The day before the auditions.
Morning before the auditions for the Grand Gala, in Canterlot’s business center.
“Shouldn’t I be rehearsing my piece for tomorrow’s audition?” Octavia asked in a trembling voice as the cold wind that swept the parking lot of Canterlot’s office towers made her wish she hadn’t agreed to leave the delicious warmth of her house’s music room.
“Sunday’s biking lesson day, Ottavia,” Vinyl reminded casually as she placed a pair of empty soda cans about two meters from one another in front of her bike, which Octavia was straddling.
“Yes, I know but I didn’t think you’d make me ride your bike in this weather,” Octavia retorted slowly, her teeth chattering thanks to the low temperature.
“Perché no?” [Why not?] Vinyl asked as she walked away from her lover to place another pair of cans a couple of meters before her bike. “It hasn’t rained, snowed, and there hasn’t been a frost yet. It’s just cold, and windy.”
“Exactly!” Octavia shouted reproachfully. “And the audition is TOMORROW!” she reminded vigorously.
“We won’t be staying here for too long today,” Vinyl stated calmly while placing other cans in the deserted parking lot. “And frankly, the only thing you need for tomorrow’s audition is to stop thinking about it for a couple of hours.”
“First of all I don’t think about it all the time,” Octavia reminded sternly. “Second of all, I wasn’t selected the years before by fooling around on a bike. And, thirdly, even if I wanted to take a break from rehearsing, I would have picked something more warming to do…. Like...huh...huh… Cuddling in front of the fireplace!” Octavia called with flaming red cheeks.
“Since your Dad claimed the fireplace for the day, I don’t think that last idea would have worked,” Vinyl shouted back from afar after she placed the last pair of cans on the ground. “But I’ll give you an A for the idea, because I would have been totally up for it otherwise,” she added, reinforcing Octavia’s blush, as she turned around to look back at the bike. “Ok, the course is in place, get ready yourself!”
Octavia let out a brief sigh to calm the hotness she felt in her cheeks, and to express her frustration over being out in the cold as well. She then took a glance at the can-made gates Vinyl had placed before the bike. The course formed a two meters-wide reversed “S” that ended with a perpendicular straight line that looked to be about 10 meters long.
Octavia frowned a bit at the course set by Vinyl. It looked as simple as the one Vinyl had made her do at the end of her first day with the bike, three weeks ago. While Octavia was all about safety, and taking baby steps to learn how to ride a motorcycle, she had to admit she was a bit disappointed that Vinyl didn’t made her do more than just can-made courses already. She didn’t express it, as her motorcycle teacher had been very clear on the first day that she would not let Octavia drive on her own outside of an empty parking lot until Vinyl said otherwise, and that the cellist had passed the first part of the motorcycle license exams.
“What do you want me to do?” Octavia asked.
“Simple!” Vinyl started to explained as she took place next to the gate at the end of the straight line of the course. “You drive the bike through the gates as slowly as you can without putting a foot on the ground -though if you do during the first times it’s okay- and I’ll time you.”
Not too complicated. “How much time do I have?”
“You have to pass the final gate in more than twenty seconds,” Vinyl replied casually over the blowing wind as she took her cellphone out of her pocket. “Whenever you feel like it, you can go.”
“Less than twenty seconds…. I think I can do that!” Octavia whispered to herself as she picked up the helmet she received on her birthday that was lying between her and the handles.
Once her helmet was in place, Octavia kicked the motorcycle’s support stand, and started the engine. She took a short breath in, and out before she drove forward. She passed the first gate easily, but tensed a little bit when she approached the second one, the one that marked her first about-turn.
Okay… Just like Vinyl showed you two weeks ago. Octavia thought intensively. Turn the handle just a bit to the right, while leaning to the right as well….
As her actions followed her train of thought, Octavia leaned a little bit too much to the right, and moved her foot from the footrest, ready to put it on the ground in case the bike would fall. Luckily it didn’t happen, and Octavia stepped on the gas a little bit once the motorcycle was almost out of the curve, while tilting it back to its balance point. She let out a brief relieved sigh before she engaged the bike into the left turn-about.
Her confidence slightly boosted by the passing of the first bend, Octavia managed to passed the second one faster, and this time without moving her foot from the footrest. She drove through the last turn-about without much difficulty, and then engaged the final turn left to pass the first gate of the short, final straight.
The motorcycle hummed loudly as Otavia sped up, passing the last gate merely a second later, prompting Vinyl into pressing on her phone’s screen to stop the timer. Vinyl turned around, cocking an eyebrow as Octavia kept on driving forward before making a wide u-turn a dozen of meters away from the gate. Octavia straightened up the motorcycle after the turn, and slowly came to stop between the final gate of the course Vinyl had set up.
“L’ho fatto bene?” [Did I do well?] Octavia asked excitedly, after she put her foot on the ground and pulled her helmet’s visor up.
“Sei stata bravissima,” [You were great,] Vinyl said with a warm smile. “I didn’t think you would complete the course without putting your foot on the ground on the first try. And, that final u-turn was really well done.”
“Thanks!” Octavia beamed with pride.
“But, sadly you still failed the exercise,” Vinyl stated with a wince.
“UH!?” Octavia let out in shock. “How come?”
“Well, your time is way too short,” Vinyl explained slowly. “I told you to do it in more than twenty seconds, and you did it in twelve.”
“Oh.” Octavia let out sheepishly. “I guess I misunderstood you when you talked about that time limit… Sorry.”
“Mah, don’t worry that pretty head of yours,” Vinyl reassured with a wave, and a smile. “At least, it showed that you’re more at ease on the bike, which is quite a good thing. The only problem is the slow speed tests.”
“The slow speed tests?” Octavia asked in confusion.
“For the motorcycle license exams, there are two tests that must be done at slow speed,” Vinyl explained matter-of-factly. “Well, I say two, but it’s basically twice the same exercise with just the mirrored course for the second test.”
“To pass those tests, I must complete this course in more than 20 seconds twice?” Octavia asked softly.
“Well, there are others maneuvers besides the course you just did, but those aren’t timed so I’ll tell you more about them another day.” Vinyl stated calmly. “We’ll just focus on your timing today, so that you can get back to your completely unnecessary rehearsals,” she added with a chuckle
Octavia first replied to that remark by sticking her tongue out in a completely mature manner, causing Vinyl to laugh even louder.
