Day 7
During the course of a normal morning, I will spend several minutes lying in bed, luxuriating in the warm rays of the sun and listening to the birds chirping outside of my window. Many days, it takes almost a half hour for me to become fully aware of my surroundings and ready to get out of bed. While some other ponies might find it a tad decadent, I enjoy waking up slowly and being able to revel in the comfort of a nice cozy bed.
This morning was, of course, dramatically different. Everything seemed wrong, the lights were too bright, the air smelled like antiseptic, the birdsong had been replaced with a persistent beeping, and my blanket had been replaced a collection of wires and tubes. My eyes snapped open. I wasn’t in my room. I wasn’t in my house. I didn’t know where I was. I struggled to remove the wires and tubes as I climbed to my hooves; my heart raced as I tried to figure out what had happened. Considering how strange the last few days had been, anything seemed possible.
Before I could make it too far, several ponies rushed into my room to restrain me, “Easy now,” a pony with a red cross on her flank said, “I don’t know what you remember from last night, but you gave us all quite the scare.”
I tried to recall the events of last night, and as I did, my body was wracked by a coughing fit that sent me to the ground. Of course, I thought as the fit subsided, this must have had something to do with the fire at Rarity’s or my reaction after…
My cello. My cello had been incinerated in the fire. I had spent every day practicing with it, and now it was gone. With a sigh, my body went limp and the orderlies escorted me back to my bed. The nurse, I later learned her name was Red Heart, spoke at length about how I had burned my lungs during the fire, and should avoid any physical exertion for the next few days, but I wasn’t paying much attention. She could have been saying I would never walk again, and it would have been nothing compared to the loss of my cello.
After a few minutes, the nurse left and I had the room to myself again. It was quiet now; I had managed to tune out the monitor’s incessant beeping, and was perfectly content to spend the rest of the day staring at my ceiling. Unfortunately, other ponies disagreed with my plans, most notably Vinyl.
“Hello,” she said as she entered into my hospital room, “Glad to see you are final awake.” Vinyl was smiling and seemed genuinely pleased to see me. I rolled over to face away from her.
“What’s wrong?” She asked, moving to the other side of the bed to face me. I rolled over again.
“Well fine, if you aren’t going to talk, then I am just going to sit here until you do.” True to her word, Vinyl claimed a seat in the corner of my room and sat patiently for the next hour or so while I continued to count the bumps on the ceiling. Occasionally, the silence was interrupted by one of my coughing fits.
“My cello was lost in the fire,” I said, finally sitting up to face my roommate.
“Oh, so can’t you just buy another cello?” She said after a moment’s thought.
“I’ve had that cello since I was ten. I spent time every day tuning it and making sure it was the best it could possibly. I loved that cello, and now it is gone. So yes, I can just buy another cello, but it won’t be my cello, it will just be a cello,” I flopped back down on the bed.
“Then… sorry, I guess. I mean, that sounds like it really sucks.” Yes Vinyl, it did suck, in much the same way that losing an appendage or finding out that your lungs were horrifically burnt might suck, and I am currently two for three on the list of things that might “suck” according to you.
“Yes, it does,” I said in response, managing to hold my tongue, “So I hope you will forgive me if I am not feeling particularly talkative.”
Vinyl nodded, “Yeah, I am sorry, I know last night was terrible for you, and I guess it was even worse than I thought, but if you want to talk about anything, then feel free to.”
“I will keep that in mind,” I said, turning to look out the window.
We sat in silence for a while more, until my doctor came into the room, “Good morning…” He moved to check my name on the chart, “Octavia. I am Doctor Flat Line, and I am glad to see you are feeling better.”
If I was feeling better, I might have made a quip about how terrible the name Flat Line was for a Doctor, but as it was, I barely managed to put all of my contempt into a single exasperated grunt that managed to trigger another coughing fit. Some days, you just can’t win.
Flat Line spoke up after my coughing fit subsided, “Please, don’t strain yourself on my account. Now, I am sure the nurses told you about the burns in your lungs. The good news is that you should be able to make a full recovery in a few weeks, but I don’t recommend that you do anything strenuous until your lungs have had the chance to fully recover. But, I see no reason why you would have to spend another night in the hospital. Unless you have found a particularly enjoyable book that is.”
He laughed at that, I didn’t get it. Stupid inside jokes.
I nodded at him, still refusing to speak to him due to his ridiculous name, annoying joke, and my general foul mood.
“Huh, most patients are a bit more excited when I tell them that,” he said, “The going home part, not the book part. But please, remember to take it easy and try not to overexert yourself.”
Wonderful, I am sure I will have plenty of time to rest between dealing with Lyra’s crazy human obsession and holding the auditions for the orchestra. There will probably be plenty of time to rest between those two things. Still, my schedule might clear up a bit after tomorrow. Probably not, knowing my luck, but it was theoretically possible.
“Well, if there aren’t any more questions, we can get to work on checking you out of the hospital. Just know, you are very lucky to have a friend like Miss Scratch over here.”
“Vinyl?” I asked, finally speaking up, “What did she do?”
“You mean she hasn’t told you?” He said, “It was Vinyl who picked you up after you collapsed and carried you to the hospital. And, after levitating you for such a long distance and risking damage to her magical abilities, she refused any treatment until she knew you were going to be okay. After that, she spent the entire night sitting next to you, waiting for you to wake up.”
That… That did explain how I managed to get to the hospital, actually. Strange how I hadn’t questioned what brought me from my house to here. “But, she wasn’t here when I got up this morning.”
