Heart 𝄞Beats♫

"Octavia," her mother began, carefully weighing her next words as her daughter sat across from her while unicorn butlers elegantly brought out the next course of their meal. "Why in Equestria would you want to attend a public University when you know very well that I could simply hire the most educated private tutors to teach you whatever you wanted to know?"

"Mother," Octavia replied, softly, as she let the gentle insistence on her tongue wiggle its way into her mother's mind. "That is precisely the issue. If I am to be my own mare, I must stand on my own and in my own light; I cannot rely on your finances, forever, and am eager to cease living in your shadow."

"There is nothing wrong with your mother taking care of you, sweet Octavia." her mother insisted as she waved a unicorn offering a fine wine away. "It is my duty as a parent, after all. What kind of mother would I be if I forced you out on your own before you were ready?"

"Once again, you are completely oblivious to my point! I am ready! I am twenty years old, mother; other ponies have started creating their own paths, leading their own lives. You lean over me in everything I do." Octavia explained, respectfully pleading with her mother as to not cause a scene, despite being in her own home. "I want ponies to stop seeing you when they look at me."

Mezzo Piano furrowed her brow as her head turned down, ever so slightly, to signify that her mother was deeply considering her daughters' words. "But what would you study?" she asked, not as a challenge, but to genuinely understand the inner machinations of Octavia's mind, as she had regrettably proven how she couldn't know everything about her daughter.

Octavia's breath caught in her throat as her heart thumped in her chest. I didn't think I'd get this far! she thought, as she frantically searched her mind and sifted through what she actually enjoyed learning about, rather than what her mother had urged her to pursue. "Oh, um... classical music, of course; perhaps I can glean a new perspective on the art from those who have come into it from different paths."

Mezzo simply stared at her daughter, as Octavia's mind racked itself. You vacuous mare! Octavia cursed herself. That was entirely too obvious! Think of things to show her you are serious about surviving on your own!

"...And musical theater, psychology, and business management. If I am going to be managing my own affairs, I must have the proper skill set with which to do so." Octavia stated, intelligently.

Mezzo quietly sighed as she considered the situation, only passively acknowledging that she had been too engrossed in the conversation to have touched her food. Now, it was too late. "I suppose there is no talking you out of this?"

Octavia politely shook her head as she held an outward smile; a symbol of her resolve. Internally, however, the mare was hurling every polite obscenity at herself for daring to be so bold with her mother - it was unbecoming!

Before Octavia could show outward signs of her fears, an understanding smile crept onto her mothers face as she gave a short nod. "You have grown into a lovely mare, Octavia. It fills me with great pride, to see that you stand so firmly for what you want. Very well, you have my permission, although I believe you have proven you no longer need it. Go and do something with your life."

Elsewhere, in a musty, unkempt apartment, a white unicorn mare with an electric blue mane coughed and sputtered after vomiting more souvenirs from last nights' party into the toilet of her small bathroom. She spasmed, slightly, after the fact, and gingerly held her place on the floor, overlooking the only thing that had kept her apartment from becoming even more filthy. After a few moments, and with a quiet sigh of relief, the mare reached up and pulled down on the small lever, making the contents of last night's mistake the problem of someone else before struggling to her hooves and stumbling into the hallway; sliding against the cool wall for support as she made her way back to her room.

The unicorn opened her door with a flash of her magic, careful to close her eyes lest she induce a headache, before she quickly stumbled to the bed and collapsed within the cool, crisp sheets with a pleased sigh. Taking a moment for herself to bath in the refreshing cold that flooded her room, the unicorn was brought back to her senses as her phone buzzed to life from atop her nightstand. With a groan, she levitated the device in her magic and floated it over to her face as she rolled onto her back to discover who had disturbed her peace.

Did you make it home, Vinyl?

From Neon Lights, received at 3:36 P.M.

Fucking idiot. she cursed herself, as she unlocked her phone and sent a reply.

Yeah. Thanks for checking up on me.

Sent at 3:37 P.M.

She tossed the phone to her side as she blankly stared up in thought, struggling to remember the events of last night. She remembered going to yet another party and getting lost in the bounce and haze of electronic music, letting her hooves take control as she let herself go. She remembered another party-goer challenging her to a drinking contest.

Big mistake. Vinyl thought, rather bitterly despite the smirk on her face. For as popular as I am, ponies don't seem to listen to the rumors that I can drink more than any of them.

She shifted her position to get comfortable, once more, as she swam through her memories. She remembered winning the contest, the stallion passed out not long after the eighth round. She went back to dancing, intentionally bumping other party-goers to clear herself a space as the music took her completely. She remembered someone edging their dance closer to her, practically yelling above the crowd just to be heard through Vinyl's protective headset and the music. She remembered grinning as she read the words from the mares' lips, nodding.

The next moment, Vinyl was stepping back onto the dance floor as she let the papery feeling settle on her tongue. Before long, the lights blurred and blended, and the music destroyed her body and rebuilt it with each beat, granting her life and taking it away.

Vinyl furrowed her brow as she struggled to remember anything after that. Had she drank more? Had she done something with somepony? How did she get home? She lifted her phone to her face, once more, and tapped the screen with her magic.

What happened, last night?

Sent at 4:02 P.M.

I don't know, I had a gig on the other side of town. Since you don't remember, I'm going to assume that you had another acid trip before drinking yourself into a coma.

From Neon Lights, received at 4:04 P.M.

Vinyl huffed in frustration. This had become a regular occurrence for her, long before she and Neon Lights broke up; it was almost a ritual. Every time there was a lapse in her schedule, something that gave her more than a day of breathing room, she filled it with alcohol and drugs. Pausing to calm herself down, Vinyl turned her head to the side to look towards the far end of her room.

Shoved into the corner, atop an old turntable that she had grown too attached to despite it no longer working, sat a stack of notebooks. Vinyl stared at them, longingly, as she mentally redrew each drawing contained within those pages; a flower beginning to blossom in the park, an elderly couple sharing a morning at the bus stop, a taxi cart idly waiting on the side of the street. Vinyl had drawn the heart of Fillydelphia in those notebooks, each little glimpse painstakingly sketched and colored as she sat, watching her piece for hours.

Vinyl closed her eyes in an effort to stave off a wave of depression as she remembered what it was like, back then, when she was an aspiring musician who wasn't overtaken with stress and failure.

What happened to us?

Sent at 4:13 P.M.

You turned to drugs for help more than you turned to your friends. Honestly, Vinyl, how long are you going to do this to yourself? Get out of your apartment and get out of your head. Find something that occupies the time you have in between your gigs so you stop destroying yourself. Go to school, do something with your life.

From Neon Lights, received at 4:19 P.M.