//------------------------------//
// Bonus Chapter: How you met your Musical Mares (Not Hypno) 
// Story: Tales of Hapless Humans and Hypnotic Hijinks 
// by TheKissoftheVoid 
//------------------------------//

	Man, why can't I find a decent pasta joint? you thought to yourself as you meandered along. This is Las Pegasus, there's gotta be an Whinnialian place that's still open. It's not that late. . .

Part of you was insisting that you go back to the hotel. You knew that the first train going north would be leaving the station fairly early the next morning, and if  anything in you've learned anything in the five months you've spent traveling, it's that the ponies take the punctuality of their trains very seriously. At the same time, you were seriously craving some ravioli, and you weren't quite ready to give up the search yet.

As you shuffled past the various ponies walking down the Las Pegasus strip, you began hearing muted snatches of music emanating from what could only be a club a block or so down. You'd been hearing similar all night, but for some reason this one caught your attention. You began walking a little faster, and as you approached you started to recognize the music for what it was, a strangely familiar combination of strings and electronic. Lindsey Stirling? you thought, before shaking your head and reminding yourself exactly how impossible that was. Still, you were intrigued, and so you approached the door, noting both an insanely long line and an insanely large bouncer. Well, this'll be interesting.

The earth pony gave you a glare the moment he noticed that you were walking toward him. To his credit, he didn't try to insult you or even ask what you were, he just nodded toward the line without saying a word. You gave the line a considering look. Yeah, screw that. You smirked. Time to abuse my influence as a friend of royalty. 

You reached into your back pocket and pulled out a very special coin depicting two alicorns flying around each other yin-yang style, with the words Concordiae in Aeternum. The bouncer's eyes shot open as he looked at it, then back at you, then back at the coin, then back at you again. "Um," he rumbled, "one moment please." With that he disappeared inside the club. You chuckled to yourself. Gotta love the royal seal.

You waited for about a minute before he returned, still clearly unsure what to make of you, but still waving you in. You smiled, surreptitiously put a ten-bit in his side pocket, and went inside.

There must have been some kind of muffling spell on the walls and door, because the moment you passed through the foyer, the music suddenly blasted so loud it nearly deafened you. As you recovered, you took in the scene before you. Everywhere you looked there were ponies dancing, from the writhing, strobe-lit mass on the dance floor to what looked like the upstairs VIP area. The heat of so many moving bodies grew with every step, and as the smell of sweat and alcohol reached your nostrils, some primitive part of you that you haven't felt in a long time began to stir.

You bowed your as a fresh wave of bass crashes over you, so powerful that you can almost feel your teeth rattling in you skull. The blast was followed by quick beat and a flourish of strings, and you found yourself drifting automatically toward the dance floor. By that point, you were getting all kinds of stares from the ponies around you, but you ignored them, more interested in the primal energy that was rising in your chest. 

By the time your feet hit the dance floor you were already bobbing your head. There was a slight lull in the song, and instinctively, you knew what was coming.  A string note held for a long moment before being swallowed by a fresh drop, and as it fell so did your foot as you started to move.

And so you danced. You jumped. You spun. You pivoted and whirled and twisted and swayed and kicked and dove and stomped. You danced and danced, heedless of everything but your body and the music, until you were panting and drenched with sweat, and then you danced some more.

In between spins and the odd strobe flash, you caught an occasional glimpse of the mares responsible for making the music. The first was a grey earth pony with a black mane, surrounded by a rather impressive selection of string instruments. Every time you saw her, no matter what she happened to be playing, she was standing on her hind legs, small smile on her face, swaying, bouncing, and twirling to the music as if it were nothing, all the while performing songs that no creature with hooves should have been able to play. Her partner, a white unicorn with purple specks and an unruly, electric blue mane, was surrounded by a veritable fortress of sound equipment, hooves flying across her soundboard as she deftly levitated records behind her, occasionally scratching a hoof across the turn table in a shower of real sparks. 

The unicorn somehow looked really familiar to you, but, caught up in the moment as you were, you didn't bother to think about how.

Eventually your burning lungs and dry throat forced you to take a break. The bartender was ready for you with a raised eyebrow and a bottle of water, but as you held up your bits she shook her head. You gave her a questioning look, and she waved you over so you could hear her over the din. 

"Drinks are on the DJ tonight," she shouted over the music. You shot a look over your shoulder, and while you couldn't be sure with the sunglasses, the white unicorn seemed to be smiling in your direction. You gave a hesitant wave before turning back the the bartender, who then placed a note on the bar. "She also wanted me to pass this along to you."

"When did she do all of this?" you replied, to which the bartender simply shrugged and asked if there was something else she could get you. You declined, picking up the note and opening it. The dim light made it difficult, but eventually you managed to read:
Hey there Apey! Never seen anything like you before. You should meet me after the show! My partner probably won't be there (she's just GOTTA get her beauty sleep), but I'm always down for meeting new, weird ponies. Keeps things fun! If you're interested, meet me at the doughnut place across the street once our set finishes up. See you there Monkey Boy! (Or girl, since I don't know what you are) Ciao!


You read the note so many times that your eyes started to hurt, feeling utterly perplexed. The ape comments naturally rubbed you a bit wrong, but by now it was something you were pretty used to. On the other hand though, this was the first pony in a long while to so bluntly express interest in meeting you.

