>The ringing in your ears wasn’t the first thing you noticed after waking up.
>Nor was it the aggravating headache or the itchiness around your throat.
>It was the fact that you couldn’t see.
>Primarily because your face was pressed up against something dark and warm.
>You pull yourself back a little, but the waking up drowsiness blurred your vision enough so that you could only make out it’s furry feature.
>A blanket? No… Octavia?
>The figure moans and shifts a bit.
>Definitely Octavia.
>You try sitting up, but find your head trapped between the pony’s legs.
>You grab her calf and flank, slowly lifting the leg up enough for you to slip out; taking a mental note that you’ve been sleeping with your head against her belly the entire time.
>You lift your body up, and groggily rub the sleep from your eyes.
“Fuuuuuckkk, my head hurts.”
>You look around, letting your eyes adjust to the sun litten room.
>Wait, sun?
>Shit! What time is it?
>You look up to the clock, trying to get your eyes to focus through the blurriness.
>10:47.
>Overslept, but not late for the concert.
>Not yet.
“Octavia, rise and shine!”
>You say as you hastily shake her.
>She mumbles something before turning the other way.
“Wake up!”
>You clutch the blankets and rip them off her.
>”Ugggg… I’m awake, Anon…”
“Good, because we have to get ready, and we have to get ready now.”
>Octavia, now sensing the urgency of the situation, opens her eyes and looks at the window.
>”What time is it?”
“Ten Fifty, we only have about 30 minutes.”
>Octavia immediately sits up.
>”Hayseed! We do have to leave! Anon, go to kitchen and see if Vinyl’s made us any coffee, I’ll pack up the cellos.”
“What about my suit?”
>”You can put it on in the chariot.”
“And my hair?”
>Octavia looks you over and smiles.
>”No need, your bedhead looks fine.”
“And your bedhead?”
>Octavia thinks for a second.
>”Okay, I’ll grab the combs.”
>You give her a thumbs up.
“Alright, see you in the kitchen.”
>”Oka- actually wait.”
>Octavia extends a hoof and detaches her bowtie from around your neck.
>”I’ll be needing this.”
>How that got there, you’ll never know.
>Most of what happened last night is a mystery.
>”Now go!”
>You swing your legs over the bed and stand up, trying to pop as many joints as you can on your way.
>Normally you’d get dressed, but seeing as you’ll be donning your suit in just a couple of minutes, it wouldn’t matter.
>You swing open the bedroom door and jog down the stairs, jumping off the bottom steps.
>The landing thud echos across the apartment, and you hear a voice shout from the kitchen.
>”Mornin’ Anon!”
>You walk along the hallway until you reach your destination.
“Good Morning Vinyl, sleep well?”
>”I slept pretty good.” She says while stirring some coffee.
>”I’m guessing Tavi is still asleep?”
>You walk over to the right hand cupboard and pull out a couple mugs.
“Nope, she’s awake as well. Just getting our instruments sorted out.”
>Vinyl puts the spoon down and takes a sip of coffee.
>”Oh yeah, don’t you two have a concert to go to?”
“Yup, we overslept.”
>Vinyl looks to you a little perturbed.
>You glance over at her face and smirk.
“As long as we hurry, we should still make good time.” You reassure her.
>”Saving time by not getting dressed? Genius.”
>You chuckle.
>”Honestly, you don’t even need clothes, you look fine without them.”
“Sorry Scratch, I’m not falling for that one.”
>She sighs.
>”I’m not trying to trick you into anything. You know you don’t HAVE to wear clothes in Equestria, right?”
>You start pouring the coffee into the mugs.
“I’m aware of that.”
>Vinyl throws her hooves into the air.
>”You’re the most stubborn human I know.”
“Yeah, okay, but I’m also the most compliant human you know.”
>You pour in cream while reflecting on last night.
>Most of it was a drunken haze, with only a few parts staying fresh in your mind.
>”I saw you drunk last night.”
>Heh, it was almost as if she could read your mind.
>”I didn’t bother to say anything at the time, but I’m guessing Octavia had something to do with it?”
>You reach over and open the refrigerator door.
“Yeah, she convinced me to hit the wine with her.”
>You take out the milk and honey.
“But that probably wasn’t a good idea the day before our performance.”
>Vinyl laughs.
>”I know that feel... Hey Anon?”
“Hmm?”
>”Did you and Octavia…”
>You begin stirring the coffee.
“Did Octavia and I what?”
>Vinyl takes a deep breath.
