Grazioso: Prologue

WARNING: Some grown-up language and innuendo.





It was the kind of warm summer night Vinyl Scratch loved the most. Crickets chirping, countless stars in the sky, and a club full of ponies waiting on her to party the night away. She was the best, if only, DJ in the town of Ponyville, and there was only one club, and that meant it was the best place to be on a Friday night. In other words, the perfect place for Vinyl. There was nothing more the white unicorn loved more on a beautiful summer night than to spend it in that peticular club blasting various forms of trance, electro, dance, techno, and rock music. She had gained a veritable reputation as a talented DJ, and even though she had gotten offers to play at clubs as far off as Manehatten, she had refused, choosing to stay at her simple life at a simple club. Rarity was the owner and operator of the establishment, and Vinyl had never had a better boss.

Vinyl came around a corner, and there was the club. The Sapphire was usually packed with ponies, and tonight was no exception. A line stretched down the block, waiting to get in, held back by two massive stallions wearing tight black shirts and sunglasses. Vinyl chuckled at the sight of them.

Sunglasses at night? Well, I guess they are payed to be big, not smart.

The hypocrisy made a faint wooshing sound as it flew over Vinyl's head.

The white DJ walked past the line and right up to the bouncers, who let her in immediately. She smiled at the groans and complaints of the numerous ponies still stuck in line. Once inside the doors, she was greeted by flashing lights of every color, thumping bass music, and a sea of ponies dancing, drinking, or just sitting in booths trying to shout over the music, a task that was about to prove impossible once Vinyl got situated. As she reached the edge of the crowd, ponies began to turn and notice her, parting to either side to let her pass and shouting greetings. Vinyl just smiled and kept walking. Before long, the majority of the ponies in the club knew she had entered.

Mares and gentlecolts, the real party has just arrived.

Vinyl climbed up onto the stage and got behind her beloved control panel. Turntables, equalizers, a computer, and some synthesizers layed out before her in a meticulously arranged pattern. The multitude of knobs and switches might have confused a lesser DJ, but to Vinyl they were home. She put on her headphones and flipped a few switches, killing the music and turning on her microphone. Her voice boomed across the floor.

"How the hell yall doing tonight!?"

A roar rose from the crowd, but not nearly loud enough to satisfy Vinyl.

"I can't fucking hear you!"

Another roar, this one shaking the walls around the exciteable crowd. Vinyl grinned widely. This was where she felt comfortable. All her worries melted away when she was here. Her music, her turntables, and her crowd always made a bad day better, and a good day ecstatic. Vinyl yelled into the mic again.

"And a good evening to you all! DJ-Pon3 in the house! Are you ready to ROCK!"

A deafening third roar. These ponies were really ready to party.

"As I understand it, we have a birthday going on tonight! Cheerilee, where are you? There's the birthday mare! Hey babe, your drinks are on me tonight! Happy birthday!"

Cheerilee blushed and waved at the DJ, and presumably yelled a thanks, but was impossible to hear over the cheering. A silly hat was already perched crooked on her head, and the crowd around her looked already drunk. Vinyl loved it when there were special occaisions like this, and always made sure they were fantastic. Cheerilee was an old and very close friend of hers, so she was going to make damn sure tonight was going to be the best birthday ever.

"One more thing! I want this to be your best damn birthday ever, so I made you a little something. Who wants to find out what it is?"

Every pony cheered, and Cheerilee blushed again.

"Well, here you go! I wrote you a song, Cheerilee, and I dare say it's my best song ever!  I worked very hard on this, so I hope you love it! So get your flank on the floor and get ready to move!"

The crowd around Cheerilee swelled as she was swept to the middle of the dance floor, and Vinyl started hitting switches and turning knobs. Bass and synth swelled throught he speakers, and the crowd started to dance. Then the lyrics hit. Vinyl had written them, but had never done vocals before, and so had gotten a friend to record them. She was very proud of them.

Hey Cheerilee, hey Cheerilee
I'm afraid to see you after school
I can't come to your office
and tell you that you're cool

It's not about my tests
or about my homework you should grade
I don't want you to tell me
I just want to go on a date

Hey Cheerilee, hey Cheerilee
Hey Cheerilee, hey Cheerilee
Hey Cheerilee, I think I'm in love with you

Vinyl's grin threatened to split her face in two when she saw Cheerilee's reaction to the lyrics now blasting over the sound system. The teacher kept dancing though, being too drunk to really care. Vinyl had spent several nights on this song, and it seems her efforts had payed off. Once the song was over, the crowd begged for an encore, and another after that. Vinyl put that song and a few others that were almost as good on a playlist and put it on repeat. She then left her Fortress of Bass, as she called it, and went onto the dance floor to dance with Cheerilee and the other party goers.

Sweaty and tired, she eventually left the floor and went back to her booth. Song after song pounded through the speakers, each one carefully tuned by the DJ's careful hooves. She hated using magic to do her job, and was proud of the fact she almost never needed to use it. It had taken her years of practice to get as good as she was without it.

Hours later, even the energetic Vinyl needed a break. She turned the volume down a bit to give ponies a chance to talk, and put the computer on shuffle. She went to the bar and got a drink, and turned to survey the crowd. The crowd had shrunk a little since the birthday party had left, but there were still a lot of ponies there. Through a miniscule break in the crowd, Vinyl spotted the fluffy pink mane she had been looking for. Weaving her way through the crowd, she came up behind the pink pony the fluffy mane belonged to. Vinyl came up behind Pinkie Pie and spoke into her ear.

