Vinyls, Pants, Octaves, and Expensive Tastesby statooseChaptersTalk Is Cheap - Which Is Why We Buy ItThe Night I've Been Dreaming Of For A WhileGood Morning, Good Day, CucumbersTalk Is Cheap - Which Is Why We Buy It Soft music played throughout the courtyard. Posh aristocrats stood around chatting about whatever it is aristocrats chat about, and playing games of croquet - which is probably the only game that is considered dignified enough for high-class ponies. “Enjoying the evening, Miss Scratch?” Vinyl glanced behind herself to make sure she and Fancypants were out of earshot of all the other ponies present at the garden party. She removed her monocle with her magic and, tucking in into her collar, said, “Well, you know what I think of this kind of company. But it is quite a beautiful evening. And this party – if you can call it that – is always a nice opportunity to visit the castle gardens, is it not?” “That it is.” They both sipped their glasses of punch. “How do you put up with all this... nonsense, Fancy?” “Sometimes, my dear Vinyl... I ask myself the same question.” They shared a chuckle, and after that, a moment of companionable silence. “The punch here is really good, though.” Vinyl said, idly swirling it around in her glass before taking another sip. “Well, even if I can not quite control the company, I can at least make an attempt to control the refreshments! Say, have you tried any of those little sandwiches I'm having served tonight?” Vinyl shook her head. “Well then, we shall have to remedy that at once! … Hi, waiter!” he called. A waiter walked over, balancing a dainty silver tray containing small, bite-sized sandwiches in one hoof, two of which Fancypants took in his magic, passing one to Vinyl. Vinyl, after a moment of savoring, said, “Simply divine!” in a voice mocking the infamous tone that Canterlot aristocrats are known for. Neither of the two used or, for that matter, liked the aristocratic accent, but poking fun at it had become something of a running joke between them. Fancy chuckled, and Vinyl giggled. “You know, you really ought to let me do a DJ setup at one of these things sometime.” Fancypants laughed. “Aha! Yes, that would certainly be entertaining. I can only imagine their reactions.” Vinyl just giggled once again. They both looked out over Canterlot. From their elevated position in the castle garden they could see the entire city spreading out before them, bathed in the soft waning pink and orange hues of the sunset. “This city is truly amazing.” Vinyl said in wonder. “I never tire of looking out upon it.” “Verily. I could not think of a better place to live.” “Have you ever lived anywhere else?” “No. I was born and raised here, and this is where I shall stay.” “Ever been to any other cities?” “I've been to Trottingham, Manehatten, Baltimare, and Chicacolt.” “And what were those like?” “Trottingham was charming as could be, though I hear the crime rates can be a bit taxing at times. Manehatten was rather dirty, but had its own sort of rough charm. Baltimare was quite pleasant, but not much to write home about, and Chicacolt was fantastic - many interesting landmarks there. How about you?” “I've toured a couple of those cities, but was never very impressed with any that I visited. Canterlot is as good as you can get, so I suppose I'm a bit spoiled in that right.” “That right and many others.” “Yeah'huh, look who's talkin'!” After a moment, Vinyl continued, “Have you ever visited any of the smaller country towns?” “No. There isn't much business to be found in the small towns, so I've never found any reason to.” “You should. They're perfect vacation spots for ponies like us. A few months ago, I DJ'd for a fashion show in Ponyville, the town down there,” she pointed to small cluster of lights in the valley beyond the city. “Most charming little place I've ever been. There's something incredibly pleasant about those small villages. Everypony knows everypony else, and there isn't any real hierarchy and popularity chain. It's all just friends among friends there. Like one big, friendly, welcoming family. It's... refreshing. As much as I love Canterlot, it can get a bit tiring at times.” Fancypants gave a knowing nod. “It certainly can. Perhaps I shall visit this Ponyville sometime, then, since you recommend it so highly.” “If you do, I recommend dropping everything else. I mean, don't go there with a suit and a million bits to spend. Just take your monocle and enough bits to buy a room at an inn and three meals a day. That's the best way to experience it in full.” “Live the lifestyle of the average pony, eh?” “Yep. The ponies there really make you feel like you fit in seamlessly. I came back to Canterlot feeling like a new mare after my last trip. I miss that sort of group-friendship when I'm home. That sort of thing doesn't exist in cities as big as this.” “I believe you said you DJ'd for a fashion show in Ponyville?” “Yes, for Rarity Belle's presentation to Hoity Toity, in fact. That mare who's been becoming so popular as of late.” She raised her eyebrow at Fancypants and took another sip from her glass. “You don't say?” “M'hm. Funny thing, though; All the outfits displayed at the show were disgraceful. To this day I still have no idea what went wrong with her.” “Hm, that's odd... Everything I've seen from her is absolutely spectacular.” “Which is why it's so confusing,” agreed Vinyl. “You say it was a presentation for Hoity Toity? I seem to remember he endorsed her. How did that happen, then?” “From what I heard she and some close friends of hers held a private fashion show at her boutique the day after, and that one went much better.” “Interesting.” Sip. “I sometimes consider just completely moving out to Ponyville," Vinyl continued, "'Cause, you know, I wonder, where would you and I be if not here?” “I've thought of that a couple of times myself. I guess... if I wasn't where I am now, I'd be a musician.” “Really now?” “Yes. I've always had a deep love and fascination with music, and to be able to write and perform my own work for the masses... It must be a thrill.” “You've got that right. What instrument do you think you'd play?” “Hm..." Fancypants put a hoof to his chin and thought for a moment. "...my mind immediately goes to the piano, but I've always thought string instruments would be interesting, so perhaps a violin, or guitar.” “Octavia knows how to play the violin. If you really want to learn, I could ask her to set aside some time to teach you. It's not as if she doesn't have free time, after all.” Fancy spent another moment in thought as he looked out over Canterlot, the sun having almost set by this time. “...You know what? Sure. Why not?” He smiled. Vinyl beamed in return. “I'll talk to her. This'll be fun! You're a creative guy – I'm interested to see what you'd write if you let yourself go.” “I look forward to it!” Vinyl nodded. “Welp, my glass is almost empty. I'm gonna go get a refill. Say, I don't have anything to do tomorrow. You wanna get lunch or something?” “There's a quaint little cafe that just opened at Golden Point Plaza that I've been wanting to try. How about you bring Octavia along and we have breakfast there? Usual breakfast time?” “Sounds good.” Vinyl raised her glass. “Cheers.” “Cheers.” The two glasses clinked together, and Vinyl, with one final sip, set her monocle back in place, nodded to Fancypants, and headed for the punch bowl. Author's note~ Still in the very early phases of honing my writing abilities, so any in-depth critique would be very heartily welcome. Thanks for reading! The Night I've Been Dreaming Of For A WhileThere was polite, and perhaps slightly hesitant applause as Vinyl stepped out on to the large stage inside the theater. Years of performing for crowds like