Enharmoniaby Captain McMuffinChaptersMovement No. 1Movement No. 2Movement No. 3 "Etude"Movement No. 1Deep purple melded with amethyst, a simple yet powerful collision that could be felt around the world. Lights shone bright and oceans churned, a whole slew of changes and cataclysms shifting the universe in an unstable and violent way. Harmony and chaos, fighting and loving. "Vinyl? Vinyl... What the hay are you looking at?" The magenta coated mare sighed and sipped at her drink. Actually, drinks. She gazed in the direction that the white mare was staring at. Although this was only the beginning of the night for her, she couldn't follow the unicorn's vision, the ponies across the pub melting together in a blob of color and voices. "Alright Vin', what is it?!" Still no reaction from the possibly comatose DJ, her mouth slightly agape and wide eyed. Her friend, holding the drink by the lip of the glass, groaned, downing the rest of it soon after, and putting the empty glass on the bar. "Hey barcolt, can you send down another one? Something stronger?" "Actually, miss," the barmare said with a hint of irritation, "I can't. New policy; limit ten drinks per Berry Punch." She smiled an icy smile and trotted back toward the other end of the bar, ready to serve an older looking gentlecolt. If the mare was aware of the thousands of daggers burying themselves in the back of her head, she didn't show it. And that just irritated Berry even more. "Argh! I can't get one more drink out of these people! That table was replaceable anyways!" She shook her head and hopped down to the floor on all fours. "I'm done, Vin'. See ya Tuesday." The white mare didn't even blink as her friend trotted out the door and to the conveniently placed pub across the street. A soft thump sounded as the grey mare went silent, her hoof falling to the table. Beauty Brass looked back over at her new silent friend. The cellist was staring off toward the other end of the room, all of her conversation dead in the air. The tuba player looked at her friend with a curious concern. "Octy, you alright?" She gazed across the room, trying to see whatever Octavia was seeing. Rather quickly, she spotted another mare across the space staring back at her friend. She blushed, a visible hue showing through her coat. She wove her hoof in front of Octavia's face, jolting the mare back out of her trance. "Huh, wha- whosit- Oh, heh, uh, hi, Brass!" Her cheery smile played across her face, but her friend kept blushing, but smiling at the same time. "You okay, Octy? You were staring at that mare over there... for about a minute." A teasing tone entered her face, but the smile stayed where it was. This time, it was the other mare's turn to blush, who began looking everywhere but her friend. "N-no I wasn't! That pony over there? Pfft, I wasn't staring at her, she's just like any old unicorn. Heh." "You sure? Because you were staring at her pretty hard. I could almost see you eating her up." A stifled giggle permeated through the booth they were in, while the cellist went from a nice charcoal grey to a nice shade of crimson. "No I wasn't! Don't be so vulgar," Octavia said, sniffing as she turned her head. Suddenly, an mean idea popped into Beauty Brass's mind. "Oh, look at the time, I have to go home and get some sleep, see ya on the eighth!" She rose out of the booth and trotted to the door, feigning obliviousness to her friend's frantic pleading. As the brass player left the building, Octavia glanced back over at the white unicorn. When she saw that she was looking back over too, they both glanced away and blushed again. Bucking Beauty Brass... Sighing, the cellist placed her head in her hooves. "Of all the ponies I could have met here..." She glanced back at the white mare, who also was stealing glances. "...I meet a tomcolt." But she looks *really** good...* Over the din of the pub, Vinyl could hear the trotting of hooves on the tile floor. Her ears perked up and she turned her head. Oh Celestia... she's coming over here! Each step sounded like thunder to her ears, and the world seemed to slow down as Vinyl looked at the approaching figure from hoof to head. Oh... My... She shook her head. "No no no, you're a strong mare... Use the Charm." After turning back to the bar, she downed the rest of her drink and took a deep breath. You got this. You got this. Bringing her head back up, she started to turn to face the mare when she heard a smooth, regal voice. "Uhm, hi there." Vinyl flailed her forehooves and nearly fell out of her seat, but recovered and glanced at the now snickering grey mare. "I, uh, um..." She used a forehoof to push her shades against her face. She grinned. "Hey, babe. Want a drink?" The grey mare squinted her eyes a little, examining the unicorn like she was a bug. "What makes you think that I want a drink? Or a drink with you?" The white mare just stared back through the shaded lenses, but was about to sweat up a storm. "Well, you sorta trotted over to me." This time the Earth pony blushed, and the unicorn chuckled. "I have that effect on mares..." The grey mare blushed even redder, and the unicorn began to laugh out loud. She turned to the barmare and asked, "Alright, can I get two Applejack Daniel's, for me and the beautiful mare next to me," she gestured to the mare who was now blushing in the seat next to Vinyl. The barmare just smiled and said, "Sure thing, Vin'." She leaned in and