The electronic screaming of her alarm clock would shake Octavia out of a pleasant dream and into the start of a new day.
Her eyes shot open with temporary alarm, bloodshot and sensitive to the lit surroundings. For a split second, she was tempted to jump out of her bed due to the jarring pull into reality. But it didn't take long for her to take in her surroundings and come to terms with where she was. A groan escaped her lips, and she sat up in her bed before she could be tempted to roll over and fall back to sleep again. She rubbed at her eyes, trying to get the sleep out of them. After she was sure that she did and blinked a few times in order to clear her vision, she fixed a groggy glare over at her screaming alarm clock on her dresser. With a swing of her hoof, she smashed the infernal contraption before tossing it aside into a pile of other smashed alarm clocks situated in one corner of her room. "What would I give for an alarm clock that doesn't make a habit of screaming in my ear." She grumbled, taking a brief satisfaction in silencing the thing. After that, she promptly climbed out of her bed.
Because her motor functions weren't quite awake yet, however, her face was the first to greet the polished wood of her floor instead of her hooves. She held the ungraceful position of her hindquarters being pointed upwards, muttering muffled and incoherent grumbles. Then, after sliding her head up, she used her hind legs to push and slide herself across the floor to the bathroom. A deadpan "ow" escaped her when her chin hit the divider between the two rooms before she slid herself over it, using her hind leg to kick the door shut behind her.
Had her roommate Vinyl Scratch been in the room, she certainly would've taken mirth at seeing the formal and ladylike Octavia scooting across their floor like a snail. But of course, the more energetic and lively DJ had always gotten up long before the cellist did. So it was natural that while one was still trying to get over herself, the other was already downstairs making both of them breakfast and already prepared for the day. Even as she was scrubbing away the morning influence on her person for the warm waters to wash away, the cellist could hear the infamous nightclub music blaring down below. She gave a sigh, knowing that this would be a rather hectic start to the day.
Today was when the ensemble got together in order to practice for a live performance a few weeks from where they were now. Ever since they had gotten popular among the Canterlot music lovers, it wasn't uncommon for them to do this once or twice a week in order to keep their minds fresh within the pieces they constructed. They were a group that went on the borderline of perfectionism when it came to their performances, and with good cause. The audience of Canterlot demanded nothing but the best, after all. Although knowing this encouraged the other members of the ensemble, it always put a damper on Octavia's mood to know that the fruits of their labor would be handed out to what the outsiders referred to as "elitist snobs". It caused her prominent scowl to deepen a little as she fastened her trademark bow tie around her neck and looped the strap of her cello case around her shoulders. She simply could not understand why they never went on tour, to spread their music to other ponies who would actually appreciate it. But alas, it was the conductor Lyrica's decision, not the band's. Therefore, she would have to put up with it.
What she didn't have to put up with, thankfully, was the deafening music that hit her once she stepped into the dining room.
Vinyl Scratch was standing in front of the speakers and rocking out to the music blaring out of them when she happened to look over her shoulder and saw her disgruntled roommate walk in. She turned down the volume to a more bearable level, putting on a grin as she turned to face the other mare. "And there's my favorite mare!" She exclaimed. "I didn't happen to interrupt any good dreams of yours, did I?"
"Even if you did, I doubt any of them would counteract the grievances I have right now." Octavia muttered, moving over to one of the seats and sitting down. The smell of syrup-covered pancakes pushed what little morning haze that survived the shower out of her head, emphasized by an exhale of calming. "I've got practice with the ensemble today." She waited until Vinyl pulled up a seat next to her before she picked up her fork and knife to begin cutting the stack into more manageable pieces.
"Isn't that a good thing?" Vinyl cocked a slight eyebrow as she began to follow suit. "You always told me that you loved working with those guys."
"And I do." Octavia agreed. "But it's the demand from Stallion Stereophonics and the fan populace in general that's been more irritating than anything else." She scoffed a little, rolling her eyes. "I don't think I can even call them fans more so than I can call them stuck-up, elitist snobs who have nothing more to live for than criticizing the talents and abilities of other hard-working ponies. I've been trying to convince Lyrica to switch up the pace for who knows how long and begin tours outside of Canterlot. But she insists that it would only garner less publicity and generate even less funding for us." She finished this sentence with a shove of a bite into her mouth, prompting Vinyl to speak up.
"Maybe she's one of the more snooty types." She suggested, her tone filled with a mix of amusement and slight ire. "Remember when I came to meet you after one of your performances and I bumped into her instead?"
