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Season 1 Episode 2 - The Darkness Revealed! The Puzzle's Past
She slowly pushed the speaker forward, peeking over the side to make sure her target was blissfully asleep. She grinned and quietly hoofed back to grab another speaker to push to the other side of the couch.
Prism snorted, Vinyl pausing as she watched him turn over in his sleep, his ear twitching. She sighed softly and continued with her plan. Finally she went back to the turn table, pushing a few buttons and turned the volume the loudest it could go.
She closed her eyes, channeling magic into her horn and searched for a certain record. She squeed, finding it and putting underneath the needle. She grabbed her headphones, making sure they were snug over her ears before she started the record.
The entire room vibrated as the bass started, Prism instantly launching himself and latched onto the ceiling. His fur poofed up as he frantically looked for the reason he was jolted awake. He saw two speakers and a unicorn on the floor, laughing hysterically. He realized everything was upside down for a split second before gravity took hold and he crashed back down onto the couch. He laid there for a moment, clutching his chest as he tried to get his heart to work again.
She used her magic to turn off the music as she struggled to her hooves, leaning against the turntable as he glared at her, rolling off the couch.
“What the hay!? What did you do that for?” he asked, his ears still flat against his head.
Vinyl just took off her headphones and smiled at him. “Good morning, sunshine,” she said brightly.
Prism took a deep breath, and held a hoof against his head. “Why did you do that?”
Vinyl paused and tapped a hoof against her chin, pretending to think about it. “Well, you didn’t wake up the first few times I tried, and dumping water on somepony is so cliche. Thought I’d try a more entertaining alternative.”
He sighed heavily. “And what about your neighbors?”
“What about them?” she replied with a shrug. “I had this place soundproofed the day I moved in.”
“Oh, that’s reassuring,” he groaned as he fell back onto the couch, rubbing at a very powerful headache.
She chuckled softly as she rested her head on her hooves, then raised an eyebrow as she noticed the pendant still hung around his neck. “You wore that to bed?” she asked curiously
“Of course, why wouldn’t I?”
“All the mares I know at least take off their necklaces before going to bed.”
He rolled his eyes. “Yes, well, when you’re constantly on the move, you really don’t want to take off your valuables.”
“You never did tell me why it's so valuable,” she said.
“You never told me what was in that letter that Octavia gave you,” he countered.
The disapproving stare she gave him threatened to burn a hole clear through her mirrored glasses. “Always thought that a guest was supposed to be nice to the host.”
“Not when they’re being held against their will,” he muttered.
Her horn briefly illuminated as the front door opened. “If you wanna leave so badly be my guest, door’s right over there,” she said calmly.
They glowered at each other, the silence thick in the apartment. Finally, Prism sighed and looked at the floor. “I’m sorry… you’re right… thanks for letting me stay.”
She grinned, the door shutting. “Now that that’s settled, why don’t you make us some grub? I’m hungry.”
His jaw fell slightly. “But…”
“But?”
“I don’t know how to cook.”
“Sure you do! Everypony knows how to cook something!” She waved her hoof towards the kitchen and got up, yawning. “I’m sure you’ll find it. In the mean time, I’m gonna hop in the shower.” She turned and winked at him. “I better not catch you peeking…” She giggled as his face turned bright pink. “You're too easy, you know. It’s almost as if you’ve never had a mare friend,” she said, heading towards her room.
"Well..." He paused and turned. "To be honest... I've never-"
“I’ll be your mare friend,” she said as she wiggled her flank suggestively. “Just be careful the first time around, it's been awhile.”
His jaw dropped to the floor, his eyes wide and his face felt like it was on fire.
She glanced at him and almost walked into the door, trying not to laugh. “Lighten up dude, it was just a joke. Although, with that look, how could you not be a mare magnet?” A blue glow encased his jaw as it was gently shut. “Didn’t your mother ever teach you not to stare, its impolite.” She smiled, shutting the door behind her.
He stared at the door and gulped. This mare… I… I can’t understand her! He sighed, trying to calm his heart as he staggered to his hooves. Glad I’m not a pegasus... He looked around the kitchen, trying to find breakfast.
=
Vinyl walked out of the shower, wrapping a towel around her mane as she grabbed her sunglasses. She went to put them on and paused, staring at them before she looked up at the mirror. My eyes are pretty huh… She smiled and put the sunglasses on the towel and walked out, her nose picking up something. “Mmm… something smells good.” She said, walking to the kitchen.
“Oh yeah, just something my Mom taught…” Prism trailed off, turning around and saw Vinyl in a towel and no sunglasses. His voice seemed to die as he could feel his cheeks burning again.
“What? You're acting like you’ve never seen a mare out of the shower.” She rolled her eyes, sitting down at the table and rested her head in her hooves. “So what did your mom teach you?”
He opened his mouth a few times before violently shaking his head and picked up the pan. “It’s just some hash browns and haycakes.” He walked over, putting some on her plate as well as his own. He sat the pan down on the counter and made his way back to the table. “Um… thanks for trusting me not to burn down the kitchen.”
She shrugged. “No worries, not like there’s anything valuable here.”
He paused, the fork inches away from his mouth. “That’s right…” He hesitated and put the fork back on his plate. “If I may be so rude to ask…”
“Yes?”
“You seem so trusting; letting me, a relative stranger, spend the night, letting me shower, cook…” He floundered for a moment, the right words slipping from his grasp. “N-not that I’m complaining, it’s just hard for me to believe that somepony in Canterlot would do such a thing for a street pony.”
She finished her bite, leaning back slightly and taking her sunglasses off and staring at them. “When your a starting dj, you really don’t have much of anything. All your bits go into promoting your name. You lose your house, friends, family, all because you're trying to make yourself big. But… maybe you have one friend that lets you crash at their place, mooch off them for a bit, till you’re able to make some income.” She looked up at him. “So I may be a bit trusting, so what? Not like I have anything to lose, everything in here can be replaced. No, if anypony needs a place to crash, especially one related to Tavi, has a place with me. Even if they fight against it.” She grabbed another bite. “Besides, I bet its better than sleeping in a tree.”
He was silent, swirling his food on the plate. “I see…”
“I got a question for you.”
“Wouldn’t be fair if I didn’t answer.”
“Is it true that you murdered somepony?”
He blinked and sighed, dropping the fork. “Straight to the point…”
She shrugged, a bottle of Appledaniels floating over to her and she took a swig. “In my kind of work, its better not to mince words.”
He stared at the bottle before turning his gaze to her eyes. “And what if I was a murderer?”
She tapped the top of the bottle against her chin. “Haven’t said if you are or not.”
He stared at his food for a moment before he sighed. “...I don’t know.”
“You don’t know?” She asked skeptically.
He nodded. “Are there times where you have no memory of anything? Just… black splotches where you don’t know what you were doing?”
“Of course but that’s only if I drink too much.”
“I don’t drink… and the interesting part, it only started once I put together this.” He said, holding his pendant in a hoof.
“Really now? What do you think it is? Some magical device that turns off your brain?”
“Honestly… I don’t know. Ever since I put it together, I get the feeling as if…” He chuckled, leaning back in his chair. “It’s stupid, you wouldn’t believe me anyway.”
“Try me.”
He looked at her skeptically before he rolled his eyes. “I feel as if there’s somepony always watching, waiting for me to fall asleep or lower my guard…”
“And they’d do what? Go on a murderous rampage? Steal from poor, innocent ponies?”
“See? I don’t even know why I said anything.” He said, getting up.
“You gotta admit, that’s a pretty big stretch.”
“Exactly, which is why I said feeling ...”
“Well Mr. Feelings , you’ve done quite a lot to prove that you’re crazy, not a murderer.”
“I’d rather be crazy than a murderer.” He said, walking into the living room.
She watched him leave, staring into her drink before she sighed and finished the bottle. She pushed away from the chair and followed. “Hey Prism…” She said, pausing as she tried to find the right words. The pony in question looked up from the couch. “Have you ever taken that thing to get checked?”
“Checked?”
“You know, if it had a curse… or some magical, voodoo thing.”
“I did once…”
She sat down next to him. “And?”
He sheepishly grinned. “I… don’t remember. I asked a pony to give it a look, then there was a flash. Next thing I remember is I’m back at my camp in the Everfree.”
She slowly blinked and sighed, shaking her head as she undid the towel holding her mane. It poofed back to its normal shape as she tossed the towel towards her bedroom. “Guess if we want this mystery solved, I’ll have to take you to a friend.” She said, hopping off the couch.
“Bu-wha… wait a minute.” He stuttered.
“What?”
