Love and Musicby slade8283ChaptersChapter OneChapter TwoChapter ThreeChapter FourChapter FiveChapter SixChapter SevenChapter EightChapter NineChapter TenChapter ElevenChapter TwelveChapter ThirteenChapter FourteenEpiloguePrologueChapter OneChapter One Ugh, I wish Vinyl would just come by and get her stuff already! Octavia was always finding more of Vinyl's stuff just laying around her apartment. Cloths here, guitar picks there, discarded lyrics everywhere. She was starting to get sick of it. Octavia picked up the pack of guitar picks she had found and set them in the box full of all the stuff Vinyl had abandoned at her apartment. She had grown to be bitter of the idea of still being friends with her, after all, she did just leave her out of no where. Not only that, but she stopped paying rent too, forcing Octavia to cut more of her budget for rent. Octavia was mostly bothered by the fact that Vinyl never made any reference to her in interviews. Vinyl had been nothing when Octavia found her, but out of the kindness of her heart she brought in Vinyl. Not only that, but Octavia had even got Vinyl her first job at the fanciest restaurant in all of Canterlot, and she didn't even receive recognition for it. Over time Octavia had just decided to focus on her career, for a while she thought she may have had a shot with Vinyl. She has crushed when Vinyl had decided to move out, and vowed then that she would focus on her career from there on out. Octavia grabbed her cello and headed for the door. She stopped when she the picture of Vinyl and her on stage caught her eye. She didn't know why she kept the picture, probably just because it was the greatest night of her life. Vinyl invited her up on stage for a song. The duet of cello and voice moved most ponies to tears, including Octavia, who always thought the song was about her. What was I thinking? She thought, there's no way that pony would have ever written a love song about me. She passed the picture and walked out the door. Octavia walked down Mane Street, thinking of Vinyl for the first time in weeks. She didn't know why, maybe it was the picture again, maybe it was just one of those days, she didn't know. She was so deep in thought she didn't even realize that she had gotten to the Canterlot Orchestra Hall. Octavia sat down in the second chair and began tuning her cello. She had dropped to second chair only a week ago, losing to a unicorn named Sonata. Octavia had always been great friends with Sonata, until she lost. Then Sonata started pointing out every small flaw Octavia made while playing, which bother Octavia more than anything. Which is partly why Octavia let out a small sigh when she saw Sonata walking towards her. "Hey there Octavia!" she said as she sat down in the first chair, "How are you today?" "I'm fine, thanks." Octavia knew she meant well, but it was just too hard for her to not be mad at her. "That's great!" she replied with a smile. Octavia was distracted through the entire practice. She couldn't get over her hatred for Sonata, but that wasn't the real reason. Octavia was thinking about Vinyl again, which she could never admit to herself. She was thinking about everything Vinyl used to do that would annoy her, everything Vinyl would do that she loved; she couldn't get Vinyl out of her head the entire rehearsal. The rehearsal ended and Octavia packed in silence, despite listening to Sonata's "constructive criticism" that only made her feel worse than she already felt. She departed without saying goodbye to anypony and walked home in a worse mood than when she had gotten to practice. It was night already, which was Octavia's favorite time of the day. She did all of her thinking at night. For some reason it calmed her. Octavia went to unlock when she noticed something very strange through window next to her door: the lights in her apartment were on. Very quietly, she set down her cello and unlocked the door. She entered the apartment to find no other pony around. She picked up her cello and brought into her apartment, deciding that she had just accidentally left her lights on when she left for practice. Just as she sat down to watch the newest episode of Doctor Whooves, she heard a sound come from her music practice room. She jumped up, ready to defend herself and her possessions. She silently crept towards the door, which was slightly ajar still. Octavia looked through the doorway as best she could, but could only see the shadow of the pony who had broken in. She took a deep breath, knowing what she had to do. Okay, she thought, One...two...three! Octavia burst through the doorway tackling the mare inside. They wrestled for what felt like hours, but Octavia knew it had only been a few seconds. Octavia eventually won a stood over the pony, proud in her victory. She looked down at the intruder to see the worst sight she could ever see. No...no.... Anypony but you! Why you?! Lying beneath Octavia on the floor lay her former roommate, Vinyl Scratch. Chapter TwoChapter Two Vinyl breathed heavily as she stared at Octavia's confused face. Vinyl knew Octavia wouldn't take her showing up out of no where light heartily, which was only reassured when she tackled Vinyl. Vinyl had been planning for a week to come back to her former residence. She claimed it was just to pick up her old stuff, but her real intent was much different. "Ummm..." Vinyl started, "hey there Octavia." Octavia stared blankly back at her, blinking hard. "Vinyl...?" "Yeah I came back for a couple things." And something else... Octavia took her hoof off of Vinyl. She stood up and recollected herself. "Thanks." Octavia gave Vinyl what she called "The Look". It was Octavia's way of saying "Really, what are you doing? No really, what are you doing." Vinyl never liked it. This time Vinyl knew it was bad because Octavia even said "Vinyl really, why are you here?" Vinyl had never been good at lying, but it always seemed to work on Octavia, so she took another shot, "Like I said, I'm here to pick up some of the stuff I forgot to take with me." Yeah, cause she could never see through that lie. Vinyl thought to herself. "Really..." she said. Octavia was pretty sharp, and Vinyl knew she had gotten in over her head. "Like what? And tell me without looking around the room at all your stuff that's still here." Well, that's it. I'm out. "Oh well you know...that one shirt, with that really cool design on it. Oh and my guitar picks, can't forget those." "No really Vinyl," She saw straight through it, "why are you actually here? And if you tell me 'to pick up my stuff,' I will throw you out that window there." Vinyl sighed, "Come with me." Vinyl lead her into the living where Doctor Whooves again lead his assistant into impossible danger. She smiled, she really missed watching TV with Octavia. "Alright, so you know that I've been all over Equestria within the past month. I've been selling CDs, playing shows, doing interviews, but I noticed there was something missing." She took another deep breath. Of all the shows she's played, all the interviews she's done, nothing was as hard as what she was about to do. "Octavia...it was you." Octavia showed no emotion, which Vinyl was used to, but this time it made her nervous. This was something pretty big to drop on anypony, especially Octavia. "Vinyl, I would love to say yes, but you need to know exactly what you've done to me." Vinyl was afraid she was going to do this. She hated to hurt other ponies, but mostly she hated to hurt someone as special to her as Octavia. "You just picked up and left, not telling me anything about when you were going to be back. You're my best friend Vinyl, and you just picking up and leaving really hurt me. Not only that, but you never mentioned me in anything. I helped you out in so many jams, and you just blew me off like that. Have you ever had something like that happen to you? Ever?" Vinyl just hung her head, avoiding any eye contact with Octavia. She had never had that feeling in her life before. In her life, everypony had always been there for her. "I'm sorry." She was, but Octavia's look demanded more. "I'm sorry I just picked up and left you like that. I'm sorry for never mentioning you in anything before, and I'm sorry for the things I don't even know about. I understand if you don't want me around. I'll just grab my stuff and go." Vinyl was disappointed in herself. She should have known it wouldn't be that easy. "Vinyl, get back here I'm not done." Vinyl noticed the change in Octavia's tone. She sounded happier, but that didn't always mean that something good was going to happen. Octavia had this habit of putting on her "happy face" and still secretly being mad. Vinyl hated it. "I'd love for us to start being friends again." Vinyl turned on the spot. "Really?" Octavia gave a nod and a smile. "So you'll come with me then?" Octavia's eyes grew wide at the question. "I thought you meant you would move back in here. I don't know Vinyl that's a big step. I have a life here, and a job. I can't just pick up and leave like that." Sure you could, Vinyl thought, I did. "Try it for one month, just one. Leave your address here and tell the orchestra you want to take vacation. I know you've accumulated more than a month, and they would be fine with it." Vinyl replied, trying her best to get a good answer of out Octavia. Octavia thought long and hard about. Vinyl became nervous. Octavia had so many reasons to reject Vinyl. After five minutes, Octavia finally broke the silence, "Alright, I'll do it. I'll go with you." Vinyl smiled for the first time that day. There were so many times she thought she lost Octavia, but after what felt like days of negotiations, she finally agreed. Vinyl couldn't be happier. "You won't regret it, I promise. Now if you'll excuse me, I actually do need my stuff that I left here." Chapter ThreeChapter Three Octavia followed Vinyl out of her apartment. She knew she could trust Vinyl, but she still felt like it was too much of a risk. She was right in saying she had a life in Canterlot, and she didn't really want to leave it. Maybe I can just convince Vinyl to come back here, she thought, That shouldn't be hard right? Vinyl was ecstatic upon hearing Octavia's decision, she wouldn't stop talking the whole way out of the building. "-and we'll get to go all over Equestria, it'll be great. Oh I know! I can take you to see the Duke of Trottingham next time we're there. And-oh wait I totally forgot to tell you! The record company is sending over my chariot to pick us up." Octavia hadn't been paying attention until she heard the word "chariot", then she quickly snapped back to the conversation. "Did you say chariot? Like the fancy ones all the big famous pop stars take all over Equestria?" "Yep. They custom made it and everything, it's great." Vinyl continued on with everything she "had to show Octavia". Octavia always loved it when Vinyl went on one of her rambles. She didn't know why, but she loved it. Not as much as Vinyl's chariot though. It was huge, easily two stories tall. What caught Octavia's attention most though was its lack of detail. It was very plain, mostly stock white, with a few grey streaks here and there. "Um, Vinyl? Why is it so plain? I mean, you've always been against stuff being so plain." It didn't make any sense to Octavia. After all, this was the pony who painted her room five different colors, just because no pony else would. What would possess her to want a chariot that was so plain? "Meh," she replied in a flat tone, "its only a chariot. It does its job fine just the way it is." Hmm...that certainly isn't normal. Especially coming from Vinyl. Octavia threw her stuff in the back and boarded the chariot. Just like the outside, the inside was very plain. Plain beige carpet covered the floor, and plain white paint covered the walls. Something is definitely up with this pony. This is not like her. Vinyl must have picked up on Octavia's suspicion because she said "Alright, I'll tell you the actual reason it's so plain in here. Sometime when you're surrounded with so much going on, it's nice to just have a regular old place to hang out in." Octavia didn't expect that kind of response. Vinyl had never been that into wearing her emotions on her sleeve, and telling Octavia why she was acting so peculiarly was a big thing. Octavia just nodded, "I guess that makes sense." A silence followed, which made Octavia nervous. The two sat down. "So...now what?" She asked, thinking of the easiest thing to say. "Oh I have a show tonight at Canterlot Stadium." "What?!" Octavia jumped up, "Vinyl, why didn't you say so? You could have come by after the show, that way I would've had more time to pack." "I wanted you to be there for this show." "Why? I'm with you for at least another month. What's so different about this show?" Octavia was shouting at this point. She hated being the last pony to know, even with something as minor as this. She cleared her throat and quieted herself, "I'm sorry Vinyl. But really, why do you want me at this one in particular?" Vinyl's eyes were searching for an answer, "Umm..." She shook her head. "Just trust me on this one. Okay?" Octavia didn't respond. She just sat back down and closed her eyes. Octavia had been to plenty of concerts, considering she was in an orchestra. But all of her concerts paled in comparison to this. She had never seen anything like this. The Canterlot Stadium held fifty thousand ponies on any given day, which was easily surpassed by Vinyl's concert. Octavia stared out the windows of the chariot, "Wow Vinyl, you've certainly made a name for yourself." Vinyl nodded, "Yeah I guess. I just sort of...happened." Vinyl seemed uncomfortable talking about her fans, so Octavia decided to stop. Good old Vinyl, she thought, modest as ever. The chariot pulled around the back of the stadium to the sound of cheering fans. Vinyl took a deep breath and got off the chariot. Ponies young and old were chanting her name, asking for autographs, and reaching just to touch her. Octavia took a sigh of relief, I'm so glad classical music isn't popular. She followed Vinyl off of the chariot and into the inner workings of the stadium, both ponies flanked by security ponies. The first thing Octavia noticed was the sheer size of the stadium. She knew Canterlot Stadium was big, but she concluded big was a bit of an understatement. The stadium was easily five times the size of the orchestra hall, and she wasn't even on stage level yet. Alright, maybe it wouldn't be so bad if classical music was more popular. The two ponies entered a room, leaving their security at the door. Octavia took a look around the green room. At least Octavia guessed it was a green room. She'd only ever heard of the mythical room that ponies would hang out in before shows. Classical musicians weren't treated to such luxuries. Vinyl started talking frantically, "Okay so the opening acts will be done in thirty minutes, which gives me fifteen minutes to do my hair, five minutes to get dressed, five minutes to warm up-" Octavia lost track of everything her best friend started saying at that point. Octavia watched for the next thirty minutes as Vinyl flew from one end of the room to the other. Slowly but surely, she pieced herself together, forming the true picture of a rock musician. Eventually, Vinyl stopped in the middle of the room and exhaled loudly, "-and. I'm. Finished." She walked over to the couch Octavia was sitting on and fell onto the couch. Just then a security pony poked his head into the room, "Miss Scratch, you're on in fifteen." He closed the door loudly, which seemed to echo through the room. "Vinyl, you look great." Octavia felt herself blush. Oh Vinyl, please don't take that the way it sounded. I've been dropping hints on you for so long you have to see this one. Vinyl looked at her and smiled. "Thanks Octavia. You'd be amazed how little I get to hear that. Anymore it's just 'Go here.' 'Do this' 'Sing that'. I hate it; I never get any compliments." She stood up, "Come on Octavia, it's time for the show." Vinyl lead Octavia up through the stadium to stage level. Octavia could hear the crowd more and more the long they walked. This is amazing, she thought, I'm standing here next to the pony they all want to see. She thought of all the times everypony else had ever beaten her at anything in her life, especially Sonata, who was probably in attendance tonight. Sorry Canterlot, but it's my turn to outdo you for once. The two eventually came to a dark tunnel that lead out onto the stage, and both of them stopped. Vinyl turned to Octavia, "Sorry Octavia, but I have to leave you here for now." The crowd was so loud now that Octavia could barely hear Vinyl. Octavia nodded and gave Vinyl a hug. "Good luck out there," She whispered in Vinyl ear. They broke the embrace. Octavia saw a tear run down Vinyl's cheek as she turned and ran out on stage, who was met with a thunderous response from the crowd. Octavia ran up to the edge of the tunnel and watched as Vinyl broke into her opening number, not even noticing the tear running down her own cheek. Vinyl played for close to an hour and a half before she came trotting off of the stage. She was instantly met by a number of ponies with water, followed by another two ponies with a second dress. Octavia ran up to Vinyl cheering the whole way. "Wow Vinyl, that was incredible! You did a great job out there." Vinyl was breathing so heavily that she had to speak in between gasps. "Thanks...We aren't...done yet...though..." Just as she finished her sentence a security pony ran up to Vinyl carrying what looked quite a bit like Octavia's cello case. "Miss Scratch, here's that cello from your chariot that you wanted." Hey set the instrument down and returned to his post. Octavia slowly began to put two and two together. "Vinyl...?" She looked over the pony to see a giant grin on her face. Octavia knew exactly what was about to happen. Vinyl was met with even more cheering upon her return to the stage. She broke out into another song, which only made the crowd grow in volume. Octavia began to grow nervous. She had played for plenty of ponies before, but this was different. There were close to fifty thousand ponies out there. Fifty thousand, she thought to herself, that's fifty times bigger than any crowd I've played in front of. Her heart began to race and she began to sweat. She hadn't been this nervous since her first concert with the orchestra. Vinyl finished her first encore song, and was met with an immense roar from the crowd. She waited for the crowd before she spoke again, "Alright everypony, I need your help welcoming someone to the stage. This pony has helped me through so much in my life: she gave me a home, got me my first job, and supported me in every way she could." Octavia began walking down the tunnel, adrenaline pumping through her. "Mares and Stallions, please help me welcome to the stage, from your town of Canterlot, my best friend in the world...Octavia!" Octavia stepped foot on stage and nearly went deaf from the sound. The crowd was louder than anything she had ever heard before. A smile broke across her face as she walked across the stage and embraced Vinyl, the crowd went wild again. Octavia sat down and held her bow at the ready. She hadn't gotten to play the song in over a year, ever since last time her and Vinyl played it on stage, but that never stopped her from practicing everyday. A rush of emotions came to her the second her bow hit the strings. The feeling of her greatest night ever was surpassed as soon as the first note came out her instrument. She teared up within a matter of seconds, just like every other pony in the stadium, which included Vinyl. Octavia almost messed up when she heard the crowd singing along with Vinyl. She had heard so many things in her life, but none of them could even compare to the strength of the audience singing. Fifty thousand voices all projecting straight at the stage. It sent a chill up Octavia's spine. The two ponies finished and were met with the loudest roar from the crowd that night. As Octavia looked out over the crowd, she noticed that there wasn't a single dry eye in the entire audience. Her smile grew even larger at the thought of everypony tearing up at a song about her. Vinyl took a bow, and was followed by a from Octavia. The two departed the stage, leaving the roaring crowd behind them. The rest of the night was a blur to Octavia, who wasn't accustomed to Vinyl's lifestyle of late nights and roaring crowds. The last thing Octavia remembered was crashing onto the coach in Vinyl's chariot, concluding that that night was the greatest night ever. Author's Note Yes, this chapter is much longer than the first two. Most of that is because there was so much more happening in this chapter than any other so far, but part was due to some comments about a lack detail, so I did my best to beef it up with some more details. Chapter FourChapter Four Vinyl smiled as she watched Octavia fall onto her couch. She ran upstairs and grabbed some blankets for the sleeping pony. That, she thought, was the single greatest night I have ever had, or will ever have for that matter. She walked back downstairs and put the blankets on the sleeping pony. Vinyl let out another smile. Oh just take a hint Octavia. Just once. Vinyl sat down in a chair next to Octavia. She let out a huge breath of relief, just as she after every show. It was just one her little routines she had for shows. After her fifth show, she started getting into a routine both before and after shows. She would always arrive at the stadium forty minutes before she was set to go on. That way she had plenty of time to get ready, and get herself warmed up. After the show, she would return to her chariot, fall into the same chair, and contemplate that night's show. But she already knew that that night had been different. She stood up, We haven't left yet. I better ask the drivers. Vinyl walked across the room and opened the door to the "pilot" as she liked to call him. Basically it was the pony who directed each pegasus flying her chariot. When she opened the door she didn't see him anywhere. Not only that, but the four pegasi that normally pulled her chariot were missing too. Something is definitely wrong here. She closed the door to the pilot and fell back into her chair. Just as Vinyl had finally relaxed and was beginning to doze off, three loud knocks came from the door to her chariot. After recovering from her near heart attack, Vinyl got up and went to the door. She quickly peeked through the peep hole and saw one of the greatest sights she's ever seen. Vinyl pulled the door so hard it almost came of its hinges, "Sapphire Shores!" she yelled as she hugged the earth pony before her. Vinyl quickly composed herself after realizing how stupid she had looked in front of her idol, "Um...sorry about that Miss Shores....I just didn't expect you to show up at my chariot. Is anything wrong?" She let out a quick gasp, "Oh please tell me you didn't come to criticize my show." Vinyl was frantic. Criticism was the only logical explanation she could think of. Sapphire just laughed, "Don't worry Vinyl I just came to congratulate you on a great performance. I really love your sound, and your message behind your lyrics." Vinyl was in shock. She's gotta just be messing with me. There's no was she liked it that much, she's Sapphire Shores for ponies sake! She closed her mouth, realizing it was agape, and resumed talking: "Wow thanks Miss Shores, it's a great honor to hear that from you." "It's nothing. Oh, you can call me Sapphire by the way." I can call her Sapphire! She would've been jumping up and down had the greatest pop star in Equestria not been standing in her doorway. "Oh, where are my manners? Please come in Sapphire." Sapphire ran a hoof through her mane, "Sorry Vinyl, but I can't. I kick off my world tour tomorrow and I need to get some sleep. I just came by to see if you wanted to come to the Musician's Gala next Saturday here in Canterlot. All of the biggest names in Equestria will be there." A huge smile broke a across Vinyl's face. This would be her first big "dress-up" event since her brother's wedding when she was still a filly. Play it cool Vinyl, she thought, let her know you're interested, but not that interested. She did her best to hide her smile, "Oh yeah...well I may have something going that day. I'll have to get back to you." Good work, she thought, satisfied with her acting. Sapphire smiled, "Great. Here's my number," she said as she gave Vinyl a piece of paper, "I need to go before my agent gets mad at me for losing sleep. I'll see you later Vinyl," she said with a wink. Vinyl woke up at noon to the sound of Octavia pounding on the door to her suite. "Vinyl I need to use your bathroom in there. Please it's the only one on the chariot!" Vinyl wasn't really sure why the manufacturers decided to put the bathroom on the second floor of a moving object, but she didn't complain. It was a pretty cool bathroom after all. Vinyl got out of bed and slipped her rob on. "Hold on I'm coming, I'm coming," she said reaching for the door knob, "Personally, I can't believe you're even up at thi-" She was interrupted by Octavia slamming the door in her face, "Sorry Vinyl, but I need to go NOW!" All Vinyl could respond with was a mumbled "Hmm...umm..." Vinyl walked down stairs and began pouring herself a bowl of cereal, her usual road breakfast. She had made it halfway through her breakfast by the time Octavia came trotting back down the stairs. "Sorry about that Vinyl, but the only bathroom on the entire chariot is in your room." Vinyl looked up at Octavia with her usual morning drowsiness and Octavia smiled, "Still not a morning person, huh?" Vinyl nodded and resumed eating. Octavia poured her own bowl of cereal and began eating. The two ate in silence until Vinyl decided she was awake enough to give Octavia the good news, "So Octavia, you'll never guess who came by last night. Sapphire Shores." Octavia spit out her mouthful of cereal upon hearing the news. "What?! The Sapphire Shores? No way! What did she want?" "Oh not much...she just wanted us to come to the Musician's Gala next Saturday at the Canterlot Castle." Octavia's eye began to twitch. Vinyl stared in wonder, "Umm...Octavia you alright? You look kind of shocked." Octavia shook her head and returned to herself. "Umm yeah I'm fine. It's just...the Musician's Gala...I've wanted to attend it ever since I was a filly." Vinyl was surprised at what she did next. Octavia reached over and gave a Vinyl a very long, "Thank you Vinyl. You've made one of my dreams come true." "Oh, well I didn't say yes." Vinyl said. She closed her eyes, Why would I say that? "WHAT?!" Octavia jumped up, kicking her chair halfway across the room. Vinyl flinched as Octavia slammed her hooves on the table, "HOW COULD YOU NOT SAY YES?" Octavia was hyperventilating at this point, breathing in and out so quickly it was beginning to disrupt her mane. Vinyl sighed, "Long story, okay? I'll call her right now and tell her to put us both down as guests." Vinyl pulled out her phone and dialed the number Sapphire had given her the previous night. Octavia retrieved her chair and sat back down. "Um...Vinyl?" Her tone had dramatically changed to one of pleading, "Do you think you could put it on speaker?" Vinyl almost fell out of her chair laughing. "You have to bipolar, I swear." Vinyl knew she wasn't, but it was just something she always loved to tease Octavia about, just like how Octavia loved to tease Vinyl about leaving stuff around her apartment. Vinyl finished dialing and the phone began to ring. Octavia gasped, "It's ringing, it's ringing!" Vinyl smiled, giving her a "come on Octavia, really?" look. The ringing stopped, "Hello?" Vinyl recognized Sapphire's voice. Apparently so did Octavia, since it looked like she was about to pass out from pure excitement. Vinyl spoke up first, "Hey Sapphire, it's Vinyl. I was just wondering if it was still possible to get me and a guest down for the gala." "Yeah, I could do th-" Octavia suddenly broke her silence, "Hi Sapphire! Oh my gosh it's Sapphire Shores! I can't believe I'm talking to Sapphire Shores!" Vinyl smiled at her friend. She had never seen Octavia get so excited before. Vinyl almost started laughing when she thought about it from Sapphire's perspective. "Oh, um...hi. You must be that pony that was sleeping on Vinyl's couch, right?" Octavia's smile vanished as her usual look of embarrassment quickly replaced it, "Yes. That was me." Vinyl jumped back into the conversation and pulled the call from speaker phone before it could get anymore out of hand, "So Sapphire, you said you could get us in right? Octavia here is just dying to go." It took a few seconds before Sapphire responded, "Yes I can get both you into the gala." Vinyl thanked Sapphire and hung up. She turned and looked at the hopeful earth pony. "Well Octavia, looks like you're going to the Musician's Gala." Author's Note The way I spelled pegasi in paragraph three may be incorrect. My computer kept telling me it was wrong, so I googled it and my computer said the Internet was wrong too. Personally, I feel like this chapter isn't as good past chapters, mostly because not much actually happened here. If you found this chapter boring, just wait, stuffs about to pick up. Chapter FiveChapter Five Octavia remembered the next week as follows: play show, sleep, try on dress for the gala, repeat. After Octavia joined Vinyl on stage in Canterlot, Vinyl asked her to join her on stage for every show in the foreseeable future. Octavia agreed without hesitation. She loved the feeling of standing on stage in front of thousands of screaming fans, even if they weren't actually her fans. Ever since she was a filly she wanted to stand on a stage and play her cello in front of thousands of ponies, and she was finally living that dream. Octavia got little sleep over the week; she was running on mostly adrenaline and caffeine. Between waking up at seven each morning to look at dresses with Vinyl, and staying up until two a.m., Octavia was having trouble keeping her energy up. She had never been on such a rigorous schedule before. On top of her awkward sleeping schedule, she was sleeping on a couch inside a moving vehicle. To only add more stress to Octavia's life was the imminent arrival of the Musician's Gala. That meant she had to find a dress, plan what she would do with her hair, and find a way to make Vinyl see that she liked her. Luckily Vinyl's tour was going through Manehatten, which meant Octavia would be able shop on 5th Avenue, the greatest shopping strip in all of Equestria. Octavia was very excited, the only big city she had ever been in was Canterlot. Manehatten was a big step for her. Octavia's stress really didn't start until Friday rolled around. With less than twenty four hours until the gala, she was still without a dress, and all Vinyl could think about was sightseeing in Manehatten. Octavia didn't mind walking around Manehatten, but she had higher priorities, and Vinyl was slowing them down. After more than an two hours of going up and down street after street, Octavia and Vinyl finally arrived on Fifth Avenue. Octavia's eyes gleamed as she looked in the storefronts. Each minute it was something different, "Oh, look at the shoes","Oh Vinyl, this hat is amazing","Vinyl, have got to see this necklace". They reached the end of the street when Vinyl finally stopped, "Octavia, may I present to you the greatest dress store in all of Equestria: Carousel Boutique: Manehatten. The owner got her big break after Sapphire Shores wore one of her dresses on her world tour. She's now known across Equestria for her ability to make dress that fits the pony perfectly, both physically, and stylistically. And," she continued, "I am buying you one." Over their time together, Vinyl and Octavia had some great moments. The moment when Vinyl said she would buy Octavia a dress was one both of them considered to be one of their greatest. Octavia gave Vinyl a hug and entered the store. From the second Octavia walked in she knew that the experience was not going to be a pleasant one. Firstly, she knew how much Vinyl was paying for the dress, which made Octavia extremely uncomfortable through the entire process. Secondly, Octavia found the "greatest dress maker in Equestria" to be a bit of a snob. The unicorn was