“So? Ready to try again?” Vinyl asked after she calmed down.
“I guess, but even if I now know that I have to take it slow, how do you want me to manage to do that in over twenty seconds?” Octavia asked with worry.
“Do you remember the tricks I taught you about your balance on the bike?” Octavia answered Vinyl’s question with a nod. “Use them, and you should do fine.“
“Okay… But I’m not sure I could do it without putting my foot down this time,” Octavia let out slowly.
“Were you instantly good when you started playing the cello?” Vinyl asked casually.
“Of course not,” Octavia replied with a shake of her head. “I still had to practice a lot, even if my father says I always had an affinity with the cello.”
“Then, don’t worry about not doing it right the first few times,” Vinyl stated calmly. “With the right motivation, I’m sure you’d get the hang of it really quick.”
“Well, I do want to be back home where it’s warm, and apparently the sooner I can do this course in over twenty seconds, the sooner we’re going back. Right?”
“Not exactly the motivation I had in mind, but that could work too,” Vinyl said with a shrug.
“And what exactly did you have in my mind?” Octavia asked suspiciously.
“You and me making out for a very long time if you get a time over twenty seconds in less than five tries,” Vinyl replied with a sly grin, and a wink.
“.....It’s Sunday, Vinyl,” Octavia reminded with a shake of her head. “We already established it as our make-out day. You’re going to have to think bigger than….” she started as Vinyl brought her head closer to the young cellist’s.
“Pensavo lasciare ti toccare sotto la mia camicia, e ti farò sapere ché non ho messo un reggiseno oggi....” [I was thinking of letting you have a feel under my shirt, and I’ll let you know that I didn’t put a bra on today... ] Vinyl whispered into Octavia’s open visor in a faint purr.
Octavia’s face turned bright red as her mind processed what Vinyl had just uttered to her. She moistened her suddenly dry lips as Vinyl moved her head away, resisting the urge to fan herself.
“Is that motivating enough for you, Miss Philharmonica?” Vinyl asked with a sly grin.
Octavia gulped nervously before she whispered her answer with a slow nod.
“Y...Yes…. I’...I’ll just get back to the start of the course,” she let out in a cracking, squeaky voice, before she pulled the visor back down, and slowly drove the bike away from the evil temptress that was her lover, and teacher.
I’m almost ashamed to do that…. Vinyl thought with a mental chuckle as a flustered Octavia moved the bike back on the start line. ALMOST!
******************************************************************************************************
The late morning before the auditions for the Grand Gala, Horzowski’s residence.
From the second floor came the soft melody of the family’s grand piano. A melody that Mr, and Mrs Horzowski were enjoying peacefully as their housekeeper served them both a cup of tea for them to drink while reading through the couple of newspapers and magazines she had also brought into the small lounge of their house.
“Thank you, Bernadette,” Mr Horzowski said with a brief smile to the brown-haired housekeeper as he took the Canterlot Times she was handing him. “Tell me, don’t we have some little cakes to go with the tea?”
“Oswald,” His wife called in a warning tone before Bernadette could answer, not looking up from the fashion magazine she was leafing through. “I don’t need to remind you that the doctor said to not eat too much sugary treats.”
“Now, one little madeleine with my tea isn’t going to be a problem, Martha,” Oswald retorted playfully.
“The problem usually is that you don’t stop at one,” Martha countered drily, turning the page of her magazine.
“That’s so not true,” Oswald replied in an offended tone, turning his face toward the housekeeper. ”Isn’t it, Bernadette?”
The brown-haired young woman looked back and forth between her two employers before focusing her gaze on the prone form of the family’s black labrador just next to Oswald’s chair.
“Would you look at that! I think Dexter wants to go play in the yard,” Bernadette let out casually just before the dog stood up instantly at the mention of his name. “Come on, boy!”
The brunette then turned around, and left the small lounge, with an excited labrador following her while wagging his tail rapidly. After that, Martha looked up from her magazine to cast a knowing grin at her pouting husband before mouthing the words ‘I told you so’.
Leaving her employers to their discussion about Mr. Horzowski’s intake of sugar, Bernadette was about to lead the dog to the back door, which was located in the house’s well furnished veranda, when Dexter stopped in the middle of the hall. The black labrador sniffed at the front door for a couple of seconds, and then scratched the lacquered wood with his right forepaw, whining softly.
“Huh?” Bernadette let out once she realized that the dog wasn’t after her anymore. “What is it?”
Dexter kept whining quietly at the door before the puzzled housekeeper decided to open it to see what was troubling the dog. She unlocked it, and pulled it open swiftly afterwards. Bernadette heard a faint yelp of surprise coming from just outside the house as Dexter barked, and rushed into the legs of the person that stood just before the door. As the labrador rubbed all its length against the newcomer’s knees, Bernadette needed but a second to recognize who was the young, light-brown-haired girl clad in a thick, light blue coat, and a matching wooly hat.
“Ah, Beatrice, what a pleasant surprise to see you!” Bernadette called warmly with a smile. “Dexter must have felt you were about to ring the bell.”
“Did he now?” Beatrice asked with a short chuckle as she rubbed the flanks of the dog vigorously. “It seems that Frederic was right about how good Dexter’s nose is. After all, it’s not like I’ve been standing in front of the door for the last ten minutes thinking about whether I should ring the bell or just run away like a thief. Hahahaha,” she added with rosy cheeks, and a laugh that Bernadette couldn’t describe with any other term than forced.
“If you say so,” the housekeeper let out slowly before regaining her usual composure. “Now, do come in! I’ll tell Frederic you’re here,” she added as she invited the teenager inside with a wave. “I wished he would have told me you were coming, I would have prepared a warm cocoa for your arrival!”
“Oh, it’s not his fault.” Beatrice immediately stated worriedly. “It’s a..huh...an improvised visit. I was just walking by, and I thought I’d come, and say hello,” she explained sheepishly as she walked inside with Dexter right on her heels. “So...Hello!”
“I see.” Bernadette nodded with a knowing smile as she closed the front door. “Well, I’d do a terrible job if I didn’t make you a hot drink after you’ve been out with this cold weather!”