You didn't have much time to think about it before you noticed a couple shot-glasses, each filled with a glowing purple something, floating next to your head, suspended in a light blue aura. You realized that the music had quieted down a bit, and looked up to see that the unicorn was waving at you, horn ensconced in the same bluish glow as the glasses. You looked back at the glasses, then back at her, hesitantly taking the nearest glass in your hand. The other tapped against yours with a respectable *clink* before zooming across the room and tipping into the unicorn's mouth. 

You smiled as you drained your own glass, thinking to yourself, Well, I wanted pasta, but now that I think of it, doughnuts sound pretty good too.

The song set finished in short order after that, and you quickly made your way out to avoid getting stuck in the inevitable exodus blob. Exiting the club amidst the still-present stares and a few murmurs (you almost responded to the one who'd dared to talk smack about your dance moves), you sauntered across the street to the aforementioned doughnut place, giving a polite nod to the leering stallion behind the counter before plopping down in a seat to await Miss Dub-hooves.

After over half-an-hour and several reasonably tasty doughnuts (Canterlot's are better), you were about ready to walk out, when at long last the mare you were waiting for came trotting through the door.  She immediately noticed you, turning toward you with a million bit grin on her muzzle. She looked at the server as she walked over, saying, "Can I get an even dozen for my friend and I?" You don't know whose eyebrows climbed higher, yours or the stallion's. He asked what kind, to which she responded by throwing a very excessive looking bag of bits on the counter and replying, "I dunno. Surprise us with something good."

The server gave the bag a stunned look for several seconds before whipping into the kitchen with a quick, "Sure thing miss!" The unicorn gave a chuckle before sitting down across from you, giving you a carefree smile, and saying, "Sup monkey?! You are a monkey, right?"

You can only imagine the look of confusion you gave her, jaw moving spasmodically and one eyebrow likely on the top of your head. She just sat their expectantly, smile never wavering, until you finally managed to respond, "I'm a human."

"Huh," she replied, tilting her head a bit. "Never heard of a human before. Is a human a kind of monkey?"

You paused again, unsure if she was trying to insult you or just had no idea what she was saying. "I guess I'm technically related to monkeys, but I'd prefer you didn't call me one."

"Why not?"

"It's kind of insulting, especially where I'm from."

"Where are you from?"

"Long story."

"Well, I've got time." Her smile, which hadn't left her face the entire time, morphed into a bit of a smirk. "You got something better to do?"

You cocked an eyebrow again, and a smirk of your own slowly made its way onto your face. "I guess not."

And so the two of you talked. Or rather, she asked questions, and you answered. It didn't bother you. It was always nice to have a pony that was genuinely interested in learning about you, especially when they weren't acting nervous the whole time. Eventually the server showed up, not just with a dozen assorted donuts, but also a monument of fried deliciousness filled with sliced bananas, peanut butter, chocolate, almonds, and marshmallows. You took a single bite, closed your eyes, and whispered, "Awesome."

"Yeah, I usually come here when I have Las Pegasus gigs," your companion said through a mouthful of doughnut. "They're pretty great." She swallowed. "Canterlot's are better, though."

You gave her a look, and a wide smile spread across your face. "I think you and I are gonna get along just fine." A thought then occurred to you, and you blushed at missing such an obvious detail. "Although, if we're gonna be friends, I should probably know your name."

"Name's Vinyl," she said, holding out a hoof to shake. "Vinyl Scratch. You might know me by my stage name though. When I'm performing, it's DJ P0N3."

You froze halfway through shaking her hoof, a look of mild disbelief crossing your face. "Wait," you murmured, "you're the DJ P0N3? Like, seriously?"

She just smiled a bit wider. "Yup, that's me."

"Holy CRAP this is so cool!" you exclaimed, shaking her hoof so hard it almost pulled her out of her seat. "How did I not recognize you?! Heck, at the very least I should have recognized some your music. You're one of Luna's absolute favorites, and she and I have listened to every album you've put out, so I should have recognized something."

She paused mid-laugh, now giving an incredulous look of her own. "Luna? As in, Princess Luna? You know her?"

You weren't able to help smirking a bit. "Yup."

"Like, you actually, personally know her?"

"She's my best friend."

At that she slid her glasses down her muzzle, showing off some pretty spectacular red eyes in the process, scrutinizing you carefully as she mouthed 'best friend'. She remained that way for a couple seconds before a spark of realization appeared in her eyes and she shouted, "No way! Are you the Princess's pet alien? Did Princess Luna really bring you back from the moon?"

It was probably a solid forty seconds before your laughter died down enough for you to speak. "Yeah, that's probably me," you managed to wheeze, still chuckling and gasping for breath. "I mean, I'm nopony's pet, and I definitely didn't come from the moon, but I don't know of any other aliens who were living in the castle, so I suppose it's gotta be me." You took a final deep breath, smiling so hard it was starting to hurt, and asked, "Where did you hear I was from the moon?"

"Octy," she replied shortly. 

"Was that your stage partner tonight?" you asked, to which she responded with a quick nod. "She was spectacular," you said seriously, earning a cocky smirk from the unicorn. "You both were." Your face grew a bit more quizzical. "That said, I gotta ask, where did she hear that I was from the moon?

