A Scratched Orchard

Chapters

Chapter 1
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6, Part 1
Chapter 6, Part 2
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 2

Chapter 1

The sun was rising into a blue twilight of sky, shining its fertile rays over mother earth and upon a small town in the middle of Equestria. It was a brisk august day, the green leaves on the trees not yet giving way to the auburns of fall. As the day began, Vinyl Scratch’s alarm rung furiously, passionate in its attempt to wake it’s owner. She slammed her hand down upon it, silencing the little hammers that cried like angry wasps.

“Ughh...” she moaned. Waaay too early. She lay in bed, resting her medium-long, electric blue hair against her pillow. Her room was small but comfortable, posters of her favorite bands hanging on the walls and a small pile of clothes in the corner. She had a rudimentary turntable at the end of her bed, a few old, scratched records on it.

“Vinyl sweetie, it’s time to get up!” her mother sang from the hall outside. She knocked three times, lightly but with purpose.

“...Five more minutes” Vinyl croaked. She flipped to her belly, sprawling out onto the width of her mattress. Her bed was warm and wide, a bevy on blankets, pillows, and a large cover decorating it. I could say like this forever, she thought. However, her mom felt differently.

“Vinyl, you don’t wanna sleep the day away, now do you?” She burst into the room, smiling gleefully at her daughter. “C’mon, it’s the first day of school! Aren’t you excited?” Vinyl dragged her head off her pillow, glaring past her mother with her ruby eyes. “I’ll take that as a yes!” she bubbled. Forcing her out of bed, Vinyl’s mother pushed her into the shower.

“Mom, quit it!” she scowled.

“Nope. You need to get ready. You’re not starting off your last year in high school by coming in late.” With that, she shut the bathroom door on her daughter to attend to other morning matters.

Vinyl laid against the wall of her shower, exhausted and miserable. She let the water flow over her tired body, allowing the heat to work out the kinks and knots acquired from her quick wake up. “Ahh...” she sighed, rolling her neck and hearing a satisfying crack. She used this time to think about the day ahead of her.

Mmmm. I wonder how many students there’ll be. Probably not many. She chuckled, grabbing a bottle of shampoo and scrubbing into her hair. I doubt there’s much of a club scene, she grumbled as the thought saddened her. Vinyl didn’t frequent them often; that damnable drinking age kept her out, but she loved the feel of a pounding speaker through her chest and the variety of people one could meet. Nothing else she’d felt compared to it, which was one of the reason she wanted to be a DJ. Hell, she’d met most of her friends there, and something about the mix of drinks and music seemed to make everyone more accepting. In Canterlot, most of her fellow students were fickle and self-obsessed, and harassed anyone who wasn’t like-minded. Vinyl had become an easy scapegoat early in school. It’d always been that way for her; maybe it was her near-white skin, or her eyes, or something else completely unrelated.

Vinyl huffed, pushing some rather old, painful memories out of her mind. She wasn’t going to give anyone the satisfaction of getting her down. After washing her hair, she quickly dried off and got dressed in a Daft Punk shirt, the black fabric in deep contrast with her alabaster skin.

Vinyl looked in the mirror for a bit. She was a rather tall girl, about 5’7” or 5’8”. She held her right hand in the crook of her opposite elbow, purveying her long and lanky arms. Vinyl turned sideways, checking the curve of her body. If she was being honest with herself, she had to admit her butt looked good today. She looked down at her chest frowning, adjusting and re-adjusting, but to no avail. Her favorite shirt was starting to get tight, it being quite old. She’d got it from her father when she was younger, but now it stretched across her chest tightly.

Vinyl sighed, she liked that shirt, and wasn’t going to give it up just yet, but it was pushing her breasts in a way that made her look desperate. Admitting defeat, she switched it out for a newer Deadmau5 tee, donned a pair on old jeans, along with a set of purple shades. Slinking downstairs, she sat at the kitchen table of her small two-story home.

The kitchen was small, but with all the necessary appliances. It was a small cry from their house in Canterlot; a sprawling three level ranch house with a large yard. Vinyl sighed at the thought of her old home. Back where my friends are. Where the good clubs are, and the music was awesome. Even if most of the people were crap there, at least I knew who to avoid. Moaning into her bowl of cereal, Vinyl pondered what her new town was actually like.

Her mom had moved her from Canterlot to Ponyville, her work demanding the change. The raise in pay was substantial enough to warrant the move, even if it was still less than what her parents used to make together. Vinyl protested it wholeheartedly; the small, out of the way appeal of a place like Ponyville didn’t catch Vinyl in the slightest, and what student would want to restart at a new school in their final year?

“Honey, are you alright?” Her mother took the seat across from her, concern dripping in her voice.

“Yeah, I’m perfectly fine moving to a new town, let alone a new school in my senior year” Vinyl frowned. She traced the rim of her bowl with her left index finger.

“Sweetie, I know this move’s been hard on you. But I need this. We need this. The position here at Ponyville Post pays so much more, and since your father passed...”

“We need the money” Vinyl finished, placed her hand over her mother’s. “I know, it’s just...I’m gonna need time to get used to it.”

Mrs. Scratch smiled. Glancing at the clock, her smiled faded into a horror-stricken frown. “Vinyl, eat quickly. You gotta go!”

Vinyl Scratch begrudgingly walked into the foyer of Ponyville High. The main doors opened up into a wide hall with a tall ceiling. The walls were a light brown marble, with shelves housing school trophies cut out in them. Tons of students walked around her, talking with friends, gathering schedules or just lounging around. It felt like a hive mind, everyone knowing exactly what to do and where to go. Well, everyone except Vinyl. She inwardly sighed. Might as well get on with it.

“Um, excuse me...” She tried to grab the attention of a passing group of students, only to be thrown a gallery of dirty looks. Of course, scowl at the new girl. She tried again, this time with a pair of what looked like jocks, and they backed away, snickering at her slight accent. She found a small circle of girls, but when she approached them, they scattered off down a hall, giggling. She looked around, finding that the other students had backed away from her, making a small but noticab;e void in the vicinity around her. Vinyl sighed in frustration. What else should I’ve excepted?

She had bright pink hair with highlights of an even lighter pink. She wore neon green leg-warmers, and her wrists had bracelets of various colors and size on them. She also had a maroon yoga shirt on, calling attention to her olive green eyes.

“Hi!” she chirped happily, “You’re new here, aren’t you?”

Vinyl couldn’t help but let out a wry laugh. “What gave it away?”

“Oh, well, you kept asking for help from some of our peers! That, and your accent. Where are you from?”

Vinyl sighed. “Yeah, I just moved here from Canterlot.”

“Really!? That’s so cool! I hear it’s beautiful. Do you have your schedule yet?”

Vinyl chuckled a little at the speed of the girl’s questions. She looked around, watching the other students moving around almost mindlessly, the order of things being like second nature to them. “I’m...not quite sure where to go ” she chuckled nervously.

“O-Kay, just follow me!” The pink-haired girl dragged Vinyl to a table lined up against the left hand wall. Making their way to the front, she brought Vinyl face to face with an older looking woman. The woman had white hair tied in a bun, with a green sweater vest and matching sweatpants.

“Name?” she asked with a weak voice.

“Vinyl Scratch.”

The woman looked up, smiling. “Oh, yer one of our new students, aren’t you?”

“Y-Yeah.” Vinyl felt as though she was radiating waves of obvious cluelessness.

“Don’t worry yerself, darlin’. Ah know it might seem a bit hectic, but ya already met Cheerilee here. I’m sure you’ll do fine.” She pulled out a small list from under her desk. “Now here’s yer schedule, and I’m sure Cheerilee’ll have no problem showing you to yer class.”

“Um, thanks miss...?”

The older woman chuckled. “Ya’ll can call me Mrs. Smith.”

“Ok. Thanks!” Vinyl turned to her new friend, who was beckoning her into the large hall leaving the foyer. She joined her, and the two started to walk towards their respective classes.

‘So, Cheerilee, you seem to be in a great mood” Vinyl said.

“Well yeah! I love school. You get to learn something new everyday!” Cheerilee beamed. Looking around, most of their classmates didn’t return the same sentiment. “Looks like we’d better get going.” She took Vinyl’s schedule, peering over it. “So, your class is down the hall to the left.” She waved before going off in her own direction. “Bye, Vinyl. See you later!”

Vinyl stared at her for a minute. “Alright, see ya.” Cheerilee seems cool, she thought. A bit hyper, but cool. She walked towards her first class, hoping to make to through the rest of the day smoothly.

Vinyl opened her locker, stashing the books she’d collected from her morning classes. They had been boring, mostly. She hadn’t met anyone interested in meeting her, and that was fine with her. I don’t need ‘em, she thought. Cheerilee probably knows some cool people. Looking at her schedule, she got a bit excited. Sweet, music class is next! Out of all her classes, this was one she actually wanted to go to. Vinyl nearly skipped down the hallway, humming to herself in a happy daze. She slowed her pace to a walk when she realized people were staring, but they did nothing to dampen her mood. Arriving at the classroom, she took a seat near the back.

The class filled up quickly, students shuffling in awkwardly. Some were talking amongst themselves. Others slowly took there seat trying best they could to be near friends. Vinyl just sat there, wanting for the class to start. Eventually, every seat was taken except the one to Vinyl’s right. A short younger man, probably in his mid-30’s stood at the front of the room. He had olive tan skin and green, almond-shaped eyes that stuck out form his short, styled black hair. He wore khaki pants and a white button-up shirt, with a red tie.

“Hello, everyone. Welcome to music class! Now, I’ve taken attendance, and it looks like everyone’s here. My name is High Note, and...”

A knock at the door drew High Note out of his speech. It opened to reveal a very tall, very large man. He walked in, standing to the side with his gaze down as High Note looked him over. Vinyl took a hard look at him.

He stood at about 6’3”, towering over most everyone else. He had a broad chest and thick shoulders which bulged under his shirt. His arms gave the appearance of being greatly used, with large biceps and slightly veined forearms. Looking down his frame, Vinyl noticed that he sported barely any body fat, and most likely had a chiseled stomach and legs. She looked away for a second to hide a faint blush, realizing the thoughts going through her mind. I shouldn’t be checking him out, she thought.

Well, when’s the last time you saw someone like THAT?

I don’t know, but it’s not important, brain. Vinyl rubbed her temples, avoiding the less than pure thoughts that the man was giving her.

The man had long, messy red-blonde hair that feathered slightly in the back, with bangs that hid his eyes. She could spot a few freckles on his cheeks. He was wearing a red collared shirt that dangled above his blue denim pants and work boots. His belt had a metal, green apple buckle in the center.

“Sorry Ah’m late” he said in a thick country accent. His voice was a deep and booming bass, reverberating through the room. It matched his body perfectly, and made Vinyl twitch a little, having never heard a voice that low before. The man looked down at his feet as he spoke.

“Just don’t make a habit of it. I’m sorry, you’re....?”

“Macintosh Apple.”

The teacher nodded his head. “Take a seat please.”

Macintosh lumbered to the seat, sliding in and looking straight ahead. Vinyl stole a glance at him. He looked slightly bored, a plain, expressionless face was present on his face.

High Note coughed, bringing the classes attention back to the front. “Anyhow, as you know, my name is High Note.” He started passing out a packet of paper. “Right now, we’re going to go over the school rules regulations.” The class let out a collective groan. “I know you’ve been doing this all day, but I have to go over it.” He leaned against the table at the front of the room. “So! Let’s start.”

“And finally, no hats.” The class looked near death, with students hanging off their desks and others with their eyes rolled back. “So now that we’re aquatinted with the rules, I want you to get aquatinted with each other.”

“C’mon!” groaned one of the girls up front. “This is senior year! We all know each other...” she turned towards Vinyl with a devilish grin, “Well, most of us, anyway.“ The girl had green-blue hair done up in a ponytail, and stared at Vinyl with a haughty smugness. Vinyl recoiled at the slight. Woah bitch. What’s your deal?, she thought.

“Maybe so, Flitter” quipped High Note, “But we’re doing it regardless. Pair up, and try to discover ten new things about your partner. Let’s let you know when you’re done.”

Immediately, the teens swiveled in their chairs and grouping up. Everyone paired off with friends, or at least someone they knew. Vinyl looked for anyone without a partners, but she found none. “Of course” she sighed, shifting in her desk. What else is new?

“Excuse me, miss?” said a voice from her right. She pivoted, Macintosh had turned towards her. Seeing behind his locks of hair, Vinyl saw his dark green eyes peeking out. “Ah saw ya’ll ain’t got a partner...” He spoke softly, looking at Vinyl uncertainly.

“You don’t got one?” she asked. Mac shook his head no. “OK, sure.” Vinyl smiled. Wow, more than one person wants to talk to me today. Could’ve went worse. “So, you wanna go first? My name’s Vinyl Scratch, by the way.”

“Ok” Mac said. “Um...mah name’s Macintosh, Ah’m 18, uh...an‘ Ah live on a farm.” He reclined into his seat. Vinyl scribbled down what little knowledge she was given, and sat waiting for more.

“And?”

Mac rose an eyebrow. “And what?”

Vinyl scoffed. “And...what do you like to do? What do you do on the farm?”

Mac laughed a little. “Well, Ah generally work on the farm, an‘ Ah enjoy it, too.”

“C’mon, what about hobbies?”

Macintosh placed his hand under his chin, thinking. “Well, Ah was thinkin‘ about trying fer the football team.”

“Yeah, kinda figured you for a sports guys.”

“Most do” Mac retorted.

“I don’t mean anything by it” Vinyl said quickly. “You just look the athlete type.”

“Yeah, Ah know” Mac chuckled. “What about you, miss Scratch? What gets you up in the mornin’?”

Vinyl could help but giggle at the formal version of her name. “Please, just Vinyl’s fine. As for what gets me up?” She thought for a minute. “Music, really.”

“What do ya’ll play?” Mac said.

“Oh, a bit of everything. But I focus mostly on my DJ’ing.”

“Really?” Macintosh asked incredulously.

“Yeah!” Vinyl said proudly.

“Cool. Never really listen to much o’ that music.”

Vinyl gasped mockingly. “What!? No Deadmau5?” Mac shook his head. “Skrillex? Flux Pavillon?”.

“Nope” said Mac.

“What about...Nero?

“Uh-uh.”

“Daft Punk?” she said, with extra emphasis. Again, he shook no. Vinyl gasped. “Well, we’re gonna half to change that. Don’t worry, I’ll hook you up. By this time next week, you’ll be the biggest bass-head in the whole school.”

Mac and Vinyl both laughed. “Ah’d like that, Vinyl. If ya ever get bored, just stop by Sweet Apple Acres. I’m always around.” Before their conversation could go any further, a loud bell rang through the class room. Most of the talking stopped as the attention went forward.

“Sorry, class. Looks like we ran out of time” High Note sighed. “I’ll see you guys tomorrow, and make sure to get those packets signed!” He nearly had to shout over the sounds of rustling desks and shifting people as student quickly vacated the area.

“Well Vinyl, guess I’ll see ya later.” Mac stood, gathering his backpack.

“Yeah, see you around” said Vinyl. She left with the rest of the class, hoping someone else was as friendly as Macintosh.

The rest of the day went as expected. No one talked to her or gave her any thought, other than a few sneers. Cheerilee happened to be in her math class, so it didn’t go too badly. At least she knew a name in the crowd. She was tired by the end to the school day. Slinking outside, she started to walk towards home. It was pretty far from school, but walking never hurt anyone and getting a layout of the land would be useful. She'd been around a few times before, but those stops had been very quick. A few shops littered the main road, as well as a couple houses.

There was a small library, a bakery, a furniture and quill store, along with many other small, and rather confusing stores near the town square. The square was more of a round pavilion, with food stalls and small wares being set up around it. Vinyl saw a trio of kids running through the street, doing god knows what. She recognized a few people from school, it looked like a lot of them lived right in town. The town was bustling with life at the moment, being that school left out and most people seemed to work inside town.

Arriving at her doorstep, Vinyl walked inside and dropped her things nearly as soon as she entered. No homework, thank god. Time for some fun. Vinyl walked up to her room, hooking in her turntable to a small trio of speakers littered around her room. Dragging a case out from under her bed, she unhatched the locks and started searching through different colored pieces of cardboards. Finishing her search after a bit, Vinyl slid the flat folder out, reaching inside and pulling out a black, circular disc. It was old, but well taken care of, not having any scratches, warps or dents.

Vinyl placed the record on her player, cleaning the aperture and setting her levels so that the bass was a bit higher than normal. She laid on her bed, taking off her glasses to reveal a pair of vibrant red eyes. “Ahhh...” Vinyl sighed happily. It wasn’t the best situation, having been uprooting during senior year, but she could adapt, and at least she’d made two new friends today.

“Here’s hoping for a successful day two” she muttered to herself.

Chapter 3

“Would you guys knock it off!?” Vinyl growled at the half-willing display of public affection in front of her. She said it a bit louder than she meant to do, a few people looking over from their lunch tables to glare at her. Okay, this time it’s warranted, she thought. Vinyl rubbed her temples, looking anywhere except ahead. She’d had to deal with Flitter hanging off her friend for nearly two weeks now. At first, it didn’t bother her so much. New found romance, passions flaring and all that crap. But it was getting old, quick. Mac was too bashful to say anything most of the time, and Flitter reveled in the opportunity to make Vinyl uneasy.

“Oh, sorry Scratch” said Flitter, peeling herself off of Mac’s shoulders, where she’d previously been slightly groping. She grabbed the chair next to Mac, scooting it as close to Mac as physically possible. Flitter leaned into him, smiling as a hand trailed down his arm and onto his hip. “I just can’t help myself sometimes” she cooed seductively.

Mac sat there, his cheeks blazing with the heat of a star going supernova. He couldn’t say anything. He wouldn’t say anything. If growing up in a family of women taught him anything, it was one simply rule: When in doubt, keep your damn mouth shut. He learned that rule well, and now was the perfect time to implement all those years of practice.

“Mac, what do you think? Do you think I should back off?” Flitter said, staring at him with a hint of trepidation. Mac knew that look. It was a “you better answer right” look. He debated his options. Side with Flitter, and Vinyl’ll be pissed. Side with Vinyl, and Flitter won’t be too happy either. He could only think of one good option available, and decided to go with it.

“Ah gotta pee” Mac said, jumping from his chair and swiftly walking to the bathroom. He looked straight ahead, making sure not to falter on his gaze. Mac rounded the corner quickly, away from the potential catastrophe.

Both Vinyl and Flitter watched Mac dash away, the former giggling as he did so. “What was that about?” Flitter huffed.

Vinyl kept laughing. “He does that when he doesn’t know how to answer.” Vinyl stopped laughing shortly after, realizing she was sharing a moment with Flitter. She didn’t warm up to Vinyl like she’d hoped; no, she was actually worse than before. Before, she would only get a passing glare or sneer from the contemptible cheerleader. Now, she was using every chance she got to throw an underhanded remark Vinyl’s way. Almost every time she'd run into Mac, he was accompanied by Flitter. Any attempt to enjoy her friend's company during school was in danger of being ruined.

And the problem is, she’s so good at hiding it from Mac. Flitter’s ability to switch from innocent bystander to insufferable bitch was quite impressive, a skill honed through eager devotion to her craft.

“Well, he would’ve sided with me” the green-haired girl scoffed, flicking her head to the side.

“Pppffff, you don’t know that!” Vinyl grimaced.

“Oh, I know plenty about Mac” Flitter smirked devilishly. “Some things more personal than others.” Vinyl’s cheeks flared, her frown deepening, almost painfully so.

“Oh! Did I hit a nerve?” Flitter sung. “Yeah... you should be jealous. Not that anyone, most of all Macintosh, would find you attractive. You look like you’ve been outside once in your life, and those cheesy, oversized glasses... ”

Vinyl curled her right hand into a fist, knuckles cracking as she ground her fingers in tightly. THIS BITCH IS GOING DOWN! No one talks about my glasses... Before Vinyl had time to enact her beating, the break-ending bell rung.

“Look at that, time to go. Bye, Scratch” Flitter spoke her name with as much venom as possible.

Vinyl relaxed her arms, breathing in and out deeply several times. Shouldn’t let her get to me like that, she thought. Kicking her ass isn’t worth it. She hated to admit it, but Mac did have a certain spring in his step since the start of his new relationship. And Vinyl doubted Mac would appreciate her giving his girlfriend the whooping of a lifetime.

High Note walked around his classroom, supervising his students about their various assignments. He liked assigning work in bundles; it made grading easier and left responsibility in the hands of the students. They’d have to learn it sooner or later. After doing a quick bypass, he took his place in front of the class.

“Okay, everyone. Eyes up here.” He held a jumble of papers in his hand and started to pass them out. “I know it’s still very early in the year, but I’m going to pass out the requirements for your final project, so that you can get a head start.”

A student near the back raised his hand. “Um, what is our project?”

High Note smiled. “You will be composing a song!”

Of course, most of the students groaned, not wanting to put in the effort necessary for such an endeavor. Vinyl wasn’t most students, however. YES!, she cheered mentally. That’s so awesome, a final I can actually look forward to.

“Now, you’ll be working in pairs, so I suggest you settle that issue quickly.” Again, High Note was cut off by the bell, his students jumping up to leave.

Vinyl immediately turned to Mac. He was reading the paper Note had handed out. “Hey, dude. We should team up!” she said.

Mac looked up from his paper. “Alright Vinyl.” The two gathered up their books, exiting the room in the fashion of their peers. Flitter was waiting outside in the hall, and she pulled Mac aside as soon as she saw him. Vinyl stood to the side, watching the argument. Flitter was being quite animated in Vinyl’s opinion, whereas Mac was in his usual emotionless state. After a few minutes, Flitter stomped away.

“What was that about?” asked Vinyl, who came back to Mac’s side.

“Ah dunno, she’s in one of her moods, Ah guess” he scowled, trying to keep himself from getting angry.

Ha! She’s always like that, she thought.

“So Vinyl, what’re ya doin’ tomorrow?” Mac asked.

“Nothing. Why?”

“Well, Ah figured we could hang out. Flitter’s got some cheerleadin’ thingy, not really mah bag. And she prolly wants some space right now, anyhow.”

Vinyl laughed. “Yeah, sounds kinda boring. What time?”

Macintosh hummed to himself. “How ‘bout noon...that good?”

“Yup” smiled Vinyl.

“Make sure to call to let me know you got home okay” called Vinyl’s mother from the open car window. She was working a double shift today, and had to head back into work soon.

“Sure mom” replied Vinyl. “Have fun at work.”

Vinyl waved goodbye as her mom drove off in their blue sedan, leaving Vinyl just outside the entrance of the farm. Walking up a short dirt path to the farmhouse, Vinyl admired the simple beauty of Sweet Apple Acres. The dark green pastures which seems to go on endlessly, lined by near perfect apple trees bearing the literal fruits of the Apple families’ labor. Beside the rather large country home, an older red barn stood, it’s wooden doors slightly open. Vinyl approached the home cautiously. She reached into her pocket, pulling out her phone.

11:30. A little early, but it’s probably ok. She knocked on the door, hearing a familiar voice behind it.

“Wha..Applebloom, git the door” a very old, very dusty voice said from inside. It was accompanied by light footsteps. The front door swung open, held by a small girl in yellow overalls. Her dark red hair was kept in place by an equally red bow. She had freckles just like Mac, though hers were more plentiful.

“Um, hello... k-kin Ah help you?” said the small girl.

“Hi, is Macintosh home?” Vinyl asked with mirth in her voice. She smiled warmly, hoping to make a decent impression.

The shyness of the little girl faded quickly. “Oh! Yer that, um...” the child raked her brains for a name. “...Vinyl Scratch, right? “

“That’s me” Vinyl smiled.

