Same Song, Second Verse

by Revenant Wings


Chapter 7 - Housewarming Party

Octavia sat in the warmth of her shower. She’d already washed and rinsed a few minutes ago. Right now, it was pleasant to just let the water gently fall on her, to let the mist and steam rise up around her legs and body and gently bathe her in warmth. She sat with her head in the main stream of water, her eyes closed and her breathing serene.

It was a sort of meditation that Octavia had adopted recently. At the end of the day, she’d shower and clean herself off before sitting in the water for a few minutes more. There was something almost hypnotic about the gentle pounding of the water on her head and body, like her mind was getting as clean as the rest of her. Having showered and leaving with a clear head, she would step out and be ready for a bit of relaxation before heading off to bed.

Things had been different ever since leaving Canterlot and Vinyl behind, but Octavia was making it work. She had become used to the silence she now had, finding ways to make it less empty and more fulfilling; with less noise, she finally had the time and ability to think. She had created for herself a more rigid schedule, one that was without Vinyl’s erratic behavior, and had adapted to it quite easily. She’d even decided to get out there as a tutor in classical music instruments, and already was teaching a little colt to play piano once a week after school; she took to the idea quickly and was enthusiastic about showing someone so young her craft, and he was looking to be an attentive learner.

It was now a little after five o’clock. Somewhere in her mind, a little alarm went off. Octavia opened her eyes and slowly turned off the water. She grabbed the towel from over the door and carefully toweled herself off thoroughly before stepping out of the shower. She brushed her mane and tail and neatly styled it and put on her bow. Feeling like she was ready, Octavia stepped out of the bathroom and walked into the main room.

The table had been upgraded to a large dining room table with eight chairs. It was fully set with a fine red tablecloth and eight place settings. Dessert of chocolate chip cookies would come later, depending on the feelings of the ponies coming over for dinner. The record player was set, and the food was ready for serving.

All that was needed were the guests.

Octavia gave the squash and barley soup one more stir with the spoon, tossed the balsamic vinaigrette into the salad, and checked that the stuffed peppers were gently steaming. It was a fine meal and she was happy to have done it all on her own. Surprisingly, a young family – the Cakes of Sugarcube Corner – had not only offered to help her learn how to cook the fine dishes, but even lent her their recipes. Octavia had tweaked the recipes slightly to suit her tastes. Even so, they turned out quite well.

The doorbell rang and Octavia left the pots and the bowl with the salad and went over to the door. She opened it and saw Arpeggio, Frederic, and Noteworthy at the door.

“Welcome,” Octavia said. “I’m glad you all could make it.”

“Of course,” Arpeggio said as he stepped inside. “It’s a delight to come. Ponyville is not a common haunt of mine, but I do approve of the place you have here.”

“Well, hopefully my home is more fitting to your tastes,” Octavia said politely.

“Well, I think it’s quite nice,” Frederic said. “A little monotone, but otherwise elegant.”

“It’s been a while since I didn’t have a multitude of colors constantly shining in my face,” Octavia said with a respectful nod. “But I probably do need a little color in here.”

Noteworthy came in and smiled at Octavia as she closed the door. “I think it’s quite fine.”

“Well, I’m glad you think so,” Octavia replied quietly, smiling back but her ears went back on her head. She was half afraid of Noteworthy chewing her out again.

Noteworthy gave no sign, but held back as Arpeggio and Frederic walked further into the house. He turned to Octavia, who felt her cheeks become hot. “So, how have things gone?”

“Oh, they’re… they’re fine,” Octavia said. “I’m tutoring now. I’ve started teaching a colt from the Ponyville schoolhouse how to play piano.”

“Good, good.” Noteworthy nodded his approval. “I see you’re managing to integrate with the Ponyville crowd a little more.”

“Yes, a bit. Cheerilee is quite nice. And the colt is rather eager to learn and so far an excellent student.”

