They stayed talking for some time but feeling tired and sleepy, they all went to their respective rooms before the clock stroked midnight.
“What are you thinking about?” Bon Bon asked her wife, seeing that she was quieter than normally.
“Nothing, just…” She explained while brushing her mane by the vanity. “It must be really hard for Octavia, you know. Having her personal space being invaded like that every time she tries to date.”
“Ponies can be really mean sometimes. And some are just dumb.” Bon Bon concluded. “But it’s not like she is completely miserable for you to pity her so much, Heart. She is the best cellist in all of Equestria, has a big classy house in Canterlot’s center and plays for the Royal Orchestra.”
“And is so alone she has only two friends – you and I.” Lyra said.
“Not everyone is as outgoing as you.” Bon Bon tried to explain to Lyra, lying on the bed and pushing the blanket over herself. “I’m sure she’s ok.”
“If you say so…” Lyra turned off the light, slipped under the blanket too, and kissed Bon Bon. “Good night, my sweet.”
“Good night, my heart.” She replied, and both went to sleep.
Octavia was nowhere near sleep, though. She picked up all the strain papers: dozens and dozens of musical writings that led nowhere she wanted to go with her new song. Absolutely nowhere.
Nowhere.
She opened the cello’s case and took the instrument out of it, trying one more time to find a way out of that block by playing the piece throughout, one more time.
She liked to call it “Sought Sonata”, a piece made for ballet perform. She narrated it while playing.
It followed the story of a Pony who lost the ability to sing. After discovering it had been stolen, they start searching for it, and meet several other ponies who also lost some ability in the way. They team up, find the thief, and… That’s when she gets stuck.
“It just wanted to be as good as the others, that’s the reason for the stealing!”
Octavia heard somepony saying that from outside. She rapidly rested her cello, leaned on the window, and looked down.
The dim lights of the street didn’t help at all – all Octavia could see was that the stranger used big glasses.
“Excuse me?” She said to the pony.
“Someponies aren’t that good with some things. That doesn’t mean they aren’t worth it.” The stranger explained their line of thought. “You’re just forgetting the basics. But great piece!” They complimented her. “Gotta go now, sorry for annoying!” They started to trot away from her.
“Wait!” She called, and the stranger stopped, looking back.
“Who are you?” She asked.
“Name’s Vinyl.” Sorry but I’m really late, bye!” And with that, Vinyl disappeared into the dance club next door. A party pony, it seemed.
How could they be so good with classical music, then? It seemed impossible to Octavia, but…
She grabbed her cello again, and tried the stranger’s take on the piece. Having in mind that the thief was only jealous of the other ponies, giving them a sorrowful, guilty tune…
It fitted perfectly. Octavia loved the new piece, and rushed to write it all down.
In a matter of minutes, a piece that took months only to be stuck by the end was finally complete.
She looked at the papers, with all of its musical notes and markings. Finished.
She had to thank Vinyl.
Octavia didn’t even get her coat. She knew how dance clubs were, and she definitely didn’t like them, at all. Loud music, sweating ponies, strong drinks, flashing and confusing lights. No fresh air. She planned to just find and thank Vinyl, and go back home right after.
Oh she was wrong.
She entered the club, and as usual, it was packed. Octavia could barely move in such a crowd, and the loud music made her sensitive ears ache. She stopped an olive pony to ask.
“Hello, excuse me.” She had to scream to be heard. “Do you, by any means, know a pony named Vinyl in this party?”
“Sorry miss, but haven’t ever heard that name.”
She sighed. She was already sweating from the heat, and felt very annoyed by so many people touching her so much. That’s why she hated to be in crowded places.
She tried to ask again.
“Excuse me, but do you know somepony named Vinyl?”
The pony laughed.
“You don’t come here often, do you?”
“Well, I didn’t realize it was that obvious.” She admitted. “Why?”
He pointed to the letters that glowed behind the DJ’s mixing desk. It read “Pon-3” in flashing blue neon lights.
“That’s Vinyl’s stage name. We’re all here to listen to her beats.”
“… You cannot be serious…”
“Relax and enjoy the show. She’s the best Dubstep DJ in all of Equestria, miss!”
“No, you don’t understand!-” But the pony was already gone.
She didn’t understand. She had nothing against the pop songs, but there was a deep difference between listening to Dubstep and listening to Classical music. Your brain and ears have to be trained to listen to the complicated arrangements in the later. But for popular music, the basi-…
Oh. The basic would do.
