Voiceless
“Mr. Scratch? Mrs. Scratch?” Doctor Wolfe said.
“Yes, doctor?” they said.
“Your daughter, she’s healthy…”
They sighed with great relief.
“…But unfortunately, she has a very slight problem, one that simply cannot be fixed or solved at all.”
“What is it doctor? Tell us exactly what it is.”
“She can’t ever speak, she’s mute.”
That had been the conversation that Vinyl’s parents had many years ago with the doctors, now grown up at the age of ten she had accepted her condition, but that didn’t make the pain any less. She still suffered in her eternal ever constant agony and strife, and because of this she was filled with sorrow and misery. But she still hadn’t lost hope for ever finding her voice just yet.
She could do sign language and write in her journal, but she knew that she still needed to do more instead. But she didn’t know what it was though exactly.
Her parents tried to make her happy by trying to make her fit in with regular normal ordinary schools and activities, but nothing seemed to work out at all, but then they eventually finally managed to find something for her.
They took her to a musical concert and they sat down to listen to the music.
The curtains slowly pulled back to reveal a gray mare there with a violin as a white stallion was at a grand piano and slowly they started to play Clair de Lune.
Vinyl watched in silence as her heart was slowly filled up with great joy and delight, this is beautiful, she thought to herself smiling as the song went on.
And although the song had no words she felt emotion behind it, power, she felt like there were no words that could ever perfectly describe it, and that’s when she finally realized something, music, that was how she could finally find her voice, after all, one didn’t need to speak to play music, but one could find words in it if they tried hard enough. She gasped out loud when she came to this realization as her smile grew even larger and bigger then. “Vinyl? What is it? Is something wrong?” her mother said. She signed that no it wasn’t, she just realized something very important and that they should all get back to enjoying the show. “Well then, if you say so,” her mother said with a nervous smile as she turned back to the performers. The show went on as she continued to smile as she devised a plan in which she could explore the wonder of music.
Yes, music seemed just right and fit for her, perhaps maybe even perfect instead depending upon how well it went and how much she liked and/or loved it.
And no matter what she wouldn’t ever stop pursuing what made her happy no matter what others might tell her or what she heard or what the cost was either instead. And so she watched the show go on and when it was finally done and over with she stood up along with her parents to clap, but not cheer, she could never cheer because of her condition, but she couldn’t ever think of that, not if she wanted to cry, and she hated to do that, so she just had to smile and clap instead. After the show was done she decided to ‘talk’ with her parents.
Mom, dad, I have a question for you.
“Sure thing honey, what is it exactly?”
Can you teach me the art of music?
They smiled as they considered this for a very long moment, the two of them were some of the best performers in Equestria even singing in front of the princess herself, and then after they considered the whole entire moment after a very short moment they turned to her. “Yes, of course darling, anything for you, but may we ask why the sudden interest in music?”
I just feel like this is the only way that I can ever really truly find my voice.
“Well then, we’ll get you started right away then.”
And so they did so when they went back home and eventually Vinyl was learning all that there was to music, she tried out the guitar, piano, cello, violin, harp and many other more various random instruments before she eventually did finally manage to find a very special talent in remixing and dubstep as well too.
But before then she had to try out many genres of music too as well, classical, instrumental, electric, pop, and many more various random ones too as well.
Anyhow it had now been two years ever since her interest in music had sparked due to that wonderful performance that she heard, and she just wanted to thank the ponies who had inspired her to find her true real purpose and destiny.
They had literally changed her whole entire life.
But sadly enough she couldn’t remember their names well enough exactly, but she was sure that she could place their faces if she were ever to see them again.
Anyhow now was the time for her very first performance in front of a crowd after so much time practicing making her own songs and learning music.
Slowly she took a deep breath in and stepped out to face the crowd from the curtains and she slowly stepped up to her base dub canon as she called it now.
She smiled and then started to play her music.
