Author's Note: 'Staccato' as Vinyl's real last name is the idea of Two's Company creator Lithe Kamitatsy. Now that's out of the way... This is my first fanfic EVER and I'm sure it sucks. The idea has been in my head for a while and after massive convincing from a friend I finally wrote it out. Enjoy or... Don't?

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Vinyl quietly stood outside the large symphony hall she had been invited to by her friends, Lyra and Bonbon. To most it was just another historical building, but to those few musicians who got the opportunity to play in the magnificent Staccato-Legato Hall, it was a masterfully built work of art. The exterior was built to appear plain, yet held a subtle look of grandeur in the form of the large windows and hoof-crafted doors. The intricate carvings in the arches that housed the windows hinted at the crafthorseship of the ponies that built the building 50 years ago. The doors also held that same intricacy with the carvings of the hall that lay inside, a picture perfect replica of what was on the other side of the doorway.

Yes, to most musicians it was a work of art in and of itself; to Vinyl, however, it was a large piece of her foalhood, a place where she discovered her special talent as well as where she learned several of the instruments she played. Before Vinyl could get too far gone in reminiscing about the past, however, Lyra had poked her sharply in the shoulder with a hoof and bounced up and down excitedly.

"Hey, Vee, aren't you excited to be seeing this concert?" The mint green asked her white counterpart while Bonbon blushed at her marefriend's embarrassing behavior. Vinyl raised an eyebrow before giving a nonchalant shrug.

"I guess. It's not really my kinda thing, ya know, Ly?" The white unicorn replied as she raised a hoof to rub at her right eye, lifting the purple shades she wore up slightly as she did so. Straightening her glasses out as they moved up to enter the hall, Vinyl couldn't help the small grin that tugged on her lips as she looked around at the front entry of the Hall.

While the exterior of the symphony hall was plain, the interior was far from the subtle grandeur of the exterior. The rich red carpeting was accented with gold trim and the walls were painted a soft cream. There were various pictures of famous composers and musicians hanging on the walls, with the composers ranging from Beethooven to Clopin and even some of the newer composers. The musicians, on the other hoof, ranged from old symphonies that had resided in the building to various newer and rising stars. One such star was the very pony they had come to see performing, an earth pony by the name of Octavia Philharmonica.

Unbeknownst to Lyra and Bonbon was that Vinyl was actually looking forward to seeing this pony perform, she had heard a lot of great things about her and was rather eager to see if her skills were up to par with the hype. While Lyra and Bonbon were busy reading some pamphlet on the hall, Vinyl was busy walking around and inspecting the pictures, finding a few she didn't recognize; she could only assume her parents had hung new ones up since her last visit.

After a half hour, the doors opened to the hall, allowing those waiting in the entry way to go to their seats. While Lyra and Bonbon were excited to be seated near the front row, Vinyl found it to be quite droll, being used to sitting in her family's private balcony. Vinyl smirked to herself at the thought of what Lyra and Bonbon would say if they knew about that little fact. Lyra noticed the smirk and turned to ask Vinyl about it, but was stopped when she ended up walking into Bonbon after not noticing she had stopped walking.

Vinyl gave a giggle as Bonbon quickly turned around and helped Lyra up with a barely suppressed giggle. Lyra scowled at the two before storming down the aisle to their seats and sitting down with a huff. Bonbon simply grinned as she took her seat to Lyra's right and Vinyl sat to her left.

"Aw, lighten up, Ly. No need to be so high strung." Vinyl said in a joking manner while keeping that annoyingly bright grin she always seemed to have. Lyra gave a snort before crossing her fore legs on her chest.

"Don't even start with me, Vinyl." She grumbled, causing Bonbon to give her a nuzzle in an attempt to soften her annoyance. Vinyl simply giggled once more before turning to watch the stage with growing interest. Bonbon had gone back to reading her pamphlet while Lyra rested her head on the cream earth pony's shoulder and read along with her.

Ten minutes after everypony was seated the lights started to dim as the spotlights turned on, signaling the start of the show. Despite the fact that she had been trying to act rather bored and uninterested in the show, Vinyl found herself sitting straight and watching the stage with rapt attention. Bonbon and Lyra noticed this and giggled quietly to themselves before turning their attention to the stage as a grey earth pony made her way towards it carrying a case that undoubtedly held her double bass.

Octavia took a second to straighten her pink bowtie before walking onto the stage and setting her case down. Vinyl took this chance to really watch the female closely, going so far as to lift her glasses to get a clear view of the other pony. Vinyl had to admit, Octavia seemed like she had some idea what she was doing; unlike most of the ponies Vinyl had seen get on that stage. Most had simply played their pieces and then left without so much as a second thought about how the audience had reacted. Vinyl snorted, Octavia was surely better than those other ponies, right?

Now that the grey pony had set up and was prepared to play, Vinyl leaned back in her seat and grinned once more, letting her glasses fall back into place on her nose. As Octavia started to play, Vinyl's ears perked up and gave a slight twitch. She recognized that piece she was playing, it was one of the compositions Vinyl had written when she was younger. Upon realizing this, a rather amused and proud smirk tugged on Vinyl's lips; she had to admit she liked this pony already.
Beside Vinyl, Lyra and Bonbon were seemingly entranced by the music the flowed from the earth pony's skillful playing.

Lyra's jaw had dropped long ago and refused to stay closed no matter how many times Bonbon tried to close it, which only made the cream mare giggle softly. Vinyl, on the other hoof, found that she was staring at the grey mare with a mixture of admiration and jealousy. Watching the earth pony command the double bass and craft beautiful music that didn't seem practiced for hours made Vinyl miss her days as a musician, so to speak.

All too soon, to Vinyl anyway, the show was over and the earth pony was packing up her instrument and leaving the stage. Part of Vinyl wanted to go after her, to ask her why she played some of the pieces she did and if she was a fan of Vinyl's or, well, her secret identity. Before Vinyl could act on this particular urge, Lyra and Bonbon had nudged her in the sides to gain her attention from the spot on the stage she had been staring at for the past five minutes.

Looking up, Vinyl gave a nervous laugh at their confused expressions before rising from her seat and trotting out beside them. While Lyra gushed to Bonbon and Vinyl about how amazing it must be to be able to play like that without magic, Vinyl found her mind going back to Octavia's choice of music compositions. What amazed Vinyl was the way the grey mare had so expertly taken Vinyl's works and crafted them into something more than they had originally been. Before Vinyl could really get into her thoughts, however, Bonbon nudged her gently in the shoulder to get her attention.

"Vinyl, Lyra and I were thinking about going to Sardi's for dinner. Would you like to join us?" Bonbon asked when Vinyl had directed her attention to the cream mare. Vinyl had to suppress the urge to grin at the idea of eating at one of her favorite restaurants. However, a sudden thought caused her to frown slightly, before replying.

"Ah. No thank you, not really my kinda place to eat, ya know?" She said with a small smile as they passed out of the doors and onto the sidewalk. Turning to face her friends with a bright smile, Vinyl offered them an apologetic smile.

"Besides, can't really afford that kinda food. Tell ya what though, why don't we meet up later this week for dinner." Lyra and Bonbon looked a little sad at Vinyl's refusal but the offer to meet up later that week made them a little happier.

"Alright. See you later, Vinyl." Bonbon said as she gave her friend a hug before trotting past her after Lyra had said her goodbye.

"See ya, Vee." Lyra said, giving Vinyl a hoof-bump before walking away with Bonbon.

"Later." Vinyl whispered softly to the retreating figures before she turned to walk in the opposite direction, towards her apartment.

---

Meanwhile, backstage at the symphony hall, Octavia Philharmonica was busy discussing the evening's performance with one of the owners of the Staccato-Legato Hall. The grey mare felt very excited to be able to speak to her role model, Giorgio Staccato.

"I just want to thank you, Master Staccato, for allowing me the chance to play in your magnificent hall this evening." Octavia spoke in a soft tone, despite the excitement she felt at meeting the famous flutist. Giorgio waved away a hoof to dismiss her thanks as he smiled kindly.

"There is no need to thank me, Miss Philharmonica. You bring my family honour by playing my daughter's compositions with such grace and poise. You remind me of her when she would play her instruments." Giorgio spoke with a soft tone as he studied the musician seated across from him.

Octavia shifted slightly and blushed at his words, it was true that there was no need to really thank him, but she felt it needed to be said anyway. At his next statement, however, she had perked up slightly.

"I do?" She asked, quite surprised by his words. Giorgio chuckled lightly and nodded slightly before glancing at the clock on the wall. Octavia also checked the time before quickly rising to her hooves and clearing her throat slightly. Giorgio turned his attention back to her as she spoke.

"It was wonderful to meet you, Master Staccato; I do hope I get the chance to play here again. I hate to leave in such a hurry but I am afraid I have some business to attend to." She shifted slightly as she lifted her case onto her back and patiently waited for the stallion to dismiss her.

"Very well then, Miss Philharmonica; have a wonderful evening and Legato or myself will contact you in the future when we feel we can fit you in the schedule." He walked around his desk to the door and held it open for the grey mare as she departed with a thank you.

"Gerard, will you kindly show Miss Philharmonica the way out." Giorgio spoke to the rather short brown stallion that stood to the right of the door. Gerard inclined his head in acknowledgement of the request and led Octavia through the maze-like hallways that made up the back of the Hall. Five minutes later they were standing by a door that led to the main street and Gerard was bidding Octavia a safe trip.

"Have a good evening and a safe trip home, Miss Philharmonica." He spoke in a rather thick Trottingham accent that Octavia couldn't help but find amusing.

"You have a good evening as well, Gerard." She said before trotting off in the direction of her apartment. As she was walking home carrying her case, Octavia noticed several of the attendees passing by and discussing her performance. The grey mare couldn't help but to smirk as she passed by them, she was proud of her talents and the fact that others admired them made her happy.

Octavia continued on her way to her apartment, pausing only for a brief moment now and then to readjust the case on her back to allow for easier movement. After about ten minutes of walking she soon found herself outside of the building she resided in and let out a soft sigh.

"It is good to be home…" She said to herself as she looked up at the large structure. The building was only a few years old and retained a brand new look to it. As Octavia trotted through the front doors and past the pony sitting at the desk, she couldn't help but to look around at the lobby. There were many famous ponies that lived in this particular building, it was one of the reasons she had moved here; another being that one of those ponies was the Staccato heir.

Octavia blushed slightly at the thought; she must seem like an obsessed fan by this point with as much as she would speak about the young gifted composer and her fellow musician. If asked why she was so entranced by the Staccato heir she would often state that it was simply because of the gifts the other musician was blessed with, which was true.

Shaking her head to clear it, Octavia trotted up five flights of stairs until she arrived at her floor. Trotting down the hallway to her apartment number, 105, Octavia pulled her key out of a zippered pocket on her case and unlocked the door. Moving inside, shutting the door, and making sure it was locked before dropping her key in a bowl beside the door; Octavia trotted into the living room and gently placed her case in its usual location in the far right corner of the room.

Octavia's apartment was rather plain as far as decorations went, she had a few paintings hanging on the wall; as well as shelves with her awards and various plaques. As far as Octavia was concerned there wasn't much she needed to have out on display, she rarely had guests over. Giving a sigh and trotting into the kitchen, Octavia began preparing herself something to eat for dinner.

Author's Notes: I HATE this chapter with a PASSION. It was aright pain in the ass to write, but hopefully it sets up Vinyl's backstory a bit as well as the awkwardness of chapter 3.

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The sound of a radio playing in the far off distance was the first thing the slowly stirring DJ noticed as she regained consciousness. The second thing she took notice of was the wet feeling on the left side of her face, which seemed to have something attached to it as well. The next thing she sleepily took note of was the hard surface her head rested on, and the fact that she slumped on something that must have been a table, or more likely a desk.

Giving a low groan as she slowly sat up, Vinyl yawned widely before raising a hoof to swat several times at whatever was stuck on her face. After a few seconds of missing the piece of paper, she finally managed to wipe it off and place it on the desk that had been serving as her pillow for the past few hours. Vinyl stared blearily down at the drool covered parchment and realized she had fallen asleep while in the middle of composing a song the night before.

Vinyl blinked slowly a few times before yawning widely and looking around for the source of the music, soon spotting an old fashioned radio that rested next to her bookcase. Frowning slightly as she listened to the music playing, she realized that Rhapsody in Blue was playing. The composer couldn't help the grin that spread across her muzzle as she finally got out of her chair and plodded over to her radio to turn it up.

Satisfied with her current music selection, Vinyl trotted into the kitchen to cook something to eat. Rummaging through the cabinets until she found a box of noodles, Vinyl couldn't help but to hum along to the tune playing on the radio. Suddenly a loud clap of thunder sounded and shook the building slightly, causing Vinyl to give a startled yelp and let loose a sudden flash of magic as she was using it to levitate a few pans around. Blinking in confusion as to why she was suddenly wearing a pot on her head, Vinyl gave a soft sigh and used her magic to float the pot to the sink and dropped it in to wash later.

Trotting to the window to chance a glance outside to see how bad the storm was, Vinyl stared outside with mild amusement. The rain was coming down so hard it made visibility hard if trying to see more than five feet in front of you. A sudden flash of lightening made Vinyl beat a hasty retreat from the window as thunder shook the building once more. The lights flickered slightly and Vinyl gave a soft sigh as she trotted back into the kitchen and turned the stove back off, slightly wary of using it in this nasty storm.

Before Vinyl could decide on something else to eat, she heard someone knocking rather loudly on her door. Frowning and wondering who would be crazy enough to go out in this weather, Vinyl trotted to her front door and grasped the handle with a hoof. Pulling it open she barely had time to open the door before a soaked Bonbon came trotting in. Vinyl blinked slightly before shutting the door with a kick from her right hind leg and chuckled slightly at the sight of Bonbon's mane plastered to her head.

"So sorry to come barging in like this, Sticky; but no one told me that the Pegasus ponies were planning on drowning Trotlanta today. I was on my way home from my mother and father's when this downpour started." Bonbon said as Vinyl used her magic to levitate a towel to her from a closet in a nearby hallway. Vinyl chuckled softly as Bonbon dried herself off and hung her friend's soaked saddle bags on a hook by the door.

"It's quite alright, although I don't think the Pegasus ponies meant to let it get this out of hoof." Vinyl had to shout over a rather loud clap of thunder. By now the unicorn was used to the subtle shaking of the building, although Bonbon looked a little surprised by it.

"Sticks... How do you stand this awful shaking? I'd be terrified that the whole building was going to collapse!" The cream colored mare stated looking somewhat nervous. Vinyl gave Bonbon a comforting smile as she trotted back to the kitchen to finish preparing something for lunch.

"It's not so bad once you get used to it. Actually, the building rarely shakes when there's a storm outside; it's usually when there's a really bad storm like this one. Trust me, the building is VERY sturdy; it's just that I'm on the top-most floor and so it seems a little more terrifying than if you were on the lower floors. Oh, do you want something to eat?" Vinyl's rather long-winded explanation fell on semi-deaf ears as Bonbon looked around the living room at Vinyl's various awards and pictures.

"That sounds wonderful. What are you making?" Bonbon asked as she trotted to the kitchen and peeked in. Vinyl was still digging through the cupboards and pulling out random boxes and jars.

"THAT… Is a good question…" Vinyl said in a muffled voice as she almost climbed into the cupboard, digging as far back as she could to find something interesting. Bonbon giggled slightly as Vinyl seemed to get stuck after twisting and turning her way into the cupboard. Before Vinyl could say anything another bolt of lightning lit up the sky and the lights suddenly shut off, causing Bonbon to let out a squeak and almost dive into the cupboard with Vinyl.

"Well….. That's not a good sign. Help me out, will ya, Bonsie?" Vinyl asked as she lit her horn up to provide light; a soft blue glow filled the cupboard she was currently stuck in. Bonbon, from her position beside Vinyl, quickly grabbed her by the hips.

"Sorry to grab you like this, Sticks." She said, tugging as hard as she could while Vinyl tried to wiggle her way out. Suddenly, a loud clap of thunder sounded; causing Bonbon to let out another startled squeak and pull a little harder than she had intended. Vinyl gave a yelp as she was suddenly yanked from the cupboard and sent tumbling backwards onto Bonbon.

"Well, I suppose that's one way to do it…" Vinyl said; looking around for Bonbon before realizing the lump she was sitting on was rather soft and warm, almost like a pony. Looking down, Vinyl gave a laugh as she quickly climbed off of her friend.

"Sorry, Bonsie; didn't realize I landed on top of ya." She said, holding out a hoof to help the cream colored mare up. Bonbon took her friend's hoof and slowly stood up.

"Come to the living room with me, Bonsie. I'll make lunch when the power comes back on. For now, I'll play you some music on my violin to help take our minds off the storm, okay? It'll be just like when we were foals and we'd play music or tell stories to keep our minds off how dark and scary it was." Bonbon gave a silent nod and smiled slightly as she followed Vinyl. The unicorn trotted over to a case tucked away in a corner, hidden behind the desk she had woken up on earlier.

Gently taking out the violin that rested inside the case, Vinyl tuned it then rosined up her bow before levitating the music she had been writing over to her music stand. By the light she had softly emanating from her horn, Vinyl was able to read the notes she had scratched all over the paper. Giving a soft chuckle to herself, Vinyl pulled the bow across the strings and filled the room with the sound of relaxing music that would, every now and then, pick up tempo and turn into a raging storm of emotions and thoughts written into music form.

---

A few blocks away, however, an utterly soaked and frantic mint green unicorn was hurrying towards her own apartment, when she crashed into another pony; this one a grey earth pony mare who was carrying what appeared to be groceries. Quickly getting to her hooves and holding one out once she was standing, Lyra helped the earth pony up before recognizing her.

"Y-you're Octavia Philharmonica! I saw you perform at the Staccato Legato Symphony Hall a few days ago!" Lyra stammered as Octavia gave a blink in surprise and waved a wave dismissively.

"Please, please; now is not the time to start a conversation. I'm glad you recognize me and hope you enjoyed the show. However, this weather is simply dreadful and I would prefer to get back to my residence." Octavia spoke in a rather quick, but not unfriendly, tone. Lyra gave a nod as she started to hurry off once more.

"I would prefer to be at home myself. However, I must find my marefriend; she was due home several hours ago." Octavia gave a blink as she watched the mare leave.

"Wait! You can't stay out in this weather!" She yelled over a loud clap of thunder, jumping slightly as a flash of lightening cracked the sky. Lyra froze and looked up at the sky then back to Octavia before frowning slightly.

"I have to find my ma-" Whatever she was about to say was cut off by another loud crash of thunder. Octavia scowled and shook her head, there was no point arguing with a stubborn unicorn like the one she was currently dealing with.

"I know you have to find her, but this weather is too dangerous! I doubt she'd want you out wandering around looking for her!" Octavia shouted back, feeling rather annoyed now. Lyra stared at the ground before sighing in defeat. Octavia was right, of course; but that didn't make it any easier to let up the search.

"Fine; but I still have to walk in this storm to get back home…" She grumbled to no one in particular as she started to walk in the direction of the apartment she shared with Bonbon. Octavia sighed in frustration as she pushed a hoof to her forehead, shaking her head slightly before speaking once more.

"My apartment building isn't too far from here, you are more than welcome to stay there until this rain lightens up if you so desire." Octavia really wasn't sure why she was offering this unicorn a place to stay; perhaps it was simply because she felt sorry for her? Lyra paused as she stared at the grey earth pony, seemingly wary of accepting the offer. However, a rather loud clap of thunder and a sudden flash of lightening seemed to make her mind up for her.

"That sounds a lot better than wandering the streets," Lyra said scurrying back towards the earth pony. Octavia raised an eyebrow and sighed once more as she picked up her sodden bags of groceries and led the way back to her apartment building.

---

Meanwhile, back at Vinyl's apartment, the power had just flickered back on and the two ponies were quite happy to be able to see without the use of Vinyl's magic. Trotting back towards the kitchen, Vinyl started searching for lunch once more. Bonbon sat quietly by the doorway and watched her start prepping a few rose and daisy sandwiches.

"What was that song you were playing, Sticky? I've never heard it before; is it a new one you wrote or just some classical piece that few know about?" Bonbon was the only one that seemed to know Vinyl's real identity and often called her by an assortment of 'stick' names. A chuckle escaped from the unicorn as she added a few choice spices to the spread she was making to compliment the natural flavors of the flowers on their sandwiches.

"It's one I have been working on for the past few days. After hearing Octavia playing some of my older compositions, I thought to myself: 'Vinny, you used to write awful music. They were sloppy, half of them were an unorganized mess, and you earned your cutie mark writing that slop!' So I decided to scribble up a few new compositions; if only because seeing what can be done with even the sloppiest of a child's 'composition' by a master musician."

Vinyl levitated the sandwiches over to the table as Bonbon trotted over to it and hopped onto a seat. Grabbing a sandwich and nibbling on it as Vinyl took a massive hungry bite out of her own, Bonbon giggled before replying to Vinyl's comment.

"Your compositions were anything but 'slop', Vinyl. They were simply ahead of their time; as is the case with most composers. The music you write is most definitely among the best I've ever heard; and you know how many classical music concerts I get dragged to by Lyra. Quite honestly, I feel like if you've seen one classical music concert, you've seen them all. The newer composers have nothing on you, Sticky. Even your violin skills are amazing, but then I suppose that's what happens when you have four musicians as your parents." Vinyl gave a sigh and dropped her sandwich on her plate as Bonbon winced, remembering how much Vinyl hated talking about her parents.

"Sor-" Bonbon started to apologize but was cut off by Vinyl raising a hoof and sighing as she then pressed the hoof to her temple before speaking once more.

"It's not your fault, and you are right; my particular parenting situation was, uh, 'helpful' in making me what I am today. I use the term 'helpful' very loosely, of course. But in all; I suppose I can't complain too much; my fathers were exceptionally bright, and my mothers were very kind. It's weird though, getting passed between two sets of parents. I suppose it was for the best in the end." Vinyl shrugged before taking another massive bite of her sandwich while Bonbon pondered what her friend had said while taking smaller bites.

"Hey, Bonsie; I'm gonna go check the mail since supposedly they come in 'rain or shine'; or whatever that silly motto is. I almost want to see if it's true or not; wanna tag along? We can go on an adventure! We're goin' on an Adventure, Bonsie!" Vinyl said in an overly-excited voice to add effect to her last two sentences. Bonbon covered her mouth with a hoof as she laughed at Vinyl's wide eyes and broad grin.

"If only because you made that face and said it in that particular tone, I will go with you, Vinny." She giggled once more as Vinyl's grin grew wider; it made Bonbon's face hurt just looking at it. Vinyl shoved the rest of her sandwich in her mouth before quickly trotting to the door and waiting for Bonbon who finished eating her sandwich like a normal pony.

The sound of rain echoed through the massive entrance of the apartment building entrance where Vinyl and Bonbon were walking through. Bonbon was giggling at some joke Vinyl had only just told her as they trotted up to the unicorn's postal box. Levitating her key and opening the box, Vinyl didn't notice the mint green unicorn that trotted into the building alongside a grey earth pony carrying a load of soggy bags.

Lyra stared around the grand entry way of the building they had just entered; it almost felt like she had walked into a fancy hotel rather than an upscale apartment building. Octavia dug through her saddle bags to get her key out before she started to walk up the stairs with Lyra trotting behind her. However, the sound of Vinyl shutting her mailbox door caused Lyra to look around, curious as to who else might be here; the mint unicorn's jaw dropped when she saw Bonbon.

"BONBON? What are you doing here?" Lyra asked in utter shock as Octavia whipped around upon hearing Lyra shouting. Vinyl immediately started trying to blend in with the wall, while Bonbon blinked in confusion and whipped around to face her marefriend. The stallion sitting at the desk looked up from his magazine as he heard the shout and raised an eyebrow.

"I could ask you the same, Lyra. " Bonbon stated in a cool tone, finally recovering slightly from her initial shock. Octavia quietly tried to distance herself from Lyra, hoping the cream mare wouldn't think there was more going on than what was really happening. It was then that Octavia noticed Vinyl subtly trying to scoot herself behind a potted plant, causing the bassist to raise an eyebrow.

"Excuse me, But what are you doing and just who are you? I do not recall ever seeing you here…" Octavia spoke in a crisp tone, trying to figure out just what exactly she had been dragged into this time. Vinyl gave a resigned sigh as Lyra suddenly took notice of her and narrowed her eyes before realizing just whom she was staring at.

"I was, uh, trying to get the, uh, thing that was back there. Yeah, the, uh, thing; I'm no pony important, though so no need to know my name!" Vinyl stated as she quickly started pretending to be looking for something while still clenching her mail in a blue aura of magic. Lyra didn't buy that story for a second, Octavia didn't seem to believe it much either; Bonbon simply face-hoofed at Vinyl's less than elegant attempt at trying to make up a good story.

