Working Class DJ

by Lise

11. Lyra Knows Best

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Vinyl's head was killing her. It was as if a thundercloud was raging inside her skull, refusing to stop. And those infernal birds! Why in Tartarus did they have to be so loud!? It was as if they had gathered in front of her window solely for the purpose of spiting her.

"Glitter..." Vinyl groaned as she tried to open her eyes. The moment she did, a painful, incandescent white light shot right into her brain. Too bright! Too bright! She quickly closed her eyes again then pulled a pillow over her face for good measure. "Oh, my aching head!"

"Here," a whisper came. "Drink this. You'll feel better."

Reluctantly, Vinyl moved the pillow away. The pain was great, but the promise of having that pain disappear — even greater. She felt the cold brim of a cup touch her muzzle. So cool, she thought, almost in bliss, as she sipped away. The taste was awful. If she were to describe it, she would go with "bitterness mixed with licorice." Still, she drank it all to the bottom. As long as there was a chance for the headache to go away, she was prepared to do anything.

"It'll start to have an effect in a few minutes," the whisper said.

"Thank the stars!" Vinyl said, searching blindly for the pillow. "Could you draw the curtains? The light is unbearable!"

"For you — anything," came a soft chuckle.

Sure, laugh it out! Another party, and somehow Vinyl had managed yet again to lose consciousness. This was starting to become a pattern. At least this time she didn't feel guilty about it. Not that she enjoyed it — the experience was absolutely terrible, only this time her brain had started to consider it normal.

Do I have to go through more of these? She sighed. And here I thought learning to use a turntable would be the difficult part. How in Equestria do these party ponies manage to survive this?

"Hold on for a moment." Vinyl felt two hooves gently start massaging her temples. "Does this feel any better?"

Any thoughts of protest quickly disappeared as Vinyl started feeling her head once more. It was almost as good as going to a chiropractor. Scratch that — it was far better. In all previous occasions, Vinyl had no real reason to undergo the treatment. This time — she needed it desperately.

"You sure partied hard last night."

"Tell me about it." Vinyl stretched. Cautiously, she cracked an eye open. No blinding light — that was always a good start. Instead, she slowly focused on the celestial motifs on the ceiling, the velvet red of the curtain, and Lyra's smiling face above her...

"What?!" Vinyl instinctively jumped to her hooves, almost bumping into the unicorn in the process. "What are you doing here?!"

"I live here." Lyra smiled, pulling slightly away. "You had a bit too much yesterday, so Glitter and I moved you here. You've no idea how capricious you are when you sleep, Vi. If it were anypony else—"

"Would you stop bothering with that?" Vinyl felt cold sweat cover her. "Why am I here? Where is Glitter?"

"Hey, relax." Lyra gently levitated her back down until Vinyl's head touched the pillow once more. "Glitter is fine. She is out to buy you some breakfast. She didn't think you'd approve of party scraps. We took turns watching over you while you slept. Thankfully, you weren't as violent as we feared."

"Well thank the stars for small blessings," Vinyl grumbled, then started massaging her temples. Her headache was showing signs of returning.

"Actually you were quite cute. All curled up like a white puff," Lyra chucked.

"Could we please talk about something else?"

"Another interesting thing," Lyra continued ignoring her completely, "is that you talk in your sleep. Any guesses what it was about?"

"Lyra, I honestly—"

"What a disappointment you were to Equestria," the musician said flatly. "You have no idea how long that lasted. If you were anypony else I'd say you needed therapy. You blame yourself for everything, and I do mean everything! Things from your childhood, your cutie-mark, your parents not being in Canterlot that often... On three occasions you started sobbing that you wanted to be banished to the moon."

Vinyl remained quiet.

"Listen, Vi, I know this isn't what you came for, but you're crazy if you think I won't lend a hoof." Lyra moved towards the door. "We've all been through things. I just want you to know I'm here when you need me. When you're feeling okay come down for breakfast." She left the room, closing the door behind her.