“Well, c’mon in!” The girl said in an adorable southern accent. “Ah’m Applebloom, Big Mac’s sister.”

“Big Mac?” Vinyl chuckled at the nickname. She could see how Applebloom, being as small as she was, would call her mammoth of a brother that.

“Yeah, he is a big one” said another, older voice, though it was slightly younger than Vinyl’s. A blonde haired girl walked over from another room. Her wore a brown stetson hat atop her long blonde hair, and had the same gorgeous green eyes that Mac had. “Name’s Applejack. He’s upstairs, if’n yer lookin‘ for him. “

“Thanks, Applejack.”

“AJ? Who’s there?” asked the old, familiar voice.

“One o’ Mac’s friends, granny” Applejack called.

“Let me git a look see.” An old, frail woman scooted around the corner from the kitchen, cane in hand. “Well howdy darlin’.” The elder wore a lime-green sweater, with big, round glasses. “Ah believe we’ve met”.

“Mrs. Smith?” Vinyl asked, a smile on her face.

“Hey there, sweetheart. Yer friends with mah grandson?”

“Yup” Vinyl smiled. “I actually came over to work on a project.”

“Well, Mac’s upstairs in his room. Get along now, Ah’m sure ya’ll got plenty o’ work to do.” Vinyl smiled as she walked to the stairs, the hardwood floor giving little squeaks of discomfort.

“She seems alright” Applejack said to herself. “Whadda ya think, AB?”

“She was nice... but I think granny jus’ caused a whole heap of trouble.”

“What’re you talkin’ about?” the old matriarch spoke defensively.

Applebloom smirked at her sister. “Mac just got done with chores. Ya know he always gets a shower after.”

Applejack’s face reddened. “Oh...”

Vinyl climbed around the corner of the staircase to the second floor. A long hallway met her, portraits of Mac’s relatives hanging from the walls. There was a large door at the end of it, with the name “Macintosh Apple” emblazoned upon it. Vinyl approached it slowly. The family knew I was coming, so he must be in here. She tapped her pointer finger on her chin. I guess I’ll surprise him.

She flung the entrance open, but Mac was nowhere to be found. She stepped in tentatively. Huh, I wonder where he is. His sisters said he was up here. Vinyl took another step forward, closing the door behind her. Mac’s room was simple; A desk, dresser, and bedside table being the main furniture other than his bed. Mac’s bed was quite large; it needed to be to accommodate his size, but it was still wide enough for two. On the wall hung posters of various groups and bands. The was an old poster of the guitarist Purple Haze, that sat next to a rather risque image of Spitfire, captain of the stunt plane group “The Wonderbolts”.

Other than that, the only curious thing about Macintosh’s room was the closed door to Vinyl’s left. It wasn’t his closet; that door was open and of the other side of Mac’s bed. A light shined somewhere inside it, rays of yellow emanating from the small vacancy between the door and the floor. Steam was also rising from the little space, and before Vinyl could question what it was, the wooden portal opened.

More steam billowed forth, masking the figure who was stepping out from it. The visage was of a male, obvious from the build of the chest and shoulders. A pounding sound came with the figure’s walking, giving his movements an intimidating tone. It’s arms were raised, bent at an angle so that it’s hands rested on it’s head. As the figure continued to tread forward, Vinyl came to the sudden conclusion that it was Macintosh.

And he was stepping out of the shower.

Vinyl couldn’t help but trail her eyes along his body. Her assumptions about him were dead-on; he was incredibly fit. His arms were quite large, the connecting shoulder muscles rippling with movement. They were slightly veiny, but not so much that it was off-putting. Mac’s chest seemed to be cut from stone, his pectorals bouncing with his steps. He wore a gold necklace with a rectangular locket attached, that was worn from age. Continuing down, Vinyl found his stomach was just as fit, though it wasn’t skinny. The muscles were only slightly inlayed, and a few of his abs were off-kilter.

Vinyl picked out a very noticeable scar up and just right of Mac’s belly-button. The puncture-type wound was badly healed, the dark red flesh proving so. It was a round crater looking thing that had probably been field dressed poorly. Had she had the presence of mind to stop staring, Vinyl might’ve asked about. But right now, her thought were driven by something much more primal.

Vinyl’s gaze started to drift lower. NO! STOP THAT!, her mind screamed.

DON’T LOOK!

But I wanna...

NO! BAD VINYL!

Her eyes betrayed her, glancing down to Mac’s pelvis. A towel was wrapped around his waist, saving Vinyl from dying of embarrassment. Well, she was still very embarrassed, but at least she didn’t witness her friend in his birthday suit. She breathed a sigh of relief, not seeing that Mac was staring straight at her.

“Vinyl, what are ya doing in here!?” Mac said quickly and nervously, his voice cracking. Turning away, he grasped the towel tightly around himself. Mac’s face was flushed, popping his freckles even more that normal.

“Sorry!” shouted Vinyl as she quickly retreated into the hall from whence she came. “I’m a bit early, huh” she said through the door.

“...Ah’ll say” Mac choked. He shuffled around, quickly tossing on a tee shirt and jeans over his undergarments. “Ok....Ah’m decent” said Mac as he cracked the door open a few minutes later. Mac sat on the edge of his bed, his eyes burning a hole in the ground as Vinyl stepped in. “Um....”

“.....Yeah, s-sorry.” Scratch’s response came in a nervous, quiet laugh.

“Ya didn’t....see, anything, didja?”

Vinyl shook her head feverishly. “No!....well, not...that...”

Macintosh release a breath he hadn’t realized he was holding in. “Oh...good.”

“So,” Vinyl took a seat next to Mac on the bed. “Let’s do something, huh?” Vinyl discerned how awkward that must’ve sounded right then, but she was too embarrassed to recant herself.

“Yeah, sure” Mac muttered, still looking at the floor. She saw the blush on Mac’s face, and Vinyl knew she was most likely wearing the same thing on hers.

“We could work on our project...” she suggested.

Macintosh perked up. “Yeah, that sound fun, actually.” He moved to face Vinyl, putting his back against the wall and rested his legs horizontally along the bed. His face was still quite red, but it was starting to subside. “So, remind me of what we’re doing?”

“We gotta make a song.”

“Right. An’....how are we gonna do that?”

Vinyl shrugged. “Well, I’ve got a mixer, and a couple of drum-kits. I can cook us up a beat in no time.”

Mac scooted forward. “Hold on a tick. You say ya’ll can hold a beat?”

Vinyl scoffed. “Of course I can.

“Well then, Ah got somethin’ ta show ya.”

Mac got up from the bed, led Vinyl downstairs, and outside to the backyard. A brown and white collie bounded up to them, and Mac patted her on the head. “Oh yeah. This here’s Winona. She’s the best herder on the farm.” The dog yipped, wagging her tail as Vinyl kneeled down to pet the dog with Mac. Winona pushed her head against Vinyl’s head and wagged her tail more.

“Looks like she took a likin’ to ya” chuckled Macintosh. “Run along, Winona” he said, and the dog hopped off into another part of the orchard. “Let’s get on, now.”

He led Vinyl through the yard. She spotted the old red barn she saw on her way over, but she also noticed a smaller, tan barn to the side. It stood separated from the other buildings and was fairly new, looking as nice as the main farmhouse. Mac brought her to the big double doors, pulling the steel latch to the side and drawing the heavy walls open. “Whadda ya think of this?” Mac beamed.

Vinyl was speechless. The barn was neatly furnished, with hardwood stained floors lining the interior. The walls were painted stark white, along with the ceiling. There were a few old couches lying around that were atop a soft looking carpet. But those weren’t the things making Vinyl speechless. Guitars of every make and model hung from the walls. Vinyl walked towards the first one, inspecting it with a childlike wonder before moving to the next one and repeating her process.

“Dude....”

“Ah know” chuckled Mac. “This is mah momma’s old stuff, she always was real inta music.”

Vinyl was nearly panting at the sight before her. That little barn was a musician’s wonderland. Not only were there guitars, but a very nice nine-piece drum-set, along with a plentiful supply of wind and brass instruments in the back corner.

“Dude...” she repeated.

“Ya gonna stand there gawkin’, or ya gonna play something?”

Vinyl snapped her gaze towards Mac. “Are we allowed? Your mom won’t mind?”

Mac took a disturbingly serious expression. He walked in, closing the door behind him and took a seat on the couch. “Yeah she, a.... she won’t mind” he said. Macintosh was staring at his feet, looking downtrodden. He didn’t want to bring down the mood, but as fun and cool as this room was, it stood as a reminder of what he’d lost.

“Um, you okay?” Vinyl bent over, trying to look Mac in the eyes.

“Yeah...just...” Mac took a deep breath. “She left us a few years back. Just... it's been rough.”

Vinyl felt a pang of sympathy hit it as she sat next to him, rubbing his back with her hand. “ Yeah, I get it.”

Mac sat up, looking back into her eyes. Well, what would be her eyes if she wasn’t wearing glasses. He nodded in silent understanding. He could feel the compassion ooze from her, having been through the same pain as him. He knew little about what happened to Vinyl's dad, or anything about him at all. That didn't make her actions mean any less.

Mac gaze lingered on Vinyl’s, recalling the dream he’d had a few weeks ago. The one thing about Vinyl he still didn’t understand was her insistence on wearing those glasses. She said she had bad eyes; that the sunlight was too bright for her, and most lights were just as bad. But Mac had a feeling she was hiding something as well, and he wanted to know what.

“Mac.” Vinyl waved her hand in front of his face. “Yo, earth to Macintosh!”

He shook himself from his trance, blushing. “Hehe...sorry.”

“It’s fine. So, do you know how to play any o‘ these?”

Mac shook his head no. “But Ah figure Ah got a couple months to learn.”

Vinyl smiled in approval. “Let’s get started then.” She stood up and walked over to the drum-set, taking her place behind the kit on a small black stool. “So, what’d it be Mac?”

He looked around the room until his gaze settled on a large bass guitar. It was made of a dark ebony-colored wood, and had pearl white inlays in the fretboard. The finish was black, like the wood, but shiny and smooth. Mac plucked it off the wall. “How ‘bout this?” he inquired, looking to Vinyl for approval.

She chuckled with a smile. “You read my mind.”

Chapter 4

Vinyl walked outside, sitting down on the front steps of her house as she waited for Macintosh. She hugged the arms of her light sweater to her chest with goosebumps rising to her skin. Apparently, winter had come late to Ponyville. Normally, the town would be covered in snow by now, and she would’ve had winter clothing ready in a normal year. Having not unpacked any of her winter gear, she was not prepared for such a brutal cold. A chilling gust drifted by; tossing and tumbling the amber leaves that lay scattered on the street and making the days quite brisk. They crunched under the weight of people passing by; Vinyl thought it had a nice ring to it, like something she could use after a heavy drops. Spotting Cheerilee down the street, she broke out of her daydreaming and waved her over.

“Hey Vinyl! What’s up?” her cheery friend said, crossing the street to sit next to Vinyl on her front steps.

“Nothin‘ much, waiting for Macintosh.”

Cheerilee giggled. “Uh-huh.”

Vinyl wore a poorly disguised mask of confusion, hoping to avoid the question Cheerilee would undoubtedly bring up. “What?”

“Oh, nothing” Cheerilee giggled again.

Vinyl sighed. It was something she’d been doing a lot recently. “I know what you’re insinuating, Cheerilee. And I don’t like it.”

“I’m not insinuating anything” Cheerilee said innocently.

“Me and Mac aren’t like that.”

“Suuure.”

“We’re just friends...” Vinyl moaned.

Cheerilee laughed. “Yeah, and I assume you spend all your free time at Sweet Apple Acres ‘cause of the food?”

“Hey, their food kicks ass!” Vinyl said defensively.

“That it does. Still doesn’t explain why you spend every waking moment over there.”

Vinyl sighed yet again, her face reddening lightly. “It’s pretty transparent, isn’t it?”

“Yup.”

Vinyl looked down at her feet. She spent almost every free day around Mac, or at Sweet Apple Acres, or doing something related to her friendship with Mac. Though, friendship seemed like the wrong word. The two just...clicked. Even though they grew up in very different circumstances, they had a lot in common. They both loved music, both were down-to-earth, willing to get their hands dirty, and unfortunately, they both knew first-hand the pain of losing family. Although they didn’t talk much about their last commonality, Vinyl and Mac had an unspoken and understood bond because of it.

Vinyl had tried to look past her deeper feelings and call it friendship, but that didn’t stop her gut from churning every time she saw Macintosh. He was her first male friend in a long time; Mac stood up for her, he spent time with her, and he was always genuine with her. Vinyl wasn’t very popular in Canterlot, and she learned that nearly everyone there was as two-faced as a standard equestrian bit. Macintosh was never like that, and she seriously doubted he even could pretend be that way. The fact that he was very attractive was just icing on the cake.

Vinyl knew how cheesy the whole thing sounded. It was like a really bad summer movie, but she had to face the music, own up to her feelings. She was crushing hard, and Vinyl knew the feeling wasn’t gonna leave anytime soon.

“So what do ya think I should do about it?”

“Hmm...” Cheerilee took the thinking-man pose, propping her elbows on her knees. “That’s a tough one. Flitter’s kinda in your way.”

“Flitter’s a bitch” Vinyl muttered.

“Vinyl! That’s not very nice...” Cheerilee reprimanded her. “Even if it’s true.” The two smirked, eventually breaking out in light laughter. It made Vinyl feel slightly better, even though her situation hadn't changed. “So, what are you two doing today?”

“Um...” Vinyl scratched her head. “I dunno, really. Just gonna chill until tomorrow.”

“Oh right!” Cheerilee chirped. “The Manetreal trip is tomorrow. Did you get tickets?”

Vinyl smiled. “Yeah, sounded fun. And I’m all for a trip to a big city.” Around the corner of the street, Vinyl heard the tell-tale rumble on a motorcycle making it’s approach.

“Well” Cheerilee smiled, standing up. “I’ll just leave you two alone.” Vinyl pouted and stuck her tongue out at Cheerilee, making her giggle. “See ya tomorrow, Vinyl.”

The long tour bus pulled into the back parking lot of Ponyville High School. It was early. Very, very early. Vinyl would say too early. She stood with her face to the wind, wearing a medium length leather coat and dark blue jeans. She had her trademark purple-tinted glasses on, along with a pair of headphones around her neck. The 3 A.M. breeze was quite chilly, and inescapable at the moment. Mac stood to her right, his arms wrapped firmly around Flitter.

“Damn cold tonight” commented Mac.

“Y-Yeah” Vinyl shivered. She shuffled behind Mac, allowing him to take the brunt of the gust. He was wearing a brown wool coat and a pair of blue jeans, with tan boots and his usual red collared shirt. Cheerilee joined the group just as the bus stopped in front of them, opening it’s doors welcomingly.

Their chaperone, Roadmap, an Equestrian History teacher, stood in front of the gathered group with a clipboard. He ushered them aboard, filling the bus quickly. The seats ran three by three on the right side and two on the other. They were large and soft, perfect for the sleep Vinyl desperately wanted.

“Okay everyone” spoke Roadmap. “As you know, we’ll be spending two nights in Manetreal over the weekend; Tonight and tomorrow. So, we’re gonna drive through the morning and should arrive around 10 A.M.” He took a seat at the front. “You’re free to sleep on the bus, but remember: Day one is a group tour, so make sure to wake up when we get there.”

Vinyl sat in the very back, taking the left window seat. Mac shuffled in next to her, and Flitter on the isle seat. Mac knew enough to not put Flitter and Vinyl together; the tension between the two normally was palpable, and it had only escalated of late. Usually, he tried to ignore it. Given the circumstances, that wasn’t really a choice.

The bus abruptly jerked forward, signaling the beginning of their journey. “Okay, everyone,” called Roadmap over the sleep-depraved yet somehow rambunctious students, “Next stop, Manetreal!”

Many long hours later...

Vinyl stared at the ceiling, her glasses resting on the bridge of her nose. Almost everyone else on board was asleep, so Vinyl decided to let her real eyes breath a bit. The bus had little to no lighting on it, so she didn’t have to worry about sensitivity. Her glasses really did help; most lights were too bright to not cause a little pain. When she first realized she wanted to DJ, Vinyl worried about the stage lights that normally accompanied nightclubs. Lifting them off her face, she looked into the purple lenses, recalling the night she got the little life-savers.

It had been another night of performing for Vinyl, though it was in front of the mirror in her room. She eventually sat down, sighing and hugging her knees on her bed. Vinyl knew she would never be a famous musician. How could she? She couldn’t go on stage without blinding herself.

Hearing a knock on her door, Vinyl allowed the intruder in with a grunt. A tall, pale man walked in. He wore an ash gray coat jacket and slacks, with a maroon collared shirt and a set of dark black shades. “Hey there, my little DJ.”

“Hi dad” Scratch chuckled sorrowfully. She didn’t mind her dad’s pet names, even if she was too old for them.

“What’s got ya all doomy gloomy, huh?”

“...Nothin’.”

“Thinkin‘ about lights again?” Vinyl just nodded in agreement. “Ya know, you’re the only girl I’ve ever met that worries more about electricity than boys” Vinyl’s father laughed. “I got ya something.” Vinyl turned around to see her dad holding... something... behind his back. “Close your eyes” he told her.

Vinyl shut her eyes, willing to play along after her little bout of wallowing. She didn’t like to focus on depressing thoughts for long. Vinyl knew it wouldn’t do her any good, something her dad taught her a long time ago. She felt two plastic tong-like things slide over her ears. Even with her eyes closed, her could see a faint light pointed directly at her.

“Dad, turn off the flashlight.”

“Open your eyes first.”

Vinyl complied, finding her vision no longer pained by the bright rays in her face. Her surroundings took on a purple hue as she swiveled to look in the mirror. Her father had placed a set of round, two-tinted glasses on her, and Vinyl had to admit....

...She looked good.

Vinyl grew a sad smile from the old memory. Vinyl loved her mom very much and they had grown much closer over the months since her dad passed. But she had a special bond with her dad, and she missed that kind of connection.

Vinyl looked over at Mac. He had passed out a few minutes after the bus started, sitting straight up, somehow. Macintosh had his small, ever-present smile on his lips, his head titled towards Flitter slightly. Vinyl leaned back into her seat and pulled her headphones over her ears. Deep bass rocketing into her earholes, silencing anything and everything else, including her thoughts. She slid her glasses up, and let the sounds lull her to sleep.

A rather deep pot-hole jostled Vinyl Scratch awake. She smacked her lips, trying get the taste of morning breath out of her mouth. Finding an obstruction, she opened her eyes to see herself chewing on Mac’s hair. Somewhere along the way, the contents of their bus must’ve shifted. Flitter was contorted with her back halfway down her seat; not that Vinyl cared, and Mac had his legs sprawled out across the floor. His head was placed close to the center of Vinyl’s chest, and his hands found their way around her waist.

What the hell is he doing!? Vinyl’s cheeks reddened as she squirmed slightly under him. She looked around, noticing that nearly everyone else was still asleep. She thought about moving him, but as she went to do so, something held her back. He looks so peaceful, just lying there. That little smile... She grinned to herself, settling into her seat. Mac shifted a little, nuzzling her upper chest and resting his head in the crook of her neck. Vinyl felt the heat from his breath dance across her skin, sending a shiver through her spine. Vinyl blush deepened, but no one was awake to see it, so she didn’t mind so much. She snuck her arm around Mac’s chest ever so gently and pulled him closer. The bus was a little cold for her taste, but now she had a Macintosh-shaped blanket to keep her warm.

The bus rolled on, and eventually the sun began to rise. Slowly but surely passengers began to wake, which put Vinyl in a pickle. She was trying to put Mac back in his seat, but the man was seriously heavy. Vinyl grunted, the herculean effort wearing her her arms and shoulders. She eventually heaved Mac back into position.

“Geez!” Vinyl huffed. “Hold back on the burritos buddy...”

“Wha...” Mac smacked his lips together and blinked the sleepiness out of his eyes. He stretched his arms up above his head, bellowing a loud yawn that nearly sounded like a growl. “Hey” he said to Vinyl. “Sleep well?”

“Heh, yeah” Vinyl said looking away. How long were we like that?, she wondered. “Look, the sunrise is comin’ up” she pointed out to her right, quickly changing the subject. The two watched as the tip of the star crested just above the tree line outside. By now, the sky had developed a yellow-pink hue that was stroking across the clouds. They watched the sun envelop more of the sky until the bus slowed to a stop.

“Okay, everyone! Time to get up!” Roadmap strolled down the isle, making sure every student was up and ready to go. Slowly, the group left the bus and stood outside, in front of a small park. A large fountain stood in the center; a three level construction with little angels dotted around the base. The fountain was surrounded by benches, and a few vendors were placed around the foyer.

“Okay class, that building to your back is our hotel.” Roadmap turned everyone around to look. The hotel in question was a tall, old building with small gargoyles crouched at the roof. It was made of yellow brick. It was similar of a lot of buildings Vinyl remembered from Canterlot; tall, ominous and unwelcoming were just some of the words brought to her mind.

“Just keep in mind that tomorrow is your day on your own, so remember where we are and what it looks like." Roadmap cleared his throat. "With that taken care off, let’s head off and discover this city!” The cavalier attitude of their chaperone was not equaled by the group, most having just woke up. The group followed in twos, with Cheerilee and Vinyl in the back. She felt a cool breeze drift by her, no doubt caused by the large skyscrapers around her.

“Hey Cheers, you excited?” she asked.

“Oh yeah! I just hope the day isn’t too exhausting. There’s so much in this city, I don’t know how we’ll see it all.”

“Yeah,“ Vinyl chuckled. “Let’s hope it’s not too tiring.”

Oh god, my everything!, Vinyl thought as she flopped into her bed. The travel bus had deposited their bags at the hotel. Unfortunately for her, there was a mix-up, and she was given a much smaller room than everyone else. At least she didn’t have to share it with anyone. The first day of the trip was incredibly exhausting; they had must've seen almost every landmark and notable building in Manetreal, and then had to walk back the entire way, taking a detour every once in a while. The city didn’t have a complex subway system like Canterlot, so by the time they made it to their hotel, no one wanted to do anything but sleep. Vinyl was asleep as soon as her head hit the pillow. That night, she had a dreamless sleep.

Vinyl woke up with a start the next morning, quickly looking around to get her bearings. Remembering where she was, she slumped out of bed and walked to the shower. It was an average bathroom; a sink, shower, and toilet that looked cleaner than most hotels. Vinyl climbed into the shower after removing her clothes, turned the faucet to a high temperature, and rested her head against the white tile. The warm-getting-hotter water poured over her back, causing Vinyl to release a happy sigh.

She hopped out of the shower, quickly drying off and jumping into a change of clothes. Checking the clock, she realized it was only a few minutes past nine. Probably still time to get breakfast. She grabbed her black fleece coat, along with a maroon scarf and left her room. Vinyl walked down the hall to Cheerilee’s room. She knocked on the door, waiting against the wall opposite it. Cheerilee slowly opened the door, a tired look in her eye. “Heyyyy...” Cheerilee said quietly.

“Still sleepy, huh?” asked Vinyl. Her friend nodded, using her hand to stifle a yawn. “Okay, Imma grab a table downstairs. Meet ya down there?” Again, Cheerilee nodded her answer. Cheerilee closed the door as Vinyl walked down the hall to the elevator. Vinyl pressed the button next to a large “1”, waiting for the doors to close. The elevator worked quickly, and she found herself on the ground floor. To her right was a marble staircase that presumably led to meeting rooms, or some other type of business affair. The receptionist’s desk stood in front of her, a blonde-haired woman in a green vest sat there, idly tapping her fingers on the glass counter.