"Vinyl, what the hell are you doing here? I thought you lived on the other side of the city. Bonbon, you never answered my question." Lyra stared between the two as Vinyl gave up all attempts at 'finding the thing' and simply sat beside Bonbon with a rather stoic look on her face.

"I was going home when this storm hit and I happened to be passing by this apartment building and I'm friends with a pony who lives on the upper-most floor. She's very reclusive though and not many ponies know her or even talk to her. You may have heard of her, although I'm not going to tell you who she is out of respect for her privacy." Bonbon spoke in an even tone, doing her best no to glance sideways at Vinyl in case that should somehow reveal to Lyra just who her 'reclusive' friend was.

"Yeah; and I'm an acquaintance of this pony, she's done a few compositions for a friend of mine. I got to meet her a few times and she's actually really cool once you get to know her. Bonbon's right though, she's very reclusive and often doesn't answer the door unless she knows the pony knocking. It was pure luck that Bonbon showed up when she did; else I'd most likely still be sitting in the hallway." Vinyl explained, glancing at Bonbon every now and then as she nodded along with what Vinyl said.

"However, that does not explain just why you are taking somepony's mail." Octavia stated with a raised eyebrow as Lyra nodded along with what the bassist said.

"Huh? Oh this? We were given the task of getting it for the pony we were talking about. She lives up on the upper-most floor in this apartment building." Vinyl replied while Bonbon gave a curt nod.

"I want to know just who this mystical upper floor pony is." Lyra snapped back, narrowing her eyes at Bonbon as she spoke. Bonbon looked taken aback by Lyra's sudden change in behavior; what had gotten into her today? She acted as if she caught Bonbon cheating on her or something similar.

"Some pony I've known longer than you and whom trusts me more than you seem to." Bonbon retorted, frowning slightly and glancing at Vinyl for the briefest of seconds. Neither Lyra nor Octavia seemed to notice the glance, but Vinyl did and simply gave a sharp nod; pretending to flick her mane out of her eyes. Lyra looked hurt at Bonbon's words and opened her mouth to protest, however, Bonbon raised a hoof and sighed.

"I'm not a fan of revealing her identity due to some personal issues she had a few years ago; the effect of which caused her to become the rather reclusive thing she is these days. I pity her sometimes, I really do. Poor filly's gone through so much; and for what? The media made her entire foalhood seem like a circus act; and her parents were none too appreciative about it, especially when they were the main targets. The press merely used my friend as a scapegoat to lure out her parents. Although, it got swept under the rug rather swiftly when they did step into the spotlight; almost no one remembers that whole incident anymore, it's like it never happened. Unfortunately, it affected my friend much more than any pony could have foreseen, and as such, she's become a shut-in and almost never leaves her apartment. As far as she is concerned, the world consists only of her apartment, the marketplace, and maybe one or two places she goes to do some work. Other than that, one almost never sees her."

Bonbon's long winded speech was, in many aspects, true; but it was also a distraction that held Lyra and Octavia's attention long enough for them not to notice Vinyl slip quietly up the stairs. Neither Lyra nor Octavia seemed to notice the missing white unicorn for which Bonbon was internally grateful, until Lyra spoke up.

"Bonbon, where did you hear that story; I've never heard such a thing, and my mom is very big on gossip news. That story sounds like something she'd be all over. I find it hard to believe that you would know a pony that, seemingly, is so reclusive that almost no pony ever sees them." Lyra said with a small frown, not sure what to make of the situation. Octavia cleared her throat to gain Bonbon and Lyra's attention before either could say another word. However, as Octavia opened her mouth to speak an albino Pegasus that had just trotted up to the mailboxes behind Bonbon turned her head and spoke up.

"Sorry to interrupt your conversation and not to seem like I was being nosy, but there is a unicorn who lives on the top floor whom has become something of a recluse; she used to be a foal prodigy and was quite the composer from what I've heard." The Pegasus then opened her mailbox and pulled out a small stack of letters then tucked them under her right wing. Trotting away from the trio she paused once more before looking over her shoulder and speaking once more.

"Also, you might want to find somewhere else to hold your conversation. You are starting to get weird looks from the others in the lobby." With a wave from her left wing as she turned and trotted up the stairs to the first floor, the pegasus soon disappeared from sight. Lyra, Bonbon, and Octavia looked around and saw that everyone, indeed, had turned their attention from whatever they were doing to watch the trio.

"I agree with whomever that was; Follow me, please." Said Octavia as she briskly walked away from the staring sets of eyes; as Lyra and Bonbon fell instep behind her, they heard the ponies behind them give a collective groan at the departure of what must have been their evening entertainment. Octavia scoffed as they trotted down the hallway on the first floor, leading them to another stairway that would take them further up into the apartment building.

"Hey, wait a minute… Where's Vinyl?" Asked Lyra, suddenly realizing that the white unicorn was no longer with them; Octavia gave a frown as Bonbon shrugged.

"I'd wager a guess that she went to take the stack of mail up to its owner." She said softly, hoping that Lyra would leave the matter settled and not try to dig up more information than she needed to have. Octavia quickened her pace, causing the other two to concentrate more on where they were going rather than start arguing again.

---

Vinyl hurried as fast as she could up the stairways leading to the 10th floor; taking care not to slip and fall or run into any other ponies. As she reached her floor, Vinyl panted slightly as she looked over her shoulder to ensure she wasn't followed. Letting out a soft sigh, Vinyl moved slowly down the hallway to her door. As she was looking for her key, Vinyl realized she'd left it downstairs in her mailbox after getting interrupted by Lyra and Octavia.

"Celstia Damn it!" Vinyl grumbled as she shoved her mail under her door then trudged off to go back downstairs to get her mail. Hoping against all hope that she wouldn't run into the others again, Vinyl hurried back down the stairs, bumping into the same Pegasus that the others had met.

"Oof! What the- Oh. Hi, Gabe." Vinyl said, helping the Pegasus up and using her magic to grab her neighbor's mail and hand it to her. Gabe gave a grunt as she rubbed her head from where she had smashed into Vinyl's nose. Takign a few seconds to recover before speaking, Gabe finally cleared her throat and then chuckled slightly.

"Talk about running into old friends, eh? Speaking of running, why are you in such a hurry? Those fruitcakes in the lobby were talking about you; as I'm sure you saw and heard. I think Bonbon was having trouble covering your flank. Oh, and you left your key in the mailbox; I would have gotten it, but I already had enough attention on me as it was. I backed Bonnie up with her story, so congrats on being a, uh, 'reclusive foal prodigy that had a nasty run-in with the media'… Or whatever it was we said about you." Gabe said, waving a hoof dismissively as she took her mail from Vinyl's magic and started to pass by her.

"Hey, Gabriel, wait; are we doing drinks at the Propeller this Friday or are we going to the Feedbag? I should be able to make it; I don't have anything going on as far as I'm aware." Vinyl asked as she watched her friend pause and consider her question.

"I do believe we'll be at the Propeller; you know how Barley gets when we don't visit him there. I swear, if he didn't have his daughter he'd claim us as his foals." Gabe said as she shifted slightly. Vinyl gave a slight chuckle as she nodded in agreement to Gabriel's statement.

"Well, I should go get my key so I can go inside and finish up my newest creation. I'll see you Friday at the Propeller, if not in the hallways here." Vinyl said as they parted ways, Gabe giving a grunt in acknowledgment.

Once Vinyl was back in the lobby, she trotted to her mailbox and quickly pulled her keys out, thankful that no one had taken them. However, as she turned around to go back upstairs, she found herself walking smack into Octavia, whom had come down to collect her own mail after letting Lyra and Bonbon into her apartment and dropping her groceries off.

"I have really got to stop walking into ponies." Vinyl mumbled as she rubbed her nose, snorting slightly. Octavia rubbed her head and opened her mouth to tell Vinyl to watch where she was going, but stopped short as she realized who she was about to yell at.

"Oh, I apologize. That was my fault, miss… Vinyl was it?" Octavia asked as Vinyl hung the lanyard with her keys on it around her neck.

"Yeah, that's my name, and it was totally my fault. Also, just call me Vinyl; there's no need to get all formal with me, Octavia." Vinyl said as she checked herself in a nearby mirror to make sure her nose wasn't bleeding from the multiple times she'd walked into somepony.

"I suppose we shall have to agree to disagree on that particular note. Although, I am curious; I thought you went back upstairs to give your friend her mail." Octavia said as she trotted past Vinyl and opened her own mailbox; Vinyl shifted uncomfortably, something that Octavia noticed and noted.

"Yeah, I did take her mail to her and then I was gonna leave; but the storm is picking up more and I really don't feel like imposing on anypony's hospitality. So I'll most likely camp out here until the storm dies down." Vinyl said as she trotted to a chair and climbed onto it. Octavia frowned slightly and shook her head as she started to head up the stairs.

"You do have the option of staying with your friends in my apartment until this storm dies down. Honestly, I think it would be nice not to have to listen to your green unicorn friend explain, yet again, how odd it is that the two of you should have a 'mutual friend that neither of you have ever mentioned before and are probably not telling the whole story'. I do believe she is overly insecure about herself and worrying too about something that is simply nothing." The grey mare said as she flipped through her mail, not seeing anything of interest.

Vinyl winced slightly at the other's cool tone, the last thing Vinyl wanted to do to her oldest was cause a rift in her relationship with Lyra. She at least owed it to Octavia to help deal with the two until they calmed down. A frown creased Vinyl's face, why should she help the mare though? They didn't even know each other, much less care about what happened to the other. It was not in Vinyl's nature to turn down an offer for a place to stay when she needed one, and she didn't really need one. She just needed a distraction for Octavia so that the mare wouldn't notice Vinyl retreating upstairs.

"I see no point in joining you and causing another awkward situation for you to have to sit through. I do appreciate your concern, but there is no need to worry about me. I can take care of myself; besides, I like this chair, it's comfy." Vinyl said as she wiggled into a more comfortable position on the chair; clinging onto the armrests with her front hooves and looking like a defiant child not wanting to move.

Octavia gave a shrug as another flash of lightening lit up the sky outside, causing the lights to flicker once more as a loud clap of thunder rumbled, causing the building to shake once more. Vinyl cast a nervous look upwards at the ceiling, something Octavia noticed and decided to use to her advantage in arguing with the stubborn unicorn.

"Well, since you wish to stay down here; alone. I suppose I will just go back to my apartment with my new friends and spend the evening in good company. Have a good ni-" Before Octavia could finish her sentence another flash of lightening caused the lights to shut off once more. Vinyl's horn lit up once more, casting a soft blue glow around the area they were in.

"I suppose I should follow you so you don't get hurt wandering around in the dark." Vinyl said with a smirk as she leapt off the chair and trotted to Octavia's side. The grey mare rolled her eyes as she led the way up the stairs and to her apartment, Vinyl staying only half a hoofstep behind her.

Once they arrived to Octavia's apartment, Vinyl quietly followed the grey mare inside and greeted Lyra and Bonbon. Lyra was surprised to see Vinyl again, but said nothing about it as she looked over at Bonbon who smiled at the duo that had just walked in. Octavia shuffled off to the kitchen to get them all something to drink, with Vinyl still trotting along behind her to provide light.

---

A couple of hours had passed since the lights had flickered back on, having been off for no more than twenty minutes; and the four ponies all sat around Octavia's dinner table munching on spaghetti with rose and tomato sauce. The silence that filled the air was not a tense or awkward one, but neither was it very relaxed. Vinyl kept glancing around from one pony to another, her eyes hidden by the glasses she wore almost religiously. Octavia had found an extreme fascination in the design of her dinner plates; and Lyra was silently watching Bonbon and Vinyl.

"Well, this is certainly an active conversation. I can hardly keep up." Octavia said as she looked up and forced a smile; trying to lighten the mood some. Vinyl raised an eyebrow but otherwise said nothing as she continued staring between the ponies in front of her.

"Sorry. Normally I'm a little more chattier than this. I just have a lot on my mind." Bonbon said with a soft smile as she looked up from the cup she had been scrutinizing for the past 5 minutes. Lyra's brow furrowed slightly as she glared over at Vinyl, as if it was somehow her fault that Bonbon wasn't her normal self.

"Normally, I'm the life of the party; but I just feel drained right now. I do apologize for being a lousy guest." Vinyl said as she used her magic to levitate her own glass to her lips and took a swig of water. Lyra bit her lip slightly, maybe she was worrying too much about the situation; it's not like they had been doing anything right?

"I'm sorry, Bonbon; and to you too, Vee. I've been rude to you two all night and it wasn't fair of me to judge why you two were here together like I did." Lyra said as she poked her dinner with her fork; finally staring at her food rather than between her best friend and lover. Vinyl waved a hoof dismissively as Bonbon simply placed a hoof on Lyra's.

"It's alright, Ly, we know you didn't mean anything by it. You just need to relax a little more, you know Vinyl and I would never do anything that would betray your trust." Bonbon said as she smiled at Lyra.

"Indeed. Now let's get off this subject and onto something a little bit more happy. Anyone up for getting drinks with me an' some friends at the Propeller this Friday night? We usually end up with only four or five of us going since some of the regulars end up with something going on. Besides, it's with the Captain of the Royal Air Guard as well as one of the Captains of the Unicorn division of the Equestrian Marines or whatever." Vinyl said, trying to steer the conversation into a less awkward subject. Octavia finally looked up from her plate and stared at Vinyl for a moment as Bonbon and Lyra did the same.

"That sounds like an interesting idea, actually. I'd love to go if Lyra's okay with it. It's been a while since we've gone out for drinks; mainly because she has such a low tolerance for alcohol." Bonbon said looking over to the mint colored unicorn as she blushed. Vinyl chuckled before looking to Octavia as she shifted in her seat.

"I suppose I could go along, I don't have a concert or any other plans this weekend." Octavia said as she lifted her fork to eat some of her spaghetti once she was finished speaking. Lyra looked apprehensive about the offer and simply glanced over to Bonbon as she nodded enthusiastically.

"Sounds like fun; I haven't seen Gabe in a while anyway. It would be nice to meet up with some old high school friends and have a few drinks. Lyra, what do you think?" The cream mare turned to her lover as she asked the question, noticing the look on Lyra's face as she did so. However, at the question Lyra perked up slightly.

"I would love to. I don't really know anyone outside of you three so it would be nice to meet some other ponies. Well, ponies who aren't regulars to my street performances anyway." She said, staring at the table as she poked at a daisy with her fork.

"Wait; you perform on the streets? Surely there is an ensemble or an orchestra out there that could use a… Lyrist, correct? I am guessing by your cutie mark, of course." Octavia said frowning slightly as Vinyl shoved more spaghetti in her mouth and watched the conversation. Bonbon rested a hoof on Lyra's as the mint unicorn sighed and stared at the table.

"Yes, I play the lyre. Unfortunately, my relationship with Bonbon affects my jobs; which is utter crap! I don't see what my preference in mates has to do with my ability to play an instrument. Nevertheless, I'll prove to those ponies that they can't keep a musician like me down! Well, Vinyl helps a lot too. She lets me record cds in her studio sometimes so I can sell them and make money. Speaking of money, we won't be able to buy too many drinks but that's okay, we don't need to get drunk off our flanks." Lyra said with a giggle as Bonbon nudged her gently in the shoulder. Vinyl smirked as she looked up from her dinner; her glasses glinting slightly in the light.

"Well, lucky for you that only one pony pays for the drinks. Though I will have to get you three a coin each from Gabe. See, It's a military tradition that when soldiers go out for drinks, they all pull out a special coin, well it's more of a medallion thing, and the last onbe to slam it on the table is the one who has to hoof the bill when it comes around. Of course, with this particular group., you are talking about bits reaching to roughly a thousand. I doubt they'll make you guys pay the first few times if you are last to draw out your coins though. That would be inconsiderate and I'd pay for you guys if it came to it.

Oh, and there's no 'buying your own drinks'; it's sort of an unwritten law with Gabe. ALL drinks are on one bill, you break this one rule and she won't EVER allow you go go drinking with everyone and will even go so far as to have you escorted out until they leave. So, don't make Gabe mad and you are golden." Vinyl grinned as she finished up explaining a little bit about what to expect. Octavia raised an eyebrow but nodded all the same while Lyra looked a little surprised.

"That's a lot of bits to spend on drinks. How many go usually when you guys do this?" The mint unicorn asked as Bonbon gave a yawn and rubbed her eyes. Vinyl smiled and simply picked up her plate as well as the others who were finished and cleaned them off for Octavia who was surprised at her actions.

"I'll tell you more another time, Lyra. Looks like Bonbon is getting tired and You look a bit worn out yourself. It is getting pretty late anyway; maybe we should all call it a night?" She suggested looking up at the clock on the wall and seeing that it was around 9 o'clock. Octavia gave a nod and showed Lyra and Bonbon to her guest room, also directing them to where the bathroom was located should they need it. When Octavia went back to the living room, she found Vinyl studying the trophies and awards that lined a bookcase on the far left wall.

"I see you are a remarkable musician, at least according to these rewards you are. But I'm curious, how do you think you fare?" Vinyl asked, not looking over her shoulder as the grey mare moved up beside her and sat down.

"I believe I do a wonderful job; I believe the awards speak for themselves. I got where I am today because I applied myself and did not get romantically involved with anypony. No offense to your friend of course." Octavia said as she turned to Vinyl, who gave a snort and chuckled as she turned to walk over to Octavia's couch and leapt onto it.

"One pony's opinion; as well as the opinion of a board of numbskulls hardly counts as validation to one's skill. Your cutie mark is a clear sign of your talent; much like mine is a mark of my own talent. However, that does not mean that we are the best of our colleagues. No, in fact; I think Lyra has more than you and I could ever hope to have if we focus more on our careers. Where is the happiness in having materialistic awards that can only fill you with hollow fulfillment when you could have somepony special to fill you with a lifetime of happiness without sitting on a shelf collecting dust?

I guess what I am asking, Dear Octavia, is if you are truly happy with all your awards and nopony to share them with? Truly, the value of one's life, isn't in the awards they earn, but in whom they share their life and happiness with; just a little something to think about." Vinyl said as she rested her head on her crossed forelegs before closing her eyes and dozing off.

Octavia stared at the white unicorn for a long while before looking over her shoulder to the massive amount of trophies, plaques, and other various awards that filled the bookcase behind her. There was more to that unicorn than what met the eye; she seemed, on the surface, to be a loud and rambunctious party animal, yet there seemed to be so much more to her than what she let on. A frown creased Octavia's face as she stared at the other for a long while before trudging off to bed, her mind now actively trying to figure out exactly what Vinyl had meant that a street performer had more than one of the most celebrated bassists.

Author's Notes: Oh my Celestia... This chapter was, quite possibly, more annoying to write than chapter 2... But hopefully it's up to par with the other chapters! Although, in my opinion, it was worst than the others... If only because I feel it doesn't flow right. Oh well, I'm sure I'll re-write it at some point.

---

Octavia sat quietly in her apartment reading a book, patiently waiting on the arrival of the two ponies who were to be escorting her to the bar she where she would be meeting Lyra, Bon Bon, and Vinyl. Flipping a page as she continued to read her copy of Famous Composers and Musicians: Traditional and Modern, Octavia paused for a moment as she glanced up at the clock on the wall to her left. Noting the time, she placed her bookmark back into her book and trotted to her bedroom to put on her bowtie. It took several minutes of muttered cursing at the lack of the handy horn that unicorns had; but soon she had the confounded thing on and trotted to her dresser to brush her mane.

After she had finished making sure she looked up to her usual standards, Octavia gave a small smile and trotted back out to her living room and took a seat in her chair once more. She didn't have to wait too long before there was a soft knock on her front door, announcing the arrival of the ponies she had been waiting on. Octavia pushed herself up and trotted to her front door, adjusting her bowtie slightly and patting her mane before opening the door and smiling to the couple standing in the hallway; one unicorn and the other a familiar looking pegasus.

"Good evening! You must be Octavia; Vinyl informed Stalwart and myself that you will be joining us this evening and requested that we escort you to the Propeller. Although I'm certain she already told you of these plans. My name is Hope, and this is my partner, Stalwart. Although she prefers to be called Gabe or Gabriel; Celestia only knows why," said the unicorn as she chuckled at Gabe's scrunched up face. Octavia grinned slightly before trotting out into the hallway and locking the door behind her before following the couple out onto the street.

"So, Octavia. How did you get to meet Vinyl?" Hope asked as she walked alongside the grey earth pony while Gabe trotted in front of them. Octavia cleared her throat and adjusted her bowtie, something Hope found amusing, before she replied.

"I actually met her in the lobby a couple of days ago, she was getting mail for some pony who lives on the top floor," said Octavia as she looked around at the scenery they passed, smiling as she noticed some foals playing on a playground they were passing.

"Oh yeah, Stalwart was telling me about that. I'm guessing you haven't had much tiem to get to know Vinyl then," Hope said as she also took note of the foals playing as well as their parents chatting. A small smile tugged on her lips before she turned her attention back to the bassist and spoke up once more.

"Well, what do you do for a living, Octavia? I'm guessing Vinyl mentioned what Stalwart and myself do seeing as she tends to ramble on about things like that," the unicorn said as Gabe gave a huff at constantly being spoken of with her real name.
"Hoooooope, stop calling me by my name; you know I prefer Gabe! You said it yourself when you introduced us," Gabe practically whined much to Hope's delight as she started chuckling along with Octavia.

"Oh, I have a feeling tonight is going to be quite an interesting night," Octavia stated as she looked up at the sky as they continued walking onward. Hope and Gabe glanced at one another before sharing a knowing smile and stating at the same time.

"You have no idea."

---

The sound of joyous laughter filled the air of the bar as Gabe told the same joke she told every time the usual crowd got together. Beside the rowdy Pegasus sat a white unicorn with a gold colored mane and a cutie mark of an anchor with an eagle carrying it. Gabe slammed her tankard down on the wooden surface of the table she sat at as she let out another loud laugh and wrapped a hoof around Vinyl's shoulders as she pulled the rather nervous looking DJ closer to her side. The unicorn to Gabe's left raised an eyebrow at her partner's behavior but otherwise said nothing as she took a swig from her own glass.

"Ya know, Vinny. Yer mighty cute when ya get a few drinks in ya! Although, I reckon there's a lotta things that ponies would like t- OW! Wazzat for, Hope?" Gabe grumbled as she rubbed the back of her head as the addressed unicorn snorted and turned back around to the bar.

"You know full well what that was for, Stallzie," Hope said with a smirk as she raised her glass to her lips with her magic. A sharp giggle to Hope's left interrupted their conversation as a silver colored unicorn with a tomahawk cutie mark looked over to the trio.

"Gabe, Did you tell Hope about being a pregnant hermaphrodite? That story's hilarious," the silver unicorn let out another loud chorus of giggles and squeals as she started banging a hoof on the table, clearly having had too much to drink. The rusty orange colored pegasus sitting to her left started motioning for her to quiet down.

"Shut up, Hatchet! We're in the bucking library; don't you know that you're supposed to be quiet in the bloody library!" Hissed the pegasus as she glared at her silver companion who only giggled louder. Octavia gave a sigh as she stared into her wine glass before looking over to where Vinyl was whispering into Bon Bon's ear. Lyra seemed to be pretty spaced out by that point and every now and then would glare over to Vinyl and Bon Bon as they'd erupt into drunken giggles.

"What's this about you being a pregnant hermaphrodite, Gabriel?" Hope asked between snickers as she noticed the rather embarrassed blush that worked its way across the albino pegasus' face. Gabe ran a hoof through her buzz-cut blue-dyed mane as she thought about the best way to explain her story, her pink eyes darting around the table at her other companions.

"Well... You know how I wear that red hoodie all the time? Well, I had some golf balls in the pockets and they kept falling out. I was also carrying around a bottle of water in the same pocket; so you can imagine how hard it would be to keep the stuff in my pocket, yeah? Well, the golf balls, as I've said, kept falling out and then I dropped my water and accidentally stepped on it while trying to catch the golf balls.

As I was talking to someone later and telling them about the whole ordeal, I simply told them that my 'balls dropped and my water broke'; and the next thing I know some passing soldiers are giving me weird looks. Next day, there are rumors flying around faster than the Wonderbolts that I was a pregnant herm. Rather awkward to explain to my boss," Gabe poked at her glass as she spoke, not meeting anypony's eye as she chuckled slightly at the memory. Vinyl smirked slightly as she looked over her shoulder to Gabe and nudged her gently.

"It could be worse... You could actually be a pregnant herm, Gabe," Vinyl giggled as she lifted her bottle of Vodka to her lips before taking a swig after speaking. Bon Bon snorted as she fought back a giggle at Gabe's bemused expression. Lyra rolled her eyes as she leaned over to whisper to Octavia.

"Is it just me, or are Bon Bon and Vinyl acting a little friendlier than usual?" Octavia blinked at the question before simply shrugging, she didn't really know the two that well but she did have to admit that they seemed to be acting a little flirtier than they had when she first met them. Lyra narrowed her eyes slightly as she watched Vinyl whisper something else into Bon Bon's ear that caused the cream mare to let out another chorus of giggles.

