High Society
"I still don't understand why you dragged me along to this." Vinyl Scratch said to the elegant earth pony, Octavia who was walking beside her down the avenue to the royal castle in Canterlot.
“Vinyl darling, I wanted you to come with me because this …. Is something that all the musicians in Equestria come to every year! Besides… all those long nights of partying are going to run you ragged. I just thought you could try and do something a bit more down leveled.” Octavia said as she gave Vinyl a worried look as she saw small bags under Vinyl’s eyes indicating she hadn’t been getting proper sleep for the last while.
“But Tavi, it’s what I do! Being a night DJ is my talent...” Vinyl answered back in a slightly whiny tone.
“Even when it means you accidentally spill your cider on the DJing station?” Octavia replied with a bit of an upper class tone.
Vinyl winced recalling the night where her boss had chewed her out for spilling cider on the expensive equipment, causing 400 bits of damage.
“You got me there…” Vinyl said not wanting to start an argument with her.
Living with Octavia as she did, she came to an understanding that no matter the argument, just admit defeat and everything will be fine. Of course Vinyl didn’t want to be in the company of higher class (and very stuck up) Canterlot folk. She knew all of them would give her crude stares for her style of mane and her coat colors. Having an electric blue mane with a solid white coat wasn’t something no pony would ever see at a fancy gathering.
“Besides I thought this event would help you with your obnoxious behavior and give you more insight on the classical aspect of music, considering Princess Luna herself will be in attendance!” Octavia added in which caught Vinyl by surprise.
“W-WHAT!? Princess Luna is going to be there as well!?” Vinyl shouted in a panicked voice.
“But of course. I’m sure even you’ve heard about the princess attending places like this.” Octavia said a bit puzzled by Vinyl’s tone.
Vinyl recalled hearing something about this. While Celestia herself was going to those high up meetings with politics, Luna was asked to attend a few of the lesser meetings so she could slowly integrate back into proper society. Knowing that the princess herself would be in attendance worried the white unicorn greatly. Like Octavia said Vinyl wasn’t the classiest of mares, and would most likely catch the eye of the princess of the night in the wrong way. With a heavy heart, Vinyl grudgingly continued to trot to the castle.
The meeting hall was something to remember. Ponies of varying colored and races littered the grand hall of the castle. Décor of different musical themes hung from the ceilings and tables littered with punch and appetizers rested around the hall for those wanting to try a bit of food.
While Octavia herself was loving being in the company of ponies of similar talents, Vinyl found herself listening to ponies mindlessly chattering about minor political things and high class gossip and hating it. She felt out of the loop completely as several ponies eyes her appearance and she even heard a few mocking her hair style. Vinyl could even see a few younger aged ponies about and hoped they were at least talking about something different, but as she passed them she overheard them talking about different ideas for classical music and frowned.
“Come on Vinyl, at least smile for me. I know a few of them are giving you weird looks but I’ve noticed a few others actually interested in your mane style!” Octavia said as she noticed the gloom look on her partners face and swayed her rump into Vinyl’s while looking in the direction of a few stallions eying the white unicorn up.
Vinyl turned her attention to the same group and noticed a few suave looking stallions eying her like a gem in front of a hungry dragon. One of them even had the nerve to wiggle his tongue at her while Octavia was looking the other way.
“Tavi, I think they’re interested in something completely different.” Vinyl said in an annoyed tone as she quickly looked back to her partner.
Of course Octavia didn’t hear Vinyl as her attention was on something else completely. Noticing she didn’t reply to her, Vinyl turned her attention to what she was looking at and saw the princess of the night herself.
About 10 paces from them, Princess Luna was resting her haunches on the floor, while she was talking to a younger, yet well-mannered minty green mare. Seeing the minty mare, Octavia stopped in her tracks and tried to blend in with a small group of mares.
“Tavi what are you doing?” Vinyl asked confused by her friends actions.
“Shhh! Remember my ex I told you about?”