"Hey girl! Lemme taste some of your cotton candy!"

Pinkie turned around and winked mischievously at Vinyl.

"Hey DJ! Why don't you thump my bass!"

Vinyl laughed and enveloped Pinkie in a hug.

"Nice to see you, Pinks. Come on over here. I wanna talk to you."

"Okey dokey!"

The party pony followed Vinyl through the crowd back to a booth in the far corner. Vinyl liked it because it was at the very edge of the bar, but was out of the way enough ponies weren't standing all around it. She yelled at Berry Punch, the barmare, for a drink for Pinkie. Once Vinyl and Pinkie had drinks and were comfortable, Pinkie turned her concentration back to the DJ across from her.

"Alright, I'm here! What's up?"

"It's Lyra."

"Oh no. What now?"

"I just don't know what the hell to do anymore. It seems like everything I do is wrong."

"Well, as your best friend, you know what I'm going to say. I've been saying it since before you got together!"

"Yeah, yeah, I know. I'm starting to think you may have been right."

"My Pinkie Sense never lies!"

"I guess so."

"What's the problem now, anyways?"

"She accused me of cheating on her."

"Again? With who?"

"You!"

"Oh, Vinyl, I'm flattered! But you know I'm taken."

"Wait, what!? Did not know! Spill!"

"Yupp, it's official. I'm in love with parties!"

"You're ridiculous, Pinks. Anyway, apparently someone told her we are friends, and that I was at Sugarcube Corner all day the other day. That's enough for her to go off the deep end."

"Hey, it's not my fault I can't bake a five foot tall cupcake on my own! Oh well. Vinyl, I seriously think you should break up with her. Everyone who knows you to says so, and I've been telling you this, like, FOREVER! You have had the worst year I've ever seen you have, and it's always because of her."

"She wasn't always that bad! It's just the past few weeks."

"A few months ago she wouldn't let you go to one of my parties for some silly reason! I still haven't forgiven her for that, Vinyl!"

"I forgot about that."

"I noticed! Please, Vinyl, at least think about it."

"I am Pinks, I really am. Say, do you mind if I crash at your place for the night?"

"Of course you can! I love it when you stay! But why for?"

"Cause I wouldn't put it past Lyra to be waiting at my house for me to came home so she can bitch some more."

"Seriously!? Did you give her a key?"

"Yeah, last month. I don't know why. Ever since then she's been popping up at the most random times for no reason. I wouldn't mind it, but if I'm there and just chilling, she gets mad because I'm not spending all my time with her."

"That has to be the dumbest thing I've ever heard! Ugh. I can barely hear you over this place. What time is your shift over?"

"I'm off now. I was just coming in tonight for Cherilee's party."

"Oh, wasn't it great! I got her that hat! It was one of my last party hats! I need to get more. Anyways, you wanna go back to my apartment? I have food and movies and candy and stuff!"

"You had me at food! Let me find Rarity and tell her I'm off for the night."

"Okey dokey lokey! I'll wait outside."

Vinyl stood from the booth, and went to the back room, where Rarity was sitting over some paperwork.

"Hey, boss. You need me for anything else? Cherilee's party just left, so I was gonna go for the night."

"Oh, that's fine. Is Pinkie Pie still here?"

"Yeah, I'm actually going with her to her place."

"Would you be a dear and give her this jacket? She gave it to me to sew a button back on."

"Sure thing, boss! You have a good night!"

"Same to you, Vinyl!"

Vinyl took the violently pink jacket from Rarity and left the club. She found Pinkie leaning against the wall in the alley next to the club.

"Hey Pinks! Here's your pink jacket. Rarity got it fixed."

"Yay! This is my most favoritist jacket! Ugh, would you just throw it over my back and button it around my neck? I just got mud on my hooves and cleaning that thing sucks."

"Sure thing."

Vinyl was halfway through buttoning up the jacket when a very angry voice rang through the alley.

"VINYL SCRATCH! WHAT ARE YOU DOING?"

SHIT.

Vinyl turned, and sure enough, there was Lyra. She looked very upset.

"Hey, calm down, Lyra. I was just putting Pinkie's jacket on for her, cause her hooves are dirty and it's her nice jacket."

"Oh, I'm sure! And it just so happens you were in a dark alleyway too!"

"Lyra, really, she was just-"

"Shut up, Pinkie! I guess it's also a coincidence Rarity just told me I just missed you because you two were going back to Pinkie's for the night? I'm not stupid, Vinyl!"

"Hey! You do not tell my friends to shut up! And yes, I'm going to Pinkie's! I didn't want to go home and find you on my couch waiting to yell at me for working tonight!"

"You weren't even supposed to work tonight! You'd rather DJ for a friends party than spend time with me!"

"Well that's because you've been a bitch lately!"

Lyra and Pinkie both gasped, although Pinkie's seemed decidedly happy.

"What did you call me!?"

"I called you a bitch! The past few weeks have been hell. You've been accusing me of one thing after another! All you ever do is tell me what I'm doing wrong, and no matter what I do I'm never right! I'm sick of it! I'm done with you. I'll take this."

