A/N: alright guys, just a quick heads up, Cloplin = Dublin. just so you know. EDIT: i noticed a typo. it is fixed now.

A crimson red pegasus stallion walked down the streets of Cloplin, looking about himself, taking in the sights. It truly was a place to see, lights everywhere, but not enough to be blinding. Crimson Dawn was truly amazed at how beautiful this city was. “Well, mother called it home…. And now I can see why!” he said to himself, earning him a few odd looks. He adjusted his violin case upon his back and continued to his destination. Now, Crimson Dawn is not your average pegasus. He is not obsessed with speed, like so many of his kin, his special talent does not involve flying, and he does not particularly enjoy what little flying he does. He is the only pegasus musician known to Equestria, and he takes his title with pride. He was recently invited to audition for this years Grand Galloping Gala. He was quite proud of this accomplishment, as only the best were even considered for that honor. Cloplin had been chosen as the sight of the auditions, as this years theme was traditional music, happy and light.

“Oi! You there, with the grey and black mane!” Crimson looked to his right to see a group of rather large stallions sitting around on the sidewalk. “Yeah, you! C’mere. We wanna have a little chat with you, mate.” he could see no reason not to trust them, and trotted over to them.

“Yes? What is it you need?” he asked, eliciting a laugh from the group.

“What we need lad, is whatever’s in that fancy lookin’ bag’a yours. I’m sure you don’t mind if me boys here have a look, now do ya?” asked the stallion that seemed to be the leader of the group.

“As it so happens, I do mind. I can tell you, all that is in there is my violin. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have to get to my hotel before they give away my room.” he said, turning to leave. However, he was cut off by two of the other stallions.

“Now, I don’t think ya understand, lad. You’ll be givin’ us that violin’a yers.” said the group leader as he narrowed his eyes at Crimson, who couldn’t help but notice that none of them were pegasi. “Now.”

“I think not, my good friend.” he said as he extended his wings and took to the air. “I have a flight to catch!” he chuckled at his little pun. But, his victory was cut short, as he felt he was being pulled back down to the earth. It was then that he noticed he was surrounded by a magical field. He sighed, heavily. “Damn unicorns. Always fouling my moments of triumph.” he said to himself before he was thrown to the ground. He heard the gang laugh as he struggled to get to his hooves.

“Ya didn’t think ya could get away from us that easily, did ya?” asked the leader.

“Actually, for a moment, I did.” admitted Crimson with a laugh. The entirety of the gang laughed as well, until their leader decided to kick him in the ribs.

“Nopony crosses us. Nopony.” he said as Crimson lay on the street, clutching his side and groaning in pain. “You best remember that, mate.” he said as he walked away, his gang going with him. Crimson stayed on the street for some time before he managed to get shakily to his hooves.

“Well now, that was certainly… interesting.” he said, with an occasional grunt of pain. He sat on his haunches and patted his violin case down, looking for any damage. Thankfully, there was none. As for him, he was sure he had suffered from at least one broken rib, and a few missing teeth. “I’m going to have one hay of a time explaining this one.” he mumbled to himself as he went on his way, limping slightly. When he got to his hotel, he was greeted by a very worried looking clerk.

“What happened to you?” she asked, to which Crimson chuckled.

“I guess I somehow picked a fight with the wrong stallion.” he said, and checked into his room. It was a small, one pony hotel room, complete with a fridge, a kitchen, and a bedroom. He set his violin in one corner of the kitchen, crawled into bed, and went to sleep.

He was awakened the next day by two sounds. The first being a slightly muffled argument from the room next to him, along with noises he couldn‘t quite place. The next was the loudest thing he had ever heard. It sounded like somepony had just taken a bass drum, and managed to bash it over and over again with a hammer without the drum breaking while brutally scratching a record. “What in the name of Celestia is that racket!?” he yelled, barely able to hear himself over the sound from next door. He got out of bed, stiff and in pain from the beating he had received, and walked out the door, fully intent on giving his neighbor a piece of his mind. His head was killing him, and he didn’t have the patience to deal with such nonsense at the moment. He began to bang loudly on the door with his hoof. “Open up!” he yelled, thoroughly annoyed. After what sounded like a brief struggle, the offending sounds were cut off, and the door answered by a white unicorn mare with a lightning blue mane and purple goggles on.

