When a Sax player stays in Ponyville for special occasions, somepony doesn't completely trust you. And she completely disagree with Jazz, because she can't swing. Will you be able to get the pony swinging by the time you leave?
When you visit Ponyville for special occasions, you meet a pony who doesn't completely trust you. Your a Sax player, and you play Jazz for a living. But when you play some music for her, she doesn't exactly..."Swing"...in your vocabulary. Will you be able to get this pony swinging before you leave Ponyville?
You are Jazzy Sax, and you've only been in Ponyville for two days.
You sigh, and you look at your instrument. It was a Saxaphone, or Sax. You pick it up, and polish it. You look ahead, and your next to the Train Station. "Ticket, please." The Conductor asked.
You hand him your ticket, and he bids you farewell. You enter, sit, and just look up at the ceiling. To be honest, this was your first performance. You don't know what it feels like to play on stage. Well...in Canterlot, at the least. High quality unicorns, who literally take notes on your actions. You played dozens, and their the reason your going to Canterlot, but a few ponies take serious actions on you. "Um...excuse me?" You hear.
You look to your left and see a mare. She's a light, cyan blue pony with an ocean blue hair and mane. Her cutie mark was a fish, and she looked very curious. "Are you...Jazzy?" She asked.
You fix your bow tie, and you sit up. "Yes...why?" You answer properly. You want to speak normal, but you can't tell since she's just an earth pony. Their normal like you, an earth pony, but you must be proper. "I-I loved your music. You played at Fillydelphia, right?" She asked.
"Yes." You answer again. She smiles and sits beside you.
"You were my idol when I was a filly," She said. You couldn't tell if that was offensive, since she just called you old, or be flattered Because of the worship. "I play piano. But since I was an earth pony, ponies would make fun of me. They said I couldn't do it. But since your slow, and swinging music made me feel like I could do it, I finally got my cutie mark, and...you made me happy."
You smile, not because she can play piano, but she believed in you. She believed in you and thought she can pursue herself. And it worked. "Well...I do need a piano player." You mention. She squeals in delight and she quickly say, "Oh oh! CanIcanIcanIcanIcanIcanIcanIcanIcan-?"
"Alright, alright. Just...please don't do that again." You beg. She cheers and hugs you. "Thank you so much! Oh! Do you need a drummer?" She asks.
"I don't need to go down that road yet, but...yeah." You say.
"I know a guy named Beat Catcher! Maybe we could-!"
"Please...just...not now." You cover her mouth and begged. She nods and the train finally stops. "Canterlot! Please exit if this is your stop." You hear.
"Guess this is my-uh...our stop." You say. She smiles, but you realize, you didn't quite catch her name. "By the way, what's your name?" You ask.
"Key Chains. I make beautiful 'chains' of music!" She joked...but it didn't make you quite laugh...just made it awkward. You give a awkward laugh anyway and walked to the back of the restraunt, that only ponies with reservations can get in. You look to see a huge pony guarding the door, nodding when a pony is acceptable. You get in line as you carry your Sax with a smile. "Ever played in Canterlot before?" Key Chains asked.
"Uh...no...not really." You admit.
"What?! You've never played the Sax in Canterlot before?" Key chains asked.
"Well...no. My music is for people to release their inner peace, and to let them...'swing' like no tommorow." You say with a smirk.
"Swing? Hah! I doubt that." You hear. A pony in front of you turns and looks at you.
"And who are you?" Key Chains asked.
"My name's Octavia, and nopony will be...'swinging' here tonight." the gray mare says. The gray mare wore a pink bow tie, and she was an earth pony. Her cutie mark was a clef, her hair and mane is chocolate black, and she had the eyes of a serious unicorn. "My music is to harness the power and to grab's my crowds...out of their seats. But...'swinging'? Unlikely."
"Now wait just a minute! Jazzy's songs are amazing enough to bring ponies out of their seats!" Key Chains interrupted. Octavia just giggled.
"I would love to see that happen." Octavia said. You were finally next as Octavia went in, and the pony looked down at you. "Name?" He asked.
"Jazzy Sax." You say. It takes a few moments as he checked the list, then he nods. "Performing the good stuff, eh?" He asked.