“Yeah,” Vinyl said, entering into the conversation, “Sorry about that, but I had to get some breakfast, and while I was gone, you decided to wake up.”
I muttered under my breath, “I didn’t decide to wake up; I just happened to wake up at the same time you decided to leave. It was a coincidence.”
“I know,” Vinyl said, as Doctor Flat Line (I still couldn’t get over how terrible that name was) walked out of the room, “Now let’s get you ready to go.”
“I can take care of myself,” I said as I got out of the bed, “But, I would appreciate it if you told me what happened to my bowtie.”
“Oh… uh… yeah,” she quickly glanced around the room, before her eyes settled on to the nightstand next to my bed. My bowtie sat on the top of it, and I was again forced to question my environmental awareness (I am not blind, I swear).
After quickly putting on my collar and bowtie, I followed Vinyl down to the hospital lobby. “So (Cough), how far are we from our house?” I asked.
“About a mile, I’d guess,” Vinyl said, “But don’t worry, you won’t be walking.”
Before I could formulate an adequate response, Vinyl had picked me up with her levitation and plopped me down in a nearby wheelchair. “I can walk back home without help,” I said after Vinyl got me properly situated in the wheelchair.
“You heard the doctor, Tavi. You need to take it easy for the next few days, and that means letting me push you home.”
I let out a sigh, “Fine, but can you try to get me home without everypony in town seeing me?”
Vinyl nodded, and true to her word, managed to get me back home without pushing me through Ponyville’s more populated areas, and in the end only a handful of ponies saw me in my… infirm state. Once we got back to the house, I climbed out of the wheelchair and took a seat on the sofa.
“So,” Vinyl said, “I am going to go return the wheelchair to the hospital, and I should be back in an hour or so. Until then, just make yourself comfortable. Also, Lyra and Bon Bon should be over for our weekly game of Humans & Dragons.”
I nodded my head, “We will be talking with Lyra about her obsession with humans when she gets here, right?”
“Uhmm… No,” Vinyl said, frowning slightly, “Twilight is far too busy helping Rarity, and Bon Bon and I decided we should wait until you are feeling a bit better. So just take it easy, and don’t do anything stupid while I am gone.”
“Okay,” I said after another coughing fit, “And thank you again for all your help. It seems I am deeply indebted to you.”
“Don’t worry about it,” Vinyl said, grinning, “It’s what friends do.”
With that, Vinyl pushed the wheelchair out of the house to return it to the hospital, and I went back to staring at the ceiling. Without my roommate around, my good mood quickly evaporated and I went back to ruminating over the loss of my cello. I’ve already written at length about my thoughts on the loss of my cello and feel no need to reiterate them now. Suffice it to say, I spent a great length of time in a very foul mood that only abated when Vinyl returned.
“I am back,” she said as she came through the door, “How are you feeling?”
“I am fine,” I said as I rolled over on the sofa to face her, “Just…”
“Sulking about the loss of your cello?” She said, filling in the rest of the sentence for me.
“Well, I wouldn’t have phrased it quite like that, but… yes. You will have to forgive me if I don’t join you in playing Humans & Dragons tonight.” I rolled back on to my back to stare at the ceiling.
“Uhmm… yes you are,” Vinyl said, taking the seat adjacent to the couch, “I get that you are in a bad mood and all, but I promise tonight will be fun, and if not then you can sulk all of tomorrow, I promise.”
“No I can’t,” I said, “I have to do the orchestra auditions tomorrow and…” I let out a sigh, “I haven’t received any information about where the auditions are actually going to be held at.”
Vinyl was silent for a few seconds, nodding her head in thought, “I will get the info for you, and I will go to the auditions while you rest.”
I laughed at that, although the laughter quickly caused another coughing fit, “Sorry (cough), sorry, it’s just that (cough) are you even qualified to do orchestra auditions?”
Vinyl gave me another one of her death glares, and I tried to climb into the couch to hide from her. “I did spend four years as a music major, you know, I can handle myself.”
“Oh yes (cough), I am sure you know enough to evaluate and critique a musician, but I have spent years inside an orchestra, and (more coughing) let’s not forget that it’s my career that’s on the line, so I think I am going to go ahead and disregard the doctor’s orders and go to the audition.” (For my own sanity I will only make a note of the particularly egregious coughing fits.)
Vinyl sighed, “Fine, but I am going with you, and we are taking a wheelchair.”
“You can go with me, but can we please not take the wheel chair? I do have my dignity, still,” I said, hoping to broker a compromise
“That you do,” Vinyl said, “But you also have your health to keep in mind, and I don’t feel like letting you sacrifice your health to preserve your dignity. We will take the wheelchair, but I promise none of the potential orchestra members will see it.”
“If you insist,” I said, “Still, I don’t think a little walk will kill me.”
“Probably not,” she said, shrugging, “But let’s not risk it.”
I grumbled some impolite things, but it seemed the issue was settled.
“Anyways,” Vinyl said, “Since that’s done, I’m gonna go talk to Mayor Mare and see when and where the auditions are being held, I would recommend you get some rest before the Humans & Dragons game.”
I wanted to protest and say that I had never agreed to play Humans & Dragons, but an early afternoon nap did seem rather lovely after the previous day’s events, and while I hate admitting it, I wasn’t feeling my best, and some rest might help expedite my recovery. After Vinyl left, I made myself comfortable on the couch. In only a couple of minutes, I found myself drifting off to sleep, and, in what seemed like no time at all, Vinyl was tapping me on the shoulder. “Hey… Tavi, wake up.”