“’Sup?” she asked him, to which he became even more annoyed. He wasn’t angry, he was just disappointed that somepony could have such utter disregard for others.

“Well, as I’m sure you can guess, that racket coming from your room woke me up, and made my already splitting headache worse. I came to ask you to stop, but it seems you already have.” he said, putting a hoof to his temple and rubbing it lightly. Then he heard another voice from within the hotel room.

“Vinyl, I am going to murder you!” said another mare as she walked up to the door, only to stop short when she looked at Crimson. He looked at her, getting the feeling he knew her, but couldn’t remember where from. Then she spoke. “Crimson? Is that you?” she asked, and he recognized her immediately.

“Octavia? By Celestia, it’s been to long! How are you?” he said, both of them moving closer for a hug.

“I’ve been fine, how about yourse- Oh dear! What happened to you?” she asked, noticing how beat up he was. He chuckled a little bit as he explained what happened upon his arrival.

“But don’t you worry about me, I’m fine. You remember how father was.” he said, still embracing her. Then they heard a cough from behind him and looked to see a very confused looking Vinyl.

“Uumm…. Not that I’m not all for sappy reunions and all that, but would anypony care to explain this to me? You two know each other?” she asked, to which both Crimson and Octavia laughed.

“Ha! Oh, that’s to much… wait, you’re being serious, aren’t you?” he asked, to which Vinyl nodded. He sighed. “Well then, Octavia, could you be a dear and bring us some drinks? This is going to be interesting.” he said, to which Octavia laughed as she trotted towards the kitchen.

“You’re explaining it this time. I’m tired of having to explain to my orchestra mates who you are, and why I write you so many letters.” she said with a laugh. Crimson and Vinyl both sat down, him on the couch, and her in a chair she pulled up across from him. Octavia brought in three bottles of water, which were taken with thanks, and sat next to Crimson.

“Alright, well… this is actually the first time I’ve had to explain this… well, first things first, my parents died when I was young, my father died of a heart attack when I was just a colt of eight. After that, my mother took me, and we moved…. Here, actually, to Cloplin. Then, when I was fifteen, mother passed away. The doctors couldn’t discover what was wrong with her, and thus there was nothing they could do. Now, before my father died, we lived in Canterlot, and were actually neighbors with the Philharmonica family for many years. Our parents were good friends, and in mothers last will and testament, she requested that I be sent to live with them until I was old enough to move away.”

“sssssooooooo……. You grew up together?” Vinyl asked.

“I guess you could say that.” Crimson told her with a slight laugh.

“Well how else would you explain it?” she asked again, scratching her head in confusion and taking a sip of her water.

“I would say that she’s my sister.” at this revelation, Vinyl sprayed the water in her mouth onto the window to her right.

“WHAT!? Octy, why didn’t you tell me you had a brother?” she asked, to which Octavia merely shrugged.

“ ‘Octy’? that’s a new one, sister. Is there something you haven’t been telling me?” he asked, looking at his adoptive sister with a questioning expression. It took Octavia a moment, but she soon understood what he was getting at.

“W-What? N-No, of course not, it’s not like that! Me and Vinyl are just friends!” she exclaimed, panicking.

“Octavia, you’re my sister, if it is like that, you can tell me.” he said, unable to tell if she was lying, or just flustered at the mere suggestion. Octavia had always been very sensitive as a child, and would always get flustered at the slightest thing.

“It’s not, trust me. And I’m getting kinda tired of ponies assuming that it is.” said Vinyl with a menacing glare.

“My apologies, it’s simply that I would feel hurt if Octavia failed to mention something such as that to me. I didn’t mean to offend either of you.” he said, hoping he hadn’t. he was shocked when Vinyl simply burst out laughing.

