The Gray Cellist

by WhiteDaisy

Chapter 7

Vinyl waited outside as everypony left. The crowd slowly dissipated into the snowy night, making their way to their homes or a near bar, commemorating a successful year. The moon shone up in the sky; Luna was also pleased.
Octavia, backstage, took some of her heavy makeup off and asked for a pony from the staff to store her precious cello – she would pick it as soon as she could.
She still couldn’t believe she was going to have a Heart’s Warming dinner with a family – it has been so many years since she was invited for one of those. And not only any family – Vinyl’s family. From what she has heard, a big one. As she checked her looks once more by the mirror, she would remember the last Heart Warming – in her big house, by her also big, lit fireplace, sitting in her big sofa, in a big… Loneliness.
She had everything one would want to have, but only materially. What fun was it if you couldn’t share it with someone special?
Her heart rapidly paced as she trotted outside, with a glittery but modest scarf on. As she reached the cold-topped street, she saw Vinyl, and waved.
“Sorry to keep you waiting.” She apologized, getting to Vinyl’s side.
Vinyl took a moment to react – she was caught by Octavia’s beauty, perhaps a little enhanced by her growing love for her. Her heartbeat went up. Octavia giggled.
“Vinyl, are you listening?” She was slightly concerned by Vinyl’s lack of response.
“Uh… Yeah! I’m right here um I mean… No problem…” Vinyl tried to hide her blush under her scarf.
Octavia waited.
“Well then… Do lead the way.” She asked Vinyl, who again, took some time to respond.
Vinyl started to trot on a very slow peace, and Octavia, with a curious grin, followed. After some quiet minutes between them, Vinyl trying not to look anywhere but forward, Octavia had to ask.
“What has gotten into you, Vinyl?”
“Uh… Nothing. Why- Why are you asking?” She answered, faking a smile she made sure to hide behind her scarf right after.
Octavia’s smile faded away as soon as she realized. She stopped. Vinyl stopped too, trying not to make eye contact. The snow took all the sounds away.
“I may be slow on love matters, but it does not mean I’m ignorant. Your… Interest.” Octavia sighed. “It… Has grown, hasn’t it?”
Vinyl hesitated. She tried to forge some excuse, but no matter what she had to say, Octavia had already found it out. It would be better to simply be honest.
“… Yeah. It has. I’m sorry, this is awkward.” She confessed.
They stood there, neither saying a thing. The cold seemed colder. Octavia took a big breath to the moon with a concerned frown. She had no idea how to carry this situation.
“I’d blame your cello playing, though.” Vinyl said, after some minutes, getting Octavia’s attention. “You… You were glowing, Tavi.” She confessed, smiling under her scarf, eyes locked on the one she loved.
Octavia’s mane flowed with the cold winter breeze. A turmoil of thoughts filled her head. She didn’t know whether to feel concern for Vinyl’s ever-growing love for her, a love that could easily never be reciprocated, or to feel thankful for the compliment. But her thoughts had to go back to outside her mind again.
“VIIIIIIIIIIIIIINYYYYYYYYL”
A childish voice resonated from the next street. It came closer and closer, building up like a siren.
“Oh well, there she comes.” Vinyl recognized the voice.
“Who?” Octavia started to ask Vinyl, but she disappeared of her sight.
She found both Vinyl and Strings Scratch lying on the snow ground, Vinyl taken by a sudden super-hug from a cute small filly.
“You are soooooo late I thought you had forgotten you had a home!” The little pony started to confess, her voice a mix of a high pitch and sweetness.
“Strings, I’ve told you already-” Vinyl started, but was cut by the energetic child again, whose focus had quickly shifted.
“It’s her! It’s really her!” Strings had amazement in her eyes as she looked at smiley Octavia. “When you said you were friends with Octavia Melody herself I seriously thought you were kidding but Oh My Celestia!”
“You’re the best sister I could ask for, Strings. So much trust.” Vinyl said in a joking tone, getting up, shaking the snow off. “Octavia, this is Strings, my youngest sibling. Strings, well… You know her.
“So you’re Vinyl’s sibling?” Octavia asked, and was answered by sequential nods. “It’s an honor to meet you.”
Strings was almost fainting by this point, but she held herself up for a hoofshake from her biggest idol.
“Strings, Mama wants you inside- ” The stallion who called the foe from inside was interrupted.
“Right now, young lady! I’m not in the mood to take care of another cold!” By who seemed to be said ‘Mama’.
“Oh, ok!” She didn’t even stutter, and with little hops of an energetic filly, stepped inside her home again.
“I thought your mother was my biggest fan” Octavia said.
“I gotta agree it’s probably a tie.” Vinyl laughed. “Let’s go in.”
Octavia took a good look at what was Vinyl’s house. Not as fancy or as big as the one she was given by the Princesses, but it still held the name of a Canterlot family. The outside of it had definitely been through some upgrade, and looked more modern than the inside. The furniture followed the same style everywhere – flowing curves and many details. A warming fireplace by the furthest wall kept the whole family cozy.
Vinyl led the way, inviting Octavia inside. They placed their scarves by the side of many others. Octavia could see Vinyl’s family was, indeed, big.
“C’mon. Everyone is waiting to meet you!” Vinyl took Octavia by the hoof, forgetting any awkwardness between them, and toured with her.
They stepped in the living room, and a lit fireplace, with a decorated Christmas tree by its side, welcomed them. In one of the sofas by it, a mare and a stallion sat, focused on various paperwork. The mare used thick glasses, and the stallion, a hearing aid.
“Geez, those two never change… Even on Heart Warming’s night, huh.” Vinyl seemed a little disappointed, and annoyed, by the sight of them working.
“Who are those?” Octavia asked.
“My older twin siblings, Mahogany,” she pointed to the mare, “and Oak” she pointed to the stallion. “They own an instrument making business, so they are always full of papers floating around. It’s annoying, I haven’t had a real talk with them in ages because of it. They are pretty cool if you actually get to them, though.”
“Miss Vinyl! Miss Octavia!” A voice called. A middle-aged chubby maid hurried to them, wearing a dirty apron. “Oh my, you already took care of your scarves. I’m so sorry.”