this had seasoned her for this sort of thing, and she could step out into the bright spotlights in front of thousands without her heart rate going up one beat. She waved politely to the audience as she walked calmly over to her DJ setup. They had legitimate reasons for being speculative. This was the first time Vinyl had performed for an audience of aristocrats. She had performed in her fair share of cities, and Celestia knows how many concerts she'd done in her home town of Canterlot, but never to this venue of ponies. She was looking forward to seeing the results. As she took her place at her equipment, she stole a glance at one of the many balconies in the theater. There she saw two ponies she recognized with pleasure. The first was a large, handsome stallion with a blue mane and mustache. Fancypants – Her business partner, and long-time close friend. The other was a white mare with an immaculately coiffed mane of purple. Rarity Belle, of Carousel Couture – A previous client of Vinyl's from the town of Ponyville. Vinyl then glanced quickly to her right to see her marefriend, Octavia, standing by with her cello at the ready and an expectant expression of her face, then back to the audience. … And she let the silence drag on for what seemed like just a moment too long. Just long enough to make it awkward. Although it was not at all awkward for herself, Fancypants, or Octavia. For this was somewhat of an inside joke between them – Vinyl wasn't an incredibly well-known mare among the Canterlot elite, but she was nonetheless a well-established and respected pony. The thing was, she had never enjoyed her establishment for the same reasons other aristocrats do. She enjoyed it for the fun of messing with the posh and arrogant ponies. This was just another of those cases. She looked out over the audience with a half-lidded, seemingly unamused expression. (if you looked close enough, so could just barely make out a slight upwards curve of her mouth) After a moment, she said, in a neutral, almost sarcastic voice that could be heard all throughout the theater, “Alrighty then.” She then proceeded to remove her monocle, place it in her collar, remove the collar, and place it somewhere out of sight behind the DJ tables. She then charged her horn with some sort of spell, and to the crowd's moderate astonishment, sent a small bolt of electricity into her own mane. There was a buzzing sound and a quick flash of light, after which everypony could see that Vinyl's mane was now styled in a very different fashion from her normal one. It was spiky, and mostly covered her face from one side. Many would fittingly describe it as “electric.” Vinyl then levitated a pair of large, purple-tinted sunglasses on to her face. Her appearance was now significantly different than what the posh ponies in the audience knew her by. She looked out over the audience one final time, then over to Octavia, who nodded to her. Vinyl nodded back, turned to her equipment, flipped some miscellaneous switches, turned some miscellaneous nobs, pushed a few miscellaneous buttons, and soon, the concert began. The song started out with a soft piano solo emanating from Vinyl's equipment. Then, Octavia joined in with a peaceful melody from her cello. This went on for a little while, then the more electronic sounds began. But these were not the harsh, throbbing, buzz-like sounds often heard in electronic club music that hurt your ears after while, but smooth, upbeat sounds that blended spectacularly with conventional instruments. Meanwhile, Octavia's cello added an ominous, yet cheerful background accompaniment to the electronic sounds, as if whispering promises of celebrations to come. As the song reached its crescendo – or 'drop' in Vinyl's case - the electronic drums, provided by Vinyl's equipment, of course, kicked in, and the DJ began gently bobbing her head to the beat. The melody was energetic, happy, and overall, made one want to dance. She glanced over at her marefriend, and could see the cellist tapping her hoof the beat as well. She looked up to the balcony housing her two friends, and could see Fancypants visibly bobbing his head to the music, a broad smile on his face. She smiled back at him, and began to bob her own head a bit more animatedly. After a bit of this, the song proceeded to return to more peaceful and ambient tones. The only sounds now were coming from Octavia's cello and the piano. Vinyl closed her eyes and allowed her entire body to sway gently with the beautiful melody now coming from her marefriend's instrument. After a time, she opened her eyes and began hitting switches and turning nobs again. The song gradually grew in intensity once more, in a very similar manner to how it did the first time. But now, it was a bit different. This time, as the song drew near the crescendo, Octavia was playing a much deeper note that sent chills of anticipation down Vinyl's spine. The sounds from Vinyl's synthesizers, too, were much deeper notes with nearly twice as much bass as the first time. Just as the song reached the height of it's build-up, Vinyl rested her front hooves on the table, and slowly lifted her head back with her eyes closed. She had been looking forward to performing this song in a theater with good acoustics for months. The song reached its glorious second crescendo, and Vinyl let herself go. She was now full-on head-banging to the beat. Her head bobbing in time with each kick, her rear hoof tapping in time with each clap. This was heaven for Vinyl. She and her closest friend in the world, whom with she had spent many a warm night, and whom she had traded many secrets with, were bringing together their different styles of art in one spectacular masterpiece. She didn't care what the aristocrats thought of this display. Right now, it was only her and the music. Whenever Vinyl tried to explain this feeling to others, she found herself at a loss. “Euphoria,” “bliss,” and “ecstasy” just didn't cut it. There was no true way to describe it. Music had a way of conveying emotions that simply could not be written down in words. Vinyl had dedicated her life to making music with her best friend in the entire world so that she might share these emotions with others around her, and she truly could not think of a better way to spend one's time on earth. By the time the song wound down and gradually faded away, Vinyl was crying tears of joy. She removed her glasses and leaned forward to rest against her equipment. It was then she looked up... and noticed that the theater was roaring with thunderous applause. Applause... A crowd of spoiled, arrogant ponies who looked down and scoffed at anything they thought held of shred of unsophistication was applauding for their radical performance. Genuine... applause... Vinyl had never sought the admiration or approval of these snobs, but the idea that she and Octavia had moved these sorts of ponies was astonishing even to the laid back DJ. The power of music truly had no bounds... She looked over to Octavia, breathing heavily – spent but happy – with an expression that said “That... was... amazing.” Octavia was wearing a very similar expression, and from this distance, the blue-maned mare thought she could just see a bit of moisture in the cellist's eyes. They both turned and bowed to the audience from their respective places, and Vinyl looked up at the balcony again to see Fancypants applauding furiously and smiling wider than she had ever seen him smiling before. Still wearing her exhausted expression, Vinyl wearily saluted her friend. As the applause and cheers of “Bravo!” finally died down – this took some time – the lights dimmed, and the curtains closed on Vinyl and Octavia. “I don't think... 