Scratching the Surface

by Johnny_Bell

Chapter 7 (The More I Drink)

The two girls were sitting in a loft, watching other ponies talk and walk around town, when suddenly a cyan pegasus sporting a rainbow colored mane flew down from the sky.

“Hey! Everypony in Ponyville listen up!” She gave a yell. After a small amount of time, Vinyl noticed ponies gathering around, and others that were in houses, opening windows and awaiting what the pegasus was going to say next.

“Come on Vinyl, let’s go see what she wants to tell us.” The two girls stood and joined the group that was still forming.

“Alright, listen up, because I’m only going to tell you all once. I, RainbowDash, give you all news from CloudsDale. There will be a planned downpour tomorrow, so I want you all to prepare yourselves!” She nodded as the group of ponies accepted the news, and slowly dissipated. The mares took time to wait for the majority of the crowd to leave, then walked off towards their apartment themselves.

“I didn’t know they plan the weather here.” Octavia stated.

“Oh yes! Dashy and her pegasus friends up there all work together to control the weather!” The grey mare jumped as Pinkie Pie came out of nowhere. “Oh hey! I haven’t seen you around!”

“Hey Pinkie.” The unicorn didn’t even glance in the direction of the bouncing pony.

“Hello! You’re the superhero I met last night, right? I still think you have lasers as your power.” Octavia gave a confused look at her roommate. Vinyl could read that look, it was a ‘The heck is she talking about?’ look. She giggled and stopped, causing the other two ponies to also stop. The unicorn placed a hoof on her shades.

“Pew pew pew!” She screamed, jerking her head as if she was shooting actual lasers from her shades. Pinkie jumped up, then laughed.

“You’re funny.”

“You’re both odd.” Octavia laughed, then continued walking.

“Hey Pinkie, I wanted to ask. When is that.. Uh..” The white mare placed a hoof under her chin. “What’s the word.”

“Fashion Show.” The grey pony called over her shoulder. Vinyl ran with Pinkie to catch up to her.

“Yeah, that’s it. So, when is it?” Vinyl finished her thought.

“Oh, right. Well, Rarity says soon. She’s really busy making our Galloping Gala Dresses just the way we want them!” The pink pony bounced around the two girls.

“Wait. This pony is actually kind enough to give you a dress?”

“Wait... ‘us?’” Vinyl turned to the pink earth pony.

“Well yeah! There’s AppleJack, RainbowDash, Fluttershy, Twilight, and myself!”

“This pony is taking time to make five different dresses?” Octavia’s jaw dropped. Pinkie Pie smiled.

“Yeah! I mean at first they were bleh, but when she gets them the way we want them, they’ll be awesome!” Vinyl stopped, and looked over at Octavia.

“Wow. I think her making the dresses would be a gift enough.” The grey mare blinked.

“Let alone, make them the way you want. She must be a really good friend.”

“Rarity’s the best!” Pinkie shouted, then hopped off in a different direction.

“You have some weird friends, Vinyl.” The grey musician laughed.

“And you’re one of the best.” Vinyl grinned. Octavia stopped and blinked.

“What do you mean by that?” She hollered after the unicorn. Vinyl kept walking. “Hey! Don’t you walk away from me! Answer me! Vinyl!”

Vinyl listened in their apartment at her cellist friend gracefully played her cello, bobbing her head in sync with the slow progressions. She stood slowly, catching the grey mare’s attention. The unicorn signaled for her to keep playing, and she walked to her bedroom, grabbing a microphone and a stand. She plugged it into her turn table in the corner and went back out to the living room. Octavia stopped.

“What’s this?” She asked, bow in hoof.

“I want to try something.” Vinyl ran back and forth, connecting wires and doing a full system check. “Tavi, give me a note!” She yelled from her room.

“Which one?” She asked, then paused for a second. “And don’t call me Tavi!”

“...I dunno..an.. A?” Vinyl scrunched up her nose. Octavia shrugged and moved her bow across her strings, playing a long A note. Vinyl watched her musical equipment register the note perfectly. “Yes, perfect. Octavia, when I say so, start playing whatever you want, for however long you want.” The grey mare blinked.

“Uhhh.. Okay.. Give me a few seconds...” She gave a sigh, then started going over musical notes in her head.

“Ready?” Vinyl cried out. Octavia opened her eyes.

