Moving to a Different Beat: Part 2

Night fell over Canterlot as Gadwall and Vinyl waited in line in front of Crystal Cuisine. They really hadn't been there too long, was simply the quick transition of the two alicorn sisters, Luna and Celestia, it swapping their respective phases of the day. Even though Vinyl was fidgeting in spot, eager to get inside so she and the male gryphon could start the operation and get the information they needed to save her friend and all the other ponies that were being held prisoner by the Society.

Noticing how squirmy the mare was being, Gadwall placed a claw on her shoulder. "Relax, I know it can be a bit intimidating your first time doing something like this, but you have nothing to fear as long as I'm here." He said, thinking she was nervous about confronting those who had kidnapped Octavia.

"I'm fine." She said, removing the gryphon's hand. "I just wish this line would hurry up. I never got why ponies would wait for hours just to get meal."

"Oh?" Gadwall said curiously. "I thought that you would be used to these kind of waits. I have seen much longer lines outside of those clubs that you enjoy so much."

While the gryphon was right, Vinyl really didn't see the two things as being the same. One was for a simple meal, and the other was for entertainment. Then again, she had a similar conversation with Octavia once, and she argued that ponies didn't just line up for food no matter how good it might be. They patiently waited for the atmosphere and to be able to share the rich experience with ponies they were close to.

At the thought of her friend Vinyl let out a troubled sigh. She had no clue what Octavia was going through even at this moment, but the images that formed in the dark recesses of her mind were more than enough to upset her. Whether what she thought of was an exaggeration or didn't do the events justice, there was one thing the mare knew few sure. She would be there to pick up the pieces, to be the pony Octavia needed to let out every emotion of anger and sorrow that she felt during her time in captivity.

As she continued thinking about the possible future she would have with Octavia, the line dwindled down until she and Gadwall were the next ones to be allowed inside. Seeing the mare next to him was being distracted by her own imagination the gryphon gave her a light tap with his elbow to bring her back to reality. "It's almost time. Stand up straight."

Vinyl did as she was told, adjusting her posture and smoothing out the wrinkles in her dress. If this plan was to work she had to do her best to play the part which meant that she had to act like she was a part of high society. No slouching or speaking in her normal relaxed manner, at least not in front of anyone that was a member of the Society. As much as it was going to bug her, she knew she could pull it off.

"Next!" Called out an earth pony waiter standing at a podium near the door. Gadwall and Vinyl went right up to him and waited to be addressed. "Do you have a reservation madam?" The pony asked, looking past the gryphon.

"Actually..." Said Gadwall. "The reservation is under my name. A table for two under the name Tailwind."

The waiter gave out a "Hmph" before checking his sheet. "Ah, it does appear that we have been expecting you. Please, right this way." Turning around the earth pony opened the door and ushered the two into the restaurant.

Entering, eager to get inside, Vinyl saw that the decor of the place was exactly what she had come to expect from this sort of place. A brightly lit environment adorned in elaborate decor that expressed an emphasis on luxury and sophistication. It was quite a stark contrast to the dark night clubs that she frequented. However she had come to learn this kind of ornate furnishings almost always hid something underneath. The more vile something was, the more you had to dress it up to make it seem attractive.

After traveling down a small hall the unicorn and her gryphon companion were led into the main dining area. It was a very large room that had several dozen tables along the walls, as well as several closer to the center of the floor. Along the back wall was a opposite of the entrance was a slightly elevated platform that Vinyl recognized as a dance stage. At the far part of the stage was a quartet of fancy dressed ponies providing music to help aid the dinners with the enjoyment of their meal. One of them, a purple pony with blue hair playing a harp, Vinyl knew from seeing him play with Octavia in the past. She really hoped that this was just another job for him and not that he was somehow wrapped up in all this.

Being directed to a table with a window view by the waiter pony, Vinyl and Gadwall took their seat before he handed the gryphon a menu. For a moment the unicorn was expecting to be given a menu herself, but then remembered that for some restaurants of this caliber it was part of the etiquette that the one whose name was on the reservation ordered food for their date. "A server will be here shortly to take your order." The waiter said. "Please enjoy your meal and thank you for choosing Crystal Cuisine." Giving a small bow, the earth pony walked away so he could return to his podium outside.

