Broken Record

by Scourgeous

Hitting All The Right Notes

The air was filled with the clink of glasses and the drone of toasts and speeches. There was gallant laughter and snooty comments all through the night. Octavia stood on the small stage overlooking the spectacle, gently drawing her bow across the strings of the cello to the tune she had feverishly practiced. She let her soul play freely instead of screwing herself into a nervous knot, and she found herself able to make the tune flow with a great deal of ease.

One particular unicorn in a regal dress watched her all night, her white fur neatly groomed, her purple mane curled and gently lying over one shoulder. When Octavia drew the song to an end, less violently as the night before, the unicorn cheered and clapped her hooves, eyes sparkling like sapphires.

"Oh, darling, I simply adore your hair!" She beamed as Octavia stepped off the stage, beads of sweat on her brow.

She smiled, dipping her head. "Thank you, miss."

"The pleasure is mine," The pretty mare went on, trotting after her with her dress trailing on the ground. "I must try it out on someone in Ponyville."

"Ponyville?" Octavia repeated, eyes widening as she she stopped in her tracks.

The mare suddenly looked very nervous, but she seemed to put a very determined look on her face, and she pouted. "Yes, Ponyville. I live there, I'm simply here for the occasion. I'll think I'll try your hair out on my dear friend Fluttershy."

Octavia's heart skipped a beat, and she stared into the mare's blue eyes, breathing shallowly. Though all she wanted was to go home and sleep like a bear hibernating, the adrenaline that released in her veins at the thought of Ponyville, the place Vinyl had left to, prickled her like stinging nettles in her chest.

"I'll be taking the last train back there tonight, I simply couldn't leave my dear Opalescence for much longer, she'll be missing me." The mare was babbling on.

"Did you say... the last train? Do you think I could board it with you?" She asked nervously, resting her cello on the ground.

The mare batted her eyelashes. "Of course you could darling! All the better for me to replicate your hair on Fluttershy."

I'm not coming with you for Fluttershy! I'm going to find Vinyl... and I'm going to tell her how much she means to me.

---

Ponyville was alive with music that Canterlot ponies turned their noses up to at the sight of. SugarCube Corner was full of dancing ponies, and the air smelt thick of icing and frosting. Vinyl bobbed her head up and down, standing right behind the DJ set. Her glasses moved a little with each bang of her head, and the whole room appeared purple through the lens.

"Great party, Pinkie Pie!" Twilight called, holding up a glass of juice with her magic.

The pink pony was dancing erratically. kicking out one leg and swinging her hips, bouncing her tail and spinning. It wasn't quite stylish, but she was having fun and that was all Vinyl wanted to see. Pinkie grinned and paused, taking a sip of her own juice.

"Don't thank me- thank DJ Pon3!" She beamed, her teeth sparkling.

Vinyl blushed as Twilight turned to her, then focused on keeping the beat solid. She could barely hear the lavender ponies praise above the music, but she still felt like she was glowing inside from it. This was the first time anypony had thoroughly enjoyed what she did for a living. Her hooves gently scraped the records, and she changed a few levels, then changed the song. It was the same one she had played at The Barn Mug, but this time she was ready to make the crowd cheer.

The song slowly got faster, and everypony almost looked exhausted from dancing to it, but it was exactly what she had wanted. Build their energy up so slowly until they were almost too worn out to keep going, then she flung her head back so her glasses rose off her face and hit her horn, her red eyes glowing.

"Drop that bass!"

The ponies around her were jumping up and down to the remix, screaming with delight and rearing onto their hing legs to reach for the sky. Some ponies linked together with friends and twirled each other around with leaping and bounding. Vinyl danced from side to side, headbanging until her neck hurt.

"Vinyl!" Pinkie Pie called, lengthening out the last syllable of her name. "That was awesome!"

A wide smile stretched across Vinyl's face as she watched the pink Earth Pony dance away, leading a rather queer conga line across the room. Mrs Cake was dishing out more and more plates of snacks and sweets, her eyes glittering with the prospect of more customers. Warmth spread through Vinyl like nothing else she had felt before. The shifting lights of the disco ball, the shapes of everypony seemed to merge into one big black and white wave.

Suddenly, Vinyl found herself back at the spa, her hooves rooted to the ground. She was staring at head at the foamy scene, Octavia smiling in front of her, soft purple eyes filled with love. Vinyl's chest suddenly felt very heavy, as if weighed down by a huge stone. She gasped for air and staggered back, suddenly being flung back into present time. Her hind hooves slid off the back of the stage and she squealed as she reeled back.

Her back hit the ground with a thump, and she stared up at the ceiling, pain raging in her head where it had landed. Her skull felt like it was throbbing, and as everypony started to gather around, Pinkie's face right in front of hers, the world suddenly seemed to start spinning rapidly, and everything in Vinyl's vision went pitch black.

Comments

[TheVirtuousOne]

Oh noes :O

[psp7master]

Nice chapter, though the blackout is somewhat strange. Also, I thought it would be longer

[Scourgeous]

2322881

It was supposed to be shocking, not really something you would guess, but taking a sudden step back on a small stage will do that
And, I just aim for anything roughly 1000+

[Rippy]

I'm glad I gave this story a shot because wow! I love it! I like how you're progressing both parts of their stories and I felt great reading through this. The pace is just right and I can't wait for more! Awesome story!!

[Scourgeous]

2327440

Thank you kindly