• Published 8th Nov 2012
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Private Gig - NavyPony



Some Canterlot entertainers aren't just musicians... and some ponies fall in love with them anyways

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Op. 2, Movt 3: Freddo

Private Gig
by NavyPony

Op. 2, Movt 3
Freddo

As far as spas went, this one was subpar. The proprietresses were friendly, the atmosphere was cheerful, and the customers were pleasant, but the establishment itself simply didn’t live up to the standard that had been suggested of it. Sure, the honor of “Best Spa I’ve Ever Been To,” besides being incorrect grammar, shouldn’t have meant much in a town in which there was only one spa and most of the residents did little in the way of travelling. Still, after hearing so many ponies saying it about the Aloetus Spa, Octavia had started to hope it was as good as Ponyville believed.

It was good, but it just wasn’t that good. Sure, the masseuse was skilled, but not expert. The mud was imported, but it had a slightly gritty consistency. The magazines in the reception area were a little bit on the lackluster side. Not to mention the fact that the mood music was a little bit too familiar for Octavia’s taste, what with the quiet cello solos and the all but inaudible vocal accompaniment, and that horrible flat note three minutes and twenty-one seconds into track six.

The drinks, on the other hoof, were relatively decent. Maybe. Possibly. To be honest, Octavia wasn’t actually sure – she suspected that they were par for the course, but having never before been subjected to beverages with tropical umbrella garnishes, she didn’t have much to measure them against. Had she been in Canterlot, where propriety forbade her from measuring such things as taste and preference objectively, she’d have been hard pressed not to qualify them in vague and snobbish terms, especially when she didn’t have any actual standard. Expressions such as ‘rather what I expected’ or ‘I’ve had worse’ were a part of her usual phrase book; being noncommittal was being cautious when her goal was to please.

So when she got questions like Rarity’s, Octavia would usually brush it off. “How are you enjoying your Mai Tai, darling? It doesn’t offend your palate, does it?”

But on the other hoof, she wasn’t in Canterlot at the moment, and that was wonderfully liberating. “I love it,” she answered with a wide smile. “It’s somewhere between refreshing and delightful, with a healthy dose of delicious to round it off. In fact, I could stand for another.” Almost before the words were out of her mouth, one of the earth pony sisters who ran the spa had refilled her half-empty cup from an overfull pitcher. “And I have no complaints about the service either.”

“I know, right?” Twilight finished her own beverage, and it was replenished even more quickly than Octavia’s. She took another sip before continuing. “In fact, I don’t know why I didn’t think of this myself – I mean, it’s one of the best places to spend time in Ponyville.”

“Yes, isn’t it so fortunate that we came across each other? Imagine if you’d arrived but ten minutes later… I’d have been denied the opportunity to enjoy the company of you and your…”

umm… rarity?

The yellow pegasus’ words went ignored or unheard, and Rarity continued. “I’m sorry Miss Octavia, would you call yourself her friend?” She raised an accusatory eyebrow. “Or perhaps something else?”

“Well-”

“Of course she’s my friend!” Twilight interjected. “Octavia is-”

A hint of annoyance flashed across the interrupted mare’s face, although it was covered before she’d turned to face her fellow unicorn. “Twilight.” Her tone was not cross but it did not quite approach your usual genial manner. “Not to be rude, but would you kindly not interrupt me while I, hmm…”

interrogate her?” a quiet voice whispered.

“Why yes Fluttershy, interr-” Octavia covered her smirk by sipping from her glass as Rarity’s white face shaded itself crimson. “Hmm, Fluttershy I think you mean to say interact with her.” The poor pegasus shook her head and mouthed the word interrogate again, but she was ignored as Rarity turned back to Twilight. “Twi, you’ve been enjoying the darling’s company all morning, while I’m sure Fluttershy is quite interested in hearing what she has to say.”

actually, i don’t mind if she doesn’t want to talk, i just like her music and-

Octavia set her glass down beside her and for the first time in the conversation, sat up from her lounging position and opened her eyes. The spa ponies were (probably wisely) nowhere to be seen, having likely sensed the rising tension in the room. The pegasus who’d recognized her yesterday, Fluttershy, was mumbling almost inaudibly to herself, eyes downcast; Rarity was just turning back to face Octavia, her face stiffening slightly; and Twilight was looking back and forth between all of them. Utterly unaware of the rising tension surrounding her, she took another taste of her Mai Tai and smiled pleasantly. The musician thought it was charmingly naïve. “Twilight, would you please find the pony running the bar and ask for another round? It will be on my tab, of course,” Octavia offered.

