//------------------------------// // Lights // Story: The Spice of Life // by Alun Aleriksson //------------------------------// Ch. 2 - Lights “Save me, Octavia. Save all of Canterlot.” Coda’s words rang in her ears long after she had left the rehearsal hall. Save all of Canterlot? By herself? She was only one pony, after all. What did Coda expect her to do? She regarded the addresses her director (‘Former director,’ she thought) had given her. They were both located in the Outer District, one Octavia had never visited. It was known to be slightly… less posh than the central city area, to put it gently. As much as she questioned the sanity of venturing outside of her comfort zone, she knew it was necessary. Besides, it would be nice to have a change of scenery, right? She might even meet some ponies who shared her concerns and would be willing to help her out, or point her in the right direction, and Canterlot would realize how stupid it had been and start accepting new art and music and culture and she could be home in time for dinner. Okay, maybe that was a little bit optimistic, but right now it was what Octavia was holding on to. She dropped off her cello in her apartment and again wistfully regarded her unfinished compositions. ‘Someday,’ Perhaps tonight she could visit the “club” Coda had mentioned. It would be a good opportunity to observe a completely different part of the Canterlot culture, and possibly get some ideas as to what she should now do. Who knew? Some ponies there might actually be as interested in music as much as she was. -XXX- Octavia was content to simply sit at the bar and sip her wine. (The bartender had given her a strange glance when she ordered it; his patrons usually opted for something much stronger.) The thudding music and strobe lights in the background weren’t her style, not to mention the type of dancing these ponies participated in. ‘But isn’t that what you came here for? A change of scenery, you said.’ Octavia groaned. She thought that voice had been drowned out by the music. Still, she couldn’t deny what she had told herself. She had come here hoping for something different, something to get her mind off of the repetitive, dull, “Canterlot Elite” lifestyle. While she had certainly found something different, she couldn’t quite bring herself to associate with the crowd, or the behavior that went with this sort of establishment, hence the wine as oppose to vodka or whisky. Seemingly out of nowhere, a blue and white blur plopped itself down beside her. “Yo, Mix! I need my usual over here!” It yelled. “Comin’ right up, Vinyl!” The bartender called back. Octavia looked around to find the newcomer, a white unicorn mare with a striking blue mane, staring at her. At least, she thought she was staring at her. She couldn’t see anything behind the huge pair of purple tinted glasses on her face. Octavia turned away, uncomfortable with the scrutiny. “Heads up, V!” A glass slid down the bar and the unicorn caught it with her magic, not taking her eyes off of the gray mare in front of her. Well, presumably. “You don’t look like the type to come here,” she commented. “Excuse me?” “Yeah, your mane’s too straight. Definitely not a regular.” She took a swig of her concoction. Octavia visibly recoiled. “Too straight? Am I to believe that yours is ‘just right,’ then? It looks like it has never seen a brush!” The white mare laughed and shook her head. “Yep! One hundred percent freedom right here!” Octavia cocked an eyebrow. “So, why are you here?” The white unicorn suddenly sounded serious. Octavia feigned offense. “What? A girl can’t enjoy herself in a club?” The unicorn smirked. “Sitting here drinking wine? Yeah, you’re havin’ the time of your life.” Octavia scowled. “But since you’re here,“ the unicorn continued. “What’s your name?” Octavia was taken aback by the question, and answered more out of surprise than anything else. “I’m Octavia,” “Hmm… Nope, too uptight. You need a nickname!” “What?” “How about Octy?” “Celestia, no. That sounds like some repulsive creature. And what about my name is uptight?” “Okay, then, what about Tavi?” Octavia did not like the idea of chopping up her perfectly good name to satisfy some stranger, but she supposed it was better than the previous suggestion. She sighed. This was what she got for trying something new. “Fine,” The unicorn pulled her into an awkward one-hoofed hug. “All right! I’ll call you Tavi, and you can call me Vinyl! Mix! Another round for me an’ my friend Tavi here!” “Oh, that’s kind of you, but I-“ “Nonsense! My boss said something about hospalality so that’s what I’m doin’!” “You mean hospitality- wait, your boss?” “Well, yeah. I just got done with my shift