Vinyl woke up to the sounds of banging and clattering. She groaned and got to her hooves, ready to obliterate the cause of the ruckus that would dare wake her up from existence. She trudged down the stairs, lazily walking through the living room and kitchen, but spotting nothing that would warrant a one way trip to the shadow realm.

The ruckus continued, getting louder as she approached the basement. Vinyl slammed open the door, sleepy eyes burning with rage. As she made her way down the stairs, she found none other than her brother surrounded by planks of wood, gardening tools, and cans of food.

The white mare raised a sleepy, half open eyelid. “Neon… what in the name of all that is holy are you doing?”

Neon whirled his head towards her, eyes wide. “Vinyl, you’re awake! Good!” He tossed a small plank of wood to her. “Help me barricade the windows, alright?”

Vinyl studied the two-by-four as if it was an alien object. “Barricade the–what? What’s going on, Neon?”

Neon levitated a rake to his sister. “Preparing, obviously! If ghosts are real, do you know what other undead creatures might be real? Zombies, that’s what! I now have no doubt in my mind that there may be a zombie apocalypse any day now! And when that day comes, I’ll be ready!”

Vinyl put the rake back where it belonged. “Alright, well… you have fun with that. Next time, prepare for the apocalypse more quietly, please?”

Neon picked up a hammer, resuming to barricade the basement windows. “Pssh, well, when your brain is being eaten by the living dead, don’t come crying to me!”

Vinyl rolled her eyes and started to trot towards the kitchen. She stopped at the stairs, smirking. “But, what about werewolves?”

The hammering stops, all sounds from the younger stallion ceasing at once. “Vinyl, do we have any silver?”

“Or vampires?”

“Help me sharpen this plank of wood, would ya?”

Vinyl turned back around, trotting up the stairs. “You know what needs sharpening? Your brain!” Once she got to the top of the stairs, her path was blocked by a gray pony shaped object. Vinyl rubbed her eyes, focusing on the newcomer. “Hey, I know you… right?”

Steelwing smiled. “Hey, Vinny, how’s it going?”

Vinyl’s head turned towards Neon. “I don’t. Even. Know.”

“Steelwing? You just let yourself in without knocking?” Neon asked.

The pegasus shrugged. “You were expecting me, were you not?”

“Well, yes, but it’s still rude!”

“But you knew I was coming!”

“I didn’t know when you were coming!”

“Gee, I’m hungry, who wants breakfast!” Vinyl called out, ending their bickering.

“Breakfast?   But... it’s five in the afternoon,” Steelwing commented.

“Exactly,” Vinyl replied, moving past the young colt and into the kitchen. With a flick of her horn, she started the coffee machine and picked out a pan as well as pancake mix from the cabinet. Soon after she started, the two colts emerged from the basement and patiently waited for their breakfast / dinner at the table.

The coffee machine dinged, and Vinyl retrieved her mug. “So,” she started as she sipped her morning drink. “Steelwing, how’s it going?”

He shrugged. “Same old, same old. Doing what I gotta do, you know?”

Vinyl sighed. “Oh, I know allll about that, kid.” She took another sip. “How’s the school been?”

“Uneventful. Just hasn’t been the same since you left.”

Vinyl rubbed her eyes. “Yeah, well. ‘Do what you gotta do’.”

“Hey, you might not be the ‘awesome party girl’ anymore, but I still think what you’re doing now is pretty awesome,” he said with a smile.

Neon rolled his eyes, remembering how he said that exact thing the other day. Not gonna work, man.

Vinyl smiled, levitating plates of pancakes to the two boys. “Thanks, Steelwing. Now, pancakes for all!” As she sat down with a piece of pancake on a fork in one hoof, and her coffee in another, a thought came to mind. “I wonder if I can make a coffee pancake…?”

Neon shuddered. “With the amount of caffeine you put in your body, I think you should sit that one out.”

“Hey, you try and work the hours I do without the assist of the great goddess that is caffeine!” she spouted back.

