Two jaws drop.
DJ-Pon3 sits back in her chair, looking pleased with the result of her dramatic reveal. “Keep it on the down-low, okay? I’m not here to party.”
“But—“ Noteworthy starts.
“But why are you here?” says Lyra, who seems to have recovered from the shock of the sudden appearance of the Equestria-famous DJ better than you and Noteworthy.
Vinyl doesn’t look upset by the lack of awe from Lyra. She spares the turquoise unicorn a smirking glance before looking back to you. “Now, this is pretty classified, hush-hush information, so don’t go spreading it around. Can’t have a million volunteers, see? But there’s a friend of mine who’s looking for somepony to fill a certain position of importance.”
You aren’t excited about the direction this conversation was rapidly pointing towards, given her previous comment about you. “Yes?” you prompt.
“Some old pony named Frederic Horseshoepin just died from cancer, so the Royal Canterlot Orchestra is needin’ a new pianist, and my aforementioned friend who’s actually in the orchestra asked me to take a trip to Ponyville to do a little talent-huntin’.” Vinyl looks pointedly at you. “Somepony told me you can work the keyboard like no other. Hint hint.” She might have winked—her head cocked a little to the side—but her trademark shades hide her eyes completely, so you’re not sure.
“You want me to play for the Royal Canterlot Orchestra.” Your eyes close and you set down your coffee mug. Yeah, the conversation just went there.
“You think? I don’t usually go through this much trouble just to have some tea and cakes, and then be on my way. Hey, they’re short one pony, and you fit the bill.”
“Who was it that told you about me?”
“Uh . . . some pony named Eiffel. Blue, drums for a cutie mark.” The DJ gestures vaguely.
You knead your eyes with a hoof. “I’m going to kill him.”
“So is that a yes?”
“Miss Scratch,” interjects Lyra. “He’s not interested. He’s really not interested in the spotlight, and this is just so sudden and crazy.” Interestingly, Vinyl looks positively stupefied at being referred to as “Miss Scratch”.
“Thanks, Lyra,” you mutter.
“What?”
You ignore her. “Vinyl, can you give me a while to think about it?”
Noteworthy’s jaw drops again. “Wait, you’re actually considering it?”
“Yes, I am.” Where are these words coming from? This is the last thing you want, so why are you leaping at the opportunity?
Vinyl slides a hoof under her hood and scratches the back of her head. “Yeah, I guess. Whatever floats your boat. Just get back to me by tomorrow, m’kay?” The DJ stands, taking a doughnut with her. She tosses a pile of bits on the table, and then disappears.
Lyra leans over the table. “What the hey just happened?”
You don’t answer immediately. Both she and Noteworthy are staring at you. “First off, I’m going to go find Eiffel and strangle him, then I’m going to the library.”
“Um, what?” says Noteworthy.
“I’ve got a book that’s almost overdue. Twilight’ll kill me if I wait another day.”
Lyra pokes your shoulder. “How can you think about that now? Vinyl Scratch just offered you a position in the Royal Canterlot Orchestra and you as good as accepted it! And you’re worried about overdue library books!”
“Book. Singular,” you correct.
A yellow pony at the table next to yours splits off from her conversation to look at Lyra. “Did you say Vinyl Scratch?”
“It was nothing, Carrot Top.”
You stand up. “I’ve got to go.” You gesture at the small pile of bits Vinyl had dropped. “I guess Vinyl paid for breakfast, so I’ll see you later.”
*****
What’s wrong with you?
You’re actually excited to give Vinyl the good news.
You hate the fact that you can do something worthy of any attention, but now you’re eager to show it off. This is completely against the character for yourself that you’ve built up for your entire life—the spotlight is the bane of your existence.
Your mind is normally split off in a thousand directions at once, but you’re a lot more distracted than normal. So distracted that you run headlong into Twilight Sparkle.
“Sorry, Twilight.” You shake your head to get your thoughts in order.
The lavender unicorn doesn’t seem to have suffered any serious damage and is sporting a friendly smile. “That’s quite all right, but are you okay?”
“Yes, I’m fine.”
Twilight at times seems like a concerned parent, no matter who she’s talking to. “Are you sure? You look a little . . . well, confused. Is there anything I can do to help?”
“No, not really.” You attempt to laugh it off, but Twilight is still looking at you funny. Then you remember an item on your to-do list. “Actually, I was going to come find you anyway. I wanted to return Magical Theory.” You reach into your saddlebag and magic out the heavy tome.
“Oh! Excellent! Did you find it interesting?” The magic forcefield around the book switches from your grey to Twilight’s pink.
You smile falsely. The book had been a long and tiresome read, but interesting nonetheless. Nothing you don’t already know, but a good bit of instruction in theory. “Yes, it was . . . illuminating.” Your voice cracks a little on the last syllable.
“Well, I’m glad. Feel free to stop by the library anytime! I’ll see you later!”
“Yeah . . . bye, Twilight.” As she cheerfully trots off, your mind settles back into its pit of confusion and self-abuse.
Rationally, you shouldn’t be this upset with yourself. But the giddiness you had utilized to make those bold statements is wearing off, and you’re now realizing what agreeing to Vinyl’s request would mean.
Standing up onstage in some ostentatious, Canterlot-style getup with a few dozen other musicians, your every move being closely watched and judged by a thousand silent spectators. More eyes on you at once than you’ve experienced in your entire life, combined. Their cold judgment beating down on you like a hammer.
Sitting down to a highly-polished ivory grand piano.
Playing your music for others to experience.
*****
Sorry about this chapter being a little late! I wrote and rewrote it about 2,357 time, and I'm still not too pleased with it. Hope it's not as bad as I think, maybe it's because I've been staring at it for hours on end.
(Also, bonus points to who can name an episode with Eiffel in it!)