Chapter 1: Introductions
The city of Baltimare was a true wonder. A city at the eastern coast of Equestria, Baltimare was responsible for much of Equestrias transportation by water, delivering goods to many ports along the coast, including the Gryphon Empire and Saddle-Arabia. The city itself was famous for its many restaurants and vibrant nightlife. The proximity to the ocean was something that drew the attention of many sea-lovers, although some were deterred by the salty smell and constant damp air in the city. Nevertheless, the city had its nightlife, and was almost on par with Las Pegasus in that area. Baltimare was truly full of opportunities for ambitious ponies. Although some didn’t share the general enthusiasm for the city’s wonders…
“Ugh, why did he want to meet in a place like this?”
A mare trotted through the rain along Hoof Street, a central street in the nightclub district of Baltimare. Ponies were bustling around everywhere, as it was week-end and everypony wanted to get out and enjoy themselves. It was late at night and rain had started to fall, as was usual with Baltimares damp weather. She was an earth pony with an ashen-grey coat and a long, charcoal colored mane. A pink bow tie adorned her neck. Her cutie mark was a treble clef, signaling her proficiency in music to everypony around. Her amethyst eyes darted around her as she tried to spot her destination. Her name was Octavia.
And she was not pleased.
“Honestly, of all places, he wants to meet at a nightclub?”
Octavia was recently graduated from the music university in Trottingham, where she studied classical music. The time at uni had been the best years of Octavia's life. Without the constant pressure from her mother to better herself, and instead lose herself fully in her music, she had finally felt free. Maybe she had performed too well at uni, since shortly after graduating, she had been contacted by a famous Canterlot composer named Frederick Horseshoepin, who wanted to “discuss work” with her. Whatever that meant, she was soon to find out, hopefully.
The rain was starting to fall more heavily, and Octavia let slip a sigh of relief as she saw the sign of the club where she was to meet Mr. Horseshoepin.
“’The Minotaur’. I suppose this is the place,” she mumbled to herself.
A soft buzzing from her mane startled her. She quickly pulled out her phone, which she quite cleverly stashed in her mane by her neck.
Hello honey! I hope you are well. I apologize for not making it to your graduation, but work has been rough lately, and I couldn’t afford to go to Trottingham. Regardless, I just wanted to let you know that I think of you, and hope you find success. Love, dad.
A smile touched Octavias lips as she read her father’s heart-felt message. She and her father hadn't spent a whole lot of time together these last few years, which her mother had a hand in preventing.
She clenched her teeth together at the thought of her mother.
Nevertheless, there was at least one pony in this world she could rely on. She thought about the happy memories she shared with her father as a shout from behind her shook her from her daydreaming.
“Octavia! There you are dear! What are you doing in the rain? Please, please, come on inside.”
Frederick Horseshoepin ushered Octavia inside The Minotaur. He was an earth pony with a soft brown coat, short cut blonde mane and green eyes. His cutie mark was two double quavers, one white and one black.
“I hope you found your way here safely,” Frederick said. “I know the clubs of this district of the city sort of blend in with each other to the untrained eye.”
He was right. It had taken Octavia the better part of an hour to find The Minotaur. All the flashing signs of Hoof Street had distracted her from actually reading what they said. And as such, she had worked her way past The Minotaur once or twice, before finally reading the sign above the entrance. She was a little on edge as a result, something that was soon worsened by the interior of the nightclub.
The inside of The Minotaur was a pretty regular nightclub, but Octavia hadn’t exactly spent a lot of time out “partying”. A central stage towards the right wall of the club, along with the dance floor, dominated much of the club. Above the stage were long rows of flashing lights, along with smoke machines. To the back and left of the club were a bunch of tables, where most ponies sat and chatted amicably with eachother.
No, Octavia wasn't what you would call a "party-animal". So she was slightly startled by the loud music and the bright flashing lights in front of the stage. Not to mention the ponies jumping around in front of the stage. Honestly, how could it be considered “fun” to tackle around with so many other ponies at such a loud place? Octavia shuddered. At least she wasn’t here to join the grunting buffoons ont the dance floor.