“Can we trust this friend of yours? I still am…”
“Oh right… huh…” She tapped a hoof against her chin, thinking. “Well, even so, we can just make up something. Which means I’ll have to disguise you from the guards.” She grinned, walking into her room.
He stared after her. “Wait a second, disguise? Do you really think that’d work?”
“Of course it would, just have to hide your cutie mark and dye your coat, give you a manecut, maybe get rid of the scarf. I mean the guards are looking-”
“Oh no, absolutely not. I can’t get rid of my scarf.” He said defensively.
“Why is it so special?”
“Its… a memento… from somepony special, alright?”
“Chill your jets dude, I was just asking.” She said, digging through her closet. “Now, where is that dye?”
“Have you ever dyed somepony?”
“Nope! But there’s always time to learn!” she said, gleefully exclaiming as she found the dye. She read the instructions on the bottle and started to get that ready. It would turn his coat a tan brown. She shrugged, trying to find her scissors to cut his mane. She rummaged around some more, turning the apartment back into barely controlled chaos.
Finally she set everything up in the kitchen as he stared worriedly at the assembled products. “W-well… we could still, you know… sneak around like we were doing yesterday…”
She raised an eyebrow. “Do you really think that’d work in broad daylight? I’m sorry but I like being the center of attention.” She patted the chair next to her. “Take a seat, the faster you sit, the faster we can get this show on the road.
He gulped, hesitantly sitting on the seat. He went to undo his scarf but stopped, his hooves on the garment. “Y-you can’t look…” He nervously said.
She rolled her eyes. “Do you really want to have the mare cutting your mane close her eyes? I doubt it could be that bad…” She reassured, gently pulling at the scarf.
He quickly covered it with a hoof. “Just… cut around it.”
She blew her mane out her eyes. “Fine, whatever. Not like it won’t grow back.” She began, picking up the scissors with her magic. It was quiet as she snipped here and there. “So…”
“So?”
“What are you hiding under there? You’re even more defensive about that spot then your puzzle.”
He was quiet, closing his eyes as he fought against a painful memory. “I was… in an accident when I was little and got a horrible scar. Thought it would be best to cover it, so I don’t draw anymore attention.”
“I see…” She said, cutting the last part of his mane. She went mute for a minute, trying to make sure his mane was even. She gently pushed his head, up, getting closer to see better as she trimmed up his bangs. “Well it can’t be that bad. Everypony has scars, just not all are noticeable.”
“Trust me, it’d definitely draw your attention.”
She ignored his comment and snipped one final time, his mane trimmed short and spiky, similar to hers. “Well Mr. Ominous, your mane is finished. Let’s get in the shower and dye your coat.” She said, grabbing his hoof and dragging him into her room as he struggled to hide his blush and stammer out a retort. “Oh grow up, not like that. At least take me out first before trying to get me in the shower.” She smiled, pushing him inside and grabbed the dye. “Hmm…” She thought out loud as she began the painstakingly tedious task of dying his coat.
While she had him stuck, she grabbed her scissors and trimmed up his tail before getting back to work. As she continued, she lightly brushed his side with her chest, his face red as he stared at the wall. “What’s wrong? Never been this close to a mare?” she said, resting against him for a moment.
“O-of c-course I have…” He managed to mutter.
“Oh really? Then it seems this is normal for you…” She said, wrapping her hooves around his neck, soaking the dye in and breathed softly into his ear. “Is this how you get all the mares?” she whispered.
His legs wobbled as his face turned as bright as a tomato. “W-well… I… uh…” He squeaked, his body trying to get air.
She stayed like that for a moment before getting off him, not before brushing her lips against his cheek. “I’m going to have to teach you to relax…” She sighed. “So much work for a colt.” She laughed as she bent down to his legs.
Please… kill me… He begged for Celestia to intervene and put him out of his misery.
=
They walked close to each other, heading to a rundown jewelry shop as he continued to twitch, the dye itchy. “So how do you know this colt?” he asked, itching his leg.
“I worked for him for awhile, trying to get some bits together to get some grub.” She said, leading the way as she whacked his hoof. “Stop it.”
“I can’t help it, so itchy.” He said, forcing himself not to continue to itch.
“When we get back you can wash it off.”
“Thank Celestia…”
“And if you’re good, I’ll help.” She whispered.
He stood straight up, his legs locking as he walked stiffly for a moment. “You really like doing that, don’t you?”
She giggled. “What can I say? You’re so easy to rile up, I can’t help it.”
He sighed. “You’ll be the death of me…”
“Oh stop being so dramatic.”
“Coming from you…”
“Yes?” she asked, pushing the sunglasses higher on her nose.
“Nothing…”
She lightly pushed him and they continued in silence for a moment. “So how can a jeweler help me?” he asked.
“He’s not just a jeweler, he’s a mage too. Can enchant any jewel you bring him, for a price of course. I’m assuming he can also sense when there’s a spell or enchantment attached to an item as well. If he can’t find something on that puzzle, then no pony can.” She said as they stood outside a rather homey jewelry store. “Here’s the place, Sapphy’s Jewels.” She said, opening the door for him.
“Well that’s subtle…” He muttered, walking in first.
The sides of the store were lined with glass cases, showing all his wares. Necklaces and rings shone in the store light, the bulbs placed in such a way to bring out the inner shine of every item. An older unicorn sat behind the counter, slouched over as he snored softly. He had a dull silver mane, streaks of black in the middle. His fading sapphire coat was covered by a silky black tuxedo with a white undershirt. His cutie mark was hidden by the coattails.
“Hey Sapphy!” Vinyl yelled, smacking the counter.
The unicorn in question jumped, his eyes flying wide open as he quickly searched for the source of the noise. He smiled as his sapphire eyes fell upon Vinyl. “Vinny, good to see you…” He trailed off, noticing Prism. “And who is this lad? A new lay?”
Prism’s face turned red as Vinyl laughed. “No, just a friend.” She kicked the back of Prism’s hoof.
He coughed. “Uh.. yeah, name’s Cinnamon and I was wondering if you could help me.”
“Depends on what you need help with. If its mare problems, you’ve come to the wrong stallion.” He laughed.
“Uh… no. I was wondering if you could see if there’s any bad magic attached to this.” Prism said, grabbing his puzzle and taking off his neck, placing it on the counter.
The laughter instantly left Sapphire’s face as he glared at the puzzle. He reluctantly picked it up, keeping it as far away from himself as possible. He looked up at Prism. “And how did you acquire this?”
“I… uh… solved it?”
He shook his head and put the puzzle down. “Well congratulations, you brought upon yourself nothing but darkness.”
Prism and Vinyl looked at each other. “Excuse me?”
“Don’t you youngins read anymore?” When they continued to stare at him, he groaned. “In ancient lore, a pony would imbue certain spells to objects to make them containers. Given enough time and energy, one could potentially make something that could hold years worth of latent magical energy. This,” he tapped against the puzzle, “is very rare indeed. I’ve only heard about it in scriptures.”
“But what do you mean? I don’t understand.”
Sapphire grabbed a jewel from underneath the counter and held it up to the light. “A unicorn could slowly transfer magic into an item with certain enhancements to store energy, that could be summoned at their call. Imagine the same thing for the pendant. Now, what would happen, if say, somepony stored enough energy to destroy a town? A city? That’s what’s in the puzzle.”
Prism took a hesitant step back as Vinyl stared at the puzzle. “But how is that possible?”
“That, I don’t know. All I can tell you is what is written down.”
“Sure, why don’t we continue the history lesson, this puzzle is becoming more and more interesting.” Vinyl said.
“Well… the legend goes that before Celestia, even before Discord, there was a king of the unicorns, who held sway over their lands. Everything was peaceful, the unicorns living in peace with each other. Crime was pretty nonexistent and thousands were spent on the study of magic. Unicorn’s used their magic and helped the earth ponies with the land. No pony dared attacked either country, the unicorn’s magic far too strong. Until one day, there was a rebellion from a sect of the mages. How and why one started, nopony knows. All the surviving records state that to defeat the leader, the king had to seal his magic away.”
“In the puzzle?”
“Yes but due to the nature of the seal, his body couldn’t handle the energy and he died. That’s where records get even more scarce. Some accounts say that he accidentally tied his soul to the puzzle instead of magic. Others say he died from poison. Hay, some even say he killed himself to save the kingdom.” He paused and scratched his mane. “But of course, that’s all legend, could be lies for all we know.”
There was a tense moment of silence. “But… how did I get it?” Prism asked in a small voice.
“That, I really don’t know. Did you ever ask whomever gave it to you?”
“All he said was he found it in a pawn shop. Nothing more…” Prism closed his eyes, trying to think back.
“Is there any way of checking if there’s any spirit or magic still in there?” Vinyl asked.