Vinyl veered left, stepping down another marble staircase into a large, open show hall. A short red carpet lined the floor, trimmed with a yellow hemmed edge. Golden curtains hung at the sides of long windows. The room had tables of various sizes and lengths, some built for large groups, some for couples. Vinyl sat at a round, four person table, avoiding the larger ones since she wasn’t sure who was coming down this morning.

“Pfff” Vinyl played with her bangs, blowing it out of the way with her lower lip. She looked around, noticing a buffet table just waiting to be used. She stood up and got in line, grabbing a warm and freshly-cleaned plate. She skipped right past the salad bar, arriving at a station manned by a short chef. He wore a white apron and shirt, with a tall white hat. He stood in front of a long table, assorted with different breakfast pastries. He pulled open two iron presses, revealing a fresh set of belgium waffles.

Vinyl held out her plate, greedily eyeing the still steaming waffles in front of her. She adorned the pastry with whipped cream and strawberries, among a few other toppings. She went back to her seat and bit into the large waffle. She swooned, the sweetness of the whipped cream mixing the tartness of strawberries and the crunchy golden waffle made for a wonderful breakfast. Vinyl spotted Cheerilee, Macintosh and Caramel come around the corner.

“Ovfr Hpfm” Vinyl said through a full mouth. Cheerilee giggled as the group joined Vinyl.

“Didn’t quite catch that.”

“I said, over here!” Vinyl smiled. “Go get some food, it’s great.”

“Looks like it” chuckled Mac, following Cheerilee as the two got in line. Vinyl’s eyes wandered around the room, eventually landing on Mac’s backside as he walked away. He wasn’t wearing anything that tight, but Vinyl was still getting a bit of a show. Damn, she thought, a bit of heat rising to her cheeks.

“Enjoying the show?” quipped Caramel, sitting back in chair.

Vinyl’s eyes shrank behind her glasses, but her panicked expression was still easy to see. “W-What” Vinyl sputtered, “Yes, I mean no!...No, wait-!”

“Quit trying to hide it, Vinyl. I can read you easier than a Hardy boys novel” Caramel smiled. “It’s pretty obvious what you want.”

Vinyl sighed. Am I really that easy to figure out? “How long?”

“I knew since our first lunch together. You didn’t do a very good job of hiding it, ya’know.”

“Well... shit” grumbled Vinyl, laying her head on her arms, which were on the table.

“What’s the prob, Scratchy?” Caramel said with a touch of general concern, on top of the amusement he was getting out of her.

“Isn’t it obvious, or has your ability to read minds suddenly worn out? There’s a certain cheerleader that’s kinda in my way.”

Caramel hummed to himself, thinking. “Ya, that is a problem. Seeing as Macky hasn’t show any signs of wanting to leave that bitch...”

“Finally!” cheered Vinyl. “Someone other than me and Cheerilee have some sense.”

“Yeah, but don’t mention it to Macintosh.”

Vinyl rubbed her temples, sighing again. “I know, he just... he actually seems pretty happy, and I don’t wanna get in the way.”

Caramel grinned warmly at Vinyl. “And that let’s me know that you really should be with him.” Vinyl pulled her head up, smiling back at Caramel. “Look” said Mac’s cousin. “All I can tell you is that, well, if it’s meant to be, it’ll happen. Just keep doing whatever you’re doing, cause to tell you the truth...” Caramel motioned for Vinyl to come closer, putting his mouth up to her ear. “I think he might feel the same way.”

“Really?” Vinyl’s face lit up like a Hearth’s Warming tree. “How can you tell?!”

“Well, Mac’s a hell of a lot harder to read than you, but... there are subtle things. A few stolen glances, the way he talks about you. I can’t be sure, but...”

“But...?” Vinyl leaned forward, clinging on Caramel’s every word.

“But as I said before, and will say again, no one, least of all Macintosh, would be interested in you,” Vinyl heard from behind her. She recoiled at the sound of it, knowing exactly who is was behind her.

“Good morning, Flitter” Vinyl spat.

“Every morning’s a good morning, when you get to wake up next to that.” Flitter grinned, nodding towards the large farmer in line. Vinyl grumbled something inaudible, and Flitter pulled a chair up to their table. “...Not that you would know.”

“Can we have at least one meal where you two aren’t at each other’s throats?” Caramel asked, annoyed.

Vinyl leaned back in her chair, not quite scowling, but not smiling either. No, not today, Vinyl thought. She’s not gonna get to me today she decided. “Whatever” Vinyl huffed.

Cheerilee and Mac returned to the table, setting down their plates. Cheerilee took the seat next to Vinyl, Macintosh took the one next to his girlfriend, lightly pecking her on the cheek. For a moment the group ate silently, allowing the morning to seep in.

“So, what’re we doin’ today?” Vinyl asked, breaking the silence.

“Shopping, of course” replied Flitter. Vinyl gave Mac a quick glance, and he shook his head no. “Anyone else?” Cheerilee wore a plain expression, but Caramel looked at least bit interested.

“Not a bad idea” he quipped, “but don’t you know how expensive stuff is here?”

Flitter huffed. “Then what are we supposed to do?” She looked to Mac with a hopeful gaze, but he had been looking at Vinyl.

“Ah have an idea.”

“So, whadda ya think?” Mac failed to hold back a smile as he stood in front of the large ice rink. “Ah used ta do this all the time as a kid. We got a lake somewhere in the right orchard, an’ mah pappy used to take me skating” He reminisced, beaming at the thought.

“...I dunno, Mac” Vinyl said nervously. “I’ve...I’ve never done this before.”

“Aw c’mon! It’ll be fun.” Macintosh grinned, nearly bouncing on his feet as Vinyl considered the activity. Mac had spotted the ice rink while they passed it the day before, and ever since, he had wanted to skate on it. It was a full size rink in the center of a two-story concrete pavilion outside of a large office building. The rink was crowded the day before, but today it was relatively empty. Cheerilee and Caramel were already skating slowly near the edge, chatting with each other, and Flitter was doing a great job drawing attention to herself.

“Macky, let’s go!” she whined, skating circles around everyone else. She flew by with grace of a swan, and shot Vinyl the smirk of a demon. She continued along the edge, twisting around so easily she looked like she was dancing on the ice. Vinyl grimaced.

“I’ll get some skates, just... give me a minute.” Vinyl grumbled over to a booth by the side of the rink. A portly man stood behind the counter of it, his bulbous face and nose red from the cold. He smiled as he spotted Vinyl walking towards him.

“Hello ‘zer, mizz? Can I interest you in ze pair of skates, perhaps?” he said in a thick Manetreal accent.

“Yeah” Vinyl said, determined to not let Flitter show her up. She picked out her skates and tried them on. They were a little tight, but overall fine and in working order. She wobbled over to the entrance; metal against stone was hard enough to walk on, let alone how skinny those skates were.

“C’mon now, just ease yer way out.” Mac spoke slowly, his voice smooth as silk and confident. “There ya go! Now just straighten yer knees and ankles... Good!”

Sure, good. Vinyl’s hands gripped onto the sides of the wall, holding on for dear life. Her legs shook as she scooted along the wall, quickly checked behind her shoulder for Mac. He’d skated away from her, riding idly by with his gaze on nothing in particular. The speed of his glide pushed his long hair back, whipping and dancing behind him when he passed by Flitter. Vinyl watched Macintosh skate nonchalantly around the rink, entranced by how easy he made it look. She was so entranced, that she forgot she was also on ice. Slippery, wet, uneven ice.

Vinyl dragged the front of her left skate forward and caught it in a rut. Stumbling, Vinyl swung her arms wildly trying to grab hold of something, but to no avail. Her legs shot forward as her butt went straight down into the hard ice. “Ow..” Vinyl moaned, rubbing her backside to subdue the pain.

“You okay?” asked a warm, familiar voice from behind her. Vinyl looked up to see Mac looking down to her, a little grin on his lips. “Here” he said, his right hand outstretched.

Vinyl grabbed it, and Macintosh lifted her up. She gasped as Mac pulled, launching up a bit too fast. Crashing into Mac, her opposite hand reached out to brace for impact. Her face landed on the right side of Mac’s chest, her hand on his left. In the small time she was in close contact with him, she felt her stomach turn over, along with a not-so-steady heartbeat. She looked into Mac’s eyes, and he met hers with his own. A light blush graced her face, and Vinyl pushed herself off him, stammering.

“Um... Thanks” she said quietly.

“Yup!” Mac chuckled. “Ah’m gonna show ya how mah pappy taught me.” Mac skated in front of her and turned around. “Take mah hands” he told her.

“W-What?” Vinyl raised her eyebrow.

“Don’t be like that” he said, rolling his eyes. “Ya trust me, right?”

Vinyl smiled. “Yeah.”

“Then grab on.” Vinyl nodded, reaching out and holding his hands. Mac began to skate backwards, and Vinyl gripped harder. Mac pulled away from the side and drew Vinyl into the open ice. He continued to skate backwards, despite Vinyl’s shaking knees. She looked down at her feet, feeling herself start to lose balance again. “Hey now” he said, getting her attention. “Eyes on me.”

Vinyl listened, standing up a little taller to peer into his eyes. I can do this, she thought. The smirk on Mac’s face, the shimmer in his eyes, the way he led her gave Vinyl confidence. A small blush rose to her face as she watched Mac watch her. Macintosh couldn’t help but blush a bit too, realizing how intimate that little moment was. She slowly let go of Macintosh, pushing forward at an angle.

Vinyl sported a toothy grin. “Look! Mac!” she giggled. Vinyl realized she probably sounded like a four year old, but right now, she didn’t care. “Dude, I’m skating!” This is probably the most athletic thing you’ve ever done, her mind reminded her. Shut up, brain, Vinyl retorted, Let me enjoy this. She slid forward, amazed that she hadn’t fallen yet. She looked up from her feet, realization causing her eyes to widen in fear.

THE WALL! OH SHI...! Vinyl flailed her arms wildly, trying to turn, or slow down, or... do anything other than crash, really. None of that seemed to work as she slammed into the edge of the rink, nearly flipping over it in the process. She caught herself luckily, a concussion was certainly not part of the day’s plan. Settling back down on the ice, she rubbed her thighs that were now searing with aches.

“Ha ha!” gawked Flitter. “Watch out of those things called walls, Scratch! They tend to sneak up in ya!”

Vinyl growled, picking herself up. Time to touch gloves, she thought as a fight bell rang in her mind. She zeroed in her gaze on Flitter, her hands curled into little fists. But before she could enact her vengeance, Macintosh skated up next to her.

“Let’s try that again” he said with a worried frown on his face. “Ya’ll ain’t hurt, are ya?”

“Ugh... nope, just my pride” said Vinyl, rubbing her head embarrassedly. “Haven’t quite figured out turning, I guess. Or stopping, for that matter.”

“That is kinda important” giggled Macintosh. “C’mon, follow me.”

After an hour or so of skating, the group returned their skates and started to peruse the stores around them. None of the shops interested Vinyl, they were mostly clothing or jewelers’ stores. So of course, Flitter dragged them to nearly every one. At least she wasn’t literally being dragged into them, unlike Mac. Vinyl kept her distance, idly wandering from store to store. By the time they returned to their hotel, the sun was starting to dip below the horizon. As for late night plans, Caramel had been talking about some night club he’d discovered, and had roped the rest of the group to join him. Not that Vinyl needed any convincing.

This is gonna be so cool!, she thought. I haven’t been clubbing in forever! And I get to bring Mac with me. I wonder if he can dance? Vinyl changed into a pair of white jeans, keeping the same shirt and coat. She quickly checked herself over in the mirror, making sure nothing was too out of place. Entering the hall, she joined Cheerilee, Caramel, Mac and Flitter. Most had changed somewhat, Cheerilee had a rather neon-looking mini-skirt on, and Caramel wore a small v-neck tee under a black wool coat. Mac had changed into sneakers, but that was the only change. Vinyl hadn't cared to note what Flitter was wearing.

“Everyone ready?” asked Caramel happily.

“Looks so, ‘Mel” responded his cousin.

“Then let’s go, I heard this place it awesome.” He led the group into the elevator. The group was quiet, an anxious but happy calm washing over them. Caramel brought them to the lobby, and outside into the dark, star-filled night.

Chapter 5

After a half an hour of walking, Vinyl’s party arrived at a tall, gray building, surrounded by more tall, gray buildings. The only thing separating this particular building from the rest was a long neon sign that hung above the entrance. The blue tubes on the sign spelled “Hystérie.” Loud music rocked from inside, slightly muffled by the stone walls. After enduring a quick I.D. check, the group entered the strange-looking club. A wide, mostly full dance floor stood between the DJ and the entrance. A stainless steel bar with blue neon lighting ran along the right wall, with mostly occupied glass stools in front of it. The group scooted over to a small booth on the left side and wedged in, not wanting to get pushed into the crowd just yet. The booth cusions were well-used, slightly giving with their weight.

“Pretty cool, huh?” Caramel shouted. He voice was still over powered by the deep electronica. Vinyl and Mac nodded, while Cheerilee just smiled. Flitter crossed her arms, frowning.

“How are we supposed to hear each other? I can barely talk to the person next to me!” she moaned.

Mac turned to his girlfriend. “That ain’t really the point, babe.”

“Then what is the point?”

“Ah think it's so you don’t have to hear each other” he mumbled quietly to himself. Unfortunately, it wasn’t quiet enough. Flitter snapped her head towards Mac, her eyes glaring angrily at him. She stood up, standing at the end of the table.

“I’m getting something to drink” she said, stomping over to the bar.

Shiiiit. Mac sighed, getting up too. “I’ll be back” he said, heading in the same direction. He slinked through the crowd cautiously, trying not to knock into anyone. By the time he reached the bar, he caught sight of Flitter, sitting near the edge of the bar, drink in hand. He started to approach her, and suddenly Macintosh noticed she wasn’t alone. A short, skinny man with blonde hair was talking with her. He was getting rather close, too.

Mac strode up to his girlfriend, not quite angry, but... curious, to say the least. “Hey, Flitter. Mind introducin’ me to yer friend?”

After that little scene, Vinyl walked with Caramel and Cheerilee to the bar. She looked behind the server, astonished at the selection. She’d seen enough bars to know what a good selection was, but this... there were at least ten unrecognizable types of liquor in each category. Vinyl wasn’t one for beer; the amount of alcohol wasn’t enough for her to excuse the taste.

“Umm... give me... a gin and tonic.” The bartender nodded silently, retreating to another part of the bar. As Vinyl waited for her drink, she spotted Mac and Flitter in a heated discussion. It saddened her a bit; as much as she wanted Flitter out of her (and Mac’s) life, she hated to see Mac upset. She watched him stomp away through the crowd to a door near the back, past the DJ booth. It was strange to see Macintosh react so strongly.

“Yo” said a raspy voice from her back. “Here ya go.” The bartender handed Vinyl a small glass filled with a clear liquid.

“Thanks” she said, quickly slipping through the crowd towards Flitter. I’ve had just about enough of her ruining our trip. Vinyl passed through the dance area, deftly spinning and turned around the oblivious clubbers. As she approached her rival, she saw something she really wished she hadn’t. The sight put a pit in the bottom of her stomach and flared the hairs on her neck in anger.

“Flitter, what the hell!?”

Vinyl’s outburst cut short the make-out session between Flitter and some blonde-haired man. Flitter was sitting in his lap rather awkwardly; her arms were wrapped around the stranger’s shoulders in the same way she held onto Macintosh, just another slight in Vinyl’s mind. The two looked up from at Vinyl; the man with an irritated expression, and Flitter with a look of horror. “You manipulative little shit!”

“W-What? No I-”

Vinyl didn’t give her a chance to explain. “No, that’s it!” I’ve put up with your snide comments, your low blows, and your stupid mug for long enough! As soon as I tell Mac about this,- !”

“Wait!” Flitter stood up, standing up straight in front of Vinyl. “I don’t think either of us want that!”

“And why not?”

“Well,” Flitter started, “If you were to tell Mac about this tryst, don’t you think he might get a little suspicious of your motivation?” She slid up to Vinyl, wickedly grinning.

“Oh, please” Vinyl chuckled. “Mac knows me better than that.”

“Does he?” Flitter sneered. “It’s obvious to everyone that you’re into him, and he just might take that the wrong way.”

Vinyl glared at Flitter, grinding her teeth together. But on the inside, she was worried. ...Fuck! She... She might actually be right. I haven’t exactly kept my feelings close to the vest, and I don’t want him to mix that up with the truth. But, I can’t keep this from Mac. Unsure of what to do, she backed away from Flitter, holding her glare until she was enveloped by the crowd. Vinyl slipped away from the dance-floor, rubbing her temples in frustration. For once, loud house music wasn’t helping her mood. Spotting the door Mac had exited to her left, she walked over and opened it, hoping to find him somewhere inside. That, or at least a place to clear her head.

A set of stairs sat at the base of the door, which led to a second story balcony. The balcony ran along the backside of the building, where a stone canal lay below. A few iron tables with matching iron chairs sat outside. Though, on a brisk night like tonight, none were being used. Only one person occupied the awning, but at least he was a familiar face. Mac was leaning against the black railing, which stopped just above his waistline. A cool breeze tousled his hair and the tips of his jacket.

“Hey there” she said, leaning against the railing next to Mac. The lights of the city spotted the skyline, showing up like little earthbound stars. The night sky was dark and clear enough to see actual stars, but due to light pollution, the city wouldn’t allow for it.

“Hey there” Macintosh responded quietly.

Silence prevailed as the two stared out into the night. The only sounds were the muffled beat of the song inside the club, a slight whistle of wind and the sloshing sounds of canal water flowing with it’s current. Mac took a drink from his glass, a brown liquid with two ice cubes.

“What’cha got there?” Vinyl asked.

“Whiskey, Ah think. Jus‘ asked fer the strongest thing he had.”

Vinyl laughed. “Well that isn’t cliche or anything. Though I doubt that’ll someone as big as you’ll get buzzed.” She scooted a little closer to Mac, and took a sip of her own drink. “So....

“So?”

Vinyl took a deep breath. “So, you okay? I saw you and Flitter...” she trailed off, leaving Mac to fill in the blanks.

Mac sighed. “Ya saw all that?”

“Yup.”

“Crap.” Mac took another drink. “Ah just... Ah don‘ know what Ah did. Shoulda kept mah damn mouth shut!”

Vinyl was a little surprised at his outburst; he never been that vocal about his relationship before. He'd usually say everything was fine, regardless of whether it actually was or not. “Did... did she say or do anything to help you understand her?” Vinyl asked anxiously. “I don’t know if I’m the best one to talk to about this stuff...” she added.

“No” said Mac, gulping down his drink quickly. “Ah... Ah want to. W-With you, Ah mean, if that’s alright. Ah don’ wanna bring down the mood with mah problems.”

Vinyl visibly blushed, smiling. “Of course, dude. It was gettin’ boring without you. Let me get you another drink, first.” She made it to the door, but stopped. “Hey Mac” she said, turning back towards Mac. She opened her mouth to tell Macintosh about Flitter’s indiscretion, but something made her stop. She did want Mac to herself, that much was obvious. And no matter how much she knew Mac deserved to know what happened, Vinyl couldn’t get rid of an empty pit she felt. She knew what that feeling was, that emptiness in her gut. It was fear, fear of losing one of the few friends she had. “...Never mind.”

She left Mac on the balcony, heading inside quickly and grabbing another whiskey. She returned outside just as quick, and sat her friend down at one of the unused tables. “Here ya go!” she said, handing the drink to Mac, who swallowed half of it in one sip. “Wow, Mac. Didn't know you could drink.”

He set the drink down, a happy grin on his face, his cheeks a faint pink hue. “Ah can’t. This is actually mah firsh time” he giggled.

Oh god, what have I done!? “M-Mac, why didn’t you tell me!? You’re gonna be smashed!” Vinyl snapped.

“Hey, it’s makin’ it easier fer me ta talk” he said nonchalantly. “Ah don’t normally like talkin’ ‘bout mah feelin’s.” He was slurring his words a little, which added to his accent. Vinyl could follow him easily enough. But it was getting a little more difficult, and she felt it would only get worse from here.

“Okay, I get it.” Vinyl groaned, taking a swig from her own glass. “...Why me, anyhow?”

“Whadda ya mean?”

“Mac, we’ve only been friends for, what, three months now? Why do you wanna talk with me? Wouldn’t Caramel be better for this?”

Mac blinked. “Really, three months? Huh, feels longer... Well, Ah dunno, Ah just trust ya. Ya are mah best friend an’ all. Caramel's great, but... he's family. Ah don't want them finding out about all this ...drama.”

“Really?” Vinyl perked up. “Mac, I’m.... well, honored I guess. I’m glad you can call me that.”

Mac rose his eyebrows. “Vinyl, Ah know ya don’t like bringin’ it up, but... well, something tells me ya didn’t have a whole lotta friends in Canterlot.”

“You’re right. I don’t like bringing it up” Vinyl sighed. She’d talked with Mac once before about Canterlot; she avoided the subject due to her wanting to start fresh somewhat. And the fact that thinking of home always reminded her off her dad. “But, yeah. Canterlot sucked mostly.” Vinyl spat the words, looking away from Mac. “I only had a few friends, none of them at school. I... I got teased a lot. All the way through elementary, up to this year.”

“Why?” Mac asked, leaning forward.

“Hell if I know. Maybe my pale skin, or my hair. Probably ‘cause I had bad eyes. But for whatever reason, they had fun giving me hell.” She crossed her hands under her chest. “Don’t think I’m complaining, though. I gave as good as I got. but... it just got tiring after awhile.” Vinyl stretched out, putting her hands back on the table. “I had friends, sure, but I couldn’t really talk to them about anything important. They're not ...like you.” Vinyl sighed, quite relieved to let al of that out.

Mac reached across the table, placing his hand over Vinyl’s. “Well in mah opinion, them high school kids are the biggest bunch o’ idiots Ah ever heard of.” Vinyl smiled, her stomach turning over as Mac held her hand for the second time that day. Something about that gesture made Vinyl feel safe, it was tender but strong, just like her lug of a friend.

“Thanks Mac” Vinyl said coyly, looking down at the table, “but I thought we were talking about you. How are you doing?”

Mac leaned back, sliding his hand off Vinyl’s and onto his drink. “Ah dunno. It seems like, every time Ah try to add mah two cents, she gits mad.” Mac took another taste of his whiskey. “An‘ fer some reason, half the time we fight it’s about you” he added, chuckling.

“Me?” Vinyl inquired.

“Yeah. Kin ya’ll believe she thought you were jealous o’ her?”

Vinyl’s eyes darted back and forth nervously. “Wha-What? Why would I be jealous?”

“That’s what Ah said!” Mac exclaimed, finishing off his drink. He was tipsy by now, not quite drunk but his inhibitions were dropping fast. He stood up and leaned over the table, his nose nearly pressing into Vinyl’s. “Truth be told, Ah think she should... *hic... be jealous o’ yew.” Vinyl froze, shocked at the words coming out of his mouth.

“Um...I don’t know about that... ” Vinyl blushed furiously.

“Ah do” said Mac with a toothy but charming grin. “She may be slightly skinnier, maybe a bit more athletic, but that’s it. She don’t have a personality like yours, and she certainly isn’t as pretty...” He fell back into his chair with a red face. The liquor was affecting him fairly well by now. He rocked back and placed his elbows on the table, resting his head in his hands and stared straight into Vinyl’s glasses. “...And might Ah add, Ah don’t know if Ah’ve met any girl with a better ass than you. It’s definately yer best asset ” he laughed with a stupid grin at his own pun.

