Playing it by Ear

Chapters

Prologue: Opportunity Knocks Loud
Chapter 1: Practice Makes Imperfect
Chapter 2: The Right Stuff...and Then Some
Chapter 3: The Right Kind of Friends
Interlude: Dating Advice
Chapter 4: The Date
Chapter 5: Knowing What to Do
Epilogue: Gotta Make it Up As You Go

Prologue: Opportunity Knocks Loud

Shame.

That’s what the name of Octavia Harmonious Philharmonica came to mean…shame from head to hoof. The Grand Galloping Gala Incident with the pink party mare had only been a minor scathe compared to this…she knew it would happen, too, but this time she let it. The black list had never felt so cold, and Octavia had never felt so alone. If at that time she’d known another chance was coming her way, she wouldn’t have been halfway to blacking out with more than half a dozen glasses of wine in her system. Despite just having committed a monstrous tragedy in the eyes of a few hundred nobles, she still found herself dragged off to the after-party of what she would eventually come to call ‘Ground Zero of My Musical Career’. She could see their stares as well. Every single pony in that ball room had seen her ‘performance’, and she could feel their judging eyes upon her, making her question every decision she had ever made. At least, she would be if she had been coherent enough to remember herself.

“Octavia, dear, perhaps you should cut back on those drinks.”

To anypony else at the time, that comment would have appeared as a helping hoof reaching out to save them from the black abyss. But to Octavia, nothing mattered except how many more she could put away until she could completely erase the night from memory. “W-what does it matter *hic* anyway …? I’m ruined, Fredrick. Nopony will ever *hic* want me to play for them again.”

The tan Earth Pony stallion sighed, not even bothering to try and pry the glass out of Octavia’s iron-hoof grip for the third time that evening. Once more, he tried to cheer his friend up. “Chin up, dear girl. It’s been two weeks, and I believe ponies are finally starting to talk about other things. Not all is lost. You can still recover from-“

“I said, it doesn’t matter, Fredrick…” Octavia swung her glass in Fredrick’s direction, not even coming in any means of contact with him. “I guess I’ll just… *hic*…move back in with my parents.”

Fredrick thought for a moment, and realizing he had no other options, said, “I was going to wait until later or tomorrow, and since you will most likely show no signs of recovery from this alcoholic binge of yours within that time frame, I think I’ll go find that acquaintance of mine now.”

Octavia slurred out an ‘okay’ and remained where she was, wobbling back and forth in her seat. Every few seconds, she had to push against the table to keep balance, if such a word were even capable of fitting the situation at this point. After a minute or so, Fredrick returned to the table, but not alone. Accompanying him was a white unicorn mare with black hair combed back and tied into a braid. Her tired expression was an obvious indication that she didn’t want to be here right now, but the only thing Octavia managed to question in her state is why if she was so bored already was this mare willing to follow Fredrick back to their table?

“Octavia, this is an old…’friend’ of mine, Vinyl Scratch,” he announced. “Vinyl, this is Octavia Philharmonica. I assume you’ve heard of her before.”

Vinyl scratched her chin. “Hmm…oh, yeah, didn’t she play the Pony Polka at the Grand Galloping Gala that one…” Fredrick seemed to be drawing a hoof across his neck. “Oh, not a good subject to bring up?”

“Not in her current state, no.”

“I’ve got just the thing for that.” Vinyl’s horn glowed and a white light enveloped Octavia’s noggin. Suddenly, the grey mare felt her senses and coherence return to her.

“I…what in the world was that?”

Vinyl grinned. “Sobering spell, but it won’t last too long. You’ve probably got a few hours before you’re tripping over words again.”

“That’s quite a handy spell, Miss Scratch. Do you see a lot of use for it in…whatever business you are a part of?”

The unicorn mare nodded. “I co-own a little jazz club a few blocks south of here, me and my old college friend Berryshine. It’s a nice little place, but things have gotten a little slow ever since our bassist got his Royal Guard recruitment letter.”

“Oh, that’s a…wait. Bassist…so you mean…”

“I’ve told him of your talent as a bass player and the concerts you and your college group performed back in the day.”

Octavia flushed red. “’Back in the day’…It was only four years ago, you talk about it like it’s been ages.”

“Anyway, I’m totally interested in seeing what you’ve got. How ‘bout you swing by tomorrow, say…whenever you recover from the inevitable hangover?”

That got a light chuckle out of Octavia. “I dare say I’ll take you up on that offer, Miss Scratch.”

Vinyl gave a light nod. “Cool. Well, I’m off to avoid talking to any of these stuffy rich types. Honestly, I’m only here on parental request, but Freddy’s cool, so I’ll take his word that this little encounter was worth my time. See ya tomorrow, Octavia.”

Vinyl sauntered off into the crowd, a faint smile on her face. All the while, Fredrick turned back to a giggling Octavia. “What’s so funny, Octavia?”

“Freddy?” The grey mare held back an explosion of laughter as best she could. “You told me you hate being called that.”

“Well, Vinyl gets…a pass, as it were. If not for her mother’s music shop, I wouldn’t have such glorious grand pianos in my study and lobby. That and we sort of…dated for a few months in high school.”

Octavia’s mouth formed an ‘o’ and she looked back to the empty glasses of wine on the table. “Oh, I’m going to feel this one tomorrow, aren’t I, Fredrick?”

“More than you could possibly imagine.”

“Well, then…” Octavia stood up from her seat and pushed it in towards the table. “Perhaps it would be best if I made my leave, before Miss Scratch’s spell fades off. Enjoy your night, Fredrick.”

The stallion nodded. “Indeed I shall, Octavia, and do try to make the best of yours.”

With a returning nod, Octavia took off, no longer concerning herself with the condescending stares of the nobility. As always, Fredrick was right. She would have a chance to redeem herself, to rise again. Of course, it would have to come after a six-to-twelve-hour period of pain, suffering and a hoofful of ibuprofen.

About eight hours of a hangover and enough water to fill a fish tank later, Octavia had started on her way to Vinyl’s club. The idea of still being able to work again after her devastating fiasco was just enough to help her disregard the condescending glares of the few ponies she encountered along the way. ‘Think positive, Octavia,’ she told herself. ‘Fredrick is right. This will all be in the past soon enough. Who knows? After this, you might even have your old chair in the ensemble back!’

Octavia arrived before the old building. It seemed like a nice enough place, and at a first glance alone, it certainly had seen equally better and worse days. With a cautious hoof, she pushed open the door and walked in. An old hard rock song played from a record player in the back of the room and the stage it rested next to sat currently vacant, as did many of the seats throughout the small establishment. Only half a dozen ponies sat in the room at the time. ‘Well, I suppose you don’t expect much of an audience on a Thursday afternoon.’ She glanced around the room once more, trying to find Vinyl or at least attempt to pick out the friend she mentioned. At the bar, she found who she’d hoped she was looking for: an earth pony mare with a mulberry coat, raspberry pink mane and a bunch of grapes and a strawberry marking her flank. Octavia smiled and walked over. ‘I suppose if it isn’t her, I’ll at least be pleasant.’

“Hey, what can I get for ya?” the barista asked immediately.

“Actually, you wouldn’t happen to be Berryshine, would you?”

The mulberry mare nodded. “That’d be me. But I also go by Berry Punch, if that suits your fancy better. So, I don’t suppose you’re here for a drink if the first thing you’re asking about is my name.”

Octavia shook her head. “A miss Vinyl Scratch asked me to come-“

“Oh, you’re the bassist she was talking about?!” Octavia went to respond, but was cut off once more when Berryshine looked back to a door behind her. “Hey, Vinyl, your new prisoner’s here!”

That earned a light chuckle from Octavia as the reply came forth. “Tavi’s here already?! Jeez, can that mare tank a hangover! I’ll be right out!”

The nickname caught her off guard. ’Tavi? I’ve only known her for less than a day, when did I earn the right to a nickname? Although, I suppose the better question would be, “By what kind of madmare am I about to find myself employed?”’

Vinyl strolled out of the back room coolly, a large instrument case in magical tow. “Good to see you made it, Tavi. And you beat the Alcohol Aftermath monster! You’ve gotta tell me your secret.”

Octavia shrugged. “Aspirin, water, and a lack of loud noises usually work. And I suppose Earth ponies have a bit more tolerance for alcohol than most, considering a good percentage of us produce it for a living.”

Berry raised a hoof proudly. “Hear, hear!”

Vinyl grinned slyly. “Well, considering it was Berry’s vintage stuff at that party last night, I’m surprised you’re still standing.”

“Oh, that was your brand?” Berry nodded and smiled. “It was quite delicious…honestly some of the best wine I’ve ever had.”

“Well, you girls can get better acquainted a little bit later. Tavi, step into my office. We have some business to talk.” Vinyl turned and walked through the back door, carrying the instrument case with her. Octavia gave Berry a friendly smile and followed her soon-to-be employer into the back room. The first thing she noticed upon stepping through was that the room itself was rather organized. Shelves were decorated with trophies and knickknacks, one wall was filled to the brim with pictures and another had a few old records. Vinyl sat at her desk close to the only empty wall in the room. The only unusual part of the desk was the two rather large bottles of blue and white colored mane dye.

“Okay, so, Tavi…I can tell you’re a real classy mare, so I’ll give you a warning first.” Vinyl pushed herself forward on the desk with her front hooves. “I, personally, am not classy. Sure, this room looks all clean and stuff, but I spent hours this morning making it look that way because I knew you’d be coming. Trust me, if you saw my place, the living room alone would make your skin crawl.”

Octavia stared in confusion. “Um…okay…”

“Okay, now onto the rules I’ve got. First and foremost: unless I explicitly allow it, no alcohol while you’re on the clock. Berry’s never given me trouble with it, but the last couple of fillies and colts I’ve hired I’ve kicked out of here with their lips wrapped around a bottle. One poor stallion was hugging and kissing it all the way out the door.”

“That won’t be a problem with me, Miss Scratch. I-“

“Oh, just call me Vinyl.”

“But…but that’s not very professional.”

“Improvised rule number two: You’re not allowed to call me ‘Miss’ anything. Believe me, I run a pretty tight ship here, but I want us all to be friends.”

“That would explain my sudden nickname.”

Vinyl gave a dismissing wave. “Yeah, that was just me trying to shorten your name for personal convenience. I came up with a bunch of different ones that I’m gonna be trying as long as you’re working here.”

“I don’t suppose there’s going to be a rule that prohibits me from complaining about it.”

The unicorn waved again. “Nope, you can complain about it. But that’s not gonna stop me, Octy.”

“Octy? What happened to-“

Vinyl suddenly interrupted her once more. “Told ya, Octy, it’s all still in the test phase. Now, onto actual rule two, which has now been bumped up to, rule three: I don’t want you bringing in any instruments of your own.” Vinyl patted the case next to her. “You’ll be using my old bass. In the past, a lot of things that have been brought in here have been stolen and never seen again, mostly because the dirt bags who took the stuff skipped town before the guards could find ‘em. Anyway, I’ve kept things more secure around here, and I got my bass theft-proof, paid for right out of my own pocket. It’s enchanted so that if anypony I don’t know ever tries to jump ship with my property, they bounce right back in and the royal guard gets alerted immediately.”

Octavia wore an expression of shock, but for a few reasons. First, she wouldn’t be able to perform with her own instrument. Her bass had been passed down several generations, and she felt particularly disappointed that she would have to use a ‘rental’. Second, she couldn’t imagine anypony would do such a thing as steal from anywhere in Canterlot. And last, she knew the protection enchantment Vinyl spoke of cost over ten thousand bits, and Vinyl paid every coin from her personal funds. It was clear that, although Vinyl seemed a bit different than the usual residents of Canterlot, she was certainly a mare of high morality and standard, and Octavia could no longer wait to start working under her.

“Okay, last rule, and this one’s the most important. You need to enjoy your job. If you’re not enjoying your employment here, I don’t want you working here.” Octavia gasped quietly, but her expression gave away her shock. “Let me explain, Octy. See, I like ponies. I really do. And having friends working here is great, but if the job isn’t for you, I don’t want you forcing yourself to be here. Not only does it bring down the general vibe of the place, but especially in your case it makes me feel bad that I pushed you into something you didn’t enjoy. So if after your first week you’re really not having a good time here, and I see that with my own eyes, I’m gonna let you go.”

Octavia was stunned in silence for half a minute before she finally spoke. “You’d just…fire me, just like that?”

“’Fire’ is not the word I’d use.” Vinyl tapped a hoof to her chin as she thought about it. “More like…ask you non-aggressively to look for another job. Like I said, Octy, if this isn’t something you wanna do by the end of your first week, then it’s gonna hurt me too much to see you struggle to come to work every day. Look, I know you don’t really have an option at this point in time, and you seem like a cool mare and I really do want you to like this place and enjoy working here. If you don’t, then I’m sorry…it’s just one of my rules.”

Octavia sat quietly once more. After a few seconds she nodded a bit bitterly. “I understand, Vinyl. I hope I enjoy it here as well.”

Vinyl slammed her hoof on the desk and grinned wickedly. “Now that’s the kind of attitude I’m looking for! Welcome aboard, Octobutt!”

The look of flustered rage Vinyl got from Octavia could have decimated a small village. She chuckled and looked away from the Earth pony, hiding an embarrassed flush.

“Okay then, no Octobutt.”

Author's Note

And so begins my re-attempt to write a full story with this ship.

Actually, this is also yet another attempt to FINISH a story that isn't a one-shot and isn't under ten thousand words.

Hope you guys enjoy. My following Author's Notes will probably consist of wittier things than this.