'Best concert ever'... does this one justice...” Vinyl said, still breathing rather heavily. “Indeed... there are no words to describe it...” They both felt that nothing more needed to be said. Octavia set her cello down, Vinyl shut down her equipment, and they met in the middle of the now isolated stage, and embraced. “Is this a good time to ask if you'll marry me?” Vinyl whispered. The tears were now flowing freely down both of their cheeks. Octavia responded in a voice so quiet, Vinyl could only just hear it... “I didn't think you had to ask...” Author's note~ So, this is what happens when a guy who knows almost nothing of technical music terms tries to write a story in which one of the main focuses is a song. As of now I still have no pre-readers, so this chapter - like the last one - is probably riddled with blatant and embarrassing typos, so feel free to point those out and nitpick my grammar. I had the idea that I could make this the final chapter, with the rest of the story leading up to it, but to be honest, I have nooooo idea what I'm doing here! And if you're interested, here's the song that somewhat inspired this chapter. Enjoy, and thanks for reading! Good Morning, Good Day, CucumbersOctavia momentarily looked up from the sheet music she was in the process of writing to take a sip from her mug of tea. It was a rainy day outside, but the cellist didn't mind. She loved the rain, and Equestria was treated to quite a lot of it during the spring time. Hearing the sound of hooves on the wood floor, she looked up again to see Vinyl coming through the door into the study. She was holding a bowl of cereal and a spoon with her magic, an adorable case of bed mane adorning her head. “Morning!” the DJ said cheerfully, trotting over to the chair where Octavia sat to give her a brief hug. “Good morning, Vi!” Octavia responded, removing her reading glasses with one hoof so as to nuzzle Vinyl without risk of breaking them. “Sleep well?” “Quite! Certainly better than the night before last.” “That's good to hear,” Octavia returned with a smile. Vinyl walked over to the large window in the study to watch the activities of the city go by. The view form their house was not a particularly grand one, but it was still nice all the same. The house itself was located along a narrow street on the western half of Canterlot, about fifteen minutes’ walk from the Royal Castle. Vinyl sat and continued to eat her cereal, listening to the rain falling gently on the cobblestone road below her. Octavia, meanwhile, went back to writing. After a minute, she turned to Vinyl and said, motioning to the sheet of paper, “I'm putting the finishing touches on these here. Want to take a look?” Over the course of the last few days, Octavia and Vinyl had been co-writing a set of lyrics to a song they were composing. After the resounding success of their most recent performance in Canterlot, they had decided to collaborate on more music, and were currently searching for a singer to accompany them for their first album together. Vinyl came over to the table and read the lyrics on the page thoroughly while munching on a mouthful of cereal. “Looks perfect to me! Except for-” She took the pencil from Octavia's hoof and pointed to one specific line. “-this one here. I think it would sound better like... ” She trailed off as she scribbled on the paper. “Nnn-this! I think it conveys the mood a bit better, if you see what I’m saying. What do you think?” “Hm... yes, I do see what you're saying. I like that.” “Mmphf-” Vinyl realized she couldn't very well talk with her mouth full. She swallowed, then tried again. “You eaten yet?” Octavia shook her head. “Let's pick up something on the way to the shop.” “Works for me!” They had chosen this day to go shopping for the dresses they would wear to the Grand Galloping Gala. See, Fancypants, after being mesmerized by Vinyl and Octavia's recent concert, had mentioned it in one of his correspondences with the royal sisters - Which, being a pony of such high-standing in Canterlot, he had fairly often. Fancy had relayed to the musical couple that the princesses had thought their inclusion would be a much-needed change of pace for the event. So, it was decided that they would provide the music along side the. “I'll go clean up, then we'll go,” Vinyl said, finishing her cereal. “By the way,” she added, pausing in the doorway, “Have I ever told you that you look ridiculously cute in those glasses?” Octavia merely raised one eyebrow, a sly smirk on her face. “...Yeah, of course I have. What was I thinkin'?” Vinyl trotted down the stairs to the kitchen. She rinsed off her bowl and spoon in the sink, leaving them on the rack to dry. She then headed back upstairs to the bathroom to make herself look presentable. Since the two of them would be choosing dresses today, she styled her mane as she always did when she needed to make an appearance in high-society. Vinyl had never enjoyed her life as part of the Canterlot elite. It always seemed pointless and stuffy, but she had never very well been able to get away from it. That is, until she met Fancypants. That optimistic stallion was an expert on getting the very most out of even the worst situations. Now, Vinyl still found it all pointless and stuffy, but it was fun to dress up all neat and put on that high-flown accent that came naturally to ponies like Octavia. It was like a game of sorts. And screwing with snobs was always amusing. After washing her face and making sure her mane and tail were properly brushed, she went to her dresser in the bedroom to obtain her usual classy ensemble, humming a chipper little tune to herself all the while. First came the collar, then the bow. As she wiggled the bow a little with her hoof to make sure it was snug, she levitated a clean white hoofkercheif in to a pocket on the inside of the collar. Next came her monocle. She took it from its small wooden case and made sure the chain was secure, then set the lens in her left eye. If you ever bothered to ask Vinyl why she wore a monocle, considering that her eye-sight was in pristine condition, her answer would most likely have been something along the lines of, “Because monocles are awesome.” But doesn't that hurt your eye? you might then ask. “It's just glass, not an actual lens. I just wear it for the Canterlot swag-factor.” Looking herself in the mirror one final time to make sure she hadn't missed anything, she trotted once again for the stairs. “Let's gooooo!” she sang as she passed the study on her way to the stairs. Inside the study, Octavia smiled to herself. She never tired of being around Vinyl. The DJ was always so cheerful and bubbly, rarely in a bad mood. That was one of the reasons she loved that mare. As a matter of fact, the musician had some difficult remembering the last time she had seen Vinyl angry at anything. What had it been again? Something about somepony making a really cruel joke? Something like that, she thought. She removed her reading glasses and set down her pencil, then moved for the door. But as she passed through said door's frame and turned to the left in the hallway, she heard a quiet but sharp “Boo!” from behind her. She turned to see Vinyl standing on the opposite side of the door frame with a mischievous grin on her face. “Nope!” the cellist giggled as she continued down the hallway. “Damnit!” Vinyl muttered to herself with a chuckle, turning to actually climb down the stairs. Octavia entered the bedroom and quickly adorned her signature collar with practiced precision that would make any unicorn envious. After briefly running her hairbrush through her mane a couple of times, she too headed downstairs. As they prepared to go outside and into the rain, Octavia put on her long black coat with tails that went all the way down to her