Taming Strange. Or: How I learned to stop worrying and make love in public

Octavia was officially done. Loud thumping bass that rattled the windows could be heard. It couldn't not be heard. She threw the covers off of her, and stomped out through her bedroom door. The noises of her dorm mates making love was something she had come to terms with. She had asked a unicorn violinist of her acquaintance to cast a sound proof seal around her room, and that had for all intents and purposes solved the problem.

So the fact that this obnoxious drivel, as Octavia would call it, could actually penetrate the barrier was simply crossing the line. Her dorm mate Deep Tones, an earth pony tubist, called after. "Don't bother Octavia. The guards have already been summoned, let them handle it."

Octavia called to her dorm mate in her imperious Canterlot accent. "The guards may have what is left!" She slammed the door behind her and stomped down the stairs. The cellist trotted quickly away from the small converted house on the edge of the Royal Canterlot Orchestral Conservatory that served as her dormitory and towards the sound of deep bass thumping. Her dormitory was less than a bowshot away from downtown Canterlot's entertainment district. Specifically the Mad Mares dance hall.

There was a short line of ponies with all manner of ridiculous mane styles waiting to get inside. The bouncer, a hulking royal blue earth pony, was guarding the door. He needlessly wore sunglasses at night.

Bouncers of course having peak situational awareness, and being able to spot a hot piece of ass from the other side of a crowded club while looking the other way, so sight was over rated. Octavia trotted right up to the velvet rope and the bouncer opened it for her without even turning his head. Octavia went right in without stopping.

The waiting ponies protested her entrance, to which the bouncer responded in his growling baritone. "Grow a flank like that and I'll let you in too."

The grey mare's ears laid flat against her head at the increased volume inside the club. She quickly looked around and saw a white unicorn at the DJ's booth headphones over one ear bobbing her head to the beat that rattled Octavia's teeth. She made her way with difficulty to the bar, and with even more difficulty demanded of the bartender that she be allowed to speak to the DJ immediately.

The bartender winked at Octavia thinking she wanted to do more than talk to the DJ. He made a complicated series of hoof signs to the bar back, who then repeated the gesture to security, who then nodded in the direction of the bar to the DJ. The unicorn looked and saw Octavia and grinned. She nodded at the bartender and he pointed at a door that said V.I.P. on it. Octavia bowed and trotted off through the appointed door.

When the door closed behind her she was relieved to find the music barely audible. She looked around and saw a softly lit room with a small ,but fully stocked, mini bar, a large sofa, and a door that said employees only. After a few minutes of waiting the music roared back to life as the white unicorn entered through it shouting some unintelligible gibberish.

The mare had an electric blue mane and tail, paper white coat, and ridiculous sunglasses on even though she was inside.The DJ trotted up saying in her lower Manehattan accent made scratchy from shouting. "Hey grey. Sup?"

Octavia stood up to her full height and summoned up all her righteous indignation. She inhaled preparing to loose her fury on the offending mare when the DJ took her ridiculous sunglasses off.

The unicorn flashed the most beautiful eyes Octavia had ever seen at her. Instantly the entire aspect of the pony changed. No longer was the pony in front of her the embodiment of societal degeneration. Now she was a bold and fearless mare able to defy any established cultural order. Gone was the blaster of uninspired rubbish. Here was the innovator of new genres of sound. Disappeared the banisher of rest. Appeared was the pony with whom she wanted to spend her nights.

Octavia's breath caught in her throat and she bit her lip. She felt her hooves move unbidden towards the mare standing in front of her. The cellist put a hoof on the DJ's cheek and drank deeply from the infinite pools that were those crimson eyes.

The DJ was used to party freaks but she had never seen anything like this. She was being all sensual like. As much as she wanted to let this grey mare continue and see where this went, she had a job to do. "Sorry baby." She said moving Octavia's hoof. "You'll have to wait till the end of my set for that." The unicorn stole a kiss and pulled her sunglasses back down. "Stick around and we'll make sweet music later."

"MUSIC!" The now no longer hypnotized mare shouted, causing the unicorn to jump in surprise. With the glasses back on the spell was broken. Octavia regained her senses and her righteous indignation returned given new life by this presumptuous pony stealing her first kiss. "That drivel madam is not music!"

The unicorn was not ready for this shift in mood and could only respond with an eloquent "Huh?"

The earth pony was in full swing now and felt tears well up in her eyes as she shouted. "I can hear that noise all the way from my dormitory and furthermore, how dare you k." She stopped remembering the awe inspiring vision she had witnessed just seconds before. She put her hooves to her lips.

The unicorn took this respite to return fire. "You gotta fuckin prolem bitch?" As enticing as the previous moment had been nopony talked shit about her music. No. Pony. She was about to continue when the gravity of what the earth pony had said shocked her out of her anger. Her voice dropped to a terrified monotone. "You can hear the music outside?"

The cellist was diverted but not distracted by this question and explained. "Yes! All the way from-."

She didn't get to finish her sentence as the DJ grabbed her by the shoulders and screamed. "WHAT DO MEAN YOU CAN HEAR THE MUSIC OUTSIDE?!" The unicorn galloped out of the room and out a fire escape.