“Let’s do it.”

“Start!” Vinyl said, hitting the record button on her table.
Octavia took a breath again, then slowly ran her bow across the strings, giving a low, mellow tone. She held the low note for a while, letting it calm, then she gave another slightly higher, slowly picking up the pace. She really got into her music, swaying in time with her playings. Vinyl closed her eyes, adding her own beat in her head to the wonderful deep cello sound. She took a deep, quiet breath, then opened her eyes just as Octavia finished. Vinyl stopped the recording, then put down her shades and walked up to her roommate.

“How was that?” the cellist smiled.

“Beautiful. I was really wrong the first time I listened to you play. You’re amazing with that thing.” Vinyl smiled as the grey mare blushed.

“I still haven’t heard you play something.” She said as she placed her cello in its case. The unicorn wrapped a hoof over her friend.

“Trust me, in due time, you will.” She then stood on her own hooves. “Hey, how good are you with your drinks?”

“I’m not sure what you mean, Vinyl.”

“Can you handle your alcohol?” The white mare shortened her meaning. Octavia looked at her with a funny look.

“You want to go out drinking?”

“Yeah. You want to go?” The cellist placed a hoof under her chin in thought.

“Hmm.. I’m not sure. Do I go with you to go have a few drinks, or do I let you go out alone and possibly not make it back.” She squinted. Vinyl rolled her eyes.

“You coming or not?” The DJ asked, using her magic to bring her shades to her.

“I will on one condition.”

“And that is?”

“If I go with you, you have to leave your shades here.” Vinyl froze.

“I’m... Sorry? You know I don’t go anywhere without my shades.” Octavia held herself against her roommate.

“But no one knows you here, Vinyl. You’re hiding nothing. It’s not like we’re in Manehattan anymore. You can be you.” She ran her hoof under Vinyl’s jaw. “For me?” Vinyl sighed, then took off her shades once more, showing her ruby eyes. She slowly set her shades on the table, then looked at her friend.

“It’s like you know my weaknesses.”

“Well I think your eyes are lovely, and you shouldn’t hide them.” Octavia opened the door for them both. “Shall we?” Vinyl nodded and walked outside, then waited.

“I think we shall.”

Vinyl sat next to Octavia and covered her face. They arrived just moments earlier at a bar in Ponyville, and to their surprise, the bar was pretty normal. Not too full, but not empty either.

“Vinyl, lift your head, you look silly.” Octavia poked the unicorn. Vinyl sighed and lifted her head, just as a waiter pony walked up. Vinyl took one look at the pegasus stallion and hid her face again, making a squeaking noise.

“So...I’m going to guess you’re not ready?” The pony folded his wings.

“No no, we are. She’s just....shy about her eyes.” Octavia placed a hoof on Vinyl’s back.

“I don’t see why. I thought they were lovely. They really compliment your mane.” The stallion smiled, then looked at the cellist. “So, what’ll be your poison?”

“I’m...what?”

“What are you going to have to drink, is what he’s asking.” Vinyl rose her head again, eyes open.

“Oh.” Octavia quickly looked at the drink menu. “I’ll have a Cider please.”

“And up it.” Vinyl finished. The stallion nodded, then looked at the unicorn.

“And for you?”

“Same, just a little stronger.”

“Coming right up ladies.” The stallion turned and walked back to the bar.

While waiting for the drinks, the girls started talking about everything under Luna’s moon.

“My parents actually expected a bunch out of me.” Octavia stated. “They always wanted me to be the top of my class, get the straight A’s. They pushed so hard, and I’m happy they did. As a reward for succeeding in class one day, mom took me to a music store and told me to pick out an instrument.” The cellist laughed. “I saw the cello and loved it. Years of practice followed.”

“Is that how you learned to stand like you do?” Vinyl asked, surprisingly interested in the earth pony’s story.

“Actually yes. I tried playing it by laying it down. Needless to say, that didn’t quite work. So I lifted it, and used the cello itself for support. Yeah, it took a while to get the hang of standing on my rear hoofs, but I’ve done it so many times, I now don’t need support.”

“Get out. No way.” Vinyl straightened up in her seat.

“Well, I don’t like to brag...”

“Show me. I don’t believe you.” The grey mare giggled, then got off her seat.

