Hearts Beat

by mushroompone

Urban

Alright. Here’s the deal:

When you’re a musician, you take what you can get. Especially if you’re a lesser-known musician. Especially if you don’t really have anywhere to live and are looking for some money to find a place.

It’s just good financial sense.

Unfortunately, when you’re a musician, you often get yourself tied up in “musician drama”. Silly as it may sound, I truly believe it exists; the rivalries that sprung up at Celestia’s school often rivaled those dramaticized in ancient texts.

Musician drama, however, takes on an interesting flavor when it is put on a pedestal. Professional performers will often go to monumental extremes to please as many ponies as possible, including painting on a happy face and pretending to like those they despise.

These were things I had no way of knowing, except, of course, that I was dating a musician.

I had had a taste of it, sure. Little run-ins here and there with groups that Vinyl seemed to hate with the power of a thousand suns, and groups that seemed to hate her right back. The reasons were always fuzzy at best.

All this is to say, of course, that getting a bunch of musicians together for a large-scale festival can almost never go well. All will accept, and none will like it.

Yet they do it anyway.

---

Vinyl threw down the flyer in front of me with such force I thought she’d break the table.

“Oh!” I jumped, and my chair squealed against the tile floor.

Vinyl stood still as a soldier, so I leaned over to get a look at the flyer. It was bright, almost explosively so, with intricate sunburst designs and a long, long list of what I assumed were musical artists. Centerstage in the image was Countess Coloratura herself, flanked by other probably-famous ponies that I couldn’t place.

I looked up at Vinyl. “What’s--”

“It’s the Annual Canterlot Creative Up-and-Comers Summer Extravaganza, ACCUSE for short,” Vinyl explained to me, reciting the lengthy and bizarre title with total seriousness. “A four-day music festival hosted by the one and only Countess Coloratura. It is the number-one way to grow your brand as a musician in all of Equestria.”

I blinked. The words had flown in one and ear out the other without making a single stop. “Is it?”

VInyl closed her eyes, took a small breath in, and let it out. “Every year, I send them a demo tape and politely and professionally request a shot at the main stage and, every year, I am rejected,” she said, all in one breath. “I have never once been able to play even a single note for this event.”

She grew deathly silently. The sounds of the diner closed back in around us. I was mentally preparing to comfort Vinyl as she broke down crying on the table before me, but she seemed to be frozen in time and space, her eyes closed, her breath steady and true.

“Vinyl?” I asked softly.

“However!” Vinyl’s eyes snapped open, and she leapt into a kind of power stance. “This morning, I received this in the mail.”

Vinyl slammed a second paper product down on the table.

This time, I thought to lift the coffee mugs off the table with my magic. After replacing them, I peered down at the new addition to the table: an envelope. It was a vibrant red, decorated with sharp and energetic shapes outlined in yellow and black.

“Twilight, I’ve never gotten an envelope this thick from them,” Vinyl said, struggling to keep her voice even. “Never.”

“Have you opened it?” I asked.

Vinyl shook her head. “I’m terrified.”

I laughed. “Vinyl, what’s the worst that could happen?”

Vinyl flopped down in the chair beside me. “It could be another rejection. Duh.”

“And you’ve had how many of those?” I asked.

“Not helping, Twi!” Vinyl complained. She put her head down on the table. “Can you just open it for me?”

I chuckled. “Oh, come on. I’m sure you want to be the one to open this.”

“I really, really don’t,” Vinyl said into the table.

“Vinyl…” I held the letter up, waving it about where she would be able to see, had her face not been down on the table. “Come on, I know you want to!”

Vinyl lifted her head. “Just open it and read it to me! Please?”

“Vinyl, I really think--"

"Please?" Vinyl begged.

"I--"

"Please!"

"Fine!" I snatched the letter back over to my side of the table, holding my snout high. "But only because you asked nicely."

Vinyl lifted her head a tiny bit, her eyes wide and shimmering.

I held the envelope out in front of me.

I guess I didn't think much of it. After all, Vinyl had played a lot of shows before, right? And this was some sort of amateurs' event. Definitely not a big draw for anypony but… well, ponies like Vinyl.

Right?

I tore the top of the envelope off with my magic, slowly and neatly. I swear I could see the beads of sweat rolling down Vinyl's temples.

The envelope practically inflated with the top removed, ready to explode its contents all over the table. I gently tugged out the thick packet of papers and unfolded them before me.

I cleared my throat. "Vinyl Scratch-- We are pleased--"

She was out of her seat before I knew it, screaming nonsense at the top of her lungs. Interestingly, only a few of the families stopped eating breakfast to stare.

"Vinyl, shush!" I scolded.

