Musical Preferencesby LunaeChaptersMcMare Johnson College of MusicDJ P0N-3ConcertoFriend (Epilogue)McMare Johnson College of MusicOctavia settled comfortably in her new bed in her new dream school, McMare Johnson College of Music. She'd been dreaming of coming to this school for years, and it had finally happened. She sighed in glee and hopped off the soft bed. She trotted to the corner where she had already set up her cello and began playing the sweet sound. It traveled through the room and into Octavia's ears. She gently closed her eyes and continued playing, letting the music calm her. I wonder where my roommate is. She's rather late, thought Octavia, a pony who hated when others were late. As soon as she finished that thought, a blast came from out in the hall. Dubstep was forcing its way into Octavia's ears, and she did not like it. She tried to wait it out, thinking it would go away after a while but it only became louder as the door opened. Standing in the doorway was a unicorn mare with a short blue striped mane and tail with a white coat. Purple glasses were covering her eyes and a single music note was on her flank. The white mare set down a large speaker and her luggage. She dragged the suitcases to the bed next to Octavia's and turned the volume on her speaker down. "I'm Vinyl Scratch," she said. Octavia blinked and introduced herself. "My name is Octavia." She nodded. "So what kind of music are you-- oh." Vinyl broke off when she saw the cello in the corner. "Classic?" Octavia nodded her head, replying, "Yes. And you're into electro?" "Dubstep, specifically." Octavia nodded. This was going to be hard, living with a pony that liked to walk around blasting Dubstep for everypony to hear. Octavia watched as Vinyl Scratch collapsed on her bed and started snoring almost immediately. Octavia realized how tired she was at the sight of Vinyl sleeping soundly. She did the same but instead of sleeping, laying awake for hours. She thought about how her classes would go and how she'd bear living with Vinyl. What if Vinyl was an absolute lunatic? Surely she'd be able to get a different roommate...maybe. ~ Octavia awoke groggily at six AM, much to her dismay. Couldn't she get any sleep? Oh well, she thought. At least I can occupy myself. She trotted to the corner where she had set up her cello, carefully stepping over Vinyl's speaker. She began to play the sweet, soothing music. Octavia let her eyes fall shut, carefully listening to every note that she brought to life. "AHH!" Octavia dropped the bow from her gray hooves and looked wildly around the room. Vinyl had gotten out of her bed and was staring with wide maroon eyes at Octavia. Octavia furrowed her brows and inquired, "What are you screaming about?" Vinyl's eyes remained wide as she said, "Th-that!" she pointed a white leg at Octavia's cello. "What is that?!" "A...cello?" replied Octavia, stilled confused. "I don't like it," Vinyl stated simply. Octavia rolled her purple eyes. Clearly, it would be tough living with Vinyl. She picked the bow up off the pale gray carpet and began to play the sweet music again. "Stop it." Octavia frowned. "Why?" "I just can't stand that calm music." Octavia replied calmly, "I don't care much for that Dubstep of yours, as a matter of fact." It was Vinyl Scratch's turn to frown. "I haven't played anything yet. At least inside this room." Octavia glared at Vinyl and she glared right back. They continued that for a few seconds before Octavia decided to be the more mature pony. "Just go back to sleep." "Not with that...thing playing." "Fine. I'll go to sleep too." So they both did. ~ Octavia woke up to a loud beat shaking her bed. She snapped her eyes open and angrily looked about the room, searching for the source of the noise. She found it instantaneously, as Vinyl had her speaker set on top of a desk and had connected it to a laptop. "What is this?!" Octavia shouted, though she could barely hear herself over the loud music. "Deadspace! Oh yeah!" Vinyl yelled. "Deadspace? Are you crazy? Nopony is even awake right now!" Vinyl simply pointed to the alarm clock set on the nightstand between the two beds. It was 9:30. Octavia's eyes widened before shouting, "I'M LATE! I'M LATE ON MY FIRST DAY! Oh Vinyl, why didn't you wake me!?" "I didn't know when your first class started!" Vinyl called. Octavia ran to the speaker, turned it off, and gathered her things. "Hey! I was listening to that!" Vinyl glared at Octavia. Octavia