Tears welled in Lyra's eyes as Vinyl's blue magic grabbed the house key hanging on a chain around Lyra's neck and yanked it off. Lyra flinched and stared first at the floating key, then at Vinyl. The DJ's eyes were hidden behind her ever-presant blue shades, but behind them, they were seething. Without looking back, Vinyl turned her back on Lyra and walked away down the alley, with Pinkie following, a small bounce in her step.

The full magnitude of what had transpired didn't hit Vinyl until they got back to Pinkie's apartment. Vinyl walked in and was barely aware of anything except the pink couch she collapsed onto, head in hooves, sobbing. Tears ran from her eyes, and collected on her shades. Pinkie sat beside her and started rubbing her back and crooning reassuring words into her ears.

Before long, Vinyl had cried all she was going to. She never did like crying too much, especially in front of her friends. She looked up at Pinkie with red eyes, and the pink party pony simply smiled.

"I'll make you hot chocolate and some food. Find a movie to watch, and after that I'm going to run you a nice bubble bath. You're going to relax tonight, tomorrow, and any other days I deem neccisary!"

"Oh, Pinks. You're too sweet. Thanks a ton. I don't know how I would live without you."

"Quite well, I should expect. You're too stubborn for life to get you down for long, me or no me! But no me would be rather boring, I think."

Before Vinyl could form a rebuttal, Pinkie trotted to the kitchen, and sounds of cooking soon eminated. Vinyl turned her attention to selecting one movie from the large pile next to the large television in front of her, reading them aloud as she dug through the stack.

"How to Lose A Mare In Ten Days? Pass. My Big Fat Pegasus Wedding? Gag. The Bridesmare's Diary? What the hell, Pinks? Where are all the good movies?"

"On the other side! You're in the sob section!"

"More like the vomit section!"

Vinyl moved to the other side of the television, where another plethora of movies awaited, although these were significantly better. She eventually decided on an older action move. She put it in and started it, and before the previews were over, Pinkie came in, somehow balancing a half dozen plates on her forelegs, walking on her back legs, and had two cups balanced on her head.

"Seriously, Pinks, you gotta teach me how to do that."

"No can do! It's a secret!"

"It's defying the laws of physics, is what it is."

Pinkie just winked at the confounded unicorn as she set the plates and cups on the table, and the ponies ate as the movie played out.

Later that night, when all the food was eaten and the movie watched, Vinyl was preparing her bed on the couch. She had her pillows and blankets layed out just perfect, and was about to crawl in when a wave of despair hit her like a bag of bricks. Before she could stop them, tears welled in her eyes and rolled down her cheeks. A sob accompanied one particularly large tears, and before she could help herself, she was crying uncontrollably into her pillow. Pinkie heard the commotion and came from her bedroom to see if she could help.

Half an hour later, the sobbing showed no signs of abating. Vinyl just could not seem to curb the flow. All the stress from the past few months was pushing it's way out of her system and all she could do was hold on and wait for it to drain out in her tears. Pinkie was in the same position as before, rubbing her back and neck and whispering reassuring words into her ear.

Abruptly, Vinyl felt herself being lifted to her hooves and led.

"Wha.. Where are we going?"

"I'm taking you to my bed, silly. You're in no condition to sleep on that old hard couch. You need comfy and fluffy, pronto!"

Vinyl was lead to Pinkie's bedroom, where she was pushed into the extremely soft bed and forcibly tucked under the blankets. After making sure Vinyl was comfortable, the pink pony started to walk away. The still sobbing Vinyl called after her.

"Where are you going, Pinks?"

"I'm gonna sleep on the couch. I figure you need your alone time."

"Get your flank back here! You are not going to leave me all by myself."

Pinkie came back into the room and climbed onto the bed next to Vinyl. As soon as she was situated, Vinyl enveloped her in a hug and continued to cry into the cotton candy pink mane for hours.

The next morning, Vinyl woke to the sound of running water. After a moment, she identified it as Pinkie's shower in the next room. This struck her as odd, as Pinkie hated to shower in the morning. It tended to flatten her curly mane.

After some minutes, a very wet Pinkie came into the room. Vinyl stared at her from the comfort of the bed. She had rarely seen Pinkie without her trademark fluffy mane, and every single time it was shocking. The pink pony always looked as if she had shrunk in size. Vinyl inquired as to the morning shower.

"What are you showering for, Pinks? You don't usually shower in the morning."

"I don't usually have my bestest friend crying into my mane all night. It was all teary and gooey."

"Oh! My bad."

"It's all good! So, what do you have to do today?"

"Well, usually Lyra demands I spend time with her before work, but now I'm a single mare, I guess I'll just chill until work."

"Free time is the best time! I wish I had more free time, but Sugarcube Corner keeps me pretty busy. I'd have sooo much fun with extra time. I could have parties, and more parties, and more parties!"

Vinyl smiled at the excitable party pony.

Nothing in the world can keep her down. Maybe I should take lessons.

Vinyl got out of bed, and the mares went into the living room.

"Well, Pinks, thanks a ton for feeding me and letting me sob on you all night. Especially feeding me."

"It's not a problem at all! If you ever need more sobby girl time, you know where I live!"

"Oh, I hope I'm done. I hate crying, especially over something stupid."

"It's not stupid! You spent a whole year with her. It's only natural you'd have some kind of negative reaction to breaking up, even if she was being a meanie. You just became so attached, it was hard to let go, even if there was a good reason to. She became so integral to your life that once she's gone, you don't know what to do."