"What stage!" she shouted. I'm sure it was meant to be a question, but it sounded more like an exclamation. She was bouncing up and down eagerly, eyes trained on me. “What stage? What stage?”

My eyes scanned down the page a little further. "The main stage!"

Her shouting grew in volume. I tucked my ears down against my head and cringed into myself, flashing Vinyl an uncertain smile.

She grabbed me by the shoulders very suddenly. "Twilight!"

I shrank away from her. Her energy was so intense it was disturbing. "Uh… yes?"

"Do you know what this means?" Her eyes were sparkling, equal parts excited and mischievous.

"Uh…"

She started to shake me by the shoulders. "Twilight do you know what this means!" she repeated as fast as the words would tumble out of her mouth.

"W-what?!" I asked, my voice shaking like a leaf.

"We're going to Canterlot!" Vinyl said. She sort of punched the air, as if she were posing for a photo.

"We are?"

"We are!" Vinyl accentuated her excitement by re-striking her pose, with an extra dose of drama.

I chuckled and dropped the packet of papers onto the table. Before I could ask for details, Vinyl rushed me and wrapped her forelegs around me in a very tight hug. She knocked every breath of wind out of me in one go.

"It's gonna be so fun, you'll love it!" Vinyl whisper-squealed in my ear.

I laughed and hugged her back. "I'm sure I will, Vi."

In all the excitement, we hadn't reviewed other main-stage players. I mean, we would have done it eventually. It's nice to see what you're up against, right?

If we had looked at the list, I'm sure we would have still ended up going. Even after we saw her name, tucked delicately and demurely between an Acapella group and a bluegrass band: Octavia Melody, cello.

---

ACCUSE was held in Canterlot. Not center-city Canterlot, not lower-east Canterlot… just Canterlot.

It was everywhere. You couldn’t take two steps without tripping over a pony wearing “ACCUSE Staff” gear. There were stages being erected throughout the city, as well as a variety of other attractions ranging from sponsor booths to dunk tanks. Every alley, every nook and cranny, every bit of sidewalk was claimed.

I was totally star-struck as we entered, a cart filled with Vinyl's equipment in tow. I had never seen the city like this before.

"Is this a new event?" I asked, narrowly dodging a construction worker swinging a beam.

"This is the eighth year running!" Vinyl happily informed me. "Are you telling me you've never been? I thought you were from Canterlot."

"I don't think I've ever even heard of it," I said.

Above us, two pegasi hoisted a banner into the air, hanging it between two buildings. The banner simply read "ACCUSE: Sunburn Stage" in bold, harsh, red letters.

"How is that possible?" Vinyl asked, laughing incredulously. "You must have at least seen them setting up. Oh, unless…"

I looked over at Vinyl. "Unless what?" I asked.

Vinyl suppressed a giggle. "Well, it's the end of the school year. Any chance you were the type to go on full-lockdown during finals?"

I blushed. "Um… maybe?"

"Wow." Vinyl shook her head, laughing to herself. "You're such a huge dork. So wrapped up in study that you missed an entire music festival at least three times. You're a legend, Twilight Sparkle."

"Oh, come on. I’m sure it’s gotten bigger recently… right?”

"Nope!" Vinyl said cheerfully. “You’re just a dork.”

“I am n--”

“Dork!”

I chuckled to myself. “Vinyl, come on…”

“You’re a dork, and I love it,” Vinyl announced. “I mean, come on. If you weren’t such a dork, I wouldn’t be able to show you all of this stuff. You’d have already done it.”

“Well, if you weren’t so popular, I wouldn’t be able to show you all my dorky stuff,” I said, hip-checking her playfully.

“See? We’re the perfect team.” Vinyl skipped a few more strides ahead of me, then skidded to a stop. "Hey, uh… you said you knew where the hotel was?"

"The Walhorse?" I pulled hard to catch up with Vinyl. "Sure, it's just down the street to your right."

She could barely contain her excitement as we continued our trek, taking three tiny steps to every one of mine, as exhausting as that must have been.

All along the sidewalks, ponies were prepping small tents filled with hoofmade paintings, clothing, and knick-knacks for sale. Colorful umbrellas were exploding open like fireworks in my peripherals, a festive defense against the harsh light of the summer sun. Somepony was already playing music on an oversized stereo. A good, light-hearted tune with plenty of guitar and drums.

I took a deep breath in, closing my eyes to focus on the smell. The air had that special early-summer sweetness to it, mixed with the distant scents of fresh-squeezed lemonade and grill smoke.

It always took me right back to that first summer in Ponyville. There was an indescribable feeling there; something both light and heavy, both happy and sad. To call it nostalgia would be an oversimplification, I think.

Vinyl broke into a gallop on her last few strides, leaping up onto the sidewalk like a ballet dancer. "We're here!" she announced gleefully.

