A Grand Performance

It was the Monday after the Dazzlings went to Midnight Star, and they were sitting down for lunch in the cafeteria. Adagio Dazzle had spent most of the weekend thinking about Vinyl Scratch's performance, and she was clearly having difficulty understanding how she felt. Aria and Sonata were kind enough to accept her dismissal when they asked about her odd behaviour in the club, but were curious all the same.

Aria and Sonata watched as Adagio used her food to spell out rudimentary sheet music. While it was not uncommon for Adagio to be preoccupied with music, the fact that she was so distracted that she bought a burger and a salad dressed with ranch was concerning. A lot of people liked ranch dressing, but Adagio had hated it since its inception.

While Adagio hummed along and tried to complete her sheet music, Aria and Sonata exchanged glances.

“So Adagio,” Aria started. “What are you doing?” Blunt, but effective. Aria's favourite style.

The direct question worked to catch Adagio's attention, and she was embarrassed to realise what she was doing. “Sorry about this,” She used a napkin to wipe up some of the mess. “I guess I'm a bit more distracted than I thought I was.”

After Adagio cleaned up most of her salad, she saw what she bought for lunch. She had a burger, the aforementioned salad, and a bag of potato chips. The salad and chips were mostly ruined by her distraction, and the burger was simply not her sort of food. Adagio did not eat meat, she ate fish and eggs, but never actual meat.

“Hey Sonata, would you mind… ?” Adagio's question trailed off when Sonata held out one of her burritos. “Thank you.”

They ate quietly for some time after that. Adagio was obviously still half lost in thought, but was actually eating now which Aria thought was a notable improvement. Aria was about to finish her chips when Sonata lightly kicked her. Aria turned to her to respond, but was cut off by Sonata gesturing with her head to someone behind Adagio. In an effort to keep Adagio from being surprised, Sonata spoke up.

“Hey, Vinyl! If you want help with the programming assignment, I'm not supposed to but I can give you my notes anyway.”

Adagio turned around to see Vinyl Scratch smile and make a short series of motions with her hands. She looked about the same as she normally did, her headphones were around her neck and she was wearing her fingerless pink gloves.

“Well the offer is there if you change your mind,” Sonata said before finishing her burrito.

Adagio made a note to ask Sonata how she knew what Vinyl wanted to say later, but mostly focused on the girl herself. Vinyl took a small piece of paper from her pocket and handed it to Adagio.

‘Did you three enjoy my show Friday? Or have I mistaken someone else for you?’ After reading it, Adagio read it aloud. She did it to give herself time to find a response, but also because Aria and Sonata deserved to know about the question being posed to them.

Vinyl did not seem to be trying to mock them, in fact Adagio thought that she seemed fairly genuine with her question despite its odd wording. Still, the Dazzlings had been through enough to know better than to trust without good reason.

“It was better than I had expected,” Adagio said slowly, but honestly. Everyone watched her, waiting for her to follow up with an insult.

“I don't like music that can only be performed electrically,” Aria said after a moment. “Sorry.”

Vinyl wrote her response in a small notebook from her pocket. ‘Do not worry about it, I was just surprised to see you there after what happened last time Adagio and I met.’

“Wait,” Sonata said after reading Vinyl's message. “When did you two meet? You said you didn't know who she was!”

“I didn't know who she was, I still don't really,” Adagio said, setting her half-eaten burrito aside. “Although I am starting to wonder…”

Adagio heard something behind her and looked over to see a group of students whispering and glancing at the Dazzlings’ table. More specifically, at Vinyl. She turned back to Vinyl, who was writing in her notebook, evidently taking her time choosing words, and Adagio noticed that she seemed unconcerned with being seen around the three most hated people in Canterlot High. Once she was done, Vinyl showed them what she wrote.

‘Honestly, I am beginning to wonder about you as well. What are you like outside of this school?’

Perhaps it was Vinyl’s wording, that Vinyl had given her the first written note, or maybe she simply misinterpreted the message in front of her, but Adagio could not help but think that she specifically was being spoken to.

“Why don’t we meet over the weekend? Then we can both learn more about each other,” Adagio said before she could gather her thoughts properly.

Vinyl’s eyes were covered by her shades, but it was still clear that she was caught off guard. It took her longer than normal to write a response, as she needed to make a decision first. Vinyl stopped for a beat after finishing her message, and then turned it towards Adagio.