Pinkie's appraisal of the situation surprised Vinyl with the astuteness and accuracy. Even if Pinkie was known for being a little goofy, she was very knowledgeable about ponies' feelings. Vinyl knew this, and she was still caught off guard whenever Pinkie gave some insight to things Vinyl was clueless about. Her extensive vocabulary was also a bit surprising.

"Yeah, I guess you're right, Pinks. I'll just go and watch sad movies until I feel better."

"Or happy ones! Laughter is better than not laughter! Oh, and are you working tonight?"

"True, true. And yes I am. See you there?"

"See you there!"

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Vinyl was woke by a pounding on her door. Instead of answering, she pulled her blanket over her head and yelled at the door.

"I'm not home!"

Pinkie Pie's voice rang out from the other side of the door.

"Vinyl! It's been three weeks, and you have done nothing but work and mope! Let me in!"

Vinyl reluncantly left the couch she had spent the night on and went to her front door. She unlocked it and opened it to find a very indignant Pinkie.

"Pinkie, I'm fine. I just haven't felt like doing much lately."

"You're being all depressed and boring! You need to be happy and glad and fun! Lyra isn't worth being sad over!"

"I'm not sad about her! I'm just enjoying all the free time I have now."

"Lies! All lies! Tomorrow, party at Applejack's, at the big barn, seven o'clock. Be there! No arguments!"

"Aww, Pinkie, I don't have any of my portable turn ta-"

"No! No working! You're coming to hang out! Rarity is doing the music, I'm doing the food, Rainbow Dash is doing the decoration, and Twilight Sparkle is doing..... Whatever she does! You just be there!"

"Okay, okay, okay. I'll be there Pinks. Seven o'clock. Big barn. Party."

"Okey dokey! See ya there!"

And then the pink pony left. Vinyl shut the door and sank back onto the couch in blissful silence. She felt bad lying to her friend like that, but she didn't want anypony worrying about her.

Truth be told, Pinks was right. Dammit, Lyra! Why did you have to get into my head so good! Maybe a party will do me good.

And so the next night found Vinyl forsaking her now-usual schedule of watching a sad movie, eating ice cream, and crying herself to sleep. Instead she was trotting her way through the countryside just outside of Ponyville to the largest barn on the Apple family's ranch, to the party that Pinkie was so adamant Vinyl was to attend. She still wasn't so sure she wanted to go, but parties were always good, especially when PInkie was involved. A boring party was impossible with that pink party wonder on the scene. Vinyl chuckled to herself as she remembered a few of the more memorable moments from Pinkie's past parties.

A few miles down the road, the barn came into view. It was even larger than Vinyl rembered it, being at least two hundred feet long and three stories tall. The doors were wide open, and light was spilling across the gravel road, as were a number of party-goers. Vinyl was fashionably late as always, so the party was in full swing. Music was thumping, lights were flashing, and every few minutes, a resounding BOOM would echo across the fields from Pinkie's Patented Party Popper cannon shooting ballons and confetti everywhere.

Vinyl walked into the barn to see it was absolutely packed with ponies. Vinyl didn't immediately spot Pinkie, so she walked over to a very long and very full buffet along one side of the room and occupied herself with sampling all the morsels of food offered. Once she felt satisfied that the food was up to par for a party, she turned her attention to the swarm of ponies. They were dancing, drinking, some were playing beer pong, others were socializing, and some were eating at the buffet. What ever the activity, they all seemed to be enjoying themselves.

Except that one.

Vinyl's eyes were drawn to the only pony in the entire barn not seemingly enjoying herself. The mare was a middling shade of grey, with a long and flowing dark grey mane. Her cutie mark was a purple treble clef, and she was wearing a matching purple bowtie. Her eyes were a light violet, and she carried herself with a certain grace and poise that Vinyl found very attractive.

The beautiful mare didn't seem to be enjoying the party though, just tolerating it. She stood at the end of the buffet table and was nibbling at a plate of strawberries in a blase manner. Vinyl watched her from the other side of the room for a few minutes, wondering who she was. Abruptly, the grey mare looked up and made eye contact with Vinyl before she could avert her gaze. Before she loked away, Vinyl noted that the grey mare looked a little lost. Vinyl thought about going over and asking for the pretty mare's name. Before she could decide on what to do, her concentration was broken by a loud BANG from the middle of the room.

There's Pinkie! She'll know who that is.

Vinyl trotted to the middle of the crowd, now covered in confetti and cheering, and found Pinkie wheeling her cannon to the back of the barn to reload it.

"Pinks! Wait up!"

"Hey Vinyl! I was wondering if you made it! Isn't it great! The food is great, the music is great, and all the ponies are having FUN!"

"All but one, Pinks! Who's that grey mare over by the buffet table? The one with the treble  clef cutie mark?"

"Oh, that's Octavia Philharmonica! She's new! Moved here from Manehatten, I think. Some big music school. I invited her because she doesn't know anypony here but me, and she needs more friends, because without friends she'll be sad, and if she's sad, she won't be happy, and of she's not happy-"

"I'm going to interrupt you there, Pinks. I just wanted to know her name. I'll go talk to her and make friends. No pony is allowed to not have fun at your party!"

"Okey dokey! I gotta go reload my cannon!"

