A Different Kind of Music...

A Different Kind of Music...
Chapter 4
Troublesome Relations…

Octavia, Vinyl and Fiddlesticks more or less collapsed as soon as they got past the door to Octavia´s apartment. The day hadn't turned out as they wanted it at all. Ever since the court summons, everything had gone downhill. Spending the day walking from law firm to law firm only to be repeatedly turned away, instead of having fun and getting to know each other better. Slowly, the three defeated mares trotted into Octavia´s living room and made themselves as comfortable as they could.

“This is a total drag!” Vinyl said angrily. “How could every law firm refuse our case?! I mean, it's an open and shut case not even an idiot can lose! Who the hell are these guys?” Vinyl continued, looking at the other two mares.

“They are old money, nobility with connections and the ruthlessness to use them,” Fiddlesticks answered.

“Well that sucks!” Vinyl exclaimed. “Can't we just bring this to the attention of the Princess? I'm sure she would make mincemeat of those guys in no time,” Vinyl said hopefully.

“It's a nice thought, but we would have to fight our way through three courts of law before we would even have a chance to maybe be able to present our case to Princess Celestia. And we would run out of money fighting our way through the system, long before we even got close to the Princess,” Octavia said while she rolled onto her side on the big, fluffy pillow she was now sprawled upon.

“In theory, any pony can appeal to the Princess. But in real life, it doesn't work that way. You can always cover over the truth with enough money and influence,” Fiddlesticks said despondently, looking over at Octavia. Octavia was also looking at her sister, and then they both gave a heavy sigh.

“You know what that means Fiddle…” Octavia said defensively. Vinyl looked from one sister to the other.

“I know things are quite desperate, but are you really sure it's worth it?” Fiddlesticks wondered.

“I don't really have a choice do I?” Octavia said flatly.

“Why are you two talking like it's the end of the world?” Vinyl questioned.

“You're probably right… will you go see mother tomorrow?” Fiddlesticks asked Octavia, who cringed at the thought. Just then, a loud knocking sounded through the apartment. Octavia and Fiddlesticks looked at each other in pure disbelief. Then, Octavia shook her head and slowly rose up to stand on her hooves.

“Is there hoping it will be someone else…” Octavia wondered aloud.

“With our luck today… definitely not.” Fiddlesticks concluded, while Octavia walked with her head held low towards the front door. With no small amount of hesitation, she finally swung the door open, immediately being greeted by two sharp purple eyes glaring at her. The light purple coat and yellow fluffy mane and smooth tail confirmed it; before her stood her mother.

“What have you gotten yourself into this time, child?” Lyrica scoffed as she walked past her daughter.

“Hello mother… Why don't you come in?” Octavia said in way of greeting. Lyrica continued into the living room where she stopped as her eyes fell upon Fiddlesticks.

“Fiddlesticks? Why Fiddlesticks! It's a delight to see you! When did you come back to Canterlot? Are you having trouble with your marriage dear?” Lyrica asked hopefully. Fiddlesticks didn't respond for a couple of seconds, before giving a restrained sigh.

“No mother, Kazooie is busy recording a single this week, so I decided to pay Octavia an impromptu visit,” Fiddles said, trying to smile and looked innocent. Lyrica just gave her a skeptical look.

“Yeah, one can always hope… Well, the important thing is you are here now, so we will have an absolute fabulous time the next couple of days. I have a few ponies who would be delighted to meet you,” Lyrica said, patting her daughter on the head.

“Now then, onto the business at hoof! We need to clear our family’s good name of this little ‘misunderstanding’ with Duke Von Trot a Lot the IX and his three sons,” Lyrica said, calmly turning back to Octavia.

“Misunderstanding? What the hay are you on about a misunderstanding?” Vinyl asked from where she was seated at the living room table. Lyrica almost shrieked as she spun around, and for the first time realized Vinyl was in the room. She looked at Vinyl as if she was looking at Nightmare Moon herself, seeing her red eyes and shockingly spiky blue mane. After coming to a few conclusions by the way Vinyl looked, her face contorted into an expression of disdain.

“Who, pray tell, are you?!” Lyrica asked, not sounding happy at all.

“Me? I'm Vinyl, I'm the,” Vinyl was cut off by another shriek from Lyrica who promptly turned towards Octavia.