‘I am free Saturday. What did you have in mind?’

“We could have lunch, but I don’t know of any good places,” Adagio admitted.

‘The Sweet Snacks Café has great deserts, and they have vegetarian meals as well.’

“I’ll meet you there around eleven if that works for you.”

Rather than write a new response, Vinyl simply smiled and nodded. She then waved farewell and walked back to her table. Adagio turned back to her table and thought about what she had done. For a few seconds, Aria and Sonata were silent, also trying to figure out what they just saw. Then Sonata smiled.

“So, Adagio,” Sonata started. “You just want to know how she resisted our magic, was that what you said?”

Adagio responded by staring into Sonata’s eyes, daring her to continue. Unfortunately, Sonata was never very good at interpreting Adagio's looks.

“Why do you need to have lunch with her for that? You could have just asked her,” Sonata shrugged and swiped Aria’s last chip as she stood to leave. “Well, enjoy your date.”

Sonata left the cafeteria, leaving without a care for Adagio’s burning glare. Aria also glared at Sonata for her theft, but did not yet stand to leave.

“It is a bit strange that you asked her out,” Aria said carefully. Unlike Sonata, she was not trying to tease Adagio and wanted a response. “I thought that you hated everyone involved in taking our magic.”

Adagio sighed. “I hate Sunset Shimmer, and I dislike the Princess. But the others were just trying to protect their home. I might not like them, but I don’t blame them for what they did. We did worse trying to save our home.”

“Alright, I can understand that. I still don’t understand why you want to go out with her though,” Aria said, not knowing that a few tables over Octavia Melody was saying something very similar to Vinyl Scratch.

Saturday came slowly for Adagio, but it had finally arrived. She had not spoken with Vinyl since making their plans, and could only hope that she had not decided not to come. Aria and Sonata had largely let Adagio go through the week without teasing, but Sonata could not resist the occasional comment.

After some debate, Adagio had decided to wear her usual outfit. It seemed like the safest option as she did not want to appear as though she had over thought it. She grabbed her phone and left her room.

At the front door Adagio found that Aria and Sonata were waiting for her. Adagio took a breath and walked up to them.

“I know you’ve got something for me, but I have to get going. So make it fast,” Adagio said, stopping just in front of them.

Sonata opened her mouth to say something, but Aria put a hand on her shoulder to cut her off and surprised Adagio less with what she said than how sincerely she said it.

“I don’t know if this is a date in your eyes or not, but have fun.” Aria stepped out of the way and pulled Sonata with her.

Adagio didn’t quite know how to react, and decided to simply leave. She opened the door and walked out. In order to reach the Sweet Snacks Café by eleven, Adagio had to leave around nine because she couldn’t drive. Adagio had quite the walk in front of her. Still, she didn’t mind, walking was a good exercise and one of the few things she liked about her human form.

It was not uncommon for Adagio to miss her siren form, especially after having had a facsimile of it during the Battle of the Bands, but she could also admit that legs were kind of nice to have. They were less convenient than being able to float in the air, but perhaps that was why she liked them. As a siren she rarely touched the ground, but as a human she felt it beneath her constantly. It was oddly reassuring.

As Adagio walked, she thought about what she was about to do. Even to her it was hard to call it anything but what it was; she had asked Vinyl out on a date. Adagio was not a teenager, despite appearances, and she should have had control over her emotions, it was not like her to act without thinking. But even stranger than any of that was that Vinyl had accepted.

When she saw Canterlot City Park, Adagio knew that she was getting close to the café. Once she saw the café itself Adagio stopped to take a moment to calm her nerves. She resolved to not let her emotions control her, and took a deep breath to steady herself.

Adagio entered the Sweet Snacks Café and looked around. The café’s theme was the eighties, and they did an alright job making it feel like a different era. It seemed odd to Adagio that people would want to visit the past, but as long as they followed modern health practices then it did not matter that much to Adagio.

The café was not particularly crowded, so it did not take Adagio long to find Vinyl. After taking another steadying breath, she walked over to her.

“Hello Vinyl, good to see you,” Adagio said. “May I sit down?”

Vinyl removed her headphones when she noticed Adagio and nodded in response to her question. While Adagio sat down, Vinyl quickly typed a message on her phone.

‘It is good to see you as well. I only got here a minute or two ago, I have not even been given a menu yet.’