>”Did you and Octavia ‘do’ anything last night.”
>Come to think of it, you’re not really sure.
>You aren’t able to remember most of the night, what if Octavia did do anything to you? Would you ever even know?
“No, of course not Vinyl, we just shared some drinks as friends. Even drunk I still wouldn’t have the willpower to bone a pony.”
>You hear Vinyl take a deep breath behind you.
“I mean-”
>”Whatever Anon. Have fun at your concert.”
>Vinyl turns around and starts walking away.
>You put down the mugs and run up next to her.
>Once at her side, you drop down to eye level.
“Vinyl, I’m sorry, I didn’t mean it like that.”
>”Yeah? Then how did you mean it?”
>You inhale and carefully contemplate your next words.
“Even if I was drunk back on earth, I wouldn’t go around trying to fuck every girl I saw, that would just be stupid. Like here, I’m not suddenly going to want to have sex with a pony just because I’m intoxicated.”
>Vinyl sighs.
>”Alcohol to anypony, you, me, lowers their standards. Ever heard of beer goggles, Anon?”
>Time for this again…
>”So even though you’re hammered, ponies to you are still just ugly creatures to you?”
“No! That’s not it at all! I never once said ponies were ugly!”
>”No, maybe not, but I know that’s what you’re thinking. You only put up with us because we’re the only form of civilization here!”
“No!-”
>“If it weren't for us, you’d be living in some little shack on top of a remote hilltop somewhere!”
“Vinyl, I don’t see you as any less than I am!”
“Yeah, bs. You even choose your own hand, YOUR OWN FREAKING HAND over someone that actually would love you and care for you!
“Sex-”
>”This isn’t just about sex, Anon!”
“Vinyl! Listen to me!”
>Tears were now streaming down her face.
“I don’t want you to think I’m a close minded selfish asshole.”
>You reach over and dry her eyes with your thumb.
“Vinyl, you don’t realize how cute you are, and I’m being sincere right now. You ponies have nothing ugly about you, it’s just… Having sex and being in a relationship with another creature that isn’t human, is just... taboo. Where I came from, humans had sex with other humans, cats had sex with other cats, birds had sex with other birds, etc. I can’t jump from morals like that so quickly.”
>Vinyl’s crying face killed you inside, especially because you knew you were the reason why she was upset.
>”H-how do I know that you don’t abhor us, Anon? How do I know you don’t actually secretly hate me?”
“If I hated you, would I do this?”
>Anon, what are you doing? Anon? Staph!
>You close your eyes, lean in, and firmly plant a kiss on Vinyl’s lips.
>She tenses up at first due to the sheer shock value of what you were doing, but then profusely blushes and closes her eyes.
>You weren’t sure why you decided to kiss this mare, it just felt like the right thing to do.
>And the fiery hot passion that both you poured into it, would hopefully would serve as a reminder that she was more than just a low level degenerate to you.
>You weren’t sure how long had passed. 5 seconds, 10 seconds? All you knew was that it felt like hours when you both finally broke it.
>”Anon… I-”
>You put a finger up to her lips.
“Vinyl, you and Octavia mean more to me than the world itself, don’t you ever, ever forget that.”
>You stand back up on two feet, praying to God that Octavia didn’t see your little act.
>”T-thank you, Anon.”
>You smile.
“Now go be a sweetheart and flag down a Taxi for us, Octy and I will be there in just a sec.”
>Vinyl nods, still in a bit of shock, and gallops out the front door.
>Will she tell Octavia about that?
>You doubt it, but knowing how close they are, you start to wonder if you made a bad decision.
>Best not to dwell on it, you’ve got a concert to kill.
>”Urrrgg, Anon, can you give me a hand here?” You hear from the hallway.
>An earth pony trying to carry 2 cellos, a suit, and a brush probably wasn’t an easy task.
“Sure thing Tavi, one sec.”
>You walk over to where the grey mare was, easily picking up both cello cases, one in each hand.
>Octavia chuckles.
>”You humans are so strong.”
“It’s called arms, and yeah, they are pretty great.”
>You say as you turn around and walk to the door.”
“Coffee’s in the kitchen, and Vinyl’s getting a Taxi for us outside, just come out whenever you’re ready.”
>Octavia nods before turning into the kitchen.
>”Okay, I’ll be there in just a second.”
>Woke up late, but still kicked morning’s ass.
>Hell yeah.
>You walk over to the door, placing one cello on the ground so you can grip the handle.
