//------------------------------//
// Chapter 5 
// Story: Beats of Life 
// by NightsongWrites 
//------------------------------//

	The music was life itself. As Octavia drew her bow across the strings of her cello, a soft smile graced the corners of her slim muzzle. She often played with her eyes closed, and this performance at the Grand Hall for the Performing Arts was like most. Somewhat. The energy was different tonight, and each member of the ensemble could feel it. As Octavia’s cello led the beat, they found themselves begin to play a tune more lively than they had played in any concert before. An improvised piece that left those music aficionados in the audience dumbfounded. Harpo’s hooves tugged mercilessly at the strings of his harp, and a small chuckle left Frederic as his skilled hooves rippled across his piano. This was different than their usual pieces. This was… soulful, alive.  
And as Octavia ended the piece, she opened her eyes, glancing up at the front row of the balcony. Crimson eyes met violet. An open-mouthed look of awe met a spreading smile of giddiness. And the audience erupted in a roar, hooves clapping frantically and cheers ringing out as, just for a moment, the high-society ponies remembered themselves once more. The ensemble rose to their hind hooves, bowing warmly to their fans. And in an act of confidence, Octavia gave a spinning flourish of her bow, which only redoubled the applause and cheers from the audience. It crashed over them, and they drank it in. And never once did crimson leave violet. 
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“T-tavi… that was amazing!” 
“Holy Luna guys, that was freakin’ unreal! I thought I was going to explode from the shivers!” 
“I’ve never heard a crowd clap so long!”
Octavia chuckled softly as she approached her friends up in the balcony row, eyes lit up with an inner fire of a successful performance. Lyra and Bon-Bon were smiling cheerily, gushing about bits and pieces of the songs they loved most. But, while she would not admit this at the time, the cellist was more focused on the reaction of her, and the rest of the ensemble’s, muse. Vinyl had sat back heavily in her seat when the piece ended, and now she stared up at Octavia with undisguised awe. A shaky smile split across her muzzle.
“D-damn Tavi,” she breathed, “That was intense. A-and I thought I-I was the master of intense beats.”
There it was, Octavia thought happily, That spark of life. Vinyl was smiling again, she was talking louder, her old accent beginning to shine through. That night, Octava had managed to convince her- and it stilled stunned Octavia herself that she was suggesting that someone make themselves look so… uncivilized- to style her hair again into its wild, uncontrolled mane. Seeing the light in Vinyl’s eyes when she had looked in the mirror blew away any trace of doubt from Octavia’s mind. 
The cellist leaned down to happily nuzzle Vinyl Scratch’s right ear, giggling softly. The DJ’s shy squeak was rather endearing, she had to admit. 
“Thank you, Vinyl,” she replied warmly, blushing faintly as she felt her tail begin to wave, “I’m glad you liked it.” 
“Totally!” Beauty Brass exclaimed, a cheery grin plastered across her face, “The song was for you!” 
“Wha…”
“Indeed, Miss Scratch. Your struggle inspired all of us. And it was time for a change from our tired old routine.” 
Octavia smirked, bumping Frederic and Beauty Brass with her flanks. They had broken Vinyl, who was staring up at the three with wide, stunned eyes. The ensemble had made the choice to keep the last minute changes from Vinyl, in order for the surprise to achieve its full effect. Now, for the coup de grace. Octavia slowly sat in front of Vinyl, a hoof reaching up to brush an errant lock of slicked hair away.
“Vinyl? We’d like you to join the Symphony.”
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The music was absolutely sublime. It was deep, it was powerful, it was moving. And by the Celestial Sisters Vinyl had missed it so much. Her new headphones were fitted snugly to her trained ears, and the music filled every inch of her being. While her crimson eyes were wide open behind Vinyl’s shade, they were unfocused; every bit of her brain power was devoted to the music, her hooves subtly twitching to adjust the beat and tempo as needed. When the bass needed to be dropped, she would slam it down. She was back in her element, and deeper than ever before, thanks to Octavia and the Lunar. 