“Alright,” Adagio said, still not quite sure how to interact with someone that does not speak verbally.

They sat without saying anything for a few moments, and would likely have stayed that way for longer had a waitress not rolled up to their table. It was weird that the waitresses of Sweet Snacks Café wore roller blades, but Adagio supposed it was meant to emulate a drive up restaurant.

“Hello Vinyl, welcome back!” The waitress said cheerfully. Then, noticing Adagio, she turned her smile towards her. “And you’ve brought a new face! My name’s Sunny.”

“Adagio Dazzle.”

“Alrighty. Here are your menus, can I get you started with something to drink?”

Vinyl held up her menu and pointed to one of the drink options, and Adagio asked for a soda.

“I'll be back with those for you in a minute,” Sunny said before rolling over to the next table.

Adagio looked over her menu, it was about what she was expecting: it was mostly just standard fare, but also included an impressive vegetarian selection. She was debating between a bean patty burger and an egg salad sandwich when Vinyl tapped Adagio's menu to get her attention. She set her menu down and Vinyl held up her phone.

‘Will it bother you if I eat meat? I noticed that you do not eat meat and I just want to make sure that it would not be a problem for you.’

To Adagio it was a very strange question, one that she had never considered before. Meat was food, there was no point in looking away simply because it was not to her taste. People would still be eating it. Even so, she was oddly touched that Vinyl had thought to ask her.

“No,” Adagio said after a second. “I don't mind at all. Thank you.”

Vinyl nodded but did not pick her menu back up. Having decided, Adagio set her menu down as well. Just in time it seemed, as Sunny returned with their drinks soon after. They made their orders, egg salad sandwich for Adagio and a BLT for Vinyl, and Sunny rolled away to put them in.

With their orders taken, Adagio decided to keep them from falling into silence again. Her intention in meeting with Vinyl Scratch was to learn about her, she was not going to let the opportunity slip away.

“We went to your show on Friday, and I was wondering about your stage name: Pon-3?” Adagio asked.

‘It is pronounced pon-three, not pony, and it does not really mean anything. I used to like horses, and I first “performed” when I was a child.’ Vinyl wrote, soon adding to it. ‘When I got my first real show I was told not to use my real name, and that was the first thing that came to mind.’

“So you’ve always liked music?”

‘Pretty much. I saw someone sing a rock song for some school election at a polo competition my father took me to, and I fell in love with the art of performance and music. What about you?’

“You said it when we first met: I’m a siren. I’ve never lived a minute without music being a part of me.” Adagio said with a shrug. “Until a few months ago anyway.” Adagio’s hand went up to her throat, reaching for a gem no longer there.

Vinyl looked like she wanted to say something and picked up her phone to start typing, but it was then that Sunny returned to their table with their lunch.

“Here you are,” Sunny said after she set their meals in front of them. “Is there anything else I can get for you?” Both Adagio and Vinyl shook their heads so Sunny smiled at them and rolled away.

They ate quietly for a few minutes, both enjoying their meals. Adagio was surprised to find that they served their egg salad sandwiches warm with a melted slice of cheese. Not bad.

After finishing the first half of her BLT, Vinyl picked up her phone in one hand and started typing. ‘You asked me a question, may I ask you one?’

“Of course,” Adagio took another bite of her sandwich.

‘Was music important to you because you enjoy it, or just because you were a siren?’

“Music is important to me, not because I was a siren, but because I love it,” Adagio said without hesitation. “I started with music because I'm a siren, but I knew sirens who hated music and saw it as nothing but a tool.”

Vinyl seemed to appreciate the answer, although Adagio's slip of the tongue did not go unnoticed. Vinyl nodded in understanding after thinking about it for a moment.

The rest of their meal was spent mostly quietly, but both of them were a bit more comfortable after learning about the other. A short time after they finished eating, Sunny came back to their table.

“Can I get you anything else? Our flavour of ice cream for the day is chocolate orange.” Sunny asked while picking up their plates.

Adagio looked over at Vinyl, who quickly held up her phone for her to see. ‘Maybe to go? We could eat in the park.’

“Alright, we'll have dessert to go. I'll have a brownie,” Adagio said before gesturing for Vinyl to order.

Vinyl showed her phone to Sunny, and Adagio couldn't quite see what she ordered.

“Sounds good. One or two checks?”