whispered into the DJ's ear, "Also, thanks for spacing out; Berry can be such a little filly when she's blasted." As she chuckled the barmare trotted over and got out the drinks as the mares turned back to each other. "So you're the famous Vinyl Scratch? Didn't think I'd find you in a Canterlot pub. Or anywhere in Canterlot." She extended her hoof and was met with the DJ's. "I'm Octavia Philharmonia. I'm a cellist player with the Canterlot Symphony." Vinyl's ears perked up at this. "Wait, you play in the Symphony? I've been trying to get somepony to let me record them and remix their stuff, but Celestia, it's like they don't think dubtrot is a type of music!" "Well, that's because they don't,Vinyl. Well, at least most of those close-minded ponies. I, however... could deal with your antics, I think." Those eyes shades... I wonder what her eyes look like... Movement No. 2"... and so I say to him, 'Someone will be there early to let you in!" The slightly inebriated mare slammed the stein down onto the table and laughed, tilting her head back as she did so. Vinyl, however, just smiled nervously. "So, you lied to the guy and left him out in the snow because he was a bassoon player? Low..." "Well, it's not like bassoons are good for anything besides..." she snickered. "BURNING!" She roared this time, pleased as punch - or in this case whiskey - that she was able to crack not one but two bad jokes, at the expense of double reed players everywhere. The DJ just looked at her new friend and shook her head, chuckling to herself. "Knew ya shouldn't have had the Applejack Daniel's... com'on, let's get ya home." Helping the cellist out of her seat was easy enough, and Vinyl knew her way around a drunk female or two. It wasn't uncommon for the tabloids to report the mare taking home one or more ponies after a long night of drinking, and tonight would possibly be no different. But Octavia was quite the exception. Through increasingly insightful and hilarious, yet intriguing dialogue, the cellist revealed her line of work, her upbringing in one of the more affluent neighborhoods of Canterlot, and her goals for the future. Strangely, unlike other ponies that Vinyl had met at the pub before, she never mentioned freely of her personal relationships, nor her goals in said field. As the unlikely pair left the pub, Vinyl used her magic to drop a rather large tip in the jar near the door, nodding back to the barmare, looking ecstatic that the two finally left. Passing the threshold of the door, Vinyl began to extend her magic to close the door behind her, but was cut off by a loud slam. The cellist had regained some composure at this point, able to walk on her own once more, albeit with a sway to her gait. What the hay to do now? It's my night off at the club, but I guess I could drop in and lay some sick beats on them. She stopped for a second, then continued. Hah, *drop*? Get it? Oh wait, she can't hear me... "So, Ms. Scratch," the calm, collected, somewhat drunk, highbrow Canterlot mare Octavia Philharmonic said, "is this the part where you bring the tipsy, beautiful mare home for a fun night of loving before sending her home in the morning? Or did I read you completely wrong?" Never was a fan of sunglasses; you can't really see what somepony is thinking... The straight face given by Vinyl was in no way an indicator of any emotion or thought process that she had ever seen. I feel like I'm under a microscope... The tense moment turned into a minute, neither mare saying a word or even moving a muscle. "Well, only if you want." With a grin, the DJ continued along the street, throwing over her shoulder, "But I hate to take advantage of a mare as highbrow as yourself. Not to mention good looking..." Octavia's blush shown through her grey coat, putting Berry Punch to shame. "Not so loud, Vinyl! But... Thanks." Vinyl stopped and turned around, surprised by the ground given by her new acquaintance. "It means a lot to me, even if you were just fishing for a blush and a stern chastising." Her face fell at this, and she sighed. "I won't take you up on that offer, but maybe... sometime soon..." Trotting back and putting a hoof around Octavia, Vinyl said, "Sure, I'll pick you up tomorrow at your place, eight thirty. We're goin' CLUB HUNTIN'!" She jumped up on her hind hooves and pumped her forehooves into the air. "It's gonna be SO. AWESOME." The cellist put her hoof on the excited mare's back, and said, "That's not entirely what I was going to suggest. Maybe instead we could go to, I don't know, say, The Hay and Bale?" In her clouded head, the scenario worked out perfectly. The two would go to the club, both in their best attire, and would have polite conversation at the dim tables in the back of the room, with Trotzart being played by the four piece ensemble on the stage. Champagne would be drunk, stories told, secrets unveiled... She's inviting me, DJ Pon-3, to the snottiest of snotbaskets in Canterlot? Yanking the daydreaming - er, nightdreaming - cellist out of her trance, the DJ delivered her ultimatum. "I'll only go if there's free drinks. Because I can't just-" "Deal. I'll see you at my place tomorrow evening." With a slight bow, the mare left her soon-to-be-date in the middle of the street, the night still young for her. "Wait, where do you even live?" Vinyl asked? Octavia just smiled back at her and kept trotting along. "You'll find it, if you look down the road