Neon rolled his eyes, taking a bite out of his fluffy breakfast. “I’m just sayin’.  Also, you do know that you can get more efficient energy from other sources.”

Vinyl stuck her tongue out at her younger brother, trying (and failing) to hold a serious face.

“Do you guys have any ketchup?”

Both siblings turned instantly, speaking in practical unison, “What?”

Steelwing shrugged. “Hey, some ponies prefer plain, some like butter, some like syrup, and I like ketchup. To each their own, y’know?”

“That’s true, but… just gross, man,” Neon said with a mild gag. “I mean, it's just wrong!”

“I have to agree,” Vinyl added. “That is freakin’ gross.”

“Hey, I don't judge you two by what you eat!”

“Because we don't eat pancakes with ketchup!”

“You wanna go, punk!”

“Bring it on!”

Vinyl watched with rapt enthusiasm as both of the colts got into a serious slapping match. Both of them were complete nerds (both in heart and body) and were practically incapable of hurting each other. So, the white unicorn didn't mind sitting back and let to two ‘fight’ it out. It was actually entertaining, to be honest, and Vinyl enjoyed her food with a the show.

After both colts had tired each other out in their vain (and pathetic) attempt at a brawl, they both called it a draw and went back to eating their food next to a now laughing Vinyl.

“Hey, Neon?” Vinyl asked.

“Yeah?”

“When are you going to bring home a cute filly instead of this guy?”

Steelwing looked crestfallen. “H-hey… I’m cute…”

“Woah… and I thought I was the gay one,” Vinyl chided.

Neon pushed his friend away. “I-I’m not gay!”

“You’ve yet to prove that, bro.”

“It’s also not helping your case that I’m spending the night,” Steelwing added.

Neon groaned as Vinyl laughed. “Dude, are you, like, seriously gay?” Neon commented. “I don’t judge, just… do you have years of repressed feelings for me that are gonna surface tonight or somethin’?”

The pegasus gave him a quizzical look. “Uh, no, that’s gay.”

Vinyl giggled and levitated the empty plates to the sink. “As much fun as it is to watch you two bicker, I gotta get to work. Have fun you two!” She winked.

“Literally hate you, sis!”

Vinyl quickly stuck her tongue out before disappearing behind the door, leaving the two boys alone in the house for the night.

Neon turned to his friend. “So, what do you wanna do?”

Steelwing shrugged. “Netflix ‘n’ chill?”

“No!”

The pegasus scoffed. “Not like that! Jeez, you really are gay. Can’t two friends just chill out while watchin’ Netflix? I mean, come on!”

Neon face hoofed. “Fine! What’re we watching?”

“Anime… duh.”

"Who watches anime on Netflix?!"

"Bro, I'm using Netflix as a generalization for anything that's not regular TV."

Neon sighed.  “Fine.  Which anime?”

“Boku no Pico.”

Neon groaned. “No! That’s fuckin’ gay!”

“It’s not gay! They’re chicks with dicks!”

“No, they’re not! They call each other ‘him’!”

Steelwing’s eyes widen. “How would you know that? Have you seen it? Dude, you’re gay.”

Neon heavily sighed.

“Hey, man, you’re the one who’s never had a marefriend.”

Neon waved him off. “I’m too busy focusing on school for that crap.”

Steelwing snickered. “‘Focusing’ in high school? Get a load of this guy! Man, I’ve never tried and I have a 3.95 GPA.”

“And how many honors or AP classes are you in?”

Steelwing’s face fell. “Well…”

Neon smirked. “Uh huh.”

Steelwing shook his head. “Whatever man, let’s just watch Kotoura-san.”

"You have the worst taste in anime, you know that?"

"You know what?  Yes it's a shitty appealist anime that only closeted petos and mouthbreathers watch... but sometimes I don't want to indulge myself in a well rounded, deep, and soul searching anime like Anohana because then I'd get all emotional, question my life, and fall into a pit of depression because I'll probably never amount to anything and never achieve my dream of becoming a best-selling author or even cartoon writer.  Sometimes, I just wanna sit back and have a laugh, ok?"