I beamed at her. "Get the door for me?"

She scrambled to the door and pulled it open. The glint off its mirrored surface danced like a shooting star.

The thing about living in a city (or even near a city) is that you never really do the toursit-y stuff. I, certainly, had never stayed in a Canterlot hotel. If I'm honest, I had never even entered a Canterlot hotel until today.

My jaw dropped. The vaulted ceilings, the exquisite tapestries, the marble floors… it was like a miniature castle!

Vinyl had one goal, however. She trotted forward with great purpose and poise, eyes riveted on sign-in booths lined up against the western wall of the lobby.

She rolled up to the third table (marked "P-Z" by a hanging banner) and pushed her shades up onto her head. "Vinyl Scratch?"

The mare peered up at Vinyl over her own spectacles. "Do you have some identification?"

Their conversation faded into a dull background hum as I surveyed the lobby more closely.

There were plants three times taller than I was in massive pots throughout the room. Potted plants as big as a tree! I looked closer. They may have actually been trees. Swanky.

Even the carpet I was standing on seemed impossibly plush and luxurious for a hotel as old as this one. For the first time in my life, I found myself pondering the process of re-carpeting… was that really something other ponies did?

Ah, and the doors. Massive things, taller than the plants, even. Everything on them shiny and new, save for the worn places where ponies would push them open, had been pushing them open for many years. But, still, it seemed purposeful. Stately. A polite and professional way to show off how old and successful you were.

The door swung open.

At first, I craned my neck for a glimpse of the arriving party. I knew some celebrities, after all.

Then she came in, toting a case in the unmistakable shape of a cello.

My eyes went wide, and I snapped back to attention, facing the sign-in booth.

"...make sure you wear the badge when you're out and about, even if it's not near your performance time," the mare was saying. "That's how we keep track of where ponies are supposed to be. Got it?"

Vinyl nodded. "Yes, ma'am!"

"Great." She was not nearly as enthusiastic as Vinyl. "Here's your room key. You're in 421."

Vinyl smiled and took the tag with her magic, perhaps a little too excitedly.

I stopped her with my hoof before she could get away from the table.

"Twi? We got the key, let's--"

"Did you check the list of performers?" I asked in a whisper.

Vinyl's eyes narrowed. "Not all of 'em. Yet. It's a long list, I was gonna go over it tonight."

I huffed lightly. "Who else do you know who might have been looking for an opportunity like this?"

Vinyl's mouth opened. Then snapped shut. Then opened again. "Is she here?" she whispered.

I nodded solemnly.

"Ah, shit…" Vinyl put a hoof on her forehead. "I wasn't-- I didn't think--"

"Let's just get up to our room, and we can--"

"Vinyl?"

We both froze, drawn out of our whispered conversation by the familiar voice. We turned out heads in unison towards the source.

Octavia Melody stood by the sign-up booth next to ours. Her mane was perfectly straight. Her coat was perfectly brushed. Her bow tie was perfectly tied. Her posture was perfectly… perfect. "I thought that was you. You're here for the festival, I assume?”

She looked almost… bored. Nonchalant, but all the way down to her bones, instead of just outwardly faking it like the rest of us.

“Uh…” Vinyl’s mouth was hanging open like a trout, and her eyes were just as foggy. “Yes?”

"Well, that's lovely to hear," Octavia said. "Congratulations."

She turned back to the mare at the booth and continued her quiet, polite conversation. The two exchanged some papers, some cards, and a very similar conversation to the one Vinyl had just finished.

I'm honestly not sure what Vinyl and I did in that time. Probably nothing much more than gawk.

Octavia took her badge from the mare at the booth and turned away.

She did a double-take. "Oh. You're still here?"

Vinyl and I looked down at our hooves.

"Goodness, you're practically twins," Octavia said, with a little laugh. "Well, I suppose I'll see you soon, then?"

"Uh… sure," Vinyl said.

"Where are you performing?" Octavia asked. "What stage?"

"M-main," Vinyl stuttered. "On Saturday night."

"Oh, so am I!" Octavia smiled a little, almost genuinely. "Well, I'll certainly see you then. Hope you both enjoy the festival."

"Uh--"

"Vinyl," she said, nodded towards her ex-marefriend. "Princess."

She walked between us, cello in tow, right into the waiting elevator. The doors slid shut with the same quiet nonchalance that Octavia had expressed.

When the elevator pinged softly to announce its arrival on the next floor up, Vinyl whirled to look at me. “Did she seem mad to you?”

“Wh-- mad?” I furrowed my brows. “It was like she barely knew who you were.”