as DJ. Beats’ll keep this crowd occupied ‘till closing.” She jerked a hoof over her shoulder to the DJ booth, where a blue Pegasus with a light yellow mane was expertly manipulating records and buttons using wings and hooves alike. “You were responsible for that music?” Octavia failed to hide her disdain, and Vinyl noticed. “Yeah, I know, but it’s what the ponies want, you know? Personally, I’m more of a fan of the classics.” “Classics?” Octavia could hardly believe her ears. Could this messy DJ really be a fan of-? “Yeah, ever hear of Journeigh?” Octavia should have known that was coming. “Yes, of course I’ve heard of them, but I don’t really-“ “Just a small town girl!” Vinyl started singing at the top of her lungs. “Livin’ in a lonely wo-orld!” “Yes, I know-“ “Took the midnight train goin’ aaa-neee-where!” “Please stop,” “What? Don’t like my singing?” “It’s not that I don’t like it, but did you really find it appropriate to break out in song like that?" “Uh, it’s a club. How was it not appropriate to break out like that?” Octavia huffed. She couldn’t fault that logic. “Speaking of which, you never did say what you were doing here.” Vinyl finished off the last of whatever was in her glass and motioned for another. “I suppose I… thought it would be fun. Try something new. Something different.” Octavia explained, though she wasn’t sure why she was telling Vinyl. “Different than what?” “Than what I’ve been doing; than the same old thing. A break, I guess you could say. I just… needed to escape, you know?” Vinyl laughed. “That’s another Journeigh song, Escape. My favorite, by the way. But yeah, I get what you’re saying. Feels that way here too, sometimes. It’s the same old ponies, the same old music. It gets boring, right?” She suddenly leaned closer to Octavia. “And the worst part is you can’t change it, because the audience won’t let you. You’re trapped by their ex… expec… wow that ruined the whole thing.” “Expectations,” Octavia finished for her. “Yes, that’s exactly it. The ponies aren’t there for the music, they’re just there to be there.” Vinyl nodded slowly. “Tell you what.“ She slammed her glass down on the counter. “Let’s do something.” “Beg pardon?” Vinyl nearly launched herself off her stool. “C’mon, we’re leaving,” “Where?” “I don’t know, and I don’t care. Let’s just go.” Octavia hesitated. She had just met this mare, and now she was going to just go with her, with no plan, no anything? Vinyl turned back to her new friend to see her still sitting still at the bar. “Hey! Isn’t this what you wanted? Somethin’ different?” Octavia drained her glass and followed the white unicorn out the door. -XXX- The pair exited the club and surveyed the city before them. “So, where are we going?” Octavia asked. “I told you, I don’t care. C’mon!” Vinyl set off down the street at a gallop, laughing. “Hey, wait!” Octavia groaned and ran after her. Vinyl did not slow down until she reached a grassy park almost ten blocks away. She collapsed at the base of a tree, still laughing. Octavia arrived a few seconds later, gasping for air. “What… are you doing?” she said between breaths. Vinyl sat up suddenly. “Whatever I want,” she reached up and hooked a hoof around Octavia’s foreleg, pulling her to the ground beside her. “Tag! You’re it!” She shouted, and bolted toward another tree. Octavia yelled in surprise as she hit the ground, but that quickly turned into focused determination. “Oh, she is gonna get it,” she turned around to see Vinyl sticking her tongue out at her from a little ways away. Octavia gave chase, but soon realized she wasn’t going to outrun the other mare. She leaned against a tree, breathing heavily. “Tavi? Where’d you go?” Vinyl called. “You didn’t give up, did you?” Octavia was about to answer, but then stopped herself. Vinyl couldn’t see where she was, which gave her an immediate advantage. She also noticed that the paved path was the only part of the park that was lit at this time at night. She smirked to herself. In the dim illumination, Vinyl’s white coat would be easily noticeable, while her own gray and black hair would be practically invisible. She could work with this. “Tavi?” Her target called again. “C’mon, seriously. This isn’t funny anymore.” Octavia did not move from her concealed position. Vinyl sounded like she was coming closer, and sure enough, a few seconds later, the white mare stepped under a light, her coat almost gleaming in contrast to the dark background. Her hoofsteps were slower, now, and her head swept left and right in an attempt to locate her pursuer. Octavia snickered quietly. She had forgotten the ridiculous glasses her new companion wore; they would only make it easier for her to sneak up