Working Class DJ

by Lise

4. Grandmaster Mel

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"Miss Scratch!" her governess said in the most indignant voice possible. "Where have you been? Half the city guard spent all night looking for you!"

If that is true, they definitely did a poor job, Vinyl thought. Other matters aside, I spent half a day walking around Canterlot. If any of the city guards were taking things seriously, they would have approached me.

The governess continued voicing her disapproval, but Vinyl's mind was elsewhere. The piece Octavia had played had taken her completely off guard — a 'vocal trance', as the pony had called it, and it had been magnificent. By no means as refined as a concert — there was no comparing real instruments with third rate recording samples — but perfect nonetheless. Every note in place, Octavia had made use of the strengths of the instrument, while avoiding its weaknesses. If the 'DJs' of last night had an eighth of her skill, the experience would have been tolerable.

"Miss Presence," Vinyl said, interrupting the governess, "didn't you have a cousin in Trottingham?"

The question was unexpected, causing the older unicorn to stop mid sentence. It was extremely unusual for Vinyl to ask anything about somepony’s personal life. She hadn't done so since she were a filly.

"Yes," the governess replied, slightly hesitant. "Yes, I do, Miss Scratch."

"Are you still in contact with her?"

"I suppose I could send her a letter." The slightest of frowns appeared on her face. "What is this about, young miss? Please tell me you are not considering going to Trottingham only to spite her Grace."

"My stars, no!" Vinyl said shocked. Whyever would she do that for? "I simply wanted to know something concerning the Trottingham music scene. The popular music scene."

"Popular music scene?" The governess tilted her head a fraction to the left.

"Disk jockeys to be exact." Vinyl passed a hoof through her own mane. It was horrendously filthy by her standards, still full of the smell of tobacco and alcohol. She was going to have to have a long bath before she could call for her manestyler. "Please see to it that there is something for me by this afternoon," her voice as gentle as always, but the tone was of a noble, exactly the same her mother used when issuing orders in a polite fashion. "Also, please tell the kitchen to prepare something light." Vinyl headed towards the door, leaving the governess at a lack for words. "I'll be having a bath until then."

The bath was a starsend — Vinyl could feel the filth wash away and her body breathe anew. No more did she have to suffer the stench of sweat and smoke that had been plaguing her since last night. It was also nice to be able to spend a while relaxing. Never before had she appreciated a bath as much as now.

"Apologies, Lady Vinyl," a quiet voice came from outside the room. "Chef would like to know whether you prefer to have lunch brought to you, or if you wish to have it in the dining room as usual."

"The dining room would do fine, Glitter," Vinyl said, slight annoyance in her voice. Her personal maid had a tendency to be overly diligent at times, to the point of being grating. "I'll be there in ten minutes."

"Of course, Lady Vinyl." Vinyl could almost hear the maid curtsy in the corridor. The thought brought a slight smile to her face. Two years in the household and you still behave as if it's your first day.

Leaving the bathtub, Vinyl slipped into a bathrobe, levitated a towel onto her head, and left for the dining room. As expected, there were several servants awaiting her. One dutifully pulled back her chair as she approached. The chef was also there, waiting eagerly. Poor Gustave, Vinyl thought. The griffon had probably been looking forward to this event for months. It was no secret that for the greater part of the year Vinyl was the only household member who appreciated his culinary delights. Other than the occasional monthly reception, there was precious few ponies he could serve.

"My apologies, Monsieur Gustave," Vinyl said politely, as she took her seat. "I hope yesterday's absence has not ruined any masterpiece."

"Not at all, Mademoiselle Vinyl." The large griffon beamed. As all renowned chefs, he was as easy to please as he was to anger — a kind word and a bit of attention was all it took to get on his good side. "May I present you Aubergines a l'orange with a touch of cheddar, all covered in a rich apple mustard sauce."

