Vinyl Scratch stood silently, letting the cold night air blow over her coat and tug at her mane. She shivered, drawing her fore hooves to her body, rubbing up and down over her coat in an attempt to work some warmth back into her. For the first time in a very long time, she was nervous.

Give her the club atmosphere, any day. Bring on the senseless requests, the drunks who tried to crash her booth, the horny stallions that tried to coax her home, and the managers who tried to cheat her out of her portion of the door. None of that ever got to her.

This, however, was new territory. It frightened her, filled her with a sense of foreboding and dread. Vinyl, however, was out of options. She could have laughed. So many connections in the music world, and yet when she had lost everything, no pony had anything to offer.

Vinyl brushed her hooves across her body, slapping at it, poofs of ash rising from her coat and drifting off in the wind. She reached down to her side, picking up the white saddlebag that held, at the moment, all of her earthly belongings that hadn't been reduced to cinders, and started up the steps.

Something pulled at her, holding her back. Vinyl stopped.

“Fuck.” She said.

Even stalled as she was, she had made it two whole steps further than ever before. She had tried a few times over the past few years, hoping to make things right. Vinyl sighed, and pushed onward through her own discomfort.

Finally, she reached the top, the Manehatten Townhouse looming over her head.

“Ring the bell.” Vinyl said, extending a hoof, hovering over the little button next to the door.

“Just ring the bell.” Her hoof trembled a bit in response. “Ring the fucking bell!”

DING-DONG

DING-DONG

DING-DONG

DING-

Vinyl yanked her hoof off the button, and the doorbell went silent.

The hallway light came on, and slowly, a figure approached through the tinted glass, growing larger. Vinyl resisted the urge to run and hide. Instead, she perched her sunglasses on her head, held in place by her horn. The door opened, and Vinyl threw on what she hoped was a confidant smile.

Behind the door was a light gray mare who practically radiated elegance. Her silky, charcoal-gray mane was let down behind her head. It was a sight that Vinyl hadn't seen in a long time, perfect down to the bow-tie collar.

“Yes, can I...”

Octavia froze in place, staring stunned at the mare on her doorstep. Her heart beat so fast that she had a sudden worry of it leaping up her throat. Her mind ran through emotion after emotion, from happiness to anger, before settling solidly on confusion.

“Heya Tavi!” Said Vinyl, forcing a playful happiness into her voice.

“Vinyl...Scratch?” Octavia spoke, stunned. Her eyes gave Vinyl a once over. She looked just like she remembered her. The dark magenta eyes, the white coat, the omnipresent sunglasses. Her heart gave a sudden, painful twitch.

“You...You smell like a camp fire.” She said finally, for a lack of anything better to say.

“Yes! Exactly!” Said Vinyl, clapping her hooves together. “Only...with less camping.”

“A...A fire?” Octavia asked, her confusion giving way to a hint of concern.

Vinyl gave a slow exhale, kicking the ground with her hoof. “I...I don't have anypony else to ask. My place went up in flames.” She looked back at Octavia's face, never quite meeting her eyes. “Can I crash on your couch?”

Octavia followed behind Vinyl as they made their way into the living room. Vinyl looked around, giving a whistle. “Doin' well for yourself. Very, very nice.”

The furniture was obviously high quality, and the hardwood floor's dark stain bordered a carpet with delightful patterns. A fire burned cheerfully in the fireplace, to which Vinyl gave the most hesitant of twitches. It was...clean. Uncluttered. Perfectly organized. It was everything she remembered about Octavia.

Vinyl gave her bag a twirl and tossed it into a chair, before flopping down on the couch, on her back, one hind leg up on the back of the couch in a very undignified position.

“Tavi, Thanks a bun-”

“Don't you sweet talk me, Vinyl Scratch.” Octavia spoke, picking up the bag and setting it on the floor, taking a seat in the chair, facing her. “How many ponies did you ask for a place to stay before you asked me?”

“Um. All of them, pretty much.” Vinyl admitted, her voice confidant, yet her gaze betrayed her, looking down at the floor.

The silence seemed to echo, punctuated only with the occasional crackle of a log from the fire.

“I know we didn't part on the best of terms...”

“No.” Said Octavia coldly. “We didn't.”

Vinyl didn't know what to say to that. “I just...I need somewhere...please.”

“Vinyl, regardless of our history, I will not be throwing you out in the cold.” Octavia regarded her with calm eyes, while Vinyl's heart gave a hopeful leap. “But. Do not try my patience.”