Octavia, not entirely sure why, followed her. The unicorn panicked as her horn sprang to life forming a glowing sphere around the entire building. She was straining under the effort of sustaining such large scale magic. "Damnit Neon! It was your turn!" She muttered angrily to herself. The thundering bass instantly disappeared as the glowing sphere faded away.

Unfortunately it was too late. Silhouetted against the moon, the princess's night guards were already flying down to meet them. The DJ collapsed to the ground trying to hide under her hooves. Her voice quavered in fear. "Fuck! One more noise complaint and I'm a spot on the FUCKING MOON!

Octavia looked from the ever growing shape of the night guards to the form of the terrified pony cowering on the ground. She had been mad yes, but this was just pathetic. Where now was the cocky mare who dared to. The thought cut off in her mind. She needed a distraction from that uncomfortable recollection and there were two ponies rapidly approaching to give her just such a distraction.

The night guards landed and Octavia greeted them cordially. "Good evening gentlecolts. How may I help you?"

The guards bowed and with curt courtesy one snapped off. "Good evening madam we've received a noise complaint about this establishment."

The guard tried to continue but Octavia interrupted him. "Yes and as you can hear the situation has been handled." She opened and shut the door. When it was open the still night air erupted into sound. When it was closed nopony would've known the club was inhabited.

The still cowering unicorn stared dumbfounded at the earth pony who had bitched at her music but was now pleading her case for her, and with such swagger too. She was definitely gonna eat her asshole.

The up until now silent guard spoke up. "Yes ma'am but we're still required to give a citation for the disturbance. He started to pull out a notepad from his saddlebag with his wing but again the stalwart mare politely interrupted him.

"I'm sure you are, however that would need to go to the owner of the establishment whose equipment caused the disturbance, not the artist using it." The guards were unsure if this was the case or not. One glanced at the other for confirmation. The other's shrug was so slight it was imperceptible to civilians.

Octavia continued trying to keep the momentum. "Unfortunately the manager is not currently on the premises so you would have to come back later, and as the issue has been resolved I'd say you two have done your duty, and we thank you gentlecolts. Don't we" She bowed and shot the still stunned DJ a glance that said. "Play along or we're both fucked." The unicorn rose and bowed awkwardly.

The guards shared another silent conversation. Doing nothing being a long standing guard tradition the pair held very dear, and laziness being the better part of valour, the pair bowed and one said. "Enjoy your evening ladies." With that they flew off into the night.

Octavia watched them fly away and sighed in relief. The DJ squeezed the cellist around the waist and swung her around shouting. "THANK YOU! THANK YOU! THANK YOU!" She dropped the crushed earth pony and continued her enthusiastic praise.

"Holy Shit! How did you fuckin do that? You are a fffffffucking boss!" Octavia picked herself up and dusted herself off. The DJ took off her glasses and held out a hoof. "The name's DJ PON-3, Vinyl scratch off the clock."

The cellist saw those damnable red eyes again and felt her mind try to go blank. She looked away face flushed and quickly shook the proferred hoof. "O-Octavia" She desperately wanted to spend the rest of her life just staring into those precious rubies but knew she had to focus. She was making an absolute mule of herself.

Vinyl Scratch retracted the hoof wondering why the mare had shaken it rather than brohoofed it. "Well Octavia. I think I owe you a drink?" She said cozying up to the mare who had very probably kept her out of a dungeon.

The cellist face felt like it was on fire. She pulled away stammering. "Umm no uh. No thank you. I have class in the morning and I really must get back to sleep." She started to walk away with extreme effort. It was sheer force of will that put one hoof in front of the other.

Vinyl Scratch shouted for her to wait and Octavia stopped in her tracks. If The unicorn had asked right then the earth pony would've gladly been her's. "Please you really saved my ass tonight. Let me thank you. Like uh do you wanna get dinner or somethin?"

Our large Royal blue friend from earlier having been rotated off the door, sensing that the cloud of imminent doom had passed, chose then to come out of the fire escape. "Yo PON-3 you aight?" The burly pony called out. The bouncer's intrusion gave Octavia's brain the respite it so desperately needed.

"Yeah's coo jus one sec." She trotted up to Octavia, her red eyes pleading. "Please." The earth pony wouldn't make eye contact.

Her mouth answered before her mind could. "Very well. Le Calembour de Cheval en Prançais tomorrow at seven?"

A small arc of magic shot out of Vinyl's horn. Her mind went blank. Her eyes glazed over. She had no idea what the mare had said, all she knew was that it was the sexiest thing she had ever heard. All the DJ could respond with was a very eloquent. "Yeah?"

Octavia galloped off before anything else could happen. Vinyl scratched watched her run off into the small house across the street. The DJ sighed dreamily to herself not questioning the unfamiliar stirring in her chest.

The unicorn turned to re-enter the club when the bouncer asked. "Yo PON-3 you gonna hit that."

Vinyl Scratch grinned from ear to ear. "DAMN RIGHT I'MMA HIT THAT!" She started to sing a ditty to herself as she danced her way inside. "I monna hit nat classy bitch. I monna hit nat classy bitch. I monna." Her song was interrupted by an unsettling realization. "Wait the where now?"