>The world of Manehatten comes into plane view as you open the door.
>Lights, streets, carriages and lots of noise.
>It’s the life of a high roller alright.
>And right smack dab in the middle of all it is Vinyl standing next to a Taxi.
>She waves to you.
>You’d wave back, but both your hands are occupied by a cello.
>You walk over to her, and place the instruments in the back of the carriage.
>You look over at the two ponies pulling the cart and nod at them.
“Hey guys.”
>Then you look over at a blushing Vinyl.
“Hey again, Vinyl.”
>”Hi Anon, almost ready to go?”
>You look back at the apartment.
“Yep, just waiting on Octavia, she should be out in just a bit.”
>Turning back to the carriage, you extend out your arm.
“Hop in, you can have the window seat.”
>She laughs.
>”Such a gentlecolt.”
>The two of you pile in, and shortly after Octavia rushes out, holding two covered travel mugs.
>She walks up to the carriage, and hands you the coffee down before getting in herself.
“Thanks Octavia, I thought I might have to do without.”
>”No problem at all, Anon. Also, here’s your suit.”
>She shifts around, easily letting you grasp the garment on her back.
“Thanks Octavia, I don’t know what to do without you.”
>She smiles.
>”It might be difficult putting it on in such a cramped space, but it’ll be fun watching you struggle.”
>You reach out the window and tap the side of the carriage, signaling go time.
>You don your suit, and with the help of Vinyl’s magic, you surprisingly kept it pretty unwrinkled.
>The only thing left was to get to the concert in time.
“How’s your head feeling, Tavi?”
>”It’s pretty hazy, but I’ll survive.”
>Vinyl laughs.
>”How much booze did you guys drink last night?”
>You and Octavia glance at each other.
>”2 bottles…”
>Vinyl laughs even harder.
>”Here lemme help, I have a spell that might make your hangovers subside. Just gimme a sec to charge it up.”
>Vinyl’s horn lights up, at first very dim, but grows brighter the more magic she channels into it.
>After about 5 seconds, she releases it, sending a magical shockwave rushing past you and Octavia.
>You reach up and rub your head.
>”Now, it’s effects don’t occur immediately, but by the time it’s your turn to play, you should be feeling fine.”
>You look over and smile at the Unicorn.
“Thanks Vinyl.”
>She blushes and looks at the ground.
>”It’s nothing.”
>The rest of the taxi ride goes smoothly, Octavia basically just talked to you about the performance procedure once it was your turn to preform.
>Yeah, you’re ready for this.
>”Here’s the stop!” You hear call from driving ponies.
>The three of you pile out, grabbing the cellos on the way, and you walk around to the front to pay them.
>”That’ll be 7 bits, please.”
>You give them 10.
>”Thank you! Have a great day, Anonymous!”
>You chuckle.
“You too.”
>The two ponies take off in the direction of another waiting customer.
>Being the only human in Equestria means everyone knows your name.
>Not that thats a bad thing.
>You walk back up to where Octavia and Vinyl are.
“Okay Vinyl, you head through the front door over there. Octavia and I have to go wait in the performers waiting room until it’s our turn to play.”
>Vinyl nods.
>”Okay Anon, I’ll be rooting for you.”
>You smirk.
“It’s not a competition, but thanks.”
>You and Octavia split off and start walking towards side entrance of the concert hall.
>Once inside, you put the cellos off to the side, and socialize with the other musicians.
>The waiting room overlooked the stage so you’d be able to see the other ponies play once the event starts.
>The first pony to perform was a guitarist, then a fiddler, then a pianist, and finally you and Octavia.
>”Please put your hooves together for the most dynamic cello duo I’ve ever seen, Octavia and Anon!”
>Thunderous clapping echoed throughout the concert hall.
>”Anon, Anon, Anon!” Chanting could be heard in the crowd.
“Well Octavia, let’s make history.”
>The two of you walk out of the waiting room and head towards the stage.
>Once visible, the crowd’s cheering grows even louder.
>Octavia has quite the reputation, and seeing for the first time a human playing? Well that's definitely a special sight to witness.
>The two of you climb up the steps, cellos in hand, and make your way to the center of the stage.
>You make sure to throw in a quick bow flip on the palm of your hand for effect.
>Once the two of you take your seats, the crowd noise dies down.
>You scan your eyes over the numerous ponies that decided to show up.
>One of them waves to you, and by her white coat and electric blue mane, you could easy tell it was Vinyl.
>You wave back.
