself directly beside Doctor Whooves. Her wide smile made Octavia chuckle. "Somepony may ha-" "Who was it?" "Who!?" "Calm down, calm down. They're a nice pony, we've been together for about six months, unicor-" "Octavia, please, we have enough details. Give us a name or something." Octavia sighed in a grimace at Doctor Whooves' eagerness, but was a little comforted by his smile. Before she spoke, she let out a long sigh. "Her name is Vinyl Scratch." Silence overtook the air as Octavia hung her head. "Wait.. her name?" Octavia looked up to see a confused Derpy and a curious Doctor Whooves. "Octavia, I didn't know you were-" "You know, I really didn't either. But, i guess I really was. Here, I'll start from the beginning." "And, here we are." "Hmm, well that that certainly was quite the story." "Yeah, heh, I thought you'd say something like that." Octavia nervously rubbed the back of her head with her right hoof, and forced a bit of a chuckle. "So, Octavia, what are the plans for the wedding? Who's catering? Could I cater!?" "Calm down sweetie." "We've actually already set a date." "Ooh, do tell." "Four months from today." Both Derpy and Doctor Whooves smiled at Octavias statement. Doctor Whooves set his tea down and cleared his throat. "Why so soon might I ask?" "Well, that day would be roughly a year since her and I first met." "Ooh. That's wonderful Octavia!" Derpy got up and hugged Octavia, smiling widely. Octavia grinned and hugged the crazy grey mare back. "It is. Would you two be able to come?" "That's planning far ahead, but I'll be sure to reserve it." "Excellent. And, that brings me to my next question. This happens to be the awkward one." "Alright, let's hear it." Octavia closed her eyes and took in a deep breath. She exhaled, opened her eyes, and looked at the stallion with a forced smile. "You wouldn't happen to know anything about how two mares could have a foal do you?" The sunlight was the first thing Vinyl saw when she woke up. She rubbed her eyes and yawned as she looked at the clock. "Nine fifteen? Ugh, I knew I shoulda closed that blind." As she got out of bed, she stretched and yawned once more. Not ten seconds after she walked into the kitchen and opened a cabinet, she heard the doorbell ring. "Shit." She found a pack of gum and threw a few pieces onto her mouth, running to the door. When she opened it, a solemn looking WaveMaker was standing in the doorway. "WaveMaker, hey, what's up?" "Hey Vinyl. Is it just you here today?" "Yeah, Tavi's in Ponyville today. Why?" "I have a bit of news, I thought it would be better to tell you both at once." "Oh. Well, uh, come in, I'll give her a call. She said she'd be at her friend a house, in sure she has the number here somewhere." WaveMaker walked inside and sat down on the couch with a sigh. Vinyl looked on the side of the fridge, and surely enough found a list of numbers, Lyra and Bon-Bons being near the top. She dialed the number and waited for an answer. "Hello?" "Hey, Lyra?" "Oh, Vinyl? Hi, how are you?" "I'm alright, you?" "I'm good. What's going on?" "Not much, can I speak to Octavia?" "Octavia? She's not here, why do you need her?" "Wait, she isn't there?" "No, I didn't even know she was on town. Why, was she supposed to be?" "Yeah, she told me she was coming over to tell you guys something." "Hmm, haven't seen her. Bonnie's out getting a few things, maybe they ran into each other. I'll call you back when Bon-Bon gets home." "Alright, sounds good. Thanks Lyra." "No problem Vinyl. Seeya." "Bye." Vinyl hung up the phone and frowned. As she walked towards the couch in the living room, she noticed something on WaveMaker face. The areas around his eyes were water-stained slightly, and the eyes themselves were slightly bloodshot. "That was weird. Tavi told me she was going to be at her friends house, but her friend said she hadn't been there all day. Hmm, I guess she did say she was going somewhere else, maybe she went there first. Anyways, what's going on?" WaveMaker had his hooves up at his mouth and was blankly staring at the wall in front of him. "Skyline... they're deciding to take her off life support." WaveMaker voice was croaky and weak. Vinyls eyes shot open at his depressing statement. "Wh...what?" "Yesterday. She said she wanted to keep going, but later, the doctor came up to me and said that it would only be delaying the inevitable." There was a strange scent in the air, it smelled to Vinyl like alcohol. Tears were gently cascading down Wavemakers face at this point. He sniffled and looked at Vinyl "I...I just can't even comprehend it. It's all so surreal." Vinyl now noticed the slur on a few of WaveMakers words, and how his eyes were slightly bloodshot. "How much longer does she have?" There was a long pause before WaveMaker sighed and stood up. When he walked over to the door, he looked back to Vinyl. "I might have even been here too long. I just thought I'd let you two know." Not another word was said before WaveMaker let himself out of the house. Vinyl sat in shock as she watched the stallion walk away through the window. After he left her view, Vinyl stood up and walked over to the fridge. "His number has to be on here." "Well, it was wonderful having you again Octavia. It's always lovely catching up with you." "Thank you for having me. And yes, it always is nice catching up." "Will we see you again before the wedding?" "You know Derpy, I think I might just take you with me for dress shopping." Octavia smiled after her statement, and Derpys face lit up in excitement. "Really!?" "Are you up for it?" "Yeah!" "Alright, I'll be sure to keep in touch. Bye you two." "Bye Octavia, take care." Doctor Whooves smiled and closed the door after Octavia was a good distance away from the house. "I'll be back in the basement, I should be able to get this from here." "Okay!" Derpy started walking towards the kitchen, but the phone on the coffee table started ringing before she got too far. "Hello?" "Hey, is Doctor Whooves there?" "Yeah, just a second. Doctor! Phone!" Vinyl tapped her hoof on the countertop and waited for the stallions voice. "Hello?" "Hi, is this Doctor Whooves?" "It is, who is this?" "Fiancé of Octavia Melody. Is she there?" "Oh, she just left actually." "Really? Dammit. She say where she was going?" "Not exactly, though I suspect she'll be at Lyra and Bon-Bons house any moment." "Alright, I'll check there soon. Thanks." "My pleasure. Congratulations by the way." "Thank you." "You're welcome. Bye bye." "Seeya." Vinyl hung up the phone and smiled at the stallions kindness. Not ten seconds after she had hung up the phone, it started ringing again. "Hello?" "Vinyl? Octavia's here. I'll put her on for you." "Awesome, thanks Lyra." "Vinyl?" "Tavi, hey." "Hi, what's going on?" "Well, WaveMaker was just here-" "Oh, how is he?" "He.. he was drunk. And he had some bad news. They're taking Skyline off life support." Vinyl heard nothing for the next few seconds, but then Octavias voice came back, a tinge of anguish in it. "I'll be back soon. Wait at the door for me." Vinyl impatiently tapped her hoof on the floor and looked out the window again. "C'mon Tavi, hurry up." Vinyl looked at the clock and scoffed before turning and opening the door. She almost ran straight into Octavia, who was standing on the porch. "I'm here." "Took you long enough. C'mon, we gotta go!" The two mares started walking quickly towards ManeHatten general, keeping a steady pace. When they reached the wing of the hospital where Skyline Breezers room was, they thought they heard somepony talking, but with a weak voice. Upon reaching the doorway, both mares stopped suddenly and gasped at the sight that met them. WaveMaker was kneeling beside the hospital bed, tears running down his face, holding his wife's hoof in his own. "Skyline, sweetie, look at me. Please. Please, open your eyes. Please sweetie, I'm begging you...just open your eyes again...please..."
Part Thirteen: This Just Isn't HappeningThe funeral service was held the following Friday. As if it wasn't bad enough already, a small thunderstorm had started brewing, and the mourning ponies were being rained on. Octavia, Vinyl, and WaveMaker were standing together directly in front of the casket as it slowly was lowered into the ground. WaveMaker hadn't said a word, nor sighed, sniffed, or broke down. He just stood there, staring. When the service ended, the trio was walking to their homes, and Octavia decided to try. "WaveMaker? How are you holding up?" Still no response came from the stallion as they approached his house. He opened up the door and stopped halfway into the house. As he turned back to face the mares, he sighed. "Look. I can't begin to thank you two enough for your help and support. But, I think I just need a breather." Octavia nodded, as did Vinyl, before receiving one back from WaveMaker before entering the house and shutting the door. Vinyl and Octavia looked at each other and shrugged before turning to walk back to their own home. Upon entering, the two mares shed their wet coats and laid down on separate pieces of furniture in the living room. Octavia had flopped down on the couch with her face in the pillow, and Vinyl had thrown herself over both arms of a chair. "Vinyl?" "Yeah Tav?" "When will all this shit stop happening?" Vinyl sighed before draping her head over the arm of the chair and looking at Octavia. "I don't know. Hopefully soon. But hey, let's look at the positives right now. Wedding in a couple months." A sudden realization came to Octavia when she heard Vinyls words. Her head shot up to meet Vinyls upside down gaze. "We only have four months!" "Ok, so?" "It takes longer than four months to plan a wedding! "Alright, alright, calm down. What all do we need to do?" "Well, lets see. We need to arrange a venue, catering, invites, dresses-" "Wait, dresses?" "Yes, dresses. Have you ever been to a wedding Vinyl?" "Uh, not that I can remember. I really should've thought ahead." "Well, just let this be a lesson in planning. Here, you go and get tickets to Ponyville for tomorrow, we have a lot to do there." "Have a marvelous day darling." Rarity waved the mare out of the store and turned back to something behind the counter, but after only a few seconds, the door opened. She spun around to see two mares walking inside. "Welcome! How may I help you?" "Well, this was your big idea." Vinyl chuckled after nudging Octavias side. Octavia rolled her eyes and walked up to the counter. "Yes, hello. Um, we need two wedding dresses." "Alright, well, what kind? Strapless, A-line, low back, ballgown?" "I.. I have no idea." "Well, we can start with this. Who's getting married?" Octavia quickly looked to Vinyl and then back to Rarity. Both Vinyl and Octavia motioned towards each other. "We, we are." "Yeah, us." "Oh, well then. I suppose that would make sense considering you wanted two wedding dresses and not one wedding dress and a mare of honor dress." "Yeah, sure." "Well, why don't you follow me, I'm sure I have a few in here that you might like." As the white unicorn walked into the back room, Vinyl looked at Octavia with a frown. "Oh this is gonna suck." "Oh hush up you big baby, it could be fun." "Sure. You know, I never should've asked if you had any spare change. It all led to this." "Yes, and who would still be on the streets?" "Well, maybe I woulda... ok fine, you win." "That's what I thought." Octavia smiled before planting a quick kiss on Vinyls cheek. You may now kiss the bride WaveMaker raised the Vodka bottle to his lips and down another swing as he watched the two ponies of the screen lock lips, the camera zooming in on the beautiful moment. He lifted the remote and held the rewind button for a few seconds. may now kiss the bride kiss the bride kiss the bride "Believe me pal, I wanna." He drained the rest of the bottle on his hoof and tossed it beside him. Tears had been rolling down his eyes as the footage of his wedding rolled on the TV. As he raised his hoof again and turned the TV off, his ears perked up. "Come on, it'll be fun!" "What?" He turned to look at the stairs, seeing nothing but thinking he heard a voice come from there. "Don't be a wuss WaveMaker, come on!" "Who's there!?" He ran up the stairs, stumbling and half crawling along the wall to the next floor. He looked out the window at the pouring rain, but heard no sound other than his own heavy breathing and a few giggles. He walked up to the trapdoor to the attic and quickly pulled the drawstring. When he ran up into the dark room, he saw a translucent version of him and his late wife, and he remembered what they were doing. It was one of the worst thunderstorms since they had moved there. The power was out, and they were drunkenly playing truth or dare by candlelight. When he had been too scared to accept Skyline Breezers dare to go onto the roof, she did it herself. WaveMaker watched the image fade away, tears once again running down his face. He gripped his head in his forehooves and fell to the floor, back against the wall. "Come on, do it." "Huh?" He looked up, once again met by nothing more than old furniture and dusty decor. A glare caught his eye, no more than a fleeting glance, but still, he found himself crawling towards it. "Do it!" The voice got more aggressive as he approached the object slightly covered by a sheet. "Do it, do it, do it, do it, do it!" WaveMaker ripped the sheet off the object, watching the metal door swing slowly open, and revealing the handgun inside. He pushed himself away from the safe, mouth agape in shock. As he panted, the flow of tears stopped. "Fuck." He cross his front hooves over his rear ones and put his head in his lap. After roughly ten minutes of sitting alone in the musty attic, Wavmaker heard the doorbell ring. Down both sets of stairs and to the door, WaveMaker wondered who'd be knocking at his door. As he pulled the door open, he was met with a smiling purple mare with a red and blue mane. "Hello?" "G'day. Um, have you seen Vinyl around? I heard that she lived next door, thought maybe she was around. Is she?" "Uh, no, I haven't seen her. You knock on her door?" "And rang the doorbell, yes." "Huh. I don't know, maybe her and Octavia went somewhere. If you'd like, they may be back later, you can come in and wait for a bit?" "Well, suppose there's no harm, I don't wish to be a burden though." "Oh, it's no problem. Here, come in. My names WaveMaker by the way, friend of Vinyl and Octavia." "Hail Toss, roomed with Vinyl in rehab, pleasure to meet you." "Well, I'm not gonna lie, that was actually the worst five hours of my life." "Oh hush. So you don't like wedding dress shopping? Who does?" "We didn't even decide on one!" "I was going to wait and bring some friends along." Vinyl rolled her eyes and smiled at her fiancé. "Course you were. Well, hopefully that's the worst part of today, or what's left of it, what's next?" "I guess we don't have much. Catering, venue, and guests. Are you sure you don't know anypony in town who you want to invite?" "Not really." Octavia furrowed her brow and sighed. "You know, I guess I still have to do a lot of running around. Do you want to go back to ManeHatten?" "Wait, what?" "I may need to stay overnight, I'm sure Lyra and Bon-Bon will take me in for the day, hell, they might even be able to help me. You can go back home and just wait for me. I know how much you hate being with me." Octavia gave a playful wink and looked at Vinyl. Vinyl chuckled and gave Octavia a nudge in her side. "Oh, you finally caught that did you?" "Apparently." "'Bout time. Are you sure you'll be all good on your own? I mean, you don't need me?" "It's not that I don't need you, it's just that I know how much you'd be bored. Wouldn't be surprised if you fell asleep." "Hey, I resent that. Alright, if you're sure." "Go ahead Vinyl." Vinyl and Octavia locked lips quickly before parting, waving each other off. Octavia turned and started walking towards Lyra and Bon-Bons house. "Alright, now maybe I can talk to Lyra and Bonnie alone, like I planned." "Good to be back!" It was now roughly nine at night, and Vinyl was happy to be back home. As she closed the door behind her and flopped out on the couch, she sighed and closed her eyes. Not fifteen seconds later, the doorbell rang. "Are you serious? Who in the hell?" She pushed herself off the couch and walked over to the door. When she opened it, she gasped. "Hail Toss?" "Surprise!" "Oh, Hail Toss! no way! Come here!" Vinyl wrapped her forehooves around the other mare, as did she. The two separated and smiled at each other. "Damn, when did you get out of rehab?" "Earlier today. I've been at your friends house almost all day waiting for you. Where were you?" "Wait wait wait, you were over there?" Vinyl pointed to the house the WaveMaker lives in, and Hail Toss looked, her smile fading slightly. "Yes, that one. Why? Is he-" "What did he say? How was he acting?" "Vinyl, calm down. What's up with him, and why are you freaking out?" "Here, come in." The two mares walked inside, and Vinyl motioned for Hail Toss to sit down. "Alright. All you need to know about him right now is that he might not be fully stable." "Stable?" "His wife just died." "Oh. Oh, I'm so sorry." "We all are. I don't know him the best, but I think I know him well enough to know this. Nopony can just go throigh their wifes funeral service and say nothing. He didnt even react. It's almost like he's suppressing it. My fear is that he's gonna snap." "He seemed alright when I was there. We just sat around, had some coffee, and talked. Just a lot of talking." "Really?" "Yeah. Although, not the best detective, but there were a few odd things I noticed." "Tell me." "Well, for one, his cheeks were wet. Two, his mane was messed up, but only in the spots near his temples. And three, he had a lot of dust on him." "Dust?" "Yeah, he looked awfully dusty. No idea how, the place was spotless, save for the bottles everywhere." "Wait, bottles? Like, alcohol bottles?" "Looked like them." Vinyl put a hoof to her chin and thought for a long moment. Hail Toss fiddled with her mane as she let Vinyl think. "I have no idea. He wasn't that much of an alcoholic that I know of." "Maybe it's because of his wife?" "Probably. Well, we should maybe switch subjects before the ringing in his ears drives him crazy. How are you?" "I'm actually not bad. A friend of mine offered to take me in untill I get a new job, and I'm thinking about looking around for somepony special. Maybe one who isn't into drugs this time." "Good to hear. Hopefully you find somepony soon. Which reminds me, I have to ask you something." "Ok, what is it?" "How'd you like to be a mare of honor to my wedding?" Hail Toss' face went blank of expression. Her mouth opened slightly before growing into a huge grin. "No way! You two got married!? That's awesome! I'll totally be your mare of honor." Hail Toss moved and hugged Vinyl. Both mares smiled as they held the embrace for a few seconds. "When is all this happening?" "Roughly four months." "Cool, I'll be there. Congrats Vinyl." "Thanks Hail." "Well, I'd better get back to my friends house." "Here, I'll walk with you, I got a few more things we should talk about."
