//------------------------------// // Chapter Two: Dirge // Story: Your Music Is All I Need // by TheStarsGuide //------------------------------// There wasn’t much time left for this to work perfectly. Everything had to be right, down to the cleanliness of every single inch of everything in the large ballroom. This mare was not one to mess up anything; much less when it was put on her through fair terms. Octavia dashed around the wide room, hooves making muffled clacks against the sparkling wooden floor. Her frenzied eyes peered over everything, scanning for anything even an atom out of place - which happened to be a fair amount of the plating. Her long, black mane whipped around her face as the renowned cellist fixed all that was seen. One whole table had to be completely redone, much to her disappointment. The plates all had to be cleaned until Octavia could see every strand of her hair in their reflections. But then a banner was misaligned, tablecloths were uneven, a chair had scratches in two of its wooden legs, the seams of a seat cushion were becoming undone - the list kept growing and growing for the gray mare. All of the other helpers except for the chef and baker had gone home after a gruelling day of organizing and dragging all of their respected items. The cellist was left alone in this room of never ending problems. Her hair was already frazzled and sticking up in places from her frantic worrying, showing the exact opposite of her usual kempt posture. Octavia slumped down in one of the chairs, plopping her head down on the table but making sure not to disturb any expensive plating or decorations. She let out a rather loud yawn then took a gander at the large room, scanning over every little detail her eyes could take in in their tired state. She felt like falling asleep right there on the spot with the muffled banter of her prized chefs working in the kitchen and making their finest delicacies for the big day. The room seemed up to standard in her critical eye. The mare sluggishly lifted herself from her seat and began stepping towards the door. She tilted a plate, moved a chair, and corrected an overhead decoration on her way. Her hoof pressed against the double door then gently parted it, allowing a light breeze to waft into the building. With Luna’s beautiful orb in the sky, the very tired yet still very anxious mare made her way home, as painstakingly slow as it was. Octavia had the help of the silvery moonlight to guide her through ever-familiar streets. The large oaken doors shut behind her with a soft, muffled noise as they fell against their frames. Octavia would have been called a zombie or said to be sleepwalking if anypony were to see her on this night. Her hair was a mess, eyes almost red with the very little sleep she’s had, and she stumbled every so often in her walk home. With what seemed like almost an hour of walking, her mind wandered back to recent history and what started off this crazy exchange of great annual nights. A smile crossed over her lips. Her pearly-white love was to blame. But even with all of the sleepless nights during every other year as that special day came, she couldn’t raise her voice against the DJ - much less be angered. Since the first event began in the club, The Pendulum, it has become a trade off between the couple. On odd years Vinyl would be the one to make special days and nights; Octavia had the even years. Even after all this time together they still kept their differences between a classy professional raised in wealth and pompous lifestyles, and the underground dancer of hard tones and beats. As of recent time the spectacle between the two musicians had grown to become a public event. Because of their blend of style and sophistication, they allowed almost anypony into their celebrations. The crowds grew and grew, almost encompassing the entire town. Others who have heard of them came from other towns, villages, or even cities. Throbbing beats and music began to fill Octavia’s ears, and she looked down the block. There, the famed nightclub roared and screamed with occupants. In the days close to their anniversary, the club wouldn’t let their best DJ play. As much as it pained her to see a non-partying version of her lover, Octavia did her very best to make sure the DJ wasn’t bored or causing trouble. She stood still, eyes reflecting the many changing lights that managed to sneak out of the building. When she had heard enough of the harsh beats the mare continued on her way. Luckily her home was rather distant from the clubs and stores so the air was nice and quiet when she finally neared her destination. This was the same building that she and Vinyl Scratch had bought together once they saved up enough money from their performances. Vinyl made less during her work, but did it much more often than the leisurely life of the stringed instrument that Octavia mastered. The cellist smiled while she stared at the white door in front of her. She remembered how they argued once about their work hours and wages. Octavia wasn’t sure how but it led to some... pleasurable things that night. After that, they just went back to normal and left the issue in the dark. The gray mare yawned and rubbed her left eye sleepily. Perhaps she should get inside and have some sleep before the important day rolled around the corner. Opening the door, she closed it back with nary a sound and ever so quietly made her way up the stairs. Her ear twitched and picked up something. Octavia stretched her head out slightly to try to pinpoint what she was hearing as she went up the last few steps that led to their room. Her last step to the final door made a creak, but the sound didn’t stop. Finally removing the wooden barricade, she smiled. Right there in front of her was the love of her life, sleeping in her usual spot with a warm smile and soft face. Octavia almost giggled, and would have if this were a few years ago. Her eyes panned slightly from her lover’s white face to the record player on Octavia’s side of the bed. It was spinning with the distinctive vinyl record clicks coming through the music that flowed from the bronze horn that adorned its top. She instantly recognized it and mouthed “Twisted over you” just as the voices in the music sang the words. Octavia found herself in front of the record player and softly singing the lines in perfect time. “You know, you know, you’re all I’ll need, You’ve got me twisted over you.” The gray mare knew how heavy Vinyl slept and used it to her advantage to sing a couple more of the lines even though they repeated the same four. “You know, you know, you’re all I’ll love, You’ve got me twisted over you.” Octavia grinned as she remembered how she used this song when it was her first turn to make the anniversary. Vinyl loved the song for some odd reason, but she never questioned it. It had more lines to it than what was playing though. The same exact four lines kept streaming out as the special needle ran itself along the record’s surface. Octavia never understood how Vinyl managed to do that. She could take a music playing device and make it replay any part of a song through magic. The cellist didn’t remember ever hearing about any other unicorn doing that before. The gray mare yawned again and gingerly crept into bed alongside Vinyl. She leaned over above the unicorn and gave her a quick kiss on the horn before snuggling down behind her. It was a little chilly outside the covers so her lover’s warmth and body was eagerly anticipated. Stretching out her forehoof and wrapping a hind leg over Vinyl’s warm frame, Octavia nestled herself closer with her nose almost in the electric blue mane of the DJ. She let out a sigh of pleasure as she lay there and closed her eyes. Then she opened them just as the lyrics started over again. “You know, you know, you’re all I’ll need, You’ve got me twisted over you.” She felt no movement. No breath. No warmth. “You know, you know, you’re all I’ll love, You’ve got me twisted over you.” A/N: This was supposed to be Chapter Three, but for some reason I couldn't find any fitting song to use for Chapter Two. So, to not keep you all waiting even longer, I made this the second and final chapter (unless I somehow create a third chapter, like an epilogue or such ending.) Nonetheless, I hope you readers enjoyed this piece and will excuse my dropped quality in writing. Unless it's misspellings, because that's just plain bad and they need to be fixed. I thought of doing a different, more classy sounding song, but I couldn't think of anything to really use and the current lyrics stuck in my head for the part. Thanks to MadMan for reviewing this story and helping out.