on the unicorn unnoticed. As Vinyl neared the tree, Octavia tried to make herself as small as possible, using the shadows as camouflage. She grinned in anticipation and waited for just a little while longer. The other mare, oblivious to a certain pair of violet eyes following her, passed the tree and continued down the path. Octavia slunk after her quarry silently, her hooves muffled by the grass, her form hidden by the darkness. Ever so slowly she crept up behind Vinyl, forcing herself not to laugh. This was going to be entertaining. She was hardly a leg’s length away now. She reached up slowly and tapped Vinyl’s shoulder. “Tag,” she said simply. -XXX- Vinyl calmed her breathing and slowed to a trot, having quickly outdistanced her opponent. She looked behind her and couldn’t see anything; the entire area was dark. “Tavi? Where’d you go? You didn’t give up, did you?” she taunted, hoping to draw the gray mare out. She received no answer, unless you counted wind blowing through the trees an answer. Vinyl stopped and listened hard. Nope, nothing. Vinyl started back toward the path, straining her eyes and ears against the darkness and silence. She would never admit she was scared, but being in an empty park alone, this late at night… well, it was enough to make anypony’s imagination run wild. “Tavi?” she tried again. “C’mon, seriously. This isn’t funny anymore,” She reached the path and stepped under an island of light, scanning for any signs of movement. Each one of her hoofsteps was amplified in her ears, and her heart thudded against her ribcage. She thought she saw a shadow move and whipped her head around, but it was gone. She continued walking, even slower and more carefully now. . Her breath echoed, her ears twitched, and her eyes flicked back and forth behind her shades. Her body was tense and alert; nothing could possibly surprise her in this heightened state. And then something touched her shoulder. -XXX- Vinyl did not scream at first; her body seized up, preventing her from drawing breath for a second. Her hair comically stood out from her head, resembling bolts of lightning. Her legs stiffened, and she seemed to levitate momentarily. She spun around and let out a cry worthy of a seventies martial arts movie, landing on her back hooves in a fighting stance to see Octavia rolling on the ground, cackling. Vinyl immediately regained her composure. “That wasn’t funny; I nearly had a heart attack!” Octavia could barely breathe. “I thought it was pretty funny,” Vinyl lightly kicked her in the side with a hoof. “Ow, hey!” “Please, that was a gentle nudge. You deserve it, anyway, scaring a helpless mare like that.” “Helpless? You were ready to kill me!” “Well maybe I wouldn’t have had to go ninja on you if you hadn’t gone ninja on me! Speaking of which, where the heck did you come from?” “Behind you,” Vinyl waited, but that was all the answer she got. “That’s it?” “A good ninja never reveals her secrets,” Vinyl rolled her eyes, which Octavia couldn’t see, of course. “Yeah, whatever, I still win.” “How’s that now?” “Tag,” Vinyl set a hoof squarely on Octavia’s exposed stomach, effectively pinning her to the ground. “Hmph,” Octavia decided not to fight it, and lay down on her back just in time to see a shooting star wink in and out of existence overhead. “Look!” she pointed with a hoof, but of course Vinyl had missed it. Octavia shut her eyes and made her wish. “What, you see a shooting star?” Octavia sighed in response. “It’s been a while since I’ve just looked at the stars. They really are quite beautiful.” Vinyl followed her gaze, then sat down beside her. She even levitated her glasses off of her face. “Yeah, I guess,” she admitted. “Luna did a great job with those, huh?” “Mmh-hmm,” Octavia fell silent, and felt her body relax for the first time in at least a few days, possibly a few weeks. Vinyl couldn’t stay quiet for long. “I’ve always liked the moon. When I was little, I thought the Mare in the Moon was my mom watching over me, protecting me. It’s why I chose the nightlife instead of a day job; I felt more comfortable with the moon over me.” She considered her story for a bit. “Well, it made sense back then. Who’d have guessed it was really Princess Luna, huh?” Octavia gave her full attention, but did not interject. Vinyl kept talking. “Not seeing that face up there anymore… it was like losing my mom all over again.” She paused. “But then I look up at the stars and say, ‘Just because she’s not in the moon doesn’t mean she’s not watching over me.’ She’s somewhere out there.” Octavia looked up at the stars again with a new perspective. She saw one sparkle, and imagined it was her granddad smiling down at her like he used to when he saw her practice her violin, and later cello. Vinyl leaned back and rested her hooves behind her head. “So what about you?” She asked. “You haven’t told me hardly anything about you.” “Oh! Well, there’s really not much to tell. I was born in Canterlot and spent my entire life here. I play… rather, I used to play for the Royal Symphony, but-“ “No way; you’re a musician?” Vinyl interrupted, suddenly sitting back up and putting her glasses back on. “Do you do original pieces? Oh, you have to show me! Where do you live?” Octavia flinched from the barrage of questions, and answered them as best as she could. “Umm, yes?” Vinyl jumped up. “C’mon, you gotta show me!” “All right, calm down first,” Octavia struggled to her feet and wondered how Vinyl could possibly have this much energy at this hour. As she stood up, Octavia noticed something about her companion. “Your cutie mark; the notes go backwards. Why is that?” “I guess I’ve always been sort of backwards.” Vinyl grinned lopsidedly. Octavia smiled at that, and led the way out of the park. -XXX- They reached Octavia’s apartment without any complications, and Vinyl bounded over to the cello and music stand in the corner. “Awesome; it’s like a giant guitar! I bet you can play some sweet riffs on this baby! What are these? Are these the sweet riffs?” She grabbed several sheets of music off the floor with her magic. “Hmm… ‘Seventh symphony’… Nope, don’t care; sounds boring. What’s this?” She turned to the page on the music stand. “’Luna’s Dreamscape,’” She read. “Sounds less boring. Not much to look at, though.” Octavia had hardly closed the door behind them. “I haven’t gotten around to putting anything down yet,” Vinyl’s face lit up. “We could write it together!” “What? Oh, you don’t have to do that,” Octavia was rather hoping Vinyl wouldn’t actually want to help. A DJ had no business co-writing a classical piece. Vinyl, however, had other ideas. “No, don’t you see? The new thing in music! A mix between your boring old guys and my awesomeness!” She was practically bouncing with excitement. “Old guys?” Octavia was understandably indignant. Vinyl didn’t even seem to notice, she was so excited. “I bet I can hook up your guitar to the turntables with magic, and-“ “Oh, no,” Octavia interrupted. “Firstly, it’s called a cello, not a guitar. Secondly, you are not ‘hooking it up’ to anything!” “Aw, come on, ‘Tavi, that would sound amazing!” Octavia would have crossed her forelegs if she were standing upright. “Do you know what a cello sounds like?” “Umm, amazing? Maybe you should play for me, so I have an idea!” Her enthusiasm hardly missed a beat. “Vinyl, it is two in the morning. I am not waking up half the apartment building because you haven’t heard what an actual instrument sounds like.” Vinyl didn’t even notice the jibe. “Half the building? Is it that loud?” Her unseen eyes grew wide. “String instruments are designed to resonate, and these walls aren’t exactly soundproof,” Octavia explained. “Though, I suppose it was a bit of a hyperbole.” “Hypa-what?” “Never mind. Listen, it’s getting late, and I’m not used to being awake at this hour. I don’t mean to sound rude, but shouldn’t you be heading home?” Vinyl shuffled awkwardly on her hooves. “Uh, yeah, about that… Would you mind if I sorta… crashed here tonight?” She smiled sheepishly. “Like you said, it’s kinda late, and I do live in the Outer District,” Octavia understood what she was saying. A walk alone to the Outer District this late at night would be less than desirable. The walk from the park had been quite enough to make both mares aware of that fact. “Unfortunately, I don’t have a spare guest room or anything like that,” “No prob, I can take the couch.” “Really? You’re sure?” “Hey, I’ve slept on worse. I’ll be fine.” “If you say so. Let me get you some blankets and a pillow,” Octavia fetched the necessary items from a nearby closet so Vinyl could be at least a little bit more comfortable. “Thanks, ‘Tavi. I owe ya,” “Think nothing of it,” “Okay, well, g’night, then.” “Good night, Vinyl.” Octavia made her way to her own bed and settled down under her sheets. She reflected back on her evening, and the new friend she had found. Vinyl might be brash, messy, and, well, pretty much the opposite of herself, but Octavia felt comfortable talking to her for some reason. She had a certain… charm wasn’t the right word. Well, it was something. Octavia had found a pony that shared her ideas about music and the Canterlot lifestyle. She had even said something about the new thing in music, even if it did involve a certain electronic element. She felt a mixture of excitement and fear, and knew that tomorrow she’d make even more progress.