//------------------------------//
// My Second Chance 
// Story: Bailando con la orquestra 
// by CodenameB4LYFE 
//------------------------------//

Chapter 2
Slowly gaining consciousness, Leading slowly lifted himself up, only to fall back down because of the pain in his chest. Trying to open his eyes, he looked up to see a blank white roof. Turning to his side, Leading tried getting up without move his torso, which let his back on his hooves albeit longer. Regaining his bearings, Leading looked around the room to realize that this was not the same room he had been in. Moving around, everything was different, the walls were decorated with nature paintings, the beds smelled off, even though the mattress coverings looked brand new. The room looked like it was a suitable home, except for the fact that there was no personal property or evidence that anyone lived there. 
Adding up the facts, Leading guessed that he was in the room of an apartment or something of that sort. His conclusion was solidified when he looked to the night table, which had the business identification for the Home Town Motel. Walking around, Leading started to feel the pain in his chest again, one that felt like a sharp knife fell through his heart. Looking at the area of pain, Leading realized that he was not wearing his black dress shirt, but instead was wearing the white undershirt that he normally wears underneath it. On top of the shirt were icepacks, well, what used to be ice, that was attached with a clear wrap. Sitting back down on the bed, Leading slowly ripped the clear plastic wrapping, letting the dripping bags of cold water drop down. Looking back down, he noticed a couple of wet spots on his shirt, and decided that he needed a suitable replacement. Looking around the small room, He noticed his black dress shirt was folded up neatly on the work desk at the end of the room. Picking it up, a paper dropped down from the shirt. After putting his black shirt down, he picked up the paper to realize that it was a letter from Vinyl. 
Hey Leading,
I know I don’t know much, I’m sorry for what happened this morning. I’m going to take the benefit of the doubt and assume that this was some sort of misunderstanding. I tried telling this to Octavia, but she is as stubborn as ever. If you’re reading this, you should be in a hotel on the outskirts of Canterlot. From the way I see it, I think its best that you don’t attempt to approach us, and you would probably safer if you left Canterlot entirely. I left your Viola and your belongings in the hotel room.
~Vinyl
Reading over the letter, Leading sighed, I didn’t do anything wrong, he thought to himself. Taking his black dress shirt, he started to change from his undergarment. Taking his time, he removed his under shirt to reveal his shredded physique. Looking at himself, all he saw was a long streak of scarred flesh. Reminding himself of its origin, Leading quickly put on his dress shirt trying to cover the scar as fast as possible. 
Looking around, he guessed that he really had nothing to do, so Leading picked up his viola and strapped it on his back, grabbed undershirt, and trotted to the end of the room, and opened the door. Peering outside, all he saw was carpeted floors and the same bland painted walls. The color followed down through a hallway. Walking down the hall, Leading saw a countless number of the same type of door with ascending numbers. Walking past to the end of it, he opened the door at the end, to get flooded with the artificial light. Lifting his right hoof to shield himself, he viewed his surroundings. The dim afternoon sun forced the hotel to turn on the lights. The house lamps that lit up the room surrounded the front desk of the plaza. Working in the desk, the apparent manager of the hotel was on all fours searching for something. Walking towards the desk, he readjusted his viola case on his back and rang the bell. His response to that was a crash from the underside of the desk.
“Ouch,” said a feminine voice from under the desk. Emerging from the under belly of the desk was a mare, a light black coat and an azul blue mane. Peering through her full frame glasses, she focused on him through the lenses, “Oh, hello sir,” she greeted, “What do you need?”
“Oh,” He started, “I can’t seem to remember, but do you know if there was anyone with me when I booked in?” He inquired, “My name is Leading Tone, but I may be registered under Vinyl Scratch.”
Looking down onto her desk, the mare scuttled some quills and empty ink bottles in search for what was a neat notebook ledger. Flipping through the most recent addition to the ledger, she slowly pulled her hoof down over the bars until she stopped on one, “Yes, we did have a Ms. Scratch book a room.” She looked back at him, “Is there anything else you would like to request?” 
Thinking, Leading realized his first worry should be how long he’s been knocked out. Replying to the question, he asked “Um, last thing, but when did she check me in?” 
Moving across the bar, she placed her hoof on a date, “Yeah, she checked you in yesterday, near noon.” 
Shuddering a bit by the shock of the information, Leading nodded a “thank you” before turning in the keys to the room. Turning to the front gate, Leading opened the stained wood doors before being shined with the redden light of the late afternoon winter sun. Raising his hoof to shield him from the bright glare, Leading readjusted the strap on his viola before he started walking. He didn’t really have much of a destination for his walk, but he knew walking helped him think and kept him warm in the winter.  
The first thing on his agenda would be to find out where he was. Looking around, all that his eyes could see were small businesses and the two story hotel. Leading realized that really didn’t tell him where he was, but then he remembered the letter Vinyl wrote. If you’re reading this, you should be in a hotel on the outskirts of Canterlot. 