What in Equestria are you talking about? Vinyl wondered. Lyra definitely had issues. Must have been all the parties she'd been to. Or maybe she had got drunk as well last night? Hearing her trying to act like a psychiatrist was anything between alarming and pathetic. Especially, since she obviously wasn't good at it.

"Banished to the moon, my hoof!" the white unicorn whispered, still massaging her temples. She had to admit, though, that the drink Lyra had given her was starting to do its stuff. A few more minutes and her headache was completely gone, replaced by a hunger she had never known before. She could really use a few of Chef's snacks about now, or even the so dreaded "party leftovers". Surely they couldn't be that bad.

Getting out of the room proved a little tricky. Vinyl's balance was slightly off, just as was her magic. Several attempts were necessary for her to magic the door open. The moment she did, she was greeted by a sight from her nightmares — there entire floor of the main area was covered with food, sleeping ponies and the occasional clothing item. Punch stains covered walls, carpets, as well as the ceiling itself — some pegasus must have had a fun night and way too much to drink. Sitting at the chandelier table below, Lyra waved at Vinyl to join her. Glitter was also there, diligently unwrapping the breakfast she had bought — doughnuts again. Why did it have to be doughnuts?

Tiptoeing past the sleeping ponies, Vinyl made her way down. The pole in the middle of the table still crept her out.

"Morning, Miss," Glitter said out of habit and pushed a plate of doughnuts in front of her. "Managed to sleep at all?"

"Apparently, I wanted to be banished to the moon," Vinyl replied, eyeing Lyra.

"It happens to the best of us." The musician patted her on the shoulder. "So what do you think?"

"Of the thirty minutes I was conscious?" Vinyl allowed herself a snort. "Hardly much. I can see that some had a great time. What about you, Glitter? Everything alright?"

"Mostly." Clearly the maid didn't want to talk about it. "I did tell... certain ponies at the manor of your situation, and everything will be fine." She took a bite of her doughnut. "Provided we are back by evening."

That didn't sound too good.

"So this is what your parties are like?" Vinyl pushed the food away. For some reason she had just lost her appetite.

"I admit this one got a bit wild." Lyra smiled sheepishly. "It was totally okay the first few hours. A pity things turned out that way. I was planning on introducing you to some ponies who were part of the music scene and would have loved to give you a few pointers."

"Which is precisely where the problem lies," Glitter whispered. "If Miss wanted to get close to somepony she would have done so. The main thing was music, remember?"

"Hey, a little chill never hurt anypony." The musician shrugged. "Besides, you of all ponies should know she'll have to face it sooner or later. Best to do do somewhere safe than get hurt."

Funny, Octavia had said the same thing. There was also the "first listen then play" philosophy. Had that been the truth, or just an attempt to get Vinyl off her back?

"Can you really teach me anything, Lyra?" Vinyl said all of a sudden. "About DJing. You are obviously good in classical strings and percussion, possibly horns. And from all this," she waved her forehoof around to illustrate, "quite the party mare. You probably know everypony who is anypony. But can you really teach me what I'm asking?"

Silence fell. Lyra, usually overly talkative, had now shifted her focus to the surface of the table, scraping off a bit of food with her hoof. Glitter, on her end, returned to her doughnut, taking her time with it.

"I can't believe this!" Vinyl slammed both forehooves on the table. "You set all this up so that I would learn to have a 'good time'?" Stars help you if that is the case!

"Well..." Lyra ventured. "You see..."

"Oh my, you did!" Vinyl felt like smacking herself on the forehead. "Seriously, do you think that's what I needed?" She looked at Glitter. "Actually it doesn't matter. It was my own mistake to fall for this. Once you finish eating we are going home!"

"Yes, Miss," Glitter said quietly.