ignored her and rushed out the door. Octavia trotted down the hall, surprised at how many ponies were playing their music just as loud as Vinyl. From country music to hardcore metal. She cantered into the elevator at the end of the hall and jogged in place as it brought her to the ground floor much too slowly. Octavia headed out the front door and into the street, finding her first class of college at her dream school. DJ P0N-3The classes went as well as they could have. Vinyl got acquainted with her teachers; they loved her. She trotted happily back to her room, where she could hear a cello playing. She rolled her eyes. Vinyl unlocked the door with her assigned key and slammed it open dramatically. She narrowed her eyes jokingly and shouted, mocking Octavia's accent, "What are you doing, young lady?!" Octavia dropped the bow to her cello again and just stared at Vinyl. Vinyl waltzed in the room and began to unload her stuff as if nothing happened. When she was finished, she trotted to the speaker left on the desk from that morning and tried to crank it up, but was interrupted by Octavia. "What are you doing, Vinyl?" "I've got a gig tonight. I need to get in the zone." "A gig? What sort of unsophisticated thing is that?" Vinyl sighed in exasperation. "Really?" "Yes, really. What is a gig?" "Why don't you just come with me?" "To what?!" Vinyl took a deep breath before continuing, to show Octavia just how ignorant she was being. I mean really, Vinyl thought. What kind of musician doesn't know what a gig is? "I'm a DJ. My stage name is DJ P0N-3. I have to DJ a party tonight. Do you want to come?" "No thanks. I don't participate in parties in the sort of manner I assume you're speaking of. I need to get back to my studies, thank you very much." Octavia tried trot away but was dragged back by Vinyl's electric blue magic. When Vinyl spoke, she tried to use a gentler voice. It was her fault that she kept fighting with Octavia, but her tastes were so...different. The two of them were roommates, they had to get along in order to survive. "Hey, listen Octavia. Sorry I've been picking fights. I guess it's just my nature, but I think it would be fun for you to come." Octavia's violet eyes softened as she listened to Vinyl's apology. She thought for a moment before replying, "It's okay, Vinyl. I've been wrong to participate in the fights. It was rather wrong of me to feed the fire. I guess it might be fun to come to this party of yours." Vinyl's eyes lit up as Octavia apologized and agreed to come to the party. "Great!" she said. "Well hurry then, I've got to go." "What do you mean? I thought it was later." Vinyl glanced at the clock. "Wait a minute. I'm supposed to be there right now!" Octavia's jaw dropped and the two mares headed out of their door, although Octavia was careful to bring a key with her. They didn't want to be locked out of their own room. ~ Vinyl Scratch and Octavia walked into the party. The hosts of the party and a few others were already there, so Vinyl wasn't terribly late. "Sorry I'm late, guys!" She said and jumped right onto the DJ table. She put on her favorite purple glasses, started the music and started bobbing her head. Moonlight Stars, host of the party yelled, "It's okay to be a little late. I'd wait an eternity for a DJ like you!" Vinyl's cheeks became hot as she shouted over the music, "Thanks! Am I really that good?" Just as another pony walked in the door, Moonlight Stars shouted, "Yeah you are!" Vinyl watched Octavia look around the room, brows furrowed. Clearly she had nothing to do, so Vinyl beckoned her over to the DJ table. "How are you liking the party?" Octavia frowned. "I have nopony to socialize with." "Just talk to Moonlight Stars. She's always nice to talk to." Octavia glanced at the dark blue pony and sighed. "Fine." Vinyl watched with a smile as Octavia trotted to Moonlight Stars. They seemed to enjoy eachother's company. Is somepony finally sophisticated enough for her? Vinyl thought, laughing. The party became bigger as more and more ponies filed in and Vinyl's music could reach more ponies. She thoroughly enjoyed mixing for everypony to hear. Occasionally somepony would ask Vinyl to play a specific song and she easily complied to their requests. Vinyl looked out at the crowd and spotted somepony familiar, Octavia. She was dancing and was so into the music that everypony stood in a circle, watching her moves. They stayed like that for a few minutes before Moonlight