Chapters Prologue - Just for the Record
“Spark, Ballad, Time for dinner!”
The sound of scrambling hooves echoed through the halls of the two-floor home in Canterlot as two fillies came barreling down the stairs. One was a unicorn with a black mane and a white coat, and the other was a grey earth pony with a coat of grey and a light grey mane. The two rushed into the white marble-floored kitchen and immediately took seats at the table. Standing before the stove was another earth pony mare with a similar coat and mane coloration as the younger, but unlike her apparent daughter, she had her cutie mark: a treble clef. The two young fillies sat quite impatiently at the table, kicking their legs in anxious waiting. A minute passed before the elder earth pony mare spoke again.
“Vinyl Scratch, dinner’s ready!”
Another minute passed by and there was still no response. The mare looked toward her two children and asked, “Do you two know where your other mother is right now?”
“I think mom was working on her new mix,” the white unicorn filly replied.
Letting loose an irritated sigh, the grey mare walked over to the stairs, looked up them and promptly shouted, “Vinyl Jennifer Scratch, you come down and join your family for dinner this instant, or so help me-!”
“Hold your horses, Octy! I’m coming!” replied a voice from upstairs, interrupting the grey mare’s shout. “I was just writing something!”
Octavia shook her head in disbelief. “Vinyl, I must have heard you wrong. Did you say you were writing something?”
“Yeah! Hang on, I’ll be down to show you guys in just a minute!”
“Um...all right, then,” Octavia replied, walking back to the kitchen slowly. ‘Vinyl, MY Vinyl, writing something?’ she thought. ‘Then again, she’s surprised me a number of times before. Though I have to wonder...what could she be planning this time?’
A moment later, Vinyl came running down the stairs with a rather large stack of paper held in the grasp of her light blue magic. Her electric blue mane flowed like water in her wake as she quickly hopped up onto the chair next to Octavia and set the pages down on the table. “Sorry...I took...so long,” she panted out, running a hoof through her mane to push it back out of her face. “I wanted this...to be...as good as I could make it.”
“But...what exactly is it, Vinyl?” Octavia asked.
“Well,” Vinyl began. “You know how you said you wanted the kids to know about our pasts and stuff? What we did before we got together and started our family?”
Octavia nodded. “I recall such a conversation, but I’m just a bit surprised you do as well.”
Vinyl pressed a hoof to her chest, mocking injury. “Oh how sting me with your words, Octy!”
“You know I kid, darling,” Octavia said through a chuckle, leaning over and kissing Vinyl on the cheek. “Now, you were saying?”
“Well, I decided to get a head start on it about a month ago, and all of my hard work went into this!” Vinyl exclaimed happily, placing her hoof atop the pages sitting on the table. “This is my autobiography up to right now!”
Octavia stared at the stack of paper in both shock and awe. “This is...everything, your entire life?”
“Well, all I can remember that would matter,” Vinyl replied. “Starting just before I left home to find my way.”
“Are you gonna read it now, mom?” asked the unicorn filly.
“Not just yet, Sparks,” answered Vinyl, ruffling the filly’s mane. “First, we’re gonna eat.”
"After all," Octavia added, "Our friends were kind enough to provide us with a discount."
The two fillies nodded happily and dinner was underway. Octavia had prepared a sweet vegetable stew, complete with Carrot Top’s carrots, the Apple Family’s freshly-grown apples and lettuce and tomatoes from Octavia’s own little garden outside their house. Octavia had also squeezed out fresh apple juice from the leftover apples, and to top it all off, a loaf of bread fresh from Sugarcube Corner’s oven, courtesy of Pinkie Pie, sat as a makeshift centerpiece on the table as it was steadily devoured over the course of the meal. After their plates were cleaned and the dishes had been washed up, Vinyl made her way to the living room and lit up the fireplace, glancing outside at the snow-covered Ponyville. The weather made going anywhere impossible, which made it perfect for a storytelling evening. She then stationed herself in the large electric-blue armchair closest to the fire, leaving plenty of room for Octavia who snuggled in next to Vinyl. Their two fillies rushed to their accustomed listening positions, nestling comfortably in the two bean bag chairs in the middle of the room.
“Yeah, you broke into her hotel room and she let you stay!” Spark proclaimed.
“Yeah, well, there’s a lot more to it than a simple romantic break-in,” Vinyl continued.
Octavia rolled her eyes. “Right…that was romantic.”
Vinyl chuckled lightly and cleared her throat. “There’s a whole story behind it, and I’m gonna start from the beginning.”
“How close to the beginning, mom?” asked Ballad.
“The VERY beginning, my dears!” exclaimed Vinyl, throwing her hooves into the air and almost elbowing Octavia in the face. “You see, back when I was sixteen, I lived with my dad in his music shop, and I didn’t even know what I wanted to do with my life.”
Vinyl began to weave her fantastic tale, only checking back to the papers for any specific details she might have missed. As the storm raged outside, Octavia and the two fillies sat enchanted by Vinyl Scratch’s story.
“This is how I learned who I really am.”
Author's Note
All right! Here it comes! Time for a revamp of my first fic ever, Requiem Rivalry!
And I'll admit. I'm not really writing this for anyone but myself at this point. Because if it's not something I'd enjoy reading, then I wouldn't expect anyone else to enjoy either!
Chapter I: A Life Too Simple
The blares and beeps of a magic alarm clock shook the room of one young Vinyl Scratch, causing her to jump practically ten feet into the air and crash back down onto her waterbed in a cascading splash of blankets and pillows. Groaning, she fought her way through sheet after sheet, stretching out in search of the Snooze Button. Finally, the tip of her hoof managed to hit its mark, silencing the obnoxious cry of the alarm.
“Ugh…time for another day of…whatever.”
With a quick light blue spark from her horn, Vinyl tossed aside any loose blankets and pillows and stood up on her wobbly bed. She shook her head vigorously, only further mussing up her jet black bed-mane. The marble unicorn stumbled off the waterbed and slowly dragged herself to an end table next to her bed upon which sat her daily effects: a music player with a saddle-like strap, a pair of headphones and a pair of black shades. In a single haphazard magic movement, she wrapped the strap around her body, popped the headphones on and hid her magenta eyes behind the sunglasses.
“Look out day,” Vinyl groaned in deep monotone. “Here comes…Vinyl Scratch…” Vinyl weakly pumped her hoof into the air a few times and spun it around. “Woo.” The clearly-bored unicorn slowly trotted down the stairs of the two-floor shop-apartment build to the Silver Strings music shop her father owned and worked at ‘every day of his life since he was her age’, as the story he constantly told her went.
“Well, look who’s finally up,” joked a tenor voice to Vinyl’s left. Her father, Golden Voice, stood behind the shop counter which had mostly smaller instruments and vintage guitar picks on display. The amber-coated stallion smiled at his lazy daughter. “You know that was the fourth time the alarm went off since nine in the morning. It’s already time for lunch.”
Vinyl rubbed her eyes, still struggling to wake herself up. “Is it really? Wow…well, at least I’m getting a bit better. When was I up yesterday?”
“Two in the afternoon,” her father replied, “and three o’ clock the entire week before that. You are getting better, but let’s try for ten in the morning tomorrow, all right?”
Vinyl groaned once more. “Okay, I’ll try.”
Golden Voice smiled brightly. “That’s my girl. Now, what trouble are you planning on getting yourself into today?”
Vinyl giggled in reply. “No trouble at all, dad. I was just gonna visit Bonnie at her family’s sweet shop.”
“If I didn’t know any better, I’d say you still had a thing for Bon-Bon.”
“Daaaaad!” Vinyl whined. “It’s not like that! We were only together for a month, but she still had some feelings for that friend of hers from Ponyville.”
“If you say so, kiddo,” Golden Voice replied with a not-so-subtle wink. Vinyl groaned and walked toward the door. “How long will you be out?”
“I dunno,” the marble unicorn replied, “probably a couple of hours.”
“Well, not too late,” her father requested. “I want you to try and wake up early tomorrow.”
Vinyl raised a hoof above her eyes and saluted. “You’ve got it, old man.”
With a small laugh, Golden Voice let Vinyl go on her way as he continued tending to the front displays.
“Welcome to Sweets Galore, how may we-Vinyl!”