Chapter 1: Practice Makes Imperfect

The following day, Octavia proceeded to the bar early for her shift. Vinyl had told her that her ‘training’ would begin today, and she said something about Octavia being a ‘young padawan’, but the bassist quickly put the confusing thought behind her as she approached her destination. She strolled in through the doors and walked right up to the counter where Berry Punch stood, tending to an early bargoer presumably down on his luck considering his four empty mugs of beer and the slight sway of his body. The two exchanged a simple nod as Octavia stepped into the back room. “Vinyl, I’m here for-“

Octavia stopped and stared at Vinyl, who had been sitting at her desk and holding two small figures in her magic aura. From her perspective, they seemed to be ponies wearing armor, and there were small plastic weapons scattered across the desk as well. Upon noticing Octavia’s sudden entrance, she frantically pulled open the closest drawer and shoved the figures in. “O-Octy! You’re…kinda early.”

“I figured I’d come a bit earlier than I was supposed to so I could start practicing. Bass or not, every instrument is different, after all.” Octavia withheld a chuckle. “So, you have…dolls, then?”

Vinyl’s face quickly turned red. “They’re not dolls! They’re Power Riders! They protect the world from evil by transforming into super-awesome armored heroes!” Vinyl stood up on her hind legs and performed a series of strange arm motions. “HENSHIN!”

Octavia stared silently for a few moments before completely breaking down and collapsing to the floor, laughing as hard as she possibly could. “Oh, my goodness, Vinyl…that right there…I cannot think of the right word to describe what you just did! It was…adorable and absolutely…dorky!”

“I believe the word you’re looking for is ‘adorkable’, Octy.”

Octavia took a few seconds to catch her breath after breaking free of her laughing fit. “Well, it isn’t a real word, but it will have to do.” She managed one contained chuckle before giving Vinyl her full attention. “Now, about practice?”

“Oh, yeah. Hold up a sec.” Vinyl looked back at the case leaning against the wall and lifted it onto the desk with her magic. “Now, this is probably gonna be a bit different than you’re used to.”

“Vinyl, I’ve played bass before, I think I know-“Octavia stopped as the case popped open and an unexpected sight greeted her vision. “W-what…Vinyl, what is this?”

“It’s a bass, duh! Thought you played one of these before.”

Octavia could only stare blankly. Inside the case sat a blue and white Fender Pegadyne Jazz Bass guitar. “Vinyl…I play an upright bass…in a classical orchestra…what in the world made you think I would know how to play a guitar?”

“Psh.” Vinyl dismissed her concern. “All string instruments are pretty much the same, Octy."

“Yes, but with an upright bass, I can, well…lean on it. I’ve trained for years to use the bass’ weight in accordance with my own to maintain balance. This…I don’t even know where to begin with this.”

“Well, then it’s a good thing I haven’t planned any concerts for you yet, because we’ve gotta start at step one: the very beginning.” Vinyl lifted the bass in her aura and held it before her. “Now, I won’t really need to go through the music itself with you. I know you’ve got scales, chords and whatnot down no problem. Your big issue here is gonna be holding this thing. Now-“

The first thing coming from Octavia’s mouth in several minutes was: “How can you just be so…cool and calm about this?” She continued to stare, shocked. “I mean…it took years to learn how to simply balance with my double bass…and you expect me to stand on a stage and hold that…in just my hooves?”

“Hey, some of the greatest musicians have pulled off more impressive feats. You’ll do fine, Tavi. We just need to work at it.”

“So, I’m back to Tavi no-“

“Step one!” Vinyl quickly shoved the instrument over to Octavia, still holding it in her magic. “Now, I need you to stand up straight and get a feel for the instrument. I’ll hold onto it in case you get unstable.”

“Um…okay.” Octavia did as instructed and lifted herself up onto her hind legs. Vinyl levitated the bass directly in front of her and waited. Octavia eyed the instrument up and down at first, trying to study it first. ‘It doesn’t seem…too different from my double bass. Strings…similar shape…probably the same scale, but what are those bars on the neck? I can’t afford to look like an idiot in front of my new employer…but there are just too many questions, and I-“

“Uh, Octy? You gonna try holding this thing or what?”

Octavia shook her head suddenly, returning from her trance-like state of rambling. “My apologies, Vinyl. It’s just that I’m trying to get a better understanding of this instrument. I mean, the most I know about this just by looking at it is that it is a string instrument, but anypony could tell that at first glance. I mean, how am I meant to play this if I don’t have a bow?”

Vinyl stared her down for a moment before nearly falling back in her chair, laughing hysterically. “Oh, my Celestia, Octy! Wow, you really don’t have a clue!”

Octavia flushed furiously. “I fail to see how this is amusing in any way, Vinyl!”

“You don’t play a bass guitar with a bow! You play with your hooves! Or a pick, whichever works for you.” Vinyl looked inside the case and exclaimed ‘Aha!’ before pulling another item forth in her magic: a blue guitar pick. “But first, you need to figure out how to wield the mighty axe before learning how to use it.”

Octavia chuckled. “That was…certainly a sentence.”

“No more delaying, Tavi, give it a try. Just hold it in whatever way makes you feel comfortable.”

Octavia nodded and reached her hooves around the guitar. One arm found its way under the neck and barely touching the strings, and the other found itself curving up alongside the lower body near the bottom. “Okay, I see where you’re going with this, Tavi. But let me do something real quick to make this a bit easier.”

Octavia prepared to question Vinyl’s actions when something smooth slithered across her back and set down just over her neck. She looked down at the guitar and saw a strip of leather attach itself to two metal notches on the lower and upper parts of the guitar’s body. “There. That’s step two.”

“You had…a strap for it this whole time?”

“Well, yeah. But normally I don’t use it because, well…” Vinyl tapped her horn with her hoof. “Unicorn.”

“Why didn’t you bring it out first?”

“Because step three is the hard part. You need to be able to stand up straight, hold the weight of a ten-pound bass guitar around your neck and maintain perfect balance. Once you accomplish step three, then step four, actually playing it, will be a piece of cake.” Vinyl lifted the guitar up and set it to the side. “I know you’re no pushover, Tavi, but this is gonna take some time.”

Octavia glanced at the guitar, then back to Vinyl. “Wait…if you knew it would take some time for me to learn this instrument, why did you hire me right away?”

“Cuz I couldn’t stand seeing you down on your luck like that.” Vinyl looked down, her face turning a light shade of red. “I’ve been there…and it sucks.” She looked up suddenly and grinned. “And I promised myself that if I ever saw anypony in a situation like I was, I’d pull ‘em out no matter what. ‘Sides, Freddy also told me you used to bus tables part-time. You won’t get paid for being the club’s bassist until you actually start playing shows, so if you wanna pull some bits in the meantime, that’s your job.” Vinyl sat back in the chair. “Other than that, I kinda just enjoy your company. You’re pretty cool, for a classy Canterlot mare.”

“Why, thank you, Vinyl. And I suppose you’re not nearly as…rambunctious as I first anticipated.”

Vinyl mock gasped. “Say it isn’t so! Have I gone soft already? What happened to the wild and exaggerating pony I used to be?” Vinyl flailed her hooves in the air and dramatically fell back into her chair. “I am unworthy…I am dead…”

“Somepony has a flair for drama.”

Vinyl shot up and assumed her previous position and expression. “Yeah, learned it from my cousin. Though she takes it way further than I do. She also somehow manages to pull a couch out of nowhere to collapse onto it.” The unicorn shook her head. “Anyway, not the point. Okay, Octy, you have your choice of work today: you can practice your balance with the bass, or you can hit those tables and make them sparkle like Princess Twilight!”

“But she doesn’t actually…oh, never mind. I’ll just practice balancing for the next six hours.”

Vinyl smiled. “That’s what I wanna hear! But try a bit more enthusiasm next time. Now, I’ve gotta step out for a bit, so Berry’s in charge. Not that she’ll ask you to do anything really, just wanted to keep you informed on the temporary hierarchy.”

Octavia simply nodded, no longer wanting to question her lunatic employer. Vinyl made her exit swiftly, leaving Octavia alone in the office, the earth pony staring the guitar down. “I will make this work. I have to. I love this job thus far, and I cannot afford to let a slight issue of balance keep me from holding onto it!” Octavia walked over to the guitar and carefully slipped the strap over her shoulders. “Okay, step one complete. Now I just need to stand up and-“ Octavia moved to stand, but the sudden attempt to rise with ten pounds of weight on the front most half of her body caused her to stumble and fall in the complete opposite direction. She landed in a pile of papers with a ‘thud’, the guitar now lying on top of her. “Well…I suppose that’s a start. At least I moved it.”

“Moving it is one thing. Holding onto it while rocking out on stage is another story.”

Octavia glanced to the door from her position to see Berry entering. “Bar’s pretty quiet right now, so I figured I’d come and see how the new job is treating you. Plus it sounded like you hit the ground pretty hard. Wanted to make sure you were okay.”

“Quite alright, actually.” Octavia looked at her predicament. “Although…perhaps I could use a bit of help getting up. This isn’t exactly heavy, but it is Vinyl’s bass, and I don’t want to damage it.”

Berry nodded and carefully slid the guitar strap out from behind Octavia and lifted it up onto her own shoulders. Octavia quickly stood up and stared blankly. “How…but…you can…”

“Yep. I can hold Vinyl’s bass.” Berry carefully walked over and placed the guitar back in its case and shut it. “Can’t play the thing worth a damn, but I can carry it like that with no problems. Benefits of bartending classes, you learn a lot of balancing tricks.”

Octavia smiled sheepishly. “I don’t suppose you could teach me some of them?”

“Of course!” Berry returned the smile as Octavia’s shifted to one of relief. “But you never technically answered my question before. You like it here so far?”

“Considering I’ve only been here two days thus far and have done almost nothing regarding work or progress, I have to say yes, I am very much enjoying my employment. You yourself are a very kind individual, and Vinyl is…charming, to say the least.”

Berry chuckled. “Yep, that’s my ex for ya.”

Octavia performed a double take. “I-I’m sorry, what was that?”

Berry blinked twice. “What was what?”

“What you said…that Vinyl is your…ex?”

“Huh?” Berry thought for a moment, and then chuckled again, flushing slightly this time. “Oh…yeah, I just said that, didn’t I? Damn Freudian slip.”

“But I…Vinyl said she dated Fredrick in high school.”

“Oh, she did. But after they split, Vinyl decided to be a bit…’rebellious’, as it were. One day she just straight up asked me out, and I said ‘why not?’ We were together for just over a year, but we broke it off. We’d always been good friends, but it turned out that’s how it was meant to be. It just felt…” Berry stroked her chin. “I dunno…weird to be anything more than friends.”

“And I don’t suppose you’d get fired for revealing this information to me, would you?”

“What, about Vinyl being a lesbian? Psh!” Berry waved a hoof and giggled. “Nah! She makes it pretty obvious when she hits her other job-I mean, uh…nothing.”
“Other job? What other-“

“Nothing! That was something I wasn’t supposed to tell you!” Berry dropped to her haunches, breathing heavily and rapidly. “Oh, please don’t tell Vinyl, she’ll have a phoenix if she found out I blabbed and she won’t be my friend anymore and-“

“Shh, calm down, Berry.” Octavia moved toward the panicked mare and pulled her into a comforting hug. “I won’t tell Vinyl…but you will tell me just what the hell you’re talking about. What do you mean, Vinyl has another job?”

“She…she actually just left for it.” Berry pulled out of the hug and went to Vinyl’s desk, pulling out an address book. She flipped through the pages and turned it to Octavia when she found what she was looking for. “This is where she is right now. If you really wanna go see the other side of the Vinyl you know, I won’t stop you. Just…tell her you found the address book.” Berry walked to the door and pushed it open. “It wasn’t just that me and Vinyl weren’t ‘meant to be together’…secrets had a lot to do with it to. Please don’t tell her I spilled.”

Octavia made an ‘X’ across her chest. “Cross my heart, Berry. I won’t tell her. But I will go there myself. I don’t suppose you’d be willing to tell me exactly where I’m going?”

Berry shook her head. “That’s something you’ll have to see on your own.”

As Octavia approached the address she recalled from Vinyl’s book, she found herself following the thumping sound of heavy bass. It grew louder and stronger as she arrived before a large building sporting a huge neon sign reading ‘Dropkick Bass’. Sighing and taking a deep breath, Octavia entered what was practically another world through her eyes. Bright, colorful lights flashed everywhere, ponies danced with blinking bracelets, necklaces and glow sticks hanging off their body, and the room reeked of enough booze to give a dozen full-grown stallions alcohol poisoning. Octavia put every possible scenario through her mind. In a place like this, for all she knew, Vinyl could be a waitress, a bartender, a bouncer or, perish the thought, a pole dancer. All thoughts were dashed quickly; however, as the entire crowd roared a cheer as a white unicorn mare with a white and blue mane and violet shades stepped onto the stage in front of a set of turntables. ‘No…that couldn’t be…oh, who am I kidding? It couldn’t be anypony else.’

“Hello, Dropkick Bass! Deejay PON-3 is HERE! Are you ready to DROP THE BASS?!”

The crowd cheered in reply as ‘DJ PON-3’ levitated a record onto one of the slots on the table and after a minute-long slow start; an even louder song began to play. The crowd jumped and stomped in sync with the rhythm, or what Octavia could barely perceive as rhythm over the impossible decibel level of the song itself. ‘Just wait it out, Octavia!’ she shouted mentally, as even her thoughts were practically drowned out by the music. ‘This couldn’t possibly go on for too long!’

