Practice
Octavia Melody gently plucked on one of her cello’s strings with the tip of her hoof. She was rewarded gratifying low thummm indicating her instrument was properly tuned.
She smiled and picked up her bow, cupping the handle in her pastern expertly, as she was trained to do. She placed the bow against the lower end of the strings and pressed her hoof lightly against the correct place at the top. She exhaled quietly and drew her bow across the strings, creating the wondrous sound that only cellos can make. She happily began to play one of her favourite classical pieces, smiling peacefully as the equally passive music filled her and her marefriend’s music practice room.
Her thoughts trailed off to her ‘beloved’ marefriend: Vinyl Scratch. How she had ended up with such an uncivilized DJ is anypony’s guess. But as much as she pretended to be arrogant and disdainful around her marefriend – all in good humour of course – she really did love her. She blushed a little bit at the thought of Vinyl, and had to pause her playing briefly to regain her thoughts – she had started to play off key.
She shook her head to clear it of her romantic thoughts and closed her eyes to concentrate. Of course that didn’t help. One’s imagination really takes hold when one’s eyes are closed. She immediately opened them and stared down at her cello, concentrating on the bow and strings.
Taking a deep breath, she began to play again, and was pleased that it sounded alright. Her relationship with Vinyl had already cost her some respect, she wasn’t going to lose anymore by messing up right in the middle of her orchestra someday.
Peace entered her mind, as thoughts of her uncouth partner left her. She smiled and closed her eyes, imagining lovely things like blossom trees and songbirds and Vinyl’s lovely flank…
Ahem
AND sunrise over the ocean...
Suddenly the door to the practice room banged open, startling her greatly; which in turn made her mess up her song, her bow scratchily shrieking across the strings.
“Argh! ‘Tavi!” cried a gruff but feminine voice. “You call that music?”
Octavia looked over at the doorway to see her marefriend clutching her ears dramatically, even though the sound was long over. “I wouldn’t have made that sound, if you hadn’t barged through the door so loudly and suddenly. Certainly you are aware of how absorbed I can become with my music? You startled me, dear.”
Vinyl shook her head as if there is water in her ears, and apparently deciding she was safe from cello screeching, placed her forehooves back on the ground. She trotted over to Octavia and pecked her on the cheek, to which her partner giggled.
“I know you can become absorbed… with a lot of things,” she grinned and cocked her eyebrows.
Octavia rolled her eyes. “What is it you want Vinyl?”
She grinned even wider. “There are a lot of things I want… but if you mean at the moment? I was just coming to practice some before I leave for the gig at eight.”
Octavia sighed. “You can’t practice now love, as you can tell, the room is taken.”
Vinyl shrugged. “So? I mean we use the same kitchen, the same living room, the same bedroom, the same bed…even sometimes the same sho–”
Octavia cut her marefriend off before she could get carried away. “Vinyl, dear, you know that is all a very different case. We can’t practice together; our music will conflict!”
Vinyl yawned, – probably just to annoy Octavia – walked over to her DJ table, and sat down. “I remixed one of your favourite classical pieces, by Beet-what’s-his-face.”
“Beethooven,” Octavia corrected flatly.
Vinyl waved her hoof dismissively “Yeah, yeah, him. Anyhow, like I said: I remixed it so we could play it together.”
Octavia inhaled sharply through her nose. “You… remixed… a classical piece from Beethooven?” She glared daggers at the white –er yellow mare. No matter how many times Vinyl explained she was technically yellow, Octavia could never see it. She was off-white at the most.
Vinyl awkwardly scratched the back of her head as she answered Octavia’s question. “Uh… yeah?”
“Why are you posing that reply as a question? Either you did, or you didn’t.”
Vinyl bit her lip, Octavia could be pretty scary when she’s angry, and Vinyl knew it. “Well I did – but now I’m going to throw that er – record away.”
She levitated a disc out of her record box with her unicorn magic and tossed it into the rubbish bin across the room.
Octavia folded her forelegs disapprovingly. “Vinyl, we do not toss waste across the room.”
“Well I hit the bin didn’t I?”
Octavia shook her head. “You know Vinyl, I’ve always wanted to have foals someday, but I think I’m going to give that dream up because you would be a terrible mother.”
“Aww 'Tavi, that’s romantic.”
“What? That I called you a terrible mother?”
Vinyl laughed. “No, duh! That you said you’d give up your dream for me.”
Octavia blushed, she hadn’t meant for it to come out that way, but thinking back on it, it did.
The DJ laughed again. “Doesn’t really matter though, does it ‘Tav? I mean, if we –er had a foal, you could be the ‘good’ mother,” then she turned and muttered something into her hoof just loud enough for Octavia to hear. “And I could be the fun mother.”
Octavia glared at her, but didn’t press the issue. Foals were a long way off for them; they weren’t even married quite yet.
“Alright love, as charming as you’ve been, it’s time for you to go now. I need to practice,” Octavia stuck her muzzle in the air.