“I am awake Vinyl, you have only been gone for a few minutes,” I said.
“Uhmm… I have been gone for three hours; it is almost 5:00 now.”
“Oh,” I said as I opened my eyes and looked out the window. The sun WAS substantially lower in the sky now, and a very large puddle of drool had formed on my pillow. “Or maybe I managed to fall asleep and not realize it until just now. This couch is remarkably comfortable.”
“It is that,” Vinyl said, laughing, “But come on, let’s get your Humans & Dragons character created.”
Did Vinyl still think I was going to play some silly game with her and Lyra? Obviously, she did, so the proper question is “Why in Equestria would Vinyl thing I would want to play some silly game with her and Lyra?” To let her know my thoughts on the matter I gave out an exasperated sigh and rolled to face away from her.
“I know, it sounds corny and stupid, but it is actually really fun,” Vinyl said, trying to convince me to join in her little game.
“Listen, I am glad you and Lyra have fun playing your games, but since I am not a socially underdeveloped teenager, I really have no interest in playing H & D, so you will have to forgive me if I don’t join in tonight, or ever,” I was a socially underdeveloped twenty-something, but I saw no need to make that the focus of the conversation.
Vinyl was silent for a few minutes as she thought, “How about this, if you don’t have fun tonight, I will let you walk to the auditions tomorrow even though I think taking such a pointless risk is kind of… well, dumb.”
That was an interesting proposal, if I could suffer through one evening of Humans and Dragons, I wouldn’t have to be pushed to the auditions like an invalid. How could I say no to such an offer? “Alright Vinyl, I will play your little game tonight, but after that there will be no more invitations to join in, AND I expect you to honor the deal we just made.”
“You have my word as a lady, Tavi.”
“I would prefer something a little more substantial,” I said, ducking as she tossed a book at me, “But, I suppose that is sufficient enough.”
“Glad to hear it,” Vinyl said, trotting over to the bookshelf and pulling out a few… shockingly heavy tomes, “Now let’s create your character.”
“Octavia, Earth Pony, cellist,” I said, “There… character created.”
Vinyl frowned, “H & D doesn’t work like that, see, you have to choose between elves, humans, dwarves, halflings, gnomes, and a few other things we don’t have books for, and then you have to choose some classes and… just… look through it.”
She levitated the books towards me, and I spent quite some time flipping through the pages. The whole thing looked overwhelming. First, I had to choose a race, class, and alignment; then I had to roll for my stats; then pick some skills and talents,; create a name; choose my equipment; and then I would finally be ready to play the game assuming I could find someone to play it with. Who in Equestria thinks this is fun?
“Okay,” I said as I finally started to understand the character creation process, “So, then, what exactly do bards do?”
“Well, they are kind of like the face of the group. They are usually very charismatic, and help make everyone around them better.”
“But they play an actual instrument right?”
Vinyl nodded.
“Fine,” I said, “Octavia, human, bard who plays a cello, and I guess I will choose bluff and diplomacy for my active skills.”
She flipped through some guidebooks, “I don’t know, I don’t see a cello in the instrument section, although we do have some lyres and… I think they have one of those old-timey guitar things. Would that work?”
I glared at her.
“Or… I guess we could do a cello. So, you are a bard who plays the cello, even though a cello is just… awful for adventuring, I mean, it weighs, like, a ton, and would be next to impossible to carry around for any length of time.”
“It’s a game where you fantasy creatures murder other fantasy creatures with magic and swords, but you find carrying around a cello improbable.”
“Point taken,” Vinyl said, “You can carry around your cello without getting an encumbered penalty.”
“Hooray.”
“Now we just need to determine all your stats and stuff.”
“Okay,” Vinyl said after a bit more character customization, “Your character is looking pretty… decent, now I just need to figure out how they join our already established group.” She talked a bit more to herself (or maybe she was talking to me, but I wasn’t listening), and said something about us all meeting in an inn. Again, I cannot stress enough how uninterested I was, and was more amazed by the fact that I spent two hours creating a character. I could have played an actual board game in that amount of time.
“Can we play the actual game now?” I asked, looking at my now filled out character sheet.
Vinyl nodded, “We can, but we should probably wait for Lyra and Bon Bon, I told them to get here at seven, so they should be here pretty soon.”
“Alright,” I said, lying back down on the couch, “What should we do while we wait? Normally, I practice but…”
“Right,” Vinyl said, saving me from finishing that sentence, “Well, we could talk while we wait for them to show up.”
I snorted.
“Or you could continue to sulk all day.”
“Fine,” I said, lifting my head up slightly, “What do you want to talk about?”
“Hmm… I could tell you a bit about Ponyville,” Vinyl said after a few seconds of deliberation.
“The town is completely insane, although its citizens are surprisingly friendly. I think I am up to speed on life in Ponyville,” I know it might not have been the most dignified thing in the world, but I couldn’t resist the urge to roll my eyes.
“Then what do you like doing in Canterlot? I am sure you know quite a few places to have fun and relax.”
I shook my head, “If you want to know where anything in Canterlot that isn’t the orchestra hall or my apartment, I am not the pony to ask.”
“Really?” Vinyl said, “I mean, you lived there for seven years, and you don’t know where anything fun is?”
“I know where the coffee shop next to my house is. They have some wonderful coffee that isn’t horribly overpriced.””