flanks. Meanwhile, Vinyl opted to carry a large blue umbrella in her magic, instead of bothering with rain clothes. Normally, she wouldn't even bother with an umbrella, as she didn't mind getting wet – as a matter of fact, she rather enjoyed it – but today she needed to look at least moderately proper. One nice thing about Canterlot was that it was beautiful no matter what the weather was like. On a day like this, the reflectiveness of the wet cobblestone streets and dark grey clouds nicely contrasted the colors of the city, with the continuous patter of rainfall and the occasional rumble of thunder in the distance creating a calming and pleasant atmosphere. “The weather team really did a bang-up job with this one!” Octavia commented as they trotted towards the market district. “You can say that again. Lovely rainy day!” After about five minutes of walking and greeting ponies they met with a “Good day, sir!” or “Lovely morning, ma'am!” they reached the market district. The market was located in a large open square on the western half of Canterlot that was very appropriately named 'Market Town'. Vinyl followed Octavia around, holding the umbrella over them both as she looked at the many fresh fruits, vegetables, breads and flowers for sale. “So, what'cha in the mood for?” the ivory mare asked. “Mm, something light, and something refreshing. To match this day, if you will,” Octavia said after a brief moment of contemplation. As they passed one particular stand, Vinyl suddenly turned to Octavia. “You want a cucumber?” she asked, and, without waiting for an answer or ceasing in her stride, grabbed a cucumber from the stand in her magic, passing a bit to the pony behind it and levitating the fruit to her marefriend. “Have a cucumber,” she said, decisively. “Alright then, I'll have a cucumber.” The cellist took the fruit in her hoof, biting into it without question. Any other pony would have been a bit surprised at this random action from the DJ, but Octavia had grown used to Vinyl's rather endearing quirks. And hey, cucumbers were tasty. As Octavia continued to munch on said fruit, they changed course and headed for the fashion district of the city. “Good cucumber?” “Good cucumber.” “Wonderful.” Another ten minutes of walking later, they arrived at the fashion district. As they looked around at the dresses and other assorted outfits on display in the windows of the various shops, one in particular caught Octavia's eye. “Hey,” she poked Vinyl's shoulder and pointed toward the shop titled 'Vogue of Canterlot', where a distinctly outstanding line of dresses could be seen. “Ah...” Vinyl murmured knowingly. They promptly entered the boutique, where the sound of a bell above the door summoned a salespony from another area of the shop. “Good day, ladies!” he greeted them. “Can I help you find anything?” “I say, that's Carousel Couture's line, is it not?” Vinyl asked in her Canterlot accent as she pointed to the dresses in the window. “Yes indeed! Only the latest and top of the line!” “Splendid! Come along, Octavia!” Vinyl said enthusiastically as she made her way to the wide selection of dresses in the foremost area of the store. “I'll be around when you've made your choice,” the salespony said as he trotted back to wherever he had come from. It took a bit of time for Vinyl and Octavia to find something they liked – Or rather, something that matched them, for, in truth, they liked everything. Indeed, it was hard to find something they didn't like. After all, there was a reason Ms. Belle's line had become the latest thing in Canterlot over the last couple of weeks. Eventually, they settled on a set of matching outfits. They were simple, flowing dresses that came to their flanks, then split into two halves, coming on both sides of the flanks and curling up at the ends, making them look a bit like the ocean waves you see drawn in books. Vinyl's was blue, to match her mane, and lined with thin streaks of white, where Octavia's was black, with streaks of magenta, so as to not take on too serious of an air. The lightweight design of the dresses allowed for minimum impairment of movement, but still made for a very distinguished impression. “I'll go grab that sales guy,” Vinyl said as she finished removing her dress and setting it aside. That Belle mare really does make the most astonishing dresses, Octavia thought to herself as she continued admiring her appearance in the mirror. I'll have to make sure and thank her personally when I see her next. Maybe even commission her for the wedding? Hm... that sounds like a good idea! “I'm sorry, but eighty bits is the best deal I can make,” the salepony said apologetically. “Well, I understand,” Vinyl said with a small sigh of defeat. “And they are some gorgeous dresses,” she added, looking over to where Octavia still stood admiring herself. “Oh yes, the best, if I do say so myself,” replied the sales stallion, as he too glanced at Octavia. “Well, it was a pleasure doing business, Mister, uh...?” Vinyl offered her hoof. “Denim,” he said, shaking her hoof, “Denim Jean.” “Yes, 'Denim Jean,' just like the products you sell!” Vinyl smiled heartily. “Yes, just like them!” he laughed, a bit awkwardly. He then made to pull his hoof away, but- “...Mmm, these are some lovely hooves you've got here,” Vinyl admired, looking down at his hoof held firmly in her own. “Do you moisturize?” “Uh-...er, what?” “I've tried all kinds of lotions. Hay, I even went fragrant-free for a whole year. Now, my sister? She uses, uh,” she paused and removed her monocle, tapping its rim on the side of her head as if trying hard to remember. “Um... Aloe-Vera! With a little bit of sunscreen in it.” “Aha, yes well-” the salespony was growing increasingly uncomfortable and tried to pull his hoof away, but Vinyl held fast. “And normally they say you ought to wear gloves before going to bed, but I find that that would interfere with my,” she lowered her voice mischievously and leaned in a bit, “-social agenda, if you know what I'm saying,” she chuckled. Now the poor stallion was really quite weirded out. “Plus, I get a reaction from the camphor,” Vinyl continued, replacing her monocle. “So I really don't get into the traditional remedies.” “Y-yes yes, well,” he stuttered, speaking very quickly, “You know, I-I might be able to get that down to, say, seven-” Vinyl squeezed his hoof ever so slightly. “-Sixty! -a piece?” he said, hopefully. “No... You'd do that, Mr. Jean? You're too kind. See, they told me to come to you!” Vinyl said appreciatively, finally releasing his hoof. (It shook a little as he drew it back, seemingly unnoticed by the DJ.) “Yes w-well! I'm s-sure glad they did, ha ha!” Vinyl smiled brightly as he continued on, very flustered, poorly attempting to cover it up with a smile of his own, “Well, I-I uh, I'll go and- and, draw up the paperwork right now!” he gushed, desperate to get away. “You go do that!” Vinyl encouraged. The salespony – who was really having an odd afternoon by now – rushed out of the room, trying to not simply gallop away for his life and dignity. Vinyl watched the stallion until he was out of sight, then turned and nonchalantly trotted over to Octavia. The cellist had just finished removing the dress and was replacing her collar. “Welp, I got him down to sixty!” Octavia paused and blinked upon hearing the ever-so-slight joking tone in Vinyl's voice. She narrowed her eyes at her marefriend suspiciously for a moment, but soon smiled knowingly and giggled. She put a hoof on Vinyl's shoulder and pushed her away playfully. Vinyl just laughed as she struggled to maintain her balance. Author's note~ Thanks go to my newly hired pre-readers, DawnFade and Ponky, for doing what they do and, you know, *pre-reading!* Also, first person to name the movie this chapter has a (shamefully) nearly copy-pasted reference to gets a muffin!
