//------------------------------// // Enter the DJ // Story: Moonlight's Sonata // by Sensoriko //------------------------------// "It is perfectly normal for a pony to have dreams," Octavia thought to herself as she began cleaning her room. "It is perfectly normal for a pony to have dreams involving elements of a romantic fantasy." Once she had the bed made, she proceeded to the bathroom to freshen up for the day. She grabbed her mane comb off of the sink and stood in front of the mirror. "And anypony," she mentally continued to herself, "can have said dream about anypony." Once her mane was back under control, Octavia set the comb down and reached for her tooth brush and tooth paste. "It doesn't matter if it happens to be a pony of royalty, does it? Certainly not. Nor does it matter that the royal pony has been rumored to be able to patrol the dreams of others. I'm sure she has ponies who dream of her all the time, in such a way." Octavia finished brushing her teeth, spat in the sink (in a ladylike manner, of course), washed her face and stared into the vanity mirror that was in front of her. "Yes, Octavia. You have a problem on your hooves." Octavia sighed and turned to leave the bathroom. She wasn't going to figure things out in there. "I need somepony to talk to," she thought to herself, "but it couldn't just be anypony." Octavia walked out of her hotel room and down the hallway to the stairs. "The pony has to have an open mind about matters like this. Somepony who wouldn't treat it like some scandalous affair...Even though it might be." Before she knew it, Octavia had made it down the stairs to the lobby and was at the front desk. There didn't seem to be a lot of ponies in the lobby; there was a couple on the other side of the area chit chatting, a stallion that was resting comfortably on a recliner in the lobby's lounge area, and a well dressed mare on her way to the revolving door. Octavia looked at the clock behind the front desk and sighed., it was still rather early for most of her acquaintances to be up yet. Or so she thought. Octavia's thoughts, and that of everypony in the area, were interrupted by a crash at the entrance and the appearance of a white unicorn mare with a wild blue mane and purple tinted sunglasses. Wearing a grin on her face that would make the Chesire cat proud and with a slight breeze going through her mane (from the rapid spinning of the revolving door she burst through) the unicorn opened her mouth to announce her presence. "GOOOOOOD MORNING, MAREOTT HOTEL! THE GOLDEN GODDESS OF THE NIGHT HAS RETURNED HOME! Conqueror of raves and queen of the wubs, Vinyl Scratch is back from another all nighter of epicness!" The unicorn took a quick glance around the room before focusing her attention on the mortified grey pony with the treble clef cutie mark. "OCTY! What's up? I can't believe you are already awake! What, did you stay up the whole night worrying about little old me?" "Vinyl Scratch, will you keep it down?" Octavia hissed as she made her way over to the brash pony, "there are still ponies who appreciate sleeping in at this hour." "Oh lighten up, Octy," said a quieter Vinyl Scratch. "I doubt I disturbed anypony's beauty sleep. Even if I did, they are probably thanking Celestia that they were woken up by my awesome voice instead of some annoying alarm clock." "I am pretty sure they would welcome the clock. And even if by chance ponies did appreciate the wake-up call, you can't just barge into an establishment like this acting like some drunk Minotaur. " Octavia pointed to the still spinning revolving door at the entrance while giving Vinyl a stern look. "You could have broken the door, not to mention the pony you ran over coming in here." Vinyl's grin disappeared at the last part and she tilted her head in slight confusion. "Wait...what pony?" As if on cue, a groan came from under Vinyl, causing her to look down at the semiconscious pony on the floor between her legs. "Whoops." Octavia placed a hoof on Vinyl's chest and pushed her into backing off of the mare. "I swear sometimes I wonder why I hang around you." Vinyl's grin was back on her face as she looked Octavia in the eye. "Well that's easy to figure out," she wrapped a leg around Octavia and pulled her in close, "because I am absolutely great to be around and I am nothing like the normals that live in this city!" Octavia let out an exasperating sigh and placed a hoof to her face. "I have to agree with you there, you are definitely unlike anypony that I know here in Canter...!" Octavia's ears perked up and her eyes lit up as a thought occurred to her. "That's it! Vinyl, you are perfect!" Vinyl laughed and released Octavia from her grip to give her a light bump on the shoulder. "Why Octy, I am surprised. I know I am excellent and all, but perfect? Now you are just embarrassing me." Octavia completely ignored Vinyl's comment as she began to physically push her friend out the hotel. "Come on, there is something