Vinyl had toyed with mixing classical and electronic before, usually small collaboration pieces with small-time, just-starting classical musicians. But with a full Symphony at her back, Vinyl had far more to work with now, and she was going to take full advantage. Octavia’s plan was as crazy as it was awesome. They had a big show planned to end their Manehatten tour- a several-piece concert at the Grand Golden Concert Hall, to (supposedly) debut their new styling of music. Indeed they would be. Vinyl’s work would be showcased at the end of the concert, heralding her return to the music scene. Nerve-wracking? Vinyl had fainted at the first proposal. 
She wasn’t sure she was ready! Sure, she had regained the use of her magic- small increments at least, enough to work the tables- but it was in front of thousands. Thousands of screaming mares… and stallions. Vinyl was vaguely ashamed at her fear of the larger sex, but it wasn’t exactly like she could help it. In every stallion, she could see some part of… Them. The smile, the eyes… Just thinking about it made her shudder, and her hoof missed a tune, though she quickly managed to correct it. 
But Octavia’s smile… her savior believed in her. She had said so herself, several times over, as had her new friends. They took a look at the pathetic, mewling mare… and smiled, treated her like one of them. Like a true friend. For them… and only for them… Vinyl could try. 
“Alright, guys,” she said suddenly, grinning faintly as the Symphony jumped in surprise- her headphones were GOOD, and the recording room had been eerily silent while the artist worked, “I think I have this down. Want to listen?”
“Of course!” 
“Yes, yes, please!” 
“That would be delightful, Vinyl.”
Alright, here goes. Letting out a shaky breath, Vinyl carefully removed her headphones, unplugging the soundproofing magitech and flicking the music to play from the start. Her friends were- in a word- stunned. Wide eyes stared over at a sheepish Vinyl and her Lunar table as a slow bass beat suddenly warped into a masterful cello solo. The energy of the piece was magnificent, almost better suited to a dance club than the Concert Hall. With a breath, Vinyl suddenly jerked a hoof across an array of gleaming dials. Waves of blue and violet light poured from the Lunar, coalescing into vaguely organic shapes of starlight just above their heads, twisting and writhing to the music. As the cello picked up once more, the violet became more pronounced, a vaguely pony-like shape dancing in the air. And as the song began to end, the blue, violet, tan, and teal lights of the show spun to the sky, forming a brilliant, multi-colored treble clef. 
Vinyl gulped thickly, “So uh… what… w-what do you guys- eep!” 
The tension evaporated like the mist before the sun as the five friends hugged it out, giggling into the music-radiated sound room. 
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“I can’t wait to see the faces of those stuck-up ponies when Vinyl gets on stage,” Beauty Brass was gushing, giggling softly and positively bouncing up and down as the group exited the recording studio, ready to make the long trip back to Lyra and Bon-Bon’s home.
Octavia had been standing near Vinyl since the light show, and that… made her both elated! And extremely nervous. What if she was waiting for a chance to wring her neck for the figure she had made? Maybe she had been way too forward in that regard. She chanced a glance at her eyes, and that didn’t help. Octavia had a thoughtful look, and that terrified Vinyl beyond reason. What if she was re-thinking everything? Maybe she didn’t want to do the performance, or maybe she even wanted to dump Vinyl back in Canterlot! 
“O-octavia, I-I…” 
The small unicorn had little warning before pain shot through her armpits, and she had the feeling of weightlessness. She was being carried into the sky! A panicked look down allowed her to see a pair of light blue-furred forelegs wrapped around her barrel? Blue… Her eyes shrunk to pinpoints as memory, and utter panic, set in. Nononononononononono! 
“NO, PL- YAH!”
Her scream was cut short as Vinyl was suddenly dropped, landing hard on a slate roof. Fiery pain, and a sickening snap, told her one, or more, of her damaged ribs had broken again, and her head slammed into the slate with a thud. It was hard for Vinyl to see, her eyes and horn blazing with pain as she turned her head about frantically. The silhouette landed softly in front of her, feathered wings framed in the light of the full moon. White teeth gleamed as the pegasus grinned darkly.
“Hello again, Miss Scratch.” 
Nononononononononononono!
“OCTAVIA!”