Talk Is Cheap - Which Is Why We Buy It Soft music played throughout the courtyard. Posh aristocrats stood around chatting about whatever it is aristocrats chat about, and playing games of croquet - which is probably the only game that is considered dignified enough for high-class ponies. “Enjoying the evening, Miss Scratch?” Vinyl glanced behind herself to make sure she and Fancypants were out of earshot of all the other ponies present at the garden party. She removed her monocle with her magic and, tucking in into her collar, said, “Well, you know what I think of this kind of company. But it is quite a beautiful evening. And this party – if you can call it that – is always a nice opportunity to visit the castle gardens, is it not?” “That it is.” They both sipped their glasses of punch. “How do you put up with all this... nonsense, Fancy?” “Sometimes, my dear Vinyl... I ask myself the same question.” They shared a chuckle, and after that, a moment of companionable silence. “The punch here is really good, though.” Vinyl said, idly swirling it around in her glass before taking another sip. “Well, even if I can not quite control the company, I can at least make an attempt to control the refreshments! Say, have you tried any of those little sandwiches I'm having served tonight?” Vinyl shook her head. “Well then, we shall have to remedy that at once! … Hi, waiter!” he called. A waiter walked over, balancing a dainty silver tray containing small, bite-sized sandwiches in one hoof, two of which Fancypants took in his magic, passing one to Vinyl. Vinyl, after a moment of savoring, said, “Simply divine!” in a voice mocking the infamous tone that Canterlot aristocrats are known for. Neither of the two used or, for that matter, liked the aristocratic accent, but poking fun at it had become something of a running joke between them. Fancy chuckled, and Vinyl giggled. “You know, you really ought to let me do a DJ setup at one of these things sometime.” Fancypants laughed. “Aha! Yes, that would certainly be entertaining. I can only imagine their reactions.” Vinyl just giggled once again. They both looked out over Canterlot. From their elevated position in the castle garden they could see the entire city spreading out before them, bathed in the soft waning pink and orange hues of the sunset. “This city is truly amazing.” Vinyl said in wonder. “I never tire of looking out upon it.” “Verily. I could not think of a better place to live.” “Have you ever lived anywhere else?” “No. I was born and raised here, and this is where I shall stay.” “Ever been to any other cities?” “I've been to Trottingham, Manehatten, Baltimare, and Chicacolt.” “And what were those like?” “Trottingham was charming as could be, though I hear the crime rates can be a bit taxing at times. Manehatten was rather dirty, but had its own sort of rough charm. Baltimare was quite pleasant, but not much to write home about, and Chicacolt was fantastic - many interesting landmarks there. How about you?” “I've toured a couple of those cities, but was never very impressed with any that I visited. Canterlot is as good as you can get, so I suppose I'm a bit spoiled in that right.” “That right and many others.” “Yeah'huh, look who's talkin'!” After a moment, Vinyl continued, “Have you ever visited any of the smaller country towns?” “No. There isn't much business to be found in the small towns, so I've never found any reason to.” “You should. They're perfect vacation spots for ponies like us. A few months ago, I DJ'd for a fashion show in Ponyville, the town down there,” she pointed to small cluster of lights in the valley beyond the city. “Most charming little place I've ever been. There's something incredibly pleasant about those small villages. Everypony knows everypony else, and there isn't any real hierarchy and popularity chain. It's all just friends among friends there. Like one big, friendly, welcoming family. It's... refreshing. As much as I love Canterlot, it can get a bit tiring at times.” Fancypants gave a knowing nod. “It certainly can. Perhaps I shall visit this Ponyville sometime, then, since you recommend it so highly.” “If you do, I recommend dropping everything else. I mean, don't go there with a suit and a million bits to spend. Just take your monocle and enough bits to buy a room at an inn and three meals a day. That's the best way to experience it in full.” “Live the lifestyle of the average pony, eh?” “Yep. The ponies there really make you feel like you fit in seamlessly. I came back to Canterlot feeling like a new mare after my last trip. I miss that sort of group-friendship when I'm home. That sort of thing doesn't exist in cities as big as this.” “I believe you said you DJ'd for a fashion show in Ponyville?” “Yes, for Rarity Belle's presentation to Hoity Toity, in fact. That mare who's been becoming so popular as of late.” She raised her eyebrow at Fancypants and took another sip from her glass. “You don't say?” “M'hm. Funny thing, though; All the outfits displayed at the show were disgraceful. To this day I still have no idea what went wrong with her.” “Hm, that's odd... Everything I've seen from her is absolutely spectacular.” “Which is why it's so confusing,” agreed Vinyl. “You say it was a presentation for Hoity Toity? I seem to remember he endorsed her. How did that happen, then?” “From what I heard she and some close friends of hers held a private fashion show at her boutique the day after, and that one went much better.” “Interesting.” Sip. “I sometimes consider just completely moving out to Ponyville," Vinyl continued, "'Cause, you know, I wonder, where would you and I be if not here?” “I've thought of that a couple of times myself. I guess... if I wasn't where I am now, I'd be a musician.” “Really now?” “Yes. I've always had a deep love and fascination with music, and to be able to write and perform my own work for the masses... It must be a thrill.” “You've got that right. What instrument do you think you'd play?” “Hm..." Fancypants put a hoof to his chin and thought for a moment. "...my mind immediately goes to the piano, but I've always thought string instruments would be interesting, so perhaps a violin, or guitar.” “Octavia knows how to play the violin. If you really want to learn, I could ask her to set aside some time to teach you. It's not as if she doesn't have free time, after all.” Fancy spent another moment in thought as he looked out over Canterlot, the sun having almost set by this time. “...You know what? Sure. Why not?” He smiled. Vinyl beamed in return. “I'll talk to her. This'll be fun! You're a creative guy – I'm interested to see what you'd write if you let yourself go.” “I look forward to it!” Vinyl nodded. “Welp, my glass is almost empty. I'm gonna go get a refill. Say, I don't have anything to do tomorrow. You wanna get lunch or something?” “There's a quaint little cafe that just opened at Golden Point Plaza that I've been wanting to try. How about you bring Octavia along and we have breakfast there? Usual breakfast time?” “Sounds good.” Vinyl raised her glass. “Cheers.” “Cheers.” The two glasses clinked together, and Vinyl, with one final sip, set her monocle back in place, nodded to Fancypants, and headed for the punch bowl. Author's note~ Still in the very early phases of honing my writing abilities, so any in-depth critique would be very heartily welcome. Thanks for reading!