Gadwall opened the menu and gave it a cursory glance. "As expected, not a bit of meat. It's so hard to find a decent steak..."

"Well it's not like we're here to eat. All we need is to do is find a way to that wine cellar." Vinyl responded, making sure to keep her voice low so no one around could hear what she had to say.

"You're right, but if we don't order something it's going to raise some eyebrows." Skimming the menu a little bit more he found something that seemed suitable.

"Exactly how much money do you have anyways? You've been paying for my meals for a week, and I haven't exactly been starving myself." Vinyl said, thinking back at all the food she had purchased on his account in her frustration with the gryphon.

"Oh, don't you worry about that. The kingdom of Aeros has a rather large expense budget for their agents." Gadwall explained. "You could've got a twelve course meal everyday and I wouldn't be inconvenienced one bit. I am glad you didn't though."

"Huh... Well then when we bring down the Society we can celebrate in style." Vinyl joked, inciting a small chuckle from her gryphon companion. "So how are we going to get to the wine cellar?"

"You are more focused on this than I am." Said Gadwall. "Relax, we have some time before we proceed."

"Try saying that when one of your friends are stuffed in a cage." Vinyl retorted.

"Don't get me wrong. I understand your position, but if we rush we risk ruining everything. It's not like we can just waltz our way into the kitchen." Looking around the room the unicorn could see that Gadwall spoke the truth as the door to the kitchen was right next the the dance stage and thus it would be incredibly difficult to get in there without being seen.

While Vinyl looked around the room trying to determine which of the diners had a clear view of the door, another unicorn mare approached the table. This one was wearing a uniform that matched the one the pony that had escorted them wore. "Hello, my name is Cherry Spices. I'll be your server today." Said the red maned, brown furred mare as she placed down a couple glasses of water on the table from a tray she was holding. "Have you decided on an order or would you like some more time?"

"I'll would like the portobello mushrooms with parmesan herb stuffing and the lovely lady will have the baked spaghetti squash with tomato and ricotta." Answered Gadwall, picking out two dishes that he felt would be appetizing for Vinyl and himself.

"Yes sir, and would you like any appetizers while you wait on your food?" The waitress asked. The gryphon simply shook his head at the mare in response. "Ok then. It should take ten to twenty minutes to have your meals prepared."

Cherry Spices took the menu from Gadwall and went to the kitchen to submit the order, Vinyl keeping a close eye on her. "I can't believe that a mare like her would be part of a slavery ring." She said, letting her anger be known.

"Don't be silly Vinyl." Said Gadwall. "Just because she works here doesn't mean she is in with the Society. In fact, I would almost say that most of the workers here are completely oblivious to what is going on tonight. Need to know basis and all."

Vinyl crossed her arms and leaned back in her seat, crossing one leg over the other. "I still don't like it. If ponies paid more attention to stuff like this then Octavia wouldn't be in trouble."

"That might be true, but ponies tend to keep to their own affairs. Look at yourself. If it wasn't for me, you would be performing at one of your nightclubs at this very moment." Vinyl's expression quickly changed from detest to a bit of shame. It was true that she had also been unaware of her roommate's disappearance and that was when she was trying to keep tabs on the earth pony. Seeing her start to act a bit sheepishly Gadwall gave a smirk. "I am glad you can see that it's not good to just blame any pony with the slightest connection with the Society. We have to focus our attention towards those who are truly responsible. Now please, sit up straight before somepony starts to stare."

The unicorn mare complied with his request, re-adjusting herself in the chair. "Sorry... I guess I just let my anger get the better of me."

"That's quite alright." The gryphon said sympathetically. "I understand and you wouldn't be a good friend or a good pony in general if you weren't appalled by the acts of the Society. I just want you to be able to discern the difference between those only vaguely involved and those who caused all this."

Vinyl, now a bit embarrassed with her previous attitude, had to avert her gaze as she saw Cherry Spices return carrying their food to their table. "Is something wrong miss?" The waitress asked, noticing her reaction.

"No, nothing's wrong. Thank you." Vinyl replied, forcing herself to look up at the mare as she gave a smile. The waitress, sensing the awkwardness of the situation, gave a smile back momentarily before moving away. Vinyl let out a small groan, likewise seeing that she had weirded out the mare.