Undoubtedly an exquisite dish. Vinyl delicately cut off a piece and levitated it into her mouth. All that time her hooves did not touch the table. The aubergines were pleasant enough, so she gave the chef a satisfied nod, which made him puff up his chest with pride and leave the dining room with the air of one pleased to have performed his duty. The unicorn's thoughts were still elsewhere, though.

"Glitter," Vinyl began, "are you at all familiar with modern music?"

"Modern music, Lady Vinyl?" the maid asked, slight concern in her voice. "No, I fear not, your Ladyship."

Of course you wouldn't be, Vinyl could sigh. It isn't like mother would bother hiring anypony who wasn't utterly boring.

"I think I'd prefer to enjoy my lunch in private," Vinyl said, a clear instruction for everypony to leave. "Glitter, tell my manestyler I'll be joining her in a short while."

"Of course, Lady Vinyl," the maid said, and followed the other servants out of the dining room.

Finally alone. How did you do what you did, Octavia Melody? The unicorn took another bite of her food. It was impossible to achieve such feats without intense preparation. And yet the earth pony's knowledge of musical history was appalling, to say the least. She seemed to be aware of the works of the classical masters, yet not where or when they were born. It was ludicrous to think any music school would accept her as one of their students. She had a treble clef as a cutie-mark, but clearly wasn't a composer, at least not in the normal sense. Octavia seemed to be a mere 'disk jockey', and yet her grasp of music was far greater than most ponies Vinyl had ever seen.

Her plate half empty, Vinyl went to get her mane done. Usually she would go for finely braided, but this time she requested a looser look, along with a good hoofacure. By the middle of the afternoon her new do was complete. Right on time too — her governess had managed to get the requested information from her sister and carefully stacked it in a thick purple binder. Vinyl thanked her, then excused herself to her study. Once there, she locked the door, sat comfortably at the desk and started reading.

Apparently the whole 'DJ' thing wasn't as new as Vinyl had expected it to be. The first instances were said to have appeared a few decades ago in the Manehatten unicorn underground. From there it had spread throughout Equestria, including to Trottingham, where it developed into something completely different.

So this is what you meant by 'trancing' — a version of aether dance music that focuses on instrumentals with vocal samples used as a chorus, Vinyl read. On paper it sounded absolutely dreadful; in practice pretty much the same, if the 'rising stars' were an indication.

Bored with the theory, the unicorn went straight to the section dealing with the top five Trottingham DJs. There was no telling what methods her governess had used to obtain all this and in such record time, but she had been more than thorough. The first name on the list was a stallion called DJ Flower — a stage name, no doubt. Apparently he was credited with bringing the techno craze to Trottingham a decade ago, as well as influencing the first generation of local DJs. For the most part he had performed at clubs and parties, though recently he had started creating records instead. Vinyl levitated the page away, then froze. There, right before her eyes, was a newspaper clipping of Octavia. The title read Grandmaster Mel rocks Celestial Stadium at farewell performance

"Oh. My. Stars!" Vinyl whispered, unable to contain her surprise.

So Octavia was famous, and more than just a little! She was cited as being one of the pioneers of trance, adapting it to be more suitable for the dance crowd. She was also the first to use classical instruments in her mixes. No wonder the music she created this morning had such a profound effect! A crowd favourite, seven years stage of experience, to this day Octavia still had several fan clubs… and she had throw all that away for a one-room apartment in Canterlot?

The other pages remained untouched. It was the clipping that held importance. The earth pony had definitely piqued Vinyl's interest. There was more music sense in Octavia’s hoof than in the entire nightclub combined. For goodness sake, the pony had more music sense than all of Vinyl's tutors combined! Dry theory was all well and good, but unless it could be applied in practice it remained pointless.

Carefully levitating the pages in a pile, Vinyl placed them back in the binder. Only Octavia's paper-clipping remained on the desk. The unicorn then went to the shelf. Her baton box was there — a fine instrument, as her father had told her shortly before Vinyl had received her cutie-mark. Supposedly, it had the power to control music and create magic for the senses. Ever since she had started using it, Vinyl saw it as a useless, unnecessary, extremely expensive prop.