Part Fourteen: Can't Say No To That"Wow, so he watched the whole thing happen? That's gotta be super rough." "It was rough for everpony there. And the hospital was even worse. I don't even know what happened before Tavi and I got there." "Probably was worse. That might be something you'll have to ask him when he's feeling up to talking about it." "Yeah, it is." The wind outside was rather cold for the season, and Vinyl thought about how she maybe could've waited until tomorrow to talk. "Well, we're here." "Wait, really? We've only been walking for like, five minutes." "Yep. Right here. You wanna come in for a drink? Maybe talk about this a little more?" "What about your roomie?" "Hell, she won't mind. She'll either be asleep right now or she'll join in." "Alright, sure." The two mares walked up the stairs to Hail Toss' apartment. Hail Toss fiddled in her coat pockets and frowned. "Damn it all. Hey! BrickLayer! I locked myself out!" "Hold on!" After a few seconds, the door opened, revealing a red maned earth pony. "Oh, who's this?" "Vinyl. She's a friend from rehab." "Alright. Just don't be gettin' the girl back into the stuff alright?" "I'll sure try." The three mares giggled at their jokes, and walked to the living room. The décor was simple, sophisticated, but had touches of odd glamour or decorations that almost didn't fit. As they all sat down on separate pieces of furniture, BrickLayer cleared her throat. "So, Vinyl, you were in rehab too? Mind if I ask for what?" "I was an alcoholic." "Damn, that sounds rough." "Well, it was. But, I'm thankful I had ponies like Hail and Tavi there for me." "Hail and who now?" "Tavi. Octavia Melody." BrickLayer leaned back in her seat and smiled. "So that's where I know ya from! You've recently been in the hospital with Skyline Breezer and WaveMaker haven't ya?" "Oh, yeah, yeah I have. How did you-" "I met WaveMaker when he was in the hospital waiting room. My idiot brother was in there. How is WaveMaker now? I heard the news." Hail Toss and Vinyl looked at each other, both with frowns. Hail Toss sighed and looked back to BrickLayer. "He's....coping. In some way." "And by that you mean?" "He's repressing it. That's what it seems like." "Yes, and it's definitely going to come back and bite him. It's always healthier to talk to somepony. Maybe we should suggest a therapist for him?" "Maybe." Vinyl looked at the clock, reading that the time was ten thirty-two. "Well, I should maybe get going." "Aw, are you sure? The night isn't over yet, Octavia's in Ponyville for the night, and BrickLayer and I have three unopened bottles of wine in the fridge." "Are you seriously asking me to stay here and drink with you guys even though you and I both just got out of rehab?" Hail Toss looked at BrickLayer, who shrugged, then turned back to Vinyl and nodded. "Well, can't say no to that." The rain was now gently falling in Ponyville. Nothing more than a mist, but still enough to be noticeable. Octavia shivered slightly as she made her way down the street towards Lyra and Bon-Bons house. "Really didn't think about the rain. Should've brought an umbrella." She eventually reached the doorstep, only a few minutes after her and Vinyl parted, and knocked. "Who is it?" "It's Octavia." A few seconds after Octavia called out, Lyra opened the door and smiled. "Hey Octi! What brings you by again?" "Well, I was actually just in town doing some wedding shop-" "Ooh! Ooh! Come in! Bonnie will love this!" Lyra giggled and ran back into the house, using her magic to shut the door behind Octavia. "Bon-Bon! Tavi's here!" "Coming!" "So, tell me, what'd you buy?" "Well, I didn't, we just looked." "Wait, we? Well where's Vinyl?" Vinyl looked up at Bon-Bon, who had entered the room with the question. "Well, she, she went home." "Went home? Why did she go and you stay?" "Did she not want to stay?" "Well, no, it was more my idea." "Why?" "I know how much she hates all the fancy wedding dresses and such, plus I figured it would give me a chance to bring you girls along. I also promised Derpy I'd take her with me." "Well, I guess that's true. Derpy could actually be good to tag along. I mean, she's the only one out of us four who's had any marriage experience." "Good point Bonnie. So, should we run over there and get her? Still got lots of time left today." "Sure, let's go." "Ooh, what about this one?" Derpy held up a ruffly dress in it's protective plastic wrap and showed it to Octavia. "Oh, I don't know, seems a bit flashy." "What about that one?" Derpy pointed to a one peice wedding dress with an a-line skirt. Octavia walked over to it and got a closer look. "You know, I actually feel really good about this one." "Want me to go get the lady?" "Yes please." Derpy smiled and trotted off to go get Rarity for Octavia to try the dress on. How in the hell am I going to get Vinyl to try on a dress? "You needed me darling?" Octavia looked to the purple maned mare that had strutted into the room and smiled. "Yes, I'd like to try this one on." "Alright, let's go to the fitting room then" Octavia followed Rarity into a room a few metres from where they stood, and Rarity pointed her to a small area sectioned off by a curtain. "If you need any assistance, just ask dear." "Thank you." Octavia smiled as she entered the room and closed the curtain behind her. "Alright Octavia, just try it on, you're not deciding yet, calm down." Meanwhile, back in ManeHatten, the three mares in the apartment had been playing truth or dare. They had already gone through several glasses of wine each, and it was now Vinyls turn to ask. "BrickLayer, truth or dare?" "Uh, dare, dare." "Alright, I dare you, to kiss Hail Toss." "What?" "C'mon, it doesnt mean anything! Besides, it's a dare!" BrickLayer looked at Hail Toss, who shrugged and put down her glass. "I mean, it's a dare." "Oh you ow me double rent after this shit. You lead it then." Hail Toss smiled and quickly leaned in and planted a quick kiss on BrickLayers lips, making an over-exaggerated kiss noise at the same time. "Alright, that wasn't too bad now was it?" "Speak for yourself! I swear you had your mouth full of saliva. Jeez." BrickLayer looked at Vinyl, who was laughing and trying to keep the remainder of her wine in her mouth. "Alright miss smartass, truth or dare?" "Oh I'm not an idiot, truth." "Why do you love Octavia?" The room went so silent that you could practically hear Vinyls eyelids shoot open. "Well, I, I don't really know. I guess it's just one off those relationships where you just know you're with the right pony." "Little philosophical for you Vinyl, but I'm pretty sure you're wasted so whatever." "Hail, I used to be a DJ, this is me sober." The three mares laughed and drank the remaining alcohol in their glasses. Hail Toss was the first to look at the clock, and also the first to stand up. "Well, I think I'm set to hit the hay. I call the bed tonight!" "Hell no you don't!" BrickLayer jumped over the end of the couch and followed Hail Toss into the one bedroom. After a few moments of noise, Hail Toss pushed out of the room and the door was shut behind her. "She always wins the damn room." Hail Toss and Vinyl both drunkenly chuckled as Hail Toss walked back over to the couch. "I mean, we got the guest bedroom, how's my place sound?" "If it's got a bed, it'll be better than this ratty old couch." "It does." "Sweet. Hear that BrickLayer? I'm getting to sleep in a bed!" Instead of a response, all the two other mares heard was a loud snort and sheets ruffling. "Yeah, she's out. Onwards?" "Yep." Hail Toss grabbed another bottle of wine and the keys from her coat pocket before walking out the door behind Vinyl. "Better lock it, she wouldn't wake up if a cow broke through the window and stole her pudding." Vinyl laughed at Hail Toss' ridiculous attempt at logic. "What?" "That made no sense." "Shuddup, I'll say what I want." Hail Toss took a swig of the wine and stumbled towards the stairwell. She stopped atbth e top and looked down the stairs, then back to Vinyl. "Where's the elevator?" Vinyl chuckled again and pressed the button on the console beside the elevator door. "C'mon ya drunk, let's go." When the two got down to the lobby, they looked out the glass front doors at the pouring rain. "Well shit." "That, that wasn't supposed to happen. Well, won't get any more went if we wait!" Hail Toss ran out of the building, alcohol bottle still in her wing, leaving Vinyl to question what she had said once again. "Again, that didn't even make sense!" Vinyl ran out into the rain, just a few metres behind her friend. The rain instantly matted down her mane and tail, but she laughed at Hail Toss regardless. Hail Toss wrapped one hoof around a light pole and took another drink from the bottle. As Vinyl walked over, she chuckled. "You know you can get a drunken disorderly doing this, right?" "Shut up! I'm having fun, and that's what matters! Take that ManeHatten! And you fair madam!" Hail Toss descended from the light pole and started talking in a horribly fake accent. "You must save the even fairer princess from the castle of dangerous things." "Hail Toss, can we just get home?" "Nein! We have to proceed, to the castle of danger!" "C'mon Hail, let's-" Vinyl couldn't finish her sentence before Hail Toss grabbed her and pulled her to her, kissing her deeply on the lips. Hail Toss had her back to the light post, and her head hit against it slightly as Vinyl pushed away from her. "Hail Toss! What the hell?" "I'm, I'm sorry. I don't know what came over me, I just..." Hail Toss sighed and hung her head. "I'll just go back home." As Vinyl watched Hail Toss walk away in the rain, three different feelings came to her; nausea, from the thought of how Octavia would react; Hurt, from the act itself; and Anger, from how Hail Toss could do such a thing. "She's, she's drunk. It was a mistake. I should..." As they were not far away, Vinyl could see Hail Toss go back into her apartment from where she stood. A small glimmer on the ground caught her eye as she went to turn around, and she levitated it to herself. "Hail's apartment key?" Vinyl looked at the building in contemplation for a moment, then turned and started walking away. As Hail Toss stumbled out of the elevator and over to the door, she went to reach for the keys she kept in her coat, but realized she wasn't wearing it. "Was I carrying my keys? BrickLayer! Open up!" As Hail Toss knocked on the door, the realization of her fault hit her, and she slumped down against the door. Drunk, soaked in rain, and trying to process how badly she had screwed up; not only her life but Vinyl's, Hail Toss gently wept as she curled into a ball against the outside of her apartment door.
Part Fifteen: Just LeaveAs BrickLayer awoke in the morning, she immediately felt the pounding headache of her hangover. "Ugh, damn it, shouldn't've let them rope me into drinkin' all night." BrickLayer practically fell out of bed and walked out to the living room, stretching and yawning as she did so. "Morning Hail Toss." When no response came, BrickLayer stopped in place and looked at the couch. "Hail Toss? Where the hell?" After a quick search around the apartment for any kind of note came up empty, BrickLayer walked over to the door and opened it. When her sleeping roommate rolled over right in front of her, she yelled slightly. "Ah, wh-what? Oh, BrickLayer, Finally." "Just what the hell are you doing sleeping on the floor? You just scared me half to death!" "Sorry, I lost my key on the way home to Vinyl's." "What? Why were ya goin' there?" "She offered me the guest room." "Alright, makes sense. But, if she offered the guest room, why are ya here?" Hail Toss looked down in shame and sighed. "I'll tell you about it over breakfast." "Good morning Tavi." "Morning Bonnie." "How'd you sleep?" "Pretty well. My damn head hurts though, no idea what the hell that's about." "Is this your first night away from Vinyl?" "Technically not. Where's Lyra?" "Still sleeping." Octavia yawned and sat down at a spot at the kitchen table. As she rubbed her sleepy eyes, she looked at the clock. Blurry at first but slowly growing clearer, Octavias eyes widened at the time. "It's one thirty in the afternoon!?" "Oh, yeah." "What the hell happened?" "I guess you wouldn't remember much after you passed out." "Passed out?!" Bon-Bon chuckled and put a plate of waffles on the table in front of Octavia. "Yep. You and Lyra both. I'm used to being the responsible one with Lyra around though." "Well, what happened after that? What happened before that?" "Before, you got upset about not finding a dress, then you walked into a bar, sat down, and before we knew it, you and Lyra were both three shots in." "Three sho-, I don't even like shots! I'm a wine mare myself." "I guess you were really upset." "I don't even remember. Ugh, I hope Vinyl is having a better time than me." "Aw, don't worry, I'm sure she's fine." "You did what?!" WaveMaker's eyes shot open and followed Vinyls quick pace across his living room floor. "I know, I know, I fucked up bad." "I'd say. Well?" Vinyl stopped and looked at WaveMaker for a second. "Well what?" "Well are you gonna call her or what?" "Call her!? I get sick at the thought of telling her, let alone fucking calling her about it!" "Alright, calm down. Just, wait till she gets back, wait for a good moment, and just be honest. You'll get in a hell of a lot less trouble than if she finds out on her own." Vinyl sighed and put a hoof to her head. "Alright, fine, I'll just see what happens. I gotta get going. Thanks for listening." "No problem, good luck Vinyl." "Thanks, I sure as hell need it." Vinyl waved to WaveMaker and closed the door behind her. As she let out a long sigh, she closed her eyes. "Fuck, why did things have to go wrong now?" "Vinyl!" Vinyl looked up to see a familiar, but at this moment rather unnerving face. "Hail Toss, what's going on?" "I seriously need to apologize for last night. It's just, I was drunk, your offer was so nice, I don't know what I was thinking. I'm sorry." Vinyl heaved a sigh and looked away from Hail Toss. She then shook her head and started walking back to her house, not saying a word. "Look, I don't know if there's anything I can do to make it up to you, but at least I'm trying!" "Well you'd better hope there's something you can do that'll make Octavia understand what you did." Hail Toss stopped when Vinyl snapped at her, and when Vinyl reached her doorstep, Hail Toss shuddered when her door slammed. She stood motionless where she stood for a few minutes before wiping the tears from her eyes and walking home. "Well, thank you ladies for the wonderful time, we'll have to do this again soon." "We sure will. Bye Octavia!" "Bye Lyra, bye Bon-Bon!" The three mares waved to each other as Octavia board the train. She took a seat at he window and let out a long sigh ad she closed her eyes and eased into the seat. "It's been a hell of a weekend. I just can't wait to get the hell back home, where everything will be alright." Octavia slept most of the way to Ponyville, and due to the minimal amount of passengers, Octavia was awoken by the conductor. All the way from the station to home, Octavia was smiling and thinking about Vinyl; how she'd rush to greet her at the door, and then they'd kiss, then they'd both sit down and talk about each other's weekend apart. She closed her eyes and pushed the door open. "I'm home sweetie!" After no response came, Octavia opened one eye, then the second, and looked around the room. On the couch was Vinyl, sitting with her front hooves gently resting on her back hooves, staring straight off into nowhere. "We...need to talk." "You did what!?" Octavias eyes were wide opened as she stared at Vinyl. "Look, it was a big mistake, w-we were drunk, I'm sorry!" "You were.. Vinyl, you aren't making this any better for yourself!" "Well I don't know what to say!" "No, you never do, do you? Well let's start with this. You violated my trust just over three months before the wedding, you were drunk, when you just got out of rehab, and didn't think to call me about any of this!?" "I..." Octavia shook her head and sighed. After a few moments of silence, Octavia wiped her eyes and cleared her throat. "I want you to go." "Wh..what? "Out. I want you out of my house tonight." "Tavi... please." "Out. I don't care where. Go sleep at her house for all I care. Just leave." Vinyl hung her hung and sniffles as she turned and opened the door. "I'm sorry." After Octavia heard the door close, she looked down to the floor and wept at a more audible volume. WaveMaker sighed again as he looked out the window. It had been three hours since Vinyl left, and he was worried about how the conversation following Octavias arrival would go. "Ah, I gotta stop worrying. It'll be fine." He laid down on his couch and closed his eyes. He hadn't meant to doze off, but when he lifted his head, it was dark outside. "Shit, I didn't wanna fall asleep!" He shot off the couch and over to the window, tossing open the curtain and looking at the nearby house. No lights were on, and there wasn't any other sign of anypony even being home. "I hope they figured it all out." As he turned around, he gasped at the sight that met him. He saw a vision of himself lying on the couch, limp and lifeless, his pistol laying on the floor. "You're such a great pony. But sometimes, you let your head get the better of you." "What?" WaveMaker looked over to see his late wife standing beside the couch. She smiled at him before a breeze blew her away like a pile pile of dust. "No, no come back! I need you!" You may now, kiss the bride "What the?" WaveMaker turned back to see that his tv was on, replaying the same part of his wedding footage. May now kiss the bride Kiss the bride Kiss the bride "Enough!" Without a moment of question, the gun was in WaveMakers wing, aimed, and the trigger was pulled. Octavia snapped awake in a cold sweat. Strange, Octavia hadn't had a nightmare like that since around the time she first met Vinyl. She looked around the room, but saw nothing. In this moment, the word nothing was hauntingly accurate. The roomed seemed so...empty to Octavia. Every piece of furniture was exactly where it should be, but it felt like there was something missing. Octavia shivered as she stood up and looked out the window at the adjacent house. "Wow, it really isn't the same without Vinyl." She smiled half-heartedly and sighed. Octavia was just about to turn away from the window when she saw a flash of light, accompanied by a muffled gunshot. "WaveMaker!" A light mist of rain was just starting, but Vinyl continued walking down the sidewalk. She shivered slightly and stopped to look at where she was. The sign above her read ManeHatten Correctional Institute Visitors Clinic "Maybe just a quick visit." Vinyl walked up to the door of the small building outside of the prison and pushed it open. After quickly shaking herself off, she walked up to the desk. The mare looked up from her paperwork and smile at Vinyl as she took a seat. "How may I help you ma'am?" "Yes, I'd um, I'd like to visit somepony." "Alright, well who is that?" "Open Mind?" "Ah, yes. Now, if I may, you look awful familiar. Weren't you a big music star once?" "Yeah, a-actually yeah I was." "I thought so, and aren't you with that other one? Octavia was it?" Vinyls heart sunk, and she took in a deep breath. "No. No, you must be mistaken." "Ah shoot. Well, I suppose there are plenty of ponies who look similar. Anyways, right down this hall, you'll be looking for room C7." "Thanks." Vinyl stood up and forced a small smile at the mare behind the desk. She took the door to the left of the desk and started walking down the long, white hallway. Down te way, she could she a guard with a gun in his holster sanding beside one of the doors. "C5, C6" "C7" Vinyl looked up at the guard, who looked back and smiled a little. "Right here madam." The guard pushed open the door to the visitors room and nodded her in. Vinyl walked into the room and sat down on the nearest chair. "He'll be in shortly." As the door closed, Vinyl let out a sigh and looked around the room. On the side opposite of her, there was a pane of what she assumed was one sided glass, and a large metal door. After a few minutes, she her muffled voices on the other side of the door, then it started opening. Seeing that stallion almost made it hard for Vinyl to breathe. He had put Octavia in the hospital, and he just As easily could've killed her, just as well as Octavia. As he sat down with a grin in the chair across from her, Vinyl quickly sorted through her thoughts. "Hello again Vinyl." "Hey." "I take it you're doing well?" "I'm fine. How's prison?" Open Mind chuckled at Vinyl's cocky tone and leaned back in his chair. "It's quite nice, I assure you. Three square meals, I don't have to pay bills. You know, I actually have quite a reputation around here for stabbing your mare-friend. Nothing like the reputation that you ruined!" Open Mind stood up and slammed his cuffed hooves on the table. The guard standing in the corner looked over and clicked off the safety of his gun. "Eh, take it easy pal." "You know, you ruined your reputation yourself, I didn't need you." "See Vinyl, that's what you think. But I can see it in your eyes. You still need help, you're pushing a lot aside." "Oh please, what do you know?" "I know that something's wrong with your relationship. The way you tensed up when I mentioned, Octavia is it? Anyways, I know that, I know that you lied to me about how you're doing, and I know that you probably lied to the secretary." Vinyl just sat and stared at Open Mind. He was right, but how did he know? Did she make her emotions that obvious? "That's crap and you know it." "Keep lying to yourself Vinyl, maybe you'll end up here too. This was....pleasant. However, I feel you need my help. Should you not, then go from here and stay. Should you however require my help, then let's say, same time next week?" Vinyl deeply hesitated as she looked at the slightly outstretched hoof. Her mind was reeling. Then, within seconds, she was shaking Open Mind's hoof. "Deal." Vinyl started walking towards the door that she had come in after Open Mind waved her out. "And don't worry dear, I can help you."
