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.