Two hours later, Octavia sat against the wall, thanking Celestia the bartender sold magic earplugs. Suddenly, she saw her chance. Vinyl approached the microphone once more. “Okay, you guys, it’s been a fun night, but I’ve gotta get going!” The crowd let loose their waves of ‘awws’ and ‘boos’, and she gave a smirk. “Don’t you worry, kiddies, I’ll be back again tomorrow night! But until then, I leave you in the capable hands of a good friend of mine…MC W1SH!”

A light grey unicorn stallion with a dark grey mane and blue reflective shades stepped up and took Vinyl’s place on the stage as the unicorn mare made a beeline for the bar. She did not, however, expect to be stopped by a familiar black-maned mare with a rage-fueled glare. “O-Octy! What…what are you doing here?”

Octavia took advantage of the temporary lull granted by MC W1SH, and spoke at a normal volume level. “I believe that is the question I should be asking you.”

“Well, I can explain.” Octavia stared her down, awaiting Vinyl’s oh-so-perfect explanation.

“This…is exactly what it looks like.”

Author's Note

New chapter within a week of the first? BLASPHEMY, GRIMOIRE!

But yeah, I'm getting better at this I think. However, I won't be releasing another chapter next Thursday. This time, I aim for Friday, because I have a bit more free time during the week and this weekend than I do next, as I have a job now.

But my general long-term goal is, if it must be later, only a week and a half later. So if you don't see a new chapter next Friday, expect it Tuesday night.

Chapter 2: The Right Stuff...and Then Some

“Uh…so, yeah-“

“What do you mean, ‘it’s exactly what it looks like’?! What is going on here?!” For the first time in a while, Octavia lost her cool. It wasn’t a common occurrence, yet the right trigger could cause her to blow everything completely out of proportion, whether or not it was justified.

“Okay, look, Octavia, I owe you an explanation, but this is not the right place for it. Can we step outside?”

“No, we’re going to talk about this right here and-“She stopped, replaying what Vinyl said in her head. “Did…you just call me ‘Octavia’?”

Vinyl nodded. “No nicknames right now. No nicknames, no bullshit, no lies. Let’s step outside and I’ll explain everything.”

Octavia silently nodded and followed Vinyl out the doors of the club. As soon as they were out, the music began inside, but it was much quieter than Octavia expected. “Silencing spell on the walls, windows and doors. Let’s us DJs play our music as loud as we want without any complaints from the snobby rich folk.” Vinyl sighed. “Okay, so my explanation. First, I wanna say sorry. I shouldn’t have kept this a secret from you. Secrets are bad. But anyway, let me get to the point here. The reason I didn’t tell you about this is because technically, this isn’t my second job. Mine and Berry’s club is my second job.”

Octavia had never felt so confused. “What?”

“When I was just thirteen, I wandered away from a social gathering my mom dragged me off to and found this old place back when it was first kicking off. At the same time, however, I stumbled onto the stage and knocked out the DJ who just took over for me in there, W1SH. His real name’s Neon Lights, and I was so excited to find someplace like this that I just rushed up and tackled him into a subwoofer on stage. The club’s manager was pretty pissed at me, so I did what I thought could fix the situation: I tried to take his place. I popped his shades on, which are the ones I’m wearing right now, and tried to do his job. At first, I took a look at the turntables and thought to myself: ‘Celestia’s beard, what the hell am I doing?’ No, really, those were my exact thoughts. I was not a well-off teenaged filly, Octy. I was as vulgar ten years ago as I am now.” That got Octavia to chuckle. “Now, I looked over the controls a bit more and realized: this is the same setup I read about in one of the magazines my dad sends me while he’s traveling: The Amplideck 6X Theta, one of the most advanced turntable systems a DJ could get their hooves on. Once I remembered how everything worked, I kicked it into high gear and played Neon’s set. Apparently, he woke up about two hours in, but when he saw what I didn’t, he kept on pretending he was out cold: my cutie mark popped up right then and there.”

“So…your special talent is…being a DJ?”

Vinyl shook her head. “Not exactly. I’m just really good at organizing music. That’s why I opened the club, and why I hired you. I see a lot of potential in you, Octy. You just got dealt a bad hand recently. I wanted to help you get past it. And even though you’ve never played a bass guitar before, I have confidence in your skill and your determination to make anything happen.” Vinyl sighed. “I shoulda just told you from the very beginning. I’m sorry, Octy.” Vinyl frowned. “I understand if you don’t wanna forgive me.”

Octavia stared for about a minute while Vinyl sat there in silence. After that period of quiet, Octavia reached her hoof out and bopped Vinyl on the forehead with a significant amount of force: enough to knock her out of her stupor but not enough to seriously hurt her. “Ouch! Octy, what the heck was that-“

Vinyl then found herself wrapped in a hug by the mare. “The first part was for you being stupid and thinking I wouldn’t forgive you for something dumb. This part is me forgiving you for something dumb.”

Vinyl’s face turned a deep shade of red as she hesitantly returned the hug. ‘Why am I feeling like this? It’s just a hug, right? I mean…Octy’s cute and all, but…okay, take a few steps back, Vinyl Scratch. Just talk. Say words.’

“…thanks, Octy.” The two broke the hug and began walking back to Vinyl’s club. “So, make any progress with the guitar?”

Octavia shook her head. “None whatsoever. But Berry said she’d teach me some of her bartending balance techniques.”

“Good, good…then once you’ve got that down; I can teach you how to play it. I mean, based on what you said earlier, I can assume you handle a bow no problem, despite being an Earth Pony. With a bit of practice, a pick will be just as easy to hold.”

“I do hope so.” Octavia sighed. “I don’t think I could go anywhere else if this doesn’t work out.”

Octavia felt something reach across her neck and over her shoulder, and found Vinyl hanging onto her as the two walked. “Don’t you worry Octy…with me helping you through it, you’ll be a pro in no time! I promise!”

The grey mare flushed. “T-thank you, Vinyl…that truly means a lot to me.” Octavia’s mind sought to pull away, but her body refused. ‘What’s going on here? Normally, I’m not all right with ponies being so…so touchy-feely. But Vinyl’s…different. What is it about her that I find so interesting?’

The two continued to walk side by side until they arrived back at the club, where they parted and entered one after the other. They were both welcomed back by Berry, who stood before an empty bar. “Whoa, Ber, what happened here? It’s a Saturday night and we have an empty bar. What gives?”

“Nopony’s come into the bar since the last guy left a few hours ago. I actually had time to organize the bottles under the bar by alcohol content. That’s how bored I was!”

“Well, I hate to say it, but if nopony else is gonna come in and drink our stock, then we’re gonna have to.”

“So…you’re giving the approval? But what about the funds? The cheapest stuff we keep under here is worth five bits a bottle!”

Vinyl smirked as she levitated a bag up onto the counter. “That won’t be an issue.” She untied the string holding the bag tight as it slipped off, revealing a huge pile of golden coins.

“Whoa…how much did you get paid this time?”

“Three hundred bits. Told ya that encore last Sunday was a good idea!”

“This is…astounding, Vinyl! You made this much…in a week?”

Vinyl flushed and gave a light chuckle. “Hey, what can I say? I’m good at what I do. Also helps that I worked crazy hours last and this week.” Vinyl looked to Octavia. “Not to sound selfish or anything, but that’s another reason I want to see this place liven up a bit. I’ve seen the inside of every club a hundred miles out from Canterlot enough times to know where every room is in each of them, and the brands of booze they all carry. It might be what I’m best at, but it’s been a grueling three years working almost forty hours a week. I really hope you don’t think I’m using you or-“

“Vinyl, just stop worrying about my feelings and have Berry pour me a drink. You offered the alcohol, now deliver.”

“Well, Tavi, I’d say by that declaration that you’re ready to do battle.” Vinyl focused and brought forth two shot glasses from behind the counter. “Care for a little game?”

“Octavia, you’d better be careful.” Octavia looked at Berry inquisitively. “Last pony who accepted one of Vinyl’s drinking challenges not only lost, but he stumbled out of this place dancing with a bar stool.”

“Yep, Upper Crust is one heck of a lightweight, let me tell ya.”

“Trust me, Berry.” Octavia placed her hoof at the edge of the glass closest to her. “I can hold my poison.”

Vinyl grinned. “Well then…Berry; start us off with some rum.” Berry nodded and pulled up a bottle from behind the counter and poured the first two shots in. Vinyl lifted her glass up with her magic. “You ready to rumble, Octy?”

“Bring it on, Scratch.”

An hour later, Vinyl and Octavia were almost staggering in their seats and Berry had started to light the drinks on fire. “All right, ladies. Last one. This is the Inferno Shot. I’m not pouring any more after this. We’ve already gone through a hundred fifty bits worth of our alcohol.”

“Totally worth it,” Vinyl slurred out, waving a hoof in the air and then pointing it at Octavia. “C’mon, Octy! You’ve gotta be ready to pass out at this point!”

“As I…said before…many Earth ponies…make this stuff…it’s expected that all of us…can handle it!” Octavia shotgunned the flaming drink and set the glass back down, grinning at Vinyl. “Your move.”

Vinyl lifted the glass in her magic aura, which trembled slightly as she moved it closer to her mouth. As she prepared to down the drink, she took a long, hard look at it and carefully set it back down. “No more. I’m done.”

Octavia smiled as she grumbled out a ‘victory’. “I knew…I would win.”

“Y’know, somethin’, Octy?” Octavia mumbled inquisitively. “You’re kinda…cute when you’re drunk.”

Octavia felt her face start to burn, but she couldn’t tell if it was her blushing, or the fact that the last half a dozen shots she’d taken were practically straight vodka. “W-what?”

Vinyl hiccupped and smiled. “You’re…cute.”

She could now confirm that it was a blush…although the alcohol in her system was definitely not helping. “T-that’s just the alcohol talking, Vinyl, you don’t really-“

“N-no, no, I really…I really mean it. You’re, you’re cute and junk.” Vinyl rolled off her seat and stumbled into a nearby table. “You’re totally…hot when you’re smashed and drinking flaming vodka.”

Octavia couldn’t help but giggle. “I suppose you’re just as cute…stumbling around like that.”

“Okay, time to get you two to your homes.” Berry hopped down from behind the counter and walked over to the two. “Octavia, where do you live?”

“What are you talking about, Berry? I live…right here.” Octavia patted the table Vinyl was leaning against. “Home sweet home.”

“O…kay, then. All right, neither of you are going to be happy about this, but I’m taking you both to Vinyl’s, since I know where that is.”

With only a little bit of effort, Berry managed to haul Vinyl over her back and begin dragging Octavia along with her tail in her teeth. ‘Oh, they so owe me for this.’ After exiting the club, Berry carefully leaned her body to get Vinyl’s horn to touch the door, which sent a wave of blue light over the entire building. ‘Okay, all locked up. Now to get these girls out of my mane before they throw up in it.’

The following morning, Vinyl awoke to a sound she was much more used to hearing from herself: the retching echo of somepony puking into a toilet bowl. The lights weren’t on, but she recognized her own bed as she lay sprawled out across it. The next thing she saw was a note attached to the tip of her horn. As her vision came into better focus, she was able to read it:

Vinyl: Carried you and Octavia to your place. You two were drunk beyond all recognition. I'd have waited until you woke up, but last time I did that, you thought I was an alcohol demon or something. Whenever you two get sober, give me a call. I tapped the door with your horn to lock the place up last night and can't get back in without you, so the club's closed for now. See you then.
-Berry Punch
PS: Do not ask how I wrote this, being an Earth Pony. Just DON'T.

Vinyl groaned as the memories of the previous night flashed before her eyes. “Celestia, did I really…? That’s how I scared off the last mare…just great, Vinyl. You challenge your newest friend-slash-employee to a drinking contest, and now she’s making out with your toilet because you just had to be a big shot.”

“Urgh…V-Vinyl? Is that you? Where are we, and why does my head feel like a bowling ball?”

Vinyl struggled to her hooves and walked over to the bathroom door. “We’re at my place, Octy…Berry brought us here after I made us make total mules of ourselves. I challenged you to a drinking contest, you accepted, we blew through over a hundred bits of booze and-“

“I think I get it, Vinyl, thank you…” Octavia stumbled out the door, holding one hoof to her head. “Oh, Celestia, this is the worst hangover I’ve ever experienced…”

“If that’s the case, the other club I work is not the place for you.”

Octavia chuckled lightly, only to feel a surge of pain overcome her again. “Ah…no jokes right now, Vinyl…only sleep.”

“Uh…Octy? Are you mad at me?”

“For what, Vinyl?”

“Well, I…I mean, last night. I sorta pushed that challenge on you out of nowhere and-“

Vinyl found herself interrupted once more. “Vinyl, I have no reason to be angry.”

“Y…you don’t?”

“This isn’t the first time I so hardheadedly took on such a challenge. It’s just the first time my opponent nearly drank me under the table. And I have to say…” Octavia used what little strength she had to pull Vinyl into a half-hug. “Well done. Most other unicorns I’ve faced would have blacked out before even half of what you pulled off.”

“Octy, I never took you for a party sorta mare.”

“Well, my first two years of High School were a bit of a…rebellious phase.” She giggled out of nostalgia. “Oh, you would have liked me much more back then. Hanging with a gang of punk rockers, pretending we knew how to play musical instruments to get popular…a red streak through my mane.”

“Well, I like you now, if that makes any difference.”

“Really? Even for a ‘classy Canterlot mare’?”

Vinyl smiled as she finally returned the half-hug, wrapping her foreleg around Octavia’s body. “Guess there was a side to both of us that the other didn’t expect, huh?”