Stars jumped in next to her and danced like Octavia. More and more ponies joined in until everypony was dancing, that is except Vinyl Scratch. She watched them, wanting desperately to join in, but she was tied to her table. You know what? She thought. The music can play on its own. Vinyl jumped over the table and started dancing just like everypony else. When the song was finished, Moonlight Stars moved to the front of the room, where a microphone was situated. "Hey, let's all give a big thanks to our DJ, DJ P0N-3! This wouldn't have been such an awesome night without her!" "Yeah, DJ!" Somepony in the crowd shouted. Vinyl turned to look, and to her surprise, Octavia had yelled it out. More and more ponies started joining in, growing louder and louder. Vinyl's face broke out into a huge smile as she trotted to Octavia and hugged her. "Vinyl, that was awesome. Thank you so much." Octavia's face held a smile almost as big as Vinyl's. "Are you ready to go home?" "I think so. Thanks for making me come." ConcertoThe next days after Octavia's first "fun" party (according to Vinyl) passed uneventfully. The two learned to tolerate each other, but still had squabbles over small things. Octavia headed home, just like every day for the past week, and did her homework that the teachers had assigned her. Sitting on the bed, she glanced at the cello that lay in the corner, which hadn't been played for days. She tried to stay focused on her homework, but the cello kept calling her. A knock came at the door. Octavia trotted to the door and answered to a mare in one of her classes -- Annie Tubs. "Oh, hello Annie," she said. "Hi Octavia," she replied with a smile. "There's a concerto tonight in Palagon Square, would you like to come?" Octavia's eyes lit up with wonder, oh how enjoyable it would be.... "Yes, yes, yes! I would love to go!" Octavia thought a moment before saying, "But wait, can I bring Vinyl Scratch too?" Annie looked a bit shocked, but recovered quickly. "Yes, I suppose, if she can pay for her own ticket." Octavia lifted a gray hoof to her face and smiled. "Oh, this will be wonderful and so much fun? Should I wear formal attire?" Annie nodded. "Yes, it's very high-class. Everypony will be there." Just as she finished the sentence, Vinyl herself came cantering down the hall. This time she didn't have a large speaker on her back, thank goodness. "What's this I hear about high-class? I'm not in," she said, before anypony could even explain. Annie turned to look at the white unicorn politely, saying, "Tonight there will be a concerto..." Before she could finish, Vinyl snorted. Annie looked taken aback, but continued. "...a concerto in Palagon Square. I've invited you and Octavia." "You took me to that party and I loved it. You know I couldn't stand that type of music before, but now I tolerate it. It's my turn," Octavia said. "All right, fine. How many bits for a ticket?" Vinyl sighed. Octavia looked at Annie expectantly. When she didn't answer, Octavia said, "Annie?" "Oh! Sorry, I was just...uh...er, well it's eight bits." While Octavia and Vinyl were talking, Annie was staring at Vinyl in awe, shocked that she actually agreed. "Fair enough. What should I wear?" "A dress." Vinyl sighed and beckoned the ponies into the room. She led them to her closet that she shared with Octavia. "Is this fancy shmancy enough?" Vinyl pointed to a stunning black and white gown hanging in the closet. Both Annie and Octavia nodded immediately. "It's perfect! Oh Vinyl, where'd you get it?" asked Octavia. "I don't remember." Octavia laughed, went to her side of the closet, and produced a bright blue gown with multiple layers flowing down. She set it on the bed and asked, "Do you like mine?" Vinyl and Annie nodded. ~ Octavia's smile was uncontrollable. No matter how hard she tried, she couldn't muster the energy to banish it. They quickly found Palagon Square and waited in line for the ticket booth. They each payed their share and entered the concert hall. They found seats quickly and waited for the music to start. Octavia watched the cello player intensely, searching for hints to improve herself. The music was wonderful, and at the end of each song everypony clapped. Toward the end of the third song, Octavia was crying. It was too powerful. "Psst, Octavia," came a whisper from Vinyl. "Why're you crying?" Octavia smiled at her and whispered back, "The music. It's too powerful. I just can't help it." At that, Vinyl stood up and clapped