The Night I've Been Dreaming Of For A WhileThere was polite, and perhaps slightly hesitant applause as Vinyl stepped out on to the large stage inside the theater. Years of performing for crowds like this had seasoned her for this sort of thing, and she could step out into the bright spotlights in front of thousands without her heart rate going up one beat. She waved politely to the audience as she walked calmly over to her DJ setup. They had legitimate reasons for being speculative. This was the first time Vinyl had performed for an audience of aristocrats. She had performed in her fair share of cities, and Celestia knows how many concerts she'd done in her home town of Canterlot, but never to this venue of ponies. She was looking forward to seeing the results. As she took her place at her equipment, she stole a glance at one of the many balconies in the theater. There she saw two ponies she recognized with pleasure. The first was a large, handsome stallion with a blue mane and mustache. Fancypants – Her business partner, and long-time close friend. The other was a white mare with an immaculately coiffed mane of purple. Rarity Belle, of Carousel Couture – A previous client of Vinyl's from the town of Ponyville. Vinyl then glanced quickly to her right to see her marefriend, Octavia, standing by with her cello at the ready and an expectant expression of her face, then back to the audience. … And she let the silence drag on for what seemed like just a moment too long. Just long enough to make it awkward. Although it was not at all awkward for herself, Fancypants, or Octavia. For this was somewhat of an inside joke between them – Vinyl wasn't an incredibly well-known mare among the Canterlot elite, but she was nonetheless a well-established and respected pony. The thing was, she had never enjoyed her establishment for the same reasons other aristocrats do. She enjoyed it for the fun of messing with the posh and arrogant ponies. This was just another of those cases. She looked out over the audience with a half-lidded, seemingly unamused expression. (if you looked close enough, so could just barely make out a slight upwards curve of her mouth) After a moment, she said, in a neutral, almost sarcastic voice that could be heard all throughout the theater, “Alrighty then.” She then proceeded to remove her monocle, place it in her collar, remove the collar, and place it somewhere out of sight behind the DJ tables. She then charged her horn with some sort of spell, and to the crowd's moderate astonishment, sent a small bolt of electricity into her own mane. There was a buzzing sound and a quick flash of light, after which everypony could see that Vinyl's mane was now styled in a very different fashion from her normal one. It was spiky, and mostly covered her face from one side. Many would fittingly describe it as “electric.” Vinyl then levitated a pair of large, purple-tinted sunglasses on to her face. Her appearance was now significantly different than what the posh ponies in the audience knew her by. She looked out over the audience one final time, then over to Octavia, who nodded to her. Vinyl nodded back, turned to her equipment, flipped some miscellaneous switches, turned some miscellaneous nobs, pushed a few miscellaneous buttons, and soon, the concert began. The song started out with a soft piano solo emanating from Vinyl's equipment. Then, Octavia joined in with a peaceful melody from her cello. This went on for a little while, then the more electronic sounds began. But these were not the harsh, throbbing, buzz-like sounds often heard in electronic club music that hurt your ears after while, but smooth, upbeat sounds that blended spectacularly with conventional instruments. Meanwhile, Octavia's cello added an ominous, yet cheerful background accompaniment to the electronic sounds, as if whispering promises of celebrations to come. As the song reached its crescendo – or 'drop' in Vinyl's case - the electronic drums, provided by Vinyl's equipment, of course, kicked in, and the DJ began gently bobbing her head to the beat. The melody was energetic, happy, and overall, made one want to dance. She glanced over at her marefriend, and could see the cellist tapping her hoof the beat as well. She looked up to the balcony housing her two friends, and could see Fancypants visibly bobbing his head to the music, a broad smile on his face. She smiled back at him, and began to bob her own head a bit more animatedly. After a bit of this, the song proceeded to return to more peaceful and ambient tones. The only sounds now were coming from Octavia's cello and the piano. Vinyl closed her eyes and allowed her entire body to sway gently with the beautiful melody now coming from her marefriend's instrument. After a time, she opened her eyes and began hitting switches and turning nobs again. The song gradually grew in intensity once more, in a very similar manner to how it did the first time. But now, it was a bit different. This time, as the song drew near the crescendo, Octavia was playing a much deeper note that sent chills of anticipation down Vinyl's spine. The sounds from Vinyl's synthesizers, too, were much deeper notes with nearly twice as much bass as the first time. Just as the song reached the height of it's build-up, Vinyl rested her front hooves on the table, and slowly lifted her head back with her eyes closed. She had been looking forward to performing this song in a theater with good acoustics for months. The song reached its glorious second crescendo, and Vinyl let herself go. She was now full-on head-banging to the beat. Her head bobbing in time with each kick, her rear hoof tapping in time with each clap. This was heaven for Vinyl. She and her closest friend in the world, whom with she had spent many a warm night, and whom she had traded many secrets with, were bringing together their different styles of art in one spectacular masterpiece. She didn't care what the aristocrats thought of this display. Right now, it was only her and the music. Whenever Vinyl tried to explain this feeling to others, she found herself at a loss. “Euphoria,” “bliss,” and “ecstasy” just didn't cut it. There was no true way to describe it. Music had a way of conveying emotions that simply could not be written down in words. Vinyl had dedicated her life to making music with her best friend in the entire world so that she might share these emotions with others around her, and she truly could not think of a better way to spend one's time on earth. By the time the song wound down and gradually faded away, Vinyl was crying tears of joy. She removed her glasses and leaned forward to rest against her equipment. It was then she looked up... and noticed that the theater was roaring with thunderous applause. Applause... A crowd of spoiled, arrogant ponies who looked down and scoffed at anything they thought held of shred of unsophistication was applauding for their radical performance. Genuine... applause... Vinyl had never sought the admiration or approval of these snobs, but the idea that she and Octavia had moved these sorts of ponies was astonishing even to the laid back DJ. The power of music truly had no bounds... She looked over to Octavia, breathing heavily – spent but happy – with an expression that said “That... was... amazing.” Octavia was wearing a very similar expression, and from this distance, the blue-maned mare thought she could just see a bit of moisture in the cellist's eyes. They both turned and bowed to the audience from their respective places, and Vinyl looked up at the balcony again to see Fancypants applauding furiously and smiling wider than she had ever seen him smiling before. Still wearing her exhausted expression, Vinyl wearily saluted her friend. As the applause and cheers of “Bravo!” finally died down – this took some time – the lights dimmed, and the curtains closed on Vinyl and Octavia. “I don't think... 'Best concert ever'... does this one justice...” Vinyl said, still breathing rather heavily. “Indeed... there are no words to describe it...” They both felt that nothing more needed to be said. Octavia set her cello down, Vinyl shut down her equipment, and they met in the middle of the now isolated stage, and embraced. “Is this a good time to ask if you'll marry me?” Vinyl whispered. The tears were now flowing freely down both of their cheeks. Octavia responded in a voice so quiet, Vinyl could only just hear it... “I didn't think you had to ask...” Author's note~ So, this is what happens when a guy who knows almost nothing of technical music terms tries to write a story in which one of the main focuses is a song. As of now I still have no pre-readers, so this chapter - like the last one - is probably riddled with blatant and embarrassing typos, so feel free to point those out and nitpick my grammar. I had the idea that I could make this the final chapter, with the rest of the story leading up to it, but to be honest, I have nooooo idea what I'm doing here! And if you're interested, here's the song that somewhat inspired this chapter. Enjoy, and thanks for reading!
