Octavia sighed, and rubbed the bridge of her nose.
“As I’ve said, Vinyl, I am simply not interested in going. I don’t mind walking you to the door, or coming to get you at the end of the night, but I have no desire to try it out for myself,” she said.
“Please, Octy?” whimpered Vinyl Scratch, her lower lip wobbling, and her uncovered eyes bright and shining, and generally making herself look as adorable as possible.
“How are you even doing that?” grumbled Octavia, “you have no possible reference for it.”
“Practice,” said Vinyl, letting her face go back to normal. “So, will you?”
“The answer is still no, Vinyl.”
“Okay,” said Vinyl, shrugging, “cool. I can respect your choice. Still meeting me at midnight for the walk home?”
“Of course, Vinyl,” said Octavia, opening the door for Vinyl, “just please try not to get too drunk this time. Just because you can legally drink now doesn’t mean you should, you know.”
“Yeah, yeah, I’ll dial it back a bit. Now come on, I wanna get there before the floor fills up. The DJ promised to tell me about his setup before the club got fully going,” said Vinyl as she basically ran out of the door, and Octavia sighed once more before closing the door, and following after her best friend.
*****
“Not even once, Octy?” asked Vinyl, “not even just one night?”
“Vinyl, it is classless, almost tasteless, music. It is music for the masses. There’s no real beauty to it like there is in classical music. I cannot imagine spending a night listening to it,” said Octavia, as she unpacked her cello, getting ready for her day’s practice.
“Well, yeah, I know that,” said Vinyl, “that doesn’t mean it doesn’t have worth, though.” Octavia glanced at Vinyl.
“Explain yourself, then,” she said.
“Kay, it’s like this, and I’m twisting it up a bit, but,” said Vinyl, sitting down on the couch, “we go to the Philharmonic to be wowed. We go because it reminds us that there are beautiful things in the world, that music is and always will be an artform in and of itself.”
Octavia nodded her agreement, waiting for the next part of Vinyl’s argument.
“Ponies go to clubs and stuff for release, is the best way I can put it,” said Vinyl, “it’s not meant to inspire heavy thinking or grand ideas. It’s about dancing until your hooves can’t hold you up, and then dancing some more. It’s about forgetting the world for a while, and all that exists is you and the beat and that’s something that ponies need, sometimes,” Vinyl Scratch shook her head, as if clearing her thoughts.
“That’s just my opinion, anyway. Could be wrong,” she said, getting off the couch and stretching her self out. “Well, I’m gonna go do some reading. Have fun with your practice, Tavi.”
“Vinyl, wait,” said Octavia, “perhaps I have been judging prematurely. I will concede to try out a club for one night.”
“Really?” said Vinyl, spinning around, “Oh, this is gonna be so awesome.”
“I do have a few conditions, however,” said Octavia, shoving her hoof into Vinyl’s mouth and Vinyl nodded. “Firstly, you will agree that if I do this, and still don’t like it, you are to never bother me about it again. Understood?”
Vinyl nodded.
“Secondly,” continued Octavia, extracting her hoof from Vinyls mouth, “I will concede that there is a certain attire that is associated with this activity. You have my permission to go wild, this and only this time.” Vinyl’s eyes shone, and before Octavia could register what had happened, her cello was safely on the ground, and she was being pulled toward the bathroom attached to their room.
Octavia could only wonder what she had agreed to subject herself to.
****Time****
“Well, that was interesting,” said Octavia, her mane streaked with red and blue and several glowsticks wrapped around her as she and Vinyl exited the club.
“Soo...?” asked Vinyl as they headed for home, the moon high in the sky. Octavia said nothing, simply staying on course. It was only when they finally reached the orphanage and were just about to go to sleep that Octavia answered Vinyl’s question.
“It was pleasureable, in its own way. I can understand the appeal, at least, and who knows? Maybe I will make the occasional trip there,” said Octavia, turning over so that Vinyl couldn’t see the exhausted, yet satisfied smile that formed on her face at the memory of the night of strenuous dancing.
Vinyl had difficulty getting to sleep that night.