Part Sixteen: This Is A NightmareOctavia put the blanket over WaveMakers shoulders and sat beside him. WaveMaker had a class of whiskey in between his hooves, and it shook in his grasp. "Are you alright now?" WaveMaker drank the whole glass and set it down on the table in front of him. "I'm...I-I-I'm not. I'm not. I just..." Octavia looked at WaveMaker. At the tears in his bloodshot eyes, his tangled mane, his shaky hooves. He wasn't fine. "Look, you're going to get through this." "How? How? It's so fucking hard, I just can't-" "WaveMaker." WaveMaker looked over at Octavia with tears now rolling down his face. "It'll be alright. You just have to move on. For your own health. Look at what almost happened. Or rather, look what did happen." Octavia motioned towards the television that had a small hole near the center of the screen. WaveMaker let out a long sigh as he turned to face forwards again. "You're right. You're absolutely right. Fuck, this is a nightmare." "Don't worry, I can help you through this. I went through something similar when my agent was killed. We had worked together for years, it was a heartbreak. I know this is far worse, but I just want you to know that I know what I'm talking about." "Thank you. You've been so helpful to me." The two smiled at each other for a moment, then silence ensued. "So, h-how did things go with Vinyl?" Octavia sighed, and tears came to her eyes. "We...I'm...she's elsewhere tonight." "You mean?" "Yes, I kicked her out. What the hell was I supposed to do?" "I figured you two would work things out. You've been through so much shit together, I figured something like this wouldn't matter that much." Octavia stared at WaveMaker for a moment, but then her glare softened, and her vision went to the floor. "You're right. I cant just let this come between us. I gotta find her." Octavia stood up and started towards the door. "You'll be alright?" "Yeah, I'll be fine. I really hope you two can figure things out." "I just hope I can find her, the rest should be easy now." "Good luck." "Thanks." Octavia closed the door behind her, quickly galloping towards the inner city. Having no concrete ideas of where Vinyl could be, Octavia aimlessly wandered through the city, occasionally calling her name again. "Vinyl!" And again. "Vinyl!" And again. "Vinyl?" The cry got more and more empty and dissconnected, as Octavia slowly started losing hope. Octavia stopped walking, and simply stood where we was, outside ManeHatten General. The rain was heavier now, and Octavia was hanging on her last thread of hope. "Vinyl!" As the cry rang out, Octavia stood motionless and waited. After what seemed like hours of waiting, the voice Octavia had been hoping for called to her. "Octavia?" Octavia spun around, and was then standing just meters away from Vinyl. "Vinyl! I'm so sorry! I overreacted, it was silly of me to think that something this petty could ruin our relationship!" Vinyl said nothing. To Octavia, it was unclear if Vinyl was truly crying or if it was just the rain. "Please. Just come back. We can work this out, we need to work this out." The white mares gaze went to the sidewalk upon which she stood. After a long, breathless moment, Vinyl turned, and started walking. "Vinyl please!" Vinyl continued walking, not responding to Octavias plea. "Please Vinyl, I love you!" As the words reached Vinyls ears, she stopped. A small amount of hope rose in Octavias heart as Vinyl turned her head to look back at her over her shoulder. "You, love me?" "Yes, yes of course I do! I don't know how you feel, but I certainly love you." "Would, would you be surprised if I said that I loved you?" "Honestly... yes." Vinyl scoffed a little and turned fully around to face Octavia. "How could you think that? I've been by your side for all the shit we've been through as much as I physically could have been! How could you think that I don't love you?" "Well, neither of us have ever said it to each other." Both mares froze and remained locked in each other's gazes. Vinyl took a few steps closer to Octavia, and Octavia could swear she started smiling. "I, I guess we haven't." "No. I actually can't think of any times we have." "Well, I guess we gotta change that?" Vinyl was now within hooves reach of Octavia, and their eyes remained locked onto each others. "Octavia, I love you." "I love you too Vinyl, with all my heart." They both smiled at each other, and with seconds were wrapped in each other's hooves. The embrace lasted for no more than a minute, but it was almost as if time had slowed down for the two. "Vinyl, please, let's never put ourselves through something like this again." "Deal." Vinyl leaned in and kissed Octavia quickly on the lips, filling Octavias heart with hope again. "Well, suppose we should get home then, before one of us catches our death out here." WaveMaker had at this point moved from the living room to his bedroom, and was laying on the bed staring at the ceiling. There was a half-empty bottle of whiskey in his hoof, and three empty ones on the floor. "I tell ya. It was better that way." He threw the bottle to the floor after draining it. He rolled over onto his stomach and buried his face in the pillow. His ears perked up when he heard a few creaks coming from elsewhere in the house. "Who's there?" No response came, only another series of creaks, louder this time. "Look, the TV's broken, there's nothing good to steal here." Again, nothing in response but louder creaks. "Oh for for love of.." He rolled off the bed onto his hooves and started walking towards the stairs. When he reached them, he looked down at the lower floor with a questioning look. "What the?" He quickly fumbled down the stairs and wobbled into the living room. That image was back. His limp, lifeless body sitting on the couch, blood streaked through his mane and onto the couch. The ghostly version of his late wife standing beside the couch staring at the corpse showed no emotion at all. A glimmer from the table caught WaveMakers eye, and his heart sank when he saw what it was. The pistol was sitting on top of a CD case, aiming towards the couch. He put a hoof to his head as the pace of his breathing quickened. "No, I'm not gonna!" He picked up the gun and ran up to the attic. When he found the safe, he threw the gun into it, and ran downstairs with it. Outside, in the pouring rain, he found the shovel that Skyline Breezer had used for gardening and threw the safe down. He breathed heavily as he dug the hole as deep as his quickly draining strength would let him. When he hit a patch that he couldn't dig through, he tossed the shovel aside and threw the safe into the hole. Using the last of his strength, he tossed the dirt back into the hole, then collapsed against the house. The rain still poured, mixing with the tears that ran down his face. "Well, that was a good movie." "Yeah, I've always liked it." Vinyl stood up and started walking towards the kitchen to empty the kernels from the dish of popcorn I to the garbage. Octavia stood up with a serious face and looked at Vinyl. "Vinyl, we need to talk." Vinyl put the bowl down and walked back to the couch. "Alright, what is it?" "Sit." Both mares sat down, and Octavia sighed. "So, we need to talk...about..." "About what?" "About...uh.. WaveMaker!" "WaveMaker? O...k, what about him?" "He's been acting strange recently." "That's not what you wanted to tell me is it?" Octavias face started turning red, and she was about to start speaking the truth when the phone started singing. Vinyl gave Octavia a suspicious look as she went to answer the phone. "Hello?" "V-Vinyl?" "WaveMaker? Hi, what's up?" "Can you two come over for a minute? I think we should all talk." "Uh..y-yeah. We'll be right over." "Thanks." Vinyl hung up the phone and shrugged as she looked at Octavia. "Ok, fair enough." "What?" "He was acting weird, he wants us to go over so we can talk." "Strange, that's not really like him. Oh well, must be something important." "Thank you both for coming." "Its no trouble, what seems to be the matter?" WaveMaker continued pacing and looking at the floor, but sighed and spoke. "Octavia, you know what happened. I have since discarded the item, and I thought I could move on. I don't know why, but it's still happening, but nothing's there. I feel as if, I only have one reasonable solution before I decide which therapist to go to." "What's that?" WaveMaker sighed and stopped pacing. As he turned face forwards, he looked up. "I think I need to move." Vinyl and Octavia both gasped at the statement. "Wh-what? Move? Where?" "Vanhoover." "Vanhoover!?" "That's across the map man, why there of all places?" "I got a good group of friends over there, little bit of disconnected family. Look, I'm not sure yet, it's just a thought." Nothing was said for a while after WaveMakers statement. After another heavy sigh, WaveMaker started walking towards the staircase. "Look, things sure as hell haven't been easy lately. As much as I'd love to stay here, I don't think I can. So much just...reminds me. It would be a relief to get away from it all, even just for a bit. No matter what happens, I'll always remember how much you did for me." Without saying a word, not even one asking the mares to leave. They took upon themselves to leave a few awkwardly silent moments after they heard a door slam. When they were back in their own house, both mares flopped down on separate pieces of furniture, as they were used to doing at this point. "You think he'll actually move?" "I don't know Vinyl, I just don't know." Vinyl sighed and closed her eyes, but had little time to settle in before the phone rang. "Really? What now?" "We need to unplug that phone Vinyl." Vinyl practically fell off the couch and levitated the phone to her ear. "Hello?" "Vinyl?" "Hail Toss, hey, what's up?" "Is, is Octavia there?" "Y-yeah she is, why?" "Great, could you put me on speaker please?" "Uh, sure." Vinyl walked over to the machine and pressed the speaker button. She set the phone down and motioned for Octavia to come over. "Alright, we're here, what's going on?" "First off, Octavia, I'm so so sorry about what happened, it was a huge mistake that never should've happened." "Well, I guess Vinyl and I have made peace with it. Sure, apology accepted." "Aw, that's such a relief to hear. Alright, second. Vinyl?" "Yeah?" "How'd you like to go to Vanhoover with me?" "What?" "Don't worry, it's just for a couple days. There's some stuff I need to get back from a couple old friends of mine, I sure would appreciate the company." Vinyl looked at the phone for a moment without saying a word, then suddenly, she perked up. "Actually Hail, I don't think I can." "Oh? Why not?" "Well, y'know, with the wedding being so soon, we got a lot to do, I actually think we'll be in Ponyville." "Oh, th-that's understandable." "But you know, I think I know somepony who would want to come with." "Really? Who?" "Just come over whenever you're heading outg tomorrow, we'll all ride to Ponyville, then you two can go do what you need to." "Alright, that sounds fine. Thanks Vinyl, bye you two." "Bye." "Bye." As Vinyl hung up the phone and started walking to the bedroom, Octavia noticed the smirk on her face. "Did, did you just?" "Kill two birds with one stone? Yep. But we can let them figure that out themselves."