Pinkie and her explosive contraption trundled away, and Vinyl went back to her previous spot, watching Octavia and trying to gather her courage to go introduce herself.

Octavia Philharmonica...... Pretty name for a pretty mare...... Go on, go over there! She needs someone to talk to.

Vinyl was racked with indecision for a further few minutes. The plate of strawberries got lower and lower, and Vinyl felt like if she didn't do something by the time they were gone, she never would get a chance. After a time, there were only two strawberries left, and Vinyl still had no ideas.

Just gonna have to wing it I guess. Here goes nothing!

She carefully walked over to the grey mare. When she was a few paces away, Octavia noticed Vinyl, and turned her attention to the approaching white unicorn. Vinyl was almost put off by her disinterested expression, but decided to give it a shot anyway. In what seemed like no time at all, Vinyl was standing face to face with Octavia.

"Uh.. Hi there."

"Hello."

"So... Enjoying the party?"

"Oh, not really. I was enjoying these strawberries more."

"I noticed. Uh, not that I was watching you or anything!"

Octavia smiled and giggled a little, and Vinyl felt that maybe Octavia was more friendly than she had looked.

"It's fine, I noticed you watching me for the past few minutes. I knew you to come introduce yourself eventually."

"Well, that's right! I'm Vinyl Scratch, DJ exraordinaire."

"A DJ you say? That is facinating. I am Octavia Philharmonica, celloist extraorinaire."

"Cello? that's pretty nifty! You play with any groups?"

"Yes, actually. I just moved to Ponyville a month ago for that reason. There is a group of classical musicians that do recitals in this area, and they asked me to join them. Ponyville is in the direct center of our circut, so it's never a very far journey to the various concert halls."

"Well, that's awesome! I only really play at one place. I don't know if I could handle playing at a different place every time."

And so on went the conversation. They two musical mares talked for hours and hours, about thier shared interests, their different interests, and anything else that came to mind. Vinyl learned that Octavia was from a small town very far to the north, her favorite food was pancakes and strawberries, and she didn't like to use contractions or slang while talking. In turn, she revealed she was from Ponyville, she hated blueberries, and had barely passed language class in school.

As Vinyl and Octavia talked, the party started to wind down. The time was approaching dawn, and many ponies were leaving to prepare to go to work, school, or if they were lucky, sleep. And still they talked. Eventually, Applejack came to tell them the party was over.

"Ya don't have to go home, but ya can't stay here."

"Alright, Applejack. I'll see ya around!"

"Say, I don't think I know yer friend here. I'm Applejack, apple farmer."

"I am Octavia Philharmonica, cellist."

"Pleased to meet ya. Maybe next time we can chat some more, but I got an aweful hankering fer my bed. I'll see you gals around."

"See ya!"

"Farewell, Applejack. It was a pleasure to meet you."

The two mares left the barn into the pre-dawn darkness. The stars were just beginning to fade, but were still very visible and shining. They stopped on the top of a hill just outside the barn. Stretching into the distance stood rows upon rows of apple trees, covered in dew and glittering in the starlight. Octavia sighed as she beheld the crystal clear skies.

"My, it sure is beautiful out here. I am rarely awake at this time of night."

"I'm rarely asleep. Usually this is about the time I get off work. It is kinda pretty. I guess I've seen it so much I got used to it."

"It must be dreadful to be awake all night and sleep all day. Do you never have time to spend time with friends?"

"I don't have many friends. Pinkie Pie is my only real good friend, and she's at the club as often as I am."

"I see. Well, you may be used to being awake this late, but I am not. I think I shall go home and to bed."

"Yeah, same here. Say, it was nice talking to you tonight. We oughta hang out sometime."

"I agree. We should spend some more time together soon."

"How about Wednesday of next week? There is a really big monthly market day in the square. It's really fun."

"That sounds agreeable. What time?"

"Noon sharp?"

"Perfect. Meet you at the north side of the market, beside the jewlers?"

"I can do that. See you later!"

"Yes, see you there."

Octavia walked off into the darkness. Vinyl watched her until she could be seen no more. She stayed on the hilltop for a little while, gazing at the stars and thinking about what had transpired that night.

Well, the party went better than expected.

Vinyl Slowly walked down the hillside and down the road. She walked, lost in thought, not paying attention to where she was going. Before long, she found herself at home. Unlocking the door, the DJ went inside to go pass out until it was time to go to work. She dreamed of treble clefs and cannons.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Vinyl woke just in time to realize she was almost late.

Eleven fourty five!? Dammit! Why do I have to be so lazy!

Vinyl leaped out of bed and ran to the bathroom. She used her magic and combed her wily blue hair, brushed her teeth, put on her shades, and lightly sprayed on her best perfume all at once. After successfully getting ready without any major incidents, Vinyl made a final check, and then set off for the market at five minutes until twelve.

I can make it. I can make it!

At seven minutes past noon, a very tired Vinyl arrived at the jewlers at the north side of the market.  She looked around, searching the crowded square for Octavia. Seeing no sign, Vinyl got panicked.

I blew it, I'm late, she's left. The nicest mare you've ever met and you already blown it. Good job. Maybe next time I should-

"Vinyl!"

Vinyl whipped around to come face to face with the very mare she had been looking for.

"Oh! There you are, Octavia! Didn't even see you there."

"You ran right past me, silly. I am surprised you didn't spot me."

Vinyl chuckled and ran a hoof through her mane, which had fallen back to it's usual spiked tangle.