"Don't worry. I'm sure she gets odd customers at least once a night." Gadwall said, picking up one of his stuffed mushrooms with a fork and biting into it. "Try a bit of the food. It will take your mind off it."

The aroma of the meal sitting in the bowl in front of Vinyl hit her nose. She admitted that it smelt good, but even so the unicorn could only poke at it with her spoon. "It's not that.... Well not all of it anyways. These kinda place always make me feel uncomfortable."

"You've been to this kind of place with your friend in the past I take it." Said the gryphon, making an educated assumption.

"A few times... but that's not the only times. I... look just forget about it. We have more important things." Gadwall looked at the unicorn mare curiously. The whole week she never once clammed up like she had just a moment ago. It did make him wonder what she was trying to avoid, but he didn't want to pry. Whatever it was didn't matter anyways.

Still whatever it was seemed to be eating away at the mare. She couldn't enjoy her meal or the decor or even the music in the room. Everything about it was reminding her of something that the gryphon could only guess. "Look, if you aren't feeling well you can go back to the apartment. I'll be fine." He said, not wanting her to go into a panic or do something else that might jeopardize all he had worked for.

"No, no. I'm fine. I just wish that we could get in that damn wine cellar quicker." Stirring in her seat Vinyl's eyes searched for something that they could use to detract attention from her and the gryphon. The only problem was that they were seated so far away from the door that any regular disturbance to keep the other ponies dining from not noticing her, let alone the gryphon, would not be very effective.

"Don't worry, I have a plan. Just stay calm until our server returns." Gadwall said, trying to get Vinyl to relax. Vinyl was calm, she just didn't want to be in a room anymore. She might have waited as the gryphon requested, but their waitress was nowhere to be seen.

Just then the music in the room came to a halt. With the room now silent except for the chatter of the other customers. "Hmmm...." Vinyl hummed to herself, ideas popping into her head. There was a way she could get close enough to the door and at the same time cause the other ponies in the room to become too preoccupied to notice them. "Wait here a moment." She said getting out of her seat. The gryphon almost called out to stop her, but she walked away so fast that trying to get her back in her seat would only draw more attention to them. He was going to have to let her do whatever she had her mind set on and hope for the best.

Going up on the stage, Vinyl went right up to the musicians that were in the middle of their break. As the group noticed the white unicorn coming towards them, they turned their attention towards her. "I'm sorry Miss, but we don't take requests if that is what you want." Said the earth pony harpist, knowing that was about the only reason someone would want to speak with them.

"Parish.... it's me." The mare said back to him. The purple stallion inspected her a bit closer, but she could tell by the look on his face that he couldn't tell who she was. "It's Vinyl...."

Parish's eyes shot open in surprise. "Vinyl, what the.... What are you doing here? And in a dress like that?! I mean you look lovely but-"

"Don't worry about it. I'm just here with some guy. I guess you could say it's a date." Vinyl said giving a short explanation. "It's kinda why I came over. I was wondering if you could do me a favor, as a friend of a friend."

"Vinyl, while I'm glad to see you're doing ok, I have to stick with our policy. We can't grant a request. Many of the songs people ask are ones we've never heard of, and knowing you..." The stallion replied, remembering the unicorn's tastes in music.

"Oh come on, just this once. Besides..." Vinyl said, getting in close enough and bending over to allow a good glimpse into the cleavage of her dress. Catching his eyes trail down to glare at it the unicorn knew he was snared. "I promise that it is something you'll all know and it'll be a big hit with the guests."

Gadwall watched from his seat. He didn't have a clue what the mare was up to but at the moment it seemed harmless. It was possible that she was just speaking with a friend to pass the time till the waitress came back. From what he knew about her she had many connections with those in the musical industry. While he had hoped that they could've kept a lower profile, it wouldn't be too big an issue, at least he hoped so. That was until he saw the unicorn look back to him and gesture him to come over.

"Oh please don't tell me she wants to introduce me to her friends..." Reluctantly the gryphon complied, getting up and joining up on the dance floor. The mare met him halfway, stopping him in the center of the platform. "Vinyl... what are we doing up here?"

"Just give me your talons." Vinyl said placing her hands in his.

Seeing this the band got ready to play and Gadwall realized what was going on. "You want to dance?"

"Not just any dance." Said the white mare. "The Canterlot Waltz."