constantly fussing about the dirt on Octavia's mane (which Octavia failed to find), and how it was going to dirty her pure white coat. Thirdly, he dress maker's cat stared at Octavia from the moment she walked in. Octavia, who did not like cats, felt like she was being stalked the whole time. After an hour and a half, the crazy unicorn (Octavia eventually learned her name was Rarity) placed a mirror in front of Octavia. Throughout her life, Octavia had dressed up for many occasions: weddings, galas, symphonies. She had always worn the same elegant dress every time; a long, black, flowing dress with diamonds as trim. The dress that Octavia wore standing in a living hell in the middle of Manehatten made her usual dress look worthless. She considered her previous dress to be little more than cardboard compared to the masterpiece Rarity had created. It was of a perfect length: long but not too long; its color matched the color of Luna's night perfectly, a deep midnight blue. To top it off, almost the entire dress was trimmed in sapphires. Rarity placed a hoof on Octavia's shoulder, "I must say, you look marvelous in that dress, and I do not normally say that to ponies who come in here. That is truly a perfect dress. I hope you put it to good use at the gala." Octavia began sliding the dress off, "I will Rarity. Thank you so much for what you've given me. I know it will help make the night perfe-" Suddenly Vinyl burst through the door, "We have to go now! It's a four hour ride to Canterlot and the gala starts in three!" She grabbed Octavia by her arm and dragged her out, "Sorry I can't pay now Rarity, bill me later!" Vinyl and Octavia rushed through the streets of Manehatten. Octavia's dress was still half on as they rushed down Fifth Avenue. She thought about how ridiculous they both looked; a world renowned rock star and regular old pony in a dress were running through the streets of Manehatten. She would've laughed if she didn't have to run another two miles to Vinyl's chariot. After running for less than ten minutes, Octavia and Vinyl finally burst through the door of the chariot yelling "Go, go, go!" They both collapsed on the floor of the chariot. Vinyl began speaking through gasps, "Okay...we....made it...Now...to...the gala!" She let her head fall to the floor and began laughing. Octavia joined her, finally getting the chance to laugh about it. "Wow Vinyl, you look amazing." Octavia grinned as Vinyl walked down from her suite on the top floor of the chariot. She was dressed in flank length dress that was the same color as Vinyl's electric blue highlights, and was covered in fancy patterns. "Yeah, I guess." She responded. Octavia could tell she was nervous, what with the possibility of being late to the biggest event of her life. Luckily the pegasi who pulled Vinyl's chariot understood how dire their situation was and worked twice as hard as normal. Octavia felt bad inconveniencing the ponies, but they insisted continuing their pace. The pegasi worked so hard that Octavia and Vinyl made it to Canterlot with a half hour until the start of the gala. Octavia made sure to give a very large tip to the ponies as she exited the chariot. Vinyl and Octavia stood in front of the castle, which was decorated for the occasion. Light string music sounded from bushes, one of Princess Celestia's spells. The castle was lit with a gentle yellow light that made the castle feel so welcoming that Octavia began to lean towards it. Vinyl nudged Octavia, "Have you ever been inside?" Octavia nodded, "Plenty of times. I used to play at ever Grand Galloping Gala, until an eccentric pink pony ruined my chances of ever playing there again." Vinyl had a quizzical look on her face. "Long story." "Uh huh..." Vinyl stood staring in wonder at the castle. "I've never been inside before." She took a deep breath and turned to face Octavia, "Well, you want to go in?" The two ponies ascended the stairs to the castle together, eyes gleaming. They were met at the top of the stairs by the pony both of them never thought they would see. "Hello Vinyl Scratch. Oh, and you must be Octavia. Welcome to the Musician's Gala." Princess Celestia said as she welcomed the them to the party. "Since this is your first year here I must give you the normal introduction to the gala. Due to how popular all the musicians are at this party, we require each guest to stay here overnight for their own safety." Vinyl's face lit up upon hearing the news, "I get to...to..." Octavia caught Vinyl as she began to fall backwards. Octavia laughed, "Sorry about that princess. She always does this when she gets great news." "It's quite alright Octavia," the princess said with a smile, "One of the castle guards will take you to your room." Octavia couldn't believe the room they were given. It was easily twice the size of Octavia's apartment, which she found surprising because the castle always looked so small on the outside. Octavia eventually concluded the castle was just bigger on the inside. Vinyl had a similar reaction to the elegant room she awoke in. With five minutes until the start of the gala, Vinyl and Octavia left their room. Vinyl has breathing heavily the whole way day, which she attributed to nervousness. Octavia knew Vinyl would be nervous about the event, but this surpassed her expectations. Vinyl was sweating, which she never did. She also had a nervous twitch in her hoof. Vinyl really isn't herself tonight, Octavia thought as she looked her friend, I wonder what's wrong. Octavia stopped before the door to the banquet hall and turned to Vinyl, "Vinyl, are you alright? You haven't been yourself tonight." Vinyl's eyes were distant. Octavia could tell she was deep in thought. "Um...yeah. I'm just kind of nervous about being around all of these musicians." Octavia hugged Vinyl, "You're going to do fine. I'm sure of it." Vinyl smiled at Octavia, "Thanks Octavia. You're a good friend." She collected herself and pushed open the door. Author's Note Thank you all for reading this chapter. I wrote part of this on an Ipad, so Apple's auto-correct may have messed something up pretty badly. Chapter SixChapter Six Octavia was met by a wall of sound coming from the gala; thousands of musicians were scattered across the ballroom, conversing, singing, and some were even playing instruments. Octavia felt at home with the musicians, like she finally found a place where she fit in. Vinyl stood next to her in awe, "Wow Tavia, this is amazing. I can't believe we're actually here." "Hey, you actually called me Tavia for once. You haven't done that for months." Octavia replied with a smile. Vinyl was the only one who was allowed to call her Tavia, she wouldn't even let her parents do it. She wasn't exactly sure why, but it just felt right having Vinyl call her Tavia. "Well yeah," Vinyl said, "it kind of slipped my mind over the past week. We've been in such a hard routine that I've barely even had a chance to talk to you." It was true, and Octavia hated it. There hadn't been a great time to actually talk with Vinyl since she had first showed up at Octavia's apartment. "It's alright Vinyl, you've been really busy over the past week." she replied. "No it's not alright," Vinyl said abruptly. "You're my best friend in the world Octavia, and I shouldn't treat you like that. Don't ever let me do it again. Okay?" Octavia reluctantly agreed; she wasn't comfortable being forced into the verbal contract, but it pleased Vinyl, which meant the most to her. An upbeat swing song started to play, one of Octavia's favorites. She turned and smiled at Vinyl, "You want to dance?" "No. You've seen me dance, I'll just end up embarrassing myself in front of Equestria's best musicians." "Oh come on," she pleaded, "It'll be fun, I promise." Vinyl reluctantly agreed as Octavia dragged her to the dance floor. Now all I need is for a slow song to start, she thought, maybe to night something will finally happen between us. The two danced through the entire song, which made Octavia extremely happy. She rarely danced, mostly to swing music, and it was even rarer for Vinyl to dance. Octavia cherished the moment, even if it wasn't exactly the way she always imagined it. Once the song ended, the two mares laughed and walked to one of the outlying tables. Vinyl was sweating profusely, and she was doing a very poor job of covering it up. Octavia didn't care, part of her actually liked seeing Vinyl formally dressed, but still out of her element. She loved seeing Vinyl out of her element; it was just one of those strange little things she loved about Vinyl. "Alright Octavia," Vinyl said, laughing, "I gotta say, that was definitely worth it." "Well come on then," she said as the next song started, "let's get back out there!" Octavia was so wrapped up in dancing that she didn't even notice how hard Vinyl was breathing, "I would love to Tavia, but I never do this. You gotta give me some time here." "Oh," Octavia said, trying to hide her disappointment, "alright then. Well, I guess that just gives us time to really talk for the first time in a while." So they talked. They talked about everything: Octavia's music, the orchestra, Vinyls music, the gala. Octavia loved it. She always enjoyed her conversations with Vinyl, all the way back to when she had first moved in. Octavia was so happy she forgot that she was at the gala, she forgot Vinyl was a famous singer, she even forgot there were other ponies around her. It had been close to an hour when there was a break in the conversation, at which point an idea struck Octavia, "Hey Vinyl," she started, "I totally forgot, you're here to meet and converse with other musicians. Come on let's go meet Equestria's best." She didn't tell Vinyl that she secretly wanted to meet all of the pop stars, but concluded it didn't matter. She knew it was good for Vinyl for her to meet her peers too, so she avoided the topic. Whereas Octavia felt comfortable being a room full of the musicians, she quickly discovered she disliked actually talking to them. She hid her feelings from Vinyl: it would only hurt her if Octavia disliked her peers. While Vinyl chatted to a very popular guitarist, Octavia noticed Sapphire Shores quickly approaching her group. She felt a pang of danger in her stomach, but pushed the idea aside, This is Sapphire Shores we're talking about here, she thought, there's no way she would do anything wrong. But still Octavia couldn't help but feel pressured as Sapphire approached in her way-to-long dress that followed at least three feet behind her. "Oh hey there Vinyl," Sapphire said as she approached the group. Vinyl broke off her conversation with the guitarist, who had already found an interest in the buffet that was being brought out, "Hey Sapphire. How's it going?" "Good," she replied, "Are you and your guest enjoying the gala?" Octavia couldn't help taking offense to being labeled as "your guest". She was starting to nurture a growing hatred for Sapphire, who almost had an evil aura about her at this point. "Yes it's great. Octavia and I are really enjoying it." "I'm sorry Octavia," she said, addressing Octavia this time, "I'm not really that good with names." Yeah, that's what it was. Octavia thought sarcastically. "Oh it's not a problem," Octavia said. Just as she finished, a slow song began to play. Not only was it a slow song, it was the slow song; the song Octavia had listened to everyday since Vinyl had left. It was the song where every lyric reminded her of her best friend. She did her best to gather her courage, to finally do what she had been waiting a year to do. She had planned exactly how she was going to ask Vinyl for the past hour, but now that the time came she found it hard to gather the words. After what felt like hours, Octavia finally opened her mouth- "Vinyl, would you like to dance?" Sapphire said. Octavia's heart sank. Wait, she thought, I know Vinyl would never do it; she knows I'm going to ask her...right? Vinyl's eyes darted between Sapphire and Octavia, "Umm..." Octavia's heart rate doubled. She was sure there was no way it would happen, Vinyl had to know by then. "Uh..." It wasn't possible for Sapphire to just walk up and take Vinyl from Octavia like that; she had worked too hard for everything to be lost now. Vinyl took a long look at Octavia, "Yes." Octavia had to resist the compulsion of falling into the chair behind her. It felt like the room was spinning; it felt like part of her heart had been pulled from her chest. She was so shocked by Vinyl's answer she was at a loss for words. She did her best to conceal her feelings, but she wasn't sure how long she could last. "Are you sure you're okay with me slipping away for a couple minutes?" Vinyl whispered to her. Octavia put on her best fake smile, trying to appear unaffected, "Yeah, of course I'm fine with it." She managed to get out. Vinyl replied with a smile, and walked away with Sapphire. Octavia fought back tears as she walked towards the exit. She passed everypony she could've ever wished to see, brushing off her feelings of admiration for every star she had ever met. She made her way through the doors to the ballroom, still maintaining her fake expression of happiness. She turned around the first corner she could find and sunk to the ground, finally allowing the tears to stream from her eyes. One question, she though, one question was all it took to destroy what I worked for. She was there for less than a minute before Princess Celestia joined her. At first she just sat down next to Octavia and placed a wing around her. Octavia took comfort in the gesture; it felt good to have somepony else to be with her. After a few minutes, the princess finally spoke up, "I know what's troubling you Octavia, and I'm very sorry for what has happened." Octavia didn't responded, hoping Celestia would continue. "Just remember one thing Octavia," she said, pulling her closer, "Your feelings for Vinyl are much like our city of Canterlot. Canterlot was not built in a day, nor a week, nor a month. It took many years to build a city such as Canterlot. This city has had its fair share of destruction too. At times the walls fell, and at others the whole city was destroyed. We rebuilt our beloved city back each time, no matter the damage that was brought to it. I want you to remember this in the coming time." Princess Celestia left, leaving Octavia to her thoughts. The princess's words had been so vague and Octavia had been in such deep thought that she didn't even try comprehending the princess's words. She just stood up, wiped the tears from her eyes, and retired to her room. Author's Note I would like to start by saying I'm sorry for taking so long on this chapter. With all the events surrounding the coronation, I didn't want to bring a sad to story to the table until most of the drama died down. Chapter SevenChapter Seven "Are you sure you're okay with me slipping away for a couple minutes?" Vinyl whispered to Octavia, secretly hoping she wasn't okay with it. She had always wanted to dance with Octavia, but she couldn't just ask. She always reasoned that it would have to be Octavia who asked her, that way Vinyl knew Octavia would be okay with it. Otherwise, it may end in a very awkward encounter for the next few weeks, and would eventually result in her and Octavia losing their friendship, something she wasn't prepared to do. "Yeah, of course I'm fine with it." she said. Vinyl's heart broke; she wanted for Octavia to return her feelings so badly, and she just turned shied away from her. Vinyl couldn't think of anything to say, so she just did her best fake smile and walked away with Sapphire. Vinyl was distracted through the whole dance. Sapphire kept trying to start a conversation, but Vinyl kept brushing her off. She didn't feel like talking, she didn't even feel like being at the gala anymore. Vinyl felt like going back to her chariot and sinking into her "thinking chair". She wanted the whole world to melt away so she could be by herself again. Sapphire tried pulling Vinyl in closer, but she just resisted. Sapphire sighed, "Vinyl, you didn't really want to dance with me, did you? You haven't said a word, and you're keeping a distance that makes "conservative" look inappropriate." Vinyl avoided her eyes, "No I didn't. I'm sorry." "You wanted to dance with Octavia, didn't you?" She saw straight through Vinyl, who only nodded in agreement. "I could see straight through that fake smile of yours." She paused and the two were left in silence as the song ended. "I'm sorry I said anything Vinyl; I shouldn't have said anything. I always do this sort of thing. Can you forgive me Vinyl?" Vinyl answered by walking away from her, completely ignoring the question. Vinyl returned to where her and Octavia had been standing, only to find she was no longer there. Great, she thought, not only did Sapphire see through me, but Octavia did too. She must have left because she could see I have feelings for her. Vinyl sat in the chair where she was seated earlier, and watched the gala around her. Everypony was there enjoying themselves, and there she was wishing all of them away. "Vinyl Scratch," said an elegant voice behind her. Vinyl spun in her chair to be face-to-face with Princess Celestia. "I'm afraid you may have a slight problem." Vinyl tried to piece everything together as she sprinted through the castle, which was hard because she was unconscious last time she passed through it. So Celestia said Octavia was sitting around the corner crying. But I know it couldn't have been about me, there's no way. She was smiling when I left with Sapphire. Oh...Vinyl hit a conclusion so hard it almost made her fall, Octavia has feelings for Sapphire. That's what it has to be. Vinyl was so deep in thought that she almost missed their room. She skidded to stop in front of the suite and caught her breath, trying to decide exactly what she was going to say to Octavia. She stood there for fifteen minutes until she decided exactly what to say. Vinyl took a deep breath, and opened the door. Octavia walked into the room and fell onto the couch just inside the door. She had cried so much from her encounter with the princess that she couldn't cry anymore. She just lay on the couch, thinking about everything that had just taken place. It wasn't fifteen minutes before she heard knocking at the door. She knew who it was, but she didn't want to talk to Vinyl. Octavia just wanted to be alone. "Octavia, I know you're in there." came Vinyl's voice from the other side of the door. "Go away Vinyl, I want to be alone right now." Octavia said as she buried her face into a couch cushion. "Come on, I want to talk." Octavia sighed and stood up. She walked to the door and hit the handle, letting Vinyl open it. She walked back to her couch and laid down again. "What?" Octavia intended to sound bitter; Vinyl needed to know she was upset. Vinyl didn't move from her spot that was just inside the door, "Octavia, I want to say I'm sorry. I know I really hurt you and-" "Do you?" She said as she stood up, "You really don't know what you did Vinyl. You hurt me worse than you ever have before. What you did crossed a line Vinyl, and you think you can just walk in here and say 'I'm sorry Octavia'. I'm sorry, but I can't accept your apology." She kept her back to Vinyl during her speech, mostly because she couldn't bare to see Vinyl's face at that point, but Vinyl didn't need to know. "No Octavia, you don't understand. The only reason I went with her was beca-" "Actually, I get it," Octavia interrupted again, this time turning to face Vinyl, "I totally get it. You wanted to dance with Sapphire because she's this great, big, famous pop star, and I'm just some nobody cellist from Canterlot." She could see Vinyl's face was distraught, but she didn't care. She wanted Vinyl to feel bad for what she had done. "That's not it," Vinyl said, her voice shaking, "you aren't worse than Sapphire at all. Please don't be mad at her Octavia, it wasn't her fault at all." Octavia could tell Vinyl was starting to stumble over words, so she decided to jump on. "Oh you mean don't be mad at the pony that you just walked away? Don't be mad at the pony who asked you to dance? How can I not be mad at her?" Octavia was walking towards Vinyl now, staring into her eyes the whole time, "You don't understand how hard that would be. I can't think that it wasn't her doing, and I can't think you were a part of it." "Y-you're mad at me too?" Vinyl was visibly sweating now. "How could I not be mad at you right now Vinyl?" Octavia felt a tear run down her cheek, she knew should would have to finish quickly. "You just walked away with Sapphire; you left me standing there in the middle of the room like that. You have no idea what it's like for somepony you love to just walk out on you." Octavia caught herself as she finished her sentence. She had never told Vinyl she loved her, not even in the "best-friend-way". She could feel tears gathering behind her eyes and decided that it was time to go before she broke down in front of Vinyl. She pushed past the still-shocked Vinyl, walked out the doorway, slamming the door behind her, and ran down the hall. Vinyl stood in shock as Octavia slammed the door in her face. I was wrong, she thought, it was me all along. She would've smiled if the pony she wanted to be with most hadn't just slammed a door in her face. It took a few minutes for what had just happened to sink in. Vinyl went to the living room and sat down in the first chair she could find. She actually...she actually loves me. And I let her walk out that door. I let the pony I love walk right past me and out the door. The thought of loving Octavia dawned on Vinyl, it being the first time she had ever confessed it to herself. Vinyl lay sat in the chair for hours, listening to the sound of the gala die out beneath her. She still couldn't believe everything that happened only hours ago. She pulled out her notebook and began writing song lyrics down, still trying to fully comprehend what had transpired. It was the only way she knew to communicate: through music and lyrics. She sat in the chair writing until the sun came through the windows. She decided she put in a good nights work, got up, and left the suite, closing the door behind her. Vinyl walked down the hall towards the castle exit, when she heard a familiar voice behind her, "Vinyl, wait." She sighed, "What do you want Sapphire? You've caused enough problems as it is." Vinyl turned to face the star, who was still in her dress from the previous night. "I want to say I'm truly sorry for what I've caused, and that I hope everything turns out okay for you and your friend." Vinyl could feel the sincerity in her voice, but she could also sense the air of exaggeration in her voice, like she was sorry, but not as sorry as she actually let on. "No." Vinyl replied. A look of confusion appeared on Sapphire's face and she continued, "Just simply, no. I don't accept your apology. Goodbye Miss Shores." Vinyl turned on the spot and left a confused Sapphire Shores muttering to herself. Vinyl discretely boarded her chariot around the back of the castle, and was instantly met by her assistant, "Where to Miss Scratch?" "Take me to the music studio, I have a message to record." She smiled, "And please, call me Vinyl. No more of this "Miss Scratch thing." Chapter EightChapter Eight One week had passed since the gala, and Octavia's heart was still in pieces. Even after a week of nothing but replaying her conversation with Vinyl in her mind, she was still in total disbelief of what had happened. Not once in her life had she used the "L" word about another non-family member. That wasn't what took her by surprise though. What shook Octavia most was how Vinyl handled the situation. Vinyl just stood there and stammered her way through their conversation while Octavia poured her heart out. At least, that's how Octavia remembered it. Octavia alarm clock went off, pulling her from her deep sleep. She rubbed her eyes, displeased at the idea of finally returning to public life. She had been laying around her apartment for the last week, trying to avoid contact with everypony she knew. Luckily Octavia was still technically on vacation, and was able to avoid the symphony. The water from Octavia's shower felt good as it ran through her mane. She wasn't ever going to admit it, but she hadn't showered in days, and she didn't even care. Something about the falling water made Octavia feel as if she was cleaning more than her coat; it was as if she were cleaning her mind too. Suddenly, she didn't feel as bad, but she still felt empty. She knew she would never stop feeling empty. After drying herself, Octavia grabbed her cello and headed for the door. She wasn't exactly pleased with having to deal with her Sonata and the rest of the orchestra again, but she did her best to make the best of the situation. I guess if Sonata is happy being first chair that's all that counts, she thought. That was a lie of course. Octavia didn't actually feel that way, but it didn't hurt for her to tell herself that. Octavia stopped when she saw the picture of her and Vinyl on the end table. A sense of deja vu washed over her. She reached out and slammed the picture down, removing from her view. Octavia wasn't in the mood to think about that night again. Octavia's walked through town had been less than pleasant. She didn't run into any particular problems, but Canterlot seemed...different. The streets no long shined, the birds no longer sang, and the colors weren't as vibrant as before. She couldn't place her hoof on it. Octavia tried to push the dark thoughts out of her head as she entered the concert hall. It was just as busy as ever, which almost made Octavia feel at home. Something about being apart of her daily routine made her feel better. Many ponies asked about her vacation, which she replied to with a smile and a nod, trying to hide her actual feelings. The first cellist chair was empty, which Octavia found strange. Sonata always beat her to rehearsal. In fact, the only time Octavia beaten Sonata to practice was when she was sick, and even then it was close. Octavia shook her head and sat down in her usual spot, preparing her cello for rehearsal. She hadn't played in a week and her cello was in desperate need of tuning. After tuning, Octavia rosined her bow and let a note come out. She could feel the note resonating through the instrument, which felt great to her. She had forgotten just how much she loved to play. Memories of her shows with Vinyl came up, taking over her mind. Octavia closed her eyes and did her best to repress the memories: she didn't want to show her emotions in front of everypony. "Oh Octavia, great to see you again," came a voice from behind her. Octavia turned as was met by the orchestra's director. "Hello Mr. Maestro. It's great to be back." She put on a fake smile as she met the stallion's gaze. "Yes, I'm sure it is," he replied. "Now, you haven't been here for the past week so I must inform you of some...changes." Octavia didn't like the way he said changes. It was too ominous for her liking. "I'm afraid you are no longer second chair." Octavia's heart sank the director's words. She didn't expect the greatest reactions for going on a long vacation, but losing a chair placement seemed a bit harsh to her. "How many chairs am I dropping Mr. Maestro?" He looked taken aback by her question. "No, no, Octavia you are not dropping any chairs?" Octavia had to repress a tear. This is it, she thought they're finally letting me go. "No, Mr. Maestro, I can explain." Mr. Maestro stared at her. "Explain what, Octavia?" She opened her mouth, but no sound came out. She wasn't really sure what needed explaining, but she said the phrase anyway. "Either way..." he continued, "you will now be sitting first chair. Octavia felt her jaw drop. "First chair?" she asked in disbelief. The director nodded. "Ever since Sonata left for Los Pegasus to join the pop music industry we've been waiting for your return. That way we could just bump you up and not have to deal with the hiring process and-" "Wait, wait, wait," Octavia interrupted, "Sonata left to join the pop music industry? I didn't know artists needed cello players." It was true, most musicians just used synthesizers for their string instruments. It bothered Octavia, but she tried not to think about it that much. Mr. Maestro shrugged. "I don't know Octavia. Now if you will excuse me, we need to start rehearsal." Octavia nodded and moved her possessions to the first chair in response to the stallion's departure. As far orchestra practices went, Octavia had a personal best. Her bow moved flawlessly and her tone and pitch were perfect. She was elated that she had become first chair. Ever since she had lost it a month ago, she had been enjoying rehearsals less and less, even to the point of calling in sick from time to time. Octavia felt bad for as she reflected on the past, wishing she could do it over again. Even the post-practice was more pleasant than normal. Octavia stayed and talked with her fellow musicians, something she had avoided for weeks. She had forgotten how enjoyable other ponies could be. Octavia was stopped by her friend Canone as she left. Octavia was pretty sure they blue mare liked her -- she would typically give Octavia glances from across the room during practices. She wasn't really sure what the violinist saw in her, but she didn't complain. Octavia wasn't used to the attention, and she almost enjoyed it. "Hey Octavia," Canone said with a smile, "what's up?" "Not much," she replied. Octavia always tried to keep their conversations short. She didn't want to lead Canone on, she wasn't that kind of pony. Canone began to tap her hoof nervously. "I was wondering, what are doing later?" Octavia's heart skipped a beat. Is she actually asking me on a date? she thought to herself, Surely she knows about my....previous relationship. Octavia swallowed hard. "Canone..." her voice faded away. Suddenly, a thought popped into her head. She wasn't exactly with Vinyl anymore. She wanted to be, but there wasn't much she could do about it, so why not just go on a date with Canone? There isn't much more I can lose, she thought. Plus I don't really feel like paying for a meal tonight. Octavia smiled at the mare. "I'm actually free tonight. Why do you ask?" "Oh, well, I was wondering if you wanted to, maybe, go out to dinner or something tonight?" Octavia nodded. "Sure, that sounds fun." "Great I'll pick you up at seven." Canone gave Octavia a smile and walked away. Octavia shook her head at the thought of going on a date with Canone. What did I just do? she thought.I know that Vinyl and I aren't together anymore, but I can't help feeling like I betrayed her. Octavia sighed and made her way to the exit, still unsure of her decision. Octavia stood at the door to her apartment building. She checked the clock just inside the building. 6:58 She had been waiting for a half-hour. Octavia wasn't sure why, but she chose to start her wait early. She wasn't typically one for being early, but a strange feeling compelled her to do so. She tapped her hoof impatiently. 6:59 I wish she would just show up already. Where could she possibly be? Octavia looked up and down the street but found it to be deserted. She expected a tumbleweed to roll down the street, but not even that would come to the vacant street. Octavia continued her silent debate over the morality of the date. She still had feelings for Vinyl, that was clear even to her at that point, but it obvious that Vinyl was never coming. And how could she? Octavia thought, I acted like a complete idiot at the gala. She shook her head, cursing herself for her actions. 