That earned another laugh, and in turn, another wave of pain. “Vinyl, as much as I would love to continue this conversation…could we perhaps sleep first?”

“Oh, yeah, that’s a thing that ponies need sometimes…”

“I’d hit you, but it would take too much energy.” Octavia glanced around the room. “I suppose I’ll sleep on your couch. Where is it?”

“Uh…I don’t exactly…have one?”

Octavia stared blankly. “What.”

“Yeah, I kinda never have anypony over, and I’m not really here that often, so I’ve just got one bed for myself. I mean, I guess we could…share it?”

A hot blush crossed both their muzzles as they both realized what Vinyl had just said. Luckily, it faded before either could notice it on the other. “I…suppose if we have no choice.”

The two walked into Vinyl’s room and Octavia immediately noticed what set it apart from any other bedroom she’d ever seen. Albeit limited space, over a dozen guitars were lining the walls: each a different make, all individually unique and two behind glass cases with signatures. “Well…this is very...quite a collection you have here, Vinyl.”

“Been collecting for three years. I got a lot of them from tours as DJ PON3. And the two signed ones were gifts from the lead guitarists of Nightmare Show and DCGD.”

Octavia scanned the room again. “And…what about the one at the club? ‘Your’ guitar?”

“That was my first bass.” Vinyl smiled nostalgically. “Saved up six months to buy that.” She looked to Octavia, still smiling. “That’s why I only let the most trustworthy of ponies even look at it, let alone touch it.”

Octavia flushed again, but something clouded her thoughts suddenly. “Wait…how is it you’re so coherent right now? We both drank the same amount of alcohol last night.”

“Actually, Berry started to water it down as we kept going. I noticed it just before she started lighting the shots on fire. But that was still enough booze to put a full-grown stallion in a spin, and despite the fact that I’ve handled my fair share of drinks, and your Earth pony body is built for it, I’d say we’ve got about a half hour before our brains catch up with our bodies and start to crash.”

Octavia stared in disbelief. “I…I think I’ll just sleep now.” She climbed up into the bed and immediately crawled under the covers. In an instant, Vinyl had joined her and wrapped her legs around the Earth pony’s body. “Vinyl, what in Celestia’s name are you doing?”

“Mmm, cuddling…Night, Octy…” Vinyl immediately let sleep claim her as she began snoring right away. Octavia examined her position, seeing no way to free herself from the mare’s grasp.

‘I swear, she has absolutely no sense of boundary, no tact and no censor…’ Vinyl let out a high-pitched squeak of a yawn and Octavia smiled, not at all being able to deny that the unicorn mare’s sleeping form was one of the most adorable things she’d ever seen. ‘But I suppose…I can get used to that.’ Octavia yawned and shifted only slightly in Vinyl’s grip, getting herself comfortable as she allowed the sandmare’s spell to take her as well.

Author's Note

They're getting longer! AND THEY'RE BEING RELEASED WITH CONSISTENCY. WHO ARE YOU AND WHAT HAVE YOU DONE WITH THE REAL GRIMOIRE?!

Anyway:

Okay so I know I said it'd be Friday, but I don't have a lot to do tomorrow, so I figured I'd toss the next chapter up here now and spend all day tomorrow working on the next ones. Also, I have determined exactly how long I intend to make this story. So with a designated number of chapters in mind and intention to release weekly, I can almost guarantee that this will be my first full non-holiday, non-one-shot story that I ever finish!

Grimoire Fantasia is out! PEACE!

Chapter 3: The Right Kind of Friends

A week had passed since the night Vinyl had dubbed ‘The Greatest Drinking Contest Ever’, and Octavia’s progress with Berry’s bartending lessons had definitely begun to pay off. After learning the different methods of weight management, holding the guitar on her shoulders was just as easy as using her bass as an extension of herself on stage. Vinyl’s bass had become just that, and all that remained was learning how to play it properly. As she strode down the street toward the club with the intent of doing just that today, she found herself sporting a more confident attitude than she’d felt in a long time. Even the ponies she passed by seemed to acknowledge it, and not one of them appeared to recognize her for the debacle she was involved in only half a month ago. One such passerby proceeded to approach her on the street: a mint-green unicorn which Octavia herself was already well familiarized with.

“Octavia, is that you?”

Octavia directed her attention to the mare, and smiled. “Lyra Heartstrings, I thought that was you. I haven’t seen you in a while. Not since you left the academy, anyway. How is the ‘solo artist’ thing going, by the way?”

Lyra grinned. “Better than I expected! Sure, it didn’t start off that well, but I traveled to Ponyville and started small with a few stage shows in a little park out there. And then, one thing led to another, and I moved there. This is my first time back to Canterlot in a few years.”

“It must have taken something pretty impressive to get you to move away from your home.”

Lyra chuckled and flushed. “Well, somepony, anyway…”

“Oh? And when were you going to tell one of your best friends you found a stallion?”

“I wasn’t, but I’ll gladly tell you I found a mare.”

Octavia gasped, but her face maintained a surprised expression. “And coming out without telling me first, Lyra Heartstrings, I am disappointed in you.”

“Wait, you mean…you don’t hate me or anything? Because that’s been happening a lot since I got back here.”

Octavia giggled slightly. “Let’s just say my recent employment has found me in an interesting predicament myself.”

“Ooh, gossip! Give me the details!”

“I can’t right now, Lyra. I’m late for work. But you’re welcome to join me and stick around. It’s a rather nice club.”

Lyra’s jaw dropped. “Wait. You work at a club now?” Octavia nodded. “Sweet, what kind of place is it?”

“It’s this lovely little jazz club run by a friend of Fredrick’s, actually.” Octavia began walking and Lyra followed next to her. “It doesn’t have nearly as much exposure as the owner wants, but she hired me on the premise of my musical talent…although it turns out I’m to be playing a different kind of ‘bass’ this time around.”

The two continued their idle conversation for the next few minutes until arriving at the club. Lyra whistled as she got a good look at the place. “Fancy, Octavia. You sure you don’t mind me sticking around?”

“If you’re willing to put up with my cringe-worthy attempts at playing a bass guitar, by all means, the bar is always open.”

The two entered and Berry gave them a friendly wave. “Morning, Octavia. Who’s your friend?”

Lyra wasted no time introducing herself, bolting up to the bar and grabbing Berry’s hoof in hers and shaking it up and down. “Lyra Heartstrings, pleasure to meet ya!”

Berry reacted quicker than Octavia expected, smiling and returning the energetic handshake. “Berry Punch, nice to meet you too! Boy, you’ve certainly got a friendly friend here, Octavia.”

“That’s Lyra all right.” Octavia gave a light chuckle. “She was always taking the first step in making new friends. That’s how she got me out of my shell freshman year of the academy.” Octavia proceeded to the door to Vinyl’s office. “I’ll be back out later, Lyra. Try not to kill Berry with your kindness.”

Lyra and Berry continued their conversation as Octavia knocked on the door. “Vinyl, can I come in, or are you playing with your toys again?”

“You can come in, Octy, it’s all good.” Octavia entered and Vinyl sat behind her desk with a completely different guitar hovering before her. “I was just practicing a bit myself.”

“You were?” Octavia closed the door behind her and looked around. “But I didn’t hear anything.”

Vinyl tapped her horn twice with her hoof. “Because I soundproofed the room, so nothing gets out, and only a knock on the door gets in. If you’d just asked if I was in here, I wouldn’t have heard you.”

“So you counted on my manners being the only thing to allow me into the room.”

Vinyl pointed at Octavia and winked. “Bingo. Now, let’s get you started on the basics of a bass guitar. First, you need to learn the-“

In the midst of her rambling, Octavia had already picked up the guitar and carefully slipped the strap over her shoulders. She stood with near-perfect balance and, using the pick Vinyl had informed her of prior, began to play a basic scale from as low as possible to as high. Vinyl stopped speaking as Octavia was halfway through the full scale, and her jaw practically hit the desk. “Uh, Octy, this is like…the first time you’ve ever played a bass, right?”

“The scales are only a bit different…I suppose I just let the stress cause me to panic. As it turns out, I do know what I’m doing.”

“Um…well…that sorta cuts the lesson short by…the entire day.”

“…Oh.” Octavia’s eyes shot around the room absent-mindedly. “So…what else is there to do today?”

“I dunno…it’s almost noon, wanna grab lunch?”

The thought of a nice meal crossed her mind, and immediately after she recalled her rather limited breakfast at Vinyl’s that morning. “I could certainly go for something to eat.”

“All right, then. I’ll tell Berry to close us up for a bit and she can come with.”

“Could I invite my friend Lyra Heartstrings along as well? She’s just in Canterlot for a little while and-“

“NO WAY! Lyra’s here?!” Vinyl flew out the door, leaving a cloud of dust in her wake. Octavia blinked and stood silently for a few seconds while she allowed her brain to catch up. She followed the DJ out to see her and Lyra already chatting up a storm. “…Yeah, this place is mine! Bought the building not too long ago, and…Hey, Octy, when were you gonna tell me you knew Lyra?”

“I…but you…seriously, Vinyl, how many of my friends do you actually know?”

Lyra placed her hoof on her chin and began tapping the bar with the other one as she counted. “Let’s see; she knows me, dated Fred, knows Beauty Brass, Noteworthy, Harpo…”

“Wait, Octy knows Harpy? Seriously? Okay, how many times did he hit on you before you punched him?”

Octavia stared in confusion for several seconds before replying, “Vinyl, how in the world-three, by the way-how in the world do you know all of my friends?”

“Well, while you knew them all from your fancy music academy, I knew them back when we were all still fillies and colts at Eighth Note Elementary School for Musically-Inclined Ponies.”

“It was kinda like the one you went to, Octavia,” Lyra added. “Except the Academy of Young Musical Talent was way too expensive for the rest of us, even with scholarships, so we ended up at the next best thing.”

“And you already know how I met Freddy.”

“But I…” Octavia sighed and decided to let her confusion go for now. “I’ll chalk it up to fate, I suppose.”

Vinyl grinned. “Yep! I knew Lyra, you knew Lyra, and now we both know each other, and here we all are! So, Harpbutt, you nail Bonnie yet?”

Octavia’s face turned a deep red. “Vinyl! Old friend or not, that’s hardly an appropriate question to ask!”

“Nah, it’s okay, Octavia, I don’t mind.” Lyra smiled. “But the answer is no, Vinyl…not yet, anyway. We’re waiting until we get hitched, just like we planned.”

“So, living together for now, huh?” Lyra nodded. “I can dig that. Anyway, Berry, we’re locking the place up and we’re all going to lunch. Lyra, you can come along too if you’d like.”

The mint-green unicorn smiled. “Sure, I’ve got some free time! It’d be nice to catch up with both of you before I’ve gotta head back to Ponyville.”

“Wait, Vinyl, what about the ponies still in here? Doesn’t somepony need to stay and watch the place?”

“Nope.” Vinyl looked around the room to see that there was literally a single pony sitting in the room. “Hey, dude, you don’t mind clearing out for an hour, do you?”

The blue earth pony stood up and stepped forward, allowing the group to see his harp cutie mark. “No, but would you mind if I accompanied you instead?”

Lyra, Octavia and Vinyl stared, baffled by the fact that not only had he been sitting there this whole time, not one of the three even recognized him until just now. Octavia was the first to vocally reveal his identity. “HARPO?!”

The stallion gave a mock bow. “In the flesh, ladies.”

“And speaking of flesh-“

“Vinyl, NO.”

“But Lyra-“

“NO.”

Vinyl grumbled. “Never let me have any fun…”

“Somepony has to keep a leash on you.”

“Kinky.”

“NOT HELPING, BERRY!”

“Are you ladies quite finished?” The mares looked to Harpo, who had already advanced to the door. “I know this place just a few blocks from here that has the most phenomenal sangria, and it isn’t a particularly expensive place either.” The four mares looked among one another and simply nodded, following Harpo out the door. Vinyl locked the building with her spell and they progressed down the street. “So, Octavia, it would seem you’re doing rather well these days.”

Octavia nodded, thankful Harpo didn’t specifically mention the incident. “As best I can, Harpo…and what about you? What have you been up to since our quartet went their separate ways after Academy?”

“Actually, I’ve got myself a little job playing evening concerts in the lobbies of five-star hotels in Canterlot. It earns me enough to get by, and I’ve met a number of celebrities along the way. You’ve heard of that rising starlet Sweetie Belle? She sang along to a few of my songs one evening and gave me an autographed photo.”

“Impressive.”

Harpo bowed again. “Thank you, thank you. And how about you two?” he asked, looking to Lyra and Vinyl. “What mischief have you gotten into lately?”

“I own a bar, duh, and I DJ at nights.”

“I play my lyre in a small park in Ponyville and I have a girlfriend now.”

“I always pegged you as playing for the other team, Lyra. Actually, I guessed that all three of you would end up finding some lovely ladies to call your own.”

Vinyl and Lyra chuckled, but Octavia flushed and fumed ever so slightly. “And what, pray tell, made you think that of me, dear Mister Nadermane?”

Vinyl laughed loudly. “Aw, snap, Harpy! You got Octy mad!”

“I-I didn’t mean anything by it, Octavia! I just figured, you know…you never really hit it off with Fredrick…or me, or Sharp Note, or even Grand Ivory, who even by my standards was one of the most attractive, well-mannered and sexy stallions in-I mean, what? I don’t know, I’m so tired.”