By now, Vinyl swore she could could an egg on her cheeks. “Ahhhh... um... T-Thanks” was all Vinyl could squeak out. She wanted to say all the things she felt about him. How kind he was, how confident he made her feel, the fact that he wasn’t bad-looking at all either. None of those words came to her. Only a warm pressure in her chest, and a little twitch in her left leg.

Mac shot from his chair, his hand gripping the edge of the table. He started bobbing his head to the beat of the muffled song inside the club. “Let’s dance!” he proclaimed, grabbing Vinyl hand. He led her inside; well, pulled her inside would be more accurate. He dragged her down the stairs and onto the dance floor. Before Vinyl could protest, Mac started dancing.

He’s not half bad, Vinyl thought, laughing a little at how easily Mac got tipsy. At least he was limbering up a bit. When Caramel first mentioned going to a nightclub, Mac was against the idea. He didn’t think getting drunk the night before they went home was a smart plan, but Caramel, with Vinyl’s help, convinced him otherwise. Watching him drop it like it’s hot was one thing Vinyl didn’t think she’d see tonight.

“C’mon!” Mac called to her, waving with his hand.

“I’m coming” Vinyl said, sliding through the crowd. She made it to the middle of the floor and started dancing next to Macintosh. The house music playing right now was blasting away at a moderate pace, making for at least decent dancing tunes. Vinyl matched Mac’s movements, following the beat of the bass and enjoying herself thoroughly.

“You’re actually pretty good, Mac.” He just smiled and continued to dance. The dance floor started to crowd up, forcing Vinyl to squeeze in front of Macintosh. As the DJ transitioned to the next song, she stole a glance at Mac. He was looking across the room, a faint smile on his lips. His cheeks were still red, probably from the whiskey.

A low hummed emanated from the speakers, signaling the start of the next song. The crowd cheered, rising their hands up over there head. A quiet synth piano began to play, accompanied by a steady but slow beat. Vinyl quickly realized what song this was, brimming with glee. swayed her hips and rocked her head back and forth. She began to get lost in the music like she normally would, blocking out nearly everything to create a personal escape bubble of sound. Vinyl kept kicking it, swaying and bobbing, even throwing in a grind or two. The flow of the music took hold out her and wouldn’t let go, until she heard a deep gasp behind her.

Vinyl turned around, realizing Mac was at her back the entire time she was dancing. And sure enough, her butt was just level with Mac’s groin. If their earlier talk was been awkward, she didn’t even no what to call this. Mac’s face was really red now, and he was looking away to the side. Vinyl blushed, quite embarrassed about the whole thing. “I’m sorry!” she blurted out. “I... forgot you were back there.”

Mac nervously chuckled a little, making his red face even more so. “....It’s alright. Ah... Ah didn’t mind it so much.”

Vinyl grew a wicked smirk. This is a terrible, terrible idea, bur I might as well have fun with it. “You mean, when I did this?” Vinyl cooed, rubbing her rump back across Mac.

“Y-Yeah, that” Mac managed to squeak out.

“So, I should stop, then?” Vinyl acted contrary to her speech, leaning her back up against Mac’s chest as she kept moving her hips. She pressed her head back into his lower shoulder, looking up into Mac’s gaze. He was clearly enjoying it, and Vinyl felt a bit cruel for messing with him, but the opportunity was too great. He probably wouldn’t remember any of this, and she could act out her inner desires with no repercussions. He did just admit he thought I was hot, Vinyl thought giddily. That’s just the whiskey talking though. Mac didn’t really mean all that. Vinyl eased back on the flirting, but continued to dance with Mac.

Mac and Vinyl stumbled out of the club behind Caramel, Cheerilee, and Flitter. After a few more songs, the two grabbed a few drinks for the road, and joined their friends to head back to the hotel. They made their way down the street, tumbling and giggling all the way. Mac had to lean against Vinyl to keep his footing, her having a much greater tolerance for alcohol than him. Vinyl didn’t think she drank that much, but it was apparently more than Mac did. Mac’s cousin and Cheerilee made small talk, and Flitter just huffed angrily as they entered the lobby of their hotel. Nearly falling into the elevator, they hit their floor number and waited uncomfortably.

The small metal box was deathly silent. Flitter was burning a hole through the elevator doors while Macintosh swayed a bit from the movement of the elevator. A light piano played an unknown but familiar tune in the backround. Mac had his arm across Vinyl’s shoulders, slumped over a little from the mix of fatigue and booze. By the time the group reached their floor, Vinyl could almost see steam coming from Flitter’s ears. As she left the elevator, Flitter turned to Mac, a deep scowl on her face.

“Have fun falling on your face!” she hissed, trudging down the hall to her room.

“Well” started Cheerilee, “I think that’s enough excitement for me today. See you guys tomorrow morning.”

“Same here” added Caramel. “Mac, you need help to your room?”

“Nah” he said, lifting his arm off Vinyl. He wobbled a bit, but eventually got his bearings. “Ah... Ah think Ah’m okay.”

“Alright. Goodnight, Scratchy.”

Vinyl waved to Caramel as he left the hall with Cheerilee. She looked to Mac, smirking. “So, today was... eventful, to say the least.” She rubbed her elbow anxiously. “Sorry about all that. I know you wanted to talk tonight. Didn’t really get to that, huh?” she said morosely.

“Don’ worry ‘bout it. Ya did more than ya had to, an’ that’s all Ah kin ask.” He said, leaning against the wall. “Well, ‘night Vinyl.”

“....See ya tomorrow.” Walking to her room, Vinyl seriously considered turning around, grabbing Mac and just planted a kiss on him. This is what I wanted. He pretty much admitted he liked me. He doesn’t like Flitter, at least not right now. Why can’t I just... Vinyl closed her door and collapsed on the bed. I... I can’t. He’s drunk. And even if he really does mean all that, I’m his best friend, officially. That’s like, the impenetrable friend-one area. I might as well be Caramel.

Vinyl’s string of thoughts was interrupted by a knock on her door. Curious, she got up and laid into it. “Who’s there?” she moaned tiredly. The dancing, skating, drinking combo was really starting to wear on her.

“Um, me” said an unmistakable deep bass from the other side. Vinyl cracked the door to see Mac resting against the frame, hanging his head in shame. “Ah... Ah locked mah key in mah room.”

“And what am I suppose to do about it?” Vinyl wasn’t particularly mad at Mac, but it was late, and she’d have just enough teasing for today.

“Well, um... Ah know you don’t have a roommate, so... Ah was wonderin‘ if Ah could use the other bed.”

Vinyl slid the door open a little further. “Mac, there’s only one bed in here.” She grabbed his arm and pulled him in. “But I think I have an idea.” She closed the door behind them, grabbed a blanket and a few pillows from the bed and laid them out on the couch. “I’ll sleep here, and you can take the bed.”

“Eenope” Mac frowned. “Yer takin‘ me in. Least Ah can do is give you the bed.”

“Mac, you’ll barely fit in that tiny couch. You can have the bed.”

“Ah can’t allow that. It ain’t fair.”

Vinyl huffed. “Well fine then.” She took the pillows off the couch and threw them back on the bed. “If your gonna be so damn stubborn, looks like were gonna hafta share.”

Mac’s eyes went wide, a thin bead of sweat forming on his brow. “Vinyl, we can’t!”

“Well, you wouldn’t give me the couch. And I don’t wanna hear about neck problems from you cause of that tiny thing. Now get in” she commanded. Vinyl slid off her pants and over shirt, revealing a pair of black panties with two bridged eighth notes. She had a white tank top on, fortunately for Mac. He wasn’t sure if he could handle laying next to Vinyl completely in her skivvies.

Mac walked to the other side of the bed, pushing his shoes off and climbing in as well, although very stiffly. He’d never been this far with Flitter, and the whole situation just put him out of his comfort zone. He breathed nervously, a stutter in his stomach as he caught the silhouette of Vinyl’s frame in his periphery.

“You’re not really going sleep like that, are you?” Vinyl asked, trying to hide the hope from her voice. “Dude, we’re responsible adults. Just sleep in whatever you normally do.”

Mac sighed. He would’ve hoped Vinyl didn’t noticed. Not that he didn’t want to disrobe with her there. Woah, slow down there cowboy.. He looked to his left. Vinyl was propped up on her elbows under a thin white sheet. Her hair was unusually messy tonight, and she had a bit of color in her cheeks. Her blue lipstick was smeared ever so slightly, and something about all those things were driving Macintosh wild.

She was the complete opposite of his current girlfriend. She was smart, funny, increasingly talented. Where Flitter was tanned and uniform, Vinyl was pale and imperfect, in the perfect way. She had a mind of her own, a completely unique personality and she wasn’t afraid to show it off. It was one of the things that originally attracted him, and right now her usual gorgeous looks were pushed in overdrive by her disheveled state.

“Ah, well okay. Just fer you, though” Mac spoke with a mischievous grin. He stood up and took his pants off, showing his light green boxers. He took off his shirt next, adding “Sorry Ah don’t have another one.”

Vinyl’s eyes traced the outline of Mac’s body, just as when she walked in on him in his room. She fell back to his scar, now being able to et a good look at it. It sat in the same spot and was about a bit bigger than a large cigar, but she hadn’t noticed how red the skin was. The vein running through it was pulsating, and it was a little gross to her. The surrounding skin that wasn’t beet red was cracked and dark, strangely. She also noticed the same type of scar on Mac’s back.

“Hey, if you don’t mid me asking... how did you get that?” she asked cautiously, pointing at his stomach.

Macintosh fidgeted, looking away from Vinyl. “It’s... well, it’s actually really personal. Ah don’t like rememberin‘ it too much. It... It involves mah pa.” He slid into the bed quickly, extending his legs to their full length and resting his head on one of the fluffy white hotel pillows.

“Okay” Vinyl said. “I understand.”

“Thanks. Maybe another time, okay?”

"Okay" Scratch smiled. She pivoted, shutting off the desk lamp that had illuminated the room. She laid down next to Mac, blue waves of moonlight shining in through the window. It gave everything a calmer, gentler feeling. It helped to slow Vinyl’s heartbeat as she wondered what would happen now.

“Um, Mac” Vinyl nearly whispered.

“Yeah?” he whispered back.

“Okay, don’t freak out, but... I gotta take off my glasses now.” Vinyl took a deep breath, hoping for the best and preparing for the worst. Only a few people outside her family had ever seen her real eyes, and they were... less than receptive. She carefully slid off her purple-tinted goggles, and put them in a case on the nightstand.

Holy... Mac’s jaw just about fell off when Vinyl laid back onto her back. She looked to her right, and her ruby red gaze connected with his jade irises. Mac felt like every function in his brain had stopped; no matter what color he had in his mind, nothing could come close to what he was looking at right now.

“Um, could ya stop staring? It’s kinda embarrassing...” Mac shook his head, snapping back to reality. He smiled sheepishly, mentally chastising himself for making Vinyl uncomfortable.

“Sorry, it’s just...”

Vinyl frowned. “I know. I’ve heard it all before. I, ah... just thought maybe they wouldn’t bug you.” She felt her chest tighten, her eyes had freaked Mac out. Damn it, n-not again, she thought. Stupid eyes... Vinyl fought back a tear as she turned to her side, facing away from Mac. It’s weird, she thought. Around anyone else, i’d just give ‘em the finger and by on my way. But him...

“Vinyl, are ya’ll okay?” Mac leaned over and placed his hand on her shoulder, felling her shudder under it.

Just gonna make this harder, aren’t ya? Vinyl flipped onto her back, stared up into his eyes again. “I just... it’s hard for me to show these puppies off” she said with a laugh that carried no happiness.

“Vinyl” Mac spoke warmly, “Ah would like to recanter one o‘ mah earlier statements. Yer butt isn’t your best feature, not by a long shot now. Those gems you’ve got are prettier than the shiniest apple in anyone’s orchard.” Mac propped up on his left hand, moving his right from Vinyl’s shoulder to the side of her neck, rubbing her cheek with his thumb.

“Mac...?” Vinyl breathed. She scanned his his face, looking for any sign of a lie. She found none, just like she’d hoped. Vinyl watched as he slowly moved his head down towards hers, his eyelids gently closing. She rose up to meet him, until their lips were mere centimeters apart. She could feel the heat from his breath fall down her chest, making her shiver.

“Dammit” Mac uttered, and he stopped rubbing Vinyl’s cheek.

“What? What is it?” Vinyl asked, not caring to keep the desperation out of her voice.

“Ah... Ah can’t. I’m technically still... taken.” Mac pulled his head away and opened his eyes, a look of genuine sadness on his face. He rolled onto his back and threw his arms to the side. “Ah’m sorry.”

Vinyl let out the air she was holding in. “It’s okay dude. At least I know you’re faithful.” The tightness in her chest let her know that it wasn’t okay. She knew Mac didn’t mean to tease her like that, but getting so close, just to have him pull back at the last second was unbearable. Vinyl rolled onto her right side, facing Mac. Should try to save some face. “I can’t really blame you, can I? I did make you sleep in here.”

Mac chuckled. “Still, Ah shouldn’t done all that. Didn’t mean to ...well, lead you on, Ah guess.”

Vinyl bit her bottom lip, peeking at Mac from the covers. “So, I just wanna know... did you really mean all that? Or was it-?”

“Every word” Mac interrupted. “Ah would never lie like that to you.”

Vinyl grinned. “I know, I just figured you were drunk.”

“Hey” Mac whined. “Ah’m not that drunk.”

Vinyl wrapped her arms around Mac’s chest, laying her head under his chin. “Sure ya aren’t. And... thanks. I don’t mean to be all mushy, but it’s nice to hear that once in a while” she breathed.

“Ya know, mushy stuff is good once in a while. I like mushy. Applesauce is mushy” He said, eliciting a giggle from his friend. Mac waited for her to let go, but it soon became clear that wasn’t going to happen. “Um... ya gonna stay like that all night?”

“Eeyup” she teased. “You’re warm. And it’s not like this is cheating.”

Macintosh squeezed his left arm under Scratch to return the hug, putting his hands on the small of her back. “Works for me.”

“Ugh god, mah head” Mac rubbed his temples trying to ease the throbbing in his head. He attempted to sit up, but his arm was wrapped around something warm. Plus, the pounding in his head was making it hard to see straight, let alone climb out of bed. He put his head back and peeked down. His wides shot open, seeing Vinyl snuggling up against him. She stirred, rubbing her head against his neck and tightening her grip around his ribs.

What the hell! What happened last night?! Mac racked his brain, segments of the previous night being quite fuzzy. He remembered going to the club and getting in a fight with Flitter, but over what he wasn’t sure. Then Ah went outside, and Ah... oh my. Ah can’t believe Ah said all that. Mac became red-faced, trying to control his breathing. Ah hope Ah didn’t...

“Morning” Vinyl croaked. Her voice was dry from sleeping with her mouth open, and it hurt to talk. She coughed lightly and opened her eyes, winking at Mac. “How’d you sleep?”

Mac caught Vinyl’s gaze, his memory still returning to him. Okay, Ah... lost mah room key, and then, ...something happened. A look of realization ran through his face as yesterday’s events returned to him. Ah almost kissed Vinyl! “Pretty good.” Mac failed to keep the smile off his lips. “And sorry again fer gettin’ carried away.”

Vinyl sat up and patted him on the chest. “Don’t worry about it.” She slid out of bed and stretched, cracking her neck and back. she looked in the mirror, laughing at her awful bed-head. “Hey” she turned to Macintosh; he was sitting against the headboard now, still holding his head, “Do you want the first shower, or can I take it?”

Mac looked up. “Well we already shared a bed, might as well just get in together.”

Vinyl heart stopped in her chest. “Whaaaaa?” She blushed for what felt like the millionth time recently and fell into the door frame of the bathroom. “I thought the booze would’ve worn off by now!”

“What?” Mac shrugged. “We used ta do it on the farm all the time.”

Vinyl rubbed the back of her neck nervously. “Well, I guess it would save time... but I dunno...” Vinyl contemplated the extreme risks to doing what Mac suggested, until she heard something coming from the bed.

Mac snickered deeply. “That’s fer the little dancing stunt in the club. Ya’ll don’t think Ah forgot about that?”

“There’s a special place in hell for you, Mac. Just know that.”

Mac grabbed his brown wool coat from the floor, shaking it off before he put it on. “So, Ah think it goes without saying...”

“...That we shouldn’t mention this to anyone? Already a step ahead of ya.” Vinyl grabbed her glasses and slid them up the bridge of her nose. “Also, I gots a question for ya. Why didn’t you go to Flitter’s room?”

“Honestly?” Mac quipped, “Didn’t cross mah mind. An’ Ah did knock on mah own room, but Noteworthy must’ve been sleepin’.”

“Noteworthy?”

“Yeah. Sophomore kid, blue hair and hazel eyes. Nice guy, bit on the quiet side.”

“Like you can talk. Most people have heard parrots that talk more than you.” As Mac helped Vinyl gather up her things, he couldn’t help but imagine the eyes that Vinyl liked to hide so much.

“Ah know ya think to need to, but it’s a shame you hide your eyes so much.” He picked up Vinyl’s final bag and met her at the door.

“Okay, you need to stop complimenting me. I think my face’ll explode if you don’t.” The two shared a laugh as Mac walked out first, letting Vinyl lock the door behind him.”Also, ‘Prettier than the shiniest apple?’ Dude, that was totally cheesy.”

“Hey!” Mac scoffed. “Ah’ll have you know that’s a wonderful compliment, comin’ from an apple farmer.”

“Maybe so” Vinyl laughed. “Hey, don’t you need to get your stuff?” she asked.

“Ah just gotta get mah boots and...” Mac froze, his face locked in fear. “Um, heyyyyy Roseluck.”

Vinyl spun around to see a maroon haired girl standing in the hall, her hand on the door. She had medium length hair, and was wearing a cream colored t-shirt, white cargo shorts with a deep, knowing smirk across her face. She scampered into her room and slammed the door, a faint giggle coming from the other side.

“Oh, this is bad.”

“Eeyup.”

Vinyl clutched Mac’s arm, gaping up at him. “Please, please tell me there’s a chance she won’t say anything?”

Mac hid his eyes under his bangs, staring down at the floor. He shuffled in place, eventually sighed in defeat. “Considering she’s the biggest gossip in school, Ah’m gonna say.... Eenope.”

The ride home was awkward. Vinyl sat next to Cheerilee and caramel, re-living the events of the past two days. The two helped keep her mind off to Mac and what happened in the morning. Caramel was discussing one of the art pieces scattered around Manetreal, trying to convince Cheerilee that modern art was nothing more than bended metal.

“So, you guys definitely had fun then” Vinyl remarked.

“Oh yeah!” the two responded simultaneously. “Didn’t you? I loved all of it; the history, the skating, even the bar had it’s charm.” Cheerilee was true to her name, making Vinyl wonder if anything could get her down.

“Yeah, I have to say that club was quite awesome” added Caramel. “I thought you would’ve liked that.”

Vinyl Scratch smiled. “Ya know what? I did. It was a bit stressful, but yeah, I have fun.”

Unfortunately for Mac, his ride back was less wonderful. The bumping and rocking were throwing his hangover into high gear, and Flitter’s passive-aggressiveness wasn’t doing a damn thing to help. She was quite obviously still pissed, and was actually being vocal about her distaste for Mac’s DJ friend for once.

“Ughhh... This is what you get for drinking, Macintosh.” She scratched under her nails, keeping her gaze away from him. “I bet Scratch gave you all that, didn’t she? You can admit it, I saw her grabbing a bunch of drinks. Why you hang out with her is beyond me; It’s not like I would’ve keep you out of trouble or anything” she quipped.

Mac semi-tuned her out, enough to get the gist of whatever she was saying. He caught Roseluck peeking at him sneakily, and he glared at her until she turned around. Mac looked behind him, seeing Vinyl laugh with the rest of their friends.

“Mac, I hope you learned something from all this” Flitter scolded, tossing her gaze away from him and scoffing.

He sat back and smiled. Yeah, Ah think Ah did.

Chapter 6, Part 1

Vinyl shivered, pulling her heavy winter coat over her shoulders. She walked down the main school hallway into the foyer, sitting down against a pillar to wait. She reached into her coat pocket, fishing out her MP3 player and putting on, what else, some house music. Vinyl gazed outside, watching some snowflakes fly by the glass doors. It was deep into winter by now, and she sure as hell wasn’t going outside just yet. Bobbing her head in place, she waited for Mac. Once the snow started to fall, her large friend had offered to give her a steady ride home. Walking in this weather was rather hard, and he wanted to make sure she got home safe. Vinyl smiled thinking about him. Thank god for Mac; I would've had to walk home. I really gotta find a way to thank him. Before she could get far into her song, she felt a tap on her shoulder.

“Hmm?” She pulled her headphones off her ears. “Whadda want?”

“Ah asked if yer ready ta go?” Mac spoke. He held out his hand, helping Vinyl to her feet.

“Yeah.” She slinked behind him as they walked outside, stepping over a small hill of slush on the way to Mac’s truck. Well, it was actually the Apple family truck, an old, gray chevy that had more miles than the odometer could count. Still, it worked fine enough for winter use, since a motorcycle didn’t handle so well on icy roads. Vinyl climbed into the cabin, latching into the old waist seatbelt that the bench seat provided.

“So” Mac started as he turned the key and pulled out of the parking lot, “now that Hearth’s Warming break is here, what’re ya going do fer the week?”

Vinyl shrugged. “Probably just bummin’ around. You?”

“Well, tomorrow we got our finally game against Fillydelphia East, and Sunday Ah got nothin’. And then, mah families comin‘ up from Appleloosa the week after.”

“So your week’s pretty much filled then?”

“Kinda. You’re comin‘ to the game tomorrow, right?

Vinyl fidgeted and looked away from him. Truthfully, she didn’t want to go. It wasn’t really her scene, and the inclement weather added to her unwillingness to go watch Mac freeze his ass off. “I hadn’t planned on it, soooo... no.”

“But it’s mah final one...” Mac keep his eyes on the road, but his quivering lip and tone of voice told Vinyl everything.

“Don’t even try those puppy-eyes on me. I’m immune” she said, pointing at her glasses.

“Damn” Mac muttered under his breath, dropping his facade as soon as it failed. “Let’s try a different approach.” He parked the truck outside of Vinyl’s house and turned towards her. “ Are ya sure you don’t wanna go?”

Vinyl slightly pulled her glasses down to look into Mac’s eyes. “I’m sure.”

“Cause ya know, that just might ruin mah day. And then, Ah might have to get inta the whiskey at the after-party. An’ we both know what happened last time...”

“Wait, there’s a party after this ...thing?”

Mac smiled. Works every time. “Eeyup.”

“...Fine. I’ll go, but only for you.” Vinyl crossed her arms, pretending to pout. But it was difficult to keep herself from grinning.

“But o’ course” Mac beamed. “Ah’ll see ya tomorrow.”

“See ya.” Vinyl slid into the cold and quickly back into warmth. She slammed her door closed, locking the heat inside her home. Throwing her bags to the side, he went upstairs to her room. Vinyl pulled in her stereo system, along with her mixer, synth and turntable, which had a record consisting of general beats on it. She started to mess around with a few faders, liking a few of the sounds it produced.

“I hope it isn’t too cold tomorrow” she said to herself. Vinyl was certainly not looking forward to the cold, metal bleachers. And forget trying to socialize with anyone other than her few friends, one of whom would be preoccupied. She chuckled despite herself. After a week and a half of convincing, Mac was finally loosening up about the whole Manetreal incident. She was fine with it, but Mac kept apologizing for “not being a gentleman.” Vinyl had told him plenty of times that it didn’t bother her, that it was her fault for suggesting they share a bed, but he insisted. It was goofy and unnecessary, but that was just who he was. Can’t fault him for that. And we’re lucky enough that Roseluck hadn’t said anything about that morning. Well, she hadn’t said anything yet. Probably. Hopefully.