"I honestly could not tell you; I barely know them, Lyra. Although I do have to admit they seem a tad bit closer than what they were before," Octavia said as she took a sip of wine and raised an eyebrow at the two before glancing to the mint unicorn who was drowning herself in her third glass of cider. Sitting next to Lyra, and grumbling silently into his drink, was an onyx colored pegasus that had a drill for a cutie mark.

"I still can't believe I lost the coin toss. I swear this is the worst night ever! Bucking drunks, all of you!" he hissed through clenched teeth as he glared around the table the group sat at. To his right a cream colored unicorn gave a rather shrill giggle and placed a hoof on his shoulder as she shoved a tankard of mead at him.

"Relachz, Drillspit... Drillhit... Drillwhatever... Have antha dri-" Before she could finish her sentence, she fell face first into the table with a loud thud; causing every pony to turn their attention to her and chuckle. Drill was the only one who didn't seem to find this situation the least bit funny; and judging by the annoyed expression on the face of the pegasus to the cream unicorn's right, he wasn't the only one.

"Ugh. I told Cream to lay off the drinks and that she's a massive light-weight. But did she listen? Nooooooooooo, now I have to carry her drunk flank home and I don't feel like dealing with her in the morning; I hate drunk roommates." The sandstone colored pegasus gave a heavy sigh as she pushed her empty glass away. Looking around at the others before turning to Cream and deciding it was easier to leave now, she sighed and slid off her stool.

"Well, I'd love to hang around, but there's no point in having a passed out drunk at the table. Besides, we have to open the shop tomorrow and I refuse to let her get out of it on the account of a hangover. I'll see you ponies next week," she said as she hoisted the unconscious unicorn onto her back and started to walk out the door. The bartender unicorn looked up from the drinks he was mixing and the glass he was polishing before waving a hoof in farewell.

"Night, Wheat!" he called after her as she raised a hoof in acknowledgment and barely got her farewell in before the door closed. Gabe motioned for the bartender to bring more drinks as she glanced sideways at Drillbit who seemed to grow more agitated at the increase to the bill he was going to be hoofing. The bartender trotted to their table carrying a tray of drinks in his magic's aura. Setting them down, he took a seat on Wheat's vacated stool and smiled at everypony before realizing there were a couple faces he had not seen before.

"I see ye got a few new faces t'night; an' who might ye two be?" He spoke in an odd accent that neither Lyra nor Octavia could understand, causing them to glance at one another before looking back to the bartender and offering him a confused blink.

"I beg your pardon, but what did you say? I'm afraid I cannot quite understand your accent, Sir," Octavia said in a polite tone as she took another sip from her wine glass and awaited an answer while Lyra tried to focus on the male as her vision started blurring slightly. Hope giggled slightly as Hatchet leaned across the table and yelled at the top of her lungs.

"HE ASKED WHAT YOUR NAMES WERE! THAT'S A FAIR QUESTION, I THINK! WHO ARE YOU? WHY ARE YOU HERE? WHA-" Before she could continue; Axe grabbed her shoulders, slammed her back into her seat, and shoved a hoof into her mouth with a loud snarl.

"SHUT UP, HATCHET! I told you we're in the bloody bucking library! You're gonna get us kicked out, ya drunk!" she hissed as she looked around for the 'librarian' before removing her hoof from Hatchet's mouth. The others stared at the two for a long silent moment before Gabe burst out in raucous laughter; causing the others to join in as Axe started gesturing for them to hush. The bartender raised an eyebrow as he chuckled slightly before turning to Gabe. Before he could speak, however, Lyra finally spoke up

"I'm Lyra; and I'm here with Bon Bon," she said as she point as she pointed an unsteady hoof at Bon Bon. Vinyl chuckled as Bon Bon leaned against her slightly for balance, as she stared over at Lyra with a raised eyebrow. Octavia let out an amused chuckle before clearing her throat and speaking up.

"My name is Octavia; Octavia Philharmonica. It is a pleasure to meet you, Mister...?" She let her sentence hang slightly as she awaited his name. The bartender flashed a kind smiled as he inclined his head slightly in greeting before speaking.

"Me name's Barley; I'm the owner an' bartender of this 'ere place," he said still talking in that thick indiscernible accent, causing both Lyra and Octavia to frown slightly as they translated his words in their minds. Octavia offered him a smile as she finally understood what he had said; Lyra having given up on it and simply staring at Vinyl and Bon Bon who had taken up whispering into each other's ears again.

Lyra suddenly stood up and slammed her hooves on the table to balance herself, causing all the other ponies to look at her for a brief moment before going back to their conversational partners. However, Vinyl and Bon Bon kept their attention on Lyra as she hobbled off to the restroom after mumbling about needing to use the facilities. Glancing at each other and shrugging, Vinyl leaned forward and started whispering into Bon Bon's ear once more as Octavia secretly listened in as best as she could; curious as to what was so secret that they couldn't talk out loud.

"I dunno, Bonsie; do you think we should tell Lyra? You see how she's acting now, imagine how she'd act if she found out we've been hiding something like that from her. The last thing we need right now is for her to start assuming things again, I think it's best we keep it between the two of us for now, yeah?" Octavia resisted the urge to raise a brow at what she heard; while Bon Bon gave a slow nod and whispered back into Vinyl's ear.

"I suppose you are right, Vinny. I just don't think we should keep this hidden from her for much longer; she already suspects we're messing around behind her back. If she finds out abo-" Bon Bon fell silent as she noticed Gabe staring straight at her and Vinyl with an eyebrow quirked. Vinyl cleared her throat and leaned across Bon Bon to ask Octavia something.

Lyra had just left the bathroom and was having a hard time standing, the alcohol going to her brain faster than she had realized it would. As she stumbled slowly back to the table she saw Vinyl leaning across Bon Bon, but her intoxicated mind interpreted it as Bon Bon sitting on Vinyl's lap and Vinyl nuzzling her. Blinking rapidly, Lyra bit her lip before storming up to Vinyl and Bon Bon; causing them both to jump slightly as she suddenly shoved her head between them and glared from one to the other.

"What're you doing in Vinyl's lap, Bonnie; an' why are youse two kissing?" Her speech was slightly slurred and it was obvious that she'd had too much to drink and was starting to see things. Vinyl opened her mouth to speak but Lyra simply turned sharply away and stormed off, Bon Bon quickly got to her hooves and took leave after her; calling her name out and trying to stop her. Vinyl pressed a hoof to her face and sighed heavily as she stared into her glass.

Octavia quietly got up, sat in a vacant seat next to Vinyl, and placed a hoof on her shoulder; causing the white unicorn to look up. Octavia frowned slightly as she stared into the purple glasses, she couldn't recall the unicorn ever being without them in the few times she'd seen her. Shoving the thought from her mind as she pondered over what to say to the unicorn; Octavia gave a startled jump when Vinyl suddenly slammed her empty glass on the table and leaned around to Barley.

"Hey, Barley. Mind making me a white russian? It's been ages since I had one and you always make them so well," Vinyl said as the bartender gave a nod and lifted her empty glass to put in the sink to wash later. After a few minutes, he returned with her requested drink and set it down before returning to his place behind the bar; keeping close by in case the others had any drinks orders.

Vinyl took a swig from her new drink and set her glass down, staring into its contents as if not really seeing them there. Lifting her glass in her blue magic aura and twirling the contents around as she continued to study them with mild fascination, Vinyl finally lifted the glass to her lips once more and took another swig. Octavia quietly watched her with a small smile on her face, not really sure why she found it amusing that Vinyl was so entranced by her drink.

Before the bassist could dwell on her thoughts, however, the unicorn set her drink on the counter, levitated a straw over, and dropped it into her drink. After a few seconds of chasing it around her glass, she finally caught it with her tongue and sipped on her drink, eliciting a chuckle from Octavia as she finished off her glass of wine and ordered a glass of brandy.

"Having fun there with your straw, Vinyl?" Octavia inquired as the bartender levitated her drink over to the table. Taking the glass and giving Barley a thankful smile as she took a swig from her glass she watched as Vinyl moved her lips from the straw she'd been chewing on absentmindedly before she replied.

"It's called an emergency induction port, Tapioca," Vinyl muttered in a slight Russian accent as she chased the straw around her glass with her tongue, scowling at it as it evaded all attempts to be grabbed. Gabriel glanced over in time to take note of Octavia's scrunched up face at the name Vinyl called her. Gabe had to admit it was cute, and she realized she now had a nickname for Octavia; whether she liked it or not. Octavia, meanwhile, gave an amused snort as she stared at Vinyl.

"First of all, Vinyl, that's a straw; and second, my name is Octavia, not Tapioca," Octavia couldn't help the smile that tugged lightly on the corners of her lips. Vinyl stared at her for a moment before shaking her head violently, almost throwing her glasses off her nose; luckily she stopped in time to prevent that tragedy from happening.

"I said October. Also, it is an emergency induction straw... port... you know what I mean," Vinyl said as she stared at Octavia once more, a serious expression on her face. The grey mare simply chuckled again as she looked over to Gabe and Hope who both seemed to be preparing to leave. However before either one could speak, Drillbit spoke up.

"Yo, Sticky. I wa-" Before the stallion could finish, Gabe slammed a hoof on the table and scowled coldly at him while Vinyl quickly mumbled something about the bathroom and stumbled off as fast as she could; which admittedly wasn't very fast due to the amount of alcohol in her system.

"Drillbit, I told you to stop confusing Decks with Strings! What is it going to take to get that through your thick skull, boy?" She all but snarled at him. Drillbit shrank back slightly into his seat looking terrified of the furious pegasus. Octavia raised an eyebrow at Vinyl's sudden departure before turning back to watch the confrontation between the albino pegasus and her onyx colored counterpart. Axe glanced to Hatchet as she swayed dangerously and pointed a hoof at Drillbit in an accusing manner.

"You drunk! You chased off Vinyl! What do you have to say for yourself?" She demanded slamming the hoof she had been pointing at Drillbit on the table. Axe facehoofed as she shook her head and sighed, Hope smiled sympathetically at Axe before grabbing Gabe's ear with her teeth; causing the pegasus to give a startled yelp and redirect her attention to her partner.

"What, Hope? You know Decks is not Strings, and to call her such is an insult to both," She mumbled as she rubbed her ear when Hope let go. The unicorn gave Gabe a small smile as she nudged a hoof into her foreleg and shook her head.

"It's all fine and dandy to stand up for your oldest friends, Stalwart, but don't shove the other ones away in the process. Also; it's getting late and we need to go home, we have things we need to do tomorrow," Hope said with a kind smile as Gabe scowled slightly before huffing and crossing her forelegs across her chest. Drillbit smirked slightly as he raised his glass to his lips before speaking.

"Well, well. Guess we see who holds the reins in your relation-" Before he could finish, Gabe lunged across the table at him. Before Gabe could actually grab Drillbit, however; Hope, Axe, and Hatchet had forcefully restrained her with Hope and Hatchet using their magic and Axe using her muscles. Despite this, however, Gabe seemed intent on fighting free and getting ahold of Drillbit.

"WHAT THE BUCK DID YOU SAY?" Gabe snarled as she swung her hooves at him, trying to hit anything she possibly could while the other three restrained her. Vinyl quietly crept up behind Drill,; having left the restroom only seconds before the incident had occurred. Drill noticed her a moment too late as he was shoved rather forcefully into Gabe's reach. The onyx colored stallion's eyes widened as a sinister smile stretched across the albino's face as her hooves wrapped around his shoulders.

"WAIT, GABE! I didn't mean anything by it, I swear! It was just a joke! Please don't hurt me... By Celestia, Gabe, PLEASE DON'T HURT ME!" He pleaded as he cowered underneath that murderous glare Gabe was giving him. The next thing the pegasus knew, he was lying sprawled out on the floor with Gabe finally back on the ground after being held in the air by Hope and Hatchet's magic. Vinyl gave an amused snort as Drill scowled at her for shoving him towards the agitated albino pegasus.
"Okay, well. Now that Gabe has terrorized somepony for the night; we'll take our leave. Octavia, did you want us to walk you back to your apartment since you live in the same building as us or will you be staying longer?" Hope inquired as she glared coldly at Gabe, who looked more than ready to beat Drill should he open his mouth once more.

"Oh, no. I will be staying here a little while longer, Hope. Thank you for the offer though," said the gray earth pony as she turned to Vinyl, who had just sat back down on her stool. As Gabe and Hope walked out of the bar talking to one another, Octavia turned to Vinyl and pondered over the events that had transpired over her being called 'Sticky'. She wondered who these 'Sticky', 'Strings', and 'Decks' ponies were. She'd figured out that Gabe gave everypony some sort of odd nickname, and assumed Vinyl was one of the three; although she clearly wasn't this 'Sticky' character. Before Octavia could ask, however, Drill gave a snort and started to leave.

"Whoa there, Drillbit; you know you can't leave until the rest of us do; you have to pay, remember?" Hatchet said, having sobered up slightly after that little spat between Gabe and Drillbit. The pegasus scowled as he turned to face the unicorn, Axe getting to her hooves in case the stallion should try anything. Drillbit silently studied the ponies around him, his eyes lingering on Octavia for a moment longer than she would like. Before things could get out of hoof, Drillbit dropped a bag of bits on the table and walked out of the bar.

"I'll be talking to Gabe about him when I report in after the weekend; he's been doing this too often lately. C'mon, Hatchet, we should probably get home as well," Axe said, rubbing an eye as she stifled a yawn.

"Right behind ya, Sis," Hatchet replied as she nudged Axe in the shoulder playfully before trotting to the door with the exhausted pegasus. They both paused, however, and offered a farewell to Octavia and Vinyl; both of whom decided they should probably leave as well.

"Alright, Octopus. I guess yer goin' home wiff me, hehe," said the drunken dj as she stumbled outside after bidding Barley a fond farewell and almost falling over a few times as she tripped over her own hooves. Octavia gave a sigh and shook her head, a small smile sliding across it at the drunken pony's behavior deciding it was best to just not argue with Vinyl about her name.

"Where exactly do you live, Vinyl?" Octavia asked, realizing that this was probably something she should have inquired about earlier before the pony got drunk off her flank. Vinyl pointed in a southeasterly direction and mumbled her reply.

"Somewhere over there, in the record." Octavia blinked at the reply she received, 'she lives in a record? What?' Shaking her head as if it would shoo the thoughts away, Octavia tried a different tactic to get a reply from her drunken companion. Deciding to just start walking in hopes that Vinyl would recognize where they were while she was drunk, Octavia ushered the dj along and sighed to herself. If you had asked her a few days ago what she would be doing on friday night, this was most certainly not an answer she would have given you.

'All in all though, I have to admit it was nice to get out of the apartment for a while. I do hope things are okay between Lyra and Bon Bon though. I wonder what Vinyl and Bon Bon were talking about though...' As Octavia got lost in her thoughts, Vinyl started coughing rather loudly; almost as if she were about to get sick. Octavia snapped out of her thoughts and backed away quickly as she heard Vinyl's coughing fit; but a moment later the unicorn stopped coughing and cleared her throat.

"Are... you okay? You're not gonna get sick all over me if I help you walk are you?" Octavia asked a little nervously. Vinyl giggled and pointed at a spot to Octavia's left and stumbled slightly as she did so. Octavia gave her a questioning look as she quickly moved to keep the other from falling onto the dirt and Celestia-knows-what-else covered road.

"You said you're. You do not say you're; you say you are. As for the answer to yer question; It has windows and walls and is a record," Vinyl gave a smart nod, as if her answer made all the sense in the world. As Octavia opened her mouth to respond, she noticed a familiar looking cream mare trotting towards them.

"Oh, hey you two! I guess this is why Vinyl wasn't at her apartment, huh? Heheh..." Octavia raised an eyebrow before looking over to Vinyl who was staring at a streetlamp with her jaw hanging slack. Bon Bon giggled slightly as she glanced at Vinyl as well, drawing Octavia's attention back to the cream colored mare.

"Indeed. However, I thought you and Lyra returned to your own apartment?" Octavia inquired as she watched Vinyl continue to stare, she assumed, into the light. Turning back to Bon Bon and realizing that she was one of Vinyl's older friends, as evidenced by Gabe's familiarity with her, and decided to inquire about Vinyl a bit further. Before she had the chance, however, Bon Bon spoke up to answer her inquiry.

"Well... I did follow her back to the apartment, trying to get her to listen to me. From what I've noticed about her behavior tonight, I'd have to say she's been hiding a massive amount of insecurity about Vinyl and myself. Perhaps it's because of the history we share, or something more than that; who knows? Anyway, she beat me inside and before I could say anything else to her; she locked the door and then I'm guessing moved something heavy in front of it to barricade herself in because I couldn't get the door to open no matter how hard I tried. So, I figured I'd go to Vinyl's apartment, seeing as she's one of my oldest and best friends. Vinyl would never leave me out in a hallway to sleep, unlike Lyra, apparently."

Octavia gave a slow nod as she listened to the other mare's explanation on the situation, turning back to Vinyl who was waving a hoof at the light as if trying catch it somehow. Raising an eyebrow before sighing and shaking her head, Octavia turned back to Bon Bon once more and cleared her throat to draw the cream mare's attention.

"I was wondering about your history myself actually. That one pegasus male... Ah... Drillbit? He started to call her 'Sticky' or something along those lines. Woul-" Before Octavia could finish, Vinyl let out a bloodcurdling scream. Octavia jumped in surprise and whipped around, expecting some sort of crazed pony trying to attack Vinyl.

"GET IT OFF! GET IT OFF! OH MY CELESTIA, WHAT THE BUCK IS IT? HEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEELP!" Screamed Vinyl as she started flailing around before taking off at a full gallop and running into the lamppost, causing Octavia and Bon Bon to wince at the loud crunch of Vinyl's glasses breaking. Before either pony could inquire about Vinyl's condition, the white unicorn stumbled around for a moment before speaking.

"Stop the world please... I wanna get off," she mumbled before landing with a thud against the pavement, her glasses falling off her face and laying in a mangled heap on the ground. Octavia looked over to Bon Bon who was still laughing heartily at Vinyl's freak out.

"Seriously, Bon Bon, what is so funny?" Octavia asked as she raised an eyebrow.

"You didn't see what Vinyl was freaking out about? A leaf landed on her back and startled her; so naturally she flipped out and knocked herself out. Although that does save us the trouble of having to drag her home. Carrying her is actually much easier, believe it or not," Bon Bon stated as she and Octavia hoisted the unicorn up; Octavia giving a grunt as she settled Vinyl's onto Bon Bon's back.

"Well, at least you're here because otherwise I'd be stuck waiting for Vinyl to wake up since apparently she lives, and I quote; 'in the record with windows and walls'," Octavia said as she pressed a hoof to her temple as Bon Bon trotted of; Octavia trotting over to what remained of Vinyl's glasses and scooping them up before trotting after Bon Bon.

Unbeknownst to Bon Bon, as she trotted by a familiar apartment building, was that a certain mint green unicorn was looking outside and saw her trot by with a familiar unicorn on her back. Lyra's eyes narrowed ever so slightly as she saw her marefriend trotting past with her best friend draped across her back; not having seen the incident before hoof she found it odd that her marefriend would carry Vinyl home on her back so shortly after the incident in the bar. Quietly sliding away from the window and moving to the kitchen, Lyra knew this was going to be a long night as she pulled out a bottle of vodka they kept tucked away.

Back outside, Octavia had caught up to Bon Bon and was following her down the road towards Vinyl's apartment. They walked in silence for the most part, the only sound being Vinyl's occasional snoring or sleep talking; though neither complained. Octavia studied the area they were in with mild interest as she continued walking alongside Bon Bon, not usually straying too far from her apartment unless she was offered a job in another town. A lot of the buildings were old and more than a few were run down and in danger of collapsing, she wondered why they weren't torn down.

After about 15 minutes of walking, the trio arrived to a fairly large building in the shape of a record; or well half of one; it suddenly dawned on Octavia just why Vinyl kept saying she lived 'in the record'. Bon Bon pushed the door of the building open and trotted inside, holding the door open for Octavia to pass through. Octavia trotted in and looked around at her surroundings, realizing that she was inside what appeared to be some kind of office.

"Is this where Vinyl lives?" She asked staring around at the various desks and cubicles. Bon Bon giggled, causing Vinyl to stir and give a groan as she placed her hooves over her head. Octavia raised an eyebrow as Vinyl slid off Bon Bon's back and felt her face for her glasses.

"W-w-where's my glasses?" She asked in a slight panic, keeping her eyes tight shut as she felt around for them. Octavia stepped forward and nudged Vinyl in the shoulder before telling her that she had them. Vinyl used her magic to take them from Octavia's mouth and placed them back on her face, despite how destroyed they were. Opening her eyes she noted how the glass was at least intact enough not to reveal her eyes to the outside world; even if it was scuffed and scratched beyond actually seeing.

"To answer your question, Octavia. Yes, I do live here; in the apartments upstairs. I don't exactly sleep under somepony's desk. I'm not that poor and pathetic." Vinyl said with a scowl before walking away with a scowl plastered across her face. Octavia's ears flattened against her head as she tried to tell Vinyl that she didn't mean it that way. Bon Bon winced slightly and quickly trotted up to Octavia's side and whispered in her ear for her not to worry too much about Vinyl's apparent annoyance.

A few minutes and a couple flights of stairs later, and they were on the apartment level of Vinyl's studio, trotting towards a large door at the end. Vinyl levitated her key to the lock and opened the door with a sigh as she trotted inside, hanging the key on a hook beside the door as she held it open for her two companions to trot in. Once they were inside, Vinyl shut the door and locked it before turning to Octavia and Bon Bon.

"Alright. Octavia, your romm is down that hallway to your left and is the second door on the left; the bathroom is across the hall from your room. Bon Bon," Vinyl turned to the cream colored mare," You can either sleep in my room with me or you can sleep on the couch, I really don't care either way."

"I'll just sleep with you. Its weird sleeping by myself after sleeping beside Lyra for so long, besides I know I can trust you." Said Bon Bon as she trotted down the hall towards Vinyl's room. Octavia inclined her head to the unicorn and trotted down the hallway to the room Vinyl had indicated.

"Good night, Vinyl," said Octavia as she gently shut the door to her room and preparing to go to bed. Vinyl trotted down the hallway to her own bedroom and into her bathroom to brush her teeth and get ready for bed. After a few minutes she climbed into bed beside Bon Bon, who was already sound asleep, and chuckled as she used her magic to turn off the light before levitating her shattered glasses onto the bed-side table to deal with in the morning.

Author's Note: I am SO Sorry for the lateness of this chapter. I've been under a lot of stress at work in between my work shedule being goofy and having a linen closet smash my knee and other crap; it's been a long time coming so here it is; without further ado...

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Chapter 5

Lyra gave a low groan as she slowly started to stir; pressing her hooves to her temples as she fought off the pounding in her head from the hangover she found herself suffering from. She would ask herself why she had thought it was a great idea to drink a whole bottle of vodka when she returned home from the bar; but just thinking about thinking made her headache worse. Before she could think of anything else, the memories of the night before came rushing back.

Bon Bon was leaning against Vinyl and whispering into her ear as the unicorn held her close. Vinyl's head turned slightly and Lyra felt her eyes upon her behind those shades she wore almost religiously. A small smile tugged on the alabaster unicorn's lips as she turned back to the cream colored mare she was holding and whispered back.

Lyra pressed her hooves into her temples once more as she let out a pained snarl at the memory, as if demanding it leave her be. Finally, she forced her eyes open and blinked several times as her eyes adjusted to the brightness of the sun lighting up the room she had been sleeping in. Rubbing her eyes for a few seconds before dragging herself off the couch she had fallen asleep on the night before, Lyra gave a long sigh as she trudged to the bathroom to find something, anything, that would alleviate her headache.

Bon Bon was resting her head on Vinyl's shoulder, her eyes closed slightly as she held Vinyl's hoof in her own, giggling at the mock argument between Gabriel and Hope over which branch of the pony military was better. Octavia was staring between Vinyl and Bon Bon then back to Lyra; almost as if waiting for something to happen. Lyra stood and stormed to the bathroom to splash some water on her face in an attempt to force herself to sober up enough to see if what she thought was happening was actually happening.

The memory was as unwelcome as the pang of pain it brought with it as her headache worsened for a brief second as the memory faded back into the darkest reaches of her mind. Lyra gave an annoyed sigh as she looked through the cabinets for some medicine, soon finding the bottle she sought. Using her hooves to try to open the bottle, Lyra found it rather tedious work and tried holding it with her hooves and rotating it while holding the cap with her teeth. It took several tries, but she managed to open the bottle; before dropping it by mistake and sending the pills in every direction.

Giving another frustrated sigh, Lyra grabbed the bottle up and dumped what few pills remained onto her hoof before separating two of the little blue and red pills and dropping the rest back into the bottle. After popping the pills into her mouth and chugging a glass of water, Lyra then stared at the pills all over the floor and decided she'd deal with it later. For now she needed her headache gone, as well as answers; answers to the questions burning in her mind about what was going on between Bon Bon and Vinyl.