Octavia had never really thought about it before, but back in her Academy days, stallions just never seemed to ‘click’ for her. They were all wonderful friends, but somehow, that’s all she ever saw them as. But Lyra and Beauty Brass, her only two female friends at the Academy, hadn’t sparked a single feeling whatsoever, but that was probably due to Octavia having her head buried in her studies most of the time. As she continued to walk, she drifted away from the conversation going on and delved into her own thoughts. Did she like mares? She hadn’t even considered dating after beginning her professional career. It was always just a ‘high school’ thing.

“Hey, Tavi, you okay in there?” Octavia snapped back to reality to find Vinyl practically hovering in front of her face. She realized just how far behind she had gotten and that the DJ had gone back just to make sure she was okay. “Equestria to Octavia, come back to us!”

Octavia picked up her stride again and rejoined the group. “I’m sorry, everypony. I spaced out for a moment, I suppose.”

“No prob, Tavi. We’re almost there anyway, so you can space as much as you want after we order our food!”

The bassist rolled her eyes. “Never a censor on you, Vinyl.”

Vinyl scoffed and laughed. “Censors are boring. All music and TV is best uncensored, so real life shouldn’t need them either.”

The group continued casual conversation for the next few minutes before arriving at the restaurant just at the corner. Harpo’s description was particularly accurate, as it was a nice little place and didn’t seem like much of a nobility hotspot. They entered the building and were immediately approached by one of the wait staff, a crimson-coated Earth pony stallion who bore a genuine smile. “Hi there, my name’s Firebuster, and I’ll be taking care of you today! How many are you?”

Octavia looked back to her group just to make certain. “Five, Firebuster.”

“All righty, then, come with me!”

One hour and a hundred twenty bits later, the group found themselves patting their full stomachs as they walked back to the bar, content with their perfect meals. “Oh, wow, that was amazing.” Vinyl gave Harpo a pat on the back. “Great find there, Harpy. We’ll all have to go back there again sometime.”

“Oh, I agree. But not any time soon. That was a lot of food.”

While Vinyl and Harpo continued their conversation, and Berry and Lyra talked about something or other, Octavia was left alone with her thoughts. Harpo’s earlier words bothered her a bit, and she still wondered why. Was it simply because it was an off-color comment that shouldn’t have been made, or was he right? Did she like mares and not even consider it? Aside from the obvious physical implications, what more could she gain from a relationship that a friendship doesn’t already provide emotionally? And more importantly…did this all tie in with her confusing ‘feelings’ for Vinyl? Octavia decided it for herself right then and there. ‘I suppose I could try…for my own sake, anyway.’

Lyra and Harpo parted ways and the bar trio got right back to work. It was only close to closing time that Octavia found a free moment to speak to the mulberry barmare. “Berry, do you have a moment? I wish to ask you something important.”

Berry finished cleaning out a glass and set it amongst the others. “What’s on your mind, Octavia?”

“What is Vinyl really like? I mean, from the standpoint of somepony who has, well…um…”

“Who’s what, known her for as long as I have?”

“Well, yes, but also…” Octavia found herself struggling with the words she knew she wanted to say. ‘Just give it a chance, Octavia. You never know what might happen.’ “One who has been in a relationship with her before?”

If Berry had still been holding that glass, it would be shattered on the ground. Her face was plastered with shock as she stared at Octavia. “Y-you…you wanna…are you serious?”

Octavia suddenly felt as if she shouldn’t have asked the question. She prepared to turn away from the barmare. “I’m sorry, Berry, I’ll just get back to-“

“N-no, no, it’s not how you think!” Octavia stopped in her tracks and turned back. “I was just…a bit shocked, y’know? I mean, Vinyl hasn’t dated in a few years, and I guess I was just…worried about the next mare to ask me for advice on her. I was the one they all came to. They knew that I knew Vinyl best, so I was the best source.”

“O-oh…I see.”

“So…yeah, I’m perfectly fine with you asking me about this, I just…I didn’t expect it to be you of all ponies.” Octavia gave her a flat stare. “Don’t get me wrong, you’re great and all! But you only just got to know Vinyl…most ponies only try to ask her out if they, y’know…are already into the crazy party stuff she usually does. Not a high-class Canterlot mare like yourself.”

“Well, I don’t really understand these…feelings myself. But I’m willing to explore them, to see if they go anywhere.”

“Well, that’s also rule number one, and pretty much the only rule.” Octavia listened intently. “If it turns out they don’t go anywhere and you have to break up with her, you need to let her down as gently as possible. That was the big mistake that cost me my best friend for three years.” Berry stared down at the bar. “I wasn’t kind about it, at all. I got with the wrong crowd and started acting like even more of a punk than Vinyl was, and I broke her heart hardcore.” Berry slammed her hoof on the table. “I pretended I didn’t even know her, because they made me. I never even told her about it, and she hated me for it. And I regret it every day I’m here. The fact that she even allowed me to be her friend again is a miracle.”

Octavia gasped lightly and placed her hoof atop Berry’s. “I’m so sorry…I know you said secrets were a big issue between you two, but I had no idea…”

“You couldn’t have…secrets and all, y’know?”

Octavia nodded. “Was…was that it?”

Berry looked back up and shook her head. “Only one other thing I need to ask you to do.” Octavia nodded. “Regardless of whether or not you think this’ll work out…please treat her right. She’s my best friend, whether I think I deserve to be or not. I don’t want to see her suffer again.”

Octavia smiled and stood up. “I promise…thank you, Berry.”

Berry simply gave a nod and returned to her cleaning. Octavia approached Vinyl’s door and rapped it with her hoof three times. “Vinyl, I need to talk to you about something.”

“Come on in, Tavi!” Octavia walked in to see Vinyl simply sitting at her desk doing absolutely nothing. “So what’s up? It’d probably be a bad idea to practice right now…wouldn’t want to risk an upchuck incident on my guitars, you know?”

“Actually, I wanted to ask you a very important question.” Octavia could see Vinyl’s expression change, and for the second time since she met her, Vinyl looked like she would take it seriously. “I was wondering if…perhaps, maybe…you would like to…accompany me to dinner sometime this week? Just the two of us?”

Vinyl’s expression dropped from serious to utterly confused. Octavia could cut the tension with a knife as she waited for the DJ’s reply. After a minute of solid silence, Vinyl finally spoke again. “Are…Tavi, are you asking me out on a date? Like, a real date?”

Octavia nodded, flushing slightly. “Yes, a real date, Vinyl.”

“Um…wow, I, uh…I haven’t gone on a real date in…what, four years?” Vinyl could see Octavia’s expression begin to fall. “I’m not saying no, Tavi! Just…give me a minute…” Octavia sat waiting patiently. “I mean…the last pony I went out with was Berry, and…stuff didn’t go all too well in the end. So you’ll have to forgive me for being just a bit aper…appa…apple something?”

“Apprehensive?”

“Yeah, that’s the word. But…”

“If it makes you feel any better, this is all rather new to me. I’ve never dated a mare before, only stallions.”

“Then we’re both pretty much beginners here, eh?” Vinyl sighed and looked to Octavia with a smile. “Sure, Tavi. I’d love to go out with you.”

Octavia beamed. “I have the perfect place. It’s a bit classier than where we went today, but I’m confident you’ll like it. How does tomorrow evening sound?”

Vinyl thought for a moment and pushed a few things off her desk, revealing the calendar mat sitting in the center. “Tomorrow…Sunday…Berry could hold the fort, considering the happy-hour specials on Sundays are her thing, and the other club is closed Sunday nights. Yeah, my schedule’s clear for tomorrow.”

Octavia clapped excitedly. “Wonderful! I’ll need the day to get ready, and I assume you will as well, so I’ll pick you up around six-thirty, all right?” Vinyl began to speak, but Octavia’s chipper mood repressed whatever it was she’d wanted to say. “And remember to dress nicely!” The earth pony mare exited the room, leaving Vinyl alone to think about what just happened. Only one thought ran through her mind.

‘Uh…how do I date again?’

Author's Note

CONSISTENCY!!!

Anyway, shameless self-promotion, two things I'm about to start working on soon are important projects not related to ponies, in case anyone is interested.

I'm gonna start a Lets-Play channel on Youtube and play mostly Touhou fan games and other games that most LPers don't play. I'm gonna hit the more obscure and retro titles that the big popular Lets Players don't really do, and I'll do my best to thoroughly analyze every part of the game and find any little secrets about it that might be interesting to some of my viewers.
I am creating my own d20 role-playing system based on a fusion of Borderlands' randomized loot-attainment system and Dragon Age's class-skill-specialization setup, and sticking it in an original world I have spent this past half a year developing. It won't be ready for play for a good month, two months or so if you're interested in joining it when it's done, let me know.

Interlude: Dating Advice

“BERRY, HELP ME! How do I date ponies again?”

“So, you said yes, huh?”

“Of course I said yes! Have you seen her? Octavia is the most phenomenal mare I’ve ever met! Why wouldn’t I-“Vinyl’s rant cut off as she rolled the conversation back in her head. “How did you know she asked me out?”

“Same reason I knew about every other mare that asked you out. They all come to me practically asking for my blessing…among other forms of advice, if you recall.”

Vinyl flushed, knowing exactly what Berry was talking about. “Yeah, Moondancer was interesting, all right. But I don’t want this to be anything like that. Tavi’s classy, refined, and-“

“Everything you’re not?”

“EXACTLY!” Vinyl slammed her head against the bar. “The date’s TONIGHT, Berry! I don’t know what to do! She wants to take me to some fancy place that she knows, and I barely maintain basic table manners!”

“Then how did you do so well at the restaurant yesterday?”

“That was a bar-and-grill kinda place, Ber. Places like that are where half my paychecks went every week back in college. It’s a commoner’s eatery. Tavi wants me to dress up all nice for this place. I don’t think I even have any nice clothes…or ever did!”

Berry pondered the precarious predicament Vinyl found herself in. “Actually…there might be one way you could get a nice outfit.”

Vinyl’s eyes widened, already aware of what Berry hinted at. “No. No, not her, anything but that.”

“Vinyl, I hate to say it-“

“Then please don’t! I can’t stand spending time with her! Not even you can stand spending time with her!”

“You might not have a choice, Vinyl. She’s the only one that has the eye for high fashion you need.”

“Ber, you know why this can’t possibly go well. Unlike a lot of my other cousins, she is obsessive-compulsive, completely overdramatic, and excessively tidy! She is my polar opposite in every way.”

“One might say the same about Octavia, dear Vinyl.” Vinyl turned suddenly as Harpo walked forth from the table closest to the stage. “She is classy and refined, while you are wild and free. And yet, when the two of you spent the better half of an hour putting away more drinks than a gaggle of hoofball fans, you found more in common with one another than you thought. So wouldn’t you say it might be worth going to see R-“

“Okay, first off, Harpo, how do you keep getting in here without either me or Berry noticing?”

“Why, Vinyl, I thought you knew. I am clearly a ninja.”

Vinyl deadpanned. “Yeah, okay. And two, how much do you know about my cousin that could tell you anything other than how completely opposite I am from her?”

“Nothing, really…but she’s in Canterlot for the next four hours only, so if you want something nice to wear and you want it soon, I would consider finding her if I were you…unless, of course, you can suddenly teleport about a hundred miles to Ponyville and back and not destroy your horn in the process.”

Vinyl turned back to the bar, slammed her head on the table and groaned. “Yeah, you’re right…nopony else would even give me a chance if I told them what it was for…at least I know my cousin won’t be so judgmental.”

“Vinyl, darling, it’s been far too long!” Vinyl walked into the Canterlot branch of Rarity’s clothing shop. “But…how did you know I’d be in Canterlot today?”

“Actually, I had no idea, Rares. An old friend of mine told me you’d be here for only a little while and I kinda needed a favor.”

Rarity stared at her, slightly confused. “You…need a favor…from moi? For what reason could you possibly need a dress?” Vinyl muttered her reply. “I’m sorry; could you repeat that, dearie?”

“For…my date…”

Rarity gasped and rushed her cousin, pulling her into a tight hug. “Oh, my little cousin is dating again! How wonderful! So, who’s the lucky mare?”

“Wait, how do you…Oh, right. You were the first one I told about me being into mares. Now I remember why I knew you’d be cool about it.”

“Well, stop stalling!” Rarity broke the hug. “Who is it?”

“Her name’s Octavia, and she-“

“Octavia? Surely you’re not speaking of THE Octavia Philharmonica, who fled her stage in tears no more than a month ago?”

“Yeah, that’s…wait, what?”

“You didn’t hear about that? It was all over the news, Vinyl. Octavia Philharmonica was playing one of the most difficult songs on an upright bass, and being an Earth Pony, it was far more stressful for her, as this song was one the nobles of the music industry had the highest regard for. All but one of her strings snapped at once in the middle of a crescendo, and as she tried to play again, the final one broke and she fled the stage. Most of the nobility reviled her for her failure to complete the song, while others simply shrugged it off, but she took the hit much harder. None of the owners of any reputable theater would ever allow her to play after such a debacle…I can only imagine how dreadful it must have been, not able to do the thing you love most.”

Vinyl found herself almost drawn to tears. She struggled to push back her sadness for the time being. “I…I had no idea. I only knew about what happened at the Gala a few years back with Pinks. When I offered her this job, I didn’t know what she’d just gone through…”

“Well, I’m at least glad to hear things are looking up for her. You’ve given her a chance to work again, and you’re taking her out for a night to remember!” Rarity swooned as she fell back, a couch levitating forward to catch her. Vinyl rolled her eyes and sighed. “Oh, how romantic…where exactly are you two going?”

Vinyl shrugged. “Beats me…Tavi told me she’d pick me up at six thirty, though.”