“Of course, but you’d have to be a fool.” He grinned mischievously. “And I’m just that foolish to try.”
Author's Note
Well then... I might make this story even shorter since it got such a warm greeting haha. But I guess that's my fault for making it OC based along with a crossover. Oh well, it still got a few chapters at least. As you can see in this chapter, I'm trying the 'proper' way to write, just to try and get better. Thanks to EquesTRON for helping me out! Hopefully I did it well enough...
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Season 1 Episode 3 - An Heated Argument! The Truth Comes Out!
Season 1 Episode 3 - An Heated Argument! The Truth Comes Out!
Prism stared at the unicorn, flabbergasted. “You can’t be serious.”
“Haven’t been this serious since I asked the missus to give me her hoof in marriage.” He used his magic to flip the sign on the front of the door to read ‘closed’. “Come on back, I have it all set up.” He said and walked through the curtain.
Prism turned to Vinyl. “We aren’t seriously going to let him try right?”
“Why not? I thought that’s why we came to him? And aren’t you just a wee bit curious?”
“Yes but this could be dangerous!”
She walked behind the counter, pushing open the little counter door. “Life’s not always going to be easy. Sometimes you gotta except the danger and keep going.”
“But… I…” He sighed, following her as they watched the unicorn grab an extra chair.
“Usually its just two ponies so the chair might be a bit dusty…” He chuckled and plopped himself down. “Now, because of the extreme circumstance, I’m going to need a little help.” He glanced at Vinyl. “I’m going to need you to be the focal point.”
“Why? I thought you could do it?” Prism asked.
“I could but its getting harder for me to pin down exactly what I need to. And with this, I want to be perfect. If we make her the focal, I don’t have to worry about aiming, I just use my magic and she does it.” He scratched his head. “Now, if you please.” He said, motioning for Prism to put the puzzle in the middle of the table.
Prism looked at Vinyl. “Are you sure about this?”
“Of course, what’s the worse that could happen?” she paused. “Why are you so nervous?”
“I…” He sighed and put the puzzle on the table. He sat down to a cloud of dust. “Just… be careful.”
Vinyl grinned at him enthusiastically and turned to Sapphire. “Alright Sapphy, whenever you’re ready.”
He took a deep breath, closing his eyes as his horn started to glow. “Alright Vinyl, clear your mind like you used to do in magic school.” She nodded, closing her eyes as her horn started to glow as well. “Now, picture the puzzle in your mind, its shape… good, I can feel it. Now, get ready…” He said, both their horns starting to spark.
Vinyl’s magic picked up the puzzle as it floated over the table. A faint dark blue aura joined hers, the two auras mixing together and circled it. Small sparks arced over the puzzle as it started to emit light. Both unicorns paused, staring at it in awe as the entire room erupted in a flash of light as a burst of static silenced everything.
=
Vinyl moaned and held her head with a hoof. She blinked a few times, trying to clear her vision and took a look around, the room completely shrouded in darkness. “What the hay? Hello? Sapphy? Prism?” she called, her voice echoing in the dark.
Somepony clapped their hooves as the room suddenly illuminated, revealing neverending staircases covering the room. Some crisscrossed others while most led to shut doors, several vertical with the walls. “And who… are you?” a voice asked, coming from every direction.
“I could ask you the same thing.”
It laughed. a shadow sliding towards her. It quickly grew into a pony, its two glowing golden eyes staring at her. “It takes a lot of courage to enter one’s mind and talk back to its owner. Be warned, some might not be as forgiving as I am.” The shadow vanished, revealing a plain tan unicorn, a blue cape held around his neck with a golden chain. His eyes were pupiless purple with a hint of fiery orange. He smugly looked at her before his eyes lit up with recognition. “Ah, Vinyl, it is a pleasure to meet you in pony.”
“How do you know me? Where are the others?”
“The old unicorn is lost in the maze somewhere…” He said, looking at the labyrinth of staircases. “I warned him not to venture too deep inside but he refused to listen.”
“And Prism?”
“My host is unaware of me…”
“Oh, he’s very aware.”
“I see…” He paused, seemingly staring off into the distance. “And how I know you? I’m aware of everything he does, his emotions, his dreams. I know them all. We are linked and if he tried, he could sense mine as well. However, he is not aware how we affect each other, which I’m sure he’ll figure out soon enough.” He took a deep breath and sighed. “Sadly our meeting has to be cut short, if either of you two stay longer, you’d get trapped in here forever. There’s already been enough miscommunications that’s caused Prism some problems.” He turned around and stopped. “Oh, before I forget, I had a favor to ask.”
“Wait, what about Sapphy? And what did you do to Prism? You’re the reason why he’s in trouble in the first place, aren’t you?”
“Why not ask him? He probably knows the answer to that. And if you leave now, the old one will be taken with you, since you are the focal point.” The pony’s eyes glowed as a third eye appeared on his head. “Please, don’t try coming here again. I only have control over this domain for so long.”
The room began to shrink, the staircases crumbling around her. “Wait! What’s your name?”
He smiled at her. “That, I do not know. Goodbye.” He said, the world collapsing around her.
=
She gasped awake, blinking as she leaned off the table. She looked around, Sapphy looked like he was just waking from a nap. She turned to Prism, noticing the third eye glowing on his forehead underneath the scarf. She paused, her body sluggish to respond as she leaned over to shake him awake. The puzzle lied on the table, unresponsive as the glow died.
Sapphire moaned, taking his head off the table as he blinked. She finally got Prism awake, his eyes unfocused. “Hey Cinnamon, you there?”
He turned to look at her, his eyes purple before they returned to their normal color. “What… what happened?”
“So the legends are true! But why did you make me leave with you? Imagine all the knowledge locked in there?!” Sapphire yelled at Vinyl.
“I had to or else we would’ve been stuck there.”
“Oh he was just saying that, I doubt he was being serious.”
“I’d rather not find out.” She said, grabbing the puzzle and Prism’s hoof. “Thanks Sappy.” She said, dragging a exhausted Prism out of the back.
“Wait Vinny!” Sapphire yelled, struggling to his hooves.
“Maybe some other time, we got things to do to.” She said, leaving the bumbling unicorn in the store. She sighed, hoofing the puzzle back to Prism. “Come on, lets go home.”
He slipped it around his neck. “So what happened back there?”
“You were right, you got a psycho in there.” She said calmly.
He stared at the puzzle and hastily took it off. “I knew it!”
She grabbed him with her magic and started dragging him back to her apartment. “Not here, wait till we get back.”
“This thing has caused me nothing but pain and I’m getting rid of it-”
“Prism, wait till we get home.” She said calmly as he felt some other force keep the puzzle in his hoof.
He went to argue before nodding, slipping it around his neck and noticed a few ponies were watching him before they resumed their business. Once they got back to the apartment, Vinyl locked the door as Prism threw the puzzle on the table.
She grabbed a bottle of Appledaniels and sat on the chair as Prism was on the couch, his forehooves crossed. “Vinyl, I need you to tell me what happened.”
She downed half the bottle in one swig and sighed. “Alright but you're taking me out to lunch afterwards.”
=
Several weeks had passed since she took him to Sapphire. Prism refused to wear the puzzle again, afraid of the pony inside. He spent most of his time in the library, trying to figure out who it was that resided in the puzzle. Vinyl, on the other hoof, spent her time prepping for her next gig at the end of the week.
She drank her coffee, waiting for Octavia to arrive at the cafe. She looked mournfully at her cup, wishing it was another Appledaniels. She yawned and shook her head trying to stay awake. She was going to debut a new song at the gig but couldn’t get anypony she trusted to listen to it. Fancy’s always busy, Shaker didn’t like that music... Hmm… Maybe I can get Tavi too, no she hates that stuff. She tapped a hoof against her chin, her eyes closed as she thought. I don’t think Prism likes it much either.
“Sorry I’m late Vinyl, Harmonic wanted to make sure I knew my part.” Octavia said, sitting down from across the white unicorn.
“No sweat Tavi, glad you could take time out of your busy schedule for little old me.”
Octavia sighed, shaking her head as a waitress came over and ordered a drink. “So… how are things with you?”
Vinyl raised an eyebrow, pushing her sunglasses down so Octavia could see just a hint of red. “Oh you know, fantastic. Got a new gig day after tomorrow, no pony to listen to my new song, and a murderer sleeping in my living room. How about you?”
“Prism is not-”
“Maybe he’s not but his puzzle might.”
“Excuse me?”
“I took him to Sapphy and we learned about his pendant thing. Turns out to have a pony inside.”
Octavia stared at her. “You can’t honestly expect me to believe that.”
