The Hoof Beats:
Two and a half hours until race time
"Are you two sure about this?" Octavia asked, studying their Sky Wagon curiously, looking away for a moment as a cackling Rainbow Dash flew past, chased quickly by a very annoyed looking Applejack.
"Are you kidding? This thing is going to rock so hard the Diamond dogs are going to try and search it for gems!" Vinyl Scratch laughed without pulling herself out from under the controls she was buried in.
"Musical instruments are hardly conducive to flight, let alone high speed racing flight." She countered, watching the white unicorn work.
"Oh come on Tavi." Lyra said, floating the large double-bass into the air to put into the pedestal at the front of the ship.
"HEY! Drop the bass!" Octavia snapped, worried for her beautiful instrument.
"THAT'S MY JOB!" Vinyl yelled from inside the control console, laughing loudly, which drew looks from passersby.
"Y-You know what I mean." Octavia said, snatching the instrument back from the surprised unicorn. "I'm not using my good Matthias Trotz Bass for this." She tucked it back into it's case. "I don't even know why you brought it." She said to Vinyl while she started to open a case with another, much plainer, clearly cheaper, bass inside, which she allowed Lyra to take and attach to the controls.
"Hey, pack your own bags next time then. I assumed you were bringing a spare." She said, pulling herself out from under the control panel.
"It's almost 500 years old! You've seen how I care for it."
"I've seen how you fret over your lunch before you eat it too, doesn't mean I put much stock in it." Vinyl teased, enjoying goading her friend on.
"I keep it in a sealed glass case at home!" She snapped.
"Yeah, out where anypony could see it and do who knows what with it!" Vinyl countered.
"THAT IS NOT..." She stopped short when two ponies wandered over, one in a fez and bow tie, the other wearing a massive scarf, they were looking over the wagon and talking excitedly.
"Pardon our intrusion." The one in the scarf said. "We were just admiring your sky wagon and wanted to ask...is it powered by unicorn magic..."
"...Or some sort of acoustic anti-grav drive?" Fez interrupted. Both spoke with a Trottingham accent, or at least something similar
"Acoustic what?" Lyra asked curiously.
"See? I told you it was simply unicorn magic." The other said smugly.
"It runs on Nun-ya!" Vinyl called, sitting up and looking at the new arrivals with a smirk.
"Nun-ya?" Fez looked at scarf, who simply shrugged. "I'm not familiar with that type of propulsion." He said finally, looking back at them.
"Oh?" Vinyl asked. "Sorry, it's full name is Nun-ya Business! Quite snooping!" She laughed, returning to her turn-tables, switching them on, watching the lights come to life.
"Vinyl Scratch!" Octavia snapped, adopting a more refined tone, one she generally reserved for those she met at her performances. "Do not be rude! My apologies sirs, she is such a boor sometimes."
"Oh no no it's quite alright, we are indeed prying more than we should be, " Scarf said, "we should be returning to our own ship anyway, our companion will be awaiting our return so we can complete preparations."
"He is our companion isn't he?" Fez chuckled. "I never thought of MYSELF as a companion before."
"Well he is to us, as you are to me and I to you, and we to him." Scarf laughed.
"Uhh right." Lyra said, totally lost by their conversation.
"Well if you'll excuse us...OH," Scarf reached, oddly enough, into his scarf and pulled out a small plastic bag, "before we go would you care for..."
"JELLY FILLIES!" Vinyl squealed, grabbing a number of them out of the bag with her magic and setting them up along her turn table, giggling at them.
"VINYL!"
"No no, it was my intention to offer them." He laughed.
"Thank you." Lyra said, taking two herself. Octavia shook her head and he nodded, starting away.
"Oh I don't believe I got your names." Octavia said to fez.
"Oh of course, how rude of us." He said, smacking his forehead with a hoof. "You can call me The Doctor."
"Doctor what?" Lyra asked.
"Just Doctor." He shrugged.
"And your friend?" Vinyl asked around a mouthful of Jelly Fillies.
"Uhh...he's...Tom?" The Doctor shrugged.
"Doesn't Rarity have a pet rock named Tom?" Lyra asked and Vinyl nodded.
"Well it was nice to meet you Doctor," Octavia said, "and Tom as well."
"And we you dear ladies." He said, bowing his head. "Good luck in the race."
"Thanks Doc!" Vinyl said, waving goodbye before going back to her turn tables.
"I can't take you ANYWHERE can I?" Octavia hissed at the white unicorn.
"What?" Vinyl asked, looking at her friend in confusion, her perceived rudeness totally lost on her.
Her only response was Lyra's laughter and a glower from Octavia that could have melted metal.