Chapter 1
The enthusiastic applause filled the entire concert hall, the vibrations making Octavia’s teeth rattle. She bowed to the roaring, adoring crowd before making her way to the dressing room.
“Fantastic job, Octavia,” said her band mate, Beauty Brass, as she met her on the other side of the curtain. “The crowd adored your performance.”
Octavia blushed. “Thank you very much for allowing me to perform a solo, in the first place.” She began to trot to her dressing room, Beauty Brass still at her side as she spoke. “I must admit, it felt a little odd to play on the stage without you all there. I was shaking, I was so nervous.”
Beauty nodded and chuckled softly, as if she knew exactly what she was talking about. “Solo performances can be extremely nerve racking.” She gently padded Octavia on the shoulder and grinned. “Oh, but don’t you worry, you’ll get used to it,” Her eyes darted back and forth to the refreshments table, and not being able to control the temptation, Beauty headed off across the stage and began plopping chocolate covered strawberries in her mouth like candy.
Normally, Octavia would be starving after a concert as long as this one had been, and wouldn’t hesitate at all to join her. But tonight, she had ordered her favorite treat, chocolate cake, to be sent to her dressing room. She had considered simply having the cake served at the refreshments table, but she had decided that she didn’t want to risk anypony getting their hooves on it. If somepony even touched her cake, they would NOT want her to be around.
She slowly opened the squeaking door and entered the small room. Smiling dreamily, she breathed in the familiar, delightful scent of vanilla fragrance, which she had always used to calm her nerves and help her relax before a concert.
Octavia had just begun to pack up her cello when a familiar, yet surprising scent drifted towards her. She sniffed the air, almost not believing what she was smelling; chocolate cake! Had they delivered it already? She glanced at the clock and furrowed her brow in confusion. It hadn’t even been 10 minutes since she had called her manager and requested for it. Curious, she he made her way towards her coffee table and squealed with delight at the beautiful sight before her.
Sitting on the table was the most mouth-watering, delicious looking cake she had ever laid eyes upon. It was two tiered, already pre-sliced, and was covered top to bottom in delicate, dark chocolate roses. This wasn’t just a cake; it was a masterpiece.
Octavia plucked one of the scrumptious looking candy flowers from the cake and tossed it into her mouth. She sighed with content as the rich petals melted on her tongue, making her drool. ‘If just the petals are this amazing,’ she thought to herself, ‘I can’t imagine how delicious the cake must be!’
Eagerly, she stretched her hoof towards the fattest, fluffiest looking piece she could find, and, just as she was about to place on her hoof on the creamy, rich chocolate frosting, there was a sudden knock on the door.
She cleared her throat and crossed her arms behind her back to hide her frosting stained hooves. “Come in!” she called.
The door squeaked open as a mare slowly trotted in, a lanyard with a laminated piece of paper that read, ‘BACK STAGE PASS’ dangling around her neck. She was a creamish-white color, and had interestingly styled light and hair with large stripes of dark blue. The mare wore a confident grin, and her eyes were hidden behind a large pair of blue sunglasses with purple lenses.
“’Sup?” she said casually as she shut the door with a bang behind her.
“Um… hello,” Octavia said in the kindest tone she could manage. “Can I help you?”
The mare nodded and sighed, and for reasons Octavia didn‘t know, she blushed a bright red. “Yeah, uh, I need you to like… give me an autograph, or something.”
She suspected the mare was a fan, but she didn’t know why a fan of her’s would sound so exasperated or irritated, as if they didn’t even want to be here. Or why they would look anything like the way she did. Most of her fans that bought backstage passes were of the higher class, extremely sophisticated, and this pony was anything but.
“Oh, um… of course. I’d be happy to.” She grabbed her favorite purple ballpoint pen and slipped a photo of herself from the top of the pile of pictures that she had stacked on her coffee table. She always printed large amounts of photos of herself before a concert, just in case moments like this came along.
“Now who should I make this out to?” she asked as the pen clicked.
The mare wrung her hooves embarrassingly and hung her head to the ground. “Er.. Just say, ‘To my biggest fan!’”
