//------------------------------// // Chapter 2 // Story: Manehattan Nights: The Story of a Cellist and a DJ // by StarStrider //------------------------------// The two mares cantered down the streets once more, however there was much more traffic this morning as all the ponies were heading to work, or running around on errands. Staying close together, they followed a brochure that Beauty had gotten from a friend, the map leading them to an event hall consisting of mostly glass construction, walls within could be seen adorned with different paintings and sketches, a few sculptures sitting out as well. Making their way through the crowds, the friends got two tickets and headed inside. The structure did a good job at shielding the noise of the busy town outside, a faint hum of what sounded like elevator music playing around the entrance. There was a slight musky smell in the air, which Octavia attributed to the paintings. Her friend gave a nod before trotting off to look at some of the sculptures on display, meanwhile Octavia wandered toward the paintings. Most were original pieces, some were copies of famous pieces, and a few were... Well Octavia didn't know what to make of them. She was currently tilting her head trying to make sense over a canvas that seemed to have some paint splattered on it, with rubber ducks glued randomly about the canvass, two of them hanging off the corners by wire. Just as she gave up trying to understand, she heard a voice from behind her. “Come one, come all, to look at the beautiful art of DJ-PON3!” That voice. That name. The cellist turned to see a familiar white unicorn standing on a mailing crate, waving a baton around a painting of her face. Well, technically 4 paintings. They were all the same, but with different colors used in each, arranged in a square as a mock attempt to recreate a piece she knew had to do with a famous band or artist, but she couldn't quite remember who. Observing the scene, she saw as ponies in dresses and vests gave her disapproving glares, moving away from the piece depicting her and going to the other side of the gallery. The DJ let out a bit of a huff and flailed her baton at the piece “Hey, you don't know what art is!” “And you do, miss?” Octavia walked up with a smile “So you are a disk jockey and an artist?” The alabaster pony turned and smirked at who she saw “Hey, it's you! That mare I er... Ran into... Heh, sorry about that!” The gray mare gave a quick wave of her hoof and kept grinning as she looked over the piece. She thought it looked pretty nice for what it was, but couldn’t imagine it hanging in her living room. “Octavia Melody.” she held out her hoof. The other mare stared blankly at it for a minute before hopping off her box and shaking it “Names Vinyl! Vinyl Scratch. But my stage name is DJ-PON3!” The cellist flicked her ears a bit at how loud her new acquaintance was, trying to maintain her smile “So I hear. Nice to meet you non the less. You paint?” “Huh? Well uh I mean kinda I do sometimes but... Oh! Oh no, I didn't paint this, I dunno who did. My publicist got this set up and told me I should come by and help show it off!” “You have a publicist?” she tilted her head curiously “You bet! Publicist, manager, agent, handler, he’s everything!” she grinned wide. Octavia cleared her throat politely “I see. You interpreted that advice as standing on what is essentially a soapbox and shouting at the gallery goers?” “I.. well er...” the DJ scrunched up her face, giving an annoyed look at the cellist “Look I don't know how to deal with this fancy pony stuff! I'm only here because I'm supposed to 'broadening my horizons'” The mare gave her a coy smirk “'Fancy pony stuff'? This is hardly the Gardens of Canterlot, or the or the Palace of the Celestial Sisters. I'm sure you'd do just fine standing by the piece mingling with ponies that come and go. I would also suggest mayhaps learning a bit about artist who you are supposed to be promoting.” Vinyl blushes a bit “Yeah well... This whole thing is dumb! I shouldn't have come.” she grabbed her baton and headed for the door, Octavia following her with a slight giggle. “Wait now, you can't just abandon your post. What will your publicist think?” “Buck him, he doesn't know what he's talking about, fancy ponies just listen to orchestrated junk anyways!” She huffed as she kept heading for the door The cellist let out an offended scoff and followed after her, her face growing a bit warm “What's wrong with Orchestral music? It's soothing and entrancing, it's the output of one's soul, it's--” “Boooring!” She got cut off as the offensive DJ jabbed her hoof into her chest “I like my stuff; electronic music! Stuff you can dance to, make you wanna lose control and go wild!” “You can dance to classical.” she brushed the hoof away from her chest “And who would want to... 