“You don’t have to, Miss Bernadette,” Beatrice quickly said, waving her hands in a protesting manner. “I’m not thirsty.”
“I insist, my dear,” Bernadette said as she lead the teenager with a gentle push on her back. “What do you want? Coffee? Tea? Hot chocolate? Warm milk?” she asked with a warm smile while she and Beatrice stepped into the veranda.
“If you insist, then I’ll take a hot cocoa,” Beatrice sheepishly replied after Bernadette offered her a place to sit, and to take her coat. “If that’s not too much trouble, of course…”
“Not at all.” Bernadette assured as she briefly opened the door leading to the garden for Dexter after Beatrice gave her coat. “I’ll just let Frederic know that you’re here, and then I’ll go and make you that in a flash.” she added with a smile before going back into the house.
The housekeeper hung Beatrice’s coat and hat in the locker close to the front door, and then walked up the stairs, following the sounds of the piano, which sounded clearer and louder the closer she got to their source. She knocked at the door of the music room, and walked in before she was invited to come in.
The melody was interrupted when Frederic looked up from his instrument, and then back and forth between the open door and the housekeeper in confusion. Bernadette frowned as she sized up the young man’s choice of clothing for the day, and then shook her head in disapproval.
“This won’t do at all, young man!” Bernadette stated as she rested her closed fists on her hips. “I don’t care that it’s Sunday, and that you planned on rehearsing all day long in your pajamas,” she added as Frederic was about to open his mouth to ask what was going on. “Even your hair is a mess!” she complained with a sigh when she saw the tangles in the usually well-coiffed, pale-blond mass of hair.
“Huh...What’s going on, Bernadette?” Frederic asked as Bernadette pulled the small comb she carried around one of her apron’s pockets. “Ouch! Don’t pull so hard!”
“What’s going on is that Miss Bluenote came to grace you with her presence,” Bernadette explained as she quickly worked her comb to give the blond hair its usual splendor.
“Bea’ is here?!” Frederic asked in shock. “...But...Why?”
“She was walking by, and thought she could come and say hello,” Bernadette replied casually as Frederic winced in pain because of her comb.
“...That doesn’t make sense… She lives on the other side of town…” Frederic commented slowly after a satisfied Bernadette pulled her comb away.
“Which means that she came all the way here to see you, young man” Bernadette sharply let out. “So, I’m giving you five minutes to get freshened up, properly dressed, and well-coiffed, to join her in the veranda, and have a great time with her.”
“Huh..What should I talk about?!” Frederic nervously asked the brown-haired woman as she pulled him out of the music room.
“About anything but tomorrow’s audition,” Bernadette replied casually as she opened the boy’s door. “Now, go get dressed!”
“But, I…”
“SHOO!!” Bernadette nearly shouted as she shoved the nervous blond inside his room.
~~~A couple hours later~~~
“Come on, son,” Oswald whispered as he parted the curtains of one of the front windows slightly open. “It’s not hard. One good lick on the lips, and she’s yours forever!”
“Classy, Oswald,” Martha sarcastically muttered as she observed her blond son escorting the young brunette out of their property from another window with Bernadette. “Really classy.”
“It worked on you, didn’t it?” Oswald countered with a smirk, earning a blazing blush from his wife.
Bernadette had to bite her lip to stifle her laugh before she felt something poking her left leg. With her eyes still focused on the two teenagers, she raised the lower end of the curtains so that Dexter could watch what was going on. As Martha ‘’humphed’’ at her husband, they all could see Frederic and Beatrice chatting together until they reached the front gate.
Both teenagers shuffled awkwardly on their feet before they waved each other goodbye. The three grown-ups all simultaneously groaned in disappointment when Beatrice waved at Frederic a second time before she turned her back to him to leave. Oswald sighed before he looked away from the window, quickly imitated by his wife, and their housekeeper.
They only made three steps away from the windows before Dexter barked loudly a couple of times for their attention.
“Hang on...He’s calling her back!” Bernadette, who had come back to the window quicker than Martha, and Oswald, shouted excitedly.
They witnessed Beatrice looking back at Frederic who had come close to her. Then they watched Frederic telling the brunette something with large, nervous gestures of his arms, a widening smile making its way on each of their faces. The constant reddening cheeks of Beatrice, and the fact that Frederic kept looking at his feet when speaking to her could only mean one thing.
The grown-ups looked at each other with pleased expressions as Dexter’s tail started to waggle frantically while its owner let out brief, happy barks. After a few seconds, during which Frederic rubbed his hair in obvious frustration -effectively ruining his coiffure- while muttering something at his feet, Beatrice pulled his head up, and pushed her lips against his. Three loud “YES!”, and even louder joyful barks rang through the Horzowski’s residence at the same time as the newly-formed couple shared their first kiss at the front gate.
One thing’s for sure, all the inhabitants of the residence had been waiting for this happen with much more enthusiasm than following day’s audition.
******************************************************************************************************
The early afternoon before the auditions for the Grand Gala, Donut Joe’s.
Nathan was busy wiping the moisture away from the fresh-out-of-the-dishwasher mugs with a dry cloth in order to put them away on the shelves behind the bar when he heard two cups landing on it behind him. He cast a small glance at his two classmates sitting on the other side of the counter, serious expressions on both their faces as they narrowed their eyes at the blond waiter.
“Hey, Donut Nate! Refills!” Henry called in a deep voice, pointing at his, and Harpo’s empty mug.
“And, this time make it manly enough for our standard!” Harpo demanded, flexing his right arm to show his muscles.
A very unimpressed Nathan placed the cup he was cleaning on its shelf, and then took his friends’ to bring them next to a nearby pot. Without much ceremony, he poured the thick, brown liquid contained in it into the two mugs, filling them up to the top part of the handles’ level. He then took a pair of tongs to put two marshmallows in each cup. After that, Nathan kneeled down to pick the aerosol whipped cream from the cooler.
As he gave it a strong and vigorous shaking, Nathan used his free hand to pick the chocolate powder dispenser, as well as the one with chocolate chips, and placed them next to the cups. He popped the aerosol open, and made a small mountain of whipped cream on top each mug before he sprinkled the chocolate powder and chips on both cups.