"Umm.... I'm afraid that I don't know that one." The gryphon said trying to escape this situation.

Vinyl wasn't buying it though. "Come on now, you might not know the exact steps, but surely a regal looking gryphon like yourself has had some training in formal dancing. Just follow my lead." Gadwall couldn't argue or more to the point Vinyl wasn't going to let him argue. She pulling him into the start of the dance, the gryphon barely managing to keep his footing as she did. His only option at this point was to do as she told him and follow her movements the best that he could.

Within moments he found his rhythm and allowed his movements to be guided by the mare, keeping a vigilant watch on her hooves. He was grateful that the motions of the dance weren't too fast. "This is a very odd way to pass time Miss Scratch." He whispered.

"Oh I'm not trying to pass the time." Vinyl whispered back. "Take a look around us."

Feeling confident in his steps, at least for a moment, the gryphon did just that and saw that practically all eyes in the room were on them. "What.... Vinyl!" Gadwall's whisper raised just slightly at what the unicorn had done. This was hardly concealing their presence. While any normal patron of the restaurant would see them as just an odd pair enjoying their time together, all it would take is one wrong person seeing them to blow his cover. "Why are you purposefully drawing attention to us?"

The mare looked around the room as she continued to dance, giving an expression that made it seem like she knew something the gryphon didn't. "Gadwall, do you know why ponies come to a place like this?" The gryphon pondered on it for a moment, but couldn't see what she was getting at. "Let me spell it out. There are only two reasons that ponies come to a place like this. Either because they think it'll help their social status, or they are trying to be romantic. Just give it a moment and watch what happens."

Gadwall was unsure to what Vinyl was implying, but as they continued the waltz he noticed that many of the couples were turning to each other. He couldn't hear what they were saying because of the music, but as they left their tables to come to the dance floor he began to understand what she was getting at. Those here for romantic reasons saw this as a perfect opportunity to add a little spice to their evening. What the point was of making them do this still eluded him however.

Stopping their dance for just a moment Vinyl repositioned herself and the gryphon from center of the stage to near the edge of it. The other couples coming to the dance floor joined them, forming a large circle. The ponies looked to one another and gave a each other small nods to indicate they were ready, Vinyl joining in as well. In almost synchronized fashion the large group of ponies restarted the dance.

With the additional ponies, Gadwall found that the dance became a bit more difficult as now the had to move in a circular pattern along with the other dancers. He adapted well to the new movements added to the waltz, but even while putting a large amount of focus into keeping up with Vinyl, there was one thing that he couldn't get off her mind. How the unicorn mare was so adept at a dance this formal? Nothing about her would make someone think this was something that she would take time to learn and it wasn't the kind of thing one could learn without dedicating yourself.

He didn't have time to ask on stage though, as the unicorn mare brought them out of the formation, bowing out of the remainder of the dance. Seeing that she had initiated the dance, it wasn't too odd to see her leave before it ended. Feigning a slight bit of exhaustion she led the gryphon back to their table. However she didn't stop there, instead pulling Gadwall past it to the back wall.

"Vinyl!" Said the gryphon in a bit of a yelled whisper. He had just about enough of being dragged around by the mare. "Do you care to explain what all that was about?" The mare didn't respond though. She just kept guiding the gryphon along the wall, focusing on the task and moving with purpose towards the kitchen. As such it was up to Gadwall to make some sense of what was going on.

Obviously the unicorn thought that it was now safe to go back into the kitchen, at least as far as the dining hall was concerned. Had something changed or was she just tired of waiting. "Wait a second..." Gadwall thought as he was tugged along behind the other tables in the room. He could now see what Vinyl had accomplished. Every eye in the room, including that of the waiters and waitresses, were fixed on the dancing ponies on stage.

It was clever in its own way, even if it was a bit presumptuous. Even so, he kinda wished that she would've allowed their server to return as his plan was to simply ask if they would be allowed to go to the wine cellar under the pretenses of picking out which bottle they would want. It would've gotten the same results and with much less fanfare.

As the two got to the two way door, the gryphon now walking along at his own pace instead of being dragged, Vinyl opened it and poked her head inside. "I think I can see which way we need to go." She said spotting another door just beyond a group of chefs toiling over their respective stoves. "There are a lot of ponies in the way though. Not sure if we can sneak past them. Perhaps if I use my magic."