Part Seventeen: So, You'll Be Joining Me In Vanhoover?"So, run me through this again? What exactly is it that makes this plan of yours so genius?" Vinyl put her hoof that was reaching for the doorknob down and turned back to Octavia. "I told you already, Hail Toss and WaveMaker are going to go ManeHatten, and we're going to go to Ponyville, right?" "Yes, go on." "So, while we're doing whatever, wedding stuff I assume, they'll be going to Vanhoover and getting to know each other. Bird one. Bird two is that Hail Toss will be going to get her stuff and we don't have to go." "Yeah, not sure I understand bird one." "WaveMaker said it's been hard for him since Skyline died. Maybe this'll help him, move on." Octavia made a questioning face at first, but shrugged and walked over to the door. "I hope you're right." Octavia opened the door and held it for Vinyl,who walked through it. As she stood on the porch, Vinyl sighed and looked off into the distance. "Hail Toss said she'd meet us at the train station. Just don't make it obvious that we're, you know." "Know what?" Vinyl and Octavia both jumped when WaveMaker spoke. "Jeez, you really snuck up." "Sorry. Anyways, we ready to go?" "Yes, let's go." The three walked off towards the train station, though none of them said anything. Without making it obvious, Octavia tried to take a full look at WaveMaker. He looked awful; his mane was ruffled, his coat was dull and unkempt, and she swore she could smell alcohol on his breath. When they arrived at the train station, Hail Toss turned and smiled at them. "You made it! I was starting to wonder. Who's your friend?" "WaveMaker, nice to meet you." "Oh, I remember you. It's good to see you again." Hail Toss met WaveMakers outreached hoof with her own and shook it gently. Vinyl smiled and leaned back to whisper to Octavia. "Told ya." "Don't jump the gun, nothing's even happened yet." "You two ready to go?" "Yes, let's go." The four boarded the train and all sat down at a table near the rear of the car. "Waiter, a bottle of Amaretto and four glasses please. I'm assuming you ladies are all fine with that?" "WaveMaker, that's so generous, you don't have to do that." "Its no trouble Octavia, it's my treat." "Hm, free booze, I think this guy's alright." The table let out collective laughter at Hail Toss' joke. When the waiter came back with the drinks, WaveMaker filled all the glasses as raised his own. "A toast. To what will hopefully be a good day." "Cheers." The ponies at the table drank their drinks and WaveMaker started on a second round. "So what's the plan for you two in Ponyville?" "Well, I'm going to try my hoof at getting this one to actually try on a dress." "Hey." Hail Toss and WaveMaker chuckled as Octavia turned and flashed a mock smile at Vinyl. "Yeah, well, good luck with that Octavia." "Yeah, I don't know if Vinyl's even capable of being formal." "Hail, you're my friend, but I will hit you." The table collectively burst into laughter at Vinyls 'threat'. Vinyl and Octavia both took sips from their glasses, and Vinyl shot Octavia a 'my plan is working' look. "So, WaveMaker, tell me, what made you come on this trip?" "Well, I was actually just invited by Vinyl and Octavia." "Oh. So, you'll be joining me in Vanhoover?" "Yes, yes I will." "Have you ever been?" "No, but I've been thinking about going." "Ah, it's lovely there. The train ride from ManeHatten to Ponyville to Vanhoover takes a while though, so it may be dark when we get there." "I'm sure that's fine." "You know, you two should consider honeymooning there, it's a super romantic city, especially the winter." "Well, I have always wanted to go there, Vinyl?" "I've heard that it's nice there." "Well? You two gonna go?" "Lets just get to the wedding first Hail Toss." A while after the train had departed from Ponyville, WaveMaker was sitting in the caboose, staring out the back door at the stars. "Hey." He jumped a little when the soft, accented voice came from behind him. "Hey. What're you doing?" "Oh, I just figured, why fall asleep when I'll have to wake up again in a little while." "That's true I guess." "What about you? "I just came out here to look at the stars I guess." WaveMaker sighed heavily before walking out through the door and onto the back open part of the caboose. Only a few seconds after he had put his right front hoof on the guard rail, he heard the door open and shut. A dark purple hoof placed itself on the railing near his, and in his peripheral vision, he saw Hail Toss. "I wish there were an easier way to travel, trains have always made me really nervous. I'd never really even have the courage, let alone the will to stand up on a moving train. Too long a flight to VanHoover though." "Yeah, it is. Especially if you have to carry something." "True." For a moment, both ponies stood motionless, staring off into the night sky. The train shuddered, and Hail Toss lost her balance slightly. She threw her hooves onto the rail and let put a few short, panicked breaths. "That's what I'm talking about. I never liked standing on trains, I would always just lay down and just wait for the ride to be over." It took her a few seconds after she stopped talking to see that she had tightly wrapped her hoof around WaveMakers. "Sorry." "No, it's fine." Hail Toss pulled away from the slightly awkward moment and turned her head to face the sky again. "So, who are you getting this stuff from?" "I'm not." "Wait, what?" Hail Toss sighed and looked at WaveMaker. "I'm not picking anything up. I just needed some time away from ManeHatten. So much bad stuff has happened there man, I just need a breather." "Oh, so, what will you be doing in Vanhoover?" "I don't know. Just look around I guess. Tomorrow's gonna be a long day. Im sorry you got dragged out here." "No, it's no problem. I was, actually thing about moving out there myself." "Really? Why is that?" WaveMaker let out a long breath, and the tear on his eye made Hail Toss remember the conversation her and Vinyl had. "Ah, I see. I'm, so sorry by the way. I heard about what's happened." "It's fine, it's just, it's just hard to move on. I thought maybe a change of scenery would do me some good." "But, what about Vinyl and Octavia? I mean, you have them back in ManeHatten." "I guess, yeah." Hail Toss looked back to the sky, and a deep silence overtook the night air. Hail Toss even jumped a little when WaveMaker started speaking. "Hail Toss, can I ask you a question?" "Sure, go ahead." "If you always hated walking on trains, what made you come out here?" For a moment, Hail Toss was at a loss for words. WaveMaker didn't look at her when he asked the question, but turned to see the slight blush on her face after the silence returned. "I..I really don't know." WaveMaker chuckled a little bit and turned back to the tracks that were quickly disappearing into the night behind them. "Well, look at it this way. At least you seem to have gotten over your fear of walking on a moving train." "Yeah, heh, I guess I did." "Look at that, a train ride where you didn't fall asleep." "Ah shut up." Vinyl and Octavia both chuckled as they departed from the train station and started towards Lyra and Bon-Bons house. "So, what's the plan here again?" "I'm going to try my hardest to get you into a wedding dress." "Ha, good luck." "Oh, you think I won't? I bet you'll be dancing around the boutique by the end of tomorrow." "Yeah right. I think I'd actually pay you for doing that." "Well, you're savings fund." As they approached Lyra and Bon-Bons house, they could hear muffled shouting, and stopped. "What's going on in there?" "Beats me, I've never heard Lyra and Bon-Bon shout before, honestly didn't think they had it in them." Vinyl and Octavia stood beside the house and listened to the muffled argument for a while, but finally, it stopped. Octavia peeked around the side of the house to see Lyra shutting the front door and storming off. "Wow, must've been something quite horrible to make one of them walk out on each other." "They ever do this before?" "No, never. They have little spats, like any couple would, but nothing where they'd shout." As they watched Lyra eventually dissapear into the distance, Octavia sighed. Suddenly, her ears perked up, and she turned to face Vinyl. "Plan. It's a little cheesy, kinda cartooney, but I think it'll work." "Alright, what is it?" "OK, I'm going to go talk to Bon-Bon, maybe I can figure out what's going on." "Well, what am I gonna do." "If I know Lyra, and I'm sure I do, she's at the bar just down the road. Go there, and talk to her. Don't make it seem like we're setting this up." "Alright, I'll try." "Good luck." "You too." The two shared a kiss before Vinyl quickly ran off towards the bar. Octavia waiting a little while before walking to the door and knocking. "Who is it?" "It's Octavia." After a few seconds, Bon-Bon opened the door, and Octavia smiled at her. "You're in town? What's going on?" "Oh, not much, Vinyl and I were-" "Where's Vinyl?" "Oh, we had a bit of a rough train ride and she went to go get a drink." "Wait a minute, are you trying to set something up?" "What?" "I can tell what you're doing Octavia, we've been friends for too long, and you're a bad liar." As Bon-Bon frowned, she went to close the door. Octavia quickly put her hoof out to stop it. "Ok, fine, but, what did Lyra do that made you so upset?" "I don't wanna talk about it." Bon-Bon forced the door closed, shutting Octavia out of the house. Octavia frowned as she also looked and saw the inside blinds quickly close. "Damn it all." "Another one." "Alright Ly, just watch it, ya goin' pretty quick here." The bartender walked away from the green unicorns seat and went to get her her next drink. Lyra heard the bell above the door ring, and after a few seconds, saw a white unicorn sit next to her. "Hey, Vinyl?" Vinyl turned to face Lyra and smiled. "Hey Lyra, what're you doing here?" "I was gonna ask you that, at least I live in this town. Where's Octavia?" "She went to go visit somepony. Doctor something or other." "Ah, Doctor Whooves probably. Here, let me but you a drink, what is it?" "I-I shouldn't." "Oh come on, just one drink." Vinyl took in a deep breath, and then shrugged and blew it out. "Ya know, why not. Just a shot of rum." "There you go. Bartender, shot of rum along with mine!" After the unicorn behind the bar sat the two mares' drinks in front of them, Lyra levitated hers up in between them. "A toast, to friends." "To friends." The two clinked their glasses together and drank, Vinyl completing her shot and Lyra downing almost half her glass in one go. Not long after, once again the bell at the door chimed, and Octavia sat down beside Vinyl. "Well, mission abort. Lyra, what the hell did you do?" "A glass of red wine down here please?" "What do you mean what did I do?" "Bon-Bon is more upset than I've seen her in years, and I just figured you twongot into an argument about something one of you did." "Well, I didn't technically do anything." "Technically?" "Well, it's more what I didn't do." "Oh good lord, let's get a booth before talking about this." The three mares moved over to a circular booth in the corner of the bar, and the bartender placed a glass of wine in front of Octavia. "Vinyl, no more for you, you're recovering." "Fine." "Anyways, what happened?" "Well, she brought something up that I just wasn't ready to talk about." "Which was?" "Marriage. It's not that I wouldn't want to, it's just, I froze up when I heard it from her." "Lets get this out, do you love her?" "Yes." "Do you want to spend your life with her?" "Yes." "Is their anypony else you would want to spend more time with than her?" "No, no there isn't." "Well?" Lyra sat and looked at Vinyl for a second, then her gaze went to the table. "Jeez, you're right. I, I gotta tell her that I feel this way." "Maybe not now though, you seem kinda drunk Lyra." "Tavi, I'm fine." "Lyra, just stay here, we'll get this sorted out in the morning." "Fine."
Part Eighteen: It Isn't ManeHatten That's Getting To MeAs the train slowed and eventually came to a stop, WaveMaker and Hail Toss both opened their eyes slowly. Hail Toss' were the first to shoot open when she saw how close WaveMakers red, white, and blue mane was to her. WaveMakers eyes soon shot open and he flinched backwards, falling off the bed that they were both on. Both ponies stood up and looked around the train car room. "Nothing happened, right?" "No, I don't think so." "We should go?" "Let's." "Ok, you first." WaveMaker held the room door open and Hail Toss quickly walked through it. Most of the other ponies had already exited the train, and the two quickly followed. There was a long awkward silence as they walked through the streets of Vanhoover, until Hail Toss heard her stomach growl. "Hey, wanna stop somewhere to grab a bite?" "Sure, you know any places?" "I can think of one, it's pretty good, not too far either." "Alright, lead the way." Hail Toss nodded to WaveMaker and turned down a road towards the restraint she spoke of. It took them a while to get there, and until they sat down inside, it was an unfortunately long, awkward silence. "Can I get you started with some drinks?" "Whaddya say, alcoholic or no?" "Little early isn't it Hail?" "Eh, guess you're right. Iced tea please." "Excellent, and you sir?" "Just the same." "Alright, I'll return with those soon, here are your menus." As the waiter walked away, Hail Toss scoffed slightly. "What's that for?" "Ugh, I forgot how much I actually hated these kinds of places. Everyone's so snobby, it's too fancy, and the food isn't even great." "I thought you said it was pretty good?" "Well, it's alright, but it just kinda gets ruined by the downsides. Don't'cha think?" "I guess you're right." Hail Toss sighed and propped her head up with her hooves as she looked out the window. "It's just, after being in ManeHatten for so long, I've grown so attached. I guess I get homesick easily." "Ah. I see." "Here are your drinks, and what may I get you today?" Hail Toss looked at WaveMaker and smiled for a second before pulling a few bits from her purse and putting them on the table. "Actually, we've lost our appetites. Thank you for the drinks. C'mon." Hail Toss stood up and started towards the door. WaveMaker stood up and shrugged at the waiter, but then followed. "So..that was?" "We're ditching that place, let's just get something here." WaveMaker looked up at the fast food building that they were at. "Here?" "Yeah, I like this place. My ex kinda hated fast food, but on the few solo trips I made out here, I kinda bonded with the guys who run the show. C'mon, they got some of the best burgers in town." "Well, can't argue with that." The two entered the restaurant and almost immediately, a tall earth pony with a blonde mane and a deep blue coat walked over. "Hail Toss! You're back in town!" "Hey Killswitch! Still keeping the place shop shape?" "Oh, you know it. Who's your friend?" "WaveMaker, nice to meet you." "Nice to meet you too. So what brings y'all up to Vanhoover?" "Oh, I just needed a little break from ManeHatten, and he came with me for the same reason." "Huh. I see. Well, enjoy your stay here." "I'm sure we will." "Hey, is that crabby old bat still working here?" "Hell no, ThunderBolt and I got that crotchety old bastards resignation letter two weeks ago." "That's great! ThunderBolt, he still around?" "Fuck, that boy's been everywhere twice, who knows where he is now." "True, true. Well, guess we should eat then." "Yeah, take a seat, I'll get the menus." "Excellent." Hail Toss and WaveMaker sat down at a booth close to the kitchen, and WaveMaker chuckled. "You really do have quite a history here." "Yeah, these guys are pretty nice to me. Then again, I think they're just nice to everypony. Might be a Vanhoover thing." "Well, if we're stuck here all of today, I sure hope it's a Vanhoover thing." "Amen to that." After a few seconds, Killswitch returned and placed a couple menus down on the table. "What drinks can I get ya?" "Iced tea for the both of us. Right?" "Yes." Hail Toss smiled, and Killswitch nodded. "Awesome, I'll get right on it." As he walked away, Hail Toss looked back to WaveMaker. "The ice tea here is marvelous. Good choice may I say." "Well, I figured, that's what we ordered before." "Well, ice tea is my favourite." "Oh, that's good." Killswitch placed the drinks on the table and pulled the pencil from behind his ear, placing the tip gently against the pad of paper. "What can I get you?" "You first." "Uh, I guess I'll just get the hayburger and fries." "Same here." "Two hayburgers and fries coming right up." Killswitch walked away and started talking to someone else in the kitchen. WaveMaker sighed and leaned back in the booth. "Something wrong?" "Well.. can, can I tell you something?" "Sure, go ahead." "I was, kinda thinking about moving out here." "What? Really?" "Yeah. Shit's been pretty rough for me back in ManeHatten, I needed a break. Was thinking about moving here but, I'm already homesick just thinking about it." "Well, what is it about ManeHatten that you miss so much?" WaveMaker took a deep breath in and held it for a long moment. He hadn't thought about any specific reasons why he loved ManeHatten so much. "I..I don't know." "Well is it the food? Shopping, sights? All the pretty mares walking around?" Hail Toss chuckled a little bit at her joke, but WaveMaker didn't move. After moving his lips to a word Hail Toss couldn't make out, WaveMaker shot his gaze to Hail Toss. "It isn't ManeHatten that's getting to me." "Back again darlings? Oh! And is this the other lovely bride?" "Yes, that's her." "Lovely, are we picking out the next dress today?" "We'll be trying." "Alright, if you could follow me into the back room." Rarity walked through the doorway to the back of the boutique. Vinyl and Octavia starte d following, but not before Derpy, Lyra, and Bon-Bon came through to door. "Oh, you all made it. I see that you two have made up have you?" "Yes, we're all better now. Not to say that Lyra won't do something wrong later down the road of course." All but Lyra laughed at Bon-Bons joke, and then they walked into the back of the boutique. Vinyl looked around and saw a manniquenn with a wedding dress on it sitting alone in a corner. "Uh, Tavi?" "Yes sweetie?" "I'm gonna go look around." "Oh, alright." The two quickly kissed each other on the lips, and Vinyl started towards the dress. It was a simple sheath dress with a decorative pattern embroidered along the side. Strangely, it appealed to Vinyl. She wasn't sure why, she hated the whole girly-girl dressy mare act in total. But something about this dress was just so... "Perfect." "Admiring my work dear?" Vinyl snapped out of her slight trance and looked up at Rarity, who was smiling and walking towards her. "Uh, y-yeah." "I had quite the time with this one. The embroidering was just a pain in the flank to get perfect." "I bet." Vinyl quickly looked around, then leaned in closer to Rarity. "How much?" "Well, it's no more expensive then some in here, I'll say that. However, since I was swamped for time after completing it, I never put a definitive price on it." "Well how much do these things usually go for?" "Well, the highest I've sold was ten thousand bits. But, this one I'll put and six and a half thousand." "Are you serious?" "Completely." "Jeez." Vinyl shook her head as she looked at the dress more. She looked around the room again and then leaned in closer to Rarity. "Look, you do payment over time?" "Yes. We have a few plans." "I'll put two and a half grand down in this now, I'll get the rest to you. One thousand bi-monthly work?" "The thousand a month is actually one of the plans we have. So you are taking the dress?" "Yeah." "Splendid darling! Fitting rooms are just over to the right there." Vinyl gulped as she looked at where Rarity was pointing. "Could you actually do me a favour please?" "What is it?" "Could you distract them? I don't want them to see it." "Oh, no problem. I'm quite used to having to do that actually. Be quick though, I don't quite know how long they'll wait." "I'll