“Vinyl! As in the police report Vinyl? What are you thinking having this… this… ruffian mare in your apartment?!” Lyrica yelled angrily at Octavia before spinning back towards Vinyl again.

“OUT!!!” Lyrica screamed, pointing towards the front door.

“What?” Vinyl said, not following what was happening.

“Mother…” Octavia tried.

“Get out of here now! I will not allow my daughters to be around some violent, drugged up ruffian! So get out before I call the police on you!” Lyrica said heatedly. Now Vinyl's eyes narrowed dangerously at Lyrica.

“What the buck are you on about!” Vinyl growled angrily, rising up into a threatening stance. Lyrica´s eyes immediately grew wide, and she started to backpedal away from Vinyl.

“Mother, please listen…” Octavia tried again, while Lyrica now stood pressed against a wall, as far away from Vinyl as she could get.

“Octavia! Call the police! Call the police! She's going to attack us, too!" Lyrica yelled frantically.

“MOTHER!” Octavia finally yelled. This brought Lyrica out of her fixation on Vinyl, as she now stared dumbfounded at her daughter.

“For Celestia´s sake Octavia! Call the police before she gets violent!” Lyrica once more shrieked at Octavia. On the other side of the room, Vinyl just gave a snort before sitting down again.

“No mother, Vinyl won't hurt anypony, she´s the one who saved me,” Octavia said calmly. Lyrica now looked at Octavia without comprehension, and then she got a sad look and shakes her head at her gullible daughter.

“Saved you? Ohhh you poor, deluded child. She's been playing you for a fool Octavia! She's nothing more than a thief, and by the looks of things, prolonged substance abuser.” Lyrica once again started to advance on Vinyl. “She just used you so she could get those three nobles away from the party, after which she proceeded to rob them. But don't you worry none Octavia, I've personally talked to Duke Von Trot a Lot and assure him you had no part in this, and will offer a full apology at the hearing the day after tomorrow for being mixed up in any of this. So you don't need to worry at all anymore dear, now that you know about this ruffian, she will get what she deserves. After that, we will all be done with this whole fiasco,” Lyrica said, now standing at the living room table, staring angrily down at the seated Vinyl on the other side.

“You… You did what…” Octavia said in a hoarse voice.

“No need to thank me, child. I will always be looking out for you. Now, I suggest you vacate the premises immediately,” Lyrica sneered down at Vinyl. Vinyl however, just looked back at Octavia with something akin to pity in her eyes. Although it disappeared almost immediately as a huge smirk spread across her face, and she stared straight back into Lyrica’s cold eyes again.

“Boy, I have never seen a pony stick her hoof in it as much as you have just done. I actually don't think you could be more wrong about what has happened here if I gave you a whole year to try and come up with something,” Vinyl said. Lyrica just huffed.

“Oh, I know your sort, and I won't let you squeeze money out of this family,” Lyrica said.

“My sort? And what is my sort?” Vinyl asked.

“A ruffian mare, stealing money wherever you can, just so you can buy more drugs! That's who!” Lyrica said with a triumphant smirk at having unveiled this lowlife. Vinyl just raised an eyebrow.

“Yeah… you mean my eyes don't you. Just shows how little you know about the subject. If you take red mist you do get red eyes, but one’s natural coloration doesn't change. It's the whites of your eyes that turned red. If you have blue eyes when you start, you would end up with blue and red eyes after a while. I've got red eyes because I'm an albino,” Vinyl retorted.

“You are not an albino. Not on your life missy, not with that blue mane,” Lyrica said, now with her two front hooves up on the table glaring down at Vinyl.

“Oh, that? By the looks of your curly mane and your completely straight tail, you know what a hairdresser is just as much as I do,” Vinyl said, smirking at Lyrica.

“What… You… What… This is completely natural!” Lyrica sputtered out.

“Yeah, yeah. Whatever you say,” Vinyl said, starting to lose interest in the discussion. Lyrica could hardly believe her eyes; this little minx of a mare disregarding her? Vinyl turned her gaze towards Octavia.

“Let's just go to my parents tomorrow, Octy. They will be more than happy to help us just because they want to, without all this drama,” Vinyl now said, not even registering Lyrica's angry face hovering next to her.

“I don't think so you little hussy! I've already straightened everything out with the Duke! Octavia will go and apologize, then she'll get a restraining order on you, and then you will be thrown into jail where you belong!” Lyrica fumed at Vinyl.