She was here to find out exactly what Frederick had meant with “discussing work”. They took a seat at a table to the far back at the club, where the music wasn’t so loud, and the near-crippling lights were blocked out by the bar situated between them and the stage. Frederick trotted up to the bar and ordered a glass of wine. When asked if she wanted anything, Octavia gracefully declined.
“I am pleased to finally meet you, Mr. Horseshoepin.” Octavia extended a hoof to the brown pony.
“Please, call me Frederick,” he said as he shook her hoof gently. “I must apologize for requesting this meeting on such short notice, and at such a place. I believe this is neither of our fortes.”
Octavia smiled. "No, it certainly isn't". Upon realising how rude she sounded, she quickly added, "but the location is of no consequence, I assure you. I suppose i can see the charm in such a place."
Frederick seemed to relax. "Yes, yes of course. To be able to have fun without somepony making fun of you must be a relieving experience indeed". He tapped his hooves on the table before meeting her eyes with his. "I must confess Miss Octavia. I didn't ask you here because I just wanted to have a night out with a pretty mare." Octavia blushed slightly. "I asked you here because I wanted to be lucky enough to catch you before anypony from one of those touring orchestras did."
Octavia was slightly taken aback by the comment. A touring orchestra? That had been Octavias dream when she was younger, and the appeal still lingered in the back of her mind. But what did he…?
“Forgive me, Frederick, but what do you mean by “lucky to catch me”?”
He smiled gently at her.
“I’ve had my eyes on you for quite some time, Octavia. You graduated at the top of your class at Trottingham University, where you studied classical music, correct?”
Octavia blushed slightly. This pony had quite obviously been doing his homework.
“Y-yes, but what does that have to do with our meeting?” she asked quietly. Or, at least as quietly she could with the roaring music in the background.
Frederick started laughing softly. Octavia felt more embarrassed by the minute.
“My dear, I am putting together an orchestra. And I want you in it,” he chuckled.
Octavias brain did a backflip. Two days out of uni, and she already had a request by a famous composer to join his orchestra? She stared blankly at the wall opposite their table before a cough from the pony sitting opposite her drew her back to reality.
“So… do you accept?” he asked cautiously. He had expected her to accept right away, but her blank stare that seemed to pierce right through him made him shift uncomfortably in his seat.
“Hmm? Ehm, I-I think I need some more time to think about this.” Octavia was still slightly shaken by his generous proposal. It was her life-long dream to play in a real orchestra. But being a well-raised mare, she never jumped at anything, as doing something brash was something her mother never tolerated.
She shuddered slightly at the thought of her mother.
Frederick looked crestfallen.
“Yes, yes of course. Take all the time you need. You already have my number, so feel free to call me should you choose to accept.”
At that, he stood up and turned to leave, and Octavia soon found herself alone at the loud nightclub. Deciding some alcohol might just calm her nerves, she stumbled up to the bar and ordered a glass of wine. Sipping it slowly, as was becoming of a lady, she glanced around her at the club.
The atmosphere seemed less stressful than when she had first arrived. Maybe she just had gotten used to it. The amount of ponies in front of the stage had thinned out considerably, much to the DJs dismay, as she kept shouting with the music. Maybe nightclubs aren’t so terrible after all.
She sipped slowly on her wine as she organized her thoughts. She had been requested to join an orchestra along a composer known across all of Equestria, and probably quite a few other places. She didn’t quite know how to process this information, as she never could have dreamt something as wonderful would happen to her.
She sighed contently and smiled happily. Maybe the world isn’t as bad as mother said.
An angry shout from the scene pulled her from her happy thoughts.
“Celestia, how long have I been here?” Octavia looked around to find the nightclub almost empty. She pulled out at her phone and looked at the time. 02.54.
With an exasperated sigh, she stood from her table and started working her way over to the door. She was highly unaccustomed to staying out this late, and her limbs started to feel like lead.
“-what the buck do you mean I’m only getting half pay?!”
The same angry voice from earlier sounded from behind her. The DJ stood with The Minotaur’s manager with an angry scowl on her face. She was a unicorn with a white coat and a frizzy electric blue mane. Her cutie mark was a mirrored black double quaver. Also, strangely enough, she wore a pair of purple tinted goggles.