Rarity’s eyes darted to the clock. The time read ’12:30’ and she suddenly bolted to her fabric table. “Oh, then there’s no time to waste! I need measurements, Vinyl, and fast!” Rarity soon found herself staring at a sticky note now placed on the table before her. “What is this, dear?”

“These are my measurements. I always bring my notes with me whenever I come to visit you, cuz.”

“Oh, you know me too well, Vinyl dear. Now, give me just a few hours, and I’ll have something spectacular ready for you!”

“It’s READY!”

Vinyl would be lying if she’d said she wasn’t excited, but her nerves felt the need to make her forget that for a moment as she lifted her head up to see her cousin’s work. “All right, Rares, let’s see what you’ve-“

Vinyl found herself more pleased with what she saw than she had expected. The dress was particularly short, almost like a skirt of sorts, and from a first glance would be a comfortable fit, but it was the design itself that had her astounded. The base fabric was electric blue like her mane and the pattern across its surface was a series of interlocking music notes that wove into a beautiful, almost mesmerizing pattern. “Rarity…this is…I mean, wow…”

“Oh, I know, isn’t it just fantastic? I mean, I had such a short amount of time, and still, it came out so well.” Rarity stopped gushing over her creation long enough to walk over to Vinyl and pull her into a hug. “I really want this to work out for you, Vinyl. So I’m wishing you the best of luck, and the dress is yours to keep, no charge.” Vinyl prepared to argue it, but Rarity cut her off. “No, no…you’ll just owe me another favor in the future. And besides, the dress is only half your ticket. The rest has to be all you, so if it’s being yourself that attracted her to begin with, keep it up. I believe in you.”

Vinyl returned the hug. “Thanks, cuz. I know you always say you believe in me, but it really means a lot right now.”

The two broke the hug and Rarity walked over to the dress, carefully lifting it up in her magic. With a bit of effort between the two of them, Vinyl managed to secure the outfit on her body. It felt soft to the touch and was incredibly comfortable. “You know, I’ve gotta give you props for this, Rares. You definitely know how to make a dress for ponies that don’t like dresses.”

“Well, what kind of dressmaker would I be if I couldn’t? Now, was there anything else you needed my help with?”

“Well, one more thing actually…” Rarity eyed her curiously as Vinyl chuckled nervously. “What do you know about table manners?”

Chapter 4: The Date

“One hour left…” Vinyl had her dress on, her wallet tucked away in the convenient pocket Rarity had placed inside the breast area, and her mane was slicked back and free of any blue coloring. The unicorn paced back and forth next to the phone sitting on the desk, which currently had Berry Punch on speaker. “I’m freaking out here, Ber…I’m running a rut into my floor! What if I can’t do this?”

“Didn’t your cousin talk to you about this already?”

“Well, yeah, but-“

“But nothing, Vi, you’re gonna be fine! If I’ve told you once, I’ve told you a hundred times…” Vinyl took a deep breath as Berry continued. “Nothing good will come of panicking. I know you better than you know yourself, so I know you’ve got this. You’ve always trusted me before…even when I broke that trust. You’re an awesome mare, and anypony would be lucky to have you. And I know Octavia won’t screw it up like I did.”

“…Ber…”

Vinyl could hear Berry start to choke up, but she managed to hold it back and continue speaking. “I’ve gotta go. Good luck, Vi. Just be yourself, and everything’s gonna be all right.” The phone clicked and let out a deep tone. Vinyl continued her pacing, but now with added weight. After everything that had happened between them, Berry was still her best friend and had the utmost faith in her.

‘I only wish I could have that much faith in myself.’ Vinyl stared at the phone for half a minute before shifting her gaze ever so to the left to see her notepad, and the first phone number on the page sparked an idea. ‘I…guess I could give him a call.’ Vinyl focused her magic and dialed the number. The phone rang for several seconds as she impatiently tapped her hoof against the floor. “C’mon, answer, please…”

The phone clicked and an older stallion spoke. “Platinum Record Industries, this is Live Wire, how can I help you today?”

“Hey, Wire, it’s Vinyl.”

“Whoa, Vinyl? Jeez, haven’t heard from you in years. How’s it been?”

“Been okay, Wire…hey, not to just call you up and drop ya, but is my dad available right now? Kinda have some important stuff to talk about with him.”

“You wanna talk to Mister Record? Let me see…” Vinyl could hear papers shuffling and Live Wire mumbling something under his breath. “Ah, here we are! Employee schedules, let’s take a look. Seems the boss man should be available right now. You want me to try and patch you through?”

“If it’s not too much trouble, Wire, I’d appreciate that.” The call shifted through layers of static to a muzak loop where it stayed for several minutes. Vinyl waited…she would wait on that line as long as she could. She continued to glance back at the clock that shone in red on the phone’s display: ‘Five forty-five.’ Less than an hour remained, and she was still so unsure of so many things. Finally, the muzak faded out and another stallion’s voice graced the speaker.

“Vinyl, sweetheart, is that you?”

“H-hey, dad…”

“I must admit, I was a bit surprised when Live Wire told me you’d called…I mean, it’s been…almost a year since we last talked.”

Vinyl chuckled. “Yeah, sorry about that…got busy and stuff…”

Silence. Neither party opted to speak for another minute. Platinum Record broke the uncomfortable silence first. “So, uh…did you and Berry get that bar off the ground?”

“Yeah, it’s going pretty okay…even hired a new bassist recently with a lot of potential…and I’ve actually got something really important to talk to you about.”

“Vinyl, you know you can talk to me about anything. So what’s the issue?”

“I, uh…have this ‘friend’-“

“Vinyl, you never could trick me with that.”

“Okay, it’s me. I’ve sorta-kinda got a new marefriend, and I don’t wanna screw it up, and I’m panicking, and my first date is in less than an hour and-“

“Whoa, Vinyl, sweetheart, calm down a bit…don’t you think you’re overreacting just a tiny bit?”

“Um...maybe?”

Platinum laughed a bit. “Have you already talked to your other friends about this?”

“I talked to Berry…and she seems to think that me being myself will go perfectly fine.”

“Then why is that a problem?”

“This time, it’s different! This mare’s classy, refined, dignified, and-“

“Everything you think you’re not?”

“Exac-wait, everything I think I’m not?”

Platinum sighed. “Vinyl, you are fully capable of being any kind of mare you want to be…but what you need to ask yourself is, what kind of mare did this one ask out on a date?”

Vinyl took a moment, even though the answer was clear as day. “She…she asked me out…and she knows me, the real me. The club owner, the DJ, the guitarist…in all of two weeks, she saw the side of me nopony other than Berry had ever seen before…why? Why did I-“

“Call it fate, if you want…but I feel like somewhere deep down, you wanted her to see the real you. And since she knows it, just keep being it. There’s no point in trying to fix what ain’t broken, is there?”

Vinyl shook her head, despite the fact that her father wouldn’t see it. “I guess you’re right. She asked out Vinyl Scratch…and being anything else would just ruin it, right? I’ll be the best damn me I could possibly be.”

“That’s my girl! Now, much as I’d love to keep talking, you’ve got your date, and I’ve got another meeting with these stuck-up execs that keep trying to tell me ‘trance isn’t real music’. Looks like it’s time to bust out the old slides again. Talk to you later, Vinyl. And hold onto that positive attitude…it’ll really get you places.”

The dial tone droned on again, but this time to a far more confident Vinyl Scratch. She examined the clock once more: ‘Six o’clock’. “Just a half hour left. You can do this, Scratch. She asked you out for you, not some fake pony you could just make up. And besides, she’s probably not even panicking about this at all.”

“Fredrick, I am panicking. I am in full panic mode, and I have no idea why.”

Octavia paced back and forth in her room. A far cry from Vinyl’s tiny apartment, Octavia’s bedroom was the equivalent size of the bar, if not a bit smaller. Her bed was extravagant and lined with frilly, likely expensive lace, the room was lit up like a birthday cake with no more than twelve lamps and a chandelier, and even the carpet looked soft enough to double as a blanket. Still, all this comfort could not keep Octavia’s nerves at minimal levels. The groove she’d walked into the carpet could rival that of Vinyl’s.

Through the phone, Octavia could hear Fredrick sigh. “Take a moment to compose yourself, Octavia.” Octavia took a few deep breaths as she tried to calm down. Then out of nowhere, she began to giggle. “Oh dear…she’s lost it.”

“N-no, not at all, it’s just…you said ‘compose’.”

It took Fredrick a few seconds, but his own laughter came in turn. “Oh…oh my, I didn’t even realize. That is terrible.”

“I suppose Vinyl is rubbing off on me…I wouldn’t have noticed such a horribly accidental play-on-words like that without her influence.”

“Yes, that mare does have a tendency to share her unique qualities with her friends. That is why I am absolutely certain that this date of yours will go off without a hitch. You wouldn’t have asked her out if you knew deep down that this wouldn’t go well, Octavia.”

“I wish I had your confidence right now, Fredrick. I am absolutely terrified…”

“Then let’s get to the root of the problem.” Octavia stared at the phone, confused. “What exactly are you afraid of? Is it a fear of what Vinyl might do…or what you might?”

“I…what exactly are you insinuating, Fredrick?”

“Nothing at all…just that you might be worried that you yourself are not right for Vinyl.”

Octavia could feel the heat of her rage rising off of herself in waves. “How dare you! I could be just as right for Vinyl as you yourself thought you were! I will be taking her out to a wonderful dinner, and no matter how she behaves, I will love her all the same!” Octavia took several deep breaths before she realized what she had just said and heard Fredrick chuckling on the other side of the call.

“Well, I’d say you’re ready for your date, Octavia.”

“I…but you…” Octavia sighed and took another deep breath. She smiled and looked back at the phone again. “Thank you, Fredrick. You are always there for me when I need you. You truly are the best adoptive brother a mare like me could ask for.”

“I’m glad I could be of assistance, little sister. Now, you’d better hurry. You’ve got to pick up Vinyl in half an hour, correct?”

Octavia glanced at the clock on the wall to see that it read ‘six o’clock’. “Oh, my, you’re right! I need my dress, my purse…” Octavia flew into such a frenzy she didn’t even realize Fredrick had hung up.

“Go get her, Octavia.”

Vinyl heard three knocks on her door. She jumped in a panic at first, but then she quickly rushed to answer. “Hold on, I’m coming!” She threw the door open suddenly and smiled. “Hey, Tavi, I’m-“

Nothing could prepare her for what she saw. Octavia had her mane tied back with a bow and wore the most extravagant yet simply-designed dress Vinyl had ever seen. It was rather similar to hers, but long enough to cover all but Octavia’s hooves, and designed with rows of measures flowing like waves and decorated with a variety of music notes. “Um…I…wow, Tavi, you look…great…”

“Why thank you, Vinyl…as do you, to my slight surprise. Where did you get such a beautiful dress?”

“Oh, my cousin made it for me. She’s kinda really good at this stuff.”

Octavia eyed her date from head to hoof. “If I might ask…your cousin wouldn’t happen to be Rarity, would it?”

“Yeah, that’s her!” Vinyl stared blankly for a moment before realizing how Octavia could have guessed that. “Wait, don’t tell me…“

Octavia nodded. “This dress is one of Rarity’s works as well. I commissioned it a few years ago for special occasions.” She motioned out the door. “Now, shall we get going? I have reservations for us at seven, and it shouldn’t take us too long to get there.”

Vinyl nodded and the two set out. Octavia knew it wouldn’t be a long walk, so she didn’t immediately think to spark up a conversation with Vinyl. Of course, that didn’t stop the unicorn mare herself from starting one. “So, uh, Tavi…I hope you don’t mind if I ask kind of a personal question.”

“That all depends…what is the question?”

“Well, I’ve told you a little bit about my parents.”

“Only that your mother is a noble of some degree and your father is associated with the music business just as you are.”

“Well, my question is…what are your parents like?” Octavia stopped short. Vinyl almost stumbled trying to turn back to her. “Um…sorry, I didn’t think-“

“No, it’s quite all right…I just wasn’t expecting it. My mother and I are not on speaking terms, as far as I am concerned, and my father…” Octavia’s gaze shifted to the ground. “I’ve never even met him. He left before I was even born.”

“Oh, jeez…” Vinyl pulled herself closer to Octavia and wrapped her forelegs around her neck. “I’m sorry, Tavi, I didn’t know.”

“It’s…it’s fine, Vinyl, I…” She looked back up toward the path. “Let’s keep going, all right? We’ll talk a bit more in the restaurant.” Vinyl nodded and broke the hug. The couple continued walking until they arrived at an extravagantly large building, at least twice the size of the restaurant from the other day, and nearly six times larger than Vinyl’s own bar. The DJ marveled at the structure, unsure of what wonders would await inside such a place.

“Uh…Tavi, this isn’t gonna cost too much, is it? I mean, I’ve got the bits, but this place look-“

Octavia’s giggling cut Vinyl off. “Trust me…it might look impressive, but honestly the most expensive part of this date was the reservations. I paid almost one hundred bits apiece for each of us.”

Vinyl’s eyes widened. “Whoa, seriously, Tavi? You didn’t have to spend that kind of money on me, I-“

Vinyl found herself stopped again, this time by Octavia’s hoof in front of her mouth. “I won’t hear another word of it, Vinyl. This night is from me to you…not just as a date, but to thank you for everything you’ve done for me these past few weeks.” Vinyl flushed and smiled awkwardly as they casually sauntered on into the building and stopped at the front door where a stallion stood at a wooden pedestal with a book of names. “Hello, I have a reservation for two under ‘Octavia Philharmonica’.”