“He has an excellent teacher,” Noteworthy said and followed Arpeggio and Frederic further into the room.

Octavia smiled at the compliment, but was relieved when the doorbell rang again for an excuse to get away from Noteworthy. She opened the door to see a lone unicorn with a pink mane standing outside. “Ah, Fleur de Lis! Welcome. Come on in.”

“It’s a pleasure,” Fleur de Lis said. “Je m’excuse, but Fancy Pants could not make it tonight. He is attending a soiree hosted by Prince Blueblood.”

“That’s fine,” Octavia said. “It just seems we’ll have an extra place at the table. Come in.”

Fleur came in and gasped. “C’est magnifique! I never would have guessed such a place could be found in Ponyville. Oh, if it were not for my career, I would come down here immediately!”

“It’s been a little rough adjusting to,” Octavia said, closing the door and leading Fleur de Lis to the living room, “but I enjoy it.”

“Don’t worry too much over it,” Fleur said. “It may not be much like Canterlot, but you’ve managed to take a little of it with you.”

“Well, thank you,” Octavia said. “I do miss being there, but I am glad for a little peace and quiet.”

“I should say,” Noteworthy said. “It seems you’ve lightened up a bit, too. New experiences can broaden the mind.”

Octavia grimaced a bit. Had that been an accusation? Was that said in response to the way she'd acted two weeks ago at the theater?

She was saved from screaming out to apologize to Noteworthy by Arpeggio speaking up. “Indeed,” the unicorn nodded in agreement. “It is often said, and should be repeated, that the best pieces by the great composers were done while traveling.”

“Oh, that gives me an idea!” Octavia said, trying to steer the conversation away before Noteworthy could continue. “The next time I come into Canterlot, I should bring some sheet music paper with me and write a song on the train.”

There were polite murmurs of agreement and praise at the idea. But the curious look on Noteworthy’s face said that Octavia had switched the conversation too quickly to be considered casual. Her ears flopped back momentarily in shame, but Noteworthy offered no further comment.

When the doorbell rang a third time, Octavia quietly excused herself as conversation started up again and she went to open the door. She found Care Package and Spectrum standing there, each dressed in clothes similar to the ones they’d wore for the night at the theater.

“I was wondering when you two would get here,” Octavia said.

“I hope we’re not underdressed,” Spectrum said. “CP was worried that, it being a formal dinner party, we might be a tad below the rest.”

“I was not,” Care Package said. “I was worried that you might be.”

“Same thing,” Spectrum said. “Oh, did you remember the thing you were supposed to give her?”

“Oh, yes.” Care Package went to the pocket of his collared shirt and pulled out a neatly folded up piece of paper. It seemed thicker than normal and small, only about a half-sheet in size.

Octavia took it and opened it up. The paper had a gold outline, and had a purple background with shocks of blue, yellow, and red that looked like stage lights at a nightclub, along with a very neatly worded note in white with her name handwritten in a black ink in the yellow light.

You are invited to the release party for my new EP, “Ponyville Soundscapes”. You will enjoy food, drinks, company, a chat with me, and a free copy of the EP [that’s ‘Extended Play’, if you didn’t know]. The party will take place at Recorderz starting at 5 in the evening on the 17th. No need to RSVP, just show up and present the invitation to the pony at the door.

It was signed in a simple, but blocky “Neon Lights”. Octavia noticed the “N” and the “L” were double the size of the rest of the text.

“This is from Neon?” Octavia asked. “Did you get one?”

Care Package shook his head. “Few do. He probably sent out around six of those. It’s open to the public, but the rest of us have to pay 20 bits to enter, and probably another 5 if we want the EP at a discount.”

“He’s actually really cool and personable,” Spectrum said. “I got his last album, ‘Permanent Waves’, at his last release party and he was totally cool with talking about his previous releases and his processes.”

“So, how’d you get it?” Octavia asked, motioning for the pegasi to come inside.