She shrugged. "Dunno. I remember there was some big royal announcement about a 'strange visitor' that was friends with the Princesses getting permission to explore Equestria. A couple days later, Octy told me she read an article about the "Bald Alien of Canterlot Castle" being set loose, and wanted to know if it had anything to do with the announcement." She put a hoof to her chin thoughtfully. "Something about a creature that Nightmare Moon brought from the moon to help her conquer Equestria that the Princesses stopped once she turned good again. Hey!" she shouted suddenly. "Do you really have x-ray eyes?" You gave her an incredulous look, to which she responds, "Mind powers?" Your eyebrows climbed higher. "Super strength? Quick healing. . . Hyper reflexes?" By that point you were once again wondering if your eyebrows were even visible, whereas she looked thoroughly disappointed. "Awe, horseapples. That would've been so awesome!"

"Where in the hell did she read all of that?" you deadpanned.

"Eh, probably tabloids." 

You continued to stare as your brain head-desked so hard that you could swear you smelled wood.

Seeing the look on your face, Vinyl snorted. "She'll never admit it, but she loves reading those things, even when she knows it's all crap." She gave you a quick once over. "I guess it's not all crap all the time though, huh?" She gave a quick, rueful chuckle. "I can't believe I'm actually talking to an alien. I mean, I always thought it would be cool to meet one, but I never thought it would be like this. Man. . ." She shot a look out the window. "DJ P0N3 and the Alien of Canterlot, sitting in a doughnut shop and shooting the breeze. I'm surprised the paparazzi haven't torn this place down trying to get an interview."

You snorted. "I've never really had to deal with the paparazzi. The Royal Guard is really strict about that kinda thing, and whenever I ask about it Celestia gets all quiet and Luna just laughs and never says anything. Why? You have to deal with the paparazzi a lot?"

She shook her head, a wry smirk adorning her muzzle. "Buddy, you have no idea. I remember this one time in Manehattan. . ."

The two of you continued swapping stories until the sun came up, and neither of you were showing any signs of stopping until Vinyl's horn abruptly started pulsing with a pinkish purple light. She rolled her eyes, giving you an apologetic look and saying, "Looks like Octy's paging me. She's probably wondering where the hay I've been all night."

You raised an eyebrow. "You two together?"

She shook her head. "Nah. We're just best friends who work together sometimes. Buuut," she intoned, a look of mischief on her face, "I'll probably still tell her I was up all night with a tall, mysterious stranger from a far off land. That should get a decent reaction out of her."

You chuckled as the two of you rose to leave, giving the server another nod and this time earning a hesitant smile in return. You held the door for Vinyl, earning a smirk and a small head-shake from the DJ, and as you both approached the street you said, "Well, this has been one of the better times I've had while traveling Equestria. I'm almost gonna be sad to leave this town." You crouched down and held out a fist. "It was awesome meeting you Vinyl. It really is nice to meet ponies who aren't nervous around me just because I'm different." She bumped a hoof against your fist, making you smile as you rose to leave. "Let's do this again someday."

You were turning away when she said, "Well are you free today?" You stopped in your tracks, caught off-guard by the question. You turned back to see Vinyl with her glasses up, wearing a quizzical look that seemed somehow out of place on her.

"Um, well. . . I was actually gonna catch a train north today," you not-quite-stuttered. "I hear that this is the best time of year to visit the Prism Cliffs, so I thought I'd go check that out for a couple days."

"Do you already have your ticket?" 

". . . No."

"Then why don't you stay one more day?"

"Well. . . I mean I really wanted to get-, oh come on. Please don't do that!" you groaned as Vinyl immediately started pouting at you. Given your friendship with Luna, you really should've been used to this kinda thing by now, but for whatever reason you weren't. "Come on!" you pleaded, "Stop giving me that look. Please?"

"Will you stay?" she asked in a very transparent, annoyingly endearing whine.

With a heavy sigh and an epic eye-roll, you acquiesced. "Fine, fine, I'll stay another day, but only if you tell me why."

"Alright!" she exclaimed, pumping a forelimb in the air and starting off in the opposite direction. "This is gonna be awesome!"

"What's gonna be awesome?" you asked, jogging to catch up with her sudden brisk pace. "You gotta tell me or it's no dice."

She kept trotting, eyes practically glowing with mischief. "I'm gonna tell Octy all about the big, mysterious stranger that kept me up all night." She then looked up at you, and at once you understood her plan before she even said anything. "Then I'm gonna introduce you. It's pretty hard to get Octy to freak out, but this oughta do the trick."

In spite of yourself, you had to force down a chuckle as you stopped, trying your best to look serious. "Lemme get this straight," you faux-deadpanned. "You're asking me to cancel my plans to leave town, for no other reason than you want me to help you prank your friend?"

She met your gaze evenly. "Technically I'm just asking you to put off leaving til tomorrow, but other than that. . . yeah, pretty much." After that the two of you just stared at each other, ignoring the looks of the early birds on their way to work, until she finally said, "If I know Octy, you'll get another new friend out of it, at least once we get her to calm down." 