“Holy c-c-crap” Vinyl squeaked, he teeth chattering together. Even with a full winter coat, gloves, boots and hat, the spine-chilling wind shook her to the core. she walked towards the parking lot, where her mother was waiting in her car. The game was rather uneventful; Ponyville won, but it wasn’t like them winning would’ve meant anything. They finished their season with a winning record, but they missed the playoffs, making Vinyl realize she suffered through this terrible cold for no reason at all. She caught sight of Mac jogging across the field towards her, a twinkle in his eye.

“Ah knew ya’ll would show up.”

Vinyl rose her brow. “I did say I would come” she reminded him.

Mac nodded his head. “Right. So, you got a ride fer tonight?”

“Well...” Vinyl flushed. I knew I forgot something.

“Ah got ya covered” Macintosh sighed. “But ya’ll owe me.”

“Is that right?” Vinyl smirked, throwing a wink his way.

“Don’t make me take you up on that” he teased back. “Well, Ah gotta git this stuff off," he said, gesturing to his pads. "Pick ya up around seven?”

“Sure.” She waved goodbye to Mac and quickly fled to her car, the wind howling at her back. “Hey mom. Thanks fer pickin’ me up.”

“Of course, sweetie.” She threw the car into drive and took off down the road, humming whatever tune happened to be on the radio. “So honey, got any plans for tonight?”

“I guess there’s a party tonight. And, yes, there’s probably gonna be alcohol.” Vinyl’d had this talk many times with her mother, and she never gave her any reason to worry. Vinyl found nothing wrong with a drink or two, but getting as smashed as possible was just stupid, and she almost never got fully drunk.

“Okay, Vinyl. Sounds like fun.” She pulled into the spot front of their house, sloshing through a thick pile of snow. “Do you have a ride?”

“Yeah, Mac’s picking me up.”

Vinyl’s mom wiggled her eyebrows. “Ooooo! Lucky you.”

Vinyl sighed in defeat. Ever since her mom met him, she hadn’t stopped teasing her about Mac. It was always (mostly) in a kind-hearted manner, but she was starting to get tired of everyone assuming they were a thing. Even if that’s exactly what I want, she thought.

“Yup, lucky me.”

A few hours later, Scratch answered a knock on the door. “H-Hey” Mac stammered, his hands clasped together over his mouth. “It’s colder than hell out here. Y-You ready ta go?”

“Yeah. Bye mom!” she shouted from the entrance, closing it behind her. She jumped into Mac’s truck. Thankfully, he left the heater on, so the inside was nice and toasty. “So, you ready for round 2 of ‘Mac’s Drunken Adventure’?” Vinyl giggled.

“Ah dunno” he smirked, “Are you ready for it?”

“Ah...” Vinyl’s speech caught in her throat. “How do you end up making me the speechless one?” Mac smiled and shrugged, leading them into the city.

After ten minutes of increasingly dangerous driving (due to the weather; according to the weather woman, a bad storm was rolling in), they arrived at a medium-size cottage on the outskirts of Ponyville. There were cars parked around the wooden abode, pretty much anywhere there wasn’t snow. Mac led Vinyl inside, taking her coat into a separate room. Music was coming from a large open room to her left, and to her right lay a long table being used for a round of Beer Pong. She went left, waiting against the wall until mac came back. She recognized a lot of people from school; most of the football team and cheer squad was here, along with most of the more popular students.

Oh, it’s one of those kind of parties. Most everyone was just standing around. A few people were laughing, but not many. And the only real activity was heavy abuse of booze. The party goers were stumbling in place, and few were already passed out

“Thirsty?” Mac asked after finding a place for their jackets.

“Sure.” She walked with him into the kitchen, where an assortment of hard liquors, along with a tapped keg, were being used frequently.

“Pick yer poison” teased Mac as he cracked open a can of beer.

“Aren’t you driving?” Vinyl asked. She picked up a bottle of vodka, and mixed it with some orange juice in a traditional red cup.

“Ah’m only gonna have one.” He spotted a familiar face from the football team. “Hey, Ah’m gonna go talk to Goldengrape. Ya wanna come?”

Vinyl shook her head. “Nah. I’m not completely dependent on you for entertainment.”

Mac chuckled and left her where she stood. She leaned against the wall behind her and listened to whatever alternative rock band was playing from the other room. It was decent music, but nothing particularly special. She started to walk into the dining room opposite her wall, accidentally bumping into someone.

“Hey, watch it!” Vinyl grumbled. The girl she ran into was shorter than her, about 5’5” with cream-colored skin and light blue eyes. She had spiky, ice-blue hair with white highlights, and wore a purple top with black jeans. She noticed the girl was wearing black shoes that had a large, green neon logo on them. She looked a little closer, realizing what the logo was. “Are those Deadmau5 shoes?”

“Yeah” the girl replied in a husky voice. “You jelly?”

“Totally” Vinyl replied absentmindedly.

“Enjoying yourself?”

Vinyl shrugged. “Yeah, though this isn’t really my kinda party.”

“Let me guess, you’re a club kind of girl.”

“Good guess” Vinyl laughed.

“Yeah, I feel ya. I got dragged here by my stupid sister. She needed a ride, ‘cause she’s mad at her boyfriend, or ...something.”

“That sucks. At least I chose to come here.” The two started to talk, mostly about how boring the party was. Vinyl learned that Cloudchaser, the girl, was a year younger than her. That’s probably why I never see her, she thought. She was very similar to Vinyl, except for her sibling, which she apparently didn’t have much love for.

“Well, it was nice talkin‘ to ya” Vinyl said, fist-bumping with Cloudchaser. “Gonna take a walk.”

“Cool” Cloudchaser replied, turning into another room. Vinyl walked around the party for a little, nothing in particular really stood out. She found Cheerilee in the living room talking to Macintosh.

“Hey, what’s going on?” Vinyl asked worried.

“Not a lot, honestly” muttered Mac. “This party’s kinda boring.”

“Yeah” Vinyl chimed in. “Ya wanna get going?”

“Ah suppose so, just let me say mah goodbyes to Flitter.” Macintosh stood up, groaning partially from exhaustion and partially from his task at hand. Since the incident at Manetreal, Flitter had been acting stranger by the day. He found her distain for Vinyl was stronger than ever, and to be quite honest Mac was sick of it. What the hell is her problem with Vinyl, anyway?, he thought as he searched the party for his girlfriend. She literally did nothin‘ to piss Flitter off, and it ain’t like Ah’m foolin‘ around with Vinyl behind her back. Mac swung around the corner of the kitchen, continuing his search. How come everythin' seems to come back to me an‘ Vinyl? He didn’t really have to ask himself that question.

Mac pushed those ideas aside; it was hard enough worried after one woman, and he didn’t want to muddy the situation by thinking about another. He searched kitchen, but didn’t find his girlfriend there, either. He heard a commotion coming from above him, quickly locating the stairs and bounding up them. The second floor of the party haven’t differed much from the first. Many partygoers found themselves either passed out in the hallway, or engaged in some other form of debauchery. It bothered him a little, hoping he hadn’t been like that when he was drunk. The hallway had a few rooms around it with strange, muffled sounds coming from behind closed doors. He knew exactly what was going on, quickly walking by them with a blush on his face. He was so focused on ignoring the sounds that he nearly ran over another man exiting from the end of the hall. He was fairly big, but still smaller than Mac, with dark brown hair that fell into a mullet, and a thick mustache.

“Hey, watch it!” The man snarled.

“Yeah, sorry” Mac grunted. In passing, he picked up the features of the man’s face and realized this guy was Ace. Ace was captain of the Ponyville football team. While rather smart, he tended to use his cunning to pick on others. Mac kept his distance from him usually, small talk being the only real conversation between them. Mac always had the feeling that Ace was a little threatened by him. He watched his teammate descend the stairs before tripping into the door at the end of the hall.

The door flung open, Mac falling flat on the floor. He groaned, pushing himself to his knees. Ow! ...Really not the best way to enter a room, he thought. Mac could tell the activities of the room just by looking around. Articles of clothing lay around lazily, chairs were tipped over, and the sheets on the bed were nearly ripped off. The smell of sweat permeated the air, along with something less foul but more telling of the act. Macintosh scrambled to his feet, glad he hadn’t stumbled in mid-session.

A shuffling sound to his right broke Mac’s train of thought. A female figure swung around the doorway of the bathroom, the top bed sheet draped around her otherwise naked form. Her light green hair was messy and erratic, partially matted to her body. The girl’s rose-colored eyes were glazed over, giving off the feeling that she wasn’t quite “with it” at the moment. She purred, hearing someone enter the room.

“Ace, I’m surprised you’re back so soon. Usually, you need a breather before....” If Flitter’s eyes weren’t attached, one might think they were going to shoot out of her head. “M-M-Mac! I didn’t see you there!” she stuttered, backpedaling into the wall.

“Before what?!” Mac growled, a fierce look in his eye. He knew exactly what was going on, he wasn’t stupid. He was, however, growing increasingly furious.

“What?” Flitter breathed confused.

“Ace needs a breather before WHAT!?” Mac bellowed, visibly shaking with anger. Flitter opened her mouth, only a little squeak coming out. She tightened the bed sheet around herself and continued to back away.

“We didn’t- I mean I didn’t do anything!” Flitter lied, now squishing herself into the corner.

“Ah can’t believe... Ah- Ah!” Mac struggled with each word, unsure of how exactly the could express his outrage. He couldn’t come up with anything, so Mac settled with the obvious.

“We’re done” he said, scowling at his now ex-girlfriend with hard, cold eyes. He turned, walking through the door and slamming it behind him, nearly taking it off its hinges. Mac rounded the stairs relieving the past few weeks in his head. All the little jabs he’d put up with, the complaining and whining, and Flitter’s utter disregard for anything he cared about. And after all that, she didn’t even have the decency to admit what she was doing. Mac could hear his teeth grinding, but that wasn’t his concern right now. He wanted to hit something, anything right now. A sharp pain in his right hand made him look down, and he noticed that his fist was clenched so tightly that his nails had actually broken through his palm.

H-How could she? J-Just...!? Mac couldn’t imagine how someone so close to him was so dishonest, so devious. He wondered how long this had been going on, if it was all just some cruel joke, with him as the punchline. When the heel did she become so... so... such a bitch! When he’d first met her, Flitter seemed like any other girl he knew. She was nice enough, maybe a bit forward with him, but fairly normal. How did it all go wrong?

Rounding the corner to the stairs, Macintosh’s anger ebbed away, being replaced by a slowly seeping sadness. He was a little glad his anger was fading; Mac detested being angry, finding that it usually led to something very bad for him. But the hole in his stomach certainly didn’t feel any better. Mac tried to think of something he’d done that could have made it go so wrong. He thought he was good, he thought maybe he was finally ready for a relationship.

Mac nearly ran into a group of people on his way off the stair. He looked around the room, seeing plenty of recognizable faces. But for the first time his recent memory, he felt like he didn’t know any of them.

Vinyl waited in the front hall, tapping her foot. What’s he doing up there? Of course, a few things did run through her imagination, but Vinyl brushed them off. She knew he was looking around for Flitter, but she hadn’t thought it’d take this long. She saw her friend descend the staircase, and she walked over to him. “Finally” she mutter to herself. “Find her?”

Mac looked at her blankly, his mind obviously elsewhere. He tried to speak, but his voice caught in his throat. He coughed, turned his gaze from Vinyl, and squeaked out a quiet “let’s go”. Vinyl watched him walk towards the door, surprised at Mac’s attitude.

“Ooo-kay then” she whispered to herself, catching up with her friend at the door. The two stepped outside and were immediately ambushed by the elements. Snow barreled down on them as they dragged their feet to Mac’s truck. Reaching the vehicle, both had to wedge their doors through the heavy snow. They climbed in, and after the engine turned over a few times it finally started.

“So...” Vinyl said, watching the snowflakes whip by her. “You enjoy ourself?” Mac snorted, mumbling something intelligible. “... You okay, dude? You seem distracted.” Vinyl placed a hand on Mac’s arm, but he nudged it away.

“No Vinyl, Ah’m... Ah’m not.”

“What happened?”

Mac took a deep breath, pushing it out through his nose. “Ah don’t wanna talk about it.” He set his eyes on the road ahead, trying to focus on something other than the party. The wind had picked up even more than before, and Vinyl hoped this storm wasn’t going to last all week.

She sighed, looking out the window to her right. She wanted to help him, but Vinyl knew when not to push Mac. He’ll talk when he’s ready, I guess. The rest of the ride was taken in silence; Mac pulled up to Vinyl’s house and dropped her off, gave her a quick goodbye and drove away. Vinyl walked inside quickly, confused and worried. She took off her winter gear and slipped into bed silently. Burying her face in her pillow, Vinyl groaned. Great way to start the break, I guess.

Chapter 6, Part 2

A long week had passed for Vinyl. The storm Mac and her had driven through lasted for a few days, so she was stuck at home most of the time. Her mother wasn’t so lucky; rain, sleet or snow, mail still had to be delivered. Vinyl had grown accustomed to not sitting around, which made this natural entrapment unbearable. She paced around her room, grumbling and periodically checking her phone.

“What the hell...” she moaned, flopping onto her bed. Mac hadn’t talked to her since the party, and it was starting to worry her. Vinyl had sent a few texts his way, asking to hang out. Macintosh hadn’t answered back. She compulsively checked her phone again, and still had no new calls. This can’t be good, she thought. [iI should go check on him.

Vinyl felt a vibration in her hand. She brought it to her face and realized it was ringing. The contact read “Apple (home)”. Finally, Vinyl grinned. “Hey Mac” she answered. “It’s about time you called.”

“...Um, hi.” A young woman’s voice came out of the speaker. “Ah wanted to talk to ya.”

“Sure, AJ” Vinyl responded. She’d talked with Mac’s sister enough to like her, though they didn’t share many interests. It was strange that she was called her personally, though. “What’s going on?”

“It’s about mah brother. Ah’m worried about him.”

“Oh?” Vinyl’s heart sank. Here I am moping around, and Mac’s...

“Ah think it happened at that party.”

“Yea, he was kinda quiet after. Well, more quiet than usual.”

Applejack sighed. “Yup, he’s gotten pretty quiet the last couple days. Since the families comin’ down, he’s been workin‘ himself stiff to get ready. Ya’ll don’t know what when on, then?”

“I wish I did” Vinyl admitted, “but, no, I have no idea what happened.”

“Well...” AJ started, “Ah wanted to ask ya, if ya don’t mind, would ya be able to come over tomorrow? We’re havin‘ our Hearth Warming’s dinner in a few days, and Ah’d like to see Mac happy ‘fore all the relatives show up. Maybe ya’ll can get him outta his funk.”

Vinyl smiled softly. “I’ll be there.”

Vinyl drove up to the front of Sweet Apple Acres with her mother the next day. “Make sure to call me if you decide to stay over” her mom said.

Uungh. “Stop, mom!” Vinyl laughed.

“Yeah, yeah. Just call me when you need a ride, okay?”

“Of course” said Vinyl. She gave her mother a quick peck on the cheek and scuttled to the front of Macintosh’s house. She swiftly knocked on the door, waiting to be let in. Geez, it’s frigid out here she thought, her body involuntarily twitching to keep warm. She knocked again. C’mon.

Suddenly, the door swung open to a rather strange sight. It was Macintosh, but... something was off. “Mac, why are you wearing a frilly pink apron?”

Mac looked back her her, surprised to see his friend. “Vinyl? What’re you doing here?” He ushered her in, sealing the cold outside fast. He took her coat and placed it in a small closet near the door. “Lemme take yer boots.” She nodded, gladly shedding the heavy snow boots. “So, what are ya doing here?” Mac asked incredulously.

“What? You ain’t happy to see me?” Vinyl smiled. “I’m hurt.”

“No, it’s not that at all!” Mac backpedaled. “Ah’m just surprised.”

“I thought I’d come cheer you up!” Vinyl exclaimed gleefully. She approached her friend and wrapped him in a tight hug, surprising Mac yet again. He slowly returned the hug, and the two broke apart after a few seconds. “Now, you have to answer one of my questions. What up wit dat apron?”

Macintosh looked down, then back up bashfully. “Ah was doin’ some cookin’... forgot it was on.” He blushed, the lacy, pink apron mismatching Mac hilariously.

Vinyl chuckled, holding a hand over her mouth. “Fits you pretty well” she commented. Inhaling deeply, she detected the strong scent of apples, paired with cinnamon and a few subtler spices. “What’re ya making in there? Smells good.”

Mac walking into the kitchen as Vinyl followed behind. He stopped in front of a large metal pot that had steam billowing out the top. Vinyl peered over the edge of the pot, eyeing the brownish-yellow mixture inside. “Apple cider” Mac remarked. “Tryin’ to get this brew right, but it’s givin’ me a spot o’ trouble.”

“Don’t you have all those barrels in the barn?”

Mac chuckled. “Yeah, but this is a special winter mix. A couple different spices an’ such.” He grabbed a wooden spoon and began to stir the pot, making sure nothing was sticking to the bottom. “It’s just about ready to boil” he said, fixing the lid on tight. “Now, who said Ah needed cheering up?” Mac asked, wearing a frown.

“We girls just know this stuff.” Vinyl smiled, sitting down at the table. She patted the seat next to her, which Macintosh took graciously.

“It was mah sister, wasn’t it?”

Vinyl kept smiling. “It doesn’t matter. But, I’m here to make you feel better. And that’s what I’m gonna do.”

“Ah feel fine” Mac lied.

“Sure you do. Anyways...” She looked around the room, thinking of what to do. “I think I have an idea.”

“Vinyl?” Mac called through his balaclava. The wind was making vision a bit difficult, blowing snow up into his face. He was huddled behind a snowbank, a heavy winter coat wrapped around his shoulders that tapered off just before his knees. Mac’s dark brown boots stuck out against his white backdrop, reminding him to keep his head down. Gotta move, he told himself. Ah don’t have much time... He bobbed and weaved through a grouping of trees quickly, spotting the main barn just over the next hill. Ah can make it. Mac sprinted up the hill while quickly checking over his shoulder periodically. Just as he ran over the crest of the hill, his face was met with a frozen water-ball of death.

“Agrh!” Mac cried, tumbling down the hill. He fell head over hell, gathering speed on his descent until the bottom met him. He slammed into another snow bank, his legs jutting out from the top.

“Victory!” Applebloom raised her hands over her head confidently.

“Good shot, Red 2!” said Vinyl from under her. He lifted Applebloom off her shoulders and set her on the ground. “I told you the height advantage would help.”

“Yeah, yeah” Applebloom groaned. Let’s go get ‘em before he gets up.”

Vinyl chuckled. “You are heartless, AB.” She followed Mac’s sister down the hill, setting up to attack Mac with another flurry of snowballs. They bunker down behind a nearby snowbank at the foot of the hill. The two girls laughed to themselves as Mac tried to pry himself out of the snow. Vinyl sighed happily to herself. This is exactly what we need, Vinyl thought. Just a fun day together, without any distractions. I hope this cheers Mac up at least a little.

“Are ya’ll in love with mah brother?”

Vinyl coughed, covering her mouth quickly. “W-Wha?”

“Ya’ll were staring at him” Applebloom shrugged. “An’ yer face is all red.”

“I-It’s cold out, and I wasn’t staring!” Vinyl sputtered, trying to keep her composure. She knew Applebloom was known to check her curiosity, but Vinyl wasn’t expecting such a blunt, and admittedly true, statement. “Just... focus of nailing him” Vinyl said, tossing the young Apple a snowball.

Applebloom smirked. “Ah could ask the same of you.”

“Hey!” Vinyl growled. “Don’t talk like that. You’re too young.”

“Ah suppose so” Applebloom sighed. “But Ah am right.”

Vinyl rubbed her eyes, turning away to watch Mac continue to struggle in the snow pile. “Just... pay attention.”

“Sure, sure” Mac’s sister smiled. “Ah’m totally ri-ight,” she sang to herself. As Mac finnaly lifted his head up, Applebloom drew a bead on him. Gotcha!

“Whew” Mac breathed, sitting in front of the fireplace. It was starting to swelter him, but Mac didn’t mind too much. The living room was quaint; a cosy green couch and matching love seat. An old throw rug sat in the middle of the floor, a coffee table lying before it. Vinyl sat next to him, holding her hands out towards the flames.

After the snowball war, the weather started to pick up intensely, so they decided to retreat inside. Vinyl called her mother, only to her static. Vinyl figured the phone lines must’ve went down. She was a bit nervous; Vinyl hoped her mom hadn’t drove out anywhere tonight.

When inside, AJ and Applebloom had made dinner (with the help of Granny Smith), and Vinyl enjoyed one hell of a meal. It still amazed her how many things could be made with apples. After the dinner, the rest of the family went their separate ways, where Mac and Vinyl decided to sit in the living room. By now, they were the only to people awake.

“Ah never knew Applebloom was such a good shot” Mac said, shifting in his seat.

Vinyl chuckled. “Yeah, she’s full of surprises.” She scooted a little closer to Mac. Mac looked over to her, but didn’t say anything. “So, ya gonna finally tell me what’s been on your mind?”

Mac looked away nervously. “...Ah’d rather not talk about it.”

“Mac” Vinyl said sternly, “You can’t bottle up all this... stuff!” She placed a hand on his shoulder. “You can trust me.” She looked at Mac sincerely, hoping he would give in, if only a little bit. Her friend sighed, inhaling a deep breath. He looked over to Vinyl, his eyes locking on her glasses.

“Ah broke up with Flitter.”

Vinyl frowned, puffing her bottom lip out. In actuality, she was elated that Mac had finally left Flitter. Finally! It sucks to see Mac look so sad, but surely he can she how bad for him she was? “I’m sorry, dude. That’s must’ve been really hard.” She watched his eyes sag deep with sadness. “It that why you’ve been keeping yourself so busy?”

“...Yeah” Mac croaked.

“What happened, if you don’t mind my asking?” Vinyl slid closer, pressing into Mac’s side. The fire in front of them roared fiercely, embers dancing across the now golden-red logs. The crackle and hiss of the wood echoed around Macintosh and Vinyl while the fire washed heat over them.

Mac sighed, inhaling deeply through his nose a few times. He opened his mouth to speak but his voice caught in his throat as he relived that now infamous moment. His stomach hurt thinking about it, how Flitter could just throw away something he’d thought was special. Mac knew the relationship hadn’t been that long, but he couldn’t reason with the sharp pain in his chest.

“Ah...Ah caught her” Mac finally managed to spit out. He slumped forward, dragging his knees up to his chest. Mac didn’t know why he did it, but it made him feel a bit better. “...With someone else.”

Vinyl gasped quietly. No! God damn it, I hadn’t wanted it to happen this way! She wrapped her left arm around Mac, dragging her hand up and down the small of his back. She didn’t care how intimate it might have seemed; she was a hunch about this motion. That hunch was proved right as she felt Mac sigh, easing up slightly under her touch. “I’m so, so sorry Mac” Vinyl near whispered, continuing to rub Mac’s back. Mac didn’t say anything, worrying Vinyl. She didn’t like it when he didn’t say anything. He certainly wasn’t a chatterbox, but his silence on this subject was unnerving to her. She tried to think of something to say, to get her friend to cheer up a just a bit.

“Do ya want me to beat her up?”

Vinyl smiled as her response got a chuckle out of her friend. He shook his head “no”. “Ah don’t think that’d be the best idea.” He surprised Vinyl by laying his head on her shoulder and closing his eyes. I’ve never seen him act like this, she thought. “It just... sucks. All of it.” He rubbed his head lightly on Vinyl’s shoulder. “Ah shoulda known it wouldn’ta worked out.”