a little." With a slight giggle, and a hiccup, the mare left. Looking down, the white unicorn found a business card lying at her feet. She muttered to herself, "Ms. Octavia Philharmonia, 146 Harmony Avenue. Royal Canterlot Symphony, principal cellist and music theory instructor." Lifting her eyes back to the direction the mare had gone, she smiled. "See you then, Ms. Octavia Philharmonia." Sunshine broke through the window to awaken the peaceful mare from her slumber. Octavia groaned, twisting and turning to find the comfort of sleep that she had just moments ago. "Sunshine, can you just go away?" With a tsk, a motherly voice said, "Sorry, but you needed to be at practice an hour ago!" Octavia turned her head and found a glowing, bright orange pony standing in her window frame. "AGH! Who the BUCK are YOU?" "YOU'RE LATE!!!!" "AH!" Octavia bolted upright, and immediately regretted it. This time, the sun actually did give her a headache, the protection of her dream no longer present. Her head throbbed as she dragged her hooves out of bed and trotted slowly toward the kitchen, through her studio apartment. Menial, regular tasks such as grinding and brewing coffee became feats of endurance, the monotony and senses of everything being amplified a thousand fold. After pouring the water into her coffee machine and setting the brewing selection, Octavia shuffled her hooves over into the bathroom. After pressing the button to start up the shower, she adjusted the temperature to her liking, muttering curses when the water was too hot, or too cold. Finally, it was just right, and Ms. Goldilocks stepped into the shower. As she showered, the feeling of being completely drained and sore was washed from her system, and a feeling of rejuvenation replaced it all. Peacefulness came over her, and she felt all her worries melt away. The newly young mare stepped out of the shower a minute later, and trotted back to the kitchen, this time with a brisk pace. Humming cheerful tunes of Penny Manger, the cellist dexterously poured a fresh cup of coffee into her mug, adding in sugar and cream to sweeten the deal. With a sip of the elixir, Octavia began to start her brain up. "Ah, nothing like Coltumbian to wake up in the morning, all ready for rehearsal..." A sidelong glance at the clock, and then another sip. Right on time, only have negative one hour to... And then spitting out that sip, running to the bedroom area to grab her bow tie, and then fumbling with said accessory as she and her cello spilled out into the hallway. Vinyl stumbled down the street, thoroughly blasted out of her mind. Vague hints of what had possibly happened just hours ago passed through her mind, but she dismissed them. She'd had so many nights like this that she dismissed it all as just common occurrence. Her apartment was at the top floor of the Maretonian, a very high-scale, polish place where only the richest and cunning ponies lived. Of course, Vinyl met neither of these prerequisites, the penthouse suite courtesy of one named Pinkie Pie, the eccentric, energetic mare that had landed Vinyl the wedding gig. I wonder what she meant by having penthouses stashed all over Equestria... Almost shaking her head - but not, because she knew she would fall over - Vinyl trotted cautiously into the elevator, using her magic to hit the button to her suite. Upstairs, she disembarked the lift and went to her bedroom. There, she flopped onto the bed, face first, and promptly fell asleep. Movement No. 3 "Etude"Alright, so you probably already know that Octavia and Vinyl are going to go out on a date, go out to a club, bang, et cetera, et cetera, et cetera. But nopony ever said, "Hey, gee, wonder what happened to Berry Punch and Beauty Brass, oh well VINYL AND OCTAVIA FTW!" Yeah, well guess what? I'm gonna tell ya the stories of me, Berry Punch, and my new, good friend, Beauty Brass. Hey, whada you think you're doing, BB Gun? No, NO, NO, DON'T TAKE THE MICROPHONE BB PLEASE NO NO NOOooo...... "What do you mean you won't give me anythin'," the purple mare shouted in the din of the open room. Even with the daylight outside streaming in through the windows, a magical darkness shrouded the room, giving the ponies inside a sense of privacy and comfort. The stallion behind the bar kept his scowl on. "I mean you aren't going to get anymore drunk than you are now! I'm tired of losing shot glasses and steins every night you come in here!" He scoffed, smirking at the pony across the bar from him. "Hay, your tab is so high, not even the Royal Treasury could dig you out of the manure you're in!" Suddenly, the clash of stool against floor and glass against bar shattered the relative calm of mutual indifference between the arguing pair and the other establishment goers. The commotion drew their attention, as the fight that broke out at the bar was quite a spectacle. Hooves were flying as Berry put the Punch in her name, and the bartender did a good job at getting a few teeth loose. "Margle darmed cultists! 