Micro Story: Vinyl Scratch

There is a party with everypony in Ponyville attending. It is run by none other than Pinkie Pie at Town Hall. It’s late in the evening but the party is going on inside with lights and great music. The source of the music is Disc Jockey Vinyl Scratch. This scene lasts until the song ends. Ponies start leaving saying

“Its late, bye Pinkie thanks for a great party”

Pinkie frowns then turns to Vinyl and tells her

“Thank you for playing music for my Party”

“No Problem”

“I can’t wait to hear a new song”

“New song?”

“Yeah, it’s been awhile since you released a song”

Vinyl with a fake smile says “yeah I’ll have a new song soon”.

Vinyl goes off stage and heads home thinking about how to start a new song.

In the morning Vinyl is turning her house into a wreck; paper everywhere and tune being played from a speaker. Vinyl with a disappointment yelling

“No, no, no, nothing sounds right”.

Octavia enters Vinyl’s house and asks if everything is alright. Then she notices the condition of the house and says

“what happened?”

Vinyl looks around and replies

“oh, this? Its nothing my Sub-Vac can’t fix”

Octavia with a curious look “what might I dare ask, is a Sub-Vac?”

Vinyl pulls out a subwoofer and turns it on. In seconds her house shakes and all the trash and paper end up in a neat pile next to the subwoofer. Octavia still woosey from the noise says

“why did you even make the mess in the first place?”

Vinyl after her happy display of bass, sighs and says

“well I have been trying to create a new song, but I can’t get it started. Nothing sounds right”

Octavia looks at Vinyl and says

“Well maybe you just need some inspiration”

Vinyl with a confused look says “Inspiration?”

“yeah you need something to get you started, now what helps you think of new music?”

Vinyl with a smile, says “I blast loud music until I hear a beat then I start there”

Octavia with a look of annoyance says, “How about you try what I do”

Vinyl says “What?”

Octavia explains “I find a quiet spot and listen to the world to find my tune”

Vinyl again with a look of confusion, says “But if it’s quiet how am I supposed to hear anything?”

Octavia annoyed, says “It’s just a suggestion, I’ll go and leave you to your project, Bye Vinyl”

Vinyl smiles and says “Bye Octavia”

Before leaving Octavia says, “oh, and next time please warn me before you blast the Sub-Vac again”

Vinyl still smiling is thinking, “Find a quiet spot”

Vinyl starts visiting different spots, first Sugarcube Corner, where Pinkie Pie is jumping everywhere.

“No, this is not quite”

Then she visits Apple farm and thinks this is quite. Then she hears banging noises and realizes it is Apple Jack and Big Macintosh, hitting trees to get the apples to fall. Disappointed Vinyl goes off the property to the Cutie Mark Crusaders club house. Before she gets close she hears screaming and yelling and immediately turns away.

Vinyl thinks “I know one spot that should be quite.

Vinyl goes to the Library, but inside sees books everywhere and Twilight is re-shelving.

Twilight looks at Vinyl and says “sorry but it is my scheduled re-shelving day, every book must be in order and in the right spot”

Vinyl burst out aloud saying “why is there not a single spot that is quite in this town.

Twilight then asks “why do you need to find a spot that is quite, I thought almost every second of everyday you preferred to listen to music”

Vinyl looks at her then says “I need to find a spot that is quite, so I can get inspired to make a new song, and yes I prefer music, but I’m trying Octavia’s method. But so far there is not a spot in town that is quite, I’ve been to Sugarcube corner, Apple acres, and I don’t even know why I thought the Crusaders club house might be quite”

Twilight looks at Vinyl and says “I’m sorry the Library is not quite now, but try Zecora’s place, it’s in the evergreen forest it should be quite”

Vinyl with a smile leaves the library and heads to the forest. Vinyl looks at Evergreen Forest, then enters thinking “Now where is Zecora’s”

Vinyl walks around in the forest and thinks to herself “I got to find a spot where I hear nothing at all”

After some time Vinyl realizes it’s late. She goes up on hill to see where she is at. She sees Ponyville in the distance ahead of her. She lets out breath then looks down in despair, and says

“well I should just head home and try tomorrow, maybe even try sleeping with no music playing”

Then vinyl hears faint pipe like sounds. She turns around and sees a building with towers on it, in the opposite direction of Ponyville.