try." Rarity quickly ran off to the part of the store where the rest of the mares where. After a few seconds, Vinyl, with the wedding dress, ran to the changerooms. Once inside, she sat down and sighed. "This sucks. I hate this." Vinyl sighed and listened to the chatter happening outside the dessing room. She heard Octavia laugh, and she smiled a little. "Well, I guess it's worth suffering just a little." As Hail Toss and WaveMaker got off the train, Hail Toss stopped and cleared her throat. "Uh, WaveMaker?" "Yeah?" "Would you care to, come over for a bit? Maybe have a some coffee? Tell me why you ran out of the restaraunt and didn't say anything to me until now?" WaveMaker stopped and turned his full body to face Hail Toss. He sighed and walked towards her. "Look, I'm sure I'll find a eay through this by myself." "But what if you don't? That actually seems to be your problem." "Excuse me?" Hail Toss sae the anger on WaveMakers face and thought about not saying it, but sye needed to. It would benefit him, not just her. "You never let anyoje help you. Everytime you have to deal with something, its always alone." "You know what?" WaveMaker tried to put on a tough look, but Hail Toss could see in his eyes that she was right. WaveMaker huffed and started walking away, and Hail Toss let him. Hail Toss threw her bag down onto the floor and flopped onto the couch in her apartment. BrickLayer was sitting in the chair next to her, and looked over at her friend. "Somethin' the matter sweetheart?" Hail Toss raised her head up to speak, but the phone rang before she could say anything. "Don't worry, I'll get it. Hello? Yeah, she is. Ok. It's for you Hail." Hail Toss sighed and picked herself up off the couch. BrickLayer passed the phone to Hail Toss and sat back down. "Hello?" "Hey, Hail Toss?" It was WaveMaker. Hail Toss could hear the emotion and pain in his voice, and could only imagine what he had put himself through before calling. "WaveMaker? What's going on?" "I think I'd like to..take you up on that offer, from before. You.. you were right, I try to do this myself too much. Could you maybe come over here so we can talk?" "Yah sure, I'll be right over." "Thank you, I'll see you then." "Yep, there in a flash. Bye." Hail Toss hung up the phone and quickly started towards the door. "Where are you off too now?" "WaveMakers. Finally he realizes he needs somponys help. I'm just glad I can be there." "Well, good luck." "Thanks." As Hail Toss left the apatment, BrickLayer chuckled to herself. "Mare ain't as smart as she looks. Still too damn to realize how smitten she is with him." "Well, another unsuccesful trip to Ponyville." "I really do think you're being too difficult with the whole wedding thing." "Sorry, it's just that I hate the whole frilly thing. Getting all dressed up and acting proper isn't my idea of a fun time." "Well it's only for one night Vinyl, surely you can suffer through just one night. For me?" Octavia made a joke sad face and Vinyl chuckled. Then she remembered something, and stopped. "That, that reminds me. I still got one favour I gotta call in." "What for?" "It's actually something for our wedding. An old friend of mine owes me like two and a half thousand bits, I'm gonna go call it in." "Oh. Well alright, just be careful, ManeHatten sure gets dangerous at night it seems." "Don't worry sweetie, I'll be fine. Love you." "Love you too." The couple quickly kissed, then Vinyl started off towards ManeHatten Correctional Institute. She had a small amount of hope in her heart as she softly repeated the last words she had heard from him. "I can help you. I can help you. I can help you." She entered the building and was immediately greeted by the same receptionist fom the last time. "Vinyl is it? He's been waiting for you. Same room." "Thanks." Vinyl quickly made her way down the hallway, and saw a guard standing by the door to the room she had been in before. He nodded to her and opened the door, following her in once sje was through. He closed the door and made his way through the one on the opposite side of the room as Vinyl sat down. Letting out a long breath, Vinyl tried to organize her thoughts. She had a few things she knew she needed to get out now, that she should've the first time, that she may never get off her chest if she didn't say them now. Minutes after minutes passed, but the door in front of her remained closed. Nearing the half-hour mark, she started to worry. A few times she heard voices, but nothing more than that. How long does it take to get that sick fuck out of his cell? Vinyl let out another sigh just as the guard from before came and stood in at the doorway. She stood up, looking at the guards solemn face. "Miss Scratch, I'm here to inform you that Open Mind has just been found dead in his cell." Vinyls mouth opened in shock. He was really dead? Her emotions were conflicting on a strange level. On one side, he was dead, and out of her life, never to torment her or Octavia again. However, what he had promised last time she came here was now gone. She had to take a seat again, to collect her thoughts. In her confusion, Vinyl had failed to notice the second pony that had walked in and gave something to the guard. The guard placed what looked like a letter down on the table, and Vinyl took it in one hoof. "Miss Scratch, it seems he left this for you, but we ask you to leave the facility at once." Vinyl shakily stood up, gulped, and nodded to the guard before she turned and quickly walked out of the room. A blank, expressionless look remained on her face as she quickly left the building. Once outside, Vinyl fell with her back against the brick wall and opened the letter. Dear Vinyl You didn't think it would be that easy did you? Perhaps you really are dumber than you look. Well, either way, thanks for showing up, but it looks like you'll be dealing with your problems stuck in you own head. Sincerely, Open Mind
Chapter Nineteen: What's Wrong?A Little More Than 3 Months Later Doctor Whooves awoke, his fluttering eyes adjusting to the beams of light poking in through the shutters. His ears twitched sharply, then he closed his eyes and sighed. He instinctively made his way to the bathroom and held Derpys mane back. "Thanks sweetie." "It's no problem sweetheart. The morning sickness really did come back didn't it?" "Yeah." "Of all the cases where it never returns and it just happened to-" "Doc." "Right, sorry." As Derpy pushed herself up and away from the toilet, Doctor Whooves assisting her. Derpy wiped her mouth with the back of her hoof and looked in the mirror. "I look awful." "You look fine sweetie, don't worry." "But think about all the pictures that are going to be taken today! I don't want to look horrible for their wedding photos." "You won't look horrible dear, you always look beautiful." Doctor Whooves wrapped his hoof around Derpy's abdomen and nuzzled his cheek into hers. Derpy blushed and closed her eyes as she nuzzled back. "What would I do without you Doc?" "I ask myself the same question about you dear. Now come on, we have plenty of time before the wedding, you should lie down for a while." "So, why again are you freaking out Twilight?" Spike set the multiple boxes he was carrying down and looked at the princess with a confused face. "I already told you Spike, I've been requested as a minister at a wedding in ManeHatten and I've never done that before!" "A wedding? You can do that?" "Yes. As a part of my princesship, I was told that I am legally qualified to marry two ponies." "I never knew that. So when is the wedding?" "It's today! That's why I'm freaking out, Spike!" "Just calm down, what do you even have to do?" "Basically I have to give a little speech about love and marriage and stuff, then I say whether or not they've written vows, then I just say that they can kiss." "And the problem is?" Twilight stopped suddenly and turned back to Spike. "I, I guess there isn't really one. I've been to weddings, I know what to say, I guess actually running the wedding was just getting to me." "Also, why do you have so many freaking bags if you're only going to be there for one day?" Spike lost his footing carrying the suitcases and fell to the floor, the suitcases falling on top of him. Twilight laughed and walked over to him. "Here, let me help you with those." "So, what do you think?" Octavia gently set the book she had written her vows in down and looked at Lyra and Bon-Bon. Both mares looked at each other, keeping their mildly shocked expressions on their faces. "Wow Octavia, I didn't know you had that much of a poetic side." "Well, I'd like to say that it was easy, but it sure as hell wasn't. I wonder if Vinyl had this hard a time with it." "Ah don't worry Tavi, I'm sure she wrote something beautiful." "I wish I had a little more faith in her than I do now. I don't know if either of you know this, but Vinyl isn't exactly the 'lovey dovey romance stuff' kind of mare. She's sweet, but not exactly that sweet." "Well, either way, I'm sure she'll have something nice." "True. She has said quite a few things that surprised me. Hm, maybe she'll surprise me again." Octavia sat down at the table and drank some water out of the cup in front of her. "Well, there's still a lot of time before the wedding, what do you want to do?" Octavia let out a long nreath amd ran through her thoughts. "Well, I guess since Vinyl and I aren't allowed to see each other until the wedding, we should maybe go pick up the dresses?" "Sounds good." The three mares stood up simultainiously and walked out of the house. On the walk there, a thought came to Octavia and she stopped. "Wait, what if Vinyl is already there?" "Please Tavi, you really think Vinyl would be jumping the gun?" "Bonnie's right, I really don't think we have to worry about that." "Maybe you girls are right. Vinyl did say long ago that she really isn't one for the whole dressy thing. We don't have anything to worry about." "Well?" Hail Toss stepped back from the low table Vinyl was on and looked at WaveMaker. "What are you looking at ne for? She asked you." "C'mon, I'm asking you both." "Well, considering I've never seen you like this, I'd say you look weird. But from a non-bias point of view, I'd say you look great." "Really? Hail Toss?" "You look amazing." Vinyl looked at herself in the full-length mirror to her side and smiled. She looked so...not herself. The dress, the veil, her mabe being straightened down instead of it's usual spike. It was a strange feeling, but it felt almost kind of nice. "Yeah, yeah, I guess I do." WaveMaker and Hail Toss smiled at each other and bumped hooves as Vinyl turned and observed herself in the mirror. "Alright beauty queen, we still got time before the wedding, what should we do?" "You have your vows written yet?" "Uh, I may or may-" "She forgot." "Yep." "Oh screw you both." WaveMaker sighed and signaled for the mares to follow him to the dining room table. He sat down, followd by Hail Toss, who had grabbed a pen and some paper, then Vinyl. "So, you know how to write these?" "Not really. I haven't been to a wedding since I was a filly. Never had to." "Alright, well, ever seen any romance movies with marriage in it?" "Maybe, but not that I can remember." Hail Toss laughed a little, while WaveMaker tilted his head back, eyes closed, and sighed. He opened an eye to look at the clock, and sighed again as he stood up. "We got time, I'll find you a highlights reel or something." "So, are you ready?" Octavia took in a deep breath before responding to Rarity's question. "I'm...very, very nervous." "Well that's natural darling, it is said to be the biggest day in a mare's life." Octavia's breathing was progressively getting quicker and more shallow as Rarity spoke, and her vision started getting slightly fuzzy. "Uh, miss. I, I need to see one of my friends." "Is everything alright?" "Just please go get my friend. Call for Bon-Bon." Rarity hurried out of the room as Octavia sat down and stated mildly hyperventalating. A few seconds later, Bon-Bon came rushing into the room and ran over to Octavia. "Octavia, what's wrong?" "I don't know, I think I may be having a panic attack." "Oh my, just wait here, and just breathe. Lyra!" As Bon-Bon ran out of the room, Octavia ran a hoof through her mane and started trying to regulate her breathing. Just calm down. Everything's fine. Today is a good day Octavia, don't forget that. I just hope Vinyl isn't freaking out. "So, you think you got it?" "Yeah, I just hope Octavia hasn't seen any if those, I'm not sure if I can top those." "Well, as long as it's from the heart, that's what matters." "Yeah." WaveMaker turned the TV off and motioned for the other to come with him. "So, you got anything?" "Well, I don't know." Hail Toss sighed and look at the clocking. "Oh shit, WaveMaker, we have to go get dressed up ourselves, there's only two hours until the wedding." "Is it that close already? Fuck. Alright, let's go. Vinyl, you good to stay here?" "Yeah, but quick question." "Better be quick." "Where are you getting your clothes? Tavi's getting hers from PonyVille, are you guys too?" "No, I got a place here that we checked out. I went there back when, you know, last time I needed to." "Ah, got it." "Alright, WaveMaker and I will be right back, you better get to work on those vows missy." "What are you, my mother?" Vinyl laughed as she waved her friends out the door. She stood up and layed down on the couch once she was sure they were gone, letting out a long breath as she looked at the ceiling. "I am so screwed." She sat upright suddenly, and stood up, looking around for just about anything that could help her. "Movies!" Acting on her exclamation, Vinyl quickly walked over to the drawer on the TV stand. "Comedies, no. Horror, no. Ah, that looks sappy." Vinyl quickly took the CD out of the case and put it in the player. Taking the remote in her magic, Vinyl stared fast-forwarding to where she hoped she would see a wedding scene. "City, rain, house, blah blah blah, where the hell is- oh, there we go. Now I guess I just gotta make some notes." "Ready?" "Ready." Bon-Bon opened the curtain, allowing Octavia to move into the main room of the boutique, just as Lyra moved her hooves away from Derpy's eyes. Derpy gasped when she looked to see Octavia in her full dress. Her white veil covered her now straightened black mane bur still let her brilliant magenta eyes shine through. "Octavia, you look so beautiful!" "You really think so?" "Of course!" Derpy ran up to Octavia and gave her a gentle hug. Octavia smiled and returned it. "Thank you Derpy. And thank you Lyra and Bon-Bon for helping. Feel like I've been losing my mind trying to make sure everything's prepared for the wedding but now, I think it's all working out." "Hopefully it stays that way, the wedding is in an hour." "Nervous Octavia?" "A little, Derpy, a little. I think it'll be fine though." "Well, we have a little surprise for you waiting at the ManeHatten train station, so maybe we should get on the train?" "Sounds good Bonnie." "I didn't even think we knew this many ponies, are you sure Octavia isn't just bringing all of PonyVille with her?" Hail Toss chuckled and pushed the flowery headband further up her head. "Don't worry Vinyl, most times weddings don't even fill up." "I hope not. Usally I can hide behind a pair of shades and a sick beat when I'm around this many ponies." "Well, today you got a veil and Ocatvia's musical friends playing." Vinyl smiled as Hail Toss adjusted her veil for her. WaveMaker rolled his eyes and smiled as he walked over. "So when is Octavia getting here?" "I don't know, but I think the guests will be here first." "When do you think that'll happen?" "I don't know, maybe they'll all be here in about half an hour." Vinyl let out a long breath and look around at the layout. There were two sections of chairs with a large division in between them, covered by a red carpet. Where they were standing was a small wooden platform covered by a section of lacy cloth suspended by poles at the corners. Vinyl brushed her now straightened mane out of her eyes and sighed again. "Nervous Vinyl?" "Sorta. I just wanna get to it already, the suspense is what's really killin' me." "Well, just don't worry, it'll all be fine. Besides, I'm sure Octavia is just as nervous as you are." "I don't know Hail, usually she keeps her cool better than me, she just has that. I don't know how she does it." "What happened?" "You passed out after we started talking about the wedding." "Yeah, you freaked out a little." Octavia put a hoof to her forehead and pushed herself up in the train seat. She looked around, seeing only Lyra to her right and Bon-Bon across from her. "Where is Derpy? And the doctor?" "They're already off the train making sure our little surprise is ready." Lyra shot Bon-Bon a little wink and pulled on Octavia's hoof a little as she stood up. "C'mon, let's go." Bon-Bon stood up and covered Octavia's eyes with her hoof. "No peeking." She chuckled as she slowly led Octavia off of the train and over to where the road was. "Alright, now look." When Octavia opened her eyes, she gasped at what she saw, and brought a hoof to her mouth. Lyra was standing beside a long black carriage pulled by two stallions. "You rented a limo?" "We certainly did." "I can't believe you, you're too good to me." Octavia hugged Bon-Bon, who motioned for Lyra to come over and join. "Well? What are you waiting for? There's a ceremony just waiting for you." Vinyl's heart started beating faster when the limo arrived and the door opened. Lyra and Bon-Bon in their bridemare dresses were the first to exit, but seconds later, Octavia stepped out. The breath in Vinyl's chest dissapeared for a second, and she had to take a deep breath to remain concious. The musicians played a soothing melody as Octavia walked up to the platform and took her place across from Vinyl. The two mares smiled warmly at each other, and Vinyl stepped slightly closer. "Wow, you look so amazing." "You look pretty amazing yourself Vinyl, I've never seen you like this." "Well, let's not get too used to it." Twilight walked to her spot in between the two and cleared her throat. "Friends, family, and partners for life, we've assembled here today to join these two in marriage." The ceremony went on for quite a while, Twilight delivering her speech with minimal error, and even a joke part way through. But a small choke came to each of the mares throats at her next words. "The couple has written their own vows and will recite them now." Vinyl motioned with her head for Octavia to go first, and Octavia fumbled for the piece of paper she has written her vows on. When she eventually found it, she cleared her throat and smiled at Vinyl. "Vinyl. My nearest and dearest. We've been through just about everything in the short time we've been with each other. Seen everything, heard everything, and-" Octavia took in a deep breath and closed her eyes. Slight mumbling could be heard in the rows of chairs as the pause hung in the air. Octavia then took in a deep breath, threw the slip of paper to the side, and looked up at Vinyl again. "And we've said just about all there is to say, except, I still need to say that you are the most important pony in the world to me, and I never want to know what my life could be like without you in it now that you have been in it. I love you Vinyl." A large amount of 'awws' could be heard as the two nodded at each other and Vinyl levitated a slip of paper in front of her. "Octavia, I thought this was going to be the most difficult thing I ever had to do. But when I saw you walking down that aisle, I realized how simple it was. I love you. You are the pony I was meant to spend my life with." Another round of 'awws' was heard, and Vinyl saw Octavia tilt her head down, tears starting in her eyes. "You got that from a movie didn't you?" "A show, yeah." "I love you so much. Please say it Twilight." "You may now kiss the bride." Octavia took no hesitation and immediately lifted her veil, Vinyl lifting hers, and the two locked lips, the gathered ponies cheering.