7:00 Another long look confirmed the absence of all life from the street. Octavia took a sigh of relief. Something inside her told her that the date was wrong. She turned and opened the door. "Hey Octavia, where you going?" Octavia heart sank as she heard Canone's voice. She spun on the spot to face the mare. "Oh, um..." her mind raced for an answer, "I though I heard somepony coming downstairs." "Oh." Canone replied with a smile. "Are you ready to go?" Octavia felt her voice reply "yes", despite her strongest urges to run inside. The next thing she knew, she was being lead towards Mane Street by a very chatty Canone. Octavia's head hurt. She wasn't sure why she ever agreed to the date in the first place. She suddenly felt nauseous and considered excusing her, but decided against it. Despite her objections, Canone was still a nice pony, and she didn't deserve to be hurt. "And here we are." Canone said as Octavia suddenly found herself standing in Sandwiches by Ditzy. "You look rough Octavia. Are you feeling okay?" Octavia could feel the concern in her voice. As if on cue, the song playing over the restaurant's speaker ended and the new one began. Ordinarily, Octavia would take no notice of radio music at a restaurant, but this was different. It wasn't just any song, it was a song sung by Vinyl. Octavia felt her legs grow weak as the lyrics washed over her body. Her heart rate increased and she felt herself begin to sweat. It suddenly felt as if the room were closing in on her. She shook her head in response Canone's question and rushed out the door, mumbling something close to "I'm sorry, I have to go." The whole world seemed to move in slow motion as Octavia raced home. Before she knew it she was laying on her bed crying, feeling the crushing weight of her time with Vinyl. She remembered every minute of every day all at once and it gave her migraine so deep that she felt as if she would never recover. The next time Octavia looked at the clock it read 8:02. I've only been here an hour? she thought to herself miserably. Her fears were subsided when she looked out her window and found it to be light outside. No, I haven't, she thought, it's already been one night. Octavia stood and walked to her window. She looked out over the street that now had dozens of ponies beginning their day. "Why?" she asked herself. "Why?". She fell back onto the bed and began to cry again. Author's Note I'd like to apologize for taking so long to write this chapter. I find it hard to write this story when I'm not in the right mood. Chapter NineChapter Nine Vinyl awoke to a dark room she recognized as her studio. She lay on the studio couch, but she wasn't sure how she had gotten there. The last thing she could remember from the previous night was sitting her head down on the piano in frustration, unable to think of lyrics to finish her song. Vinyl stood and made her way to the piano. She thought about flipping the lights on, but she wanted to be in the dark. It helped her write sometimes. The words to the unfinished song sat on top of the piano. Vinyl dragged them towards her. She stared at her lyrics disdainfully. She couldn't believe that she was struggling with writing. Even though she wrote a handful of songs after the fiasco at the gala, it still wasn't enough for an album. A deep bass note rang out from the piano as Vinyl began the song. The chords washed over her as she played the song. Even though Vinyl didn't like to brag about her work, she was very, very proud of this song. Something about the chords made her feel good. Vinyl's heart skipped a beat as she approached her unfinished section: "Look, in the mirror and ask yourself if you're alright-" Vinyl was cut off by the door opening. Ordinarily she would've been unhappy, but whoever was entering stopped her from fumbling through the same part for the millionth time. "Vinyl Scratch," came the voice of her producer. She turned and faced him. He had a concerned look on his face as he approached her. "I can't believe you're still here. The production crew assured me that they were going to send you back to your apartment after I left last night." Even though Vinyl had her own fancy Manehatten apartment, she didn't like living there. Something about the sleeping alone in the big empty apartment didn't appeal to her. Vinyl shrugged at the unicorn. "Sorry Arpeggio, but they didn't. I woke up about five minutes ago." "I see." Arpeggio stood by Vinyl's side. "I wish they had sent you home. You aren't good to us without sleep. Although..." a tone of curiosity came into his voice as he levitated her lyrics where he could see them. "I guess that means you had plenty of time to work on these?" "Nope. I don't think I'm ever going to finish them," she said as she moved them back with her own magic. Arpeggio stared at Vinyl sympathetically. "I'm sorry Vinyl. I wish I could help you finish these lyrics, but this something you need to do yourself." Vinyl nodded but didn't say anything. Arpeggio wouldn't ever help her with lyrics, which bothered her. He always went on about how it was important for musicians to write their own lyrics. Normally she would've objected to his remarks, but this song was too important to her; she wouldn't let anypony go near the song. Again the door opened, and the production crew entered. The various technicians and engineers filed in and began setting up their equipment. Vinyl didn't like how many ponies were working on her second album. Her first album was written by her, and Arpeggio handled all of the production work. But ever since she had become one of the biggest acts in Equestria, the record company had insisted on giving her dozens of unnecessary and redundant crew members. The piano technician, whose name Vinyl hadn't bothered to memorize, approached the two unicorns. "Hello Miss Scratch," he said, "you're still here?" You're still here, Vinyl thought to herself, I like that. I like that a lot. She nodded. "Yeah, because somepony decided that they should just leave me here." Even though she meant to come off as bitter, Vinyl couldn't help feel bad when the piano tech hung his head in shame. "I'm sorry Miss Scratch. It won't happen again Miss Scratch." Vinyl sighed. "It's okay. I'm sure you had a good reason." The tech nodded with a smile. "Actually, we did have a good reason," he said, which Vinyl had trouble believing, "We figured that you would want to wake up this morning and work on your song before anypony got here. While we're on the topic, did you finish the song?" "Well," Arpeggio said with a hint of disappointment, "she-" "Did," Vinyl said quickly. Her producer shot a quick 'What are you doing?' look. Vinyl nodded at him. "Yeah, I finished writing it this morning. Would you like to hear it?" The stallion nodded and gathered the rest of the crew. Vinyl hit the bass notes again, this time with more force than before, emphasizing her confidence. She could feel goosebumps as she began to play the chords leading to the verse. The verse flowed forward with ease, just like the dozens of times she had it played previously. The rise and fall of the piano felt perfect as Vinyl proceeded with the chorus. The whole process repeated itself as Vinyl began the second verse and the second chorus. Vinyl could feel her heart-rate increase as she approached the bridge. She had run over the lyrics in her mind, but thinking through lyrics and actually singing those words were two completely different things. Vinyl hit the first notes of the bridge and opened her mouth to sing her freshly written words: "Look, in the mirror and ask yourself if you're alright. I look around, you're still here. You're on mind" Vinyl felt a tear roll down her cheek as she felt the words come out of her mouth. She knew what they were about, but she didn't want to think about it; she was in the middle of performing her song. Vinyl suppressed her feelings as she finished the song, letting the bass notes ring deep through the piano. Vinyl blinked back tears as she turned and smiled at her production team. "What did you think?" she asked nervously. She couldn't help noticing that most of her crew was fighting back their own tears. The thought warmed Vinyl's heart; her goal as a musician was always to invoke emotion. Arpeggio was the first to speak up. "Vinyl...that was fantastic." He wiped his eyes, cleaning away the tears that had formed. "I have to say, that song might just win you a Hoofie." Vinyl's jaw dropped at the remark. "Really?" she asked excitedly, "A Hoofie?" Vinyl had dreamed of winning a Hoofie ever since she was a filly. It was the greatest honor a musician could receive, and it had always been Vinyl's dream." "Yes, this is definitely Hoofie material." Arpeggio walked towards the door, motioning for Vinyl to follow him. "Come on, we need to finish recording this album or you're never going to get that Hoofie we're talking about." Vinyl lay on her bed, exhausted from the long day of recording. After she recorded her new song, You're Still Here, she had to record another three songs then rerecord two more songs. Vinyl had been running on adrenaline while at the studio, but as soon as she got home she crashed. The long day had taken its tole, more mentally and emotionally than physically. She rolled onto her side and stared the picture of Octavia that sat on her nightstand. You're still here, she thought, you'll always be here. The past few weeks had been killing Vinyl. She had wanted to go back to Canterlot to Octavia, but the record company wouldn't let her go; something about having an album out in time for the Hoofies. The record company didn't understand why she wanted to go back, and Vinyl preferred it that way. She didn't like the idea of a big business knowing about her personal life. Vinyl stared at the picture for a few minutes, but eventually set it face down; she didn't want to bring back all the sad memories again. She stood up and exited her bedroom. The living room she entered felt big and empty, even though it was full of fancy, exotic furniture. Vinyl had always felt like the apartment was much too big for one pony, but she never told anypony. After preparing a small dinner of dandelion salad, Vinyl sat down at her television, just like every other night. She turned on the TV and flipped through the channels until she found the new episode of Doctor Whooves. Vinyl's heart grew heavy as she realized that Octavia was probably watching the same broadcast in Canterlot. Vinyl paid little attention to the show, thinking more about Octavia and Canterlot than what The Doctor and his assistant were doing in New New Canterlot. Her thoughts keep flashing back to when her and Octavia would sit on the couch and watch TV. The good memories warmed her heart, but the feelings faded when she realized that it was all in the past. The past, she thought. She audibly sighed, I envy the past. The couch suddenly felt good and Vinyl laid her head down. She knew that she would be there all night, but not necessarily sleeping. The night was due to end just like almost every other night: Vinyl would cry silently for hours, finally letting out her feelings for Octavia, followed by another hour of song writing, and then finally a couple hours of sleep. Vinyl repeated the process almost perfectly, following her typical times for everything. The only exception was when Vinyl lay her down to sleep. She kept coming back to a mental image of her singing and Octavia playing the cello on stage. The memory didn't spark any physical responses, it only invoked a thought in Vinyl's mind. Soon, she thought, soon. Author's Note I have to say that I did not write the lyrics in this chapter, only half-wrote them. Even though I'm able to write my own lyrics, I chose to take some from a band and song very close to me. If anyone could tell me the song the words came from(without Google), I would literally love you forever. While I'm talking about the lyrics, I'm not too wild about them the way they're set up. Independently, they work, but when you mix mine the and previously made ones together it's just meh. Chapter TenChapter Ten Octavia sat on her sofa, carefully replacing the strings on her cello. Ordinarily she would take it to a unicorn who specialized in the craft of musical instruments, but decided it would be nice to finally learn for herself. Ever since her recovery from the initial heartbreak, Octavia had found that she had a lot of time on her hooves. She filled her time, primarily, with the cello. Of course, she also watched Doctor Whooves, and even enjoyed the occasional shopping trip on Mane Street, but the cello was her main source of time-filling. A string snapped off of a tuning peg as Octavia's hoof slipped. She cursed herself for being born without magical powers, and being forced to live with her big clumsy hooves. She wasn't exactly sure how she managed to become a first chair cellist with them, let alone play the instrument. Octavia set the cello aside, planning on finishing the replacement when she wasn't as angry with herself. She turned on the TV and flipped through the channels, trying to find something interesting to watch. Despite having over three hundred channels, Octavia still had trouble finding something that sparked an interest. The flipping stopped when Octavia saw the words "Vinyl Scratch" on the screen. Her heart skipped a beat as she turned her full attention to the story. "...the album is scheduled to release in one week, and is expected to top the charts within one hour. Back to you in the studio, Herald." The headline Vinyl Scratch to debut new album still burned in Octavia's mind as she turned the channel again. Wow, she thought, I really have been out of touch. Since her meltdown with Canone one month prior, Octavia had all but locked herself in her apartment. She went out for work everyday, and the occasional trip to downtown Canterlot, but other than her few trips she spent almost all her time in her apartment. I really do need to get out more. Octavia stood and began to pack her cello. A sharp knock came from the door, startling Octavia. She took a quick glance at the clock. 8:30 P.M. Octavia frowned. Who could possibly be here at this hour? Octavia set her cello in its case and silently moved towards the door. She very carefully leaned in and peered through the peep-hole in her door, still suspicious of who would be bothering her. She cursed under her breath when she saw the pony who stood at her door. The door opened and Octavia let out a sigh. "What do you want?" she said bitterly. Sapphire Shores stood before her, looking very tired and very un-kept. "Hi Octavia. I think we need to talk." Octavia glared at the mare, hatred filling her heart. "Okay. Talk." "It's kind of personal. Do you think I can come in?" "I know you're Sapphire Shores, but that doesn't give you the right to come to my apartment and invite yourself-" Sapphire held up her hoof to cut of Octavia. "It's about Vinyl." Despite her mental warning, Octavia motioned for Sapphire to enter the apartment. The door slammed behind her; it was the most Octavia could to do display her hatred for the mare that stood in her apartment. Octavia advanced towards Sapphire. "Okay Sapphire," she said with hostility in her voice, "what's so important that it couldn't wait until morning?" Sapphire sat down on Octavia's couch and buried her face in her hooves. Octavia thought she saw tears coming from her eyes. "Well, like I said, it's about Vinyl." "Eeyup." "I know that..." her voice quivered. A tear ran down Sapphire cheek as she continued. "I know you think that I stole Vinyl from you, but you need to know that that's not true. I didn't intended on causing any problems between you two. Honestly. I feel terrible for what I did. I really hate making other ponies sad. You and Vinyl are perfect together and-" "Stop." Octavia said in a commanding voice. "I don't need to hear it, okay? I totally get it. You feel soooo bad because of what you did." A tone of sarcasm made its way into her voice as she continued. "You want me to be with Vinyl. Yeah, sure, that's believable. If you wanted us to be together then why did you take her from me at the gala." Sapphire's eyes showed concern at Octavia's words. "No, no, no, you don't understand. I only asked her to dance because I wanted to talk to her. Vinyl has been the first musician to treat me as an equal. You don't know what it's like to have everypony treat you like a god. Vinyl actually wanted to talk to me about everyday stuff, not just stare at me with their mouths agape because of my status. I had to get away from the world of posers and jerks for a minute and talk to somepony normal. I'm sorry if I tore you two apart." Octavia tried to maintain her hardened look, but it was slipping fast, and she knew it would be easy to see through. "Then tell me this," she said quizzically, "why did she go with you? I'm guessing that's not your fault either?" Sapphire sat in silence for a minute, searching for an answer. "I hope that's not my fault..." she said slowly. They sat in silence again, neither mare having words for the other. Octavia studied Sapphire. She hadn't noticed earlier, but Sapphire was a complete wreck. Her mane was a mess, tangled and unwashed, her coat was the same way. The clothes she wore were not the normal "Sapphire Shores" design. They were very plain, a simple shirt and sweatpants. Octavia's heart softened: anytime Sapphire Shores wasn't wearing exquisite clothing, something was definitely wrong. Sapphire finally decided to break the silence. "Octavia, did you ever think that it could have been your fault?" Octavia smiled at what she assumed was a joke. "Really?" she asked sarcastically, "How could this be my fault?" "Did you ever actually tell Vinyl you had feelings for her? You can imply it with as many looks and gentle touches as you want, but nothing will happen until you go out there and make it happen. Vinyl may have liked you, but if you never gave her those feelings back...well...it makes sense that she would give up on you." Octavia's eyes widened at the thought. No, she thought, no, no, no. There's no way it was me. It slowly started to dawn on her that maybe, just maybe, it was her. Octavia cursed again, something she had been making a habit of, "I was me..." she said distantly. She buried her face in her hooves as she joined Sapphire on the couch. "It was all my fault. How could I have missed that?" Sapphire reached her foreleg around Octavia. "Don't beat yourself up over it Octavia." "Oh I shouldn't beat myself up?" she replied, "I shouldn't beat myself up over losing the love of my life? For losing the only pony I truly care about in the world? I blew it Sapphire. Now Vinyl's off Celestia-knows-where, probably loving somepony I don't even know." She shook her head, disappointed in herself. Sapphire pulled her in closer. Ordinarily Octavia would've shied away at the contact, but having somepony there to comfort her kept her from moving. "Wait one week Octavia. That's when you will know if you've lost her. Listen to what the music says, that's where Vinyl will put her response to you. Just remember," she said as she removed her leg from Octavia's shoulder, "those two things go hoof-and-hoof: love and music." She stood and made a move for the door. "I'm sorry Octavia, but I have to go: it's late and I have to be somewhere tomorrow morning." Sapphire began to walk out the door, but stopped halfway through. She turned and faced Octavia one last time. "Good luck. I want you to invite me to your wedding when you and Vinyl get married. Okay?" The door closed and Octavia was left by herself. Her head spun as she tried to grasp the words that Sapphire had left with her. Vinyl's newest album, love and music, her marriage. My marriage, she thought, surely she can't believe that we're going to get married still. Not after this. A sudden sense of urgency took over as Octavia stood and walked over to her cello. She removed it from its case and sat down to play it, completely ignoring the missing string. The notes to her and Vinyl's song poured from the strings as she mixed the two greatest things in her life: love and music. Even though she wasn't much of a singer she opened her mouth and sang the words, not caring who heard her: I fight you off And pull you in, Under the lights Where we begin. I take your hoof And pull you in, Here with me We start again. The words poured from Octavia's soul as she fought back tears. The weight of the words fell onto her shoulders, almost to where she couldn't continue. Never mind. Ignore the time. Look in my eye, And say "Your mine." Octavia dropped her bow at the words "You're mine". She didn't even bother picking it back up; she knew she couldn't continue to play. She gently set her cello back in its case and walked into her bedroom, deciding that all she could was sleep. Author's Note I know I put an "Eeyup" in here, and I know that that line normally goes to Big Mac, but I love it so much that I had to put it in this chapter. These lyrics are mine. I actually intended on making a song with them, which I may post link for when it's done (yes, there will be a cello). Chapter ElevenChapter Eleven "Five....Four....Three....Two....One....The album is now live everypony!" The room erupted in cheers as Arpeggio said the words. The whole production crew was smiling and giving each other high-fives as the count down finally hit zero. All of their hard work was done, and it was finally time to bask in the fruits of their labor. Even Vinyl gave a smile as the team congratulated her, despite the fact that part of her was missing. I guess it's not all bad, she thought, even if Octavia isn't here. After all, this is supposed to be a big album, I guess. She took a look around the room, noticing that everypony was looking at her. Vinyl felt nervous, unsure why they were all staring at her. "Aren't you going to say something Vinyl?" Arpeggio said from his place at the front of the room. Vinyl's heart skipped a beat. She had no idea that she was supposed to do public speaking. "Um..." she said slowly, "sure..." She began to advance towards Arpeggio at the front of the room. Even though Vinyl was a performer, public speak was not her forte. Every time she stood before a crowd to give a speech, her mind would blank and she would be at a loss for words. Vinyl stood next to her manger. She could feel every eye in the room strained on her, but it felt as if all of Equestria was watching. "Hello everypony." She was met with silence, which only made her feel more uncomfortable. "I'd like to thank all of you. Without you guys, this whole project would've been a disaster." That was a lie of course, and Vinyl felt bad about it, but she swallowed hard and continued. "This album was a huge undertaking and I'd like you all to know, from the bottom of my heart, that is was you guys who got the hard work done." The team cheered as Vinyl finished. Just as she turned to leave, another thought invaded her mind; the thought of Octavia. Arpeggio opened his mouth to speak, but Vinyl interrupted him. "But just remember," she continued, "that the important thing isn't the album sales, it's the good work you all did. I'm proud of all of you, even if we only sell one CD." As long it goes to Octavia, she thought as she turned and returned to her previous spot. Arpeggio began to speak again, but Vinyl ignored him. After her thoughts of Octavia, she was lonely again. The only image Vinyl's mind would give her was of her special somepony. "What do you mean you're sold out?" Octavia said furiously. "I woke up at three o'clock this morning for this album!" The cashier shook her head. "I'm sorry ma'am, but we started letting ponies in at midnight. You probably should have pre-ordered it, you aren't the only die-hard Vinyl Scratch fan." Fan is a bit of an understatement Octavia thought bitterly as she turned her back to the mare. "That's fine. I guess I'll just go elsewhere." She started to walk towards the exit. "Yeah, good luck with that ma'am," the cashier yelled. Octavia exited the building. She had never liked PonyMart. The only reason she went was because it seemed like every store in Canterlot had sold out of the album. I need to get my hooves on this album, she thought. Octavia had been anxiously awaiting the release of Vinyl's CD ever since she heard the name: You're Still Here. The street outside the store was full, even at five in the morning, when everypony should have been sleeping. Various fillies and colts ran through the streets, bragging about having Vinyl's CD before this-pony or that-pony. Most of the ponies in the street wore shirts with Vinyl's face printed on the front, some had her older songs blaring on boom-boxes, and a couple even had their hair dyed like Vinyl's. The thought of Vinyl being commercialized made Octavia sick. I don't need this, she thought as she stared at the jam-packed street, I'm going home. Ten hours later, Octavia found herself standing in Ponyville, still in desperate search of the album. After she told herself she was going home, Octavia promptly went to the Canterlot train station for the first train to Ponyville. Vinyl, Octavia had reasoned, wasn't as popular in Ponyville, which historically enjoyed rock and country over pop. As Octavia stepped of the train, she was met with a very bright light. The sun had fully risen since her descent from the mountain-city. The light stung her eyes as she crossed the platform, descended the stairs, and entered the town. Having never been to Ponyville, Octavia was surprised at just how small the town was. Since her tour with Vinyl, she had become accustomed to large cities like Manehattan and Fillydelphia, so much so that the one-horse-town filled her with a sense of emptiness. Octavia started walking through the town, unsure of where she could find a copy of the CD. The first thing she noticed about Ponyville was the color that filled the town. Sure, the various ponies added to the color, but the amount of color intermixed with the buildings and trees and the various decorations took Octavia by surprise, so much so that she almost missed the large poster of Vinyl on the side of a building. Octavia's heart sunk as she looked at the poster. Great, she thought, they like her here too. She considered lying down in the street, in the hope that she would be struck by a cart. The thought of never being able to hear the songs Vinyl had written filled her with a depression deeper than the one she had been in for the past month. Although, she thought, maybe nopony bought the CD. It was a one in a million chance, but Octavia took it, having no other hope. Octavia set off towards the large poster, hoping that no pony had any interest in the thought of owning Vinyl's album. A warmth spread through her heart as she noticed that no pony was making a move towards the small stall where the CD's were being sold. She smiled as she advanced towards the stand. "Excuse me," she said to the stallion working the stall, "do you have any copies left?" Octavia did her best to hide the desperation in her voice, but she knew it was showing through. "You're in luck," he said, "we have one left. Somepony was supposed to come by earlier today and pick it up, but she never showed. I guess you can have it." He dropped his head beneath the counter to retrieve the CD. Octavia restrained herself from doing a hoof-pump, reminding herself she was in public. The stallion popped his head back above the counter and set the CD in front of Octavia. "There you go ma'am. That'll be five bits." Octavia smiled, relieved to finally receive the album. The words You're Still Here made her feel anxious, but only for a moment as she realized she had to pay the stallion. "Thank you," she said with a smile. "Excuse me," said a small voice from behind Octavia as she placed her bits on the counter, "I'm sorry I'm late, but I ordered Vinyl Scratch's new CD and I wasn't able to pick it up earlier. Is it too late?" Octavia turned and was met with a pale yellow pegasus. She recognized the pegasus as Fluttershy, the pony who had released the animals at the Grand Galloping Gala, sending the event to chaos. Octavia smiled at mare, who she knew to be very nice. "As a matter of fact," the stallion working the stand said, "this mare here just bought the last one. I'm sorry Fluttershy." Octavia could practically feel her heart break as the pegasus dropped her head. "Oh, I'm sorry," Fluttershy said quietly, "I'll just leave then." She turned and began to walk away from the stand, clearly disappointed. Oh Celestia, Octavia thought, I've been so selfish. I never stopped to think that other ponies loved Vinyl too. Octavia weighed her options as fast as she could, deciding between herself and saddened Fluttershy that was walking away from her. "Wait!" she yelled after the pegasus, "Come back Fluttershy." Fluttershy's head perked up at Octavia's words. She quickly spun on the spot and trotted back to Octavia. "What is it miss...?" "Octavia," she replied with a smile. The smile quickly disappeared as Octavia swallowed hard and closed her eyes, visibly distraught about what she was about to do. "This is yours, Fluttershy," she said, pushing the CD into Fluttershy's hooves. "You ordered it earlier than I did. I just happened to come along before you did." Octavia could tell that Fluttershy was surprised by the gesture. "Why, Miss Octavia, that's very nice of you, but you bought it before I did. I can't take this back." Fluttershy tried to return the CD, but Octavia held up her hoof in protest. "No. I insist Fluttershy." "At least let my pay you for it." Fluttershy replied as she reached into her bag for bits. Octavia again held up her hoof in protest. "I can't accept payment." Fluttershy was silent for a moment before she responded. "Thank you Octavia. It's very nice of you. Now if you will excuse me, I have a bunny who wanted to hear this CD very much." The pegasus turned and walked away from Octavia, uninterrupted this time. "I'm sorry," the stallion working the stand said, "but did she call you Octavia?" Octavia turned and looked at the stallion. After her conversation with Fluttershy, she had completely forgotten he was still there. "Um...yes, she did." she said, flustered by the question. "I have a CD for you then." He said as reached under the counter again. Octavia was surprised at the stallion's comment. "But I didn't order a CD. I don't even live in Ponyville. Why do you have one for me?" The stallion placed the CD on the counter. "Miss Scratch's request. All places selling CD's must carry a special copy in case somepony named Octavia shows up. We weren't sure why she wanted it that way, but didn't argue. You don't just argue with somepony like Vinyl Scratch." A huge grin broke across Octavia's face as she approached the stall again. "You mean that Vinyl requested I get this CD, in every store in Equestria?" "Yes, ma'am. Also, it's free." Octavia felt her smile get even larger. Not bad, Vinyl, she thought, not bad at all. She quickly spun on the spot and sprinted towards the Ponyville Train Station, not even saying her farewells to the stallion who had helped her. Octavia sat in her apartment, CD in hoof. She opened the CD tray on her stereo and placed the disc in, unsure of what was to come of the situation. On the train ride home, she had nursed the thought that Vinyl still loved her, but eventually that thought gave way to the idea that Vinyl didn't love, and that the CD was just a way to tell her without being face-to-face. "Well, I guess I'm about to find out," she said. "Here we go." She closed the CD tray and hit the play button, letting the melodies take her away. Chapter TwelveChapter Twelve Octavia sat on the edge of her couch, eagerly awaiting Vinyl's newest interview. Ever since the announce of a live interview a week prior, Octavia had been preparing for the occasion in any way she could think: stocking up on food, taking vacation the following the day (it was expected to go late), and even adjusted her sleep schedule so she would be wide awake. Vinyl's album had had a very profound effect on Octavia. Throughout most of the CD, Octavia had felt like there were a few underlying themes here and there about her, but that all changed when she heard You're Still Here. The song had a very strong place in Octavia heart, even though she had only heard it a select number of times. Every time she heard it, she could basically feel her heart break all over again, not in self-sorrow, but in pity for Vinyl, who Octavia found to extremely hard to contact. If Vinyl had been easier to contact, the whole situation would have been resolved much earlier, but instead the mares were still stuck worlds apart. The screen flashed as Octavia's favorite gossip program (which she still hated) suddenly appeared on the screen. A large picture of Vinyl occupied the screen with the caption "Equestria's favorite star agrees to live interview." Octavia's heart warmed as she saw Vinyl's face. Even though she had pictures of Vinyl laying around the apartment, she still found the sight of Vinyl warming