'Air yah keepin' me wee men!?" The horrific battle cry twisted some of the other ponies' faces into looks of confusion and wonder. Finally, I decided the stallion had enough, and stood up to go give her the what for. Trotting over to them, I cleared my throat. "Alright, get off him. One chance." "Ah, get outta here! I'm busy," one more punch makes a sick sound as hoof met snout. After taking a deep breath, letting out as I shook my head, I leaned forward and grabbed the mare's mane in my teeth and pulled back hard. She let out an indignant 'hey!' as she fell on her flank. "You're going to walk out the door and go home. You got that?" Before I could make it more than two hooves back to my seat, I felt a hoof tap my withers. "Look, just go ho-" A hoof connected with my snout, which sent my head into the bar and my body slumping to the ground. I coughed out a bit of blood from a cut lip. "Nice, ack, punch." I brought myself back up on my hooves. "That's what yah get for getting in the way of MY business!" She put her hoof up and wiggled it back towards her. "Gimme your best one." Well, with that invitation, I faked left and then right, finally deciding to take advantage of the fact this mare was completely off her rocker from whatever the hay she was drinking. I closed in beside her and slammed her side, sending her sprawling onto the ground in a heap. I nearly decided to let her have it, but decided against it. After dropping off a few bits as compensation for the ruckus, once again I chomped down on her mane and dragged her towards the door. "Okay, was it really necessary to drag me all the way down the street?" My, how she had sobered up when I let my hoof get a little personal with her facial features. Made her slightly easier to deal with. I sighed and let go of her mane. "Yes, because if I hadn't, you'd have just run right back to the pub and beat the snot out of that poor stallion." I turned to go to my favourite watering hole, neither know nor care of what the mare would do when I was gone. However, she wouldn't let me get away so easily. "Where d'ya think you're going, huh?" "Nowhere important. Certainly nowhere you'd be let in." "Let in? Sounds like you're going somewhere interesting..." "Yeah, and you're not coming with me." She gave me a pout. Too bad she didn't know what kind of pony she was messing with. "Come ooooooonnnnn, I won't make any trouble, I promise. "Now that is a big, fat lie, and we both know it. I'm going alone, and if you follow me I promise you won't get in." I turned to walk off as she sputtered out random gibberish. Suddenly, as I was about to turn the corner, she shouted out the killer line. "What if I gave you bits!" Hmm. Interesting. Bits in return for coming with me somewhere. "If that were the case, that'd make me a paid escort, right?" She smirked at me, and I smirked right back. "Har har, nice one. Come on, just bring me. I'll have something light, I promise." I mulled over it. On one hoof, I had something interesting besides 'go drink and then go home with or without someone and then repeat'. On the other hoof, bringing a drunk there would be just a shot in the foot for me. With a deep sigh, I said, "Sure. Fine. But you have to drink light, got it? Otherwise my hoof is going up your flank and it's not going to be pretty." "What, the hoof or the flank? Because I've gotten some compliments in that department..." "Har har har to you too. Now come on, I want to get something hard." Quickly I added, "You're not." And so we turned and trotted off towards... "The Hayzy Mare. What the hay kind of place is this?" I have to admit, the name is rather strange, and those looking for a deeper implication don't have to look too far. But the place is nice. "Just come on, I'll get us in. I'm a regular here, it's fine." As we went up to the front door, the bouncer, Kick Flank, nodded at me, and then looked at the other mare and gave her a scowl. Apparently, she has quite the reputation. "BB, who's this?" I quickly glanced at my companion and saw her giving a scowl back. "Oh, she's just my, er, 'friend'. We're going to have some light drinks, right..." Oh hayshakes, I forgot to get her name. Oh no oh no oh no oh- "Yeah, just some seltzer and mead or something, yeah. Light." She gave a weak smile to Kick Flank. He sized her up and then gave her another glare. "Well, I guess I can let her in. If she gets to be trouble, I'm sure I could get her lightweight frame outta here." I think he was trying to make that a casual threat of some kind, but it turned out as more of a compliment. "Yeah, get in here BB and... what was her name again?" "Berry Punch. Nice to meet you." "I would say likewise, but I don't make a habit of lying." Kick Flank, you stone cold mother bucker. "Come on in, girls." As he opened the door and let us pass by, I was greeted by the familiar stale scent of cigarettes. The jazz group performing was playing some smooth, quiet jazz in the corner, just loud enough to mask conversations beyond the next table. The dark of the first pub was nothing compared to this, where it was deliberately set up to give maximum privacy to the ponies inside, while keeping everypony's hooves safe from stubbing against a table or a chair. The bar was not lit up like the last one, and small candles lit up the 'public' parts of the establishment. It's a second home to me. It seemed Ms. Punch liked the place too, because she quickly sat down at a booth and waved me over. I rolled my eyes and took a seat across from her. Quickly, we had ordered a light mead each and a platter of hayfries. Neither of us had much to say, so I sat and ate, content with the calm atmosphere and delicious bread and drink we had. Well, I was content. Berry kept on complaining about how the mead "wasn't doing it for her". Tough luck, you decided to tag along. I could already tell it was going to be a long night.
