The Black Cello Mafia
Act 1: Blood and Family
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The somber resonation of a cello rang out in the Grassy Brew pub of Manehattan, giving the solemn drinkers sitting in bar stools, face down in alcohol, a reason to stay awake and keep listening. While happier, celebratory drinkers sat at tables and booths; laughing along to the rhythm and mood of the building. And the cello player, Octavia, just stood with her eyes closed; concentrating and condensing all of her focus on the instrument leaning on her shoulder. With such poise and balance, not even rustling Octavia’s long black cloak, going down her spine and hind legs.
It was late September, a whole month before Nightmare Night, and every mare and stallion that were over the legal drinking age stayed inside of the warm, welcoming pubs. Octavia ran gigs in the dark but bona fide watering holes. It was a simple enjoyable life. She got to play the music she loved, and made a stable profit off of it. Octavia slowly opened her eyes as she finished her last song of the night; and drew the last note on a dark ambiance, fading the noise into silence. Every drinker in the house stopped to clop for her, thoroughly enjoying her performance. And with a quick bow, she stepped off the stage and went into the stock room to await her pay. The main bartender of the pub slowly came in, obviously showing fatigue of serving young, but profitable drinkers coming for drinks one after another.
The bartender pulled out a bag of a substantial amount of bits, and dropped it at Octavia’s hooves. “There you go ‘Tav, your pay for the last two gigs you played.” The manager drew out his words slowly, in a southern Manehattan accent.
Octavia had already situated her saddle bags, picked up the bits in her mouth, and deposited them in her bags. Picking her head up, she asked “So, how is nightmare night going to run?”
The bartender snorted, and said “Whatever the way it does. If you're asking for a gig to play the night, you can’t.”
Octavia frowned and arched her eyebrow. The bartender explained. “Well, for one, I can’t afford to book you at the moment, you have to remember, you're not the only show mare who comes here,” Octavia nodded. “Two, you wouldn't even be heard over the yelling I get here. I swear, these colts and fillies think that this is a club, always coming in here, screaming and doing shots like it’s a party. And three, a personal opinion, I think you should take the night off for that. Just some advice. As a friend, you know?” The bartender finished.
Octavia, still frowning, nodded slowly, and sighed. “Very well, Mugs, I will take nightmare night off.” Agreeing as Mugs the bartender escorted her out.
“Bye ‘Tav, have a nice night.”
Octavia just simply smiled and nodded, trotting down the street to her apartment with her heavy cello tottering on her back. Lamp posts buzzed quietly in the cold night, lighting the wet brick road to the right of the sidewalk. Rain had started to lightly pour, wetting Octavia and her luggage quickly. Octavia turned on the stairs up to her apartment, put the key in and unlocked it. Trotting in quickly to escape the rain, she put her cello down in a corner of her living room, and turned to observe the warm apartment.
Yellow painted drywall covered the entire apartment, and brown hardwood flooring covered the kitchen. A green carpet in the living room, and a red carpet in Octavia’s bedroom. A small leather couch resided to the right wall, with a radio sitting on the wide coffee table, and a large fireplace to the left wall. Octavia strolled into the kitchen, poured herself an apple flavored scotch, and flopped down on the couch to listen to the news broadcast of the radio.
More reports of some crook stallion, stealing people’s possessions in the carriageways underground the city.
The police can be so inadequate and terrible at their jobs sometimes. Octavia thought whilst drinking her scotch. Some news about the nightmare night parade and it’s speculation of floats. “Though I may be going to see that parade, I can’t see the actual priority of news. One second, it’s about some serious crimes, but then it’s about some new, scientific discovery that isn’t very important.” Octavia couldn’t help to speak her thoughts out loud. Then the host of the new cast toasted the night off with a drink of apple cider. Every night, Octavia would raise her almost empty scotch along with him, and finish it before going to bed.
The entire city seemed to revolve around the drinking of alcohol, something that always perplexed Octavia and many alike. Some liked the taste of the drinks that imported from around Equestria and others from foreign lands, but the majority just drank to get drunk. It was a rising problem that the government had realized awhile back; the overwhelming amount of arrests of drunken ponies everywhere in the cities made the police departments tired, and filled them with the speculation of never-ending DUI’s from then to eternity. Even the princess had started to take notice of the epidemic and worked some sort of hours with the government officials for all cities of Equestria, relentlessly banging on her door trying to make order in the matter of chaos. To make matters worse, under age ponies had started to get their hooves on alcohol, making the government even more furious with distributors.
Octavia thought all this as she readied to sleep; looking out her window to the side of her bed, out over the Manehattan skyline. Rain pouring even harder now, Octavia could see ponies fleeing into buildings from the pubs, most so drunk that they were thrown out from the bartenders. Again, Octavia thought of the building tension from the government over the entire industry of alcohol. Drifting off to sleep, Octavia thought of how without drinking, her career would drastically fall through the cracks of the aftermath of such a thing. Rain beat with a rhythm as Octavia’s thoughts got hazier by the second, and finally let go of her conscience, dreaming of nothing.
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Author’s Notes: Thanks for reading the first chapter of my very first fiction! I do realize, that this chapter had gone slowly, but such is the pains of simple story development. Also, if it isn't obvious, this story will take place of the prohibition of alcohol, hence the mafia. Things start to escalate in the second chapter though, so stay tuned, second chapter coming tomorrow!