before anypony else. "Whoo-hoo! Aww, yeah! That was great! C'mon, everypony, it was amazing!" Octavia and Annie looked at Vinyl in horror. If there was one thing you don't do when everypony is silent and enjoying the music (at least peaceful music) you don't stand up and start shouting! "Oh goodness," Octavia said, facehoofing herself. Three burly pegasi were making their way down the rows to Vinyl. When they got to her seat, one of them said, "Ma'am, I'm going to have to ask you to leave." "What?! That's outrageous! She was simply cheering! You can't blame her for enjoying the music in her own way!" Octavia shouted at the guards. By this point, everypony was staring at her, the guards and Vinyl Scratch, even the musicians. "Well, ma'am, I'm going to have to ask you to leave as well." "Fine!" The guards started marching Vinyl and Octavia out of the concert hall, but they were interrupted by Annie, who shouted "Wait!" Everypony's attention was turned to her. "If they're leaving, I am too." Annie caught up to Octavia, Vinyl, and the guards and trotted alongside them. The guards brought the three mares to the door and released them. The three obediently walked outside into the dark night. "Well, now what do we do?" Vinyl asked. Annie and Octavia looked at each other, exasperated. "I honestly don't know, Vinyl." Annie, Octavia, and Vinyl waited outside in the cool air until the concert was done and most guests had gone. When the musicians started filing out, Octavia noticed the cello player. She stood up and trotted over to him. "Hello, my name's Octavia. I play the cello as well." The cello player stepped out of the stream of musicians spilling out the doors to talk to her. "My name's Lawrence." "Nice to meet you, Lawrence." "Oh please, the pleasure's all mine, Ms. Octavia. Would you like to play out on the streets with me?" Octavia's mouth fell wide open. This was a chance she would absolutely not refuse! "Oh my, yes! But I don't have my cello on me." Lawrence smiled and replied, "Oh it's all right. You can use mine. You can keep it, actually. I need a new one anyway." Octavia would have fainted if Vinyl and Annie hadn't trotted up to the two of them. "Hey, Octavia, do you want -- oh, sorry," Vinyl said. "My name is Vinyl Scratch." "Lawrence." "Ah, Mr. Lawrence, my name is Annie." "Pleasure to meet you Ms. Annie, Ms. Scratch," he said before turning to Octavia. "Now, Ms. Octavia, where do you want to play?" "Oh, anywhere is fine." Lawrence silently handed Octavia the cello that was previously played on stage, in front of millions of ponies. Octavia took it and began to play her best. Soon, ponies began to gather around her. Annie took off her hat and put it on the ground for the other ponies to put their money in. Soon, the crowd was huge, and the hat was filled. "Octavia, would you like to play with us?" Lawrence asked. Friend (Epilogue)Vinyl's mouth flew open when Lawrence said those words. Her eyes widened as she stared at Octavia expectantly. Octavia had stopped playing, much to the dismay of the crowd. The crowd began to thin as silence began to fill the night once again. "Oh, Lawrence, yes please." Lawrence replied with a simple smile. He gave a card with his phone number on it to Octavia, who nearly fainted. "Thank you, Lawrence. Thank you so much. And thank you, everypony!" Octavia added, addressing the whole crowd, though most of the ponies had left. "I wouldn't have done it without you. But I cannot express my thanks to you, Vinyl Scratch." Vinyl stepped back in surprise. "What? What did I do?" "Oh, Vinyl. If you hadn't invited me to your party, I wouldn't have learned to accept that some ponies are into different things than I am, and that's okay. I was intolerant to electro music because I was so into my classic. Since I had so much fun at that party, I thought to invite you to this concerto, and if you hadn't gotten us kicked out, I wouldn't have stayed to watch everypony leave. If I hadn't stayed to watch everypony leave, I wouldn't have talked to Mr. Lawrence, and he wouldn't have asked me to play, and he wouldn't have invited me to play with his group. Thank you, Vinyl." Vinyl looked at Octavia in surprise. Had she really done that much? She glanced at Annie, who was watching the scene before her in silence and shock. "Well Octavia, I'm so happy for you. Now go ahead and play with those ponies, friend." Octavia and Vinyl stared each other in the eye. Two friends, seemingly opposite, had joined together and created something beautiful.
