"Hey, everypony, what's it take to liven up this crowd?" Vinyl Scratch's voice boomed through the quiet corridor of Canterlot Castle's grand corridor. Octavia never understood why she came to the Equestrian Musical Societies' meetings, they were pretty high class, just a bunch of rich ponies with a taste for classical music. Vinyl was acknowledged by the musical society, allowing her entry, but she never seemed to enjoy herself.
'I guess we just aren't the same company as the brutes with whom you spend your time.' Octavia brought a small glass of water to her lips, her conversation with Violo, an elegant stallion with a hoof for the violin, had parched her throat. Once again, the obnoxious rave pony from across the room's voice echoed about, nearly shattering Octavia's delicate eardrums.
"Hey snobs, me and my crew are leaving, try to not to have too much fun." The DJ's group crowded around her, laughing and conversing with each other as they exited the hall.
"Well I'm glad that's over, that Vinyl can be quite the rabble-rouser eh, Octavia?" Violo questioned, his face deadpan. Octavia had to admit, these ponies were not the liveliest group around, that's for sure.
"Indeed, very disrespectful to the society." As prim and proper as Octavia was, she too found these meetings to be drab and the conversations arid. As Violo continued on with his lecture of advanced monocle design, Octavia's eyes began to wander. In the far corner of the room, above a concessions table, a large ornamented clock hung. The towering time-keeper cast a shadow across the floor that reached her very hooves. The hour hand rested firmly on twelve, indicating the onset of midnight. She turned back to Violo who had stopped his rambling and began studying her, attempting to find out what had drawn her attention from his self-proclaimed "engaging tale".
"I must get going, Sir Violo, it's getting late, and a proper mare never tarries from bed." Octavia flashed a false grin, she had become a master of putting on faces at these events.
"I understand. Goodnight, Octavia." Violo walked away, melding into the crowd, 'probably to bore some other pony to death.' Octavia thought as she passed through the large Castle doors, beginning her trot home. This was not the end of Octavia's night. No, not even close.
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"It's not like it's hurting anypony," Octavia's pink bow-tie detached from its owner, fluttering slowly to the ground. "Sometimes one just needs to cut loose a little, really live life." Carefully, she pulled back her hair, and kept it in place with a small elastic band. "I just need to get away from all these stuffy upper-class ponies." The musical pony's apartment was small and bland, but it gave her a feeling of security. It was hard for a pony to find a house in Canterlot, even with a prestigious job such as hers. Octavia took a look in the mirror to see her altered form. She looked so different, even her closest friends would have trouble recognizing her. Tonight was the night she finally worked up enough nerve to go out for a fun night on the town, like normal ponies do. "But...where do normal ponies go?" She trotted to and fro across the room, pacing as she thought. "Hmmm, I'm always hearing about bars, I should try there first. Luckily there is one down on Hooferson Street." The excited pony gave herself one last check in the mirror before heading towards the door, "this is going to be a night to remember!"
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The walk over to the bar was filled with panic and excitement; she couldn't let anypony know what she was doing, it was a contradiction to her stature. Soon enough, the bar rose into sight from the out of focus cobblestone that lined the street. The front of the building glowed like a fiery star of neon lights, the intense buzzing invaded Octavia's ears, rattling around in the core of her brain. 'My, I'm surprised nopony has had a seizure yet.' A colossal stallion guarded the front door; his face was gruff and cold, his expression unreadable under the sheen of the black sunglasses he wore. 'Oh no, how am I to enter? Is there a certain procedure? Stay calm Octavia, just play it by ear.'
"Good evening, my good gentleman, would you mind granting me access to your building here?" she stood like an ant compared to the towering pony before her.
The bouncer lowered his head, looking the gray pony over a few times. "You got an ID?" His voice was was deep and rough, one strong enough to make even the manliest colts quake in fear.