Octavia groaned. "How could I forget? The two of you were arguing to the point that security had to come and prevent a fight from breaking out. What got into you that day?"
"Hey, it wasn't my fault miss prissy britches didn't like me!" Vinyl grumbled. "She tried to shoo me out, even though I had a backstage pass. All because she didn't want some "commoner outsider"," She emphasized this with a mock stereotype high-class voice. "To pollute the environment of a prestigious group. Then, she had the nerve to tell me to "play a real instrument"! She was very lucky security pulled my flank out of there, otherwise she would've been conducting the next performance from a hospital bed!" She slammed one hoof into another. "Pow! Right into those perfect teeth of hers!"
"Be that as it may," Octavia said, quirking a slight eyebrow. "She's still my boss and you certainly would've gotten in trouble should you have came through with that. But, still," She furrowed her eyebrows, regarding Vinyl with slight surprise. "She actually told you that?"
"All of that and a lot more things I don't want to repeat," Vinyl confirmed. "Unless I want to start off the day heated as Tartarus." She peered at Octavia questioningly. "And the way you make it sound, she doesn't act that way all the time! You can't tell me that she's the sweetest person in the world you know!"
"She's not." Octavia said, smiling a little. "But she is a rather kind and attentive boss to have. If she's stern in any way, it's to ensure that we all get our jobs done efficiently and on time. With the upcoming competition concert coming up, though, she's been more than a little stressed out. I suppose what happened between you was merely a side effect of her having to work so hard."
Vinyl sighed. "You know, sometimes I think you're a little bit too forgiving, Tavi."
"Or you could just be a little bit too harsh?"
"...touche."
"Anyway," Octavia saw this as a change of subject, finding a new interest in what Vinyl's possible activities. "What will you be doing today?"
"Oh, me?" Vinyl's attitude seemed to brighten up, and she put on a prideful grin. She leaned forward a little, almost as if what she was about to say was the most important thing in the world. "Well, after I make a trip to the market in order to restock on food, I'm going over to Bon Bon and Lyra's place to hang out. Bon Bon said that Lyra brought this new game called "Slender" and wanted us to come over to see it once we had the chance. You interested?"
The word "no" was immediately placed on Octavia's tongue, but she forced it back upon seeing the gleam in Vinyl's eye. She sighed and raised an eyebrow. "Even if I say "no"," She said. "I'm going to safely assume you're going to find someway to drag me into it, right?"
"Ah, what?" Vinyl mockingly recoiled as if she had been slapped, trying her best to put on an innocently ignorant expression. "Tavi, you know that I would never steer my closest gal pal against her will like that! You cut me real deep." She placed both hands to her heart to emphasize, and Octavia couldn't help but giggle.
"I'll try to be over this afternoon, if I'm not too busy." She said, placing her fork down beside an empty plate. She slipped out of her chair, nudging it back under the table with a slight bump of the hindquarters. She approached the door, stopping once she had a hoof on the knob to look over her shoulder. The cello case was "Make sure not to get into too much trouble while I'm gone, okay?"
"Once again, Tavi." Vinyl put on a face of mock hurt, her hooves pressing against her heart. "Real deep."
With a roll of her eyes, the cellist made her exit into the morning atmosphere of the outside. As she shut the door behind her to leave Vinyl to her devices, she closed her eyes and took in a deep breath through the nose in order to steady her mental foundation. The cool air seeping into her nostrils and lungs was enough to shake her out of her funk, and she instinctively shook herself off as she felt a chill run down her skin. She had to ignore the glances from the other ponies that walked by as she straightened herself up, beginning her walk down to her destination. It was a long walk, but it was why that she chose to wake up so early before the actual time. She always loved walking down the streets of Canterlot, taking the time to enjoy the environment around her. She felt a smile cross her face as she started her journey down the sidewalk, nodding in appreciation and anticipation.
"Maybe this day won't be so bad, after all..."
Octavia couldn't help but notice that the streets of Canterlot were quite busy in the time of day.
Other ponies seemed to crowd the sidewalks, and carriages seemed to be steadily coming down the street in a constant, harried fashion. Presumably, the majority of them were all heading towards their places of work just like she was. But some of them had stopped in small groups in order to listen to the street musicians that were spreading their melody within the air. One group was surrounding the likes of four cellists, with their particular piece of music sounding more akin to something from a rock group than anything else. Another group was attracted by a solo musician, who was working with what was referred to be a hang drum. There were many more taking up places within the street, and although their melodies were disharmonious against one another, it was very easy to separate one from another with your ears. It brought about a little bounce in her step as she picked them up, and she was even humming along to herself. For the time being, it seemed as if what grievances she had carried while within her home had been lifted.