Movement No. 1Deep purple melded with amethyst, a simple yet powerful collision that could be felt around the world. Lights shone bright and oceans churned, a whole slew of changes and cataclysms shifting the universe in an unstable and violent way. Harmony and chaos, fighting and loving. "Vinyl? Vinyl... What the hay are you looking at?" The magenta coated mare sighed and sipped at her drink. Actually, drinks. She gazed in the direction that the white mare was staring at. Although this was only the beginning of the night for her, she couldn't follow the unicorn's vision, the ponies across the pub melting together in a blob of color and voices. "Alright Vin', what is it?!" Still no reaction from the possibly comatose DJ, her mouth slightly agape and wide eyed. Her friend, holding the drink by the lip of the glass, groaned, downing the rest of it soon after, and putting the empty glass on the bar. "Hey barcolt, can you send down another one? Something stronger?" "Actually, miss," the barmare said with a hint of irritation, "I can't. New policy; limit ten drinks per Berry Punch." She smiled an icy smile and trotted back toward the other end of the bar, ready to serve an older looking gentlecolt. If the mare was aware of the thousands of daggers burying themselves in the back of her head, she didn't show it. And that just irritated Berry even more. "Argh! I can't get one more drink out of these people! That table was replaceable anyways!" She shook her head and hopped down to the floor on all fours. "I'm done, Vin'. See ya Tuesday." The white mare didn't even blink as her friend trotted out the door and to the conveniently placed pub across the street. A soft thump sounded as the grey mare went silent, her hoof falling to the table. Beauty Brass looked back over at her new silent friend. The cellist was staring off toward the other end of the room, all of her conversation dead in the air. The tuba player looked at her friend with a curious concern. "Octy, you alright?" She gazed across the room, trying to see whatever Octavia was seeing. Rather quickly, she spotted another mare across the space staring back at her friend. She blushed, a visible hue showing through her coat. She wove her hoof in front of Octavia's face, jolting the mare back out of her trance. "Huh, wha- whosit- Oh, heh, uh, hi, Brass!" Her cheery smile played across her face, but her friend kept blushing, but smiling at the same time. "You okay, Octy? You were staring at that mare over there... for about a minute." A teasing tone entered her face, but the smile stayed where it was. This time, it was the other mare's turn to blush, who began looking everywhere but her friend. "N-no I wasn't! That pony over there? Pfft, I wasn't staring at her, she's just like any old unicorn. Heh." "You sure? Because you were staring at her pretty hard. I could almost see you eating her up." A stifled giggle permeated through the booth they were in, while the cellist went from a nice charcoal grey to a nice shade of crimson. "No I wasn't! Don't be so vulgar," Octavia said, sniffing as she turned her head. Suddenly, an mean idea popped into Beauty Brass's mind. "Oh, look at the time, I have to go home and get some sleep, see ya on the eighth!" She rose out of the booth and trotted to the door, feigning obliviousness to her friend's frantic pleading. As the brass player left the building, Octavia glanced back over at the white unicorn. When she saw that she was looking back over too, they both glanced away and blushed again. Bucking Beauty Brass... Sighing, the cellist placed her head in her hooves. "Of all the ponies I could have met here..." She glanced back at the white mare, who also was stealing glances. "...I meet a tomcolt." But she looks *really** good...* Over the din of the pub, Vinyl could hear the trotting of hooves on the tile floor. Her ears perked up and she turned her head. Oh Celestia... she's coming over here! Each step sounded like thunder to her ears, and the world seemed to slow down as Vinyl looked at the approaching figure from hoof to head. Oh... My... She shook her head. "No no no, you're a strong mare... Use the Charm." After turning back to the bar, she downed the rest of her drink and took a deep breath. You got this. You got this. Bringing her head back up, she started to turn to face the mare when she heard a smooth, regal voice. "Uhm, hi there." Vinyl flailed her forehooves and nearly fell out of her seat, but recovered and glanced at the now snickering grey mare. "I, uh, um..." She used a forehoof to push her shades against her face. She grinned. "Hey, babe. Want a drink?" The grey mare squinted her eyes a little, examining the unicorn like she was a bug. "What makes you think that I want a drink? Or a drink with you?" The white mare just stared back through the shaded lenses, but was about to sweat up a storm. "Well, you sorta trotted over to me." This time the Earth pony blushed, and the unicorn chuckled. "I have that effect on mares..." The grey mare blushed even redder, and the unicorn began to laugh out loud. She turned to the barmare and asked, "Alright, can I get two Applejack Daniel's, for me and the beautiful mare next to me," she gestured to the mare who was now blushing in the seat next to Vinyl. The barmare just smiled and said, "Sure thing, Vin'." She leaned in and whispered into the DJ's ear, "Also, thanks