After parting ways with Celestia, Wayfarer stopped by Sugar Cube Corner to grab another heat beating milkshake. Pinkie tried to rope him into something called the "Mega Cupcake Challenge," a test to eat a tower of cupcakes that reached almost to the ceiling. Wayfarer doubted he had the diligence or courage to attempt such a task, so he politely declined.

Rainbow Dash and Applejack caught up with him not long after that, talking about plans to head to the coast before Breezy Beeches week officially started. Avoiding the crowds seemed like a nice idea, one that he promised to give a lot of thought to. The two then wandered off in the direction of Rarity's boutique, presumably to bring the idea up with her.

The hours whittled away until finally it was time to head over to Derpy's for poker night. Recalling the directions he'd followed last week, Wayfarer headed for the blue roofed house, and was surprised to see a luxurious looking chariot parked out front with two burly pegasus stallions at the reigns. Lyra, and two more mares that Wayfarer didn't recognize, were chatting up the stallions, before the grey mare with a black mane hoofed over a bag of bits to them. They bowed and then took off down the road and into the sky as Wayfarer drew near.

"Oh, hey Wayfarer!" Lyra said excitedly. "Glad you could make it again, I'd like to introduce you to some friends of mine. Remember when we met in the music store the other day and - Scrawl, was it? Your pal Scrawl tore the place up with his piano? I told you I had some friends in Canterlot who'd be interested, and here they are! This is Octavia." Lyra gestured to the grey mare with a pink bowtie, who smiled and gave a polite curtsey to Wayfarer. "And her roommate Vinyl Scratch." The other mare, her coat white and her hair electric blue, didn't really acknowledge the introduction. She was wearing a pair of headphones that seemed to block out all noise and was bobbing her head in time with the music. She also wore a pair of purple sunglasses that obscured her eyes and most definitely made it difficult to see anything with the sun so close to the horizon. Octavia nudged her in the side and she stopped bobbing long enough to actually look in Wayfarer's direction. She smiled, lifting her glasses up to give him a look, before nodding and winking at him. She then went back to listing to her music intently.

"Don't mind her," Octavia said, her Bitanian accent almost as thick as Lyra's Marish or Time Turners Coltish. "Vinyl just can't stop working, so she takes whatever project she's got wherever she goes."

"It's fine," Wayfarer responded, reaching a hoof out. "I'm Wayfarer, it's nice too meet you."

"Pleasure is all mine, Wayfarer," Octavia said as she took his hoof and gave a very dainty shake. "Lyra says you have a friend who's looking for musicians to form a band here in Ponyville? Seems like an interesting venture, Ponyville has has always been a bit lacking in the way of fine arts."

"That's why she spends so much time in Canterlot," Lyra said, rolling her eyes. "Not enough fancy, hoity toity types here at home to play for."

"As I recall," Octavia said smugly. "You were one of those hoity toity types yourself not to long ago."

"Pfft, that's been years now," Lyra waved a hoof dismissively.

Octavia merely smirked and shook her head. "Quite. Shall we adjourn to Derpy's kitchen now? I'd love to talk more about this band and our mysterious composer, but I believe we have some bits to pay out to the mare of the house."

The four of them approached the front door, with Derpy opening it up for them before they could even knock. She gave a high pitched squeal of excitement at the sight of Octavia and Vinyl, pulling them both into a hug and dragging them into the house. Time Turner and BonBon were already seated at the table, but they too felt the need to rush forward and give the two musicians a big welcome.

"Yes, yes, it's good to see you all as well," Octavia said, smiling as she readjusted her bowtie and ran a hoof through her hair to make sure it was still straight.

All seven ponies took their seats around the kitchen table. It was a little crowded with two extra ponies, but they were able to make do. Time Turner started dealing out cards while BonBon divvied out the chips, everyone seemed to be starting small tonight with only a few dozen bits worth. Small talk, at first, revolved around a general status update concerning the aftermath of the day before the Summer Sun Celebration. Nobody was seriously injured, a few broken windows here and there but overall none of their homes or businesses were damaged. Time Turner had actually spent the day protecting his workshop from the plunder plants with the assistance of several very large canisters of weed killer. It didn't prove very effective at actually stopping the vines, but it did force them away from the clock maker's precious wares. Lyra and BonBon had shoved furniture against the doors and windows, laughing it off as an excuse to do some redecorating when the crisis was over. Derpy and Dinky had miraculously been spared the worst of it, Discord of all people had built a brick wall around their house when a few of the bigger vines came calling.