"Heh... Well, I was in a hurry. I was running a bit late."

"Well, we are both here now, so shall we?"

"Yeah, let's."

As they wandered around the tables and booths, they talked more small talk and Vinyl realized she had left out one detail about herself. She was wondering if she should admit to Octavia or not. The thought invaded her mind while she was helping Octavia decide which beret to get from a table piled high.

If I tell her I'm gay, she might not want to be my friend, 'cause that's all we are, and that's all I think of her. Got it? She's only a friend. You do NOT have a crush on a mare you just met. But if I don't tell her and she finds out, what will she think? Gah! Why am I so complicated?

Vinyl pushed the worry out of her mind and focused on the task at hand.

"What do you think, Vinyl? The blue beret, or the red?"

"Blue, most definately."

Octavia payed the stallion selling the hats, and they delved back into the crowd, Octavia now sporting a jaunty blue beret. More purchases eventually followed that, and by the time they went to a small cafe to enjoy dinner in the encroaching dusk, they both had saddlebags bulging with impulse buys. As Octavia ate her small salad, she eyed the green tie Vinyl had bought.

"Vinyl, I still say you should have gotten the blue tie. It would match your mane beautifully."

"Well, I still say you don't need a fish shaped lamp."

"That lamp is gorgeous!"

"And so is my tie."

Octavia laughed, and took another bite of salad.

"So Vinyl, tell me, what do you do other than work? You've told me all about DJing and Ponyville, but not as much about yourself."

"Well, I don't do much else. Nowadays, my life is pretty much either DJing or waiting to DJ."

"Surely you do something else. What do you do in between the hours of sleep and work?"

"Watch gooey romance movies, mostly. I like to write music too, but I have to have a wave of inspiration first, and those are rare. I hate when I'm forced to write music. I prefer to let it flow."

"I completely understand that. Once, I was asked to write a five minute duet with a violin for a wedding, and I only had a week to do it. I simply could not find any inspiration. I thought I was going to fail miserably, and never get hired again. I think I slept about one night out of the whole week. Two days before the wedding, I finally got five minutes of what I felt was the worst music ever composed. The night of the wedding, I was so nervous, I could barely tune my cello. But, I went out, and we did our duet, and it's become one of my most popular pieces-"

Vinyl quickly sat straight up and pointed at Octavia, almost overturning her plate of daffodil sandwich.

"Ahh! You did it! You said one!"

"One what?"

"A contraction! I heard it!"

"I did not! I always use perfect grammar."

"You said 'it's,' don't bother arguing, I heard you!"

"I..... It was one small slip! I am not perfect."

"Well, you had me fooled."

"What?"

"Nothing!"

Vinyl blushed at her slip. To cover herself, she clumsily took another bite of her sandwich. She glanced up and noticed Octavia's dreamy eyes fixed on the DJ's glasses, face bland but with a hint of something in the magenta eyes. Vinyl chewed, trying to figure out what was in those spellbinding eyes.

Is it curiosity? Did she figure it out? No. It looks like, amusement? I'm so lost.

Vinyl continued to study the eyes for well over a minute, until they blinked, and it was like waking from a dream. Both mares sat awkwardly in silence for a few seconds, trying to look anywhere but into the other's eyes. Vinyl was the first to risk a look, and what she saw confused her further.

Octavia seemed to be blushing, which wasn't the reaction Vinyl was expecting. More thoughts whizzed in the white DJ's mind, none of them helpful revelations.

Now what's the significance of that, I wonder.....

"Vinyl, may I ask you something?"

Dammit, here it comes! She knows! She's gonna get freaked out and leave and never talk to you again and then she'll tell everypony you're a freak and you'll never get hired again and then everypony will-

"Yes, Octavia?"

"Why do you always wear those glasses?"

Wow. Nice way to overreact, Vinyl.

"Well, these glasses are just kinda my thing. I got them from my parents when I graduated high school. I just loved them to death, and started wearing them. After a while, it just became habit, and now it's to the point I can't be without them. I feel wierd."

"Hm. That's interesting. I'm almost the same with my bowtie. I just feel naked without it."

"It's a very nice bowtie. Where'd ya get it?"

Octavia smiled as she reached up to lovingly caress the purple bow on her neck. Vinyl felt a small twinge of jealousy for the unmoved cloth ornament.

"Oh, there is not really much of a story. I bought it for myself after my first performance. It went great, and I felt so good, I thought I needed a souvenir. I went to a nearby dress shop and was looking at nice jewlery, and this thing caught my eye. It was many times cheaper, and I felt it was more classy, so I bought it. At first I just wore it for performances, and it became a trademark of mine. Then I started wearing it for formal occaisions, then all the time."

"It suits you very well. Is it silk?"

"Of course. I settle for nothing but the best."

Nothing but the best, eh? I guess that kinda marks me out, doesn't- STOP IT!

They lapsed into another silence, but this one was far less awkward. Vinyl had her head turned slightly towards her now empty plate, but her eyes were studying Octavia again. Her purple shades hid her eyes and let her stare without fear. Octavia was sitting quietly, finishing her salad.

Once Octavia was finished with the salad, the pair paid for the food and left the market. There was little sunshine left, and the shadows grew so long as to be indistinguishable. Street lamps were already being lit, and most ponies were making their way home. A few ponies were still walking the streets, but the majority of crowd from the market was gone.

