//------------------------------// // 10) Cheap Sunglasses // Story: Music Makes The Heart // by TheVulpineHero1 //------------------------------// Cheap Sunglasses (ZZ Top) "Bravo, Octavia! Back up to your usual magnificence, and in the nick of time, too!" the maestro gushed as the crowd filtered out. The concert had been a success, in as much as no notes were missed. "But the real test begins tomorrow, when the rich patrons attend. I expect you all to be at your best. Dismissed!" "Your weird friend is waiting for you. Good to see you made up," the security guard smiled as Octavia walked backstage. "She's not weird, but thank you," she replied, and prepared herself to be confused. It seemed the safest option. DJ P0N-3 was waiting for her, violet glasses perched on her nose, flicking through a glossy magazine for bored housemares. It seemed she was halfway through a couple's quiz and had gotten stuck. "You played well," the unicorn commented, discretely stowing the magazine away. "Not amazing, but good." "High praise indeed. Where shall we go?" "The Café," Pon3 said, with no further justification. It felt strange to be walking alongside her in the cold night air. Octavia felt very conscious of the distance between them, very aware of when they moved closer or further away. She also noticed how Vinyl walked differently when she had her glasses on; there was a feel of the stage around her, a showy confidence that one couldn't help but admire. Upon reaching the café they found that the saxophonist had returned, with a new, shiny saxophone. It could hardly be exaggerated how much the sound had improved, and Octavia found herself agreeing with Vinyl's initial judgement- the pony could play. "Thank you for paying," Octavia said as they sat down. She could hear the name P0N-3 being whispered around her. It seemed they had drawn attention to themselves. "I still owed you a meal," Vinyl said, and lifted her glasses. She thought for a moment, before adding, "I mean, no problem. This is, uh, a date after all." "Oh, it is, is it? Thank you for warning me. I shall have to be on my best behaviour," Octavia teased, and Vinyl put her glasses back on. The murmurs increased. They ordered; a fresh, green salad for her, and a plate of daisies for Vinyl. Not for the first time, she was struck by how very simple the unicorn's tastes were. "Octavia. What are your life goals?" Vinyl asked abruptly. Octavia raised an eyebrow. "Oh, I don't know. To have a nice house?" "...I've got a nice house, so that sort've includes me...Three points?" Vinyl said to herself, very, very quietly. She appeared to have forgotten she was dealing with a trained classical musician who had hearing to match. Octavia rolled her eyes. A couple's quiz, indeed. Privately (very privately) she thought it was a little cute how helpless the unicorn was; but cute did not a relationship make. "Now I get to ask you a question," she said. Vinyl's ears pricked up. She took a deep breath, and decided to go for the hard things first. "How does Pinkie Pie know the colour of the carpet in your bedroom?" Vinyl snorted. "She worked for it." "By which you mean?" Octavia prompted, and tried to ignore the sinking feeling that was dragging her heart quickly to her knees. "She entered through the laundry hamper, and exited through a third floor window," Vinyl said smokily, and lowered her menu slightly. "If that isn't working for it..." "Oh, I see. I was a little worried. I heard you'd kissed many a mare." Vinyl went very suddenly and noticeably still. "So. You heard about that." "You have?" Octavia asked, willing her voice to be calm, to be reasonable. It wasn't that she was attached to the relationship. Too early for that. But the thought that she was just one of a long line? "No," Vinyl hedged, before adding, "I had my glasses on. Part of the act. Of the persona." Octavia fought the urge to press her hoof to her head. Again with the glasses. "So, you only kissed them because you had your glasses on?" she asked, and Vinyl nodded, perhaps a little anxiously. A waiter was surprised when the cup of tea they were carrying began to stir itself. "So, you don't mind if I, perhaps, borrow those glasses?" "I need them," Vinyl said, low and fierce. "I get...nervous." "So you hide behind a pair of glasses?" Vinyl raised her menu again, and stayed silent. Octavia sighed, and honestly wondered if it all was worth the effort. "Octavia," Vinyl called, and it would have been a shout had it been any louder. Her bow clutched in her fetlock, Octavia chastised her viciously. What was she doing backstage before a performance? After was fine, after was good, but before gave her the jitters and they both knew where that led- She was interrupted when the world turned violet. "I have a condition," Vinyl said, peering at the glasses with something approaching longing. It'd been years since she'd been without them. "Go on," Octavia encouraged, a little softer than she usually would. "This concert. I'll be in the audience. So," and she broke off, to nudge her temple as she would do when adjusting her glasses, "Play like you would to a lover." "But we're not lovers," Octavia pointed out. The look Vinyl gave her in return suggested a great many things, most of which were very interesting and which you would hesitate to talk about within earshot of your mother, but the most salient of which was 'Octavia, you are an idiot, in the best possible way.' Octavia looked at the unicorn through purple lenses, and found her a little smaller, a little more melancholy than before. Purple was not a colour that cheered up the world. She felt sorry, although for what she didn't know. The final calls were made, and she silently dashed off to take her position. Her bow was a little shaky. Good, she thought as the curtain rose. Nothing says love like vibrato.