“With my work at the post office,” Care Package replied, “Neon came around earlier and asked if he could send this on delivery. I told him it was too late, but I was coming here for the dinner party.”

“How come he didn’t just bring it around himself?” Octavia asked as they got to the living room. “I live just up the hill from him.”

“Beats me,” Care Package said as Spectrum excitedly went over to Noteworthy. “I asked myself, but he insisted that I deliver it and wouldn’t take ‘no’ for an answer.”

Octavia pondered that as she introduced Care Package and Spectrum to the other ponies in attendance. The record player was turned on, meetings went smoothly, and Octavia motioned that things were ready to eat. She pulled out a fine red wine and poured glasses for all who wanted it, and the dinner began.

They sat down at the table, the record player going smoothly as a new song began and the conversation took a lively turn. Spectrum and Fleur de Lis turned to Noteworthy as he began discussing jazz music and his latest performance, Frederic and Care Package started talking with one another about movies, and Octavia turned to Arpeggio.

“Do you know a pony named Neon Lights at all?” Octavia asked between spoonfuls of soup.

Arpeggio finished chewing a bite of salad and dabbed his mouth with a napkin. “Yes. I believe it was three years ago. I was on a trip to Manehattan and he approached me after a concert. He wanted me to perform the violin for a piece.”

“Which piece?” Octavia asked, hoping she didn’t sound too eager or interested.

“I believe it was Vibrato’s ‘Four Seasons – Winter’. I have a copy of it somewhere. It’s not my normal thing, but I will say I had fun doing it and I rather liked the end result.”

“‘Four Seasons’ is a particular favorite of mine from you. But what did he need you for?”

Arpeggio smiled and nodded politely at the bit of flattery. “Neon Lights specializes in electronic music with a bit of electric guitar thrown in. He intended to create a ‘remix’ of the piece for an old album of his.”

Octavia poked her spoon at her soup. It tasted good, but she was pondering Arpeggio's words more than her soup. “It feels wrong.”

Arpeggio, about to take another bite of his salad, paused and pulled it back. “What do you mean?”

The next spoon of soup seemed a little harder to swallow; Octavia was afraid that Arpeggio was going to show disdain with her. “Well, something seems wrong. It feels like something would be lost from the original piece.”

Arpeggio hummed thoughtfully. “Normally, I would agree. But from a different viewpoint, it benefits us classical musicians, too. You see…” Arpeggio leaned forward and rested a hoof on the table. “Neon’s music reaches a set of ponies we don’t normally reach. They are introduced to our music through his remixes, and perhaps even become interested in our music.”

Octavia nodded. It did make some sense from an economic standpoint, but from her experience Arpeggio rarely did anything for purely economic gain; he gave her this sabbatical, after all. “But what about the original composer’s intent?”

“It’s meant to be listened to an enjoyed. And frankly, I would prefer Neon as opposed to numerous other ‘artists’ from the field. He at least has some classical training – started on the violin – and at least knows his music theory and structure.”

Octavia nodded and ate a bite of her soup. Arpeggio’s main thoughts were on the arts industry, and he spent most of his time in the orchestra looking at venues, coming up with funding and writing grants - of which Fleur de Lis was a rather large benefactor - and generally keeping the rest of them paid and afloat. Octavia knew he was putting in many hours keeping her in the loop and even paying her for her time in Ponyville. So there must have been some reason that Arpeggio did the remix with Neon, but he wasn’t saying it.

Dinner continued and Octavia stopped pressing Arpeggio on the issue. Many complimented Octavia’s cooking and the choice of wine and glasses were still being had long after the dinner was completed. Every once in a while, Octavia would get a look from Noteworthy; when she felt her face get hot, she wasn’t sure if it was from the wine or the constant feeling like Noteworthy wanted to jump on her about Neon again.

When it seemed like ponies were getting up for dessert and to stand on the patio as Octavia had wanted, Noteworthy even took a few steps towards her. But she was saved by Frederic and Arpeggio coming forward and blocking him.