for spacing out; Berry can be such a little filly when she's blasted." As she chuckled the barmare trotted over and got out the drinks as the mares turned back to each other. "So you're the famous Vinyl Scratch? Didn't think I'd find you in a Canterlot pub. Or anywhere in Canterlot." She extended her hoof and was met with the DJ's. "I'm Octavia Philharmonia. I'm a cellist player with the Canterlot Symphony." Vinyl's ears perked up at this. "Wait, you play in the Symphony? I've been trying to get somepony to let me record them and remix their stuff, but Celestia, it's like they don't think dubtrot is a type of music!" "Well, that's because they don't,Vinyl. Well, at least most of those close-minded ponies. I, however... could deal with your antics, I think." Those eyes shades... I wonder what her eyes look like...
Movement No. 2"... and so I say to him, 'Someone will be there early to let you in!" The slightly inebriated mare slammed the stein down onto the table and laughed, tilting her head back as she did so. Vinyl, however, just smiled nervously. "So, you lied to the guy and left him out in the snow because he was a bassoon player? Low..." "Well, it's not like bassoons are good for anything besides..." she snickered. "BURNING!" She roared this time, pleased as punch - or in this case whiskey - that she was able to crack not one but two bad jokes, at the expense of double reed players everywhere. The DJ just looked at her new friend and shook her head, chuckling to herself. "Knew ya shouldn't have had the Applejack Daniel's... com'on, let's get ya home." Helping the cellist out of her seat was easy enough, and Vinyl knew her way around a drunk female or two. It wasn't uncommon for the tabloids to report the mare taking home one or more ponies after a long night of drinking, and tonight would possibly be no different. But Octavia was quite the exception. Through increasingly insightful and hilarious, yet intriguing dialogue, the cellist revealed her line of work, her upbringing in one of the more affluent neighborhoods of Canterlot, and her goals for the future. Strangely, unlike other ponies that Vinyl had met at the pub before, she never mentioned freely of her personal relationships, nor her goals in said field. As the unlikely pair left the pub, Vinyl used her magic to drop a rather large tip in the jar near the door, nodding back to the barmare, looking ecstatic that the two finally left. Passing the threshold of the door, Vinyl began to extend her magic to close the door behind her, but was cut off by a loud slam. The cellist had regained some composure at this point, able to walk on her own once more, albeit with a sway to her gait. What the hay to do now? It's my night off at the club, but I guess I could drop in and lay some sick beats on them. She stopped for a second, then continued. Hah, *drop*? Get it? Oh wait, she can't hear me... "So, Ms. Scratch," the calm, collected, somewhat drunk, highbrow Canterlot mare Octavia Philharmonic said, "is this the part where you bring the tipsy, beautiful mare home for a fun night of loving before sending her home in the morning? Or did I read you completely wrong?" Never was a fan of sunglasses; you can't really see what somepony is thinking... The straight face given by Vinyl was in no way an indicator of any emotion or thought process that she had ever seen. I feel like I'm under a microscope... The tense moment turned into a minute, neither mare saying a word or even moving a muscle. "Well, only if you want." With a grin, the DJ continued along the street, throwing over her shoulder, "But I hate to take advantage of a mare as highbrow as yourself. Not to mention good looking..." Octavia's blush shown through her grey coat, putting Berry Punch to shame. "Not so loud, Vinyl! But... Thanks." Vinyl stopped and turned around, surprised by the ground given by her new acquaintance. "It means a lot to me, even if you were just fishing for a blush and a stern chastising." Her face fell at this, and she sighed. "I won't take you up on that offer, but maybe... sometime soon..." Trotting back and putting a hoof around Octavia, Vinyl said, "Sure, I'll pick you up tomorrow at your place, eight thirty. We're goin' CLUB HUNTIN'!" She jumped up on her hind hooves and pumped her forehooves into the air. "It's gonna be SO. AWESOME." The cellist put her hoof on the excited mare's back, and said, "That's not entirely what I was going to suggest. Maybe instead we could go to, I don't know, say, The Hay and Bale?" In her clouded head, the scenario worked out perfectly. The two would go to the club, both in their best attire, and would have polite conversation at the dim tables in the back of the room, with Trotzart being played by the four piece ensemble on the stage. Champagne would be drunk, stories told, secrets unveiled... She's inviting me, DJ Pon-3, to the snottiest of snotbaskets in Canterlot? Yanking the daydreaming - er, nightdreaming - cellist out of her trance, the DJ delivered her ultimatum. "I'll only go if there's free drinks. Because I can't just-" "Deal. I'll see you at my place tomorrow evening." With a slight bow, the mare left her soon-to-be-date in the middle of the street, the night still young for her. "Wait, where do you even live?" Vinyl asked? Octavia just smiled back at her and kept trotting along. "You'll find it, if you look down the road a little." With a slight giggle, and a