“Neither did I till I saw and talked to it, trust me. Prism nearly flipped his lid and threw that thing in the middle of the street.” She sighed and finished her coffee. She leaned back in the chair and stretched.
Octavia was silent, studying the unicorn. “Vinyl… are you alright?”
“Uh… yeah? Why wouldn’t I be?”
“You’ve been working on another song haven’t you?”
“Of course, gotta keep things fresh ya know.”
“Have you slept?”
Vinyl rolled her eyes. “Yes Mom.”
“Vinyl, you know I only ask-”
“Cause you care right? I don’t need you to worry Tavi, I’m a big mare. I can take care of myself.”
Octavia looked at her friend. “Tell me what’s wrong, you can trust me.”
Vinyl paused. “Its nothing, don’t worry about it. You have enough on your hooves.”
“Vinyl, stop pushing me away. I can help you.”
“For the last time, just drop it okay! I don’t need your help.” She yelled, standing up and walking out of the cafe.
“Vinyl wait!” Octavia yelled, dropping a few bits on the table and rushing after her friend. “That’s not what I meant.”
Vinyl turned around, glaring at her. “Drop if Tavi.”
She continued to press her friend. “One day you're going to have to face it.”
“But not today or anytime soon. I have a song to finish, see ya around.” She said, quickly leaving Octavia standing alone.
Prism was walking from the library towards the cafe Vinyl told him to meet her at when he saw her storming towards him. He smiled. “Hey Vinyl, I found some…”
“Save it for later.” She said, walking right by him.
“Vinyl wait!” he said, turning to follow her.
“Prism?” Octavia asked, walking towards the pony. He had the same voice… but she couldn’t see his cutie mark and his mane and coat were different colors. The pony froze and slowly turned to look at her.
“O-octavia?”
She looked at him strangely. “What happened to you?”
He sighed. “It’s a long story… What’s wrong with her?”
“That’s an even longer story.”
“Does it have anything to do with her crying in her sleep?”
“She… she does?” he nodded and she sighed. “Having everypony abandon makes you do strange things.”
He looked towards the apartment. “That it does, that it does…”
Octavia cringed. “Oh… right, sorry Prism. I didn’t-”
“Its alright Octavia, most ponies don’t even know I exist.” He left Octavia there, heading towards home. “I should go make sure she’s alright.”
“It’d probably be better if you gave her some time alone.”
He shrugged. “Probably. Never was a smart one.”
“Wait, before you leave…” He stopped and looked over his shoulder. “We couldn’t stop her, she still wants you arrested for what you did. And she knows we’ve been talking.”
“I see… well, at least it was fun to catch up.”
“You could fight it. Just… tell them the truth!”
“I doubt they’d listen. I mean, ‘it wasn’t me, another pony that lived in my puzzle took me over and killed him.’ Do you know how crazy that sounds?”
“You could appeal to the Princesses.”
“Nah, they have enough to worry about.” He waved goodbye. “Thanks for everything Tavi.”
She watched him leave and sighed, her ears flat against her head. “Every time…” She muttered, walking towards her apartment.
=
He opened the door slowly. “Vinyl?” He asked and shut the door behind him, looking for the white unicorn. She was in her corner, the glasses covering her eyes as she stared at her mixer, the floor vibrating. He walked over to her and tapped her shoulder. “Vinyl?”
She paused the music, taking off her headphones and raised an eyebrow. “Sup?”
“What’s going on?”
“Nothing, just making a new song. Wanna listen?”
He stared at her. “I meant between you and Octavia.”
“It’s nothing, don’t worry about it.”
“It looked pretty serious.”
She glared at him. “Lay off alright? It was just a little spat between friends.”
He sighed. “I didn’t want to bring this up but does it have anything to do with Bolted?”
“How do you know that name?” She said, her voice carefully neutral.
“You talk in your sleep Vinyl… I just-”
“Just what? Wanna help? If I wanted your help or Octavia’s I would ask for it. I don’t need it.”
“Sounds like you do.”
“Who do you think you are? My Celestia damn conscious? What gives you the right to think you know what's best for me?”
“I know what being betrayed feels like-”
“Oh here we go again. Poor me, I have a possessed puzzle, no pony wants to be friends with me.” She held a hoof over her forehead. “No pony wants to be around me cause they think I’m dangerous.” She said dramatically.
He clenched his teeth, his forehead starting to glow as the third eye reappeared. The pantry started to glow as well, the puzzle’s eye glowing inside. “Vinyl…”
“What? Did I hit a sore spot? I’m not the only one that sleep talks buster. I hear what you're whining about. ‘Just a friend, please…’” She said in a bad imitation of his voice.
“At least I don’t push everypony away that tries to help!”
“You never had any friends to do that with! And besides, its better than being constantly hurt.”
“Not everypony-”
“Don’t. You don’t have the right to say that! You don’t know what I’ve been through.”
“What you’ve been through? I’ve been running all my life because my own mother betrayed me!” He grabbed his scarf and ripped it off.
Her eyes widened as she covered her mouth with a hoof. On his forehead, were the remains of a horn, shattered and black. “Prism… I-”
“What? Thought I was an earth pony?” He laughed bitterly. “You can overload your horn and just like that, your magic is gone. That’s why I kept it covered, so ponies wouldn’t gawk and stare. You think being betrayed is hard, try being betrayed and losing your magic.”
She took off her sunglasses, fidgeting and stared into his eyes. “Look, Prism… I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to explode like that.”
He sighed and dropped the scarf. “It’s alright… I just… Vinyl, you’ve helped me a lot since I started staying here. I understand that its hard to trust others, believe me. But eventually you gotta give it somepony a chance.”
“Last time I did that, I was almost raped.”
His jaw dropped. “What?”
She nodded. “There’s a reason I’m always wearing these glasses.” She twirled them around in her hooves. “When I put them on, I can stop being Vinyl, a pony no pony cares about and be DJ-P0N3, the dj that ponies wanna be around. I can be somepony else, somepony that doesn’t have a care in the world, save for how to make sure everypony has a good time. Its easy to escape from the memories and live in the moment.” She looked away from him. “That’s why I talk about Bolted, he was… a very close friend.”
He was silent for a moment before he sat down next to her. “Personally I like Vinyl over DJ-P0N3. She’s funny, willing to put up with ponies, like myself. Hay, she enjoys making me as uncomfortable as she can.” She faintly smiled. “But she doesn’t give herself enough credit, anypony that goes through what she has… well, they’re stronger than anypony I know. Just getting out of bed sometimes is a battle.” He put a hoof on her shoulder. “I know… its been a bit tense between the two of us but if you ever need somepony to talk to, I’m here to listen, alright?” He chuckled. “I’m sure you got that a lot.”
“Especially from Tavi…she can really put her snout in other’s business.”
“Oh you have no idea. Once when we were little, I showed her my Mom’s violin and she spent an hour trying to get me to put it back.”
They laughed, both sharing stories sadly at Octavia’s expense. They both sighed, staring at each other. “I don’t know what I’d do without Octavia…” He muttered.
“She may be a bit stubborn and old fashion but she did keep me alive for a few years. She’s my best friend.”
“Couldn’t ask for a better pony to be.”
She laughed. “Thanks Prism… for everything.”
He shrugged. “Least I could do, you're the first outside of family that didn’t go running away when I showed you my scar.” His stomach growled.
“Somepony hungry?”
“Well.. I haven’t eaten since this morning…”
“Why don’t I make us some dinner? Besides, I have a letter to send to a certain somepony.” She said getting up and patting the top of his head.
He sat there and shook his head before getting up and followed her. He paused at his scarf and picked it up, going to put it on his head before stopping and draped it on the couch. He grabbed her shades and put those on the table before walking into the kitchen. She was using her magic to write the letter and boil some water, the pan covered in a blue glow.
“Wasn’t there something you were gonna tell me?” She asked, finishing the letter.
“What? Oh yeah…” He cleared his throat. “I think I found a way for me to talk to the spirit in the puzzle… but I need a unicorn.”
“Then I’m your unicorn. What do we have to do?”
He hesitated for a moment. “Well… you’d have to send us both into the puzzle.”
“How?”
“Let me get the book, we can discuss it over dinner.”
“Not my ideal date but whatever works I guess.” She said, starting to grab some noodles from the pantry.
His face turned red as he headed back to the library.
=
“Are you sure you wanna do this?” He asked, the two sitting at the table, the puzzle in between them.
“Not like we could go to anypony else.” She said.
He sighed. “Alright… I guess whenever you're ready.”
She smiled. “Everything’s gonna be fine. Trust me, I got this.” She said, reading the scroll one more time before she closed her eyes. It was silent as she concentrated, her horn starting to spark. “Here we go…” She said, the magic arking to the remains of Prism’s horn.