“But, you spent most of your life living in Canterlot, you have to…”
I shook my head before she could finish the sentence, “I’m afraid not, Vinyl. I spent a vast majority of my time practicing the cello, and for that I didn’t need to go anywhere but my apartment and the orchestra hall. Oh! I also know where you can buy groceries in Canterlot.”
“Wow… Uhmm… Okay then,” Vinyl said, “That is actually kind of sad. I mean, you lived in one of the greatest cities in the world, and all you did there was stay in your room and practice the cello.”
She had a point; I had initially come to Canterlot because of its charm, but after arriving in the city, had neglected it for my studies.
“You’re right,” I said, “It is a very lovely city, and while I would have loved to explore it, I simply didn’t have the time. My goal is… was to become the best cellist in the Equestria, and that didn’t allow for a lot of exploring and socializing.”
Vinyl frowned, looking at me the same way one might look at a pony who just announced she had wired over all of her bits to help a Neighgerian prince, “Tavi, you are a magnificent cellist, and once you get your new cello, I am sure you will be spending all of your time locked up in your room practicing on it, but you don’t need to sacrifice your social life to become the best.”
I nodded my head at that, unwilling to respond as I felt a very large coughing fit coming on. After that, she spoke for a bit about various facets of life in Canterlot that I had missed out on, while I interrupted occasionally, either with a question or another coughing fit. What seemed like a short time later, somepony knocked on the door.
“Oh hey, Twilight,” Vinyl said as she opened the door, “Didn’t expect to see you in our little group today, I thought you would be busy helping Rarity.”
Twilight nodded as she entered the house, “I was. We have been working since dawn to fix up her house. I used my magic to help repair the walls and damage to the structure, Rarity worked on redecorating, and everypony else did what they could. Anyways, the whole thing is almost finished, and she is planning her grand reopening for Saturday, so you are all invited. Rarity also wishes to extend her sincerest thanks to Octavia for working to ensure everypony’s safety. Anyways, what have you been up to today?”
“Not much,” Vinyl said, “I have spent most of the day running errands for Tavi so she didn’t over exert herself, and she has been sulking about the loss of her cello.”
“I was not sulking,” I said, lifting my head off the couch, “I was merely mourning its loss.”
Twilight furrowed her brow as we spoke, “Okay, I have clearly missed something big, can anypony fill me in?”
Vinyl nodded, “Tavi cooked her lungs while dealing with the fire, and her cello was incinerated. She is not in the best of moods.”
“I don’t know why you keep saying that, Vinyl, I have been perfectly cordial.”
My roommate let out an exasperated sigh, “You are always… almost always perfectly cordial, I have to read between the lines to figure out how you are actually feeling.”
“Of course,” I said, before surrendering to another coughing fit.
“Well,” Twilight said, “I am glad to see that you are doing alright. Will you be joining our Humans & Dragons game tonight?”
I nodded, “Yes, but only because Vinyl is forcing me to.”
“I know it sounds silly,” Twilight said before Vinyl could respond, “And I thought I would hate it the first time Lyra and Bon Bon invited me to play, but it’s actually pretty fun. I am a level six wizard.”
“Alright,” I said, wondering again how anypony could enjoy this game, “I am playing as a human bard/cellist.”
Twilight simply nodded her head, deciding not to comment on my stunningly original choice of character.
“So,” I said, “Can we start playing and then have Lyra and Bon Bon join when the get here? I would prefer not to wait another hour for them to arrive.”
“Well, we could,” Vinyl said, “But we probably wouldn’t get very far since Bon Bon is our DM.”
“So we have to wait however long it takes for them to get here before we can start playing this stupid game.” I said, sighing in frustration (I have mastered every variety of sigh available during my brief time in Ponyville).
Vinyl nodded, “We could, or I could walk next door and get them.”
“Right, of course we could,” I said, feeling like an utter idiot, Lyra and Bon Bon had probably just lost track of time or had forgotten to adjust their clock for the end of Daylight Savings Time (Why do we have Daylight Savings Time when we have a celestial monarch who can raise the sun whenever she pleases?).
“Alrighty, I should be back in a few minutes,” Vinyl said, heading to the door.
Twilight and I stared at each other for a few seconds after Vinyl left. “Thank you again for helping Rarity out with the house fire, I am sure she will repay you somehow.”
I shrugged, “I just did what anypony else would do, I hardly think doing the right thing is worthy of commendation.”
She laughed, “That party was packed with ponies, and you were the only one who did something. Give yourself a little credit.”
“Nonsense, I merely assisted Fancypants and Rarity, if anything, I didn’t do enough to help and now my lungs are burned and my cello is… lost. My actions are hardly notable.”
Twilight tilted her head, “You aren’t seriously blaming yourself for the fire are you?”
“Why shouldn’t I? I could have stopped the girls, I could have reacted faster, and I definitely could have saved my cello. While it’s not all my fault, I could have done more.”
She sighed, “You do know that sounds completely crazy right? You are practically a hero for what you did to help Rarity. Not many ponies would have been so fast to react, and without you, the whole situation might have ended up a lot worse.”
“A hero?” I asked, struggling to restrain my laughter, “You are a hero. You saved the world more times than I can count, and for your efforts statues and stained glass murals were built in your name. And let’s not forget, Celestia made you a princess for all of your good deeds. On the other hoof, I had both my lungs and my most prized possession burned to a crisp, so you will pardon me if I don’t feel much like a hero.”