serious I have to discuss with you. I'll even treat you to breakfast if you like. Anyplace in town." "Ohhh, you really know how to treat a lady. Alright, if you stop pushing me I'll go talk with ya. And I know just the place to go, too! A very classy place." Octavia backed off from pushing Vinyl and gave her a look of disbelief. "A classy place? That you go to? And you haven't been kicked out of it yet?" "Yep! Has a real retro vibe to it. You will love it! Plus, at this time of day, we can get a booth." As the pair left the hotel, Octavia continued to give Vinyl a look of incredulity. "What exactly is the name of this classy place?" ``````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````` "Donut Joe's...Really, Vinyl?" Octavia was looking up at the neon sign that flickered on the small trailer styled building. "A doughnut shop is your idea of a classy eatery?" "Hey now, it is more than just a doughnut shop," Vinyl began as she walked towards the door, "it is the doughnut shop. Plus he just expanded the menu so it is technically a diner now." Vinyl held the door open with her magic so as to allow Octavia to enter. "And it is home to the best coffee in Equestria, which is what I am going to need if you want to have a sit down with me after work." "That reminds me. Why didn't you get back to the hotel earlier? I thought your..."gigs" only lasted until 3am?" "Well, things got a little out of hoof last night and a couple of trouble makers decided to wreck the club. I decided to stay late after the show and help the owner clean up the place. Figured it was the least I could do since the guy did help me get started working as a dj." Vinyl became quiet for a moment, as if she was reliving some memory. The silence was brief as she then asked Octavia what she wanted to talk about. Before Octavia could answer, the two were led to a booth table at the back of the diner by a waitress. Once they ordered their coffees and the waitress had left them alone with a couple of menus, Octavia was able to give Vinyl her story. "I had a dream last night," she began while staring at the menu absently, "and honestly I am not sure what to make of it." "A dream huh?" Vinyl asked from behind the menu that she was holding up. "Was it a wet dream?" "No Vinyl, it wasn't a wet dream," Octavia blushed slightly at the comment and looked away from table altogether. Vinyl peeked out from behind her menu with a slight look of worry. "Well whatever type of dream it was, it must have left an impression on you if that is the best reaction I can get out of you after making that suggestion." She placed her menu on the table and was now fully attentive to her friend. "So what happened to you in this dream?" "Well you know about the knew amphitheater that is suppose to be completed at the end of the month right?" "Of course, I actually have a few gigs lined up for it a couple months from now. You are writing a concert piece for it right?" "Yes, I am writing a concerto to commemorate the grand opening. Actually, in the dream it was already finished and my ensemble and I were about to perform it." "Wait this ain't one of those dreams were you realize you are naked in front of a large crowd, is it? Because I have news for you Octy, we are almost always naked in public." "No Vinyl," said Octavia with a sigh,"I know its hard, but can you please try and be serious about this? I am having a hard enough time as it is." At that moment the waitress arrived with the musical pair's coffee and was prepared to take their meal order. Octavia passed the choice over to Vinyl, who ordered two "Classic Joe plates." Octavia continued once the waitress had left. "I was a little bit nervous during the preparations and warm ups. At the time I was remembering all the bad luck my friends and I have been through up to that point." Octavia paused as she felt a blush beginning to form within her cheeks. "That was when I saw her in the balcony. A mare with beautiful eyes." "Ohhh, I know where this is going," Vinyl said with a grin that could be considered predatory. "Let me guess, after you saw her you got over your doubts and fears and the performance went without a hitch and you got a standing ovation?" "Well...yes, exactly. I must say, that was very intuitive of you." Vinyl took a gulp of her coffee and chuckled. "Yeah I read something like that in a romance book once." "You read romance novels?" "Hey I have a girly side, too. So what happened after the concert? Did you have a private meeting with your muse?" "Ummm, well yes...but before you ask, no nothing happened. I woke up before it was about to go that route." Vinyl gave a pout and a huff. "Awww, that is no fun. So if that is all that happened in the dream, whats the problem?" "The problem involves the identity of the mare I saw." "Oh? Ohhhh I get it now. No need to say any more." Octavia raised an eyebrow at her friend. "I don't?" "Nope. It is all clear to me now. Treating me out the breakfast