Those words put a smile on your face that you hadn't worn since leaving Canterlot. "There's the silver lining I was looking for," you murmured, beginning to walk forward again. "So, is your place far from here?"

"Nope," she replied, already giggling in anticipation. "Maybe ten minutes. Just try to act casual once we get there, you know? Let me go in the room first and try not to make any noise til I come get you. Don't want anypony freaking out and tipping Octy off."

"Yeah, because it's not like I stand out or anything, right?" you said sarcastically. "Is there anything I should know about Octy before we do this? She's not gonna, like, attack me or something, is she?"

She looked you over again before shaking her head. "Nah, you're pretty big. She might take a swing at you with her cello, but you can block that, right?"

"Wait, WHAT?!"
***

You groaned, your head resting heavily against the icepack in your hand, as the gray mare in front of you apologized frantically for what felt like the fiftieth time. Behind her, Vinyl had finally managed to reduce her laughter to the occasional fit of giggling, although her expression told you that even that was a struggle. You snorted, wincing at the sharp thud that accompanied it, and thought, Prank my friend, she said. It'll be funny, she said. Now I feel like Ms. Symphony Pony just tested the cymbals on my freakin' head.

You had to admit, listening to Vinyl spin her tale about the previous night had been pretty funny. Though you hadn't been able to see any of it, you had literally heard the clash between courtesy and curiosity in Octy's voice as Vinyl talked about the incredible, mysterious, tall foreigner she'd met, how that stranger was like no other pony she'd ever been with before, and how Octy just had to meet them some time. Considering how thick Vinyl had laid it on, you'd been surprised how calmly Octy had taken it. Sure there had been a little admonishing, and a whole slew of questions to make sure that Vinyl had at least been safe and responsible (not to mention a couple that you kinda wish you hadn't heard), but apart from that she'd remained fairly low key. You imagined that was why Vinyl had huffed, opened the door with her magic, grabbed your hand with the same, and dragged you forcefully into the hotel room while saying, "Oh, by the way, say hello!"

Fortunately for you, Octy had not had a cello on hoof. Less fortunately for you, she had been using a rolling pin when she'd turned around to look, and her reaction had been both immediate and quite painful. Even in your current state, you had to admit that she had excellent reflexes. You winced again. And aim. . .

Vinyl had remained serious exactly long enough to keep Octy from throwing something else at you and make sure that you were okay. After that, she had devolved into a rolling, crying fit of laughter that she was only now coming down from. Octy, on the other hand, had looked absolutely mortified once Vinyl had explained the situation, immediately getting you an icepack and fussing over you as she'd led you to a chair. The parade of apologies that had followed, while well-intentioned, had quickly grown excessive, and at this point it was only making your headache worse. Alright, you mused dimly, I better say something or this is never gonna stop.

"It's fine," you said forcefully, putting your icepack-free hand the the mare's lips. "I get it, I startled you, I'm pretty intimidating, it was just reflex, yada yada yada." You took your hand away, Octy now looking at you in expectant silence. "Just. . . give me a minute or two to calm down. . . Octy, right?"

She tilted her head, giving you a questioning look. "Octy? I beg your pardon?"

You shot a weary glance at Vinyl, who proceeded to start cracking up once again. Sighing, you looked back at the mare before you. "Is that not actually your name?"

"Well yes, but. . ." she gave a sigh of her own, giving Vinyl an irritated look before saying, "It's Octavia. I hate to make a request from somepony that I nearly just concussed, but please, call me Octavia. And you!" she exclaimed as she made her way over to the unicorn before cutting off her cackles with a swift bop on the head. "I should take away your Octy privileges for a while after pulling a stunt like that!"

"Ow," Vinyl whined, rubbing her head with a hoof. "C'mon Octy, you can't tell me that wasn't funny! I mean, what are the odds that I was gonna meet the Alien of Canterlot? I couldn't waste a chance like that! I had to pull a prank! It would've been a crime not to!"

Octavia rolled her eyes, but you could tell by the look on her face that she was considering Vinyl's words. She then looked over at you, cleared her throat, and said, "Do you think that we could just start over?" You gave a slight nod, which she returned before approaching you and saying with a small bow, "Octavia Philharmonica." You returned the bow with a small smile, giving your own name and holding out a hand. 

"Pleasure to meet you," you said.

She reached up with a hoof, which you gently grasped, her smile growing wider. "And you as well."

The next couple hours past much as the first part of your conversation with Vinyl had. Octavia asked you about your kind, your arrival, life in the castle, and your travels since you'd left. When you asked her about the tabloids Vinyl had mentioned, she immediately tensed up and blushed a bit, but didn't attempt to deny it or otherwise have some over the top reaction. In fact, over the course of the conversation, one thing you noticed about Octavia was how reserved she was. It wasn't to say that she was shy or cold; quite the opposite in fact. She was warm, polite, and quick to apologize if she strayed into uncomfortable territory, but all the while she maintained a subtle air of confident self-control. It impressed you in a way that you weren't sure you'd experienced before.

It also spoke volumes about how freaked she would have to be to throw a rolling pin at someone.