Vinyl patted his head with her other hand, leaning back against the coffee table behind her. “And what is that supposed to mean?” she asked softly.

Mac breathed heavily, his voice staggering. “Ah’m just a dumb farm hand; a simplton. Ah ain’t made fer all that complicated datin’ stuff. What was Ah thinking?”

“Hey!” Vinyl said sharply. Mac raised his head up off her shoulders, recoiling at her sudden outburst. Vinyl pulled her glasses off, folded them together, and set them on the table. She turned back to Mac, a stern but sad expression on her face. “I don’t ever wanna hear you say something like that again, you got me?”

Mac looked back at her, a little baffled. He looked into the fireplace, sighing with general malaise. “Vinyl, Ah know what Ah am. Ya don’t gotta-”

“Stop” she said, holding her hand up. “I do gotta, cause I’m pretty sure you don’t realize how awesome you really are.” Vinyl moved her hand away from his face and put it back around his shoulders. “You talked to me when no one else would. You became a friend to someone who needed it badly.” She tightened her grip on Mac a little when she spoke. “You’re funny, nice, smart... you are the best friend I’ve ever had.” She turned to look Mac in the eyes. “Any girl would be lucky to be with you, so I don’t wanna here any crap like ‘I’m not being good enough’, because that’s a lie.”

Vinyl took Mac’s jaw in her hand softly, turning his gaze back to hers. She locked her ruby eyes on his, smiling lightly at the blush on his face. He’s so cute when he’s embarrassed, she thought to herself. “You got that?”

“...Eeyup.” Macintosh felt like he staring into Vinyl, really seeing her for the first time. The dim light from the fire brightened her face, making her eyes seem to glow. He always knew she was beautiful, but the way she looked right now was more than that. “Vinyl... Thanks.” He slowly put his head back in place on her shoulder.

“To be honest, I didn’t think I had to tell you that” Vinyl chuckled. “Why would you think that way, anyhow?”

Mac shrugged, leaning against Vinyl for support. “Ah just... Ah know how people think o‘ me, and... well, Ah guess Ah started to let it get to me. Ah not particularly interestin’, and truthfully, Ah ain’t all that talented. So...”

“Shush” Vinyl cooed, now stroking Macintosh’s head. “I don’t know where you got those notions, but they’re dead wrong.” Vinyl heard the slow chime of a grandfather clock ring somewhere in the back of the room. “It’s late. We should probably hit the hay.”

“Yeah” Mac said, though he made no motion to get up. The ringing stopped and echoed through the house, indicating that a new day had technically started. “Where did ya’ll wanna sleep tonight?”

“The couch is fine” Vinyl replied.

Mac scoffed, pushing himself up off the ground. “Bull...” he grunted after helping Vinyl to her feet. “There’s a cot in my closet Ah kin grab ya. Come on.” He brought her upstairs, being careful not to wake any members of the household. They tip-toed into Mac’s room, slowly closing the door behind them. “It’s in here” Mac said under his breath. He slid open the door and reached into the back of the closet. Quietly dragging it out, Mac set the bed on the floor perpendicular to his own. It was an old thing, a bit ragged on the edges but fine enough for a night.

Vinyl sat on the cot, it squeaking a little under her weight. “Nice” she whispered, running her hand across the green canvas. It felt like an old army uniform, or what she imagined one would feel like. Macintosh handed her a blanket and pillow from his bed, and they both laid down for the night. Vinyl could hear the house crow from the wind outside, its walls moaning in displeasure. Nights like these reminded Vinyl Scratch of Canterlot. That city was like a wind tunnel. The sound used to lull her to sleep, but now it just kept her up.

Fidgeting in place, Vinyl tried to find a comfortable spot. She rolled onto her left side, but a small metal bar was wedged in her back. She flipped onto her right, only to find another metal bar. Vinyl settled for lying flat on her back. At least here, the bars balanced each other out.

“You still up?” said a deep voice from the far side of the room.

“Yeah. Can’t find a good spot.”

“Sorry. If you want, Ah could...”

“Nah. Don’t worry about it.” The two lay silent, allowing the wind outside to echo through their room. After a minute or so, Vinyl spoke up again. “Hey Mac? I, I gotta ask you something.”

“Shoot.”

Vinyl took a deep breath. What am I doing?! This is a terrible idea, she told herself. “I... It’s about Flitter.”

Macintosh took a deep sigh, his throat rumbling. “Can we not talk about her any more? Please?”

“Sure, Mac. Whatever you want.” Vinyl heard Mac turn over. She assumed his back was turned to her now. “Goodnight, Mac. Didn’t mean to upset you.”

“Ya couldn’t upset me if you tried.” Mac reassurance made her feel a little better, and before long Vinyl fell asleep.

Vinyl’s eyes shot open to be greeted by darkness. She sat up from the floor and tried to climb back into her cot. She felt around for it, but when she looked over, it was gone. Vinyl turned back and realized she wasn’t in Mac’s room. She wasn’t anywhere. A black, endless void surrounded her. With no light, Vinyl held her hands out in front of her and started to walk forward. She could hear her breath rattle inside her head. Just calm down, girl. You got this. Regardless of her words of encouragement, Vinyl stumbled forward on shaky feet. The echo of her heartbeat reverberated around her, and she could hear footsteps coming from somewhere.

“There you are.” A voice echoed around her. “I’ve been waiting.” The voice was raspy and deep, this time coming from behind her.

“Where are you!?” Vinyl called, swinging her head around in frustration.

“Why, I’m here; right beside you. I think you know why I’m here, too.”

“I’ve got not clue where ‘here‘ is!” Vinyl slumped over as she argued with the disembodied voice. She was glad that the voice didn’t sound menacing, but since a completely random voice was talking to her in a black void, that didn’t reassure her much. “What do you want from me?”

The voice tsked. “I don’t want anything from you. I just think you really should tell him.”

“Tell who what? I’m getting a little sick of these games” Vinyl groaned.

“He deserves to know.”

Vinyl winced. “...I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“You totally know what I’m talking about. You saw what she did in Manetreal. You could have stopped it. You could have saved Mac all that pain. What held you back?”

Vinyl shook her head, backing away from the direction of the voice. “No... I wanted to. You know I did!”

“But you didn’t.”

“I-I couldn’t tell him. Flitter-”

The voice laughed. “And you listened to her, why, exactly?”

Vinyl felt herself starting to tear up. All of this... it’s all because of me. Even if Mac hadn’t believed me, it might have helped him somehow. “I should’ve said something... I know. I... I just...

Vinyl tripped over her backpedal, felling the floor give out. Her arms and legs fell after her, into the dark which was swirling around her. She wanted to clutch at the pit in her stomach. “You didn’t tell him” the voice echoed.

“Ahh!” Vinyl woke with a start painfully, propping herself up with her left arm, her right arm on her stomach. The pit was still there, but it was slowly fading. Vinyl’s breath was heavy, and she had developed a small bead of sweat across her brow.

“What!? Wha-ooh!” Mac quickly sat up too, and had he been centered in his bed, he would’ve been fine. Unfortunately, he was too near to the far edge, and promptly fell to the floor. “Ow!” Mac slowly climbed back onto his bed and slinked across it to the other side. “What? What is it?” he asked sleepily.

“I... nothing. It’s nothing” Vinyl said through her trembling.

“It don’t sound like nothin’.” He placed a hand on her shoulder to try and calm her down. “Vinyl, yer shakin’.”

That was when the flood gates broke. Vinyl grabbed onto Mac’s arm and buried her face into it. She tried as hard as she could not to cry, but still felt a few tears trickle out. “I’m sorry, Mac. I’m so sorry.” Her voice broke into a quiet sob as she leaned on him.

Mac was dumbstruck. He was used to seeing Vinyl so strong and lively. He wasn’t quite sure how to deal with her, but he knew he had to do something. “Vinyl, what are ya talkin’ about? Come ‘ere.” He helped her up and sat her next to him on his bed, draping his left arm around her for support. “What’s got you so upset?”

“Mac, ...I did something awful.” Vinyl kept her eyes on the ground, away from Macintosh.

“Vinyl, Ah’m sure whatever ya did, ya didn’t mean to.” Mac rubbed her shoulder, doing his best to comfort her. Unfortunately, it only made her turn away more.

“It doesn’t matter” she moaned.

“It matters ta me.”

Vinyl’s tears subsided, and she turned a bit back towards her friend. “That’s exactly the problem.”

Mac tensed up a little. What does she mean by that? “What’re ya talkin‘ about, Vinyl? Please, talk to me.” He tried to get her to talk, but she just shook her head “no”. “Vinyl, not a few hours ago, Ah had to trust you with something really painful.” Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Vinyl turn to him more. “It was real hard fer me, even if it didn’t seem like it.” Macintosh smirked on the inside when Vinyl finally faced him. “Think you can trust me, Vinyl? Ah kinda thought we already went over this.”

“Of course I trust you,” Vinyl said matter-of-factly, “but, I’m... *sigh, I’m scared.”

“Of what?”

Vinyl fell into Mac’s side. “Of losing you.”

“That doesn’t make any sense” chuckled Mac. “Vinyl, whatever you do, it ain’t gonna stop me from being yer friend.”

“Mac...” Vinyl pushed herself off Macintosh to look him in the eyes. She inhaled deeply, breathing out her nose. “I caught Flitter making out with someone that night in Manetreal.” She felt Mac’s arm slide off her shoulders, and she shuddered from the loss of heat. “Please understand, I only-”

Mac’s gaze cut her off. It was a look of confusion, as well as pain. “You... you knew? You knew she was cheatin’ on me!?” He moved away from Vinyl, taking his hands off her. “W-Why wouldn’t you tell me? Ah thought we were friends!?”

“Mac, please!” Vinyl pleaded. “I wanted to! I just thought...”

“What? That Ah was too stupid to understand?” Mac’s tone somehow wasn’t angry; it was worse than angry. The hurt in Mac’s voice echoed in his eyes, and was more than Vinyl could bear. She felt her throat begin to swell up again.

“No! I thought I should tell you and then Flitter said you’d think I was trying to break you two up and you’d stop being my friend and she somehow convinced me she was right and my conscious just gave me a crazy dream and has been killing me ever since!” Vinyl’s voice was so high and so squeaky by the end of her rant that one might think she was a mouse. She flopped face-first into the bed, shielding her self from Mac’s gaze with his covers. Vinyl didn’t cry; she thought she would have, but the tears didn’t come. At least I can take victory in that.

Mac blinked and furrowed his brow. “What’re ya talking about?”

Vinyl rose her head up just high enough to see her eyes. “W-When I confronted Flitter in the club, she... said you wouldn’t believe me” Vinyl muttered.

Mac gave his friend an incredulous look. At first, he was furious with Vinyl for keeping this from him. But something she said had intrigued him. “Why would Ah stop being yer friend? Telling me somethin’ like this is what friends do.”

Vinyl mumbled something into the covers, her legs curling up into her body as she spoke. “What was that?” Mac asked. Vinyl said nothing, opting to keep her head under the top bed sheet. Mac grumbled, taking the cloth in his hand and lifting it off Vinyl. “Hey, listen ta me. Ah ain’t that mad.”

“Your, your not mad?” Vinyl sat up a little, scootching closer to Mac.

“Nah, not really” Mac sighed. “Ah mean, ya shoulda came straight to me. Woulda saved me a hell of a surprise.” He scratched his head, slouching in posture when he rested his hands on his knees. “Ah just don’t git why you keep all this stuff from me. An’ why would you believe Flitter anyway?”

“Well, I...” Vinyl fumbled with her hands, looking anyway except in the direction of Mac. “She’s been saying some things that might have been true. She just knew how to manipulate me perfectly.” She shifted awkwardly in place, sneaking a peek at Mac every so often.

“Things like?” Mac slide closer to Vinyl, curious as to what she might be meaning. By now, the moon was at its zenith, casting a powerful blue light across the snowbound acres. This light reflected up into Mac’s room, illuminating the room softly.

“Ehhh, eh-ha, well” Vinyl blushed, stammering and stumbling over her words. “It, ummm, has to do with... stuff.” She flinched a bit when Mac placed one of his hands over hers.

“Vinyl, stop worryin‘ and just tell me what’s goin‘ through yer head.” She looked up, gaining some confidence from Mac’s smile. Thank god he’s not mad, she thought. But that still doesn’t guarantee he won’t be after...

“Mac, I can’t” Scratch said, pulling away from Mac slowly. “I just can’t.”

“Okay, I understand” Mac sighed, putting his head down. He took his hand off Vinyl’s and began to reassemble her cot. Her pillow and blanket had been launched across the room, so he went to retrieve them. Downtrodden, he slumped around the room to pick up the pieces of Vinyl’s makeshift bed. After grabbing it all, he laid them down next to his bed. “If ya need to talk, just... let me know, okay.”

“Mac” Vinyl whispered, catching his attention. He sat down next to her, staring into her ruby red eyes. Vinyl shakily put a hand on Mac’s neck, slowly moving closer`to him. “I can’t tell you. I, I gotta show you.” Her lips quivered as she drew near her friend.

“Vinyl?” Mac asked quietly. Vinyl drew closer, soon only inches from his face, and her eyes were slowly closing. It was quite obvious she was nervous; her whole body was close to shivering.

“D-Don’t” Vinyl replied, stopping just short of Mac’s lips. For a few agonizingly slow seconds, she was sure she wouldn’t be able to go through with it. I can’t do it! I’m just too cowardly... Her moment of weakness was interrupted, and Vinyl suddenly gasped. Is that what I think it it? Mac had put his hand on her hip, and was gently dragging it up and down as she realized it.

“Ah think it’s time to stop dancin‘ around this” Mac said, grinning like a school boy. This in turn made Vinyl grow a similar grin, though much more goofy than Mac’s.

“You’re right” she smirked, watching Mac glow with excitement. She could tell he was just as anxious about this as she was, but he looked more happy than nervous. That was all the motivation she needed. Vinyl leaned forward, letting gravity do the rest as she kissed Macintosh for the first time.

Chapter 7

Vinyl never wanted this moment to end. The touch of Mac’s hard hand on her neck, his surprisingly soft lips, the heat from his breath erratically dancing down her cheeks, it was almost too much for her. She moaned happily into his mouth, melting into his embrace. Her return kiss was less experienced, her mouth not used to using those muscles. It wasn’t bad on her part, just... it was new. Sloppy, even. Macintosh didn’t seem to mind, as he breathed heavy through his nose and pulled Vinyl closer. The kiss broke all too soon in her opinion, but the look she met when they did break away put a strong beat to Vinyl’s heart. Mac’s emerald eyes sparkled in the moonlight, slightly glazed over from euphoria.

“...Wow” Mac mumbled, an elated grin on his face. The two tried to catch their breath, panting in time with each other. Both had a deep blush on their cheeks, which made Vinyl giggle a little. “Ah, eh, hehe.... Ah could get used to that.”

Vinyl smirked. “You better.” She leaned forward, kissing him again. “Cause it’s gonna happen a lot.” She grinned when her kiss drew a warm chuckle from Macintosh. “Now let’s get to bed, it’s like... 4 in the damn morning.”

“Craaaaap” Mac moaned, flopping into bed with a heavy *thud. The sheets poofed under him, his bed squeaking a little. “Tomorrow mornin’s gonna suck.”

“Sorry” Vinyl smiled sheepishly. “If I’d known it was this late...”

Mac turned his head from his covers, just enough to talk clearly. “Don’t ever apologize for keepin‘ me up, especially considerin’ what jus‘ happened.” He smiled, reaching up his left arm. He rested his hand on the small of Vinyl’s back. “Ah jus‘ realized that I got plenty-a work to do, is all.”

“But, tomorrow’s Hearth’s Warming Day... What do ya gotta work on?”

Mac laughed. “People gotta eat, don’t they? Ah didn’t get all mah cookin‘ done today. Spent most of it goofin’ around. Not that I’m complainin’... ” he added, seeing the look on Vinyl’s face.

“Alright. We should probably get to bed, then.” Vinyl laid next to Mac, wiggling her way under the sheets. She reached over, snatched her pillow off the now useless cot, and threw it under her head. “Ughhhh” Vinyl groaned, her back adjusting to the support of Mac’s bed. “And you made my lay on that cot, this thing feels like a cloud.”

“I need that support; I do have a rather large body.” Macintosh scooted off the bed, gathering a few pillows that fell off when he plopped onto it. “Well ya’ll just settled right in, didn’t ya?” He said with a sigh, getting under the sheets himself.

“Yep. It’s not like we haven’t done this before.” Vinyl felt herself get a little red at the thought of the night at the hotel.

“Ya do have a point there.” Mac wrapped his arms around Vinyl, resting his hands around Vinyl’s waist. She relaxed into him, falling into the curve of Mac’s torso. Snuggling into him, Vinyl heard Mac sharply inhale.

“What is it?” Vinyl turned to look at him, catching him gaze quickly. He was propped up on one elbow, looking down at her with a half-giddy, half ashamed expression.

Mac blushed. “...Ya did it again. That thing you did at the nightclub with yer...., um...”

“My what?” Vinyl asked innocently, though inside her mind she was grinning greedily.

“Yer... well, yer butt.” Vinyl couldn’t hold in her giggle with Mac stating it so plainly, combined with how embarrassed he was. “Oh, come on that ain’t fair!” Mac frowned, though his voice dispersed any feelings of displeasure. “It ain’t like Ah can do anything that easy to get ya back...” As he said this, Mac unwittingly slid his hands down Vinyl’s waist, his fingers dancing lightly across the space below her belly button.

Vinyl upper body froze up, her legs gently starting to squirm. Oh shit, he’s not... oh god, he is! He’s on the sweet spot... Vinyl’s mind raced as Mac unknowingly played with one of the more sensitive spots on her body. She didn’t know why, but her lower tummy was always very easy to stimulate. She felt as if her stomach was a piano, and right no Mac was Beethoven. Vinyl tried hard to contain herself, but unfortunately for her, a small, pleased whimper escaped her.

“...Or maybe Ah can.” Macintosh beamed devilishly, finally able to return the favor. He started to vary his attacks, aiming high and low, switching up which hands did what; all at the pleasure (and displeasure) of Vinyl.

Ahh! I can’t- Oh! Looks like then t-tables have t-turned! At least he h-hasn’t found the other... “One!” Vinyl squeaked when Mac discovered her other weak spot. The entire time Mac had been teased his new beau, he was leaning over her slightly, putting a strain on his neck. So, to relax himself, he laid down, his chin placed on Vinyl shoulder. Feeling daring, Mac began to kiss the lower part of Vinyl’s neck, where her collarbone connected. “M-Mac! Hold on!” Vinyl moaned. He stopped immediately, allowing her to turn over.

“ Ah’m sorry, Vinyl. Ah didn’t... Was that not-?”

“It’s.. *whew, It’s fine. Better than fine, actually. I just don’t think you should find all my spots in one night.”

Mac grinned, a bit prideful. “Okay.”

Vinyl pushed Mac down into the bed, lay herself beside him. “Let’s just try to rest a bit.” Mac’s nodded his agreement, bringing an easy smile to her face. She took his hands and pulled then up and across her chest. The security of his arms felt nice; it reminded her of when she was a kid, and her dad would tuck her in at night. I can’t believe it, she thought to herself, bemused. I’ve got a boyfriend... Vinyl felt like squeeing, and if not for her lack of sleep, she would have. It all happened so fast, it’s almost too good to believe. This better not be a god damn dream. If it is...

Vinyl took a deep breath, pushing her frustration’s away. “Goodnight, Mac” she whispered.

“G’night, sugarcube” Mac whispered.

She gripped Mac’s arm, squeezing him tight. ...if it is, I don’t ever wanna wake up.

“Mmmfff...” Everything felt fuzzy that morning. The pillow her head was on, the unfamiliar heat at her back, the... thing across her chest. What the hell... Vinyl slowly opened her eyes, weary from the night before. Looking down, she noticed a thick, muscled arm covered in golden red hair wrapped around her. She quickly looked over her shoulder and was greeted by Mac’s passed out visage. His hair was badly disheveled, with one eye ever so slightly opened, and a small string of drool was hanging from his mouth.

It was a disgusting sight, and Vinyl was overjoyed to see it.

“Hey... Mac, you awake?” she whispered.

“....”

“Mac, you up?” Vinyl grinned. I can call him babe now! “Hey? Mac?” Macintosh was throughly passed out. Vinyl slowly crept from the bed, careful not to awake her partner. She tip-toed into the adjoining bathroom, closing the door behind her. Looking in the mirror, Vinyl made a slight face. Her hair was quite messy, and her face looked drained and tired. “Nothing a shower won’t fix” she whispered to herself.

Vinyl quickly stripped and turned on the shower faucet. After testing the temperature with her hand and adjusting it, Vinyl stepped inside the shower-bathtub combo, sighing with delight from the heat. Steam rose heavily from her feet as Vinyl leaning against the wall, her head placed just under the shower head. A powerful yawn gripped her which nearly shook the shower door. “Jeez, I must be really tired” she muttered to no one.

Apple Bloom slowly opened her eyes, muttering something intelligible. She slowing climbed out of her bed and walked to the window. Her eyes snapped open, accompanied with a wide grin. She burst through the door to her room and into her brother’s, nearly tripping over the unused cot from the night before. “Mac! Git up!” she shouted.

“Uggghhh” her brother replied.

“C’mon, Big Mac! It’s Hearth Warmin‘s Day!” Apple Bloom proceeded to hoop on Mac’s bed. “Git yer lazy butt up an‘ ready!”

“Ah’m up, Ah’m up” Mac groaned. “Jus‘ lemme get dressed. Ah’ll meet ya down there.”

Apple Bloom scurried out of the room, leaving Mac to his own vices. He slid out of bed, landing on his side with a *thud. He pushed himself up off the floor, though clearly he was not actually awake. He stumbled around the room with less energy than a zombie, and just about the same amount of spatial reasoning. He eventfully made his way to the bathroom door.

He flung the door open and was greeted by a wall of hot steam. It billowed out in a steady cloud, the slight hint of apples behind it. The steam hit his shirt, dampening it along with his underwear. All of this went unnoticed by zombie Mac, who shuffled into the bathroom creating nary a sound. Vinyl quietly hummed to herself, scrubbing in a thick, apple-scented shampoo into her electric blue hair. She wasn’t sure what she was humming, probably some random song she’d heard in passing, but she hummed it none the less. Macintosh still didn’t notice it, even though she was humming rather loudly. Mac was one of those individuals who, without some sort of stimuli in the morning, would be completely oblivious if he was struck by a train.

Mac slowly removed his shirt, tossing it to the side on the floor. He did the same with his undergarments, and slowly climbed into the occupied shower.

For a second, neither Mac nor Vinyl noticed each other.

Apple Bloom sat uneasily in the Apple family living room, fidgeting in her pajamas. Like most young kids her age, Hearth Warming’s Day was her most favorite holiday of the year. And like most kids, she had gotten up early. Very, very early. She hadn’t gone straight to her brother’s room. Oh no, first, she had to run downstairs and look for her stocking. It hung in the same place it did every year; over the mantle of the fireplace, next to her sister’s, brother’s, granny’s, and of course, Winona’s. She sat on the couch, staring at it for about an hour, knowing it was untouchable until the rest of the family woke up. So eventually, Apple Bloom went about doing precisely that. By now, Applejack and Granny Smith had already awoken, and were beginning to make breakfast.

Suddenly, two loud screams and heavy crash broke the silence of the easy morning.

“AHHH! Mac, what the fuck!?”

“Ah’m sorry! Ah didn’t know ya’ll were in there, Ah swear!” Macintosh Apple stood with his back towards the shower, hands over his crotch and pelvis.