Neon shrugged.  "Alright, man."  He then leaned back on the couch and proceeded to forget about life to watch tsundere anime schoolgirls and their antics.

Seriously?! They want more Trap?! Vinyl thought, getting the next record ready for the transition. Come on, ponies! Have some diversity!

The club was especially packed tonight—the bouncer actually had to enforce the clubs occupancy limit. Vinyl was happy to have a crowd, as it meant that her boss would be in a good mood, but when the crowd had started chanting for more Trap, well, it began to get on her nerves. It was not that she had anything against the genre, more of that it was starting to get repetitive.

The club was relatively large, a huge dance floor taking up ninety percent of the entire layout. On the far wall was her booth and the central bass speakers, while the rest hung in their respective places around the club. The bar was located on the far right wall while booths and tables lined the opposite side. It wasn’t the biggest club in Canterlot, but it was big enough to have made a decent name for itself. Currently, with the massive influx, the dance-floor was completely packed—ponies grinding together out of necessity rather than for fun.

The white mare looked at the crowd, their request track levitating beside the table as she waited for the right time for the transition… when an idea came into her head. It wasn’t anything major, more of just a small thought that briefly flashed through her head, but it was interesting enough to stick. Carefully, Vinyl levitated the, well, vinyl back into its case behind the booth, pulling out another record instead. Granted, most of the music was electronic, but all of the base tracks had vinyl copies since it always produced the greatest sound.

The transition soon came up and, instead of another fast paced Trap song, a slow, mystical music box tone emanated from the speakers. This came as a surprise for everypony—most of the dance-floor stopping to get a view of the DJ. Before anypony could object, however, Vinyl used her mixer to add an overlay: a slow, dubstep-like accompaniment that blended nicely with the music box. She began to add more and more, complicating the rhythm, while still letting the music box be heard from the accompaniment. Vinyl’s hooves were like lightning, her mind racing as inspiration struck. She was so caught in her mixing that she failed to notice it when the entire club returned to it’s dancing excitement—cheers and stomps at approval of the original mix flowed freely through the air, but never caught the attention of the white mare.

Vinyl was in the zone.

Her hooves scrambling to create the musical story that was crafted inside her mind. The notes merged together—the distance between reality and the music that surrounded the unicorn blurred as she crafted. All the while, her mind remained focused on one thing: a singular constant in her ever-changing melody of sound.

Octavia.

The mare was stuck in Vinyls head—everything she created surrounding the mare. She was her muse. The overlay was sad, yet hopeful. The song built up, only to fall into an epic drop as it hit is pique. Vinyl even mixed in the ever-so-subtle hint of a cello in the background—the instrument's notes echoing as if a phantom of the song itself.

Then, it stopped.

As quickly as the track had begun, it ended, fading off into nothingness as the club was slowly engulfed in silence. Vinyl panted, her heart racing and a huge smile plastered across her face… until she heard the silence. The white mare began to get worried—silence at the club was never a good thing. As she peeked her head up from her tables, she was surprised to see not stars of disapproval at her improved melody, but slack-jawed expressions of ‘awe’.

“Holy shit!” screamed a voice from the crowd. “Do it again!”

The rest of the crowd soon shouted in agreement.

Vinyl didn’t know what to do. She hadn’t exactly planned out what she had played before, nor did she feel she could recreate it. It just, well, happened! Hesitantly, the mare pulled out another record, placing it on the table and letting the music start. Just as before, inspiration struck her at the thought of her spectral friend popped into her mind, her hooves crafting the simple baseline into an intricate mixture of different sound from all sorts of sources—a complex symphony that truly reflected her muse. Like the last, the crowd loved it, shouting their cheers of approval as the club once again shifted back into high gear.

Vinyl didn’t know what she was doing, or where this was coming from, but she did know she liked it. No... she loved it! The once stagnant expressions and movements the DJ used to have now became animated—her body seemingly re-energized as she bounced all around her set up, mixing tracks or playing others. There wasn’t a script, nor was there a plan… there was just music. Chaotic, yet somehow harmonious, music.