'lose control'?” This made the DJ smirk, obviously pleased with herself “See it works both ways, I don't understand fancy ponies, and you don't understand ponies that like to have fun!” “I like to have fun! Who doesn't? And stop calling me a fancy pony!” Octavia puffed a hot breath out of her nose. She pondered for a moment why the DJ had such a smug look on her face, before noticing there were more than a few ponies staring at them. With a blush she pushed herself past Vinyl “That's the last time I try to give you help!” A bit of chuckling, then the alabaster mare cantered up try and stop the cellist “Hey hey, no hard feelings. Here.” she reached into a bag and pulled out two slips of paper, hoofing them over “Two VIP passes to my show tonight! If you like having fun, prove it.” She gave a challenging smirk More flush entered Octavia's cheeks and she looked at the passes, feeling frustrated and nervous at the same time “At... Dance-O-Rama. I don't know, that place-” “Look, I'm telling you will have a good time. Live a little!” she waved them around teasingly Octavia thought about it for a moment, not sure what she was thinking as she snatched them “Fine! I'll go, but you have to agree to come to one of my shows as well.” The DJ smirked and nodded “Alright, it's a deal. What do you do, read poetry?” For all the confidence Vinyl seemed to have, Octavia's smirk grew wider yet with her own “I'm in the Manehattan Symphony Orchestra. Second chair cello.” The deadpan and groan the followed was heard throughout the whole gallery. Brass found Octavia by the door a moment later, the DJ already gone “What happened? It sounded like someone just got stabbed!” The cellist gave a slightly nervous giggle and shook her head “No, nothing like that. Remember that DJ that ran into us last night? She was here.” Beauty gave an indignant look as the events from last night were recalled to her memory “And what did that ruffian do this time?” “No no, it was nothing like that. She was trying to promote a portrait of herself, but was failing quite miserably at it. I tried to give some pointers, but she got offended, one thing led to another and... Well...” she lifted her hoof, showing the blue musician the tickets. After looking over them, she looked back up at he friend with wide eyes “How did that lead to this? Surely you don't mean to attend!” Octavia took a deep breath “Well, I might have made a deal with her. I'd go see her show if she came to see one of ours.” The flabbergasted look on her friends fast told her all she needed to know about her thoughts on the matter. “You can't be serious, with those... those... ruffians!” “Relax, we might have some semblance of fun. Besides, you used to enjoy these kinds of events.” “That was ages ago, when I didn't know any better!” Beauty crossed her hooves, before suddenly giving Octavia an incredulous look “Wait... what do you mean we? I'm not going!” “Oh Beauty, please? I made a deal, I have to go! Don't leave me alone.” she nursed her bottom lip at the thought of being in a place like that all alone, big mean ponies all around her... “You don't have to go, you know.” she sat there, thinking for a moment, leaving Octavia to just look her over quizzically. “But.. Oh I suppose you're right... Come on, let us enjoy the rest of the gallery.” she nudged the day dreaming mare back towards the art. The sun was just starting to set in Manehattan as the duo made their way home. They had just left their favorite tea shop where they had dinner, Octavia was carrying a box with a new bow for her cello in it on her back. “You know, Octavia, I've been thinking...” Beauty said as they entered the bar district, the last stretch of road before they were home “I really did used to love those clubs back in Canterlot... Maybe we should go.” The cellist gave her friend a scoff “You can't be serious, after all that ruffian talk?” “Yeah well... I don't know, maybe it'll just be some sort of closure for the type of lifestyle I used to have, you know? And besides, you made a deal.” She stated matter of factly “But, early, you...” a frustrated sigh left her mouth before continuing “Alright, we'll stop by.” after a bit of digging, she pulled out the tickets and looked at the time “Well, it says the show starts at 6, so it's been going on for half an hour. We should still have some time to see the end of it.” Brass gave her a knowing smile and started leading her in the direction of the club “The end of it? You really don't know how these things work, do you?” Octavia simple shook her head, making Beauty grin at her ignorance “These things tend to start as the sun goes down, and last til it comes back up!” a hint of excitement was detected in her voice. Octavia was beginning to suspect all of her brooding ruffian talk was all just a façade to make her seem like she fit in with the upper class society. This thought was aided by how Beauty swiped her pass from the cellist and galloped up to the bouncer in front of the club, sticking her tongue out at the line of ponies waiting to get in as she was allowed in. Standing on her own now, the gray mare realized she had no choice. She couldn't leave Brass all alone in there. One last scan of the building, it's blacked out windows, old brick construction, and posters plastered on the wall featuring the eccentric unicorn who gave her the pass “Hmm.. I guess she must be pretty big time, if she has her own posters.” she muttered as she slowly trot up to the bouncer, showing her pass and waltzing in as once again the line of ponies waiting groaned in annoyance.