"Yeah." You say.
"Wait...wait wait wait wait! Don't start the music, without me. I...love...your...music. How you say? It got me 'swinging'! Heck, you even got my wife swinging!" He says.
"I'll do my best." You say with a smirk. He nods and let's you both in. You gear up your Sax, as you watch Octavia play on her...cello.
You have to admit, you were really impressed. Like...really...really...impressed. She calmly strokes each key...and you can feel your body just...you couldn't tell. It was a mixture feeling in you. Even know she's playing all by her self with whoever her friends were, solo~was it? It was a mixture of surprise, mysterious, and...you couldn't figure out that last feeling, it was just...there. The crowd stopped what they were doing and stared. It looks like they were eating. It appears your in a restraunt. When she finishes, she walks over to you with a smirk. "Top that...newbie." Octavia said.
You give a small chuckle as you grab your Sax. "I will." You reply. She trots out of your way as Key Chains prepared the drum set for another pony. Once she jumps on her piano, she nods and you ready the Sax.
You can see the ponies just...tap their hoofs. Of course, you had to start slow, make sure you get even the most ignorance pony their is. You see a few bobbing their heads, some even clapping to the beat. It's not like this happened before: Play good or go home. And you were just, swinging that Sax. When you got the beat down, you just make up some stuff to 'wow' the crowd, and it worked succesfully. You nod to Key Chains as she performs a little piano solo, and you feel into the beat.
By this time, you got mostly everypony swinging. Some dancing in their seats while eating.
(You can finish the song if you like)
When you stopped, the ponies cheered. Maybe the cello was played a little to much in Canterlot, maybe that's why Octavia didn't earn any cheers. But she did play pretty well. You take Sax with you and head towards Octavia, not one smile appeared. "So...?" You asked.
"You did...okay...for a newbie. Not like they wanted another song." Octavia said.
You shrug, but the pony from outside came in and head towards you. "Hey...hm...how do I say this? The ponies want you back." He said.
"You serious?" You asked.
"It's the first time they ever seen somepony play the Saxaphone before. Even on stage too. It's rare to find somepony who plays Saxaphone in the streets." He says. The ponies outside kept cheering your name, and your body just urged to run on stage and play another song. But you took over that urge and you smile. "I...guess I'll go again." You say.
Key Chains, out of nowhere, starts hugging you with a squeal. "Yay! We can go one more time! This is so awesome!" She says.
"Yeah, but this song, is a master piece. You have to be really...really good." You say.
"I have played Mozarts music on piano." Key Chains said cocky.
"That was you? That was really amazing then."
"Thanks. But what is the music?"
"Kobayashi Kaori."
"Are...you...serious? That's the hardest Sax player ever made!"
"And that's why we're gonna perform it." You say as you grab your Sax. You get on stage again, leaving Octavia a little surprised. Once she get's on the piano and the drummer fixes the his set, you close your eyes, and Key Chains starts to play.
You can just feel the beat, and before you can even play, ponies start cheering for you. You couldn't help but smirk as you ready the Sax. Once you play, ponies are in 'aww' from the amazement. And you can see most of the ponies just...dance. Some, the most sophisticated ponies there, were swinging like tommorow.
(You can finish the song if you like.)
When you finished, you head over to Octavia who still wouldn't show a smile. But you couldn't help but stare at the eyes. Somehow...they just made you feel...weird. But you got over it and she looks at you with a stern face. "I'm not sure if your worth my time." Octavia said.
"Maybe your just a little jelly that I got an encore." You say with a smirk. She looks at you angrily touching snout to snout. "I have you know that I had thousands of encores! This is just your first." She said.
This actually wasn't a lie. This is the first time you had an encore...ever. The only reason why it's your first is because your usually busy with work. But...it was kinda cool. You just smirk and decide to tease her. "Hm...the feisty one, eh?" You ask. "You know...we may only have met, and your touching my snout, it looks like you...have a crush on me."
Octavia's cheeks burned in either embarrassment or in anger, but she was definitely blushing. "Me? HAH!! It seems, Mr. Sax, that you are the one that has a crush on...muah." She said, turning around and ready to leave.