Twilight blinked two or three times before formulating a reply, the conversation having turned in a rather different direction. “But… you don’t have a tab. And besides, I’m the one that invited you here.”

Fluttershy piped up, relatively speaking. “actually, it was kind of me who invited you, so maybe i should-

“So really I should be the one paying for them,” Twilight continued, having either ignored or failed to note her friend’s whispers. Judging from the faint flush in the mare’s cheeks, Octavia deemed it to be the latter. “It’s only the polite thing for me to do.”

“Please, I would be amiss-”

“Really, dear,” Rarity interrupted, “she is offering to pay; I’m sure she wouldn’t if-”

umm twi?

“No, I’m happy to pay and that’s final.” In a display of uncharacteristic stubbornness, the young mare rose from her position and trotted out with her nose slightly higher in the air than typical. Fluttershy paused for only a moment and followed in her wake.

“That was skillfully done,” Rarity said, wasting no time. “I suppose you get everything you want that way?”

“I thought I would spare her the discomfort of listening in on my interrogation.”

“Darling, darling, this isn’t an interrogation.”

Octavia’s response started with an almost apathetically half-hearted scoff. It was the kind of expression she wished she had more excuses to use. “It would hardly be the first time and it certainly won’t be the last. Go ahead.” Like flicking a switch, she put on her most mysterious smile – the one that won her job offers whenever she wore it in a crowded setting. She called it her ‘professional smile’.

Seeming to smolder as she did so, Rarity responded. “Very well, Miss Octavia, as long as Twilight’s gone…” She paused momentarily, spinning her glass and watching the fluid inside swirl. “What are you intentions in regards to her?”

“So direct,” Octavia answered with a sniff, returning to a reclining position and closing her eyes lazily. “You really should have asked me what I thought about her or how she compared to some of my previous clients… it’s a much more subtle way of bringing the conversation where you want it, especially considering that I already know where we’re going with this.”

“Is that so? Where, then, are we going with this?”

“See, that’s much better – you’re putting me on the defensive without giving anything away yourself. It’s an obvious move, and not especially high level, but that doesn’t keep it from being a good one.”

“But nonetheless, you’re avoiding my question. Questions, in fact, seeing as how you ignored the first one, too.” If she’d been smoldering before, Rarity was now seething. “So tell me.”

Octavia shrugged her shoulders lazily. “Fine. But understand that I’m answering you because I don’t want to drag this out until Twilight returns.”

The chair she was sitting in creaked slightly as Rarity shifted her weight to more comfortably stare down her opponent. “Because you get less repeat business that way?”

“Because it’s my job to see that she enjoys the time she spends in my presence, and I’m good at my job. Unless I think she’d enjoy seeing me talk circles around your none-too-subtle snipes, I’m not going to fight with you while she’s about.” Octavia didn’t bother suppressing a yawn between sentences. “When it’s only you, however…”

“How noble of you, thinking of Twilight when she’s around but still giving me what I want when she isn’t. It takes a very special kind of pony to be so… accommodating.”

“As you have no doubt assumed, accommodation is something I’m rather good at.”

Rarity harrumphed quietly. “Then start accommodating my question, darling.” Venom practically dripped from her words. “What, exactly, are your intentions in regards to Twilight?”

“Twilight Sparkle is a client.” Octavia tried not to sigh very loudly as she said it. “Nothing more.”

“And that’s rather what I was afraid of. You see, while I am not wholly unfamiliar with your type, it strikes me that Twilight is probably unaware of the details of your occupation.” Rarity paused and glared frigidly at Octavia, as if expecting the other pony to speak. When she didn’t, the seamstress was forced to continue. “I’m just concerned that Twilight may have received the wrong impression, unless you… informed her. I’m assuming that you didn’t.”

“My behavior was the paragon of my craft, Miss Rarity. You have nothing to worry about.”

“A craft which Twilight is altogether unfamiliar with. And unless she knows, then… then…” She gestured with a hoof, as if she could somehow magick up the words she was searching for like with a summoning spell. Eventually she settled for something close enough. “I’m afraid she’s going to get hurt.”

Octavia snorted delicately – it was just enough to sound derisive but not enough that anypony could consider it unladylike. “Miss Rarity, I don’t hurt ponies unless I want to hurt them, and I assure you, I have no particular desire to hurt Twilight.”

