Vinyls, Pants, Octaves, and Expensive Tastes

Octavia 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!