A looping ambient techno instrumental flowed through the air, the ethereal nature of it diminished by the constant skipping of the record. It would have to do for now, though.

Vinyl Scratch's gaze lingered on the half-empty bottle that stood on the table. The light that shone into it was bright, making it nearly unbearable to look at. Her eyes went to the lamp in the corner of the kitchen, its flames flickering as it slowly died out.

She reached forward and grabbed the bottle in her grasp once more. Before she drank from it she just stared at it. Was this what her life had really become? Whenever she wasn't out getting fucked up at a club or playing a gig, she would sit at home getting drunk off whatever bottles she could find.

She couldn't remember when she had started drinking. The first time had to have been when she was young, or else she wouldn't have had such a tolerance for it by the time she was an adult. It served as a good escape for a mind, something she could fall back on when things got too hard. That seemed to be happening more and more often lately.

Her alcohol intake had spiked when she really started getting into the DJ scene. Of course, it came with the job when all you did was play at clubs. She eventually started going for harder things, things that would numb her faster and for longer. But she still felt tied to the bottle, even if she was unable to feel anything else.

Vinyl's vision became blurry as she continued to stare at the bottle. She was pathetic for doing this. She was pathetic for being unable to function unless she had something coursing through her veins that made her barely conscious. She was pathetic for being unable to love herself unless she was intoxicated.

If she wasn't high or drunk or inebriated in some way she would be left alone with herself and her thoughts. Anyone who would willingly go through that had to have a death wish.

When she was on something she didn't have to feel anything. She didn't have to feel worthless, or feel regret at her life choices, or feel disgusted at her image. She didn't have to think at all either. None of the usual bullshit that her mind screamed at her all the time could get to her. She was free.

The bottle was lifted to her lips and she drank, the alcohol barely able to burn her throat anymore. Some of the liquid dribbled down her muzzle and fell onto the table.

Drip. Drip. Drip.

She wiped at her mouth. It kept coming.

Drip. Drip. Drip.

She groaned and went back to drinking. Even more fell out of her mouth this time.

Drip. Drip. Drip.

The record slowed to a stop, a silence overtaking the room that was only combated by the dripping.

Vinyl took a shaky breath when she realized this, the bottle clinking against the table as she set it down. She used her magic to lift the needle of the phonograph and flipped the record to the other side. When she set the record and the needle down and the music began playing again, a mirthless smile graced her lips.

The haze was finally starting to fall over her now, clouding her mind in the familiar way she so desperately craved. Her mind was slowing down, less thoughts able to run through them. All she could focus on was the dripping from her muzzle. She didn't know why it hadn't stopped, nor did she care to find out.

Drip. Drip. Drip.

The buzzing in her head was growing louder by the second. It was becoming harder to stay upright, her hooves leaning on the table to keep her from tumbling to the floor. A strangled laugh left her as she picked up the bottle again.

Or, she would've if she hadn't accidentally knocked it over.

The bottle fell onto it's side and shattered into hundreds of little shards. The sharp corners glimmered in the light. Booze flowed through the remains of the bottle before pouring onto the floor.

Drip. Drip. Drip.

Vinyl picked up one of the shards, wincing behind her glasses as it pierced her skin. She didn't try to remove it, instead pushing it in further. Blood slowly began to pour out of the cut, mixing with the alcohol on the table to make a dark red puddle.

Drip. Drip. Drip.

She removed the piece of glass from her hoof and tossed the blood-soaked shard to the floor, the tiny cracking noise ringing in her ears. She was going to need another drink if she could still feel.

She wiped her bleeding hoof onto her white chest, staining her coat. As she moved away from the table the blur began to overtake her more, making it near impossible to move. She pushed on in spite of it. She needed to get a drink.

When she began to walk she stumbled over her hooves, barely catching herself before she fell. Instead, she tumbled headfirst into the base cabinet, sending her to the floor. A dull throb passed through her head, like somepony had clipped her with a sledgehammer.

A strained laugh left her as she lay on the floor, unable to pick herself up. Her eyes went to the doorway that connected to the living room. Hanging off one of the tables was a pink and white bow tie.

Octavia wasn't home.

Vinyl knew that they'd had a fight, but she couldn't recall for the life of her what it was about. All she could remember was that there was screaming and crying, the latter mostly coming from Octavia.

At some point she stopped trying to remember every argument the two had. They stacked up so much that keeping count was pointless. It was all the same song and dance, really. One of them would get upset, yelling would ensue, angry sex or Vinyl getting high enough to forget her own name, repeat.

This was what she was used to, but she felt different this time. Something about Octavia was off, she could remember that. There was a defeated air around her, her voice sounding broken and exhausted. She didn't storm out of the house in a big fuss like usual, she just.. quietly left, not even letting Vinyl know.

That took place during the early afternoon. It had been hours since then and Octavia still hadn't returned. Usually she was back within two or three hours, but it had been so much longer than that.

The fight was yesterday, Vinyl realized. Last night, Octavia didn't come home in the morning and Vinyl hadn't noticed.

Vinyl let out a shuddered breath, forcing her body to move onto its side. She felt her body shake as everything washed over her. Whether from anger or sadness, she didn't know.

Everything was falling apart around her and she was the one to blame.

Tears had begun falling from her eyes before she could stop them, and she weakly tossed her glasses across the floor to let them fall freely. The tears hitting the ground mixed with the dripping alcohol and the flowing blood and the loud music to create a cacophony of white noise that comforted Vinyl while she cried.

Drip. Drip. Drip.

Author's Note

this chapter was partially inspired by thriller by regidar