Vinyl’s hooves clattered on the wet cement, cold and slick beneath the pouring rain. She ran faster than she had ever run in her life, racing past stop signs and dodging streetlamps as she went. Her eyes darted frequently to the shadows, as if she were afraid that Scotch Records would come tearing out of the darkness like a deranged animal, rage-filled and baying with bloodlust.

Her breath came out in ragged bursts, and her lungs felt as if they were about to implode with every step she took as she galloped towards her destination, but she didn’t dare slow. She knew that to slow down even the minutest amount was to give in, and things had already gone too far out of her hooves to give in.

She ran on, past the partying within club windows and the crying of the adjacent alleys. The shouts of the upper-class Manehattan ponies as Vinyl bowled them over fell on deaf ears. But nothing mattered to her now, nothing save getting to Grand Central Station and away from all of this.

Then… what was this feeling that plagued her mind, its subtle nuances harrowing her already erratic thoughts? Hiding discreetly behind the bold presence of fear and adrenaline? Not regret, but… dread?

What could she possibly have to dread?

Lyra trotted happily along Grand Central Station’s majestic hallway, miraculously staying stable despite the slickness of the marble. Tall, ornately carved pillars rose to the ochre ceiling, where they conjoined seamlessy.

A smile graced every inch of Lyra’s features, and she trotted with a slight hop to her gait. The mint-green mare couldn’t get the phone call that had changed her life out of her mind. She had answered, unbeknownst of what would change in the first five seconds of that call. Her golden eyes shined ever the brighter in the dark rain at the vivid memory, every bit of the audio crisp and clear within her mind…

Hello?

Hello, is this Miss Lyra Heartstrings?

…Yes, this is she. Who is this?

This is Hoity Toity’s secretary.

HOLY SH - Er, haha, did you say Hoity Toity?

Why, I did indeed, ma’am. You see, we received your application along with those CD’s you sent us. We had no idea you were a mare of such divine talent. The lyre was simply entrancing, and the mixtapes were… well, that’s not really Mr. Toity’s forte, but we would be happy to point that aspect of your musical ability to somepony who might put it to a better use.

Oh my Celestia, thank you so much! You don’t know what this means to me! But, um, the DJ-ing isn’t me, it’s my friend. She really is amazing. Do you think that if she showed you what she can do, could you, um, point her out to those other ponies you mentioned?

Of course.

Oh, thank you so much!

It’s not a problem, Miss Heartstrings. Well, Mr. Toity sends his regards, and looks forward to handling your management in the future! Just meet us at his studio in Canterlot within the next week. Pop in between ten and five, say your name, and you’ll be taken to meet Mr. Toity himself. And if you would like, you may bring your friend as well. I’m mailing you the information now.

O-Okay! Oh my Celestia, thank you so much!

Goodbye, Miss Lyra.

Bye!

Lyra grinned even wider, not minding the splashing of the rain as it soaked her fur and drenched her hooves. She almost missed the white, wild-maned mare standing by the entrance.

“Vinyl!” Lyra was surprised that her friend had gotten to Grand Central Station so quickly, as her friend was well known for her chronic lateness, but she was even more alarmed by her appearance. Vinyl looked worn, ragged, and beat-up. Her mane was a mess, and something that looked like dried blood caked the edge of her lip. The panting pony’s cheek was red, as if she’d been slapped. “What happened?”

Vinyl swallowed, hard. “Nothing. I-I’m fine. Let’s go.”

The mint-green mare peered at Vinyl’s small bag of necessities. “That’s all you’re bringing?” She questioned, a little skeptically. “What about-”

“I’ll be fine,” Vinyl snapped loudly. “Can we just go?”

Lyra hesitated, worried. Vinyl looked almost… scared. Deciding against asking what the matter was, the lyrist pursed her lips. “O-okay.” She resolved to interrogate her friend about it later. For now, she just had to help Vinyl get as far away from… whatever she was scared of… as soon as possible.

Vinyl nodded curtly.

Lyra led the way to the train. She couldn’t get over Vinyl’s appearance. Gone was the amber-eyed mare’s high-spirited mood of moments before, replaced by a melancholy confusion. Vinyl didn’t want to talk about whatever had happened, that was clear enough. But what was she so afraid of sharing? Fights were nothing new. Lyra knew that Vinyl could probably kick a professional hoofball player’s flank if she put her mind to it. So what made this one different?