“I'll pay,” Adagio said, quickly checking Vinyl's reaction to make sure she wasn't committing some sort of faux pas. Once confident in her course of action, she handed Sunny her credit card.

“I'll get this back to you in a minute, and your desserts will be ready soon after,” Sunny said before leaving them alone.

Soon enough, Sunny brought the check, which Adagio signed and handed back.

‘How was your meal?’ Vinyl asked.

“Better than I expected,” Adagio said honestly. “I had expected them to use cheap ingredients, but it was pretty good.”

‘Then you should enjoy your dessert as well; they take a lot of pride in it.’

“Have you ever had a brownie here?”

‘Yes I have, I liked it well enough. Although I am generally more of a cold dessert person.’

Adagio nodded in understanding before standing up. “Speaking of, we should probably go get our desserts before they melt and cool down respectively.”

It seemed like a safe guess to assume that Vinyl had gotten something that could melt after what she said, but Adagio would know soon enough.

Vinyl smiled at Adagio's words as she stood up. She did not start going for the counter though, letting Adagio lead them. They reached it just in time for Vinyl's vanilla flurry mixed with bits of colourful candy to be ready.

They thanked Sunny as they took their desserts and left the café. It was a short walk to the Canterlot City Park, and in almost no time they were at one of its entrances. Here Vinyl took the lead, walking into the park a ways. Adagio had never been to the park before, and simply followed her.

It did not take long for Vinyl to find a bench to sit on. The bench itself was just a simple wooden bench, well-maintained but unremarkable. The bench was just inside a wooded section of the park, and in front of the trees was an open field. The trees were tall and green through and there were some flowers, but it was hardly an impressive view. Still, it was clear to Adagio that Vinyl was familiar with that particular spot. She sat down next to Vinyl and they both started with their desserts.

The brownie was surprisingly good, it was just a simple brownie with no special or clever additions, but it did not need anything. It was warm and also a larger portion than Adagio would have expected. She liked it quite a bit.

Looking over it was evident that Vinyl was also enjoying her dessert. She was not eating very fast and it would definitely be more of a drink by the end, but she was clearly savouring the taste.

They ate their desserts without much conversation, simply enjoying the food and scenery. It took her a moment, but Adagio felt that she understood why Vinyl chose the spot she did even while the park was mostly empty. Adagio could see other people in the field, playing and eating, but she couldn’t hear them. It was not the most scenic place in the park, that much was obvious, but Adagio might have bet that it was the calmest.

Even after they finished their desserts, neither of them started a conversation immediately. For a few minutes they sat there, not really doing anything but enjoying themselves regardless.

“Vinyl, I’ve been wondering,” Adagio started. “When you came to our table Monday, you said something to Sonata just with hand motions. How does that work? I didn’t get the impression that the two of you were close enough to have an entire code for talking to one another.”

Vinyl looked at Adagio with a slight tilt to her head, appearing to be confused by her question. Soon though, she typed a response on her phone. ‘It is sign language. It helps people who cannot speak or those who cannot hear communicate more effectively. Have you never heard of it before?’

Adagio shook her head. “Don't think so. But Sonata knows it?”

Vinyl seemed to let Adagio’s ignorance on the subject drop, and simply answered her question instead. ‘She is not fluent, but she knows more than a lot of people.’

“I see,” Adagio said. It was strange to Adagio that she had not realised that people who cannot speak would still need a way to talk to others. It felt like one of the things that being a siren kept her from considering, as the thought of life without a voice was unfathomable to her before her song was stolen from her.

“Could you teach me?”

Vinyl stared at Adagio, not just confused but surprised. She was not certain she had heard right.

“Not all of it obviously, just some important words and phrases,” Adagio clarified, not realising what had confused Vinyl. Still, it was enough to snap Vinyl back to the present.

‘I can try, but remember that it is a language. It is not something that you will be a master of immediately. Once you are ready, I will teach you how to say hello.’ Once Adagio nodded, Vinyl set her phone down and demonstrated the sign.

It was a simple motion, and Adagio mimicked it easily enough.

‘Good. Now I will show you “see you later”, I tend to use it just as goodbye.’

They continued like that for quite awhile, Vinyl demonstrating signs and correcting Adagio’s mistakes. Adagio found it to be surprisingly fun, and kept asking to learn more.

Eventually, it got late enough that Vinyl had to leave, and they bid each other goodbye for the day. When Adagio got back to her house, she was still smiling from her time with Vinyl.