Octavia slowly made her way into the club, a short hallway leading to a simple push through door ahead of her. The loud thump of bass accompanied by sharp bursts of an indescribable instrument permeated around her. She looked about for a coat check with hopes to drop off her new bow she had just purchased, but to her dismay there was only ratty old carpet, a bunch of pinned up fliers, and two ponies in the hall. A pegasus and a unicorn, she inspected, the latter wearing a short pleather jacket, a studded collar around her neck, her mane which Octavia imagined was normally quite beautiful was done up in an appalling manner that to her recollection was called a mohawk. The pegasi, a stallion, was much more subdue in his look, tan fur with a blond mane, raggedy and unbrushed. He wore a red plaid shirt, mingling with the unicorn as she pulled out a cigarette with her magic and lit it up. The earth pony cellist scrunched her face as the smell started wafting her way. She thought about complaining, mentioning a fire hazard, but decided not to engage with the ponies that... She had to admit with a bit of shame frightened her. Quickly stepping pass them, she straightened her bowtie and pushed her way into the club.
Immediately, she regretted that decision. The thump of the bass was no longer muted, the strange accompanying sounds mixed with it all blasting across the room straight to her ears. Octavia had always had sensitive ears, she figured every great musician should, and now for the first time in her life, she wished she hadn't. She looked about for her misplaced friend while her ears fell so flat against her head, some would think she didn't even have any.
“Beauty?” She called out, blinking as she couldn't even hear her own voice “Beauty? Beauty Brass!” She called out louder, finally hearing herself but not assuming her voice traveled far.
With a scan of the room, she began to take in her surroundings. The dance floor was a blackout zone, no lights other than the colored spotlights shining down on the stage as well as the crowd in front of it. Ponies of all races and genders dancing like wild animals in a large group as the music pulsed over them. Her eyes glanced over spiked manes and glow sticks before lifting back up to the stage, seeing the unicorn behind the ear ache she was bound to have for the next week.
Vinyl was in her element, standing on her hind legs at a table surrounded by large speakers, her head bobbing as a single ear cup from a pair of headphones was pressed to her skull, held in a soft blue magic. The DJ worked feverishly at her mixing board, changing different levels and settings the cellist could hardly fathom. The result was the crowd in front of her going wild, so she figured the mare must know what she was doing.
Octavia's eyes lingered on the DJ for a few moments before she saw Vinyl's shades turn in her direction. A faint blush crept onto her cheeks as she wondered if the unicorn mare could see her, a question answered as the smile on her face grew more akin to a grin. The DJ suddenly, slammed her hooves down on the mixing board, scratching her way into an abrupt transition, the audience barely having time to react as the new mix started quickly after. The earth ponies ears twitched as a quick beat filled the room, this song was much more energetic than the last, the unicorn obviously giving her all to get the ponies worked up. Just as the song was about to repeat the same beat for what seemed like the tenth time, there was a high pitched screech and the song suddenly burst into a new form of energetic notes, the crowd cheering wildly as strobe lights began to flash over them.
The cellist merely shielded her eyes with a hoof, a hiss leaving her lips as the bright light assaulted her. She looked away from the stage for some kind of refuge, spotting a bar off to the side of the dance floor. It was unshielded from the music or effects, but it had it's own lighting, and it would allow her to look at something other than the blinding strobes. Slowly she walked over, eying the ground to make sure she didn't step on knives or needles, even though there was nothing of the sort to be seen.
She sat down on a worn stool, setting her boxed cello bow leaning against the counter. A soft sigh left her lips as she looked down at her hooves, “What am I doing?”
“What will it be?” A stallion asked, breaking her out of her melancholy. She looked up to see the bartender, a muscular pegasi drying off a glass in his hoof.
Octavia blushed and thought for a moment before responding “What pinots to you stock?”
The stallion gave her a quizzical look, raising a brow.
“Err.. Sherry?”
With a smirk the bartender pulled out a glass and set it down, grabbing a bottle of amber liquid and pouring it into vessel, topping it off with a large round piece of ice. “This is the fanciest drink we stock, missy. Whisky. Enjoy.” He finished off with a grin and went to refill a couple other glasses.
A gray hoof played with the glass a bit before lifting it up to her nose, a quick sniff was all she needed to know this was bottom shelf swill. Still, a drink was a drink, and hopefully it would help get this pounding out of her ears. As she took a sip, trying her best to not choke it up, she began to really listen to the music that played all around her. The beat making her chest pulse a bit. She couldn't help but tap her hoof on the bar counter; Yes the music was too loud, and the company around her was questionable, but she couldn't deny the beat or the melody that accompanied were truly a well enough sounding thing.
That is however, until the deafening sound of stadium horns blasted over the speakers.
“Yo, Yo, Yo, that's the way to party, Manehattan! Awoooo!” The DJ cheered, and the crowd quickly followed suit.
The song changed again, blending what sounded like the beat from the last with the vocals of a song Octavia remembered being told was very popular with general public.
Her ear twitched visibly as the vocals started, not really understanding what the base was all about, or why colts and fillies cared so much. Still, the beat was good... But that was all Vinyl.
A scrunched looked appeared on her face as she came to that revelation, quickly finishing her drink and setting the cup down with a hoof full of bits. Usually whiskey was to be taken slowly, enjoyed as it went down. But this swill deserved none of that. She ordered a simple glass of lemon soda next, not wanting to get tipsy in a place like this. Although, she had to admit, no pony seemed to be bothering her.
However the night was still young, and she had to be prepared for the worse! At least, that's what she told herself while she sat chest puffed out in the stool, holding a glass of lemon soda. A sigh and a few sips later and she left the bar to try and find her friend. The strobe lights had stopped, which made it much easier for the gray mare to look around. However the mob of ponies in front of the stage was so dense, the cellist didn't suspect she could spot one of the princesses in it. She managed to wrestle her way into the crowd of dancing ponies, but the darkness mixed with the flashing lights was making it simply too hard to identify the ponies around her, let alone her own hooves.
Suddenly a new song came over the speakers, this one more subdued than the last. It still was loud, and the beat strong, however it lacked the sharp high notes of the last few songs, instead a more mellow encompassing melody swelled around the beats. The cellist closed her eyes as the music swam around her, picking out the different notes and rhythms combining to make the song. She started subconsciously tapping her hoof against the ground once more, feeling the beat once more in her chest. A quick glance around her and she saw the ponies still dancing as if she weren't even there.
'...What could be the harm in joining in? Oh Celestia if my parents could see me now, I would be disowned.' Octavia thought to herself as she started moving her hooves about, shifting her weight around. A smile crept onto her face as she worked different steps into her dance, combining several motions from a waltz she had been practicing. Once more she looked up to the DJ at the mixing table, seeing a big grin on her face as the glasses still seemed to be aimed in her direction.