As she played she slowly let the worry and fear slip away from her mind and instead she focused on what she wanted to say in the music, she had to convey emotion and power, and if she didn’t then why play at all? And with that thought in her mind she started to pour even more of her heart, mind, and soul into it, and because of his she didn’t ever mess up once, she had memorized this piece and now she saw that she would not fail no matter what happened, and once she was eventually finally done she looked out towards the crowd.
They were in great shock and surprise, they had never before seen such talent from any pony else ever before, not in this genre of music at least, and certainly not from a child. One of them even went up to her and spoke.
“Hey kid, you got some great beats, but what’s your name exactly?”
She smiled as she pulled out her journal for him to see.
I’m Vinyl Scratch, I am a mute, what’s your name exactly?
“Well hello there, Vinyl, I’m Argon Noble, and can you give us some more of those incredibly amazing cool awesome radical sounds?”
Can I? Sure. And with that she smiled as she started to play a completely different tune that she didn’t have memorized, and it was completely made up on the spot.
The crowd started to cheer and wave and smile as she played, but best of all were the reactions of her parents, tears of joy were on their faces as they saw that their daughter was happy, and clearly they were taking great delight in this whole entire situation now then. Vinyl waved at them since they were in the very back and they waved back clearly glad that she had finally found her voice.
She continued to smile as she played and after her performance was eventually finally done the whole entire crowd continued to let out their shouts of joy, delight, and approval. But despite their requests for more Vinyl just felt very tired instead and so she had to shrug them off apologetically as they whined and left.
And then she finally went over to her parents.
Mom, dad, guess what, I think that I found something that I really like.
“Yes, and not just that, look what you just earned yourself,” her father said pointing to her flank where a cutie mark now stood there very proudly now then.
She gasped out loud in great shock and surprise, no way, her special talent and purpose and life was music? This was the single greatest thing that she had ever heard. Smiling she jumped up and down unable to contain her joy and delight.
Her parents laughed at the display in front of them before talking to her.
“Yes, we know, you’re excited, but in honor of this how about we go somewhere very special?” her dad said.
Oh, where would that be exactly?
“Why that would be your favorite dining places of course, come on, let’s go.”
And with that said they went on their way and enjoyed the rest of the day celebrating Vinyl getting her cutie mark.
After that word quickly started to spread around that she had quite the talent in music, and very soon enough without ever even having to speak more and more ponies started to show up to hear her perform and listen so that they could just feel something very deep down inside just like she did whenever she performed.
And as more came they continued to recommend her and suggest her work.
And that was partly due to the fact that she was also looking for very new creative ways to continue always improving no matter what happened.
And eventually she was even offered to work with other ponies like one named Neon who worked in a very similar field and line of work like she did.
She was very glad to accept this offer of course, and it even turned out to help both of them out in the long run since they were both rising stars now.
Yet no matter how much she performed or what gigs and jobs that she accepted she still felt like she was still missing something deep down inside of her.
But what exactly?
She had fans to love and adore her, she was getting her music out and making her voice heard, what could she possibly ever be missing?
She didn’t know what exactly, otherwise she would be pursuing to be happy now.
But maybe she would find out someday very soon, eventually of course.
But she could only wait and have hope and faith that the day would eventually finally come and that she might be lucky enough to find the answers of life.
After all, since she couldn’t ever really truly speak she had a lot of time to reflect upon life and its many mysteries of nature too as well, she found time to answer some things that she had found very pressing and relatable to her.
She was always doubting thins and never made trust with any pony else easily enough, she was always ready to question and learn.
After all, if she didn’t improve than how could she become more loved and popular to bring others the same joy and delight that she felt?
After all, she knew that she couldn’t please every pony ever.
But if she tried to do her very best for others than they just might listen because of the message that was within and inside of it. But she could only have hope and faith that the word would continue to spread along with her name too as well. And so she continued to do her very best until one day she was eventually and finally offered something to improve her chances and opportunities for just that alone. “Well how do you do there, Miss Scratch,” a very wealthy business pony named Filthy Rich said to her one day. She glanced at him after leaving her latest gig through the backstage. She continued to stare since she couldn’t speak. “Yeah, they told me that you might have this condition before I ever came here, but I’m not here about that, I’m here for something completely different instead, now then Miss Scratch, would you believe me if I told you that I could make you very famous and rich?” he said smiling to himself now then.
