Swinging Cello

by JesterintheNight

Rating: everyone
Tags: DJ P0N-3, Original Character, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, Alternate Universe, Comedy, Romance, Octavia, Tragedy
Length: 2439

Can Octavia overcome her fillyhood demons with the help of the most unlikely stallion. A smooth talking older brother of a certain DJ...

(This is not an Octavia x Vinyl pairing FiMfiction.)

Music is just that music, there is no soul to it... just harshness. Just a job. At least that's how Octavia Melody see it, her best friends see's it as an extension of one's self. But that's only if your blasting it in your ears, something Octavia can't agree with. Her ideals don't change until Vinyl brings news of her older brother 'Jazzy Scratch" coming to Canterlot for a performance.

Uncaring, and somewhat nervous of Vinyl's brother she agrees to go to his performance, will she learn about about the soul of music. Or will somepony stand in her way of finding happiness?...

Published 2015-07-12 05:50:01 UTC
Last updated 2015-07-12 05:50:01 UTC

Vinyl's Announcement

Vinyl's Announcement

A peaceful day in Canterlot is a regular thing, ponies trotted up and down its roads day by day. Chatting peacefully, some ponies meeting up with friends, acquaintances, family, and yes even lovers. Lovers? Such a silly thing to have a young goldish gray mare thought as she looked down at the busy streets of Canterlot. Her gray mulberry eyes cast down into her cup of steaming tea, she could faintly make out her dark gray mane. And her cute little bowtie that matched her violet treble clef cutie mark on her flank, sighing lightly to herself as she closed her eyes.

“It’s so peaceful…” Her voice chimed as she faintly smiled and brought her tea cup to her lips to softly blow some of the raising steam away. She sniffed lightly taking in the scent of honey and herbal leaves, her favorite tea. It always brought a sense of peace to her whenever she breathed in the pleasant smell. She tilted her cup back a bit with a little push of her hoof, as the tea touched her lips…

“OCTY!” A loud slightly more deeper voice then her own cried out behind her, making her jump up in a panic the tea cup flew out of her hooves into the air. The contents spilled out onto her lap making the mare jump once again slamming into the small table that her glass sat on right before she took it. The table crashed out of the way as the mares weight hit the curved corner of the table sending it onto its side hitting the floor with a crash.

“Look out!” The voice cried out as the mare looked up to see her tea cup about to smash on the floor an electric blue aura surrounded the cup as it was about to smash stopping it from its intended course.

“Got it!” The voice said once more as the mare turned her attention from the glass, to see her loud friend. Her electric blue mane spiked forward with cyan streaks flowing through, a white coat with two bridged eighth notes on her flank. The white mare raised a hoof to her purple tinted shades raising them a little gazing down at her glaring friend with reddish eyes.

“What?!” The white mare said louder than normal chatting tone, the gray mare’s ears went back in a weak attempt to block out the scream. The gray mare looked up to her friends ear seeing her wearing her headphones, they were shaking a bit. And she could almost faintly make out the sound of “Wubs” as her friend would put it. How loud was she listening to her music, well must be loud since she was practically screaming.

“Vinyl, how many times have I told you not to listen to your… ‘music’ and talk at the same time?” The gray mare said as her hooves were raised to make a quote on quote like sign. Vinyl’s eyes looked confused as the mare spoke acting like she was speaking another language, before opening her mouth.

“What!?” She said once again before the gray mare got to all fours trying to brush away the spilt tea on her lap. Looking annoyed the mare knocked the headphones back the sudden act surprised the mare cause the aura around the tea cup to drop along with the cup that smashed on the ground.

“…Oops…sorry” The white mare said as she rubbed her electric blue mane laughing nervously. The gray mare stared at the broken cup, before sighing heavily and shaking her head.

“Get the dustpan Vinyl” She said before going to the over turned table and lifting back to all fours. Her loud friend soon returned with a small dust pan and broom using her magic to carefully clean up the broken shards of the cup. As they got the small mess cleaned up the gray mare turned once again to her friend. Who looked apologetic as her head lowered a bit.

“Sorry Octy, I shoulda knocked first.” Her friend said before raising her head gazing at the gray mare pony, the pony raised a hoof as if to silence her.

“It’s fine Vinyl, it was only 200 year old crystal cup. No big deal” She answered back unconvincingly, her friend perked up almost instantly not noticing the obvious lie.