It was beautiful.

This cycle continued for hours—the flow of original mixes practically radiating from the DJ booth like an assembly line. Song after song, track after track, Vinyl continued to pour her heart out. When the night came to a close and her shift came to an end, Vinyl had to all but pry herself from the equipment as she trotted off stage, the parting crowd still ablaze with the performance. Vinyl, for her part, made her way straight to the bar, ordering herself a water to cool her sweat covered body. She was exhausted, completely drained, but she loved it. The white mare greedily downed the clear liquid as soon as it reached her hooves, then slammed the now empty glass back on the counter.

“Holy shit,” she muttered to herself, out of breath, “that was fucking awesome!”

In her excitement, Vinyl failed to hear the approaching hoof steps.

The mare heard a cough from behind her and turned to come face-to-face with her boss. She smiled, flicking her sweat drenched mane out of her eyes. “Dude! Did you hear me play!”

The owner sighed sadly, a motion that confused the mare. “Yes, Vinyl, I did hear you play. But… Unfortunately, even though it was good, I want you to refrain from doing that in the future.”

The unicorn stared at the stallion in surprise, his words barely registering in her mind. “You want me to… what?! But… but I totally killed it out there!” she screamed. “Why the hell would you want me to stop?!”

The stallion sighed, shaking his head. “Look, it’s my job to think of the business aspect of this, and that’s what I’m doing. Yes, you were good, but could you keep it up? Could you repeat that exact same performance again and again every night? Once you play like this, you reset the bar at that level—everything you do from here on out will be defined by this point. Now, this would be okay if you were a performer, but not as a house DJ. Your job is not to blow their heads away with amazing music. Your job is to get them tired and worked up enough so they’ll buy our cheap booze. That’s where the money is at, Vinyl! Not in the music, but in the revenue from the alcohol we sell! Now, I have no problem with you playing like that on your free time, but not while you’re on my clock,” he finished with a curt nod, his expression commanding no argue. “Now, here is your check, and I’ll see you tomorrow night.” The stallion handed her an envelope before he turned and left, heading over to the front desk to, most likely, count the day’s earnings.

Vinyl, on the other hoof, stood in place, her jaw slack while anger filled her very soul. Before she could say something she would regret, the mare lets out a loud groan and headed back to her booth, throwing on her hoodie and saddlebags and stomping out the back door, mumbling angrily to herself the entire time. Once she made sure she hadn’t forgotten anything, the mare stomped out into the night air.

Greedy prick! Vinyl thought, grinding her teeth in frustration. If it wasn’t for the fact that she desperately needed that job, she would’ve given her boss an earful. ‘My job isn’t to play amazing music’, ‘you’re just a house DJ’. What do you know, asshole?! I’ll show you... The white mare sighed heavily, calming her mind. Who am I kidding… I need the job.

Vinyl took in her surroundings, letting the cool night air breeze through her coat, and the silence of the night steady her head. She had felt free—free from the shackles that had held her down for so long. And, as soon as she broke free, she was just locked back up again. The mare sighed, knowing fully well that she had no power or room for argument. This was a good job. The only one she could really get that supplied just enough for both her and her brother.

As her mind was further occupied, Vinyl’s unconscious took over, directing her through the winding streets of Lower-Canterlot, ending directly in front of the forbidding theatre. Her internal rant ended as soon as she stood in front of the oak doors that made up the entrance. Though she was free from her internal conflict, the mare still strolled in on autopilot, her mind just too emotionally drained.

As usual, her spectral friend was awaiting her arrival, floating down happily to meet the white mare with a smile. “Hi, Vinyl!” Octavia spoke cheerfully, then noticed her drained demeanor. “Vinyl, are you... okay?”

Vinyl shook her head, snapping out of her trance. “Huh? Oh, yeah… Yeah, I’m fine. Just a little... distracted. Nothing to worry about, though.”

Octavia seemed reluctant. “Are you sure? You looked really… down.”