“Octavia, I gave you this sabbatical to work on your music,” Arpeggio commented. “I’m curious as to what your current progress is.”

“If it goes well, we might even include it in the next major concert,” Frederic said. “After the reception of your last piece, the critics are wondering when you’re going to come up with a new song.”

“Well, I have something worked out,” Octavia admitted. “I’ll need a little help with the accompaniment, but I’ve got a fair start.”

“Well, let’s have a look at the sheet,” Arpeggio said. I’d also like to see some more of this fine house.”

“Of course. Come, come.”

Octavia led the way back to the sunroom. Off in the distance the moon was shining brightly and lit up the room, but Octavia turned on a light and lit up the desk and her cello. She shuffled through papers and found the sheet music paper with the new copy of the composition on it and handed it to Arpeggio, who took it in his aura. Frederic and Noteworthy looked on in interest and scanned about the room.

Arpeggio scanned the sheet, looking slightly confused. “…it’s for violin?”

“I thought I’d try something different,” Octavia said. “I can play the violin, too.”

“It’s a bit risky,” Arpeggio said. “I mean, you don’t have a violin, do you?”

“No,” Octavia admitted sheepishly. “But the cello has been good to start. And I was thinking of running it by you when I’m done to see what you thought of it. As first-chair violinist, you would be the authority on whether or not it would work.”

The flattery worked. Arpeggio looked up from the sheet and smiled at Octavia. “But of course,” he said cheerfully. “The notes seem to flow quite easily from one to the other; I am interested in hearing it played out.”

“Take it with you tonight,” Octavia said. “Play it a few times and tell me what you think. Once you approve, I can start work on the accompaniment.”

Arpeggio folded it neatly into thirds and took an envelope off Octavia’s desk. “Thank you,” he said. “I shall run it by the rest of the orchestra and see what they think as well, if you don’t mind.”

“Not at all,” Octavia said. “We need to have full interest and investment in any piece.”

“I’m sure they will give their approval,” Arpeggio said confidently. “Octavia, my dear, you’ve done well so far. I’m sure you won’t let us down.”

Octavia thought the same as Arpeggio and Frederic left the room. She was both astounded by the approval that her piece had met without even a sample performance, and nervous and hopeful that the piece actually met Arpeggio’s standards.

It took her a moment, after processing this information, to realize that Noteworthy had not left with the others.

“I think it’ll pass inspection,” Noteworthy said. “It seems a departure for you, but I’m interested in how it turns out.”

Octavia turned around as calmly as she could; Noteworthy was leaning up against the wall, his forelegs and hindlegs crossed. “Thank you for the vote of confidence,” she said genuinely. “I… I’m nervous.”

“I could see that. It was quite plain during dinner.” He returned his left hooves to the ground and walked towards her. “But not just about the piece.”

“I… I don’t understand what you mean.” She did, though. The looks from Noteworthy otherwise weren’t just her imagination.

“You were talking with Arpeggio about Neon.” Noteworthy gave an odd little smile. “Personally, I’m surprised you hadn’t heard about that team-up before.”

“I never listened to that music very much. Not even when I was living with Vinyl.”

“So why’d you try to keep it so silent?”

Octavia grimaced. Noteworthy would not leave it alone until he got a satisfactory answer. “Well, I was thinking about what you said. And… you’re right. I’ve… I’ve been rude and abrasive and… well, I really need to think I’m about what I’m saying a little more. And I…” Octavia’s ears flopped down in shame. “I didn’t want you to get mad at me again.”

Noteworthy nodded. “So, have you managed to apologize to Neon?”

Octavia gulped. “I… I found him at Recorderz a few weeks ago. I apologized to him while I was buying a few things for my music supplies.”

Noteworthy’s smile brightened, but only a little. “Wasn’t so hard, was it?”

“No, not really. He’s pretty nice, actually. He didn’t seem too disturbed by the whole thing at the theater.”