Suddenly, the crowd started cheering ridiculously loud. Octavia looked to where everyone was: the DJ’s mixing table. But now, somepony was actually using it.
Vinyl.
“Are you ready to party!?” She asked, and everyone screamed even louder.
There she was, Vinyl. Her purple custom glasses reflecting the many other light colors in the club. Her blue mane swinging with her head by the beat of her songs, the sweat making it glue into her light colt. Everyone cheering, and jumping off the ground, even higher, by the recurrent “drop the bass!” she would put in the middle of them.
But Octavia didn’t notice any of that. All she could see was the passion in Vinyl’s movements. She loved playing her songs. She loved playing for such an animated crowd. She loved every part of that performance. Every single one.
Octavia also loved playing the cello, since she was very young, but…As her parents had invested so much on her musical instruction, she felt obligated to pay them with a good title. That’s when her instrument became more of a job than a passion.
And seeing Vinyl there, so involved in the beat, lured by a melody she created herself, driving all those ponies mad every time she “dropped the bass”…
Octavia missed that feeling.
Vinyl took her glasses off, putting it on her head, behind her ears. Her magenta eyes glowed in awe, just like it was her first performance ever. Hardly ever, but she seemed so excited, nevertheless…
She smiled widely, seeming to identify somepony in the crowd.
“Hey Bowtie Cellist.” She spoke in the microphone, the music still playing. “I didn’t know you were so eclectic with music.
Octavia started sweating cold. She gulped, all eyes on her. It made her even more self-aware.
Noticing her discomfort, Vinyl tried to help.
“How about some ice cold soda? Larry, clear the way for her, will you?”
A big stallion opened the door to the hallway, were all the staff was working. Vinyl had just invited Octavia for a drink in her room.
Everypony let out an “smooth one!”, looking even more at Octavia.
“Never mind that!” Octavia shouted, irritated and angry, dashing through the front door, going home as fast as she could.
She just couldn’t do it anymore! All that heat, loudness, ponies everywhere. And that invitation…
Octavia was wrong about Vinyl, after all. She was just one more for the list of disrespectful dates.
Why did it have to be so hard for her?
Already by her home’s door, she let a deep sigh, and filled her lungs with the refreshing night breeze. Tears had streamed down her face, and she didn’t even realize. She entered her home, and reaching her room, she untied her bowtie and wrapped herself on her blankets, waiting for sleep to come.
But from her bed, she could see the sheets of paper with Sought Sonata’s notes written on it.
She hadn’t been fair with Vinyl, she admitted. It was a dance club, most ponies are there for one-night-stands. She was the odd one there, and Vinyl just innocently admitted she too was ok with one-night stands.
“Bowtie Cellist?”
Octavia didn’t even breathe. She could hear Vinyl from the open window of her room. There was a moment of silence, but she was still there.
“If you’re there, I just wanna say I’m sorry for that, I didn’t mean to hurt your feelings.” Vinyl apologized.
“Anyways… I’m not gonna bug you anymore, you don’t have to worry. Whatever I did, I’m really sorry. Seriously.”
Octavia’s mind was in trouble. Give Vinyl a chance or not? Would she try to touch her even if she said it wasn’t ok to? Was this one going to end badly too?
“Goodbye.” Vinyl was leaving. She had to decide.
Octavia moved silently trough her room, reaching the window. She looked outside.
“Tomorrow.” She almost whispered, but Vinyl had a sharper hearing than she thought, and turned around with glimmering eyes of happiness.
“I’m so s-”
“Tomorrow.” She repeated, cutting Vinyl mid sentence. “At Salt and Pepper, lunchtime.”
“I’ll be waiting! But…”
“Yes?”
“I don’t really know your name yet, Bowtie Cellist.” She smiled.
“Octavia Melody.” She introduced herself, giggling right after.
Vinyl went speechless.
“You gotta be kidding me… The Octavia Melody? The Official Royal Cellist?” She couldn’t believe.
Octavia giggled again. “Are there others?” And with that, she closed the curtains, going back to bed.
Wrapped in her blankets again, she could hear Vinyl happily trotting away. She smiled.
But Octavia was still concerned about Vinyl accepting her demisexuality. She was very nice, letting her club only to apologize to her, still…
Would she be the first one to respect her?
Would it be a finally?
Octavia started humming the last part of her Sought Sonata, that one part Vinyl had helped her.
“Someponies aren’t that good with some things. That doesn’t mean they aren’t worth it.”
And with the last movement of the piece, an allegretto, she softly went to sleep.