“Really, oh sweet thanks Octy!” Her friend cheered as she wrapped a hoof around her best friend in a hug, Octavia returned the hug halfheartedly a bit annoyed that her lie went unnoticed. They soon parted before Octavia walked past her friend, she walked into her small apartment with Vinyl following behind her almost skipping. Octavia raised an eyebrow in wonder as she took quick notice of her friends seemly cheerful steps.

“Excuse me for asking, but weren’t you and Neon making a new song today?” Octavia asked as she went to her tea kettle that rested on the stove to prepare a second cup of tea well two. A second cup for her loud guest, Vinyl sat at the small kitchen island watching her friend work.

“I was but I got some sick news!” She said taking off her headphones to rest them on the table, Octavia was setting a tea bag in each cup hardly listening. Though enough to know what was going on to nod once in response.

“My older brothers going to be performing here in Canterlot!” She cried out in excitement as she raised her hooves in the air as if she was partying, Octavia’s ears pinned back against her skull at the noise. And… the news.

“Your brother… what was his name?.. 33 1/3 LP?” She said sounding unhappy, another DJ in Canterlot. Loud music was already blasting in her mind as she remembered his last visit, Vinyl and her brother had the music so loud that Octavia couldn’t stop shaking for a week. She thought her ear would never heal, and here he was coming back to finish her off…

“No not him, my other older brother!” Vinyl said, Octavia raised her ears a bit. “Other brother”? This was news to her, she could have swore Vinyl only had one brother. But if he was anything like Vinyl and 33 1..whatever his name is. He was another DJ, had to be.

“I thought you only had one brother Vinyl” Octavia said as she finished making the tea, she carefully set the tea cup on a saucer before presenting it to her friend who smiled taking a sip.

“Thanks, and no he’s 33 1/3 LP’s twin.” She said in excitement, Octavia sipped her tea once before casting her eyes down in defeat. “Definitely a DJ, great. Well it’s been nice knowing you ears, but hey look on the bright side maybe you can be like Beethooven.” Octavia thought to herself, Vinyl didn’t notice her friends discomfort in her excitement.

“Want to see a picture?” She said snapping her friend out of her depressing thoughts. Smiling weakly she nodded once trying to put on a convincing act, Vinyl reached for her headphones before taking a small photograph out from under the foam ear pieces that would cover the ears. She eagerly passed it to her friend who gingerly took it casting her gray mulberry eyes down to.

In the photo was a filly Vinyl, her sunglasses missing as she stood on the backs of two colts who looked almost identical to each other. One colt had a piercing in his ear, orange mane matching white coat to Vinyl and the other colt. This was 33 1/3 LP, he hadn’t changed much from the first and last time she saw him. The other colt on the other hoof, he had a matching orange mane that was slightly messy only the tips on his orange mane had electric blue like Vinyl’s mane. He had match eyes to Vinyl, and he wore sunglasses only his were circle wire frame with a purple tint like Vinyl’s current sunglasses. They were halfway covering his eyes as he was peeking over them at the camera, he had a calm yet happy smile to his face.

“He’s… um…” Octavia said, she looked up at her friend who was bouncing up and down in her seat waiting for a reaction from her best friend. Octavia bit her lip, she had no idea what to say. He looked like a DJ, which already put her off to the idea that he might be interesting. He had a pleasant smile sure, but that wasn’t going to come out of her mouth.. what would Vinyl say?

“Cool? He umm… looks cool Vinyl” She said passing the picture, she dreading using the word ‘Cool’ she was a cellist not a… Hipster? Yes a Hipster… if she was thinking of the correct phrase, she didn’t keep up with those silly names.

“I know isn’t he?!” She said taking the photo as she smiled at it, she gave it a small hug before sticking it back into her headphones.

“I haven’t seen him since his moved away from Equestria” She said as she slipped the large purple tinted sunglasses off her head looking at them.

“Oh? Where did he move to?” Octavia asked as she sipped her tea, she didn’t really care.  But the subject made her friend happier, and it kept the conversation going.

“Neigh Orleans, it’s really far south over the ocean.” Vinyl said as she set her glasses on the counter, Octavia ears perked up ‘Neigh Orleans?’ she heard of it before. The music there wasn’t DJ related, she heard it was more like classic only a different style. Though she couldn’t place her hoof on what the style was…

“What’s his name?” She asked, maybe a name would help her remember since both Vinyl and.. the colt with the strange name had DJ like names. Maybe the other colts name would give away the style.