“You mean the one with the weird hand fetish? Lyra was it?”
“Yeah well, that’s her talking to the princess!” Octavia said in a hushed yet panicked tone.
Looking back at the mare, Vinyl actually noticed something peculiar about Lyra. Floating at her side, coated in green magic was a simple glass of red punch. It wasn’t the punch that caught her attention, rather the way it was being held by magic. The aura itself was shaped in the form of a diamond dog hand but didn’t match the structure of it completely. The claws looked more like slightly pudgy appendages and didn't have long nails. Though she had the magic in the form of a hand, Luna herself was playing no mind to it as she continued to talk to her.
“Why don’t you go say hi?” Vinyl teased.
“Octavia~Darling, I’m so glad you could make it!” The slightly cultured voice of a younger mare said stopping Octavia from answering back.
Both looking to the left, Vinyl and Octavia noticed the familiar sight of Rarity, the owner of the carousel boutique down in Ponyville.
“Oh? I’m surprised to see you here Rarity! It has been sometime~” Octavia replied in a cheerful voice like she completely forgot about Lyra.
“Don’t be surprised to see me darling, I’m just here on business. A few fine stallions wanted to arrange a deal for a few new performance vests thanks to the publicity I got from Fancypants!” Rarity chimed as she approached both of the mares, while holding a half empty glass of punch with her magic.
As both mares started to talk to each in great depth, Vinyl found herself completely ignored and looking around for something to do. Deciding to sample the punch, she approached a nearby table filled with a large punch bowl and a few plates of odd looking food, and grabbed a small glass of punch for herself.
After filling the glass, she brought it to her nose and gave it a small sniff. So far it looked fine and smelled fine, but Vinyl had her doubts it was any good. As she brought the glass to her lips, the second the liquid touched her lips, she almost bent over and coughed it back up. Though it smelled good, the very taste of it was rancid beyond belief!
“Thou dost find the punch as appetising as we do?” A new voice spoke out with quickly made Vinyl straighten up and hide the disgust on her face.
Standing above her was the night princess herself in all her glory. Her celestial blue mane shimmered in the lighting of the room and she had a soft smile on her face.
“Oh uh…G-Good evening, your highness." Vinyl stammered out and she quickly bowed before her.
“Please be calm our loyal subject, Thou dost not follow such protocol at meetings such as this. We only wish thee to treat us like a guest.” She answered back quietly as she brought her own glass of punch to her lips and calmly took a sip without showing any disgust.
Quickly standing back up, Vinyl smiled take decided to try and take another of the punch.
“S-So...Great party.” Vinyl said nervously as she tried to stomach the rancid taste.
“Party? Uh hardly, to call this party would be a crime. We were starting to wonder why our sister would allow these boring meetings to take place. We are sure these uptight ponies are more stuffy then the ones from our age! Not to mention the wine is awful as well. Thou swear they had cows making the batch.” Luna said as she broke her modern Equestrian voice and spoke in a more current tone while floating her glass to the table and consciously forgetting about it.
Hearing and seeing that really caught Vinyl off-guard and could have sword she heard a bit of malice in her voice at the mention of her sister. Of course if she was stuck on a floating rock by herself for one thousand years, she would almost hold a bit of resentment towards Celestia as well. Feeling a bit more comfortable around her, Vinyl calmed down and tried to stay calm.
“You are an interesting mare to be in this sea of class. Your mane suggests you partake in the more current themes of music. What brings you here to this place?” Luna said as she quickly studied the young (and still dumbstruck) mare in front of her.
“W-well your highness I…”
“Please. Address us as Luna.” She stated cutting Vinyl off.
“Oh ok. You see Luna I’m just here to keep the company of my friend…, who seems to have vanished on me sadly.” Vinyl said as she turned around to look for her friend.
“We take it that your friend is one who wishes to converse with her fellow musicians?” Luna asked her.