"Octy!"
Octavia was abruptly taken out of her trance when she found herself in the midst of a dispersing crowd. Her head swung in the direction of the voice, but she didn't expect a pair of mint-colored forelegs to wrap around her shoulders in an affectionate hug. It didn't take her too long to identify just who it was that had performed the deed, and she let out a happy squeal as she returned the gesture. "Lyra, it's nice to see that you're up and about at this time of day!" She exclaimed, once the two separated with their forehooves together. "How has your and Bon Bon's stay in Canterlot been so far?"
"It's been great!" Lyra grinned as she dropped her hooves, motioning over to the dispersing crowd. "I'd never thought being a street musician could be so much fun!" She turned around so that she would be exposing her side to Octavia, revealing a cased lyre on her own back. "I'd never thought that the people around here appreciated music so much. With crowds like these, you could play kazoos and still get a good audience."
A subtle grimace came across Octavia's face. "Funny you should talk about music and audiences at a time like this." She said, resuming her walk again. But this time, she had a companion walking alongside her. "My ensemble's performing live a few weeks from now, and my fellow members have been working quite hard to make sure that everything goes smoothly. Do you think you could bring yourself and Bon Bon along when the time arrives?" She put on a hopeful smile. "Not trying to push you into doing anything you don't want to, but certainly would be appreciated."
"Are you kidding?" Lyra held a slight look of disbelief on her own face, as if the question Octavia asked was unnecessary. "I've been dying to get into one of the classical live performances they hold around here! Of course, I'll have to do some word play in order to get Bon Bon to come with me, but I'll definitely show up. Vinyl's going to be there too, right?"
"If they don't kick her out before she reaches the front door." Octavia muttered, rolling her eyes. "She cannot simply walk in without arguing with security. This one time where she was late to one of my performances, she actually punched one of the bouncers in the eye trying to force her way in." Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Lyra's eyes widen and one of her hooves slap to her mouth. "Needless to say, convincing the police to let her out was the first thing I had to do once I got finished with my performance."
"Wow, really?" Lyra asked, giggling and lowering her hoof back down. "All this because she was late to a friend's performance?"
"She cares very deeply for our friendship as much as I do." Octavia said, smiling warmly. "Even if she can be a little bit overbearing at times, she means well in the end. Not to mention," Her ears drooped somewhat, and her smile acquired a more bashful nature. "I can occasionally go a little bit overboard when it comes to helping her, as well."
"Oh, really?" Lyra grinned, regarding Octavia with a curious gleam in her eye. "Do tell."
"Well, there was this one time during a concert that..."
"...and that's how I came to realize that the existence of humans can be proven!" Lyra finished, oblivious to the eye roll that Octavia gave her. "Bon Bon thinks I'm crazy, but I'm telling you the once I get the message out, she's going to be so shocked that the "crazy and obsessive unicorn" was right all along!" She emphasized this with a light huff, sticking her muzzle in the air.
"Right." Octavia deadpanned, allowing herself to stop in front of a double-door entrance. She placed her hoof on it, prompting Lyra to stop as well and look at the building in front of them. "As much as I'd love to discuss the validity of that statement, I'm afraid this is where I get off. I'll try to get off as soon as I'm able so that I can let Vinyl know. Take care of yourself, all right?"
"Mhm!" Lyra nodded, turning herself around and walking off. Once she was a certain distance, she gave a wave to the cellist. "Have fun!"
Once again, that subtle grimace came across Octavia's face as she watched her minty-colored friend walk off, turning her attention back to the doors in front of her. She hung her head and closed her eyes, trying her best to mentally prepare herself. Although she knew that it was just practice, all it did was make her remember just who it was they were practicing for. But she couldn't let her negative mood about the whole thing influence their moods. The last thing deserved was her dumping her problems on them when they were looking forward to what they viewed as a grand event. She took in a deep breath, raising her head back up to regard the door with a firm stare.
Then, she pushed the doors open and began her trek inside.
"Here's to good faith..."
Author's Note
"Vinyl."
"Yes, Tavi?"
"Does my milkshake bring all the stallions to the yard?"
"...."
"...."
"....oh my god, I can't believe you just said that."
"If I say it again, do not hesitate to beat the crap out of me."