Having already told it within the past twenty-four hours, you quickly grew bored of telling your own life story, and so began asking about hers. She told you about her upbringing as a 'proper' Canterlot filly, how she'd been a mischievous nightmare to most of her high-strung family, how she'd first become interested in music when she'd snuck into an uncle's instrument museum. She told you how, as she'd matured, she'd come to resent the petty, often arbitrary strictures of high society, thus throwing herself into her budding performance and composition career. She regaled with stories of performing from one corner of Equestria to the other, even playing for the Gryphon Triumvirate on one occasion, and every one of them seemed to involve some element of trouble or danger that inevitably led to a familial talking to whenever she happened to make it home.

With every tale, that initial feeling of being impressed grew and grew. This was a mare who had seen and done a lot in a fairly young life, and it showed in all the best ways. There was however, one thing that was still puzzling you. "So how did you and Vinyl meet?"

The question brought about an immediate peal of laughter, which she attempted (rather adorably) to stifle with a hoof. "Oh, it was in the aftermath of another lecture, from my grandparents no less, about my habit of getting into trouble while abroad." She sighed a bit. "They didn't seem as concerned for what might happen to me as they were about my reputation affecting the family's. I'd been hearing such arguments for years by that point, and that one proved to be one too many. I'd grown tired of their high-snouted sense of propriety, so I decided I'd go enjoy something I knew was far from 'approved of' by society types in the hopes that it might shake them up a bit. That night I went to the most high profile night club in Canterlot, with as much fanfare as I could guarantee on short notice."

You gave her a quizzical look. "Well, I have to say, and forgive me for being familiar, that I wouldn't expect you to do something just to make them uncomfortable. That's not to say I think it was bad," you quickly added, seeing her expression morph into one of irritation, "just, based on my initial impression of you, unexpected. Right on." You gave her an easy smile, which she, after a few moments of deadpan which made you a bit nervous, returned. "I gotta ask though," you continued, pausing for emphasis, "a night club?"

She shrugged. "I'd always wanted to go to one. I had just enough respect for my family's wishes and just enough reservations that I hadn't been yet, but the idea intrigued me." Her gaze raised nostalgically. "A place meant for losing restraint. A place where the petty inhibitions of high society were not only unwelcome, but largely unheard of." She shot a glance back at Vinyl, who was wearing what seemed to be her trademark cocky grin. "The music also had a certain appeal."

"No kidding," you muttered. "Wow. I mean, I'm sorry I keep presuming, but again, I wouldn't have expected that from a classical musician."

She gave you an understanding smile. "It's quite alright. I actually get that one quite a lot. Most ponies find it odd that a mare who specializes in classical composition and string instruments would like electronic music, but to be honest, I don't know if there's any specific genre that I genuinely dislike. Certainly I prefer some over others, and there are individual songs that I'm. . . not fond of, but ultimately, music is an expression of the composer's feelings or vision. Different pieces of music are meant to evoke different kinds of emotion, and because every pony expresses their emotions differently, it follows that there must be many different kinds of music." She looked at the ground, smile still firmly upon her muzzle. "I find that rather beautiful, actually."

You only just managed to keep your jaw from dropping, which, judging by Vinyl's smirk, was not lost on her. Wow, you thought, that was almost philosophical. "I don't think I've ever heard it put that way before Octavia. That was deep. Thank you for sharing it with me." There was a brief pause wherein the two of you exchanged thoughtful smiles, broken when you cast another glance over to Vinyl and suddenly realized something.

"So, time out real quick," you said. "I wanna hear the full story of how you two actually met, but first," you turn to Vinyl, who grinned at you in an almost expectant sort of way. "What's your story Vinyl. Octavia's told hers, you've both heard mine, and you told a couple stories last night about dodging the paparazzi and crazy fans, but how you become the dub-step queen that you are today?"

Vinyl beamed behind her shades as she said, "Well, that's a pretty good story, so. . ." she cleared her throat before shouting in a voice that reminiscent of a sportscaster, "Stallions and gentlemares, fillies and colts of all ages, friends, neighbors, and ponies that I don't know at all, take a load off and open your ears as I regale you with the tale, nay, the legend of the rise of DJ P0N3!

While Octavia just rolled her eyes good-naturedly, you wore an expression of complete and utter bemusement. Vinyl looked at you for a few seconds before saying, "What? It's a really awesome story, full of struggle, drama, and most importantly, wubs!"

You kept staring for a few seconds before asking, "Do you by chance know a unicorn named Trixie? Blue, silver mane, wears a purple hat and cape with stars on them? Has kind of a smoke and mirrors type magic show?"

Vinyl's smile faltered as she gave you a puzzled look. "Who?"

You immediately started shaking your head. "Ehhh, never mind. Go ahead and tell your story."

She shrugged, her grin returning. "Don't mind if I do."

Vinyl's life, as it turned out, contained a lot more struggle, but was no less exciting. Hailing from Trotshire of all places, Vinyl had grown up in a supportive but extremely poor home. In fact, there had been several times when home meant the town shelter, and being that Trotshire was a fairly small hamlet, it's shelter hadn't exactly been well equipped. Still, Vinyl'd had big dreams, and her parents had done everything they could to feed and encourage those dreams. She'd loved music, but it was several years before she had decided how to pursue it ("You should hear her play the accordion," Octavia had interjected with a smirk, turning Vinyl's entire face crimson). She'd finally settled on electronic music in her teens, but even then had felt that the genres she knew of were somehow missing something. She'd eventually made it all the way to Canterlot through a combination of grueling work and one or two side gigs that were less savory (and less legal). There she'd worked by day and experimented with her music by night, sometimes going days without sleep, eventually creating and perfecting her own sub-genre of music; the dub-step. After that, the rest was history. Her career had taken off, and suddenly she'd had more gigs, money, and fame than she'd known what to do with.