She flashed her ticket to the conductor, and then stepped onto the train as Vinyl did likewise. After both mares were on board, each turned to look at her surroundings.

And gasped.

Beautifully intricate lace tablecloths rested over the most expensive of mahogany tables. Each table was adorned with a single fuchsia candle, not yet lit, yet still aromatic. The walls were a deep red, and the framework of the walls gilded gold.

“Damn,” she heard Vinyl murmur appreciatively. “Fan-cy.”

Lyra nodded, mouth still open in shock. The tickets had said first class, but neither mare could ever have expected this. “This room’s bigger than my house,” she said in awe.

Vinyl ran her hooves over one of the nearby tables, then chuckled drily. “This table’s worth about three times our -” She caught herself. “…My dad’s house.”

Still awestruck by her surroundings, Lyra took no notice of Vinyl’s tone, and instead focused on a small marble stage where there stood sweet little cellist playing a haunting melody. Her jet-black mane fell over her leaden-gray coat, and her bow practically danced over the strings. A musician herself, Lyra was extremely impressed at both the mare’s dignified manner and superb music. She was about to point her out to Vinyl when a waiter in a tuxedo trotted over to her.

“You are Miss Heartstrings, yes?” he asked in a slight accent. “You and Miss Scratch may take a seat, if you so wish.” The well-dressed stallion bowed to the pair before gesturing at the numerous empty tables. Lyra and Vinyl exchanged a glance, then grinned.

“Yes, I think we shall,” Vinyl said with an air of superiority, thrusting her nose high into the air and cantering to a nearby table. Lyra followed suit, making sure to look as snobbish as possible as she made her way to her seat. The waiter looked unperturbed, probably accustomed to rude upper-class customers, and simply nodded at them before leaving to the kitchens after a quick “I’ll be with you in a moment.”

Vinyl and Lyra looked at each other once again, before bursting into peals of laughter.

“Oh – haha- my –hahaha- Celestia, did you see his face?” Vinyl crowed, scarcely able to breathe.

Tears streamed down Lyra’s cheeks, wetting the fur down to her neck. “It was – hehehehe- PRICELESS- hahaha!” She put on a mock serious face, frowning disapprovingly, and deepened her voice. “’I will be with you in a moment; please, don’t blow up zee train while I gossip to zee cooks about your bad behavior.’”

Vinyl wiped tears from her own eyes. “Oh, Celestia, that was awesome…”

Lyra grinned. “We’re such jerks.”

Her violet-eyed friend sighed contentedly, more relaxed than Lyra had seen her in a long while. “Yeah.”

A voice came over the intercom, a small, shining silver box in the upperhoof corner of the room. “Attention, all passengers. We are about to leave the station. Please make sure any and all luggage is onboard at the time of departure. Thank you.”

Vinyl checked her saddlebag. Once again, Lyra felt a pang of worry at her friend’s small pouch of necessities, but it soon faded as she prepared to immerse herself in the immense task of going through her own personal harem of thirteen suitcases, which she spied an unfortunate stallion carrying to her from across the room, his spine bending awkwardly under the weight.

Lyra beckoned for him to come over to her and he, albeit with a groan, obliged. “Set them here,” she commanded politely, pointing to her left. With a grateful sigh, the stallion toppled over. The suitcases were quickly saved from disaster by a mint-green aura of magic emanating from Lyra’s horn. The unicorn then carefully stacked them, one on top of the other, next to her chair while the offending stallion grinned at her sheepishly.

Lyra waved him off with a hoof, and he gratefully retreated to the door, bolting away once he thought he was out of their sight.

Vinyl watched him go with a lax grin plastered on her face. She observed him weaving quickly through the crowd, bumping into and bowling over ponies as he went, including a tall, rugged brown stallion that kicked the unfortunate orderly in the flank as he passed.

Her heart stopped. She swallowed hard, not believing her eyes, but there he was…

“Lyra.”

Her friend smiled at her. “Yes,Vinyl?”

“How soon is the train leaving?”

Lyra frowned just the littlest bit. Vinyl’s tone worried her. “I-I’m not sure… Why?”

Vinyl just nodded, continuing to stare out the window. Lyra furrowed her brows at her friend’s behavior. They should be having the time of their lives, and yet… Vinyl’s demeanor, both earlier and now, troubled her. She followed the white unicorn’s gaze to a rugged brown Earth Pony stallion that angrily shoved anypony in his way to his side, where they would tumble onto the ground.