The booths were not closing, however. The night market as almost as intensive as the day market. In the darkness, lit by the streetlamps, vendors laid out wares that were more targeted to the night crowd. Leather clothing, accesories with metal rivets and studs, candles in odd shapes and colors, and paintings and pictures of dark and macabre scenes. Vinyl walked the streets, entranced by the sights of the night life. Octavia seemed a bit ill at ease. Vinyl noticed this, and was thinking about suggesting they go elsewhere. Just before she could, however, she spotted a familiar flash of teal down the street.

No. NO, nonono, please no, not HER.

But it was. As Vinyl and Octavia wandered down the street, they got closer and closer to the pony Vinyl really didn't want to see. Vinyl started wracking her mind for ways to head in another direction without seeming suspicious. But before she could, Lyra spotted them.

For a moment, Vinyl's ex simply stood there, a blank look on her face. Vinyl stopped walking. Octavia stopped beside her, and looked at Vinyl, who was still locking eyes with Lyra, who was now only ten yards away. Octavia followed Vinyl's gaze and saw Lyra, and then looked back at Vinyl. By now Lyra had noticed the other mare standing beside Vinyl, and was looking between the two. Vinyl saw first the confusion, then the tears in Lyra's eyes. Then the tears burst forth with a sob, and Lyra ran off down the street, leaving a trail of tears and confused shoppers in her wake. Vinyl stared after her, mind blank as to how to react. A voice crisp and gentle, like running stream water, washed through her reverie and brought her back to the real world.

"Vinyl? Who was that?"

"Uh... Long story. I don't.... It's a long story."

"It is alright. If you feel like talking, I am here. If not, I am still here for you."

"But.... You barely know me."

"Well, help me get to know you well enough, then."

"Okay..... Let's go to my house then. It's only a few blocks down, and I wanna set down these heavy bags. It's a long story."

"So you have said. Lead the way."

Soon, the bags were discarded, and the pair of mares were sitting in rocking chairs on Vinyl's back porch, a bottle of fine Apple family apple juice and a pair of cups on a table between them. Octavia seemed very content to rock, drink juice, and gaze at the stars barely beginning to twinkle in the growing dark, but Vinyl knew the questions were coming. She nursed a cup of apple juice and waited for the inevitable. In the quiet, it seemed as if every detail had taken on a more vibrant hue, as if to mock her of her internal war. She thought and thought and thought of how she would answer, but when the the question came, she still didn't know what to say.

It seemed like such an innoculous question, nothing meant to be intrusive or personal. But to Vinyl, it was as if Nightmare Moon lived in the syllables. The fact it was delivered in such a sweet voice only made it sting more. A voice as delicate as a young flower, as refreshing as a spring breeze, as soothing as a hummingbird's hum. But it wasn't just the question that scraped against her ears like a raw bit on teeth, it was the fact that she was about to lay on the line a fact that could break the friendship before it even got a chance to begin.

Vinyl had never before had a problem admitting she was gay. She had always been comfortable in the fact, having been aware of it earlier than most were aware what sexuality meant, or could spell it. It was just a fact of life for her, something she never had to hide, or think about consciously. All of a sudden, though, it seemed like it was a dragon sitting on her back, crushing her. She had always been aware of the fact a lot of ponies thought homosexuality was evil, twisted, or sick, but she had never cared of them. They had always been boring stiffs, anyways. But now Vinyl felt herself hoping, almost praying to Celestia that Octavia wasn't one of those. She just seemed to nice to be judgemental. Either way, Vinyl was about to find out.

"So Vinyl, that mare in the market, what was that about?"

Okay, Vinyl, just do it. Do it now! If you don't do it, you never will! NOW!

"That was Lyra. Sh.... She.... Is my ex. We broke up about a month ago."

Vinyl felt the stone dam around her words break, and her blocked thoughts became a rushing flood. She could not control it, and neither could she even find where the words were coming from. It was as if they were coming from outside her, like some other pony using her mouth. But she didn't care; they were saying what she needed to.

"We had been dating a year and a bit. It started off great, but then she changed. She turned into a b- uh, unpleasant mare. She became so controlling, so suspicious. If I did anything without her specific approval, it meant I was cheating on her, or doing something illegal, or something. There was always something. It went on for a few months like that. The few ponies who knew all told me the same thing: I should leave. And I knew they were right, Lyra was hurting me. I just couldn't. I don't know, maybe I just got used to it. I accepted the fact she was in control, her authority. I just kept getting stepped on, and I couldn't do anything about it. Well, about a month ago, she accused me of cheating on her with a close friend of mine, and I don't know why, but it was different that time. Unlike the other times, I could do something about it. I broke up with her. I took my house key off her neck, and walked away. I thought I would feel so liberated with her gone, and I did, but I just spent it laying around and doing nothing. I was lost without her dominating my life. I jumped out of the frying pan and into the freezer. Then Pinkie invited me to the party, and I met you there. That's my life for the past year and a half."

Vinyl hadn't looked at Octavia during the entire soliloquy, choosing to intently study the left arm of her chair instead. She was expecting a gasp, sharp words, hooves walking away, something of that nature. However, all she heard was the quiet creaking of a chair rocking to and fro on the boards beneath them. After several long minutes, Vinyl risked a glance at Octavia.

