Wireless Connection

Octavia hoisted her cello up onto her back and started back home. Ivory had managed to learn the fugues and the bass section that went with it. While it had been hard for him to grasp the idea of the section, once he could wrap his mind around the piece, it was a simple matter of practising until he had it down. It turned out that having an emotion to tie to it was more helpful than the sheet music itself.

She was still in shock at her own admissions. She did love Vinyl; of that, she was sure. She knew that Vinyl loved her in turn, but she hadn't been aware of her own anxiety. Now that she'd declared it, she had to tell her. She had to be the one who told Vinyl how she was feeling, as it would only hurt more coming from somepony else.

On the walk home, she thought about what she would say. How does one even start a conversation like that? Being blunt and honest wouldn't work. "Vinyl, I wanted to tell you that I feel weak whenever you're around," certainly wasn't a good opening. "I hate that I feel inferior to you despite my best efforts to maintain a positive force on my life," was equally bad. She didn't know how to address her thoughts without sounding like she was insulting the one who had offered her a hoof to climb out of the hole she'd dug herself into.

She rounded the corner and spotted Vinyl through a window. She had been invited to attend earlier in the night, despite not being on the guest list. Vinyl was facing away from her, and likely couldn't see her out there on the sidewalk. She looked like she was entertaining a smaller crowd than was at the theatre. Still, the payout was likely to be grander, as the three dozen ponies that were in attendance looked to be enjoying themselves more than Octavia's audience. Octavia had no hopes of making her audience stand up and dance. It just wasn't going to happen.

It had to be there. It had to be tonight. Even if it wasn't convenient, she had the example right in front of her as to what she considered to be her biggest failure. But the dancing looked wild, so she couldn't bring her cello with her. She had to stop at home, first.

She hurried on her way at a brisk trot. She still didn't know what to say, but at the very least, she could buy some time by telling her that they needed to talk after the show, and then sit down at a table and listen to the music, clapping at the end of each performance.

As she moved her cello from its case to its stand, she spotted the butt plug on the nightstand. She had worn it when her parents were around, and it had given her the resolve to stand up to them. Before that, it had been used to tell her when she needed to push forward just a little bit harder to really wow the audience. For all intents and purposes, it was a good luck charm, or at the very least, she felt more confident while wearing it. Perhaps that was enough.

She quickly popped it into place and took a few breaths, both to adjust to the feeling and to calm her nerves. Tonight was a big night, and this time, Vinyl wasn't going to have her back, because she was going to be face-to-face with her.

Shaking the anxiety from her head, she left the house, returning to the coffee shop where Vinyl was entertaining. The door was a fair distance from the window, and as she tried to walk in, one of the hostesses that worked there held her back. "Sorry, but we're closed for a private function."

"I was invited to stop in if I had the time," answered Octavia.

"Oh, okay," smiled the hostess. "What was your name?"

"Octavia Philharmonica."

"The hostess looked down the list. "Sorry, but you're not listed. Do you have your employee ID badge?"

"I'm not part of the company. I'm here with the Disk Jockey. I'm here for her."

The hostess sighed uncomfortably. "Can you wait here, please? I have to talk to some ponies."

Octavia watched as the hostess moved through the crowd of celebrating ponies until she found a mare with a tiara. They spoke back and forth for a moment, then looked at Octavia, still standing by the door. They spoke a moment longer, then the hostess nodded and walked up to Vinyl.

Vinyl, upon hearing from the hostess, scanned the crowd until she saw Octavia by the door. Due to the nature of the coloured, swirling lights, it was hard to tell who was who, but when she saw the bowtie, she smiled and waved Octavia over. Soon after, the hostess waved her over, as well, indicating that it was okay to come in.

This was it. With a sheepish smile, she had to walk up to Vinyl and tell her why she was unhappy, and why she was telling herself that she had no right to feel that way. Even if not to have the whole conversation, she had to at least open it up for discussion.

As she made it to the buffet table, though, several very odd things happened in rapid succession. First and foremost, the bass track on the subwoofers stopped suddenly. Following that, a calm voice played over them, uttering a single word. "Disconnected." It then produced a short, sharp tone as Vinyl started checking her equipment.

The guests were only just starting to look around in confusion when Octavia's butt plug suddenly blasted to life at full tilt, pulsing and grinding to the exact beat of Vinyl's music.

"Fillies and gentlecolts of Filthy Rich and Associates Office Park, we're experiencing minor technical issues at this time. If we could all take a moment to calm our mood and relax for a moment, please remember to stay hydrated and please enjoy your buffet while we diagnose the problem. In the meantime, here's something acoustic, to help set the mood for an intermission."

Octavia was shocked, not by Vinyl's quick thinking, but by her choice in intermission filler. With no bass, she opted for a remix based on the violin half of a duet of Passacaglia. There was still a cello accompanying the ensemble, but since the speakers that played it had been disconnected, every note went right up Octavia's butt.