Lyra looked at Vinyl again, and was astonished at the change. The mare who had just moments ago been laughing with her so hard that tears streamed out of her eyes was now wearing a contorted expression of pure terror. Vinyl’s pupils were contracted to the point where they were nothing but pinpricks, and she seemed rooted to the spot, as if she feared to even move. Once more, Lyra followed her gaze, and noticed the glint of something in the stallion’s saddlebag.

It looked like a knife.

Lyra sprung out of her chair, knocking it over and causing a dozen or so heads to turn her way. She didn’t care; she was already sprinting to a guard that stood by the entrance to the train. He looked at her oddly, but she ignored him, already talking.

“WHATTHEBUCKTHATSTALLIONHASAKNIFEANDHE’SCOMINGONTHETRAINANDMYFRIENDLOOKSLIKESHEKNOWSHIMANDSHE’SSCAREDSOPLEASEOHPLEASEHELP.”

He tilted his head. “Whaaat? Ma’am, please, slow down…”

Lyra took a deep breath. “That stallion’s got a knife.” She pointed him out to the guard, who looked at her skeptically.

“Ma’am, I don’t-”

“Look at his saddlebag,” she deadpanned.

The guard did. “I still don’t…” His eyes widened. “WHAT THE BUCK!” He galloped towards the stallion she had specified at full speed, shouting as he went. “YOU THERE! HOOVES IN THE AIR!”

The dangerous stallion stopped. “Who, me?” He asked innocently.

“Yes, you!” By now, other guards had heard the commotion and were rushing to the scene. In but a few moments, he was surrounded by about half a dozen guards, each brandishing a dangerous-looking spear. “I’ll say it once more: HOOVES IN THE AIR!”

Scotch Records did nothing of the sort. With a feral growl, he took the knife out of his saddlebag and put it in his mouth. He charged at the nearest guard, eyes blazing and slashing everywhere with his weapon.

The guard easily blocked the blows with the butt of his spear, sending Scotch into an even wilder frenzy. As he struggled to make even one of his blows land, Lyra noticed five other guards sneaking up behind him.

In perfect sync, each guard grabbed a hoof, save one that put Scotch’s neck in a chokehold. The guard Scotch had been trying to maim roughly knocked the weapon out of Scotch’s mouth, before delivering to him a slap that even Vinyl winced at. With the rugged brown stallion out of commission, the guards dragged him out of the station..

Vinyl let out a sigh that she had been holding for a long, long time. And though she felt safer than she had in years…

Lyra sat down across from her. “Vinyl.”

The white unicorn looked up dazedly at the mention of her name.

Lyra’s usually soft amber eyes were hard as stone, and her forehooves were clasped tightly together in front of her. Vinyl felt a sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach. This was Lyra’s unhappy face. And when Lyra was unhappy, she wanted answers. And when she wanted answers…

Vinyl shuddered.

Lyra didn’t move. “Vinyl, who was that?”

“I-I don’t-”

“Don’t buck with me!” Vinyl jumped at the shout escaping from the mint-green mare’s lips. Lyra leaned forward and growled at her. “Who. Was. That.”

Vinyl grew so pale that it showed though her characteristic white. “I don’t know.”

“Vinyl.”

Her name, said in that tired, weary tone, made her stop denying the truth. She looked at Lyra slightly closer. Her friend’s eyes may have been hard, but they were wet. Lyra’s posture was aggressive, and yet she was trembling. And though the amber-eyed mare’s tone may have been harsh, Vinyl detected the tiniest amount hurt in her voice.

So, with a sigh of resignation, she told her.

In the rear of the car, two mares sat on little stools around a fireplace.

“How the buck do they even have a fireplace on a train?” One of the mares, a beige pony with blue and pink mane, wondered aloud to her companion.

"Leave it to you to ask such a pointless question," chuckled the other mare, a leaden gray mare with a cello resting at her hooves.

The first pony elbowed her friend in the side. “Oh, shut up, Octavia, I was just curious.”

The other mare rolled her eyes. “Calm down, Bon Bon. You know I was just kidding around with you.”

The first mare stuck her tongue out at her before speaking her thoughts once again. “How do you think we’ll do, though?” She fretted. “I mean, neither of us have met him before and-”

The gray mare waved her hoof to cut her off. “Not quite true. My parents are actually quite familiar with him. I’m sure I can get them to put in a good word for the two of you.”

“Celestia, Octavia, can’t a mare speak?!” But the blue-and pink maned mare was smiling. “Thanks, Octavia. I’d really appreciate that.”