The stubborn unicorn mare shook her head. “No! I told you I need to practice before my gig,”
Octavia sighed “Since when do you need practice? You’re DJ-pon3, the best DJ in Equestria?”
“How sweet of you to call me by my proper title.”
“It’s not like you remind me every day or anything,” Octavia muttered back.
Vinyl chuckled. “Well, what can I say?”
Octavia rolled her eyes. “You could say the truth: That you are a self-obsessed, arrogant, uncivilized, rude mare, with no taste in music.”
Vinyl nodded dutifully and then saluted. “I am a self-obsessed, arrogant, uncivilized and rude mare, who has great taste in music.”
Octavia facehoofed – no, that's a terribly unrefined term – she placed her forehoof on her forehead in exasperation. “Pretty close, but you got the last one wrong.”
“Ya, I know,” Vinyl grinned seductively as she always did before saying something sexy or romantic. “But you forgot one too.”
“– if you say ‘has an incredibly hot flank’, we’re breaking up,” scoffed Octavia (untruthfully).
Vinyl shrugged. “I was going to say ‘has brilliant taste in marefriends’, but that works too.”
Octavia blushed again and cursed herself for it. Why do I let her get to me so easily?! “Well, that was very charming and sweet of you. But I’m afraid you still must leave the room. I need to practice and it’s getting late. I simply can’t practice with all your booming and banging.”
Vinyl grinned even wider and cocked her head. “I thought you liked me banging with you?"
Whatever parts of Octavia’s face wasn’t already red, were now bright crimson. “Well– I… I mean – I–I…”
Vinyl just smirked and placed a record on her DJ table and dropped the needle onto it. A slow pulsing beat started up on her speakers.
Octavia growled at her, her blush replaced with an angry flush. But the DJ only cranked the volume. Octavia pursed her lips… she wasn’t giving up without a fight. She grabbed the cord for cello that Vinyl had given to her last Hearth’s Warming, and plugged it into her own speakers. With that, she raised her eyebrows challengingly at her marefriend and drew her bow across the strings of her cello. The sound reverberated through the room.
The white mare grinned with pleasure and surprise at the challenge; and she accepted it with open hooves. She placed another disc on the turntable and revved up the tempo.
Octavia wasn’t a fan of overly loud music, but she couldn't give up now! She flattened her ears and turned up her speakers to the highest setting. Smiling triumphantly she began to play the most fast-paced of her classical tracks.
Vinyl glanced around in panic and switched one of the records, then proceeded to turn up her volume as well.
Octavia was sure the entire street could hear them now – but she did’t really care. She. Must. Beat. Vinyl.
Luckily she had one thing her partner didn’t have: Her instrument was manual, she could play faster and faster whereas Vinyl was restricted by the limits of her turntable.
Octavia moved her hoof back and forth faster that she thought possible. Her song barely resembled any melody any more. But neither did Vinyl’s… then again; when did it ever?
Octavia played faster and faster and Vinyl louder and louder until there was a loud twanging sound and one of Octavia’s cello’s springs snapped in half and curled up on either end of her instrument. She nearly dropped it in surprise.
Unfortunately, it broke her concentration and she dropped her bow. Vinyl’s dubtrot still boomed through the speakers. Octavia growled; unwilling to be defeated, she retrieved her bow and prepared to play again, broken string or not. But suddenly Vinyl’s music stopped, and Octavia looked up at her in surprise.
The white mare shrugged. “What can I say? Octy played hard enough to break one of her precious cello’s strings? That’s a good enough reason as any to concede. The room is yours; you win baby.”
Octavia grinned, pleased with herself. She placed her cello down next her and walked over to her beautiful marefriend. “And what is my reward?”
Vinyl leaned back and propped her sunglasses up on her forehead. “I thought you wanted to practice alone?”
“Music… yes. But there are some things that I practice better with help,” Octavia blushed at herself… she wasn’t usually this forward, but Vinyl just looked so attractive right now!
She leaned in and kissed Vinyl passionately, letting the other’s tongue enter her mouth. Vinyl didn’t complain, in fact, she kissed even more passionately than Octavia. She grabbed the grey earth pony’s head and stroked her mane. After a minute or two they broke apart and Octavia giggled.
Vinyl smirked. “Good enough reward for you?”
Octavia looked away shyly and smiled. “For now, darling.”
Vinyl shrugged. “It's just about as good as I can give now at any rate. I’ve got to get to my gig, but I won’t complain about –er expanding that reward later,” she winked and stood up.
Octavia giggled again. “That’s… a deal, love.”
Vinyl walked past Octavia sexily, heading to the door. As Octavia watched her go, she couldn’t help but give the smug unicorn one more victory. “Uh… Vinyl dear?”
She turned and raised her eyebrows. “Yes babe?”
Octavia blushed. “You really do have an incredibly hot flank…”
Vinyl didn’t respond at once, instead she only knocked her sunglasses back over her eyes and smirked her very sexiest. “You too babe.”
And with that, she left the room.
Funny enough, Octavia had an even harder time concentrating on music after that…