Good Morning, Good Day, CucumbersOctavia momentarily looked up from the sheet music she was in the process of writing to take a sip from her mug of tea. It was a rainy day outside, but the cellist didn't mind. She loved the rain, and Equestria was treated to quite a lot of it during the spring time. Hearing the sound of hooves on the wood floor, she looked up again to see Vinyl coming through the door into the study. She was holding a bowl of cereal and a spoon with her magic, an adorable case of bed mane adorning her head. “Morning!” the DJ said cheerfully, trotting over to the chair where Octavia sat to give her a brief hug. “Good morning, Vi!” Octavia responded, removing her reading glasses with one hoof so as to nuzzle Vinyl without risk of breaking them. “Sleep well?” “Quite! Certainly better than the night before last.” “That's good to hear,” Octavia returned with a smile. Vinyl walked over to the large window in the study to watch the activities of the city go by. The view form their house was not a particularly grand one, but it was still nice all the same. The house itself was located along a narrow street on the western half of Canterlot, about fifteen minutes’ walk from the Royal Castle. Vinyl sat and continued to eat her cereal, listening to the rain falling gently on the cobblestone road below her. Octavia, meanwhile, went back to writing. After a minute, she turned to Vinyl and said, motioning to the sheet of paper, “I'm putting the finishing touches on these here. Want to take a look?” Over the course of the last few days, Octavia and Vinyl had been co-writing a set of lyrics to a song they were composing. After the resounding success of their most recent performance in Canterlot, they had decided to collaborate on more music, and were currently searching for a singer to accompany them for their first album together. Vinyl came over to the table and read the lyrics on the page thoroughly while munching on a mouthful of cereal. “Looks perfect to me! Except for-” She took the pencil from Octavia's hoof and pointed to one specific line. “-this one here. I think it would sound better like... ” She trailed off as she scribbled on the paper. “Nnn-this! I think it conveys the mood a bit better, if you see what I’m saying. What do you think?” “Hm... yes, I do see what you're saying. I like that.” “Mmphf-” Vinyl realized she couldn't very well talk with her mouth full. She swallowed, then tried again. “You eaten yet?” Octavia shook her head. “Let's pick up something on the way to the shop.” “Works for me!” They had chosen this day to go shopping for the dresses they would wear to the Grand Galloping Gala. See, Fancypants, after being mesmerized by Vinyl and Octavia's recent concert, had mentioned it in one of his correspondences with the royal sisters - Which, being a pony of such high-standing in Canterlot, he had fairly often. Fancy had relayed to the musical couple that the princesses had thought their inclusion would be a much-needed change of pace for the event. So, it was decided that they would provide the music along side the. “I'll go clean up, then we'll go,” Vinyl said, finishing her cereal. “By the way,” she added, pausing in the doorway, “Have I ever told you that you look ridiculously cute in those glasses?” Octavia merely raised one eyebrow, a sly smirk on her face. “...Yeah, of course I have. What was I thinkin'?” Vinyl trotted down the stairs to the kitchen. She rinsed off her bowl and spoon in the sink, leaving them on the rack to dry. She then headed back upstairs to the bathroom to make herself look presentable. Since the two of them would be choosing dresses today, she styled her mane as she always did when she needed to make an appearance in high-society. Vinyl had never enjoyed her life as part of the Canterlot elite. It always seemed pointless and stuffy, but she had never very well been able to get away from it. That is, until she met Fancypants. That optimistic stallion was an expert on getting the very most out of even the worst situations. Now, Vinyl still found it all pointless and stuffy, but it was fun to dress up all neat and put on that high-flown accent that came naturally to ponies like Octavia. It was like a game of sorts. And screwing with snobs was always amusing. After washing her face and making sure her mane and tail were properly brushed, she went to her dresser in the bedroom to obtain her usual classy ensemble, humming a chipper little tune to herself all the while. First came the collar, then the bow. As she wiggled the bow a little with her hoof to make sure it was snug, she levitated a clean white hoofkercheif in to a pocket on the inside of the collar. Next came her monocle. She took it from its small wooden case and made sure the chain was secure, then set the lens in her left eye. If you ever bothered to ask Vinyl why she wore a monocle, considering that her eye-sight was in pristine condition, her answer would most likely have been something along the lines of, “Because monocles are awesome.” But doesn't that hurt your eye? you might then ask. “It's just glass, not an actual lens. I just wear it for the Canterlot swag-factor.” Looking herself in the mirror one final time to make sure she hadn't missed anything, she trotted once again for the stairs. “Let's gooooo!” she sang as she passed the study on her way to the stairs. Inside the study, Octavia smiled to herself. She never tired of being around Vinyl. The DJ was always so cheerful and bubbly, rarely in a bad mood. That was one of the reasons she loved that mare. As a matter of fact, the musician had some difficult remembering the last time she had seen Vinyl angry at anything. What had it been again? Something about somepony making a really cruel joke? Something like that, she thought. She removed her reading glasses and set down her pencil, then moved for the door. But as she passed through said door's frame and turned to the left in the hallway, she heard a quiet but sharp “Boo!” from behind her. She turned to see Vinyl standing on the opposite side of the door frame with a mischievous grin on her face. “Nope!” the cellist giggled as she continued down the hallway. “Damnit!” Vinyl muttered to herself with a chuckle, turning to actually climb down the stairs. Octavia entered the bedroom and quickly adorned her signature collar with practiced precision that would make any unicorn envious. After briefly running her hairbrush through her mane a couple of times, she too headed downstairs. As they prepared to go outside and into the rain, Octavia put on her long black coat with tails that went all the way down to her flanks. Meanwhile, Vinyl opted to carry a large blue umbrella in her magic, instead of bothering