They both slumped in their chairs, the puzzle glowing once more.
Author's Note
Hopefully it's better and yes, it's moving really fast. That's the way I wrote it. In my mind, I have it set up as if it was a short little anime series, maybe 6 or 7 episodes. So roughly the same chapters. Might wrap up even faster now, not sure. Just gotta wait and see how people like it. Thanks for the likes/favs, leave a comment/concern if ya have one. Still messing with the format, so if things seem a bit wanky, I do apologize for it...
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Season 1 Episode 4 - Penalty Game! Lies and Memories
A smile slowly formed on her lips and with a yawn, she staggered to her bed and fell face first. She could finally sleep, her song finished and the crowd had loved it. Some even said it was her best work yet. But she’d deal with that later, all she wanted to do right then is enjoy the embrace of her estranged pillow. She snuggled with her pillow, it conforming to her head and she sighed, glad to be able to finally sleep-
“Vinyl… hey, you okay?” Prism asked, shaking the unconscious unicorn.
She groaned and turned away. Of course he’d be the one to wake her up.
“Wake up, I think you should see this.” He insisted.
The Celestia damned apartment better be on fire… She opened her eye, gasping in pain as the sun blinded her. She held a hoof over her face and leaned forward, blinking away the spots. She looked around; they were sitting in a backyard of a mansion, a fence guarding the property. The sun shined brightly, not a cloud in the sky. Maids and servants milled around as two fillies ran around. One in particular had a white coat and shocking blue mane.
A shiver went down her back as she instantly knew who that filly was. She could feel the color drain from her face. “W-where are we?” she stuttered, knowing the answer already, the memory coming back to full force.
“I was hoping you could tell me.” He said, watching her intently.
“I… I don’t know.”
He looked at the white coated filly, chasing after a charcoal filly. “Hey, isn’t that-”
“L-look, it doesn’t matter-” She licked her lips, her mouth suddenly dry.
“The puzzle believes otherwise.” A pony said from behind them, seemingly materializing from thin air. It was the pony from before, his blue cape dancing in the wind and he smiled at her. “Hello Vinyl, it seems you didn’t heed my warning.”
Her eyes widened along with Prism’s. “I… I know that voice.” He said in a quiet voice.
The pony ignored him, his fiery gaze set square on Vinyl. “I tried to warn you Vinyl.” He raised a hoof and touched the tip of her horn. “And now, you must suffer-”
“You’re the one that lives inside my puzzle. You’re the reason why we’re here to begin with!” Prism said, his teeth clenched in anger as his eyes were full of fear.
The pony finally turned and gazed at Prism, the former unicorn paled but stood his ground. “I may live inside your puzzle but I am not the reason why we’re here.” He pointed at Vinyl. “The puzzle appears where its needed and you’re needed here.” He paused. “But you already knew that, didn’t you?”
She stared at the ground, refusing to look at him. Prism looked between the unicorns, not sure what to do. “Vinyl? Why are we here?” he asked, trying to ignore the pony.
“I… I…” She muttered, lost in memories.
Prism hesitantly patted her shoulder, trying to reassure her before he glared at the pony. “What did you do?”
“Me? I did nothing to hurt your friend. All I did was show her what her heart wanted her to remember.” He faintly smiled. “Call it... a penalty for lying to herself.”
Prism’s eyes widened and any blood left in his face was gone. “B-but… you can only do that-”
The pony raised an eyebrow. “I tried to warn her what would happen if she returned. And when we’re in my realm, I don’t need to follow those rules.” He said, slowly forming into a shadowy mist. “Remember Prism, find out what she refuses to say. That is the only way to end her pain.” He said, the mist vanishing in a gentle breeze.
Prism watched the mist dissipate, his mind struggling to catch up with everything. He quickly shook his head and wrapped a hoof around Vinyl’s shoulder. “Vinyl, hey. You with me?” She looked up at him, her eyes lacking their usual luster. He pulled her closer. “Vinyl, you need to tell me what happens in this memory. That’s the only way I can help you beat it.”
She was quiet, slipping out his grasp before she grabbed his hoof and pulled him along, following right behind the fillies. They entered the huge mansion, a giant staircase on the left leading upstairs. To the right led to the kitchen, maids rushing about inside. One came out with a tray on her back, walking towards another room.
The maid opened the door and he saw the room covered in books. He tried to get Vinyl to stop but as he leaned in to see more, the edges of the room turned white, the door vanishing as the fillies turned a sharp corner. The filly Vinyl grinned, her horn starting to glow blue.
“We were playing tag…” Vinyl finally said, stopping them. “And I’ve been learning about teleportation all week. I thought I could do it, since I was being privately trained and I ignored all that school stuff, about the energy required and boring stuff.” She said, watching as the filly version of herself locked up, her horn fizzling out as her body was suddenly sapped of it energy. With momentum, she slid on the floor, a maid coming out of some room and carrying a tray heading right towards her.
He flinched, knowing what was going to happen. The maid’s eyes grew as she saw the tumbling filly heading towards her. The two collided, the tray flying up, the glasses and their contents spilling all over the floor and rug. The glasses shattered and the tray clattered on the floor. It was silent, the maid hugging Vinyl and protected her from any damage.
The maid smiled at the terrified filly. “Are you alright miss?” Filly Vinyl nodded, her body shaking. “It’s alright, come on, let’s give you a nice rest.” She said, holding the filly as she gingerly stepped over the broken glass. Maids and servants appeared, starting to already clean up the mess. Octavia stood there, frozen with a hoof covering her mouth. “Come on Ms Melody, we should go to the misses room before Mrs. Scratch sees it.” She said, ushering the earth filly on.
Vinyl and Prism sat there, the world dissolving into grey before re-arranging to her room. It was huge, double the size of the study. Posters covered the wall, some of rock stars and djs. A few Daring Doo posters were scattered about as well, along with a Star Swirl the Bearded poster. He looked at her quizzically and she shrugged. She had a double size bed, a small table next to it with a night lamp. A record player sat in the corner, surrounded by bookcases filled with records. A few books were strewn across the floor, near two pairs of saddlebags.
There was a click as the door handle was encased in a dark maroon color and turned, the door opening to reveal a very posh and white coated unicorn. Her aqua mane was styled, her eyes highlighted with just a touch of eyeliner and shadow. She was beautiful, stunning, except for the look in her magenta eyes; disdain as she glared at the two filles. She marched up to Vinyl, the filly physically bracing herself.
He could hear her talking but the words were distorted. He felt the pain and anger at her words as the filly Vinyl cried, Octavia fiddling with her hooves awkwardly. He turned to Vinyl. “What… what happened?”
She stared at her Star Swirl poster for a long moment, silence between them. Finally, she sighed and turned to stare at him, her eyes full of sadness. “Mom was upset that I broke her favorite china and stained the rug, which had to be completely replaced. She grounded me for the next week and refused to let Octavia visit.” She wiped her eye. “She also fired the maid later that day too, for being ‘careless’.”
He wasn’t sure what to say and stared at her. “That’s… awful.”
“Yeah… but it doesn’t matter now, what’s done is done.”
“But it does…”
“What do you mean?”
“Think about it; why did the puzzle show us this memory?”
She shrugged. “Cause it likes bringing up painful memories?”
“No… well that too,” he paused, “I think its trying to tell us that even with painful memories, you want to learn from them. It may be painful, but you still remember the fun you had with Octavia before.” He rubbed the back of his neck. “And besides, if there’s anything I’ve learned, knowing what its like to suffer this pain… you want to help others.”
“See? This is why I like being DJ-P0N3. She doesn’t have to worry about these stupid memories. All she has to worry about is making sure everypony has a good time.”
“But that doesn’t help you Vinyl. You can only hide for so long.”
She glared at him. “Coming from you, that means so much.”
“Look, all I’m trying to do is help-”
“Whatever.” She said, a door appearing in front of them. She raised an eyebrow before opening the door, a bright flash blinded them for a moment. When they could see, they were still in her room, but the filly was happily jumping in circles. Vinyl paused, looking around her old room. “I… I think I know what memory this is...”
“Oh?”
“I think this is where I got my cutie mark.” She said. The Star Swirl poster was gone, replaced with a poster for ‘the Maneiacs’. Next to her record player was some big machine with two record players side by side. Any books that were in her room were gone, replaced with records and random flyers.
The filly in question was prancing about her room, hopping happily as her cutie mark was shown proudly on her flank. Octavia and a few other fillies were in her room, and as Vinyl hopped towards them, the group circled her and chatted. The voices were static and Prism looked at Vinyl.
“Do you remember what they said?”