Vinyl waved her off. “It’s a long walk from work to here. I just get lost in my thoughts and don’t realize where I’m at sometimes.”

The spectre eventually nodded. “Alright.” She started to float around her friend. “So what are we doing today?”

Vinyl shrugged. “My bro’s friend is staying the night, so I don’t need to be home early.”

Octavia’s face brightened up, literally. “Ooh! Does that mean you can stay longer?!”

Vinyl nodded with a chuckle. “Yep! At least until I’m about to pass out.”

Octavia couldn’t contain her excitement. She lunged forward, hugging her living friend. It didn’t last long, however, as she was forced to float on towards the stage and pick up her cello.

“Already?” Vinyl asked. Damn must’ve gotten too caught up at the club.

Octavia straightened herself, picking up her bow and resting it on the pristine strings. “Ready, Vinyl?”

The mare in question casually sat on one of the seats. “Lay it on me, girl!”

Octavia swiped the bow across the strings, eliciting a slow, sad tune. The notes were drawn out and low pitched. Merely a second after the song started, Vinyl’s vision collapsed in on itself, imploding. All light faded into white. The world spun, like usual, and her head hurt. Soon, however, the feeling stopped, and she ended up on the floor.

When she opened her eyes, she was met with a hardwood floor—old, chipped, and faded. She stood up to make sense of surroundings. The walls were close together, the ceiling small and low. As Vinyl looked around more, she soon noticed old wooden furniture. A small table a small table sat in the corner and a bureau on the opposite wall, each with a few picture frames on them.

Vinyl walked up to the pictures. There was only four, all black and white. Two of them had two earth ponies Vinyl didn’t recognize: a mare and a stallion. The third picture had the same two ponies except with a foal held the mare’s front hooves. The last one had a young mare that Vinyl recognized to be Octavia with the same two ponies that Vinyl now assumed were her parents.

With one more sweep of the room, the white mare investigated further. She went down a hallway and ran into an older mare who was delicately dusting off some tabletops. Vinyl phased through the mare, though felt a chill up her spine at the action, and continued searching the house for Octavia. She rounded a corner and phased through a door. Inside, she found the filly she was looking for sitting on her bed with a book.

The whole scene confused Vinyl. The song Octavia was playing before Vinyl was entranced sounded slow and sad. So far, in the vision, everything looked like normal. Was something drastic going to happen soon? Would this vision lead to more despair? To more death?

Vinyl shuttered at the though.

A sound soon could be heard echoing through the small house akin to an old door opening. Vinyl watched as Octavia perked her head up from her book, then jumped off the bed to investigate. Vinyl followed. In the foyer, an elderly stallion closed the door behind him and placed his hat on a nearby rack.

Octavia smiled, running up to hug the stallion. “Daddy, you’re home!”

The stallion gently patted his daughter on the head. “Good to see you, my darling daughter.” He broke the hug and made his way to the couch where he promptly sank into it, sighing with exhaustion.

His wife noticed the gloomy mood of her husband. “Everything alright, dear?”

He forced a smile. “Ah yes yes, just a long day at the shop, that’s all.” He turned to Octavia. “Tavia, did you finish your homework?”

The young filly nodded. “Yes, daddy.”

“Ah, I wouldn’t expect anything less. Did you study?”

She nodded again. “I’ve been studying for the last half hour.”

“Half hour?” He exclaimed with mock surprise. “What are you still doing here, then? Get back to studying!” He playfully jabbed.

“But, daddy!” Octavia whined.

“No ‘buts,' Octavia! You study for another half hour, then we can all have dinner, alright?”

Octavia’s cheeks puffed out, but she complied nonetheless. Vinyl followed her back to her room where she was about to lay back down in bed with her book, before suddenly stopping. She figured she might as well at least ask what’s for dinner before going back to her studies. Going back to the living room, she stopped in the hallway as soon as she saw the utterly defeated form of her father.

He was slouched on the couch with his hooves buried in his face. He looked a lot older than his actual age and tired. It wasn’t unusual for her father to come home tired, but tonight he looked like he was ready to give up.

