Faded Note Blues

“I’m sorry, Vinyl,” Faded said softly, taking a few sips from her own tea, though Vinyl got the distinct impression the cup had long since been empty. “I’ve made you awfully uncomfortable. But I fully intend to keep going. I hope you don’t mind.” By the way she spoke, the resonance of her voice, it was clear that she’d keep going no matter what Vinyl thought. Her words were polite, yet empty.

As a matter of fact, Vinyl did mind. She minded a great deal. Somehow, she had managed to avoid any negativity for months, only for Faded to bring out so much of it she almost felt like she was back with Tavi. Back when things ended.

Not being able to bear sitting there for one more second Vinyl launched herself to her hooves. She didn’t even know what she was doing, she just needed to move. She found that her subconscious—or perhaps her more primal instincts—wanted her to get out of there as she found herself moving to the exit. The door was like salvation to her and she could almost feel the beat of the base returning to her the closer it grew. It thundered through her, making her blood pump and infusing new life into her tired limbs.

She was there, she was so close. But then, her steps faltered, the feeling of wrongness just tingling away in her gut. Groaning in exasperation she threw her forelegs up onto the record player, her head nestling in between them. Perhaps, if she shut her eyes rested her head just right, it would remind her of happier times. The beat was fading, leaving nothing but the melancholic silence and not even the promise of a sweet memory could coax it back.

Vinyl could hear the smirk overtaking the older mare’s face. Ice crept down her spine, as Faded’s eyes ran over her and sought out her secrets.

“And I can see you want me to continue,” Faded remarked. “Pony’s ears don’t swivel backwards like yours are unless they’re trying to hear what’s behind them.”

Vinyl frowned into the crook of her foreleg, squirming her muzzle further into it. Even then, she knew Faded was right. As soon as her attention had been called to it, Vinyl had noticed her ears pointing towards Faded. Try as she might, she just couldn’t bring herself to turn them away again. She did manage to make them flick once or twice, but that was it.

“What’s her name?” Faded asked, making Vinyl glance over her shoulder at Faded.

“Whose name?” Vinyl replied, trying to play it cool. There was no way the older mare could see the sweat that began to prick up uncomfortably beneath her coat.

“What’s her name?” Faded repeated, her tone of voice leaving no doubt who she was speaking about.

Sighing, Vinyl shook her head in defeat. “Tavi.” She caught herself. It wasn’t right to call her that anymore. “Octavia Philharmonica.”

“I recognize that name,” Faded replied, her voice carrying a hint of surprise. “She’s a member of the Royal Canterlot Orchestra, isn’t she? I’ve read interviews of her in the paper. You must have expensive tastes.”

Though she tried to hold herself back, Vinyl couldn’t help but bristle. “It wasn’t like that,” Vinyl snapped, glaring over at Faded. “It… It…”

She trailed off. When she spoke again, she spoke softly, or softly for Vinyl Scratch. “She was kind and caring. She never judged me for my music, even though she didn’t understand it. And sometimes, when I stopped smiling, she just liked to hold me close and…” She stopped, suddenly realizing what she was saying, blushing faintly. “And we rocked each other’s worlds,” she finished.

“Ah, Vinyl, you were doing so well there for a second,” Faded said, clucking her tongue. “Almost did enough to make a jaded mare swoon.” She gave a fierce grin. “But you just couldn’t hold the DJ back, could you?”

Vinyl shrugged, pushing up her glasses, before promptly dumping her head back into her arms.

“Why don’t you just sit yourself back down Vinyl?” Faded asked soothingly. Vinyl could hear the sound of her patting the empty seat, the faint noise obscenely loud in the hanging silence.

“Imma fine here,” she mumbled into her arm, shaking her head. Her hangover was beginning to resurface, or at least she assumed it was. With the way her day had been so far, she wouldn’t be surprised if it had nothing to do with her activities of the previous night.

“I didn’t catch that there,” Faded replied, her chair creaking as she leaned back into it. “But I didn’t need to hear it to know what you’re saying. You suit yourself. I’ll tell you the story, or at least the parts you need to know.” She paused. “Or the ones I need to say. I don’t care where you are when I do. You can stick you head in the fireplace for all I care. As long as you can hear.”