"You're welcome."

A few moments of companionable silence passed. Then...

"Octavia, I'm bored."

The raven-maned earth pony sighed. "You're always bored."

"No I'm not!"

"Always."

Bon Bon huffed. "Fine, maybe I am. But I'm reaaaally bored right now." Smiling craftily, she looked at Octavia with puppy dog eyes. "Won't you sing for me?"

"No."

The beige pony jumped up in shock. "What? Come on, you're awesome though!"

Two violet eyes stared dispassionately back at her. "I just spent two hours standing on my hind legs playing a cello for ponies who didn't really want to listen. Why should I sing?"

"Because if you sing then they'll like your music five bajillion times more!" Bon Bon grabbed Octavia by the side, waving a forehoof in front of them in a slow, dramatic arc to the right. "Just imagine: thousands of adoring fans, all spreading the word to even more ponies about the amazing cellist who not only plays her instrument perfectly, but - get this - SINGS!"

Octavia blew a long breath, her cheeks puffing out to either side and temporarily giving her the appearance of a blowfish. “You always exaggerate. But...fine. What would you like to hear?”

Bon Bon tapped her hoof on her chin. “How about Shadow of the Day?”

“By Linkin Pony?” Octavia inquired.

“That’s the one.”

Octavia stood. “Ehhhhh….. very well. Just give me a moment.” The gray Earth pony lifted her cello off the floor, strapping it onto her back. After a few moments of adjusting the strap to make it more comfortable, she cantered up to the stage. Nopony nearby took notice, simply continuing to carry on with their conversations.

Octavia took her beloved cello off her back, straightening it before standing next to the instrument, erect and poised. The leaden-gray mare flipped her jet-black mane out of her eyes, cleared her throat, and rested the bow on her beloved instrument. Then, setting a sweet and subtle tune, the words flowed.

“I close both locks below the window…

I close both blinds and turn away…”

Anypony close to the singing mare stopped what they were doing to listen. Bon Bon smiled softly. She never could quite get over her foalhood friend’s voice. It was so… pure. That was the best way to describe it. Pure, unadulterated music. Mare was talented, nopony could deny that.

And the cello... there was no describing the soft, soulful tones of the instrument as the deep vibrations echoed within the wood from a willow. Nothing was more relaxing... or touching.

“Sometimes solutions aren’t so simple…

Sometimes goodbye’s the only way… ohhh…”

Bon Bon couldn’t help herself. Unexpectedly, she joined in, their voices filling the train car, everypony nearby turning their heads to listen, including a certain amber-eyed mare and her friend.

“And the sun will set for you… The sun will set for you…

And the shadow of the day

will embrace the world in gray

and the sun will set for you…”

Octavia nodded at her friend, and she took over. The beige mare slipped into the song, her voice taking over where the cellist had left off as Octavia continued to keep the beautiful tones of the cello flowing.

“There’s cards and flowers on your window…

Your friends all plead for you to stay…

Sometimes beginnings aren’t so simple…

Sometimes goodbye’s the only way…ohhh…”

Her voice was less refined than Octavia’s, but possessed a certain short-and-sweet quality to it that spoke in nuances and unsaid thoughts slipping insidiously past the borders of the listener’s mind. Lyra found herself entranced. She watched as both mares smiled at each other, then launched into the chorus together.

“And the sun will set for you… The sun will set for you…

And the shadow of the day

will embrace the world in gray

and the sun will set for you…”

Octavia bowed and returned to her stool at the fireplace amongst roars of applause and approval. Bon Bon simply grinned and waved.

Lyra turned to Vinyl, prepared to say something, but halted at her friend's expression. And, shocked as she had been at Vinyl’s admission of moments ago, she was even more shocked now.

Vinyl was smiling, small rivulets of tears streaming down her cheeks as she watched the cellist take her seat.

Author's Note

Hey, guys! Quick author’s note, hopefully will answer any questions.

For credit, yes, that was a Linkin Park song, as many of you have probably guessed :) Possibly my favorite that they’ve made. Here's a link ->

Sorry for this chapter taking so long :( A few things came up, such as Tests and Life and MLP Season 3. But rest assured, I’m getting my priorities straight. Ponies first :D

I guess just expect them every week, and we'll see how it goes from there.

Any other questions or comments on the story, feel free to post them below!

As always, constructive criticism is appreciated.

~This fimfiction has been been brought to you by TheLetterQ.