“Alright. Watch.” She said, then pushed against the ground with her front hoofs, lifting her upper body up in the air. She moved one rear hoof back to balance herself, then placed her front hoofs on her hips. “Ta-da.” Vinyl looked up at her.

“I want to try that when we get back to our house.” She said, offering a hoof to help her friend back on all fours. Octavia then sat back down right as the stallion returned with their drinks.

“Sorry it took so long, I got swamped with other ponies. Hope that’s alright.” He apologized.

“It’s fine.” The grey mare smiled. The pegasus set the drinks down, then smiled back.

“Anything else ladies?”

“I think we’ll be good for now, thanks.” Vinyl said, taking a drink. “Damn, that’s good. Try yours Tavi.”

“I’ll leave the couple alone.” The stallion said, walking away. Octavia, in mid drink, took a spit take.

“But we’re not-”

“Ah, he can’t hear you. Just let it go.” Vinyl said.

“But Vinyl, he thinks we’re...together.”

“And that’s a bad thing? I mean, I wouldn’t mind if we were.”

“Vinyl, I’ve never had a....marefriend...I haven’t even had a stallionfriend.” Vinyl blinked, surprised.

“You’ve never been with another?” Octavia shook her head.

“Sadly, no. I’ve always been on the shy side, and never really built the courage to ask anypony out. And to be honest, and nothing against you, Vinyl, but I just cannot see myself going with another mare.” Vinyl took another drink, then gave a half-effort laugh.

“I totally understand.” She smiled.

“Ouch.”

Octavia was halfway through her second drink, while Vinyl was on her fifth.

“My cutie mark story is actually embarrassing, well to me anyway.” Vinyl said, after taking a drink.

“I’d love to hear it.” Octavia smiled as she sipped her drink, then giggled.

“Well, alright. So, I had tickets to a show, backstage passes.” The unicorn hiccuped. “And so, I was watching the show from behind the curtains and the musician went to intermission, making the front curtains close for a while time.” Octavia let out a laugh.

“While time.”

“Shush. I’m trying to think clearly when my head isn’t.” The unicorn scrunched up her nose and stuck out her tongue. “Anyway, after a while I actually stepped out and came face to face with the turntable. I looked at it, studying the buttons and knobs. I wasn’t gonna touch it, but I slipped and my hoof hit a record on the table, causing the scratching noise. I heard the crowd start going nuts, thinking the musical pony was back. I panicked and hit play on the table, starting up the next record. They loved it, and it only egged me on. I started twisting knobs and pushing buttons, making more noise. Then I found a lever, and pushed it up, turning up the volume. The crowd screamed their heads off, until the curtain rose, then the stadium was filled with gasps, and one filly who just kept going. It wasn’t until A voice behind me caused me to stop.” Vinyl paused, taking one last drink of her cider.

“Then what happened?” Octavia set down her empty mug. The unicorn burped, covering her mouth.

“Let’s just say, he was confused, then saw my backstage pass, then my new cutie mark. After that, I was like a guest of honor, standing next to him through out the rest of the concert.” The pegasus returned.

“Another, ladies?” The unicorn looked at her friend and smiled.

“If I have another, I’m not gonna make it home.” She laughed.

“I think we’re fine. I’ll just pay our tab.” Octavia pulled out a couple of bits and placed them on the table.

“Awe, crap. I knew I forgot something. I was going to help...” Vinyl hiccuped again. “you pay.” Octavia shook her head.

“Don’t worry about it. For now, let’s get home.”

“Agreed.” Vinyl stood from her seat and immediately hit the floor. “Ain’t no way in Equestria.....I’m gonna..” She stood again. “something...” The grey mare supported her friend.

“Something?”

“I can’t remember. Let’s get home.”

Hey hey! so yeah, I'm a little late on this, oh well. Life be busy at times. ANYWAY, the offer from last chapter still stands. if you are a good artist, or know one, it'd be pretty cool to have a cover photo for this story. as a reward, I'll put in your OC (if you have one) in the story at some point.
but thanks again for reading, hope y'all are enjoying the story so far. More to come, and maybe a surprise next chapter. MAYBE.

Comments

[Neon Icy Wings]

I really like this story! Not much else to say.

[noman01]

awesome chapter johnny-bell i love this story and im looking forward to the next chapter

[theonlymoondancer]

820676
That's what I thought.

[Earbleed bass]

So many refences