'ID?! No, I can't let anyone know!' Octavia took a step forward, the stallion's hoof quickly blocked her path, hitting the ground with a thundering smack. The sheer volume of the stomp made her jump back an inch. "Well, you see, I don't seem to have mine on me, but you can trust me, can't you?" she looked pleadingly into his eyes.
"No ID, no entry." he pushed her aside, making room for the line that had formed behind her to enter the club.
"Hmph, I will not be treated like this! I came to have fun, and that is what I plan to do." Octavia sprinted forward past the mob of ponies, nearing the entrance. Suddenly she felt a sharp tug on her tail, she was afraid to look back, she knew the bouncer had caught her. He heaved her back, leveling their faces. Through his glasses she could tell he was angry. "Alright, pony, It's time for you to-"
"Hey, Mac, what are you doing to this mare?" An unknown voice cut through the tension between Octavia and her captor. "Listen man, she's cool, she's with me." A white unicorn stepped forward, her hair as blue and electric as her sparky personality.
The bouncer turned back to Octavia, letting out a deep breath from his nostrils, blowing her hair back a little. "Alright, Scratch, just this once, now get out of here." he released his grip, sending Octavia stumbling towards Vinyl.
"Thanks, Mac, you're the man." She flashed a smile at him, Octavia caught the glimpse of a smile of his own form on his face as Scratch led her into the bar.
"Here, take a seat, that was some crazy stuff you pulled back there, what were you thinking?" Vinyl hopped up onto a bar stool, patting the one next to her. Octavia climbed up and turned to Vinyl who was already ordering a drink for the both of them.
"I don't know, it just sort of...happened." That outburst back there wasn't like Octavia, she was usually more cool and collected than that. "How did you manage to stop him anyway?"
Vinyl grabbed the two drink the bartender had brought over, sliding one to Octavia. "I come here all the time, that was Mac back there, he looks tough but he's really a big softie." She took a sip from her glass. "What's your name anyway?"
'A name, I need to think of a name!'
"My name's, uh, Chella!"
Octavia slapped her hoof against her face, 'real original there Tavi''
Vinyl chuckled, "Nice name you got there, I guess that explains the music cutie mark, you remind me of someone actually....what's her name.....Octavia! You know her?"
"Yes I believe so, I hear she is an amazing cellist, unrivaled in fact." Octavia relished in her words, unable to pass off a chance to inflate her ego.
"So you know her, eh? I got something for you then." Vinyl called over the bartender and whispered something into his ear. The stallion just nodded and walked off, returning a few seconds later with two new glasses.
"I can't accept this, I haven't even touched my first drink."
"Just take a sip, real quick, tell me how it tastes."
Octavia hesitantly brought the glass to her lips, letting some of the unknown liquid into her mouth. She brought the glass down, confused, she looked over to Vinyl. "This drink tastes bland and uninteresting, what is it?"
A wide grin formed across Scratch's face "I call it an Octavia" the mare burst into laughter, bringing her head down against the counter, repeatedly slamming her hoof down. Octavia sat there staring blankly at Vinyl, clearly unamused by the clever joke. After a few minutes, Vinyl calmed down and wiped a final tear from her eye.
"So, I take it you don't like her?"
Vinyl looked over at her, completely serious. "It's not like that, she's a nice mare, very talented, not bad looking either if you know what I mean." Octavia's face grew warm, she turned to hide a blush growing on her face. Vinyl raised an eyebrow "Hey, you got a problem with me?" her tone had a hint of venom in it.
Octavia shook her head, trying to find the right words to come out. "No, not at all! I just...didn't expect it is all. The blush began overtaking her gray color, she turned and grabbed her drink, inhaling everything but the glass to try and cover it up.
Vinyl took one last quizzical look at her new friend, she shrugged and went back to her story like nothing ever happened. "Anyway, she acts just like all those other ponies at the music society, just another boring mare with no sense of the word "fun"."
Octavia wanted to tell Vinyl the truth, who she really was, but after that little comment earlier, she was afraid things might...end badly. "I'm sure she would be different if you gave her a chance."