“Yeah…Tavi is a good mare but she doesn’t approve of my all nighters I pull at night clubs and more upbeat parties.”
“Night... club? Pray tell, what is this night club you speak off?” Luna asked softly with a hint of cheerfulness in her voice at the mention of *night*.
Again Vinyl stared dumbstruck at Luna. How did the princess of the night not know about night clubs?! Either she was really out of tone with the world, or Celestia wasn’t giving her much details since her return.
“W-well a night club is…Oh man how do I explain this? Imagine a hall a little smaller than this, loud music, great drinks, ponies having fun, laughing, dancing...everything this *Party* isn’t." Vinyl said taking a second to figure out how to describe something so familiar to her.
“OH! You mean a discothèque! We remember these from our age! It would be entertaining to partake in such an event again!” The princess said rather excited that Equestria still had some sort of fun left over.
Vinyl let her words ring in her ears and started to think what partying with a Princess would be like. Though it would be a bit odd, the thought of it was rather exciting to think about.
“Oh where are our manners! We never asked you what your name was.” Luna said turning a bit red under her dark coat.
“My apologies for not properly introducing myself. My name is Vinyl Scratch!”
“Tis been rather pleasant to talk to a pony who doesn’t try to use our position of power for their own ascension in fame.
“Ah auntie Luna. Tis a pleasure to see you out of the castle.” A rather suave and upper class voice suddenly butted into their conversation.
“Ugh…Please excuse us as we withhold our enthusiasm…” Luna said with a rather disappointed look on her face.
Looking to their left, both Vinyl and Luna noticed a well dress stallion approach them. Though It took Vinyl a second to remember his appearance, Luna quickly noticed it was her cousin, prince Blueblood.
“Ah. Greetings to you young nephew…” Luna said not amused to see her lesser cousin about.
Blueblood didn't answer her and locked his eyes on the pale mare in front of him and quickly scanned her body. For a brief few seconds Vnyla almost felt violated by the way he was looking at her.
“Tch. Hardly looks able enough to hold a violin. What instrument do you play commoner?” Blueblood said sticking his nose into the air while ignoring Luna completely.
At the corner of her eye, Vinyl saw Luna sigh with disappoint at the way he was acting. Vinyl wasn’t surprised though, considering he was widely known for his stuck up attitude towards mares. Rumors even got around that he had several male lovers who also despised mares. It was odd how he could get away with the way he acted, even in front of the princesses. Vinyl actually shuddered at the thought of Blueblood ruling over Equestria instead of the princesses.
“I use a remixing booth as my instrument. My station has no limit to what I can make.” Vinyl answered with a sly grin on her face.
“Oh you mean that thing were you add a bunch of annoying beats and spin a record to make a scratching sound? Even the most dullest of ponies know you can’t call that music.”
Vinyl frowned realizing Blueblood was just another pony who was too uptight to enjoy a good beat. Noticing Vinyl’s frown, Luna stepped forward between the both of them.
“Nephew, how about we take a short walk and talk about this event.” Luna said not wanting things to escalate.
“Hmph, very well auntie. Moving away from this…musically impaired mare would be rather refreshing.” He answered before turning around and walking away.
Luna gave Vinyl an annoyed and Vinyl snickered before they parted. Before Vinyl turned into the crowd, she watched ponies start to form around her until there was no walkway towards her. Vinyl started to look for her friend but after wandering in the crowd for 10 minutes, she gave up and decided to walk outside for some fresh air.
As she opened the door and entered the deserted street, Vinyl was able to breathe the fresh air she craved. She needed it more than anything, provided lots of the mares where sporting cheesy performs that almost made her choke. With a soft sigh, Vinyl leaned on the railing of the stairway leading down from the entrance.
The outside was very quiet and the doors barred any noise coming from the inside. Looking into the night sky, her eyes locked onto the moon hanging overhead, which made her think of Luna again. For as long as Luna returned, she still seemed to hold a few things from her era. Vinyl noticed greatly in her speech and way of addressing herself.