"The first thing I did was hire a manager. The second was to put my parents in a nice house," she declared proudly. "Ever since then, it's just been experimenting, new mixes, tours, you know, all that awesome stuff."

This time you hadn't managed to keep your jaw from plummeting. You never would have guessed that this quirky, happy-go-lucky pony had overcome as much as she had. You shook your head, trying to get your focus back. Vinyl looked at you with that knowing smirk that you were coming to expect from her, and you didn't really have any response except, "okay, I gotta admit, that's a pretty AWESOME story Vinyl." You looked down, absorbing everything you'd just heard. "You two are incredible. Apart from the Princesses, I don't know any ponies who've done such amazing things with their lives. Given, I haven't met all that many ponies, but still." You looked back up at Vinyl meaningfully. "Thanks for going to the trouble of meeting me Vinyl. It really means a lot to me. Same to you, Octavia." you finished, turning your gaze back to her. She responded by inclining her head and giving you a small, gentle smile. The moment stretched on, and just before it could get awkward you said, "So, you went to a big-name night club to rattle your family's cage, and I'm guessing that you had a gig there, Vinyl." You shrugged questioningly. "How did you meet?"

Octavia chuckled and started off. "Well," she said, "although I had always wanted to go to a club, I admit that I was a little overwhelmed at first. I'm used to feeling the music when I play, but I'd never felt it vibrating my teeth before. It was enjoyable, of course, especially all the ponies on the dance floor, but I still couldn't help but feel out of my depth."

"I could tell she was out of place the moment I saw her," Vinyl butt in. She put a hoof to the side of her muzzle and stage whispered, "It was the bow tie!" before returning a normal voice. "So I decided I'd, you know, help her out. Make her feel more comfortable with the club scene."

Octavia snorted. "She tried to seduce me. It started out with a couple drinks between her sets, but escalated rather quickly when she realized I wasn't biting."

Vinyl shrugged. "How was I supposed to know that she actually had a good head on her shoulders? Most of the high class kids who show up there are either trying to rebel against their parents, have never been hit on like normal ponies, or both, which makes them pretty easy targets. Sure," she says, turning to Octavia, "you were doing the exact same thing, but typically they don't have the brains or experience to resist me. Besides," she smirked mock-seductively, "nothing's more fun than watching all those high and mighty walls of theirs come down when I really start laying it on."

"Anyway," Octavia continued emphatically, "she kept bringing up my cutie mark, hoping that she could use her knowledge of music as an in-road with me. Lucky for her, it was, but not in the way she planned."

"Pretty much," Vinyl responded, "but the more I talked to her, the more I realized that this mare really knew her stuff. Like, might know even more about music than me levels of knowing her stuff. The longer we hung out, it was less and less about taking another high-born kid home and more and more about finding out who this mare was that knew so much and loved so many different kinds of music. It was one of the coolest talks I've ever had." She then waggled her eyebrows. "And I did get her contact info by the end of the night."

Octavia shook her head. "You're terrible, you know that? And yes, I love you for it, so don't even bother." Vinyl, who'd opened her mouth, closed it with a pout. Octavia looked back at you, smirking ever so slightly. "We met over lunch a few days later. We've been best friends ever since."

You could only shake your head and say, "Nice. I gotta admit, that sounds like something I'd have liked to see."

"Well, duh," replied Vinyl with a crooked grin. "Who wouldn't?"

Still shaking your head, you gave an indulgent smile and took a deep breath. "So, you two became friends under hilarious circumstances. When did you start working together?"

"A little over two years into our friendship," Octavia responded. "Vinyl's never really had the pan-genre appreciation for music that I do, but she makes up for it by being very good at predicting the flow of trends and having a keen eye, or more precisely, ear, for 'the next big thing'.

"I am a mare of many talents," Vinyl replied. "Basically, I'd been trying to find inspiration for my next hit, but hadn't really been able to come up with anything. Octy and I were hanging out that day, and I happened to get to her place a bit earlier than usual."

"Vinyl had literally never arrived early in the past, so I'd been ironing the flaws out of a performance piece called "A Flight of Breezies". Vinyl walked in during my last run through and-"

"There it was!" Vinyl interrupted. "I could totally hear a dub-step remix of the song she was playing, and then it hit me. Nopony had done any dub-step versions of classical music. I asked around for a bit after that and found out most ponies hadn't thought of it, and those that had didn't think the classics were gonna translate well into electronic." She chuckled. "A couple classical musicians even threatened me for even bringing the idea up with them." She looked out the window, giving a devil-may-care grin. "They must hate my guts by now."

"They must hate both our guts by now," corrected Octavia. "I admit that even I was fairly skeptical when Vinyl brought the idea to me, but she was my best friend and I promised I'd help her. We spent the next several weeks re-working a few well-known classical remixes in our spare time." She smiled at the memory. "I was helping her convert one of my favorite pieces, a fairly popular adagio movement, and I made some off-hoof remark about wishing I could take part in the live performance."

