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DJ Octavia

by Hopeful_Ink_Hoof

Chapter 1: Too Sick to J the Ds

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Octavia stopped practicing her cello and held still, listening. Something was wrong. It was difficult to figure out what exactly, but she was certain of it.

A glance at the clock made her realize what the problem was: it was too quiet. Vinyl should have been up by now and having some of her music on while preparing for the day. Not actually loud enough to interrupt Octavia's practice, mind, but it was enough that she could feel the rhythm from the baseline just along the edge of her consciousness.

Octavia set the cello and bow aside and stretched as she dropped back to all fours. She could practice some more once she was certain what was going on.

The first stop was the kitchen, by way of the dining room. The table was empty and chairs were still properly pushed in. No Vinyl there. The kitchen sink was empty, no bowl, no coffee mug. In the dish drain was her plate and teacup from breakfast. The coffee machine was off and the carafe was cold and empty. So Vinyl had not even gotten up, started the machine, and gone off to do something else (or back to bed until it was ready).

Octavia made her way toward the bathroom and bedroom. Her ears were perked up as she listened intently. As she reached the door, she paused and listened. Still no sound of running water. Granted, it had been unlikely, but she still had to check.

"Vinyl?" Octavia called out as she stepped into the bedroom. There was a grumble from the bed, a lump hidden beneath the blankets shifting.

"Vinyl, why are you still in bed?" Taking a hold of the sheets in her teeth, the mare gave it a firm yank to reveal the unicorn underneath.

Vinyl Scratch did not look well. Her ears drooped and eyes were rimmed with red. Her coloring also seemed off, looking slightly pink.

"Hey Tavi," Vinyl croaked, trying to smile. "What's up?"

Octavia reached out and pushed Vinyl's mane out of the way. The gray earth pony then put her hoof against the unicorn's forehead, followed by stroking her cheek. Octavia let out a sigh, shaking her head.

"Your temperature it seems," she replied. "Vinyl, you have a fever."

"Ah, it's probably nothing." She moved to climb out of bed. "I'll be-"

The rest of the statement was lost as Vinyl fell out of the bed and hit the carpet face first.

"Are you alright?" Octavia asked.

"Yeah," Vinyl replied. "Just... got a little dizzy for a moment. No biggie."

"Vinyl Record Scratch," Octavia stated, "this is very much a... 'biggie.' You are sick. Now, you have two choices. You can either climb back into bed, or you can go take a long hot soak in the tub."

"But Octavia," Vinyl whined, "I can't be sick. I have a gig tonight."

Octavia looked down at Vinyl who was getting into a sitting position. It must have been serious if the unicorn was using Octavia's full first name instead of "Tavi." A part of her was tempted to suggest that maybe they could ask the sickness to reschedule for when Vinyl had no gig lined up, but it really did not seem like an appropriate response.

Instead she sighed, and rubbed her forehead.

"Vinyl..." she took a deep breath and softened her tone. "Sweetie."

Vinyl's eyes went wide. Octavia almost never called her any sort of pet names. The unicorn watched curiously as she was given a gentle hug.

"I understand how important your performances are to you." Octavia gave a gentle kiss on the forehead. "But it does not change the fact that you are sick. Even if you were able to get up and walk, there is no telling how ill you might become. What's more, you are most likely contagious, which means that you would be risking infecting all your fans as well. That seems rather counterproductive."

"I guess," Vinyl conceded, laying her head on Octavia's shoulder. "But they're still expecting me. We need to let them know I can't make it so they can find somepony to fill in."

"Alright." Octavia broke the hug. "You go soak in the tub while I make you some tea and toast."

Vinyl scrunched her face -- she did not like tea and plain toast was boring -- but said nothing.

"Once you're settled to rest and recuperate," Octavia continued, "I will go to the club and notify the manager that you will be unable to perform. If worse comes to worst, I shall fill in for you."

"What?" Vinyl cried out, eyes going wide. "But Tavi, you don't know anything about DJing."

"Nonsense," Octavia replied with a wave of her hoof. "I have seen you working with your equipment quite a number of times. I'm certain that I can figure it out sufficiently to entertain a club for one night. Really, what's the worst that could happen?"

"You did not..." Vinyl started before pausing, feeling a little dizzy.

"Octavia," she tried again, "you..."

Her body suddenly felt cold, causing her to shiver.

"Oh forget it," she groaned. "I'm just going to go soak in the tub. Remind me to say 'I told you so' when you get home." With that, Vinyl made her way to the bathroom.

Octavia watched her friend a moment, eyebrow raised. What had Vinyl been trying to say earlier? And what could possibly happen that would deserve an "I told you so?"

Just Vinyl being herself, I suppose. With a shrug, Octavia started to head for the kitchen to make the tea and toast.

Next Chapter: In The Club Estimated time remaining: 9 Minutes
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