The white unicorn entered the shop, shooting a smile to the young shopkeeper. “Hey, Bonnie,” she replied. “I take it Mars and Almond are out picking up the weekly ingredients?”
“You’d guess right,” Bon-Bon replied. “As a matter of fact, you just missed them by a few minutes. It’s funny, they actually figured you’d come by today.”
“Well, I figure I’ve gotta fill these barren hours somehow,” joked Vinyl with a light chuckle. “So, handling the counter okay?”
Bon-Bon gave Vinyl a death glare. “You know, you don’t have to keep reminding me of that one time I slipped up.”
“Bonnie, it’s all either of us talked about for two weeks. I mean, how did you manage to mix up nougat and caramel?”
“I was on two hours sleep, remember?” replied Bon-Bon with an interrogating tone. “You had me up the whole night before.”
“You were the one who wanted to see more of the city,” argued Vinyl.
“Not until four in the morning!” Bon-Bon shouted back. “And how was I supposed to know you of all ponies managed to get tickets to see two back-to-back plays; Not musicals, not rock shows, not rave concerts, honest-to-Celestia plays?!”
“My dad kinda pushed those on me anyway,” Vinyl mumbled. “Anyway, that’s not the point. I was actually gonna come in here and ask if you wanted to hang or something, but I can see you’re busy.”
“You can always hang around until my parents get back and take over again,” replied Bon-Bon. “You just have to follow the one rule: don’t touch anything unless you plan on paying for it.”
Vinyl waved a hoof dismissively. “Yeah, yeah, I got it.”
The greenish-grey candy maker deadpanned at her friend. “Vinyl, I want you to swear. Not just any swear, either. I want you to make me a BFF Promise.”
“Bonnie, you can’t just toss out demands for a BFF Promise like that! They have to be important!”
Bon-Bon reached out and pulled Vinyl in close by her mane, holding it down on the counter by a few mere strands. Vinyl Scratch was now inches away and could clearly see the death in her eyes. “Vinyl, whenever you touch one thing, you end up touching everything, and the last six times you did that, I paid for each individual piece of candy out of my own paycheck. Now, you make me that BFF promise NOW.”
Vinyl chuckled nervously and gave a few quick nods. “O-okay, Bonnie! You’ve got it!” Bon-Bon released the marble unicorn, who then proceeded to raise her right hoof to her forehead. “I solemnly swear, by the code of Best Friends Forever, I will follow Bon-Bon’s instructions and not touch anything in the store unless I plan to pay for it.”
Bon-Bon smiled brightly and sighed. “Good. Now, you know the implications as to what will happen should you break your BFF Promise.”
Vinyl recited the code from memory. “If a BFF Promise is broken, the aforementioned BFF who broke said promise is not to be spoken to or associated with by any other BFFs in any way, shape or form. Jeez, who even wrote up all these crazy rules in the first place?”
“Twilight and Lyra of course,” Bon-Bon replied with a grin. “I had to make sure nopony, particularly you, Vinyl, could find a loophole, so I sent it to the two ponies I knew would get it airtight.”
“Stupid Twilight and her fancy library,” grumbled Vinyl as she took a seat next to Bon-Bon behind the counter. “So, where are all the customers?”
“Considering you just walked in here without questioning it, I assume you didn’t see the ‘Closed’ sign before you pushed the door open.”
Vinyl glanced over to the door and saw the ‘Open’ side of the sign. “…Oh, that explains a lot. So then, why are you at the counter if there aren’t any customers?”
“Well, it’s my shift for the rest of the work day,” the confectioner replied. “Or are you losing track of time now, too?”
Vinyl flushed and rubbed the top of her head embarrassedly. “Well, kinda. I’m doing better though! I was up at noon this time!”
“That’s still not good enough, Vinyl. You don’t even have a real job anymore. What happened to that ‘hot-blooded ambition’ you kept going on about?”
“It died when I realized I’d never get a job in Canterlot with a total lack of snobby class,” replied Vinyl. “I think this place was the only one I ever held a job at, and I screwed that by eating the stock. But can you blame me? I mean, you just left the giant lollipops out for everypony to see!”
“So everypony else can buy them! And this can’t be the only place you’ve tried to get work at, Vinyl. What about the Fancy Stallion, the restaurant up the street?”
“They wanted me to wear a suit,” Vinyl complained. “I’m a mare! I don’t want to wear some gender-defining tuxedo!”
“What about a nightclub? Aren’t there any of those around here?”
“Not within travel distance,” replied Vinyl. “Closest one is in the upper circle of Canterlot, and takes an hour to get there.”
“Why don’t you work at your father’s music shop?”
“And have to follow directions from the old man for like ten years? Not a chance, Bonnie!”
Bon-Bon threw her hooves up in defeat. “See, this is why nopony will hire you! You’re impossible to work with! You need to be more flexible!”
“Now if only you’d said that while we were going out-“
Bon-Bon’s face shifted to the deepest shade of red possible. “VINYL!”
“I’m kidding! Jeez, Bonnie, you can’t take a joke, can ya?”
“It wasn’t funny, Vinyl Scratch,” Bon-Bon replied with a pout.
Vinyl continued to grin, but taking note to Bon-Bon’s disagreement of the joke’s comic influence, she toned down her mischievous smile and wrapped a foreleg around her friend. “I’m sorry, Bonnie. You know I didn’t mean it.”
“Yeah…I know.”
Vinyl quickly decided to change the subject. “So, have you been chatting with Lyra lately?”
“I just got another letter from her today,” Bon-Bon answered. “She wants me to visit her in Ponyville again sometime, but I don’t know if I’ll be able to anytime soon. My job sort of keeps me from really leaving Canterlot.”
“Man, I’d love to get out of this dump,” Vinyl complained. “Don’t get me wrong, I’ve got you and dad, two of the best friends I could ask for, but I’d love to see the rest of Equestria for myself. Pictures in books and newspapers just don’t do it justice.”
“Well, I hope we both get what we want,” Bon-Bon stated. The confectioner grabbed two cake-pops out of the bowl on the counter and held one out to Vinyl. “On the house, to our futures.”
Vinyl took the treat in her magic aura and rose up to where Bon-Bon held hers. “To our futures, wherever they are.”
Vinyl Scratch walked back through the double-doors of Silver Strings and greeted her father with a half-hearted wave. “Hey, dad, how was business today?”
“Not bad at all, kiddo,” replied her father. “I managed to sell a set of instruments to a rather well-known young mare for her ensemble.”
“Oh, really? Who was it?” Vinyl asked with genuine curiosity.
“A Miss Octavia Philharmonica.”
Vinyl’s jaw dropped and her mouth hung agape for almost a minute before she pulled herself together. “THE Octavia Philharmonica? Of the Royal Canterlot Orchestral Ensemble? I mean, I don’t listen to that kind of stuff, but isn’t she like, crazy rich and some kind of prodigy?”
“Both are true, and I just sold some of my most quality instruments for a royal sum!” beamed Golden Voice. “Over two thousand five hundred bits!”
“Way to go, old man!” cheered Vinyl, reveling in her father’s great achievement…until she recalled a somber fact and dialed down to zero again. “I mean, yeah…that’s cool.”
Golden Voice walked out from behind the counter and stood before his daughter. “Vinyl, is something the matter?”
Vinyl shook her head, but stopped to think. She knew this wasn't a conversation she could avoid for very long. Her denying shake turned to a slow nod. “I just…I don’t know what I’m meant to be. Bonnie’s got her cutie mark for making candy; even cousin Rarity discovered her talent for finding gems and making fancy dresses with ‘em. But I don’t have anything like that yet. I've been living here in Canterlot for all my life, and not once have I ever found something I think is worth working for. I need to be free, dad! I've got the spirit of a Pegasus in me, and it needs to fly!”
Golden Voice looked down at his daughter and brought her into a gentle hug. “I can’t pretend to know what you’re going through. I've lived here all my life as well and have felt satisfied, but that was only after I’d discovered my talent for singing, and my ability to craft instruments. I want to see you soar too, Vinyl, but I can’t think of any way I’d be able to help you.”