“GOTCHA! Oh, that one never gets old. Honestly, I don’t care what people think. They wanna think I’m a fillyfooler, let ‘em. I know I’m straight, so I don’t really care.” she said, receiving a cold glare from both of the ponies across from her. “Heh… I guess it wasn’t as funny as I thought it was…..”

“Anyway, what brings you here, Crimson?” asked Octavia when they were done glaring at Vinyl.

“I received an invitation to audition for this years gala! Can you believe it? How about you? I can’t imagine you’re here on vacation.” he said with a slight laugh. Octavia on the other hand, became much more serious.

“Oh really? Well, if you must know, I am also here for that audition. I guess we’ll finally see which of us is the better musician, won’t we?” she said, a sly grin upon her face.

“Oh? Well, I must say, I am proud of you, little sister. Just remember, this isn’t a competition, and whichever of us gets the part, I will still be proud of you.” he said, giving her another hug, which she shrugged off.

“That’s what you’ve always said! Yet, when father asked us to play for him, you always seemed to try and outdo me! I will not stand for it! Not this time!” she yelled, to which Crimson could only laugh.

“I wasn’t trying to outdo you, sister, I was trying to play as best I could. It’s like I always say, true music doesn’t come from the mind, or a piece of paper. It comes from the heart. And when music comes from the heart, there is no way it can be outdone. Remember that Octavia.” he said, looking at the clock. “Well, I must be off. It was good seeing you again sister, and a pleasure meeting you Vinyl.” he said as he stood and walked out the door and back into his own apartment. When he got there, he unpacked his violin, and began to play a very bittersweet melody.

A/N: alright, just a heads up, this chapter switches perspectives a couple times, so don't be to alarmed if it goes from saying "he" to "she" and back again. anyway, enjoy!

Meanwhile, in the next room, Vinyl was watching Octavia pace back and forth through the room, talking. She wasn’t sure what she was saying, or if she was talking to her, because her mind was far away. ‘Why didn’t she tell me she had a brother? More importantly, why does she seem so uptight, while he seems so laid back?’ she thought to herself. He train of thought was soon interrupted.

“Vinyl! Have you been listening to a word I’ve said?” asked Octavia, whom Vinyl had just noticed was glaring at her.

“Huh? Oh, um, uh…… No, not even gonna lie, I haven’t. I was thinking about some stuff.” she said, not really feeling like coming up with an excuse, or being left out of the loop.

“Oh really? You? Thinking? That’s a first.” said Octavia jokingly. “And what, pray tell, were you thinking, hm?”

“Well, if you have to know, I was trying to figure out why you never told me about Crimson. I mean, I’m your best friend, and your roommate, you should tell me this kind of stuff!” she said, slightly frustrated about the situation. Octavia simply sighed, and shook her head.

“You never asked? Really, in a way, I did tell you, but I guess you never bothered to ask.” she said, sitting back down. Vinyl wasn’t buying it.

“Oh really? And when was that, huh? I don’t exactly remember you saying anything to the effect of ‘hey Vinyl, I have an adopted brother named Crimson.’! what. Did you tell me while I was sleeping?” she said, not knowing what Octavia was talking about.

“Well, do you remember just last month when I was writing a letter? And you asked who it was to?” she said, hoping Vinyl would catch on.

“Yeah but you said it was……. Oooooooooohhhhhhhhhhhhh, it was to him….. And here I thought you had a coltfriend! Ha! As if! you’re to serious to get the stallions.” she jabbed playfully, but Octavia was not unprepared for such a comment.

“And you’re not serious enough to keep one.” she said smugly, causing Vinyl to take on a pained expression, though Octavia couldn‘t tell, due to her goggles. She was right, and Vinyl knew it. All through her life, she had never been able to maintain a lasting relationship.

“Yeah…. I guess so.” she said, getting up and walking towards the door.

“Where are you going, Vinyl?”

“For a walk. I hear it’s nice around here this time of year.” she said, walking out the door. As she walked down the hallways, she wondered just what Crimson was like. He had seemed like a nice enough stallion, if a bit narrow minded, thinking only of his family and his “music”. But then again, she hadn’t said five words to him, so she didn’t really know. As she continued to ponder just what Octavia’s brother was like, he was in his room, packing up his violin. His sisters words still rang in his ears, and they hurt him greatly.