Part Twenty: No RegretsAuthor's Note Quick authors note if you choose to read. If you notice any weirdly placed capitalizations, it's a part of an 'easter egg' I was doing on the site I originally posted this on, so they are supposed to be there. Enjoy! Part Twenty: No Regrets Vinyl and Octavia both fell on the bed, genuinely laughing and smiling more than they had in a long time. They laid there, facing each other and giggling, for minutes and minutes. They were enjoying a laughter not forced, but honest, one they hadn't experienced in quite some time. There had been too much stress, too much awkwardness since they met. The first few days, rehab, Open Mind, SkyLine Breezer's passing, and now the wedding. But they felt as if now, they finally had some room to breathe, as if they finally could close the chapter. Octavia propped herself up, and looked at Vinyl. "So, wife..." Octavia playfully poked Vinyl on the snout and giggled. "What do you want to do?" "I don't know, wife..." Vinyl added the same comedic inflection on 'wife' as Octavia had, and propped herself up the same way. "We still have some daylight left, we could do whatever we want." "How about we go out for a nice dinner, maybe show ourselves off a little?" "Well, little did you know, showing off is something I've been doing for a long time. Oh, I almost forgot, be right back." Vinyl turned and lifted herself off the bed as Octavia pushed herself into a sitting position. When she reached the door, she motioned for Octavia to close her eyes, which she did. After a couple seconds, Vinyl returned to the room. "No peeking. You ready?" "As much as I can be I suppose." "Aright, open!" Octavia opened her eyes and looked at what was sitting on the bed in front of her. "It's, my cello case?" "That's not it, look inside." Vinyl was smiling widely as Octavia clicked open the case and slowly pushed it open. Octavia's eyes widened, and she covered her now open mouth with a hoof. "It's, it's magnificent." It was a cello, almost the same body shape as hers was, but this one was jet black,and had intricate carvings along the side of the neck. The body had a shimmering glossy finishing, and was embelished by a perfect resemblance of her cutie mark across it's length. "I, how did, where is, what?" Vinyl laughed at Octavia's shock, and sat down on the bed beside her. "Let's just say that waitress tips go a long way. And I had it stashed at Hail Toss' apartment because I knew we'd probably be at WaveMakers house at some point." "You are the best." Octavia wrapped her hooves around Vinyls neck and hugged her tightly. Vinyl returned the hug and gently rubbed her wife's back. "I thought you'd like it." "Like it? I love it! It's the most amazing thing I've ever been given!" Octavia continued gazing at the instrument for almost another full minute without saying a word. Noticing her silence and the blank expression on her face, Vinyl chuckled and nudged her. "Hey, you alright? Getting pretty blank-faced there." Octavia perked up for a second and turned to Vinyl before standing up and off the bed. "I have something for you I forgot all this time. Wait here." Vinyl waited paitiently as Octavia scrambled out of the room and down the stairs. After a minute or two, Octavia returned with a small felt box. After closing her cello case up and setting it gently to the side, she placed the box in front of Vinyl and layed down. "I've had these for quite some time. I guess I was waiting for the perfect moment, and now just seems like a good time." "Alright. You seem pretty excited, I'm not sure what could possibly be-" Vinyl's mouth dropped open just as Octavia's had, and she started stuttering the same way. "It, these, my, these are, these are my shades." Vinyl lifted the shaded out of their case and examined them. "When we first met, you jad these on. Even though the one lens was damaged, you still had them. I figured they must be of some importance to you, so I kept them. When we were packing up to move here, I remembered them and got them fixed so I could give them to you, but you were still in rehab. I guess there's no better time than now though, right?" Vinyl remained speechless as she looked the glasses over. Then, for just a second before Vinyl wrapped her hooves around her, Octavia saw a tear in her wife's eye. "I love you Octavia." "I love you too Vinyl." "C'mon, here we are." "Thanks a bunch, Hail, but where did I park again." "Alright, I think I'll just set yoi down on the couch and let you kinda, you know, pass out, or whatever you do when you're smashed." Hail Toss helped WaveMaker down on his couch, and walked to go get him something to absorb the alcohol in his system. "Wasn't exactly the best of plans to drink as much as you did, having not eaten anything today." "I don't wanna hear it." "Well, I'm saying it anyways. You really jave to watch that, you don't want to develop a dependency." Hail Toss sat down on the arm of the couch and passed a sleeve of soda crackers to WaveMaker. "Thanks." Hail Toss sat down on the adjacent chair with a sigh as WaveMaker opened up the sleeve and took a bite out of a cracker. Hail Toss sighed as she stared out the window at the house next door. "They finally did it didn't they?" "What?" "They're finallg married. Would'a thought." "What do you mean? They love each other, why is it such a surprise?" "No, the whole thing. From start to finish, just as Vinyl told me. It almost seems, kinda like a fairy tale, you know? I just wish I could find something like that, something just as magical as what they have." "How haven't you?" Both heads in the room jolted upwards, as the meant to be silent phrase hit both pairs of ears. Hail Toss turned around as WaveMaker tried to hide his slight blush. "What did you say?' "Nothing. I-I said nothing." "No, I heard you say something. What was it?" Realizing too late that there wasn't a way out of this, WaveMaker sighed and looked up at Hail Toss. "I was just wondering how you haven't found that." "H-how do you mean?" WaveMaker sighed again as Hail Toss sat down beside him. "It's just...I've been doing a lot of thinking in the last few months, a lot of reflecting. I know that by now I should've moved on, but I really haven't. But, whenever you're around, it all just kinda seems to fade away. You're just, you're so kind and caring, I've never really had anypony like that in my life before, other than, well, you know." There was a long moment of silence before Hail Toss slolwy, but not subtly enough for WaveMaker to not notice, pushed herself closer to the other pony on the couch. Another long moment passed before Hail Toss cleared her throat. "So, I guess I have a question to ask you." "What's that?" Hail Toss quickly turned to WaveMaker, who, sensing the hasty motion, turned to face her. "Would, would you maybe, go out with me?" It had just turned to ten in the evening when the lights at Lyra and Bon-Bons house were all off, save for their bedroom. "Well, Tavi finally got married. I'm so happy for her." Bon-Bon giggled a little foalishly as she laid down on the bed beside her mare-friend. "Yeah, I am too. But you know, I think I hage something that you'll be even happier for." "What?" "Ah, I'll save it for tomorrow." "Lyra, you can't just say something like that and then not do it, that's so mean." "I should also wait until you aren't drunk, Bonnie." "Smart decisions, smart decisions." Lyra chuckled as Bon-Bon laid her head down in a drunken, "everything is funny" type of state. She laid down also and pulled the covers over the two of them. "So, you aren't gonna try to guess what it is or anything? No questions at all?" Lyra looked to her left to see Bon-Bon completely passed out on the bed beside her. She chuckled slightly and quickly slipped out of bed, making sure she didn't wake the sleeping mare as she levitated something out of the nightstand. Slowly pushing the door open as closed as she snuck out of the room, Lyra gazed at the necklaces in the small box she held in her magic. "You just wait until tomorrow Bonnie, then I'll really make you happy." "Is it much further?" "Almost there, just hush up." After spending the night, Hail Toss told WaveMaker that he needs to truly move on. She gave him a blindfold and said nothing else, then started leading him near the outside of the town. "Alright, you can take it off now." "Finally. Now what is this plan of-" WaveMaker cut himself short as he looked at where they were. The mild fog in the area was thin enough for WaveMaker to see the sign near perfectly. "Wh-why are we at the cemetery?" "I told you, you need to move on. Come with me." Hail Toss ushered a nervous WaveMaker through the graveyard, looking for something she didn't evrn know herself. But, as she had hoped, instinct took over for her friend, eho started walking hap-hazardly down to a certain tomb. A short thickening of the fog seperated the two for a moment, and when it passed, WaveMaker was nowhere in sight. "Shit, WaveMaker?" Hail Toss started walking through the slowly fading fog, and as she reached the top of a hill, she stopped calling out. Down where the hill plateaued, she could see the red, white, and blue mane clearly, sitting in front of the grave. Skyline Breezer's grave. As she got closer, trying not to disturb him, Hail Toss could hear WaveMaker saying something. "I know that you would've wanted to see it. I'm...I'm so sorry. I'm sorry that, I wasn't there when you needed me, that I didn't insist on getting you checked out when you were getting sick, I'm, I'm sorry that, I froze up, and you took a bullet for Octavia. Most of all, I'm just...I'm just so sorry that you aren't here right now." WaveMaker was now starting to sob in his place, resting one hoof on the stone, and wiping his eyes with the other. Hail Toss sat down just beside him after a few moments had passed and put a hoof on his back. WaveMaker turned and pulled her close to him, hugging her as he cried openly into her mane. Hail Toss felt as if she needed to do nothing more than simply comfort him in this moment. "Can I get you started with some drinks?" "Yes, a bottle of champagne for the table. We are celebrating, aren't we dear?" "We sure are." "A bottle of our finest champagne it is." The waiter smiled at the two and walked off to retrieve the celebratory bottle of alcohol. Octavia noticed how hard Vinyl seemed to be minding her manners and chuckled. "Ever eaten at a fancy restaraunt Vinyl?" "Nah, I never liked these places. I like either smething quick and easy, or just doing something at home, somewhere where everypony isn't looking at you. I'm guessing you have?" "My agent would almost always take me out for a dinner here after a show. It was nice, but usually I wouldn't even get to eat over all the paparazzi and fans. Not trying to brag or anything, but I think this may one of the only times I've eaten here that hasn't been photographed." "Well, can't say I don't fully know that pain. Bck when thr EDM industry was still popular, I couldn't be seen with anypony people didn't know or tomorrows newspaper article would be something about some fabled relationship between me and them." "Tell me about it. The news industry is so saturated nowadays, everypony just wants their big article." "I know, anything for a story it seems. It's almost sickening how fast ponies sell out in order to get their five minutes of fame." "I don't even want to go back to the music industry, it's almost not even worth it. But, when you have a passion, sometimes you'll do whatever it takes, right?" "I agree with every word." The two chuckled at the conversation, even though it was very well true. The waiter brought the bucket of ice with the bottle in it and set it on the table along with two glasses. "And are we ready to order here?" "Um, just a few more minutes actually." The waiter nodded at Vinyl, who was now levitating the bottle out of the ice. After he walked away, Vinyl smiled at Octavia and popped the cork. "And there we are." She filled the two glasses and set the bottle back in the ice with her magic, while pushing one glass over to Octavia with her hoof. "I would like to propose a toast. Our lives have been... well, interesting, so to say, since we met. But, everything is finally coming into fluition. We have each other, and that's all we need right now." "Agreed." Once more the waiter came back, and once more the couple shooed him away, not placing an order. Their conversations and drinking continued for quite a while, making it an evening of both serious conversations and comedic relief. Eventually the waiter stopped showing up at the table. "So, returning to the topic we were on a while ago. If we're both agreeing to not return to the music industry, and we have, haven't we?" "Oh yeah, I don't want to be a part of that again." "Good, then if we're both straying from that, we'll need to probably discuss other occupations." "I guess I knew this would be a topic again at some point. Alright, whatcha got?" "Well, when we talked about this the first time, you mentioned soemthing about being a police officer?" "Yeah, I think that would be alright." "You know that there's a lot of physical testing to be a cop, right?" Vinyl looked at Octavia through the now empty champagne glass and smiled. "Hey, I keep myself in shape." "When? I haven't seen you exercise since I met you, and I know you don't go to the gym." "You know how much of a workout stage energy is? And physical therapy at rehab included steady exercise." "Well, proved me wrong I guess." "I guess so. What about you? If you're not going back to music, what's your plan?" "Well, you know, the plan I had in mind, would sort of involve me needing to, um, stay home." "How do you mean?" "Well Vinyl, I've been doing some thinking. Last time I wanted to talk about this, I kind of shut it down before you could speak. However, after mulling it over, I think that we should have a foal." Vinyl choked on the champagne in her mouth and coughed a few times before looking around and leaning in closer. "You what?" "You heard me, clearly." "You, you realize that that, you know, isn't possble for us." "Not the, traditional way, I suppose. But you know that there are many other ways we could." "And, you actually think we're ready for something that big?" "Vinyl, we're married, we're living together, where else is there to go from here if we want to go further?" "I, I guess you're right, but, would we adopt or?" Vinyl trailed off her sentence, leading on that she knew other ways around the obvious barrier, but she didn't. Octavia finished her glass and sighed, putting down the bits for the drinks. "Well, there's this friend of mine, I'll tell you at home. Let's go." "Good morning sweetie." "Ugh, not so loud please Lyra." "Still hungover?" "Yes." Bon-Bon groaned quietly as she set her head down on the kitchen table and put her hooves around it. Lyra chuckled as she put a plate of pancakes down in front of her soon to be more than mare-friend. As she sat down, she smiled and levitated the box to her side. "I uh, I had something important to ask you last night, but I figured I should wait until you were able to make a good decision. You know, unimpaired." Lyra pushed her chair away as she spoke and opened up the box as she dropped to one knee. "What's that Lyra? Is it something ab-" Bon'Bon stopped and brought both front hooves to her mouth as she gasped. "Bon-Bon, will you marry me?" Bon-Bon was too speechless, and was barely able to make the few unintelligible whispers she was making. After a while, Lyra felt that Bon-Bon was able to speak and asked again. "Well?" "Lyra, I, I wanted to t-t-talk to you for a while. I-I feel that now is a good time." A bad feeling came over Lyra as Bon-Bon stood up and hung her head. "I, I just don't feel like this is working out. It's just, we're too different, it doesn't feel like it should." Lyra's mouth dropped open, and the necklaces fell from her magical grasp. She felt like somepony had stabbed her in the heart, which, figuratively had just happened. "Y-.....y-y-you what?" "It's not that I don't love you for who you are, it's just that I think we don't suit each other. I thought maybe you'd be happier with somepony more like you." "B-Bonnie, how could you even think that? I love you more than anything! I don't care if we're different in every way, we love each other, right?" Tears were in the eyes and running down the cheeks of both mares at this point, and neither could do anything but stare at the other. "Lyra..I love you, I just think we need to see what else is out there." "Is, is there somepony else? Is that why you're doing this?" "No, no, there's nopony else. I just think that maybe there is somepony who each of us that we'd find more...compatable." Lyra took a few long moments to sort through her thoughts, before finally coming to terms. "So, you want me out then?" "I'm sorry Lyra." Bon-Bon could barely get the sentence out through her tears, but Lyra heard what she needed to before Bon-Bon ran off and locked herself in the bathroom. As she listened to Lyra's faint sobs added to the the sounds of her packing and inevitably walking through the door, Bon-Bon looked at herself in the mirror. "What did just I do?" When Vinyl awoke in the morning, she could already hear Octavia in the kitchen, occasionally sighing loudly or knocking something over. When she walked out into the kitchen, Octavia smiled at her. "Oh good, you're up. Now we can talk." "Can I get some coffee first? I'd rather be awake before we start." "Of course, it is a rather serious matter." Vinyl walked over to the kettle, which was already warm from Octavia making her tea. After making what she deemed enough coffee to at least keep her awake, Vinyl sat down on the couch and waited for Octavia to follow. "So, what is this big thing you seem to be schemeing about?" "I am not schemeing. It's just, an idea we've have together since I told her I was, you know." "Wait wait wait, who is this her, and why wasn't I in on it?" "Well, I wasn't sure how things would go between our marriage and when I told her, so I wanted to wait until I could be sure." "Sure of what?" "Sure that you were ready." Octavia put her mug down and grabbed Vinyl's hooves with her own, staring deep into her eyes. "Vinyl, she's nine months pregnant. With our child." Vinyl's eyes widened, and she sat blankly for a few seconds before shaking her head. "I'm sorry, what?" "Well-" "Wait a minute, nine mon-. Ho-how long, have you two been planning this?" "Well, they were already planning to have another child, and I wasn't sure what would happen bewteen the two of us. But, since she found out, her and her husband have been thinking about maybe, letting us adopt it." "Tavi, are, are you sure we're, you know, ready for this?" "Well, I mean, we'll need to be more financially stable, but we have time, right?" "Well, how far past nine months is she?" "She's, a couple months." "Hm. Ok, alright, last question." "Go ahead." "Yeah, who is this mare?" "At the wedding, the mare with the yellow mane on my side? Did you happen to see her?" "Yellow mane...yeah, yeah I did see her. She's got the eyes that kinda work on their own, right?" "That's, one way to put it, yes." Vinyl took a long pause and looked away, before Octavia had to say something. "Look, I know I've kind of sprung this on you, and believe me I am just as nervous as you are. But, considering our circumstance, and considering how-" "Alright. I'm up for it." "You, you what?" "I want to do this. It's a big step, but, I'm think we're ready for it." "You really believe that we are?" "I know we are." Octavia smiled widely and practically leapt into a hug with Vinyl. All Vinyl could do was smile and hug Octavia back. Lyra's hooves slowly dropped down and made contact with the floor of the ManeHatten train station, emitting a softly timbred click as she stepped down from the train and onto the polished