“...And that's a wrap.” I say to no-one in particular, closing up my workspace and shutting off the speakers. The last guests, drunken or just plain lazy, had started to gather themselves and leave the courtyard. Various styles of litter replaced the crowd that had once danced to the tunes that I created. I sigh, somewhat aggravated by the fact that it had ended so early. The time was midnight, almost on the dime – but hey, I've got some free time, and a hefty load of bits to go along with it. Now that's something I haven't had in a while.
As I swing the last few input cables over my shoulder, a brilliant flash of yellow-white light appears in front of me, forcing me to put a hoof over my eyes. The light fades, and I place my hoof down, looking for what might be the cause as my retinas readjust.
“Hello, Vinyl.” Princess Celestia keeps her voice down, restraining herself from using the Royal Canterlot voice at such late times.
I bow respectfully, being careful not to drop any of the items I was carrying. I hold the posture for a few seconds before rising.
“I must thank you taking the time to run the wedding after-party, Miss Scratch. I can not express how relieving it is to have that many of my subjects off my hooves...you have our admiration.”
“Thank you, Princess.” I respond, giving a curt nod. “It is my honor to serve you in any way possible.”
The alicorn nods, a small smile on her face. “I will request you to my supervisors, for any future events. We may need use of you for more...important duties as well.” She winks, teleporting off to who knows where.
I deadpan for a few seconds before screaming “YES!” and pumping my hoof in the air. I can finally leave my dusty, old apartment! Rent something useful! And I've still got...4 hours at least until I can even think about sleeping...and I know exactly how I'm to take advantage of this situation. Re-adjusting my shades over eager eyes, I set a mental and physical destination for a brief stop home...
-.-.-
I navigate the streets alone, my hoodie making a weak attempt in hiding my brilliantly white pelt from the rest of the city. Crime, however concealed it was, still existed in Equestria's capital. If someone figured out who I was, well...let's just say that wouldn't end well for me. I shiver and readjust my grip on the dark green hood, trying in vain to counter the bitter winter winds...
After moving down a few damp, littered alleyways and abandoned roads, I eventually reach my destination. A black, unmarked door is the only decoration on the cement building, besides a few cracks in the walls. Vines seep out of them like blood from a fresh wound. Nopony would ever think of entering this place, ignoring it as they go about their day-to-day lives. Only the ones who knew about this place ever entered its walls. Either that, or they were just extremely stupid.
I magically open the splintered door, revealing what truly lay inside. A mass of ponies danced to the beat of infinite decibels, writhing as one, huge mass. Lights flashed and shoot in all directions, enhanced by artificial smoke and mirrors (no pun intended). The place smelled of alcohol and sweat, sex and perfume. The place could be described as filthy, disgusting even. Rotting wallpaper weakly clung to the humid walls, only waiting to be dislodged by a dancing pony or two. The floor was cracked in several places, with temporary replacements in the dance floor itself. Cobwebs, broken beer bottles, and other items filled the unattended corners.
I inhaled through my nostrils deeply, taking in the scent. Ahh...home at last. It's been a while...
A pure-black stallion with defined muscles stands next to the door, gives me a look of recognition, and re-applies the sound barrier surrounding the door with a burst of magic from his horn. I tip my invisible hat towards him and he returns the gesture before re-lighting a half-burnt cigarette.
I consider overriding current DJ running the place before changing my mind, taking my routine stroll to the bar. Working my way through the horde of raving ponies, I can jut barely make out the bartender's dark magenta mane through gaps in the mass of sweaty bodies. Shoving a few dancing couples apart, I eventually reach my destination, with a healthy dose of rude looks aimed at the back of my head.
I start to open my mouth, to scream a small greeting to Berry Punch. However, I stop before saying anything, noticing that her attention is somewhere else. She's leaning over, stroking a gray mare's mane softly. The unknown mare seems to be crying, her body wracking with sobs. There's a sign that reads 'Closed. Please come back later.' on the counter top. This has clearly been going on for a while.
I stop briefly, taking in the scene before me. Berry's eyes meet mine, acknowledging my presence before shifting back down to the pony sitting with her.
“It's...all gone. A-all of it...” The mare says between sobs; I can hear the pain evident in her voice. I walk over to them slowly, casting a soft sound barrier and a force field around us before speaking.
“What happened?” I almost whisper, trying to sound concerned, not stupid.
“When she was out auditioning for Princess Mi Amore Cadenza's wedding, a fire struck her home. It destroyed everything. All she has now is the things she brought with her to the audition...her prized cello, and a small bag of bits...” Berry replied for her, still stroking the mare's mane; her cries had somewhat decreased in volume, and her body had reduced to a small shiver every now and then instead of the previous state of violent shaking.
I tried to contain the look of surprise on my face. That mare should have won the honor of playing at that wedding; her ability to play her instrument was exceptional, better than most if not every single pony in the auditorium that evening. The only reason I won...well, I guess they liked my music more, in choice of genre more than actual skill.
My head dipped down slightly, pitying her. A few minutes passed, where the only noise was the muffled, distorted beat coming from the rest of the building and the mare's quiet whimpering.
She exhales, bringing her head up. Her bloodshot eyes move to me, then back towards Berry. “Can you get me something to drink? Might as well, as long as I'm here...I could really care less about what it is.” She wipes a hoof across her face to clear it of tears, and readjusts her position on her stool.