Noteworthy nodded in approval. “Yeah, he’s good. On a similar note, have you talked with Vinyl at all since moving down here?”

“No.” Octavia shook her head. “It’s been five weeks since I last saw her. I thought about calling her few days ago, but I don’t know how things would go.”

“Do you still blame her?”

Octavia nodded. She hated this interrogation by Noteworthy, but knew it wasn’t entirely unwarranted. “I don’t know what to say. And I’m afraid she might try and get back together, and I don’t know if I need that yet.”

Noteworthy’s smile warmed a little. “It doesn’t have to be a long conversation or a life review. You just have to say you’re sorry. That you acknowledge it wasn’t entirely her fault.”

“But what if she wants to get back together?” They were excuses, Octavia knew, but she did not want to talk to Vinyl again right now. The unicorn mare often invaded Octavia’s thoughts and made her uneasy, and Octavia didn’t know what was the bigger reason: her still being angry with her, or if any lingering feelings remained that she wasn’t ready to face yet.

“Let her know you don’t want to yet,” Noteworthy said. “Don’t phrase it that way. Just say you need a little more time apart to think. Be honest, but kind. Even if you don’t want to get back together, it would be better to end it as friends than enemies.”

Octavia nodded. She decided with the new events that it was best she tell Noteworthy. “Um… Neon gave me an invitation to a release of an EP.”

Noteworthy’s eyes brightened. “That’s good. Are you going to go?”

“I was thinking about it. I was unsure.” She looked away from Noteworthy.

"I say it's a great chance to make a friend. I think you could do with some more down here and there's plenty of them out there.”

"What if it becomes something like with Vinyl, where all we talk about is music? I mean, I like Care Package and Spectrum because we've been able to talk about more than that."

"You're not looking for 'another Vinyl', Octavia. Sometimes it's important to remember that each pony has something different about them."

Octavia blushed and averted her eyes.

Noteworthy walked past Octavia and into the doorway, but turned around to face her with a wink. "Besides, I've been working with Neon for quite a while now, and let me tell you music is not his only interest." Then he walked back down the hall.

Octavia waited a moment before walking out after Noteworthy, thinking. Noteworthy had been a good friend of hers for years, and she trusted his judgements and feelings. If they shared some common interests and he shared those and thought well of Neon, it might be worth it to at least try going.

It was nearly nine o’clock before her guests began to leave; Arpeggio led Frederic, Noteworthy, and Fleur de Lis off to the train back to Ponyville with promises of reviewing the piece within a week. Care Package and Spectrum stayed behind a little longer, talking, but soon decided on leaving themselves.

“Um, before you go,” Octavia said, “can I ask you two something?”

“Sure,” Care Package said. “What do you want to know?”

“Do either of you actually know Neon Lights?”

“He was in my class in school,” Spectrum said. “We’re on relatively frequent speaking terms.”

“So… are you friends?”

“In a sense,” Spectrum said, “but he’s often been out in Manehattan until about a year ago. It’s only recently we’ve been able to get back into steady contact with one another again.”

Octavia nodded. “Um, do you two think you could come with me to the album release party? I… I don’t think I’d fit in with the rest of the ponies there.”

“Of course,” Care Package said. “We could introduce you to some other ponies there, too. By the way, how’s the tutoring agreement with Cheerilee going?”

“Good. Thank you so much for telling me about that, Care Package. You two have been rather kind to me despite only knowing me for a little over a month.”

“It’s a thing in Ponyville to make friends easily and help others make friends,” Spectrum spoke up. "We're a small town, so everyone knows everyone else here."

“Well, thank you. To be completely honest, you two are the first friends I’ve made here.”

“I’m surprised,” Care Package said. “You seem like a rather nice mare, if a little reserved, now that we’ve really gotten to know you.”

As she sat on her patio, long after she watched Care Package and Spectrum fly off into the night, Octavia thought long and hard about what to do.