with rain clothes. Normally, she wouldn't even bother with an umbrella, as she didn't mind getting wet – as a matter of fact, she rather enjoyed it – but today she needed to look at least moderately proper. One nice thing about Canterlot was that it was beautiful no matter what the weather was like. On a day like this, the reflectiveness of the wet cobblestone streets and dark grey clouds nicely contrasted the colors of the city, with the continuous patter of rainfall and the occasional rumble of thunder in the distance creating a calming and pleasant atmosphere. “The weather team really did a bang-up job with this one!” Octavia commented as they trotted towards the market district. “You can say that again. Lovely rainy day!” After about five minutes of walking and greeting ponies they met with a “Good day, sir!” or “Lovely morning, ma'am!” they reached the market district. The market was located in a large open square on the western half of Canterlot that was very appropriately named 'Market Town'. Vinyl followed Octavia around, holding the umbrella over them both as she looked at the many fresh fruits, vegetables, breads and flowers for sale. “So, what'cha in the mood for?” the ivory mare asked. “Mm, something light, and something refreshing. To match this day, if you will,” Octavia said after a brief moment of contemplation. As they passed one particular stand, Vinyl suddenly turned to Octavia. “You want a cucumber?” she asked, and, without waiting for an answer or ceasing in her stride, grabbed a cucumber from the stand in her magic, passing a bit to the pony behind it and levitating the fruit to her marefriend. “Have a cucumber,” she said, decisively. “Alright then, I'll have a cucumber.” The cellist took the fruit in her hoof, biting into it without question. Any other pony would have been a bit surprised at this random action from the DJ, but Octavia had grown used to Vinyl's rather endearing quirks. And hey, cucumbers were tasty. As Octavia continued to munch on said fruit, they changed course and headed for the fashion district of the city. “Good cucumber?” “Good cucumber.” “Wonderful.” Another ten minutes of walking later, they arrived at the fashion district. As they looked around at the dresses and other assorted outfits on display in the windows of the various shops, one in particular caught Octavia's eye. “Hey,” she poked Vinyl's shoulder and pointed toward the shop titled 'Vogue of Canterlot', where a distinctly outstanding line of dresses could be seen. “Ah...” Vinyl murmured knowingly. They promptly entered the boutique, where the sound of a bell above the door summoned a salespony from another area of the shop. “Good day, ladies!” he greeted them. “Can I help you find anything?” “I say, that's Carousel Couture's line, is it not?” Vinyl asked in her Canterlot accent as she pointed to the dresses in the window. “Yes indeed! Only the latest and top of the line!” “Splendid! Come along, Octavia!” Vinyl said enthusiastically as she made her way to the wide selection of dresses in the foremost area of the store. “I'll be around when you've made your choice,” the salespony said as he trotted back to wherever he had come from. It took a bit of time for Vinyl and Octavia to find something they liked – Or rather, something that matched them, for, in truth, they liked everything. Indeed, it was hard to find something they didn't like. After all, there was a reason Ms. Belle's line had become the latest thing in Canterlot over the last couple of weeks. Eventually, they settled on a set of matching outfits. They were simple, flowing dresses that came to their flanks, then split into two halves, coming on both sides of the flanks and curling up at the ends, making them look a bit like the ocean waves you see drawn in books. Vinyl's was blue, to match her mane, and lined with thin streaks of white, where Octavia's was black, with streaks of magenta, so as to not take on too serious of an air. The lightweight design of the dresses allowed for minimum impairment of movement, but still made for a very distinguished impression. “I'll go grab that sales guy,” Vinyl said as she finished removing her dress and setting it aside. That Belle mare really does make the most astonishing dresses, Octavia thought to herself as she continued admiring her appearance in the mirror. I'll have to make sure and thank her personally when I see her next. Maybe even commission her for the wedding? Hm... that sounds like a good idea! “I'm sorry, but eighty bits is the best deal I can make,” the salepony said apologetically. “Well, I understand,” Vinyl said with a small sigh of defeat. “And they are some gorgeous dresses,” she added, looking over to where Octavia still stood admiring herself. “Oh yes, the best, if I do say so myself,” replied the sales stallion, as he too glanced at Octavia. “Well, it was a pleasure doing business, Mister, uh...?” Vinyl offered her hoof. “Denim,” he said, shaking her hoof, “Denim Jean.” “Yes, 'Denim Jean,' just like the products you sell!” Vinyl smiled heartily. “Yes, just like them!” he laughed, a bit awkwardly. He then made to pull his hoof away, but- “...Mmm, these are some lovely hooves you've got here,” Vinyl admired, looking down at his hoof held firmly in her own. “Do you moisturize?” “Uh-...er, what?” “I've tried all kinds of lotions. Hay, I even went fragrant-free for a whole year. Now, my sister? She uses, uh,” she paused and removed her monocle, tapping its rim on the side of her head as if trying hard to remember. “Um... Aloe-Vera! With a little bit of sunscreen in it.” “Aha, yes well-” the salespony was growing increasingly uncomfortable and tried to pull his hoof away, but Vinyl held fast. “And normally they say you ought to wear gloves before going to bed, but I find that that would interfere with my,” she lowered her voice mischievously and leaned in a bit, “-social agenda, if you know what I'm saying,” she chuckled. Now the poor stallion was really quite weirded out. “Plus, I get a reaction from the camphor,” Vinyl continued, replacing her monocle. “So I really don't get into the traditional remedies.” “Y-yes yes, well,” he stuttered, speaking very quickly, “You know, I-I might be able to get that down to, say, seven-” Vinyl squeezed his hoof ever so slightly. “-Sixty! -a piece?” he said, hopefully. “No... You'd do that, Mr. Jean? You're too kind. See, they told me to come to you!” Vinyl said appreciatively, finally releasing his hoof. (It shook a little as he drew it back, seemingly unnoticed by the DJ.) “Yes w-well! I'm s-sure glad they did, ha ha!” Vinyl smiled brightly as he continued on, very flustered, poorly attempting to cover it up with a smile of his own, “Well, I-I uh, I'll go and- and, draw up the paperwork right now!” he gushed, desperate to get away. “You go do that!” Vinyl encouraged. The salespony – who was really having an odd afternoon by now – rushed out of the room, trying to not simply gallop away for his life and dignity. Vinyl watched the stallion until he was out of sight, then turned and nonchalantly trotted over to Octavia. The cellist had just finished removing the dress and was replacing her collar. “Welp, I got him down to sixty!” Octavia paused and blinked upon hearing the ever-so-slight joking tone in Vinyl's voice. She narrowed her eyes at her marefriend suspiciously for a moment, but soon smiled knowingly and giggled. She put a hoof on Vinyl's shoulder and pushed her away playfully. Vinyl just laughed as she struggled to maintain her balance. Author's note~ Thanks go to my newly hired pre-readers, DawnFade and Ponky, for doing what they do and, you know, *pre-reading!* Also, first person to name the movie this chapter has a (shamefully) nearly copy-pasted reference to gets a muffin!