was just a way to make it easier for you to tell me, as well as make it harder for me to give you a negative response." "A negative response to what, Detective Scratch?" "Why your undying love for me, of course! Obviously you I was the mare with the gorgeous hypnotic eyes in your dream. And while I am intrigued, I have to pass on you. No offense, Octy, but someone else has already caught my attention." "OK, first it isn't you. And second, when did you develope a crush on anypony?" "Again, contrary to popular belief I do have female interests," if Octavia could see through the sunglasses lense, she would have seen Vinyl try to avoid eye contact. She was however able to see the blush on her friend's cheeks. "Anyway, this isn't about me it's about you. Who is the mare in question then?" Octavia once again became nervous as it was now the time to tell Vinyl about the pony in question. Instead of telling her who it was, however, she just let out what could best be described as a multi-syllable mumble. "I didn't quite catch that, Octy." "...Princess Luna," she muttered. "Mistress Woona? I don't know who that is, but she sounds kinky!" "Darn it Vinyl, I swear that hearing of yours... It was Princess Luna, OK? Mare of my dream is Princess Luna." "...Whoah," for once it appeared that Vinyl was at a loss for words. But appearances can be deceiving, "I knew you aimed high, Octy, but wow going after the Princess takes a lot of guts." Octavia's eyes light up and she became a little bit flustered. "Wait, I am not going after anyone! It was just a dream!" "A dream that nearly had you becoming intimate with her after becoming enchanted by her, and I quote, "beautiful eyes."" "That doesn't mean I am going to chase after one of the most powerful ponies in all of Equestria and ask her out on a date!" "Why not?" "Why not? Why not?! Because, she is a princess and I am just...me. Besides, would you have any idea how creepy that would be if I were to do it? "Hello your majesty, I had a dream that involved us nearly kissing each other. Would you like to go on a date with me?" Sorry, Vinyl I don't think she would react to that very well." Vinyl leaned back against her seat and merely shrugged. "Oh I don't now about that. I bet she is more comfortable with it than you think. In fact I bet she has seen enough dreams like that to not be fazed by it anymore. Where is that waitress with our food? I am getting hungry. Not to mention my mug is empty." "Wait, what did you say?" "That I am hungry and the waitress might have forgotten about us. Are you going to finish that mug of coffee? I need more caffeine in my system at the moment." "No, before that. You said Luna has seen enough dreams. Are you telling me she can do that?" Octavia was now becoming increasingly flustered. "Oh yeah, she walks through a pony's dream to patrol for nightmares and such. Most pony's don't see her unless she wants them to. She can even interact with the dream, if the need calls for it. One of her night guards told me this when he was hanging around a club and was off duty." Vinyl looked out from around the booth and eyed the kitchen window. "By Celestia's beard, is the cook having to harvest the corn for the oil or something?" Octavia's mind was too busy processing the new information about Princess Luna to comment. Luna visits the dreams of ponies. Luna can be seen by the dreamer and get herself physically involved if she wanted to. So if she wanted to she could step in to any dream and become physically involved with the dreamer's fantasy. She could talk to them, touch them, hold them, even... "Oh my sweet aunt, I nearly kissed Princess Luna!" The entire diner went quiet as everypony was now looking at the booth were the cellist sat. Her face became an impressive shade of crimson and she sunk down as far as she could into the seat. "I said that a little loud, didn't I?" Vinyl lifted her glasses off and looked at Octavia with surprise. "Wow, you have it bad. Now, you really have to ask her out." "I am not going to ask her out on date. She would only say no, anyway. Besides, I have to finish the concerto before the grand opening." Vinyl gave her a shrug and grasped the untouched mug of coffee in front of Octavia. "Well, if that is what you want to do that is fine by me. Although, I think you are selling yourself a bit short. I bet Luna would find you adorable." Octavia met Vinyl's grin with a deadpan stare. "Whatever. I doubt it was the real Luna, anyway. Even if it was this whole dream thing is probably some passing fancy. A mere over reaction on my part. I bet by the end of the week I will have moved on and everything will be back to normal." "Sure it will..." muttered Vinyl. "What was that?" "Nothing," Vinyl quickly replied with a bit of chipperness in her voice. "Nothing at all, lover girl. Now if you excuse me, I have a cook and a waitress to rundown." With that, Vinyl Scratch left the booth to either bring back food or the heads of the staff.