Élégie, Opus 24 - Chap 1 - Prelude

Dusk set in on the small town of Ponyville. As the shadows grew long, lights flickered on in all the houses of the small hamlet, illuminating the happy ponies inside. One white house stood alone and dark near the outskirts. All was silent in the small, double story dwelling. The shutters were closed. In a small room near the back, a lone earth pony sat in a dimly illuminated room. Three candles illuminated the walls, as she perched herself on a small wooden stool.
She clutched her precious cello softly. She felt the grain of the wood on her hoof as she ran it along its graceful neck. She picked up her worn bow, and smelled the faint pine aroma as she inspected it for errant dust. The rosined bow was smooth and pristine. She held it against the first string. Her heartbeat increased, and she was acutely aware of every small, minute sound in her room. Her eyes closed. She breathed in deeply, and began to play.
It was a somber piece in C minor. She needed no sheet music; the entire piece came second nature to her. The delicate notes came softly at first, and worked slowly into a deep, rich crescendo that reverberated in the room. Her head hung slightly downwards as she played her hoof skillfully across her instrument’s neck, caressing it as she coaxed the mournful melody from it. She played for nearly an hour, her efforts tiring her. In the end she drew the last note, holding her poise until the sound finally left her.
She afforded herself the smallest of grins. Her cello went onto its stand, the bow propped carefully against it in its own special bracket. The earth pony arose from her stool and checked the white figure propped against the far wall. She was breathing shallowly. The mare’s pupils couldn’t seem to focus on anything.
Octavia knew one sense was still intact. She smiled as she reached her hoof out and stroked the white unicorn’s arm. She immediately pushed back against the grey pony, feeling the sensation of touch throughout her. Octavia sighed to herself as she played her hoof over the snow white fur as if she were playing her instrument. She went lower, pushing apart the pony’s thighs. The prone mare responded, breathing faster, and pushing herself towards the hoof.
The grey mare reached with her tongue and found the gaping muzzle of her companion. The white pony sensed her breath and seeking mouth, and opened her own. She was sloppy in her kiss, Octavia noted, but did not mind. The mare was coming down from the last dose Octavia provided, still hallucinating, her energy run dry. The white pony moved her head finally, focusing on her. Her vision wavered. She knew there was somepony there, but it was difficult to focus.
Octavia finally spoke. “My dear Vinyl, simply look at your state of affairs. You can barely keep yourself seated for my piece. Let’s go my love, you need your rest.”
She took her damp hoof from between the pony’s thighs, and put it lovingly around her. Helping her to her feet, the white mare stumbled, and could not seem to find footing with her hooves. She felt so utterly drained. The entire world seemed to weigh on her as she felt the confident pony beside her help her through the house.  Slowly they went up the stairs.
“Are you feeling down, my dear? I do hope my music did not have such a great effect upon you.” Her eyes narrowed slightly. “Perhaps you need another little bit of help from your friend Octavia. We can make everything feel so much better in no time at all. Would you like that?”
They reached the top of the stairs. Vinyl Scratch did not need to think long on the matter. She did in fact need it. Every minute coming down was pure agony. She couldn’t function, let alone attend her gigs. She whispered in a hoarse voice. “Yes Octy. Please.”
Her face remaining somber, Octavia chuckled faintly. “Don’t worry then my love, we’ll get you fixed up. I just need you to do something for me, my dear.” The pair walked slowly down the hall to the musician’s bedroom. She lit a candle on the nightstand, and closed the door behind her.

Months ago in Canterlot, the scene had been very different. Octavia had never wanted for much. She came from a privileged family. Her parents knew many influential ponies around Equestria, and she never seemed to have a shortage of places to play. And yet, every day seemed to depress her farther. Her music was her only solace. Most ponies in the kingdom were completely lost in her more somber performances. She would hear whispers afterwards, about how depressing the piece had been. Octavia never understood. She loved to play her moody compositions. To her it reflected her feelings and her view of life.
However all the ponies she ran into wanted her to play more upbeat music. Marezart’s later symphonies, Trotaikovsky waltzes, they all made her want to gag. She felt her essence pulled from her as she played the oppressive pieces. Seated expressionless, she would go through the motions, and her audience would give her their empty praises afterwards.