hiccup, the mare left. Looking down, the white unicorn found a business card lying at her feet. She muttered to herself, "Ms. Octavia Philharmonia, 146 Harmony Avenue. Royal Canterlot Symphony, principal cellist and music theory instructor." Lifting her eyes back to the direction the mare had gone, she smiled. "See you then, Ms. Octavia Philharmonia." Sunshine broke through the window to awaken the peaceful mare from her slumber. Octavia groaned, twisting and turning to find the comfort of sleep that she had just moments ago. "Sunshine, can you just go away?" With a tsk, a motherly voice said, "Sorry, but you needed to be at practice an hour ago!" Octavia turned her head and found a glowing, bright orange pony standing in her window frame. "AGH! Who the BUCK are YOU?" "YOU'RE LATE!!!!" "AH!" Octavia bolted upright, and immediately regretted it. This time, the sun actually did give her a headache, the protection of her dream no longer present. Her head throbbed as she dragged her hooves out of bed and trotted slowly toward the kitchen, through her studio apartment. Menial, regular tasks such as grinding and brewing coffee became feats of endurance, the monotony and senses of everything being amplified a thousand fold. After pouring the water into her coffee machine and setting the brewing selection, Octavia shuffled her hooves over into the bathroom. After pressing the button to start up the shower, she adjusted the temperature to her liking, muttering curses when the water was too hot, or too cold. Finally, it was just right, and Ms. Goldilocks stepped into the shower. As she showered, the feeling of being completely drained and sore was washed from her system, and a feeling of rejuvenation replaced it all. Peacefulness came over her, and she felt all her worries melt away. The newly young mare stepped out of the shower a minute later, and trotted back to the kitchen, this time with a brisk pace. Humming cheerful tunes of Penny Manger, the cellist dexterously poured a fresh cup of coffee into her mug, adding in sugar and cream to sweeten the deal. With a sip of the elixir, Octavia began to start her brain up. "Ah, nothing like Coltumbian to wake up in the morning, all ready for rehearsal..." A sidelong glance at the clock, and then another sip. Right on time, only have negative one hour to... And then spitting out that sip, running to the bedroom area to grab her bow tie, and then fumbling with said accessory as she and her cello spilled out into the hallway. Vinyl stumbled down the street, thoroughly blasted out of her mind. Vague hints of what had possibly happened just hours ago passed through her mind, but she dismissed them. She'd had so many nights like this that she dismissed it all as just common occurrence. Her apartment was at the top floor of the Maretonian, a very high-scale, polish place where only the richest and cunning ponies lived. Of course, Vinyl met neither of these prerequisites, the penthouse suite courtesy of one named Pinkie Pie, the eccentric, energetic mare that had landed Vinyl the wedding gig. I wonder what she meant by having penthouses stashed all over Equestria... Almost shaking her head - but not, because she knew she would fall over - Vinyl trotted cautiously into the elevator, using her magic to hit the button to her suite. Upstairs, she disembarked the lift and went to her bedroom. There, she flopped onto the bed, face first, and promptly fell asleep.
Movement No. 3 "Etude"Alright, so you probably already know that Octavia and Vinyl are going to go out on a date, go out to a club, bang, et cetera, et cetera, et cetera. But nopony ever said, "Hey, gee, wonder what happened to Berry Punch and Beauty Brass, oh well VINYL AND OCTAVIA FTW!" Yeah, well guess what? I'm gonna tell ya the stories of me, Berry Punch, and my new, good friend, Beauty Brass. Hey, whada you think you're doing, BB Gun? No, NO, NO, DON'T TAKE THE MICROPHONE BB PLEASE NO NO NOOooo...... "What do you mean you won't give me anythin'," the purple mare shouted in the din of the open room. Even with the daylight outside streaming in through the windows, a magical darkness shrouded the room, giving the ponies inside a sense of privacy and comfort. The stallion behind the bar kept his scowl on. "I mean you aren't going to get anymore drunk than you are now! I'm tired of losing shot glasses and steins every night you come in here!" He scoffed, smirking at the pony across the bar from him. "Hay, your tab is so high, not even the Royal Treasury could dig you out of the manure you're in!" Suddenly, the clash of stool against floor and glass against bar shattered the relative calm of mutual indifference between the arguing pair and the other establishment goers. The commotion drew their attention, as the fight that broke out at the bar was quite a spectacle. Hooves were flying as Berry put the Punch in her name, and the bartender did a good job at getting a few teeth loose. "Margle darmed cultists! 