>But what shocked you most was seeing your old friend Twilight in the crowd.
>Being an Alicorn really makes her stand out.
>You shift your eyes over to Octavia, and she smiles.
>You lift your bow up.
>”And begin.” You hear her whisper.
>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4RZLRa8m3nM
>You pluck the D string in perfect time to create a flow of musical notes.
>Octavia follows up with the melody, the two of you in playing in perfect synergy.
>Hundreds of eyes were watching you play, their stares casting mental shadows over you.
>Closing your eyes, you think about your life.
>Here, in Equestria, you started out as a creature no one knew what to do with.
>But in time you proved yourself to them, and now look at you.
>Performing in front of hundreds of ponies eager for something new, something exotic.
>And to them, you were something new and exotic.
>No one here thought you could play the cello because you were built different.
>But now look at you.
>You fingers danced off the strings in uniform design.
>Design…
>Octavia said your fingers were designed for the cello.
>And hell, you couldn’t argue with that.
>Because look where you are now.
(Author’s note: continue listening to the song, it’s really quite beautiful.)
>The song winds down to an end, and the crowd emits a thunderous barrage of applause as you play your last note.
>Holy shit that was intense.
>You look down at your shaky, sweaty covered palms.
>”Deep breath Anon, that was amazing.”
>You look over at your grey accomplice.
“Y-you too.”
>The two of you stand up, and take a bow before exiting right off the stage.
>The announcer pony comes back on.
>”And that’s a wrap folks! Feel free to help yourself to the cookies and refreshments in the back on your way out.”
>”What an amazing job, Anon! I’ve never had a duet partner as good as you, and technically, you’re still a beginner!”
>You laugh.
“Thanks Octavia, you’re also the best duet partner I’ve had, but then again, I don’t really have many to choose from.”
>She smirks.
“Anyway, I saw a particular purple alicorn in the crowd I wouldn’t mind catching up with for a little bit, so you go find Vinyl, and we’ll have a celebratory toast back at the apartment.”
>”Okay Anon, have fun, and I’ll see you in a bit.” She says while walking off in the direction of the hall’s seats.
>Now, to find Twil-
>”Hey Anon! It’s so good to see you again!”
>You whip around.
“Twilight!”
>You scoop her up into a hug.
“It’s so great to see you again!”
>She playfully laughs
>”Likewise!”
>You set her down on the floor.
“So you came all the from ponyville to watch me play?”
>”Of course! I wouldn’t miss it for the world.”
>You smile.
“Thanks for coming Twi, it means a lot.”
>You see a crowd of ponies closing in on you and Twilight.
“Want to go somewhere more private.?”
>
>You and Twilight were outside strolling through the Manehatten gardens, each of you catching up on one another’s personal lives.
>”-and so Starswirled the Bearded used a memory spell to look into Commander Cornflake’s past memories and piece together the mystery of the murder!”
“Memory spell?”
>Twilight looks up to you.
“Yeah, it’s a spell high level unicorns can cast, that allows whoever they cast it on to see back in time, incase for whatever reason said pony wasn’t able to remember things at the time, or they simply forgot.”
>You stop.
“Could you say, be able to cast that spell on me?”
>Twilight looks at you a little perplexed.
>”Yeah, a spell like that would be no trouble for an Alicorn like me, but if you’re asking me that for the sake of re-living past memories back on Earth, I doubt it would work.”
“No, that’s not my reasoning. I’m just wondering because last night…”
>You mumble the last part.
>”Go on, you can tell me.”
>You take a deep breath.
“Last night I got a little drunk-”
>Twilight cocks her eyebrows at that.
“Okay, I got decently drunk, with Octavia, and for some reason I have a feeling we might have ‘done something’ if you catch my drift, and I’d like to know for sure.”
>Twilight looks utterly baffled.
>”I didn’t know you drank.”
>You roll your eyes.
“Yeah, I don’t often, but when you live with 2 borderline alcoholics, shit happens.”
>Twilight sighs.
>”Okay Anon, but do note, if I cast this spell on you, we’ll both be seeing your past actions.”
“That’s fine, so long as you don’t mind.”
>Twilight shakes her head.
>”Alright then, stand back.”
>Twilight's horn starts glowing just like Vinyl’s, but this time the glow seemed more concentrated, and pointed at you.
>The last thing you remember was a beam of light fired directly at your face.
>
>Ugg…
”Octavia… c-come over heerreee, I want t-to *hick* show y-you sumthin.”