and comforting. Something about unicorn's red eyes felt like home to Octavia. The image of Vinyl faded and it was replaced by live footage of the host of the show, Honey Blossom, a pale green mare of an older age, who was sitting facing the camera. "Hello Equestria. Tonight I bring you what may be the most anticipated interview of the entire year. I'm joined, here in the studio, for a rare, live interview with Equestria's favorite musician: Vinyl Scratch." The camera panned and zoomed out to include Vinyl in the shot. Having not seen Vinyl in months, the sight of the mare should have made Octavia very happy, but seeing the worn down and emotionally crushed Vinyl only made her feel nervous. Octavia had never seen Vinyl so disheveled: her mane was wild, more so than normal, her eyes were bloodshot and had many bags underneath them. Octavia could already feel her heart begin to break as the interview began. "So, Vinyl Scratch, it has been a long time since you've joined us for an interview. How have you been in recent months?" Honey Blossom asked cheerily. "Oh," she replied with a small chuckle, "I've been better. This last album took a lot out of me. There were a couple of nights where I just went ahead and slept in the studio. You know, for convenience the next day." "And that work has greatly paid off. Since the release of your albums two months ago, it has been the best selling album for eight straight weeks. Simply amazing. How do you feel about those numbers?" Vinyl sighed. She knew that Honey Blossom was going to be asking questions, that was, after all, what interviewers did. But she didn't anticipate asking her about her feelings, something Vinyl typically expressed in songs. "Well...."I'm glad that everypony is enjoying my CD, and I hope they enjoy it for months to come," she said after due consideration to her words. That should keep the record company happy, Vinyl thought bitterly. "I'm sure they will," Honey Blossom replied. Vinyl knew that the earth pony was on her side, but sometimes it didn't feel that way. "Now I'm sure that you're excited for the Hoofies this year. Music greatest honor and you are up for a record five of them, including Best Mare Vocal Performance, Best Pop Solo, Artist of the Year, Album of the Year, and song of the Year. Very impressive for a unicorn as young as yourself." "Thank you Mrs. Blossom. I try very hard. Although the awards have never appealed to me very much." Honey Blossom blinked hard in surprise. It was unheard of for anypony in the music to be indifferent towards the Hoofies. "That's very interesting Vinyl. Will you - perchance - tell us more?" Vinyl smiled. She knew that she had captured the attention of everypony watching. They would be holding onto every single word for the rest of the conversation. "Well, honestly, I've never seen much point in winning one. If I can inspire a feeling from a song; if I can make somepony relate to a song; if I can bring back memories, good or bad, from a song, that is the only award I need." Honey Blossom smiled at Vinyl but didn't respond. Vinyl was sure that Honey Blossom was straining for a response. After all, Vinyl was confident that nopony had ever said anything like what she had just said in front of millions of viewers. She could feel herself begin to sweat as the interviewer's eyes seemed to be peering into her very soul. "Vinyl, I must say, that is a very unique response. I must say, in my fifteen years of doing this show, I have never heard anypony give me a response like that." Vinyl suddenly felt very nervous. She felt as if Honey Blossom was suddenly against her because she broke the 'interview code', or something crazy like that. Honey Blossom continued, softening her tone. "I am very glad to see the direction today's stars have started to take towards what it means to be a star. You are truly an inspiration for future generations Vinyl. Vinyl did her best to hide her surprise, but she could still feel her jaw drop at the comment. "W-what?" She silently prayed that the cameras were trained on Honey Blossom: she didn't want to world to see her gaping mouth. Honey Blossom nodded. "I am very happy that today's musicians are not as focused on awards and record sales. They are thinking more about how their music makes others feel." "Umm....Yeah," Vinyl said, removing the shocked expression from her face, "I did my best to connect with the listeners on this album. I wanted everypony to relate to my feelings this time around." She was grateful that Honey Blossom had mentioned music affecting others, otherwise Vinyl would have just sat with her mouth agape for the rest of the interview. "And while we're on the topic," Honey Blossom continued, "you do connect with the commonpony very well. Your songs are very easy for ponies of every age to relate to. The title song from the album, You're Still Here, has become to most popular song on the album, which many music experts attribute to its lyrics. What exactly were you thinking when you were writing those lyrics?" Vinyl's face stiffened. Her heart began to race. I can't tell the world about Octavia, she thought. Nopony ever knew, not even my own parents. Vinyl felt the pressure of the live interview. She could almost see the millions of ponies watching her, and she knew they were all eagerly awaiting a response. "Well, to be honest, I was thinking of love," Vinyl said quietly. Honey Blossom opened her mouth to speak, but Vinyl cut her off, unaware she was about to offer a retort. "Somepony I love as a matter of fact. I hurt her some time ago, and I guess it was my way of trying to mend our situation." Honey Blossom sat in shock. Even though it was common for musicians to openly discuss relationships, Vinyl had always remained silent on the topic. The interviewer eventually pulled herself together enough to say: "That's very nice Vinyl, and I hope all goes well in your future." "Thank you," Vinyl said, doing her best to hold back her emotions. "And with that," Honey Blossom said, turning to face the cameras, "I'm afraid we're out of time everypony. Vinyl, as always, it was a pleasure talking to you. Do join us again sometime won't you?" The moon shown through the window as Vinyl sat in her chariot crying. She had spilled her emotions out to millions of ponies, and she knew the efforts would be in vain. In the two months her album had been out, she still hadn't received a response from Octavia. Vinyl was supposed to receive a message if Octavia had picked up her album, and, after two months, not getting it was taking its toll on her emotions. There was a knock at the door to the chariot. Arpeggio's voice came from the other side. "Vinyl, it's me. Can we talk?" Vinyl didn't respond, but the stallion entered anyway. She managed to make out a concerned look on Arpeggio's face, even through her tear soaked eyes. He sat down next to her and placed his foreleg around her. Vinyl knew that comforting wasn't Arpeggio's strong suit - the most he normally offered was a "there, there" - but she accepted the gesture none-the-less. Vinyl chocked back some tears before finally speaking up. "I'm sorry Arpeggio. I'm sorry I never told you about her. I'm sorry you never knew why I acted depressed. I'm sorry I made your work so much harder because I was so uncooperative. I'm sorry I-" "No," he said gently, "don't be sorry. I don't want you to be sorry. You should never be sorry for what happens in love. Just like how you should never apologize for music. We always knew that you loved somepony, it was obvious from the music, but we never asked who it was. It seemed like a touchy topic, and we didn't want to upset you." "Thank you," she said quietly. Vinyl did her best to hold back the emotions, but they eventually came through. She cried for hours, and Arpeggio was by her side the whole time. She was very grateful for the company. Outside of Octavia, Arpeggio was the only pony she could feel safe with. After many hours, the sunlight began to creep into the chariot. Vinyl wished it away: she didn't want the day. Day was supposed to be happy, and she was everything but happy. Night was her favorite. Night was when she could cry and nopony would see her. Night was when she could be alone with her thoughts, instead of somepony mindlessly chanting her daily schedules. Night was, truly, when she felt free. Arpeggio removed his foreleg from around Vinyl, making her feel lonely again. "I hate to do this to you Vinyl," he said solemnly, "but we have to go. You have to come face the world now. I know that you don't like showing your emotions, and going into a world where everypony knows how you feel will be hard, but I know you can do it." Vinyl wiped the tears out of her eyes. She looked deep into Arpeggio's eyes. "You really think I can do this?" "No, I don't," he said with a smile on his face. "I know you can. After all, you're Vinyl Scratch, music's best singer, and everypony is going to love you, no matter what." Vinyl rose from her spot and started walking slowly to the door. It doesn't matter who loves me, she thought , as long as Octavia is one of them. She opened the door, ready to face the world. Chapter ThirteenChapter Thirteen Octavia sat on the edge of her seat as she watched the newest episode of Doctor Whooves, something she had been looking forward to for weeks. The Doctor was facing his great challenge yet: a strange form of statues called the Weeping Pegasi that would only move when somepony wasn't looking at them. The Doctor leaned in closer to a statue. The tension was so thick that Octavia could cut it with a knife. The candle immediately behind The Doctor began to flicker. He scrambled for his sonic screwdriver, and dove towards the candle just as it went out. *KNOCK*KNOCK*KNOCK* Octavia let out a loud shriek and nearly jumped straight out of her coat at the sound of the knocking. It was strange for anypony to come to her apartment at night, let alone a night when Doctor Whooves was on: everypony knew how much she loved the show. Muting the TV, Octavia rose from her spot on the coach and began to move towards the door. Her experience with Sapphire Shores still burned deep in her mind as she slowly crept towards the door. Even though Octavia learned a lot from her conversation with Sapphire, the talk had left her emotionally torn for weeks afterwards. When Octavia reached the door, she looked through the peep-hole in the door. The stallion on the other side bore no resemblance to anypony Octavia had ever seen before. The unicorn appeared to be very important, carrying a briefcase and tapping his hoof impatiently, as if there was someplace he had to be very soon. Well there's no way this can be worse than Sapphire, Octavia thought as she leaned forward to open the door. "Hello, sir I-" "Are you Octavia?" He interrupted. The mare was taken aback by his question. Nopony had ever come to her door asking who she was. "Um...yes. Yes I am." "Oh, thank Celestia," the stallion replied as he pushed past Octavia. He threw his briefcase on the couch and turned to face her. "You're the third cellist I've visited today, and frankly I was tired of knocking on random ponies doors." Octavia stood with her mouth agape as the stallion made himself at home. She had never had anypony burst into her apartment and start acting as if they lived there. She walked over to the stallion, who was still standing just a few feet from the couch. "Umm..." The stallion took a long look around Octavia's apartment. "Lovely place you've got here. I can almost feel the music in this room." He turned and faced Octavia, who still stood with a look of shock on her face. "I'm sorry," he said, shaking his head. "Where are my manners? My name is Arpeggio, I'm Vinyl's producer." "Oh," Octavia replied shortly. She wasn't exactly sure what to think, it wasn't everyday that a famous music producer came knocking at a commonpony's door. Then again, she thought, I haven't exactly had the most normal life since Vinyl showed up. "How can I help you, Arpeggio?" "Well firstly I'd like to apologize for dropping in unannounced like this." Using his magic, Arpeggio retrieved his briefcase from the couch and began going through the papers inside. "I don't like popping in on ponies like this. Anyway, the reason I came here was for Vinyl's well being. You're familiar with the Hoofies right?" "Yeah, they're only the biggest music awards in all of Equestria. I watch them every year." "Just like most ponies," Arpeggio replied. "I'm sure you know that Vinyl is up for five awards this year as well. Now, I know that the list of musicians performing at the awards this year hasn't been released yet, but I'm going to give you an insider secret: Vinyl is performing." "That's not really surprising," Octavia said, "considering she's up for a record number of Hoofies, and she's the biggest act in Equestria." Octavia shook her head. "I'm sorry Arpeggio, but I still don't know where I fit in here." Arpeggio let out a large grin at her comment. "Oh, Octavia, you fit in perfectly here. Let me tell you about my plan..." Author's Note I know this chapter is short, but I didn't have too much of a choice in that: I had to set up the next chapter. Chapter FourteenChapter Fourteen Vinyl was frantic. Not only was it her first time at the Hoofies, but she was performing, and her cellist was no where to be found. She had opted to perform the song that her and Octavia had performed; the song that meant the world to her. Vinyl ran through the halls of the dressing rooms, scrambling to find her dressing room. In all the confusion of losing her cellist, Vinyl had forgotten that she needed to get her dress on. She burst through the door labeled "Vinyl Scratch", and began to search the room for her dress. Vinyl searched for five minutes, but couldn't find her dress. "Ugh. Where is it?!" she yelled. Her frustration was mounting. Not only was her dress missing, but Sonata, her cellist who she desperately needed for the show, was still no where to be found. Vinyl considered just laying down on the couch in the dressing room and refusing to leave, but she decided against it: too many ponies were counting on her playing a song. A sharp knock came at Vinyl's dressing room door. "It's open," she yelled over her shoulder as she continued her search for the elusive dress. "Looking for this?" came Arpeggio's voice from behind her. Vinyl turned to face the producer. Her dress was suspended in the air by Arpeggio's magic, his pale green magic reflecting off of the diamonds that covered the front of the dress. Vinyl smiled at him. "Thanks Arpeggio. Don't know what I would do without you." Arpeggio laughed. "Probably go on stage with out a dress." Vinyl took the dress with her own magic and began to wiggle into it. It fit perfectly, and she felt perfect in it. The black fabric was covered in diamonds, which Vinyl loved, even though it was a bit presumptuous for a Hoofie nominated musician. "Rarity really outdid herself this time." Arpeggio said. "Yes, she has," Vinyl said as she looked in the mirror. She turned and faced Arpeggio, returning her thoughts to business. "Have you seen Sonata yet? We go on in an hour and she's no where to be found." "I talked to her a little bit ago. She's going to be a little late, something about her cello needing some quick repairs. She's going to join you on stage." Vinyl shrugged. It wasn't a great response to Arpeggio's comment, but it was all that she could think of. In the hooful of shows that Sonata had joined her on stage, the event had been a disaster. She had shown up late, unprepared, and was distracted by Vinyl's status. Vinyl wanted to get rid of Sonata on the spot, but the record company insisted. Arpeggio moved closer to Vinyl and placed his foreleg around her. "I'm sorry. I know you don't like her, but she's all we have, the record company made that very clear." He patted Vinyl on the back and a smiled at her. "Come on, the awards are starting soon." The theater where the Hoofies were held was magnificent. The carpet was a deep red, which looked good with the gold tapestries draped around the room. A very large stage stood at the front of the room, which was made to accommodate a large number of musicians at once. Vinyl took her seat at the front of the room, but wasn't seated for long. She won the first two awards, and was forced to move again. The awards for Best Mare Vocal Performance and Best Pop Solo, were taken without a problem. Even though the awards didn't matter too much to Vinyl, she was still concerned about them; her career could sink if she didn't win any any Hoofies. After the award for best soundtrack, Vinyl won her next two awards: Song of Year and Album of the Year. This is going better than I thought, Vinyl thought as she sat back in her seat at the front of the room. After the award for Best Group Performance, the stadium security waved to Vinyl: it was time to take the stage. She wasn't nervous, just in a total disbelief that Sonata was still missing. Vinyl had assumed that the mare would understand the weight of the situation, but it suddenly became apparent that she didn't. Vinyl left the awards in her seat and trotted past everypony in the front row. She received many wishes of luck, which she took to heart. I guess they aren't all bad, she thought as she entered the door at the end of the row. Maybe Sapphire isn't that bad either. Arpeggio met her as soon as they were out of earshot of the crowd. "Vinyl, firstly, congratulations on the awards." Vinyl nodded her head sharply as she took a turn for the stage. She held a bottle of water to her mouth with magic, taking a long drink. "Secondly," he continued as Vinyl set the bottle down and started walking towards the stage, "don't hate me for what I'm about to do." Vinyl spun on the spot and faced Arpeggio, a look of horror on her face. "Sonata still isn't here?! Ugh, I hate that mare!" "Just go. Everything is going to be fine," he said quietly. Vinyl thought she saw a smirk on his face as she turned toward the stage, which only darkened her thoughts. What's so funny? she thought, taking her first step towards the piano, we're missing our cellist for one of the most important performances of my career. Cheers erupted as Vinyl became visible on stage. The crushing weight of the situation suddenly fell on Vinyl's shoulders. I'm here alone, she thought solemnly, I'm doing this performance by myself. Even though she had been on stage at least a hundred times, somepony had always joined Vinyl on stage, whether it be Octavia, Sonata, or a band mate. Vinyl sat down at the piano on stage and let out a deep breath. She did her best to clear her head of her distress, trying to focus on the task at hoof. The sound of hoofsteps came from behind Vinyl, followed by the pluck of a cello string. Vinyl let her head drop in relief. "Oh, thank Celestia," she breathed as the hoofsteps grew closer. Vinyl could feel Sonata standing right behind her. Without looking, she motioned for the mare to walk past her, to the stool that had been set out for the cellist. The mare moved her head closer to Vinyl's ear, ensuring that nopony would hear her whisper. "What, not even a hello?" Vinyl's heart skipped a beat as Octavia moved into her field of vision. The grey mare turned and winked at Vinyl as she took her place on the stool. Vinyl mouthed a 'what' at Octavia, who nodded in return, signifying that they would talk later. Vinyl shook her head and shrugged, starting the song. Chords rang from the piano, and she could feel goosebumps start popping up under her coat. Octavia's cello suddenly began, a deep, rich tone that filled Vinyl's heart with joy. Vinyl let out a smile as she began to sing: I fight you off, And pull you in, Under the lights, Where we begin. I take your hoof, And pull you in, Here with me, We start again. Vinyl was aware of tear moving down her cheek. She let out another smile. Tears of joy, she thought, oh, how I missed tears of joy. Never mind Ignore the time, Look in my eye And say "you're mine". Even though it was unplanned, Octavia and Vinyl both let the note ring, as if they were letting their emotions wash over the room. They both continued at the same time, finding themselves back on beat, perfectly in sync. The fight goes on, The bell will sound, It pulls you in, Another round. The dark comes up, The lights go down, I pull you in, with out a sound. More tears. For once in her life, Vinyl welcomed them. She didn't care that millions of ponies in homes all across Equestria were seeing her become emotional. Never mind Draw the line Don't waste time Just say "you're mine". The note rang out again, and Vinyl's smile grew even more. The two ponies shifted into a different key for the bridge. Vinyl could feel the change, and her heart rate quickened. Just fly with me Ignore the fall. Take the jump It's not high at all. Now we soar Into the sun, But we have only Just begun. The song slipped back into the starting key and Vinyl could feel her and Octavia starting to move perfectly together. Every note went together flawlessly, every single beat was spot on. They were finally in perfect unison, and Vinyl felt like she was on top of the world. Never mind I pull you in, Look in my eye And we begin. I fight you off Ignore the time, Under the lights You'll say "you're mine". The music slowly came to stop as Octavia and Vinyl slowed the music together, ending on a chord that warmed Vinyl's heart. She rose from the piano and took a bow to the audience, who was giving her a large ovation. There wasn't a dry eye in the entire crowd, which made Vinyl even happier. They know now, she thought. She smiled again. Everypony knows now. Vinyl turned her head to face Octavia, who was already looking back at her. She turned and walked towards the mare, who was already moving towards her in return. They met in the middle of the stage, practically tackling each other in their fit joy. Octavia leaned in close so Vinyl could hear her over the sound of thundering applause. "You're mine," she said directly in Vinyl's ear, echoing the lyrics of Vinyl's song. Vinyl smiled and nodded as she took one last look at the audience, who was still applauding loudly. Her and Octavia took one final bow and departed the stage. Arpeggio met them as soon as they came of the stage. A nervous smile was on his face as he looked at Vinyl. "Did I do okay?" Vinyl let her smile grow even larger. "I hate you so much Arpeggio," she said sarcastically as she threw her forelegs around him in a large embrace. The musician who was previously sitting next to Vinyl, who's name she had failed to learn, was no where to be seen when she returned to her seat. She didn't care though, mostly because it gave Octavia the chance to join her as her career took flight. The two mares sat together, hoof-in-hoof, as they watched the Hoofies. The awards flew by as Vinyl and Octavia basked in each others presence, ignoring the awards for the most part. They didn't speak to each other at all -the awards didn't allow for much 'catch-up' time- but they still had an exchange of emotions, just in the simple body motions they were giving each other. Vinyl could feel Octavia's hoof squeeze her's tightly as Sapphire Shores walked on stage. Her sweeping dress followed her as she moved up to the podium. She glanced down at Vinyl, who replied with a nod. "And now, everypony, onto the award you've waited all night for: Artist of the Year. This has been a truly magical year for music, and so many acts made the year special. Unfortunately, only four select artists may hold the title of Artist of the Year. Mares and gentlecolts, here are your nominees for Artist of the Year: Twenty One Pegasi," Applause. "Coldneigh," More applause. "One Flight-Direction," Less applause. "And, last but not least, Vinyl Scratch." Another thundering round of applause filled the room. Vinyl couldn't help blushing at the audience's reaction. "And the winner is..." Sapphire tore open the envelope that sat on the podium. "Vinyl Scratch." The roof again erupted into cheers as Vinyl stood, reluctantly releasing Octavia's hoof, and made her way on stage for the sixth time that night. She moved towards the podium, thinking through the words she wanted to say. Sapphire met Vinyl on stage and gave her a hug and the award, which Vinyl levitated to the podium with her magic. She stood staring at the crowd for a few moments before finding the words that she wanted. "This award," she said as the roof came to a hush, "means a lot to me. I went through a lot to get this award: heart break, depression, and many sleepless nights. My work was inspired by my life, and I think many ponies all over Equestria can relate to my life. Not everypony gets blessed by the happy ending, that's pretty obvious, but in the end, my work paid off, and now I'm standing before everypony, accepting this award." Vinyl took a pause and looked around the room, taking in the whole scene. "And there are many ponies I would like to thank: my team that worked on the album, my producer, Arpeggio, who I would've been lost without, and, most importantly, my special somepony, Octavia." She looked down at the mare who was sitting in the front row. "Don't know where I would be without you Tavia." Vinyl picked up the award, and left the podium. She was met with applause as she stepped off the stage and returned to her seat. Vinyl turned and faced Octavia, who had a wide grin on her face. "Octavia, I know it's a couple months late, but I love you too." Author's Note I hate having to change my lyrics for 'hand' to 'hoof'. That's my only note. Other than this anyway: yay happy stuffs! EpilogueChapter Fifteen Octavia watched with pride as Vinyl set her five awards on the dressing room table. The light glistened off of them as they made their way to the table, which made them even more magnificent than they were before. The sight warmed Octavia's heart: knowing that Vinyl had worked so hard, and went through so much to get the awards made the moment all the greater. Vinyl gazed at the awards with a look of triumph in her eyes for a few moments before she turned to Octavia. "Thanks Octavia," she said with a smile on her face. "I'm not sure I could have done this without you." Octavia let out a short chuckle. "You mean you couldn't have done this if I hadn't stormed out of the gala?" "Yeah," Vinyl replied with a laugh. The mares moved to give each other another hug, but were cut off by knocking at the door. Vinyl sighed at the sound. "Come in," she said bitterly. The door swung open and Sapphire Shores stood in the doorway, her eyes full of joy as she looked at the new couple. "Well, well, well. Hope I'm not interrupting?" Vinyl moved closer to Octavia. "Well-" Octavia shook her head. "No, you're not," she said, cutting off Vinyl, who shot her a playfully frustrated look. "What can we help you with?" "Not too much, I just wanted to come and give the best of wishes to the new couple." She said quietly. Sapphire kicked her hoof nervously at the ground while she spoke. "And to say I'm sorry I cause a fallout between such a perfect match." Vinyl smiled at Sapphire. "No hard feelings." Sapphire perked up at the response. "So...happy ending?" she asked cautiously. Octavia and Vinyl looked at each other, staring deep into each others eyes. "Happy ending," they agreed. The following weeks moved by in a blur. Vinyl and Octavia appeared on every single talk show in Equestria, and they were talk of every town for months afterwards. Octavia was frequently introduced as Vinyl's inspiration for her newest album, and the fans eventually grew to love her almost as much as Vinyl. After a year of traveling and touring together, Vinyl finally popped the question to Octavia at their one year anniversary which they were spending quietly in Canterlot castle, per special permission from Princess Celestia. Octavia accepted Vinyl's propsal before Vinyl had even finished the question. The wedding took place two months later, also in the Canterlot castle. It was very simple. The happy couple was married by the Princess herself, and was watched by only ten of their closest friends. It was the happiest day of both of their lives. After the wedding, life became simpler for both Vinyl and Octavia. Octavia traveled with Vinyl for the next ten years, touring Equestria year after year with the love of her life. The couple eventually settled down (after seven more Vinyl Scratch albums) to a quiet life in Ponyville, where Vinyl became a studio producer for the next wave of rock musicians, and Octavia became the conductor of the Ponyville orchestra. Vinyl and Octavia lived quietly in their homes for the rest of their lives. The End Afterword So basically, this is an afterword, where I put in my last thoughts about the written piece and what not. You can choose to read it, or not. Either way, it helps me conclude the novel for myself, and make some last notes that I want to say about it. Warning: there is probably going to be lots of pointless rambling. So, I want to start with a thanks to the readers of this. This was a huge part of my life as it turns out, and everyone here who read this and encouraged me deserve a big thank you. Also, I'm sorry this took six months to finish. Something big came up honestly, and it distracted me (Read my blog thing if you want to know, kind of). But here it is, six months later than it should have been. Anyway, not as long as I thought it would be, but that's how my writing kind of goes in the end I guess. Again though, huge thanks to everyone, you guys really are awesome. Author's Note Wow, lots of the early dialogue moves fast. Don't know what I was doing there, very unlike me. ProloguePrologue Vinyl Scratch had never been successful. Her whole life she never accomplished anything. In fact, the most she had ever done was release an album that got beat up so badly by the critics that she had to go into hiding. She had an excellent voice, and could play over eight different instruments. It had never made any sense to her, somepony with as much talent as her should be able to make it somewhere in life. But no, she was subject to living on other pony's couches and taking "donations" as other ponies liked to call it. She knew it was pity money, and she hated it, but its hard to live when you can't afford to eat. She took money wherever it would come from: work, pity money, it really didn't matter to her. Vinyl was all set to break down and move back in with her family, until she met Octavia. For years she considered that the single greatest day of her entire life. They met while Vinyl was trying to get a part time job with the Royal Canterlot Orchestra, and became friends instantly. Octavia learned of Vinyl's problems after weeks of friendship. Vinyl did her best to hide it, but her true side showed through. Octavia offered her home to Vinyl, as best friends always do. Vinyl refused, it would mean that she would sink to the lowest she had ever been to. It took days of convincing, but Vinyl gave in. It took Vinyl less than a week to finally get her hooves on the ground. She landed a job at the nicest restaurant in all of Canterlot as the house vocalist. She made most of her money in tips, managing to finally pay a pony rent. She quickly became a favorite at the restaurant, drawing Canterlot's highest class citizens. She began to write her own music, inspired by her own life. She went on to work in the restaurant business for another year, providing her with a steady income. Vinyl could have left Octavia at any time, but she decided to stay. Not only did it make things easier financially for both ponies, but they enjoyed each other's company greatly. Over time Vinyl even grew to have a small crush on Octavia, but she eventually pushed the idea out of her head; it would only hurt their relationship. After a year, Vinyl was approached by Trotting Records, who wanted her to make a two album deal with them. Vinyl quickly agreed to sign. Her first album, "Scratch", was released just a week after signing. It became so popular in such a short span of time that it set records for fast chart jumps. "Vinyl Scratch" was a household name within the month. Vinyl was invited to come on every talk show in Equestria, which she graciously accepted. She always remembered where she came from: the streets of Canterlot. But one pony in particular was left out of her picture, one pony she began to deeply miss.