Rarity’s sigh came out more like a hiss than anything else. “Miss Octavia, I’d like to believe you, but I just don’t see how that’s possible. I think she’d be better off knowing now so that she doesn’t have to find out later, when it’ll… well, it’ll…”

Once again she started waving her hoof, searching for the right words, only this time she was cut short. “Do you intend to tell her, then?” Octavia asked, perhaps more brusquely than absolutely necessary.

“I have half a mind,” Rarity chimed in response, and showing altogether too many teeth when she smiled.

“I have no doubt of that,” Octavia snapped almost before she could stop herself. “But whatever the case, I would be exceedingly irritated if you were to do such a thing.”

“Tsk. Because it’s not in your best interests?”

“Something to that effect, yes.”

Rarity pursed her lips coldly, little lines forming on her face from scowling. “What about Twilight’s best interests? Have you considered them?”

“I always consider the happiness of my clients.”

“Their wallets, more like-”

The entertainer, expert as she was, clenched her teeth instead of sneering, and managed to turn it into a smile to boot. “I was hired by a third party to perform for Twilight Sparkle and her wealth – or lack thereof – is a complete nonfactor. Were she the most destitute pony in Equestria, I would continue thusly, so long as she composed herself in an appropriate manner.” Octavia lifted her glass to her lips and drained the last of the Mai Tai. “And if I suspect correctly, I rather doubt she could afford to purchase my time – at least not with any sense of regularity.”

“Then don’t string her on like this. Tell her.”

“I will not,” Octavia replied firmly, “and I warn you that I would be most irate were you to do so.”

“Irate? Miss Octavia, I’ve been kidnapped by diamond dogs. I’ve climbed mountains to send dragons packing. I faced off against Nightmare Moon. Why should I be afraid of a who-”

“I’m back!” In a brilliant flash, a certain unicorn reappeared in the room, having teleported in with seven or eight glasses filled up with colorful liquids dangling about in her telekinesis. Three of them were suspiciously empty, which probably explained why the remainder wobbled precariously in her grip. “Look, girls! They have lime-flavored ones and… What’s going on here?”

Twilight looked back and forth between Rarity and Octavia quickly enough to whip her bangs back and forth over her eyes before announcing, “Your drinks are empty. Here.” She floated a pair of the glasses towards her friends, passing an orange-colored drink towards Rarity and a red one to Octavia. Twilight then proceeded to arrange the remainder of the glasses around her own seat before sliding into it with a content sigh.

Before either of the other two could respond intelligibly a butter-colored blur jumped through the doorway and slid halfway across the floor. “Rarity I think I lost- oh, Twilight, there you are. I was so worried, I…” She faded into incomprehensible mumbles as she ambled back to her own seat.

“So,” Twilight Sparkle started, levitating a green beverage by her lips, “what did I miss?”

“Not much darling. You look like you got the better end of the deal, having apparently had a good run on the bar. Myself and Miss Octavia were just discussing her business.” Rarity chuckled and turned to the earth pony. “You were saying something about the work you do in Canterlot? Besides the occasional concert?”

Every part of Octavia’s face except her eyes were the very picture of gentility. “Yes, of course. Ahem. Like I was saying, I’ve been contracted to attend the Solar Charity Auction next week with Mister Toity.” She took a slow pull from her beverage, icy lavender eyes locked on the mare across from her the whole time. “He’s a bit dull himself, but recognizes good ideas when he hears them.” Twilight’s ears didn’t so much as perk up at the implications of Octavia’s words, but Rarity bit her lip. “One of the Princess’ so many-times-removed nieces is having a ball later this month, and while I haven’t yet chosen with whom I’m going… well, events like these always have a glut of powerful ponies who want me to brighten their rooms.” Rarity gulped quietly. “And then there’s Miss Shores, who keeps sending me tickets to her performances as an apology for the last time she hired me to play for her.” Octavia shrugged smoothly, sub-zero gaze still pinning the white mare to her seat. “It’s amazing to what lengths she’s going to get me to be seen with her in public. In fact, I imagine that-”

It was very difficult for a white-coated pony to blanch, but Rarity managed, somehow achieving an even paler shade than her natural color. “Ahem. That’s enough, darling, I’m sure Twilight’s bored of-”

“Actually, not at all!” Twilight declared, putting another empty glass beside her lounge chair. “Did you know that Rarity’s met Sapphire Shores? And Hoity Toity, too.”

“My, how interesting.” Octavia’s cool smile warmed considerably as she turned to face the other unicorn. “Why don’t you tell me about it?”

Twilight took another gulp of another drink and grinned. “Well…”