"Vinyl I don't know...can we even get in?"
"Octy', relax! I know a few ponies, we can get in for sure!"
"Yes but, to perform!? How will the Performance Officials ever allow us to play!?"
"Rules say we need at least one piece of approved instruments in our bit, and voila, cello!"
The two of them were seated on the front patio of Bon Bon's shop, enjoying a Chocolate Sundae and the cool weather of the midday. The previous night, fresh in their minds, constantly made them blush and lose focus, dragging them away from the task at hoof: Getting into and performing in the Canterlotian Gala of Music and Symphony. This was the performance Octavia had been dead set on entering with her friends in the Orchestra, and even thinking about the performance had her stomach in a knot. Vinyl took a large gulp and threw her hooves up to her head, whining loudly "Ack! Brain freeeeeze!"
Octavia frowned and narrowed her eyes, shouting across the table "Vinyl please stop goofing around! The Gala of Music and Symphony isn't something to take lightly! It can easily turn you into the biggest hit of the century or the biggest laughing stock of all time!!!"
Vinyl sighed, rolling her eyes and shaking her head as she said "Octy', for Celestia's sake, relax!!! With what I got planned, we're gonna go to the top! Haven't you been listening to me at all over the past week?!" Octavia didn't look convinced, simply grimacing and shifting her eyes over to see Bon-Bon and Lyra walking out of the front door, smiles on their faces.
Lyra trotted up and gave Octavia a hug, exclaiming "Oh Octavia, you're going to be awesome at the performance, I just know it!" Octavia's eyes widened and she looked over towards Vinyl, a sheepish grin on her face.
The gray mare hissed "Vinyl you didn't!!!"
At this Vinyl shrugged and muttered "Didn't what...have Shake announce to everypony that we were going to Canterlot together to perform in one of the greatest performances in Equestrian history with only about a day and half window to practice in? Of course I didn't..."
If looks could kill, Vinyl knew she'd be dead, her own eyes widening as Octavia blew a puff of steam out through her snout and glared at her marefriend with a power nearing the infamous 'Stare'.
~~~
As the sun reached its midday point, the two lovers found themselves once again down in the recording studio of the club, a cello in Octavia's hooves and a broad assortment of Keyboarding and Electronic gear nearby to her left. Vinyl was sitting on her haunches, a look of worry on her face as Octavia went through the sheet music with wide eyes and an open mouth of shock. Vinyl whispered as Octavia closed the booklet "S...so do you like it?"
Octavia slowly looked up, a look of awe etched in her face as she whispered back "Vinyl...do you realize the amount of skill and mastery that is required to play this? A pony would have to have the speed of the Goddesses or some pretty powerful magic to play a cello this fast!"
Vinyl sighed and shook her head, pointing an accusing hoof up at her and growling "Oh cut the pessimism for once Octy'! Just a week ago you were telling me you weren't into the kind of music I was into, and look at you now! You were DJ-ing and having sex with a ruffian electro pony!, so don't tell me that this is beyond you too!" Octavia blush was like wildfire as she heard Vinyl put that statement so bluntly, her irises shrinking. Vinyl face-hoofed and groaned, continuing on "Look, the point is in the past week you've done a whole heap ton that you thought was impossible, or something you didn't think was suited for you, and you enjoyed it! Octy' I can see you've been having more fun then anypony could even fathom, so why should this be impossible to?!" Octavia dipped her head, frowning and thinking over what Vinyl had said. Could she really pull this off? Was she really capable of a song...of this caliber? With enough practice she could possibly do the song, but with only a 24-hour window...it seemed hopeless. She sighed sadly and shook her head a little, lifting her head to speak but suddenly squeaking as Vinyl whose face was now mere inches away from hers. She whispered "Octy'...if not for the glory, or the thrill, or the chance to prove that flank-hole conductor that you've got what it takes to be the best...then at least for me. Please...take just one more leap, for me?"
Octavia stared into her marefriend's ruby eyes, looking deep into the sea of red that brought a wave of comfort and warmth to her heart, mind, and soul. She leaned forward and gently placed her lips against Vinyl's, giving her a tender kiss and whispering through it "Alright..."
Vinyl pulled away slowly with a giant smile on her face, hopping off the stage and trotting away towards her keyboards. Just as she was about to reach them however, she stopped and whirled around, pointing a hoof at the gray mare and shouting "Well then, Miss Sharpe! I, Vinyl Scratch, DJ-P0N3 of Equestria, hereby challenge you to a duel of music at the performance tommorow night!"