Chapter OneChapter One Ugh, I wish Vinyl would just come by and get her stuff already! Octavia was always finding more of Vinyl's stuff just laying around her apartment. Cloths here, guitar picks there, discarded lyrics everywhere. She was starting to get sick of it. Octavia picked up the pack of guitar picks she had found and set them in the box full of all the stuff Vinyl had abandoned at her apartment. She had grown to be bitter of the idea of still being friends with her, after all, she did just leave her out of no where. Not only that, but she stopped paying rent too, forcing Octavia to cut more of her budget for rent. Octavia was mostly bothered by the fact that Vinyl never made any reference to her in interviews. Vinyl had been nothing when Octavia found her, but out of the kindness of her heart she brought in Vinyl. Not only that, but Octavia had even got Vinyl her first job at the fanciest restaurant in all of Canterlot, and she didn't even receive recognition for it. Over time Octavia had just decided to focus on her career, for a while she thought she may have had a shot with Vinyl. She has crushed when Vinyl had decided to move out, and vowed then that she would focus on her career from there on out. Octavia grabbed her cello and headed for the door. She stopped when she the picture of Vinyl and her on stage caught her eye. She didn't know why she kept the picture, probably just because it was the greatest night of her life. Vinyl invited her up on stage for a song. The duet of cello and voice moved most ponies to tears, including Octavia, who always thought the song was about her. What was I thinking? She thought, there's no way that pony would have ever written a love song about me. She passed the picture and walked out the door. Octavia walked down Mane Street, thinking of Vinyl for the first time in weeks. She didn't know why, maybe it was the picture again, maybe it was just one of those days, she didn't know. She was so deep in thought she didn't even realize that she had gotten to the Canterlot Orchestra Hall. Octavia sat down in the second chair and began tuning her cello. She had dropped to second chair only a week ago, losing to a unicorn named Sonata. Octavia had always been great friends with Sonata, until she lost. Then Sonata started pointing out every small flaw Octavia made while playing, which bother Octavia more than anything. Which is partly why Octavia let out a small sigh when she saw Sonata walking towards her. "Hey there Octavia!" she said as she sat down in the first chair, "How are you today?" "I'm fine, thanks." Octavia knew she meant well, but it was just too hard for her to not be mad at her. "That's great!" she replied with a smile. Octavia was distracted through the entire practice. She couldn't get over her hatred for Sonata, but that wasn't the real reason. Octavia was thinking about Vinyl again, which she could never admit to herself. She was thinking about everything Vinyl used to do that would annoy her, everything Vinyl would do that she loved; she couldn't get Vinyl out of her head the entire rehearsal. The rehearsal ended and Octavia packed in silence, despite listening to Sonata's "constructive criticism" that only made her feel worse than she already felt. She departed without saying goodbye to anypony and walked home in a worse mood than when she had gotten to practice. It was night already, which was Octavia's favorite time of the day. She did all of her thinking at night. For some reason it calmed her. Octavia went to unlock when she noticed something very strange through window next to her door: the lights in her apartment were on. Very quietly, she set down her cello and unlocked the door. She entered the apartment to find no other pony around. She picked up her cello and brought into her apartment, deciding that she had just accidentally left her lights on when she left for practice. Just as she sat down to watch the newest episode of Doctor Whooves, she heard a sound come from her music practice room. She jumped up, ready to defend herself and her possessions. She silently crept towards the door, which was slightly ajar still. Octavia looked through the doorway as best she could, but could only see the shadow of the pony who had broken in. She took a deep breath, knowing what she had to do. Okay, she thought, One...two...three! Octavia burst through the doorway tackling the mare inside. They wrestled for what felt like hours, but Octavia knew it had only been a few seconds. Octavia eventually won a stood over the pony, proud in her victory. She looked down at the intruder to see the worst sight she could ever see. No...no.... Anypony but you! Why you?! Lying beneath Octavia on the floor lay her former roommate, Vinyl Scratch.
Chapter TwoChapter Two Vinyl breathed heavily as she stared at Octavia's confused face. Vinyl knew Octavia wouldn't take her showing up out of no where light heartily, which was only reassured when she tackled Vinyl. Vinyl had been planning for a week to come back to her former residence. She claimed it was just to pick up her old stuff, but her real intent was much different. "Ummm..." Vinyl started, "hey there Octavia." Octavia stared blankly back at her, blinking hard. "Vinyl...?" "Yeah I came back for a couple things." And something else... Octavia took her hoof off of Vinyl. She stood up and recollected herself. "Thanks." Octavia gave Vinyl what she called "The Look". It was Octavia's way of saying "Really, what are you doing? No really, what are you doing." Vinyl never liked it. This time Vinyl knew it was bad because Octavia even said "Vinyl really, why are you here?" Vinyl had never been good at lying, but it always seemed to work on Octavia, so she took another shot, "Like I said, I'm here to pick up some of the stuff I forgot to take with me." Yeah, cause she could never see through that lie. Vinyl thought to herself. "Really..." she said. Octavia was pretty sharp, and Vinyl knew she had gotten in over her head. "Like what? And tell me without looking around the room at all your stuff that's still here." Well, that's it. I'm out. "Oh well you know...that one shirt, with that really cool design on it. Oh and my guitar picks, can't forget those." "No really Vinyl," She saw straight through it, "why are you actually here? And if you tell me 'to pick up my stuff,' I will throw you out that window there." Vinyl sighed, "Come with me." Vinyl lead her into the living where Doctor Whooves again lead his assistant into impossible danger. She smiled, she really missed watching TV with Octavia. "Alright, so you know that I've been all over Equestria within the past month. I've been selling CDs, playing shows, doing interviews, but I noticed there was something missing." She took another deep breath. Of all the shows she's played, all the interviews she's done, nothing was as hard as what she was about to do. "Octavia...it was you." Octavia showed no emotion, which Vinyl was used to, but this time it made her nervous. This was something pretty big to drop on anypony, especially Octavia. "Vinyl, I would love to say yes, but you need to know exactly what you've done to me." Vinyl was afraid she was going to do this. She hated to hurt other ponies, but mostly she hated to hurt someone as special to her as Octavia. "You just picked up and left, not telling me anything about when you were going to be back. You're my best friend Vinyl, and you just picking up and leaving really hurt me. Not only that, but you never mentioned me in anything. I helped you out in so many jams, and you just blew me off like that. Have you ever had something like that happen to you? Ever?" Vinyl just hung her head, avoiding any eye contact with Octavia. She had never had that feeling in her life before. In her life, everypony had always been there for her. "I'm sorry." She was, but Octavia's look demanded more. "I'm sorry I just picked up and left you like that. I'm sorry for never mentioning you in anything before, and I'm sorry for the things I don't even know about. I understand if you don't want me around. I'll just grab my stuff and go." Vinyl was disappointed in herself. She should have known it wouldn't be that easy. "Vinyl, get back here I'm not done." Vinyl noticed the change in Octavia's tone. She sounded happier, but that didn't always mean that something good was going to happen. Octavia had this habit of putting on her "happy face" and still secretly being mad. Vinyl hated it. "I'd love for us to start being friends again." Vinyl turned on the spot. "Really?" Octavia gave a nod and a smile. "So you'll come with me then?" Octavia's eyes grew wide at the question. "I thought you meant you would move back in here. I don't know Vinyl that's a big step. I have a life here, and a job. I can't just pick up and leave like that." Sure you could, Vinyl thought, I did. "Try it for one month, just one. Leave your address here and tell the orchestra you want to take vacation. I know you've accumulated more than a month, and they would be fine with it." Vinyl replied, trying her best to get a good answer of out Octavia. Octavia thought long and hard about. Vinyl became nervous. Octavia had so many reasons to reject Vinyl. After five minutes, Octavia finally broke the silence, "Alright, I'll do it. I'll go with you." Vinyl smiled for the first time that day. There were so many times she thought she lost Octavia, but after what felt like days of negotiations, she finally agreed. Vinyl couldn't be happier. "You won't regret it, I promise. Now if you'll excuse me, I actually do need my stuff that I left here."
Chapter ThreeChapter Three Octavia followed Vinyl out of her apartment. She knew she could trust Vinyl, but she still felt like it was too much of a risk. She was right in saying she had a life in Canterlot, and she didn't really want to leave it. Maybe I can just convince Vinyl to come back here, she thought, That shouldn't be hard right? Vinyl was ecstatic upon hearing Octavia's decision, she wouldn't stop talking the whole way out of the building. "-and we'll get to go all over Equestria, it'll be great. Oh I know! I can take you to see the Duke of Trottingham next time we're there. And-oh wait I totally forgot to tell you! The record company is sending over my chariot to pick us up." Octavia hadn't been paying attention until she heard the word "chariot", then she quickly snapped back to the conversation. "Did you say chariot? Like the fancy ones all the big famous pop stars take all over Equestria?" "Yep. They custom made it and everything, it's great." Vinyl continued on with everything she "had to show Octavia". Octavia always loved it when Vinyl went on one of her rambles. She didn't know why, but she loved it. Not as much as Vinyl's chariot though. It was huge, easily two stories tall. What caught Octavia's attention most though was its lack of detail. It was very plain, mostly stock white, with a few grey streaks here and there. "Um, Vinyl? Why is it so plain? I mean, you've always been against stuff being so plain." It didn't make any sense to Octavia. After all, this was the pony who painted her room five different colors, just because no pony else would. What would possess her to want a chariot that was so plain? "Meh," she replied in a flat tone, "its only a chariot. It does its job fine just the way it is." Hmm...that certainly isn't normal. Especially coming from Vinyl. Octavia threw her stuff in the back and boarded the chariot. Just like the outside, the inside was very plain. Plain beige carpet covered the floor, and plain white paint covered the walls. Something is definitely up with this pony. This is not like her. Vinyl must have picked up on Octavia's suspicion because she said "Alright, I'll tell you the actual reason it's so plain in here. Sometime when you're surrounded with so much going on, it's nice to just have a regular old place to hang out in." Octavia didn't expect that kind of response. Vinyl had never been that into wearing her emotions on her sleeve, and telling Octavia why she was acting so peculiarly was a big thing. Octavia just nodded, "I guess that makes sense." A silence followed, which made Octavia nervous. The two sat down. "So...now what?" She asked, thinking of the easiest thing to say. "Oh I have a show tonight at Canterlot Stadium." "What?!" Octavia jumped up, "Vinyl, why didn't you say so? You could have come by after the show, that way I would've had more time to pack." "I wanted you to be there for this show." "Why? I'm with you for at least another month. What's so different about this show?" Octavia was shouting at this point. She hated being the last pony to know, even with something as minor as this. She cleared her throat and quieted herself, "I'm sorry Vinyl. But really, why do you want me at this one in particular?" Vinyl's eyes were searching for an answer, "Umm..." She shook her head. "Just trust me on this one. Okay?" Octavia didn't respond. She just sat back down and closed her eyes. Octavia had been to plenty of concerts, considering she was in an orchestra. But all of her concerts paled in comparison to this. She had never seen anything like this. The Canterlot Stadium held fifty thousand ponies on any given day, which was easily surpassed by Vinyl's concert. Octavia stared out the windows of the chariot, "Wow Vinyl, you've certainly made a name for yourself." Vinyl nodded, "Yeah I guess. I just sort of...happened." Vinyl seemed uncomfortable talking about her fans, so Octavia decided to stop. Good old Vinyl, she thought, modest as ever. The chariot pulled around the back of the stadium to the sound of cheering fans. Vinyl took a deep breath and got off the chariot. Ponies young and old were chanting her name, asking for autographs, and reaching just to touch her. Octavia took a sigh of relief, I'm so glad classical music isn't popular. She followed Vinyl off of the chariot and into the inner workings of the stadium, both ponies flanked by security ponies. The first thing Octavia noticed was the sheer size of the stadium. She knew Canterlot Stadium was big, but she concluded big was a bit of an understatement. The stadium was easily five times the size of the orchestra hall, and she wasn't even on stage level yet. Alright, maybe it wouldn't be so bad if classical music was more popular. The two ponies entered a room, leaving their security at the door. Octavia took a look around the green room. At least Octavia guessed it was a green room. She'd only ever heard of the mythical room that ponies would hang out in before shows. Classical musicians weren't treated to such luxuries. Vinyl started talking frantically, "Okay so the opening acts will be done in thirty minutes, which gives me fifteen minutes to do my hair, five minutes to get dressed, five minutes to warm up-" Octavia lost track of everything her best friend started saying at that point. Octavia watched for the next thirty minutes as Vinyl flew from one end of the room to the other. Slowly but surely, she pieced herself together, forming the true picture of a rock musician. Eventually, Vinyl stopped in the middle of the room and exhaled loudly, "-and. I'm. Finished." She walked over to the couch Octavia was sitting on and fell onto the couch. Just then a security pony poked his head into the room, "Miss Scratch, you're on in fifteen." He closed the door loudly, which seemed to echo through the room. "Vinyl, you look great." Octavia felt herself blush. Oh Vinyl, please don't take that the way it sounded. I've been dropping hints on you for so long you have to see this one. Vinyl looked at her and smiled. "Thanks Octavia. You'd be amazed how little I get to hear that. Anymore it's just 'Go here.' 'Do this' 'Sing that'. I hate it; I never get any compliments." She stood up, "Come on Octavia, it's time for the show." Vinyl lead Octavia up through the stadium to stage level. Octavia could hear the crowd more and more the long they walked. This is amazing, she thought, I'm standing here next to the pony they all want to see. She thought of all the times everypony else had ever beaten her at anything in her life, especially Sonata, who was probably in attendance tonight. Sorry Canterlot, but it's my turn to outdo you for once. The two eventually came to a dark tunnel that lead out onto the stage, and both of them stopped. Vinyl turned to Octavia, "Sorry Octavia, but I have to leave you here for now." The crowd was so loud now that Octavia could barely hear Vinyl. Octavia nodded and gave Vinyl a hug. "Good luck out there," She whispered in Vinyl ear. They broke the embrace. Octavia saw a tear run down Vinyl's cheek as she turned and ran out on stage, who was met with a thunderous response from the crowd. Octavia ran up to the edge of the tunnel and watched as Vinyl broke into her opening number, not even noticing the tear running down her own cheek. Vinyl played for close to an hour and a half before she came trotting off of the stage. She was instantly met by a number of ponies with water, followed by another two ponies with a second dress. Octavia ran up to Vinyl cheering the whole way. "Wow Vinyl, that was incredible! You did a great job out there." Vinyl was breathing so heavily that she had to speak in between gasps. "Thanks...We aren't...done yet...though..." Just as she finished her sentence a security pony ran up to Vinyl carrying what looked quite a bit like Octavia's cello case. "Miss Scratch, here's that cello from your chariot that you wanted." Hey set the instrument down and returned to his post. Octavia slowly began to put two and two together. "Vinyl...?" She looked over the pony to see a giant grin on her face. Octavia knew exactly what was about to happen. Vinyl was met with even more cheering upon her return to the stage. She broke out into another song, which only made the crowd grow in volume. Octavia began to grow nervous. She had played for plenty of ponies before, but this was different. There were close to fifty thousand ponies out there. Fifty thousand, she thought to herself, that's fifty times bigger than any crowd I've played in front of. Her heart began to race and she began to sweat. She hadn't been this nervous since her first concert with the orchestra. Vinyl finished her first encore song, and was met with an immense roar from the crowd. She waited for the crowd before she spoke again, "Alright everypony, I need your help welcoming someone to the stage. This pony has helped me through so much in my life: she gave me a home, got me my first job, and supported me in every way she could." Octavia began walking down the tunnel, adrenaline pumping through her. "Mares and Stallions, please help me welcome to the stage, from your town of Canterlot, my best friend in the world...Octavia!" Octavia stepped foot on stage and nearly went deaf from the sound. The crowd was louder than anything she had ever heard before. A smile broke across her face as she walked across the stage and embraced Vinyl, the crowd went wild again. Octavia sat down and held her bow at the ready. She hadn't gotten to play the song in over a year, ever since last time her and Vinyl played it on stage, but that never stopped her from practicing everyday. A rush of emotions came to her the second her bow hit the strings. The feeling of her greatest night ever was surpassed as soon as the first note came out her instrument. She teared up within a matter of seconds, just like every other pony in the stadium, which included Vinyl. Octavia almost messed up when she heard the crowd singing along with Vinyl. She had heard so many things in her life, but none of them could even compare to the strength of the audience singing. Fifty thousand voices all projecting straight at the stage. It sent a chill up Octavia's spine. The two ponies finished and were met with the loudest roar from the crowd that night. As Octavia looked out over the crowd, she noticed that there wasn't a single dry eye in the entire audience. Her smile grew even larger at the thought of everypony tearing up at a song about her. Vinyl took a bow, and was followed by a from Octavia. The two departed the stage, leaving the roaring crowd behind them. The rest of the night was a blur to Octavia, who wasn't accustomed to Vinyl's lifestyle of late nights and roaring crowds. The last thing Octavia remembered was crashing onto the coach in Vinyl's chariot, concluding that that night was the greatest night ever. Author's Note Yes, this chapter is much longer than the first two. Most of that is because there was so much more happening in this chapter than any other so far, but part was due to some comments about a lack detail, so I did my best to beef it up with some more details.
Chapter FourChapter Four Vinyl smiled as she watched Octavia fall onto her couch. She ran upstairs and grabbed some blankets for the sleeping pony. That, she thought, was the single greatest night I have ever had, or will ever have for that matter. She walked back downstairs and put the blankets on the sleeping pony. Vinyl let out another smile. Oh just take a hint Octavia. Just once. Vinyl sat down in a chair next to Octavia. She let out a huge breath of relief, just as she after every show. It was just one her little routines she had for shows. After her fifth show, she started getting into a routine both before and after shows. She would always arrive at the stadium forty minutes before she was set to go on. That way she had plenty of time to get ready, and get herself warmed up. After the show, she would return to her chariot, fall into the same chair, and contemplate that night's show. But she already knew that that night had been different. She stood up, We haven't left yet. I better ask the drivers. Vinyl walked across the room and opened the door to the "pilot" as she liked to call him. Basically it was the pony who directed each pegasus flying her chariot. When she opened the door she didn't see him anywhere. Not only that, but the four pegasi that normally pulled her chariot were missing too. Something is definitely wrong here. She closed the door to the pilot and fell back into her chair. Just as Vinyl had finally relaxed and was beginning to doze off, three loud knocks came from the door to her chariot. After recovering from her near heart attack, Vinyl got up and went to the door. She quickly peeked through the peep hole and saw one of the greatest sights she's ever seen. Vinyl pulled the door so hard it almost came of its hinges, "Sapphire Shores!" she yelled as she hugged the earth pony before her. Vinyl quickly composed herself after realizing how stupid she had looked in front of her idol, "Um...sorry about that Miss Shores....I just didn't expect you to show up at my chariot. Is anything wrong?" She let out a quick gasp, "Oh please tell me you didn't come to criticize my show." Vinyl was frantic. Criticism was the only logical explanation she could think of. Sapphire just laughed, "Don't worry Vinyl I just came to congratulate you on a great performance. I really love your sound, and your message behind your lyrics." Vinyl was in shock. She's gotta just be messing with me. There's no was she liked it that much, she's Sapphire Shores for ponies sake! She closed her mouth, realizing it was agape, and resumed talking: "Wow thanks Miss Shores, it's a great honor to hear that from you." "It's nothing. Oh, you can call me Sapphire by the way." I can call her Sapphire! She would've been jumping up and down had the greatest pop star in Equestria not been standing in her doorway. "Oh, where are my manners? Please come in Sapphire." Sapphire ran a hoof through her mane, "Sorry Vinyl, but I can't. I kick off my world tour tomorrow and I need to get some sleep. I just came by to see if you wanted to come to the Musician's Gala next Saturday here in Canterlot. All of the biggest names in Equestria will be there." A huge smile broke a across Vinyl's face. This would be her first big "dress-up" event since her brother's wedding when she was still a filly. Play it cool Vinyl, she thought, let her know you're interested, but not that interested. She did her best to hide her smile, "Oh yeah...well I may have something going that day. I'll have to get back to you." Good work, she thought, satisfied with her acting. Sapphire smiled, "Great. Here's my number," she said as she gave Vinyl a piece of paper, "I need to go before my agent gets mad at me for losing sleep. I'll see you later Vinyl," she said with a wink. Vinyl woke up at noon to the sound of Octavia pounding on the door to her suite. "Vinyl I need to use your bathroom in there. Please it's the only one on the chariot!" Vinyl wasn't really sure why the manufacturers decided to put the bathroom on the second floor of a moving object, but she didn't complain. It was a pretty cool bathroom after all. Vinyl got out of bed and slipped her rob on. "Hold on I'm coming, I'm coming," she said reaching for the door knob, "Personally, I can't believe you're even up at thi-" She was interrupted by Octavia slamming the door in her face, "Sorry Vinyl, but I need to go NOW!" All Vinyl could respond with was a mumbled "Hmm...umm..." Vinyl walked down stairs and began pouring herself a bowl of cereal, her usual road breakfast. She had made it halfway through her breakfast by the time Octavia came trotting back down the stairs. "Sorry about that Vinyl, but the only bathroom on the entire chariot is in your room." Vinyl looked up at Octavia with her usual morning drowsiness and Octavia smiled, "Still not a morning person, huh?" Vinyl nodded and resumed eating. Octavia poured her own bowl of cereal and began eating. The two ate in silence until Vinyl decided she was awake enough to give Octavia the good news, "So Octavia, you'll never guess who came by last night. Sapphire Shores." Octavia spit out her mouthful of cereal upon hearing the news. "What?! The Sapphire Shores? No way! What did she want?" "Oh not much...she just wanted us to come to the Musician's Gala next Saturday at the Canterlot Castle." Octavia's eye began to twitch. Vinyl stared in wonder, "Umm...Octavia you alright? You look kind of shocked." Octavia shook her head and returned to herself. "Umm yeah I'm fine. It's just...the Musician's Gala...I've wanted to attend it ever since I was a filly." Vinyl was surprised at what she did next. Octavia reached over and gave a Vinyl a very long, "Thank you Vinyl. You've made one of my dreams come true." "Oh, well I didn't say yes." Vinyl said. She closed her eyes, Why would I say that? "WHAT?!" Octavia jumped up, kicking her chair halfway across the room. Vinyl flinched as Octavia slammed her hooves on the table, "HOW COULD YOU NOT SAY YES?" Octavia was hyperventilating at this point, breathing in and out so quickly it was beginning to disrupt her mane. Vinyl sighed, "Long story, okay? I'll call her right now and tell her to put us both down as guests." Vinyl pulled out her phone and dialed the number Sapphire had given her the previous night. Octavia retrieved her chair and sat back down. "Um...Vinyl?" Her tone had dramatically changed to one of pleading, "Do you think you could put it on speaker?" Vinyl almost fell out of her chair laughing. "You have to bipolar, I swear." Vinyl knew she wasn't, but it was just something she always loved to tease Octavia about, just like how Octavia loved to tease Vinyl about leaving stuff around her apartment. Vinyl finished dialing and the phone began to ring. Octavia gasped, "It's ringing, it's ringing!" Vinyl smiled, giving her a "come on Octavia, really?" look. The ringing stopped, "Hello?" Vinyl recognized Sapphire's voice. Apparently so did Octavia, since it looked like she was about to pass out from pure excitement. Vinyl spoke up first, "Hey Sapphire, it's Vinyl. I was just wondering if it was still possible to get me and a guest down for the gala." "Yeah, I could do th-" Octavia suddenly broke her silence, "Hi Sapphire! Oh my gosh it's Sapphire Shores! I can't believe I'm talking to Sapphire Shores!" Vinyl smiled at her friend. She had never seen Octavia get so excited before. Vinyl almost started laughing when she thought about it from Sapphire's perspective. "Oh, um...hi. You must be that pony that was sleeping on Vinyl's couch, right?" Octavia's smile vanished as her usual look of embarrassment quickly replaced it, "Yes. That was me." Vinyl jumped back into the conversation and pulled the call from speaker phone before it could get anymore out of hand, "So Sapphire, you said you could get us in right? Octavia here is just dying to go." It took a few seconds before Sapphire responded, "Yes I can get both you into the gala." Vinyl thanked Sapphire and hung up. She turned and looked at the hopeful earth pony. "Well Octavia, looks like you're going to the Musician's Gala." Author's Note The way I spelled pegasi in paragraph three may be incorrect. My computer kept telling me it was wrong, so I googled it and my computer said the Internet was wrong too. Personally, I feel like this chapter isn't as good past chapters, mostly because not much actually happened here. If you found this chapter boring, just wait, stuffs about to pick up.