McMare Johnson College of MusicOctavia settled comfortably in her new bed in her new dream school, McMare Johnson College of Music. She'd been dreaming of coming to this school for years, and it had finally happened. She sighed in glee and hopped off the soft bed. She trotted to the corner where she had already set up her cello and began playing the sweet sound. It traveled through the room and into Octavia's ears. She gently closed her eyes and continued playing, letting the music calm her. I wonder where my roommate is. She's rather late, thought Octavia, a pony who hated when others were late. As soon as she finished that thought, a blast came from out in the hall. Dubstep was forcing its way into Octavia's ears, and she did not like it. She tried to wait it out, thinking it would go away after a while but it only became louder as the door opened. Standing in the doorway was a unicorn mare with a short blue striped mane and tail with a white coat. Purple glasses were covering her eyes and a single music note was on her flank. The white mare set down a large speaker and her luggage. She dragged the suitcases to the bed next to Octavia's and turned the volume on her speaker down. "I'm Vinyl Scratch," she said. Octavia blinked and introduced herself. "My name is Octavia." She nodded. "So what kind of music are you-- oh." Vinyl broke off when she saw the cello in the corner. "Classic?" Octavia nodded her head, replying, "Yes. And you're into electro?" "Dubstep, specifically." Octavia nodded. This was going to be hard, living with a pony that liked to walk around blasting Dubstep for everypony to hear. Octavia watched as Vinyl Scratch collapsed on her bed and started snoring almost immediately. Octavia realized how tired she was at the sight of Vinyl sleeping soundly. She did the same but instead of sleeping, laying awake for hours. She thought about how her classes would go and how she'd bear living with Vinyl. What if Vinyl was an absolute lunatic? Surely she'd be able to get a different roommate...maybe. ~ Octavia awoke groggily at six AM, much to her dismay. Couldn't she get any sleep? Oh well, she thought. At least I can occupy myself. She trotted to the corner where she had set up her cello, carefully stepping over Vinyl's speaker. She began to play the sweet, soothing music. Octavia let her eyes fall shut, carefully listening to every note that she brought to life. "AHH!" Octavia dropped the bow from her gray hooves and looked wildly around the room. Vinyl had gotten out of her bed and was staring with wide maroon eyes at Octavia. Octavia furrowed her brows and inquired, "What are you screaming about?" Vinyl's eyes remained wide as she said, "Th-that!" she pointed a white leg at Octavia's cello. "What is that?!" "A...cello?" replied Octavia, stilled confused. "I don't like it," Vinyl stated simply. Octavia rolled her purple eyes. Clearly, it would be tough living with Vinyl. She picked the bow up off the pale gray carpet and began to play the sweet music again. "Stop it." Octavia frowned. "Why?" "I just can't stand that calm music." Octavia replied calmly, "I don't care much for that Dubstep of yours, as a matter of fact." It was Vinyl Scratch's turn to frown. "I haven't played anything yet. At least inside this room." Octavia glared at Vinyl and she glared right back. They continued that for a few seconds before Octavia decided to be the more mature pony. "Just go back to sleep." "Not with that...thing playing." "Fine. I'll go to sleep too." So they both did. ~ Octavia woke up to a loud beat shaking her bed. She snapped her eyes open and angrily looked about the room, searching for the source of the noise. She found it instantaneously, as Vinyl had her speaker set on top of a desk and had connected it to a laptop. "What is this?!" Octavia shouted, though she could barely hear herself over the loud music. "Deadspace! Oh yeah!" Vinyl yelled. "Deadspace? Are you crazy? Nopony is even awake right now!" Vinyl simply pointed to the alarm clock set on the nightstand between the two beds. It was 9:30. Octavia's eyes widened before shouting, "I'M LATE! I'M LATE ON MY FIRST DAY! Oh Vinyl, why didn't you wake me!?" "I didn't know when your first class started!" Vinyl called. Octavia ran to the speaker, turned it off, and gathered her things. "Hey! I was listening to that!" Vinyl glared at Octavia. Octavia ignored her and rushed out the door. Octavia trotted down the hall, surprised at how many ponies were playing their music just as loud as Vinyl. From country music to hardcore metal. She cantered into the elevator at the end of the hall and jogged in place as it brought her to the ground floor much too slowly. Octavia headed out the front door and into the street, finding her first class of college at her dream school.