“How could she see this that way? I’ve never sought to outdo her, I only sought to make others happy….. She doesn’t understand what music really is… it isn’t something that can be taught, or perfected… it’s something you have to feel.” he said to himself, pacing back and forth in his room, thinking. One thought, however, continued to plague his mind. Octavia’s friend, Vinyl. She seemed brash, uncultured, and arrogant…. But there was something about her that brought her back to his mind, time and time again, that he couldn’t quite put his hoof on. He decided that he needed some air, and went out on the balcony. He had to admit, there were times when having wings was convenient. Like when he didn’t feel like wasting time with the stairs. He smiled a little as he spread his wings, and took to the sky, looking for a place he could simply relax. As he flew, he saw many things. He saw ponies haggling at stalls, ponies stumbling drunkenly in the street, a mare getting mugged… “Wait, what was that?” he asked himself as he did a double take. At first, he wasn’t quite sure that he had seen that right, but another pass proved it to be true. He wondered what he should do. He wasn’t exactly the strongest stallion in Equestria, but he watched as many others simply walked past, ignoring the mares plight. He decided he only had one choice, and landed not far from the offending group. He took a deep breath as he approached, and took action. “Oi! Suzy!” he yelled at one of the other stallions, causing him to turn around. As he did, Crimson reared up, and kicked him square in the jaw, knocking several of his teeth out, and bringing him to the ground. His victory, however, was short lived, as one of the others brought a hoof straight to his eye, knocking him on his flank. He quickly got back up, and launched another kick, hitting his assailant in the nose, bringing forth an oddly satisfying crunching sound, and a trail of blood. He was then hit from the side, feeling many of his ribs crack and break. He fell to the ground, groaning in pain, yet laughing at the same time. One of the stallions trotted over to him, and stood looking down at him. It was the same stallion from the other day.

“You just have a bad habit of getting’ intah other ponies business, don’t ya mate?” he asked, giving Crimson a hard kick. Crimsons demeanor did not change, as he continued laughing. “Oi! What the buck are you laughin’ at, lad?” he asked, kicking again.

“I… happen to be laughing at the fact…. That you … kick like a filly.” Crimson said defiantly, blood trickling out of his mouth, his words slightly slurred. He knew it was a bad idea, but it was, in his opinion, worth seeing the angry look on the stallions face. He felt a leg connect with his rib cage again, and stopped laughing.

“Kick like a filly, do I? well then, how bout we see how my boys can kick, shall we?” he asked, signaling for the other stallions to move in. Crimson felt multiple legs bashing his ribs in, over and over and over again, until their leader told them to stop, and they all walked away, after looting all of his money. For a while, he simply laid there, groaning in pain. Then, he attempted to pick himself up off the ground, with little success.

“H-Hey…. D-Do you need help?” asked a slightly familiar female voice. He couldn’t quite place where he had heard it before, but he was not one to turn down help when it was offered, especially when he needed it.

“Yes… help would be greatly appreciated.” he said, grunting with pain as he continued to try and stand. He felt himself being pulled up, and set back down on his hooves. “Thank you miss…..” he said, trailing off as he turned to see Vinyl standing there, her goggles above her eyes, looking slightly roughed up and worried.

“Scratch… but you can just call me Vinyl… I, uh, guess I should thank you.” she said, blushing slightly.

“For what?” he said. He knew he had met her somewhere before, but his memory was not at it’s finest at that very moment.

“Well, for helping take care of those guys and…. Hey! I know you!” said Vinyl, finally realizing just who she was talking to.

“You do?”

“Yeah! You’re Octy’s brother! We met earlier today and… Oh sweet Celestia, we should get you to a doctor.” she said as Crimson began to sway dangerously. That was when he finally remembered her.

“Oh yeah! You’re Octavia’s friend.. Well, it was a pleasure seeing you again, now if you don’t mind….” he said, falling back onto the ground, unconscious.