Wayfarer made a mental note to thank the draconequus when he next saw him.

Conversation then moved to what Octavia and Vinyl had been up to since moving to Canterlot. Octavia's contract with her usual ensemble had ran its course and she was waiting for the owners to come to an agreement on whether or not to bench a few of the veterans and let some new blood in. That was mostly why she came back to Ponyville when she received Lyra's letter, if she was going to be benched, then she would like to have an alternate source of income to make up for it.

Vinyl didn't have much to say, which ended up being because she was mute. Wayfarer felt a flutter of shock in his stomach when he realized this, but Vinyl simply gave him a big smile, which convinced him that she was not losing any sleep over it. Vinyl had been letting her music do the talking at shows, both big and small, all over the country. Her records were selling like hot cakes, and much to Octavia's irritation, Vinyl had been the one to finish paying off the loan on the house the two were sharing.

"I feel like I should be the responsible breadwinner between the two of us," Octavia bemoaned. "That's how it was when we still lived here in Ponyville. It feels weird to have our roles almost completely shifted around. Not that I look down on Vinyl's profession or feel envious of her success, hardly. It's just that I feel like I'm not pulling all my weight."

Vinyl then took this moment to shoot Octavia a skeptical look from across the table, before giving her a cocky grin and making a few gestures with her hooves and head.

"Hmph, you're right," Octavia smirked. "If I was paying all the bills I wouldn't have any savings to waste here."

"So what about this symphony I hear Lyra talking about?" BonBon asked, steering the conversation back to the goings on around Ponyville. "Wayfarer brings some crazed looking unicorn to the record store and wows Lyra and Turn Table with... what did you call it sweetie? A 'Death Waltz?'"

"That is the only way I could possibly describe it," Lyra said as awe creeped into her voice. "He may have magic to give him an edge, but I've still never seen a pony manipulate an instrument like that. It was insane!"

"So," Time Turner said, peeking over his hand with a raised eye and staring right at Wayfarer. "Who is this pony?"

All eyes were on Wayfarer now, he had to hold back a nervous gulp as his mind panicked to find a reasonable story. He doubted that Lyra, Octavia, and Vinyl would want anything to do with Discord if he told them that's who Scrawl was. He didn't want to ruin Discord's chances of finding a hobby that he could use to quell his chaotic urges. Taking a subtle deep breath, Wayfarer told them a half truth.

"I met Scrawl here in Ponyville," he said. "He played a few... Less elaborate piano pieces for me, Fluttershy, and Twilight, then he got the idea of restarting the Royal Equestrian Orchestra."

"The Royal Equestrian Orchestra?" Octavia asked. "I'm part of the Royal Canterlot Orchestra, if that's what he meant."

"No, he's probably referring to Equestria's Royal Orchestra," Time Turner said. "Not sense the days of Starswirl the Bearded has their been an Orchestra composed of people from all over the country. Not just ponies, but Gryphons, and Minotaurs, and even Dragons as well If you can believe it. It wasn't exclusively Canterlot, it was a symphony for the masses, by the masses."

All the eyes were now on Time Turner. Derpy even cocked an eyebrow at him in confusion.

"What? I love history. And the Royal Equestrian Orchestra is from a part of History that's been all but lost to the ages, sadly. I think it's very ambitious of your friend Scrawl to try and reform it."

"Well if it's as important as all that," Octavia said with a wondering smile. "Then I'd be honored to take part. I'm in."

"Count me in too!" Lyra shouted. "I don't think I'll find a better test of my harp skills!"

Vinyl raised a hoof and pumped it in the air several times before slamming it to the table and giving everyone a big toothy grin.

"She says she's in as well," Octavia translated.

"All in?" Derpy asked inquisitively.

"I'm not much of a musician, but I'd like to help as well," Time Turner agreed. "I'm in."

"Me too!" BonBon said.

"Scrawl already roped me into this," Wayfarer said bemusedly. "So I guess I'm in too."

"Good, everyone's in," Derpy said, before smiling mischievously at everyone. "Show your hands."

A cold chill went down Wayfarer's spine, and judging by the looks on everyone else's faces, they had a similar reaction.

"I asked if you were all in," Derpy repeated. "And you all said yes." She then dropped a royal flush on the table. "Anyone got me beat?"

No one did. It was the most brutal loss of the night.

Author's Notes:

Quick Chapter tonight.

To those interested in being an editor, I ask that you provide some previous work for me to look through, whether that be your own writing or another story that you've edited for. I'm looking for editors, not prereaders.