hardwood. She sighed a heart-heavy sigh as she looked up through tearful eyes, and toward the one place she knew she could go. Levitating two suitcases behind her, she dragged her way down the crowded streets, avoiding all eye contact, and eventually stepped up onto the front step of Vinyl and Octavia's house. Heaving another sigh, Lyra set the bags down beside her and raised her hoof to knock on the door. A few moments after knocking, the door opened, and a slightly concered Vinyl tilted her head when she read the expression of Lyra's face. "Lyra? What, what brings you here?" "I, uh, I, I have to talk to Octavia and you." "Um, s-sure. Come in." As Lyra stepped in, Octavia walked from the kitchen into the living room, spotting Lyra and her luggage. Just before Vinyl was going to, Octavia asked the question they were both wondering. "Lyra? Why do you have luggage?" "Can...can I stay here for a while?" "So, that's really all that happened? That's the end?" "I don't know. Believe me, I really wish it wasn't, but I'm afraid that it just may be." "How could she say that? You two have been together for years, just recently she said that she wanted to marry you!" "I know, I know. I guess a lot can change in a few months. I just can't believe that it's really over." Octavia pulled Lyra closer and tried her best to comfort her. Vinyl was standing in the kitchen, watching the scene unfold. She took a long sip of her coffee and thought for a second before an idea hit her. She quickly started toward the door, not even saying anything. "Vinyl? Where are you going?" "Just a sec, I'll be right back." Vinyl ran outside and let the door close behind her. Octavia looked out the window, but couldn't see Vinyl. "Octavia?" "Yes Lyra?" "Do you think maybe she's right?" "What?" "Bon-Bon. Maybe what she said was right, maybe we just aren't meant to be." "But, you and her were so happy together." "Yeah, well, I guess sometimes things really aren't what they seem." Octavia watched Lyra as she propped herself up with her hoof, playing with the bit of mint-colored mane that was laying on the couch. She took another quick glance out the window and wondered. Where the hell did Vinyl go bugger off to? Vinyl was at the backdoor of the neighboring house, and checked around her before knocking. After quite a few seconds, she heard hoofsteps, and WaveMaker answered the door. "Vinyl? Why the backdoor?" "Nevermind that, we gotta go do something." "Um, o-ok. What exactly?" "We gotta go to Ponyville." As the train slowly pulled into the station at ManeHatten, Vinyl and WaveMaker rushed on board. As they sat down, Vinyl pooked around at the other riders. "So, any particular reason this is happening?" "I'll give yoi the short version. Tavi's friends just broke up and I wanna go see what's going on." "Ok, second question, why?" "Because, something doesn't seem right about it. I've only known them for so long, but damned if they weren't a good couple. Basically the definition of opposites attract." "Is that how you and Octavia are?" Vinyl smiled and looked down for a second before looking back up. "I think I'd say that." WaveMaker chuckled slightly and looked around the train before it started moving. "So, are we looking for anypony specifically?" "Why would we be? I know where she is." "Yes, but what if she's on the train or something?" "Oh, pfft, what are the odds of that? Anyways, I was basically woken up for this, so I'm gonna catch some Zs." As Vinyl stretched out on her seat and folded one hoof over her eyes, WaveMaker slouched back and looked around. Being somewhat tired himself, he slowly drifted off and fell asleep. The train arrived at the PonyVille train station, and Bon-Bon was the first t get on board and take her seat. Her breaths were short, and always off time with each other. As she waited for the train to start moving, she brushed her mane back with her hooves and stared at the table. Before too long, ponies were rushing by her in both directions, and she could've sworn she saw a familiar mane or two rushing by in the crowd. Having more important things to think about, she looked oit the window and sighed. "I hope you'll be where you always go." Both a smile and a few tears came about Bon-Bon's face as she looked at the small picture she was holding of her and Lyra in front of a tall buolding that looked to resemble a church. "Our little getaway in ManeHatten." ManeHatten Sancuary All are welcome here Lyra looked at the old, decrepid building that still held memories. Tears were slowly falling down her face as she slid her hoof down the faded plaque. After all these years it was still here, but like the rest of the building, it had lost it's allure. Her and Bon-Bon had come here one time when it was fully functioning. Bon-Bon had wanted to check it out because a friend of hers frequented it. Lyra fell to the side as her sobs became louder and more apparent. After a few seconds, she was too lost in her anguish and racing thoughts to hear the hoofsteps behind her. When Bon-Bon set her hoof on Lyra's shoulder, Lyra jumped up and spun around to face the other mare. "You? What are you doing here?" "Lyra, please, I was wrong, I never should've said no, I don't know what I was thinking! Please." "You know, while I was sitting here, looking back at, well, us, I thought of something funny. When I froze up when you started talking about marriage, I felt like crap. I did. But I got over it because you did. Then when I proposed and you said no, I thought to myself, how am I always in the wrong? I lost both ways! What more could you have wanted from me?" "Lyra, I just wanted to talk it out. The first time, I just wanted to know where you wanted this to go! Please, I just want to talk now." "No. No, stay away from me!" Thunder cracked and lightning flashed through the sky as Lyra turned and ran through the for some reason partially opened door and into the sanctuary. Bon-Bon hesitated for a moment, but soon ran in after her. "Lyra!" The sacntuary was very much showing it's age and lack of care. The walls had lost their lustre and were tagged with various graffiti. The glass ceiling was falling apart, and had multiple holes in it. The only part that was still in tact within reason, was the tall oak tree that stood in the center. It was able to just get by on the scant sunlight and small amount of rain that fell through the shattered glass above. Bon-Bon stopped and stood still near the badr of the tree, looking around for where Lyra could have run off to. "Lyra?" Hearing nothing but a soft echo, Bon-Bon hung her head and sat down at the base of tree, resting the top her head against the trunk. After what felt like an eternity to Bon-Bon, she heard hoofsteps on the hard tiles, then on the wood chips at the base of the tree, then they stopped. She looked to her right and saw Lyra sitting at the base of the tree beside her. Both of them looked away from each other at the same time, but eventually Lyra pushed herself slightly closer and started talking. "Hey. I, um, I'm ready to talk now." "Ok. Well, what is there to say?" "Look, I messed up ok?" "We both have. It wasn't just you." "I know, I know. But, I'll own up to my half, and I'm willing to start over, if you'd do the same?" Bon-Bon wiped her eyes and Lyra set her hoof on her shoulder. After a few seconds, Bon-Bon looked up and lunged at Lyra, immediately wrapping her in a hug. "Let's not start completely over, ok?" "I think we can do that." The storm picked up as the embrace went on, now showering the couple in rain as it poured through the broken glass panes. They looked up simultainiously and quickly ran over to a nearby archway, sheltered from rain. After a few seconds, the two looked at each other from their opposite pillars and started laughing. "So, back to PonyVille when the rain's gone?" "Well, I should probably get my stuff from Vinyl and Tav's first." After knocking for the third time in a row, Vinyl sighed and turned back to WaveMaker. "I don't know, I guess she isn't home." "Alright, well, let's look at this reasonably. Where else could she be?" "Maybe at her friend's house. The Whooves." "Alright, let's go." Vinyl led the way in the direction of the Whooves household, WaveMaker following at here side. "So, what's the plan if you do find her?" "I just wanna talk to her, see what exactly happened and maybe if we can fix it again." "Again? This has happened before?" "A few times, their relationship has had some bumps." "I see. So what are we planning to do at the friends house?" "I don't know, see if she's there, maybe see if we can call her or something?" "You really didn't have a plan for this, did you?" "I, uh, I guess not." After a few more minutes of walking, the duo found themselves at the Whooves household. Vinyl waaked up to the door and knovked three times, then waited for what seemed like too long for anypony to answer. "They not home?" "I don't know. Seems like everypony in town-" Vinyl turned around when the door opened, and she spotted a panting Doctor Whooves. "Doctor?" "Vinyl, what brings you by?" "Oh, um, n-not much. What's goings on?" "Well, let me just say that you two arrived at a hell of a time." "Oh yeah? How so?" "You're about to be a mother." "Wh-what?" "Derpy's just gone into labour, I rushed up here when I got a moment, but we have to get her to the hospital now!" "Right, ok, uhh, WaveMaker, go find us a carriage or something!" "On it!" As WaveMaker kicked off and flew away looking for a ride, Vinyl quickly followed Doctor Whooves into the house. "Hey, I need to call Tavi, you guys have a phone?" "Upstairs in the bedroom to the left, tell her to get here fast." "That was my plan." Vinyl quickly ran up the stairs and into the bedroom she was pointed to. She levitated the phone up close to her face and dialed her house's number. "C'mon, pick up, pick up." Octavia was pacing nervously as the thunderstorm pounded the city. Lyra and Bon-Bon were still out there, and she wasn't even sure if Bon-Bon had found Lyra yet. But, if she had, maybe they were safe in the sanctuary? She groaned and put a hoof to her forehead. She was so lost in though that the high pitched ring of the phone made her jump slightly. "Hello?" "Tavi, hey, listen. I really, really, reeaaally need you to come to PonyVille asap." "Vinyl? What the hell are you doing at the Whooves house?" "I was looking for Bon-Bon, I wanted to fix this, those two are Still Worth Fighting For." "Don't worry, Bon-Bon came here, I assume her and Lyra are hiding out of the storm somewhere, but I don't know if they'll come back anytime soon." "Well, this is a little more important." "Why?" "We're about to have a family." There was a long pause as Octavia put the peices together. Her mouth dropped open, and she struggled to keep the phone in her grasp. "Uh, Tavi?" "Y-yes, I-I'm here." "Well, you're gonna wanna be here in a second, let's go!" "O-ok, I'll be right there." "Ok, good, see you then." Octavia quickly hung the phone and wrote a note for Lyra and Bon-Bon's predicted return on the notepad beside it. Within seconds of slamming the pen down on the counter, she was at the door, not even caring to throw on a raincoat. Once outside, she quickly put the note in the mailbox so that it was poking out just enough to be noticed. She turned and started down the steps, but accidentally bumped into who she saw in the darkness to be either Lyra or Bon-Bon. When she stood up, now soaked by the rain that had already collected on the ground, and the rain that was falling. The other mare stood up and peered through her raincoat. "Tavi?" "Hail Toss? What are you doing out in the rain?" "I was going to see if WaveMaker was next door before the rain came, and I wasn't sure if you and Vinyl were home or not. I eventually came over to see if you were or not, and here we are. Where are you running off to?" "Vinyl and I are about to be mothers." "Say what now?" "I'll explain on the train ride to PonyVille, my treat." "Wow, that, sure is generous of her." "I know, I don't think a way to repay her will ever be able to exist." "Well, how do you feel?" "About what?" "About having a foal. You and Vinyl are taking a really big step here, and I just want to know how you're feeling about it." Octavia set her drink down after taking a long sip, then eased back in her seat as she let out a sigh. "I'm... very, very nervous, I kind of feel like I'm Going In Blind. I have no experience, or knowledge on parenting or even foalsitting, so I feel a little unprepared for this. But at the same time, I feel like it's, almost destined to be. I can't explain it, I just feel like this whole series of events, right from the beginning, was just set in the stars. It's beyond me, it really is, what Vinyl and I have been given. We're just so lucky to have the life, and the friends, and now the family, that we've been given." "That's really beautiful Octavia, I think you're going to be a great mother." "Thank you. What about you?" "What?" "How do you feel about foals? Would you ever want one?" "Well, I used to foalsit all the time, but it wasn't exactly my strong suit. I guess maybe having one would be fine, if I met the right stallion." Something strange about the sentence struck Octavia, and she just had to bring up what Hail Toss had said. "Hey, Hail Toss." "Yeah?" "When you said that you were waiting at WaveMaker's house, why were you there?" "Oh, um, I've been going to his place quite regularly recently. I've been, well, helping him cope so to say. My father was a therapist, I learned a good bit of relaxation and coping mechanisms through him, I'm hoping to kind of bring him back, help him not Drown in his sorrows." "Huh. Well, I hope that goes well." "Me too, it's really hard to tell where his mind's Gone Away to since Skyline's passing." An awkward silence filled the rest of train ride, until the train eventually finished Crawling to it's stop. Octavia ran to be the first one off the train, Hail Toss close behind. "So, gotta admit, haven't really been here, where's the hospital?" "It's this way, we gotta hurry!" Octavia and Hail Toss sprinted all the way from the train station to PonyVille General, panting harshly when they stopped at the reception desk. "May I, help you two?" "Mare... last name... Whooves...having a foal." "Ah, the expecting couple and their friends. Room 2C, down there and to the left." "Thanks." Octavia smiled at the receptionist stallion and quickly turned and ran down the hall, Hail Toss again close behind. Octavia's moith dropped open when she opened the door and took in the full scene. Derpy was lying on the bed, eyes closed and slowly breathing in and out, while Doctor Whooves held her hoof. Vinyl was sitting on a chair to the right, WaveMaker on the one next to that. After seeing no doctor or nurse, Octavia put the pieces together. She had just missed it. Vinyl was the first to look and see Octavia standing in the doorway, panting as if Asthmatic. "Hey, come over and meet your first colt." Everypony in the room turned and looked at Octavia. Even Derpy, who was only able to turn and give a weak smile, motioned over to Vinyl. Hail Toss noticed Octavia's frozen stance, and chuckled slightly. "Well, what are you waiting for?" She gave Octavia a sligjt push, and Octavia started shakily walking toward Vinyl and WaveMaker. Vinyl slowly stood up and walked over to Octavia. "Here he is." Gingerly, Vinyl passed the blanketed foal into Octvia's hooves as she took the spot in the chair. Octavia stared intently at the foal, taking in every visible feature. He had a black mane, but seemed to take a darker shade of Derpy's grey coat. It had fallen asleep, but had a small smile spread across it's face. Octavia stared in adornment for quite some time, before she suddenly looked up. "Wait, what did you mean by 'first' colt?" Smiles appeared on almost every face in the room as Doctor Whooves slowly raised another blanketed foal into Octavia's view. Vinyl took the first one from Octavia as Doctor Whooves slowly walked over and gave the second one to her. "He was sitting here beside me the whole time. Turns out we had twins." Octavia looked down and stared at the foal Again. This one had mane just slightly darker than Doctor Whooves', and had almost the same color coat, just a few shades darker. "Well?" "Huh?" "You thought of any names, sweetie?" Octavia looked blankly at the foal in her hooves. Her mind was completely blank, and she struggled to even think of any names. "I, I didn't think about that. Did you?" "To be honest, I didn't really either." "Can I make a suggestion?" Octavia and Vinyl both looked at Hail Toss, who had moved closer to get a look at the foal. "You wanna name it?" "Well, if you two can't think of one, I have one that I was saving. But, If It Means A Lot To You, you can have it." "Well, what is it?" "Flyleaf." "Flyleaf." Octavia looked back at the foal, and smiled as she repated the name to herself. "I like it." "I do too, but what about the other one?" Both mares looked at Doctor Whooves, who was holding the second colt in his hooves. "What about, Roulette?" "Roulette?" "Yeah, you know, 'cause sometimes you just gotta leave it up to chance. Kinda like we've done a lot." Octavia paused for a second before chuckling slightly and looking back to Vinyl. "I like it. Flyleaf and Roulette it is." The rain had slowed but not stopped, and Lyra and Bon-Bon had taken the opportunity to run all the way to Vinyl and Octavia's house. Lyra was the first to arrive at the door and knock multiple times, shouting for Octavia over the storm. Bon-Bon however was the first one to find the note and start reading it aloud. "Dear Lyra and/or Bon-Bon, I am sorry that I am not home to let you in, but I had to be somewhere else. I'm about to be a mother." As Bon-Bon finished the last sentence, Lyra perked up and spun around in a second. "The what now?" "They had their foal! Lyra, this is great news! They're finally starting their lives together!" "Didn't they do that when they got married?" "Well, yes, but this is even better!" Bon-Bon, in a wild excitement, leaped out amd wrapped Lyra in a hug. Lyra was surprised but eventually hugged her in return. When the two seperated, Bon-Bon started running out into the rain. "Where are you going?" "Come on, we've gotta go see them!" "Oh boy, This Probably Won't End Well. Wait up!" "So for the first night, since they were both so late in the evening, they must stay in the room here. Do you have any friends or family that you can stay with in town?" "You can't let us stay here?" "Well, some ponies have waited overnight in the waiting room, but it isn't, well, optimal. And the earliest in the morning you can leave with them is about ten thirty by tee current time." "We can wait, we're willing." "If you say so, I'll alert the nurses." "Thank you." Vinyl walked away from the doctor and quickly back into the room. Octavia was trying to dry her mane off while a nurse was talking to Derpy and Doctor Whooves. WaveMaker had stepped out for a second. "So just take a few of these, it'll make movent sligjtly difficult due to numbing but it will also make it as Painless as possible." "Thanks Redheart." "No problem, it's my job. Congratulations you two." She smiled at Vinyl and Octavia as she turned and left the room, all ponies exchanging waves. "Well, what did he say?" "They have to stay overnight, but we can too. We'll be stuck in the waiting room all night, but that's what it's used for, right?" "I guess so, that's jist dissapointing is all." "Trust me, I'm just as bummed as you are. But it is protocol, isn't it?" "I suppose so." Vinyl pulled Octavia closer with a hoof and kissed her on the forehead, making Octavia both smile and blush. "There's that smile. I'm gonna go grab something from the snack machine, you want anything?" "No, I'm fine." "Suit yourself." Vinyl chuckled slightly to herself as she left to room and started fowm the hall. She stopped