As if having expected a completely different answer, Vinyl gasped lightly, but then silently nodded in acceptance and pulled herself out of her father’s hug, walking back up the stairs to her room. Golden Voice sighed and walked back behind the counter, levitating the ‘Closed’ sign to the front of the door and closing it with his magic. He looked down at the cash register and opened it up, glancing at all the bits inside from his monumental sale before. He’d been debating where this money could go, but with the conversation he’d just had with his daughter, Golden Voice finally came to a conclusion.
Vinyl flicked the lights off in her bedroom and immediately plopped down onto her bed and levitated a pair of studio-grade headphones over to her. She laid down on the pillow and pulled the flexible headset over her ears, magically pushed the ‘Play’ button on her CD radio and drifted off to the sound of light trance.
Chapter II: Learn from Experience
The alarm blared at ten in the morning, and to Vinyl’s own surprise, she was awake, albeit her usual groggy, bored self. “What’s that, clock? Two more hours wouldn’t hurt? Well, if you say so…”
“Vinyl, come on downstairs!” called Golden Voice. “I’ve got something to show you!”
Vinyl groaned, knowing the consequences of not answering to her father’s call. She immediately shot up and rushed down the stairs. ‘No more History of Classical Equestrian Music! I’m not doing that ever again!’ In her haste to reach the bottom floor, Vinyl nearly bolted past her father and out the door. Thinking on instinct she slammed her front hooves into the ground, skidding to a halt. She quickly turned back around to meet Golden Voice eye-to-eye. “You wanted something, dad?”
“I’m actually glad you’re up this early, kiddo,” Golden Voice beamed. “I’ve got a surprise for you.”
Vinyl groaned. “The last time you told me that, I was stuck with half a year of violin lessons. The year before that, it was piano, and before that it was the xylophone, and the guitar and the electric triangle and-“
“I promise you’re going to like this surprise,” her father interrupted, using his magic to pull the drawer behind the counter open. “This is something you’ll actually be able to use. I promise.”
‘Well, it’s definitely not a new, louder radio if it can fit in that drawer,’ Vinyl thought. ‘What did the old man get me now?’
Golden Voice released his arcane grip on the drawer and pulled something out of it. In Vinyl’s half-asleep daze, she thought she was seeing things, but after a double take she noticed exactly what it was: a train ticket. But it wasn’t just any train ticket…it was-
“Is that…a Year-Round Pass for the Equestrian Express?” Vinyl’s eyes widened as she gazed upon the ticket. “B-but…how-“
“I figured out a good use for that money,” answered her father. “This pass will allow you to go wherever you want across all of Equestria for an entire year.”
“But…why would you get me this?” she asked. “I’ve done nothing but waste space around here.”
“Because you said you didn’t know what you wanted to be,” Golden voice replied. “This will let you find out, Vinyl Scratch. You can finally discover your talent.”
Vinyl’s smile grew wider than ever before. The marble unicorn felt a rain of tears of joy filling her eyes as she wrapped both forelegs around her father, hugging him tightly. “Thank you so much, dad,” she replied, her voice cracking a bit. “I know I’ve never done anything to help you around the shop or anything, but-“
“I never wanted you to help me with the shop unless you wanted to,” said Golden Voice. “Only two things matter to me. You’re my daughter. That’s the first. The second is that you’ve finally shown your drive to get out of this snob-filled city and see the world for what it is!”
“Have you been talking to Bonnie? I said those exact same words to her yesterday.”
“Actually, that’s part of the reason I managed to come upon this ticket,” Golden Voice replied. “Almond Joy came in after you went to sleep and told me that Bon-Bon is doing the exact same thing.”
Vinyl smiled, her face now holding an expression of sheer excitement. “No way, Bonnie’s going too? Oh, man, I’ve gotta meet up with her at the station! We can travel together! I was gonna hit Ponyville first anyway. Oh, this is gonna be great! I’ve gotta go pack!” The young unicorn mare bolted back upstairs, and her father could hear her tearing her drawers apart. “Okay, now where are my shades, my backup shades and my backup shades for the backup shades?” Golden Voice chuckled as he returned to his daily post behind the counter, awaiting the usual, although few in number, customers.
Vinyl came barreling down the stairs again; this time with a suitcase in her magic’s tow. She had on her signature shades and had her mane and tail spiked in several places. “I can’t believe this is really happening…this is finally happening! I’m gonna take Equestria by storm!”
“I’m sure you are, kiddo,” Golden Voice added with a light laugh. “But not without this.” He levitated the train ticket over to Vinyl and passed it off to her magical grasp. “Now, remember, you can always come back if you’re finding things aren’t what you expected.”
“I know, dad.” Vinyl moved in to hug her father. “I don’t think it’ll be so tough. I mean, come on…you raised me to be strong, right?”
“That’s right,” Golden Voice replied, planting a light kiss on Vinyl’s forehead. “And don’t ever forget that, kiddo. Now go out there and make the world remember your name.”
Vinyl nodded excitedly and stepped back a bit, taking a moment simply to take in her last memory of home for a long time. She turned to the door and began walking out. “I love you dad.”
“I love you too, Vinyl. Make me proud, but more importantly, make Vinyl Scratch proud.”
Vinyl marched out the door proudly, luggage at her side. She was ready to take on the world.
“Heya, Bonnie!”
Vinyl Scratch came running up to the train station where her friend Bon-Bon stood with her own suitcases. The confectioner smiled as the marble unicorn trotted up to join her. “So, this is really happening, huh?”
“Pinched myself every minute while I was walking over here just to make sure it was,” Vinyl replied. “We’re finally living our dreams…kinda. I mean, I get to travel, and you’re finally gonna get to see Lyra again.”
Bon-Bon seemed to fall into a state of deep, dream-like thought when Vinyl mentioned Lyra. Vinyl noticed this and performed the one action that she knew could snap her friend out of this state: clapping her hooves together in front of her eyes. “Yo, Bonnie, stay with me! You kinda spaced out there for a second.”
“O-oh…Sorry about that, Vinyl. I guess I’m still thinking about Lyra’s offer.”
Vinyl’s head tilted to the side in confusion. “What offer?”
Bon-Bon nervously waved a hoof dismissively. “Oh, it’s really no big deal. It isn’t anything to worry about, honestly. I mean, she just kinda…asked if I wanted to move in with her.”
“Wait, what now?” Vinyl stared at her friend in shock. “You…aren’t really considering it, are you, Bonnie?”
“I’ve…put some thought into it,” admitted Bon-Bon. “I mean, I’ve never really been too happy staying in Canterlot myself. I love my parents, don’t get me wrong, but I think a nice, simple, rural lifestyle might be a decent change. So I’m going to tell Lyra I’ll stay with her for a week, and if I like it, I’ll write my parents telling them I’m staying. That’s what this whole trip is for anyway, isn’t it? Aren’t we traveling to try new things?”
“I guess you’re right,” acknowledged Vinyl. “But we’re still BFFs right?”
“We established the code, didn’t we? Best Friends Forever means forever.”
Vinyl nodded. “Right.”
A deep, loud horn sounded out as the train pulled into the station. As Vinyl and Bon-Bon began walking, the marble unicorn lifted up both her and Bon-Bon’s bags in her magic aura. The confectioner nodded thankfully as the two boarded the train and showed their passes to the conductor. The two friends were allowed into the car and moved towards a pair of seats close to the door. The seats they claimed had two small compartments beneath them just the right size for the suitcases. Vinyl and Bon-Bon took their seats just as the engineer blew the train’s whistle and released the brake handle, setting the train in motion to Ponyville. The billowing smoke puffed out of the smokestack as the coal engine vehicle pulled its pace up to its maximum of thirty miles per hour. The rhythm of the train rolling along the tracks was more than enough to lull Vinyl Scratch into a light repose. It wasn’t long after she’d drifted off before Bon-Bon was nudging her to awaken.
“C’mon, Vinyl, the train’s pulling in!”
“That’s…what she said,” Vinyl mumbled, partially drunk on twilight sleep.
“Don’t make me kick your flank off this train myself, Vinyl Scratch!”
“Ugh, fine.” Vinyl pulled herself out of her daze and rose up from the seat all while absentmindedly taking both hers and Bon-Bon’s luggage from beneath the chairs and heading out through the train car door. “Whoa.”
Simple as it was, Ponyville wasn’t anything like Vinyl thought it would be. The biggest surprise was that it wasn’t as much a bumpkin town as she’d heard the snobs in Canterlot call it constantly. Of course, she figured that was all talk anyway. For once, Vinyl breathed in fresh, smog-free air and couldn’t help but continue to take it all in.