*****

"Oh, come now sweetie, don't be like that," Faded chided, giving her husband a playful smack. "Just because it's cloudy when it rains doesn't mean the suns not shining up above it all. Same should be with you. Why do you have to carry that pain around with you like a sack of bricks? All it does is weigh you down" She gave him a soft kiss on the cheek, nuzzling in close so she felt the heat radiating off of him.

*****

“Bull!” Vinyl exclaimed, pushing herself off the player to wheel around and face Faded. “Look, I can take the songs and the philosophizing and all that shit, but I refuse to believe that you flirted with somepony.”

“Just how old do you think I am?” Faded asked, her eyebrow arching perfectly in a manner that was disturbingly familiar. Vinyl wasn’t really sure if the older mare’s tone was one of amusement or indignation. She suspected that Faded didn’t know herself.

All the DJ managed as an answer was a shrug. “Dunno. Old?”

“That’s a fine guess Vinyl,” Faded said, rolling her eyes. “I suppose you think that I was there with Celestia when she descended from the heavens with a choir serenading her. Perhaps I was one of the cherubs that sung?”

The two stared each other down for a moment, before Vinyl felt something bubble up inside her. She chuckled. It was nothing special, just a light chuckle that she used to manage all the time. Celestia, the joke wasn’t even that funny; she wasn’t even sure if she could call it a joke.

Faded glared for a moment, before she couldn’t hold it back any longer. She giggled like a school filly, her two front hooves even covering her mouth like one.

Such a ridiculous noise coming from the dour mare was even more hilarious to Vinyl than the joke itself. Her chuckles quickly deepened, becoming a belly laugh.

It just went back and forth between the two, one only making the other laugh louder and harder. Eventually, the mares were gasping for breath, Faded rocking back and forth in her chair, while Vinyl rolled around on the floor, tears streaming down her eyes.

Their laughter soon began to grow quieter, interspersed by desperate attempts for the two mares to regain their breath.

“I… I needed that,” Vinyl wheezed, sitting herself upwards, scrubbing her damp cheeks.

Faded gave a muted nod in response, she clutching her sore side. “Agreed. I can’t remember the last time I laughed like that. Certainly not over something so unfunny.”

“You said it, not me,” Vinyl replied, pulling herself to her feet, only managing a few unsteady steps before collapsing into the awaiting chair.

“I did, didn’t I,” Faded said, disbelief in her voice. Without warning she reached her way over to Vinyl, the DJ too tired to bother flinching away. “Better be careful with these things,” the older mare admonished, straightening up her visitor’s glasses. It was a small miracle that they hadn’t been launched off of Vinyl’s face after being subjected to the sheer speed of her rolling.

“Yeah, thanks,” Vinyl said, watching Faded like a predator out of the corner of her eye.

“You know, I used to tell this silly little joke where-”

“Tell me the story,” Vinyl interrupted.

She didn’t know what she was even saying, the words had just slipped out. It was just, she owed Faded that much. Sure, she was talking absolute rubbish about her and Octavia, but that didn’t mean that the story didn’t have some sort of meaning. Humoring was the name of her game now. Faded was hurting, more than anypony she had ever met before, which was kind of remarkable when she thought about it. Her husband must have died years, decades ago. How could anyone live with such pain for so long and still be able to laugh at the end. It defied belief, that someone could torture themselves for so long. Why couldn’t ponies just be like her? Just get up each day and live it as if it was their first and last.

The look of confusion she received had her ready to repeat herself, but Faded answered a split second later. “If you insist, Vinyl. You won’t get any arguments from me.”

Faded turned away and muttered something under her breath, though the only word of it Vinyl managed to catch was, “why?”

Before Vinyl could explore that option any further Faded had already started talking again.

*****

The young couple trotted down the street, a sharp gust of wind making them both shiver.