Octavia’s mother sat beside him, gently rubbing his back to comfort the broken man. “Arpeggio, please. Tell me what happened.”

It took a moment for him to respond. “It was… honey, it was horrible,” Arpeggio replied, his voice hollow. “I-I don’t understand. How can… how can any pony in their right mind destroy a man’s property? I… I pour my heart and soul into everything I make. My craft is my life! It’s how we get by. And…” His hooves clenched and his face turned red with anger. “And those bloody witches took it all from us! Every last thing in my shop, destroyed!” His anger subsided, and he leaned against his wife.

She held him tightly. Her own anger and fear were evident on her face, but she forced herself calm for the sake of her husband. “Everything’s going to be alright. Tomorrow morning, we’ll call the Guard and–”

Arpeggio’s anger flared back up. “The Guard won’t help us! They’re all screw heads and featherbrains!” The fire in his eyes went out as he realized that he yelled at his wife. “Oh… oh, my. I’m so sorry, Emerald. It’s just… what are we going to do now? How can we pay the rent?”

Emerald Song hugged her husband, comforting him as best as she could. “Don’t worry, we’ll find a way… we always do.”

Octavia stifled a gasp as she retreated back into her room. Tears welled up in her eyes from what she heard. Vinyl stood beside her, wanting so badly to comfort the trembling earth pony, but she knew that she could do nothing.

Octavia paced around her room in deep thought. She choked back her tears, trying not to cry. Vinyl watched her with tears of her own filling up her eyes. Octavia’s life has been one big roller coaster of emotions. Every memory she sees is a pattern of happy and sad, up and down, and never seeming to take a break.

Octavia suddenly stopped pacing. She went to her desk, lit a candle, and shuffled through some papers. Soon, the desired parchment was found: a simple poster advertising for the annual Canterlot Music Recital.

Vinyl’s mood lifted. Of course! She’s gonna win that competition and probably get a shit-ton of bits! Vinyl sighed in relief, knowing that everything was going to turn out fine for her family.

The filly looked to her cello lying in its case against the desk. Octavia looked nervous as if she was having second thoughts about her musical talent. She shook her head, wiped away her tears, and looked over the advertisement once again. Turning the paper on its backside, she noticed a sign-up sheet. Nowhere did it say that earth ponies weren’t allowed to participate.

Octavia put on a determined look as she took her instrument out of its case and began to play, the song resonating from the strings mirroring her current emotion: hope.

The walls around Vinyl crumbled into oblivion. The entire scene being torn away from her, piece by piece, until only Octavia was left. The young filly played a few more notes before disappearing herself into the white void.

Unlike the time before, Vinyl didn't instantly find herself back on the theatre floor. Instead, she remained in the whited out void that had once Octavia’s childhood home. At first, the mare was confused, wondering if she had done something wrong. As the minutes passed on, she began to get worried. He hooves felt no purchase on a tangible ground, yet she still stood. Her body was there, but she couldn't feel anything else.

Then, the void flashed and her world returned to the moldy floor that she had gotten to know so well. She blinked, phantom outlines from the explosion of light still dotting her vision. When they retreated, Vinyl looked around and observed the theatre. As usual, Octavia sat motionless at her cello, the song long since over.

The unicorn rose to her hooves, shaking the daze from her head as she groaned. “Tavi, I sure hope this doesn't have any negative effects on my health—all this time spent on this old, gross floor ain't doin’ me any favors,” she mumbled, as she trotted up to the mare on stage. Curious that she had not gotten a response, she spoke again. “Tavi?”

Octavia's eyes were clenched shut, visibly holding back tears.  “All your kind brings is pain…” the mare began somberly. “Why couldn't you just leave us alone?!” the mare growled, sitting up to face the white mare, who would have been paler if her coat would allow it. The spectral mare staked forwards, pushing back her now frightened friend.

Vinyl, for her part, stared at the angered spirit in front of her with fear, her voice trembling, “T-Tavi, please calm d-down! I didn't do anything!”