"I doubt it. But we can go out and maybe get to know each other...just in case we meet again." You mention. Octavia looks at you sternly, then looks at the door. "7:00 PM...sharp. Ponyville...308 Hoofstreet." She says. You watch her leave with her cello as you pack up your Sax. Key Chains comes in with a huge smile. "We did it! I think we hit the jackpot!" Key Chains says.
You pack up the Sax and got ready to head out side. "Wait! W-where are you going?" Key Chains asked. Just as you open the door, you had one thing to say before you left.
You stand in front of...Octavia's house, but...you feel...nervous. I'm mean, you been on a lot of concerts, stages, heck, even a few mares actually tried to get your attention, but this one just makes you feel...weird. You take a deep breath, and you slowly let it out. You knock on the door..."OCTY, YOUR BOYFRIEND IS AT THE DOOR!!" You hear.
"I'M BUSY DOING MY HAIR!! YOU GET IT!!" You hear. The door starts to unlock, and you see a white mare. She had a razor and rad blue and cyan hair. She wore pink/purple glasses, and you couldn't see her eyes. Her cutie mark was a two-note and she obviously had a smirk on her face. "Hey, names Vinyl Scratch." She says, holding out a hoof.
You shake the hoof, and she lets you in. "Is Octy your boyfriend?" Vinyl asked. You look at her at first as she gives a small 'squee'. "Actually, were only going to dinner to introduce ourselves. Nothing like that." You say.
Vinyl stares as you as you stare back. "Sounds boring." Vinyl says. You smirk as she stares at you in confusion. "I do plan on...teasing with her. Just to peeve her off." You add.
"Now your talking!" She says as she gives you a slight punch to the shoulder. She goes into the kitchen as You follow. "You know...you don't look half bad. If you didn't play the Sax and listen to modern music, we could be in...'business'." Vinyl says as she winks at You.
"Sorry, but Octavia may be a little jealous." You joke. You share a laugh with her...until Octavia comes from behind. "You ready?" She asks.
You turn, and you pick up your case. "Yeah. Got a gig at Ponies La Vida. They showed up just before I arrived, so I may be a little busy." You say awkwardly.
Octavia, however, seemed a little upset. Her eyes fell and her smile changed. "Oh...really?" She asks.
"Yo, Octy, you okay?" Vinyl asks. Octavia sat still for a moment, but she shook her head into reality. "Y-yeah. Just...let's go." She says as she pulls you by the collar.
You get to the restraunt with your case as they check the list. "Hmm...Jazzy...yes?" The agent says.
"Yeah. As a matter of fact, could you...hold my performance? I got to take a break." You ask.
"Can be no longer than be 30 minutes." the agent says.
"Alright then. 30 minutes it is."
"Alright, go in please. Table 5. Head left and you'll see it."
You and Octavia enter and see the place. The place was dim, and it smelled fresh. The food was properly made, the restraunt was loud, and yet, soft. Forks, spoons, and knifes clank to the plate left to right, the candles were the only things that lit the place, and everyone was dressed properly. You and Octavia head to Table 5 and you take a seat. "You like? First time coming here, being honest." You admit.
"Well then, you have a good taste in fashion then." Octavia says, taking a sip from her wine. You spin your glass, and she just wanders off into space. "Ever been here before?" You ask, breaking the silence.
Octavia hums...but she shrugs. "Not really. Was never brought here because you need a guest to come in here. I would bring Vinyl...but...you've met her, right?" Octavia asked.
"She seems okay. I don't see the problem." You say.
"She's unorganized, doesn't take anything seriously, and parties a lot. I find that revolting." She says.
"And you still live with her?"
"She cleans the dishes."
"With what? Wubs?"
"Yes. How did you know?"
"I was joking!"
"Then you were dead on."
"Excuse me, what would you like to order?"
You both turn to see a waitress standing there with a notepad and a pen. "Uh, yeah. Can I have a salad with a bit of hay?" You asked.
"Certainly. And you, madam?"
"Same." Octavia replies weakly and with anger. The waitress nods and leaves, but when she left, you got curious on what happened before. "Octavia...why were you so upset that I would be busy?" You asked.