for a moment when she looked down a halleay and saw WaveMaker staring at a wall. "What the?" As she slowly walked up, she noticed the glass window that was in between the hallway and a room where newborn foals were sleeping. "Uh, WaveMaker?" "Huh? Oh, Vinyl, hi." "What's going on?" "I uh, well, I don't know. I was walking by here, and I just got sorta drawn to it. Gosh I just, I just feel so Worthless since she died, you know? Hail Toss has been around, kinda trying to make me not feel like such a Loser, but I just don't know." "Well, I can't say I know exactly where you're coming from, but I guese I see what you mean." "You ever lost anypony?" "Well, nopony really close. You lose grandparents and stuff once you get to a certain age, but nopony closer than that." WaveMaker nodded and turned back to watch the foals. When one close to the window yawned, WaveMaker noticably smiled, prompting Vinyl to ask her question. "Did you ever want foals?" "Well, that was Skyline more than me who wanted them. You know that she wanted three foals? I just want one filly she said, and I don't care whatbthe others are. She was so prepared, had her whole life planned out to the very end. Aside from, well, you know. Wanted foals soon after she was married, and-" "Wait, then why didn't you?" "That was my fault. She wanted them, really pressed me for them. I told her that I Respect her decision, but we should wait until we were a little more stable. I wasn't good enough for her. She was willing to put everything on hold for a couple years just for me. And of course, just our luck, the time came, and it was too late." As WaveMaker hung his head down, Vinyl put a hoof on his shoulder and tried to think of some comforting words. "Well, I'm sure there's somepony else out there for you." "Yeah, hopefully. Well, I assume you were going somewhere, I'll let you be on your way." "No, it's fine, not like there's a Doomsday clock on the snack machine." Vinyl's attempt at humor seemed to work when WaveMaker smiled and turned away from the glass. "Either way, I should be going. Good luck until the morning, to Octavia too. I'll see you all later." "Thanks." As WaveMaker left, Vinyl took his spot at the glass and looked at Flyleaf and Roulette. "Look at you two. You don't even know it yet, but Life Starts Now. For all of us." Once the goodbyes had been said, and Octavia had many times expressed her gratitude towards the Whooves', everypony had departed but Vinyl and Octavia. A short time after the departures, roughly two in the morning, Vinyl and Octavia were sitting together, alone in the waiting room. Vinyl levitated a bottle of water to Octavia, and she quickly accepted it and drank a quarter of it in one go. "Tavi." "Yes?" "Is this the end?" "What?" "For us. Now that we have foals, where is there to go?" "Well, we still have to raise them, Vinyl. I hope you don't think that'll just be a walk in the park." "No, no, of course not. I'm just saying that we've really done everything, haven't we?" "Everything we can, I suppose so. Huh, I guess this really is the final step isn't it?" "It looks like it." "But wait, don't you think that if we're rasing foals, and now two of them, we should get better jobs? At least one of us?" "I guess so. Wait, haven't we already gone through this? Didn't we agree on police officer for me?" Octavia sighed and looked at the floor. There was a moment of silence, and Vinyl thought she saw Octavia mutter something to herself. "Ok, look. We did settle on you being a police officer. But I've been trying to get you away from that field." "What? Why?" "Vinyl, nopony's Bulletproof, ok? Policing is dangerous, and I don't want to lose you." "Wait, so, that's why you've brought this up over and over? You were trying to get me to change my mind?" "Yes, yes I was. Vinyl, we've just taken possibly the biggest step we could ever take together, and I don't want you to not be a part of that because you-" Octavia was cut short when Vinyl wrapped her in a quick hug. Octavia hugged back, and wiped the teats from her eyes while Vinyl couldn't see them. "Look, Octavia. I know our the track record shows that something will always go wrong, but think about this for a second. I lived out on the streets, I had to Suffer It All for, what, three years? I didn't have anything to defend myself, nopony to watch my back, no training of any kind, and I survived. I'm certain, that if I am out there as a cop, trained and armed, I'll be just fine." A look of hard thinking spread across Octavia's face as she looked down at the floor. "You're right. You're right again." Octavia smiled as she looked back up at Vinyl, and quickly after leaped out to hug her again. As the embrace continued, the two heard the hospital doors slide open, and turned to see Lyra and Bon-Bon, rain soaked and smiling. "Hey, bout time you two showed up." "Yes, a little late, aren't you?" "Sorry, we got locked out of your house, and we so convieniently just missed the train." "We brought you this though." Lyra levitated an already opened bottle of champagne in front of the other mares, and they smiled a little at the sight. "Lyra, are you allowed to have that in here?" "Probably not, so let's hurry up and do this." Bon-Bon hastily setbthe four glasses down, and Lyra filled them with equal speed. Lyra set the bottle down and raised her glass in the middle of the group. "Here's To The Heartache, to everything that's been fucked up all the way through. Here's to Vinyl and Octavia finally completing their journey together." "I'll drink to that." The four mares quickly drained their alcohol, and Bon-Bon took the glasses back. Lyra quickly and subtly put the bottle in a nearby garbage, and walked close to the hallway. "Hey, can we go look at them?" "Sure, let's go." The group walked down the hallway and all the way down to the room where Flyleaf and Roulette, among others, were peacefully sleeping. "Those two. That one is Flyleaf, and that one is Roulette." "They're adorable Octavia." "I know, I just can't wait to take them home. I'm actually going to be a mother." Octavia, who was starting to break into tears of happiness, turned and hugged Bon-Bon. After a couple seconds, Octabia motioned the other two over. "Ah what the hell." Lyra and Vinyl ran up and joined the group hug, and the formation held for a full minute afterwards. Derpy eased into the couch, having walked there with the aid of Doctor Whooves. She stared out the window and watched the sun starting to set on the cool summer evening, smiling at the fact that the February Winds no longer blew, and that her best friend in the world was now blessed with the greatest gift she could give. She turned to him and smiled as he laid beside her and stroked her mane. "Thank you." "No thanks needed sweetheart, there isn't anything I wouldn't do for you." There were a few moments of silence as the two continued to embrace the tranquility of the eveing and watch the sun set through the windows. Eventually, Doctor Wooves' curiosity got the better of him, and he had to speak. "Sweetie?" "Yes?" "You think we made a good decision?" "Of course. Do you?" "Well, the better part of me says yes, however I feel a small, small amount of regret giving up our children. Of course it was for a good cause." "And we can still see them." "That too. I guess I just have a few regrets in general. But at a certain time you just decide that you've Had Enough. Do you?" "Nope." "Really? You think we've dome everything just right?" "M-hm. No regrets."
Part Eleven: I'll Give You Two The Time You NeedThe necklace was stunning. It was a solid gold pendant in the shape of a diamond, with a large circular emerald in the center, strung up by a chain of solid gold. Octavias mouth was dropped open, and she held her hoof over it. Her head was facing the necklace, but she was looking up at the smiling mare with her teary eyes only. "Yes." The words were barely audible. Octavia moved her hoof and wrapped both her front hooves around Vinyl. "Yes!" Tears of joy flowed from both pairs of eyes. Vinyl hugged Octavia tightly until she pulled away. "Here." Using her magic, Vinyl put Octavias mane in a single straight line behind her head, and pulled the necklace out of the box and gingerly put it on Octavia. She smiled widely as Octavia spun around to look at herself in her vanity. "Vinyl, it's beautiful." "I hoped you'd like it." "I love it! How, and when did you get this?" "Well, I may or may not have called in a few favours ponies owed me." "When did you get this? There wasn't-" "Remember when I had that weirdly long phone call at your friends house that I took outside, and no matter how you craned your neck, you couldn't see me out the window?" "Wha, was that just a coincidence or-" "Yeah, remember when I took a weirdly long time getting us drinks? Yeah, my old rehab roomie got me on that one." Octavias face was a face of pure disbelief as Vinyl walked up behind her. Vinyl saw the reflection of Octavias face change into a warm smile, and suddenly she was thrown back onto the bed. Octavia planted a large kiss directly on Vinyls lips before she could even speak, and Vinyl soon help up her end of the kiss. "Vinyl, you're amazing. I just can't believe that any of this happened, and that you could put this all together!" "Oh, now you're doubting my abilities? Jeez, if that's what I have to look forward to, I want a divorce." Vinyl chuckled a little bit and Octavia joined. The two mares turned back to lay on the bed correctly, and after a few minutes of talking, they decided to go to bed. "Goodnight Vinyl." "Goodnight Tavi." Both turned off their lights and got comfortable in their positions. Just before Vinyl fell asleep, she heard Octavia again. "Hey, Vinyl?" "Yeah Tav?" "Which one of us will have the mare of honor and which one will have the best stallion?" Vinyls eyes opened wide and she frowned. As she rolled over to look at Octavia, she sighed. "Uhh, I really didn't think about that." "Well, I suppose there are a lot of things we didn't think about that will come up later. But, I suppose we'll cross those bridges when we reach them." "What if we each had one? Like, one of each?" "Well, I guess that's fair. Although, I'd like to ask, who would you have as yours?" "Honestly, I'm not even sure. Other than you, I don't have too many ponies that are very close to me. Maybe Hail Toss as my mare of honor, no idea who I'd have for best stallion. What about you?" "Its between Lyra and Bon-Bon for mare of honor. Best stallion, I have no idea. I guess I'll ask Doctor Whooves." Vinyl nodded a little bit and rolled over again to go to sleep. "Goodnight Vinyl." "Goodnight Octavia." "Sir?" WaveMaker snapped awake, and looked up to the doctor with a solemn expression. "I'd like to talk to you." WaveMaker nodded and followed the doctor out of the room, glancing over his shoulder at his wife sleeping in the hospital bed. "Sir. There's something I need to-" "Just...get to it. Please." Tears were already forming in Wavemakers eyes, but he knew something worse was bound to start. "It seems, that the bullet has done quite a bit of damage to your wife's circulatory system. We, aren't fully sure if its, repairable." Now looking towards the floor, WaveMaker let the tears flow from his eyes down to his face and onto the floor. He felt a hoof on his left shoulder and heard a sigh. "I'm, sorry." WaveMaker nodded slightly, just enough to let the doctor know he had heard, and left the hoof leave his shoulder. As the hoofsteps started and faded away down the hall, WaveMaker started losing his grip. He walked back into the room and sat down in the chair, face in his hooves. "I just fucking can't believe this." He muttered phrases over and over to himself until he heard a soft groan from beside him. The figure in the bed moved slightly, and WaveMaker stood up and put his two front hooves on the rail of the bed. "Skyline? Sweetie?" "H-hey. Hey baby, h-how are you?" Skyline Breezer could see that her husband had been crying, but she asked the question in case there was any good news. "I've... I've been better. But that doesn't matter, not anymore. How are you?" "Tired. So much of this shit's been draining me lately, sleeping doesn't seem to help either, which is a little ironic." Skyline Breezer chuckled and raised a hoof to run it through what was left of her mane. A small amount of strands fell off of her scalp and cascaded gently down to the floor. "Anything you want?" "Well, you got another one of those jellos?" "I can go get one." WaveMaker stood up and started walking out the door before Skyline Breezer could get another word out. She sighed and looked around the hospital room. She had been out in one of the 'one patient only' rooms, so there wasn't another bed or any other machines in the room except for the ones around her. She looked up at the hear at monitor and listened to the slow, steady beat. She turned her head the other way when she heard the door open again, hoping to see WaveMaker. Instead, the pony she saw was the doctor that had been running her tests. He smiled a little bit as he walked in, but the smiled faded as he reached the bed. "Miss Breezer. I have some bad news." "Y-yeah?" "I'm..I'm afraid that there isn't any way to reverse the damages. I've discussed this with your husband, but he hasn't responded with any sort of decision. I'll, give you two the time you need." The doctor nodded solemnly and turned to walk out of the room. Tears were running down Skyline Breezers face, and not soon after the doctor left, WaveMaker walked in. "Hey sweetie, I know you don't like green as much, but it was all I c-" WaveMaker stopped himself short when he walked in and saw Skyline Breezer, and the tears upon her face. "Skyline? What's wrong?" "The...the doctor talked to me. I know he talked to you too." "Yes...yes, he did." "I know I said earlier that, I knew I was gonna die, but, I never actually thought it would happen." WaveMaker moved closer to the bed, and the couple wrapped their hooves around each other. The embrace lasted for what felt like forever to both ponies, but still neither wanted it to end. They eventually separated when they heard the door creak open. "Hey?" The southern accent seemed a little familiar to WaveMaker, and he smiled a little as he turned around. "BrickLayer, hi." "Hey. I heard about what happened. I wanted to come talk to her." "Yeah, sure. Skyline Breezer, sweetie, this is BrickLayer. I met her in the ER waiting room a while back." "Nice to meet you." "Yeah, nice to meet you too." "So what's the situation?" BrickLayer sat down in a chair and pulled it up beside the bed. Skyline Breezer smiled, but sighed as she looked at the other mare. "Well, it's not what one would call a great situation. I'm kinda backed into a corner here, and there's really only one way out, ya know?" "Damn. I hear what you're sayin' though. My cousin had somethin' kinda like this." "Cancer?" "No, but he got shot on stage. Three years back, middle of a song. Guy ran up there and shot em' in the chest. Didn't think he was gonna make it." "What happened?" BrickLayer sighed and looked at the floor for a second, biting her bottom lip. "Well, he was in the hospital for a while, then he was home, then he was right back up performin' again. He pulled through just fine. I always had that little bit of hope, and sometimes I feel like that's the only thing that helped." The three ponies in the room sat silent for some time before a doctor eventually came in. "Sorry miss, but visiting hours are over." "Oh, ok." BrickLayer got out of her chair, but turned to Skyline and smiled. "Just keep hoping Skyline, I know you got this." "Thanks BrickLayer, I sure hope so." BrickLayer smiled and the doctor guided her outside the room. After closing the door, he walked over to the two other ponies in the room. "I thought I'd give you a few more minutes. I figured you two would have a bit to talk about." "No, we don't?" Both the stallions in the room opened their eyes widely at Skyline Breezers quick response. "Honey..." "Keep me on life support." "I hereby sentence you to life imprisonment, with no chance of parole." The words followed by the slam of the judges gavel brought a strange feeling of happiness to Vinyl and Octavia. Vinyl sighed a sigh of relief as she watched the police ponies cuff Open Mind and start walking him out of the courthouse. There were a few seconds of ominous silence after they left before ponies started leaving. Vinyl and Octavia got up and walked outside, not feeling any particular reason to stick around. "Ah, does it do me good to know that that fucking psycho is locked up now." "Yes, I'd say that's quite the relief. No more worrying about him means we're almost one hundered percent care free." "Yeah, I guess we are." Vinyl chuckled and looked up at the open sign flashing in the window of the bar they were beside. "Hey, how 'bout a round for celebration?" "Vinyl, it's four in the afternoon, should we really be drinking?" "C'mon, I wanna show you what it's like to be a rockstar." "You were a DJ!" "Don't ruin this for me!" The two mares laughed as they entered the bar and sat down at the counter. A unicorn stallion with a blue coat and black and white mane walked up and smiled at them. "What can I get for you?" "A glass of whiskey for me please." "Um, I'll just have what she's having I guess." "Wonderful. One moment." The bartender walked away, and the couple took the moment to take a quick look around the bar. Almost nopony was there, save for them, the bartender, and a group of three stallions in one of the corner booths. "Here you go girls, enjoy." "Thanks." "Thanks." "Wait a minute, I recognize you. You were one being followed by that guy on news today." "Uh, yeah. Yeah, we were." "And now he is locked up! Opa! Round is on the house for you." "Wow, thanks. To crazy stalkers." "To crazy stalkers, and even crazier brides to be." Octavia chuckled at her joke and lightly tapped her glass against Vinyls raised one. They both drank roughly half their beverages in one go, and sat them down with a sigh. "Vinyl, I meant to ask this, but I forgot to this morning." "What's that?" "Are we going to set a date for the wedding anytime soon." "Hmm. I never really thought about it. I guess it should be sometime soon, right?" "Well, there's no rush, but there's no harm in getting it done sooner." Vinyl took another sip of her drink and looked at the floor for a minute as she thought. "Why don't we do it close to the winter? That's when we first met, and that gives us about four months to plan everything out." "That seems reasonable. Is it settled then?" "Four months today?" "Sounds like a plan." Octavia smiled as she held her glass up for another toast. Vinyl met it and both mares drank the rest of their drinks. "Not used to drinking in the afternoon like that." "Don't worry, I'll get you some crackers or something." "Why?" "Absorbs the alcohol, might help a bit." Octavia laid down on the couch and Vinyl went to the kitchen. After searching through a few cabinets, she returned to the living room with a box of crackers. "Here you go." "Thanks. Oh, I meant to tell you, I have to go back to Ponyville tomorrow." "Why?" "First off, I need to tell Lyra and Bon-Bon about the wedding, and second, there's somepony else I need to talk to about it." "That doctor guy you talked about?" "Yes. Him. Have to ask him about being a best stallion." Octavia chuckled slightly nervously, prompting suspicion from Vinyl. "Wait a minute, are you planning something I shouldn't know about?" "What? No. I go into Ponyville every now and then, I like to catch up with Lyra and Bon-Bon." Vinyl was still suspicious, but she sighed and smiled at her fiancé. "Alright, I guess I'll let you have this one." "Good. Excuse me for a moment." Octavia stood up and walked into the bathroom on the same floor. She shut the door and let out an extended sigh. "That was close."