It had been an hour or two since Lyra had returned to the table to discover Vinyl and Bon Bon still being flirty and whispering to one another before bursting into giggles. Bon Bon was tracing Vinyl's jaw with her hoof and whispering something into her ear before glancing at Lyra out of the corner of her eye. Lyra had pretended not to notice and instead had asked Octavia if she noticed anything unusual about Vinyl and Bon Bon's behavior. Octavia had noted it seemed odd, but had stated that she had nothing to judge on due to not knowing them well. Lyra had then excused herself to go to the restroom once more, returning a few moments later to catch something about not telling her something. She had abruptly about faced and stormed out with Bon Bon tailing her, begging her to listen.

Lyra scowled as another memory surfaced, forcing her headache to worsen briefly before drifting into the fog of the outer reaches of her mind. Struck by a sudden idea, and briefly forgetting her headache; Lyra charged down the hallway she had been standing in and tried to open the door to Bon Bon's study. Of course, it was locked; the mare left her study locked when she wasn't inside. Lyra then did the one thing she had promised to never do, she broke into Bon Bon's office. Blasting the door off its hinges and into several splintered pieces which might have been overdoing it; but Lyra's headache hadn't helped her control her magic when she tried to use it to open the door.

Taking care to step over the mess of splinters and chunks of wood that now littered Bon Bon's once clean office, Lyra went over to her desk and started opening the drawers. She remembered, somehow, that Bon Bon had once mentioned that she kept the key to Vinyl's apartment there for when she had to check on it whenever the DJ was out of town for an extended period of time. Rummaging through the top drawer of Bon Bon's desk, Lyra found something rather interesting; two sets of keys, both of them for Vinyl's apartment. However, one set was labeled as 'Vinyl - Apartment 1' and the other was labeled as 'Vinyl - Apartment 2'; both with different addresses on the back of the label.

Lyra had been quietly looking outside, wondering where Bon Bon had gone off to after she left the building. Ten minutes later, Bon Bon had passed by with Vinyl on her back; heading in the direction of Vinyl's apartment. Lyra had to turn away from the sight and went to the kitchen to rummage through the cabinets for the bottle of vodka Bon Bon usually kept hidden away. Lyra had lost count of how many shots she had before she passed out.

Staring at the two sets of keys that lay before her, Lyra pressed a hoof to her head as a throbbing sound filled her ears from the headache reminding her that she had too much to drink. Scowling as she tried to force any other memories back into the fog of her hungover mind, Lyra started to turn to leave when something in Bon Bon's desk caught her eye. There appeared to be an old photo of Bon Bon with a white unicorn that had a blond mane styled somewhat similar to Gabriel's, although not quite as short. Staring at the photo for a few moments, Lyra noticed that Bon Bon seemed to be wearing a fancy dress while the unicorn wore a suit designed for mares. Flipping the photo over out of curiosity, Lyra read the note on the back:

"Vinny and Me - Prom 'King' and Prom Queen"

Lyra raised an eyebrow, she remembered that Bon Bon and Vinyl had grown up together and had even dated for several years; but she never realized they had been Prom queen and... Wait, King? Something in Lyra's mind clicked at that word; she knew Vinyl was a mare and thus could not be a 'king' which stood to point that... Lyra pressed a hoof to her head as the throbbing started up once more; she would just ask about the photo at a later time.

Lyra continued to shuffle through the various drawers of Bon Bon's desk while she had the opportunity and suddenly felt something sticky on her hoof. Quickly yanking her hoof out of Bon Bon's desk, Lyra stared at the culprit; a melted hard candy of some sort. Her face scrunching up in disgust as she flailed her foreleg around trying to get the candy off; she was rewarded when the red menace flew off her hoof and stuck onto the wall next to a picture.

Not immediately noticing the direction of the candy's travel, Lyra turned back to Bon Bon's desk and started digging through the drawers once more. There were several various ticket stubs to shows and musicals Lyra had never known Bon Bon had gone to see. Lyra stared as she got to the bottom of one drawer and found a mess of random bottle caps and wine corks from various expensive imported liquors; the kind you had to pay top bit for. Lyra stared at the corks and caps in confusion, where had Bon Bon gotten the bits to get such expensive alcohol; or had they been gifts from some pony Lyra didn't know the existence of?

Lyra's hungover mind began running into several different directions as she tried to wrap it around what Bon Bon was seemingly hiding from her. Shutting the drawer she had been looking in and opening another, the first thing Lyra took note of was the insane amount of candy wrappers; several of which had Vinyl's cutie mark on. There were also several with Lyra and Bon Bon's cutie marks on them, and underneath them lay several sheets of parchment with various candy recipes scribbled out in Bon Bon's hoof writing; and more than a fair few with what appeared to be Vinyl's writing if Lyra's memory was serving her correctly.

Lyra was confused on why Vinyl would be writing down candy recipes; as far as she knew the DJ had zero interest in making candy, much less knew any recipes. Lyra's head was starting to spin from the amount of information her brain was trying to process; which only made her headache worse. Shaking her head to clear it for a moment, Lyra opened the middle drawer of Bon Bon's desk and spotted several folded up pieces of parchment; causing Lyra to wonder what they were. Part of Lyra felt guilty for going through all of her marefriend's private belongings like this, but at the same time Lyra wanted to know what secrets the cream mare was hiding from her and why she was hiding them.

Using her magic to levitate one of the folded pieces of parchment from the desk, Lyra tried her hardest to ignore the pain from her headache. Carefully opening the parchment, Lyra felt her heart racing at what she might find. She felt her throat start to constrict as she stared at the parchment; some sort of love letter to Bon Bon from Vinyl, or 'Vinny' as the old signatures read. Lyra folded the letter back up and dropped it back into the drawer, her eyes clouding up with tears as she shut the drawer; not wanting to look through her desk more than she had already done.

However, Lyra found herself attracted to the bottom drawer for no explainable reason, other than she had already gone through the others and might as well finish the job. Giving a sigh, Lyra pulled it open and was taken aback by what she found; every note, composition, photo, and a few other assorted things from the mint colored unicorn. Lyra then spotted a small box that contained a golden necklace with Lyra and Bon Bon's cutie mark bonded together and decorated with several gems; a gift to Bon Bon on Hearts and Hooves day.

Something clicked in Lyra's mind at that point, she had been so focused on whatever she thought was going on between Bon Bon and Vinyl that she had almost forgot what she herself had with Bon Bon. Sighing as she tucked everything back in the drawer and grabbed the two sets of keys; Lyra turned to leave before spotting 3 pictures on the wall as well as the candy she had flung off her hoof only moments before. On the left was a picture of Lyra and Bon Bon on their first date; as well as the receipts from their dinner and the ticket stubs from the show they had gone to see.

Lyra shifted nervously from right to left as she patiently waited for her date to arrive; she had only met the mare a couple of weeks ago and had taken a liking to her rather fast. Doubt started to creep into the back of Lyra's mind as to whether the mare would actually show up, she had seemed rather wary of accepting the invitation to go out with the unicorn. Lyra had almost given up and left but suddenly the cream colored mare came trotting up to her with a bright smile on her face. Lyra had asked her if she was ready to go see The Three Horseketeers; to which Bon Bon had said 'yes' excitedly.

Afterwards, Lyra and Bon Bon had gone to Sardi's for dinner, Bon Bon's treat of course; despite Lyra insisting that she should pay seeing as she was the one who invited Bon Bon out. Bon Bon had laughed it off as she waved a hoof and told her that since she paid for the show it was only fair that Bon Bon should pay for dinner.

The memory was more than welcome as far as Lyra was concerned, a smile tugging on her lips as she remembered that night fondly. The aspirin seemed to have started working as her headache was starting to fade away, and Lyra couldn't have been happier about that little fact. Ignoring the larger picture in the middle to look at the picture frame on the right, Lyra felt her stomach and mood drop as suddenly as it had perked up. There on the wall hung what must have been the documentation of Bon Bon and Vinyl's first date; tickets to see the Pony of the Opera, as well as a rather hefty dinner order from some fancy named restaurant called Château du Cheval.

Lyra stared at the picture of Bon Bon and Vinyl with what appeared to be the cast of the show. She then noticed that the backdrop of the picture was a poster from the play, autographed by each member of the cast and even a few members of the crew. Giving a frustrated sigh, Lyra turned to the picture frame in the middle; a portrait Bon Bon had gotten drawn by a now well known artist.

Lyra, Bon Bon, and Vinyl had all been out for what Vinyl dubbed as 'all of us on a date because we are that awesome'. Lyra had found out a bit about Vinyl and Bon Bon's past and realized that the two were pretty close; closer than she had realized before hoof. As they had been about to leave, Bon Bon had noticed the artist and wanted to get a picture of the three of them to commemorate the day's events. Vinyl and Bon Bon were tugging on Lyra's forelegs as she tried not to laugh at the antics of the other two having a mock fight over who would get to take her home.

Tears burned at Lyra's eyes as the memory played out in her mind, and she stared softly at the painting. Lyra finally realized how foalish she was being to think that Bon Bon would intentionally hide something from her and decided that maybe she was just overreacting to something minor that she needn't worry about. Lyra turned to go back to Bon bon's desk with Vinyl's keys when she noticed the painting was crooked and there appeared to be something behind it.

Tilting her head to the side slightly, Lyra dropped the keys on the floor for a moment as she carefully took the painting down and stared at what appeared to be a safe embedded into the wall. Staring at the safe, Lyra's brows furrowed slightly; she knew that she shouldn't pry and that Bon Bon probably only had some bits or important work documents stored inside, but curiosity was slowly taking hold of her.

The safe looked somewhat new, yet Lyra would guess it to be around a year or two old; most likely Bon Bon had it before Lyra moved in with her. Still, Lyra was curious to know what kind of 'treasure' Bon Bon must have hidden away. As she looked around for ideas of where Bon Bon would stash a key, she noticed a glimmer of metal on the back of the painting she had just removed.

'Silly Bon Bon, leaving a key where anypony could find it!' Lyra thought to herself as she used her magic to levitate the key taped to the back of the painting to the keyhole on the safe. However, once she turned the key, the safe simply let out a loud beep and revealed a keypad to input a keycode.

'Well, buck. I guess she wasn't so silly after all... Now what would Bon Bon have for a keycode...' Lyra tried all kinds of combinations of numbers, each simply causing the safe to beep loudly at her error. Lyra's headache was starting to return and the unicorn was growing tired of messing with the keypad. Off-hoofedly, she looked at the date on the tickets for the Pony of the Opera showing that Bon Bon and Vinyl had gone to see and tried typing it in.

A loud series of clicks and whirring told the unicorn that she had succeeded in unlocking the safe, even though Lyra was now a bit upset that Bon Bon would have the date she went out with Vinyl as the keycode; the unicorn was still curious to see what the safe held inside. Drawing in a breath and reaching a hoof out to open the safe, Lyra bit her lower lip with anticipation as she slowly opened the safe.

Inside were several bottles of wine that appeared to be imported from Prance, and from what Lyra knew about some of the brands, they ran a pony to about a thousand and a half bits a bottle. Lyra's eyes widened as she stared at the bottles of wine, her jaw hanging open as she pulled one out slowly and carefully, staring at it with a mixture of awe and anger. How had Bon bon afforded even one of these bottles?

Lyra set the bottle back into the safe as she took note of what appeared to be a tangled mess of Licorice rope and some peppermint sticks. Her brow raised as she pushed the licorice aside and saw what appeared to be a piece of folded paper. Lyra started to reach for it, however, something prevented her from taking it. The mint unicorn realized that all she had done since she had gotten up was tear apart Bon Bon's office looking for 'evidence' of her cheating; only to find nothing but remnants of her past among various other things.

What bothered her most, however, was the fact that Bon Bon was hiding a lot from her at the same time; perhaps this piece of paper was just another recipe or some sort of sacred love note. Hating herself for doing it, but knowing she had to know what it was; Lyra wrapped the paper in her magic and carefully opened it.

The mint unicorn's jaw dropped as she stared at the paper; having assumed that it was nothing important, she found that she had been beyond wrong. Before her eyes was some sort of contract or something, Lyra had never been sure what to call the things; signing over a quarter of the Cadbury family enterprises over to Bon Bon. It was only as she was skimming the paper that Lyra noticed Bon Bon's last name; Bon Bon Cadbury. Lyra facehoofed; how could she have never realized that 'Bon Bon' was not her lover's full name?

Lyra shook her head, trying to figure out exactly how Bon Bon had never once brought up the fact that her parents were owners of the biggest candy making company in Equestria. Scratch that, why hadn't Lyra even asked her about her parents? Now that Lyra thought about it, she should have asked to meet Bon Bon's parents when the mare went to visit them a few days ago. With this new information on Bon Bon, Lyra seemed to have forgotten all about Vinyl and Bon Bon's supposed 'relationship'.

Putting the paper back into the safe and scowling heavily now as she tried to work out Bon Bon's reasoning behind her actions, Lyra started to pace back and forth in front of the safe before letting out a frustrated snort and slamming the safe door shut. Picking up the keys she had dropped earlier and deciding it was best to go confront the two about all the secrets they had been hiding, Lyra turned to leave Bon Bon's office before spotting something on the chair. Something she had not noticed until then, and something that caused her to let out a rather loud snarl through the keys in her mouth.

"OH BUCK NO!"

---

Bon Bon jerked awake violently as she woke from a dream; a rather odd one to be sure. Rubbing her eyes with her forelegs before yawning slightly and carefully climbing over Vinyl to get a drink of water from the bathroom. After a few minutes of staring into the mirror at her bloodshot and sunken in eyes, Bon Bon went back to the bedroom to go back to bed. Bon Bon noticed Vinyl's broken shades laying on the nightstand as she trotted back into the bedroom. Remembering that Vinyl kept several spare sets in her top dresser drawer, Bon Bon trotted over to the broken pair and put them inside their case before returning with a new pair. After putting the new pair of shades down, Bon Bon gave a yawn and climbed back into bed, snuggling up to Vinyl as she did so.

"Mmm... Peppermint... You do know how to spoil a mare..." Vinyl mumbled in her sleep as a smile tugged on her lips. Bon Bon gave a small giggle as she closed her eyes as she slowly fell asleep once more.

The two would not remain asleep for much longer as a mint unicorn burst the door open a half hour later, panting hard and yelling at the top of her lungs.

"I KNEW IT! I KNEW YOU TWO WERE HOOKING UP BEHIND MY BACK!"

Vinyl let out a terrified squeal as she flailed around, after being violently woken up by Bon Bon kicking her out of the bed in reaction to the yelling. Bon bon tried to wiggle out of the blanket she was tangled in while Vinyl tried to figure out what exactly was going on. Lyra scowled at them as she threw the keys violently at Vinyl's face; she wasn't sure why she did it, but she felt a little better when Vinyl let out a loud squeak and covered her nose where they had bounced off.

Before either pony could react further, Lyra wheeled around and stormed out of the room. Bon Bon struggled to escape the sheets that had her trapped as Viny attempted to gain her balance as she scrambled to her hooves and blinked in the bright light of the sun filtering through the blinds into the room. Fumbling around with a hoof on the nightstand as she covered her eyes with her foreleg, Vinyl grabbed her spare shades from a drawer just as Bon Bon managed to free herself and take off like a rocket out of the room to stop Lyra.

"LYRA, WAIT!"

Vinyl gave a sigh as she slowly trudged out of her room, hearing Bon Bon and Lyra having a mild argument about why Lyra should stay to listen to what the two had to say. As she was passing by the guest room door, Vinyl paused for a moment to crack open the door to peer in. The grey mare within appeared to be asleep; her breathing slow and deep. Smiling softly, Vinyl shut the door and went to join the duo arguing in the living room.

"Trust you? You were the one who BROKE into MY office, went through MY stuff, and now states I should trust you!" Bon Bon was livid, it was clear to see from the fire in her eyes and in her tone. Lyra took a few steps back as she tried to ponder a retort. However, Vinyl stepped between the two before the mint unicorn could say anything.

"Now, that is enough! Look at the two of you; you used to be so close and now you're yelling at each other over stupid things. Cut it out, or at least keep the volume down. Geeze," said Vinyl as she rubbed her temple with a hoof, trying to think of a way to diffuse the situation. However it was Bon Bon who spoke up first.

"Vinyl," Bon Bon spoke in a tone one might use when explaining something to a foal, "you do realize what she's accusing us of, right?" Vinyl gave a sigh as she pressed her hoof harder against her temple as she nodded.

"I'm well aware, Bonsie. Bu-" Vinyl was cut off as Lyra stomped her hoof on the floor with a snort, effectively dirtying and smashing the jacket she had dropped previously.

"Shut up, Vinyl! You think you can just waltz in here and tell me what to do like you own the place?" Lyra hissed, forgetting momentarily that Vinyl did, in fact, own the place. Bon Bon couldn't help but to smirk at Vinyl's raised eyebrow as the alabaster colored unicorn turned slowly, for dramatic effect, to Lyra.

"Why; yes, Miss Heartstrings. I do believe I can just 'waltz in here' like I own the place. Mostly because I do own the place. Also, you're stepping on your jacket, Lyra," Vinyl said as she moved from between the two. The mentioned unicorn simply scowled before digging her hoof into the jacket more and scuffing it along the floor, not realizing that it had gotten caught on a slightly protruding nail head. A soft 'riiiiiip' sound drew Vinyl's attention back to the mint unicorn as she lifted the jacket off the floor to inspect the damage, although Lyra really didn't care about the jacket.

Bon Bon recognized the jacket first, and moved to grab it before Vinyl could get a good view of it. However, the cream earth pony was a second too late as Vinyl suddenly lunged towards Lyra; causing the mint colored unicorn to stumble backwards as she dropped the jacket in fear. Before Vinyl could actually grab Lyra, Bon Bon tackled her to the ground and slammed herself down on Vinyl's back; pinning her to the floor with her full bodyweight as she glared angrily at Lyra.

"It's bad enough that you broke into my office then went through all my personal belongings; but to take something without permission and deface it? Tell me one good reason right now why I shou-" Bon Bon was cut off by a loud growl from Vinyl as she started thrashing around, trying to get out from under the cream earth pony.

"YOU NO GOOD LITTLE-" Vinyl was cut off as Bon Bon smacked her in the back of the head, causing Vinyl's glasses to slip slightly, which in turn caused the mare to let out a sharp yelp and quickly cover her eyes.

"Shush, Vinyl, you'll be okay. Now as I was say-" Bon Bon started to speak but was cut off once more by Vinyl.

"SHE RIPPED MY JACKET! DO YOU KNOW HOW MUCH THAT JACKET'S GONE THROUGH WITHOUT IT EVER GETTING RIPPED? I WILL END YOU!"

Vinyl yelled once more, but before she could continue, Bon bon shoved a hoof in her mouth as she paused to inhale. Lyra stared between the two, her mouth working as if trying to speak but no words came out.

"Pardon me, but am I interrupting something?" asked a soft voice from the hallway, causing all three mares to stare at Octavia who was rubbing her right eye with a foreleg as she watched the three mares. Then before Bon bon or Vinyl could stop her, Lyra took off running throwing the door open with her magic. Bon Bon was on her hooves a second later, chasing after Lyra and yelling.

"YOU ARE NOT GETTING AWAY THIS TIME, LYRA HEARTSTRINGS! YOU WILL NOT KEEP RUNNING FROM YOUR PROBLEMS!"

Vinyl pushed herself onto her hooves once more before scooping her jacket up off the floor before Octavia could get a good look at it. The grey earth pony quietly watched the DJ as she quickly hid the jacket behind her back and offered a fake smile.

"Sleep well, Octavia?" Vinyl asked in an obviously false cheerful voice, eliciting a raised eyebrow from Octavia. However, she chose to ignore the act for a brief moment, worried about what had happened between the friends on moments before.

"Vinyl, what were you three arguing about? Oh, and do not pretend not to know what I am talking about. You were yelling rather loudly about wanting to 'end' Lyra. Also, why are you hiding that jacket behind your back?" Octavia asked. Vinyl simply rubbed her forehead with a hoof, here eyes darting around the room; although Octavia could not see this through the shades the unicorn wore on her face.

"Uhm... N-nothing really, just... stuff. J-jacket? What jacket? Oh gee would you look at the time, I have to... uh... go to place to see pony about that thing... Uhm.. BYE! Lock the door on your way out!" Vinyl stammered as she about faced and took off out the door with her jacket held close to her in a blue aura. Octavia stared at the door the unicorn had hastily retreated out of before shaking her head and sighing. As the grey mare was about to leave she noticed a glint of silver on the table next to the door, a set of keys on the lanyard Vinyl had been wearing a few nights ago when they met,

Octavia grabbed the keys in her mouth and quickly trotted out of Vinyl's apartment, making sure to lock it before darting down the stairs in hopes of catching Vinyl. It would seem, however, that fate had other plans as Vinyl was gone by the time Octavia got to the lobby. Giving a sigh, Octavia noticed that there was a light blue colored unicorn at a desk situated at the front of the building; it was obviously the reception desk.

Trotting up to the receptionist, Octavia realized there was a pegasus talking to the receptionist. Patiently waiting for the stallion to finish his business, Octavia looked around at the walls covered in various posters of a 'DJ P0n-3' who must have been Vinyl. There were also a couple of pictures of Staccato and the rest of her family scattered around the halls.

"Octavia Philharmonica?" The voice drew Octavia out of her pondering on why this place would have pictures of the Staccatos all over the place and turned to the stallion addressing her. It was only now she recognized him; Artemus Legato. The rich brown colored stallion had a blonde colored mane and tail, although his mane seemed to have a few touches of gray.

"Master Legato? W-what are you doing here?" Octavia asked in surprise, clearly not expecting to see anypony of upper class in this establishment.

"Oh, I was just coming to visit my daughter, but it would seem she left her apartment a short time ago. So I thought I would pay a visit to her step-mother while I was in the area. If I may inquire, what brings you here?" Artemus replied as he offered a kind smile to the grey earth pony. Octavia set the keys on the counter as she listened to Artemus speaking.

"I was paying a visit to a friend who realized she had an appointment to keep and left in such a hurry that she forgot her keys," Octavia stated as she shifted slightly. Artemus rubbed his chin in thought as if remembering something while Octavia spoke.

"I just remembered, Giorgio wanted me to ask you if you were free this week. He wanted to speak to you about setting up another concert at your earliest convenience. I was actually going to send you a letter later today, but this saves me the trouble of sorting through the files to find your address to mail it," said the stallion with a chuckle before looking past Octavia to an earth pony waving at him, "Ah, looks like Quartz is ready to see me. I will see you later, Miss Philharmonica."

"Of course. I should be able to see Master Staccato tomorrow," Octavia inclined her head and stepped aside as she spoke, watching Artemus trot away. Turning back to the receptionist, OCtavia smiled and spoke up, "Vinyl left her keys in her apartment this morning; would you please make sure she gets them?"

The receptionist gave a nod and assured Octavia that she would return the keys to Vinyl as she put them in a drawer to give to Vinyl later. Octavia then turned and left the building, looking around to get an idea of where she was before trotting in the direction of her apartment, pondering over what was going on between the trio of friends and just why Vinyl had been in such a rush to leave previously.

---

Meanwhile, Vinyl trotted up to a large building with a sign flashing the name 'Livewire' in bright letters. The outside of the building was not very out of the ordinary in comparison to the rest of the clubs in downtown Trotlanta; but the interior was a far-cry from 'ordinary'. Vinyl trotted down the long twisting hallway that made up the entry to the club's interior; each step illuminated by a brightly colored neon light that would disappear once her hoof moved from the floor. The walls were also light by motion activated neon lights that pulsated several different colors and lit up the various pictures of DJs, both famous and local.

Trotting into the mane area of the club and up to the bar, Vinyl smiled to herself as she took in her surroundings. The dance floor had the same floor design as the hallway; every hoofstep would cause a light to light up until the hoof was moved from the spot. It was an ingenious idea that very few clubs had heard of, much less tried. To her left there were several booths for ponies who wanted to sit down with relative privacy from other ponies; and to her right were tables where Ponies could sit and chat or set their drinks while dancing. Various posters and covered the walls, most were old tour date and location posters from various DJs; most of which were even autographed.

The bar behind Vinyl was an interesting piece in itself, the entire bar was made of tempered glass and had neon lights that lit up when a drink was set upon it, in a similar fashion to the step-activated floor. The wall behind the bar was stocked to the ceiling with various bottles of drinks from across all of Equestria and even a few outlying areas. It had taken more bits than Vinyl would ever admit to spending to retrieve some of those bottles, but it was an investment well spent if she said so herself.

"Good day, Staccato," said a voice, snapping Vinyl out of her musing as she looked around her club. Turning to face the source, Vinyl found herself looking at her bartender and manager; Tankard. the white colored earth pony had an onyx colored mane with several blue streaks running through it; his copper colored eyes were bright as he grinned at Vinyl as she recovered from the start he had given her from his sudden appearance.