"Oh, come now, sweetie, don't be like that," Faded chided, giving her husband a playful smack. "Just because it's cloudy when it rains doesn't mean the suns not shining up above it all. Same should be with you. Why do you have to carry that pain around with you like a sack of bricks? All it does is weigh you down. You do this with every song you write, and every time you end up miserable." She gave him a soft kiss on the cheek, nuzzling in close so she felt the heat radiating off of him.

“’Suppose,” Silver grunted, slipping out of her embrace, his absence noticeable in the biting November air. With his longer stride, he was soon a few steps ahead of her, the distance only growing wider as he picked up the pace.

“But that don’t mean that Ah can’t wallow in it while the music’s bein’ made,” he called back, though the grin he gave her made her heart flutter some. “But once it’s all done then that sun is bound to shine.”

“Some folks can lose the blues in their hearts,” Faded sung back, hurrying to catch up. When she made it, she cocked her head, before saying, “But then who’re you thinking of to make another shower start?”

“Goldie,” Silver Lining replied, his voice deadly serious.

“Ah, your mysterious Goldie,” she said, smiling at some foals who ran past giggling. “Well don’t you worry, today we’ll get your song recorded and then she’ll be in the thoughts of every lonely, broken heart in Equestria.”

“If Ah could be so lucky,” Silver mumbled to himself, Faded’s sensitive ears straining to pick it up. Against her better judgment, she decided not to push her husband. He always got like that when they were recording, and she didn’t want to mess up the emotions needed for his performance.

Last Saturday night I got married

Me and my wife settled down

Now me and my wife are parted

I’m gonna take me a stroll uptown

As Silver sung he stepped in time to the imaginary beats that synced up with the lyrics, moving either his left or right legs simultaneously, while he glanced up at the sky. The result prompted a few of the fouls playing to stop and stare at the odd stallion, one brave enough to point and laugh.

When the giggling emanating from Faded got too loud for her to pass it off as another pedestrian he stopped. “Listen sweetie, bein’ on the ground is getting’ too much. Mind if Ah take a little fly?”

He gave his wings a stretch, flapping them a few times to warm up the muscles, the silver sheen of his primaries flashing despite the grey sky.

“No, you go on ahead Silver, I’ll get there eventually,” Faded stuttered, cocking her head at the unusual behavior. Silver hated to leave her to go flying. “Just promise me you’ll fly above the clouds for a bit.”

“Try my best.”

With a tensing of his muscles Silver launched himself into the air, he rising with each flap of his powerful wings. He glanced behind his shoulder at his wife, his ascent halted. He appeared to deliberate for a moment, before quickly heading back to the ground.

With a click of his hooves, he landed again onto the sidewalk, hurrying back over to her. Once there, he pulled her into a tight hug and planted a warm kiss on her cheek.

“I love you, ya know that. Right?” he asked, his tone of voice something Faded couldn’t place, his grip on her tightening.

“Of course I do Silver.” She gave him a few reassuring pats. “I’m your wife, why wouldn’t I?”

With that she gently pushed him away from her. “Now you go on and take your fly. This song really must be eating you up more than I thought, if it’s got you acting like this.”

He gave her a pleading look, though he started to turn away.

“Now don’t worry about it Silver, I’ll get to the studio eventually.” She laughed, though it sounded hollow. “Just not before you.”

Taking a moment Silver gave her one last glance, before taking off again, his grey form soon camouflaged by the mass of clouds overhead.

*****

“You really didn’t know something was up, did you?” Vinyl asked.

Faded shook her head.

“And did he go to see…”

A nod, followed by a shrug. “I never found out for certain, though I honestly believe he did. He showed up at the studio almost an hour later than me. The technician there was furious since he was promised we’d be done early. Had to miss his kid’s birthday party instead. I almost thought they’d come to blows.”

“Uh… wow, seriously?” Vinyl said, the edge of her mouth quirking upwards, brashness entering her voice. “Your husband almost beat up some guy? All because he broke a promise he made? That’s some crazy shit right there.”