She shook her head. “No… well, nothing besides the usual congrats and all that jazz. But something isn’t right…” She said, scratching her chin. “I thought Techie was here…” She shrugged. “It doesn’t matter. It was one of the few times I saw even my mother happy.” She said flatly.
Another door appeared and Vinyl kicked it open, walking through it, Prism scrambling to keep up. They went silent, both lost in thought. Several more memories played, Vinyl getting more and more upset and furious.
The final straw was when a grown up Vinyl stood in the doorway, a pair of saddlebags around her waist. Her mother was yelling at her, both of their faces red with anger. Vinyl gritted her teeth as she turned to look at him. “I’m sure I don’t need to say what we’re yelling about?” He nodded, quiet the last several memories. She glared at him. “What is it?”
“What do you mean?” He said carefully.
“You know exactly what I mean! I’ve been watching you judge this entire time!”
“Vinyl… I-” He said, reaching to put a hoof on her shoulder.
“Don’t!” She said, slapping the hoof away. “I’ve seen the way you look at me. You always have that pitying look!” She snapped and stomped her hoof, the memory fading out. “I’m tired of reliving my life! Yes, I was dealt a bad hoof, wah wah. It taught me how to survive this world and what it takes to be successful.”
They stood in the white void, no sound other than Vinyl’s voice. He started slowly, picking his words carefully. “But you don’t have to be like this.”
“What do you mean?”
“Yes, looking back on the past is painful. But if you can learn from it, you can see how you there were some bright spots.”
“Pfft, so what. Life has its ups and downs. What I can’t stand is how much emphasis you put on the past. Why don’t you just let it die?”
“Because the past proves who we are. Think about it, going back and looking at yourself, haven’t you seen how much you’ve grown? That mare that tried to teleport can do so much more now. You’ve grown into mare that can stand on her own hooves, not one that needs to rely on others.”
She laughed dryly and he raised an eyebrow. “What’s so funny?”
“You. You think you’re so high and mighty cause you saw what I went through. You think you know me…” She said through gritted teeth as she walked up to him. “You only saw the briefest glimpses of what I’ve been through. You. Know. Nothing.” She said, emphasizing each word with a poke to the chest.
His forehead started to glow, the third eye appearing. Flashes of his memories barraded her. Happiness, sadness, anger, hate, depression, fear flowed her body as she saw snippets of his life. His colthood living under an abusive, physically and mentally, mother, a father that was never there. A brother that tormented him about his cutie mark. A teacher that would hit him with a ruler with every wrong answer. Above all, an emptiness that he only could minutely fix with the pieces of a golden puzzle.
She could feel how happy he was when he finally completed it before everything went dark, a quick spike of fear.
She blinked, staring at Prism as he watched her, concern in his eyes. “How…”
“How what?”
“How do you act so damn calm!? We went through the same thing, even though I was older when it happened to me… how did you not want to try and end it?”
He chuckled. “Who said I haven’t? There were times when I’d stare at the mirror, knowing it would be so easy…”
“Why didn’t you do it then?”
He shrugged. “I don’t know, just couldn’t. There were times that I wanted to, so badly.”
“But…”
He sighed, grabbing the puzzle around his neck. “Every time I felt like that, I’d work on this, you’d be surprised how fast it clears your mind. Its so much easier than trying to figure out emotions. Every piece has a place, everything works together to make a masterpiece. Emotions don’t; anger and sadness, happiness and depression. They always seem to work against each other and you feel it.”
“A lot of my earlier songs were made when I was hiding,” she said quietly, “I did what you did but with music instead. I could see when the drop needed to hit or when this certain track needed to fade for another. I listened to the Maniacs, thinking that if they could do it, so could I. In the end, it seemed to work.”
“Is that why DJ-P0N3 exists?”
“Yes and no. I needed a dj name, no pony would want to hire Vinyl. Besides, when you’re in the club, you can feel the emotions around you. If I was playing the songs, everything would be depressing and blah. If DJ-P0N3 didn’t have a care in the world, just trying to make others happy, then she’d be the one to play at the gigs.”
Prism nodded. “I can see why you like her better but I still stand by what I said earlier.”
She sat down and sighed, rubbing a hoof against her head. “So what now?”
“I don’t know, never been stuck in somepony’s mind before.” He sat down next to her. “I guess we just wait.”
“Prism…”
“Hmm?”
“When this is all over, you’re buying me a drink.”
He smiled. “Sounds like a plan.”
“Does that mean you’ll drink with me?”
“Oh no, I don’t drink.”
“Why not? Its so relaxing.”
His eyes turned cold. “All it does is numb you just long enough that you don’t have to worry about it for a few hours. Then you wake up feeling horrible. Is it really worth all the pain the next day just for a few hours respite?”
“Sometimes but that’s why you take it slow and try not to get super drunk.” She looked at him. “It sounds like you’ve had some experience?”
“Yeah, I drank a little, just to see what it was like. Wasn’t worth it, or the repercussions of stealing from your father’s liquor cabinet. Besides, I’ve been around it my whole life, I know what its like for others.”
They were quiet, both looking at the neverending void. “So…” Vinyl started, only for a sudden burst of static to interrupt her.
They looked at each other, another burst making them cover their ears. “What the hay is that?” He asked.
“I… I don’t know.” She said, looking around as the room morphed, staircases and doors jutting into existence. She gulped, instantly recognizing the place. They were back inside his puzzle, the labyrinth even more insane than last time.
Standing next to them was Sapphy, the jeweler looked relieved when he saw them. “Oh thank Celestia, there you guys are!”
“Sapphy, what… how…”
“Octavia got me. found you two unconscious on the table. Knew I’d be able to help.” He said proudly.
They both smiled. “Of course.”
Hoof steps sounded behind them, the pony appearing out of the shadows. “I see that he saved you two from the void.”
“Saved?”
The pony nodded. “Indeed. When Ms Scratch destroyed her memory, you two were lost to the magic of the puzzle. With my help, Sapphire was able to get you back.”
Sapphy turned to the pony. “But our deal is still good right?”
“Like I said before, if you’re brave enough, you may travel here. But like last time, I advise you don’t. Not even I know what lurks here.”
“Pfft… you’re just saying that.” He said, grabbing Vinyl and Prism’s hooves. “Come on, let’s go treasure hunting!” He said, dragging them away.
“Wait.” The three stopped. “Prism, I believe we have things to discuss.” The pony said, watching them calmly.
Prism pulled his hoof away from Sapphire. “Yes… many things…” He gulped, paling slightly.
Vinyl patted his back reassuringly. “Remember, he can’t let anything happen to you. You are the host.”
“Right… yes…” He muttered before looking at her. “I think you should listen to him, I think its a bad idea-”
“Oh what’s the worst that can happen? We’ll be fine. You be careful alright?” She said, grinning at him.
“S-sure…” He said, watching the two vanish down a corridor before turning to glare at the pony.
A pair of chairs appeared as the pony sat down and motioned for Prism to do the same. “Please, we have much to discuss and little time.”
“Are they going to be alright?”
“I do not know, that is up for them to decide.”
“What does that mean?”
He shrugged. “If they were meant to find it, they will. If not, then you don’t have to worry about them.”
“Alright, that’s enough. What exactly are they searching for?”
The pony smiled, his fiery eyes crackling. “My memories.”
Author's Note
Well... yes, I know its rushed. Like I said earlier, wrote it so it would be a fast little story and one were I could have some fun... Hopefully you all liked it and its getting ready to wrap up in maybe... 3 or 4 chapters. Thought I should end it sooner rather than later.
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Season 1 Episode 1 - A New Friend! The Beat Goes On
The dull throb of the bass thudded through the building, a mini earthquake that rocked the club. Ponies danced as the laser lights caused a kaleidoscope of color to bombard them. No pony noticed there was no DJ dropping the beats, the ponies too into the dance.
The Ministry of Sound was at the end of a small cul-de-sac , located on the fringes of Canterlot. It was a rather old building, one of the first built when the city was being constructed. Formerly a barracks for Princess Celestia’s guards, it went under heavy reconstruction when Fancypant’s grandparents bought the place and repurposed it.
It was a tall two story building, the main floor housing the entire club, the top floor used for a dressing room. Windows peppered the front, mostly by the large door. A staircase leading up to the second floor hugged the back wall, right behind the DJ stand. Underneath that led to a basement, housing all the electrical systems and fuses. Storage and a random assortment of equipment also lived in this room.
A bouncer stood outside, a large earth pony. He had a green coat with a buzz cut mane. The little that could be seen and his tail were a dark brown. His cutie mark was covered by a thick pseudo-leather jacket and a pair of sunglasses covered his eyes. He carefully watched the crowd of ponies trying to come in, making sure there were no problems.