"The moment she said that, I knew I had to make it happen," said Vinyl. "My mixes accompanied by a live string performance, especially one from Octavia Philharmonica? It had to be done. Don't get me wrong, between my system, my mixes, and my magic, I can do a lot with my songs, but no sound system can quite match the flexibility of a real instrumentalist, especially one as awesome as Octy."

"Thank you, Vinyl," piped Octavia, inclining her head, "although I took some serious convincing. Me, accompanying dub-step? The idea was so outlandish that I had trouble even imagining it. Vinyl was persistent though." She gave Vinyl a weary but affectionate look. "You may have already discovered it, but Vinyl can be very persuasive."

Oh, I know all about that, you thought wryly. Stupid adorable pouty ponies. . . "I take it that first performance went well?"

Vinyl nodded, looking strangely serious. "I can't speak for Octy, but it was the best performance I'd ever done. Best reviews, best crowd response, and most of all, best feeling." She gave Octavia a look of respect and admiration. "Sharing the stage with my best friend, making awesome music together and seeing ponies totally rock out to it? Best thing in the world, hooves down."

"I think I may have to agree," said Octavia, nodding sagely. "Performing with Vinyl is exhilarating in a way that no 'prim and proper' performance ever truly matches, and seeing ponies so openly enjoying themselves is every bit as satisfying as the subdued applause of a concert hall." She sighed. "Unfortunately, due to our other commitments, it isn't often that we get to put on a performance like we did last night, and even that was a bit of a fluke."

"What do you mean?" you asked.

"She means that originally, it was just gonna be me last night," replied Vinyl. "I'm halfway through a two week gig at that club we were at. I didn't even know Octy was in town until she surprised me a couple days ago. It was pure luck that she's free for a few days, so we decided to do one of our duet shows last night." She smirked. "The owner just about had a heart attack when we told her what we'd need, but she knew what one of our shows could do for the club. In the end, it all worked out perfectly." She sighed. "I'm just bummed we can't do it again tonight."

"Speaking of," said Octavia, suddenly growing serious, "don't you have to be there early to redo the sound system for your solo performance tonight?"

Vinyl seemed thoughtful for a moment before a look of realization crossed her face. "Oh, yeah," she said nonchalantly. "Totally forgot about that. Ah well. Shouldn't be too hard."

"Don't you think you should try to get some sleep?"

"What, and stop chatting with our new friend?" Nah, I'll be fine."

"Vinyl, please," murmured Octavia, turning to face Vinyl fully, "you barely slept at all yesterday because you were spending time with me, and you didn't get any sleep last night because you were too busy making friends with the Alien of Canterlot of all things. I know you feel like you're leaving your friends, but that's not true if you really need the sleep. Please," she said, putting the perfect combination of appreciation and concern into her voice, "try to get some rest. For me?"

A long moment passed as Vinyl opened and closed her mouth, obviously at a loss to say anything, before she finally sighed, her shoulders sagging in defeat. "Alright Octy," she said, looking over at you and adding, "and she says that I'm persuasive."

"Seriously," you agreed, earning you an amused eye roll from Octavia. You walked over to her and reached out a hand. "This has been stellar, Vinyl. It's been awesome meeting both of you. Thank you for introducing me to Octavia, and thank you for taking the time to get to know me last night. I appreciate all of it more than I can say."

She lowered her glasses, giving you an all too familiar pout. "Can you stay one more day?"

You gave a deadpan to rival any professional poker player. "No, Vinyl, I'm not gonna stay another extra day. That said," you added, seeing the downcast expression on her face, "If I find out that you and I are gonna be in the same city while I'm traveling, I'll make it a point to come and see you, and when I eventually end up back in Canterlot, I promise that we'll hang out. That work?"

She grinned a slightly less cocky grin than usual, and nodded. "Yeah, I think that'll work just fine. Great meeting you!" She surprised you by rearing up on her hind legs and giving you an upright, crushingly strong hug. She held it just slightly past the point of being awkward before finally letting go and trotting towards a door near the back of the hotel room. Just before disappearing inside, she shot you once last smirk and said, "See you next time, Apes McGee!" before closing the door shut behind her.

You crossed your arms and shook your head, but somehow couldn't stop a grin from worming its way onto your face. You looked down at your remaining companion, who returned your gaze expectantly. You opened your mouth to speak when a yawn of epic proportions suddenly took control of your mouth and throat. By the time it past, Octavia was smiling at you understandingly. "It wouldn't be rude of you to try and get some sleep as well. Honestly, I'm surprised the two of you can do so well on so little rest. I hate to think of the state I'd be in if I'd been up so long."

"Much as I hate admitting it, I am pretty wiped," you acquiesced. "I should probably see if the front desk can get me a cab."

"You're more than welcome to stay here if you'd like. I know it'd be a bit strange, considering we all just met today, but I'd be comfortable with it, and I know Vinyl would be as well."

"No thanks Octavia. It wouldn't necessarily make me uncomfortable, but I'd feel like I was imposing, even if you didn't." You gave her an apologetic look. "I'd best just head back to my hotel."