She had come from just such a performance one night. She trudged home, not particularly feeling anything, with her cello strapped to her back. She suddenly felt as if she needed a drink more than anything else in the world.
Entering an unfamiliar looking bar, she carefully unbuckled her precious cello, seating it next to her first, before she allowed herself to sit. She first thought of a glass of wine, but realizing it above the current clientele, she instead ordered a brandy and hoped for the best.
She sipped her drink and found it bearable. ‘This drab bar,’ she thought. ‘I can’t believe anypony would frequent such a place.’ She sat in silence at her stool, lost in her thoughts. It was some time before she heard an all too familiar sound. A horrid scratching of records, combined with an altogether too underpowered voice. She turned her head ever so slightly so she could observe from the corner of her vision. Her eyes grew wide as she saw the white unicorn on the stage. It was indeed her old classmate from Equestria Music Academy. Vinyl Scratch.
Even as the crowd turned on her, her smile didn’t change. Octavia could tell she still believed in her music. Eventually the power was cut to the amplifier, and she stared down at her turntable, as if confused at what had happened. She sat there as the insults from the crowd hit her. She eventually shrugged slightly, levitated her turntable into her travel case, and walked out, with a smile still on her face.
‘What does she have to be so happy about?’ Octavia thought. ‘Still as predictable as ever. Flashes of brilliance but can’t deliver an entire set.’
Octavia’s eyes followed the white pony. She placed payment for her drink on the bar, and slung her cello over her back. Walking out of the bar, she rounded the corner into the darker alley. As she walked down the dimly light passage, she contemplated how she would enter the backstage area. She never had to. The door to the performer area was thrown open violently as the white pony bounded outside, dragging her equipment after her with her magic. She turned around suddenly, shouting. “It’s not my damn fault your crappy bar doesn’t like techno!” A beer can flew out at her as the door slammed. She set her load down shortly, before gathering herself and walking down the alley. She stopped in her tracks as she saw Octavia.
Her smile became wider. “Octy!” She dropped her load to the ground with a crash, and ran towards the expressionless earth pony. She threw her arms around Octavia. The cellist looked down and noticed her collar was being wrinkled.
“Vinyl Scratch. I haven’t seen you since the Academy. How are you…” she glanced at their surroundings. A stinking alley, drunks wondering past from the bar. “…doing?”
Scratch had pulled back her violet shades. She winked at the earth pony. “Couldn’t be better! Got my turntables and synthesizer, got my…health! Everything’s great.”
“I saw your show in the bar. The crowd didn’t seem to get into it very much.”
“Eh they just didn’t see me at one hundred percent. I had to do 3 shows tonight just to make the rent! These little places can’t pay much I guess.” She levitated her gear over to her as if she just realized she left it in the middle of a seedy alley.
“Well it wasn’t so bad.” Octavia said, trying to sound as reassuring as possible. “I was just going to get something to eat on my way home. Why don’t you come and we can catch up?”
“Sure!  Let me get my stuff.” She enveloped her travel case in a blue light and it followed her obediently. The white mare trotted happily after her old friend.

“Have you…eaten lately?” Octavia asked, trying to remain as polite as possible.
“Umm…I know I ate this week sometime. It’s really no big deal, I just felt hungry right now, alright?” The white unicorn’s appetite certainly had picked up after Octavia has mentioned the dinner would be on her. Octavia herself had barely touched her plate of spinach taquitos. She had originally thought the Mexican restaurant looked alright but was aghast when she noticed they served canned salsa, and used mixers for the margaritas. She wasn’t ordering any drinks, but it was the principle of the thing. All of her food tasted sour after seeing such things.
“I missed you since the Academy, Vinyl.” Octavia got right to the point.
Vinyl blushed a bit. “I missed seeing you too, Octy. Looks like you’re doing great. I saw you played for Celestia herself the other month. That must have been pretty intense.”
“It was a job.” Octavia sighed as she poked around at her food. “In the end she just wanted some sappy waltzes. Kind of hard to get into.”
“Hmm. I already know what I’d play for the princess. She seems pretty repressed, so I’d do some Mare Ghosts N Stuff, maybe some Baby Got Flank remix to break a chilly mood. That would be something those stuffed shirts haven’t seen in a while!”
Octavia stared straight at the bubbly white unicorn. “Quite.”