DJ P0N-3The classes went as well as they could have. Vinyl got acquainted with her teachers; they loved her. She trotted happily back to her room, where she could hear a cello playing. She rolled her eyes. Vinyl unlocked the door with her assigned key and slammed it open dramatically. She narrowed her eyes jokingly and shouted, mocking Octavia's accent, "What are you doing, young lady?!" Octavia dropped the bow to her cello again and just stared at Vinyl. Vinyl waltzed in the room and began to unload her stuff as if nothing happened. When she was finished, she trotted to the speaker left on the desk from that morning and tried to crank it up, but was interrupted by Octavia. "What are you doing, Vinyl?" "I've got a gig tonight. I need to get in the zone." "A gig? What sort of unsophisticated thing is that?" Vinyl sighed in exasperation. "Really?" "Yes, really. What is a gig?" "Why don't you just come with me?" "To what?!" Vinyl took a deep breath before continuing, to show Octavia just how ignorant she was being. I mean really, Vinyl thought. What kind of musician doesn't know what a gig is? "I'm a DJ. My stage name is DJ P0N-3. I have to DJ a party tonight. Do you want to come?" "No thanks. I don't participate in parties in the sort of manner I assume you're speaking of. I need to get back to my studies, thank you very much." Octavia tried trot away but was dragged back by Vinyl's electric blue magic. When Vinyl spoke, she tried to use a gentler voice. It was her fault that she kept fighting with Octavia, but her tastes were so...different. The two of them were roommates, they had to get along in order to survive. "Hey, listen Octavia. Sorry I've been picking fights. I guess it's just my nature, but I think it would be fun for you to come." Octavia's violet eyes softened as she listened to Vinyl's apology. She thought for a moment before replying, "It's okay, Vinyl. I've been wrong to participate in the fights. It was rather wrong of me to feed the fire. I guess it might be fun to come to this party of yours." Vinyl's eyes lit up as Octavia apologized and agreed to come to the party. "Great!" she said. "Well hurry then, I've got to go." "What do you mean? I thought it was later." Vinyl glanced at the clock. "Wait a minute. I'm supposed to be there right now!" Octavia's jaw dropped and the two mares headed out of their door, although Octavia was careful to bring a key with her. They didn't want to be locked out of their own room. ~ Vinyl Scratch and Octavia walked into the party. The hosts of the party and a few others were already there, so Vinyl wasn't terribly late. "Sorry I'm late, guys!" She said and jumped right onto the DJ table. She put on her favorite purple glasses, started the music and started bobbing her head. Moonlight Stars, host of the party yelled, "It's okay to be a little late. I'd wait an eternity for a DJ like you!" Vinyl's cheeks became hot as she shouted over the music, "Thanks! Am I really that good?" Just as another pony walked in the door, Moonlight Stars shouted, "Yeah you are!" Vinyl watched Octavia look around the room, brows furrowed. Clearly she had nothing to do, so Vinyl beckoned her over to the DJ table. "How are you liking the party?" Octavia frowned. "I have nopony to socialize with." "Just talk to Moonlight Stars. She's always nice to talk to." Octavia glanced at the dark blue pony and sighed. "Fine." Vinyl watched with a smile as Octavia trotted to Moonlight Stars. They seemed to enjoy eachother's company. Is somepony finally sophisticated enough for her? Vinyl thought, laughing. The party became bigger as more and more ponies filed in and Vinyl's music could reach more ponies. She thoroughly enjoyed mixing for everypony to hear. Occasionally somepony would ask Vinyl to play a specific song and she easily complied to their requests. Vinyl looked out at the crowd and spotted somepony familiar, Octavia. She was dancing and was so into the music that everypony stood in a circle, watching her moves. They stayed like that for a few minutes before Moonlight Stars jumped in next to her and danced like Octavia. More