“I know! She’s gotta be mad, right?” Vinyl was shifting her weight from hoof to hoof nervously, surveying the room for potential threats. “Oh, Celestia… what if she tries to sabotage my performance? What if-- what if all my friends are really here for her and not me? What if--”

“Vi!” I grabbed by the shoulders. “That’s crazy!”

Vinyl blinked. “R-right…”

“Right.”

“She’s probably just as excited to be here as I am… right?” Vinyl asked.

I scoffed. “Well, I dunno about that. But I’m sure she’s going to be a little wrapped up in her own performance for pulling stunts with Lyra and Ditzy.”

Vinyl swallowed. “Right.”

“Right,” I agreed, nodding solemnly. “Come on, let’s check into our room, okay?”

Vinyl hesitated, but nodded. “Yeah. Alright. I’m overreacting, right?”

“N-No!” I insisted. “Well… yes. A little.”

Vinyl sighed and hung her head. “Sorry, Twi. I’ve never had an ex before. I dunno the protocall.”

I snickered. “No worries. We’ll get through it, okay?”

Vinyl smiled. “Okay.”

We walked to the elevator together, and I reached over to press the up arrow. The button glowed a soft yellow-white, and I heard the elevator’s mechanisms spin up. It was nearly silent, but not quite.

Vinyl nickered softly to herself. “You’ve dated other ponies before, right?”

“Uh… yes,” I said carefully. “Why?”

“How do you deal with them?” Vinyl asked. “Exes, I mean.”

“Oh…” I faked like I was trying to remember, but a flood of images flooded my mind instantly.

Flash Sentry. I had noticed him training for the guard with my brother, and become infatuated instantly. Shining had graciously set me up with him, and we’d been on a few very lame dates. He was my first kiss.

We didn’t get along. He was far too much of a meat-head to get me, especially at that age. Things got weird between us and we ended it.

Except he had recently been accepted to the royal guard. I still saw him, still bumped into him. To his credit, he essentially pretended we had never dated. I tried to do the same… but, every time I looked at him, it was like I was seeing the ghosts of a younger me, giving and receiving what were probably the worst kisses in the kingdom.

Worst of all, he was still… moderately attractive.

“Twi?” Vinyl poked me gently.

“I’ve never really had a problem!” I said, my voice uneven. “Nope. No issues. Can’t really help, I guess.”

Vinyl squinted at me. “Alright…”

Our elevator arrives with a polite “ping”. Vinyl helped me maneuver our cart into it, holding the doors open with an outstretched hoof. Eventually we made it in, pressed together like sardines against one wall.

The elevator slid up one floor. Two.

“Who did you date?” Vinyl asked. “I feel like I’ve never asked you that.”

I clucked my tongue. “Oh, just one of my brother’s friends from the royal guard. Flash Sentry.”

“A stallion?” Vinyl asked.

“Yep,” I replied.

“Huh.”

Level four. Level five.

The elevator pinged again, and the car came to a gentle stop on level six.

“Uh-oh,” Vinyl muttered, trying to wiggle further into the elevator. “Not enough room for any hop-ons.”

The doors slid open.

Countess Coloratura.

Of course she was here. She was the main act, the sponsor, the star. She wasn’t made up or anything, either-- just standing there, looking pretty average, waiting for an elevator.

My jaw dropped, but not because of her.

She was flanked by two members of the royal guard.

One was a pegasus mare. One was Flash Sentry.

Vinyl’s eyes went wide. “Uh, we can-- I mean, we can--”

“We’ll take the next,” the Countess said, rolling her eyes and turning her head away.

Vinyl’s mouth hung open. My mouth hung open. A couple of goldfish gawking at a celebrity.

The elevator door slowly slid shut, and once again began its trek upwards.

Level seven. Level eight.

“Damn,” Vinyl shook her head. “You’d think a princess would have some pull with a popstar. Has she always been that uptight?”

She turned to look at me. I was still frozen.

“Shit, Twi, you okay?” Vinyl nudged me gently with one hoof. “You look like you saw a ghost or something.”

Author's Note:

To be continued... tomorrow!

Told y'all I had things cookin

Comments

[Lore Horse]

Holy shit! Double ex confrontation? I'm on the edge of my seat. i.kym-cdn.com/photos/images/newsfeed/000/896/902/c4f.gif

[JustFalcon]

Lord have Mercy. Fate has it out for these two.

[Hobbestc]

In this version was she still friends with AJ? I'd laugh if Twi didn't mention to her friends that she was going to this event and then AJ and Dash show up to see Rara, lol.

[Venerable Ro]

10210227

Yeah, he thinks he's funny too.

[mushroompone]

10210497
Good question! This is a few months before AJ and Rara were reunited. The festival is being held in late April / early May, and AJ and Rara reunite and make up in November. They probably won't run into one another! Although AJ will definitely see her perform