“Don’t worry about that, Marigold. You must be super busy on the kitchen, right? No need to freak out.” Vinyl calmed her down.
“Thank you very much for understanding, Miss. Anyways, dinner will be served in a few minutes, we are almost done.”
“Thanks, Mari.”
“You’re always welcome, Miss. Now, if you excuse me, I must get back to the preparations.” And she left with a smile.
“Now, upstairs –” But she was interrupted.
“Hey, Vinyl.” A soft voice called. A teen stallion, Octavia recognizing as the one that called Strings inside, was its source. He held a flute with his unicorn magic, and completely froze when his sight met Octavia.
“Hey, Metal. What’s the matter?” Vinyl asked.
He seemed to try to speak, filling his lungs, but he just could not bring himself to do it so easily. After some trials, he finally was able to mutter his wish.
“C-case.”
That was all. But instead of pushing him to be more specific, Vinyl had already understood.
“Mari has probably stored it in the attic again. You know she likes to do that.” Vinyl explained.
He nodded in thankfulness, and dared to try to look to Octavia again. He couldn’t hold his eyes for more than a second, though, and left for the stairs.
“Is that your younger brother? Metal, wasn’t it?” Octavia asked, smiling at the situation.
“Yeah. As you can see, he’s reeealy shy. It will probably take some time for him to start to talk to you, but as soon as he gets comfortable, you have a friend for life.” She explained, giggling. “But come on, you still have to meet my mother. She’s gonna scream when she meets you, you’ve been warned.”
“I’m ready.”
They laughed.
Octavia could take a peek of a sweet scene before they headed to the dining room. Metal, in his way up to the second floor, met another stallion, a pegasus, who was holding the flute’s case. It seemed like he went searching for it for Metal, and it made the teen Scratch very happy. He kissed the other stallion and they both went upstairs.
“Metal has a boyfriend?” Octavia could not hide her slight surprise when asking, while they trotted through the door.
“Hard to believe, huh, him being so shy and all. We had the same reaction when he introduced him to us. They were classmates, though, so that’s probably why he actually got around to talking to him.”
“I see.” Octavia smiled. “They look like a happy couple.”
“And they are.”
The dining room consisted of a long dark shaded table in the middle of it. A majestic chandelier provided light for the whole room. The many windows showed the falling snow outside, tinted by the moonlight’s color. Across the room, Marigold took a bowl filled with salad from the hands of a middle-aged mare, though a door that seemed to lead to the kitchen. A middle-aged stallion helped by carefully organizing the fancy silverware on the table.
“Oh, Vinyl, you’re back!” The stallion said as he noticed them enter the room. His voice was deep, and Octavia actually felt like she had already heard it somewhere. “Would you mind calling your grandparents down? Dinner is ready.”
“Sure!” Vinyl agreed. “Just wait here, I’ll be right back.” She said to Octavia. “Oh, and good luck with my mom.” She laughed and left the room again.
“Miss Octavia Melody, isn’t it?” The stallion called, finished with the silverware. He went to a hoofshake. “I’m Vocallio Scratch, Vinyl’s father. It’s a pleasure to meet you!”
“The pleasure is absolutely mine, Mister Scratch. Although…” She thought for a moment. “I’m sure I’ve heard your voice somewhere before.”
“It’s highly likely you have indeed. I was part of Canterlot’s Orchestra too, although not as a cellist like you.” He explained.
“Wait a minute, are you…? Are you the Vocallio? Deepest Bass to ever sing in Canterlot’s Ochestra?
“That’s me!” He laughed in a low tone.
“No wonder your voice is so nostalgic, I used to listen to you when I was younger. Although I’ve never heard the Scratch surname before I met Vinyl, I must admit.”
“That is because I’ve only held it since I’ve married my sweet Porcelain. By the way...” He proceeded to look at the mare inside the kitchen, who focused on making the rest of the meal. “Porcelain, honey. Miss Octavia has arrived!”
Octavia heard a squeak.
Vinyl did warn her.
“My, my!” She quickly finished the last dish, and rushed to the dining room levitating it to the table. “Why didn’t you say it earlier, dear? We kept her waiting for the meal!”
“It’s not a problem at all, Mistress Scratch.” Octavia said.
“Oh, well…” She was shaking out of nervousness. “It’s such a pleasure to have you as our guest today! The truth is, I’m your absolute biggest fan! I’ve been following your works for some time now; I’ve probably attended every concert you participated in for the last years! Aside from the one you were in just now, I mean, Heart Warming concerts are always an exception, too much work to do! I also find it funny the fact that my daughter met you, she’s not half the fan I am.”
“I’m flattered, Mistress Scratch.” Octavia thanked.
“Oh, please, only Porcelain is alright.”
“Porcelain.” Octavia corrected with a smile. “It’s also my pleasure to meet you, as your daughter has already mentioned you’re my fan. I’m honored.” Octavia explained. “But I do understand why Vinyl wouldn’t go with you to our concerts, she does have another interest, and I must say she excels at it.”
“Oh, you mean her love for those ‘techno’ beats of her. What was the name again...?”
“Dubstep, mom. I’ve told you already.” Vinyl answered entering the room, followed by her grandparents. “But it’s not like it matters, huh.”
“Well, it’s definitely an unusual interest… But let’s start eating already, shall we?” Porcelain tried to change the subject quickly. Vinyl let a sigh as she sits down.
Octavia took a seat right by Vinyl’s side too, in the beautifully decorated table. The smell of all the dishes actually made her stomach growl a little. It all looked delicious.
“I’m sorry for how your mother perceives you, Vinyl.” Octavia said while they served themselves. Vinyl turned to her with a “Huh?”
“It’s a shame she cannot see your potential.”
“Oh, that. Don’t worry about it; happens in a daily basis here.” Vinyl explained.
“Well, you were not fooling around when you said they didn’t support your career choice.”
“Told ya.” Vinyl smiled as she took the first bite of her food. “You should eat too, it’s delicious! One thing my mom knows how to do is food, you now.”
Surprised about how little shaken Vinyl was about her unsupportive parents, Octavia started eating too.

