Scratching the Surface

by Johnny_Bell

Chapter 15 (At The Gala)

Vinyl looked over her dress one last time.

“I don’t see how anypony could wear something like this.” She said to herself, placing her deep purple shades on her face. Her dress was a midnight blue color, with a pale white lining around the outside. She had her cutie mark on both sides of the dress, in a lighter white color, and other smaller musical notes around her entire dress. She slowly walked up to the front entrance of Princess Celestia’s castle, where she stopped. Six other ponies were also at the entrance, singing.

“Been dreaming, I've been waiting, To fly with those great ponies. The Wonderbolts, their dar-” A light blue pegasus with a rainbow mane, sang. Vinyl tried to keep a straight face as she snuck past the six other ponies and made it inside. She looked around in amazement, she’d never been inside a royal castle before. The white unicorn kept looking around when suddenly she turned to see a stallion’s flank right in her face. She blinked in surprise.

“I say!” The stallion said, with a heavy accent.

“Oh.. Sorry dude..just.. Enjoying the sight?” Vinyl facehoofed when the sentence came out.

“I beg your pardon?!” The stallion drew back.

“I’m just... Going to go now..” The unicorn quickly walked off. “Smooth Vinyl. Real smooth.” She frowned, but quickly re-gained her smile upon seeing the Princess at the top of a stairs, greeting her subjects in a very peaceful, and kind, manor. The unicorn made her way up the steps. Luckily, not many other guests had arrived yet, so it was a short trip.

“Ah! Ms. Scratch. Glad you could make it. I was afraid you wouldn’t come.” the Alicorn leaned down for a greeting. The unicorn returned her greeting and nuzzled her cheek as he princess did the same. “No hard feelings, right?”

“Never.” Vinyl smiled.

“Then Welcome to the Gala, and enjoy yourself.” The princess opened her wings with pride.

“I shall, your highness.” The unicorn said as she walked past the princess.

Vinyl sat at a table for a while, drinking punch every now and then. She wasn’t really having fun waiting for Octavia to appear on the stage with the rest of her players.

“Well you don’t look like you’re having fun.” A familiar voice said. The unicorn quickly turned her head to see Spitfire sitting across from her.

“Yeah, I guess fancy stuff isn’t really up my alley.” Vinyl said, turning her attention back to her empty glass.

“Well, why not make your own fun, Vinyl? I hear this next ensemble coming up is in the classical era.” The white mare perked her ears.

“Tavi and her band.” She thought.

“I don’t see how classical can be fun...” She said after a pause.

“That’s why I said make your own fun, silly. Come on, I’ll take you to dance.” the yellow pegasus offered a hoof.

“I dunno, Spitty..”

“Oh trust me.” Spitfire grabbed the unicorn and dragged her out to the dance floor, where other couples were dancing already. Spitfire took the lead, dancing with the unicorn. Vinyl looked through her shades, trying to see if Octavia was on the stage yet, she wasn’t so the mare kept dancing.

“Shoot, sorry.” She said, stepping on Spitfire’s dress. The pegasus giggled.

“I take it you don’t dance often?”

“Not.. Really.” Vinyl said, her voice dropping.

“It’s okay, just follow my lead.” Spitfire whispered. The two mares danced, a little awkwardly, but they danced nonetheless. The band that was playing slowly stopped, and was given a large applause.The two mares also joined the group in applauding, until the new ensemble walked up to the stage. Vinyl gasped when she saw Octavia walk on the stage first.

“Tavi.” The unicorn said with a smile. Spitfire looked at her.

“Something wrong”

“Oh, no no.” Vinyl said, turning her attention back to the pegasus. “Just... Okay look, I’m here to surprise a friend. She doesn’t know I’m here, and I want to keep it that way until she’s done with-”

“I’m at the Grand Galloping Gala, I’m at the Grand Galloping Gala!” A pink pony with a candy coated dress started bouncing around the dance floor.

“Oh no.” Vinyl sighed, her shades slipping down her nose.