"As you wish," she said gently, still wearing that gentle grin. "I had a splendid time meeting you, and very much look forward to speaking with you again." She reared up to hug you, just as Vinyl had, although her embrace was much gentler. "Safe and wonderful travels to you."

You smiled as the earth pony let you go. "Same to you Octavia. It's been a grand old time. Come and visit sometime when I'm back in Canterlot. I live in the big house at the top of the hill, you can't miss it." You smirked a little. "Just make sure to leave the rolling pin at home."

She blushed, but also chuckled, firing back, "I'll be sure to check it with the gate guards."

You let out a few chuckles of your own as you turned to head toward the door. "Sounds good." You turned the handle. "Until then, Octavia."

You were halfway out the door when you heard her say, "Wait." You turned back to see her wearing a slightly more serious, less certain expression than she'd worn at any point during your visit. You couldn't help but feel slightly concerned.

"Is everything alright?"

"Yes, yes," she responded, "everything's fine. I just had something I wanted to say earlier, but it kept slipping my mind, and now that I've remembered I can't help but worry that it might strike you the wrong way."

You gave her a curious look. "Well, I hope I'm not setting myself up, but I guess the only way to find out is for you to say it, huh?"

She smiled a bit nervously. "Yes, I suppose it is. I just wanted to tell you that. . . well, frankly, I'm quite jealous of you."

Your expression went from curious to baffled in a half-second flat. "Jealous? Of what? Is it me living with the Princesses? Is it me traveling for free? Does it have something to do with Vinyl, or-"

"No, it isn't anything like that. It's that, well, it's that you're from another world."

You were growing more confused every time Octavia opened her mouth. "Huh? Why in Equestria would that make you jealous?"

"Music," she replied simply. "You've experienced the music of a completely different world. Based on what you said earlier, you've even performed some of it from time to time, and I envy you for that. To have heard so many songs that this world never will. . ." She looked at you seriously. "Would you. . . would you be willing to share a piece that you remember with me? I mean, I'd understand if it's too painful to recall something like that, but if you're willing. . . I would very much like to hear one."

You found yourself a bit blindsided by the request. You'd never anticipated it, and it took you a few moments to process. I don't really see why not, you mused. Yeah, it's gonna hurt a bit, especially for songs that have memories attached to them, but it's been over a year and a half. If you haven't come far enough to sing a song from back home by now, then you're never gonna, and apart from that there's really no downside. You might as well. She is a friend now, after all.

You gave Octavia a gentle smile. "Yeah. I think I can do that."

Her eyes widened. "Really?"

Your smile also widened. "Sure thing."

Octavia closed her eyes, the the biggest smile she's worn so far slowly curling up the corners of her mouth. "Thank you. I was so worried that I was asking for something too personal or too painful, and I didn't want to sour our friendship before it even really started, but the question was eating away at me." She looked at you again, her eyes shining with gratitude. "Thank you. Thank you so much."

"Of course," you replied. "To be honest, it probably will be a bit painful. Depending on the song I choose, it might really cut me deep. I think it'd be good for me though. Besides," you said with a rueful grin, "it'd be awfully selfish to keep all the music from home locked up inside my mind."

As Octavia gave you a single, quiet laugh, you unexpectedly found yourself considering what you'd just said. Music from home. . . in my mind, you thought, those six words circling in your head as if they were trying to show you something just out of sight. You concentrated, your brow furrowing as you tried to find the meaning in the swirling words, until suddenly, in a moment of epiphanic clarity, you understood, at which point you could only think, how have I not thought of this before. . .

Your train of thought was broken as a firm, slightly fuzzy object poked you in the stomach. "Huh?" you said dumbly, suddenly aware of the grey mare nudging you.

"Are you alright?" asked Octavia, now wearing a look of concern.

You nodded distractedly, your mind still trying to shape its newly formed vision. "Yeah, I'm fine. . . and I may have just had an incredible idea." You shook your head, trying to focus on the task at hand, your wry smile returning. "I'm think I'm gonna have to sleep on it though."

She looked you over for another moment or so before offering you a gentle grin. "Well then I hope your sleep is restful so that you can focus when you wake."

You bowed your head a bit. "Thanks Octavia. And again, thanks to you and Vinyl both. For everything."

"Of course," she said softly. "If there's anything that either of us can do for you, let us know."

"I will, and thank you for that too. It really means a lot." You finally stepped out of the room, turning back one last time as the door slid shut. "Until next time, Octavia."

She bowed slightly. "Until then, my friend." With that, the door clicked shut, and you found yourself standing alone in the hotel hallway. Well, I guess I'd better get back to my room and catch some z's.

You started down the hallway toward the elevator as another colossal yawn made itself known all the way down to your toes. In spite of your fatigue, your mind was racing as it continued to analyze your new idea. It would be a lot of work, you think as you press the button to summon the elevator, and I'd have to learn a whole new skill set, but do I really have something better to do? It might even let me connect with home a bit in a way that never even occurred to me. Hmmm. . . You looked down thoughtfully, fighting back another yawn (and losing badly). I'd also need a few supplies. A sudden grin came to your face as you stepped into the car, holding fast as you pressed the lobby button and the doors closed.

I wonder if I could convince Tia and Luna that I got a piano as a souvenir. . .