“As I told you ma’am, your performance tonight was less than satisfactory,” the manager calmly stated. He was a tall black pegasus with a long green mane and a grey maelstrom as a cutie mark.
“DON’T YOU BUCKING MA’AM ME! The crowd loved my performance! They danced like crazy all night!” the white unicorn mare spat back angrily.
“That may be the case, but we received several complaints from the patrons, saying you were shouting like crazy in the mic towards the end of your performance. They didn’t like that. And we like to keep our customers happy, and as such, we are cutting your pay for tonight. Have a pleasant night.”
He handed her a bag of bits and trotted away. The mare stomped her hoof angrily as she muttered to herself.
“80 bucking bits for all that bass-tastic awesomeness… Some ponies really don’t appreciate good music.”
Octavia let slip a gasp as she released a breath she didn’t realise she had been holding. At that, the unicorn shot an angry glare in Octavias direction.
“I-I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to eavesdrop.” Octavia hastily made an apology and turned to leave. She hastily trotted outside to the street and began making her way back to the hotel she was staying at during her visit to Baltimare. The unicorn sighed and trotted after her.
They made it some distance down the street before the white mare called out from behind Octavia.
“Hey! I’m sorry I gave you that angry look. I was just pissed off at that hay-headed manager. He cut my pay for tonight,” she muttered, still angry.
Octavia tried unsuccessfully to keep the blush from her cheeks. She was still ashamed for eavesdropping.
“Yes, I know,” she said as she hung her head and stared intently at the cobblestones. “I heard that part. I’m sorry.”
“Hey, you didn’t do anything wrong!” The mare tried to comfort Octavia.
Octavia lifted her head and looked straight into those purple goggles. She thought it was kind of strange for a pony to wear goggles. She had never seen anyone do that.
The mare held out a hoof.
“’Sup? I’m Vinyl. Vinyl Scratch. What’s your name?”
“My name’s Octavia, pleased to meet you.”
Vinyl giggled at Octavias proper manners, as it wasn’t something she saw often in her business as a DJ. Octavia took notice, but decided to not say anything.
"So what's an uptown gal like you doing at a joint like this?" Vinyl avsked nonchalantly. "The ponies who usually come here aren't all that... Well-dressed". She had her eyes fixed on Octavia's bow-tie.
"If you must know, I was here for a business meeting," Octavia responded, perhaps a little too quickly.
Vinyl burst out laughing. "HAHAHA! A business meeting?! You? Sorry to say it but you don't really look like the business type to me."
Octavia cheeks grew red. "W-what makes you say that?" she spat back angrily (or at least she tried to sound angry).
"You seem really out of place is all. Your eyes have been darting around like a madpony ever since you set hoof in there".
"You've been watching me?" Octavia didn't quite know how to respond.
"Meh, I notice most ponies who come in here. No offense though. I'm sure you did your best to blend in", Vinyl said with a wink.
Hmm, maybe life in the city will be harder than i thought if a DJ noticed i don't fit in. "Yes, i may need some practice on that."
“Aaanyways, I’m gonna go get black-out drunk. Long day. You wanna come?” Vinyl continued.
Octavia was shocked by Vinyl’s sudden, bold words. Why would anyone consider it a worthwhile activity to consume alcohol in such quantities? She was a proper mare.
“No thank you,” she respectfully declined. “I have already stayed out for far too long, and I really should be getting back to my hotel.”
The unicorn shrugged her shoulders. “Fine, although I think it could do you some good to let loose for once. You seem kinda stuck-up.”
Octavia grew flustered at the comment. “Well, at least I don’t spend my time drinking alcohol until I pass out, as it would seem you do,” she replied angrily.
“Whatever.” Vinyl responded and shrugged her shoulders. Octavia was getting increasingly agitated with this mare. She decided it was time to leave the rude unicorn to her own devices and head back to the hotel.
“I’m leaving now. Goodnight.” With that she turned and trotted towards to her hotel.
Vinyl now stood alone on the sidewalk and chuckled to herself.
“Heh, strange mare that one.”
A buzzing noise drew her eyes towards the cobblestones. Octavia had dropped her phone. Vinyl turned to look for her, but she was nowhere to be seen. She sighed and picked it up, and started trotting in the general direction she saw Octavia go just a minute ago.