Octavia giggled at Vinyl's filly like challenge, and decided to play along, pointing a hoof back at her and shouting "Oh really!? The 'great' Vinyl Scratch dares challenge the art and grace of Octavia Cavallero Sharpe?! What are your terms, Miss Scratch?"
Vinyl put a hoof to her chin and thought a moment before smiling and glaring at Octavia with an evil grin on her face, her voice booming across the studio "The loser has to be the other's slave for a week, and...wear a french maid's outfit!" Octavia gasped, her hooves flying up over her mouth and her eyes widening. A silence hung in the air for a moment, neither of them moving.
Finally, Octavia lowered her hooves and with a determined expression on her face, shouted "I, Octavia, accept this challenge! Miss Scratch, IT, IS, ON!!!!!!!!!!"
~~~
"OH SWEET CELESTIA, HOOF CRAMP!" Octavia shouted, whining loudly as she gingerly laid her cello down. Her right hoof throbbed from the intensity of the song, the duo finishing their eighth practice session.
Vinyl rushed over, shouting "You ok Octy'?" Octavia sighed and nodded her head, blowing on her hoof gently and giving it a tender shake. She winced as Vinyl gingerly put her hurt hoof in her own and gently rubbed it. She whispered "Gently...it hurts..." Vinyl looked at her hoof and nodded, tilting her head down and touching her horn against the hurt appendage. A flash of blue later and Octavia felt the pain in her hoof wash away. Giving it a gentle shake, she smiled, feeling no pain and no cramp in her muscles. She looked up into Vinyl's gently smiling face and whispered "Thank you..." The two of them stared at each other, each smiling softly. After a small moment, and using each other for support, the two of them reared back on their back hooves and wrapped themselves in each other's, holding one another lovingly. "You know..." Octavia whispered, nuzzling her cheek against Vinyl's "...you're always so good to me...you've done so much for me and I've barely done anything for you..."
Vinyl put a gentle hoof against Octavia's, shushing her and smiling warmly. She dropped her hoof and leaned her head slowly forward, pressing her lips against Octavia's and holding them there as a sigh escaped the both of them. Octavia blushed as Vinyl moved her hooves across her back gently, and moaned as she felt Vinyl's tongue slip past her lips and push against hers. They kissed passionately, Octavia leaning back slowly and laying herself back on the stage, not once breaking their delicate embrace.
Vinyl stopped for a moment, pulling back and partially panting as Octavia stared up at her with a wild blush. She smiled and whispered "Octy'...just you being with me...giving me an opportunity to spread the love and joy of music...just loving me, is enough..."
Octavia smiled, leaning up and giving the underside of Vinyl's chin and a part of her neck a firm lick, making the white mare shudder as she whispered "I love you..."
Vinyl look down and smiled, whispering "I love you too..." With wicked smiles on their faces, they both turned to look towards the light switch at the far end of the studio.
Vinyl's horn gleamed with magic and Octavia giggled, whispering "I think practice can wait for a few hours..." And in the next instant, blackness covered the studio.
~~~
The next day saw a flurry of activity, what with everypony trying to hail or hitch a ride on the Mare-Express to Canterlot. The performance was due to start in just five hours, and the excitement in the air was exhilarating. The Carousel Boutique had even closed for the day, with the dazzling owner prepping two shining stars for the night of their lives.
Rarity sighed as she ran a comb through Vinyl's hair, a chorus of squeaking echoing from the music mare. Rarity groaned and face-hoofed, shouting "Honestly, Vinyl darling, do you ever think to BRUSH your mane!? Look at all these knots, by Celestia it's tangled worse then Rainbow's!"
Vinyl scoffed and shouted "So?! It's my mane, I can do whatever I want with it!" Octavia sighed, rolling her eyes as she stared at her reflection in the mirror, her mane done up in rollers.
In just a few hours, Vinyl and Octavia had managed to hitch a ride on one of the trains heading up towards Canterlot, Vinyl reading a quick letter from Shake out loud "Ok...he says our equipment is checked and waiting for us back stage...and he even scored an organ, nice!"
Octavia looked over with wide eyes and whispered "An organ!? Shake plays the or- seriously, what else are you two hiding from me?"