Octavia's cheeks burned as she looks out the window with anger. She growls a little as she crosses her hooves and legs. "None of your business." She says.
"But you seem so upset. You can at least give me a try." You say.
"You don't u-understand."
"Then help me understand. Explain where I can understand. Help me understand, Octavia. I want to know."
The table was quiet, but the noise level wasn't. She seemed off guard as she stared at the window, and her anger slowly turned into her biting her own lip. Her cheeks turned pink to red, and her legs shifted uncomfortably. You wait for her to answer, and the more she refused to answer, the more she wanted to look away from you with embarrassment. "F-fine. It's just...I didn't want to lose you." She says.
"Huh?"
"I was afraid I would lose you. Sometimes...Vinyl would hook me up with a modest person, but it usually ends up w-wrong. Your the first that didn't leave me, like...after an hour." She explains.
Whoever she hook up with...they must've been jerks.
"I-I needed a stallion, so ponies would stop bugging me if I was single. And this pony makes me f-feel special. A little bit immature, but he's fine in my book."
"Who is he?"
"Sorry I'm late. Had to dress properly." You hear.
You turn to see...Blueblood. As he takes a seat and gets a good look at you, he scowls. "Jazzy..." He says angrily.
"Blueblood..." You say with a anger tone.
"You two know each other?" Octavia asks.
"Yeah...I hate to say this...but he's my...brother-in-law." You admit.
This was true. You was born first, but after your mother had some issues with your father, he went with a other mare...and that's how Blueblood came into view. At first, you thought this guy was your best little brother...but...he's one heck of a trouble maker. First, blames you for everything. School, home, work, messing with Auntie Tia's hair, EVERYTHING!!! You moved into Fillydelphia after that, but either way, you were going to be forced to move until you hit a certain age to come back. Though, he did tell you he was dating a mare, but you thought he would taste his own medicine...but...this was much worse. "Why is here here?" You asked.
"He's...the one I'm dating." Octavia said weakly. Blueblood looked at your case and smirks. "Still playing with your daddy's toy?" Blueblood taunted.
"Like you playing with your baby doll?" You truthfully asked. Blueblood gasped in shock, then went into peeved-off mode. "We told each other to never explain this to public!" He yelled.
"Your the one who started it!" You yelled back.
"Look! I brought him here so we can talk peacefully. Not to get into a feud." Octavia said.
"You better watch out for this one, Octavia, he's only using you." You say.
"And you better not trust him, Octavia. He is the same person who uses mares to get where he wants." Blueblood lied.
"Not true." You say with calm anger.
"So true. Come on, Ms. Octavia, we are leaving. Pay the bill." Blueblood says. They both leave, but before they leave out of your sight, Octavia looks at you with hurt-ful trust. You sigh as you stare at the half eaten food. The waitress comes back with the bill...
You approach your house in Ponyville. You sigh, open the door, walk in, close the door, and flopped onto the couch. "Thif if fha worth day of my life." You mumble through the couch. The door bell rings and you go near it. "Coming." You say. You open the door to see Vinyl.
"Sup?" She says. She barges into your house before you can say a word. "This is your place, huh? Looks nice." She says as she sits on your couch.
"Why'd you come?" You asked.
"Blueblood came into the house, gave up afterwards." Vinyl says, now slouching.
"Yeah...my brother can be a real pain." You say.
"Woah, woah, hold up. You say he's your brother?"
"Yeah, why?"
"That guy kicked me from a gig in Canterlot! Was gonna get paid too..."
"He hates anything that can move his hoofs. I know because I heard that...um...a Base Cannon was shot out? I think?"
"Really?! That was me!"
"No way! Yeah!" You high hoof the girl and she smirks. You sit on the couch as well, but surprised when she rests her head on your shoulder. "Yeah...he totally deserved that." Vinyl says.
"Just a pain in the flank." You say.
"Hey...is it alright if I can stay at your place for tonight? I can't trust the time, knowing how long Bluebutt is going to be there." She says.
"If Octavia get's jealous-"
"She's with Bluebutt. Nothing to worry about." Vinyl says, motioning her hoof. She now got comfortable as she rest her hooves on the couch.