Octavia eyed the mare suspiciously. Why was she so embarrassed? A fan asking for an autograph was something she was completely used to, and nothing to be ashamed about. She grinned, hoping it would calm the pony’s nerves, and scribbled her name across the bottom of the photo before handing it to the mare, whose head was still hanging low. “I must say,” she said, trying to fill the awkward silence. “I’m a little surprised that someone as yourself would like my music, Miss… umm…--”
The mare broke out into a high pitched life, as if she had just asked her the most ridiculous question. “Oh gosh, I’m not a fan, if that’s what you think!” she exclaimed. She continued on, ignoring Octavia’s dumbstruck expression. “The name’s Vinyl Scratch,” she exclaimed rather proudly. “A.K.A, Equestria’s most awesome DJ.” She leaned against the wall, as if trying to look cool, and swung the lanyard around on her hoof.
Octavia eyed Vinyl Scratch curiously. What in the name of Celestia was she doing here if she wasn’t a fan, and why would she want her autograph? It just wasn’t adding up.
“Excuse me for sounding rude,” she said hesitantly, “but if you’re not a fan, why are you here?”
The DJ pulled her glasses from her eyes and tossed them on a chair, revealing round, brilliant red eyes. “I know this stallion who knows a mare who’s like.. this REALLY big fan. She even bought this backstage pass and everything so she could meet you.” She dangled the pass in the air for emphasis. “But she got really sick and stuff, and my stallion friend was busy, so she asked if I could get an autograph for her.”
Octavia nodded and tried to keep a straight face, for she was extremely annoyed at how Vinyl Scratch was making herself right at home in her dressing room.
She was just about to thank the mare for coming, and tell her how she needed to be going, when she spotted her eyeing Octavia’s precious cake.
“Sorry, but that’s my cake.” She said hastily.
“Well, would you mind if I had just a tiny piece?”
“I’d rather you didn’t…”
“Not even a teensy, weensy, little piece?”
“No…”
“Not even an itsy, bitsy, teensy, weensy--”
“I’m sorry, but no,” Octavia said tensely. “You can‘t have any cake.”
Vinyl Scratch laughed loudly, clearly amused at her irritability, and threw her arm around her neck, leaning against her side, as if they were great friends. “Heh. You’re a laugh, Octavia.” She patted her on the back and grinned widely. “I like you. I’ve got a feeling we could be really great friends.”
Friends? She couldn’t possibly be serious! She groaned and gently pulled the DJ off of her. “That’s great,” Octavia grumbled, “but I really have to go now.”
“Aw, c’mon Tavi, do you really have to leave now?”
The strange nickname made Octavia cringe.
“Yes. And my name’s not Tavi..” she said tonelessly.
“It should be. Tavi sounds better.”
“Be that as it may, it’s not my name, and I prefer to be called Octavia.”
The mare laughed even louder than before, and to Octavia’s astonishment, the mare helped herself to the fattest piece of chocolate cake and took a hearty bite, leaving the edges of her mouth covered in dark brown frosting.
Octavia gave a start, and her cheeks began to grow hot. She could hardly believe what the pony had just done, especially since she had told her just moments ago that the cake was not for her to eat.
She slid weak-kneed into her armchair, not even caring that she happened to be sitting on Vinyl Scratch’s sunglasses, and scowled, her face contorted in an expression of pure fury. “That- that’s my cake..!” She could feel her lip trembling in anger.
Vinyl Scratch licked her hooves free of the creamy, sticking frosting, making Octavia cringe in disgust. She glanced at Octavia, her brow raised. “Oh, right,” she mumbled as she swiped a lavender colored tissue from a side table and began to wipe her hooves. “Sorry ‘bout that.” But the happy expression on her chocolate covered face showed clear as day that she wasn’t sorry at all.
Still stiff with anger, Octavia made her way back to her cello case and slowly zipped it shut. She kept stern and watchful eyes on the mare as she did so. “So sorry to make you leave,” she croaked, “but I really need to get going..”
Vinyl shrugged and tossed the crumpled tissue behind her shoulder. “Eh. Okay. I was getting a little bored, anyways. See ya!” She grinned and tossed the lanyard through the air as she made her way out the door. It flew right into Octavia’s hooves, only to be angrily slammed into the garbage.
She flung herself onto the couch and groaned as she stared longingly at the sad looking cake, which was now missing a piece. Octavia slapped her hoof to her forehead and closed her eyes; she could feel a migraine coming on. “Ugh…” she grumbled. “I could really use some cake…”