She gave a very quick shake of her head.
“I didn’t really think so or expect a yes, which is why you’re a smart pony, just the kind that I’m looking for,” he said combing his hair back.
I gave a wave of my hoof signaling for him to continue, better let him get it out now otherwise he might come back for more, or at the very least I could know to ignore him for whenever he decided to come back in and pop up back again.
“Well you see I’ve always liked business and me and your parents did very fine work together, and I was wondering if you would like to come work with me since you seem to just fit all the right requirements that are need for this.”
Vinyl continued to give him the signal to continue onwards.
“Look, it’s pretty simple kid, if you come work with me you’ll get to experience exactly what you want, don’t like what you see than you can quit, deal?”
Vinyl considered this offer for a very short moment before eventually and finally reaching the conclusion that she needed and wanted money, and also that if she didn’t like the experience she wouldn’t have to stay and could learn something new for herself, and she really liked learning already. She smiled as she gave a very light nod. “Excellent, when would you like to start?”
How about next Monday? Would that work out for you?
“Yes, well then, I’ll see you then I guess, but want me to tell you where you should come or should I just come over and pop in by your place instead?”
I think coming over to my place would be best for both of us.
“Well alright, fine then, see you then I guess, I look forward to do business together in the future, Miss Scratch,” he said with a smile as he left.
After that was said and done with she cleaned up the stage and decided to tell her parents this good news since she still was sixteen years old.
They approved of her choice yet still seemed worried for her safety.
But she had to remind them that so long as hat she did made her happy then she didn’t really exactly have a problem with it. And so when Monday eventually finally came she heard the door knock and quickly grabbed her stuff to greet him outside. “Well how do you do there, Miss Scratch, nice to see you awake and ready so early, that’s already a very good start for your career.’
She smiled and pulled out her journal to write in.
Thanks, I always try to be early and not late in most general cases.
“Well I see that you’re also honest, that’s very good too.”
Well it’s not like I can lie with my voice, so I adapted an always ever constant truth with my writing instead, so yeah, you won’t have to worry about that.
“Well then, it seems like we’re off to a very good start already, let’s go now then, shall we?” he said. She nodded and slowly followed along behind him to his house where she saw his wife taking care of their daughter Diamond Tiara.
“Sorry for the mess,” he said gesturing to his house, “But having a child is very taxing, especially on us rich ponies, do you get my joke?”
Vinyl nodded and smiled, she got it, but she didn’t care to laugh, but not because she couldn’t, not exactly, it was that she just didn’t really like to express herself except with her music of course. “Well I’m glad that any pony can get it, anyhow feel free to make yourself home for now, I just have to take care of a few things first and then I’ll take you to the recording studio, okay?”
She nodded her head in agreement and sat down on a couch waiting for him to return as he went into his office. As she waited Filthy’s wife decided to start up a conversation with her. “Tell me, have you ever considered having a child?”
She quickly shook her head. “Well it’s quite a pain in the rear end if you know what I mean, anyhow I only hope that you will live up to our expectations that we have for you, we have a family name and reputation to uphold after all and I would hate for it to be ruined by some musician like you, if you can even call yourself that with what you play, ugh, dubstep, what a horrible way to go.”
Vinyl’s eyes flared red with anger as she got up and didn’t even bother with her journal as she made the words appear above her head with her magic. Are you saying that I am somehow less capable than you are or could be? That somehow I’m worse because I can fail more than you possibly ever could at all?
Are you saying that I am less just because how I was born, because of my condition? Are you saying that somehow I offend you now?
“Please don’t be angry, I was just expressing my own honest opinions and thoughts,” she said very nervously backing away from her in great fear.
There’s a very big difference between honesty and cold cruel brutality, if you’re going to be honest try to be kind about it at the very least just like I do, don’t try to rub it in other ponies faces and ever make them feel less than they truly really are.