“Look, Vinyl, I’d love to stay, but I really should go back to the Wonderbolts. I’m expecting to meet a fan, and I’m sure she’ll love to see me in my suit.” Spitfire said, then trotted away. The pink pony bounced around the room, singing the same tune, she then jumped up on the stage, and scared the harp and tuba ponies, then appeared behind Octavia, who dropped her bow off her cello in disappointment. The earth pony kept singing, her voice getting higher, and higher, and higher, catching everypony’s disapproved attention. There was an uncomfortable silence.

“It’s all I.....ever.....dreamed?” She said sadly, as the ponies all went along their way, making annoyed remarks. Vinyl sighed as the short-lived interruption died down, and the pink pony made her way over to a table. The unicorn turned her attention back to Octavia and her band, as they started up again. The grey mare starting them up.

“And one...two..one two three.” She counted, and they started their nice and peaceful song. Vinyl watched her mare play her heart out.

“Tavi’s worked so hard for this, she deserves to be here.” The unicorn thought. She was right, Octavia was really in her element, playing as if nopony would judge her, and by the looks of the crowd, nopony was. They were all enjoying themselves now. Vinyl looked over to the pink pony again as the name returned to her.

“I’m at the Grand Galloping Gala..... And it’s not what I dreamed.” Pinkie sighed sadly. Vinyl couldn’t help but frown, even seeing a happy-go-lucky pony like Pinkie in that kind of mood. Suddenly the pink earth pony stood up straight and mumbled something, followed by “By making this the best night ever!” She then dropped her smile and walked to the dance floor again. “But how...?”

“Oh Pinkie, don’t do something.....pinkie pieish...” Vinyl groaned. Pinkie then gasped and took to the stage, whispering to each of the players. Octavia listened, but didn’t seem very thrilled, then again, no way was she going to mess up her only shot at being a famous cello player. The tuba player blew into her tuba, clearing it out a little. The pink pony then made her way to the microphone and tapped it with her hoof.

“Come on everypony! I know what will make you shake those groove things!” She shouted excitedly, then motioned to the band.

“Oh Celestia... Not the...”

“You reach your right hoof in, you reach your right hoof out~” She started singing.

“Pony..pokey...” Vinyl finished her thought and laid her head on the table, waiting for the intimate disaster to happen.

As the song escalated out of control, The DJ looked out the window to see a yellow pegasus in a green dress chasing animals around the royal garden, finally stomping on the ground.

“You do the pony pokey, you do the pony pokey,” PInkie continued to sing, first messing up the pianist, then taking a hold of Octavia, and moving the bow across her cello really fast, causing her to fall over. “You do the pony pokey and that’s what it’s all about! Yeah!” She finished, landing on the stage. Vinyl looked on in shock, as Octavia laid there, fury building.

“No no no.. Tavi.. Don’t blow it...” the unicorn pleaded.

“Young lady! This is not that kind of party!” A purple pony with golden mane said.

“Oooooooohhhhh...” Pinkie realized, rolling her eyes around. “They don’t want to party.. These ponies want to paaaar-tay!” She exclaimed. Vinyl sighed as she looked out the window real quick to see the same yellow pegasus, hanging in a net.

“What the-” The DJ was cut of by the sound of heavy beats. She looked up to the stage to see Pinkie behind a DJ table.. “How the.. Wait.. That’s MY table!”

“Come on everypony!” Pinkie shouted, the jumped off the stage. “You wanted a par-tay? Now let’s PAAAR-TAY!” She shouted, then started messing with the other guests, tossing some up in the air. Vinyl rested her head in her hoof as the antics continued and started to get crazier and crazier. She looked up to see Pinkie back on the stage.

“STAAAGE DIIIVE!” She yelled, then jumped off the stage, landing on a cart that was carrying a cake, an orange pony with a yellow mane, had pushed in. The white mare watched as the cake flew through the air. She heard a door open, and saw another white unicorn mare and a white unicorn stallion walk in. The stallion pulled the white mare in front of him to protect himself from the air-born cake. The mare turned, furious.