Instead of angry eyes or a frown, Octavia was sitting just as she had been before the story: rocking in the chair, sipping juice, and gazing at the stars. Vinyl looked back at the arm of her chair, not sure what to expect. It was as if Octavia had listened to her explain the weather. After more quiet creaking, Vinyl couldn't stand not knowing what Octavia thought any more.

"Well?"

"Well, what, Vinyl?"

"You.... Mad? Shocked?"

"Neither, really. Every pony has relationship problems, and bad relationships. I am just glad you finally did what you needed to."

"But... What about..... My being gay?"

"What about it?"

"Well.... A lot of ponies think it's nasty, or improper, and you just seem very.... Proper."

"Oh, Vinyl. You cannot judge a book by it's cover. You have the same secret I do. As for the relationship, honestly, I am glad you ended it youself. It can be so difficult. Actually, the whole story makes me think of a line from a song."

"What song?"

"The name escapes me at the moment, but the line goes 'Caught here in a fiery blaze, won't lose my will to stay.' "

"That's.... Cool, I guess. what's it mean?"

"Well, to me, the song as a whole means that one who turns themself into a beast, shunning society and rejecting emotion, living at will, surviving only on need and instinct, will no longer feel the emotional pains of ponies as brought on by society. It pretty much means that if you cannot strive above the regular pony ideals, then drop below them, and thrive in the realm of the beast."

"Uh..... Beast... What?"

"Oh, my apologies. I get carried away sometimes. That was the song as a whole. The line itself seems to mean although something is destroying you, but you won't leave. Being stubborn, I suppose. It's all terribly abstract, but I love it."

"I think I understand. You're really good at this."

"I like more than just the classical music that I play. I love to listen to and analyze all kinds."

"Well, I mean the feelings stuff too."

"Music is what feelings sound like."

Vinyl could not think of anything to say in response. It was such a beautiful sentiment, she could not bear to spoil the moment following up with something anything less than that. Vinyl settled for refilling their glasses with more apple juice, then turning back to gaze at the stars, not glowing and twinkling merrily in the dark sky.

In the silence, Octavia sighed. Vinyl turned to find azure eyes on her. She met the gaze, and felt her heart skip a beat. They were so peaceful, so kind, Vinyl never wanted to look away. The eyes did her a favor by looking away first. Octavia looked at the moon, now high in the night sky.

"Vinyl, I am having a wonderful time with you, but it is late, and I am tired. I believe I shall go home to bed."

"Yeah, it's been a long day. I'll probably do the same."

Vinyl did her best to sound nonchalant, but in her mind she was begging for the grey mare to stay just a little longer.

"Vinyl, are you free Saturday morning?"

"I.. uh... Yeah."

Vinyl could barely contain her excitement.

She's going to ask me to hang out! Yes!

"Would you like to come over to my apartment? I would like to cook for you. It's been a long time since I have cooked for anypony, and I would like to see if I am still a good cook."

"Yeah, that sounds great! I'm always down for food."

Octavia gave Vinyl her address and set a time for ten in the morning, then she gathered her bags and left. As soon as she was out of sight, Vinyl danced around her living room, clutching the piece of paper with Octavia's address on it. She was so excited, she thought she would never sleep, but as soon as she lay her head in the pillow, exhaustion hit and she drifted off to sleep almost immediately.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Saturday morning was upon Vinyl almost as fast as she wanted it to be. She woke at eight, and spent the morning uncharacteristically grooming herself. Hair was fixed precisely, glasses were cleaned, and coat groomed. She spent half an hour pacing her house, determined not to let her eagerness allow her to be unfashionably early. At nine thirty, she allowed herself to leave.

It wasn't a very long walk to Octavia's apartment, but Vinyl walked slowly, her mind embrioled with thoughts of Wednesday night. She had the nagging feeling something had escaped her, and for some reason she couldn't put her hoof on it. There was a detail somewhere, begging to be noticed, but she was failing to grasp it.

Finally, Octavia's building was in view. Vinyl walked up the stairs to the third floor, then down the hallway to room three twelve. Vinyl raised a hoof to knock, but the moment before her hoof hit wood, her mind found what it had been searching for in Wednesday night. It was one small sentence, but Vinyl wasn't sure how she had missed it. The implications were astronomical.

She said, "You have the same secret I do."... Could that mean.... NO WAY. How did I miss that!?

Lost in her deep thought, Vinyl's hoof forgot it was suspended in air, and fell against the door. The thump made Vinyl jump, and before she could regain her composure, the door opened. Octavia seemed slightly surprised to see Vinyl's hoof hanging in midair where the door had been. There was a pause as Vinyl stared at Octavia. Octavia was the first to recover.

"Well, Vinyl, are you coming in?"

"You... Uh. You said.... Wednesday night.. You said not to judge the the book by it's cover, and then the part about the secret.... Does that mean..... Are you.......?"

Vinyl snapped her mouth shut once she realized what she was saying. She had let her mouth run faster than her brain and once again, she was afraid it had gotten her into a world of trouble. Octavia didn't immediately react, and Vinyl blushed and started to feel a bit anxious. She felt like she had outdone herself this time.

After a tense minute that seemed like an hour, a smile slowly etched it's way across Octravia's face. She winked, and turned away from a very confused Vinyl to walk back into he apartment.

"Maybe, maybe not. Either way, breakfast is getting cold. You coming?"

"Yes!"