“There, you go,” Nathan said calmly as he served his two classmates their drinks, along with a clean spoon wrapped in a white napkin. “I hope your hot chocolates are manly enough for you.” He added with a smirk as Harpo, and Henry’s eyes widened in glee at the sight of their drinks.
“I think they are, thank you,” Henry said after coughing in his fist to get back to his manly expression.
“It’s beautiful,” Harpo whispered in awe. “I think I’m going to cry…”
“Go ahead, no one will judge,” Nathan let out, chuckling happily before he returned to the bin of mugs that needed to be put away. “So, what are your thoughts about tomorrow?”
“The same as the ones I usually have about mondays,” Harpo replied as he spun the mug to watch the whole result of Nathan’s expert waitering.
“I meant about the auditions,” Nathan added casually. “Got any prognostics for who they’re going to pick for the Grand Gala?”
“I try not to think about it too much,” Henry said after he spooned a large amount of whipped cream into his mouth. “I think it’s going to jinx my chances of getting selected,” he added before taking a long swig of his hot chocolate.
“Fair enough,” Harpo shrugged casually. “Still, I’ve got some, so cover your ears.”
“I can hear it just fine, but I won’t take an active role in the conversation,” Henry explained after putting half-empty cup down the counter.
“With that out of the way, who do you think is going to be taken?” Nathan asked the harpist in conversational tone.
“Octavia for starters,” Harpo let out as he mixed the cream and his cocoa together with his spoon. “She was selected the years before, no reasons for her not getting the honor again.”
“You’re not very daring, Harp-boy,” Nathan taunted with a grin. “Betting on the big gun right off the bat.”
“I don’t like losing,” Harpo explained with shrug. “Then, I think Frederic has some good chances, as well as Viola. They both play instruments that matches the style of a gala, and have been playing all their lives, just like Octavia.” He licked his spoon clean before tapping it against his closed lips as he thought about who he was going to choose next. “Bea’ would be a good choice too, and for the last one, I’m hesitating between Diana, and Arietta.”
“You don’t think either of us is going to be picked?” Henry asked, frowning at his friend.
“I thought you didn’t want to participate in the conversation,” Nathan remarked with a cocked eyebrow.
“That was before I knew Harpo thought I wouldn’t be chosen!” Henry retorted slowly. “You don’t think I’m “Gala’’ Material?”
“Well your brown-and-white mustache does put a damper on your general poise,” Harpo remarked, pointing at the mass of cream under, and on, the drummer’s nose, earning a mocking chuckle from the blond. “The Grand Gala is all about class.”
“I can be super classy, if I want to,” Henry countered with a strong blush as he wiped his mustache with his napkin.
“Yes, and next thing we know, Laura will be straight as an arrow,” Nathan let out sarcastically.
“Exactl...HEY!” Henry shouted in a reproaching, yet hurt, tone.
“Easy on the voice, pal,” Nathan advised casually. “Joe doesn’t appreciate shouting fits in his shop,” he added before he noticed a customer at the other side of the bar waving for a refill. “Be right back,” he said before taking the pot of coffee to said customer.
“Your mustache aside, it’s just who I think have the best chances for tomorrow, and I didn’t even include myself in them,” Harpo stated calmly. “And, before you ask, I do have every intention of doing my best to be chosen, and thus proving my prognostics wrong.”
“Atta boy!” Nathan called from the other side of the bar after the young lady, who had asked for more coffee, had gone back to her table.
“I guess that’s okay then,” Henry whispered slowly as Nathan came back to them. “What about you, Nate?! Who’s going to be picked tomorrow?”
“Other than Octavia?”
“Yes, other than her,” Henry replied with a nod. “Boy, it sounds like we’re her bitches or something…”
“Musically speaking, I think we’re destined to remain as such,” Harpo let out wisely.
“Aye-aye, Harsh,” Henry, and Nathan let out, chuckling at the sour pout the harpist made after hearing his former nickname.
“So, if I had to choose the musicians for the Gala,” Nathan said after he calmed his laughter, scratching his chin while thinking over the possibilities. “I’d say Diana, Fiona, and you two. Or maybe with Laura’s lyre instead of your harp,” he said softly. “I think it’ll make quite a band along with Octavia’s cello.”
“And, who would see in the gala as well? You know, in the event that Octavia’s not chosen” Henry asked curiously.
“Hmmmm,” Harpo let out pensively. “Should that ever happen, in my honest opinion, I think Laura would provide a good replacement for Octavia in the ensemble for the Gala…. That is if she can behave as normally as possible.”
“Considering all the good looking women in fancy dresses that are going to be there, I think you can rule that out,” Henry commented, earning a brief nod from Nathan.
“True, true,” Harpo let out in approval. “Though that would likely produce a healthy share of great stories.”
“Quite possible,” Nathan agreed softly. “So, who could I see taking Octavia’s place in the gala?.... Maybe..”
“NATHAN!” the booming voice of the blond’s boss shouted from the kitchens, startling him, and his classmates. “I don’t pay you to chit-chat with your friends! And, the toilets need to be mopped!”
“Yes, Joe,” Nathan muttered with a sigh as Harpo, and Henry snickered at him.
“I think that’s our cue to leave,” Harpo stated as he took his wallet from his back pocket. “Here you go,” he added as he gave Nathan a ten bits bill. “Keep the change.”
“Thank you,” Nathan said as he took the bill, and looked expectantly at Henry, who looked dejected at the content of his wallet.
“Huh…. Can you put it on my tab?” Henry asked sheepishly.
“Sorry, Joe only allows the teachers to keep tabs now,” Nathan explained.
“Oh, okay… Harpo, could you…”
“No, I can’t. See ya tomorrow, guys!” Harpo called with a wave, before he stepped toward the shop’s exit.
“Oh, come on! How do you want me to pay?!” Henry called back, walking after his friend, only to have Nathan hold him back by the collar of his jacket.
“Well, you heard Joe,” Nathan said with a devious smile. “The toilets need to be mopped.”
“Awwwwww, not again!” Henry let sighed at length as Nathan chuckled happily at the fact he had dodged toilet cleaning duty thanks to his drummer friend.
******************************************************************************************************
The afternoon before the auditions for the Grand Gala, Hoovet’s residence.
“Girls! The muffins are ready!” Daniella Hoovet shouted from the bottom of the stairs before she went back inside her kitchen.