Vinyl's hopes fell once more as silence took over. Vinyl couldn't think of anything to say. Dignified as always, Octavia's eyes were closed, facing the fireplace with a calm expression. Vinyl closed her eyes as well, leaning her head down against the armrest, basking in the warmth of a thankfully contained fire.

She could smell the distantly familiar scent of Octavia on the couch, which brought a slew of memories to her mind. Familiarity gave way to calm as exhaustion slowly overtook her, leading her down into the pleasant embrace of sleep, and into the dreams of happier days.

“Mesmerized, you got me dreamin' of your eyes so bluuuue!”

Vinyl couldn't hear herself singing, not through the music blaring through her headphones, but she couldn't help herself. Her eyes were closed as her head bobbed to the beat, but she didn't need to see to work her turntable, a combination of unicorn magic and familiarity helped her find every slider and knob when she needed it.

“Hypnotized, I have no feelin' but to run to youuuuu.”

Vinyl could sense that she wasn't alone. She opened her eyes, looking at Octavia, her roommate. She could see her lips moving, and her posture suggested that she was shouting, but the headphones blocked it all out. Vinyl threw her a cocky smile, and worked her turntable, looking right into her eyes.

“Mesmerized, Can't stop this dreamin...or my thoughts of you!”

Octavia blushed, and threw herself forward, pushing the headphones off of her ears.

“What?” She asked, laughter in her voice, hooves reaching up to straighten out her mane.

“Is this supposed to be some kind of....of joke?” Octavia asked, her gray coat showing just a hint of red on her cheeks, planting her forehooves on the other side of the table.

“Nope!” Vinyl said cheerfully. “Besides, your eyes are purple, not blue.”

“That would mean so much more if your singing voice didn't sound like a griffin's roar.”

Vinyl pouted. “Aww, Octy, that hurts my feelings.”

“Did you not suggest to me yesterday that you don't have feelings?” Octavia said, unable to keep a smile off of her face.

“I always have “feelin'” when you're involved, Tavi.” She teased, ducking down and sliding under the table, climbing out and dragging her flank across Octavia's leg, swishing her tail as she turned around.

“So, what didja want?” Vinyl asked.

“Well...It's just...” Octavia blushed more, looking at Vinyl with a smile on her face. “The weatherpony is saying that we have a rainstorm coming our way...”

Vinyl jumped up, punching a hoof in the air. “Yes! What time? What time?”

“After six. Does this mean...” Octavia broke off as Vinyl wrapped her forelegs around her head, pulling her in for a delicate kiss across her muzzle.

“You. Me. Our spot. Tonight.” Vinyl said, with a smile. “You know damn well what it means.”

“It's a date, then.” Octavia smiled, nuzzling against her. “Go back to your....music. I'll meet you at six.”

Octavia pulled away with a smile, watching her over her shoulder as she walked out the door. Vinyl watched her go, flipping her sunglasses up, to focus on the grace with which she moved, the delightful curves, the way her tail slid over her flank.

She couldn't help it. A rainstorm, with her and her very special somepony. She gave a spin of happiness. By Celestia, nothing could make her happier.

Vinyl turned away from the door, only to be met with a roaring wall of flame. She screamed, wanting to reach through the fire to save her turntable, her necklace, her picture! But she couldn't. The plastic of the turntables was already molten and bubbling. Nothing else stood a chance. The flames were creeping up the walls, the charred wood was creaking, beginning to snap. Her magic would never be able to stand against this.

She grabbed her saddlebag, unsure of what she packed last, but I'd have to do. She galloped through the door, coughing through the ashes as flames burst through doors and shattered windows...

Vinyl sat up with a start, her breathing heavy, looking around wildly. It took her a few minutes before she realized that she was panting. She took a deep breath and leaned back against the couch.

Octavia's. She was at Octavia's. It was dark. Octavia was nowhere to be seen. The only light left was the fireplace, burning low and drawing out the shadows of the room, making Vinyl's coat nearly orange in it's glow. She turned away from it. She couldn't bear looking at the fire. It brought up so many memories of what she had lost.

Vinyl calmed down, slowly but surely, her breathing returning to normal, and then slowing as she walked forward into sleep once more. As her mind wandered the edges of the dream lands, she couldn't help but smile as a sudden realization hit her.

Somepony had tucked a blanket around her form.

Author's Note

In case anyone is wondering, the song that Vinyl is listening and singing along to is Mesmerized (The Missing Mix) - Darwin Ft. Fraz.