"I... I'll go see if th-th-there's anything left to drink," Lyra stuttered, then disappeared in a green flash of light. The suddenness caused Vinyl to forget everything she said. An unpleasant feeling of guilt formed in her chest. I did it again, didn't I? she looked at Glitter, who merely continued eating, not saying a word.

I'm such an idiot! What was I thinking? That everything would be given to me, just as it is back home? Things really were different in the real world. Up until now she had been used to getting everything she ever wished for. Well, nearly everything. All she had to do was tell her governess she wanted something and it would be delivered the very next day. Often Vinyl didn't even have to bother with that. The entire music room was built on her mother's assumption that she might require a refined hobby. The vast training room was there, because her father had hoped Vinyl would turn out the adventurous type, like him. How disappointed he had been to witness his mistake. Even the kitchen had two additional rooms, solely for the purpose should Vinyl express a desire to help Chef with the cooking one day. That day hadn't come and the rooms remained unused, yet always fully stocked and in pristine condition.

Vinyl let out a deep sigh. She knew that the real world was different, she thought she had experienced that. In truth she had merely scratched the surface. She might as well have read a book on the matter. If a common mare had experienced the things Vinyl had, how would she have reacted? In less than a week Vinyl had become a club sensation, be it short-lived, got to be on first name basis with Grandmaster Mel — who had done a sampling of her on top of everything else — and was a guest of honour in Lyra Heartstrings’ party. Vinyl's real problem was that she could not appreciate those things. Always focusing on what she didn't get, she missed taking account of everything she already had.

"Take your time, Glitter." Vinyl moved away from the table. "There's something I must attend to before—"

"She really can help you, Miss," the other interrupted. "It just takes a while. Please allow her that time. Lyra has been through things."

"Why in stars' name didn't she say so?" Vinyl's ears flicked backwards. "Why didn't you? If I had known—"

"Everypony has a story, Miss." Glitter looked at her, semi-smile on face. "Not all wish to share it. I'll be here when you're done."

The notion pierced Vinyl like a bolt of ice. Of course everypony had a story! They had their own lives, after all. Another thing she had chosen to ignore. You really are self-centered, aren't you Vinyl? The perfect spoilt little snob.

Finding Lyra proved remarkably difficult, considering the small size of the house. If her magic wasn't still out of whack, Vinyl would have definitely chosen to levitate, rather than tiptoe through the mass of sleeping ponies that cluttered the floors. It was as if they had some aversion to beds. Then again, from what she had seen, Vinyl suspected that the beds weren't exactly used for sleeping. It took her half an hour before she thought of checking the terrace. Lyra was just standing there, staring at the distance, oblivious to the world around her.

Damn it! I sure did it this time. I've known her barely for a day and already managed to get her to not talk to me.

"Lyra?" Vinyl said. No answer. "Lyra," she made a few steps forward, "I honestly—"

"Oh, Vi!" The musician turned around unexpectedly, and hugged her tightly. "I'm so sorry! I never thought about what you might be going through when I dragged you into this! I was selfish and stupid!"

What the stars? It took Vinyl extreme effort to keep her expression unchanged. Initially, she was preparing for a smack on the muzzle. That's what should have happened. Instead, this took her completely off guard.

"There's no reason to blame yourself." Vinyl slowly returned the hug. Best if I play along. And now she is crying. Honestly, what is wrong with her? Bipolar disorder? "Please don't cry. The experience might have been unexpected, but definitely not entirely unwelcome." She lied. "And I didn't mean all the things I said."

"You are too nice to me!" Lyra sobbed.

Just as bad as opera, Vinyl thought as she petted Lyra gently on the back. What should I expect now? Singing? Neither of us are fillies. We hardly know each other. Why is she so impressionable?

"Even after everything I've done, you are still so nice." Lyra moved back, brushing away her tears. "You are a treasure, Vi, do you know that?"

"Others have mentioned," Vinyl muttered under her breath.

"You are set on Mel, aren't you?" The question was so sudden that Vinyl felt her mouth open without having anything to say. "It's obvious. And although, I think she's far too extreme... I owe it to you to help make it work."