Chapter FiveChapter Five Octavia remembered the next week as follows: play show, sleep, try on dress for the gala, repeat. After Octavia joined Vinyl on stage in Canterlot, Vinyl asked her to join her on stage for every show in the foreseeable future. Octavia agreed without hesitation. She loved the feeling of standing on stage in front of thousands of screaming fans, even if they weren't actually her fans. Ever since she was a filly she wanted to stand on a stage and play her cello in front of thousands of ponies, and she was finally living that dream. Octavia got little sleep over the week; she was running on mostly adrenaline and caffeine. Between waking up at seven each morning to look at dresses with Vinyl, and staying up until two a.m., Octavia was having trouble keeping her energy up. She had never been on such a rigorous schedule before. On top of her awkward sleeping schedule, she was sleeping on a couch inside a moving vehicle. To only add more stress to Octavia's life was the imminent arrival of the Musician's Gala. That meant she had to find a dress, plan what she would do with her hair, and find a way to make Vinyl see that she liked her. Luckily Vinyl's tour was going through Manehatten, which meant Octavia would be able shop on 5th Avenue, the greatest shopping strip in all of Equestria. Octavia was very excited, the only big city she had ever been in was Canterlot. Manehatten was a big step for her. Octavia's stress really didn't start until Friday rolled around. With less than twenty four hours until the gala, she was still without a dress, and all Vinyl could think about was sightseeing in Manehatten. Octavia didn't mind walking around Manehatten, but she had higher priorities, and Vinyl was slowing them down. After more than an two hours of going up and down street after street, Octavia and Vinyl finally arrived on Fifth Avenue. Octavia's eyes gleamed as she looked in the storefronts. Each minute it was something different, "Oh, look at the shoes","Oh Vinyl, this hat is amazing","Vinyl, have got to see this necklace". They reached the end of the street when Vinyl finally stopped, "Octavia, may I present to you the greatest dress store in all of Equestria: Carousel Boutique: Manehatten. The owner got her big break after Sapphire Shores wore one of her dresses on her world tour. She's now known across Equestria for her ability to make dress that fits the pony perfectly, both physically, and stylistically. And," she continued, "I am buying you one." Over their time together, Vinyl and Octavia had some great moments. The moment when Vinyl said she would buy Octavia a dress was one both of them considered to be one of their greatest. Octavia gave Vinyl a hug and entered the store. From the second Octavia walked in she knew that the experience was not going to be a pleasant one. Firstly, she knew how much Vinyl was paying for the dress, which made Octavia extremely uncomfortable through the entire process. Secondly, Octavia found the "greatest dress maker in Equestria" to be a bit of a snob. The unicorn was constantly fussing about the dirt on Octavia's mane (which Octavia failed to find), and how it was going to dirty her pure white coat. Thirdly, he dress maker's cat stared at Octavia from the moment she walked in. Octavia, who did not like cats, felt like she was being stalked the whole time. After an hour and a half, the crazy unicorn (Octavia eventually learned her name was Rarity) placed a mirror in front of Octavia. Throughout her life, Octavia had dressed up for many occasions: weddings, galas, symphonies. She had always worn the same elegant dress every time; a long, black, flowing dress with diamonds as trim. The dress that Octavia wore standing in a living hell in the middle of Manehatten made her usual dress look worthless. She considered her previous dress to be little more than cardboard compared to the masterpiece Rarity had created. It was of a perfect length: long but not too long; its color matched the color of Luna's night perfectly, a deep midnight blue. To top it off, almost the entire dress was trimmed in sapphires. Rarity placed a hoof on Octavia's shoulder, "I must say, you look marvelous in that dress, and I do not normally say that to ponies who come in here. That is truly a perfect dress. I hope you put it to good use at the gala." Octavia began sliding the dress off, "I will Rarity. Thank you so much for what you've given me. I know it will help make the night perfe-" Suddenly Vinyl burst through the door, "We have to go now! It's a four hour ride to Canterlot and the gala starts in three!" She grabbed Octavia by her arm and dragged her out, "Sorry I can't pay now Rarity, bill me later!" Vinyl and Octavia rushed through the streets of Manehatten. Octavia's dress was still half on as they rushed down Fifth Avenue. She thought about how ridiculous they both looked; a world renowned rock star and regular old pony in a dress were running through the streets of Manehatten. She would've laughed if she didn't have to run another two miles to Vinyl's chariot. After running for less than ten minutes, Octavia and Vinyl finally burst through the door of the chariot yelling "Go, go, go!" They both collapsed on the floor of the chariot. Vinyl began speaking through gasps, "Okay...we....made it...Now...to...the gala!" She let her head fall to the floor and began laughing. Octavia joined her, finally getting the chance to laugh about it. "Wow Vinyl, you look amazing." Octavia grinned as Vinyl walked down from her suite on the top floor of the chariot. She was dressed in flank length dress that was the same color as Vinyl's electric blue highlights, and was covered in fancy patterns. "Yeah, I guess." She responded. Octavia could tell she was nervous, what with the possibility of being late to the biggest event of her life. Luckily the pegasi who pulled Vinyl's chariot understood how dire their situation was and worked twice as hard as normal. Octavia felt bad inconveniencing the ponies, but they insisted continuing their pace. The pegasi worked so hard that Octavia and Vinyl made it to Canterlot with a half hour until the start of the gala. Octavia made sure to give a very large tip to the ponies as she exited the chariot. Vinyl and Octavia stood in front of the castle, which was decorated for the occasion. Light string music sounded from bushes, one of Princess Celestia's spells. The castle was lit with a gentle yellow light that made the castle feel so welcoming that Octavia began to lean towards it. Vinyl nudged Octavia, "Have you ever been inside?" Octavia nodded, "Plenty of times. I used to play at ever Grand Galloping Gala, until an eccentric pink pony ruined my chances of ever playing there again." Vinyl had a quizzical look on her face. "Long story." "Uh huh..." Vinyl stood staring in wonder at the castle. "I've never been inside before." She took a deep breath and turned to face Octavia, "Well, you want to go in?" The two ponies ascended the stairs to the castle together, eyes gleaming. They were met at the top of the stairs by the pony both of them never thought they would see. "Hello Vinyl Scratch. Oh, and you must be Octavia. Welcome to the Musician's Gala." Princess Celestia said as she welcomed the them to the party. "Since this is your first year here I must give you the normal introduction to the gala. Due to how popular all the musicians are at this party, we require each guest to stay here overnight for their own safety." Vinyl's face lit up upon hearing the news, "I get to...to..." Octavia caught Vinyl as she began to fall backwards. Octavia laughed, "Sorry about that princess. She always does this when she gets great news." "It's quite alright Octavia," the princess said with a smile, "One of the castle guards will take you to your room." Octavia couldn't believe the room they were given. It was easily twice the size of Octavia's apartment, which she found surprising because the castle always looked so small on the outside. Octavia eventually concluded the castle was just bigger on the inside. Vinyl had a similar reaction to the elegant room she awoke in. With five minutes until the start of the gala, Vinyl and Octavia left their room. Vinyl has breathing heavily the whole way day, which she attributed to nervousness. Octavia knew Vinyl would be nervous about the event, but this surpassed her expectations. Vinyl was sweating, which she never did. She also had a nervous twitch in her hoof. Vinyl really isn't herself tonight, Octavia thought as she looked her friend, I wonder what's wrong. Octavia stopped before the door to the banquet hall and turned to Vinyl, "Vinyl, are you alright? You haven't been yourself tonight." Vinyl's eyes were distant. Octavia could tell she was deep in thought. "Um...yeah. I'm just kind of nervous about being around all of these musicians." Octavia hugged Vinyl, "You're going to do fine. I'm sure of it." Vinyl smiled at Octavia, "Thanks Octavia. You're a good friend." She collected herself and pushed open the door. Author's Note Thank you all for reading this chapter. I wrote part of this on an Ipad, so Apple's auto-correct may have messed something up pretty badly.
Chapter SixChapter Six Octavia was met by a wall of sound coming from the gala; thousands of musicians were scattered across the ballroom, conversing, singing, and some were even playing instruments. Octavia felt at home with the musicians, like she finally found a place where she fit in. Vinyl stood next to her in awe, "Wow Tavia, this is amazing. I can't believe we're actually here." "Hey, you actually called me Tavia for once. You haven't done that for months." Octavia replied with a smile. Vinyl was the only one who was allowed to call her Tavia, she wouldn't even let her parents do it. She wasn't exactly sure why, but it just felt right having Vinyl call her Tavia. "Well yeah," Vinyl said, "it kind of slipped my mind over the past week. We've been in such a hard routine that I've barely even had a chance to talk to you." It was true, and Octavia hated it. There hadn't been a great time to actually talk with Vinyl since she had first showed up at Octavia's apartment. "It's alright Vinyl, you've been really busy over the past week." she replied. "No it's not alright," Vinyl said abruptly. "You're my best friend in the world Octavia, and I shouldn't treat you like that. Don't ever let me do it again. Okay?" Octavia reluctantly agreed; she wasn't comfortable being forced into the verbal contract, but it pleased Vinyl, which meant the most to her. An upbeat swing song started to play, one of Octavia's favorites. She turned and smiled at Vinyl, "You want to dance?" "No. You've seen me dance, I'll just end up embarrassing myself in front of Equestria's best musicians." "Oh come on," she pleaded, "It'll be fun, I promise." Vinyl reluctantly agreed as Octavia dragged her to the dance floor. Now all I need is for a slow song to start, she thought, maybe to night something will finally happen between us. The two danced through the entire song, which made Octavia extremely happy. She rarely danced, mostly to swing music, and it was even rarer for Vinyl to dance. Octavia cherished the moment, even if it wasn't exactly the way she always imagined it. Once the song ended, the two mares laughed and walked to one of the outlying tables. Vinyl was sweating profusely, and she was doing a very poor job of covering it up. Octavia didn't care, part of her actually liked seeing Vinyl formally dressed, but still out of her element. She loved seeing Vinyl out of her element; it was just one of those strange little things she loved about Vinyl. "Alright Octavia," Vinyl said, laughing, "I gotta say, that was definitely worth it." "Well come on then," she said as the next song started, "let's get back out there!" Octavia was so wrapped up in dancing that she didn't even notice how hard Vinyl was breathing, "I would love to Tavia, but I never do this. You gotta give me some time here." "Oh," Octavia said, trying to hide her disappointment, "alright then. Well, I guess that just gives us time to really talk for the first time in a while." So they talked. They talked about everything: Octavia's music, the orchestra, Vinyls music, the gala. Octavia loved it. She always enjoyed her conversations with Vinyl, all the way back to when she had first moved in. Octavia was so happy she forgot that she was at the gala, she forgot Vinyl was a famous singer, she even forgot there were other ponies around her. It had been close to an hour when there was a break in the conversation, at which point an idea struck Octavia, "Hey Vinyl," she started, "I totally forgot, you're here to meet and converse with other musicians. Come on let's go meet Equestria's best." She didn't tell Vinyl that she secretly wanted to meet all of the pop stars, but concluded it didn't matter. She knew it was good for Vinyl for her to meet her peers too, so she avoided the topic. Whereas Octavia felt comfortable being a room full of the musicians, she quickly discovered she disliked actually talking to them. She hid her feelings from Vinyl: it would only hurt her if Octavia disliked her peers. While Vinyl chatted to a very popular guitarist, Octavia noticed Sapphire Shores quickly approaching her group. She felt a pang of danger in her stomach, but pushed the idea aside, This is Sapphire Shores we're talking about here, she thought, there's no way she would do anything wrong. But still Octavia couldn't help but feel pressured as Sapphire approached in her way-to-long dress that followed at least three feet behind her. "Oh hey there Vinyl," Sapphire said as she approached the group. Vinyl broke off her conversation with the guitarist, who had already found an interest in the buffet that was being brought out, "Hey Sapphire. How's it going?" "Good," she replied, "Are you and your guest enjoying the gala?" Octavia couldn't help taking offense to being labeled as "your guest". She was starting to nurture a growing hatred for Sapphire, who almost had an evil aura about her at this point. "Yes it's great. Octavia and I are really enjoying it." "I'm sorry Octavia," she said, addressing Octavia this time, "I'm not really that good with names." Yeah, that's what it was. Octavia thought sarcastically. "Oh it's not a problem," Octavia said. Just as she finished, a slow song began to play. Not only was it a slow song, it was the slow song; the song Octavia had listened to everyday since Vinyl had left. It was the song where every lyric reminded her of her best friend. She did her best to gather her courage, to finally do what she had been waiting a year to do. She had planned exactly how she was going to ask Vinyl for the past hour, but now that the time came she found it hard to gather the words. After what felt like hours, Octavia finally opened her mouth- "Vinyl, would you like to dance?" Sapphire said. Octavia's heart sank. Wait, she thought, I know Vinyl would never do it; she knows I'm going to ask her...right? Vinyl's eyes darted between Sapphire and Octavia, "Umm..." Octavia's heart rate doubled. She was sure there was no way it would happen, Vinyl had to know by then. "Uh..." It wasn't possible for Sapphire to just walk up and take Vinyl from Octavia like that; she had worked too hard for everything to be lost now. Vinyl took a long look at Octavia, "Yes." Octavia had to resist the compulsion of falling into the chair behind her. It felt like the room was spinning; it felt like part of her heart had been pulled from her chest. She was so shocked by Vinyl's answer she was at a loss for words. She did her best to conceal her feelings, but she wasn't sure how long she could last. "Are you sure you're okay with me slipping away for a couple minutes?" Vinyl whispered to her. Octavia put on her best fake smile, trying to appear unaffected, "Yeah, of course I'm fine with it." She managed to get out. Vinyl replied with a smile, and walked away with Sapphire. Octavia fought back tears as she walked towards the exit. She passed everypony she could've ever wished to see, brushing off her feelings of admiration for every star she had ever met. She made her way through the doors to the ballroom, still maintaining her fake expression of happiness. She turned around the first corner she could find and sunk to the ground, finally allowing the tears to stream from her eyes. One question, she though, one question was all it took to destroy what I worked for. She was there for less than a minute before Princess Celestia joined her. At first she just sat down next to Octavia and placed a wing around her. Octavia took comfort in the gesture; it felt good to have somepony else to be with her. After a few minutes, the princess finally spoke up, "I know what's troubling you Octavia, and I'm very sorry for what has happened." Octavia didn't responded, hoping Celestia would continue. "Just remember one thing Octavia," she said, pulling her closer, "Your feelings for Vinyl are much like our city of Canterlot. Canterlot was not built in a day, nor a week, nor a month. It took many years to build a city such as Canterlot. This city has had its fair share of destruction too. At times the walls fell, and at others the whole city was destroyed. We rebuilt our beloved city back each time, no matter the damage that was brought to it. I want you to remember this in the coming time." Princess Celestia left, leaving Octavia to her thoughts. The princess's words had been so vague and Octavia had been in such deep thought that she didn't even try comprehending the princess's words. She just stood up, wiped the tears from her eyes, and retired to her room. Author's Note I would like to start by saying I'm sorry for taking so long on this chapter. With all the events surrounding the coronation, I didn't want to bring a sad to story to the table until most of the drama died down.
Chapter SevenChapter Seven "Are you sure you're okay with me slipping away for a couple minutes?" Vinyl whispered to Octavia, secretly hoping she wasn't okay with it. She had always wanted to dance with Octavia, but she couldn't just ask. She always reasoned that it would have to be Octavia who asked her, that way Vinyl knew Octavia would be okay with it. Otherwise, it may end in a very awkward encounter for the next few weeks, and would eventually result in her and Octavia losing their friendship, something she wasn't prepared to do. "Yeah, of course I'm fine with it." she said. Vinyl's heart broke; she wanted for Octavia to return her feelings so badly, and she just turned shied away from her. Vinyl couldn't think of anything to say, so she just did her best fake smile and walked away with Sapphire. Vinyl was distracted through the whole dance. Sapphire kept trying to start a conversation, but Vinyl kept brushing her off. She didn't feel like talking, she didn't even feel like being at the gala anymore. Vinyl felt like going back to her chariot and sinking into her "thinking chair". She wanted the whole world to melt away so she could be by herself again. Sapphire tried pulling Vinyl in closer, but she just resisted. Sapphire sighed, "Vinyl, you didn't really want to dance with me, did you? You haven't said a word, and you're keeping a distance that makes "conservative" look inappropriate." Vinyl avoided her eyes, "No I didn't. I'm sorry." "You wanted to dance with Octavia, didn't you?" She saw straight through Vinyl, who only nodded in agreement. "I could see straight through that fake smile of yours." She paused and the two were left in silence as the song ended. "I'm sorry I said anything Vinyl; I shouldn't have said anything. I always do this sort of thing. Can you forgive me Vinyl?" Vinyl answered by walking away from her, completely ignoring the question. Vinyl returned to where her and Octavia had been standing, only to find she was no longer there. Great, she thought, not only did Sapphire see through me, but Octavia did too. She must have left because she could see I have feelings for her. Vinyl sat in the chair where she was seated earlier, and watched the gala around her. Everypony was there enjoying themselves, and there she was wishing all of them away. "Vinyl Scratch," said an elegant voice behind her. Vinyl spun in her chair to be face-to-face with Princess Celestia. "I'm afraid you may have a slight problem." Vinyl tried to piece everything together as she sprinted through the castle, which was hard because she was unconscious last time she passed through it. So Celestia said Octavia was sitting around the corner crying. But I know it couldn't have been about me, there's no way. She was smiling when I left with Sapphire. Oh...Vinyl hit a conclusion so hard it almost made her fall, Octavia has feelings for Sapphire. That's what it has to be. Vinyl was so deep in thought that she almost missed their room. She skidded to stop in front of the suite and caught her breath, trying to decide exactly what she was going to say to Octavia. She stood there for fifteen minutes until she decided exactly what to say. Vinyl took a deep breath, and opened the door. Octavia walked into the room and fell onto the couch just inside the door. She had cried so much from her encounter with the princess that she couldn't cry anymore. She just lay on the couch, thinking about everything that had just taken place. It wasn't fifteen minutes before she heard knocking at the door. She knew who it was, but she didn't want to talk to Vinyl. Octavia just wanted to be alone. "Octavia, I know you're in there." came Vinyl's voice from the other side of the door. "Go away Vinyl, I want to be alone right now." Octavia said as she buried her face into a couch cushion. "Come on, I want to talk." Octavia sighed and stood up. She walked to the door and hit the handle, letting Vinyl open it. She walked back to her couch and laid down again. "What?" Octavia intended to sound bitter; Vinyl needed to know she was upset. Vinyl didn't move from her spot that was just inside the door, "Octavia, I want to say I'm sorry. I know I really hurt you and-" "Do you?" She said as she stood up, "You really don't know what you did Vinyl. You hurt me worse than you ever have before. What you did crossed a line Vinyl, and you think you can just walk in here and say 'I'm sorry Octavia'. I'm sorry, but I can't accept your apology." She kept her back to Vinyl during her speech, mostly because she couldn't bare to see Vinyl's face at that point, but Vinyl didn't need to know. "No Octavia, you don't understand. The only reason I went with her was beca-" "Actually, I get it," Octavia interrupted again, this time turning to face Vinyl, "I totally get it. You wanted to dance with Sapphire because she's this great, big, famous pop star, and I'm just some nobody cellist from Canterlot." She could see Vinyl's face was distraught, but she didn't care. She wanted Vinyl to feel bad for what she had done. "That's not it," Vinyl said, her voice shaking, "you aren't worse than Sapphire at all. Please don't be mad at her Octavia, it wasn't her fault at all." Octavia could tell Vinyl was starting to stumble over words, so she decided to jump on. "Oh you mean don't be mad at the pony that you just walked away? Don't be mad at the pony who asked you to dance? How can I not be mad at her?" Octavia was walking towards Vinyl now, staring into her eyes the whole time, "You don't understand how hard that would be. I can't think that it wasn't her doing, and I can't think you were a part of it." "Y-you're mad at me too?" Vinyl was visibly sweating now. "How could I not be mad at you right now Vinyl?" Octavia felt a tear run down her cheek, she knew should would have to finish quickly. "You just walked away with Sapphire; you left me standing there in the middle of the room like that. You have no idea what it's like for somepony you love to just walk out on you." Octavia caught herself as she finished her sentence. She had never told Vinyl she loved her, not even in the "best-friend-way". She could feel tears gathering behind her eyes and decided that it was time to go before she broke down in front of Vinyl. She pushed past the still-shocked Vinyl, walked out the doorway, slamming the door behind her, and ran down the hall. Vinyl stood in shock as Octavia slammed the door in her face. I was wrong, she thought, it was me all along. She would've smiled if the pony she wanted to be with most hadn't just slammed a door in her face. It took a few minutes for what had just happened to sink in. Vinyl went to the living room and sat down in the first chair she could find. She actually...she actually loves me. And I let her walk out that door. I let the pony I love walk right past me and out the door. The thought of loving Octavia dawned on Vinyl, it being the first time she had ever confessed it to herself. Vinyl lay sat in the chair for hours, listening to the sound of the gala die out beneath her. She still couldn't believe everything that happened only hours ago. She pulled out her notebook and began writing song lyrics down, still trying to fully comprehend what had transpired. It was the only way she knew to communicate: through music and lyrics. She sat in the chair writing until the sun came through the windows. She decided she put in a good nights work, got up, and left the suite, closing the door behind her. Vinyl walked down the hall towards the castle exit, when she heard a familiar voice behind her, "Vinyl, wait." She sighed, "What do you want Sapphire? You've caused enough problems as it is." Vinyl turned to face the star, who was still in her dress from the previous night. "I want to say I'm truly sorry for what I've caused, and that I hope everything turns out okay for you and your friend." Vinyl could feel the sincerity in her voice, but she could also sense the air of exaggeration in her voice, like she was sorry, but not as sorry as she actually let on. "No." Vinyl replied. A look of confusion appeared on Sapphire's face and she continued, "Just simply, no. I don't accept your apology. Goodbye Miss Shores." Vinyl turned on the spot and left a confused Sapphire Shores muttering to herself. Vinyl discretely boarded her chariot around the back of the castle, and was instantly met by her assistant, "Where to Miss Scratch?" "Take me to the music studio, I have a message to record." She smiled, "And please, call me Vinyl. No more of this "Miss Scratch thing."
Chapter EightChapter Eight One week had passed since the gala, and Octavia's heart was still in pieces. Even after a week of nothing but replaying her conversation with Vinyl in her mind, she was still in total disbelief of what had happened. Not once in her life had she used the "L" word about another non-family member. That wasn't what took her by surprise though. What shook Octavia most was how Vinyl handled the situation. Vinyl just stood there and stammered her way through their conversation while Octavia poured her heart out. At least, that's how Octavia remembered it. Octavia alarm clock went off, pulling her from her deep sleep. She rubbed her eyes, displeased at the idea of finally returning to public life. She had been laying around her apartment for the last week, trying to avoid contact with everypony she knew. Luckily Octavia was still technically on vacation, and was able to avoid the symphony. The water from Octavia's shower felt good as it ran through her mane. She wasn't ever going to admit it, but she hadn't showered in days, and she didn't even care. Something about the falling water made Octavia feel as if she was cleaning more than her coat; it was as if she were cleaning her mind too. Suddenly, she didn't feel as bad, but she still felt empty. She knew she would never stop feeling empty. After drying herself, Octavia grabbed her cello and headed for the door. She wasn't exactly pleased with having to deal with her Sonata and the rest of the orchestra again, but she did her best to make the best of the situation. I guess if Sonata is happy being first chair that's all that counts, she thought. That was a lie of course. Octavia didn't actually feel that way, but it didn't hurt for her to tell herself that. Octavia stopped when she saw the picture of her and Vinyl on the end table. A sense of deja vu washed over her. She reached out and slammed the picture down, removing from her view. Octavia wasn't in the mood to think about that night again. Octavia's walked through town had been less than pleasant. She didn't run into any particular problems, but Canterlot seemed...different. The streets no long shined, the birds no longer sang, and the colors weren't as vibrant as before. She couldn't place her hoof on it. Octavia tried to push the dark thoughts out of her head as she entered the concert hall. It was just as busy as ever, which almost made Octavia feel at home. Something about being apart of her daily routine made her feel better. Many ponies asked about her vacation, which she replied to with a smile and a nod, trying to hide her actual feelings. The first cellist chair was empty, which Octavia found strange. Sonata always beat her to rehearsal. In fact, the only time Octavia beaten Sonata to practice was when she was sick, and even then it was close. Octavia shook her head and sat down in her usual spot, preparing her cello for rehearsal. She hadn't played in a week and her cello was in desperate need of tuning. After tuning, Octavia rosined her bow and let a note come out. She could feel the note resonating through the instrument, which felt great to her. She had forgotten just how much she loved to play. Memories of her shows with Vinyl came up, taking over her mind. Octavia closed her eyes and did her best to repress the memories: she didn't want to show her emotions in front of everypony. "Oh Octavia, great to see you again," came a voice from behind her. Octavia turned as was met by the orchestra's director. "Hello Mr. Maestro. It's great to be back." She put on a fake smile as she met the stallion's gaze. "Yes, I'm sure it is," he replied. "Now, you haven't been here for the past week so I must inform you of some...changes." Octavia didn't like the way he said changes. It was too ominous for her liking. "I'm afraid you are no longer second chair." Octavia's heart sank the director's words. She didn't expect the greatest reactions for going on a long vacation, but losing a chair placement seemed a bit harsh to her. "How many chairs am I dropping Mr. Maestro?" He looked taken aback by her question. "No, no, Octavia you are not dropping any chairs?" Octavia had to repress a tear. This is it, she thought they're finally letting me go. "No, Mr. Maestro, I can explain." Mr. Maestro stared at her. "Explain what, Octavia?" She opened her mouth, but no sound came out. She wasn't really sure what needed explaining, but she said the phrase anyway. "Either way..." he continued, "you will now be sitting first chair. Octavia felt her jaw drop. "First chair?" she asked in disbelief. The director nodded. "Ever since Sonata left for Los Pegasus to join the pop music industry we've been waiting for your return. That way we could just bump you up and not have to deal with the hiring process and-" "Wait, wait, wait," Octavia interrupted, "Sonata left to join the pop music industry? I didn't know artists needed cello players." It was true, most musicians just used synthesizers for their string instruments. It bothered Octavia, but she tried not to think about it that much. Mr. Maestro shrugged. "I don't know Octavia. Now if you will excuse me, we need to start rehearsal." Octavia nodded and moved her possessions to the first chair in response to the stallion's departure. As far orchestra practices went, Octavia had a personal best. Her bow moved flawlessly and her tone and pitch were perfect. She was elated that she had become first chair. Ever since she had lost it a month ago, she had been enjoying rehearsals less and less, even to the point of calling in sick from time to time. Octavia felt bad for as she reflected on the past, wishing she could do it over again. Even the post-practice was more pleasant than normal. Octavia stayed and talked with her fellow musicians, something she had avoided for weeks. She had forgotten how enjoyable other ponies could be. Octavia was stopped by her friend Canone as she left. Octavia was pretty sure they blue mare liked her -- she would typically give Octavia glances from across the room during practices. She wasn't really sure what the violinist saw in her, but she didn't complain. Octavia wasn't used to the attention, and she almost enjoyed it. "Hey Octavia," Canone said with a smile, "what's up?" "Not much," she replied. Octavia always tried to keep their conversations short. She didn't want to lead Canone on, she wasn't that kind of pony. Canone began to tap her hoof nervously. "I was wondering, what are doing later?" Octavia's heart skipped a beat. Is she actually asking me on a date? she thought to herself, Surely she knows about my....previous relationship. Octavia swallowed hard. "Canone..." her voice faded away. Suddenly, a thought popped into her head. She wasn't exactly with Vinyl anymore. She wanted to be, but there wasn't much she could do about it, so why not just go on a date with Canone? There isn't much more I can lose, she thought. Plus I don't really feel like paying for a meal tonight. Octavia smiled at the mare. "I'm actually free tonight. Why do you ask?" "Oh, well, I was wondering if you wanted to, maybe, go out to dinner or something tonight?" Octavia nodded. "Sure, that sounds fun." "Great I'll pick you up at seven." Canone gave Octavia a smile and walked away. Octavia shook her head at the thought of going on a date with Canone. What did I just do? she thought.I know that Vinyl and I aren't together anymore, but I can't help feeling like I betrayed her. Octavia sighed and made her way to the exit, still unsure of her decision. Octavia stood at the door to her apartment building. She checked the clock just inside the building. 6:58 She had been waiting for a half-hour. Octavia wasn't sure why, but she chose to start her wait early. She wasn't typically one for being early, but a strange feeling compelled her to do so. She tapped her hoof impatiently. 6:59 I wish she would just show up already. Where could she possibly be? Octavia looked up and down the street but found it to be deserted. She expected a tumbleweed to roll down the street, but not even that would come to the vacant street. Octavia continued her silent debate over the morality of the date. She still had feelings for Vinyl, that was clear even to her at that point, but it obvious that Vinyl was never coming. And how could she? Octavia thought, I acted like a complete idiot at the gala. She shook her head, cursing herself for her actions. 7:00 Another long look confirmed the absence of all life from the street. Octavia took a sigh of relief. Something inside her told her that the date was wrong. She turned and opened the door. "Hey Octavia, where you going?" Octavia heart sank as she heard Canone's voice. She spun on the spot to face the mare. "Oh, um..." her mind raced for an answer, "I though I heard somepony coming downstairs." "Oh." Canone replied with a smile. "Are you ready to go?" Octavia felt her voice reply "yes", despite her strongest urges to run inside. The next thing she knew, she was being lead towards Mane Street by a very chatty Canone. Octavia's head hurt. She wasn't sure why she ever agreed to the date in the first place. She suddenly felt nauseous and considered excusing her, but decided against it. Despite her objections, Canone was still a nice pony, and she didn't deserve to be hurt. "And here we are." Canone said as Octavia suddenly found herself standing in Sandwiches by Ditzy. "You look rough Octavia. Are you feeling okay?" Octavia could feel the concern in her voice. As if on cue, the song playing over the restaurant's speaker ended and the new one began. Ordinarily, Octavia would take no notice of radio music at a restaurant, but this was different. It wasn't just any song, it was a song sung by Vinyl. Octavia felt her legs grow weak as the lyrics washed over her body. Her heart rate increased and she felt herself begin to sweat. It suddenly felt as if the room were closing in on her. She shook her head in response Canone's question and rushed out the door, mumbling something close to "I'm sorry, I have to go." The whole world seemed to move in slow motion as Octavia raced home. Before she knew it she was laying on her bed crying, feeling the crushing weight of her time with Vinyl. She remembered every minute of every day all at once and it gave her migraine so deep that she felt as if she would never recover. The next time Octavia looked at the clock it read 8:02. I've only been here an hour? she thought to herself miserably. Her fears were subsided when she looked out her window and found it to be light outside. No, I haven't, she thought, it's already been one night. Octavia stood and walked to her window. She looked out over the street that now had dozens of ponies beginning their day. "Why?" she asked herself. "Why?". She fell back onto the bed and began to cry again. Author's Note I'd like to apologize for taking so long to write this chapter. I find it hard to write this story when I'm not in the right mood.