Vinyl looked over and stated with a blank face "I'm into dirty bed talk and getting strawberries eaten off my belly" Octavia stared down at the floor with the widest eyes imaginable, her blush spreading across her cheeks as Vinyl giggled and tenderly kissed her cheek, whispering "Wai wub woo Tavi' Tavi'!", squishing her face up and getting a pretty hilarious looking glare out of Octavia.
With only about an hour until their scheduled performance time, Octavia and Vinyl found themselves backstage in a private booth, tuning their instruments and going over the music one with Shake in the back practicing on a miniature keyboard. They stopped as a pony with headphones poked his head in and gave them a wave with his hoof, signaling that they were on deck. Vinyl let out a deep breath and turned towards Octavia, whispering "You ready?"
Octavia nodded and whispered back, smiling "About as ready as I'll ever be...let's do it!"
~~~
"Ladies, and Gentlecolts! Let's hear it for Equestrian Symphony of Orchestrated Canterlotian Harmonics! Well played Mr. Conductor!" Octavia's old boss, smiling with pride, bowed graciously as his Orchestra cleared the stage, the curtain closing and the next performance setting up. The announcer-colt drew in a breath, walking to the front of the stage and shouting "The next performance shall begin in five minutes!"
A squeal from the balcony booth above had a few heads turning as a dark, black and blue pony jumped with excitement and exclaimed "Oh we can't wait for this one! We have read the program and are most excited for thee! Thou shall receive our best praise yet!" Princess Luna was ecstatic, her front hooves up on the railing and her eyes wild with glee. Beside her, Princess Celestia raised an eyebrow and checked the program book, her brow furrowing as she read the next performance.
She muttered as she looked up "Huh...I wondered where Miss Sharpe had gone off too..."
The announcer-colt once again trotted up on stage and shouted "Ladies, and, Gentlecolts!!! Are you ready, for the most daring and amazing of showdowns in Equestrian history!?" Everypony in the crowd frowned, cocking their heads in confusion as the colt went on "Tonight...we have a very unique performance, a feat of music so daring, so spectacular, that NONE have ever even dared to perform it! A combination, of two arts, and the battle, of two mares! With thudding beats and sweet strokes of a bow, two mares will battle it out here on stage, and bring you the best performance ever conceived by Pony-Kind! Give it up, for the ultimate duel of mares:
Vinyl Scratch, Versus, Octavia!!!!!
The colt galloped off the stage, and in the next instant the curtains opened, a chorus of voices echoing out. As the lights blasted onwards, everypony in the audience gasped at a wild looking Octavia, her eyes narrowed with a lustful look and her bow clenched in her smiling teeth.
She gave a quick bow and rushed over towards her cello which rested on its stand, hopping up on her rear hooves as Shake began to play his organ. She positioned her hoof on her bow and waited...and as the beat suddenly rushed out to her, her hooves began wildly flying across her cello. More lights clicked on and revealed Vinyl Scratch quickly turning and pushing knobs and buttons on her boards, making sure the beats met perfectly with the organ and cello. She placed her hooves on her turntable and shot Octavia a wild smile, receiving one in turn and the two of them continuing their wild battle of Electronic Cello-like music.
The crowd was stunned, the wild beats, the perfection, the beauty of two mares as they brought to the performance a sound that none had ever dreamt of. A harmony of opposites, and the beauty that they brought together. In a way, it was actually a fitting representation of Vinyl and Octavia themselves coming together to create a love and beauty that brought gasps and tears to everypony who was fortunate enough to look upon them. As the music hit its crescendo, the beats were brought out rapidly and Octavia reared her head back, her bow flying across her strings and actually creating a few wisps of smoke that disappeared into the air. She finished with a quick flourish, her bow flying up into the air and her cello falling from her hooves. She panted, giving a weak bow and feeling her back hooves grow weak. As she started to fall, a pair of white hooves caught her and gently held her close.
Vinyl shouted "Octavia, Octavia!!! Are you ok?! Speak to me!" Octavia opened her eyes slowly, staring up into the eyes of her lover and smiling widely. She put her front hooves around Vinyl's neck and pulled her into a deep kiss, a kiss for all of Canterlot to see.
As the music ended, a silence followed their performance. In the next instant, Luna screamed wildly and cheered, the crowd erupting into applause and screams. For them...it truly was the best performance in all of Equestria.
(Sorry if it seems rushed, wanted to get this in before work!)