//------------------------------// // CH8: Berries // Story: Pink Symphony // by DragonLS //------------------------------// Special Thanks to: Editor: DaMobbs Proofreader: Meeester ***** Playing music in a bar? Now that’s a nice job right there. I remember my first time at a bar… or don’t remember. I woke up the day after in a stranger’s bed surrounded by no less than ten mares. I had no idea how I ended up there, but let me tell you, I didn’t care. I was ecstatic! ….. Well of course I’d be happy! Wouldn’t you!? Mind you, I did make for the door as soon as I could walk straight. Trust me, when you’re drunk off your ass and surrounded by ten mysterious mares, you do not want to stay for breakfast. It’s not pretty when everypony is sobered up and sporting a hangover. ….. I should have stayed? Well let me share some advice with you: Don’t. I had a similar situation happen once before with four other mares, and when they woke up, they started asking questions that I very well could not answer. Then they got violent. Let’s just say I almost didn’t make it out of there with my jewels intact. ….. Yes, I got drunk before all that and woke up in a much less mare-y situation. Hah, get it? Merry, Mare-y? Ah, I crack myself up sometimes… ….. Oh shut up, I thought it was funny. Now, enough of my mare—er, drunken chronicles, let’s move on. ***** Chapter 8: Berries When it came to bars, you weren’t a stranger to them. After all of your gigs in Canterlot, after-parties were pretty much mandatory for the band to attend. Most of the time, they’d always wind up inside of a local night club or a nearby bar that was still open despite the late hour. You couldn’t help but chuckle at all the times when Beaver and Hoof were drunk off their flanks from hard cider alone. But alas, those cherished memories faded away when you stood in front of Berry’s Delights. It was a one-story purple building with a neon sign hanging off the side sporting the bar’s name next to a neon outline of purple grapes. You looked up to see the sun already starting to dip beyond the distant mountains, casting their gigantic shadows over the town. It was almost time to meet with Berry, and since you had arrived early, there was no point in keeping her waiting. With a quick adjustment of your hat, you opened the door and stepped inside. ***** From first glance, it was a typical bar like many others back in Canterlot. There was the actual bar itself, the rear shelves stocked to the bursting point with bottles of amber and clear liquid which you assumed was alcohol. A dozen or so swiveling bar stools, some currently occupied, surrounded the tavern’s counter that looked worn but well taken care of. Just peaking over the edge of the counter were a row of kegs and barrels that probably held whatever Berry had on tap. The rest of the space was dotted with small tables and a couple chairs for the patrons’ use. Over on the side was a mahogany pool table and dart board, the latter currently occupied by a pair of stallions in the middle of a game. There was a small stage in the back hosting a small, brown upright-piano and a microphone stand. It seemed that Berry had planned on having live music ever since she opened the bar. From her stock to the overall appearance of the place, it wasn’t hard to tell that Berry’s business was nothing less than prospering. You flicked your top hat up a little before making a bee-line to the closest unoccupied stool. Just because you couldn’t hold your liquor didn’t mean you couldn’t drink anything a liquor bar had. That and you had some time to kill, so what better way to spend it than drinking something rather refreshing. As you took your seat, more ponies filed in through the door and took their seats along the counter, shouting their orders to the bar-mare. To your surprise, it turns out that the bar-mare was Berry Punch herself. “A couple Berry Cider’s coming up!” She pulled out four mugs, each made of wood with a vine of grapes branded onto their sides, and filled them up from one of the taps sticking out of the counter. With a quick flick of her foreleg, she sent them careening down the counter to their respective ponies. As she turns back to whatever she was doing, she catches you out of the corner of her eye and trots over with a smile on her face. “Well now, it’s Mr. Top Hat himself. I wasn’t expecting you to show, and you’re ten minutes early to boot.” she said, to which you replied with a hearty laugh, saying that you hadn’t gotten your hooves stuck in ice yet. “Don’t you mean getting cold hooves?” she corrected lightly to which you shrugged, mumbling that it was something like that. Berry held a hoof to her mouth and giggled. “Well, I would certainly love to see those hooves at work while in bed, don’t you think?” she asked huskily, giving you a half-lidded