Vinyl thinks, “Maybe that might be Zecora’s”

Vinyl goes down the hill and heads towards the building. As Vinyl approaches the building she notices the building looks old and rusty. The towers she saw from a distance, are broken and have fallen through the roof of the building. The build itself has holes in the walls, and vines growing all around. Vinyl still curious looks for the entrance. She sees huge metal doors on one side and heads there. Vinyl then stops as she notices the make-shift sign above the doors. The sign looks like it is covering the original sign. Vinyl reads the words the words that are visible,

“music factory, all ponies welcome”

Vinyl pleased with the sign says “Alright, I found my spot”.

Vinyl enters the factory seeing all most nothing for it is dark.

“Hello?”

She asked inside. No response. Vinyl is on a middle platform with catwalks above and a huge floor below. The Building is filled with pipes, gauges, and converter belts that lead all around. To Vinyl’s disappointment the place looks aged, everything looks like it expired long age. Vinyl stays in the building for she wants to know what created the sound she heard. She looks around and sees a cargo crate sized box in the middle of floor by itself, that brand new. She descends some stairs and approaches a box.

“what is this thing”

Vinyl hears a whining noise of gears turning. The box begins too glow. The side Vinyl is on lights like a Television screen while a robotic voice reading the words on the screen

“What do you want to hear”

Vinyl curiously says “Music?” The Box replies

“What type?”

“uhh, awesome music?”

The box begins playing music while it displays hundreds colors in a questioning pattern. Vinyl thinks

“Yes I could use this thing and create tons of new songs”

The Box still playing music, asks, “Why are you not in a state of trance?”

Vinyl replies “why should I be?”

The Box then explains its purpose is to hypnotize ponies to come to the factory, where their energy can be collected. The process was harmless and ponies would be in a trance from the music and would not be aware of what was happening. The energy collected from ponies would be sent somewhere else. After Vinyl heard the story she began laughing and replied

“why that is hilarious, I did not know you have stories to go with the music”

The box stops playing the music and says “that was no story, but instead my past”

“Now why are you not in a state of trance?!”

Vinyl stares at the box and replies, “sorry but your music is not that great, but now my music can put ponies in a trance”

The box increased the volume of its voice and said “silence” in big red letters.

“You think your music is better than mine”, “I was built with best music of all time”

Vinyl chuckles and says “what time was that, the Stone Age”

The Box yells “No more, I challenge you small pony”. “You think you can create excellent music?”

Vinyl now acting serious “bring it on”

The Box replies “okay then”, the box starts playing music, and without pausing asks “see if you can beat that”

Vinyl pulls out a box and hits a button, which opens the box into several speakers and immediately starts playing music. The box realizing the music the pony is playing sounds that are better, adjusts its music and plays a melody with a different, and faster beat.

Vinyl listens as she plays the same rhythm and thinks “I found my beat, all I needed was a challenge”

Vinyl now happy with her goal accomplished realizes that the building cannot with stand the vibrations the music is creating.

Vinyl yells at the box “stop playing your music”

The Box says “I will never be silenced”

Before Vinyl can explain her intentions the roof starts breaking apart and falling everywhere. Vinyl grabs her speakers and runs out of the factory. The factory now collapsed, and only has the front wall with the doors left standing.

Vinyl sighs and says “too bad the box didn’t survive this would have been my spot for further inspiration”

Vinyl then turns around and starts heading to Ponyville. On her way away from the factory she sees another sign that reads the building is condemned for it is structural unsound. Vinyl with a look of disappointment says “why wasn’t there a sign like this on the front door”.

The next day Vinyl is at another one of Pinkie’s parties playing a new song. Octavia is there and asks Vinyl where she got her inspiration. Vinyl simply says a box. Octavia has a looks at her in confusion, but then says “okay well at least you made your new song”.

Back in the factory there are metals chucks and pieces everywhere, and no noise. Then something causes the wreckage to shake once more moving the front wall. The make-shift sign comes apart revealing the original sign. The sign reads “Rainbow Collecting Factory”

There is now a noise coming from underneath the wreckage. The noise sounds like a skipping record, repeating the word “Silence”.