Vinyl unlocked her study door and rang the servants' bell. Within seconds there was a discreet knock, followed by Glitter entering.

"You rang, Lady Vinyl?" the maid asked with the most worried expression Vinyl had ever seen.

"Inform Miss Presence that I shall be going out for the rest of the day." The white unicorn glanced at the wardrobe. Should I get a vest today? Probably not. A scarf might do, though. "I have no idea at what time I shall return. And please, ask her not to send scrolls to the city guard. A few messages to my parents should suffice."

The maid's face turned pale. It was obvious she didn't like bringing bad news to Vinyl's governess. At present, however, that wasn't Vinyl's concern.

"And tell her that is my request," she added, much to Glitter's relief. "Also, inform Stoic I have let you have the afternoon off. That is all."

A slight curtsy and the maid was gone. That went well. Now all Vinyl had to do was go to the Canterlot again.

The trip was less uncomfortable than last time — Vinyl couldn't say she had gotten used to it, but at least it was somewhat familiar... as were the whistling colts. Honestly! If you think that would win you any mares, you are better off alone!

Vinyl's first stop was Donut Joe's, this time for an entirely different reason. No more sugar bombs for herself, Vinyl ordered a whole boxful to go. It was slightly embarrassing having Joe inquire about her health in public, but understandable after yesterday's scene. She didn't forget to thank him and give a large tip — large by his standards.

Next was Octavia's home. Vinyl had a vague recollection of the area. Thankfully for her, all the private tutoring had helped her develop an almost photographic memory. Backtracking her hoovesteps, although long, did bring her to the place she desired. Once again there were ponies staring at her. Vinyl couldn't tell whether it was because she was a unicorn, or because they had a thing against strangers. Eyes on the goal, she told herself.

The building in which Octavia lived seemed much more rundown than Vinyl remembered. It was a wonder that anypony chose to live in such conditions, and only on hay and water at that! Arriving at the door, the unicorn levitated the stray hairs of her mane in place, checked that her hooves were clean, as much circumstances would allow, then gently knocked on the door.

No answer. Waiting a few moments, the unicorn knocked again, this time harder. Same response. This isn't good. Where could I find her? I am certainly not going back to that nightclub looking for her!

"Try louder," a shout came from behind Vinyl. Startled, the unicorn turned around to see an old earth stallion sitting on the pavement across the street, a straw of wheat in his mouth. "When Tavi sleeps, even Tartarus itself could hardly wake her," he laughed.

"Oh, thank you for the advice," Vinyl said in her High Canterlot accent, making the stallion wave a hoof in response. That certainly was weird behaviour. The polar opposite of her grandmother. Vinyl shivered at the memory of their meetings.

So, I should be louder, should I? her horn flared up. An orb of kinetic energy slammed against the door, causing it to vibrate. The resulting sound was so loud, that it almost made Vinyl drop the box of doughnuts she was carrying on her back. She had definitely gone overboard. The slightest of blushes on her face she looked around, ashamed. Surprisingly, nopony seemed to care. They were all going about their business. Even the stallion across the street didn't seem bothered in the least.

"Vinyl?" A surprised voice asked. The unicorn turned around to see an extremely messy, semi-awake version of Octavia staring at her. "What—" the earth pony yawned audibly, not bothering to cover her mouth with a hoof, "—by Tia are ye doin' 'ere?" Her accent was incredibly thick. Apparently she wasn't joking this morning, when she said she was attempting to hide it.

"I just came to thank you for your present this morning," Vinyl said, slightly nervous. It wasn't often that she felt this way. Actually, this was the first time she was nervous meeting a pony outside of her family. "Might I come it?"

With another huge yawn Octavia moved aside letting the unicorn to pass. So far, so good, Vinyl thought as she entered. The room was just as a disaster it had been this morning. Vinyl levitated the box on the table, then looked about for a place to sit. There weren't many options.