A white glow overtook the whole of Octavia’s eyes that only seemed to get brighter with each second. Her mane swayed chaotically from an unknown ethereal wind. She tossed her head back, opened her mouth, and wailed. Vinyl covered her ears as Octavia unleashed all of her anger, sorrow, frustration, and all of her grief in one, ear-splitting wail. The ghostly cry not only frightened Vinyl further, but left her feeling heartbroken, almost as if the wail was a spell by itself that was meant to induce sorrow to another pony.

She could feel Octavia’s emotions.

She felt all the pain Octavia felt during her whole life and afterlife. She felt the misery of living in a deeply segregated town with nopony to trust but your own kind. She could hear her spirit cursing the gods for the life she was given. She cursed them for being born an earth pony; cursed them for the unicorns destroying her father’s life works; cursed them for not doing anything about the unending racism until after she had died. She felt the anger… the raw, unbridled hatred towards the unicorns for everything they’ve done to her family and her kind.

The anger was overwhelming.

Soon enough, though, the wail ended, and so too did her anger. All of her pent up emotions vanished from the earth pony, instantly causing fear and regret to spread across her features. Octavia looked to Vinyl, her face holding pure terror at her own actions. “Vinyl! I'm so sorry, I… I didn't know what came over me I… oh, what have I done!” The mare’s eyes watered up with ghostly tears as she flew from the stage and up to the rafters, where she promptly disappeared far from the reach of her still stunned friend.

Vinyl stood still for a moment, unsure of how to react. Once she recovered from the flurry of emotions, as well as realizing that her spectral friend floated off in tears, she sprung to action. “Tavi?! C’mon, Tavi, it’s okay! I’m not mad, I swear!”

There was no response.

Vinyl kept circling the main hall, calling out to Octavia. “Tavi, please, just come talk to me! I know you’re in here! I’m not leaving until you come talk to me! Actually… that was a bluff. I have to go home at some point… but for the next three hours or so I’ll be here!”

Still, nothing.

Vinyl sighed. Okay, next step: bargaining. “I’ll bring you some more books if you come down! No? Hmm…” Time for begging? “Pleeeease! I’ll be really sad if you don’t talk to me!” Threats? No, that wouldn't end well… “Octavia…”

Vinyl went silent, her head dipping low. “I’m sorry.”

“For what?” a sad, sniffling voice replied from somewhere above.

“For how shitty your life was. I mean, I've had my ups and downs, but none of that compares to what you've gone through. I mean… I honestly feel bad for my life not sucking as much as yours.”

Soon, the spectral mare reappeared in front of Vinyl. Her tears were flowing freely down her cheeks, and her incorporeal body shivered. Vinyl smiled at her and outstretched her hooves, silently inviting Octavia for a heartwarming hug, to which she gladly accepted.

Although it wasn’t really warming, Vinyl didn’t care. Actually, although the embrace wasn't warm, it wasn't freezing like normal either. She wanted to ponder about this but decided to keep her focus on the mare who needed she support right now.

The two shared the embrace, Vinyl comforting the distraught mare until the tears stopped falling, only weak sniffles.

Soon after that, the embrace ended, Vinyl and Octavia parting as the latter wiped her nose with a hoof. “T-thanks for that, again. I just… I really needed somepony to be there for me and, well… You’ve always been here for me.” The more twiddled her hooves, her face looking guilty. “I don’t deserve a friend as good as you, what with all the mean things I’ve said to you…”

“Hey, now,” Vinyl started, her gaze soft and caring. “What you don’t deserve is being in this living hell. But this… me… us… you deserve every bit of that.”

Octavia pulled Vinyl back into another hug, kissing her on the cheek as she did so. What was expected to be another bone-chilling episode, Vinyl found Octavia to be pleasantly warm that time. And, just like last time, she didn’t care to ponder the meaning at that moment. All she wanted to do was comfort her friend. Next Chapter: Chapter: 10 Estimated time remaining: 2 Hours, 5 Minutes