“Vinyl, snap out of it!” shouted Bon-Bon. “We’ve got to make room for the other ponies boarding the train, you know.”
Bon-Bon’s call brought Vinyl back in control. She gave her friend a nod and a grin as the two set off into Ponyville. Vinyl took in all the sights, from the library to the bakery and even a rather large, elegant, almost Canterlot-like-
“…There is no possible way that’s-“
“Vinyl, darling, is it truly you?!”
Vinyl’s eyes widened. “Oh, Celestia, here we go.”
Vinyl found herself pulled into a bone-crushing hug by none other than her cousin, younger than her only by a few years, Rarity. The alabaster unicorn released her death grip on Vinyl and stepped back a bit. “Oh, how long has it been, Vinyl? It feels as if ages have passed since we’ve last seen one another! How have you been? How has Canterlot been treating you? Oh and how is Uncle Golden?”
“In this order,” began Vinyl as she rattled off the answers to her cousin’s barrage of questions: “Eight years, been alright, boring and full of snobs, and dad’s fine. So, looks like you’ve certainly made your mark on this little town, huh?”
Rarity sighed melodramatically. “I’m not living as lavishly as I’d hoped, Vinyl. In fact, I’m currently dealing with a…small issue of sorts.”
“What kind of ‘issue’, cuz?” asked Vinyl.
In a few short seconds, however, she received her answer as an assortment of various gemstones floated out of Rarity’s shop in a light blue magic aura. The fashionista quickly turned and rushed back inside. “Sweetie Belle, put those gems down! They don’t belong to you!” Rarity popped her head back out the door and smiled sweetly at Vinyl. “I’m so sorry about this, my dear. We’ll have to catch up some other time when I’m not foalsitting my baby sister. ‘Bundle of joy’ my flank, mom.”
Vinyl and Bon-Bon continued walking the dirt path through Ponyville. After a few more minutes, Bon-Bon seemed to light up and rushed forward to one house in particular, knocking rapidly on the door. Bon-Bon’s hooves danced anxiously as she waited for a response, and sure enough, no more than ten seconds later, the door was pulled open by a mint-green unicorn’s magic. The confectioner barely waited for the door to be opened before she tackled the unicorn to the ground in a hug. “Lyra! It’s been forever!”
“H-heya, Bonnie! You sure caught me by surprise there…” Lyra looked out the door once again and gave a simple nod to the unicorn standing outside. “Sup, Vinyl. You can come in too, y’know.”
“Yeah, I know,” said Vinyl in reply, “but I think I’m gonna leave you two alone for a bit. I wanna check out Ponyville a bit more.”
“Suit yourself,” Lyra said with a shrug. “Hey, Bonnie? You can get off me now.”
“Oh, r-right.” Bon-Bon scrambled to her feet as she turned a deep shade of red. “Sorry.”
“Damn, you’re easy to make blush,” laughed Lyra. “Good to know.”
“Yeah, I’m just gonna let you two lovebirds spend some time together. I’ll be back later. Say, Heartstrings, you mind if I crash at your place for a bit too? I don’t really know anypony else here.”
“I’ve got no problem, but only if Bonnie’s cool with it too,” answered Lyra. The mint unicorn looked to her still-blushing friend. “What do you say?”
Bon-Bon nodded, the deep red receding from her face. “Of course, as long as she doesn’t try anything funny…you won’t try anything funny, will you, Vinyl?”
Vinyl raised her hoof. “You’ve got the BFF Promise, Bonnie. Besides, I’d worry more Lyra pulling any funny business…I’ve seen what she can do with that horn of hers.”
Now it was Lyra’s turn to blush. “Damn it, Vinyl, I cannot be held accountable for what I do under the influence of Berry Moonshine!”
“You can’t, but it’s still damn funny,” Vinyl managed through roaring laughter. “Now I’m gonna let you two get reacquainted while I explore the rest of this town. Catch you sexy mares later.”
Vinyl trotted off, laughing to herself. Lyra and Bon-Bon looked at one another, bewildered. “You know,” began Bon-Bon, “for a filly with only two friends, Vinyl can be…sadistically charismatic sometimes.”
“Maybe that’s her special talent,” Lyra remarked: “Being a wise-ass.”
Vinyl wandered about the streets of Ponyville, simply looking for what she would define as a ‘good time’. The sun was almost setting and she’d been out for several hours already, yet she had discovered nothing worth looking into just yet. Sure enough, she found it in the form of a quaint little bar sitting on the corner of the street. Vinyl grinned and walked right into the tavern without a second thought and took a seat at the bar where a pinkish earth pony mare stood wiping down the counter with a wine-stained rag that had seen more than enough use. The barkeep didn’t even notice Vinyl until she cleared her throat to get her attention. The mare suddenly glanced up in surprise.
“Oh! I’m so sorry, I was so busy cleaning down the bar, I couldn’t-“
“Don’t worry about it,” said Vinyl, dismissing the barkeep’s concerns. “So, what’s a place like this doing in Ponyville? I figured bars like these only existed in places like Manehatten or Las Pegasus…massive cities and stuff.”
“Well, I used to live in Las Pegasus,” replied the barkeeper mare. “But I wanted a simpler life away from all the glitz and glamour, so my friends suggested I check out Ponyville. I’ve been here for over three years now and I’ve never regretted it. By the way, the name’s Berryshine. But you can just call me Berry Punch.”
“I’m Vinyl Scratch. Wait…Berryshine…” Vinyl thought for a moment. She suddenly gasped in realization. “Wait a minute; you’re the creator of Berryshine Punch?”
The earth pony seemed slightly puzzled. “Yes, that’s mine and my father’s recipe…why?”
“Oh, man, I love that stuff!” exclaimed Vinyl. “My dad used to order it special to Canterlot every few weeks. It was a monthly tradition.”
Berry blushed a bit. “Well…thank you so much for the compliment. It’s not often that I have somepony come in and tell me how much they like my drink.”
“Speaking of, what kind of drinks you got here?”
“Anything you can think of, sans the season-only Sweet Apple Hard Cider.”
Vinyl looked around and thought for a moment. “Hmm…I don’t really think my gracious hosts are gonna want me drinking on the first day…so I’ll take the strongest stuff you’ve got!”
“Hosts?” inquired Berry Punch. “Who are you staying with?”
“My friend Bon-Bon and her ‘friend’ Lyra Heartstrings,” replied Vinyl.
“Oh, then I’m sorry but I can’t let you have any drinks,” Berry said. “I made a BFF Promise not to give alcohol to any of Lyra’s friends unless she’s with them. In fact, I think that particular request had something to do with you, Vinyl.”
“Well, that’s just great,” complained the unicorn mare. “What else can I even do in Ponyville, then?”
“Can’t help you there,” Berry replied. “Honestly, you don’t seem like the type of pony who takes things slow, so Ponyville might not really be for you at all.”
“I’m starting to figure as much,” Vinyl thought aloud. “But I owe it to Bonnie and Lyra to at least stick it out for a while. They’re my friends, and we follow the BFF Code.”
“Gotta love that code, yeah?” chuckled Berry.
“Keeps things solid between friends,” replied Vinyl with a nod. “Anyway, I guess I’ll head back to Lyra’s place. See ya around, Berry, hopefully.”
Berry Punch nodded in turn and went right back to cleaning the bar counter. “Same here,” she replied while focusing on her work. “Have a good evening, Vinyl.”
“Hold your horses, I’m coming!” Lyra yelled, hopping up off the couch and trotting over to the door.
“Lyra, why didn’t you just open it with your magic?” asked Bon-Bon.
Lyra stopped in her tracks for a moment and stared back at Bon-Bon with a deadpanned expression. “You could’ve told me that before I got up, Bonnie.”
The mint unicorn turned the door handle in her magic and pulled the door open to reveal an incredibly bummed-out Vinyl Scratch. She sighed and walked inside, drudging past Lyra and Bon-Bon and just collapsing on the floor.
“Vinyl…are you okay?” Bon-Bon asked.
“Did you even do anything today?” asked Lyra in turn. “You look like you just kinda…wandered. Did you talk to anypony or anything?”
