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!"