Twilight let out another sigh, “Tavi, do you think I ever expected a reward when I fought Nightmare Moon or Discord? I was convinced I was going to my death when I walked through the Everfree Forest, and after my first fight with Discord, well… I still don’t like talking about it. The point is, I didn’t do those things in the hopes of a reward, I did them because they had to be done.”
I nodded and closed my eyes, “I know, I know, it just… it hurts, I lost my cello and I can’t walk more than a few feet without having a coughing fit or feeling light headed or, if I am very unfortunate, passing out.”
“I am sorry that happened,” Twilight said, sitting next to me, “But you did the right thing.”
“I know that,” I said, “And that is what makes it so terrible. Because I did the right thing, these horrible things happened to me. If my punishment seemed just, I might be able to abide it, but this is just… cruel.”
“It is,” Twilight said, “But at least your heroics made you quite a few friends.”
“Yay,” I said, my voice absolutely dripping in sarcasm, “I am just swimming in friends now. Maybe Pinkie will throw me an I’m-sorry-your-lungs-got-scorched-and-you-lost-your-cello party.”
“Uhmm… actually, I think she is already planning a party for you and Rarity. In fact, I know she wants you as a guest of honor at Rarity’s Grand Reopening Party on Saturday,” Twilight said.
“Positively terrific.”
The conversation lulled for a bit after that, before I finally remembered something interesting Vinyl had told me the other day. “So, I heard that you believe humans are real. Might I ask why?”
“I know this sounds a bit incredible,” Twilight said, “But about a month ago, somepony stole my crown and escaped through a magic portal. I followed her and it led to a land filled with humans. From what I have read on the subject, I went to an alternate reality where, instead of ponies, humans became the dominant life form.”
“I… Really?”
Twilight nodded, “It is really quite fascinating, they don’t possess magic like we do, so they have to rely on their technological prowess.”
I sat up, actually curious about what the princess had to say (Although still not believing her entirely), “Well, earth ponies and pegasi don’t have access to magic.”
“No,” she said, slipping into her lecture mode, “They don’t have the ability to access raw magic like unicorns do, but pegasi and earth ponies still possess an innate magic that humans lack. Pegasus magic allows them to fly and walk on clouds, and earth pony magic grants you unparalleled strength, a heightened connection with the earth, and increased healing abilities.”
“Wait,” I said, “What was that about increased healing abilities?”
“Many ponies speculate on the reason for earth ponies’ increased healing abilities, but the most common theory is that it is connected to the fact that they typically have more physically demanding jobs than other ponies and as such get injured more frequently.”
“Then how come my lungs are charbroiled?” I asked, staring at her.
“Oh… right,” Twilight said, suddenly remembering who she was talking to, “Well, for starters you don’t have an automatic healing ability, it still takes time for you to recover, and it is quite possible that that increased healing ability is what kept you alive during the fire, although I couldn’t say more until I looked at your charts.”
That was… a sobering thought. I could have died in that fire, and it was very possible that the only reason I was still around was because of some innate magic I didn’t even know I possessed. I tried to think of something to say to break the silence stretching out between us, but was saved by Vinyl’s return to the house.
“Lyra and Bon Bon are definitely busy,” she said, her face paler than usual as she took deep gasping breaths.
“Why?” I asked, “What…”
“Don’t ask,” Vinyl said, “Let’s just accept that they were very VERY busy, and never talk about what they might or might not have been doing again.”
Twilight and I looked at each other, “So… they were having se-”
Vinyl nodded, cutting me off, “Yes, yes they were. Lots of it, with lots of little… tools. Now can we talk about something else?”
We nodded. “Great,” Vinyl said, “I did manage to get their attention, and they should be over in a few minutes, so… let’s get set up.”
The set up wasn’t particularly time consuming, and it mostly consisted of rearranging the items in the living room to make a decent gaming area. Nopony had to move my couch, so I was able to stay on it while Twilight and Vinyl levitated everything around. As much as I hate admitting it, unicorn magic has its advantages. After they were done, we spoke a little bit, and Vinyl tidied up. Twilight did her best to fill me in on what we would be doing in the game session, and what I should expect, while I did my best to smile and nod.
Finally, the door opened and Vinyl and Bon Bon entered, “Sorry, everyone,” Bon Bon said, “Lyra and I were a bit busy and we lost track of time. Shall we get started?” She pulled a stack of papers, a divider thingy, and a bag of dice out of her saddlebag. “So, is Octavia joining us tonight?”
Vinyl nodded.
“Alright,” Bon Bon said, heading over to the section of Vinyl’s bookcase that contained the H & D manuals, “Has she created her character yet, or…”
“Nope,” Vinyl said, “We rolled her character already. She is playing a bard named Octavia who specializes in playing the cello.”
“Really?” Bon Bon asked, “Octavia, you do know that most of the fun in the game is creating a character who is different from you.”
“Yeah,” Lyra said, chiming in, “Like, I am playing a human cleric and Vinyl is playing a barbarian. Twilight is playing an elven wizard though, so I guess she isn’t that different. Sorry Twilight.”
“It’s alright,” Twilight said, “Alluniel did start out as an elven version of me, but she kind of developed in a different direction than I did.”
“Can we just start playing the game, please?” I said, “Vinyl forced me into playing this game tonight, and I would prefer to get some sleep, so let’s get started shall we?”
“Okay,” Bon Bon said, “Does anyone want some snacks or something to drink real fast?”
“Game, now,” I said, resting my head in my hoof.
“Alright, alright, we just normally talk and socialize a bit before the game starts.”
I sighed, “You can do that after the game, let’s just get this started.”