Vinyl groaned, not wanting to continue this conversation but fully aware she had to. “I met Berry Punch, but it got late and everypony else was already home. This is the time when the clubs would open up back in Canterlot and-“
Vinyl stopped herself, scrambling up off the floor and scoffing. “Pfft, screw Canterlot! I don’t need to go back to that boring, snob-filled city. I’ll be perfectly fine here in Ponyville! I can fit into tiny little place like this! You’ll see!” Vinyl stormed off in a huff, heading to the rooms upstairs. Lyra glanced over at Bon-Bon, concerned.
“Okay, she’s worse off than your letter said,” the unicorn said. “Like, she’s really losing it. I can tell.”
“But what can we do?” Bon-Bon asked. “She’s too stubborn to give this up so quickly. We’d literally have to force her onto the next train to…anywhere else!”
Lyra paused, taking in Bon-Bon’s last statement. Her face suddenly lit up with a grin so evil it would rival Discord’s. The confectioner looked back at her friend with worry. “Lyra…you can’t really be considering-“
“We’re going to do what’s right for our friend,” declared Lyra. “Whether she knows it or not!”
Author's Note
Peoples who are following this story, hear me!
Kay, so, I write, but not as often as I'd like to. I've kinda lost my drive lately, but because of the 50+ faves I got on this story within a week of posting Chapter 1, I was PSYCHED to get back into it, but I need more than just people following the story. This is the obligatory 'whoring myself out' Author's Notes post. If you like this story, I'd certainly appreciate the watch as well! I plan on pumping out some other stories (not necessarily shipping, I'm trying to diversify my styles) when I can manage my time better (EX: less/no school, vacations and whatnot.)
So, there. Done with the shameless self-promotion. Carry on.
Chapter III: A Step in the Right Direction
Vinyl stirred in her sleep, tossing and turning and-wait. She wasn’t tossing and turning. Her bed was! Vinyl shot up suddenly and glanced around. She knew she’d fallen asleep in Lyra’s guest room, but for some reason, she was now once again aboard the Equestrian Express bound for Celestia-knows-where. Vinyl tried to gather her thoughts, but the only thing building in her mind was a sense of rage. “Some best friends,” she muttered. “Toss me on the first train out of Ponyville to get rid of me. Well, fine. I can handle myself just fine in…uh…”
Vinyl stood up, first checking to make sure her bags were placed on the train with her, which they were, then heading over to the ticket taker standing by the door. “Yo, buddy, where’s this train heading?”
The stallion looked over at Vinyl Scratch and then turned back to his post. “This train is headed for Manehatten, and it’s one-way, little lady. If you want to go back to Ponyville, you’ll have to ride the other train all the way back from Las Pegasus.”
Vinyl’s jaw dropped. “You’ve gotta be kidding me…that’s three days away from Ponyville alone, never mind the trip there in the first place…guess I’ll just get off in Manehatten, see what I can do there.”
The stallion ignored her and Vinyl walked back to her seat, hopping back up and burying her face into the cushion. ‘When I get back to Ponyville, Lyra and Bonnie are gonna get an earful…still, I guess it wasn’t that bad. Bonnie knew I was getting bored. She always knows, somehow. She’s always been crazy psychic like that.’
The train screeched to its stopping point at the Manehatten station and Vinyl wearily began heading off, her luggage in tow and a bit of a scowl across her face. ‘But Lyra…I mean, who does she think she is? She doesn’t know me as well as Bonnie does and she’s probably the one that put that whole plan together, the conniving little-‘
*THUD!*
Vinyl’s bags hit the ground as she crashed into another pony next to her.
“Hey, watch where you’re going!” scolded a voice that Vinyl found increasingly familiar, but doubted it in the spur of the moment.
“Why don’t you do the same, ya-…“ Vinyl’s gaze darted up to her ‘assailant’ and was met with the returning violet irises of the other pony. “…Twilight? Twilight Sparkle, is that actually you?”
The unicorn mare Vinyl had slammed into did a double-take at the white unicorn, and then simply smiled brightly. “Vinyl Scratch, I can’t believe it’s you! I haven’t seen you in years!”
“Yeah, well…” Vinyl chuckled sheepishly, rubbing the back of her head. “I’ve been stuck in Canterlot until just recently. So, what brings you here?”
“Well, Princess Celestia asked me to travel all the way from Ponyville to Las Pegasus and perform a social analysis involving the exchange of friendly bouts of dialog between close acquaintances.”
Vinyl’s head tilted left. “Could you repeat that with smaller words, Twi?”
Twilight giggled and said, “I have to see how different kinds of friends greet each other in different towns and cities.” Vinyl’s mouth formed an ‘O’ and she nodded. “So, Vinyl, what are you doing so far from home? Ponyville is its own way’s away from Manehatten, but Canterlot is another story entirely.”
“Let’s just say I finally got the means to find myself out here in the world,” Vinyl replied, pulling the train pass out of her bag and showing it to Twilight.
“That’s a Year-Round Equestrian Express pass! Those are pretty expensive, and hard to get ahold of. How’d you manage it?”
“Dad got it for me,” she answered. “He scored a lucky shot by selling instruments to Octavia Philharmonica and used the bits to get me the pass. So, answer me this one, Twi. What brings you here all the way from Canterlot yourself?”
“Oh, I don’t live in Canterlot anymore,” Twilight replied. “I moved into the library in Ponyville. I’m a bit surprised you didn’t see me while you were there, or when I boarded the train from the station this morning.”
“Well, about that,” Vinyl said adapting a bit of a scowl and a blush. “Lyra and Bonnie tossed me on the first train out of Ponyville without my okay.”
Twilight groaned, “Ugh, seriously? I’m honestly wondering why I even drafted up that Best Friend code with Lyra if she’s gonna pull a stunt like that! When I get back to Ponyville, I’ve got a word to have with her, that’s for sure!”
“It’s cool, Twi, really,” Vinyl replied, toning down a bit. “Honestly, I’m over it already. As much of a jerk it makes Lyra look like, I did kinda need a bit more of a push than I was giving myself.”
“Are you really sure about that, Vinyl?” Twilight asked.
Vinyl nodded. “Yeah, it was a bit over the top, but she was doing it as a friend, so I’m okay now.” The unicorn glanced around. “So, uh…what do you know about Manehatten?” Twilight began to speak, but Vinyl quickly covered her mouth with a hoof. “And when I ask that, I don’t mean ‘give me the entire history of Manehatten,’ I mean ‘tell me what’s relevant here’.” Twilight chuckled, her face red with embarrassment as Vinyl brought her hoof down. “What kind of places does this city have?”
“It would be easier to tell you what the city doesn’t have, Vinyl,” Twilight replied. “Next to Canterlot, Manehatten is one of the largest cities in Equestria. There’s over a hundred restaurants, dozens of tourist attractions, museums, night clubs, hotels and-“
“Hold up there, Sparkle,” Vinyl interrupted, “Did I hear you right when you said, ‘night clubs’?”
“Well, of course there are night clubs, Vinyl,” Twilight replied. “What kind of a city would Manehatten be if it didn’t have any night clubs? It isn’t called ‘the city that never sleeps’ for no reason.”
Vinyl’s eyes widened. ‘This could be it!’ she gleefully exclaimed within her thoughts. ‘I’ve always loved music, but there might actually be something at this club that could actually show me the way! I might finally find what I’m good at! Twilight Sparkle, I could kiss you right now!’
“Sorry, Vinyl, but you know I don’t swing that way,” Twilight vocalized, leaving Vinyl blushing hotly and incredibly shocked. “What, you honestly didn’t think I’d be able to cast a mind-reading spell? That was one of the first lessons in Celestia’s Divination class, and I mastered it in three days. Imagine the looks on the guard’s faces when I started finishing their sentences for them.”
“Uh…y-yeah, that’s great, Twilight,” Vinyl stuttered out, slowly walking past her friend. “But I’ve gotta go check out those clubs you were talking about…catch ya later!” With those final words, Vinyl took off full gallop down the street faster than Twilight had ever seen her run. She simply giggled and continued on her own way as she contemplated what Vinyl was about to get herself into.