She approached the large plate of warm muffins that she had put on the counter, grabbing one for herself. She smelled the aroma of the pastry as she heard loud, rapid steps getting down the stairs. Daniella chuckled playfully when she heard her daughter jump the last six steps of the staircase, like she always did whenever she baked muffins. Daniella took her first bite at the exact moment her little Diana stormed inside the kitchen, heading for the bar stools placed just next to the counter. The diminutive blonde had already bit a large chunk of her first muffin when her pink-haired guest arrived a lot more calmly inside the kitchen.
“You better hurry, Arietta,” Daniella benevolently warned as Ari timidly sat on the other stool. “Otherwise, Diana won’t leave you any.”
“I can see that,” Ari let out as she took her first muffin from the batch while Diana had just picked her third. “....I can understand your fear of being cut off of your mom’s muffin, Diana,” she said a few seconds after taking her first bite. “Those are delicious!” she claimed, her eyes filled with stars of deliciousness.
“I know right?” Diana asked back with a knowing smirk.
“Thank you,” Daniella said with a warm smile. “So, ready for tomorrow?”
“I guess,” Diana replied with a shrug.
“Come on, Diana.” Ari gently bumped her elbow in the small blonde’s ribs. “You can’t just guess it! Especially not when you’re definitely ready!”
“Says you!” Diana retorted with a frown.
“Diana, I heard you play not two minutes ago!” Ari reminded with a sigh. “Your playing was SPOT ON! Makes me even wonder why you weren’t picked the years before.”
“The years before, they only picked one student, and it’s quite hard to hold a candle to Octavia.” Diana explained slowly before she turned to her mother. “Isn’t that right, Mom?”
“Well, Octavia is certainly talented, but that doesn’t mean you should sell yourself short, Sweetie,” Daniella replied as she started washing the mold in which she had baked the muffins.
“Okay, fine! I’ll admit it, the odds weren’t exactly in your favor the years before,” Ari admitted slowly. “But this year, it’s going to be different. You heard Scratch! They’re thinking of picking a five-person strong ensemble instead of just a single student.”
“I don’t know,” Diana sighed slowly, putting the muffin she was about to bite back on the plate. “There’s no guarantee that I’ll be taken.”
“Same for all of us, Diana,” Ari reminded with a soft smile.
“I’ll probably choke during my audition…” Diana let out as she crossed her arms on the counter to rest her chin on it. “Like I did in every audition I went to,” she added with a sad sigh.
“Why would you choke during this one, Sweetie?” Daniella asked in confusion as she rested a supporting hand on her daughter’s shoulder. “You played in front of your whole school not a month ago, and from what I heard you were amazing!”
“Yes, but there weren’t any judges during Nightmare Night,” Diana explained slowly. “I wasn’t marked or anything. The pressure just...wasn’t the same.”
“So?” Ari asked with a cocked eyebrow. “You’re not marked on this either. None of us are.”
“Yeah, but the judges..”
“Are nothing more than a few extra pairs of eyes that will watch us play, Diana,” Ari interrupted her slowly. “It’s going to be exactly like when the Headmistress came to see us rehearse. With the sole exception of three new faces belonging to people that probably aren’t even going to talk to us tomorrow.”
“I don’t know… It’s still rather intimidating,” Diana whispered as her mother rubbed her back gently.
“Says the girl who intimidates all the boys of our class, plus Laura with her kick-boxing gimmicks!” Ari retorted in a playful tone, causing the worried musician, and her mother to chuckle in response.
“My big baby girl: Terror of the entirety of Celestia’s Royal Academy!” Daniella claimed in a mocked pride.
“Alright! Alright!” Diana waved for the calm as Ari and her mother giggled in their respective hands. “First of all, I’m not intimidating anyone. I merely keep Laura in check. That’s all!”
“Sure you do,” Ari let out in obvious sarcasm, which had the sole effect of extending Diana’s mother’s giggling fit.
“Secondly,” Diana called, ignoring her mother’s laughter. “It’s quite normal to be a little stressed for an important audition. Even Octavia admitted that she was nervous about it, and she has been selected for the past three years!”
“Yes, but she doesn’t let the stress get the best of her,” Ari reminded slowly. “And, neither should you! Because you clearly got enough skill for it!”
“Really?” Diana asked in a sheepish tone.
“Yeah, really!” Ari assured with a nod as she offered the muffin Diana had put back on the plate back to the blonde. “It’s as certain as the fact that you’re going to eat that muffin,” she added with a wink, earning a roll of eyes from the diminutive flutist. “So, don’t guess that you’re ready! You’ve got to feel it from deep inside you. You know what I’m saying?”
“I know that only things I want to feel deep inside of me right now are those muffins,” Diana retorted boldly, earning a warm chuckle from the pinkette who picked a baked good for herself.
“Those, and that sexy guitar player from your class,” Daniella added casually as she picked a banana and nuts muffin while Ari bit off a large chunk of her muffin.
“MOOOOOOMMMM!!!” Diana shrieked in horror, her cheeks bright red. “What are you saying?!”
“The walls of your room are a little thin, Sweetie, and you’re quite talkative in your sleep,” Daniella explained matter-of-factly. “Can’t say that I blame you though. That Nathan is quite the hunk,” she added with a wink. “Were I fifteen years younger, I’d not hesitate to take a bite of out THAT muffin!”
She proved her point by gulping half of her banana and nuts muffin in one voracious bite as her daughter buried her face in her hands while Arietta let out sounds of coughing mixed with laughter after Diana’s mother’s remark made her choke a bit on her baked good. One thing was certain though, Diana wasn’t worried at all about upcoming audition anymore.
******************************************************************************************************
The afternoon before the auditions for the Grand Gala, Hart’s residence.
“Gerard!”
The sound of his wife’s call awoke Gerard Hart from his Sunday nap in front of the television. He stirred with a groan before rubbing his golden iris open while yawning for a few seconds. He sat up straight to look at where the call came from, only to see his wife, Linda, standing next to his chair carrying a tray with a large sandwich and a can of soda on it.
“Oh, that’s sweet of you to make me a snack, Honey,” Gerard groggily stated with a warm smile.
“That’s for your daughter, not for you!” Linda retorted with a cocked eyebrow. “She’s been in her room all day, could you take that to her?”