"Si' on th' be'," Octavia said, heading to the sink. Vinyl had no idea what that meant, but she quickly went to the cleaner side of the table and sat down. Silently, she watched the earth pony prepare a cup of tea. A small kettle was filled with water, then placed on the stove. All this was done using hooves — a curious concept, as far as Vinyl was concerned.

Pouring the steaming water in a cup with a few leaves, Octavia joined the unicorn at the table. Taking an audible gulp, she closed her eyes for a few moments, then swallowed, completing her ritual with a satisfied 'ahhh'. Only then, did she open her eyes again and turn to Vinyl.

"So, what's this about, love?" she asked. Taking another gulp of tea.

"I brought you some doughnuts," Vinyl said, uncertain.

"Smashin'!" the earth pony replied, and quickly went for the box. "Sweet of you, love." She shoved Vinyl with an elbow, at which the unicorn laughed politely. Honestly speaking neither the humour, nor the action was to the unicorn's liking, but she put up with it.

Another minute dragged on, with Octavia devastating the contents of the box, and Vinyl sitting patiently. The earth pony looked as if she hadn't eaten in days, which was difficult to believe, since she had had a full basket of apples this very morning.

"Are..." Vinyl began, then stopped. The question she was about to ask seemed incredibly rude. "Are you eating enough? You seem quite famished."

"No worries, love." Octavia chewed on her eleventh doughnut — a double chocolate glaze that made Vinyl shiver just looking at it. "Got me plenty o' 'ay, but missin' some actual taste in me life."

"Oh," Vinyl replied, focusing her attention on the nearly empty box. What's wrong with me? I should just ask her and get it over with. She's just a Trottingham earth pony, for goodness' sake! "I saw that you are famous. I read that you filled stadiums in Trottingham. Grandmaster Mel."

"Aye, that I did." Octavia didn't seem to care in the least. "Want a bite?" She gestured at the last doughnut. Vinyl shook her head.

"Why did you stop? You were quite celebrated, from what I read. You wouldn't have to live in this... part of Canterlot." Another pause.

"Well, love, ye don' look like the par'yin' type, and still went to the Twin." Octavia wiped the chocolate off her mouth with a hoof. "All's go' our reasons."

"Teach me!" Vinyl said, the words full of determination. Not an order. Rather a request from a pony that wouldn't take no for an answer.

"Err?" Octavia blinked.

"Teach me how to compose music the way you do," Vinyl looked her in the eye. ”I'm tired practicing in a closed room, without the faintest sound of music! I really want to learn to control the flow, as you did this morning."

"You?" Octavia narrowed an eye. "You want to become a DJ? Love, you saw what it was like in the Twin. And that's one o' the best clubs. Ye remember what ya thought when you heard the DJs? Others will think the same 'bou' ya. T’isn't ye'r world, princess."

Vinyl swallowed. For the first time it crossed her mind how mean her comments last night had been. Could she survive the criticism of others? It wouldn't be just a few tsks from her tutors, ponies would actually talk back, maybe even whistle or shout.

"Then, I want it to be!" Vinyl said, very much surprising herself. Was this what it meant, being an adult? "If it can be taught, I will learn it. I don't care if I have to get my hooves dirty!"

"Know what?" The earth pony brushed the table clean with a hoof. "Flip a coin. If it lands as I want, I'll teach ya. If not, you leave. Deal?"

The thought was outrageous! It was insulting even! How could anypony base such an important decision on a coin toss?! They were talking about a life-changing event here! Could Octavia fathom what it had taken Vinyl to come here and ask this? With the power and resources under her command she wouldn't have to do so. She could simply send one of her servants hire Octavia and bring her to the manor. Maybe it would be better to do just that?

Vinyl looked at Octavia. The earth pony was staring at her, expectantly. So different from the tutors the unicorn had.

"What will it be, love?" Octavia pressured.

Oh, for stars' sake! Vinyl levitated a ten bit coin and flipped it in the air. Let's see what happens...


Author's Note

Next chapter: Take Two

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