Vinyl rushed through the busy city streets of Manehatten, desperately searching for the aforementioned night clubs. ‘Man, this place is packed. I wonder if I’ll ever find this stupid club, if it even exists.’ Sighing, frustrated, Vinyl continued onward on her seemingly-hopeless quest until she came to a park of sorts, which she assumed was a center point of the city. She grumbled angrily, kicking up a cloud of dust with her hoof as she walked over to a bench and sat down, disgruntled. “Can’t believe I ran off without even asking her where it was…stupid Vinyl, always making bad decisions. You’re never gonna get anywhere doing dumb things like that.”
“Do you always talk to yourself when you’re alone in the middle of Manehatten?”
“GAH!” Vinyl practically skyrocketed off the bench and tumbled down to the ground. It took her eyes a few seconds to readjust to the sudden change of scenery, but she was greeted with what she immediately perceived as a vision of loveliness: a grey earth pony mare with a black mane and a cello case set down to her left. “W-what do you think you’re doing, scaring somepony like that? Are you trying to give me a heart attack?”
The earth pony gasped, “Heavens, no! I’d never do such a vile thing…I was honestly concerned, considering you were holding one-sided conversation with yourself in such a public place…not that anypony was around to hear it anyway.”
“Um…yeah, that’s good, I guess,” Vinyl agreed, awkwardly rising up and brushing the dust out of her mane. “So, who are you, anyway, and why’d you come over here to bug me?”
The mare scoffed. “Excuse me, but you just so happened to be in my usual spot. Do you not know who I am?”
“Nope,” Vinyl replied immediately, “New in town, no idea what anything or who anypony is, so yeah.”
“Well then,” the mare replied in turn, “Allow me to first apologize for my semi-brutish behavior, and then introduce myself. I am Octavia Philharmonica.”
Vinyl’s brain stopped dead in its tracks. “Wait a minute…THE Octavia Philharmonica? Aren’t you like crazy rich or something? What are you doing in the middle of some dinky park?”
“I happen to practice here all the time, actually,” Octavia replied. “I’ve got a solo tonight and I always like to make sure I’m prepared.”
Vinyl made an ‘O’ face and sat back down on the bench. “Can I watch?”
“Watch what, me practice?” asked Octavia, who pondered the answer for a moment. “I…actually, I don’t see why not. No matter the size, an audience is an audience.”
Vinyl got comfortable on the bench and cheered, “Sweet!” She lay against the back of the bench, waiting and watching for Octavia to begin.
The earth pony mare began unlocking her hoof-crafted case and within was a cello that had definitely had many years of music played across its strings. She stood it upright and she herself followed, rising up on her rear legs and wrapping her hooves around the neck of the instrument, taking up the bow in one and pressing down on the neck strings with the other, also using herself as a stand for the instrument and vice versa. Taking a deep breath and placing the bow on the lower strings, she closed her eyes began to play .
The sound was like nothing Vinyl could describe. It was no Deadhor5 or Tartarus like she was used to, but it was amazing to her ears. She could almost feel the music moving from Octavia’s body into the cello with every stroke of the bow. Her heart and soul flowed out into the air in a cascading dance, and Vinyl sat in shock and awe, unable to produce nothing more than silent gasps of wonder. ‘How am I so paralyzed by this music? This stuff isn’t even my style, and yet…there’s something about the way she plays that just has me…mesmerized.’
Octavia finished her song rather quickly, sighing softly and taking a bow using her cello for balance. She opened her eyes, looked up and saw Vinyl, staring at her, absolutely speechless. Octavia couldn’t withhold a slight giggle. “So, I take it that means you enjoyed it.”
Vinyl snapped back to attention and made a few rapid nods. “Yeah, it was really good! You’re gonna do fantastic on that solo of yours. Heck, I might come see it…if I could afford it.”
“Well, you’re quite the lucky one, then,” Octavia said with a smile, reaching into her cello case and pulling out a paper ticket of sorts. “I happen to have a few promotional tickets for friends and such, and I wouldn’t mind giving you one.”
Vinyl’s jaw dropped, “For real? Oh, man, that’s awesome!” Vinyl immediately jumped forward, grappling Octavia in a bone-crushing hug. “Thanks, Tavi, you’re the best!”
Octavia winced slightly. “T-Tavi? What is that for?”
“Oh, I give nicknames to all my friends,” Vinyl proclaimed proudly, receding from the hug and smiling at Octavia.
“But…we’ve only known each other for all of ten minutes, how-“
“Yeah, I make friends fast,” Vinyl interrupted. “Oh, yeah, would you happen to know where the night clubs are around here?”
“Well, I know of one across from the concert hall down Mane Street a few miles, but it’s-“
“Thanks! I’ll catch ya later after your show, Tavi! Good luck, or break a leg, or whatever it is musicians say for good luck!” Vinyl bolted off down the street, far too excited to be considered safe. Octavia stared in utter confusion for several seconds before simply brushing it off and chuckling.
“That was one strange mare,” she noted. “Looks like Fredrick was right…I do attract the crazies.”
Vinyl finally arrived in front of the night club, which she was surprised how she could have ever missed. It had a huge neon sign that, in a twist of irony, actually read ‘Neon’. It wasn’t lit up yet, but she decided to venture in regardless. The interior didn’t look all that decorated just yet, but the floor was made up of greyed panels, which Vinyl assumed lit up in various colors when the club was active. As she passed the empty bar, she came up to the DJ stand on the main stage. The DJ’s turntables were locked in place and locked up behind a glass cover, which looked obviously set up with an alarm. Before she could creep any closer to it, she felt something tap her shoulder, followed by a rather casual, relaxed voice inquiring, “Something I can help you with, babe?”
Vinyl nearly jumped out of her coat, but managed to keep a cool head and turned to face the voice. “Uh, yeah, this is the club, right?”
“Well, duh, babe,” replied the stallion behind her. He was a grey-coated stallion with a black mane, a pair of blue-tinted shades and a triad cluster of stars as his cutie mark. “It’s one of the clubs in Manehatten, but it’s not just any club, this is the club, and it’s also my club. Name’s Neon Lights, but only when I’m off work. Once I hit the stage, you can just call me MC W15H.”
“Name’s Vinyl Scratch,” she replied. “I was actually looking for this place to see if there was anything I could do. See, I don’t exactly have my cutie mark yet, because I’ve really got no idea what I want to do with my life, but I’ve always loved music! And the club scene’s always got my favorite kinds of songs, so I figured ‘why not try here first’, y’know?”
Neon chuckled nostalgically. “Kinda reminds me of when I first set out on my own. I thought the same way, and sure enough I found myself here. In fact, the guy who used to own this place passed it on to me when he retired. Course, he’d practically been in this business since the business began. Don’t be eyeballing my job just yet, babe.”
“No way, man,” Vinyl shook her head. “I’m just in it for the music.”
“Now that’s what I like to hear,” Neon said with a grin. “Well, we’re pretty much locked up tight on everything for tonight’s set, but if you wanna chill backstage with me and some of the DJs opening tonight, you’re more than welcome to. After all, it’s not every day the aspiring DJs are so cute.”
Vinyl’s face went deep red. “Y-yeah, that’d be…cool and stuff.”
“Cool,” Neon replied, walking to a hallway closer to the back of the club. “C’mon, I’ll show you around a bit.”
“O-okay…” Vinyl sat stunned for a few seconds, then silently squealed as she charged off after Neon.
Later that night, the club scene was certainly as exciting as Vinyl had pictured it: over two hundred ponies walked through the doors and not even a minute later, they were completely decorated with various glowing bracelets, necklaces, crowns and otherwise-colorful accessories. It was a true party, and Vinyl loved every second of it. Of course, Vinyl wasn’t spending much time among the front crowds. Instead, she was hanging in the back room with Neon Lights and the other club employees as they relaxed before the show truly began.
“And so the stallion replied, ‘that’s not salt, buddy!’” Vinyl shouted. Her present audience roared with relentless laughter, Neon himself tumbling over out of his chair, gripping his sides.
“Oh, man, Vinyl, you’ve got the best jokes,” Neon cried out, trying to get control over himself. “You’re gonna make a great addition to the crew.”
“So, what do you want her starting out on, Neon?” asked a nearby white-maned blue-coated mare with a black star as her cutie mark. “I don’t want you to push the poor girl too hard, little brother.”
“Calm down, Cosmic,” Neon replied. “I won’t stick her in Boot Camp just yet. That’s for the big leagues. Vinyl’s gonna have to start out where everypony else did in this place: as a barista.”