“You woke me up for that?” Gerard asked with a sigh. “Couldn’t you have taken it yourself?”
“I could, but you wouldn’t deserve the sandwich I’m going to prepare for you if, and only if, you deliver this one to Laura,” Linda explained matter-of-factly.
“You just have all the answers, don’t you?” Gerard grumbled as he nonetheless stood up, and took the tray from his wife’s hands.
“Thank you, Honey,” Linda said as she gave a quick peck on her husband’s cheek before she headed out of the living room.
Groaning a bit from being woken from his nap to bring food to his daughter, Gerard made his way up to the second floor of his house. He went to the last door to the right, which sported the label “Laura’s room. Enter at your own risks!” on it along with a madly grinning smiley supposed to represent his daughter’s face. At his own risk, Gerard pushed the handle down with his elbow, and opened the door with a soft shove of his shoulder.
Once he looked inside his daughter’s room, he realized that there could have been an hidden motive to the fact that his wife asked him to bring Laura a sandwich. If Linda had seen the mess inside Laura’s room, she would have probably shouted until loss of voice, and spent the whole afternoon cleaning the mess Laura usually made whenever she rehearsed seriously at home.
A soft snore from within the room made Gerard look up from the uncountable amount of music sheets that laid on the ground, effectively masking nearly the whole carpet. Gerard had to hold back his laugh when his eyes found the sleeping form of his daughter on her one-place sofa that stood close to the wall, opposite of the girl’s desk.
Laura was lying on the sofa upside down, her right leg hooked to the headrest as her upper body hung from the edge of the seat, her arms stretched out wide while the tips of her hair brushed against the sheet-covered carpet, a couple of inches from the open case that contained her lyre.
Gerard shook his head with a sigh before he stealthily walked to the small table that stood next to the sofa, taking great care into putting his feet wherever there weren’t any music sheets on the floor. As he reached for the table, he put the tray on it before looking at his snoring daughter.
“Hmmmm,” Gerard let out as picked up a discarded pencil on the floor. “Let’s see…” he whispered as he used the eraser side of the pencil to poke his daughter’s cheek.
When Laura didn’t react, he poked at her forehead a couple of times. Once again there wasn’t any reaction other than the soft snores escaping his daughter’s nose. Gerard then booped said nose with the eraser, causing Laura to grumble unintelligibly in her sleep as it wrinkled in discomfort.
Seeing as his daughter was deeply asleep, Gerard shrugged before putting the pencil where he had found it. Then he closed the case containing Laura’s instrument, and moved it under the small table so that it couldn’t be damaged in case Laura would fall during her sleep. He then stepped out of the room, closing the door behind him, and thus leaving his daughter to her dreams.
“SURRENDER NOW, AND I’LL SPARE YOU, AND YOUR UNREFINED EARS!” Arietta barked loudly, pointing her flute at Laura.
Laura groaned as she pulled herself from the ground after having been hit by Arietta’s sonic blast of a flute in C-minor. Laura wiped the blood that pearled from her mouth as she looked straight at her former friend, and now opponent for the last spot available for playing at the Grand Gala.
“You will not stop me, Ari!” Laura claimed, pointing her finger at her rather slutty-dressed adversary, not that she minded the view offered by that revealing spandex clothing and the quite decent cleavage that it displayed. “For I, unlike you, believe in the free mix of different styles of music. My Pop-Rock/Jazz/Folk/Electro-Dance solo-opera on the lyre will show you the error of your ways, since you willingly didn’t welcome the words of Pon-3 in your heart.”
“Blasphemy!” Laura heard Octavia shout from the audience as well as her other friends. “Pon-3 is the way of the future! Praised be our savior’s name!!!”
“As if I’d care for that has-been’s opinion!” Evil-Ari snarled sourly. “Her words are as fake as her boobs!”
A long loud gasp of shock from the audience followed her hateful comment, while Laura’s irises narrowed in anger. She bent down to pick her lyre up.
“You leave me no choice, Ari,” Laura whispered coldly. “Hopefully my solo-opera will make you see reason before it completely annihilates you.”
“And how are you going to play it, Pon-3’s Apostle?” Ari asked back in a snarl. “You don’t even have hands to play your lyre any more!” she added before letting out a long, sardonic laugh.
“What are you….” Laura started before she felt her instrument fall of her grip, and touch the ground.
She looked down at her hands, only to gasp in surprise as her fingers, and palms had been replaced by two hooves covered in a mint-green soft-looking fur. She brought her new appendages together a couple of times, provoking faint ‘clop’ sounds when they touched each other.
“HAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!” Ari threw her head back as Laura examined her hooves with a bewildered expression on her face. “Not so high, and mighty now, Laura! Goodbye!” she called as she brought her flute to her lips.
As the classic melody of the wind instrument rang through the stage on which Laura was standing, darkness started to gather around her. In desperation Laura fell on her knees while the shadows surrounding her started to swirl around her. She heard a long ‘no’ coming from the audience before the darkness swallowed her whole before Ari’s eyes. But before that happened, Ari spotted Laura’s gaping mouth turned into a wide grin.
A brilliant blend of whole the most epic styles of music played by a string instrument came from within the twirl of darkness instantly after Laura disappeared in it. It surprised Ari so much that she stopped playing her flute altogether. When she did, the darkness dissipated revealing the source of the music. It was Laura that was playing her lyre with her green hooves instead of hands and fingers.
“You thought you’d defeat me with that simple trick?” Laura asked loudly to a terrified Ari who was taking a step back away from her. “Too bad for you, I work on a pony ranch, so I know all of the secret workings of a horse hoof!”
“OH NO! This is impossible!” Ari screamed with dread.
“Yes, it is!” Laura retorted with a feral grin. “HOOF-EX-MACHINA!!!!” she shouted with clamor as she ran her hoof against all the strings of her instruments, causing the world to vanish in a white flash of light….BEEP BEEP BEEP
BEEP BEEP BEEP
“Huh?” Laura let out in a groaned whisper as her alarm rang through the room. “....Half past four already?” She whispered before letting out a long yawn.