"Hey...remember how I said that, if you played the DJ, I find you cute?" She asked.
Oh...crap. Don't tell me.
"You gonna be a DJ someday?" She asked.
You...was...SAVED!!
"Probably not. Gotta follow my father's promise. Play the Sax, and teach it to the colts and fillies. That's really it." You say.
"Oh..." She says. It was quiet, and it kind of looked liked she zoned out. But a few minutes later, she straightens her back and quickly gets off the couch. "Um...anything to eat?" She asked.
"Nope...broke. Wanna grab something to bite?" You asked.
"Nah, just wondering for t'morrow." She says.
"Yeah...got a show coming up tommorow at the Wonderbolts Academy. Their going to battle it out at the flying race.. Wanna come?" You asked.
"Sure, why not? Where is it?" She asked.
"Cloudsdale. Celestia is going to use a spell for me to walk on clouds." You say, getting from the couch.
"Alright, gotta take a shower." She says. She heads upstairs, and you stare at you case. Your Sax is still in there, nothing wrong. But...the more you stare at your case, the more you find it...weird. Oh well, you'll find it later.
You sit at the bench, polishing your Sax. Somehow, you got yourself in a marching band. "How...?" You ask. You see a random pony trot up, and he gives you a slight punch to the side. "Aw, don't worreh, mate! Y'all just gotta overcome dat fear of yours!" He says.
"It's not fear...just..." You sigh unwanted. "...what song are we singing?"
"Singing? You sure you okay?" He asked again. You realize your mistake and you look at your Sax. "Just been off. Just tell me the song." You say.
"Goran Bregovic - Black cat White cat." He says. You smile at this. The easiest role in the band. All you have to do is keep the beat at a certain momentum. Think of it as...you are the drum. You have to make sure no one speeds up, no one slows down, and it goes perfectly, or be prepared to see music collapse. "Heh...alright then. Let's get this over with." You say.
You bring the Sax out, and you get into your Saxophone line.
It was silent at first, but as you march, the music began to play. Trombones were the important suckers in this song. Off beat and the entire band is thrown off. But it goes perfectly. The funny thing is, however, you see a stallion...holding hard cider...in the field. He says mumbo jumbo, but it's the perfect way to start the song. You blast, they blast. It goes on like that, until the music finally goes into.
The hard part is moving around in your black suit, followed by the others. You follow them in line, and you keep your smile intact. You follow your row, and you look at your white line. They have springs, bouncing up and down, and that's when it get's weirder. You start yelling 'Black Cat' while they yell 'White Cat'. This went on and on, but in the end, it was all over.
(You can finish the song if you like.)
You leave the marching band and you meet up with Vinyl at the bleachers. Her getting comfortable in a cloud, and preparing popcorn. "That was awesome, man." She says, her face stuff with popcorn.
"You gonna share those?" You asked. You aren't always polite, you know. You like to be free, have fun, not be Blueblood. Vinyl hands you over a hoof full of popcorn and you set it in your bag...that you somehow grabbed through thin air. "Never hung out with a stallion before. I-I mean, I've hanged out with guys before, but not a stallion who's awesome, just like me!" She says.
"Had a lot of comments like that. But I'm way to awesome for popcorn." You joke.
"Then hand me over the popcorn." Vinyl jokes.
"No way! I'm starving! Don't want me to be a hobo, do you?" You ask.
"Much better for me surviving than it is for you."
"Forget you."
You both laugh, but she scoots over to you. "Need something?" You ask.
"Huh? Oh...yeah. Wanna...come over to our place?" Vinyl asked.
"How do you know Bluebutt is still there?"
"Good point. Hm...alright then, guess I'll just give you the present then." She says.
"Huh? What present-?"
You was cut off with a kiss to the cheek. You really didn't expect this, but a mare who ticked off your bro, definite friend. The friend who kissed you for Celestia-knows-what? How ticked do you think Octavia would be? Jealous, or to the point where the roof falls down? "What? Didn't expect someone awesome as muah, to give you a smooch?" She teased.
Your blush comes into view, but you do regret it. "Shut up..." You say shyly.