"Hello, Tank. How was the club last night?" Vinyl asked, having finally managed calm her racing heart. Tank chuckled as he trotted from behind the bar as Vinyl moved to check on her turntables overlooking the dance floor; she had never really liked others messing around with them when she was not in the building, but it wasn't a party without a DJ.

"As well as could be expected, Vinny," Tank said as he stood outside of the dj booth and leaned against the wall, watching Vinyl work on the various controls and ensure that it hadn't been destroyed while she was away. Content that everything was well and in the same condition she had left it, Vinyl pulled out a record and set it on the turntable and turned it on. Playing around with her switches and knobs as she started getting back into her swing of DJing while speaking to Tank she glanced over her shoulder.

"How did that new DJ work out?" She asked as she used her magic to make the record spin a tad bit faster, speeding up the beat before releasing her magic and letting the record play at its normal speed. Vinyl moved from her deck to look at Tank as he spoke up.

"She did rather well, if you aren't careful she might just replace you as the primary dj here," Tankard said teasingly as he trotted back down the stairs to the bar with Vinyl following after him, leaving the record on for now.

"Is that so? I guess I'll just have to step my game up, huh?" Vinyl replied as she chuckled slightly as Tankard offered her a glass of water. Taking it with a 'thank you' and taking a sip, Vinyl stared into it for a moment before sighing and pressing a hoof to her temple as she noticed the jacket she had set on the counter only a few moments ago.

"What's wrong, Vinny?" Tank asked, noticing her mood and frowning slightly in worry. Vinyl looked up and smiled slightly before removing her jacket from the bar and trotting to a door concealed in the wall beside the bar. Tank quietly followed behind her as they went to Vinyl's office in the back of the club.

"Bon Bon and Lyra are having problems; Lyra's convinced that there's somethin' goin' on between Bon Bon and myself. Bonsie and I haven't dated since we were in college and even if she wasn't with Lyra we wouldn't be dating right now because we both agreed that we were always better as friends. Anyway, I'm guessing Lyra found my jacket somehow and flipped out about it. She didn't know it was mine but that doesn't excuse her ripping it! I snapped at her and Bon Bon had to restrain me and Lyra took it as an opportunity to run out. Bon Bon took off after her and then this chick we've been hanging out with, that rising cellist star Octavia, came out asking what was going on and I booked it out of there with my jacket. Lyra might already know who I am and that's bad enough, but if somepony of the upper class finds out who I really am then it'll be high school all over again and-" Vinyl was cut off by Tank raising a hoof to silence her as he frowned slightly.

"Vinyl, all of this crap is because you and Bon Bon are keeping your identity and her identity a secret; just come out and tell her who you are. What are you so afraid of?" Tank asked with concern in his voice as he looked at the unicorn who had started pacing around the room.

"I... I can't... Not after what happened last time," Vinyl whispered.

Author's Note: This chapter is a bit shorter than the previous two, but hopefully it will be up to par! It's definitely a little more... Dramatic I suppose than the rest, but hopefully you guys enjoy it all the same :) For what is a love story without drama?

---

Chapter 6

Octavia returned to her apartment building and retrieved her mail as well as a package from the colt working the desk. Curious as to what was in the package, Octavia trotted up the stairs to the floor her apartment was located on pondering over what could possibly be contained inside the box she carried. Arriving to her floor, Octavia was quite surprised to see Gabriel leaning casually against her door frame with a package held under her wing. Gabe perked up at the sight of the cellist and a smile crossed her muzzle as she nodded in greeting to Octavia.

"Good morning, Octavia. I was wondering if you were home or not, I thought I'd just wait for you to either answer or show up. I was asked by a friend upstairs to drop this off to you a few days ago and forgot all about it until Hope asked me about it this morning. I apologize for the delay in its delivery; although I'm not a mailmare so I guess it's not entirely my fault," Gabriel said with a chuckle as she pulled the envelope out from under her wing. Octavia blinked in surprise but smiled all the same and gestured for Gabe to enter her apartment. Gabe took the invitation and trotted inside before standing off to the side and waiting for Octavia to enter.

"Good morning, Gabriel. I apologize for not being here, I ended up having to help Vinyl get home. It was nice meeting your friends and getting to know you last night. Although I am curious; who is the friend who asked you to drop this off?" Octavia asked as she put down her keys and the other mail she had brought up with her, turning to Gabriel and looking at the envelope curiously.

"Not really sure who it was, I have a feeling I know who it was; but she more or less had Hope hoof it over to me with a note on it. If it's who I think it is, then you are one lucky mare, that pony NEVER writes to anypony; not even her parents," Gabriel said as she hoofed the package over to Octavia who then placed it on her desk near the door as she tried to sort out exactly what Gabe was saying.

"So you think you know who sent it but you are not sure and if it is who you think it is then I am lucky seeing as she never sends post out?" Octavia repeated to ensure that she had heard the pegasus correctly.

"Precisely!" Gabriel said as she nodded enthusiastically once Octavia was finished speaking. The grey mare simply chuckled as she trotted to her chair after picking up the package Gabriel had hoofed to her. Octavia motioned for Gabe to take a seat before opening the parcel as the pegasus relaxed on Octavia's couch. Octavia stared inside the box she had just opened, inside were several stacks of what she assumed were compositions.

"Who...?" She asked, looking up at Gabe who had taken to staring at Octavia's music awards with a mixture of boredom and mild amusement. Gabriel quickly returned her attention to the cellist as she cleared her throat; causing the grey pony to chuckle lightly before speaking once more.

"Who do you know that composes music?" The cellist asked, keeping her tone carefully neutral. Gabe remained silent for a moment, her expression changing to a pensive one. Gabe knew at least one composer, and she wasn't about to tell Octavia who it was. As much as Gabe hated lying to another pony, she knew Vinyl would snap if her identity was ever revealed without her say so.

"I know several musicians, but no composers come to mind... Although, there's a composer living a few doors down from Hope an' myself. I'm not familiar with her myself though," Gabe said with a shrug, looking at a point just past Octavia's left shoulder. Octavia raised her eyebrow as Gabe spoke before shrugging and looking through the stacks of papers.

"I recall Bon Bon speaking about knowing a composer; also I think you mentioned that fact as well. I believe you said she was a recluse, or was that Bon Bon?" Octavia wondered, quietly watching Gabe out of the corner of her eye for her reactions. Gabe shifted a little as she chewed her lower lip, looking thoughtful before smiling lightly.

"I think we both said that, but I might be wrong. Anyway; Hope is probably wondering where I am since we were supposed to meet up with somepony for dinner. I'll see ya around, Octavia," Gabe said as she trotted to the front door and waved goodbye.

"See you later, Gabriel," Octavia said as she followed Gabe to the door before shutting it. Once she locked the door, Octavia moved back to her chair and started flipping through the rest of her mail. Most of it was bills and one or two letters from a fan; something Octavia rarely ever got. Sighing as she set the small stack of letters and bills aside, Octavia looked over to the other package she had received. Curious as to what resided inside, the cellist pushed herself up and trotted to her desk to open it. Opening the package with a carefulness one might expect from an archaeologist with a rare find, Octavia pulled out what appeared to be a book she had ordered. Smiling to herself as she trotted back to her chair and settling into a comfortable position; Octavia flipped open her new book, Modern Music: The Method Behind the Music.

---

Tension; the whole way back to Bon Bon's apartment had been full of it, and neither pony seemed to know how to break it. Lyra's anger had subsided, only to be replaced by anxiety and fear of what Bon Bon would do once she saw the state of her once clean office. Bon bon, for her part, kept her expression and body language unreadable; but Lyra knew. Lyra knew that beneath that seemingly cool exterior there was a storm was brewing, and Lyra wasn't sure she wanted to be around when it was unleashed.

Bon Bon paused outside her apartment door as she reached for her keys, glancing at Lyra out of the corner of her eye as she did so. Lyra shifted nervously as she felt Bon Bon's gaze linger on her before the cream mare turned her attention to the door as she was unlocking it. Lyra's ears pinned themselves back as she lowered her head and trotted inside behind Bon Bon, wary of saying anything that might set her lover off.

As the cream mare trotted towards her office, Lyra felt her throat starting to constrict slightly as she opened her mouth to try to say something, anything, to stop Bon Bon. Before Lyra could speak up, however, Bon Bon's voice echoed from the hallway.

"LYRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!"

Lyra's eyes widened as she winced and tried to find a place to hide, but it was too late. Bon Bon came marching up to her with a hoof-full of blue and red pills; Lyra recognized them at once.

"Why were these pills all over the floor? Do you not know how to clean up after yourself, or how to not waste medicine?" Bon Bon threw the pills in the trash can then placed the hoof to her temple and let out an exasperated sigh before trotting back into the hallway.

"Bon Bon, wait!" Lyra shouted as she reached a hoof out as if trying to catch her, even though the cream earth pony was already gone. Before Lyra could speak up once more she heard a rather loud noise that didn't sound like anything a normal pony would ever make; even when angered. It was like a mix of a scream and a maniacal laugh and then silence; it was the silence that scared Lyra more than the noise that must've been Bon Bon.

"LYRA HEARTSTRINGS!" The mentioned mint unicorn cringed as she heard Bon Bon scream out her name; part of her not wanting to reply. Carefully moving into the hallway, Lyra could hear Bon Bon rummaging around her office, obviously looking for anything out of place. Swallowing the lump that had formed in her throat the moment she heard her lover's voice call out her name.

"Y-yes, Bon Bon?" asked Lyra, not wanting to incite her marefriend's anger more than she already had. Lyra peered around the door frame and stared at Bon Bon's back; the cream mare was currently staring around her office with a mixture of rage and hurt. The cream colored earth pony looked over to Lyra with a scowl plastered across her face before saying the words every pony dreads to hear from their lover:

"We need to talk."

---

Vinyl was sitting quietly in her office studying the rip in her old letterman jacket as she absent mindedly ran a hoof over the gash. Giving a soft sigh, Vinyl rested her chin on her desk as she hugged the jacket to her face. The alabaster unicorn wasn't sure what she wanted Bon Bon to do to Lyra; she wasn't even sure what she, herself, wanted to do to the mint green pony. Moving a hoof from the jacket and pressing it to her temple to ward off the oncoming headache, Vinyl pushed herself up. A single tear ran down her face as she rubbed the gash once more, as if it would magically disappear; Vinyl could still remember what she went through to earn her jacket.

The small school band had been having trouble with their music not sounding up to the school's usual standards of quality and they had a show soon. Not that Vinyl had much time to compose songs for the band director; she had to prepare for the big hoofball game. Vinyl had been pushing herself too hard while trying to meet a deadline for her compositions on top of preparing for the championship game while most of the other band members had given up and the rest of her hoofball teammates were pressuring her not to waste time working on music.

Vinyl was on her way to class with Bon Bon and Gabe trotting beside her, they had been discussing what to do about Vinyl's situation, when the unicorn had been stopped by her music teacher. Vinyl had to listen to yet another lecture about how important the upcoming show was; something about lots of upper class ponies being there. Vinyl had tuned her teacher out for the most part, she'd heard the spiel before and it was no different now. Vinyl had found herself wondering if he had it written down and memorised. She could certainly do it for him if he didn't.

Once the teacher had let her leave, Vinyl hurried to class and took her normal seat by Bon Bon. A few moments later she had been called to the principal's office, something Vinyl was used to by this point. She almost wanted to schedule these meetings to make it easier on everypony; although she mostly just wanted it easier on herself. Vinyl had shuffled off to the principal's office, taking as long as she possibly could. She had wondered what exactly she was going in for this time; had she discovered who stuffed those frogs into her bathroom cabinets last week? A giggle had escaped the unicorn before she composed herself into a serious manner and trotted into the principal's office and took a seat on one of the chairs in front of her desk.

The principal's office wasn't much different than the last time she had been there; was it yesterday? Vinyl's eyes roved over the various pictures of previous principals and some of the current principal's family. There were a massive amount of books scattered across the shelves on the wall, although Vinyl had always assumed the they were for decoration. Before Vinyl could get too lost in her thoughts, the principal had walked in looking rather livid.

"Giovanna, we need to have a serious talk about your behavior."

---

Bon Bon was pacing around her office as Lyra tentatively trotted inside and took a seat near the door, waiting for Bon Bon to speak. The cream colored mare sighed as she placed a hoof to her temple, pausing in her pacing to think of how to start off the conversation she knew needed to be had.

"Lyra..." Bon Bon spoke slowly, still unsure about how to approach the subject without triggering a defensive reaction in her mint colored lover. Lyra seemed to tense up nonetheless and Bon Bon had to stop her scowling and force herself to relax so as to make Lyra calm down as well.

"Why? Why did you feel the need to destroy my office? What were you looking for?" Bon Bon asked, her tone becoming unintentionally more aggressive with every word she spoke. Lyra wasn't sure how she should react, part of her wanted to snap back in anger; but the logical part of her brain reasoned that getting angry would only worsen the situation.

"I.. I just... I don't know," Lyra stammered as she stared at the floor, unable to look Bon Bon in the eye. A soft sigh escaped Bon Bon as she turned to the only window in her office and trotted over to it. Quietly staring outside at the clouds that were slowly moving across the sky, Bon Bon watched as a few drops of rain started to fall. A soft rumble in the distance announced the arrival of a storm; and if Bon Bon was honest, it was as if the weather was trying to match the current storm of emotions flowing between the two lovers.

"Earlier, when you burst into Vinyl's room, you declared that you knew we were hooking up behind your back. Let's discuss what exactly makes you think that we are doing anything of the sort behind your back," Bon Bon said, not wanting to turn around in the event that Lyra would try to use the current fragile state that Bon Bon was in to her advantage.

"Let's not," Lyra whispered as she studied the once polished and pristine wooden floor of Bon Bon's office, seemingly having an extreme fascination with finding shapes in the grain of the wood. Bon Bon fought back the impulse to sigh heavily, she had a feeling this was going to be harder than she originally predicted.

"Lyra, I know you would rather avoid this entire thing and just have me confess to something that never happened; or perhaps you'd feel better living in your previous state of blissful unawareness of your surroundings when we first got together. That's fine, do what you want, Lyra. However, If you truly believe for one second that I would, or have, cheated on you; then there is really nothing to talk about with you. You have made your decision and you should act on it; not sit there like a snivelling foal trying to hold together something you obviously don't believe in," Bon Bon refused to turn around as she spoke; her throat constricting as she tried to pull something, anything, out of her stubborn lover. Lyra stared at Bon Bon's back, her mind racing in a thousand different directions as she tried to think of a reply.

"Bon Bon?" Bon Bon's ear flicked to indicate she was listening, but she did not turn to face the mint unicorn, "I... I guess I got so caught up in this idea that because you and Vinyl had such a close friendship and dated in the past that you must have been; well, you know..." Lyra trailed off and stared at the floor once more, ashamed of herself for ever doubting the cream colored mare before her. Bon Bon said nothing for a moment, simply digesting the words that Lyra spoke as she thought of how to reply. The cream earth pony had not seemed too surprised by Lyra's admission, if anything she had been expecting it.

"I assumed as much, Lyra. What I can't comprehend, is why you never just came clean and asked about it. Perhaps it is because when Vinyl and I were together, if we had a concern we'd go to the other and talk about it. Surely you did the same with past relationships?" Bon Bon looked over her shoulder to the mint unicorn as she spoke, drawing Lyra's attention as she did so.

"Uhm... Bonnie? There's... There's something I never told you," Lyra said softly staring at the floor once more. "You, ah... You are the only one I've ever been in a relationship with. You were my first everything."

"That... That explains so much," Bon Bon whispered to herself as she turned to fully face the unicorn as a clap of thunder rumbled outside. "Well, Lyra, then I can understand why you would be worried; however, that is still no excuse to do the things you did or say the things you said! I'm a forgiving pony, but Vinyl isn't. Honestly, I don't think now is a good time for us to try to discuss the problems we're having; we need some time away from each other."

Lyra's eyes widened in fear at Bon Bon's words, hoping against all hope that she wasn't going to break up with her over everything she had done.

"B-but, Bonnie; I don't wanna leave..." Lyra whimpered; causing Bon Bon to turn to look at her with a soft smile before turning her head to stare around her wreck of an office.

"Lyra, I'm telling you, I need some time to think things over and you also need to think about what you've done. I'm not saying we're never going to see each other again, we just need a few days away from one another to clear our minds so we can have clear heads while we work our problems out," Bon Bon said softly as she moved to her desk and busied herself with straightening out some papers to keep herself distracted.

"I... I understand, Bon Bon; but where will I go? I have no family here..." Lyra mumbled as she stared at her hoof, sniffling slightly as a tear ran down her face from the storm of emotions raging inside her. Bon Bon stopped shuffling the papers on her desk to think for a moment, a few ideas coming to mind as she turned to the mint unicorn.

"Maybe Octavia will let you stay with her? You two seem to be developing a good friendship, right? Gabe and Hope might also take you in, although I'd avoid mentioning too much about what happened between you and Vinyl; Gabe is one of Vinyl's best friends. Speaking of Vinyl, I'd steer clear of her for a while; you are most certainly not on her good side," Bon Bon stated before turning back to her desk and shuffling her papers around once more.

"I suppose you'll be going to Vinyl to talk to her about all this," Lyra stated in a bitter tone before she could stop herself. She quickly slapped a hoof to her mouth as she realized her slip-up as Bon Bon froze, her brow furrowed. Turning slowly, Bon bon stared at Lyra with a cold look as she scowled.

"So what if I am? She is my most trusted friend and knows a lot more than she lets on. Before you take what I say out of context, I do trust you," Bon Bon looked around her ransacked office before sighing, "Or, well, I DID trust you."

Lyra stared at the floor and nodded solemnly in understanding before turning to leave, "I'm sorry, Bon Bon." With only a nod from the cream mare who then went back to looking through the papers on her desk, Lyra left. Shutting the apartment door softly as she went into the hallway and down the stairs, Lyra sighed as she thought about everything she had done throughout the day

'What hurts the most was that she didn't even yell at me. It was like she was so disappointed in me that she couldn't even yell. I've really messed up, I can't believe I did all that,' Lyra thought to herself as she trotted to the front door and stared out into the rain. Bon Bon hadn't said she couldn't stay in the lobby until the rain died down, but Lyra was too afraid of what somepony might do to her if she fell asleep to want to wait around.

Trotting out into the pouring rain and down the street, Lyra thought about everything Bon Bon had said; a frown tugged on the unicorn's face as she sped up her steps to reach her destination before the storm could worsen.

---

"What do you mean they canceled?" Gabe grumbled as she fumbled with the tie of her air force dress blues. Hope was giggling at Gabe's predicament as she undid the belt of her own marine dress blues. The tie suddenly glowed with a white aura as Hope used her magic to untie it and take it off, much to Gabe's delight.

"Precisely that, Stalwart. This storm was too bad for Axe and Geiger to be out in; you should know how much Axe hates flying in storms and Geiger's never been able to see well in the rain," Hope sighed as she pulled her jacket off and hung it back into the closet neatly. Gabe grumbled as she pulled her own jacket off and sloppily hung it up, causing Hope to scowl at her. Grinning sheepishly, Gabe pulled her jacket back out and straightened it up as she replied.

"Still doesn't explain why we were wearing the dress blues, I hate wearing these things. They're so stiff and they rub you in all the wrong places, ya know?" Gabe grumbled as Hope rolled her eyes at her lover's words and chuckled lightly.

"Because unless you wanted to go spend several hundred bits each on formal wear for us to go eat at Chateau then wearing our formal dress uniforms was the better idea," Hope said as she moved to dresser as she brushed her mane out of the tight bun she had wrapped it in. Gabe blinked several times as she opened and closed her mouth, trying to work out a reply for her astonishment at having that many bits to spare in the first place.

"Several hundred a piece? Sweet Celestia, I don't think we could EVER afford that on our paychecks; they barely pay us enough to cover rent and bills... Yeah, I'd rather wear the dress blues than go buying things I most likely wouldn't wear again," Gabe stated as she stared at the floor before chuckling as she looked back up at Hope.

"Well, if we're not going to dinner then I'll go drop by Vinny's club to see how things are going, wanna tag along?" Gabe inquired as she trotted to Hope's side and rested her head on the unicorn's back as she waited for a reply. Hope smiled warmly as she looked back at Gabe before shifting slightly to make Gabe lift her head up as Hope nipped at her ear.

"Not tonight, Love; perhaps another time. Just please be careful with that storm out there, promise me you won't go flying around in it. Remember what happened to your uncle?" Hope whispered, her worry evident in her voice as she nuzzled the side of Gabe's face. The albino pegasus gave a nod as she nudged her nose into Hope's mane and inhaled the lavender scent of the shampoo Hope used.

"I promise to be careful and not fly while this storm is raging through; Air Force captain's honour!" Gabe stated as she snapped a crisp salute to emphasize this point, which only made Hope giggle. Trotting out of their bedroom and into the living room, Gabe pulled her flight jacket on with a little help from Hope. Giving Gabe a quick hug and a kiss, Hope bid her goodbye and to return sometime before dawn.

---

Vinyl blinked several times as she rubbed her eyes and stared around her office, having thought she heard somepony calling her name. Giving a low groan as she heard Tank call her name once more, Vinyl moved to her office door and pulled it open as she moved into the hallway towards the door into the mane interior of the club.

"Whaaaaaaaaaaaat?" She half whined as she fought back at a chuckle at Tank's bemused expression. Tank simply shook his head as he looked over his shoulder towards the turn tables before back out into the club where the sound of voices could be heard traveling down the hallway towards them.

"It's time to get the party started... Are you sure you're up to it tonight? You look kinda distracted. I'd understand if you want to take the evening off, I'm sure Allegro wouldn't mind performing longer than originally arranged," Tank stated as he gave Vinyl a small smile as the unicorn passed by him and up the stairs to her turntables.

"I'll be fine, Tank; just worry about keeping the drinks flowing. Oh, and have Allegro on standby; I have a feeling she might just get that extra long performance," Vinyl said as she rubbed her temple with a hoof before disappearing from his sight as she took her place commanding the turntables.

Tank gave a soft sigh as he moved back to his place behind the bar as the first of the club-goers arrived. As Tank started serving drinks and making sure the crowd didn't get too rowdy, he noticed a familiar light blue earth pony with a bass clef and semi quaver note cutie mark arrive. Waving to get her attention, Tank flashed the mare a smile as she quickly trotted up to the bar and took a seat on one of the stools.

"Good evening, Mister Tankard. How are you?" The pony asked as she ran a hoof through her white and black mane. Tank gave a nod as he looked up to where Vinyl was working her magic, figuratively and literally, on the turntables to keep the club-goers partying.

"How are ya, Allegro? I keep tellin' ya not to be so formal with me; you can just call me Tankard or Tank, whichever floats yer ice cubes," said Tank with a smirk as he passed an ale over to a pony at the other end of the bar. Allegro giggled into her hoof as she twirled her mane around her hoof and watched the rest of the ponies on the dance floor.

Meanwhile, up in the DJ booth, Vinyl seemed to have zoned out once more; her hooves running on autopilot as she seemed to get lost in the music and her thoughts.

---

"Your behavior of late is despicable, Giovanna. You're parents must be so ashamed of you, if they even pay attention to you. This behavior is reminiscent of a foal ignored in their own home, which wouldn't surprise me with those kinds of parents not unlike your own," The principal had given a shudder of disgust as she spoke. Vinyl immediately went on the defensive, her eyes narrowing as she glared daggers at the pony seated across from her. The principal, Lax Sense, was a rather unremarkable earth pony in appearance. Her fur was a light cream color, similar to Bon Bon's, and her mane was a dark purple with a few streaks of grey from age.

"What, exactly, are you trying to say to me, Laxative?" Vinyl had hissed through her teeth as she fought back the urge to lunge at her principal, "Do you, perhaps, think that my parents are worse than you at raising a foal? I'll have you know they spend more time with me than they do with each other! To suggest otherwise is slandering them and their names! Let's not forget, Dear Laxative, who funds most of the events at this rat hole of a school."

Lax's eyes had narrowed at Vinyl's rather arrogant words and the principal took note of how Vinyl tensed up at the mention of her parents. She had to fight back a smirk at how easy it was to rile the young unicorn, although it wasn't like Vinyl tried to make it difficult. Anypony could tell that she was overly touchy about the subject of her unique parenting situation.

"First off, Giovanna, I am your superior and you shall address me as such; I'm growing weary of these meetings we have. Do you really want to start this ages old fight with me? I brought you in here to discuss your punishment for the abysmal way you've been treating the rest of the students this week. Normally, I'd just slap you with a month of detentions, but you've been acting out more than usual and I'm afraid that with parents breathing down my neck about you receiving more severe punishments I can't simply let you off that easy. You already know if it were up to me you would have been expelled a long time ago," Lax had glared at Vinyl as the unicorn stared at the floor. Vinyl had then suddenly snapped her head back up and looked at the principal, her expression determined; but the principal could see just the slightest hint of worry.