“Serving tables?” came a rather disgusted inquiry from the stallion next to Cosmic, sporting more glow sticks, bracelets and necklaces than most ponies out on the floor. His red coat and jet-black mane were almost invisible against the impossibly bright color palate provided by the accessories, but somehow his glowstick-cross mark stood out. “Good luck, kiddo. Being a busmare’s gonna suck.”
“Oh, give it a rest, Prism,” Cosmic said, giving a medium-strength punch to Prism’s shoulder and turning back to Vinyl. “You’re gonna do fine, sweetie. Just stick to what we tell you and you’ll pull through just fine.”
Neon stared at the clock, tapping his hoof anxiously on the floor. “Where the heck is GR1M? He’s supposed to open my set with a few songs he brought with him.” He glanced around the room, and then looked to Vinyl. “Got your first job babe. Go looking for DJ GR1M. He’s a grey stallion with a silver mane and a silver skeleton cutie mark. He’ll also be wearing a big skull helmet. It’s sort of his thing, but I think it’s kinda dumb.”
“You got it, Neon!” Vinyl exclaimed, saluting and heading to the door. She quickly swung it open and a loud ‘THUD!’ was heard. The break room went silent as all four heads poked out around the door to see an unmasked DJ GR1M, now hopelessly unconscious on the floor.
“Uh…oops.”
“Vinyl, what did you do?!” Neon yelled, now in full-on panic mode.
“I-I’m sorry, I didn’t see him there! I was just opening the door and ‘WHAM!’, it hit him!”
“Vinyl, calm down,” Cosmic cooed, pulling Vinyl into a light hug. “You didn’t mean to do it.”
“She might not have meant to, but now we don’t have our promised opener!” shouted Prism. “Who’s gonna go on before Neon now? Me?”
“Of course not, Pris,” Neon replied. “Neither you nor Cosmic are. I can open the set without him.”
“But these guys are waiting for DJ GR1M, Neon,” Cosmic said. “You’re just gonna walk out there and tell them they’re not even getting any kind of opening act?”
“I’ve got no choice,” Neon replied. “Damn it…I’m probably gonna lose a ton of bits on this one…people are gonna leave as soon as they hear GR1M isn’t opening, plus I’ll have to pay off Grim Skull’s medical bill, any repairs for the door, and-“
“I’ll do it,” Vinyl said plainly.
“Vinyl, what are you talking about?” asked Neon.
“I’ll do it,” she repeated. “I’ll run the set instead of DJ GR1M.”
“Vinyl, sweetie, you don’t know the first thing about working with turntables,” Cosmic said. “…Do you?”
“I’ve read some tutorials from a few music magazines…I understand the basics. I could try to pull something off until GR1M wakes up. And if he doesn’t…I’ll just wing it until Neon’s up. How long was GR1M’s set?”
“Three hours, Vinyl,” Neon replied. Vinyl’s eyes widened. “GR1M was meant to play until midnight, and then I would take over until six in the morning.”
“You don’t have to do this, Vinyl,” Cosmic said, still trying to console Vinyl. “Neon can just tell everypony that DJ GR1M got lost on the way here.”
“No, I have to take responsibility for my mistake,” Vinyl replied. “I’ll try to take over GR1M’s set, and if I screw up…well, then that’s it. I get blacklisted before I’ve even started and I head back home to Canterlot. No big deal.”
“But it is a big deal, Vinyl,” said Neon. “You told us what your life was like up there, how you were bored every hour of every day…are you really prepared to just give all this up, go back there and live it all over again?”
“I don’t see much of a choice,” Vinyl replied. “I mean, if this isn’t actually my talent, then I will mess it up, so I’ll see no point in continuing on then.”
Prism began to console her now. “Vinyl, there’s more to music than just clubs and-“
“Not to me,” Vinyl interrupted. “This is all I know…the club scene is me, I know it. So if I’m not cut out for this, then I’ll just go.” Vinyl glanced around the room and levitated a random pair of violet-tinted shades over her eyes. “At least if I do get run out of Manehatten, nopony will be able to see who I really am.”
As Vinyl began to walk out of the room, Neon quickly pulled the door shut with his magic. “Hold up there, babe.”
Vinyl sighed and turned around. “Are you gonna give me some big speech about why I shouldn’t do this or how the bits don’t matter or some other dramatic dialogue like that? Because I’m not gonna listen.“
“Actually, I was gonna tell you that you’re nowhere near ready to hit that stage yet,” Neon said. “You’re gonna need a full set of digs. If you’re really risking your dreams on one make-or-break chance, you’re going up there in style.”
“Neon, what are you-“
“Cosmic, get her into the chair. Prism, grab the mane dye and gel. We’ve got work to do.”
“On it, boss,” replied Prism.
“Sorry about this, Vinyl,” Cosmic said, pushing her magic to its limit and lifting Vinyl into the chair sitting before the vanity mirror.
“Whoa, hey, what’s going on here? What are you guys do-…Neon, you get that bottle of conditioner away from me…no, not my mane! Stay back! BACK, ALL OF YOU! I KNOW KARATE OR SOMETHING!”
Neon and his employees would consider the next half hour a success. Vinyl would be more inclined to call it hell. However, in the end, Vinyl was surprised with her own satisfaction. “I…look…amazing!” Vinyl’s mane was styled in more bold spikes and dyed strands of electric blue. “You guys did an awesome job.”
“This coming from miss ‘stay back, all of you, I know karate or something’,” Prism jeered.
“Can it, glowstick boy,” Cosmic chided, punching Prism in the shoulder lightly. “You look spectacular, Vinyl…now, you know what you’ve gotta do, right?”
“Take the stage, play GR1M’s set list, jam to three hours-worth of music and keep the crowd pumped until Neon goes up,” Vinyl replied.
Neon nodded. “You got it. If you’re really sure you can handle it, then get on out there and…wait, we almost forgot something!”
“What is it, Neon?” asked Cosmic.
“Vinyl doesn’t have a stage name yet. What do you guys think?”
“I think she looks like a ‘DJ 5PARK5’,” Cosmic suggested.
“How about ‘MC AUR0RA’?” inquired Prism.
“Nah, those are too flashy,” Neon said. “You got any ideas, Vinyl?”
“Kinda,” she replied. “It’s a pretty simple one, though... DJ PON-3, with a ‘3’ as an ‘E’ instead of a ‘Y’.”
All three of them stared in silence for a few moments. Finally, Neon spoke up. “That’s…actually pretty good. Simple, but just simple enough to work. You sure that’s what you’re picking? A stage name stays with you as long as you’re in the business.”
Vinyl nodded. “I’m sure. It feels…right.”
“Okay, I’ll announce you onto the stage then,” Prism said. “You’re on in five minutes. Get yourself psyched up.”
Prism walked off to his sound booth and Vinyl began to breathe more heavily and rapidly. “Okay…I’ve got this. It’s no big deal, I’ve totally got this…why don’t I feel like I’ve got this? Is it hard to breathe in here or is it just me? Does anypony else feel light-headed or-“
“Calm down, girl!” Cosmic yelled, delivering a swift slap across Vinyl’s muzzle. “You’re gonna do fine. You don’t need to panic.”
“Cosmic’s right, Vinyl,” Neon added, walking up to the nerve-wracked mare. “You said it yourself…it’s sink-or-swim time, and we’re gonna help you swim, but you’ve gotta be willing to work for it too.”
Vinyl sighed and took a few slow, deep breaths. “Yeah…yeah, I can do this.”
“Three minutes, Vinyl,” Prism announced over the headset Vinyl was wearing. “Are you doing okay?”
“I’ll manage, Pris. Thanks, though,” she replied. Vinyl looked out to the main stage and smiled. “It’s waiting for me, and this time, I can actually take it. I’ll get up there and I’ll be a star…and I’ll either rise or fall.”
“Two minutes, kiddo, get ready,” Prism said. “At thirty seconds, I’ll start your intro.”
“Got it,” she acknowledged. “Well…I hope you guys are right.” Vinyl walked over to the platform behind the DJ stage and stood on it. “Ready whenever you are, Prism.”
“Just about a minute to go. Start the lift when I start your introduction.”