"Did you zap yourself or something?" Vinyl narrowed an eye. That was quite the sudden change of topic, not to mention mood. Was it possible that Lyra was drunk, just very good at hiding it?

"You said it yourself. Mel is arguably the best, and by your cold reaction to other alternatives at the party, you are unlikely to settle for anypony else." Somehow, the musician was back to her old smiling self. "So I'll tell you everything you need to know to change her mind. And guide you along the way, of course."

"Lyra," vinyl sighed. " I know you are trying your best to get me to feel better, but you really shouldn't. The whole Octavia thing is done with. She outright said it — I couldn't talk her into it, I couldn't buy her, there is nothing for me to offer to make her reconsider."

"Weeeeell." Lyra made a few steps towards the edge of the terrace, flicking her tail as she did so. "It is true that not everypony has a price. Mel, though... there is something even she wants beyond anything else. You can't give it to her, neither could I. However, the both of us..." She looked at Vinyl with an enigmatic smile.

* * *

"Now pay attention, Vinyl." Her father smiled as he levitated a small golden statue towards her. "This is quite a rare find. It is said there are only two in existence."

"I understand, Father!" Vinyl said with the annoyance of a ten-year-old who thought she knew everything. "This is part of your Hippus find, for which you spent three months away!"

"Oh, dear me. I guess our little princess is upset with me?" He laughed.

Vinyl hated when he did that, but she adored him as well. Unlike her mother, her father was always the open and adventurous type. He would smile, even laugh, when he felt like it and never worried about speaking his mind. Vinyl's mother could never get away with that, and sadly neither could Vinyl. There were two major things that made her father different: he was a stallion and not a direct descendant of the Princess. According to his family tree, an amount of Starswirl's blood ran through his veins — not much, but enough to allow him to marry into the family, an act that Vinyl's grandmother still wasn't pleased of. On the up side, it was from him that Vinyl got her blue mane.

"Father, would you stop mocking me?" Vinyl tried not to sulk. "There is no reason for you to go on these trips. As Mother has pointed out, you could easily use dragon scrolls to send instructions to the sites."

"Why yes, I believe it is possible." Cyan Star scratched his horn in mock though. "However, how would my assistants find their way into the ancient temples?"

"They have they keys!" Vinyl pointed at the golden statue. Quite the crude representation of a phoenix, if there ever was one. Naturally, she was aware that most Hippus artifacts had a dual function — they were more than mere ornaments. They also served as keys and activation devices. "Why can't they manage on their own?"

"Sweetness, it takes more than a key to open a door." He ruffled her mane. The notion was enjoyable, so Vinyl waited for several seconds before pushing his hoof off her, pretending to be annoyed. Her mother had told her that ladies had an image to keep.. "The key alone is useless without the horn to activate it."

"I know, Father," she sighed. "But surely there are others who could do that? Can't you stay home?"

"Not as many as you would think could manage. And definitely not all of them would risk their lives to 'go dig a hole at the end of Equestria'," he said, causing Vinyl to chuckle despite herself. "I'll be back in a few weeks. A month at most." He levitated the statue back into his saddlebag. "Besides, didn't you learn an important lesson just now?"

"Neither one half nor the other is capable of anything. Combined, however, they are capable of miracles," Vinyl recited.

"Oh, so you know it already?" Cyan smiled.

"Father, you say the same thing every time you leave!"

"I guess I do, my little princess," he laughed. "But that doesn't make it any less true."

* * *

"Lyra, have you gone insane?!" Vinyl whispered. "I truly can't believe I went along with this!"

When Lyra had initially suggested they go to the Royal Conservatory to check on a class, Vinyl had thought nothing of it. Yes, they were going to do so secretly, but since Vinyl was technically third heiress to the city of Canterlot, she didn't consider it a big deal. When, instead, Lyra had teleported them literally onto the chandelier in one of the practice halls, her opinion quickly changed.