"You can't just suspend me, Sense! The big game's in a few nights and I HAVE to be there if you want to win the championship!" Vinyl had practically shouted as she tried not to panic and instead routed it into her anger. Lax leaned back in her seat, taken aback by the sudden emotion Vinyl was displaying.

"Well, what do you suggest then, Giovanna?" Lax asked with a scoff as she waved at the unicorn to get her to sit back down after rising to her hooves. Vinyl had bit her lower lip and tried to think of something to say. Seeing that Vinyl was not going to be speaking for a moment, Lax had taken the opportunity to speak up once more.

"Look, I want you to be straight with me," Lax had said, wincing mentally as Vinyl's eyes seemed to stare into her soul. Vinyl had given out a sigh before leaning back in her chair, not really wanting to talk to her principal.

"Why not let me stay here and if you HAVE to punish me, then I guess have me on the sidelines of the game. You know nothing would tear me apart more than having to watch my team play without me," Vinyl hadn't been able to fight back the smirk that tugged on her lips as she spoke, "and watch them lose."

Lax had known that Vinyl was right, of course, the team was great; but Vinyl seemed to have that edge that none of the other players had. The principal hid her emotions well enough to force a smile on her face as she propped her forelegs on the desk and rested her chin upon them; studying Vinyl closely as she thought over a reply.

"We'll even make a wager, Miss Lax. The team wins without me, then it proves that you never needed me and I'll accept any punishment you have in store for me. They lose and it proves that they aren't up to the par they normally are when I'm playing and I get to stay and no further punishment is needed. What say you, Ma'am?" Vinyl had asked, switching her game up and deciding to be polite to throw the principal off. That tactic had worked more than Vinyl had anticipated as she stared slack jawed at Vinyl, having lifted her head off her hooves as Vinyl spoke. The shock didn't last long and was swiftly replaced with a sinister look that worried Vinyl greatly.

"I like that idea, but how about we flip it around; if they win you stay and if they lose then you get suspended for a week. Oh, and if you go into the game at any point, you are suspended; what do you say?" Lax asked as she replaced her sinister grin with one of false cheerfulness, she had stretched her hoof out to Vinyl to shake on it. The shock that crossed her face when Vinyl suddenly reached out and shook her hoof made it clear the principal had not expected Vinyl to agree to such an insane bet.

"Vinyl?" The alabaster unicorn stared at her Principal as she used her nickname for the first time.

"Vinyl?"

---

"VINYL!" The unicorn jumped slightly and nearly made the record she was currently switching out skip as she whipped around to face Allegro.

"What?" Vinyl asked blinking a few times as she tried to calm herself down so her heart rate would return to normal. Allegro simply chuckled for a moment before replying.

"You okay, Vinyl? You look a little distracted and the fact that you've been playing the same song for the past twenty minutes isn't helping your case," Allegro stated as she studied the unicorn closely with a hint of worry evident on her face. Vinyl waved a hoof at her words as she turned back to her turntables, not really wanting to talk at the moment.

"I'm quite alright, I just like that song is all," Vinyl stated as she went back to focusing on her records and trying not to zone out once more. However, Allegro poked her gently in the shoulder, drawing Vinyl's attention once more.

"If that's so then why did it take me five minutes to even get you to notice me and when you finally heard me you almost jumped out of your fur! That's not what I call 'fine'," Allegro whispered as if making sure Vinyl was really paying attention to her. The unicorn's eyebrow raised slightly as she stared at her turntables before giving a heavy sigh and pushing herself away from them.

"I just have a lot on my mind. Do you mind taking over for the rest of the night? I really need to sort my thoughts out before I mess up anything," Vinyl said in a defeated tone as Allegro moved up to take over giving Vinyl a reassuring smile as she did so.

"Don't worry, Vinyl. Everything will be fine in time," she said brightly, not entirely sure what was eating the unicorn up and not wanting to make her talk about it if she would rather not. Vinyl quietly trotted out of the DJ booth and down to the bar where Tank was waiting with a glass of lemonade with a shot of Vodka on the side, one of Vinyl's preferred drinks.

"Still thinking about the situation from earlier, Vinny?" Tank asked in a quiet voice as he kept an eye on the other patrons at the bar. Vinyl gave a nod as she drank her how of Vodka before taking a small sip of lemonade. Tankard's brow furrowed slightly as he refilled Vinyl's shot glass and spoke up, "Well, I still think you should talk to Lyra and Octavia about your identity, but I know how you are after all that crap in high school and after we graduated. I just hope you don't forgot who you are in the process of hiding yourself from the world."

Author's Notes: Enjoy! This was gonna be longer, but I think I'll keep you waiting to see What happens a little while longer...

---

Lyra quickened her pace as Octavia's apartment building came into sight, grateful to soon have shelter from the rain. Hurrying into the lobby, Lyra hastened up the stairs with a swift apology as the desk clerk gave her a scowl at the water she was dripping all over the floor. As the mint unicorn was galloping up the staircase, she neglected to look where she was running and as a result collided with somepony who lost their balance and tumbled down the stairs as Lyra used her magic to regain her own balance.

"By Celestia! I'm so sor-" Lyra cut herself off as she turned to the pony she had so rudely bumped into. At the bottom of the stairs, and wincing as she got up and flexed the wing she landed roughly on, was Gabe. "Oh, Gabe! I didn't see you, I'm sorry for-"

Lyra fell silent as Gabe waved a hoof dismissively before speaking up, "I'm fine. You seem in a hurry, so tarry not and continue on your way." The pegasus spoke with a chuckle as she moved to continue on her way, wincing slightly as she did so.

"M-maybe you should go rest, Gabe. That looked like it hurt," Lyra said as she started to move towards the albino pegasus. Gabe waved her hoof once more, pausing in her movements to keep from tipping over once more. Lyra froze as she frowned slightly, "Gabe..."

"Don't worry 'bout me, Lyra," Gabe grunted as she walked out into the mane hallway Lyra had just departed from only moments ago. Lyra stared after Gabe and bit her lip slightly as she briefly wondered whether she should follow after Gabe or not. Unconvinced by the pegasus' claims, Lyra darted back down the stairs and followed Gabe.

"Why're you followin' me?" Gabe grumbled as she sped up her pace slightly, scowling over her shoulder at the mint green unicorn that was tagging along. Lyra simply shrugged as best she could while keeping pace with the pegasus.

"I'm not following you, you just happen to be going the same direction as me," Lyra said with a grin that Gabe found annoying. Gabe simply snorted in reply before quickening her pace once more, causing the mint unicorn tailing her to break into a gallop.

"Yeah? An' just where are you goin'? If I recall correctly you ran into me as you were going upthe stairs, not down," Gabe growled as she slowed to a quick trot in the lobby as the desk clerk looked up and scowled at the two. Lyra simply kept grinning at Gabe with that odd grin she had, which only annoyed Gabe more.

"Oh, you know," said Lyra with a chuckle at Gabe as she glared at the unicorn before storming out of the building into the downpour outside. Lyra paused at the door for only a brief moment, causing Gabe to think she was rid of the unicorn and puff her chest out proudly. Until the very same unicorn trotted outside thus making Gabe deflate slightly as she sighed heavily.

"You're not gonna leave me the buck alone are ya?" grumbled the pegasus as she stared out of the corner of her eye at the open street behind her. Gabe was tempted to just take to the air and fly off, leaving the unicorn far behind and unable to follow. However, the thought of Hope's fury if she found out that Gabe had broken her vow not to fly was more powerful than the urge to flee.

"Nope!" Lyra stated with a broader grin that drew another sigh out of the pegasus before she flexed her wings, wincing once more as she did so. Lyra noticed this and frowned slightly, "Are you okay, Gabe? I noticed that look when you moved your wings."

"I'm just fine, I think I when I landed on my wing I musta done somethin' to it. I mighta pulled a muscle but it doesn't really matter though. Now if you'll excuse me, I'll be taking my leave to Livewire," Gabe stated in a curt tone as she turned and trotted away, Lyra tagging along behind her much to Gabe's continued annoyance.

"Well, that just happens to be where I'm going!" Lyra said cheerfully, forgetting momentarily that Livewire was Vinyl's club. Gabe glowered at Lyra before sighing heavily once more and simply turning away, trotting down the sidewalk and towards the glow that was the domain of the city's night life.

"Didn't know you went to Vinyl's club; ain't never seen ya there," Gabe said as she trotted through the rain at a casual pace, something that was irking Lyra slightly. However, Lyra forgot all about the rain as she felt her blood run cold at the mention of Vinyl; maybe she should go back inside and talk to Octavia about staying with her. Gabe noted the hesitation in Lyra's steps and immediately played off that. "What's wrong? You and Vinny have a lover's spat?" Gabe teased as Lyra scowled.

"Vinyl and I are NOT together, nor will we EVER be together!" Lyra growled as she stomped a hoof into a puddle while trying to make a point. Gabe burst out in raucous laughter as Lyra scowled at the mud that now covered part of her chest and forelegs. "Not funny, Gabe," Lyra hissed, her eyes narrowing at the pegasus.

"Aw, chill out, Lyra. I meant ya no harm," Gabe said with a bright smile as she turned to continue trotting to Vinyl's club, "besides, I don't see why you're so upset about a joke."

Lyra frowned slightly as she trotted along behind Gabe and pondered the best way to answer the pegasus' question without setting her off; Bon Bon hadwarned her that Gabe was one of Vinyl's oldest friends. However, as Lyra had observed the pegasus, she had noticed that Gabe didn't seem to get involved into the business of other ponies unless it somehow affected her. Coming to this realization, Lyra decided to try testing the waters and tell Gabe a small snippet of what happened and gauge how much more to reveal on her reaction.

"Well, I accused of Bon Bon and Vinyl of some things they may, or may not, have been doing and I guess I got so carried away thinking I was right and they were wrong that I ended up hurting both of them in one way or another," Lyra said, giving Gabe only the most basic of the facts. Lyra quickened her pace and quietly watched Gabe out of the corner of her eye as she waited for the pegasus to reply.

"Hmm," was all Gabe said, her expression unreadable as she looked straight ahead at the road that stretched before them. The rain had started coming down a little harder; and while Lyra didn't much fancy the walk in the rain that she had taken earlier, the unicorn had to admit that she was glad to have found somepony other than Octavia she could talk to. Bon Bon's warning rang clear in her mind, but she had to hope that Gabe wouldn't tell Vinyl everything Lyra tells her.

"What do you think?" Lyra asked cautiously, not wanting to incite any kind of negative reaction from the soldier as they ducked under an awning that covered the entrance to a casual dining restaurant as the rain started coming down too hard to be walking in; Lyra could've sworn that there was hail mixed in with the rain.

"I can't really ascertain anything from that vague description ya gave me; but, I think I understand. If Vinny's upset with ya, then the best thing to do with her is to confront her before it has time to sit in the back of her mind and gestate like I'm guessin' you did with whatever you were thinkin'. As for B-Squared, she's always been a bit more on the calmer side; it takes a lot to rile her up. Which, I'm guessing you did, so here's what I would suggest. Just let things cool down and give her some time to think things over," Gabe said as she rubbed an eye with her hoof before looking over her shoulder at the restaurant whose awning they were taking cover under. "Want some dinner? I'm buying," Gabe asked as she felt her stomach rumble slightly.

Lyra bit her lip slightly; on the one hoof she did need to go talk to Octavia, on the other she was being offered free food. Deciding not to be rude, and because she didn't feel like walking back in the downpour at the moment, Lyra nodded, "I'd love to get something to eat with you; but you don't havet-" Lyra cut herself off as she remembered that she did leave the apartment without anything, including her bits and keys. Gabe simply chuckled and ushered the unicorn towards the doors.

"Just don't tell Vinny I'm doing this. I love the kid to death, but she's so foalish sometimes when she gets into these little grudges with other ponies. Honestly, I think you seem rather decent. I mean, yeah sure you might have made some stupid mistakes or whatever, but it couldn't have been thatbad, right?" Gabe suggested as they waited patiently to be seated.

"Uhm... I'll explain once we sit down," Lyra mumbled as the host gathered up some menus before leading them to the table. Once they were seated and their drink orders filled, Gabe looked at Lyra expectantly. The mint unicorn quietly stirred her drink with the straw she grasped in a aura of pink and blue as she pondered the best way to start the conversation.

"Okay well, it started at the bar last night. I noticed that Bon Bon and Vinyl were getting pretty close, and as I started drinking more these thoughts kept popping up about how they might have been... Well, screwing around behind my back," Lyra noticed Gabe's eyebrow raise as she started to open her mouth to speak; but Lyra quickly held up a hoof and the pegasus waited for her to resume. "It was foalish of me to start assuming, but I was always kind of insecure around the two of them. Anyway, this morning I woke up with a massive hangover and did one of the dumbest things I've ever done."

Lyra fell silent as the waiter approached and asked for their orders. Gabe ordered a hayburger with extra fries and another shake while Lyra merely ordered a salad. Gabe refused to let her have only a salad and ordered a side of fries for her, something that Lyra was amused by. Once the waiter departed to put their orders in, Lyra cleared her throat after taking a sip of water from her glass and spoke once more.

"As I was saying, I did something that I regret and I wish I could take it back. Unfortunately, there is nothing I can do about the past but learn from it," Lyra said as she took another sip from her water. Gabe nodded as she drank more of her shake and thanked the waiter as he brought her a new one for when she was finished with the first.

"Everypony does stupid things, Lyra. If you ever have a day with nothing to do just ask Hope about some of the stupid things I've done. I'm sure what you did isn't nearly as stupid as dragging home some of the things and ponies I've dragged home while intoxicated. I think I brought home a potted plant once and kept calling it my uncle..." Gabe trailed off as she tapped her chin in thought, Lyra couldn't help but to chuckle at the thought of the pegasus doing such a thing.

"Yeah, you've got a point there, Gabe," Lyra said with a laugh as she stirred her water with her straw once more before continuing her story. "Well, anyway, I sort of broke into Bon Bon's office, destroyed her door in the process, then I dug through all her belongings for 'evidence'. After I had finished snooping through her desk, I discovered she had a safe behind a picture and somehow figured out the combination. Of course, after going through that and discovering her real identity, I turned to leave and found an old letterman jacket with the name 'Staccato' on it."

Gabe choked on her shake for a brief moment, startling the mint unicorn and causing her to panic slightly. Gabe hit herself in the chest a few times as she finally cleared her throat and stared at Lyra, who was frozen to her spot with her eyes as wide as dinner plates and jaw hanging open in terror. "Uh... Lyra? You're freaking me out..." Gabe mumbled as she shifted in her chair slightly, clearing her throat and looking around to keep from staring at the odd expression on her dinner companion's face.

Lyra blinked several times and shook her head before rubbing the back of her neck. "Erm, sorry. But, I was freaking YOU out? You were the one choking!" Lyra squealed in a slightly high-pitched voice from the fear that had been gripping her only seconds before.

"Only because I didn't realize you knew! I wasn't aware anypony outside myself, Hope, and B-Squared knew about that," Gabe whispered as the other patrons stared at the duo for a few more seconds before returning to whatever they had been doing previously.

Lyra blinked in confusion before frowning slightly and leaning forward as she whispered back, "What are you talking about, Gabe? You didn't know I knew what?"

Before Gabe could reply, however, their order arrived and the two were forced to return to their normal positions. No sooner had the waiter set Gabe's burger down did she immediately snatch it up and start eating it, scaring the waiter into snatching his hoof away as if she might start munching on that next. Lyra couldn't help but to giggle as the waiter set her salad and side order of fries down with a little more haste than what was deemed appropriate.

"Anyway, as I was saying, you didn't know about B-Squared and Vinny?" Gabe asked as she took another massive bite out of her burger. Lyra stared at the pegasus' already half-eaten sandwich for a moment before mentally shaking herself as she grasped her fork in her pink and blue aura as she started eating her own dinner.

"Oh, I knew about that, I just didn't know that Bon Bon had Staccato's jacket; or that she even knew the Staccato heir," Lyra said as she munched on a fry. By the time Lyra had finished talking Gabe had already finished most of her burger and was working her way through her fries. 'By Celestia, she eats like she hasn't had food in years,'Lyra thought to herself as she watched the pegasus for a few moments.

"Well, obviously if she was dating Vinny she knew Staccato," Gabe said with a slight frown as she paused in the process of shoveling more fries into her mouth. Lyra simply looked confused, what did Vinyl have to do with the Staccato heir, or vice versa?

"What do Vinyl and the Staccato heir have in common?" Lyra asked, her confusion evident in her tone. Something in Gabe's mind clicked at that point and she realized she was at a point of no-return by now. Giving a sigh and shifting slightly in her seat, Gabe quickly swallowed the mouthful of fries she had before whispering quietly as Lyra leaned forward to hear.

"Vinyl is the Staccato heir," Gabe whispered as quietly as she could, and she was glad that Lyra had enough sense not to scream it out loud like most others would've done. However, the mint unicorn didlean back in her chair and stare at Gabe in shock, which still drew quite a few stares and murmurs from the other tables.

"What?!"

---

Bon Bon quietly trotted out of her apartment building and down the sidewalk towards the glow of downtown Trotlanta. The rain had let up considerably by this point and she was grateful for that, although she did feel bad for making Lyra walk in it. Pushing the thought of Lyra out of her mind and focusing on the road that stretched ahead of her, Bon Bon soon found herself lost in thought about what she should do with her day off work.

After about 20 minutes or so, Bon Bon found herself outside of Livewire and she quickly cleared her mind of all previous thoughts and trotted up to one of the bouncers. A smirk slid across Bon Bon's face as the bouncer recognized her as one of the V.I.P.s and immediately moved aside to let her through causing all the other ponies in line to scowl and mumble as they watched the cream mare trot inside.

A chuckle escaped the cream mare as she weaved around various drunken ponies trying to get outside and the random party goers simply mingling in the hallway. Once she was in the mane area, it didn't take the cream mare long to find the white unicorn she had been wanting to see. Vinyl sat at the bar sipping some of her lemonade and Tank was keeping her full on shots of Vodka, much to Vinyl's delight and Tank's annoyance.

"Vinyl!" Bon Bon called as she approached the unicorn who looked up and smiled immediately upon recognizing her friend.

"Bonsie!" Vinyl called back, waving to her friend and motioning for her to join her on a stool to her right. Bon Bon sat down and ordered a shot of whiskey before turning to Vinyl once more as the unicorn spoke up. "Out celebrating your rekindled love life with Lyra or perhaps you're single again and seeking the company of your favorite DJ?" Vinyl couldn't keep the hopeful tone out of her voice as she asked the last half of her question before coughing slightly as Bon Bon raised an eyebrow at her.

"Neither, actually," Bon Bon said in a cool tone that made Vinyl shrink back slightly as she bit her lip, worried that she had offended her friend. Bon Bon took a sip of her whiskey as she quietly watched Vinyl shift uncomfortably under the cream mare's piercing gaze. After a few tense seconds, which felt like hours to Vinyl, Bon Bon let out a soft chuckle and shook her head, "We're just spending a few days away from each other to clear our heads."

Vinyl nodded slowly as she stared at her drink, "Makes sense. I'm just glad you guys aren't actually breaking up."

"Me too," stated Bon Bon as she took another sip of her whiskey, "Although from your tone it would seem as if you almost wanted us to split up. Is that fair to say, Sticky?" Bon Bon looked over to her friend curiously as the unicorn fell silent and simply stared into her drink, worrying Bon Bon with her sudden change in mood and behavior.

"I suppose that is fair to say, Bons," Vinyl whispered so softly that the cream earth pony almost missed it. Bon Bon's brow furrowed as she continued watching her friend patiently, something Tankard had to commend the mare for; Vinyl wasn't known for being open about things worrying or bothering her. "I'm sorry, Bonsie, but I can't do this anymore," Vinyl whispered before rising off her stool and making her way unsteadily to the door by the bar.

Tank quietly moved to her side as she whispered softly that he was in charge for the rest of the night and to put all of Bon Bon's drinks on her tab to pay in the morning. Returning to the cream mare, Tank sighed as he pressed a hoof to her temple and removed Vinyl's empty shot glass and half finished lemonade. "Was she always like this, Bon Bon? Even before all that drama in high school?" Tank asked the earth pony as he mixed a pina colada for a rather buff looking pegasus who kept insisting, to no pony in particular, that it was for his 'fillyfriend'.

Bon Bon studied her whiskey for a moment as she thought back to when she and Vinyl had been younger fillies. "Yes and no, she was pretty quiet until we got into the last year of middle school, after that she became the rambunctious mare that so famously crippled the entire school system over a hoofball match. A great composition and her cutie mark did come out of it though."

Tank nodded slowly as he listened, "I remember that, took 'em ages to straighten everything out didn't it?" Bon Bon took a sip from her drink before nodding in reply to Tank's question.

"Yeah, it did. I don't think they ever fully recovered from it, actually," Bon Bon stated as she watched a few of the ponies on the dance floor. Tank refilled Bon bon's shot glass as he moved to usher a rather inebriated pegasus from the bar as she tried leaning over to take a bottle of whiskey. After a few moments of shooing her away only to have her return again, Tank called for one of the bouncers to escort her out.

"Sorry about that, Bon Bon. Anyway, whatever happened to Lax after that?" Tank inquired as he started washing a few glasses while waiting on another drink order.

"I'm... Not really sure. I heard that she left town with her husband... Oh, what was his name?" Bon Bon frowned in thought as she took another sip of her whiskey. "Common! That's what he was called. Common Sense and his wife was Lax Sense. Great name right? I actually think they reproduced and named their kid Noh. Kinda feel bad for him... Her... It... Whatever," Bon Bon said waving a hoof dismissively as Tank chuckled while polishing a glass he had finished washing and drying.

"Yeah. Anyway, Vinny was telling me earlier Lyra ripped her jacket and you two were having some troubles. Sorry to hear that an' I hope things get ironed out soon," Tank said as he refilled Bon bon's shot glass once more.

"They will," said Bon Bon with a slight frown as she stared into her drink, not really wanting to talk about it with anypony other than Vinyl. Tank inclined his head in acknowledgment of her words before moving off to fill drink orders once more, leaving Bon Bon to her whiskey and thoughts.

---

Lyra's brow was furrowed as she studied the pegasus across from her, unsure of what to make of what she had been told. Gabriel, for her part, seemed rather worried and was tapping her forehooves together as she nervously waited for a reply, maybe she shouldn't have revealed Vinyl's identity to Lyra like that.

"I'm not sure how to react to this," Lyra finally whispered, taking another bite of her salad as she pondered over Gabe's words. She wasn't sure she even believed the pegasus, for all Lyra knew Gabe could simply be saying that just to mess with her for what she did to Vinyl's jacket.

"Well, it's not exactly something easy to react to I s'pose," Gabe stated as she scarfed down her fries. Lyra inclined her head at Gabe's words as she levitated a few of her own fries and munched on them as she thought about the situation at hoof. She now had something on Vinyl that she could use against the DJ, although Lyra would never do such a thing no matter how annoyed at somepony she was. Tapping a hoof to her chin as she thought about what she could do, Lyra watched Gabe closely for any signs that the pegasus was lying to her.

"Tell me, Stalwart," Gabe's head snapped up at that, her eyes narrowing at Lyra as she used the pegasus' real name. "Why should I believe what you have told me? This could all be some elaborate scheme to try to get me back for what I did to Bon Bon and, by extension, Vinyl," Lyra stated as she continued to watch Gabe's reactions. The albino's nostrils flared slightly as she drew back from the food she had her muzzle buried in before licking off the salt and grease on her lips.

"Okay, first of all; I've told ya to call me Gabe or Gabriel. Secondly, I can't really tell ya whether ya should believe me or not because no matter what I say you're gonna draw yer own conclusions. So all I can really suggest to learn to trust me a little," Gabe snapped before shoving more fries into her mouth and scowling at Lyra.

Lyra blinked slightly and stared down at her half eaten salad, there was that 'trust' word again, it seemed like everypony liked throwing it at her these days. The mint unicorn poked at her dinner with her fork before looking up at Gabe once more and decided to make an effort in trying to over-analyse everything.

"You're right, Gabe. I shouldn't be so paranoid, but can I be honest with you?" Lyra spoke in a hushed tone as she looked over at the other patrons as if worried they might overhear what she had to say. Gabe inclined her head as she gave an encouraging smile to Lyra as she listened to what the mint unicorn had to say. "It's just, I have no idea what I'm doing. I'm new to this whole relationship thingy and I keep making stupid mistakes," Lyra mumbled as she jabbed her fork into her salad.

"Ah, that explains a lot! Well, Lyra, you crashed into the right mare earlier! I'd be more than happy to give ya a hoof with relationship advice," Gabe said proudly as she puffed her chest out, causing Lyra to raise an eyebrow at the pegasus. Lyra started to say that she highly doubted Gabe could understand the situation she was in and have anything helpful to say, but thought better of it when remembering that the pegasuswas paying for her dinner. "First thing ya gotta do is sweep B-Squared off her hooves again, ya know. Take her out on a romantic date or somethin', ya know that kinda mushy stuff. Mares dig mushy stuff. Then ya gotta sweep her off her hooves again, or just drag her to the bedroom, whichever," Gabe said with a sagely nod making Lyra snicker lightly.