Chapter 2: Backgrounds
Tired. So tired. A black earth pony with a grey mane trotted along a street in Fillydelphia. The weather was rainy, and it was around midnight, so the only light he had shone down upon him from the streetlamps. He passed by several night-open cafés, and ponies laughing and having a good time. He smiled weakly. I'm glad at least some ponies are happy. He continued his slow march down a few more streets, approaching his goal. He had a slight slug in his step, as if he had been running for a few hours. He soon arrived at his small apartment, which was situated in a poor district of the city, Cotton Slopes. He rummaged through his saddlebags for his key, and unlocked the door.
The apartment was no residence for a rich pony, that was for sure. A simple bed, a small kitchen and a toilet was pretty much all that was contained within. On a small table beside the bed stood a framed photo of a grey mare with a charcoal mane. He smiled at the photograph, and promptly plopped down on his bed.
"Ugh, I'm never taking those 12-hour shifts again", he grumbled. He wanted desperately to go to sleep, but he had one more thing to do. He pulled out his phone from his saddlebags which he had set down beside the bed, and started texting. Hello honey! I hope you are well...
He sent the text, and content that he had accomplished everything he could for the day, he put the phone on the bedside table and laid down. Sleep wasn't far away for the exhausted stallion, and the apartment was soon filled with his snoring.
XXX
Vinyl followed Octavia with a frown on her face. Her booze night would be delayed because of this mare. If she found her, she would be given an ear-full. The streets were brightly lit by Baltimare's trusty, 500 watt-something, streetlamps. At least she thought they were, as the lamps were pretty bucking bright. She was glad she wore her goggles, as she would probably have gone blind without them.
After ten minutes or so, she caught sight of Octavia's tail swishing inside a large building. Vinyl quickly galloped over and read the sign.
"Sherahoof. Huh." Vinyl was pretty amazed at the hotel were Octavia was staying, as it was one of the most expensive ones in Baltimare. She shrugged her shoulders and trotted inside. Now to find... buck. Octavia was nowhere to be seen. The receptionist perked up from her gossip magazine and scrutinized Vinyl.
"May I be of service?", she asked, a little coldly.
"Um, yes actually. I found a phone that i think belongs to someone in this hotel."
"And what might be the name of this 'someone'?"
"Octavia." Vinyl wondered what she had done wrong. This mare was really rude.
"Oh, yes, Miss Octavia. Just give the phone to me, and I will make sure she gets it", the receptionist mare stated flatly.
"Okay, thanks!" Vinyl handed the phone to the mare and trotted out into the street. Puh, that was weird. I guess I don't quite fit in with the snobs. Now for the epic Pon-3 barcrawl! She chuckled to herself, and set out to find as many bars as she could before turning in for the night.
XXX
Octavia's suite at Sherahoof's was actually quite modest for such a luxury hotel. She had rented one of the cheapest rooms, as she thought she would only be staying a few days. The room itself hosted a few bookshelves, a TV, a queen-sized bed and, of course, a bathroom. Octavia currently stood in the shower, trying to wash of the stress of the day.
A job offer on my first day in Baltimare. I wonder what dad would say. She smiled to herself. He would probably come up with some expensive way to congratulate me. He really must stop doing that.
The shower brought some much needed relief from her hectic night, which included her run-in with that rude mare. Honestly, who would talk like that to somepony they just met? She shook her head, burying the thoughts. I will probably never meet her again anyhow.
She turned of the shower and wrapped towels around her mane and tail. Exiting the bathroom, she turned on the TV, if only for some background noise.
"Now where did i put my phone...?" She searched around for it. She thought she must have put it somewhere in her room before showering, but she couldn't remember where. Guess it pays off to stay out so late, I'm too tired to do anything.
After a quick search around the room, she could establish that her phone was, indeed, not in her room.
Oh, buck me. I must've forgot it back at the Minotaur.
Deciding that she was much too tired to return to the club at such a late hour (they were closed now anyway), she finished drying her mane and slid under the covers of her bed. She would deal with it in the morning. Unaccustomed to staying out late, she found sleep easily.
XXX
The next day...
