Bittersweet Dreams

by BurningMockingJay

Rating: everyone
Tags: Sad, Octavia, Slice of Life, DJ P0N-3, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic
Length: 1708

Fame and fortune is a cocktail that comes with many drawbacks. This is the main consequence.

After performing to a live audience, Vinyl Scratch has some thoughts on her mind about her future in her professional career. Sure, it has brought her much fame and fortune all around Equestria, but even the wildest of party animals get exhausted at one point or the other. So, backstage after a concert, Vinyl is lucky to have a friend such as Octavia to help her in her dilemma.

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Cover Art Credit!
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*NOTE* This is a one-shot that I wrote in the span of maybe an hour or so, but even still, I hope you like what I have to offer! - FireRain :heart:

Published 2018-05-16 11:10:06 UTC
Last updated 2018-05-16 11:10:06 UTC

Thanks for being my friend

Author's Note

This is just a one-shot I wanted to write because I was bored and wanted something to do. I haven't written anything in a while, and I have been meaning to get back into the game, so consider this my first step. With that being said, here's some Vinyl Scratch x Octavia Melody.

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- FireRain :heart:

Thanks for being my friend

She could still hear them now.

From inside of her dressing room of the venue, she could still hear the wild cheering and roar of the crowd, and some even chanting her name, even long after the concert had ended. It was something that Vinyl Scratch was no stranger to, seeing as she was always a wild party animal that was notorious for receiving countless noise complaints from many of the residents of Ponyville. It was something that put a smile on her face. However, this wasn't Ponyville. This was Canterlot, and although the residents of Canterlot may be a bunch of stuck-up bigots, her fans had infected their regal and sophisticated nature and given them a taste of what a hardcore concert really sounds like.

So...why isn't she happy? She had entertained her crowd, wowed her fans, given them a memorable experience and given them a reason to come back to another one of her shows. Why, here and now, was it something that just made her feel...empty?

Her dressing room was designed like a throne room, with majestic, tall white walls and elegant statuettes of mythical ponies from a bygone era. There was a chaiselongue quilted with royal purple upholstery and a white wooden body to compliment the walls, and there were a couple of small desktops with complimentary make-up sitting on top of them, should somepony need to reapply to make themselves look presentable. In the corner of the room, there was a small bed with purple velvet bedsheets, on which Vinyl Scratch was currently collapsed upon.

She was spread out with her back on the sheets, her eyes facing the ceiling with her trademark purple DJ goggled dropped on the red-carpeted floor beside the bed. A hoof was resting limply over her chest while the other dangled over the side of the bed, remaining still. She didn't move, only just staring at the ceiling with a blank, emotionless expression, lost in her own thoughts. She didn't even have the strength to move when there was a knock on her door, followed by it slowly opening and then closing as somepony stepped inside. Vinyl didn't need to look to know who it was.

''You were great tonight, Vinyl!'' Octavia said cheerfully and proudly to the other mare. ''They're still cheering your name, and-'' Octavia paused upon noticing the dull-looking white coated and electric blue-maned unicorn on the bed. ''V-Vinyl?'' She asked, coming up beside the bed with a worried expression. Vinyl didn't even bother to turn her eyes to look at her, causing the grey earth pony to worry even more. ''Are you feeling alright?'' She asked her delicately.

''Meh,'' Vinyl mumbled, her voice below a whisper, weak and drained. Up this close, Octavia could make out how bloodshot Vinyl's eyes truly were. Even for her, she looked like she hasn't slept in weeks! Back when they were housemates, Vinyl would always be the type of pony to sleep during the majority of the day to charge herself for the following night where she would be gigging and partying in one of Ponyville's bars or clubs. However, that was compared nothing as to how she looked right now.

''Vinyl?'' Octavia asked again, this time giving the mare a small nudge with her hoof to her side. With a lazy motion, Vinyl slowly moved her eyes to meet Octavia's purple amethysts. She blinked, feeling her dry eyes ache as she tried to remoisturise them. She gave the deepest sigh Octavia had ever heard and she eventually spoke.

''Hey, Octy,'' She said, her voice quiet and dry. ''I know what you're going to ask, so don't even think about it.'' She said emotionlessly. Octavia sighed.

''Vinyl,'' She said firmly. ''I've known you long enough to know when you're upset about something, and you know I'm not going to leave you alone until I can help you, so you might as well tell me what's wrong,'' Octavia said. ''Now, why are you upset?'' She asked, pulling herself onto the bed and sitting beside her friend's head so that she could look directly at her.