stare. Your retort was bit back as you doubled back in utter shock. Did she really just insinuate that!? Before you could get a word in edgewise, she busted out in raucous laughter that drew some glances from the other patrons. “Ah ha, I’m kidding. I find that the best way to keep an employee on their hooves is by either giving them a raise or scaring them. Seeing as how I’m not made of bits, I go with the latter.” An eyebrow twitched in irritation. You didn’t like it when mares teased you like that but let it go regardless. After all, the boss was the one who paid you at the end of the day. “So, can I get you anything before we get down to it?” While you did fancy a glass of gin and tonic on occasion, even that was enough to send you past the buzz stage and into drunken land. You settled for a glass of water instead, choosing to take the safe path tonight. “What, no cider or anything hard to loosen up those limbs of yours?” she asked curiously. Your band mates always kept on about how much of a lightweight you were when it came to alcohol. Those memories of the times while drunk were extremely hazy, and the ones that were clear you wished you could forget. Regardless, you just told her that drinking dulled your senses, which was still truthful and the much shorter explanation. “Oh come now, no wonder you’re single—you are single, right?” She blinked in surprise as you nodded. “Really? You’re single? That’s surprising… I hear all the musician ponies out there are never single….” Ah yes, that magical rumor that you had heard countless times since you started your musical career. After all this time, it was most definitely nothing BUT a rumor. The story behind it was that since most mares loved ponies who played music, then it was only a matter of time until they got married. That was a load of crap. The true story was that most relationships between a fan and a musician ended with a slap across the cheek. Simple as that. Shrugging, you just re-affirmed that you were single, explaining that you hadn’t had a special somepony in quite awhile. She hesitantly nodded. “Well, I wouldn’t mind being your marefriend…” she said while placing a hoof on yours, with a seductive smile. “if you wanted?” You immediately yelped and leaned back into your stool. Today was the day you learned that stools do not have back rests as you tumbled off and landed hard on the wooden floor. You rubbed your head in agony as you got up from your fall. Berry Punch laughed up a storm as you maneuvered back into your seat. So this was what you would have to deal with on a daily basis, and you thought Pinkie Pie was bad enough. Berry Punch was definitely a different kind of bad. Unadulterated bad too. At least Pinkie was more childish. You thought these mares were going to drive you to an early grave with their antics. ***** A few minutes had passed after your short face plant in which she apologized profusely for her joking. Still, you couldn’t hold it against her; older mares had a way with words, and she knew which buttons to press to knock you off your rocker. Hopefully, she’d ease off on the jokes as time passed. Celestia knows how much more of that you could take. Regardless, after downing that glass of water, she started asking you questions. Most of them dealt with your proficiency when it came to music and instruments, but there were still a good few that were directed towards your private life. You answered each question honestly and to the best of your ability. As you ended your last response, she nodded happily and motioned towards the stage in the back. “Now it’s time for the practical interview. The stage is already set up, so get up there and show me what you got.” She leaned in and whispered into your ear, “I even managed to snag a willing pianist who wants to accompany you.” You grabbed your sax and took to the stage, planting yourself in front of the microphone stand. The piano behind you was still devoid of an actual player, so you just set up, hoping that he or she would be there by the time you were ready. A quick glance around the bar revealed that the majority of the seats had a pony sitting down, each with glass or mug filled with alcohol of some sort. Tightening the mouthpiece on the sax itself, you threw the sax strap on and pressed each flap, lever, and button a couple times, making sure they were oiled and ready to go. “Hi Mr. Top Hat! What are you doing up on stage?” That loud, obnoxious voice almost made you trip over yourself. Pinkie Pie.  