“Sure, Octavia.” The purple mare nods, rising and slipping behind the counter to mix something up for the depressed mare. I slide over to the stool next to the one adjacent to hers, and order something for myself as well. Activating my horn, I pull the newly acquired purse of a healthy amount of bits out of my pocket, telepathically setting it down on the counter.
“Vinyl Scratch, isn't it?” Octavia says suddenly, glancing towards me. She has one of those Canterlot accents, the type you'd get if you talked to too many upper-class snobs, and comes through your voice – however, it's not as annoying I thought it would be.
I just nod silently, a hoof on the counter and my eyes pointed towards her - she's eying the bits more than she is me.
“You won that audition, didn't you?” She asks. I swear I can hear her voice crack, and she's looking at the ground, probably to repress a sudden wave of anger.
“Yeah.” I respond, absentmindedly looking at the bar in front of me. “I don't-...er, didn't deserve it, though...” My hoof trails nervous circles on the granite countertop.
“No. You didn't-” Octavia begins, cutting off. Her hooves are clenched. “I-..I mean, the judges...that's their decision. Not mine. B-besides, it's...not my style, anyway.” She turns away from me, failing to hide her watering eyes, and I think I see a stray tear falling to the polished oak flooring.
Oh look, she hates you already! She should, too. If she were home, she could have put out that fire, and then she wouldn't be here in the first place. Nice way to gain a friend, huh? One side of me muses sarcastically, whilst the other tries to find a good way to cheer her back up. Not like anything I say could do anything, anyway.
Just then, our shots appear, and I throw a few extra bits than what's necessary onto the surface to pay for them. Berry just gives me that knowing look, sliding the amount back towards me. She smiles, shaking her head. “Drinks are on the house - don't worry about payment, worry about her.” She tilts her head toward Octavia, before leaning in to whisper in my ear.
“Oh, and if she gets drunk...you should probably take her back to your place. For fun sexy times.” She winks.
I lean away from her quickly, trying to acquire that classic 'what the fuck is wrong with you' look that I'd always shoot at her. I can't feel my face warming, but know that the blush is there from the smug, accomplished look on her face.
“I don't even like drunken sex – and plus, I don't even know if she's into mares!” I hiss, narrowing my eyes.
“You seemed to like it with me back in college...” She still has that look on her face. It makes me want to slap her, but...
“That was back in the day. Come on, we all did things we regret...” I peer at Octavia, to see if she's even paying attention. She's faced towards the crowd, but I can see her ears pointed back, perhaps intending to listen to our conversation. A crystalline glass touches her lips every few seconds, and I realize I've been staring at her.
I avert my eyes immediately, quickly shaking my head. The barmare smirks again, trying to edge me forward. Rolling my eyes, I wave a dismissive hoof at her as the gray mare spins back around.
As she sets her near-empty shot glass on the counter, I dispel the force field with another blast from my horn. The pounding music revives itself, playing some sort of drab mainstream song, and she winces slightly before adjusting to the volume (and/or the genre). Octavia turns and says something back to Berry, who nods and whirls back around to mix another concoction for her...
“NOOOO!! DON'T - hic- PUT ME IN THERE!!”
“Will you shut the hell up?” I growl through gritted teeth, attempting to push her unwilling flank through the door to my apartment. “We're going to wake up the entire city at this rate.”
“I'LL GET RABIES AN-”
I kick her ass, hard. She falls straight to the stained carpet, landing a few feet in front of me. I would have burst out laughing if I wasn't so busy slamming the door behind me and locking it tightly. I stand there against the door, trying to catch my breath - bringing a tipsy Octavia home was harder than I thought.
She's silent, which bothers me. Slurred words have been coming out of her mouth ever since we left the bar - Octavia is still face-down, one hoof at her chest and the other propping her up against the floor. She makes a weird, choked noise, heaving, her body almost doubling over as she twitches on the floor.
“Oh no you don't! Not here!” I shout, knowing what the motions meant. Propping her up by her forelegs, I drape her over a nearby trash can as she empties her stomach, her body unaccustomed to the alcohol in her system. I'm still disgusted to the hideous sound of vomit splattering the inside of the trash can, even though I've gone through this personally multiple times.
After she's done emptying her inner organs in the trash can, she flops back down to the ground and lets out a painful groan. “It huuurrrrtttssss.....” She says, looking at me as if she were dying.
“Let me guess...your throat.” My expression remains one of indifference. I put my hooves on my hips and cock an eyebrow, slightly releasing my grip on the door.
She nods, shutting her eyes tightly. The mare is curled up in a ball, which would hold some degree of cuteness if her fur wasn't stained with vomit.
Maybe the alcohol is finally clearing out, I think, easing myself slightly and flopping down on the only couch in the apartment. A few minutes of silence pass, and I start to assure myself that I'm right.
“Hey Vinyl.” She whispers almost inaudibly, something of a smile growing on her face. “Come closer.” Her words are still slurred, but I can make out something of a sultry tone accompanying it.
Or not...
“Octavia, we are not going to have sex.” I say, keeping my distance.
“Dammmmiitttt....” She curses, her tongue lolling out the side of her mouth. She starts to drool on the floor.
.Damn, she's going to have a fit when she wakes up...
...this is going to be a long, long night.