Vinyl leaned back into her chair, blowing out a breath. She’d was no stranger to a good brawl, but she knew when to back down. The only time she even contemplated the need to knock some sense into somepony was when they were being an idiot. She’d never done it for something so blatantly her fault. If that happened she’d be more blue than white and be missing a couple of teeth for her trouble.

“But you were a blues singer for crying out loud!” Vinyl added with a snort. “How the hay didn’t you recognize something was up? Sounds pretty textbook to me.”

“I was young and dumb and silly,” Faded replied with a sigh. “Why would I think something like that would come along and ruin my marital bliss? Sure I sung the blues, which I admit does tend to deal with that sort of thing, but I never really understood it. Besides, that song was hardly Silver’s first work about heartbreak and suicide. It was just his first to garner record company attention.”

“Really, you admit the blues deals with heartbreak?” Vinyl said, sarcasm dripping from her words. “I’m no expert but it’s kind of the MO.”

Faded waved off the interruption, though a ghost of a smile flickered over her face “I just took the words Silver gave me and tried to copy the kinds of voices I heard on the radio.” The sniff she gave sent a spike of worry through Vinyl, though the impish grin she wore buried it. “Nor did he almost beat up some guy. Silver was many things, a weakling being quite a firm part of that.”

The smirk on Vinyl’s face blossomed into a full grin. For a while she had feared the mood of the room would become just as stifling as before. But with Faded on the case it, wasn’t so much of a worry.

“Oh, really now, is that so?”

“Quite so. He didn’t even fly really. He was more like some big silver leaf, going wherever the wind took him.”

“Heh, I can imagine it now. Tavi was never like that. Dunno if it was earth pony strength or that iron rod she kept stored up her ass but that mare wouldn’t budge for anything.”

A jolt ran through Vinyl, making her stiffen. Faded looked on without any reaction.

“So, where was I then?” Faded asked after a pause, her expression level. “Forgive me if I just drifted off, it happens with age.”

“Not likely, Fades,” Vinyl replied, rolling her neck, trying to get rid of the knot that was forming there. “You’re a worse liar than Tavi was.” She grunted, frowning faintly. “You know I really hate that.”

“Hate what dear?” Faded said, regarding her with interest. Vinyl could practically feel what she was thinking.

That wasn’t even counting the fact that she had just been called ‘dear’. But that was a whole other issue and she needed to pick her battles at the moment.

“How it’s always was, never is anymore.” She groaned, rubbing at her eyes with her hoof, her glasses riding up and bumping against her horn.

The raised eyebrow she was getting from Faded wasn’t even necessary; the words didn’t make sense to her either. When she spoke again her words were slow and clumsy.

“It’s… I mean how I say it. The words I mean. They’re always past tense now when I talk about her. Makes me feel like she’s dead.”

A click of the tongue was all the answer she got, she summoning up the bravery to withdraw her hooves from her eyes. The look she got wasn’t one that she expected.

“Well she’s not!” Faded said, thumping her hoof against the chair. It was disturbing how familiar that glare already was for Vinyl. “And how dare you say something like that to me. How-”

“Whoa, whoa, chill out there Fades, I didn’t mean it like that,” Vinyl replied, reining in her more typical, and considerably less subtle, response. “I just…” The understanding of what she had just said set in. “Wow... that must have come off pretty bad.”

“Celestia damn you Vinyl!” Faded spat. She let out a snort, her posture slackening. “You couldn’t even let me have that one did you? Before it was all fight with you, now you get to apologizing before I can even get to tanning your hide.”

“Well I gotta do what I gotta do.” Vinyl grinned, before it slipped into a frown. “I meant it, too. That wasn’t cool.”

“Eh, it’s my problem, not yours,” Faded said, shrugging. She gave Vinyl a look, her ears pressed against her head. “It’s just… your Tavi is out there and waiting for you to come back. If I were you, I’d be galloping off to find her and beg her to let us sort things out. My Silver’s dead and long gone, but your mare isn’t.”

Vinyl’s ears mirrored Faded’s and though she tried to say something, nothing she thought of seemed right. All she could manage was a few strangling sounds.

“Want me to continue telling mine?” Faded asked.

“…yes.”