“Okay,” Bon Bon said, sitting behind her divider thing, “Last session, we found out that the overlord Patrachus is raising an army to overthrow the empire of Silurias, and our heros,” she nodded at the rest of the anthropology club, “Have come to the town of Dreary to call for aid against his impending attack. They are currently staying at the Dreary Inn, where you are playing on your…”
“Cello,” I said, filling in the gap for her.
“Wow, cello, okay. Really breaking some new ground there,” Bon Bon said, before Vinyl shot her a glare that would freeze blood.
“Or… that is fine. You are putting on a performance at the Dreary Inn, playing on your cello. Roll.”
“What?” I asked.
“Roll your 20-sided die to see how your performance is going.”
“My character spent a lifetime practicing on her cello, she doesn’t need to do a skill check to see if she is playing adequately.”
“Okay, you are playing on your cello, everyone is generally interested, when suddenly three adventurers walk into the inn,” Bon Bon said, “You see that they are a part of a grand adventure, and you feel the urge to join them.”
“Why?” I asked, “I am a successful cellist, and I have no real incentive to help them, what skill set could I possibly possess that would enable them to save the world? Will the villain have a sudden change of heart if I talk to him nicely? And is the world even in danger, or is this more of a regime change than anything else? Why is Patrarchus so bad, and what makes Silurias so good that it needs saving?”
The four other ponies glared at me.
“Fine,” I said, “After I finish playing my set, I walk over to them and ask what brings them to our town.”
“The adventurers regale you with tales of-”
“Bon Bon,” Lyra said, “You are being a bit railroadey right now, let me talk.”
“Fine,” Bon Bon said.
“Pemrose, the cleric, gets up from her bar stool as the bard approaches, “Good evening young miss, might I say you are particularly skilled with your cello?’”
“Thank you m’lady,” Octavia says, bowing before the cleric, “You do me great honor, I am but a simple minstrel, skilled only in word and song.”
“You do yourselves great dishonor, young lady,” Alluniel the Arcanist says, turning to face the bard, “In these dark days, one skilled in the fine art of diplomacy is a valued thing.”
Octavia nods her head at the mage, “I think one skilled in sword and stave would be better suited for these dark days, not one such as I.”
“Ahh, but that is where you’re wrong,” Alluniel says, “Now, more than ever, we need one who can keep to the arts of peace and prevent bloodshed from consuming all.”
“If you insist… Wait, wait, I have to know, would my character have actually seen an elf before, I mean, from these notes of yours, it looks like Dreary is pretty isolated. Because if she hasn’t, I feel like she should be freaking out a bit more.”
“What are you talking about, Tavi?” Bon Bon asked as I interrupted the campaign.
“I am just curious about the dynamics of Dreary, how are elves and outsiders viewed if they are viewed at all? Your notes describe the town as dark and… well, dreary, and isolated from the rest of the empire of Silurias, so I was just wondering how outsiders are viewed in the city. I am trying to have a realistic character portrayal and all.”
“If your character has spent her entire life in Dreary, she would definitely have heard of elves, and possibly even seen a few, but it is very unlikely that she would have actually spoken with one.”
“Okay, follow up question, then,” I said, “Are there any honorifics titles for elves, and would my character know them?”
“Uhmm… probably not,” Bon Bon said, “I mean, I didn’t think of it before, but… yeah, there could be. Twilight, you read all the stuff on elves, did you find anything?”
Twilight nodded eagerly, “Actually, yes. The proper greeting for an elven mage is Arcanos, so my character should be called Arcanos Alluniel.”
“Okay,” I said, “Let’s get back to the game.”
Octavia nods her head at the mage, “If you insist, Miss…”
“Arcanos,” Alluniel says, correcting the bard.
“If you insist, Miss Arcanos.”
“No, no, no,” Alluniel says, laughing and shaking her head, “My title is Arcanos, my name is Alluniel.”
Octavia grins sheepishly, as blood rushes to her face, “You will have to forgive me, Arcanos, I am but a simple bard who has spent her entire life within the city’s walls, and as such am unaccustomed to the ways of elves.”
“You know,” Pemrose says, “You are very clearly skilled in the ways of diplomacy, and your music fills us with vigor. We could use you on our quest if you wouldn’t mind parting with Dreary for some time.”
“I have nothing that holds me hear,” Octavia says, “And I have always wanted to see the wonders of the world, but I would only go if it was okay with the rest of your companions.”
Alluniel and Pemrose confer for a few moments before turning to Octavia and inviting her to travel with them.”
“What about your other companion? You didn’t speak with her at all,” Octavia asks.
“That is O-den, she is a very skilled warrior who hails from a far off land, and as such, she knows little of our tongue.”
“O-den!” O-den says before downing another drink.
(Thank you for that wonderful bit of roleplaying, Vinyl.)
“Yes… thank you for that lovely introduction, Oden,” a visibly frightened Pemrose says, nodding at her much larger companion, “This young woman here is Octavia, she will be joining us on our adventure.”
“Tavi!”
“No, O-den, her name is Octavia, not Tavi.”
“It is quite alright,” Octavia says, “Quite a few ponies around here call me Tavi.”
“Ponies?” Alluniel asks, “I have heard of many peculiar things happening in the land of Dreary, but talking ponies was not one of them.”
“I meant… people, pardon me, it was a slip of the tongue,” Octavia says.
“Ahh! The lady has the equine malady,” Alluniel says, “It is quite common amongst adventurers. People will confuse ponies with people, hands with hooves. While peculiar, the malady is quite harmless, and only serves to embarrass its victim.”