“You, sir. Are the most UNCHARMING prince I have EVER met! In fact the only thing ROYAL about you, is that you are a ROYAL PAIN!” She screamed, pieces of cake flying off of her every now and then.

“Ew! Stay back! I just had myself groomed!” The Prince shrieked.

“Afraid to get DIRTY?!” The mare yelled, then proceeded to shake more cake off of her on purpose at the stallion.

Vinyl watched as the white stallion stumbled backward and crashed into a statue. Her eyes widened as the statue started to fall. Suddenly a rainbow blur shot past her and landed under the statue, saving a few ponies in the process.

“Yes!” A blue pegasus with a rainbow colored mane exclaimed. She then started wobbling back and forth, loosing her balance from the heavy statue. She colided with a pillar, which fell into another, then into another, creating a domino effect. The dust settled, and the pegasus stood in the middle of the wreckage, the statue broken. Vinyl turned to see the Princess herself with a purple unicorn, Vinyl recognized as Twilight walk in. Her face had shock written all over it, upon seeing the chaos that had just happened.

“Well, it can’t get any worse.” Vinyl found herself speaking at the same time Twilight spoke. Suddenly the floor started to rumble, and Vinyl lifted her shades off her face, and hung them on her horn. The crowd in the room looked around in confusion when the door suddenly burst open, wild animals running everywhere in fright. The yellow pegasus that was in the net earlier was now in the doorway.

“You’re...going to LOVE ME!” She screamed. The room was now in a frenzy, ponies and wild animals running everywhere, all in fright and terror. There was a whistle and the six ponies all ran out the door near the princess.

It was a good fifteen minutes before the chaos died down, thanks to Celestia. She calmed the animals down, apologized to everypony, telling them they could stay if they wanted and they all left the room. Vinyl stayed at her table, blinking in confusion.

“What... Just happened.” She got up and walked to the stage, to see Octavia, still laying down, holding her hooves over her head in terror and shame.

“I.. Played... The Pony Pokey...” She repeated over and over. “No pony will ever invite me to play again.” Vinyl frowned.

“Tavi?” She asked. The grey mare opened her eyes and looked up at the DJ in surprise.

“Vinyl! Wh-what are you doing here?!” She asked, both in shock and happiness.

“Surprise? I was gonna surprise you by showing up... But... It looks like it was a disaster...” The unicorn helped the mare to her hooves.

“How much did you see?” Octavia asked, looking at the ground.

“All of it unfortunately.” Vinyl said shyly.

“Vinyl?”

“Yeah hun?”

“Let’s get home.... I’ve had a rough night.”

“Yes, you have.”

“Oh. And I love your dress... Looks good on you.”

Comments

[Fox-Sama]

Pore pore pore Octavia .

[kanothepegasus44]

damn it pinkie u made octavia sad

[reader238]

1368752it is spelled "poor"

now that my grammar naziism is out of the way great chapter I love how you depicted the gala events froma another pony's perspective

[BassCannon616]

Oh man... This story just keeps getting better and better.

[The Lone Shadow]

God, poor Octy....

[Less_than_good]

1368791
I think it's kind if like how we shout "MOAR!" when we know it's not spelt like that.

Speaking of which… MOAR!!!

[Johnny_Bell]

1449025
Shhhhhhhhhhh.... no one's caught on to that yet.

[Spirit Shift]

i always wondered why she played that song willingly......unless.....WHAT DID PINKIE SAY TO HER!!!!

[corncheetos]

still a song not a good one but still a song

[Earbleed bass]

She slowly walked up to the front entrance of Princess Celestia’s castle, where she stopped. Six other ponies were also at the entrance, singing.
“Been dreaming, I've been waiting, To fly with those great ponies. The Wonderbolts, their dar-” A light blue pegasus with a rainbow mane, sang.(reference ) best chapter so far so many reference's in it like your going to LOVE ME!!!!!!!!!!!!