Vinyl wanted to die. Literally. The barcrawl last night had been a huge success (at least she thought so, if the gnome with the jackhammer in her head was any indication). She had visited at least seven bars and clubs that she could remember, and probably a few more after that. She looked out her window. The sun had begun to rise across the roof-tops of Baltimare, announcing the start of a new day. At least for the non-hungover ponies around.
Vinyl groaned, and slowly sat up in her bed. She patted with a hoof on her nightstand, searching for her goggles. Her hoof hit something, and she instinctively grabbed it. Not glasses. Phone. She checked the time. 07.14.
"What am I doing awake?" She asked nopony in particular. She flopped back down on her small bed and closed her eyes. The universe, however, would not allow her to sleep as her phone rang. She sat up with an audible grunt, and looked at her phone.
She cancelled the call with an angry tap of magic from her horn, and lay back down. Those hayheads aren't getting any attention from me today. Then she remembered she still had to pay rent and food. She quickly decided to give them a call later in the day, when the gnome had gone to bed.
BZZZ, BZZZ.
"OH, COME ON!"
Vinyl was now in a really sour mood. Her phone started ringing again, and with a violent pulse of magic she grabbed her phone.
The dark cloud over her head eased up somewhat as she answered the phone.
"Hey, Neon."
"Morning, Scratch! You awake?"
"Now I am."
"No time to rest! You know we have a huge gig coming up, and we need mix new beats!"
"I don't know Neon. I don't feel so good. I have probably only slept a few hours."
"Probably? What were you up to last night?"
Vinyl could hear the muffled chuckle in Neon's voice. He knew exactly what she had done last night, but he liked to tease her.
"Shut up."
"Haha, ease up Scratch, I'm just teasing. But we really need to do this today. The gig is the day after tomorrow, remember?"
She looked at the calendar at the wall. Thursday.
"Yeah, yeah, I remember. Saturday."
"Good. I guess the alcohol didn't completely fry your brain."
More chuckling. Vinyl was getting annoyed.
"I'll be there at seven. Bye."
Before Neon could say another word, Vinyl hung up. She had no plans to move from her bed anytime soon, but she knew she had to make more "bass-tastic awesomeness" to pay the bills.
At the thought of bills, she suddenly remembered the call from The Minotaur. With an annoyed grunt she dove into her pillow. It was going to be a long day...
XXX
Meanwhile...
Octavia was surprisingly well-rested. She had woken up with the sun, eaten breakfast, and was now on her way to the Baltimare docks. She was deep in thought.
This is going too fast. I'm only 19! And I've already been invited to Frederick's orchestra.
She didn't know what to make of the situation. Sure, she was good at her instrument, the cello, but good enough to play with a famous composer such as Frederick Horseshoepin? And perhaps perform at the grand stages in Canterlot?
She had to admit, the thought of performing in Canterlot made her feel a little giddy inside.
All that sophistication... maybe even performing for the princesses!
That last thought made her chill. What if she wasn't good enough? What if the other ponies in the orchestra were so much better than her?
Now feeling a little down, she continued her trot towards the docks. That was a problem for another time. Looking around, she couldn't cease to be amazed at the architecture of Baltimare. The houses were mostly three-story buildings built from bricks. They had been built to withstand the strong, salty winds of the sea, but they also had a hint of beauty to them. The bricks were a mixture of yellow and red for the most part, but with a few strands of orange here and there.
The docks themselves were filled with derricks and piers. A few ships were currently in port, loading all kinds of exotic merchandise both on and off them. The streets closest to the docks were mostly warehouses, with a few apartment buildings here and there. The apartments located in this area were generally the cheapest, as there was a lot of noise coming from the docks both day and night.
Octavia stared dreamily at the city around her as she continued trotting against one of the piers. She needed time to process everything, and the docks seemed like the perfect place to do so, with the soft rolling of the waves and gentle sounds of the birds.
Unfortunately, she didn't really look were she was going.
Bonk.
"Hey, watch it!" An angry mare looked back at Octavia before her expression softened when she realized who it was. "Oh, it's you."
Author's Note
Finally a new chapter! Sorry it took so long, and that it's pretty short, things have been stressful lately, but hopefully you'll like it. And please leave a comment if you have feedback!