An older unicorn walked up to him, shutting the club door behind him. “Any problems Silver?”
The bouncer shook his head, keeping his eyes on a pair of younger pegasi, his gaze unnoticed.
“Well if there is, just give a holler.”
“Will do.”
The unicorn snuck back inside, the music slightly dying as the door shut firmly.
=
Vinyl sighed, covering her eyes with her forehooves. Nothing changed, everyday a repeat from the day before. She looked up into the mirror, seeing nothing but blackness, the world vibrant outlines of color. She leaned forward, seeing the lines blend as she could sense the ponies downstairs, dancing away. They didn’t need her, they could just flip the auto on and the music would mix itself.
She closed her eyes. She was replaceable, no pony would notice if she was gone. Every night she’d drink herself to sleep, trying to see how long it took. It was a bit of a game to her, seeing how many bottles she could finish before her brain slipped into unconsciousness.
She placed a hoof against the glass, feeling its cold reflective surface. She could just break a shard off and end it now, the mirror nice and sharp. Her horn glowed a faint blue, her hoof an extension of its magic. The magic would block her hoof from getting cut, grasping the shard.
“Vinyl?” somepony asked, knocking on the door.
She sighed, the magic fading into nothing as she picked up her sunglasses, slipping them over her ruby eyes. “Yeah?”
“You alright? You sorta just disappeared from the booth.” There was a brief pause. “May I come in?”
She took a calming breath, slipping into her other persona, her mask. She grinned as she used her magic to open the door. “Of course you can, it’s not like I could say no.”
The unicorn walked in from earlier, his aqua eyes full of concern. His styled blue mane sparkled in the dressing room light, his white coat shining. “Vinyl is everything alright?”
She walked over to him, giving him a brief hug. “Of course it is, I was just taking a mini break. Can’t pass out during my performance, can I?” She asked.
He stared at her, looking into her sunglasses. “Vinyl, I thought we both agreed we wouldn’t lie to each other?”
“Who said anything about lying Fancy? Come on, I got a crowd to entertain.” She said, slipping right by him. “And I thought I told you to call me DJ-PON3 when I’m working?”
“You’ll always be Vinyl to me.” He chuckled, following right behind her.
“Ugh, you're just like my dad.”
“I’m old enough to be your dad.”
She rolled her eyes, taking her spot behind the myriad of instruments. She turned to look at him with a big grin, giving him a wink he couldn’t see. “Sometimes you are my dad, well, you act like it.”
He waved a forehoof warningly at her. “Be careful who you sass back to.”
She laughed. “Love you too Fancy.”
He smiled. “Knock them off their flanks Vinyl.” He said, getting out of the booth and heading back upstairs.
She kept the grin on her face, watching him leave as she sighed quietly before she aimed the mic towards her. “Well how’s the night treating you, my ponies!?” she yelled. She got a thunderous response, everypony stopping and applauded. She flipped a switch, turning the automixer off as she cleared her throat. “Enough of that, let me show you how a real DJ works!” she yelled, flipping switches and knobs as the bass dropped, the entire building vibrating harder.
The ponies screamed louder, the lights spinning almost out of control. Vinyl smiled as she watched the ponies sway to the beat, the beat only she could create. An automix could only do so much. It took a living, breathing pony to follow the ebb and flow of the music and she was the best. That wasn’t her ego talking either, everypony had stated she was the best DJ they’d ever seen.
She could sense the music beginning to ebb, flipping a switch or two as the volume lowered slightly, pushing a lever up so the backdrop kicks up as the front fades. She watched the ponies dance to the slow song. She nodded her head to the beat, letting the music take over the tempo of her mixing. She swept her gaze over the ponies, watching as they all had a good time. She eyed the bar, Shaker doing his magic as drink after drink was mixed to perfection.
Suddenly she stopped, noticing a pony that looked really out of place. He wore a ragged green coat, looking more like a tarp then a coat. He had a messy brown mane, leaves and twigs reveled in it, his tail not much better. He had a hearthstone gray coat, magged and unbrushed. He had a red scarf but instead of wearing it around his neck, he wore it around his forehead, like a headband. His cutie mark was hidden by the coat as his sapphire eyes scanned the crowd, his ears flat against his head.
She tilted her head, intrigued at how this stallion got inside. He must’ve snuck in... She shook her head, going back to the music but kept an eye on this stallion.
=
How could I ever let her talk me into this? he gulped, holding a cup of water as he scanned the club. The loud music made him flinch, his entire body on edge. I don’t even know what this mare looks like!? he sighed, reaching into his traveler’s coat and pulled out the envelope, shaking his head. Why me? Of all ponies she could’ve asked. He put the letter back, watching the ponies dance and give themselves over to the music. His head began to throb as he sipped his water, noticing the barkeep watching him closely. He glanced around and saw he had gained quite a few looks before he paused at the DJ, her glasses blocking him from looking into her eyes.
They stared at each other for a moment, some unknown conversation happening on a plane neither were familiar with. As she looked away and began rocking to the beat once more, he sighed, holding a hoof to his head. Of course it had to be her...
=
Vinyl sighed, sipping from her glass as she listened to K-C0lt mix the next song. She looked around, noticing the same colt as before, still sitting at the same spot. “Hey Shaker”, she asked, looking at the aged bartender.
His ear twitched and he walked over to her, cleaning a glass with a rag. “What can I get for you Vinny?”
She rolled her eyes. “Nothing, was wondering what was with mister shady three tables back.”
Shaker’s eyes quickly glanced in the direction she mentioned. “Ah, mystery colt. No idea; came in about an hour or two before and asked if there was a Vinyl Scratch. Told him he’d have to wait till after the club closes and ordered a water.” He scratched his chin.
She blinked, looking at him weirdly. “Are you sure he asked for Vinyl and not DJ-PON3?”
“Pretty sure, not very many ask for Vinyl.”
“Interesting...” She said, staring into her drink.
“Know him?”
“Never met him in my life.”
“Want me to call Silver?”
“No, it’s alright. I doubt I-”
“Um... e-excuse me, are you Vinyl Scratch?” a voice asked behind her. Shaker and her shared a quick look before she grinned and turned around. It was the stallion.
“Sure am but I’m DJ-PON3 at work. What can I do for you? You know I don’t do autographs at a job right?”
His face turned a shade red. “N-no, I just was supposed to deliver a letter to you.” He said, reaching into his coat. She could see a pendant hanging on his neck as he pulled out an envelope and hoofed it to her.
She grabbed it with her magic, not recognizing the writing. She looked up at him. “And who’s this from?”
“Uh... Octavia...”
“How do you know Tavi?”
He blushed, rubbing the back of his head, sprinkling a few leaves on the floor. “She’s my cousin... somehow, I never really followed the connection.” He coughed. “Well then, nice meeting you Vinyl.” He said, quickly turning around.
“Hey wait a minute.” She said, grabbing the edge of his cloak and he froze. She opened the letter and skimmed through it, frowning. She folded it back into the envelope. “What’s the big rush?”
“I... uh...”
“Don’t move!” A guard yelled, making his way through the crowd. All three ponies watched him advance as the strange stallion’s face paled.
“Well, see ya.” He said, pulling his cloak from Vinyl’s grip and disappeared into the sea of ponies.
“Wait!” She yelled, too late as he vanished.
The guard finally made his way to her, panting as he groaned. “He got away again, didn’t he?”
She nodded. “Who was he?”
“That was Prism the murderer.”
Shaker and Vinyl stared at each other. “What?!”
“Yes, now if you’ll excuse me ma’am.” The guard said, bowing before chasing off into the direction Prism rushed off to.
Vinyl sighed as she eyed the envelope. “Shaker, give me double the usual.” As soon as she finished, two glasses slid her way.
Shaker shook his head. “Fancy won’t like this when he hears about it.”
Vinyl downed the shot in one go, setting the shot glass on the bar. “Not if we don’t tell him.”
“But Vinny...”
“Yeah I know but Prism didn’t do anything, save hoof me a letter and get some water. Did he break or steal anything?”
“No but-”
“But nothing. As far as I’m concerned, he was just another crazy fan.” She quickly downed the second drink, sliding the glasses back to him. “Thanks for the drinks, put them on my tab.” She went to get up before pausing. “And no telling Fancy about this, right?”
He sighed. “Guess not.”
“Good.” She said, heading back towards the booth to talk to K-C0lt.
=
Prism sighed, getting comfy on the tree branch. No pony was in the park, the night making sure most were asleep. The moon was high in sky as he stared through the branches at the faint twinkles of stars. He faintly smiled, closing his eyes as memories slowly resurfaced in his mind, playing happily.
