Vinyl trudged to the palace, a crest fallen gloom in her eyes. Hope was all she had left, and it wasn't much. She couldn't be sure if Silere was messing with her head and just being her cruel self, or if she was actually being truthful. Deep in thought, she walked past the palace guards who didn't even glance at her, they knew that the white pony with the electric blue mane and dark goggles was very important, a guest of Celestia's that often DJed for parties at the palace. As she entered the hall she could hear laughter and chatter echoing from various locations. Their noise only served as a reminder to her silence as she stepped up a cold stone stairwell on the northernmost corner of the castle. About halfway up there was a stained glass window of a pony who looked very much like her, an alabaster coat and stunning blue mane, lying on a hill looking towards the sunset.

Vinyl loved this part of the castle, she came here whenever she needed to think. As she internally debated with herself and analyzed what Silere had said, she hardly noticed the passage of time. A castle guard cleared her throat. "Miss, you do realize it's nearly dawn?" Vinyl jumped. She had spent the entire night gazing out of this window. She turned to the guard, nodded, and trotted back down the stairs to her room.

She looked around the large, empty suite. A grand room provided for her by the Princess. Ever since what had happened to her family she had been welcome here at the palace, a personal guest of Celestia. Yet, this "home away from home" only brought about bad memories. It was here where she first met Silere, that heartless shadow of a pony. Vinyl shuddered. As she looked around the room she glanced down. The white fur around her hooves was dyed crimson, most likely from the glass of the window. She walked to the washroom to clean herself up. She looked around and noticed her reflection in the mirror, and was pleased to see the familiar white pony. But she was annoyed that the mirror she had broken in her last visit had been replaced. She turned on the faucet and the tub began to fill with steamy hot water. A silent sigh escaped her lips as she lowered her hooves into the shallow pool. Her blood turned the water pink and she thought to herself that overreacting solved nothing.

"Well I'd certainly say not, you won't get away from me that easily." Silere's cackle echoed in Vinyl's head. She glanced at the mirror behind her to see a pair of pale green eyes and a blazing mane. "Just thought I'd let you know, since ruining your life is so much fun and all, that the only time you'll be able to meet the pony that I spoke of before will be at the Grand Galloping Gala, so you're still stuck with me for another eight months. Isn't that lovely?" Silere laughed a cold laugh that made Vinyl shiver. The reflection faded from Silere to Vinyl as the abomination of a pony faded off to who knows where. Vinyl ran from the room and started to cry.

The plush pillows absorbed the tears as they spilled out of Vinyl's eyes. A perfect night spoiled by an unscheduled meeting. She just laid there, curled up on the Pegasus down bed of her luxury suite in the Canterlot palace. Her body shuddered as she sobbed silently. Her eyes stung as she rubbed her hoof against them. She didn't want to cry, she wanted to be strong.

As she finally began to regain composure she inhaled sharply and began to contemplate what Silere had said, that they'd be stuck together for eight more months. Also somewhere in Equestria, somepony could fix this. If only it were that simple. It's not like she could walk up to anypony at the gala and ask them if they know a pony who was cursed to never make music, even if she could speak. A sick despair wrenched her insides and she began to sob once again.

Just as soon as tears began to stream down her face, the door burst open.“Goooood morning," Pinkie Pie sang loudly. "How'd you sleep?" Pinkie looked towards her friend. Seeing her friend curled up in a ball and sobbing instantly put a damper on Pinkie's mood. Vinyl quickly sat up and tried to hide the fact that she'd been crying. She turned to Pinkie with a false smile.

Before she could react, Pinkie's forelegs were wrapped around her. She began to cry once more, but at least now she had a friend to comfort her. They sat in silence and Vinyl drifted back into deep thought. Pinkie was one of the very few ponies she considered friends.

When Vinyl moved to Ponyville she had just begun to work as a DJ. As she was unloading, a box of overly expensive equipment fell out of the cart. Her day was about to be ruined when a pink blur appeared from nowhere and caught the crate.

"Better be careful stranger, don't want anything to break." Before Vinyl stood a bright pink pony with a frizzy mane. "Good thing my tail twitched in time for me to help out," a grin stretched across her face. Vinyl took the box and gave a sheepish smile to the cheery pony. "You must be new here because I don't know you and I know everypony in Ponyville, what's your name?" Suddenly Vinyl's smile faded. "What's the matter? Cat got your tongue?" Vinyl turned away. "Oh, are you okay?" Pinkie's voice took on a more somber tone. Vinyl looked up into the kind eyes of this stranger who had taken time to help out. Vinyl opened her mouth and slowly shook her head. "You can't speak?" Vinyl winced and tears began to well up in her eyes. "I'm so sorry." Then this kind hearted mare, this pony whom she had just met, embraced her.

Once Pinkie had cheered her up she stayed to help Vinyl unpack. In an attempt to learn more about Ponyville's newest resident, the party-crazed pony began to ask simple “yes or no” questions. “Is this your first time in Ponyville?“ Vinyl nodded. “And you’re a DJ?” Again Vinyl nodded, this time with a bit more enthusiasm. Pinkie began to grin, “So does that mean you like to party?” The DJ pony turned to her new friend with a mischievous smile. Pinkie gasped, “I love to party too! Oh, that reminds me,” Pinkie dashed away “You need a welcoming party!”

As Vinyl reminisced her fateful meeting with her wild and crazy friend, she sat there in a heartfelt hug with Pinkie Pie. "You look like you've been up all night. Did you get any sleep at all?" Vinyl shook her head, which hung in exhaustion.

As Vinyl began to cheer up, the smell of a warm breakfast wafted through the open door. Although it made no sound, Vinyl felt her stomach grumble. She perked up her nose and inhaled the sweet smell. Pinkie giggled, "You must be hungry, let's go check out what the princess ordered for breakfast. I hope they have cupcakes." She licked her lips and trotted off.

A teary smile found its way to Vinyl's face. She was blessed with fantastic friends. Chatter echoed into her room, inviting her to head off to breakfast. She picked herself up out of her well of self pity and trotted off to breakfast.