Enraptured

Great; I've spent like 20 minutes to write a critique, just for my laptop to scrap it all, forcing me to start over... I hate that piece of junk...

As I likely mentioned with Lyra and Bon-Bon, pairing ponies (especially of the same gender) is not exactly "my piece of cake", but the concept is quite lovely. Beaming with sophistication, one might wonder what is Vinyl doing in such a setting, but the vision itself is quite clear, leaving little doubt to the essence of the scene.

Per usual, originality is the hardest to grade; undoubtfully the image of that sort has been used many times, granted for MLP setting it's a little less "on the nose" (apparently, my favorite quote of the day <img src="e.deviantart.net/emoticons/b/b…" width="15" height="15" alt="" title=" (Big Grin)"/>). Also, putting Vinyl in a high society scenario is unusual, though it's a matter of debate whether one finds it a "good" or "bad" idea.

The style you used is intriguing to say the least - taking setting into account, a more fitting choice would seem something like an oil painting in stead of digital art; especially the background give out that "too smooth" vibe with the edges being flat (this is particulary striking with the floor pattern and the bottom of the fountain).
Also the light is a bit bright; I believe this piece would benefit from being a a little dimer, granted the shadows present themselves nicely.

Impact itself is the most peculiar of the bunch - its subtelity is its greatest strength; the owe beaming from Vinyl sweeps across the piece alongside the light, yet does so without intrusion, almost too gently to notice. And yet, one does.
That quiet admiration fits in perfectly with the highclass surroundings, complimenting one another on several levels, giving a great introduction to the refine Octavia, who's gracefully walking down the stairs, spotting Vinyl, but not giving in to her urges, like a lady should.
The setting itself is not romantic per say - rather it plays homeage to the scene, the happenings, then general mood. Sure, it sets a standard, elevating this piece in a unique way, but above that it limits the emotions; certainly an intriguing move.
Everything here is toned down, more exquisite then usual, seemingly putting a greater weight onto the form then content. It all creates a very consistent whole, giving this piece meaning to those that can appreciate the entirety of the work... but, at the same time, it makes all its details less memorable as they don't have the same strength as they do in tandem with others.

Overall it's a unique piece among the fandom, where most works seem to center on a certain element, having the rest of the pic play off it. Here the art shows its true strength as a whole, rather then a mix of several details.
To that end the impact may not be as striking, but - much like the pic itself - is more sophisticated... and that's always a welcomed experience.