“Out skirts of Canterlot,” He muttered to himself. After rereading the subtle threat at the end, Leading devised that he shouldn’t go back to central Canterlot. Thinking through all the options, Leading walked toward the line where the concrete sidewalk melted with the asphalt road. Flagging a passing taxi, Leading walked onto the carriage, instructing the driver, “Take me to outer Canterlot Train Station please.”
The short trip to the train station was uneventful, but he knew that some peaceful and quiet time should help him with his current problem. Thinking about the current situation, Leading’s best solution was to accept Vinyl’s offer and just run out of town. Thankfully for him, he wasn’t kicked out of his home, or even his hometown.
As the cab stopped in the train station, he paid for his trip, the immediately called for a one way ticket to Manehattan. Laying out the correct amount of bits at the teller, he picked up the small card, stamped with the time and destination. Reading over the information, he noticed that he had twenty minutes before departure, so Leading placed himself on a nearby bench before waiting. He looked over his belongings, and sighed, everything is here, but now I just blew off half my bits and I still don’t have a current job, He thought to himself. The realization of his less than ideal living daunted his mind during the wait, he had no job, he had no opportunities, and now an old friend hates his guts. 
These wayward thoughts hovered over him as his head took refuge in his hoof’s, both to muffle his crying and to soak the tears. What did I do to end up like this?, he though. After a few moments of pain, Leading took in a deep breath to compose and he grabbed his belongings and walked towards the waiting gate, looking on at the empty tracks. 

2 weeks later
The midwinter morning shone through the foggy window, flowing onto Leading’s sleeping face. The change in light gently woke up the resting musician. Leading opened his eyes, taking in the familiar apartment’s pale white color. Moving out of his blankets, He got out of bed to start his day. Same crummy start to my same crummy life, he thought. Getting in to his closet, Leading dawned on a simple black dress shirt. He was thankful that his current job allowed him to feel a bit professional. Checking himself in the mirror, he saw that he was decently presentable, and so he picked up his viola case laying on the couch and made his way to the front door. Pushing the wooden door open, the freezing winter gale quickly seeped into his room. Shivering through the winter weather, Leading trudged through the cold, dry environment, readjusting the black case on his back. Getting on the side walk, Leading slowly walked though a familiar path to his job. The winter frost coating on the street slowly froze his hooves until the short walk brought Leading into a small bar. Opening up the bar, he felt the warm heat radiate to him as the cold air flushed inside. Propping the door behind him, he looked around and found the chairs flipped on the table and the bar yet to be ready. Moving to a small blackened music stage, he placed his instrument down on it before calling out for the absent bartender.
“Hey, Tall Glass?” he cried “You here?” Responding to the call was a pale grey stallion, elder in his years, who had just came out from the restroom.
“Yeah I’m here,” he said, “If I wasn’t here, and you would still be outside starring at the locked door.”  Walking towards the tabled, he started putting he chairs down, before looking right at Leading with a glare. “Are you going to help me or what?” He asked as he set up another table. 
Picking up with his employer, Leading started the usual morning shift like he did so many times before. When the bar opened, fellow coworkers would serve the customers while Leading got up on stage, playing pieces on his viola. When the chance came up, there would be deafening silence in the bar, letting only the melodic sounds of his instrument ring out for all the patrons to hear. It were those moments in his day that kept him going, not the complements or the flattering of his skill, but when he knew that everypony could hear what he played. 
When the bar started to die down after the lunch time heat, Leading went up on a barstool to relax on his break. “Hey Tall Glass, could I have a cold cider, whatever you have.” 
Instead of placing a drink down, the bar tender put down a small cloth bag. “Here,” Glass said.
Inspecting the contents of the envelope, Leading loosened the cord to behold a small heap of Bits inside the cloth. Taking out some of the Bits, Leading looked at Tall Glass with some confusion.
Clearing up the confusion over the money, Tall Glass explained, “I think you know about it, but I can’t keep you on staff, so this is you payment for the last few days.” Taking out a folded page, he handed the parchment to Leading.
Looking at the page in front of him, Tall Glass dictated the information held on the page. “There is a masquerade ball, to be held in a week in celebration because of Luna’s visit to Manehattan. The problem is that the planners of the party failed to get a complete musical quartet to play. So they’re holding auditions for the missing part.”
Filling in the spots, Leading replied, “And let me guess, they’re missing a violist.” 
“Yeah,” Tall Glass said, “So since the auditions are two days from now, you might want to start practicing the pieces.”
“So I guess that this is good bye,” Leading said, sheepishly putting forth his hoof.
Smirking, Tall Glass shook his hoof, “Yeah, thank you for your work, it was nice to listen to you.”
Picking up the audition form, he grabbed his instrument and left for his apartment.