He suddenly felt that he wasn’t alone as he heard a clop of a hoof right underneath his tree and before he could do anything, the edge of his cloak was encased in a bluish aura before he was forcibly pulled to the ground.
As he laid there with the world full of stars, he looked up to see that pony from the club, Vinyl Scratch. He quickly got to his hooves and shook his head. “What are you doing here?”
“I could ask you the same thing.”
“Trying to sleep.”
“In a tree?”
“Better than a bench or the ground.”
She looked at him. “You don’t live here, do you?”
He patted the bark of the tree. “You’re looking at my home.”
She looked at the tree before raising an eyebrow. “I’m pretty sure that’s the park’s tree.” She paused. “Hey, why don’t you crash at my place?”
“W-what? Do you do this to every homeless pony you meet?”
“Nope, just the ones that look like they need help.”
His cheeks turned red. “I’ll have you know that I’m just fine, thank you very much.” He said, heading back to the tree. “Now if you’ll excuse me, my bed is calling me.” He said, getting up to the branch before Vinyl pulled him down again. He sighed, looking at her. “Why do I get the feeling you won’t take no for an answer?”
She picked him up with her magic, grinning. “You’re learning already!”
He rolled his eyes. “I still don’t understand why you’re being so nice. For all you know, I’ll rob you blind.”
She looked at him, the glasses covering her stare. “‘Live everyday like it’s your last’, that’s my motto.”
“Well... I still don’t think I should intrude.”
“Too bad bub, you're crashing with me.”
He sighed. “Looks like you're not giving me much of a choice.”
She smiled. “My, my... such a fast learner. How impressive.”
“Do you do this to everypony?”
“Only the cute ones.” She said, winking at him.
His face turned red as he started stuttering. She busted out laughing, her sunglasses almost falling off as he caught a glimpse of her scarlet eyes. She turned, beckoning him to follow her. He sighed, shaking his head as he stared at the ground letting her lead him. “So why are you really doing this?” he asked.
“Octavia doesn’t usually ask for help and if she trusts you enough to deliver something, then I trust you enough to let you crash at my place for a night or two. And why do you keep asking me that?”
“Because most ponies wouldn’t do that. Especially to somepony chased by the guards.”
“Well I’m not your average pony, if you haven’t noticed.” She grinned at him.
“Oh, I noticed.” He blushed slightly.
They were silent the rest of the trip till they paused outside of an apartment complex. “Wait here handsome while I make sure the coast is clear.” She said, lightly bobbing him in the snout with her tail. His face turned crimson as he stuttered a reply as she slipped inside.
This mare... she’ll be the death of me. He nervously fidgeted on his hooves, waiting for her to get back.
A few moments later, her head popped out the door. “Come on lazy bones, best to get outta the street before somepony sees you.” She said, motioning him to come inside. He jogged over, quickly getting inside and followed her up the stairs. They paused outside of a door on the very last floor. The door knob was encased in her blue aura. “I just gotta warn ya that my place is a bit... messy.” She blushed lightly.
“Like I care...” He said, trailing off as the door opened, revealing what looked like a frat party gone horribly wrong. He carefully made his way inside, mindful of the glass bottles and trash. “Sweet Celestia...” He whispered, wide eyed as he turned to look at her. “And you live in this place?”
“I... uh... am usually to busy with work to clean up.” She muttered, quickly pushing most into a pile on the floor.
“I can see that...” He said, taking off his saddlebags and setting them on the couch before bending down, picking up the trash.
“What are you doing?”
“Cleaning, I’d rather not sleep in more filth than necessary.” He said. “Where’s the trash bags?”
She rolled her eyes and disappeared into the kitchen and grabbed a couple. She came back, tossing him one as they quickly picked up. A while later, it was back to being 'clean', well, the trash picked up. She smiled at him. “Thanks a bunch, guess it was messier with the light on.”
He sighed, ruffling through his pack. “Thanks for letting me stay Vinyl, I appreciate it.”
She waved a hoof at him. “Don’t mention it.” She said dismissively.
“Um... I hate to intrude even more than I already have but could I borrow your shower?”
“Course, it’s in my room.” She said, leading him through her room and into the bathroom. She grinned. “I’ll leave you alone...” She said, shutting the door behind her.
He sighed, taking off his coat and draped it on the toilet and started to take off his scarf when she knocked on the door. “Yes?”
“Want me to wash the cloak? I have a load to do anyway.”
“Um.. sure, that’d be great.”
“I’m coming in, hopefully your decent.” She said, the door opening. She grabbed the cloak before glancing at him. She paused, something clicking in the back of her mind, like she recognized him from somewhere. She shrugged, pushing the thought to the back of her mind. “I feel bad for the plumbers.” She finally said with a chuckle and left him alone again.
He went to say something before shaking his head. He leaned in and turned on the water and waited for it to get warm. He stared at his reflection in the mirror, taking off the scarf and grimaced, seeing the remains of his past. “Never again...” He muttered, taking off the pendant and placed it on the counter, getting into the shower.
Vinyl rested in her chair, drinking straight from a bottle of cider. She glanced around the room vacantly, her sunglasses resting on her stomach. It seemed so much bigger clean, empty as well, void of anything. She saw the note that Prism had brought her. She used her magic to bring it over to her, reading it again.
Dear Vinyl,
I hate to inform you that I won’t be able to attend our usual meeting this coming Wednesday. It seems Harmonic has got us a job in Baltimare and he wants us to practice. I’m terribly sorry to say this not in pony as well. But I do have a favor I wish to ask you.
You see, the pony delivering this message is a cousin of mine, on my mother’s side. His name is Prism and he seems to be, for the lack of a better term, “in trouble” with the law. I wish for you to look after him while we get that taken care of. I think you're the only one that could deal with his, err, “odd personality”. And if you could, make sure he doesn’t know I’m asking this, it’d be better if he didn’t.
We’ll have to reschedule our usual meeting for two weeks. I’m terribly sorry.
Octavia Melody
“What’s that?” Prism asked, the pendant and scarf around his neck and head respectively.
“What?! Uh, nothing.” She said, crumpling it up and throwing it in a bag as she hastily put her sunglasses back on.
He raised an eyebrow, making his way back towards his bags and plopped down on the couch.
She raised the bottle. “Want some?”
“No thanks, I don’t drink.”
“More for me then.” She said, finishing off the bottle in one swig. She sighed, tossing the bottle in a bag. They looked at each other closely, studying each other. She noticed his cutie mark was a picture of a puzzle. “So I see you’re good with puzzles?”
“Huh? Oh, my cutie mark. Yeah, got it when I figured this thing out.” he said, holding the pendant in his hoof.
“What is it exactly?” she leaned forward, staring at it.
“No pony knows, all I know is it’s been in my family for years when my grandpa gave it to me as a joke present. Thought I would never solve it. Took me about five years before I did.”
“I see... so how much is it worth?”
“What?”
“I’m assuming you’ve thought about selling it?”
“Not at all... I’m rather fond of it. It’s helped me get through a few tough spots...”
“How so?” she asked as he quickly shut his mouth and avoided looking at her. “Come on, you can tell me.”
“I-I’m sorry... I’ve said too much...”
She was silent, studying him. “Alright then... what’s with the scarf?”
“This?” he held a hoof to it. “It’s a memento... from an old friend.”
“You do know that you're supposed to wear it around the neck right?”
“Yeah but I like it better here.”
She shrugged. “Whatever floats your fashion boat.”
“What about you?”
“Hmm?”
“Why do you always wear sunglasses?”
“Oh.” She shrugged. “Not sure, just doesn’t feel right without them. And it’s not everyday that ponies see scarlet eyes.”
“Well I think they’re... uh... pretty?” he asked, his face getting a bit warm.
“Aww, how cute. You look rather funny when you're embarrassed.” She laughed as his face got even redder. “Like that.”
“Well excuse me for trying to compliment you.” He mumbled.
“Don’t be, it was worth it.” She chuckled. “But thanks anyway.” She hesitated, a hoof on her sunglasses before she abruptly got up. “Well as much as I’d like to grill you some more, some of us have a job to do and I’m exhausted.” She yawned, heading towards her room. “Make yourself at home; need anything, you’re welcome to it. But if you want my help with anything, just give the door a knock. See ya in the morning.”
“Night...” He said as she entered her room and shut the door. He stared at the door for a moment, wondering what she hesitated for. He grabbed his saddlebags, throwing them over the couch arm and rested against them, turning to stare at the ceiling.
Author's Note
Well not sure about this one, just popped into my head randomly one day. Not sure if I nailed Vinyl's character but I had a lotta fun writing it.
Thanks for reading and would you kindly leave a comment if there's any mistakes.