"Maybe...Nothing like you though, the way you tried to juke Mac, that's what a real party pony is like. Hey, you want to hang out tonight? I know some rockin' places we can go to."
Octavia's body grew warm, something she had long forgotten. This pony wanted to spend time with her, had genuine concern for her, these things she found scarcely with the higher-class ponies. This feeling was warm, like the rays of the sun beating down upon her, was this the feeling of friendship? Octavia nodded, and the pair walked out of the bar to their next destination.
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The vibrations of the bass rocked the very foundation of the building, each beat bringing with it a new world defined by multi-colored strobe lights. Ponies lined the flashing dance-floor, their dances were unprejudiced and free, they were all slaves to the music that enveloped them, and didn't seem to mind one bit. The music in the club was loud enough to make Octavia wondered how anyone near the DJ could possibly still have their hearing intact. Vinyl came here regularly as a guest DJ, it's where she started out; everyone was family here. She had quickly whisked away Octavia to the dance floor, attempting to coax her out of her shell. Octavia never had a problem with dancing, but this new kind of music was just....not her forte.
"What's wrong, Chella? You don't look like you're having a good time." Vinyl's expression was worried, Octavia got a small joy out of being so cared about by her new friend.
"It's nothing, I just...this music, I can't dance to it."
"That's it?" Vinyl now donned a smile, nothing was out of her control. "Don't worry, I'll be back in a second." She trotted off into the crowd of ponies, leaving Octavia alone in the center of the dance floor. Octavia spied her up at the DJ's turntable; they were conversing, it looked like. She saw the DJ give a nod and Vinyl trotted off back to the dance floor, soon rejoining her friend.
"What was that about?" Octavia was quite confused.
"Just shut up, you'll see in a second," she laughed in a bantering tone. The song abruptly changed, the music in its place was familiar. Octavia's sharpened hearing could pick up the sounds. The base of the music was a classical piece, an old song she knew, "Requiem of the Soldiers", but the beats were faster; the piece was infused with the dance beat of a newer age techno song. The music was amazing, a perfect harmony of classic and new age music, it took no time for Octavia to begin jumping around to the beat. "Now, you're getting it!" Vinyl joined in, grabbing Octavia's hoof, throwing her side to side before pulling her in close. The world around them appeared to stop as the pair danced, completely in sync, to their respective music combined. The spotlight seemed to stay on them forever, the ponies around them disappearing, it was just them. Octavia had never noticed Vinyl's eyes before, they were always blocked by the purple glasses she wore often, but tonight she had ditched them for full attention to her dance. Vinyl's eyes were a beautiful shade of red, like a rose in full bloom in the Summer. They stared right back at her, studying her. Suddenly, something had hit Octavia, the song had ended minutes ago. The pair had been standing on the dance floor, just staring into each other's eyes. She turned away, her face was completely flushed. Vinyl shook her head, exiting the trance she had fallen into.
"Are you ok?" She reached out to turn her friend around, but Octavia refused to budge and reveal her scarlet face.
"It's nothing, I just need a drink!" She dashed off to the bar, plowing through the crowd.
The bar was nearly empty, almost everypony was up and out on the dance floor, Octavia just needed to get away. She plopped down on a bar stool and waved over the bartender, "Just a water please," The barman nodded and walked off to fetch her refreshment. Octavia slammed her head down against the table, the force pulsating down, shaking the glassware that rested on it. 'Why did I just stand there gawking at her? I'm never like this!' The bartender reappeared, placing the drink down on the counter next to the sulking earth pony. Octavia lifted the glass to her lips and let the cool water help wash away her embarrassment.
"Chella!" Vinyl came up from behind, wrapping her hooves around her. "Don't tell me you're done already! You're going to miss the big surprise, It's going to be awesome!"
Octavia sat, dumbfounded, "It's nearly three in the morning, what in Equestria could you have in mind"
Vinyl grinned ear-to-ear, she grabbed her friends tail in her teeth and trotted off toward the entrance, dragging a confused Octavia along with her. "You'll see."