“I’m sorry if your feelings are hurt, but guess what, sometimes you need them hurt so you can appreciate them, anyhow I won’t take back what I said since it was the truth, I don’t regret my words, only the harm and pain that others take from them.”
Just try to think about how your words will affect others in the future first, alright?
“I’ll try, but I can’t make any promises unless I really truly mean it.”
Vinyl put her hoof to her face in frustration.
Well then, I guess that’s a good enough policy and belief system then.
“It really truly is because I have never broken a promise ever since I adopted that mindset and belief system and policy.”
And with that said they waited for Filthy Rich to come back, and eventually he finally did. “Well then, that’s good for now, ready to go come with me to change your dreams and future?” he said smiling as he stood at the door.
Changing my future sounds good, but I won’t ever change my dreams, they’re what make me really truly happy, and that will be the only reason that I stay.
“Well then, I’m sure that we’ll make you happy enough if you’ll just come along with me, Miss Scratch,” he said still smiling and waiting at the door.
She did so and followed along behind him very slowly until they got to a sound recording studio building. “Alright Vinyl, you can do your thing in the room with soundproof walls and glass to isolate noise that’s not your own, okay then?”
Yeah, sure thing, whatever, cool.
“Alright, fine then, excellent, I’ll just give you a moment to setup in here and I’ll just be on the other side of the glass with the sound engineers making sure that everything turns out just fine,” he said smiling as he left her to do just that.
She slowly setup her sound equipment and then she eventually finally signaled that she was ready with a smile and a hoof up. “Okay, I think that she’s finally ready,” Filthy said to the sound engineer in their room.
“Alright, Vinyl, start whenever you’re ready-,”
She did so as he finished his sentence, “-Because we’re ready and listening in here already.”
She played the first tune that came into her head not even bothering to ask what he wanted from her, but it shouldn’t really matter if she gave it her very all and best. But when she was finally done playing her piece she looked up to see if she was approved. “Uh, you were very good Vinyl, but perhaps maybe a little bit less loudness in some places? I mean we don’t want to cause other ponies to go deaf, right?”
My music is supposed to be loud, it isn’t soft classical music that bores you to sleep.
“Well just try what I suggest, okay then?”
Alright, fine then.
And with that she started to play again, but this time more as he directed as he kept cutting in her performance making her do section after section, and what she couldn’t understand why he wouldn’t accept anything, sure there was always something wrong with her music and many others as well too, but even if they all made mistakes the music would only be right if they played it from their hearts, and she could understand why one might use your mind to edit a song if one wanted to improve upon it or remix it instead, but there is a certain point where the original creator loses all value and worth making their piece of music something that they never really intended it to be at all. And the more that she gave into others demands and requests the less her own work became her own and original, doing requests was just fine if one got paid for it, but even all artists of any profession at all have their limits just like she did with hers.
So now the only question that remained was if she was ready and willing to sacrifice her originality for money, the answer was very clear and obvious to her of course. She suddenly stopped playing her tune.
“Hey, what’s wrong? Is something up with you?” Filthy Rich said.
No, nothing’s wrong, everything’s just perfectly fine…
“Well then why did you stop?”
Because it’s not, it’s not fine, what I said before, that was a lie.
“Well what’s the problem? Tell me and I can fix it.”
No, I don’t think that you can, because you see I got into music because I was inspired and wanted to find my voice and play out my heart, soul and mind too.
But now you’re just trying to make it something that it’s not, all of my songs are supposed to be original and very creative, but the more that I try to please every pony else the less that my own songs become my own, and the less that they do the less special and creative and original that they become, after all, the only reason that they are special is because they’re different, take that away and you will have nothing to distinguish it from the rest, I don’t care if it hits the number one in album charts or lists, if it isn’t my own then what does that even mean anymore? It becomes worthless and meaningless and not worth the ‘reward’ at all, so I’m sorry to have to say this, but I don’t think that I can continue to play for you if things are going to be like this between us, after all, when I play my music there are no mistakes, there are only happy little tiny things that I change instead.