Looking back at the door, Vinyl stopped and stared at it. The party wasn’t for her and she didn’t want to go back inside. She knew Octavia would be a bit saddened to know she took off but Vinyl knew she couldn’t bare all those stuck-up suits anymore. Deciding to head to the one area in town she felt comfortable being it, she descended down the stairs and made her way to Canterlot’s only night club.
Up above her head, Luna herself decided to leave the party to take a break for it. Her nephew Blueblood did nothing but complain that the food was distasteful and the room was too crowded with mares. Getting tired of hearing him, she kindly dismissed him to retreat into her corners for some peace and quiet. Blueblood thought nothing of it and started to pester a few stallions from trottingham about their musical tastes and standings there. Looking up at the sky, she watched her moon with a saddened look.
“Equestria has evolved so much over the course of 1000 years… I feel so lost with my subjects that it feels awkward just being near them…” She said to herself as her vision started to shift to the streets below.
Suddenly her eyes caught onto the familiar white coat of the one mare that didn’t approach her just for political reasons. For a few seconds she watched Vinyl walk like she had a destination in mind.
“Would be nice to be around a few ponies who just want to have a good time. That mare vinyl seems like an interesting mare to be around.” Luna said softly to herself as she looked on.
“Then why don’t you?” A soft voice rang out from behind her.
Luna quickly recognized the voice as her sisters and slowly turned around to face her. Her sister was majestic looking as ever with the expectation of her mane. Instead of its flowing colors, it was a simple shade of pink. Luna knew her sister loved to keep her mane that way when she was by herself.
“Ah, Good evening Tia. I didn’t hear you come in.” Luna said as she gave her a smile.
“Good evening Luna. I’m surprised to see you up in your room rather at the party.” Her elder sister replied.
“Our boorish nephew started to make the party very unpleasant for us.” Luna stated putting on her modern accent. “Besides I rather be out under the night sky but those upper class nobles would get upset with our actions.” Luna quickly added.
“And what if they get upset? I don’t want my little sister to feel like she’s just a pony to use for higher favors. I want you to go out and have fun for the night. Besides, that mare you were speaking to before looks like she has something in mind.”
Luna was going to ask how she knew about Vinyl but knew she had an odd talent for knowing everything.
“We would, but the guests expect to see us down stairs soon.” Luna remarked as she turned for the door.
“Then why don’t you let me take care of them?” Celestia said as her horn glew a golden aura and then she quickly turned into a perfect mirror vision of Luna.
“Tia. We are confused by your actions.” Luna said…confused by her actions.
“You can thank Twilight Sparkle for this actually. After your time in Ponyville, I realized I was wrong in cooping you up in the castle. I thought letting you take part in these events would help you out but I understand it’s not for you. In Twilight’s letter you had fun being yourself and it’s what got many of the townfolk to accept you.” Tia said in her own voice as she approached her sister and rested her head beside hers to nuzzle her.
“Besides, that interesting mare you saw in the party looks like she was heading somewhere a bit…more fun. Since you opened up to Ponyville, I think you should open up to Canterlot now. Our subjects know you as a princess but they should also knew you're not a stuffy one.” She quickly added as she pulled away.
“Are you sure about this sister?” Luna asked.
“Of course. Thou needs to brush on thy modern accent.” Tia said as she switched over into Luna’s voice.
Hearing her sister try her hoof at the old age voice, she couldn’t help but chuckle at her. Turning her body for the window, she peered down and still saw Vinyl walking away.
“We’ll see you in the morning!” Luna said as she spread her wings and got ready to fly.
“Have fun.” Tia said as she watched her younger sister fly into the air and go below the balcony.
Celestia knew eventually word would get out that Princess Luna would be spotted in 2 places at once in the night, but she rather see her sister happy then worry about a few stuffy nobles opinions. Turning for the door, she opened it and went to the party in her sisters place.