She extended the leg that kept her hanging from the back of her sofa, causing herself to slide toward the floor. Laura put her hands on the ground so that she didn’t hit her head against the floor, and rolled forward until her buttocks touched the ground. As she now was sitting in front of her sofa, she turned her head to see where her cellphone was to turn off the alarm. Once that was done, she spotted the tray which she assumed her dad had left for her. Had it been her mom, she wouldn’t have been woken up by her alarm.
“A little snack, and I’m back to rehearsal,” Laura stated with one final yawn, during which her jaw attempted to reach the ground, as she picked the sandwich up. “..... Why can’t I wake up after the good part instead of just before?” she asked no one in particular as she recalled the last moments from her dream. “I bet I missed plenty of sexy girls,” she added with a sigh.
******************************************************************************************************
The night before the auditions for the Grand Gala, Fiona’s studio.
Fiona let a long, relaxed sigh as she stepped outside of her bathroom, wrapping her long hair in a towel. She had been practicing her instrument for nearly the whole day, which had left her arms, and neck, sore once she was done. Nothing that hot water from the shower, and a good night of sleep couldn’t fix. She was about to head for her bedroom when something on her couch got her attention, and reminded her of its importance.
She silently walked to the right end of the furniture, and lowered her head to the level of the brown curly-haired something that was half-sitting, half-lying on it, with a large duvet covering its lower body, its ocean-colored eyes focused on the partition in its hands. Fiona rolled her eyes before she brought her mouth closer to the brunette’s ear.
“Didn’t ya said that we’d worked more than enough for today?” Fiona calmly asked, startling Viola a bit, as the brunette hadn’t heard the other violinist coming closer.
“Didn’t you say, Fiona,” Viola corrected, sighing in annoyance. “I’m just making sure that I know it well enough.”
“Ya can already play it without even looking at the sheets since Friday, Viola,” Fiona reminded softly. “Come on now. Put that down, and take a break,” she added as she slowly extended her hand for the partition.
“Fiona, the audition is tomorrow, and I really want to be chosen,” Viola retorted, as she moved the music sheets away from the intrusive hand.
“Ya won’t be chosen by workin’ yourself to the bone,” Fiona claimed as she shot her other hand forward, snatching Viola’s partition effectively out of the curly-haired violinist’s hold. “Confiscated!” she stated playfully as she threw the partition on the coffee table.
“Fiona!!!” Viola growled angrily as she started to kick the duvet off of her to stand up. “This is importa…”
Viola’s angry remark was interrupted when two hands held her by the shoulders, and pushed her back on the couch. Instantly after that, Viola felt the other violinist’s digits press themselves gently on various points of her shoulders before they roamed along her neck. She mouthed the word wow as her body decided that standing up to complain was a total waste of time in comparison to Fiona’s fingers liberating it from the strain and tension it had accumulated during Viola’s intensive rehearsal.
“Ah know it’s important, Hun,” Fiona let out in a soothing voice as she kept massaging her lover’s neck and shoulders while Viola relaxed on the couch. “But ya need to relax a bit. Ya’re as ready as ya could ever be.”
“...Yo..You’re just saying that,” Viola replied softly, humming in pleasure. “A little bit higher, please?” she asked in a whisper before she heard Fiona chuckling, and pressing her fingers on her neck, but closer to her head. “Thank you.”
“Yer welcome, and Ah ain’t just sayin’ stuff,” Fiona countered casually as her massages caused Viola to throw her head back on the armrest of the couch. “Ah heard ya play a lot during our rehearsals at school, and we’ve just spent this whole weekend rehearsin’ as well. As a fellow fiddler, Ah can say that ya’re ready for the audition.”
“Violinist, not fiddler,” Viola whispered faintly in response.
“Fine!” Fiona rolled her eyes playfully. “As a fellow violinist, Ah can say that ya’re ready for the audition,” She added before gently kissing Viola’s forehead.
“You’re so sweet,” Viola murmured with a wide smile. “What about you? Do you feel ready?”
“Do ya think that Ah am?” Fiona asked back with a small grin.
“Well, you insisted on playing many different pieces yesterday and today instead of rehearsing the one you’re going to play in front of the judges, so…. “ She paused awkwardly before Fiona nodded for her to follow her train of thoughts. “I’ll say that, compared to the way I rehearse in general, you’re not,” she added sheepishly.
“Thanks for the honesty, Hun,” Fiona replied with a brief chuckle.
“But, that’s only compared to how I do things!” Viola assured quickly in reassurance as Fiona stopped massaging Viola’s neck and sat on the edge of the couch cushion.. “After all, you’re not me, and I’m not you. For all I know, you’re readier than I am, and I just can’t see it because you’ve prepared yourself in a completely different manner than I did an….”
Once she had felt that Viola had talked enough, Fiona leaned in, and pressed her lips on the brunette’s unexpecting ones. While shocked at first, Viola soon let herself go, and kissed Fiona back with great fervor. The brunette’s hands found their way around her lover’s neck, carefully avoiding to put any uncomfortable pressure on the burn scar that occupied the right side of it.
They kept kissing each other for a good minute or two before Fiona reluctantly pulled her lips away. During their embrace, the towel she had been wearing around her hair had fallen, causing Viola to shiver a bit when Fiona pressed her slightly moist forehead against her own. Even though it was wet, and cold, Viola twirled her fingers in Fiona’s hair as she felt her lover’s breath tickling her own nose.
“You know what? It’s not that important what I think,” Viola whispered gently. “Do you feel ready for the audition?”
“Ah feel ready,” Fiona assured with a nod.
“You look ready.” Viola cast her most genuine smile at her lover.
Fiona returned her lover’s smile before she rubbed her nose against Viola for a few seconds. A gesture that the curly-haired girl happily returned in a brief giggling fit. Fiona pecked Viola’s lips one last time before she extended her arm to the coffee table. She picked up Viola’s partition, and gave it back to its owner before she stood up.
“Ya trust ma method, Ah’m gonna trust yers,” Fiona explained softly as Viola grabbed the music sheets. “Ah’m gonna lie down a bit. Ma neck and ma back are killing me.”
“Thank you, dear,” Viola said with a smile as Fiona walked away from the couch to head for the bedroom. “As soon as I’m done, I’ll come to return the massage you just gave me,” she added in a loud purr, earning a chuckle from her lover.