“Jazzy Scratch! Jazz was his birth name.” She said smiling, Octavia’s face turned slightly pale. J-Jazzy?! Jazz?! He was a jazz player? That horrible style of music that butchered classic. Bass, Trombone, Drums,  and, and the Saxophone! The most horrible instruments known to ponykind… Okay maybe that’s going too far… Records were the worst in Octavia’s mind… but the saxophone was up there!

“Octy?” Vinyl said, waving her hoof in front of her friends face.

“Hello Octyyyyy? Any pony hoooome?” She said, Octavia snapped back to reality before nervously laughing. Rubbing the back of her mane, she had to change the subject before she got roped into this.

“Sorry… oh I have to practice.” She said slipping from her seat quickly she trotted around the island only to be cut off from her horned friend.

“Hold up Octy, don’t tell me you aren’t planning to meet my brother?” She said her ears pinned back in sadness, Octavia’s did the same. She knew where this was going, if only she was a little faster. She sighed lightly, knowing full well there was no escaping this…

“How long is he staying for?” She said, she tried to sound interested to cheer her friend up. But Vinyl wasn’t buying it this time, this time she knew something was up as soon as her friend tried to slip away.

“2 Weeks” She replied, paying close attention to her friend for any negative reactions. Two weeks? Thank Celestia, Octavia thought. 33 stayed a month in Canterlot, Octavia smiled genuinely before nodding her head once.

“I’d be honored to meet your brother Vinyl” She said her smile didn’t fade maybe it was cruel the real reason she was smiling, but she was happy it wasn’t going to be as long as her other brothers stay. And Jazz wasn’t nearly as loud as the ‘music’ Vinyl and 33 play, one because jazz doesn’t involve speakers or amps. And two maybe if it was a large performance she could slip away, not run away but maybe get away enough to only hear small amounts of the music.

“Really?” Vinyl said staring deep into her friends eyes, Octavia nodded once. Though there was some doubt in Vinyl’s mind, at least she said

“Honored”. When 33 was here, Octavia looked horrified, complaining about how loud the siblings were together. And she was showing more interested in Jazzy then she did with 33.

“Question Vinyl, why Jazzy?” Octavia asked somewhat curious of Vinyl’s comment of Jazz being her brother’s birth name. Vinyl’s ears perked up as she smiled, seeming to forget the small doubt from moments ago.

“Oh, because I gave him the name. Mom and Dad named him Jazz, and 33 calls him that. But when I call him Jazzy he’d always smile saying he preferred that name. Said it made him feel different” She said shrugging at the last part, her smile didn’t fade though.

“Ah, interesting” Octavia commented, Vinyl smiled.

“Oh and here!” She said as her horn lit up, a pair of ticket popped out from nowhere between the two mares. Her electric blue aura pushed one of the tickets to her friends waiting hoof, she took it looking the ticket over before opening her lips to read aloud.

“Jazzy Scratch invites one Swinging Cello Player, Octavia Melody. To Canterlot Music Hall for three wild nights of swinging music.” Octavia said rising an eyebrow at some of the words used in the invite, more so at the “Swinging Cello Player” part.

“Swinging Cello Player? What does Swinging mean?” Octavia asked glancing up at her friend, Vinyl laughed lightly.

“Means sick player”

Octavia blinked once.

“Awesome?”

Blink.

“Amazing… means you’re an amazing Cello player Octy.” She said, Octavia raised her eyebrow again.

“How could he know how I play if I’ve never met him?” She asked, Vinyl laughed nervously before grabbing her headphones.

“Got to go Tavi, the performance is in a week. I’m going to go clean up a bit around my place for my brother to crash there with me. See ya!” She dashed out the door leaving her friend a little dumbfounded, she set her ticket on the counter before closing the front door. She trotted back to the counter picking the ticket up once more looking it over. She noticed a small arrow pointing to the side of the ticket, flip it over? She thought. Turning the ticket over she read…

“P.S. I look forward to meeting the little Barn Burner (Slang for classy lady) who’s keeping an eye on my little Disk Jockeying sister.” Octavia blinked once having no idea what a ‘Barn Burner’ is, or if she had just been insulted…

“What have I got myself into?...”