Chapter NineChapter Nine Vinyl awoke to a dark room she recognized as her studio. She lay on the studio couch, but she wasn't sure how she had gotten there. The last thing she could remember from the previous night was sitting her head down on the piano in frustration, unable to think of lyrics to finish her song. Vinyl stood and made her way to the piano. She thought about flipping the lights on, but she wanted to be in the dark. It helped her write sometimes. The words to the unfinished song sat on top of the piano. Vinyl dragged them towards her. She stared at her lyrics disdainfully. She couldn't believe that she was struggling with writing. Even though she wrote a handful of songs after the fiasco at the gala, it still wasn't enough for an album. A deep bass note rang out from the piano as Vinyl began the song. The chords washed over her as she played the song. Even though Vinyl didn't like to brag about her work, she was very, very proud of this song. Something about the chords made her feel good. Vinyl's heart skipped a beat as she approached her unfinished section: "Look, in the mirror and ask yourself if you're alright-" Vinyl was cut off by the door opening. Ordinarily she would've been unhappy, but whoever was entering stopped her from fumbling through the same part for the millionth time. "Vinyl Scratch," came the voice of her producer. She turned and faced him. He had a concerned look on his face as he approached her. "I can't believe you're still here. The production crew assured me that they were going to send you back to your apartment after I left last night." Even though Vinyl had her own fancy Manehatten apartment, she didn't like living there. Something about the sleeping alone in the big empty apartment didn't appeal to her. Vinyl shrugged at the unicorn. "Sorry Arpeggio, but they didn't. I woke up about five minutes ago." "I see." Arpeggio stood by Vinyl's side. "I wish they had sent you home. You aren't good to us without sleep. Although..." a tone of curiosity came into his voice as he levitated her lyrics where he could see them. "I guess that means you had plenty of time to work on these?" "Nope. I don't think I'm ever going to finish them," she said as she moved them back with her own magic. Arpeggio stared at Vinyl sympathetically. "I'm sorry Vinyl. I wish I could help you finish these lyrics, but this something you need to do yourself." Vinyl nodded but didn't say anything. Arpeggio wouldn't ever help her with lyrics, which bothered her. He always went on about how it was important for musicians to write their own lyrics. Normally she would've objected to his remarks, but this song was too important to her; she wouldn't let anypony go near the song. Again the door opened, and the production crew entered. The various technicians and engineers filed in and began setting up their equipment. Vinyl didn't like how many ponies were working on her second album. Her first album was written by her, and Arpeggio handled all of the production work. But ever since she had become one of the biggest acts in Equestria, the record company had insisted on giving her dozens of unnecessary and redundant crew members. The piano technician, whose name Vinyl hadn't bothered to memorize, approached the two unicorns. "Hello Miss Scratch," he said, "you're still here?" You're still here, Vinyl thought to herself, I like that. I like that a lot. She nodded. "Yeah, because somepony decided that they should just leave me here." Even though she meant to come off as bitter, Vinyl couldn't help feel bad when the piano tech hung his head in shame. "I'm sorry Miss Scratch. It won't happen again Miss Scratch." Vinyl sighed. "It's okay. I'm sure you had a good reason." The tech nodded with a smile. "Actually, we did have a good reason," he said, which Vinyl had trouble believing, "We figured that you would want to wake up this morning and work on your song before anypony got here. While we're on the topic, did you finish the song?" "Well," Arpeggio said with a hint of disappointment, "she-" "Did," Vinyl said quickly. Her producer shot a quick 'What are you doing?' look. Vinyl nodded at him. "Yeah, I finished writing it this morning. Would you like to hear it?" The stallion nodded and gathered the rest of the crew. Vinyl hit the bass notes again, this time with more force than before, emphasizing her confidence. She could feel goosebumps as she began to play the chords leading to the verse. The verse flowed forward with ease, just like the dozens of times she had it played previously. The rise and fall of the piano felt perfect as Vinyl proceeded with the chorus. The whole process repeated itself as Vinyl began the second verse and the second chorus. Vinyl could feel her heart-rate increase as she approached the bridge. She had run over the lyrics in her mind, but thinking through lyrics and actually singing those words were two completely different things. Vinyl hit the first notes of the bridge and opened her mouth to sing her freshly written words: "Look, in the mirror and ask yourself if you're alright. I look around, you're still here. You're on mind" Vinyl felt a tear roll down her cheek as she felt the words come out of her mouth. She knew what they were about, but she didn't want to think about it; she was in the middle of performing her song. Vinyl suppressed her feelings as she finished the song, letting the bass notes ring deep through the piano. Vinyl blinked back tears as she turned and smiled at her production team. "What did you think?" she asked nervously. She couldn't help noticing that most of her crew was fighting back their own tears. The thought warmed Vinyl's heart; her goal as a musician was always to invoke emotion. Arpeggio was the first to speak up. "Vinyl...that was fantastic." He wiped his eyes, cleaning away the tears that had formed. "I have to say, that song might just win you a Hoofie." Vinyl's jaw dropped at the remark. "Really?" she asked excitedly, "A Hoofie?" Vinyl had dreamed of winning a Hoofie ever since she was a filly. It was the greatest honor a musician could receive, and it had always been Vinyl's dream." "Yes, this is definitely Hoofie material." Arpeggio walked towards the door, motioning for Vinyl to follow him. "Come on, we need to finish recording this album or you're never going to get that Hoofie we're talking about." Vinyl lay on her bed, exhausted from the long day of recording. After she recorded her new song, You're Still Here, she had to record another three songs then rerecord two more songs. Vinyl had been running on adrenaline while at the studio, but as soon as she got home she crashed. The long day had taken its tole, more mentally and emotionally than physically. She rolled onto her side and stared the picture of Octavia that sat on her nightstand. You're still here, she thought, you'll always be here. The past few weeks had been killing Vinyl. She had wanted to go back to Canterlot to Octavia, but the record company wouldn't let her go; something about having an album out in time for the Hoofies. The record company didn't understand why she wanted to go back, and Vinyl preferred it that way. She didn't like the idea of a big business knowing about her personal life. Vinyl stared at the picture for a few minutes, but eventually set it face down; she didn't want to bring back all the sad memories again. She stood up and exited her bedroom. The living room she entered felt big and empty, even though it was full of fancy, exotic furniture. Vinyl had always felt like the apartment was much too big for one pony, but she never told anypony. After preparing a small dinner of dandelion salad, Vinyl sat down at her television, just like every other night. She turned on the TV and flipped through the channels until she found the new episode of Doctor Whooves. Vinyl's heart grew heavy as she realized that Octavia was probably watching the same broadcast in Canterlot. Vinyl paid little attention to the show, thinking more about Octavia and Canterlot than what The Doctor and his assistant were doing in New New Canterlot. Her thoughts keep flashing back to when her and Octavia would sit on the couch and watch TV. The good memories warmed her heart, but the feelings faded when she realized that it was all in the past. The past, she thought. She audibly sighed, I envy the past. The couch suddenly felt good and Vinyl laid her head down. She knew that she would be there all night, but not necessarily sleeping. The night was due to end just like almost every other night: Vinyl would cry silently for hours, finally letting out her feelings for Octavia, followed by another hour of song writing, and then finally a couple hours of sleep. Vinyl repeated the process almost perfectly, following her typical times for everything. The only exception was when Vinyl lay her down to sleep. She kept coming back to a mental image of her singing and Octavia playing the cello on stage. The memory didn't spark any physical responses, it only invoked a thought in Vinyl's mind. Soon, she thought, soon. Author's Note I have to say that I did not write the lyrics in this chapter, only half-wrote them. Even though I'm able to write my own lyrics, I chose to take some from a band and song very close to me. If anyone could tell me the song the words came from(without Google), I would literally love you forever. While I'm talking about the lyrics, I'm not too wild about them the way they're set up. Independently, they work, but when you mix mine the and previously made ones together it's just meh.
Chapter TenChapter Ten Octavia sat on her sofa, carefully replacing the strings on her cello. Ordinarily she would take it to a unicorn who specialized in the craft of musical instruments, but decided it would be nice to finally learn for herself. Ever since her recovery from the initial heartbreak, Octavia had found that she had a lot of time on her hooves. She filled her time, primarily, with the cello. Of course, she also watched Doctor Whooves, and even enjoyed the occasional shopping trip on Mane Street, but the cello was her main source of time-filling. A string snapped off of a tuning peg as Octavia's hoof slipped. She cursed herself for being born without magical powers, and being forced to live with her big clumsy hooves. She wasn't exactly sure how she managed to become a first chair cellist with them, let alone play the instrument. Octavia set the cello aside, planning on finishing the replacement when she wasn't as angry with herself. She turned on the TV and flipped through the channels, trying to find something interesting to watch. Despite having over three hundred channels, Octavia still had trouble finding something that sparked an interest. The flipping stopped when Octavia saw the words "Vinyl Scratch" on the screen. Her heart skipped a beat as she turned her full attention to the story. "...the album is scheduled to release in one week, and is expected to top the charts within one hour. Back to you in the studio, Herald." The headline Vinyl Scratch to debut new album still burned in Octavia's mind as she turned the channel again. Wow, she thought, I really have been out of touch. Since her meltdown with Canone one month prior, Octavia had all but locked herself in her apartment. She went out for work everyday, and the occasional trip to downtown Canterlot, but other than her few trips she spent almost all her time in her apartment. I really do need to get out more. Octavia stood and began to pack her cello. A sharp knock came from the door, startling Octavia. She took a quick glance at the clock. 8:30 P.M. Octavia frowned. Who could possibly be here at this hour? Octavia set her cello in its case and silently moved towards the door. She very carefully leaned in and peered through the peep-hole in her door, still suspicious of who would be bothering her. She cursed under her breath when she saw the pony who stood at her door. The door opened and Octavia let out a sigh. "What do you want?" she said bitterly. Sapphire Shores stood before her, looking very tired and very un-kept. "Hi Octavia. I think we need to talk." Octavia glared at the mare, hatred filling her heart. "Okay. Talk." "It's kind of personal. Do you think I can come in?" "I know you're Sapphire Shores, but that doesn't give you the right to come to my apartment and invite yourself-" Sapphire held up her hoof to cut of Octavia. "It's about Vinyl." Despite her mental warning, Octavia motioned for Sapphire to enter the apartment. The door slammed behind her; it was the most Octavia could to do display her hatred for the mare that stood in her apartment. Octavia advanced towards Sapphire. "Okay Sapphire," she said with hostility in her voice, "what's so important that it couldn't wait until morning?" Sapphire sat down on Octavia's couch and buried her face in her hooves. Octavia thought she saw tears coming from her eyes. "Well, like I said, it's about Vinyl." "Eeyup." "I know that..." her voice quivered. A tear ran down Sapphire cheek as she continued. "I know you think that I stole Vinyl from you, but you need to know that that's not true. I didn't intended on causing any problems between you two. Honestly. I feel terrible for what I did. I really hate making other ponies sad. You and Vinyl are perfect together and-" "Stop." Octavia said in a commanding voice. "I don't need to hear it, okay? I totally get it. You feel soooo bad because of what you did." A tone of sarcasm made its way into her voice as she continued. "You want me to be with Vinyl. Yeah, sure, that's believable. If you wanted us to be together then why did you take her from me at the gala." Sapphire's eyes showed concern at Octavia's words. "No, no, no, you don't understand. I only asked her to dance because I wanted to talk to her. Vinyl has been the first musician to treat me as an equal. You don't know what it's like to have everypony treat you like a god. Vinyl actually wanted to talk to me about everyday stuff, not just stare at me with their mouths agape because of my status. I had to get away from the world of posers and jerks for a minute and talk to somepony normal. I'm sorry if I tore you two apart." Octavia tried to maintain her hardened look, but it was slipping fast, and she knew it would be easy to see through. "Then tell me this," she said quizzically, "why did she go with you? I'm guessing that's not your fault either?" Sapphire sat in silence for a minute, searching for an answer. "I hope that's not my fault..." she said slowly. They sat in silence again, neither mare having words for the other. Octavia studied Sapphire. She hadn't noticed earlier, but Sapphire was a complete wreck. Her mane was a mess, tangled and unwashed, her coat was the same way. The clothes she wore were not the normal "Sapphire Shores" design. They were very plain, a simple shirt and sweatpants. Octavia's heart softened: anytime Sapphire Shores wasn't wearing exquisite clothing, something was definitely wrong. Sapphire finally decided to break the silence. "Octavia, did you ever think that it could have been your fault?" Octavia smiled at what she assumed was a joke. "Really?" she asked sarcastically, "How could this be my fault?" "Did you ever actually tell Vinyl you had feelings for her? You can imply it with as many looks and gentle touches as you want, but nothing will happen until you go out there and make it happen. Vinyl may have liked you, but if you never gave her those feelings back...well...it makes sense that she would give up on you." Octavia's eyes widened at the thought. No, she thought, no, no, no. There's no way it was me. It slowly started to dawn on her that maybe, just maybe, it was her. Octavia cursed again, something she had been making a habit of, "I was me..." she said distantly. She buried her face in her hooves as she joined Sapphire on the couch. "It was all my fault. How could I have missed that?" Sapphire reached her foreleg around Octavia. "Don't beat yourself up over it Octavia." "Oh I shouldn't beat myself up?" she replied, "I shouldn't beat myself up over losing the love of my life? For losing the only pony I truly care about in the world? I blew it Sapphire. Now Vinyl's off Celestia-knows-where, probably loving somepony I don't even know." She shook her head, disappointed in herself. Sapphire pulled her in closer. Ordinarily Octavia would've shied away at the contact, but having somepony there to comfort her kept her from moving. "Wait one week Octavia. That's when you will know if you've lost her. Listen to what the music says, that's where Vinyl will put her response to you. Just remember," she said as she removed her leg from Octavia's shoulder, "those two things go hoof-and-hoof: love and music." She stood and made a move for the door. "I'm sorry Octavia, but I have to go: it's late and I have to be somewhere tomorrow morning." Sapphire began to walk out the door, but stopped halfway through. She turned and faced Octavia one last time. "Good luck. I want you to invite me to your wedding when you and Vinyl get married. Okay?" The door closed and Octavia was left by herself. Her head spun as she tried to grasp the words that Sapphire had left with her. Vinyl's newest album, love and music, her marriage. My marriage, she thought, surely she can't believe that we're going to get married still. Not after this. A sudden sense of urgency took over as Octavia stood and walked over to her cello. She removed it from its case and sat down to play it, completely ignoring the missing string. The notes to her and Vinyl's song poured from the strings as she mixed the two greatest things in her life: love and music. Even though she wasn't much of a singer she opened her mouth and sang the words, not caring who heard her: I fight you off And pull you in, Under the lights Where we begin. I take your hoof And pull you in, Here with me We start again. The words poured from Octavia's soul as she fought back tears. The weight of the words fell onto her shoulders, almost to where she couldn't continue. Never mind. Ignore the time. Look in my eye, And say "Your mine." Octavia dropped her bow at the words "You're mine". She didn't even bother picking it back up; she knew she couldn't continue to play. She gently set her cello back in its case and walked into her bedroom, deciding that all she could was sleep. Author's Note I know I put an "Eeyup" in here, and I know that that line normally goes to Big Mac, but I love it so much that I had to put it in this chapter. These lyrics are mine. I actually intended on making a song with them, which I may post link for when it's done (yes, there will be a cello).
Chapter ElevenChapter Eleven "Five....Four....Three....Two....One....The album is now live everypony!" The room erupted in cheers as Arpeggio said the words. The whole production crew was smiling and giving each other high-fives as the count down finally hit zero. All of their hard work was done, and it was finally time to bask in the fruits of their labor. Even Vinyl gave a smile as the team congratulated her, despite the fact that part of her was missing. I guess it's not all bad, she thought, even if Octavia isn't here. After all, this is supposed to be a big album, I guess. She took a look around the room, noticing that everypony was looking at her. Vinyl felt nervous, unsure why they were all staring at her. "Aren't you going to say something Vinyl?" Arpeggio said from his place at the front of the room. Vinyl's heart skipped a beat. She had no idea that she was supposed to do public speaking. "Um..." she said slowly, "sure..." She began to advance towards Arpeggio at the front of the room. Even though Vinyl was a performer, public speak was not her forte. Every time she stood before a crowd to give a speech, her mind would blank and she would be at a loss for words. Vinyl stood next to her manger. She could feel every eye in the room strained on her, but it felt as if all of Equestria was watching. "Hello everypony." She was met with silence, which only made her feel more uncomfortable. "I'd like to thank all of you. Without you guys, this whole project would've been a disaster." That was a lie of course, and Vinyl felt bad about it, but she swallowed hard and continued. "This album was a huge undertaking and I'd like you all to know, from the bottom of my heart, that is was you guys who got the hard work done." The team cheered as Vinyl finished. Just as she turned to leave, another thought invaded her mind; the thought of Octavia. Arpeggio opened his mouth to speak, but Vinyl interrupted him. "But just remember," she continued, "that the important thing isn't the album sales, it's the good work you all did. I'm proud of all of you, even if we only sell one CD." As long it goes to Octavia, she thought as she turned and returned to her previous spot. Arpeggio began to speak again, but Vinyl ignored him. After her thoughts of Octavia, she was lonely again. The only image Vinyl's mind would give her was of her special somepony. "What do you mean you're sold out?" Octavia said furiously. "I woke up at three o'clock this morning for this album!" The cashier shook her head. "I'm sorry ma'am, but we started letting ponies in at midnight. You probably should have pre-ordered it, you aren't the only die-hard Vinyl Scratch fan." Fan is a bit of an understatement Octavia thought bitterly as she turned her back to the mare. "That's fine. I guess I'll just go elsewhere." She started to walk towards the exit. "Yeah, good luck with that ma'am," the cashier yelled. Octavia exited the building. She had never liked PonyMart. The only reason she went was because it seemed like every store in Canterlot had sold out of the album. I need to get my hooves on this album, she thought. Octavia had been anxiously awaiting the release of Vinyl's CD ever since she heard the name: You're Still Here. The street outside the store was full, even at five in the morning, when everypony should have been sleeping. Various fillies and colts ran through the streets, bragging about having Vinyl's CD before this-pony or that-pony. Most of the ponies in the street wore shirts with Vinyl's face printed on the front, some had her older songs blaring on boom-boxes, and a couple even had their hair dyed like Vinyl's. The thought of Vinyl being commercialized made Octavia sick. I don't need this, she thought as she stared at the jam-packed street, I'm going home. Ten hours later, Octavia found herself standing in Ponyville, still in desperate search of the album. After she told herself she was going home, Octavia promptly went to the Canterlot train station for the first train to Ponyville. Vinyl, Octavia had reasoned, wasn't as popular in Ponyville, which historically enjoyed rock and country over pop. As Octavia stepped of the train, she was met with a very bright light. The sun had fully risen since her descent from the mountain-city. The light stung her eyes as she crossed the platform, descended the stairs, and entered the town. Having never been to Ponyville, Octavia was surprised at just how small the town was. Since her tour with Vinyl, she had become accustomed to large cities like Manehattan and Fillydelphia, so much so that the one-horse-town filled her with a sense of emptiness. Octavia started walking through the town, unsure of where she could find a copy of the CD. The first thing she noticed about Ponyville was the color that filled the town. Sure, the various ponies added to the color, but the amount of color intermixed with the buildings and trees and the various decorations took Octavia by surprise, so much so that she almost missed the large poster of Vinyl on the side of a building. Octavia's heart sunk as she looked at the poster. Great, she thought, they like her here too. She considered lying down in the street, in the hope that she would be struck by a cart. The thought of never being able to hear the songs Vinyl had written filled her with a depression deeper than the one she had been in for the past month. Although, she thought, maybe nopony bought the CD. It was a one in a million chance, but Octavia took it, having no other hope. Octavia set off towards the large poster, hoping that no pony had any interest in the thought of owning Vinyl's album. A warmth spread through her heart as she noticed that no pony was making a move towards the small stall where the CD's were being sold. She smiled as she advanced towards the stand. "Excuse me," she said to the stallion working the stall, "do you have any copies left?" Octavia did her best to hide the desperation in her voice, but she knew it was showing through. "You're in luck," he said, "we have one left. Somepony was supposed to come by earlier today and pick it up, but she never showed. I guess you can have it." He dropped his head beneath the counter to retrieve the CD. Octavia restrained herself from doing a hoof-pump, reminding herself she was in public. The stallion popped his head back above the counter and set the CD in front of Octavia. "There you go ma'am. That'll be five bits." Octavia smiled, relieved to finally receive the album. The words You're Still Here made her feel anxious, but only for a moment as she realized she had to pay the stallion. "Thank you," she said with a smile. "Excuse me," said a small voice from behind Octavia as she placed her bits on the counter, "I'm sorry I'm late, but I ordered Vinyl Scratch's new CD and I wasn't able to pick it up earlier. Is it too late?" Octavia turned and was met with a pale yellow pegasus. She recognized the pegasus as Fluttershy, the pony who had released the animals at the Grand Galloping Gala, sending the event to chaos. Octavia smiled at mare, who she knew to be very nice. "As a matter of fact," the stallion working the stand said, "this mare here just bought the last one. I'm sorry Fluttershy." Octavia could practically feel her heart break as the pegasus dropped her head. "Oh, I'm sorry," Fluttershy said quietly, "I'll just leave then." She turned and began to walk away from the stand, clearly disappointed. Oh Celestia, Octavia thought, I've been so selfish. I never stopped to think that other ponies loved Vinyl too. Octavia weighed her options as fast as she could, deciding between herself and saddened Fluttershy that was walking away from her. "Wait!" she yelled after the pegasus, "Come back Fluttershy." Fluttershy's head perked up at Octavia's words. She quickly spun on the spot and trotted back to Octavia. "What is it miss...?" "Octavia," she replied with a smile. The smile quickly disappeared as Octavia swallowed hard and closed her eyes, visibly distraught about what she was about to do. "This is yours, Fluttershy," she said, pushing the CD into Fluttershy's hooves. "You ordered it earlier than I did. I just happened to come along before you did." Octavia could tell that Fluttershy was surprised by the gesture. "Why, Miss Octavia, that's very nice of you, but you bought it before I did. I can't take this back." Fluttershy tried to return the CD, but Octavia held up her hoof in protest. "No. I insist Fluttershy." "At least let my pay you for it." Fluttershy replied as she reached into her bag for bits. Octavia again held up her hoof in protest. "I can't accept payment." Fluttershy was silent for a moment before she responded. "Thank you Octavia. It's very nice of you. Now if you will excuse me, I have a bunny who wanted to hear this CD very much." The pegasus turned and walked away from Octavia, uninterrupted this time. "I'm sorry," the stallion working the stand said, "but did she call you Octavia?" Octavia turned and looked at the stallion. After her conversation with Fluttershy, she had completely forgotten he was still there. "Um...yes, she did." she said, flustered by the question. "I have a CD for you then." He said as reached under the counter again. Octavia was surprised at the stallion's comment. "But I didn't order a CD. I don't even live in Ponyville. Why do you have one for me?" The stallion placed the CD on the counter. "Miss Scratch's request. All places selling CD's must carry a special copy in case somepony named Octavia shows up. We weren't sure why she wanted it that way, but didn't argue. You don't just argue with somepony like Vinyl Scratch." A huge grin broke across Octavia's face as she approached the stall again. "You mean that Vinyl requested I get this CD, in every store in Equestria?" "Yes, ma'am. Also, it's free." Octavia felt her smile get even larger. Not bad, Vinyl, she thought, not bad at all. She quickly spun on the spot and sprinted towards the Ponyville Train Station, not even saying her farewells to the stallion who had helped her. Octavia sat in her apartment, CD in hoof. She opened the CD tray on her stereo and placed the disc in, unsure of what was to come of the situation. On the train ride home, she had nursed the thought that Vinyl still loved her, but eventually that thought gave way to the idea that Vinyl didn't love, and that the CD was just a way to tell her without being face-to-face. "Well, I guess I'm about to find out," she said. "Here we go." She closed the CD tray and hit the play button, letting the melodies take her away.