---

The meal was, indeed, delicious. Octavia had never eaten so well in a long time. The conversations at the table were the usual, but they focused a lot on Octavia’s presence too. Apparently, Vinyl’s mother made everyone in the family a fan of Octavia; in varying degrees, but she did.
Strings was the first to finish the meal, and she seemed impatient in her chair.
“Mamaaaa.” She cried.
“No, you need to wait, Strings. Be patient.”
“But mamaaaaa!” She cried once more.
“Strings!” Porcelain was getting irritated. “Please wait, we are almost finished.”
“Ok...”
That incident at the table made Octavia really curious. What was making Strings so (much more) impatient?
She had to wait for the Scratch grandparents to finish their meal too to find out what Strings wanted so much. But the second the last plate was put aside, Strings dashed through the room directly to the gifts under the tree.
Going around it, she started unwrapping the biggest one she could find. By the looks of it, Strings knew exactly what she was getting this Heart’s Warming.
“I think you could help her, Tavi.” Vinyl said.
“Me? How so?” She was even more confused.
Vinyl dragged her to the living room where Octavia took a seat by the filly.
As the wrapping was undone, Octavia could see a black case that looked very familiar, only much smaller. Strings opened it as fast as she could to reveal a child-sized cello, perfect for her.
Her eyes gleamed.
“It’s perfect!”
Octavia smiled – So that’s why.
“This looks so much like my first cello.” Octavia confessed. “I had no idea you wanted to play it, Strings.”
“Aaaaactually I already play it, it’s just that my old one was already too small so mama promised to get me a new one for Heart’s Warming.”
“And does she play it, right sis?” Vinyl said.
“I’m not the one to brag but… Yeah I do.” Strings laughed.
“Well then, care to show me?” Octavia asked, intrigued.
“Sure!”
Strings took the cello on her hooves and prepared to play it.
The song that came out of it was unique – Octavia had never heard it in her life. It was probably something Strings herself had composed, and at such a young age! But it was indeed new in every way. It looked classical but it was so lighthearted and freely played that it sounded contemporary. Strings had made something that mixed both styles so well that…
Octavia had an idea.

Author's Note:

Wow, I had forgotten about this. Anyways, biggest chapter so far to make up for it. I'll try to keep it updated now.

Comments

[faekery]

Seeing fics about characters on the ace spectrum is always the best! I'm ace myself, and this just gives me a warm and fuzzy feeling. Plus, Octavia <3 Vinyl!

[Texus]

not bad, i would like to see Vinyl´s Mom more nervous about Octavia, it is funny for me.

[Frantic Starz]

As she reached the cold-topped street, she saw Vinyl, and waved.

As she reached the snow-topped street, she saw Vinyl, and waved.

[Frantic Starz]

Your fic is amazing. Great concept, great characterization, great build up. Your only issue is that a lot of the time you use the wrong word or you make grammatical errors. TIER 3
http://www.fimfiction.net/blog/415809/tiered-bookshelves

[Texus]

i would like a new chapter soon, this was actually a pretty good fanfiction.