The stallion standing at the pedestal flipped through his book, scanning the list of names for the evening. He murmured something, causing Octavia to look very worried. The stallion glanced back through a second time to make sure he hadn’t missed anything, and when he reached the bottom, he sighed. “My deepest apologies, Miss Philharmonica, but we do not have a reservation under your name for this evening.”

Octavia stared daggers at the stallion as he cowered behind his pedestal. “What do you MEAN, you have no reservations under my name?! I came here eight hours ago and paid for it! You have my two hundred bits already, there must be a reservation! Try ‘Vinyl Scratch’, maybe I put it under hers instead of mine.” The stallion fearfully looked through the book again, and after shaking his head, hid back behind the podium. “How in the…oh, I will certainly be speaking to your manager about this!”

“The manager isn’t here today, but you can come back tomorrow and-“

“I MOST DEFINITELY WILL!” Octavia stormed out the door leaving a trail of dust and rage in her wake. Even Vinyl could feel the tension in the room. She chuckled nervously and waved off the stallion.

“Sorry about that, buddy…uh, here.” Vinyl set a few coins on the podium. “A few bits for your trouble, and uh…again, sorry.” Vinyl quickly followed Octavia out to see here standing in the street, head hung low and a quiet sob breaking the silence of the city. “H-hey, Tavi, don’t cry, everything’s gonna be fine. You can get your bits back and it’ll all be okay.”

“I don’t care about the bits, Vinyl…” she wiped her eyes and looked at the DJ, her face showing she was ready to break out into tears again. “I wanted this to be perfect…I wanted to show you how much this meant to me, how much you meant to me, and now it’s ruined…”

“Well, I wouldn’t say that.”

“W-what do you mean, Vinyl?”

“Well, I had an idea for something we could’ve done after dinner, but since that isn’t happening, we could skip right to it if you’d like.”

Octavia sniffled and smiled a bit. “Well…that all depends. What is it?”

“How would you, Octavia Philharmonica, like to take a stroll with me through the Royal Gardens?”

Octavia stared blankly at Vinyl, obviously in disbelief. “Vinyl…you have to be royalty to enter the royal gardens.”

“Well, normally, yeah…” Vinyl reached into the lining of her dress and pulled out two cards bearing the insignia of the Royal Sisters. “But Princess Luna had me do a show one night at the palace and invited a whole bunch of night-life-type ponies. It was an absolute hit, and she granted me semi-royal access. Normally, we’d be able to tour the castle as well, but it would be closed to anypony, even ones with these passes, at this time. But all I need to do is flash these babies, and we can walk through the gardens, and nopony can bother us.”

Octavia felt herself almost brought to tears again, but ones of joy as opposed to sorrow. She tossed herself at Vinyl and wrapped the mare in a tight hug. “I would love that, Vinyl.” She giggled slightly. “So I guess this means now you are asking me out.”

“And on the same date, too…we must be breaking some kind of law of inception here or something.”

The two shared a laugh and made their way to the Royal Palace. It took no more than ten minutes, and neither said much of anything as they walked. The two strode down the street in a close embrace; one foreleg over the other’s back as they somehow maintained balance while walking. Nothing needed to be said anymore. It was the safest either of them would admit they’d felt in a long time. The two arrived and looked upon their destination in awe. As always, the palace was the most impressive building in all of Canterlot. With its golden gates, pillars and towers that could touch the stars and the fact alone that Princess Celestia and Luna called the place home, it was a sight to behold. “Well, shall we, milady?” Vinyl pulled out of the embrace carefully and gave a graceful bow, offering her hoof to Octavia.

“Oh, my…such manners from such a wild filly, I never would have expected this.”

“Trust me, Tavi. I’m just full of surprises.”

Side by side, the two approached the guard standing before the gate into the gardens. Vinyl smiled and waved frantically. “Hey, Silver Sigil, what’s up?”

The guardspony blinked twice, trying to make sure he knew what he was seeing. “Vinyl Scratch, what are you doing here? Princess Luna isn’t having another party for several moons.”

“Yeah, well, I’m actually here on a date.” Vinyl brought her leg around Octavia again, pulling her close. “I’m gonna take this lovely lady here on a tour of the gardens, if you don’t mind, old buddy o’ mine.”

“Oh…you wanted to walk through the…” Sigil glanced back through the gate and sighed. “Sorry, Vinyl, that’s not gonna be possible tonight.”

Vinyl looked the guard right in the eyes, completely baffled. “What?”

“The gardens…they just started renovations this morning. They tore up a lot of the paths and removed a bunch of the flowers so they could replace the walkways safely. The gardens won’t be available for access for a month.”

A downcast look that could have rivaled Octavia’s from earlier spread across Vinyl’s face. “Oh…okay. Guess we’ll just…go do something else, Tavi. Thanks anyway, Sig.”

The guardspony waved them off as they began to walk away. He almost shared Vinyl’s expression, obviously wishing he could have done more for them. As soon as they were far enough away, Vinyl felt herself unwillingly slow down. Her body tried to move forward, but her mind told her there was no point, and right now, her mind was winning. ‘Some marefriend I turned out to be…that was my ace in the hole, and it fell apart in seconds…now what?’

“Vinyl…if I might offer a suggestion…”

“Huh?” Octavia’s call snapped Vinyl back to reality. She looked back at her mare and nodded absentmindedly. “What’s your plan, Tavi?”

“We could-“

Before Octavia could propose her idea, something rumbled overhead as storm clouds moved into position. The heavens raged with booming thunder and flashing lightning as the light trickle of rain came forth to hail the downpour to come. “Vinyl, we need to move, NOW.” Octavia fell into a full gallop, moving as quickly as she could down the street. Vinyl followed at top speed right behind her as the clouds above prepared to unleash their torrential fury. Octavia stopped in front of a sizeable estate and rummaged through her dress for something. Vinyl skidded to a halt mere inches behind her as she pulled forth a key, quickly unlocked the door in front of her and rushed inside. Wordlessly, Vinyl followed her through and slammed the door behind her. The two sat there for a few minutes, panting heavily and letting the little water that soaked their dresses drip to the floor.

“Where…in Tartarus…did that come from?”

“I have absolutely no idea…though I suppose neglecting to check the weather report for this evening might have been a folly on my part…”

“I never even think to check the weather…I don’t normally go out that often, so it just didn’t occur to me.”

“Well…this is one place we don’t need a reservation. Vinyl, I would like to welcome you to my humble home.”

Vinyl finally managed to take a look around to see that she was in a foyer of sorts. Two spiral staircases led upstairs to other rooms, and beyond the foyer was a sitting room with a soft, dry, comfortable-looking couch set right before a fireplace just begging to be lit. Her only reply was that of an impressed whistle. “Nice place…way better than my run-down little shack of an apartment.” Octavia didn’t reply, and Vinyl looked back to her to make sure she was okay.

She was not okay.

Octavia had walked over to the couch in the sitting room and collapsed onto it, burying her face into a pillow. “Tavi…?” Vinyl followed her steps and as she grew closer, she could hear Octavia’s quiet sobs through the cloth cushion. “Tavi, what’s wrong?”

“What’s…what’s wrong?” She looked up from the pillow, staring at Vinyl with tear-filled eyes. “Everything is wrong! This entire night has just fallen apart, and nothing worked out like either of us planned it! The reservations, the gardens, this blasted storm…and now we’re stuck here with nothing to do. The date is ruined, and it’s my fault…” Octavia broke down again, shoving her muzzle back into the pillow and continuing to cry.

“Tavi…what makes you think the date’s ruined?”

The grey mare’s head shot up. Her eyes met Vinyl’s and her face was plastered with an expression of pure shock. “What?”

Vinyl pulled herself onto the couch and made herself comfortable next to Octavia. “The date isn’t ruined…it just hasn’t gone according to plan so far.”

Octavia chuckled bitterly. “Thanks for the reminder, Vinyl.”

“No, no, what I mean is…you were trying to set the whole thing up according to the plan. What you needed to do was just make it up as you went along.”

“What do you mean? Like…improvise everything?”

“Yeah, basically, that’s what you gotta do. You can’t just plan love; you gotta let it happen on its own.”

Octavia sighed and let her head fall back onto the pillow. “Then I suppose I messed up this relationship already.”

“I wouldn’t say that.”

Octavia rose back up and looked to her date. “What do you me-“

Vinyl moved forward and locked lips with Octavia. It took a few seconds before the grey mare realized what was happening, but she soon allowed herself to melt into the kiss. It wasn’t nearly as heated or intense as Vinyl was used to, nor was it merely as simple as a kiss on the cheek exchanged by friends like Octavia would know. It was relaxing yet fueled with enough passion to show its true meaning. After a minute, the kiss broke and the two stared into the depths of each other’s eyes.

“Vi-“
“Oct-“

“AHEM!”

Vinyl and Octavia threw their gazes to the door, where now another pony stood, and glaring daggers at them. Octavia shuddered with a fear she’d felt very rarely these days. It was a fear that reminded her of her childhood in the worst ways. Standing under the archway between the staircases, shaking rainwater from her umbrella, was a dark-red-maned grey mare Octavia never would have expected to see again. She calmed herself mentally and addressed the entity.

“Hello, Mother.”

Author's Note

Time to publish a chapter earlier than intended and leave everyone on a climactic cliffhanger until the end of the week! Next chapter will likely be up Saturday, if not, expect it as the usual Thursday post next week. I've got some side-projects I've been working on and they're FINALLY almost done!

Chapter 5: Knowing What to Do

Time stood still as the two mares sat on the couch, neither moving nor speaking. For a short span of time that felt like an eternity, the only audible noises were that of the gale-force winds outside and the barrage of rain on the walls of the estate. It took nearly a minute for anypony to say anything, and Octavia was the first.

“Mother, what brings you all the way out here?”

Concerto Philharmonica was known for many things but topmost being her ownership of most of the record companies in Canterlot, and her spiteful attitude towards anything but perfection. She sneered as she tossed aside her umbrella and walked slowly toward the two. “I had come out after I’d heard about your foolishness at the Golden String Concert Hall, and I’d figured you needed my help. And then I come into my own home to find the rumors to be true, that you’re traipsing about with this…this…” The venom in her voice built until she practically spat the last word like acid. “Degenerate…”

“Mother, I hardly believe you have any say in my life at this point.”

Concerto glared at her daughter. “And what gives you any right to speak to your mother that way? Obviously, this hooligan has been rubbing off on you in all the wrong ways.”

“Get to the point, mother. Why are you really here?”

“I came to pull you out of the miserable rut you let yourself fall into with your failure.” Octavia winced at that, ready to hide her face in the pillow again. “And with all the work I put into your career, you turn against me like this…no doubt thanks to this wretched mare filling your head with stupid notions.” Octavia sank lower and lower, feeling her spirit crumble under the weight of her mother’s words. “And today would have turned out just lovely if you hadn’t taken this path. Perhaps you and I would have been able to talk at that restaurant you had your reservations at, or maybe it wouldn’t have stormed like this if you’d just obeyed me as you always had. And just maybe-“

“HOLD ON A SECOND!”

Octavia glanced up at a positively fuming Vinyl Scratch, who glared at Concerto with more hate than she ever had in her body before. “How did you know Octavia had reservations at that restaurant? And what was that comment about the rain?”

“W-what are you talking about you delinquent? I said nothing of the-“

“You did it, didn’t you?” Concerto’s eyes showed a glimmer of fear for a split second. “You canceled Tavi’s reservations at that restaurant! You paid off the Canterlot weather team to make it storm today! I bet you even commissioned the renovations of the Palace Gardens!”

“Well, how else was I going to convince my beloved daughter that a self-indulgent harlot like you is no good for her?”

Vinyl scoffed. “Yeah, right, she’s beloved to you. If that’s the case, then tell me this.” Concerto smirked, awaiting the DJs half-baked detective question. “How long ago was Octavia’s concert at the Golden Strings Concert Hall?”

“What kind of a stupid question is that? It was a week ago, obviously.”

Vinyl chuckled bitterly. “You dense, ignorant snob, how stupid can you be?”

“How DARE-“

“It was a month ago!” Concerto and Vinyl jumped slightly as Octavia rose back up, hopped off the couch and began to approach her mother. “That concert was over a month ago, and you have the nerve to show up now of all times, right when I’m finally happy with my life?” Her mother motioned to speak, but Octavia would not allow her to. “I finally realized what it was that I was missing…it was love, mother. Father was gone, and you had your head buried so deep in your work that you didn’t even care what happened to me after you sent me on my way, so long as everything I did was approved of by you without my consent. You built my life for me, never letting me live it on my own, and now Vinyl has shown me that I can live it on my own!”

“Octavia, think about what you’re doing! Are you really just going to pass your life, the life I worked so hard to give you, over to some two-bit hack who claims to be a musician?”

“It would be a far better place for it than in your greedy hooves. With you, I could only do what you wanted me to do. But now, I call the shots on my own life. I chose my life’s direction. I choose who I love! And I love Vinyl Scratch!”

Once again, all but a voice was heard throughout the room. The rain had let up, but the wind still howled with intensity as Octavia and Concerto stared each other down. The red-maned mare finally let out a defeated sigh. “Very well, then. I suppose I cannot control you anymore.”

“Thank you-“

“But this is my house, not yours. If you want your freedom, you’ll get nothing from me. Leave, and never come back.”

Vinyl gasped as Octavia and her mother stared each other down before the mare beside Vinyl stepped forth and began walking towards the door. “Good luck with the rest of your miserable life, mother. Don’t expect me to come crawling back.”

“Believe me, I don’t,” Concerto spat, glaring at Vinyl who took a bit longer to take the hint. She flushed and quickly followed Octavia out, the grey mare slamming the door behind her as she walked.