"Relax, Vi. View’s great from up here!" Lyra smiled. "I cast a silence bubble. There is no way anypony will hear us."

"Somehow this wasn't my main concern!" Vinyl looked down. The height made her feel dizzy. If I survive this, I am definitely finding a way to punish you, you maniac! "What is it with you and chandeliers anyway? Couldn't we have just walked in like normal ponies?"

"As amusing as it is to look at your expression, no." Lyra pointed down. "This sort of thing can only be seen from up here."

"And what exactly is 'this sort of thing'?" Vinyl tried her best to appear calm. Steady breaths. Remain level. Steady breaths.

"You'll know it when you see it."

Five minutes later practice started. It was fairly accurate, everything considered, although Vinyl still found plenty of instances to be displeased of. The strings were better than average, yet the conducting was outright poor. On two occasions Vinyl felt like teleporting down and correcting the unfortunate conductor. Fifteen of the most excruciating minutes of Vinyl's life followed, until finally the 'moment' came. While the senior students were practicing, carefully observed by their juniors, one of the side doors of the hall gently opened. A janitor pony entered and slowly started cleaning. This, in itself, was hardly remarkable. The fact, that this particular janitor only swept over a small area of the hall over and over again, however, was.

"Appears two times per week," Lyra said smugly. "First time I noticed was by accident. I asked her about it and she said it was related to her community service. Now, even if that were true, why would she come clean only this room, and time it so there's always a practice session?"

"What are you talking about, Lyra?" I'm getting tired of this...

"Who do you think?" The musician gave Vinyl the look. It took less than a second for it to dawn on Vinyl what she meant.

"What?" She looked down at the janitor. "No. Seriously? You think that's...?"

"I bet my heartstrings on it! She's been doing this for quite a while. Naturally, I got curious and did some checking. Apparently Mel made several inquiries regarding the Conservatory. More specifically — she was interested in the application process. A friend of a friend told me she paid quite a large sum to get to Canterlot and apply. Only problem was—"

"That the Royal Conservatory doesn't accept beginners," Vinyl finished the sentence.

"Got it in one!" Lyra clapped her forehooves together. "Apparently your Grandmaster has quite the thing for the classical. From what I heard, she didn't take it well that the chances of an earth pony, especially one with no formal training, were zero. Made quite the scandal. Told them that since they accepted the entry fee they were obliged to keep the position for her until she could be admitted."

That definitely sounded like Octavia. Could it be that was why she couldn't have a full time job as a DJ? She was trying to make up for missing time? A noble idea, without a doubt, but absolutely absurd. There was no way she could match the most gifted prodigies in Equestria. Not by visiting rehearsals two times per week, at least. And even if she did, the cost of living in Canterlot, not to mention music instruments, additional tutoring fees, educational materials and dozens of other things would be far too much for her to afford. Only option was to receive an excellence scholarship, and those were difficult to get.

"They tried to give her back her money," Lyra continued. "Even offered to double the amount, since it was the Conservatory's fault they hadn't mentioned the requirements beforehoof. Mel outright refused it. She said she'll be admitted even if she has to wait ten years for it."

"Octavia wants to become a classical musician," Vinyl repeated slowly.

"Which she can't without skills, education and training." Lyra nodded. "Now I can help train her to learn to play strings, not that it will be easy... or pleasant, but I could. You can provide her with the education fundamentals."

"Are you seriously suggesting I offer to prepare Octavia for entering the Royal Conservatory?" I can't tutor anypony! I'm not even sure I can explain things properly. The last time I tried, my cousin had to drink a bowl of scotch to forget the experience.

"That's the idea," Lyra grinned widely. "We teach her, she teaches you. Sweat deal, right?"

"Right..." Vinyl said slowly. It was a solution, after all, and a realistic one at that. Would Octavia agree, though? There was only one way to find out.


Author's Note

Final chapter of Act I: The Pact

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