“How did you not hear me!?” Vinyl yelled, only her head poking out from the shower curtain.

“Ah don‘ know! Ah’m kinda outta it in the mornin’!”

Vinyl squinted at her boyfriend, trying to discern whether or not he was serious. She ran her eyes over his wide, hulking shoulders; down his fit back and to his butt. Which was covered by his hand, though she could see how sculpted it was anyhow. Vinyl lost her train of thought for a bit, until an idea popped into her head.

“Mac, you still need a shower?”

“Um, ya?”

Vinyl blushed, stepping away from the entrance to the tub. “...Get in.”

The breakfast table was full and attended this morning. A tall stack of blueberry pancakes sat dead center, a collection of syrup, jellies and jams surrounding it. A hefty plate of bacon and ham sat to the right, a plate of eggs to the left. Jugs of milk and, what else, apple juice were on the counter behind the family. Well, most of the family.

“Where’s Macintosh?” asked Granny through a forkful of eggs.

“He’s on his way” Apple Bloom said. “Jus‘ hope he don’t take to long.”

“Ya’ll know how slow Mac is. Ah wouldn’t hold yer breath” Applejack chuckled. Just as AJ laughed, Mac walked down the stairs, followed quickly by Vinyl. Mac took the open chair next to Applejack, Vinyl the one across from him. They quickly filled their plate in silence, a faint blush on both their cheeks.

“What took ya so long, hmm?” Granny Smith inquired.

“What? ....Ah, Ah was jus‘ tired, is all.” Mac said to his food, not able to look his grandmother in the eye. The table fell silent, the only sound being scraping silverware on their china plates.

“Oh, ...Ah see” replied Granny, who was nursing a small cup of coffee. The tension in the kitchen was palpable. Apple Bloom was having trouble stifling a laugh, but Applejack....

Applejack was glaring at Vinyl like she was on fire in a wooden church. Vinyl peeked up, trying to avoid AJ’s eyes. Anywhere Vinyl looked, the Apple sister’s seemed to follow, like an eerie old painting.

“So...” AJ stated, eyes pinned on Vinyl. “Ya’ll enjoy the cot?”

“Oh, yeah” Vinyl lied, trying to stray away from Applejack’s question. “It was fine.... hard, but fine.”

The edges of AJ’s lips turned up, a devilish smile streaked across her face. “Ah bet that ain’t the only thing that was hard...” she muttered.

Vinyl choked on her english muffin, sputtering her denies. “Heh, what!? AJ, that’s.... We didn’t...!”

“Applejack!” Macintosh grunted. “Ya’ll know better than that! That’s rude, especially at the table.” He brow-beat his sister with ease, extracting a quiet “sorry” from AJ.

The rest for breakfast went smoothly, though rather quiet. As Macintosh cleaned off the table, Applejack pulled Vinyl into the living room, alone. She sat her down on the couch, and took a stance across from her, just close enough so no one lingering in the other rooms could hear them.

“So...” AJ started.

“So.” Vinyl retorted.

“Ya know, when Ah called you over yesterday, Ah was hoping you’d come to bring Mac outta the dumps. But that wasn’t an invitation to fuck ‘em.”

Vinyl sputtered, throwing her hands up angrily. “We didn’t do anything! I swear, two people can’t hang out in this town without everyone assuming their banging!”

“So, you’re not together?”

Vinyl went to reply, but lost her voice. “Well, we um...aren’t not together...”

“Exactly” AJ smirked. “Now, it ain’t mah business to muddle in who mah brother shacks up with, and by all accounts ya’ll seem to be much better than that last one...” Applejack sneered at the thought of Flitter. “But he did just get done with her. Ah just what ya’ll to think about that.” She stood up and walked out, leaving Vinyl to ponder what AJ had said.

Maybe it’s too soon to be jumping into a relationship. He could still be reeling from what that bitch did to him...

AJ quickly leaned back into the room, only her head and hat peeking around the corner. “And next time, ya might wanna be quieter in tha shower. Could hear yer gigglin‘ down in the kitchen.” Vinyl blushed, thinking about their little venture that morning.

...And if Mac is, I’m gonna make him forget all about it. Vinyl grinned, returning to the kitchen where Macintosh was washing dishes. He wore his pink apron while slaving over his charges, scrubbing vigorously to try and peel off a stubborn piece of egg from the pan.

“Hey sexy...” she cooed, slinking behind him and slipping her arms around him and pressing her chest into his back.

“Hey” he chuckled warmly, continuing to work on the dishes. “So what’d mah sister say to ya? She was eyin’ ya all breakfast, figured it was pretty important.”

“Oh, it was nothing. Just girl talk, ya know...” Vinyl trailed off. She didn’t really know what to make of what AJ said. She knew Mac’s sister was just looking out for him, but it still hurt a little that she didn’t trust her. “So, you’re relatives are coming in today.”

“Eeyup. Headin’ in from all over.” Mac finished the egg-riddance pan, and moved on to the next one. Should be a good time.”

“How many to you expect?”

“Well, most of ‘em. Maybe all. It’s an old tradition, so unless disaster strikes, they come.”

“Wow” Vinyl said. “That’s pretty cool, actually. I wish my family did that. Although, I don’t know if I’d wanna hafta make all that food.”

“Hehe” Mac chuckled. “That does tend to take awhile. Plus, ya need space fer all those people, too. Luckily, we got a heater installed in the barn last year. Never been more comfortable in an oversized doghouse.”

“So, when does this thin start?” Vinyl asked.

An irritating rrrriinnggg echoed through the house, startling both Mac and Vinyl. “Well...” Mac began. “Ah’d say right about now.”

Vinyl sat on a somewhat soft bale of hay, nursing a mug of hard apple cider. Once the first of the Apple relatives showed up, the rest followed. Around 40 people occupied the barn now, many of them content with just chatting. A few danced near the back, where an open space had been cleared next to some empty stables. For a time, Sweet Apple Acres had housed a few horses. Nothing major, just a few riding horses and a pony, but that was years ago. Now, that space held an assortment of tills and planting tools. Long wooden tables ran the length of the barn, all of which were filled.

That day, Vinyl learned (amongst other things) that the Apple family did almost anything in packs. They arrived together, worked together, eat together. They seemed to accept her well enough, though she still felt like an outsider. Some of the younger cousins approached her, but not many. She met a man named Braeburn, who she quickly learned was one of Mac’s only male cousins. There did seem to be an extra amount of girls here, but it only dawned on Vinyl at that point. They only other person Scratch recognized was Rarity. Why she was here of all people, she could only guess. Though she was sitting suspiciously close to Applejack.

“Havin’ fun?” Mac asked as he strode over, breaking Vinyl away from her thoughts.

“Yeah” she muttered, staring at a particularly wet spot on the barn roof.

“Vinyl?”

“Yeah?”

Mac pushed himself onto the hay bale, sitting closely to his new beau. “What’s wrong? An’ don’t say nothin; Ah’ve lived with enough girls to know when sumthin’s up.”

Scratch sighed. “It’s just... I don’t really fit in here. Everyone’s really cool, and they’ve been nice, but I feel...”

“Outta place?” Mac asked.

Vinyl nodded. “It’s fine... I don’t mean to drag you away from the party. It’s not even a big deal-”

Macintosh cut her off with a quick kiss. He pulled back with a small grin on his face. “Vinyl, Ah think Ah got a way to fix this. But ya gotta trust me, okay?”

“Um, sure?”

“Okay!” Mac hopped off his seat next to Vinyl. “Follow me.”

“Uhhh...” Before Vinyl could collect her thoughts, Mac had already grabbed her wrist and dragged her outside. The two trudged through the snow, which was considerably high from the night before. At least the wind died down, Scratch thought as she hastily followed Mac into the white abyss. Finally, they arrived at the musical shed Macintosh’s mother had built. “Ya know, we need a name for this place..” She thought out loud.

“Oh yeah?”

“How ‘bout...” Scratch muttered, “Sweet Apple Sounds?”

Mac chuckled. “...Ah like it. Oh, here it is!” He climbed behind a large blanket which was draped over what appeared to be a drum-set. “Okay, now Vinyl, Ah need yet to close yer eyes.”

“Mac, what did-?”

“C’mon, Vinyl. Close ‘em.”

“Fiiine.” Vinyl stood still, eyes shut as Mac did something in front of her. She could hear the sliding of fabric over something, and the slight shuffling of Macintosh’s steps. “Come one dude, what’s going on?”

“Almost ready” chirped Mac, who slid behind Vinyl quietly. “Go ahead, take it off.”

Vinyl slid her blindfold off, only to blink in surprise at what lay before her. Two three-foot speakers stood on the outside of a black table. This table held a brand new mixing board, a long white signal processor, two shiny direct drive turntables on either side, and a remix deck. “...Dude” Vinyl slowly walked towards the gear, and slow smile spread across her face. “Mac...”

“Ah thought you’d like it.”

The DJ turned to face her rural boyfriend. “This must’ve cost a fortune!”

“Nah, we still got a few old music connections mah Ma used. And besides...” Macintosh strolled forward, wrapped his arms around Scratch’s waist. “That wouldn’ta mattered. It’s Hearth’s Warming, and Ah figured you could use some new equipment. That stuff ya’ll got back home is alright, but...” The farmer’s rambling was cut short by a quick, but passionate kiss. He stood, startled by the suddenness or her embrace, though he wised up quickly enough. Mac returned the kiss, running his hand through Vinyl silky blue hair. The two parted slowly, Vinyl gently pulling on Mac’s bottom lip with her teeth. “C’mon,” the farmer smiled, “we got a few heads to turn.”

Within the hour, everything was discreetly set up. Macintosh had roped his cousin Braeburn into helping them, along with Braeburn’s girlfriend. Vinyl hadn’t caught her name, but she was easily recognizable among the Apples; she was the only Native Appleloosian among them. Around the makeshift dance floor in the back of the barn, an elevated table was constructed, Vinyl’s new speakers wee stealthily hidden within a hay bale, and another in the loft above them. On the table, Vinyl had all of her new instruments laid out in front of her, wildly grinning. She placed an album upon the left turntables, slowly turning up the volume. Vinyl gave it a harsh scratch, causing most of the room to recoil in pain.

“Sorry!” she called out over the audience. “So, whadda ya say we get this party started?” Vinyl grinned, arms crossed.

The room was silent.

“Okay...” she muttered. “Well, it’s gonna anyways, so...” Vinyl fumbled around on the mixer until her levels were just right. Records began to spin, and the dance floor started moving, too. As the beat of the music started to fill the dance floor, knees bent, heads thrashed, and the people started bustin’ moves like no one’s business. Vinyl even saw Mac’s grandma get up to dance, even if it was only with her walker.

“Ah told you they’d get off their asses. The Apples can’t resist a good song” Mac winked, grabbing Scratch’s attention. “Ya wanna dance?” he asked, wiggling his eyebrows goofily.

Vinyl giggled, looping her arm around Mac’s. “But, of course.” The two scooted onto the dance floor, which was filled with Apples by now. The music blared, thumping through the chests of the dancers, Macintosh and Vinyl included. “Hey...” Vinyl said into Mac’s ear. “Remember the last time we were like this?”

Macintosh chuckled. “Ya think Ah could forget somethin’ like that? Vinyl blushed, putting her arms around Mac’s neck, pulling herself closer.

“Heheh, your pretty smooth, ya know that?” Vinyl said.

“Ah try.”

The music started to slow, show Vinyl had to quickly run to the booth and throw on another track. “Sorry” she said sheepishly, scooting back into place. “Yo Mac” she said, giggling and nodding over Mac’s shoulder. “Check that out...”

Mac turned, curious as to what Vinyl was watching. His face started to flush as Macintosh saw his sister Applejack, dancing rather sensually... with Rarity. The two were very close together, somewhat resembling a tango. AJ’s hands were slowly making there way down...

“Whoa!” Macintosh turned away, red-faced. “Ah, um... jeez. Didn’t expect ta see that.”

“Oh?” Vinyl laughed. “Is someone ...*gasp embarrassed?”

Mac stole a quick kiss, grinning. “Shut up.”

With the moon high in the sky, and most of the Apple family asleep, Vinyl leaned against the edge of a table, waiting. With the party officially over, the hosts were given time to clean up, though most of that duty, like many of the duties on the farm, fell to Mac. The floor was littered with bits of homemade food, discarded utensils, and many an empty cup. The Apples had kept Vinyl pretty busy for the rest of the night, asking for song after song until even Applebloom was out of energy. “Hey Mac, you almost done over there?”

“Ah’d be done sooner if someone was helpin‘ me...” Macintosh grumbled, sliding some paper plates in a quickly-filling garbage bag.

“Hey, I helped! See?” Vinyl looked to her left, snatched up an empty red cup, and promptly threw it into the bag her boyfriend was holding. “And I made it look cool.”

Vinyl found it hard not to chuckled at the unamused look Mac gave her. “Oh come on! At least I didn’t miss.”

“Yeah, Ah guess.” Mac tied off the bag, tossing it to a can in the corner. “Besides, we’re done already.” Mac looked over to his DJ girlfriend. “You tired?”

“Immensely.”

Macintosh grinned. “Then let’s head in.”

Vinyl treaded ever so lightly across the wooden floor of the Apple home, taking care not to wake anyone. Holding her friend’s hand, she was led up the stair and back the the room she started this morning in: Macintosh Apple’s bedroom. Slowly, they crept up the stairs, slinking past Applejack’s bedroom like a pair of ninjas. Reaching their goal, Vinyl quietly opened the door to Mac’s room, with the Apple man himself closing it quietly. “Some day, huh?” he mumbled while sliding across the floor, throwing off his clothes and firmly crashing onto his mattress.

“Yeah...” Vinyl copied his motion, falling onto the bed and scooting her way up to it’s headboard. She slid off her pants and wrapped herself up in Mac’s sheets, creating a cocoon-like nest of warmth. “Quite the awesome party...”

“Ah’d say it’s been one o‘ the best in years...” Macintosh laid next to her on his back, inching her right arm around the small of her back. He felt the girl next to him inch closer to him, until her stomach was pressed against his right side. “And Ah think Ah know why, too...”

“Oh?” Vinyl giggled, draping her arm over Macintosh’s chest. “Thanks.”

“Ah mean it. This was great” Mac ran his hand up and down his girlfriend’s back, drawing little circles with his fingers.

Vinyl simply smiled, lying her head on Mac’s chest and running her hand over his stomach. It eventually ran into his scar. Touching it now, she could tell it was very old. Her fingertips traced the circular mark. “Mac?”

“Yeah?” he whispered.

“Um, I know it’s kind of a touchy subject, but...?”

Macintosh sighed. “Yer curious ‘bout the scar, ain’t ya?”

“Um... yeah” Vinyl squeaked. “Sorry, I just-”

“No” Mac said, sighing again. “It’s not yer fault. Ah just... It brings up some painful memories.” As he spoke, Mac’s voice grew softer and quieter, as if he was trying to vocally disappear. “It’s gotta do with mah pa... It just don’t wanna think about it, if that’s okay.”

Vinyl rubbed her head against Mac’s chest, looking up to his face. With the moonlight washed over his face, Macintosh was slightly frowning with sad, forgivable eyes. “It’s okay, Mac” she said smiling. “You don’t have to say anything...”

“Ah..” Mac started, looking back down to meet Vinyl. “Ah’ll tell ya soon, it’s just...”

“Mac, I know. Your dad, he’s...?” Vinyl looked down, solemnly.

“Yeah. ...A long time ago.”

“Mine too. Recently.”

“Ya, Ah... kinda figured. Yer mom still wears the ring.”

Vinyl Scratch tightly hugged her boyfriend. Vinyl knew why Mac and his sisters lived with his grandmother. She knew that he knew about her father. There was a mutual understanding that at some point, they’d need to talk about it. But tonight wasn’t going to be that night.

“Mackie?”

“Yeah?”

“Goodnight.” Vinyl scooted as close as she could, savoring the heat radiating from her newfound romance.

“G’Night, sugar” Mac breathed, kissing her on the forehead. “See ya in the mornin’.”

Vinyl laid there, letting her muscles relax into the bed, and the man, around her. And only one thing ran through her mind.

He may have gotten me kickass DJ gear, but this was the best gift I could’ve gotten.

Author's Note

Sorry about the long wait! To the reader you've been here since the beginning, ...wow. I know patience is a virtue, but damn! To the new guys, you're just as awesome as the oldies. This took way too long to finish, I the next chapter will probably undergo he same treatment. If you see and typos of fixes, please let me know. And as usual, I love and welcome constructive criticism. Be sure to rate and favorite!

Chapter 8

Something has gone wrong. We don't seem to have an archived copy of that chapter.

Chapter 2

“Hey there” cooed Vinyl, sauntering across the apple field. Swaying her hips as she slinked forward, Macintosh could feel her gaze from behind the lavender glasses. “What brings a guy like you around here?”

“Ah-Ah-Ah...live h-here.”

“Is that right?” Vinyl stood inches from his face, twirling his long hair around her finger. “Must be lonely. All alone...out in the orchard. All day.” She lowered the rims of her glasses, but he couldn’t recognize the color of her eyes. They looked like a haze of blue and yellow, and truthfully Mac wasn’t really focusing on her eyes. Vinyl was leaning forward, her low-cut tank-top giving Mac quite the view.

“Um..I guess so” Mac said, blushed as he tried to look away. But being a man with two good eyes, he was of course powerless against the allure of her cleavage.

“Well, let me be a good houseguest. I wouldn’t want my host getting lonely, now would I?” Vinyl held his shoulders, leaning in for a deep kiss. Mac shot his eyes wide out, but he soon relaxed into it, pushing back against her.

“Mmmm” Vinyl moaned. Mac pushed back harder, living in the moment and pushing past his usual shy demeanor, something he rarely did. Vinyl threw her arms around his thick shoulders to pull herself up.

“Mac, wake up” she whispered into his ear. He just mumbled to her, staying locked in her embrace.

“Wake up!”

Mac woke with a start, launching his head up against his headboard. OW! Damn it! he thought, staring out the window across from his bed as his head throbbed. He had this dream for the third time in a month since meeting Vinyl Scratch. They quickly established a friendship; him being rather shy and her the more out-going type, they seemed to balance each other out. She was surprisingly upbeat for being uprooted like she was, and Mac was impressed with how well she was doing.

Someone knocked on his door. “What?” he shouted.

“Breakfast!” cried the matriarch of the Apple family. She went by many a name, but most people called her Granny Smith, or miss Smith. Grumbling, Mac sat up and rubbed out his eyes. He kept his thoughts on Vinyl, though.

Mac found Vinyl’s cherry attitude very likable. He knew himself well enough to know he wouldn’t have done as well in her situation. The fact that she was so creative was also a big turn on. Vinyl had a great love for music, and that was one of their main discussion points. He was a music lover too, though their tastes were vastly different.

Mac thought back to the first time he met Vinyl. He arrived late to music class, having to take a seat in the back. As he sat, Mac noticed the girl next to him. She had amazing blue hair, that could only be described as bottled lightning. She wore a black tee, and a pair of jeans that were obviously meant to show off her backside. Well, it was obvious to him at least, and he could confirm that they were working. She was a little pale, but not in a sickly way. And those glasses. His gut told him there was something special behind them. Mac had to admit that he was attracted to her.

Ah mean, she always seems to look good, but...she’s a friend. It’s just mah damn hormones actin‘ up. Hell, Ah’m a red-blooded man. Can’t help if Ah notice stuff like that. Ain’t like she’s the only girl Ah’ve thought about. He thought back to his dream. He had other dreams like that, save for the fact that they’d been...more raunchy. Though, those dreams always involved models, or stars, like that stunt pilot, Spitfire. This was different.

They hadn’t hung out yet, but he wanted to change that. “Ah’m sure she’d love the orchard,” Mac thought aloud. He knew almost everyone found the farm boring, but he could always hope for the chance. Or maybe Vinyl'd really love the orchard, like in his dream. Uhhh, Ah gotta quit thinkin‘ like that, Mac thought, shanking his head. That’s over the line. Just push those thoughts away. Ain’t no use in worryin’ about ‘em. Crawling out of bed, he got in the shower and groaned. Macintosh liked his showers hot; it helped him wake up quicker, and he always felt cleaner than if it was cold. 'Sides, he thought, she wouldn't be interestin' in some worker like me. After he washed, Mac got dressed and headed downstairs. He met his sisters Applejack and Applebloom to the kitchen table, both thoroughly done with breakfast.

“Mac, yer gonna make late!” cried Applebloom. “Ah can’t be late today, Ah got a presentation taday!”

Macintosh chuckled. The “presentation” she had was little more than a short story review, but getting up in front of the class was always hard, especially for fifth graders.

“Okay, okay. Let’s go, Ah guess Ah’ll eat at school.” Mac opened his mouth to ask AJ how she was getting to school, but she cut him off.

“Don’t worry ‘bout me, Ah’m gettin’ a ride with Rarity.”

Macintosh stood confused. “Yer friends with miss Rarity? Ain’t she in mah grade?”

“Yeah, but Ah’m only four years younger than you!” Applejack growled. He hated when Mac acting the elder, even though he was older, and was much more mature than a person his age should be. “An’ remember, ya’ll were held back at first. Sides, Ah kin hang out with whoever...”

Mac threw his hands up defensively. “Calm down, Ah ain’t mean nothing’ by it.” He walked over to his sister, kissing her on the head. “Have a good day at school.” With that, he grabbed his math book and left the house. The farm was quiet this morning, the signs of harvest over. They only hired a few workers outside the family, but they helped keep the business running when Macintosh and Applejack were at school. Mac worked the fields when he got home anyway, but since they had a record-breaking season this summer, he was allotted much more free time in the fall.

Applebloom followed Mac outside, running past him and hopping onto his Harley Davidson Blackline. A soft-tail design, it sported a black paint job, with red highlights streaking across the gas tank and down the rear fender. It was fitted with a dual tour saddle seat with a backrest on the very end. Before this year, when Macintosh finished his work early, he would work on this bike. Whether compiling parts, or shining the finish, or changing the oil, Mac usually spent at least an hour on his bike. Like most things on Sweet Apple Acres, it was old but well taken care of.

“Hey now, Ah don’t see a helmet, Applebloom” Mac frowned.

“Ah know ” Applebloom groaned. Reaching into the saddlebags of the bike, she retrieved a bright red helmet. She put in on, strapping in under her chin. She also pulled out a black helmet, and tossed it to Macintosh.

“Thanks, sis” he said, applying it to his dome. He swung his leg over the center to the bike, balancing the machine. Kicking once on the start lever was enough to engage the engine. The beast rumbled under him, just egging for a ride. He warming it up for a minute or two, making sure it was properly ready for a trip. When Mac was satisfied it was ready, he threw it into gear, driving into the brisk morning.

“And that, class, is how you derive the function of X.”

Professor Pemdas stood proudly in front of the class, taking pleasure in her job. She was the only one, though. Most of her students had already learned this and were coasting through, or had given up long ago. The teacher was an older one, a splash of gray in her hair that was done up in a bun. She wore a very professional pantsuit, displaying her dedication to her job.

Vinyl tore into her notebook, the chicken scratch being indecipherable if it was english, let alone complex mathematical equations. The notes were written left-to-right, right-to-left, sideways, upside down, and with various degrees of completion. Stupid letters, thought Vinyl. I was good at math until they started adding the alphabet. The hell am I gonna use this for, anyways?

The teacher checked her watch. “Looks like that’s all the time we have for today. Make sure to finish those equations, class.” As students fled the classroom, Pemdas stopped Vinyl. “Miss Scratch, could you come here please?”

Vinyl swung around and walked back to the front desk. She knew exactly what this was about.