"I'll, uh, be sure to remember that, Gabe," Lyra stated as Gabe started to wind up for what was most likely going to be a long speech. However before the pegasus could speak up, the waiter trotted up to their table with the check and Gabe ordered a shake to go as well as a slice of pie for Lyra, stating that Lyra needed a little more meat on her bones. Lyra wasn't sure whether she should take that as a compliment or an insult and so she simply forced a smile and hoped that Gabe meant well.

Once the check was paid and Gabe had left a tip for the waiter, the two trotted outside and Gabe gave a sigh as she stared out into the rain that was stilling falling from the sky. She was grateful that it had lightened up considerably, but she did hate that her flight jacket was soaked. Turning to Lyra, Gabe spoke up, "You know the way back to my apartment building, Hope an' I live on the top floor, room number two fifty. If Hope asks just tell her I sent ya and that I'll be home in a few hours."

Lyra gave a sharp nod and trotted off into the rain pausing only for a moment to look back at Gabe as the pegasus trotted off in the direction of Vinyl's club, part of Lyra wanted to tag along. She had to admit the pegasus was a rather interesting character, even if she did have a few screws loose. Turning back towards where Gabe and Hope lived, Lyra trudged off once more, her steps quickened by the downpour and thought of a warm place to rest for the night.

---

Vinyl had called for Tank to allow Bon Bon entrance back to her office, and after much struggle with a few ponies eager to see the backrooms for no explainable reason, Bon Bon found herself sitting in Vinyl's rather plain looking office. Vinyl was twirling a glass of lemonade slowly in her blue aura of magic as she studied the cream mare before her. Bon Bon, for her part, was still sipping on her third shot of whiskey.

"Soooooo," said Vinyl unsure of what to say to her friend. Bon Bon, for her part, was sitting silently and watching Vinyl with an oddly glazed look in her eyes. However, as Vinyl waved hoof in front of her face, Bon Bon snapped out of her daze and focused on Vinyl once more. "You had something to say to me?" Vinyl inquired as she took a sip of lemonade.

"I just wanted to talk to you for a bit about what you said earlier," Bon Bon stated as she stared into her whiskey and pondered how to approach the subject. Vinyl chewed on her bottom lip slightly as she glanced around her office for something to distract Bon Bon off the subject with.

"Which subject might that be, Bonsie?" Vinyl asked, stalling for time as she tried to find something, anything, to talk about. Unfortunately, Bon bon was not easily dissuaded when it came to topics that piqued her interest.

"You know what I'm referring to, Vinyl. That little stunt in the bar, saying you couldn't 'do this' anymore. What exactly can't you do anymore?" Bon Bon inquired as she looked up at Vinyl as she took a sip of whiskey. Vinyl stayed quiet as she pondered over how to reply to Bon Bon without actually telling her the truth.

"I just... uh... I don't really wanna talk about it right now, Bonsie," Vinyl muttered as she stared into her lemonade before sighing and pressing a hoof to her temple. Bon Bon was tempted to push the topic and even started to open her mouth to object to Vinyl's silence. However, she decided against it for the time being, Bon Bon knew how to get the answer she wanted out of Vinyl.

"Mmm, fine but I did want to ask you what you think I should do about Lyra," Bon Bon stated, quietly watching Vinyl out of the corner of her eyes. Bon Bon noted the way Vinyl's ears pulled back slightly, although being unable to see Vinyl's eyes she didn't see Vinyl narrow her eyes as her lip curled up slightly.

"You don't want my opinion on that," Vinyl said in a curt tone. Bon Bon's brow raised as she gave a sigh and placed a hoof over Vinyl's, staring intently at Vinyl. "Bons, I'm serious. This is a conversation we don't need to have," Vinyl grumbled as she moved her hoof.

"Alright, Sticky, I understand," Bon bon sighed as she leaned back in her chair before suddenly lighting up. "How long until you have to leave and lock up?" she asked with a sly grin crossing her face.

Vinyl glanced at the clock on the wall, "About another two more hours. Why?" Bon Bon's grin grew wider as she stared intently in Vinyl's direction.

"I just had a great idea!" The cream mare stated as she finished the last of her whiskey causing Vinyl to arch an eyebrow as she levitated the glass away from Bon Bon. "Would you be able to leave early and have Tank lock up tonight?" Bon Bon asked with that same sly grin on her muzzle.

"Probably, but I don't want to keep skipping out on work. Otherwise I'll have to write myself up, ya know?" Vinyl said with a laugh as she took a swig from her lemonade glass. Bon Bon didn't seem to hear the last bit as she grinned widely at Vinyl's words. "Let me go talk to Tank and we'll leave shortly, alright?" Bon bon nodded as Vinyl trotted out of the room carrying the glasses in her blue aura of magic.

Once Vinyl returned, she and Bon Bon departed and headed in the direction of Bon bon and Lyra's apartment. Bon Bon was wearing Vinyl's jacket once more and insisted to Vinyl that the rip was fixable and that she'd take care of it.

"Bonsie, you shouldn't have to pay to fix that. Let me do it, it's my jacket after all!" Vinyl grumbled as she kicked at a random pebble on the ground, her aim a little off due to the alcohol she had consumed.

"Vinyl, I've told you not to worry about it," Bon Bon stated as she trotted unsteadily alongside the white unicorn. Vinyl rolled her eyes and sighed slightly as she gazed up at the moon through her purple tinted glasses.

"If you say so, Bonsie. Whatever happens with you and Lyra, just know I'll still be there for you if you ever need me," Vinyl mumbled as she looked back down at the pavement. Bon Bon glanced over at Vinyl before nudging her with a shoulder, nearly losing her already shaky balance. Vinyl quickly caught her with a burst of magic and helped her steady herself before they continued trotting to their destination.

"I know, Vinyl, and I thank you for it," The cream earth pony stated with a warm smile as she looked up at a street sign they were passing by. After ten minutes the duo arrived to Bon Bon's apartment and Bon Bon had ushered a rather reluctant Vinyl inside. Bon Bon closed the door and locked it with a grin as she glanced over her shoulder to Vinyl, who felt her blood run cold at what Bon Bon said next, "Shall we?

Chapter 8

Time was such a minute thing for many ponies, some found it moved too fast whereas others found it moved too slow; and for Vinyl, this was one of those slow times. She stared at Bon Bon as the earth pony slowly poured her fourth, or maybe it was her fifth, glass of wine before topping Vinyl's off as well. Vinyl's heart was still hammering in her chest from their rather brief encounter only moments ago, which had been interrupted by the loud chiming of a grandfather clock Vinyl had never realized Bon Bon owned. Bon Bon herself was having a hard time meeting Vinyl's eyes and seemed content on simply staring into her glass.

"Erm, Bonsie?" Vinyl ventured carefully, noting how Bon Bon glanced momentarily at her before quickly returning her gaze to her wine glass. "D-do you wanna talk about-"

"No," Bon Bon said curtly, cutting Vinyl off before she could fully form her sentence. Vinyl fell silent and stared at Bon Bon's rather intricately made clock instead. The overall design reminded Vinyl of something, though at the present time she couldn't place her hoof on what exactly that might be.

Vinyl quietly sipped on her wine and looked over to her friend, a frown still visible on the earth pony's face as she continued studying her wine glass. "It's not healthy to let stuff like this sit in your mind, Bons," Vinyl said quietly.

Bon Bon inclined her head to acknowledge Vinyl's words but otherwise said nothing as she continued to study her wine glass. Vinyl heaved a sigh as she rubbed her hooves together and pondered what she could say that wouldn't escalate the situation worse than it already was.

It was bad enough that she and Bon Bon had found themselves almost muzzle-to-muzzle, but the fact that they refused to move for roughly a minute afterwards was weighing heavily on Vinyl's mind. The unicorn could tell that Bon Bon was feeling just as bad, or worse, than Vinyl and the unicorn scolded herself mentally for not reacting sooner than she had.

"Vinyl?" The sound of Bon Bon's voice drew Vinyl from her musings to look up at the concerned look on Bon Bon's face. "Maybe it is better if we talk about this..."

Vinyl's mind was slow on the uptake and the confusion was evident on her face as she tilted her head to the side and took a sip of wine, "About what?"

"This whole... thing going on with you, Lyra, and me," Bon Bon half-whispered as she took another sip from her own wine glass. Bon Bon's eyes kept darting around the room then to Vinyl before looking away once more as if unable to look at her friend. Vinyl's brow furrowed as she patiently waited for her friend to speak her mind more clearly. "What is going on here, Vinyl? Lately you've been acting rather cold to Lyra, granted I'm acting no better. I forced her to leave only a few hours ago in order to give us a few days away from each other to work out our differences."

Vinyl stared into her wine with a guilty feeling settling into her stomach as she pondered over what to say. "Why are you even with her, Bonsie? You could do so... SO much better than her. Look at what you and I had in the old days. Don't you miss that? Wouldn't you give anything to have something like that again?" Vinyl asked softly, glancing up at Bon Bon.

"Vinyl," Bon Bon started to speak but found her voice catching in her throat. Clearing it and looking up at the unicorn once more, Bon Bon attempted to speak once more, "Vinyl, I'm with her because I love her. I know she drives me insane a lot of times and that we're at odds right now, but she does mean something to me. Why can't you just let go of the past? You and I aren't together and we will never get back together!"

Vinyl swallowed a lump that had formed in her throat at Bon Bon's words, "I see. So that's all this is to you then? A bucking game? Bonsie, I loved you; buck, I still do! Why can't you see what you're doing to me!" Vinyl's voice was strained slightly from fighting back her emotions.

"Listen to yourself, Vinyl! You sound like a foal whining about not getting their way!" Bon Bon snapped as she glared at Vinyl.

In turn the unicorn bristled at her friend and scowled deeply, "You're one to talk, Cadbury. All of this is because you were never grown up enough to end things with me. You did to me what you're doing to Lyra this very moment! Remember that stupid fight we had? Celestia, I don't even remember what the buck we were fighting about now, but look what it did to us! You wanted a 'break for a while' and next thing I knew you were trotting up to me a few weeks later with Lyra. You told me how she helped you get over what happened between us. The truth of the matter is, Bonsie, you never did end the relationship we had. I bided my time in hopes that it was just a phase, but look at you. Just... I give up." Vinyl slammed her wine glass down and struggled to her hooves, Bon Bon simply stared at her with her jaw hanging slack and a dazed expression.

"Vinyl, wait!" Bon Bon shouted at her friend as she stumbled out of the apartment. The sound of the front door closing softly caused Bon Bon to wince as if Vinyl had slammed it in her face, "I'm sorry..." All Bon Bon got in response was the sound of the rain hitting the window and sound of a pendulum ticking time away in an old grandfather clock.

---

Lyra hummed to herself as she trotted into the lobby of the apartment building that Gabe and Hope lived in. In the back of her mind Lyra pondered over whether or not she should try to see if Octavia was still up, and a quick glance at the clock behind the front desk revealed it to be nearing ten at night. 'Yeah, Octavia is most likely asleep by now. I bet Hope is too, then again Gabe did mention that Hope was often up waiting for her...'

Lyra shook her head to clear her thoughts and looked up at the numbers on the doors as she passed by them. As Lyra passed by Octavia's door, she resisted the urge to knock and see if perhaps the cellist was still up by some circumstance. The mint unicorn continued on, her mind still swirling with all of what Gabe had said at dinner, and she found herself wondering if Gabe had been right in that Vinyl was the Staccato heir. It seemed so very unreal to hear such a thing about the pony Lyra thought she knew; then again the same could be said for Bon Bon.

Lyra grimaced as she thought back to the fight they had had earlier in the day, was it really so wrong of her to be worried about Bon Bon hiding such a massive part of her life from her? 'Of course not, Bon Bon would have reacted the same way!' she tried to counter herself. Deep down Lyra wondered if that were true, would Bon Bon have acted the same as Lyra or would she simply have shrugged it off like she did everything else Lyra had ever told her.

It was in this very mire of thoughts that Lyra was lost in that caused her to smash, once more, into a pony who was walking through the hallways. Lyra gave a yelp as she rubbed her forehead, and looked around for the pony she had so rudely bumped into. Upon seeing no pony, Lyra blinked in confusion, surely there was somepony around? After a second or two, she realized she had walked into a floating sack of trash behind which an elderly pony was leaning around to see whom she had hit.

"Oh, excuse me, Deary, I didn't see you there," said the maroon colored unicorn as she carefully stepped around Lyra and continued on her way with her trash floating beside her, "I always forget to carry my trash behind me so I don't hit ponies with it."

Lyra watched the mare walk off without waiting for a reply, causing Lyra to simply sigh and shrug as she started off once more. Falling back into her thoughts once more, Lyra pondered over how to approach Vinyl with that new tidbit she had about her. A sinister idea then formed that caused a wicked grin to slide across the unicorn's face; blackmail. She could easily get what she wanted from Vinyl if she used her identity as blackmail to get her to back off Bon Bon!

'No... No, that's a bad idea and would only cause more trouble between us... There's gotta be a way to get what I want from Vinyl without bringing harm to either side.' Lyra found herself staring into the bright green eyes of a white unicorn who looked vaguely familiar.

"Good evening there, Lyra. What brings you out to this side of town so late?" asked the white unicorn as she pulled her black robe tighter around her shoulders. Lyra blinked before realizing that while her body was on auto-pilot she had already arrived to Gabe and Hope's apartment. Blushing in embarrassment of not realizing she was there sooner, Lyra slipped inside as Hope moved to allow her entrance.

"S-sorry to come over so late and unannounced, but Gabe-" Lyra was cut off by Hope as she raised a hoof to silence her mint counterpart. The kind understanding smile was all Lyra needed to calm down before she was escorted to the living room where Hope leapt onto a chair and gestured for Lyra to sit on the sofa.

"It's quite alright, Lyra. I'm sure Gabe had a reason for sending you here," Hope said as she levitated a book off the arm of her chair and began reading as she levitated a pair of glasses from a side table. "So what brings you around?"

Lyra shifted into a comfortable position as she looked around at the room, taking in the various awards and certificates hanging on the walls. She also took note of a large bookcase filled with various books on survival and combat techniques as well as more awards and a few trophies. Feeling at ease with the white unicorn, Lyra spoke up once more, "Some stuff happened with me and Bons that ended in her kickin' me out for a few days for a break or something."

Hope blinked and looked over the top of her book at Lyra, "Bon Bon kicked you out? Why would she do that?" Hope asked in concern as she lowered her book to better look at Lyra. The mint unicorn shifted once more as she stared at the floor for a moment.

"We ended up getting into an argument, like I mentioned earlier and things sort of blew up from there. Next thing I knew she was telling me that she needed time to think and shoved me out," Lyra stated as she looked up at the white unicorn. Hope inclined her head slightly as she pondered over what to say to Lyra, noting the slight exaggeration with which she spoke.

"I'm sure things will work out between the two of you, just don't push things with her and apologize for any wrongs you committed," Hope flashed a kind smile to Lyra before levitating her book up once more and starting to read once more. "If you want anything to eat we have some food in the fridge, help yourself."

"Thank you, but Gabe and I had dinner together downtown," Lyra replied as she looked at a few photos of Gabe and Hope from their foalhood. Hope quirked an eyebrow as she glanced over her book a smirk tugging on her lips, unseen by the mint unicorn stretched out on the sofa.

"Better be careful with ol' Gabe; she's quite the heartbreaker you know," Hope teased as she went back to her book, "Where'd she take you?"

Lyra blinked, "How did you know she took me and not the other way around?" Lyra felt a bit of a blush creep across her face at Hope's words, "And I'm not interested in Gabe; we're just friends and nothing more!"

"She's my friend too," Hope winked as she looked at Lyra over the top of her book once more. "To answer your question, you sort of did arrive to my door with nothing in your possession, so unless you know a way to get out of paying or have your bits stored elsewhere..." Hope trailed off as she set her book down once more and grinned at the still blushing mint unicorn.

Lyra huffed, attempting to feign offense at Hope's words by placing a hoof to her chest as she replied, "Why I never!" Hope simply giggled at Lyra's failed attempt and shook her head as the mint unicorn sighed in defeat. "Actually, I guess it makes sense when you put it that way. I did sorta wander up here without anything, shoulda realized that beforehoof."

Hope gave a light chuckle before stretching and rising off her chair, "Either way, I'm glad you found our apartment alright and I hope things work out between you two soon. If you ever feel the need to talk about it, I'm here to listen." With that, Hope trotted into the kitchen to get herself a drink, "Would you like anything to drink, Lyra?"

While Hope was getting a drink, Lyra was looking around the living room and admiring the various trophies. "Uh, I'll just take some water," Lyra called over her shoulder as she studied a particularly interesting looking trophy.

When Hope trotted back into the room with two glasses gripped in her magic, Lyra pointed to the trophy, "What is this?" Hope set the glasses down as she moved beside the mint unicorn to see what she was pointing to.

"Ah, that would be Stalwart's award for services to the crown," Hope replied staring at the golden shield with crossed wings and a unicorn horn cast in silver resting in the center. The area around the wings and horn appeared to be made out of sapphire, it was clearly more for show than actual use.

"'Services to the Crown'?" Lyra repeated in confusion, as Hope lifted the glass to gently pull out the shield and hoof it to Lyra who handled it as gently as somepony would a newborn foal. "What kind of 'Services' would entail getting such a marvelous thing as this?" Lyra asked in awe, before realizing exactly how she worded the sentence.

"Ah, now that's a story for another day," Hope said simply with a smile as she placed the shield back into the case once Lyra hoofed it back to her.

"I want to thank you, Hope, for allowing me to stay here. You don't even know me, Gabe knows me somewhat. But instead of turning me away and telling me I was lying when I showed up at your door; you took me in with no questions asked really... Thank you," Lyra mumbled as she looked up at the other with a smile. Hope canted her head as she listened to Lyra speak before smiling softly.

"Lyra, you don't have to thank me for doing this. It's nothing really, like I said I'm sure everything'll work out. Just... If Gabe gives you ANY sort of advice on relationships, the best thing to do is the exact opposite of what she says to do," Hope leaned forward and whispered, "She's not the best pony to take relationship advice from. Just look what happened to me!" With that Hope leaned back and winked at Lyra who couldn't help the laugh that escaped her.

"Sounds like good advice to me!" Lyra giggled as she moved back to the sofa and levitated the glass of water Hope had brought for her to her lips as she took a sip. "I dunno, though; I think you and Gabe fit well together," Lyra stated before looking over at Hope and noticing her raised eyebrow.

"Whatever the case, just be careful about advice Gabe gives you; sometimes it really can have disastrous results," Hope warned with a serious expression. Lyra nodded before settign her glass down and looking around once more.

"Can I ask you a question? Other than the one I just did I mean," Lyra said before Hope could make a smart remark. Hope simply chuckled as she nodded. "Is it true that Vinyl is the Staccato heir?"

---

A chill wind blew through the streets of Trotlanta as Vinyl walked along the sidewalk, not paying any mind to where her hooves were taking her. The rain had long stopped and now only small flecks of snow swirled down to the ground, though Vinyl paid them little mind as well. IF she was honest with herself, she'd say she knew long ago that things were done between Bon Bon and herself. But if she were truly honest with herself, she'd say there was no way she'd ever be able to compete with Lyra for Bon Bon's heart.

Vinyl suddenly became acutely aware of the fact that she was shivering, that she could see plumes of vapor from her breath, and that there seemed to be snow falling. Sighing in defeat, Vinyl looked around at her surroundings to best determine her way home.

A frown tugged on her face as she stared around the area, not immediately recognizing it, 'Great, this is just what I need; to be lost in my own city, cold, and I probably just lost my best friend over something stupid.' Vinyl scowled causing a stallion passing by to hurry away in fear, which only annoyed Vinyl more.

Pressing a hoof to her temple and forcing herself to remain calm, Vinyl let out a long sigh before finally turning back the way she had came. Scanning the area around her through her purple shades, Vinyl recognized one of the buildings as a fancy clothing shop that had opened up a few weeks ago. Some unicorn from Ponyville had bought the place and now it sold custom fitted fancy dresses and suits, Vinyl cringed at the thought of wearing a dress.

Turning away from the store and looking around at the street names, Vinyl realized she had somehow wandered into her parent's old district. Remembering that her fathers had wanted to talk to her about something with the Symphony hall, Vinyl pondered over visiting them before remembering that it was well after 10 pm. Giving a sigh and running a hoof through her blue mane, something in Vinyl's mind clicked; she couldn't show as to meet her fathers looking like she did!

Vinyl quickly took off at a gallop as she followed the signs, using her magic to keep her glasses dry and clean from the snowflakes hitting them at the speed she was travelling. Her teeth chattered against each other as she shivered uncontrollably, but she pushed herself onward towards her apartment in the upper-crust area of Trotlanta. As much as she complained about having to live up there sometimes, she was rather grateful for once that her trip was shorter than it would have been had to gone back to her 'middle-class' abode near the club district.

Vinyl was panting hard and sweat rolled down her face by the time she arrived to her apartment building, several ponies huffed as she shoved past and quickly trotted through the lobby and up the stairs. Vinyl quickened her pace as she got closer to her floor, grateful that she hadn't had any encounters with anypony that could slow her down. Before long, her door was in sight and she had her keys out and in the lock. Her door swung open just as she reached it, her keys levitating to her side at once before the door slammed shut and locked itself.

Dumping the keys on a table beside the door without a second thought, Vinyl hurried into her bathroom and opened her medicine cabinet, pulling out a bottle marked 'Colour Remover- Works on manes and tails only, not designed for foals'. Quickly leaping into her shower and setting her glasses on the counter as she lowered the lights to a comfortable level, Vinyl turned on the hot water as she squirted some of the liquid on her hoof and set to work scrubbing the blue dye into her mane.

It was going to be a long night and the meeting took place early in the morning, so if Vinyl was lucky she would be in bed by 1 am. Thoughts of her meeting and her previous encounter with Bon Bon swirled through the unicorn's mind, just as clouded as the blue tinted water currently swirling around the drain. Vinyl sighed heavily through her nose, pressing a hoof to her temple as she set the other on the floor; she hated that showers caused her to start thinking about everything in life from the most minute detail to the grand scheme of where ponies went at the end of their life.

Letting out a frustrated snarl, Vinyl slammed her hoof into the wall, before she turned the water up and continued scrubbing the blue coloring out of her mane. Once all the blue dye was out of her mane, Vinyl began working on her tail. A sigh escaped the pony as she worked the foam through her tail, returning it to it's normal blonde color trying her hardest not to think about anything but the task at hoof.

"Damnit, Bons... Why'd ya have to go and fall for Lyra?!" Vinyl hissed to herself as she finally rinsed the last of the color out of her tail and set to washing her body. "What does she have that I don't? I know she makes you happy, but I used to be able to do the same." Vinyl slumped against the back of her shower and simply let the water roll down her sides and stomach as she stared up at the steam swirling around the ceiling.

"One pony's opinion; as well as the opinion of a board of numbskulls hardly counts as validation to one's skill. Your cutie mark is a clear sign of your talent; much like mine is a mark of my own talent. However, that does not mean that we are the best of our colleagues. No, in fact; I think Lyra has more than you and I could ever hope to have if we focus more on our careers. Where is the happiness in having materialistic awards that can only fill you with hollow fulfillment when you could have somepony special to fill you with a lifetime of happiness without sitting on a shelf collecting dust?

I guess what I am asking is if you are truly happy with all your awards and nopony to share them with? Truly, the value of one's life, isn't in the awards they earn, but in whom they share their life and happiness with; just a little something to think about."

Vinyl blinked as she shook her head, remembering what she had told Octavia not more than three days ago about what Lyra had that they didn't. Of course, Lyra didn't put material things before Bon Bon. Lyra would prefer to play to crowds in the street and be able to go home to Bon Bon every night where Vinyl would gladly travel the country if it meant she got to see others and experience more than she could ever get here. Bon Bon was a simple pony despite her heritage, it was part of why she left her parents when she was of age and started her own business after working in a candy store for years; simply saving up until she had enough to open her own store.

Vinyl quickly scrambled to her hooves and shut the water off, using her magic to quick-dry as she clambered out of the shower and to the sink, where she stared into the mirror at her magenta colored eyes before levitating her glasses into a case and brushing her teeth as she contemplated further what to do.

Trotting down the hallway to her bedroom, Vinyl felt a smile growing across her muzzle. Climbing into bed, Vinyl felt the smile growing more; she had the perfect idea for how she was going to solve this problem, and nothing was going to stop her, not even Lyra or Bon Bon. Finally satisfied with how things were starting to go, Vinyl curled up under her blankets and turned the lights off with a pulse of magic, soon falling into a somewhat peaceful sleep.