How you didn’t notice her the first time, you didn’t know, but there she was, sitting at a corner table, staring at you with those blue, energetic eyes of hers. How this pink mare managed to pop up wherever you were was anypony’s guess. Was she stalking you? Was it all a game to her? Why was she continuously shirking work!? You leveled her with a stare of your own, but that didn’t last long. “Hey, music pony! Play something already!” shouted one of the impatient patrons, waving a half-empty mug in the air. Sighing, you motion at the empty piano seat. While you could play just by yourself, it was always better to have a second or third instrument providing a base melody or tune to work off of. If you had the right pony playing alongside you who knew what your strengths were, then your own performance was substantially better. “Oh c'mon! Stop keeping that pretty mare waiting, and get cracking, boy! We ain’t got all night here!” replied the same patron, pointing at the piano. Exasperated, you spun around and said that there wasn’t any pianist up there save Pinkie Pie. ... Wait a second. Sitting in the pianist’s stool was the Pink Menace herself, grinning cheerfully and waving enthusiastically at you. Whirling around, her corner seat was now devoid of the pink mare except for a spinning umbrella in her drink. Looking over at Berry for an explanation, she just grinned and motioned for you to get on with it. So this is what Berry meant by a familiar pianist. You face-hoofed. Even at work, she wouldn’t leave you alone. “You ready, Mr. Top Hat!? I’m so excited I could eat a whole cake—no, TWO cakes and play at the same time! Let’s do this!” Before you could get a word in, she had already started to play a quick jive. Seeing as how the majority of the town was at your party, it wasn’t far-fetched to think that Berry had watched you two perform as well. Not wanting to spend any more time looking stupid in front of Berry’s patrons, you spun back around to face them, saxophone at the ready as you blasted out a jaunty tune. The only thing that flew through your mind that entire time was that random pink pony behind you. ***** Not much time had passed since you started your audition for Berry. With Pinkie Pie in hoof, you played through two songs, but since the rhythm and tone didn’t change, you kept on playing through the break. What should have been two short songs turned into one, jazzy tune. The audience stomped their hooves in applause as the last note flickered out amongst the noise. A quick bow in appreciation of their time was in order, and soon after, they were already requesting an encore. However, Berry motioned you over and clapped you on the back with a hoof. “Bravo, Mr. Top Hat. Come to the bar, I need to talk to you.” You mentioned to her you wanted to play another song for the audience, but she shook her head. “Got another interviewee who’s going to be trying out as well. What? Did you think you were the only one trying out?” she added with a chuckle as she noticed your face. Sitting back at the bar, you relaxed as the next musician stepped up onto the stage taking her spot on the piano. A soft melody filled the room as Berry talked to you from behind the counter. She placed a clipboard with a sheet of paper, along with a jar of ink and a quill on the counter. “You didn’t disappoint me in the slightest. That was probably the best jazz I’ve heard in a long time. If you’re as good in bed as you are with that sax, then I wouldn’t mind taking you out for dinner.” she said, nudging a hoof at your chest. A glare was all she got in return this time. Still, she broke out laughing again. “Don’t take it so personally. A mare’s just trying to have a little fun. Is that so bad? Anyway…” She tapped her hoof on the clipboard. “Seriously though, you were superb. I would love to have you work here. All you have to do is sign this here contract, after reading through it of course, and you’re hired. We only have a few night shifts available right now though, but that will change soon though.” Reading through the contract, she was telling the truth: The night shifts were only a few days a week, and the pay seemed pretty decent. That and you always seemed to play better at night, so that was always a big plus. You nodded, quill in hoof, and brought it down to scribble your name on the dotted line. At least, you attempted to. “Let me take care of that for ya, Mr. Top Hat! Writing is my middle name!” The next thing you knew, you were flying through the air and onto the floor one again. In the stool’s place was Pinkie Pie, who grabbed the quill out of midair and began signing your name. You told her it was a contract you yourself had to sign, but your words fell on deaf ears. Berry stood there with a raised brow. She poked Pinkie in the shoulder, nervously chuckling all the while. “Um, Pinkie. He has to sign it, not yo—” “All done!” You cursed under your breath. Without fail, she kept nudging her way into your life. First it was her hat fetish, then the crazy party, then the exploding pie, and now she was signing your own contracts. Why wouldn’t she just leave you alone!?