Chapter TwelveChapter Twelve Octavia sat on the edge of her couch, eagerly awaiting Vinyl's newest interview. Ever since the announce of a live interview a week prior, Octavia had been preparing for the occasion in any way she could think: stocking up on food, taking vacation the following the day (it was expected to go late), and even adjusted her sleep schedule so she would be wide awake. Vinyl's album had had a very profound effect on Octavia. Throughout most of the CD, Octavia had felt like there were a few underlying themes here and there about her, but that all changed when she heard You're Still Here. The song had a very strong place in Octavia heart, even though she had only heard it a select number of times. Every time she heard it, she could basically feel her heart break all over again, not in self-sorrow, but in pity for Vinyl, who Octavia found to extremely hard to contact. If Vinyl had been easier to contact, the whole situation would have been resolved much earlier, but instead the mares were still stuck worlds apart. The screen flashed as Octavia's favorite gossip program (which she still hated) suddenly appeared on the screen. A large picture of Vinyl occupied the screen with the caption "Equestria's favorite star agrees to live interview." Octavia's heart warmed as she saw Vinyl's face. Even though she had pictures of Vinyl laying around the apartment, she still found the sight of Vinyl warming and comforting. Something about unicorn's red eyes felt like home to Octavia. The image of Vinyl faded and it was replaced by live footage of the host of the show, Honey Blossom, a pale green mare of an older age, who was sitting facing the camera. "Hello Equestria. Tonight I bring you what may be the most anticipated interview of the entire year. I'm joined, here in the studio, for a rare, live interview with Equestria's favorite musician: Vinyl Scratch." The camera panned and zoomed out to include Vinyl in the shot. Having not seen Vinyl in months, the sight of the mare should have made Octavia very happy, but seeing the worn down and emotionally crushed Vinyl only made her feel nervous. Octavia had never seen Vinyl so disheveled: her mane was wild, more so than normal, her eyes were bloodshot and had many bags underneath them. Octavia could already feel her heart begin to break as the interview began. "So, Vinyl Scratch, it has been a long time since you've joined us for an interview. How have you been in recent months?" Honey Blossom asked cheerily. "Oh," she replied with a small chuckle, "I've been better. This last album took a lot out of me. There were a couple of nights where I just went ahead and slept in the studio. You know, for convenience the next day." "And that work has greatly paid off. Since the release of your albums two months ago, it has been the best selling album for eight straight weeks. Simply amazing. How do you feel about those numbers?" Vinyl sighed. She knew that Honey Blossom was going to be asking questions, that was, after all, what interviewers did. But she didn't anticipate asking her about her feelings, something Vinyl typically expressed in songs. "Well...."I'm glad that everypony is enjoying my CD, and I hope they enjoy it for months to come," she said after due consideration to her words. That should keep the record company happy, Vinyl thought bitterly. "I'm sure they will," Honey Blossom replied. Vinyl knew that the earth pony was on her side, but sometimes it didn't feel that way. "Now I'm sure that you're excited for the Hoofies this year. Music greatest honor and you are up for a record five of them, including Best Mare Vocal Performance, Best Pop Solo, Artist of the Year, Album of the Year, and song of the Year. Very impressive for a unicorn as young as yourself." "Thank you Mrs. Blossom. I try very hard. Although the awards have never appealed to me very much." Honey Blossom blinked hard in surprise. It was unheard of for anypony in the music to be indifferent towards the Hoofies. "That's very interesting Vinyl. Will you - perchance - tell us more?" Vinyl smiled. She knew that she had captured the attention of everypony watching. They would be holding onto every single word for the rest of the conversation. "Well, honestly, I've never seen much point in winning one. If I can inspire a feeling from a song; if I can make somepony relate to a song; if I can bring back memories, good or bad, from a song, that is the only award I need." Honey Blossom smiled at Vinyl but didn't respond. Vinyl was sure that Honey Blossom was straining for a response. After all, Vinyl was confident that nopony had ever said anything like what she had just said in front of millions of viewers. She could feel herself begin to sweat as the interviewer's eyes seemed to be peering into her very soul. "Vinyl, I must say, that is a very unique response. I must say, in my fifteen years of doing this show, I have never heard anypony give me a response like that." Vinyl suddenly felt very nervous. She felt as if Honey Blossom was suddenly against her because she broke the 'interview code', or something crazy like that. Honey Blossom continued, softening her tone. "I am very glad to see the direction today's stars have started to take towards what it means to be a star. You are truly an inspiration for future generations Vinyl. Vinyl did her best to hide her surprise, but she could still feel her jaw drop at the comment. "W-what?" She silently prayed that the cameras were trained on Honey Blossom: she didn't want to world to see her gaping mouth. Honey Blossom nodded. "I am very happy that today's musicians are not as focused on awards and record sales. They are thinking more about how their music makes others feel." "Umm....Yeah," Vinyl said, removing the shocked expression from her face, "I did my best to connect with the listeners on this album. I wanted everypony to relate to my feelings this time around." She was grateful that Honey Blossom had mentioned music affecting others, otherwise Vinyl would have just sat with her mouth agape for the rest of the interview. "And while we're on the topic," Honey Blossom continued, "you do connect with the commonpony very well. Your songs are very easy for ponies of every age to relate to. The title song from the album, You're Still Here, has become to most popular song on the album, which many music experts attribute to its lyrics. What exactly were you thinking when you were writing those lyrics?" Vinyl's face stiffened. Her heart began to race. I can't tell the world about Octavia, she thought. Nopony ever knew, not even my own parents. Vinyl felt the pressure of the live interview. She could almost see the millions of ponies watching her, and she knew they were all eagerly awaiting a response. "Well, to be honest, I was thinking of love," Vinyl said quietly. Honey Blossom opened her mouth to speak, but Vinyl cut her off, unaware she was about to offer a retort. "Somepony I love as a matter of fact. I hurt her some time ago, and I guess it was my way of trying to mend our situation." Honey Blossom sat in shock. Even though it was common for musicians to openly discuss relationships, Vinyl had always remained silent on the topic. The interviewer eventually pulled herself together enough to say: "That's very nice Vinyl, and I hope all goes well in your future." "Thank you," Vinyl said, doing her best to hold back her emotions. "And with that," Honey Blossom said, turning to face the cameras, "I'm afraid we're out of time everypony. Vinyl, as always, it was a pleasure talking to you. Do join us again sometime won't you?" The moon shown through the window as Vinyl sat in her chariot crying. She had spilled her emotions out to millions of ponies, and she knew the efforts would be in vain. In the two months her album had been out, she still hadn't received a response from Octavia. Vinyl was supposed to receive a message if Octavia had picked up her album, and, after two months, not getting it was taking its toll on her emotions. There was a knock at the door to the chariot. Arpeggio's voice came from the other side. "Vinyl, it's me. Can we talk?" Vinyl didn't respond, but the stallion entered anyway. She managed to make out a concerned look on Arpeggio's face, even through her tear soaked eyes. He sat down next to her and placed his foreleg around her. Vinyl knew that comforting wasn't Arpeggio's strong suit - the most he normally offered was a "there, there" - but she accepted the gesture none-the-less. Vinyl chocked back some tears before finally speaking up. "I'm sorry Arpeggio. I'm sorry I never told you about her. I'm sorry you never knew why I acted depressed. I'm sorry I made your work so much harder because I was so uncooperative. I'm sorry I-" "No," he said gently, "don't be sorry. I don't want you to be sorry. You should never be sorry for what happens in love. Just like how you should never apologize for music. We always knew that you loved somepony, it was obvious from the music, but we never asked who it was. It seemed like a touchy topic, and we didn't want to upset you." "Thank you," she said quietly. Vinyl did her best to hold back the emotions, but they eventually came through. She cried for hours, and Arpeggio was by her side the whole time. She was very grateful for the company. Outside of Octavia, Arpeggio was the only pony she could feel safe with. After many hours, the sunlight began to creep into the chariot. Vinyl wished it away: she didn't want the day. Day was supposed to be happy, and she was everything but happy. Night was her favorite. Night was when she could cry and nopony would see her. Night was when she could be alone with her thoughts, instead of somepony mindlessly chanting her daily schedules. Night was, truly, when she felt free. Arpeggio removed his foreleg from around Vinyl, making her feel lonely again. "I hate to do this to you Vinyl," he said solemnly, "but we have to go. You have to come face the world now. I know that you don't like showing your emotions, and going into a world where everypony knows how you feel will be hard, but I know you can do it." Vinyl wiped the tears out of her eyes. She looked deep into Arpeggio's eyes. "You really think I can do this?" "No, I don't," he said with a smile on his face. "I know you can. After all, you're Vinyl Scratch, music's best singer, and everypony is going to love you, no matter what." Vinyl rose from her spot and started walking slowly to the door. It doesn't matter who loves me, she thought , as long as Octavia is one of them. She opened the door, ready to face the world.
Chapter ThirteenChapter Thirteen Octavia sat on the edge of her seat as she watched the newest episode of Doctor Whooves, something she had been looking forward to for weeks. The Doctor was facing his great challenge yet: a strange form of statues called the Weeping Pegasi that would only move when somepony wasn't looking at them. The Doctor leaned in closer to a statue. The tension was so thick that Octavia could cut it with a knife. The candle immediately behind The Doctor began to flicker. He scrambled for his sonic screwdriver, and dove towards the candle just as it went out. *KNOCK*KNOCK*KNOCK* Octavia let out a loud shriek and nearly jumped straight out of her coat at the sound of the knocking. It was strange for anypony to come to her apartment at night, let alone a night when Doctor Whooves was on: everypony knew how much she loved the show. Muting the TV, Octavia rose from her spot on the coach and began to move towards the door. Her experience with Sapphire Shores still burned deep in her mind as she slowly crept towards the door. Even though Octavia learned a lot from her conversation with Sapphire, the talk had left her emotionally torn for weeks afterwards. When Octavia reached the door, she looked through the peep-hole in the door. The stallion on the other side bore no resemblance to anypony Octavia had ever seen before. The unicorn appeared to be very important, carrying a briefcase and tapping his hoof impatiently, as if there was someplace he had to be very soon. Well there's no way this can be worse than Sapphire, Octavia thought as she leaned forward to open the door. "Hello, sir I-" "Are you Octavia?" He interrupted. The mare was taken aback by his question. Nopony had ever come to her door asking who she was. "Um...yes. Yes I am." "Oh, thank Celestia," the stallion replied as he pushed past Octavia. He threw his briefcase on the couch and turned to face her. "You're the third cellist I've visited today, and frankly I was tired of knocking on random ponies doors." Octavia stood with her mouth agape as the stallion made himself at home. She had never had anypony burst into her apartment and start acting as if they lived there. She walked over to the stallion, who was still standing just a few feet from the couch. "Umm..." The stallion took a long look around Octavia's apartment. "Lovely place you've got here. I can almost feel the music in this room." He turned and faced Octavia, who still stood with a look of shock on her face. "I'm sorry," he said, shaking his head. "Where are my manners? My name is Arpeggio, I'm Vinyl's producer." "Oh," Octavia replied shortly. She wasn't exactly sure what to think, it wasn't everyday that a famous music producer came knocking at a commonpony's door. Then again, she thought, I haven't exactly had the most normal life since Vinyl showed up. "How can I help you, Arpeggio?" "Well firstly I'd like to apologize for dropping in unannounced like this." Using his magic, Arpeggio retrieved his briefcase from the couch and began going through the papers inside. "I don't like popping in on ponies like this. Anyway, the reason I came here was for Vinyl's well being. You're familiar with the Hoofies right?" "Yeah, they're only the biggest music awards in all of Equestria. I watch them every year." "Just like most ponies," Arpeggio replied. "I'm sure you know that Vinyl is up for five awards this year as well. Now, I know that the list of musicians performing at the awards this year hasn't been released yet, but I'm going to give you an insider secret: Vinyl is performing." "That's not really surprising," Octavia said, "considering she's up for a record number of Hoofies, and she's the biggest act in Equestria." Octavia shook her head. "I'm sorry Arpeggio, but I still don't know where I fit in here." Arpeggio let out a large grin at her comment. "Oh, Octavia, you fit in perfectly here. Let me tell you about my plan..." Author's Note I know this chapter is short, but I didn't have too much of a choice in that: I had to set up the next chapter.
Chapter FourteenChapter Fourteen Vinyl was frantic. Not only was it her first time at the Hoofies, but she was performing, and her cellist was no where to be found. She had opted to perform the song that her and Octavia had performed; the song that meant the world to her. Vinyl ran through the halls of the dressing rooms, scrambling to find her dressing room. In all the confusion of losing her cellist, Vinyl had forgotten that she needed to get her dress on. She burst through the door labeled "Vinyl Scratch", and began to search the room for her dress. Vinyl searched for five minutes, but couldn't find her dress. "Ugh. Where is it?!" she yelled. Her frustration was mounting. Not only was her dress missing, but Sonata, her cellist who she desperately needed for the show, was still no where to be found. Vinyl considered just laying down on the couch in the dressing room and refusing to leave, but she decided against it: too many ponies were counting on her playing a song. A sharp knock came at Vinyl's dressing room door. "It's open," she yelled over her shoulder as she continued her search for the elusive dress. "Looking for this?" came Arpeggio's voice from behind her. Vinyl turned to face the producer. Her dress was suspended in the air by Arpeggio's magic, his pale green magic reflecting off of the diamonds that covered the front of the dress. Vinyl smiled at him. "Thanks Arpeggio. Don't know what I would do without you." Arpeggio laughed. "Probably go on stage with out a dress." Vinyl took the dress with her own magic and began to wiggle into it. It fit perfectly, and she felt perfect in it. The black fabric was covered in diamonds, which Vinyl loved, even though it was a bit presumptuous for a Hoofie nominated musician. "Rarity really outdid herself this time." Arpeggio said. "Yes, she has," Vinyl said as she looked in the mirror. She turned and faced Arpeggio, returning her thoughts to business. "Have you seen Sonata yet? We go on in an hour and she's no where to be found." "I talked to her a little bit ago. She's going to be a little late, something about her cello needing some quick repairs. She's going to join you on stage." Vinyl shrugged. It wasn't a great response to Arpeggio's comment, but it was all that she could think of. In the hooful of shows that Sonata had joined her on stage, the event had been a disaster. She had shown up late, unprepared, and was distracted by Vinyl's status. Vinyl wanted to get rid of Sonata on the spot, but the record company insisted. Arpeggio moved closer to Vinyl and placed his foreleg around her. "I'm sorry. I know you don't like her, but she's all we have, the record company made that very clear." He patted Vinyl on the back and a smiled at her. "Come on, the awards are starting soon." The theater where the Hoofies were held was magnificent. The carpet was a deep red, which looked good with the gold tapestries draped around the room. A very large stage stood at the front of the room, which was made to accommodate a large number of musicians at once. Vinyl took her seat at the front of the room, but wasn't seated for long. She won the first two awards, and was forced to move again. The awards for Best Mare Vocal Performance and Best Pop Solo, were taken without a problem. Even though the awards didn't matter too much to Vinyl, she was still concerned about them; her career could sink if she didn't win any any Hoofies. After the award for best soundtrack, Vinyl won her next two awards: Song of Year and Album of the Year. This is going better than I thought, Vinyl thought as she sat back in her seat at the front of the room. After the award for Best Group Performance, the stadium security waved to Vinyl: it was time to take the stage. She wasn't nervous, just in a total disbelief that Sonata was still missing. Vinyl had assumed that the mare would understand the weight of the situation, but it suddenly became apparent that she didn't. Vinyl left the awards in her seat and trotted past everypony in the front row. She received many wishes of luck, which she took to heart. I guess they aren't all bad, she thought as she entered the door at the end of the row. Maybe Sapphire isn't that bad either. Arpeggio met her as soon as they were out of earshot of the crowd. "Vinyl, firstly, congratulations on the awards." Vinyl nodded her head sharply as she took a turn for the stage. She held a bottle of water to her mouth with magic, taking a long drink. "Secondly," he continued as Vinyl set the bottle down and started walking towards the stage, "don't hate me for what I'm about to do." Vinyl spun on the spot and faced Arpeggio, a look of horror on her face. "Sonata still isn't here?! Ugh, I hate that mare!" "Just go. Everything is going to be fine," he said quietly. Vinyl thought she saw a smirk on his face as she turned toward the stage, which only darkened her thoughts. What's so funny? she thought, taking her first step towards the piano, we're missing our cellist for one of the most important performances of my career. Cheers erupted as Vinyl became visible on stage. The crushing weight of the situation suddenly fell on Vinyl's shoulders. I'm here alone, she thought solemnly, I'm doing this performance by myself. Even though she had been on stage at least a hundred times, somepony had always joined Vinyl on stage, whether it be Octavia, Sonata, or a band mate. Vinyl sat down at the piano on stage and let out a deep breath. She did her best to clear her head of her distress, trying to focus on the task at hoof. The sound of hoofsteps came from behind Vinyl, followed by the pluck of a cello string. Vinyl let her head drop in relief. "Oh, thank Celestia," she breathed as the hoofsteps grew closer. Vinyl could feel Sonata standing right behind her. Without looking, she motioned for the mare to walk past her, to the stool that had been set out for the cellist. The mare moved her head closer to Vinyl's ear, ensuring that nopony would hear her whisper. "What, not even a hello?" Vinyl's heart skipped a beat as Octavia moved into her field of vision. The grey mare turned and winked at Vinyl as she took her place on the stool. Vinyl mouthed a 'what' at Octavia, who nodded in return, signifying that they would talk later. Vinyl shook her head and shrugged, starting the song. Chords rang from the piano, and she could feel goosebumps start popping up under her coat. Octavia's cello suddenly began, a deep, rich tone that filled Vinyl's heart with joy. Vinyl let out a smile as she began to sing: I fight you off, And pull you in, Under the lights, Where we begin. I take your hoof, And pull you in, Here with me, We start again. Vinyl was aware of tear moving down her cheek. She let out another smile. Tears of joy, she thought, oh, how I missed tears of joy. Never mind Ignore the time, Look in my eye And say "you're mine". Even though it was unplanned, Octavia and Vinyl both let the note ring, as if they were letting their emotions wash over the room. They both continued at the same time, finding themselves back on beat, perfectly in sync. The fight goes on, The bell will sound, It pulls you in, Another round. The dark comes up, The lights go down, I pull you in, with out a sound. More tears. For once in her life, Vinyl welcomed them. She didn't care that millions of ponies in homes all across Equestria were seeing her become emotional. Never mind Draw the line Don't waste time Just say "you're mine". The note rang out again, and Vinyl's smile grew even more. The two ponies shifted into a different key for the bridge. Vinyl could feel the change, and her heart rate quickened. Just fly with me Ignore the fall. Take the jump It's not high at all. Now we soar Into the sun, But we have only Just begun. The song slipped back into the starting key and Vinyl could feel her and Octavia starting to move perfectly together. Every note went together flawlessly, every single beat was spot on. They were finally in perfect unison, and Vinyl felt like she was on top of the world. Never mind I pull you in, Look in my eye And we begin. I fight you off Ignore the time, Under the lights You'll say "you're mine". The music slowly came to stop as Octavia and Vinyl slowed the music together, ending on a chord that warmed Vinyl's heart. She rose from the piano and took a bow to the audience, who was giving her a large ovation. There wasn't a dry eye in the entire crowd, which made Vinyl even happier. They know now, she thought. She smiled again. Everypony knows now. Vinyl turned her head to face Octavia, who was already looking back at her. She turned and walked towards the mare, who was already moving towards her in return. They met in the middle of the stage, practically tackling each other in their fit joy. Octavia leaned in close so Vinyl could hear her over the sound of thundering applause. "You're mine," she said directly in Vinyl's ear, echoing the lyrics of Vinyl's song. Vinyl smiled and nodded as she took one last look at the audience, who was still applauding loudly. Her and Octavia took one final bow and departed the stage. Arpeggio met them as soon as they came of the stage. A nervous smile was on his face as he looked at Vinyl. "Did I do okay?" Vinyl let her smile grow even larger. "I hate you so much Arpeggio," she said sarcastically as she threw her forelegs around him in a large embrace. The musician who was previously sitting next to Vinyl, who's name she had failed to learn, was no where to be seen when she returned to her seat. She didn't care though, mostly because it gave Octavia the chance to join her as her career took flight. The two mares sat together, hoof-in-hoof, as they watched the Hoofies. The awards flew by as Vinyl and Octavia basked in each others presence, ignoring the awards for the most part. They didn't speak to each other at all -the awards didn't allow for much 'catch-up' time- but they still had an exchange of emotions, just in the simple body motions they were giving each other. Vinyl could feel Octavia's hoof squeeze her's tightly as Sapphire Shores walked on stage. Her sweeping dress followed her as she moved up to the podium. She glanced down at Vinyl, who replied with a nod. "And now, everypony, onto the award you've waited all night for: Artist of the Year. This has been a truly magical year for music, and so many acts made the year special. Unfortunately, only four select artists may hold the title of Artist of the Year. Mares and gentlecolts, here are your nominees for Artist of the Year: Twenty One Pegasi," Applause. "Coldneigh," More applause. "One Flight-Direction," Less applause. "And, last but not least, Vinyl Scratch." Another thundering round of applause filled the room. Vinyl couldn't help blushing at the audience's reaction. "And the winner is..." Sapphire tore open the envelope that sat on the podium. "Vinyl Scratch." The roof again erupted into cheers as Vinyl stood, reluctantly releasing Octavia's hoof, and made her way on stage for the sixth time that night. She moved towards the podium, thinking through the words she wanted to say. Sapphire met Vinyl on stage and gave her a hug and the award, which Vinyl levitated to the podium with her magic. She stood staring at the crowd for a few moments before finding the words that she wanted. "This award," she said as the roof came to a hush, "means a lot to me. I went through a lot to get this award: heart break, depression, and many sleepless nights. My work was inspired by my life, and I think many ponies all over Equestria can relate to my life. Not everypony gets blessed by the happy ending, that's pretty obvious, but in the end, my work paid off, and now I'm standing before everypony, accepting this award." Vinyl took a pause and looked around the room, taking in the whole scene. "And there are many ponies I would like to thank: my team that worked on the album, my producer, Arpeggio, who I would've been lost without, and, most importantly, my special somepony, Octavia." She looked down at the mare who was sitting in the front row. "Don't know where I would be without you Tavia." Vinyl picked up the award, and left the podium. She was met with applause as she stepped off the stage and returned to her seat. Vinyl turned and faced Octavia, who had a wide grin on her face. "Octavia, I know it's a couple months late, but I love you too." Author's Note I hate having to change my lyrics for 'hand' to 'hoof'. That's my only note. Other than this anyway: yay happy stuffs!
EpilogueChapter Fifteen Octavia watched with pride as Vinyl set her five awards on the dressing room table. The light glistened off of them as they made their way to the table, which made them even more magnificent than they were before. The sight warmed Octavia's heart: knowing that Vinyl had worked so hard, and went through so much to get the awards made the moment all the greater. Vinyl gazed at the awards with a look of triumph in her eyes for a few moments before she turned to Octavia. "Thanks Octavia," she said with a smile on her face. "I'm not sure I could have done this without you." Octavia let out a short chuckle. "You mean you couldn't have done this if I hadn't stormed out of the gala?" "Yeah," Vinyl replied with a laugh. The mares moved to give each other another hug, but were cut off by knocking at the door. Vinyl sighed at the sound. "Come in," she said bitterly. The door swung open and Sapphire Shores stood in the doorway, her eyes full of joy as she looked at the new couple. "Well, well, well. Hope I'm not interrupting?" Vinyl moved closer to Octavia. "Well-" Octavia shook her head. "No, you're not," she said, cutting off Vinyl, who shot her a playfully frustrated look. "What can we help you with?" "Not too much, I just wanted to come and give the best of wishes to the new couple." She said quietly. Sapphire kicked her hoof nervously at the ground while she spoke. "And to say I'm sorry I cause a fallout between such a perfect match." Vinyl smiled at Sapphire. "No hard feelings." Sapphire perked up at the response. "So...happy ending?" she asked cautiously. Octavia and Vinyl looked at each other, staring deep into each others eyes. "Happy ending," they agreed. The following weeks moved by in a blur. Vinyl and Octavia appeared on every single talk show in Equestria, and they were talk of every town for months afterwards. Octavia was frequently introduced as Vinyl's inspiration for her newest album, and the fans eventually grew to love her almost as much as Vinyl. After a year of traveling and touring together, Vinyl finally popped the question to Octavia at their one year anniversary which they were spending quietly in Canterlot castle, per special permission from Princess Celestia. Octavia accepted Vinyl's propsal before Vinyl had even finished the question. The wedding took place two months later, also in the Canterlot castle. It was very simple. The happy couple was married by the Princess herself, and was watched by only ten of their closest friends. It was the happiest day of both of their lives. After the wedding, life became simpler for both Vinyl and Octavia. Octavia traveled with Vinyl for the next ten years, touring Equestria year after year with the love of her life. The couple eventually settled down (after seven more Vinyl Scratch albums) to a quiet life in Ponyville, where Vinyl became a studio producer for the next wave of rock musicians, and Octavia became the conductor of the Ponyville orchestra. Vinyl and Octavia lived quietly in their homes for the rest of their lives. The End Afterword So basically, this is an afterword, where I put in my last thoughts about the written piece and what not. You can choose to read it, or not. Either way, it helps me conclude the novel for myself, and make some last notes that I want to say about it. Warning: there is probably going to be lots of pointless rambling. So, I want to start with a thanks to the readers of this. This was a huge part of my life as it turns out, and everyone here who read this and encouraged me deserve a big thank you. Also, I'm sorry this took six months to finish. Something big came up honestly, and it distracted me (Read my blog thing if you want to know, kind of). But here it is, six months later than it should have been. Anyway, not as long as I thought it would be, but that's how my writing kind of goes in the end I guess. Again though, huge thanks to everyone, you guys really are awesome. Author's Note Wow, lots of the early dialogue moves fast. Don't know what I was doing there, very unlike me.
ProloguePrologue Vinyl Scratch had never been successful. Her whole life she never accomplished anything. In fact, the most she had ever done was release an album that got beat up so badly by the critics that she had to go into hiding. She had an excellent voice, and could play over eight different instruments. It had never made any sense to her, somepony with as much talent as her should be able to make it somewhere in life. But no, she was subject to living on other pony's couches and taking "donations" as other ponies liked to call it. She knew it was pity money, and she hated it, but its hard to live when you can't afford to eat. She took money wherever it would come from: work, pity money, it really didn't matter to her. Vinyl was all set to break down and move back in with her family, until she met Octavia. For years she considered that the single greatest day of her entire life. They met while Vinyl was trying to get a part time job with the Royal Canterlot Orchestra, and became friends instantly. Octavia learned of Vinyl's problems after weeks of friendship. Vinyl did her best to hide it, but her true side showed through. Octavia offered her home to Vinyl, as best friends always do. Vinyl refused, it would mean that she would sink to the lowest she had ever been to. It took days of convincing, but Vinyl gave in. It took Vinyl less than a week to finally get her hooves on the ground. She landed a job at the nicest restaurant in all of Canterlot as the house vocalist. She made most of her money in tips, managing to finally pay a pony rent. She quickly became a favorite at the restaurant, drawing Canterlot's highest class citizens. She began to write her own music, inspired by her own life. She went on to work in the restaurant business for another year, providing her with a steady income. Vinyl could have left Octavia at any time, but she decided to stay. Not only did it make things easier financially for both ponies, but they enjoyed each other's company greatly. Over time Vinyl even grew to have a small crush on Octavia, but she eventually pushed the idea out of her head; it would only hurt their relationship. After a year, Vinyl was approached by Trotting Records, who wanted her to make a two album deal with them. Vinyl quickly agreed to sign. Her first album, "Scratch", was released just a week after signing. It became so popular in such a short span of time that it set records for fast chart jumps. "Vinyl Scratch" was a household name within the month. Vinyl was invited to come on every talk show in Equestria, which she graciously accepted. She always remembered where she came from: the streets of Canterlot. But one pony in particular was left out of her picture, one pony she began to deeply miss.