and more ponies joined in until everypony was dancing, that is except Vinyl Scratch. She watched them, wanting desperately to join in, but she was tied to her table. You know what? She thought. The music can play on its own. Vinyl jumped over the table and started dancing just like everypony else. When the song was finished, Moonlight Stars moved to the front of the room, where a microphone was situated. "Hey, let's all give a big thanks to our DJ, DJ P0N-3! This wouldn't have been such an awesome night without her!" "Yeah, DJ!" Somepony in the crowd shouted. Vinyl turned to look, and to her surprise, Octavia had yelled it out. More and more ponies started joining in, growing louder and louder. Vinyl's face broke out into a huge smile as she trotted to Octavia and hugged her. "Vinyl, that was awesome. Thank you so much." Octavia's face held a smile almost as big as Vinyl's. "Are you ready to go home?" "I think so. Thanks for making me come."
ConcertoThe next days after Octavia's first "fun" party (according to Vinyl) passed uneventfully. The two learned to tolerate each other, but still had squabbles over small things. Octavia headed home, just like every day for the past week, and did her homework that the teachers had assigned her. Sitting on the bed, she glanced at the cello that lay in the corner, which hadn't been played for days. She tried to stay focused on her homework, but the cello kept calling her. A knock came at the door. Octavia trotted to the door and answered to a mare in one of her classes -- Annie Tubs. "Oh, hello Annie," she said. "Hi Octavia," she replied with a smile. "There's a concerto tonight in Palagon Square, would you like to come?" Octavia's eyes lit up with wonder, oh how enjoyable it would be.... "Yes, yes, yes! I would love to go!" Octavia thought a moment before saying, "But wait, can I bring Vinyl Scratch too?" Annie looked a bit shocked, but recovered quickly. "Yes, I suppose, if she can pay for her own ticket." Octavia lifted a gray hoof to her face and smiled. "Oh, this will be wonderful and so much fun? Should I wear formal attire?" Annie nodded. "Yes, it's very high-class. Everypony will be there." Just as she finished the sentence, Vinyl herself came cantering down the hall. This time she didn't have a large speaker on her back, thank goodness. "What's this I hear about high-class? I'm not in," she said, before anypony could even explain. Annie turned to look at the white unicorn politely, saying, "Tonight there will be a concerto..." Before she could finish, Vinyl snorted. Annie looked taken aback, but continued. "...a concerto in Palagon Square. I've invited you and Octavia." "You took me to that party and I loved it. You know I couldn't stand that type of music before, but now I tolerate it. It's my turn," Octavia said. "All right, fine. How many bits for a ticket?" Vinyl sighed. Octavia looked at Annie expectantly. When she didn't answer, Octavia said, "Annie?" "Oh! Sorry, I was just...uh...er, well it's eight bits." While Octavia and Vinyl were talking, Annie was staring at Vinyl in awe, shocked that she actually agreed. "Fair enough. What should I wear?" "A dress." Vinyl sighed and beckoned the ponies into the room. She led them to her closet that she shared with Octavia. "Is this fancy shmancy enough?" Vinyl pointed to a stunning black and white gown hanging in the closet. Both Annie and Octavia nodded immediately. "It's perfect! Oh Vinyl, where'd you get it?" asked Octavia. "I don't remember." Octavia laughed, went to her side of the closet, and produced a bright blue gown with multiple layers flowing down. She set it on the bed and asked, "Do you like mine?" Vinyl and Annie nodded. ~ Octavia's smile was uncontrollable. No matter how hard she tried, she couldn't muster the energy to banish it. They quickly found Palagon Square and waited in line for the ticket booth. They each payed their share and entered the concert hall. They found seats quickly and waited for the music to start. Octavia watched the cello player intensely, searching for hints to improve herself. The music was wonderful, and at the end of each song everypony clapped. Toward the end of the third song, Octavia was crying. It was too powerful. "Psst, Octavia," came a whisper from Vinyl. "Why're you crying?" Octavia smiled at her and whispered back, "The music. It's too powerful. I just can't help it." At that, Vinyl stood up and clapped before anypony else. "Whoo-hoo! Aww, yeah! That