“Mother… For once in your life, please stop,” Octavia whispered.

“Speak up child, I can't hear yo…” Lyrica halted in the middle of her sentence when she looked back at Octavia, who was sitting on her hunches staring emptily at her.

“Please mother… leave now,” Octavia stated. Lyrica worriedly step closer to Octavia.

“Dear… I know this is a harsh realization that you've been used b-” Lyrica was cut off again.

“NO MOTHER! Don't you say that word! You have no idea how close it was that I was just that! ‘Used’ by those three pigs!!” Octavia yelled angrily, glaring at her mother, who stumble backwards hitting her flank on the table.

“Octavia… Calm down, you have to list-” Octavia cut her off again by slamming her hooves down on the floor.

“NO! NO! NO! You listen to me now mother! Those pigs had me under a puppet master spell! They were going to use and abuse me in ways I don't even want to imagine, and you have the gall to tell them I'm going to apologize to THEM!?!” Octavia yelled. Lyrica’s mouth was now hanging open in shock.

“What… What are you on about?” Lyrica asked desperately.

“Let me guess; you heard something from one of your little friends that I had gotten in trouble with a lawsuit, didn't you? And, instead of coming to me and asking why, you started doing what you do best! Controlling my life in every way you can without even knowing the full story behind something! Vinyl saved me from being raped mother! And here you are, telling me you've managed to procure a chance for me to apologize to them for not being able to go through with it!!” Octavia screamed at a now cowering Lyrica.

“No… please Octavia, this… that can't be true, that mare is obviously trying… trying to fool you somehow…” Lyrica blabbered incoherently, looking up at Octavia with pinprick eyes.

“Get out! If you ever talk about my marefriend like that again, I will cut all ties with you forever…” Octavia said in a low hiss. Lyrica was now lying on the floor shaking like a leaf; she had never seen her daughter like this, consumed by such unbridled fury. And certainly not with the anger being directed at her.

“Octavia please… I only want what's best for you!” Lyrica croaked out desperately.

“No! You only want what's best for you in your little social gatherings! As a chip in your little game. ‘Look at my daughter; she's lead soloist in the Canterlot orchestra!’ It's just pure luck that I love playing, because no matter what, you would have made me into something you could brag about! Well, guess what? If you want to brag about something in the future, you can achieve it yourself! Now get out or, by Celestia, I will ask Vinyl to throw you out, because if I lay so much as one hoof on you right now I don't know if I could stop!!” Octavia yelled at Lyrica, who was now staring up at Octavia with tears streaming down her face.

“No, Octavia please! I only want to help!” Lyrica yelled frantically.

“Well, you never have. And you never will… Now leave.” Octavia said with a cold calm as she walked away from her mother. Lyrica scrambled up on her hooves, and made to follow Octavia. Vinyl quickly slipped in between the two of them, horn starting to glow as she closed the door behind Octavia, who had retreated into her bedroom.

“I don't think you're wanted here,” Vinyl said, a calm edge to her voice.

“Move!” Lyrica said through tear filled eyes.

“No. Octy needs some space from you, and I'm going to make sure she gets it,” Vinyl stated, broadened her stance in front of Lyrica. Lyrica looked desperately over to Fiddlesticks who would not even meet her gaze.

“Fiddlesticks, you have to help me make Octavia see reason. Please,” Lyrica begged her daughter for the first time in her life.

“No, Vinyl is correct; you need to leave,” Fiddlesticks said without even looking towards Lyrica, who turned her gaze back towards Vinyl, silently pleading with her. A cold stare was all she got. Realizing there was nothing she could do, Lyrica stumbled towards the front door. With a shaking hoof she opened it, but before she slipped out, she looked back.

“I'm… I… I'm sorry… I just wanted to help…” she said through sobs, and then stumbled out from the apartment. Vinyl finally let go of the breath she was holding, and looked over to Fiddlesticks.

“Is it always like this in your family?” she asked.

“No. Usually it's me or Octavia walking out of the room sobbing.” Fiddlesticks said bluntly while she stood up and trotted off into the kitchen. Vinyl just gave a sigh.

“Never thought I'd say this, but all of a sudden my family looks quite functional…” she said, mostly to herself.

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Thanks to ThatOnePony570 and Syvvak for the Pre-read/Edit