“You haven’t turned in your homework today.”

Vinyl shrugged. “Yeah, sorry about that. I forgot.”

Pemdas was unfazed, her head down as she look over a pile of papers on her desk. “You haven’t turned it in for the past week.”

“Um...” Vinyl chuckled nervously. It’s not like I wanna ignore it, but...

Her teacher sighed. “Miss Scratch....” Vinyl could practically mimic what would happen next. Pemdas would explain how important routine homework was, and how it needed to be finished to be helpful. She was not willing to have this conversation again.

“Look!” said Vinyl, interrupting the professor. “I’m trying to figure this stuff out. I just...can’t. Every time I look at it, my mind just blanks.”

“Hmm. That’s a problem, now isn’t it.” She clicked her tongue and looked up to meet Vinyl's eyes. “I could set you up with a tutor, if you like.”

Vinyl groaned. A tutor was not something she wanted, and previous tutors had been...well, less than helpful. Most had giving up on her around the third lesson. Might as well give it a shot, though.

“Fine, we can try it” she mumbled.

“Show up here at 2:00. I’ve only got one student aid signed up, so you’ll be learning from a...miss Sparkle.”

Vinyl nodded, finally allowed to leave. She trudged through the halls of her new school, avoiding anyone who passed by. She only really knew Macintosh and Cheerilee, and everyone else seems focused on making her feel like the outcast. She tried to meet people, but most people mistook her eagerness as an oddity.

She passed by two large opened doors and into the dining area. It was large, especially for a smaller school like Ponyville High. Three rows of long tables ran down the room. After grabbing a tray of food, which contained a surprising amount of apple products, Vinyl found Cheerilee sitting by the corner, her face stuck in a book.

“Yo!” said Vinyl as she sat.

“Hey Vinyl, how was math class?” said Cheerilee. She’d become Vinyl’s confidant since the time they'd first met. Vinyl didn’t complain about anything serious. They had just met, after all. But Vinyl felt better having someone there, and she was one of few female friends Vinyl ever had, including the people she'd met in Canterlot. That had unfortunately gotten her a certain reputation at her old school, and Vinyl wasn't willing to repeat that.

“Oh, ya know, the same as always” Vinyl chuckled, sitting next to Cheerilee.

“Good, good.” Cheerilee smiled. “Are you getting your bearings around town?”

“Kinda” Vinyl admitted. “Haven’t been into the country yet.”

“Ah noticed.”

Vinyl looked behind her. Macintosh walked to their table, his backpack slung over his shoulder. “Haven’t seen all out there. Ah’m tellin‘ ya, it’s the nicest piece o‘ land ya can lay yer eyes on.” Mac took the seat across from Vinyl. "Ah'm startin' ta think ya'll are avoidin' me" he said with a grin.

“I will, I will. Don’t get you’re panties on a twist. It's just been hard to get out recently” said Vinyl. Which was the truth, if not the whole of it. She was having trouble finding her way out there, but she also wasn't totally sold on the idea of hanging out on a farm. It just didn't seem like a whole lotta fun. But she wasn't going to tell Mac that.

Macintosh laughed. “Ah know yer tryin’.“ Macintosh looked around, watching the entrances. For who, Vinyl couldn’t tell.

“Watching for someone special, Mac?” Vinyl teased.

“Nah, but Caramel suppose be comin‘ by.”

“Who’s that?”

Cheerilee joined the conversation. “Caramel’s stopping by? I didn’t know he was in school yet.”

Mac smiled. “Yeah, he jus‘ started this year.“ He shook his head, slightly frowned. “Ah hope it hasn’t been too bad yet.”

Vinyl rose her eyebrow, titling her shades a bit. “ You worried?”

“Ehh...” Mac looked uneasy. “Kinda. You know, new school fer him an‘ all. Plus...”

“Plus?” Vinyl echoed.

“Plus...Caramel may seem kinda, well, funny. To some people, at least. “

“Whadda mean?” asked Vinyl.

“Well...” Mac nodded in the direction of the entrance. Vinyl pivoted to see a slender man walk into the lunchroom. He was a shorter man, with neatly trimmed brown hair. He wore a light brown polo and khaki pants. Caramel looked more proper than most guys in the room, and much better groomed. Watching him arrive at their table, Vinyl saw a distinct sway in his hips. It...wasn’t quite womanly. It had a flair all on its own.

“Macky!” Caramel yelled, pulling Macintosh into a tight hug.

“Howdy...‘Mel” Mac stuttered as he gasped for air. Caramel release Mac from his hold, giggling a tad.

“Sorry cous’, my bad” Caramel said sheepishly. He pulled a chair up next to Macintosh.

“So how are ya? Haven’t seen ya’ll at the farm fer a bit.”

Caramel smiled. “I’ve been pretty good. Mrs. Cake’s been working me a lot later.”

“How ‘bout school?” asked Mac. “No one’s been givin’ ya any trouble?”

Caramel released another light giggle. “Mac, you need to stop worrying.”

“Ah can’t, you know that. Jus’ promise me ya’ll will tell me about anything, ya hear?”

“Yeah, yeah. My big strong cousin is here to save me.” Caramel huffed. “Mac, I can take care of myself.”

“Sure ya can.”

Caramel sighed, resting his face on Mac’s arm. Vinyl tried to stifle a laugh. Unsuccessfully. “Is something funny in the peanut gallery?” Caramel inquired with a smile.

Vinyl grew a small smile. “Is Mac always like this?”

Caramel nodded. “Oh yeah, ever sense grade school.” He put on a mockingly grandiose tone. “Big Macintosh, hero to the weak! Protector of the small! Loved by his friends and feared by his enemies!”

Mac pouted. “Ah don’t have enemies...”

Caramel laughed. “Yeah, sure. Except for half the guys in school.”

“Aww, I think it sweet ” teased Vinyl. “You’re just a big teddy bear, aren’t ya?”

Mac stood up. “I’ll gonna grab some food” he sighed.

The group chuckled as Mac sulked to the food line. Though he tried to appear as mature as possible at all times, it was clearly not the case. “So, what’s this about enemies? I can’t image Mac being outright mean to anyone.”

“Oh, he wouldn’t be” Caramel said in a sing-song voice.

“So what’s the dealie-o?” Vinyl asked, taking a swig of apple juice that came with her meal.

“Well, boys tend to get angry when their girlfriend shout out some other guy’s name in bed. And from what I hear, Mac’s name is near the top of the list.”

Caramel watched with glee as the juice Vinyl had drank was distributed on the table, via her nose. Caramel and Cheerilee joined Vinyl in laughing, the latter nearly falling out of her chair.

“Dayyyum!” she said. “He gets around, huh?” Vinyl spoke, still tittering lightly.

Caramel shook his head. “Please, Mac...gettin’ around?”

Cheerilee stepped in, clearing up Vinyl’s confusion. “Mac’s...not a big talker, if you hadn’t noticed. He only really speaks up with people he likes. I doubt he’s had more than one girlfriend.”

“Well, I should consider myself lucky then, huh?” Vinyl grinned.

Cheerilee smiled. “And Caramel, you’re such a gossip today!”

Caramel shrugged. “What can I say, it’s a gift.”

RRRRRRIIIIINNNNNGGGGGG!

The 3 o’clock bell called, allowing the school’s inhabitants their much garnered freedom. The exit doors flung open, and a large flow of people erupted from them. Vinyl left near the tail end of the group, plopping down on the top stair. Nothing to do but go home, she thought. She could start walking right now, but she was mentally exhausted from the tutoring she received.

“Ow...brain” Vinyl groaned. “Y U NO DO MATH!” She propped her knee up to rest her arm on, throwing a pair of black headphones on. They were very nice, with large ear pads for comfort’s sake. Blue inlays rode the rims, and the speakers were customs built to support massive bass boosts.

Bobbing her head to the beat, she let the music flow through her. The song started slow. A single repeating beat. Adding a few sweeps, and deep bass rhythm, the song started to build up. Ohh yeahhh. That’s the stuff.

Vinyl could here another noise to her left. It was a deep pounding, but not like the bass in her ear. It was seismic in texture, and had no distinct rhythm. Curious, she stood up and began to follow the sound. She could hear it through her headphones, letting her know that it was close. Vinyl slid off her headphones, and listen close to the noise. Is that..stomping?

She followed the sound behind the school to find a large group of men running in formation. They wore an off-color red, with gold spandex-like pants. Their shoulders were artificially broad; Vinyl realized this was from the pads they wore underneath. Football team?

She walked over to a set of old, slightly rusted bleachers adjacent to a practice field. A good amount of the team was running laps. They looked tired, almost unbearably so. Sweat poured from the runners, their backs visibly drenched from the exertion. If this is practice, then Mac should be... Vinyl searched the group, trying to pick Mac out of the crowd. It wouldn’t be hard; even with this selection of burly men, Mac would be imposing to lose among them.

Where is he? she thought. She knew Mac made the team, but he wasn’t with the runners. Resting her elbows on her knees, Vinyl scanned the field, hoping her friend was out there. She knew she didn’t fit in here; it was made pretty clear by the snickering from a passing gang of footballers. Her left eye twitched a little. Screw them!

Still looking for Mac, Vinyl saw a large group of girls gathered about 30 yards away from her, near the sideline. They too wore matching outfits, thought theirs were much more...revealing. With tight tops and quite short skirts, Vinyl picked them out as cheerleaders immediately. She groaned audibly. Oh God, why? Aren’t there enough bimbos in this school?

The girls started to practice their routine, spreading out into three rows. Clapping and shouting, they moved in tune with one girl who stood in front of them. Her green-blue hair was tied in a ponytail, and her outfit was more tailored and elaborate than the others. She recognized this girl as Flitter, the one who gave her that slight verbal jab the first day of class. Well, one of many, but hers had passion behind it. Though Vinyl had little contact with her, she always felt a strange, angry vibe from Flitter. She must be the leader of those airheads.

Why does she hate me so much? Vinyl thought. I haven’t even said two words to her. Vinyl looked back at the field. Other than the roving group of jeerers, a small amount of guys stretched in the end zone. They were smaller than most of the other players. Vinyl didn’t know much about football, but she could understand the basic rules and mechanics. She figured those were the special teams members. The runners were making their way around them, and strangely enough, it looked like their numbers had risen.

The only other players were huddled in a circle near the center of the field. The bleachers were not far from the actual field, so Vinyl could see two figures in the center of the circle. One was a bulky, thick man with long brown hair that stuck out from under his helmet. The other was just as muscular, but much taller. The brown-haired man stood ready for an assault, and the tall man obliged him. He dashed forward, crunching into the other player. They moved in unison, one traveling ahead and the other toppling upon himself. The crowd around them whooped and hollered, jumping up and down in excitement.

The player who fell climbed to his feet, disappointed. He headed towards the group of joggers, joining them in their exercise. Wow, that middle guy must be really strong. She watched the man retreat to his starting position, challenging another who tried, and failed. Vinyl was never attracted to jocks, seeing as they tended to be the ringleaders of her torment as well as others. How some people could find bullies attractive just didn't make sense to her. But she had to admit, the large, powerful body of the middle guy was very easy on the eyes.

A very loud, high whistle snapped her out of her daydreaming, and the team started to disperse. A lot of players surrounded their tall teammate, creating a whirlwind of excitement around him.

“Dude, that was amazing!”

“I can’t believe you never played before...”

“You’re definitely gonna start this season!”

Vinyl smirked as the player removed his helmet, shaking free his long vermillion hair. The man had green shimmering eyes above a few small freckles. He rested his helmet in the crook of his arm, dismissing the compliments with a smile and laugh. He approached the bleachers as many of the players made of the locker room.

“Didn’t expect to see ya’ll here” said Macintosh, leaning against the edge of the seats. He was sweaty from practice, but Mac’s breathing was normal.

“Yeah, just got out of tutoring and I heard you guys over here. Just hangin’ til I start walking home.” She leaned back, resting her elbows on the row behind her. “What was all that about?”

“Blocking drills” he laughed. “Someone challenged me to try an‘ git past ‘em. After Ah won, couple other’s did the same, bettin’ laps if they lost.”

“So that whole group...”

Mac smiled. “Eeyup. Bunch a losers.” He stood up, shaking his shoulders out and cracking his neck. “If ya’ll be willin‘ to wait a bit, Ah could give you a ride home.”

Vinyl nodded. “Sure, I got nothin‘ better to do.” She watched Mac walk back to the players and follow them into the clubhouse, along with the cheerleaders, who entered a separate nearby building.

Uggh, what’s taking Mac so long... Vinyl tapped her foot impatiently. It hadn’t been that long, only about twenty minutes, but with nothing to watch Vinyl got bored quickly. I can’t believe I was checking out Mac again. What is that, like, third time with week? It wasn’t even intentional this time. Vinyl always found flirting with Mac funny. She would start to look over his body, throw in a lewd comment, and Mac’s cheeks would glare reddened than a ripe tomato. She thought it cute, and surprising since the bashful attitude came from a person who could probably rip a tree out of the ground. Vinyl shrugged. Looking isn’t so bad. Just don’t do anything stupid. She turned her gaze towards the end of the field. Finally, she sighed as Macintosh appeared from inside the team clubhouse. He was dressed in his normal garb; a red collared shirt with jeans and work boots. Mac strolled along the field towards Vinyl.

But Mac wasn’t alone. A girl was standing at his side. Very close to his side. A little too close for Vinyl’s taste. Glaring over, she knew exactly who it was. That girl was now way too close for Vinyl’s liking. The hell is Flitter doing?, she growled mentally. Flitter was clinging to Mac’s arm, blushing faintly. She was tip-toeing towards his face. Vinyl’s nose crunched up in disapproval. Vinyl was audibly growling as she watched Flitter hang off her friend. She stood up, but not before Flitter kissed Mac on the cheek and whispered something in his ear. Mac froze, standing with a tight posture as Flitter walked away. Vinyl stomped her way over to Macintosh, who was staring blankly forward, his head tilted ever so slightly to the left.

“SO...is that what took you so long?” Vinyl asked, eyebrow raised.

Mac didn’t answer immediately. He continued to stare for a few seconds, until Vinyl snapped her fingers.

“Yo, earth to Macintosh!”

“Wha-? Oh, um, sorry ‘bout that...Ah think Flitter jus’ asked me out.”

“What did you say?” Vinyl crossed her arm expectantly.

“Um...Ah said yes, Ah think...”

“What? Why!?”

“Well, it sounded like fun, an’ Ah hafta admit...she is pretty.”

Vinyl huffed. Pretty evil. Hope she’s nicer to him than she is to me. “Well Mac, good luck” she said sarcastically.

“You know sumthin‘ Ah don’t? Macintosh began to walk towards the parking lot next to the school, with Vinyl Scratch in tow.

“Well, it’s just...” Vinyl sighed, trying to think of a way to explain her situation. This... might be hard to explain. She ran through countless plans to explain her distaste for the cheerleader, each one ending in disaster. While they were friends, she didn’t know Mac that well, and she certainly didn’t want to come off as jealous. Since I’m not, Vinyl rationalized. Not jealous. Nope.

“...I’m happy for you” she sputtered.

“Umm, well okay!” Mac smiled. They arrived at the blacktop. Very few people were still here, so it was easy to find Mac’s vehicle. Although, his transport would always be easy to find.

“So Mac, what’re you driving? Pick up? Van? Tractor?” Her mouth curled into a devious smile at the last one.

Macintosh chuckled. “What...Ya’ll think just cause Ah’m a farmer, Ah’m gonna drive some old tin can?”

“Yup” replied Vinyl, punching him in the arm.

“Ow!” Mac rubbed his right bicep, scowling mockingly. "Ah need that!"

“Tough it out.”

The two walked together until Mac stopped at a sleek black bike. Mac looked around it, occasionally rubbing off small scratches he found. He pulled out his keys, inserting them into the ignition. Vinyl stared at him, wide-eyed. “Damn, dude! Nice bike...” she muttered, scratching her neck. “That’s definitely not a tractor.”

Laughing, Mac kickstarted the bike. “Ya gonna stand there, or are ya gonna get on?” He let the bike idle, revving it softly to egg Vinyl on.

“A-Alright” she said nervously. “Um, I’ve never...actually been on one of these.” She scooted onto the back of the bike, resting against the back seat. “Where should I hold on?”

“Well, first put one o‘ these on...” Mac opened the left saddlebag, and Vinyl strapped a helmet on.

“What about you?” she asked.

“Ah jus‘ wore a helmet fer an hour” Mac grumbled. “Now, ya got two options fer holdin‘ on. One, ya’ll can grab the handles at yer sides.”

“Okay” Vinyl spoke.

“Or...” Mac threw the bike into gear, taking off suddenly. Vinyl instinctively reached forward, wrapping her arms around Mac’s midsection. Mac chuckled, exiting the parking lot and heading into town.

“Mac, you dick!” Vinyl giggled. He responded with more laughter. Enjoying the wind in her face, Vinyl hadn’t realized she was still grasping Mac’s stomach. She quickly moved her hands down the handles at her sides. She didn’t particularly want to not hold him, and that was part kind of worried her.

Riding through town on the back of a bike was a very different experience for Vinyl. She never realized how fast the small stalls passed by, and knowing an engine was directly under her legs had a certain thrill to it. With the wind in her hair and the smells and sounds of late fall around her, she felt a certain calm fall over her, even with the inherit danger.

“I gotta say...this is really cool” said Vinyl.

“WHAT?” Mac shouted, keeping his eyes on the road.

“I SAID....THIS IS REALLY COOL!”

“YOU LOST YER SHOE?”  “NO, I....” Vinyl spotted her house peeking out around the bend of the road. “YO! RIGHT THERE!” She stuck her arm out, pointing. Mac veered right, coming to a stop in front of the building. Vinyl jumped off, removed her helmet and placed it back in the saddlebag. “Hey, thanks for the ride” she said.

“O’ course” Mac smiled.

“Um, ya wanna come in? We could hang out, or something?” Vinyl shifted uncomfortably. Why the hell am I nervous?, she thought.

“Sure, Ah got a little free time. “ Mac turned the bike off, setting the kickstand out. Vinyl led him inside, where vinyl’s mother was preparing for her second shift.

“Hey, Vinyl. Sorry I have to run, but there some food in the...” she stopped as Vinyl led Mac into the house. He ducked slightly, so as to not smash his head on the entrance. “Hey, Vinyl. Is this one of your new friends?” she asked. There was a hint of amusement in her voice that worried Vinyl.

Mac took a step forward, his hand outstretched. “Howdy, Mrs. Scratch. Mah name’s Macintosh Apple. It’s a pleasure to make yer acquaintance. Ah hafta say, ya'll have a beautiful home.”

“Such a gentleman, too” Vinyl’s mother giggled. “I’m sorry I’m being so rude; leaving without a chance to get to know you, but I have to make another shift at Ponyville Post.”

“Ah understand, of course. Tell Ditzy Doo hello if’n ya’ll see her.”

Mrs. Scratch nodded. “Absolutely. You two have fun.” As she walked out the door, she pulled Vinyl aside. “Do you mind if we talk outside?”

“Sure” answered Vinyl. “Mac, make yourself at home.” Vinyl followed her mom outside, stopping on the small entrance porch. “So, whadda ya wanna talk about?” She received a small smirk from the elder Scratch. “Um, no seriously, what?” The older woman’s smirk grew. “Mom, what is it? The smirk quickly evolved into a toothy grin. Vinyl stomped her foot in frustration. “Will you just spit it out already!?”

“So, this is the famous Macintosh I keep hearing about. He’s your...friend?” Vinyl’s mother said, still grinning.

“What’re you implying?”

“Implying? Who’s implying?” Her mother said. “All I know is, I know how I was when I was your age. You’re an adult now, but I expect you to be responsible.”

Vinyl groaned. “Does this have a point? I don’t want to sound mean, but you’re confusing the hell outta me.”

Vinyl’s mother sighed. “Look, I’ll be home around 9:00. Now, you know I trust you, but listen good. Don’t do anything I wouldn’t do. Just...use protection, please?”

Vinyl’s mouth dropped open. “....JESUS, MOM!”

“What? Vinyl, look at him!” she winked, nudging Vinyl. “I wouldn’t blame you. Hell, if I was your age...”

“For the love of god and everything that’s sacred, stop talking mom. I may never be able to keep down food again.” Vinyl rubbed her eyes under her glasses, trying to rid the mental image her mother just painted from her mind.

“Oh, c’mon! I’m just teasing!” Vinyl’s mom laughed. “But seriously, after all you’ve said about him, he seems like a keeper. ”

“Mom! I’m not...we’re not...we’re just friends!” Vinyl blushed profusely, cursing whatever gods decided this would happen.

“Okay, okay! Just wanted to make sure.” Vinyl’s mother held her hands up in defense. “I’ll see you tonight, honey.”

“Yeah...sure” Vinyl was still recovering from the sudden assault to her sanity. She walked back inside, where Mac sat politely on the couch.

“Everything okay, Vinyl?” Mac noticed the deep blush prevalent on her face.

“Yup” squeaked Vinyl. “Let’s...head upstairs.”

“Okay, so now that you understand the differences, let’s get into artists.” Vinyl had spent the last twenty-five minutes explaining the differences between house, techno, dubstep, and a multitude of other electronica based music to her friend. Mac’s head was swimming with enough history, technology, and concepts to build a small library. He sat in a small love-seat pushed against one of the walls, across the room from Vinyl's bed.

“Alrighty...” Mac smiled. Although he didn’t quite understand the hype, he enjoyed listening to Vinyl’s enthusiastic explanations. She pulled out a case from under her bed, taking out a black album. In the center of the album cover, a white box sat with the name “Daft Punk” in it.

“This is Daft Punk’s “Human After All”. It’s one of my favorites.” Vinyl slid out the record, placing it on her player in the corner of the room. This was her recreational player; she had a dual turntable for her DJ’ing.

“This is nice” commented Mac, bobbing his head in time with the beat. “Catchy.”

“I know, right!” Vinyl beamed, lying along her bed, head against the wall. “It just flows...perfectly.”

“Eeyup.”

The two sat, allowing the music to echo around the room. The bass thumped along, keeping it’s mood and pace while also varying technique. She let the record play in the background, filling the area well, allowing for conversation.

“So...how was school?”

Mac chuckled. “I dunno, fine Ah guess.”

“Fine?” Vinyl said skeptically. “Most guys would be at least a little surprised when the head cheerleader asks them out unexpectedly.”

Mac shrugged. “Ah ain’t most guys.”

No...no you’re not. Vinyl worked her way up the bed, her back now against the wall. “You don’t sound that excited...”

“Well, Ah guess it’s cause there’s nothin‘ to be excited about yet” replied Macintosh. “Ah mean, it’s just a date. Ah been on dates before.” Mac reached upwards, cracking his shoulders as he placed his hands around his head. “We’ll see what happens. If she wants ta keep going, and Ah want to too, then that’s what’ll happen.”

“That’s one way to look at it.” Vinyl grabbed the case of records, flipping through it randomly. “Here, check this out.” Vinyl sat up, sliding off the bed and replacing the record with a different, newer one. “Try this one on for size” Vinyl grinned.

With Mac gone, Vinyl laid under her sheets, deep in thought. The night was upon Ponyville, stars lighting up the dim streets below. She stared at the ceiling, something she found herself doing a lot the past few nights. This is gonna be weird, Vinyl thought. Stupid cheerleader...she probably only had to shake her ass or... she drowned out that thought quickly. Mac wouldn’t do that, just ...go out with her because of something like that, she told herself. Maybe Flitter really isn’t so bad, despite the evidence. Mac’s really good at reading people; maybe I just need to get to know her better. Vinyl closed her eyes, hoping everything she thought about Mac's new girlfriend was untrue.