“Ah’m countin’ on it!” Viola heard Fiona chuckle as she brought the sheets before her eyes. “DANGNABBIT!!!” Fiona suddenly yelled in a mix of anger and pain after a low thud came from the bedroom.
“What is it?” Viola asked before she turned around to look in the bedroom’s direction.
“Nothin’ bad,” Fiona reassured in a whimper. “Ah just didn’t pay attention when Ah came in, and ma toe bumped hard into the bed post. Gosh, that hurts!”
As Fiona put her feet on the bed to get a closer look, she hadn’t noticed that, when she had jumped after hitting the bed, the towel that concealed her freshly showered body had fallen on the ground. A detail that Viola didn’t miss at all when she looked in the bedroom’s general direction. The flushed brunette averted her gaze from her lover, who was bending over to check on her sore toe, by re-focusing it on her music sheets. Something that proved to be quite difficult to do, but she was determined to keep on preparing herself for the audition on tomorrow.
In the meantime, Fiona had noticed with great satisfaction that she hadn’t cracked her nail when she bumped into the bedpost. She let out a long sigh to help clear her mind from the painful sensation in her extremity, and once that was done, she finally stood back up normally.
“You know what?” Fiona heard Viola call from her small living room. “I think we should both rehearse once again to be certain we’re ready!”
“Oh, come on, Viola! We’ve been rehearsin’ since ya arrived yesterday mornin’,” Fiona reminded with a displeased sigh. “Ah’m a bit tired of playing music at the moment.”
“Are you sure?” Fiona immediately tensed when she felt a hot breath on her neck. “I think we need to play some music together!” Fiona heard Viola whisper in her ear as she felt hands grazing the skin of her bare back, and belly.
“Oooooooh, that kind of music!” Fiona let out in recognition, her cheeks flaming red due to her lover’s touch. “W..What about yer music sheets?”
“Do you want me to get back to them?” Viola asked in a low purr. “Just when I was thinking I could give you a very long massage, and most likely more….” She paused as shivers of excitement ran down her lover’s spine. “Quite a pity you’re against that idea right now, and are willing to wait for it.”
“Ah reckon ma mind ain’t against the “massage and most likely more” part right about now,” Fiona replied, turning her head so that she could peck Viola’s cheek gently while its owner nuzzled the side of her neck. “..Ain’t against it at all for that matter.”
“Two things, Fiona,” Viola let out in a slow, calm tone. “First off, Isn’t not Ain’t!” she corrected sternly, causing Fiona to roll her eyes before brushing the tip of her tongue against her pale, smooth cheek. “Se..Second,” she stammered because of the shivers induced by the lick. “Bed! NOW!”
“Sweetest music to ma ears,” Fiona purred before she let herself fall on her bed, waiting for her lover to join her in it.
She didn’t have to wait for more than two seconds.
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I see Octavia's got some performance anxiety. Vinyl's right, she needs a break! Yeah, you don't usually become an expert at something immediately. Yeah, I would have found an excuse to leave the room too. I see Fred's family and maid ship him and Beatrice a lot. This chapter's full of funny, isn't it? Laura sleeps weirdly, that is all. What. She dreams weirdly too I see. Sexy times a-coming! First comment!
Frodrick, or Friedrich?
Fronkenstone, or Frankenstein?
Aw hey son, its time you got yourself a girlfreind. How about that flute player. Or you just whistling Dixie?
Vinyl plays dubstep, Octavia plays classic, and yet Vinyl suggests Can Can?
That, was exactly what I needed.
Seeing how everyone is doing before the audition was a perfect idea. And, it as a separate chapter makes the most sense, pacing wise.
Just loved it.
Thank you for reading,
Jtocool
I'm happy that Ari has a friend.
I am also happy that Octavia and Vinyl havn't been found out yet.
. . . which makes me nervous because Trope Law *knocks wood* doesn't offer me much hope that everything will be peachy keen, find and dandy forever, given that secrets rarely end well. . .
Finished with exams, passed all my classes, getting ready for Christmas... read chapter about people stressing out before a test? Sure, why not :)
In all seriousness though, this was a good chapter... of course it DOES make me wonder how long until the next 'bomb' goes off but eh, I'll just have to be patient.
Just a couple of things I wanted to say.
First.
I hope you get well soon, having been sick for the past few weeks myself, I know that can be pretty rough.
Second.
I want to say thanks for the amount of effort you put into writing. This is definitely my favorite OctaScratch story (and favorite story in general as well), with the Applescratch verse as a whole being a definite second.
and Third.
This is easily THE funniest thing I've read in weeks, I was laughing for a good five minutes.
–BiomasterM2
Octavia’s face turned brightly red as her mind processed what Vinyl had just uttered to her.
When do we get Vinyl/Octavia sexy times?
5402224
Actually, another mistake here is "brightly".
As a modifier of "red" (adds more details about the color) it should be "bright".
Damnit. Should've caught that.
Why didn't I catch that?
5402179
Damnit! Here too. I missed it. That's embarrassing.
I'm just want to say one thing.
This story is so FREAKING AWESOME AND SWEET
One of the best Vinyl and Octavia fics I have read. ( and I read a lot because I love them )
But I have one little question:
Where is Fluttershy? Because she is the only one missing from the story. Everybody else from the mane6 was in the story.
One drawback to having fairly long waits between chapters and loads and loads of characters... is that I lose track of who's who.
Laura's dream should be a fanfic all on it's own,
5417264
Main characters are Vinyl Scratch, and Octavia. So I guessed that was suffisant..
The fact that Fredric's mom, dad, maid, and DOG are all shipping him with Beatrice and cheering him on had me laughing, nice touch. And the Scene in Donut Joe's was hilarious, yay for avoiding cleaning the toilets. I'd personally rather wash dishes to cover a shortage of money. I can't wait to see how the auditions go!
Great chapter, love it.
When Vinyl was teaching Octavia how to ride the motorcycle it reminded me of when Yusei taught Akiza how to ride a D-Runner in Yu-Gi -Oh 5Ds.
Laura's dream was priceless !!!
It took me oh so long to realize Theresa was Twilight...(I think I have the vice principals name right!)
It's nice to see what they do before the audition.
'Hoof-ex-machima'
Okay...that is just...brilliant, absolutely brilliant.
Is it bad I want a muffin now?