“Oh come on Octy, you always are so serious. Just because we’re not foals anymore doesn’t mean you need to act so serious. Don’t you have fun anymore?”
The grey mare thought for a moment as she looked into those magenta eyes. “There isn’t room anymore in my life for much fun, Vinyl. Most ponies tell me what they want me to play, and I oblige. If I didn’t, I think my notoriety would decline noticeably.”
“Don’t you play what you want?
“Sometimes.” Octavia replied. “In private. My usual pieces don’t…mesh well with most ponies. I don’t think many in Equestria want to hear it.”
Vinyl cocked her head and grinned widely. “Well I always liked your music, Octy. It’s sad, sure, but then I would just think that ponies can’t be happy without some sadness sometimes!”
Octavia tried her best to grin and humor her. ‘Dear gods she’s just exactly the same. So sickeningly sweet and upbeat. What did I ever see in her?’ she thought. It was easily the biggest flaw she ever saw in Vinyl Scratch. She immediately disliked anypony that could be so happy for no good reason. Suddenly, her eyes flashed as an idea came to her.
“Vinyl my dear, what if I said I had a job for you?” Octavia asked. The white pony looked up from her lettuce tacos and beamed.
“I knew running into you wasn’t coincidence, Octy!” she exclaimed. “Don’t worry, next show I’m gonna be really up for it. I’ll…drink an extra cup of coffee that morning!”
“Oh don’t worry, Vinyl. I know you’ll be fine."
“Say, do you want to come up to my place?” Vinyl asked.
Octavia blushed, but maintained her dignified poise. “Why ask me that?”
“Oh well, no good reason, I live near here and just was being polite.” The white pony was not really paying attention to Octavia, to her relief. “We could have a drink and talk a bit. I’m sorry I wasn’t such good company during dinner.” She belched softly, as she smiled widely at Octavia.
Octavia’s muzzle turned up slightly. It was hard to tell if she was smiling or not. “Well yes then, Vinyl, I would like that.”

They left the restaurant and entered the Canterlot night. The street lights illuminated the street as Vinyl chatted about various topics. Octavia seemed distracted as their hooves clopped down the cobbled street.
She noticed the lights growing sparser, either through disrepair or because of the close, confining buildings sprouting up around them. They were far out now, pushed up close against the mountain. It loomed imposingly in front of them. Hardly any moonlight at all penetrated in this neighborhood. A smell of backed up sewers assailed the prim grey mare. A gunshot echoed in the distance, amplified by the stone walls. She jerked her head around instinctively.
“Octy! Are you listening?”
“Did you not just hear that?” Octavia motioned towards the sound.
“Oh. You just kind of get used to tuning that out I guess when you live out in the outskirts.” Vinyl smiled awkwardly. “Just mind your own business and everything goes a lot smoother. That’s my take on things. Oh! Here we are.”
Octavia looked up at the stone block building. It looked to be some sort of old storage barn. It went up six stories, and appeared to be slightly angled to one side, which was slightly disconcerting. The humungous stone blocks seemed sturdy though. She saw no lights on inside at all.
“Come on, this stuff’s getting heavy!” Vinyl called impatiently. She still held all her travelling gear in midair with her magic. Octavia checked her cello was secure on her back, and followed her old friend inside.
However, her first impressions really didn’t improve her thoughts on the structure. She smelled a musty stink of mouse droppings and mold as they climbed the stairs. All six flights. As they reached the top landing, Vinyl looked back triumphantly. “Penthouse, baby!”
She turned the key in her hoof, and the large oak door swung inwards. Vinyl went inside into the darkness, her horn lighting up her immediate surroundings. “Just wait Octy, I’ll get some candles lit. I’m used to the dark , but I guess it’s a little strange to anyone visiting.”
‘A little strange?’ Octavia thought to herself. “Why no lights, Vinyl?”
“Oh, no electricity! Guess they never figured they had to wire up the storage barns. But hey, some guys rents em’ out, they’re cheap, and no one ever complains about my music out here. I can play as loud as I want!”
A few lights flickered on inside, and Octavia entered hesitantly. She was surprised to find the entire space was very clean. The rough wood floors were mopped, and there was no smell at all inside the apartment. She looked around, and realized there were no rooms. It was simply one large space. She saw Vinyl’s bed against a far wall, a makeshift kitchen with a small propane burner. And of course a large section with all manner of old, well used keyboards, synthesizers, drum machines, and a large generator perched in the window to power them.