The two continued to walk down the street. Vinyl knew the bar wasn’t too far, but the heavy rain and slight fog made for a near-impossible line of sight. Vinyl sighed as she conjured a small disc and curved it into a magic umbrella. Octavia continued to aimlessly wander ahead, not even aware of the fact that her coat and mane were completely soaked through. She had a smile on her face and Vinyl couldn’t tell why.

“I…I can’t believe I just did that.”

“If you didn’t, we wouldn’t be walking out in the rain right now, Tavi.”

“I’m…I’m finally free, Vinyl…”

Vinyl glanced over, her expression showing confusion. “Didn’t you usually do your own thing anyway?”

“Well, yes, of course.” Octavia stopped for a moment to allow Vinyl to catch up. “But I was always watched by my mother. She was obsessive, deranged…she wanted everything I did to be by her standards at all times. After the show a month ago, I was terribly upset at first, but after the party and your job offer, I realized that I didn’t need to follow her every whim for the rest of my life. That wasn’t my choice, it was hers!” Octavia flung herself at Vinyl, wrapping her forelegs around the mare in a tight hug, soaking her in rainwater in the process. “But now I’ve finally got my life to myself, and it’s all thanks to you, Vinyl Scratch!”

Vinyl flushed through a smile and ignored her now-sopping-wet coat. “I-I’m glad I could have helped you, Tavi…but I’ve got a question.” Octavia pulled back and looked Vinyl in the eyes. “When…when you said you loved me back there…that wasn’t just something to get your mom off your back, was it? I mean, we’ve only known each other for, like, three weeks or something, and-“ Octavia forced her lips against Vinyl’s, effectively silencing her as the magic umbrella dissipated and their tongues battled for dominance before surrendering to one another. The draw ended when they split after a minute, the two sharing a deep blush. “You know…you’re kinda hot when you’re all wet.”

Octavia puncher her shoulder playfully and kept walking. “Just keep walking, Scratchie.” she said with an airy giggle. “We’ve got a lot of work to do.”

“W-what’s with the sudden nickname?”

“I thought you liked nicknames, Scratchie.”

Vinyl could practically hear the purr in Octavia’s voice and felt a chill down her spine. “Oh, jeez, Tavi, when did you get all…y’know, seductive and stuff?”

“Oh, just following your example, Vinyl…and playing it by ear.”

Vinyl and Octavia sat once again at an empty bar with Berry. The three had apple ciders in front of them and were discussing a variety of things.

“So, this whole club thing of ours isn’t turning out too well, is it, Vi?”

“Not exactly, Ber…I kinda figured a little place like this wouldn’t do too well in Canterlot…a mare can dream, can’t she?”

Octavia took a small sip of her cider. “So, why did you do it, then? If you knew it wouldn’t turn out well, why didn’t you build it somewhere else?”

“I put it here because this property was prime real estate, Tavi.” Vinyl chugged half of her drink and slammed the mug back down, releasing it from her magic. “See, it only cost me a thousand bits to take this old building and refurbish it ever so slightly. And it wasn’t too bad at first, but as the high-society clubs and parties started to kick off again, business started to fall. Plus with all the band members quitting, stealing or drinking on the clock and getting canned for it, we barely ever had any live music playing in here.”

“But that still doesn’t answer my question. Even before you hired me, business was obviously dwindling down. Why didn’t you just close shop?”

“Golden Strings.”

Octavia set her drink down mid-sip. “Golden…Strings? What about-“

“Golden Strings was my mother. The concert hall you performed at was named in her honor after she passed a few years ago.” Octavia fell into silence. She tried to speak, but something kept her words from forming. “Sorry I didn’t tell you about that sooner…but, anyway, when I told her what I wanted to do with my life after I got out of high school, she was so happy for me. Most parents would never have supported such a wild, over-the-top ambition, but my parents were certainly not ‘most parents.’ Dad gave me a bit of funding to start off with, and mom spent a lot of time trying to find the perfect spot for my bar while I played my shows at night. They both did so much…but mom did a bit too much. She stressed herself out and pushed herself too hard; even though she knew it wouldn’t be healthy after all she’d done in her life. Hard as it may be to believe, my mom had a pretty adventurous streak when she was a filly, and she ended up doing a lot of stupid things that kinda got her hurt sometimes.”

“Vinyl, with you being her daughter, I wouldn’t have imagined anything less than ‘rowdy’ from anypony in your family.”

Vinyl chuckled and blushed. “Thanks, Tavi. Anyway, with all the pressure she was putting on herself, she got sick…they couldn’t figure out what it was that she had, but she didn’t have long. The last thing she gave me before she passed was the ad for the building we’re standing in right now. It used to be a salt bar ten years ago, but it went out of business and the building never got used again. They didn’t bother tearing it down because it was barely worth anything and it was small. Nothing else could have gone here. So, a few years after she passed, I’d finally collected enough cash and I bought the place. I did exactly what I told my parents I would do, and…” Vinyl had done all she could to hold back her tears, but they finally began to break through and drop to the floor of the club. “I just didn’t wanna give up on this place so soon…”

“Oh, Vinyl…” Once again, the two mares found themselves sharing a hug, this time Octavia comforting Vinyl. “Do you…do you still want to keep it?”

Vinyl thought for a moment, then shook her head as they parted from the hug. “I wanted to at first, but…after talking about it; it’s not really the club itself that holds the memories…but everything behind me getting it that does. I want to be able to move on and try this somewhere else.”

“How about Ponyville?” asked Berry, drawing the mares’ attention to her. “There aren’t nearly as many ponies there as there are here in Canterlot, but you can bet they’d love a traditional bar setting like this in such a rural town. Besides, my sister lives there and she’s told me that a ton of ponies love the local cider.”

Vinyl and Octavia looked at Berry, then to each other, then back at the barmare. “You know…that might actually be a wonderful idea. Ponyville is a nice, quiet place, away from all the ignorant nobles of Canterlot, and even if either of us had to come back here, it’s only a two-hour train ride.”

Vinyl glanced around the bar, seeing only the usual single pony sitting in the corner. “Hey, Harpo, you think moving the show to Ponyville is a good idea?”

“I don’t see why not…but I won’t be able to sneak in unnoticed anymore. You’ll miss me.”

Vinyl chuckled. “I think I’ll manage, Harpy.” She turned back to the bar and chugged the remainder of her cider. “All righty then, Ponyville it is! I’ll start crunching the numbers and finding buyers for this old place, and if I can’t find anypony who wants to take it off our hooves, I’ll find something else to do with it.” Vinyl’s gaze fell to Octavia again. “Oh, uh…I didn’t even think about this…you kinda don’t, uh…I mean, you’re not living in…uh…” Octavia stared, awaiting the question she knew Vinyl was struggling to ask. “Taviyouwannamoveinwithme?”

Octavia giggled and smiled. “That sounds like a fantastic idea, Vinyl Scratch.”

Author's Note

No notes for this one, as both this and the epilogue are being posted at the same time!

Epilogue: Gotta Make it Up As You Go

In a full club in Ponyville, Vinyl and Octavia stood on stage together, playing to a rallying, cheering crowd. Octavia rocked out on bass guitar far more masterfully than she ever had before, Vinyl jammed on lead guitar and sang along on a headset microphone, Berry banged on the drums and a young drake already native to the town joined them on the ivory keys. The ponies practically crowded the space around the stage, and even more were attempting to squeeze through the door, albeit unsuccessful thanks to the gargantuan blonde-maned bouncer keeping everything in check. As their song ended, the cheers grew into a cacophony of indecipherable voices. The band simply bowed and retreated to their somewhat luxurious dressing room behind the stage. Vinyl and Octavia set their instruments down and sighed.

“This is a lot more fun than I ever thought it would be, Scratch.”

Vinyl grinned and pulled the mare closer to her. “What’d I tell ya, Tavi? I knew you’d love it.” She let Octavia go and walked over to the drake, holding a hoof out to him. “Yo, Spike, you rocked it out there! Would you mind coming on as a permanent member of the band?”

Spike returned the bump with a claw-fist. “You want me, you got me. Of course, I’ve still gotta talk to Twilight about it. She is kinda my boss-slash-big-sister-slash-mom and stuff.”

“Cool, cool…” Vinyl approached her best friend next. “As expected, Ber, dynamite drumming. You don’t let yourself get rusty at anything, do ya?”

Berry Punch flushed. “You know what they say…if you’ve got a talent, don’t waste it.” The mulberry mare eyed the clock on the wall. “Jeez, it’s almost midnight. No more encores, right, Vi?”

Vinyl shook her head and chuckled. “Tartarus, no, two is more than enough.” The DJ moved back to her mare. “What do you say we head on home, Tavi? I hear a nice, soft mattress calling our names.”

Octavia gave a light nod, her body already being taken over by a half-sleep state. Side by side, the two mares walked out to the stage again to be greeted by the crowds. Vinyl stepped up to the microphone at the front of the stage and tapped it twice to ensure it was on. “Okay, folks, much as we’d love to play some more, we’re all getting real tired and it’s almost midnight, so everypony has to clear out. But we’ll be back next week, I promise!” Though initially met with disappointed groans, the chatter turned positive as the crowds retreated out the doors. The bar was soon emptied to the extent where those remaining were its employees. Vinyl walked over to the bar where a rose-maned, pink-coated mare reminiscent of Berry Punch stood cleaning the countertop. “Hey, Cheers, I’ve really gotta thank you for taking the night shift at the bar when Berry’s on stage with us.”

“Oh, it’s not a problem at all, Vinyl.” Cheerilee smiled and put the last few glasses back under the bar. “Teaching is a wonderful occupation, but sometimes the bits just don’t cut it. It’s nice to have a bit of extra money every now and then.” She looked over to the stoic stallion standing guard at the door. “And the view from here isn’t bad, either.”

“Eyeing up Applejack’s brother again, sis?” Cheerilee jumped as Berry walked up behind Vinyl. “Just go and ask the damn boy out already.”

“The last thing I plan to do is take dating advice from my little sister.”

“You’re only older by a few days!”

“Well, you two can continue your bickering outside the club, because I’ve gotta close up shop.”

The lights went down and the remaining ponies in the club parted ways at the door, with the exception of Vinyl and a very tired Octavia. Vinyl zapped the handle with her magic and an aura enveloped the building before fading out. “All right, Tavi, we’re headed home now.” Octavia mumbled something along the lines of ‘okay’ and leaned into Vinyl. “You wanna hang onto me?” The grey mare nodded and draped a hoof over Vinyl’s neck and the two continued onward. Five minutes of soothing silence later, the two find themselves in front of their humble abode. It hadn’t been much compared to Octavia’s old estate, but it was a far cry from anywhere Vinyl had ever lived. It was home, and that’s how they treated it. Upon entering, Octavia drifted over to the couch in the center of the living room and draped herself across it. Vinyl giggled and made herself comfortable right next to her. After snuggling into position, she suddenly felt something brush into her neck and looked down to see Octavia’s head nestled under her chin.

“Vinyl?”

“Yeah, Tavi?”

“What do we do now?”

“What do you mean?”

“I mean…we’ve done what we wanted to…we left Canterlot, rebuilt the bar here in Ponyville, got a fantastic deal on this house…”

“Yeah, I’ll have to write out a proper thank-you to Marble Streak for the hint about this place.”

“After all this…what’s next?”

“You know exactly what’s next, Tavi.”

Octavia nuzzled Vinyl’s neck and kissed it lightly. “And what’s that?”

“Anything…anything we want, Tavi, we can do it. We don’t have to make plans or anything. You wanna travel to Appleloosa? We’ll do it! Wanna spend countless hours at home reading Daring Do? We’ll do that too! All we gotta do is wing it, and we can make anything happen.”

Octavia giggled as she lifted her head up so that she was looking directly into Vinyl’s eyes. “I never told you how much I loved your eyes. Such a beautiful color…” Vinyl’s cheeks turned red. “You blush the same color too. It’s cute.”

The two shared a laugh and stared into each other’s eyes in silence for a few moments. Out of nowhere, Vinyl began to sing the song they had just finished playing. “I don’t care where you’re from, if you’re smart or you’re dumb…”

Octavia joined in, harmonizing with Vinyl flawlessly. “If you wanna be a bad guy or Mister Right…”

“I don’t care what you say, I’mma go my own way!”

“You go yours, and maybe we’ll meet up someday!”

Suddenly filled with an unusual energy, the two stood up and began to dance, standing on their back legs and holding onto one another, spinning around the room and giggling as they continued to sing.

“Make it up!”
“Make it up!”

“As you go!”
“As you go!”

“Future’s wide open, nothing’s written in stone!”

The two spun again and again until they fell back on the couch, Octavia lying atop Vinyl. Their eyes met once more as Octavia dove into a kiss that lingered for more than a minute. They melted into each other and smiled as they parted and finished the song.

“Gotta make it up as you go.”

Author's Note

STORY FINISHED GUYS!

I know it wasn't a particularly long story, but I never intended it to be. But it's done, and guess what? I might do a sequel!

Not really sure where I could go from here, but I'll give it a shot. But that's some ways away. For now, I will sit back and enjoy the fact that I have finally finished a story that isn't a one-shot or a holiday special.

I would like to thank my dedicated readers for sticking around all this time, and I would like to give a special shout out to Twilight_Scratch for commenting on every single chapter of my story. You are an awesome individual and I really appreciate the support you gave me along the way. Even seeing your one comment per chapter was enough to keep the story going. All it takes is one reader to make a difference, guys.

3 AM, TIME TO PASS OUT.