Vinyl's horn began to glow, but a before she could cast her spell she heard Gadwall say "Stop." Pushing her gently into the kitchen and following right behind her. "We don't want to cause too much of a commotion. If the Society catches wind of something strange, they might just cancel their party for the safety of those attending it. Besides, take a closer look at those cooks."

Vinyl rolled her eyes. She had hoped that by now the gryphon would trust her to make good decisions. She did as he asked though, stopping her spell and observing the chefs a bit closer. "I don't get it. They're just cooking food."

"It's not what their doing, but how intent they are on doing the task." Gadwall said, walking over to a group of chefs, leaving Vinyl to question what he was thinking this time. As the gryphon moved around amongst them though nary a single pony turned their head to him or in anyway acknowledged his existence. They just continued to prepare meals as if he wasn't looking directly over their shoulders. Continuing to watch from a distance she saw Gadwall glance around the room until he found the door she had seen earlier. He headed over to it, taking a quick peek inside before motioning for Vinyl to join him before heading inside.

Having seen how easily it was for him Vinyl followed the same path he did. Doing her best not to interfere with the working ponies. Being this close however, she could notice something that she hadn't before. The chefs each seemed to be in some sort of trance, their gazes locked almost unnaturally on what they were doing. This went way beyond being attentive to the details of their work. It creeped the mare out a little, but with them in this state it did make the process of sneaking through the kitchen much easier. Going after Gadwall she hoped that this wasn't what had become of Octavia. She didn't know if she could bear it if her roommate was turned into some sort of mindless drone.

Opening the door she found that it lead a set of stone steps. Not seeing Gadwall anywhere in sight she went down them till she reached the bottom of them, which lead to a long hallway. Again the gryphon was nowhere to be seen, so all she could only proceed further. Despite the hallway being poorly light, giving it an ominous feeling, the unicorn went down it with nerves of steel. As far as she was concerned, the only thing that could find her down here was a member of the Society, which she was determined not to be intimidated by. If anything she felt that they should be afraid of what she was going to do to them once she got a hold of them.

After a short, brisk walk, she found that it did indeed lead into the wine cellar. Bottles of the fermented liquid lined the walls on racks, only a few spaces on the rack were empty. It wasn't something that she would normally take note of, but the sight that greeted her made her a bit curious. In front of her was Gadwall. In his talon a heavy glass bottle. At his feet was what looked like one of the chefs. Not just any chef though. By the more elaborate detailing of his uniform she could tell this must've been the head chef. Apparently Gadwall had stumbled upon him, or the other way around, and decided that it would be best to knock the stallion out.

"Is he one of the members of the Society?" Vinyl asked, strolling right up to the gryphon.

Gadwall placed the wine bottle back on the shelf and begun moving the body so that it was out of the way. "I have to believe so. I saw him granting a group of ponies entrance to that passage over there." He said, looking to a pathway in the corner he was close to just moments ago. "He has to at least be some sort of lackey if he knows about the party." Setting the pony back down he went over to the open passage where Vinyl soon joined him.

"You said that there are tunnels under here right?" Vinyl said as she stared ahead of her. "Do you know where we have to go?"

"Don't worry." Gadwall assured her. "I am an expert tracker. I'll be able to tell the way by following the trail the last group left behind. Eagle eye and all." The gryphon stepped forward with complete confidence and Vinyl, trusting his abilities, stayed closely behind him.

The hardest part for her was over and now all they had to do was get to this party where she would find those responsible for Octavia's disappearance. She could hardly wait to get there. She was going to put a lot of effort into learning exactly who each and every member she encountered. Their faces, their names, even their cutie marks if she had the opportunity. If Vinyl had any say about it after tonight, everyone in Equestria would know about the Society and exactly who their members were.

Author's Note

Today's guest background ponies are Cherry Spices and Parish Nandermane.

Next week we will be finishing up the Vinyl arc. Even so don't assume one way or the other where she will end up. Her and Gadwall getting captured is just as likely as the succeeding together (as well as other outcomes). As with Octavia just because a character is not the main focus of an arc doesn't mean that they are out of the story for good. Feel free to make theories though. I do like reading where people think my story is going. ^_^