Chapter 9

Whatever question Hope had been expecting, it certainly wasn't about Vinyl's identity. Lyra noticed as Hope's expression went from amusement to shock, then back again, so fast Lyra would have thought she had imagined it, if she hadn't seen it happen with her own eyes.

"Wherever did you hear that?" Hope asked with a nervous laugh as she pawed at the ground, staring at a random certificate awarded to Gabe for some kind of training. Lyra's brow furrowed as she studied the other closely, noting the way her right ear kept flicking.

"Gabe told me," Lyra replied, watching as both of Hope's ears flicked back before perking up once more. Hope let out a sigh as she climbed onto her chair once more, studying her forehooves before replying.

"Yes, it's true. But, Lyra, it's not something she should have told you without Vinyl's consent. The knowledge is clearly yours to do with as you see fit, but I ask that you be careful with what you do with it." Lyra nodded as Hope spoke, she had been thinking of how she could use it to give her an advantage over Vinyl; but now she realized how petty it really was to stoop to such a low level.

"Don't worry, Hope, I have no plans to cause trouble. I'll just keep on pretending I don't know anything," Lyra said before grinning, "Not that I know much to begin with!" She quipped causing Hope to relax enough to chuckle as she shook her head. Lyra finally let out a yawn as she stretched and rubbed an eye, "I think I might just go to bed, gettin' a bit tired..."

Hope smiled softly before slipping off of her chair once more, "Alright, follow me and I'll show you to your room." Trotting down the hallway to the left of the living room, Hope pushed open the second door on the right to a modestly decorated bedroom. "Across from this room is the bathroom, there might be an extra toothbrush in one of the drawers. Celestia knows we must have thousands of them from our dentist visits. Towels are in the closet to the left of the bathroom door, and if you need us for anything, our bedroom is straight ahead at the end of the hall."

Lyra nodded and bid Hope a good night before the white unicorn returned to the living room and began reading once more. As much as Hope would've liked getting some sleep, she had a bone to pick with Gabe when she got home; as long as she didn't drag home some random pony like last time.

---

Bon Bon re-read the paperwork from her parents for what felt like the tenth time, she had long since forgotten how many times she had read through it. Despite the fact that she knew what the paperwork consisted of and had signed it several days ago, Bon Bon couldn't stop staring at it.

There was no importance to the documents outside of stating that she now owned a percentage of her parent's enterprise, something she never really cared for, to be honest. Now the paperwork served as a reminder of who she was, and why she could never be just a 'regular' pony like most others. No, she was destined to be an heir to an empire she would rather build herself.

Sighing in frustration as she shoved the papers away, Bon Bon trotted unsteadily to her once secret safe and started pulling out another bottle of wine. However, something in her mind told her she needed to stop before she drank herself into such a stupor she might do something stupid.

'Too late for that...' Bon Bon thought to herself, shutting the safe door in spite of her desire for more wine. Trotting out of her office and back into the living room, Bon Bon sighed as she flopped onto her couch and stared up at a picture of Lyra and herself. Memories swirled around her intoxicated mind, causing her to groan as she pressed her hooves to her temples in an effort to stem the flow.

Was what Vinyl said true? Had Bon Bon really made her feel that way or was she just trying to make Bon Bon feel bad over something out of her control? As much as Bon Bon liked Vinyl, Lyra was the one that Bon Bon loved more than anypony else. But, what if Vinyl was right and Bon Bon was simply trailing Lyra along for a while until she grew bored of her and cast her aside? No. No, Bon Bon was confident that she'd never do that to Lyra.

'But you already did do that to Lyra, didn't you?' a small voice whispered in Bon Bon's mind as the mare blinked. She had pushed Lyra away when confronted with something she wasn't ready to deal with, hadn't she? Was it going to be like this every time Lyra asked Bon Bon something about her past? Wait! Lyra had burst into her locked office and rifled through her personal belongings! Sure, Bon Bon might have overreacted a bit, but she wasn't breaking up with Lyra so there was nothing to worry about, right?

'But what about earlier with Vinyl? When you two were so close together, you should have moved away; but you didn't. It took a clock to separate you two, and what if it hadn't gone off? What would have happened then?' The voice in her head was proving to be an annoying little squit and Bonsie was ready for it to fall silent. Although, it did have a valid point. What would she have done if the clock hadn't interrupted them? Would she have cheated on Lyra? As much as Bon Bon would like to think she'd never cheat on Lyra, Vinyl was a bit of an unknown in that area.

Groaning and rolling onto her back as she covered her eyes with a foreleg, Bon Bon knew she could never answer that question truthfully if she ever wanted to. She'd like to think she'd never cheat on Lyra, but with the way Vinyl was behaving lately, and the history between them, she knew it would be hard to turn Vinyl down.

'No. It would never be hard to turn her down, it would be hard to see how it affected her, but not to turn her down,' Bon Bon's foreleg slid off her face as she stared up at the ceiling. It was true, she would never cheat on Lyra, but would she think about it? Who didn't think what it would be like with somepony else from time to time? But to actually do it was another thing entirely, and Bon Bon would never act on such an impulse, not even with Vinyl.

Giving a groan and covering her eyes with her foreleg once more, Bon Bon gave an annoyed sigh; why did Vinyl have to go and complicate things with her stupid feelings?! Couldn't she just be happy for Bon Bon and Lyra without muddying everything up more than it was? Was Bon Bon really asking too much for Vinyl to just stop trying to live in the past with feelings that are no longer mutual?

'Great, I can already feel the beginnings of a migraine,' Bon Bon thought to herself as she finally slid her foreleg from her face once more and rolled off the couch. Deciding that sleep was the best course of action, lest her thoughts drive her to drinking more than she already had, Bon Bon trotted to her bedroom and flopped onto the bed with a sigh.

As she felt the warm embrace of sleep, Bon Bon sighed once more as one final thought crossed her mind; 'If you could cheat on Lyra with no consequence, would you?'

Groaning, Bon Bon dragged herself out of bed and trotted into her office. That second bottle of wine was starting to sound better and better with every passing thought. Opening her safe and pulling out a bottle of Chateau De Royale, Bonsie trotted to her chair and reclined back as she poured a glass, 'It's gonna be a long night.'

---

THOOMP!

THOOMP!

THOOMP!

Lyra blinked her eyes open as she heard muffled thumping sounds coming from the other room. In her sleepy state, Lyra couldn't quite make out what was going on, and from the sound of things, she didn't want to know. She heard Gabe laughing and Hope yelling over her, but she couldn't make out what was being said. Rubbing her eyes and rolling over, Lyra attempted to go back to sleep, trying her hardest not to wonder what the two were doing that was causing such a ruckus.

Meanwhile in the living room, Gabe was trying, unsuccessfully, to hide behind a potted plant she had pushed home as Hope assaulted her with a book. Gabe was laughing and squealing as she tried to dodge Hope's attack, which proved hard for a drunk pegasus to do when facing off against a pissed off unicorn marine.

"I. CAN'T. BELIEVE. YOU!" Hope snarled as she finally cornered Gabe. Grabbing the book from the air, and Hope began assaulting her lover with it grasped in her forehooves. Gabe knew she could easily cause Hope to lose her balance if she pushed her slightly, but the murderous look in Hope's eyes told her that that plan would backfire rather dramatically.

"WhadIdo?" Gabe mumbled as she tried to block some of Hope's attacks with her forelegs, while attempting to find someway around her irate mate before she did some actual damage. Hope's face turned a brighter shade of red as her temper seemed to kick up another notch, causing her to clench her jaw as a muscle in her face twitched.

"YOU KNOW WHAT YOU DID, YOU STUPID DRUNK PEGASUS!" Hope growled, throwing the book at Gabe's head, hitting her nose, and storming away in a huff. Gabe rubbed her nose as she felt a trickle of blood leak out, but a bloody nose was the last thing on her mind at the moment. Gabe had seen Hope angry, hell she'd seen her pissed off before, but she'd never seen her this angry. At least not at Gabe herself.

"Id dith 'bout Unkle Mardy?" Gabe asked tentatively as she prepared to retreat if Hope should attempt to restart her assault once more. Hope whipped around as she gestured at the plant, causing Gabe to flinch, expecting Hope to hit her.

"Forget the plant! This is about what you told Lyra about Vinyl's identity!" Gabe pinned her ears to her head as she stared at the floor, she had forgotten all about that. Hope was breathing heavily, and seemed to have worked most of her anger out of her system. Gabe pawed at the ground nervously as she looked up at Hope apologetically.

"I didn't mean ta-" Gabe started only to be stopped by Hope raising her hoof before pressing it to her temple and letting out a frustrated sigh. The pegasus shifted slightly as she tried to move closer to Hope, before the unicorn's horn lit up and Gabe found herself blocked from Hope by a barrier.

"Don't even start with me, Stalwart! You should NOT have said anything, that was for Vinyl to reveal when and if she wished to do so!" Hope stomped her hoof on the ground, causing Gabe to fidget nervously once more as she bit her lower lip.

"I wasn't think-" Gabe started to speak but was cut off by a snort from the unicorn.

"That's the problem, Stalwart, YOU NEVER THINK!" Hope shouted at the pegasus, causing her ears to pin back against her head once more as she shrank back into her corner. On a normal day,
Gabe would've happily argued back with Hope and justified her choices; this was not a normal day and Gabe had a feeling doing so would only deepen the hole she was currently in. "I believe you and Mister Couch are acquainted?"

Gabe cringed at the question, "Not Mister Couch..." she whined trying to paw at Hope but failing and only causing herself to nearly tip over. Hope simply shook her head and moved away, letting her barrier down as she did so, leaving the pegasus to simply stand there and stare at the spot where Hope had been previously.

A few minutes later Hope returned with a blanket that she threw at Gabe before turning away once more without a word. Gabe sighed as she climbed onto the couch and plopped down, groaning as she tried to find some comfortable position to lay in. Finally, after about ten minutes of shifting and grumbling, Gabe felt comfortable enough to sleep. Before she could feel the sweet embrace of sleep, however, Hope came back into the living room with a pillow that she threw at the pegasus who merely whined as it beaned her in the head.

---

Meanwhile, Lyra lay quietly in her bed after hearing the whole argument. If she had known Gabe would've gotten into so much trouble with Hope, Lyra would never have asked if Vinyl was truly the Staccato heir. The more Lyra thought about it, the more it seemed that Vinyl and her hidden identity caused a lot of trouble between ponies.

First herself and Bon Bon, to an extent, and now Hope was upset at Gabe for simply telling Lyra about it. Lyra frowned slightly as she listened to somepony, most likely Hope, slamming a door shut before silence ruled the apartment once more. Rolling onto her back and staring up at the ceiling, Lyra pondered over whether or not she should attempt to talk to Gabe or Hope about everything.

Deciding to see if Gabe was still awake, Lyra quietly slipped out of her bed and opened the bedroom door. Peering out into the hall and looking towards where Hope and Gabe's bedroom was, she noted the door was closed and there was no light coming from underneath; indicating that whomever was inside was most likely sleeping. Walking as quietly as she could down the hall, Lyra spotted the form of a pony under a blanket on the sofa.

"Gabe?" Lyra ventured quietly as she gently nudged the lump with a hoof, causing it to grumble in annoyance. "Ah, er, I'm sorry if I caused you any trou-" Lyra was cut off by the blanket moving and Gabe stretching a wing before rolling over and staring up at her.

"Forget about it and go back to bed; Hope's in a bad mood an' if she catches you botherin' me during my punishment... Well, let's just say it won't be pretty," with that Gabe covered herself with a blanket and rolled back over.

Lyra wanted to try apologizing again, but the thought of setting Hope off more than she was didn't sit well in Lyra's mind; so the mint unicorn trudged back to her bedroom. She decided she would make it up to Gabe when she had a chance, but first she needed to get some sleep, and then maybe swing by her apartment and see if Bon Bon might let her have some bits for food.

The sounds of birds were the first thing a rather exhausted white unicorn noticed as she blearily opened her eyes and looked around her room for a clock. Seeing that she still had an hour or two to burn before her meeting, the musician pondered rolling over and going back to sleep. Until a particular thought occurred to her, she needed to get her mane cut and styled if she wished to ensure that no pony would see through her disguise.

Scrambling out of the bed, or trying to, Vinyl ended up tangled in her sheets and blanket resulting in her falling over the edge. Hanging there by three legs, she grumbled slightly while wriggling a foreleg free. She smiled triumphantly until the blankets gave way and she slammed into the floor with a loud thud. Rubbing her head with a hoof, Vinyl slowly rose to her hooves before trotting out of her room to the bathroom.

Staring into the mirror at her reflection, the first thing Vinyl noticed were her eyes; she needed to find her special contacts and glasses. Opening the medicine cabinet, Vinyl pushed a few bottles of various medicine around before coming to the conclusion that her contacts were no longer there. Huffing and pulling out one of the bottles, Vinyl popped a couple pills into her mouth and swallowed them down with water, before she noticed her contact case resting on the counter near her brush.

"What better way to start the day than overlooking your contacts" Vinyl grumbled to herself as she debated putting them in. In truth, she only wore them as part of her identity and to help with the irritation of having bright lights in her eyes. The medication was designed for light tolerance, with the side effect of making Vinyl feel nauseous and making her a little loopier than normal.

Deciding the cover all bases, Vinyl used her magic to put in her contacts, changing her eyes from magenta to red. Flashing her normal award winning grin in the mirror a few times to ensure that she still 'had it', vinyl chuckled to herself as she trotted out of the bathroom to get a quick breakfast. 'If you can call it breakfast when it's after noon' Vinyl mused to herself as she glanced at a clock in her living room as she passed through to the kitchen.

Humming to herself as she opened the refrigerator door, Vinyl wasted no time in slamming it shut once more. As hungry as she was, seeing the mess of spoiled food in the fridge had killed a good chunk of her appetite. Sighing as she moved away from the fridge, Vinyl levitated a pair of rose tinted glasses from her desk as she trotted back through her living room to her bedroom once more.

"Prolly a good idea to grab a bite to eat on the way to the meetin'," She mumbled to herself before facehoofing as she remembered that she couldn't talk like she normally did. Heaving a sigh as she went to her closet and rifled through the various shirts, vests, and ties she owned, Vinyl found her mind wandering to what it might be like if she dropped the act and revealed her true identity.

'Yeah, because last time you did that it went over so well... Hey, remember when that paparazzi pony took that picture of you and Bonsie at the party? Remember what happened when word got out and the facts got misconstrued? Remember how you ran away and then hid your identity once again? Wasn't that fun? Don't you wanna do that again? No? Then don't reveal yourself, Moron!' Vinyl's musings ended when she realized she had been staring at a maroon shirt with drool slowly trickling down her chin from the corner of her mouth after she had spaced out.

Shaking her head, Vinyl pulled the shirt out, as well as one of her black vests, before grabbing a white tie and trotting to her mirror. Pulling on the shirt and buttoning it with her hooves while she used her magic to tie her tie, Vinyl smiled at her reflection once she pulled her vest over the shirt. Straightening out her vest and ensuring there were no creases or wrinkles, Vinyl felt her stomach gurgle, reminding her that she still needed to get something to eat before her meeting.

Mumbling random words to herself to ensure she had her fake accent and voice down pat, Vinyl trotted to the door and levitated her lanyard around her neck as she opened the door and trotted out into the hallway. The first thing she took note of was a rather annoyed looking Hope dragging a rather loud and whiny Gabe out the door as a familiar mint unicorn helped.

"I dun wanna goooooo," whined the pegasus as she tried to grab at the door frame in an attempt to keep the two unicorns from forcing her outside. Lyra rolled her eyes before catching sight of Vinyl and blinking in surprise at the sudden change of her appearance; in fact, she almost didn't recognize her, if not for the cutie mark Vinyl seemed to have forgotten to cover up. Hope noticed Lyra's distraction and turned her head, still pulling on Gabe with her magic and forelegs, soon spotting Vinyl as well.

Seemingly sensing the two mares' distraction, Gabe somehow broke free of Hope's grip and pushed Lyra aside, unceremoniously, as she scurried back into the apartment, slamming the door shut. Sighing in frustration, Hope started banging on the door as she yelled at Gabe to open it before she got mad. Lyra waved to Vinyl who simply nodded in reply before hurrying off as Hope pointed her horn at the door and demanded Gabe to open it before she blasted it.

The shouting grew distant as Vinyl trotted down a flight of stairs and through another hallway of apartments. After a few minutes of walking, Vinyl found herself in the lobby and spotted Octavia adjusting the strap on her cello so it was easier to carry. Forgetting momentarily that she knew Octavia as Vinyl and not Staccato, Vinyl called out to her, "Good morning, Octavia! Good to see you bright and early, yes?"

Octavia froze at the voice, "Who-" she turned to face the pony who called to her and immediately felt her heart skip a beat; Staccato was talking to her! 'Forget talking, she actually knows my name!' Octavia thought to herself as she smiled, "Good morning, Miss Staccato."

Vinyl froze for half a second as she realized she was supposed to be Staccato and not Vinyl Scratch, However, it was too late to do anything about her greeting. "Coming from a concert or perhaps you are on your way to one?" Vinyl asked in her best Canterlot accent.

Octavia smiled slightly as she adjusted the cello case on her back, "Actually I am on my way to a meeting, I just thought I would leave early to get something to eat beforehoof." Vinyl nodded as she half-listened to what Octavia was saying, although the grey earth pony didn't seem to notice. "Where are you off to, if I may ask?"

Vinyl blinked as she suddenly realized Octavia was still there talking to her, "My apologies for zoning out there for a moment, I was lost in thought. I am on my way to conduct some business with some ponies, and have also had the idea of getting food. If you so desire, you may join me in my quest for sustenance." Vinyl chuckled to herself as she finished her sentence off with a rather silly little pose, placing her hoof to her chest and holding her head up, like she were a brave explorer.

Octavia couldn't help the soft chuckle that escaped her at the unicorn's antics, "I would love to join you on your epic quest." Vinyl grinned as she trotted outside with Octavia beside her. "Mind if I ask you a question, Miss Staccato?" Octavia asked, her breath forming small clouds of mist in the cool air. Vinyl shook her head and Octavia spoke up once more, "If it is not too personal of a question, I was wondering where you draw the inspiration for your music."

Vinyl looked thoughtful for a moment as she studied the swirling mists of her breath, "Honestly? As cheesy as it may sound, I draw my inspiration from those around me; I also draw it from personal experiences."

Octavia tilted her head to the side as she listened to her idol speak. Try as she might, she found it increasingly difficult to contain her excitement. Just as she almost let out an excited squee, Vinyl cleared her throat, causing the grey mare to blush lightly as she looked over to Staccato, "That does not sound that 'cheesy', Miss Staccato."

Vinyl scoffed as Octavia spoke, "Just Staccato is fine; 'miss' makes me feel old." Octavia nodded in reply, pausing for a moment to readjust her cello strap. "Do you lug that cello with you everywhere you go?" Vinyl inquired with a raised eyebrow as she looked over her shoulder.

"Not everywhere, no," Octavia replied as she began trotting beside Vinyl once more. "The letter I received from Master Legato requested that I bring my instrument to the meeting as well."

Vinyl inclined her head in acknowledgement, "That explains it then. I was just curious. Seemed silly to drag such a thing everywhere you went." Octavia chuckled as she nodded in reply.

The rest of the walk was fairly silent, neither really speaking much outside of asking what the other wanted for food. Upon arriving to the main street in Upper Trotlanta, Vinyl turned to Octavia, "See anything you might be interested in?" Octavia glanced around the street before noticing a small restaurant that looked vaguely interesting.

"What about that place over there?" Octavia pointed to a building with the name Sardi's written on the front. Vinyl chuckled to herself as she remembered a particular couple asking her to join them there a while back.

"An excellent choice," Vinyl said as she led the way, taking note of the mane salon several buildings down. If Vinyl was grateful for anything at that moment, it was for the fact that Octavia hadn't seemed to notice how remarkably like 'Vinyl Scratch' she looked with her mane style.

Thinking back to an earlier question about her cutie mark, Vinyl realized she had forgotten to use her cutie mark modifying charm. She found herself even more grateful for the fact that Octavia seemed not to have noticed this either.

"Are you alright, Staccato?" Octavia inquired as she noticed Vinyl's silence and distant expression. Vinyl shook her head to clear it before flashing a brought smile as she used her magic to open the door.

"Just peachy," Vinyl stated as the hostess looked up from her notebook and smiled at them.

"Good afternoon! Will it just be the two of you today?" The hostess gathered two menus as Vinyl and Octavia nodded the affirmative. After they had been shown the table, Octavia pulled her cello case off and set it gently against the wall beside the table, ensuring it was secure before picking up her menu.

As the duo was looking over their menus, the waitress trotted up to their table for their drink orders. Once she was gone, Vinyl set her menu down and simply looked around the restaurant, "Have you ever eaten here before, Octavia?"

The grey mare shook her head as she continued studying her own menu, "Not that I can recall, although I have heard great reviews about it." Deciding on something that looked good, Octavia set her menu down and smiled at the waitress as she set her drink down.

Once the two placed their orders and their waitress had left, Octavia turned to Vinyl, trying hard not to smirk as she saw her idol attempt to pick her glass up with both hooves, rather than her magic. "How do you do this?!" Vinyl hissed slightly as her drink nearly spilled when it slipped from her grip; thankfully a quick burst of her magic prevented the mess that would have been created.

"Comes default when you are an earth pony," Octavia quipped teasingly as she lifted her own glass. Vinyl huffed as she used her magic to levitate her glass to take a sip. Octavia tilted her head to the side as she studied the color of her companion's blue aura, though she knew better than to inquire about it.

"Octavia?" The sound of her name snapped the grey mare out of her thoughts and she turned her attention to the white unicorn in front of her. "I thought I lost you for a moment there," Vinyl teased as she smiled kindly at Octavia's light blush.

Octavia opened her mouth to respond when a crash from the kitchen interrupted her, causing both mares to jump slightly. "Damnit, Fogal! You had one job!" A voice yelled out followed by the sound of somepony telling them to stop disrupting the guests.

Vinyl rolled her eyes as she shook her head and mumbled to herself, "That Fogal pony's something else." Octavia tilted her head slightly as she looked to Vinyl as she was speaking. "He repaired my DJ's turntables once. Except it was less of a repair when they caught fire the moment he touched them. All in all, it's not a fun thing to explain to a very irate disk jockey."

"I would imagine not," Octavia replied before taking a sip of her drink. "So, did that Fogal pony or his company pay for the damages at least?" She inquired.

Vinyl shook her head, "Everything was insured, but the company was shut down rather quickly after it was discovered that they had botched other repairs as well." Octavia nodded slowly as she listened.

"Really? What other repairs did they botch?" Octavia inquired as Vinyl took a sip of her drink.

Vinyl merely shrugged, "I don't recall, but it doesn't really matter anymore." The rest of their lunch passed with very light conversation, mostly about the various new styles of music and how classical could benefit from them.

When the waitress brought the check, Vinyl pulled out her bag of bits and paid the total, surprising Octavia. "I could have paid for my own lunch," she said, raising her brow.

Vinyl smiled kindly, "I don't doubt that, I just wanted to be a kind pony. After all, you did join me on my invitation. It's only the right thing to do. Anyways, I must be off to Symphony Hall for my meeting with my father. It was nice to meet you, Octavia."

Octavia blinked slightly, "S-Symphony Hall? I was also headed there for a meeting." Vinyl's head canted to the side as Octavia spoke.

"That's... Odd," Vinyl's brow furrowed, "My father never mentioned anypony else joining us." Rising from her seat, Vinyl drop a few bits on the table as Octavia retrieved her cello. "Well, whatever the case, we should be going as my father hates when ponies are late."

---

Beep - Beep - Beep.

'Ugh... What the..? W-Where am I?' Bon Bon stirred slightly, her body felt heavy and unresponsive. 'I... What's going on?' The sound of beeping penetrated Bon Bon's thoughts. She focused on the beeping, it was steady and seemed to echo slightly in the room she was in. In an attempt to get her bearings, Bonsie cracked open her eyes. However, the intense brightness of the light of the room she was in caused her to immediately clench them shut. Flicking her ears as she heard an odd garbled sound she couldn't quite place.

Attempting to open her eyes once more, Bon Bon hissed slightly as the light blinded her, again. 'Is this what it feels like for Vinyl to go without her sunglasses?' Bonsie wondered as she clenched them shut. She could hear her name being called, the voice sounding familiar despite being distorted, the image of a mint unicorn flashed through her mind.

Beep - Beep - Beep.

Grumbling inwardly at the incessant beeping, Bon Bon forced her eyes open. She winced at the brightness as she waited for her eyes to slowly adjust. The first thing the confectioner took note of was the strange room she was in, the next being the machine that was making that Celestia-damned beeping. Finally, she found the source of the voice she was hearing, a certain mint unicorn, sitting there with a watery smile as tears ran down her face.

"Y-You're awake! Thank Celestia, you're awake!"