“Well, Octavia,” Pemrose says, ignoring Alluniel’s fourth-wall breaking tangent, “It is getting late, and we must speak with the Lord of Dreary on the morrow, do you have a place to stay?”
Octavia nods, “I have lived in this town my whole life and…
“Ooh!” I said, an idea suddenly forming in my head, “May I speak to Bon Bon alone for a moment?”
“Yeah, sure,” Bon Bon said as she got up and headed into the kitchen, “What is it?”
“Well,” I said, as I followed her into the kitchen, “I hadn’t considered my character’s genealogy, and as we spoke an idea came to me…”
Octavia nods, “I have lived in this town my whole life, and it is funny you mention the Lord of Dreary, because I am the daughter of his steward. My line has served him faithfully for many generations, and when my father dies, my brother will inherit his title.”
“Well then,” Pemrose says, “It seems our meeting was fated by the gods. Where shall we meet tomorrow?”
“You are more than welcome to spend the night with me in the palace, I am sure my father can find a few spare rooms for you.”
“Well,” Alluniel says, grabbing her staff, “We are on a mission from the Emperor, so I see no reason why we wouldn’t take these accommodations.”
“Hmm, yes,” Pemrose says, “While we were advised to be cautious, I think we can accept this little bit of hospitality.”
“Then it is settled,” Alluneil says, heading for the door, “We shall spend the night at Castle Dreary, and speak with its lord tomorrow. Do you still have the writ given to us by the Emperor, Pemrose?”
Pemrose nods and the adventurers depart the inn. Their new party member, Octavia, escorts them to the palace gates, where they are quickly ushered into the guest chambers.
The game was unfortunately interrupted at that point as a familiar grey pegasus flew through our window (As much as I hate admitting it, I was beginning to enjoy myself).
“Hello, Ditzy,” I said, turning my head to face her.
“Oh hey!” She said, “I heard about the fire and I came over to check on you as soon as I could, are you alright?”
I nodded my head, “I am fine, just playing Humans & Dragons.”
She looked around, eyes wild, “Humans & Dragons? I love Humans & Dragons! We will have to play together sometime.” Oh joy.
“Well, I am sure we can work something out,” I said, “Vinyl pretty much forced me to play with her tonight, and to my surprise, I am actually kind of enjoying it. At the very least, I like the roleplaying element, I haven’t gotten into any actual combat yet.”
“Oh, you are gonna love it. I have the best level 23 paladin, although I have other characters too, so I can play with you without being overlevelled.”
“Thank you,” I said, sitting up, “So, is there any reason behind your visit beyond the well-wishing?”
“Oh, no… Not really, I mean… I was wondering why Vinyl wasn’t DJing for Dinky’s birthday party, but since you all are busy, I guess that is okay.”
Vinyl shot up from her seat, “Oh man, thank you for reminding me Ditzy, I was so focused on helping out Tavi, I completely forgot that I was DJing for your party tonight. Let me just grab my stuff.”
“No worries,” Ditzy said as Vinyl galloped upstairs, “You are usually pretty punctual, so I figured something was up, and I thought I would check up on you. Dinky was so upset when she thought you might not make it to DJ for her.”
Vinyl didn’t respond as she had already run into her music room at that point. She came downstairs a few minutes later with several albums floating next to her, “Sorry, Ditzy, you know it’s not like me to forget a gig.
“I know,” Ditzy said, as Vinyl went into the closet under the stairs, “And everything in Ponyville has been so busy the last couple of days, with the fire, and all those musicians coming into town, I just figured something came up, and I would check to see if you were alright.”
“Wait,” I said, finally entering into the conversation after a particularly excruciating coughing fit, “What was that last thing you mentioned?”
“Oh,” Ditzy said, “It is just that a bunch of musicians came into town for some reason, and they booked up all the inns in town. They said it had something to do with the Ponyville Orchestra, but that can’t be right because there is no Ponyville Orchestra, so we got into a really big fight about it, and I sent them on their way.”
“Two things,” I said, “The first thing is: musicians actually came to audition for the Ponyville Orchestra?”
“Yeah,” Ditzy said, “Wait a second, there actually is a Ponyville Orchestra?”
“And the second thing is: You sent them back home?” I yelled, rising to my hooves with every intention of murdering the aptly named pegasus. Fortunately for her, I was brought back to my knees by another coughing fit.”
“Oh hey,” Vinyl said as she emerged from the closet, uhmm… we should probably get going before Tavi gets back to her feet, she has had a rough day and is looking to take it out on someone.”
Ponies had come out to join the Ponyville Orchestra, enough ponies to fill every inn in town, and then Ditzy had sent them all away. “You… you ruined my career,” I said after the coughing fit had subsided, only to find that the two ponies had departed.
“Are you okay?” Lyra asked, staring at me.
Something deep inside me snapped and all of my pent-up frustrations from the last few days were unleashed on my friend, “Am I okay? Am I okay? Let’s see, in the past twenty-four hours, my cello has been destroyed, my lungs were flambéed, my career was ruined, and I am stuck here playing Humans & Dragons because you are a crazy pony who abducted me yesterday morning. But wait, I can’t say that, because Vinyl and Bon Bon are your friends and they are willing to do anything to spare your feelings, up to and including putting up with your unhealthy obsession. So no, I am not okay Lyra, not in the slightest.”
She fled the house with Bon Bon following behind her. “That’s right,” I said, chasing them out the door, “Go… run away, run back to your basement filled with crazy conspiracy theories, and leave me in peace.”