was great! C'mon, everypony, it was amazing!" Octavia and Annie looked at Vinyl in horror. If there was one thing you don't do when everypony is silent and enjoying the music (at least peaceful music) you don't stand up and start shouting! "Oh goodness," Octavia said, facehoofing herself. Three burly pegasi were making their way down the rows to Vinyl. When they got to her seat, one of them said, "Ma'am, I'm going to have to ask you to leave." "What?! That's outrageous! She was simply cheering! You can't blame her for enjoying the music in her own way!" Octavia shouted at the guards. By this point, everypony was staring at her, the guards and Vinyl Scratch, even the musicians. "Well, ma'am, I'm going to have to ask you to leave as well." "Fine!" The guards started marching Vinyl and Octavia out of the concert hall, but they were interrupted by Annie, who shouted "Wait!" Everypony's attention was turned to her. "If they're leaving, I am too." Annie caught up to Octavia, Vinyl, and the guards and trotted alongside them. The guards brought the three mares to the door and released them. The three obediently walked outside into the dark night. "Well, now what do we do?" Vinyl asked. Annie and Octavia looked at each other, exasperated. "I honestly don't know, Vinyl." Annie, Octavia, and Vinyl waited outside in the cool air until the concert was done and most guests had gone. When the musicians started filing out, Octavia noticed the cello player. She stood up and trotted over to him. "Hello, my name's Octavia. I play the cello as well." The cello player stepped out of the stream of musicians spilling out the doors to talk to her. "My name's Lawrence." "Nice to meet you, Lawrence." "Oh please, the pleasure's all mine, Ms. Octavia. Would you like to play out on the streets with me?" Octavia's mouth fell wide open. This was a chance she would absolutely not refuse! "Oh my, yes! But I don't have my cello on me." Lawrence smiled and replied, "Oh it's all right. You can use mine. You can keep it, actually. I need a new one anyway." Octavia would have fainted if Vinyl and Annie hadn't trotted up to the two of them. "Hey, Octavia, do you want -- oh, sorry," Vinyl said. "My name is Vinyl Scratch." "Lawrence." "Ah, Mr. Lawrence, my name is Annie." "Pleasure to meet you Ms. Annie, Ms. Scratch," he said before turning to Octavia. "Now, Ms. Octavia, where do you want to play?" "Oh, anywhere is fine." Lawrence silently handed Octavia the cello that was previously played on stage, in front of millions of ponies. Octavia took it and began to play her best. Soon, ponies began to gather around her. Annie took off her hat and put it on the ground for the other ponies to put their money in. Soon, the crowd was huge, and the hat was filled. "Octavia, would you like to play with us?" Lawrence asked.
Friend (Epilogue)Vinyl's mouth flew open when Lawrence said those words. Her eyes widened as she stared at Octavia expectantly. Octavia had stopped playing, much to the dismay of the crowd. The crowd began to thin as silence began to fill the night once again. "Oh, Lawrence, yes please." Lawrence replied with a simple smile. He gave a card with his phone number on it to Octavia, who nearly fainted. "Thank you, Lawrence. Thank you so much. And thank you, everypony!" Octavia added, addressing the whole crowd, though most of the ponies had left. "I wouldn't have done it without you. But I cannot express my thanks to you, Vinyl Scratch." Vinyl stepped back in surprise. "What? What did I do?" "Oh, Vinyl. If you hadn't invited me to your party, I wouldn't have learned to accept that some ponies are into different things than I am, and that's okay. I was intolerant to electro music because I was so into my classic. Since I had so much fun at that party, I thought to invite you to this concerto, and if you hadn't gotten us kicked out, I wouldn't have stayed to watch everypony leave. If I hadn't stayed to watch everypony leave, I wouldn't have talked to Mr. Lawrence, and he wouldn't have asked me to play, and he wouldn't have invited me to play with his group. Thank you, Vinyl." Vinyl looked at Octavia in surprise. Had she really done that much? She glanced at Annie, who was watching the scene before her in silence and shock. "Well Octavia, I'm so happy for you. Now go ahead and play with those ponies, friend." Octavia and Vinyl stared each other in the eye. Two friends, seemingly opposite, had joined together and created something beautiful.