I don’t want to leave you like this or stop working, but if you can’t accept my work for what it is then I will leave, and if other ponies don’t accept it that’s just fine because at the end of the day I know that it will still be all mine, it will still be original and creative and very powerful, and I won’t let you or any pony else ever change that, so the real question here is this, can you accept me or not?
“Vinyl Scratch, that is by far one of the stupidest craziest things that I have ever heard, but I like it, and I can respect any pony else who will stand up for what they believe in no matter what happens, but it shall be as you wish, why don’t you play and then you can tell us what you want done, okay then?”
She smiled very slowly as she wrote something down again very quickly.
That sounds good to me.
And with that she started to play her tune again, and this time she didn’t have to worry about being torn down and apart by Filthy Rich and the sound engineer, and after she was finally done she looked up and wrote down what exactly to do with it. “Are you sure this is what you want?” Filthy said listening to the audio again with a slight frown on his face.
Yeah, I’m sure of it, just make sure that ponies know it was DJ-Pon-3.
“Why that name exactly?”
I don’t know, it just feels right, besides, this is dubstep, any pony else into that will totally get my name, just make sure that I am credited in the back, okay?
“Well alright, fine then.”
So how soon can you get this to the market?
“Soon enough, and I’ll send you the check with your amount and share if this does actually make any money at all,” he said as she smiled and waved goodbye.
Well then, see you in the future then I guess?
“I don’t know, maybe one song is enough for now, if this doesn’t go well then it could ruin my family name and reputation and honor.”
She was tired of hearing that and decided that any pony else who was too stuck up on that shouldn’t ever be working with her.
Yeah, you’re right, one song is enough, you’re just too stuck up for me.
And with that she left as he gasped out loud at her comment.
Quickly he rushed out to stop her.
“How am I too stuck up exactly?”
Your obsession with name, reputation and honor, seriously take a chill pill for once in your whole entire life, now then if you’ll excuse me I have to find a pony who’s not so stuck up and will also accept my work too as well.
And then she left him behind and went to do exactly just that.
Later on she did just exactly that as she said so, and her song, well that managed to crawl into the top 100, and then 50, and then 25 and then even the top 10 finally. Granted it took a very long time, many years to be rather exact and precise, but she did manage to finally achieve her dream and goal of getting her ‘voice’ out there, and now so many ponies knew her name, and she couldn’t really be any happier even if she knew that something was still missing deep down inside of her, for within her mind and heart and soul she knew that that there was still more that was out there for her. But she just didn’t know what yet exactly. But as time went by she spent it trying to figure out just what exactly, and during this time she became very good close friends with Neon and did more gigs and projects with him, but she knew that he clearly wasn’t what she was missing, sure he enjoyed music, and sure she liked him well enough as a friend, but she needed something even more special. And that was when it finally hit her, love, she wanted that, admiration and reputation and honor were all very fine, and so was the money too as well, but what was all that worth if you didn’t have some other special pony else to share it with?
With this answer in mind she smiled and set out to find it, but no matter where she looked or how hard she tried she just couldn’t ever find anything.
And so that was why she had eventually decided to come to Ponyville, it was a quiet town where not many ponies would have ever probably heard of her since she came from Canterlot, and she also heard that it had some wonderful and decent ponies that could play music so that was always a plus and bonus.
But mostly she was here to reflect on who she would want to love and perhaps maybe even possibly marry since no pony else in Canterlot worked out for her.
But she couldn’t contemplate this for very long as she sat outside with her sound equipment just writing down her current ideas because at that moment a pony came up to her. “Hey there,” the stallion said, “Mind playing something really loud to draw in a crowd because I really want to start waking other ponies up.”
Vinyl smiled.
Sure thing, I can do that for you, but do you have bits to pay?
“Always, how much?”
A number appeared her head. “Done,” he said handing them to her now then.
And with that said and down with she started to play her music to gather in a crowd, but it wasn’t so loud as to disturb the neighbors quite yet.
And when enough ponies had gathered she decided to turn the music up even louder, this time to a point where it would disturb other ponies.
But as she did so, little did she know that this would lead to her meeting a very certain special mare named Octavia Melody for the very first time…