“And you,” I turned to face Twilight. I planned on verbally eviscerating her, on informing her of every way in which she was a terrible pony, starting with her insistence that humans were real. How dare she fuel a crazy person’s delusions and hurt the feelings of my friend (Yes, I know that was a mite hypocritical considering my recent rant, but nopony ever said anger was a rational thing). “You… Why does everything around me go horrible?”
The anger had burnt itself out, and the only thing left in its place was a deep sense of sadness. Things had gone terribly for me, everything that could go bad had, and now I had lost my temper and made somepony else cry. Well done Octavia. Maybe next time things don’t go my way I can go to an orphanage and remind the foals that nopony will ever love them like their dead parents did.
To my surprise, Twilight didn’t yell at me for being a terrible pony. Instead, she wrapped her wings around me until I finished sobbing/coughing. “Thank you,” I said after I had returned to my senses.
“It’s alright,” Twilight said, “You have had a rough couple of days, and I am sure Lyra and Bon Bon will forgive you if you apologize to them tomorrow. For now though, you need to get your rest.”
I nodded my head in compliance, “It has been a busy day, and I am no good to anypony when I am tired.”
“That’s right,” Twilight said as she marched me towards my room, “And just remember, tomorrow has to be better than today.”
It would be, I thought as I took off my bowtie and tucked myself into bed. No matter how bad things were now, tomorrow was a new day, filled with potential. Some ponies would come to my auditions, I would make an orchestra worthy of the Princess of the Night, and I would patch things up with Lyra and Bon Bon. What could go wrong?
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Updates yay!
Looking good thus far!
I would totally love more of the H&D!
2954904>>2954588 Thank you for the kind words on H&D I only played D&D casually myself, so I hope I don't butcher the mechanics too terribly. Also, it is going to be very difficult (and might not happen) but I want Chapter 8 up in time for Bronycon.
Yeyyy update~
And H&D sounds pretty awesome, would love to read on her adventures.~
I would prefer sticking with the core story. Not much of a D&D fan. Unless you have Octy constantly pointing out flaws in the narrative which would be funny.
Man I feel bad for Octy. It's like life (or the author) enjoys torturing her with no punishment for her tormentors (Derpy, Twilight, Luna)
2957132 Are you implying that I enjoy bringing all this pain down on Tavi? Because that claim is just... just unfounded.
I really enjoy this story and I would love to see more H&D with Octavia
I like the story, but I must kick myself for the grammar Nazi inside must point out a spelling error (wrong word) the use of 'hear' instead of 'here'
in “I have nothing that holds me hear,” Octavia says, “And I have always wanted to see the wonders of the world, but I would only go if it was okay with the rest of your companions.”
and one other thing
This couch is remarkably comfortable.”
“It is that,” Vinyl said, laughing, Was it meant to say "That it is" ???
again I do love the story but for some reason I seem to catch those sorts of things which is fine it's Octavia journal and all who's to say she didn't goof up
yea more more h&d i found it humorous.
I think you missed the word "be" in this sentence
Why is this town so harsh and innocent to her simultaneously ...
I definitely like the spinoff idea, although with how old this chapter is I wouldn't be surprised if it's already been written. I'll have to check later.
Wow! I would defenitely recomend her to play Burning Empires instead.
Why does she keep saying what could go wrong. I think discord put some kind of spell on that sentence. So when somepony says it some think goes wrong.
*tips fedora *
I figured I should leave a comment on this story before I got too far into it. I've had this in my read later list and/or favorites for... a very long time. Shortly after it was started, if not when it was started. I had put it off for such a long time, thinking it wasn't going to be that good. I'm quite happy I gave it a shot. The first thing I liked about it was that it was first person and from Octavia's perspective, which is not too common. The next thing I liked was, and still is, going on in the story, and that's the good writing!
Now some stuff about the chapters. Octavia just can't seem to catch a break, can she? She may not be that socially graceful, but she does give it her best shot. Boutiques burning, lungs frying, and cellos roasting... fun times! But Derpy... seriously? I feel like how that bit was written was just a little odd. Derpy didn't know about the Orchestra, I get that, but to literally run the ponies that came to try out for it out of town? That's just dumb, even for her. Octavia's rage is justified, at lest to me it is. She's had her life just stripped away from her before her very eyes, and now she's left to struggle and make a new life. I'm enjoying this, and I look forward to reading the next chapter.
~SolidFire
4924253 Things get both better and way worse for Tavi soon. I don't want to spoil things but I look forward to reading your comments on future developments.
First error I spotted, "Why in Equestria would Vinyl thing I would want to play some silly game", I think you meant to say, 'why in Equestria would Vinyl think I would want to play some silly game'. Next little error, "where you fantasy creatures murder other fantasy creatures with magic and swords" I think you meant to say 'your fantasy creatures'
That sound glorious, I'm going to go look for it!
Edit:
Awe man, I didn't see it. Oh well, off to bed I go!
6007454 Yeah, I'm sorry, I could never get a head for how it would go, and then I got so carried away with other projects, I just really didn't find it interesting enough to want to write about. On the upside, I do have a scene in PLA where Sweetie plays
Humans and DragonsMazes and Monsters.Shouldn't that be:
- TSB
Meh... I prefer my Warhammer 40k. And, damn, Tavi needs to see some anger management.
How dare you distroy Octavia's live again and how dare you make poor Ditzy the villain of action again. Ditzy know of Octavia's plans founding an orchestra.