“It’s not much, but I’ve made it into a pretty good home, if I do say so myself.” The unicorn mare beamed proudly. “Not exactly where I pictured myself coming out of the Music Academy, but, I never did like the dwell in the negatives.”
“No. No one can ever accuse you of that, Vinyl.” Octavia said as she came closer to her friend. She looked into her magenta eyes, and strode confidently up to her. As she got close, Vinyl suddenly broke away.
“Let me get you that drink! I’ve got…” She shuffled around in a large wooden pantry for a moment. “Well, dandelion wine and not much else. Should still be good though.” She pulsed her magic at the cork and it obediently popped out of the bottle. She had no wine glasses, so she took two tumblers from a shelf and poured the white wine into each one, offering Octavia a glass. She accepted it, still looking intently at her friend.
“Oh! Here, how rude of me.” The unicorn hurried towards the far wall, and cleared a bunch of music sheets and old, unused equipment, eventually drawing out a couple of splintered maple chairs. She dusted one off and offered it to Octavia.
The pony looked down at the chair, as if questioning it’s engineering. She sat down careful, shuddering a bit as she heard it creak under her. “Thank you.”
Vinyl took her seat casually. She lounged back deeply, letting her legs splay out in front of her. Octavia drew a quick peek as she drew her glass to her muzzle. She could see some teat but not the main attraction. Between the wine and the lewd display, she was feeling warmer by the minute.
“I really want to know Vinyl. How are you really doing. I’m not stupid you know. Those bars can’t be paying you much. And then living in this place.” Octavia motioned towards the inner apartment. “If you wanted to, you could always live with me Vinyl. I have a place downtown, in the Waldorf Equestria. There’s a spare room. I really wouldn’t mind.”
Vinyl did nothing but grin back at her fiercely. “Heh. Well that does sound awesome, Tavi. But I got everything I need right here. And most important, I have my music.” She winked at Octavia as she took a deep drink of her wine. “Why would I want to go downtown with all those stuffed shirts? All I would do is probly get you evicted with my loud music.”
“You may be right, Vinyl.” Octavia looked down at the floor as she found the courage to say her next sentence. “I just…I’m worried about you Vinyl. I thought you would be doing better than this.” She looked up into those magenta eyes again. “I’d be lying if I said I didn’t still feel for you.”
The unicorn suddenly turned somber. Her expression was sullen as she spoke softly. “I thought we agreed we weren’t going to do this again, Octy. We nearly ruined our chances in the Academy. I don’t want to get involved like that again.”
Octavia narrowed her eyes. “You nearly ruined your chance, Vinyl. I couldn’t get kicked out of that Academy in a million years. My father is good friends with the Dean.”
“Hmph, so you could graduate and be a nice little pony puppet for all the stuffed shirts in Canterlot. Do you play all their favorite songs when they pull your strings?”
Octavia surged forward suddenly, and struck the unicorn on her muzzle. Her head whipped to the side. She hadn’t drawn blood, but it was mostly because she restrained herself. She was an earth pony, after all.
She looked down at the unicorn, still seated in her chair. Vinyl looked up at her, with a look of fear and hurt in her eyes, yet still defiant. “I’m sorry, Vinyl. You shouldn’t have said that though.” She offered a hoof to help her up. Vinyl just stared at it, but didn’t take it. “Look Vinyl, I was sincere about the job. I can set you up with a friend of my father’s. He runs a dozen night clubs downtown, and I’m sure he can help you. I realize what we had in the past is gone. I won’t bring it up again. Alright?”
Vinyl Scratch spent a moment staring at the grey mare and analyzing her situation. “Alright Octavia. I’ll do it. As long as we don’t dwell on the past.”
“Agreed. Now…no hard feelings?” She offered her hoof again. She was most definitely slightly smiling this time.
Vinyl reached up and accepted it this time. She did need the work. She just hoped Octavia didn’t keep bringing up their painful time in the Academy. Vinyl had buried it for a reason, and when she first met Octavia she had hoped it wouldn’t be brought up again. The thoughts of what happened pained her normally upbeat mind. She fooled herself into believing Octavia really would drop it; that she was telling the truth.
How wrong she would end up being.