''Life,'' Vinyl muttered. ''Life, fame, recognition, fortune, everything,'' The white unicorn said, slowly raising herself off of her back and sitting herself upright beside Octavia and she sighed. ''I never thought it'd be this tiring,'' She said, turning her head to face Octavia with her bloodshot magenta eyes, pointing to them with a hoof. ''I don't know how you do it, Octy. Really, I don't. You make it look so easy.'' At that, Octavia's face took on a surprised yet modest expression.

''I'll take that as a compliment,'' Octavia said, lightly brushing her charcoal mane. ''Being famous is tiring, Vinyl, and even I need to take a rest every once in a while. It does some good to have time to collect one's self before they perform to an audience. When you look your best on the stage and the spotlight's on you as you play, it always leaves a positive impression on the crowd,'' Octavia said confidently, her sophisticated English accent singing to Vinyl's ears. ''There is such a thing as overdoing it, you know,'' She said, motioning to a couple of bottles of spirits on the floor.

''Gee, thanks,'' Vinyl said with an unamused roll of her eyes. ''Good pep-talk. Not really what I need to hear right now.'' She said, giving her elegant friend a soft glare. Octavia only gave a left-sided smile.

''All I'm saying is that you need to learn some self-control, have a sense of etiquette. It wouldn't kill you to leave a night or two between drinking, would it? At the rate you're going, it never ceases to amaze me how you're even still alive, Vinyl.'' She said, although her tone held traces of sadness and worry.

It was all true, and Vinyl Scratch knew it. On some levels, she can rival with Pinkie Pie and probably win. However, whenever Vinyl performs, the amount of effort and flexibility it takes to work her turntables and to keep her bass cannons pumping all night saps all of her energy out of her and leaves her feeling like a reanimated corpse. Back in Ponyville or at other small venues where she had a fairly large but not monstrously-numbered over-packed crowd to entertain all night long, she could handle it with no problems, but ever since she hit the bigger stage and fame began to pummel her left and right, she has been in demand every night at the biggest venues in Equestria. Vinyl couldn't count a moment when she had a minute or two to herself before she was yanked away to entertain. She literally had no time to simply chill and enjoy what she reeled in after a night's set.

In the deepest depths of her mind, Vinyl almost wishes that she never signed that contract during that night in her club, The Scratch Shack, when that agent saw potential in her talent and offered her a profitable opportunity she couldn't pass up. Not only a month later, her regret caught up to her when she had to leave Octavia and all of her memories behind her as the demonic infection and disease known as fame and fortune rang her bell. Sure, it might have gained her tonnes more fans and recognition, and even a few record deals, but at this point on, a few years into the game, she wanted nothing more than to throw in the towel and quit. A few fans was one thing, but this was beyond ridiculous. Vinyl sighed as she looked at Octavia.

''You're right, Octavia,'' She said. ''I know you're right, but I can't quit because of my contract. Believe me, Octy, there's nothing more that I want than to call it quits, but I can't until the tour's over. There's, like, five other concerts I have to go through before I can get out of it. I'm afraid that there's no other way out,'' Vinyl said sadly. ''I don't know how I'm going to make it. I haven't been able to sleep for weeks. It's all 'sign this, sign that' and 'hey, can I get a picture with you?', and I never get a single moment to myself.'' Octavia smiled sadly.

''Oh, Vinyl,'' Octavia cooed. ''I'm sure you'll be able to manage, but you don't have to do it alone.'' She said, lightly placing her dark grey hoof onto Vinyl's forehoof.

''What do you mean?'' Vinyl asked curiously.

''Well, me and my orchestra have some time off for a while, so, although I don't quite enjoy the musical tastes of electropop or dubstep, I wouldn't mind coming along with you to offer you my support. Besides, we don't get much chance to, what was your term? 'Hang' around anymore.'' Octavia said, and using the slang term made her have to seemingly pry the word off of her tongue. To somepony that was brought up to be civilised and well-mannered inside of a sophisticated and wealthy family, it made her feel dirty on the inside to use such a phrase. She didn't even have any time to react before she felt the hooves of Vinyl wrap around her and pull her into a hug.

''Oh, Octy, you're the best friend I could have asked for! I swear, once all of this is over and I get the rest of my pay for the tour, I'm taking you with me to the most expensive and best restaurant in town!'' Vinyl said with great levels of gratitude as she hugged the grey mare beside her. Octavia didn't even attempt to force herself out of the embrace, and the thought of spending a night out with Vinyl at a restaurant did sound rather appealing. Octavia lightly patted her friend's back and said,

''Glad to be of service.''