'Air yah keepin' me wee men!?" The horrific battle cry twisted some of the other ponies' faces into looks of confusion and wonder. Finally, I decided the stallion had enough, and stood up to go give her the what for. Trotting over to them, I cleared my throat. "Alright, get off him. One chance." "Ah, get outta here! I'm busy," one more punch makes a sick sound as hoof met snout. After taking a deep breath, letting out as I shook my head, I leaned forward and grabbed the mare's mane in my teeth and pulled back hard. She let out an indignant 'hey!' as she fell on her flank. "You're going to walk out the door and go home. You got that?" Before I could make it more than two hooves back to my seat, I felt a hoof tap my withers. "Look, just go ho-" A hoof connected with my snout, which sent my head into the bar and my body slumping to the ground. I coughed out a bit of blood from a cut lip. "Nice, ack, punch." I brought myself back up on my hooves. "That's what yah get for getting in the way of MY business!" She put her hoof up and wiggled it back towards her. "Gimme your best one." Well, with that invitation, I faked left and then right, finally deciding to take advantage of the fact this mare was completely off her rocker from whatever the hay she was drinking. I closed in beside her and slammed her side, sending her sprawling onto the ground in a heap. I nearly decided to let her have it, but decided against it. After dropping off a few bits as compensation for the ruckus, once again I chomped down on her mane and dragged her towards the door. "Okay, was it really necessary to drag me all the way down the street?" My, how she had sobered up when I let my hoof get a little personal with her facial features. Made her slightly easier to deal with. I sighed and let go of her mane. "Yes, because if I hadn't, you'd have just run right back to the pub and beat the snot out of that poor stallion." I turned to go to my favourite watering hole, neither know nor care of what the mare would do when I was gone. However, she wouldn't let me get away so easily. "Where d'ya think you're going, huh?" "Nowhere important. Certainly nowhere you'd be let in." "Let in? Sounds like you're going somewhere interesting..." "Yeah, and you're not coming with me." She gave me a pout. Too bad she didn't know what kind of pony she was messing with. "Come ooooooonnnnn, I won't make any trouble, I promise. "Now that is a big, fat lie, and we both know it. I'm going alone, and if you follow me I promise you won't get in." I turned to walk off as she sputtered out random gibberish. Suddenly, as I was about to turn the corner, she shouted out the killer line. "What if I gave you bits!" Hmm. Interesting. Bits in return for coming with me somewhere. "If that were the case, that'd make me a paid escort, right?" She smirked at me, and I smirked right back. "Har har, nice one. Come on, just bring me. I'll have something light, I promise." I mulled over it. On one hoof, I had something interesting besides 'go drink and then go home with or without someone and then repeat'. On the other hoof, bringing a drunk there would be just a shot in the foot for me. With a deep sigh, I said, "Sure. Fine. But you have to drink light, got it? Otherwise my hoof is going up your flank and it's not going to be pretty." "What, the hoof or the flank? Because I've gotten some compliments in that department..." "Har har har to you too. Now come on, I want to get something hard." Quickly I added, "You're not." And so we turned and trotted off towards... "The Hayzy Mare. What the hay kind of place is this?" I have to admit, the name is rather strange, and those looking for a deeper implication don't have to look too far. But the place is nice. "Just come on, I'll get us in. I'm a regular here, it's fine." As we went up to the front door, the bouncer, Kick Flank, nodded at me, and then looked at the other mare and gave her a scowl. Apparently, she has quite the reputation. "BB, who's this?" I quickly glanced at my companion and saw her giving a scowl back. "Oh, she's just my, er, 'friend'. We're going to have some light drinks, right..." Oh hayshakes, I forgot to get her name. Oh no oh no oh no oh- "Yeah, just some seltzer and mead or something, yeah. Light." She gave a weak smile to Kick Flank. He sized her up and then gave her another glare. "Well, I guess I can let her in. If she gets to be trouble, I'm sure I could get her lightweight frame outta here." I think he was trying to make that a casual threat of some kind, but it turned out as more of a compliment. "Yeah, get in here BB and... what was her name again?" "Berry Punch. Nice to meet you." "I would say likewise, but I don't make a habit of lying." Kick Flank, you stone cold mother bucker. "Come on in, girls." As he opened the door and let us pass by, I was greeted by the familiar stale scent of cigarettes. The jazz group performing was playing some smooth, quiet jazz in the corner, just loud enough to mask conversations beyond the next table. The dark of the first pub was nothing compared to this, where it was deliberately set up to give maximum privacy to the ponies inside, while keeping everypony's hooves safe from stubbing against a table or a chair. The bar was not lit up like the last one, and small candles lit up the 'public' parts of the establishment. It's a second home to me. It seemed Ms. Punch liked the place too, because she quickly sat down at a booth and waved me over. I rolled my eyes and took a seat across from her. Quickly, we had ordered a light mead each and a platter of hayfries. Neither of us had much to say, so I sat and ate, content with the calm atmosphere and delicious bread and drink we had. Well, I was content. Berry kept on complaining about how the mead "wasn't doing it for her". Tough luck, you decided to tag along. I could already tell it was going to be a long night.