‘You can do this, Vinyl,’ she thought. ‘It can’t be that hard. I mean, how many ponies could possibly be out there? Forty? Fifty?’
“And starting lift now, Vinyl,” Prism said as the platform began to rise and Vinyl could see out onto the dance floor. Hundreds upon hundreds of ponies decked out in glowing accessories danced about, and Vinyl’s heart nearly stopped.
“Attention, everypony in the club, this is your light-master, Prism Storm! Now, normally, you’d be about to hear the epic beats of DJ GR1M, but due to an unfortunate accident, he’s not gonna be able to make it!” The crowd began to groan and some even started to leave. “But don’t evacuate the dance floor just yet, folks, because we managed to pull a quick replacement! She’s new and ready to roll, please bring your hooves to the ground for DJ PON3!”
The platform reached the top and all eyes in the audience were on Vinyl as she stepped up to the console. There were more ponies in that room than she’d ever seen before, and it made her turn whiter than she already was. Not five seconds on the stage and she was already stuttering and sweating bullets. The crowd quickly began to turn against her, jeering and demanding the music. She stared at the console in hopes that it would give her the answers, and for once, a sudden glance was all it took.
‘Wait a minute…I HAVE seen this before…I know how to work one of these!’
Vinyl rushed to one side of the console and pulled a switch down. A deep bellowing rumble was emitted from the speakers as the music started slowly. “Hello, Manehattenites! Are you ready to rock it on the dance floor tonight?!” The crowd’s opinion of this new DJ started to turn around quickly, most ponies getting back into the flow of the club and cheering for her once more. “Awesome, because I’m gonna give you exactly what you want! Let’s kick it! ”
The music started and everypony began to dance. Even those who still questioned Vinyl’s validity as a DJ started to move to the beat. Every so often, Vinyl would shift the speed or scratch the record playing the backbeat for an extra kick. She would also shout or cheer out a rally for the ponies to join in, and most would cheer in reply. Vinyl gave a more exciting performance than even Neon had expected, and by the end of three hours, neither Vinyl nor the crowd wanted to see her go.
“I’m sorry, everypony, but I’ve gotta pass this baton off to MC W15H for the night, but don’t you kids worry, I’m sure I’ll be back another time!” The crowd cheered once more as the platform brought Vinyl back down to the ground floor. She ran off and lifted her shades with her magic and wiped her brow. “Oh, man, those ponies really know how to party! That was epic! Hey, Neon, you’re up!”
“Thanks, Vinyl,” Neon shouted as he ran by. “And you were awesome up there, seriously! Top notch! Welcome to Club Neon, you’re on as my full-time opener!” The elevator began to rise up to the console platform as he yelled back down, “Oh, and you might wanna check your flank, babe! You’re gonna like what you see!”
Vinyl tilted her head. “Huh? My…flank?”
Vinyl looked back to see what she’d been searching for all that time. Now shining on her flank was a black double quaver note, and as she looked away, she saw Prism and Cosmic rushing over to congratulate her. Everything was happening at once, and she couldn’t have been happier.
“I couldn’t be more miserable.”
Octavia sat out on the balcony and stared off into the rainy night, her ensemble drinking and laughing in the room behind her. A brown-coated stallion walked out onto the balcony to join her. “Octavia, come back inside. It’s absolutely dreadful out here.”
“No, it’s quite all right, Fredrick,” Octavia replied. “I just want to be alone with my thoughts for now.”
“She never showed up…did she, Octavia?” he asked.
Octavia shook her head. “I thought this would finally work, Fred…I thought I’d finally found somepony. She was so excited…she called me her friend after only knowing me for five minutes, she even gave me a nickname right away. I felt a connection…I guess I was wrong again.”
“Maybe you should come inside. I’ll pour you a drink and you can forget all about her.”
Octavia sighed. “Perhaps you’re right…I’ll just do what I’ve done for all the other ones…drink them out of my memory. It’s worked so far. I’ve never seen any of the others ever again, perhaps it’s just my curse.”
“You’ll find the right mare someday, Octavia,” Fredrick consoled her. “You just have to keep your head held high.”
Octavia smiled and looked up at Fredrick. “You always know just what to say, Fred.”
“And that’s why I’m your best friend, Octavia. Now, let’s get you that drink.”
Octavia and Fredrick walked back inside and shut the doors. Several drinks later, Octavia became blissfully unaware of her prior heartbreak, and on the other side of town, Vinyl partied the night away, completely forgetting her promise entirely.
Author's Note
OH
I AM BACK AND I AM FINALLY DONE WITH CHAPTER THREE.
So yeah, I had a MAJOR writer's block for FIVE MONTHS, but this vacation kicked its ass and brought you guys this chapter. So, I hope you enjoy it, because I had a hell of a time writing it.
Edit: Before I forget:
Chapter IV: Interlude I - A Quick Break
The living room was near silent, with only the crackling of the fireplace filling the air with noise and warmth. After a few moments of exchanging awkward glances, Octavia cleared her throat and stood up from her chair. “Well, I think I’ll go make myself a cup of tea. Does anypony else want tea? I’m making tea.” Octavia hastily maneuvered into the kitchen as Vinyl sat there with the two fillies.
“Uh, mom,” Spark said, looking to Vinyl. “There wasn’t anything in there about the hotel room…”
“I didn’t hear anything like that either!” Ballad added. “Did you make that part up at the start?”
“Uh…well, ya see…it’s kinda like…um…hey, Octy, need help making that tea? You girls just chill in here by the fire, I’m gonna go help your mom.”
“But mom didn’t call-“Ballad tried to say.
Ballad deadpanned at her sister. “…Really? That’s the part you picked up on first?”
“What? Fire doesn’t work that way, sis.”
Vinyl rushed into the kitchen and, after assuring her girls were out of earshot, spoke. “Hey, uh, Octy, listen, I’m sorry about-“
“Bringing up the truth?” Octavia answered for her. “We had agreed never to bring that up in front of the children, Vinyl! You said you’d stick to the lie to avoid embarrassing me in front of our own little fillies!”
“Octy, I swear, I’m sorry!” Vinyl cried. “I wasn’t even thinking about that when I was reading it back just now. I wanted to write it one-hundred-percent true, and it completely slipped my mind.”
“I don’t think you should continue reading the story, Vinyl,” Octavia said monotone. “I think that’s more than enough for one evening.”
“Octy…”
Octavia walked past Vinyl and began heading up the stairs. “Vinyl, if you wouldn’t mind, please put out the fireplace. Or don’t if it’s too cold. After all, you’re staying down here tonight.”
Vinyl remained silent as Octavia bucked her door shut. She somberly walked back into the living room, where her daughters were still sitting in front of the fire, arguing about one thing or another.
“And so then he said…oh, hey, mom! What happened?”
Vinyl sighed. “Well...your mom and I had a bit of a fight, and I’m gonna stop the story. I shouldn’t have told you girls how your mother and I really first met.”
“But…what was wrong with it?” Ballad asked.
Vinyl’s ears perked up. “Wait, what?”
“Yeah, all relationships get off to a rocky start, don’t they?” asked Spark. “You told us that back when I first asked how you and mom got together.”
“Well…yeah, I guess that’s true,” Vinyl said, absent-mindedly nodding in agreement. “But I made a promise to her…I swore I’d never speak of that night again. What I did wasn’t the worst thing a pony could do, but it wasn’t all that good either.” Vinyl sat silent for a few moments, trying to take in the situation. “Hey, either of you girls wanna go see if your mom’s okay? I don’t think she’d be too happy to see me walk into our room.”
“I’ll go check on her!” Spark exclaimed, rushing up the stairs immediately. Vinyl blinked, staring very confusedly at the stairs.
“Uh…you know why she jumped up so quickly, Ballad?” Vinyl asked.
“She wants to hear more of the story,” replied Ballad.
Vinyl sat in silence again for a few seconds, then chuckled. “It would be that simple, wouldn’t it?”
“Mom, are you okay?” Spark said in a slightly loud whisper, leaning up against the door to her parents’ room.
“Who’s there?” Octavia replied. “Is that you, Spark? Did Vinyl send you up here?”
“Kinda-sorta,” the filly said.
“Well, then you can leave, because I’m not coming back down no matter how badly she wants me there.”
“But I want you to come back down too, mom,” Spark said, “And so does Ballad. We wanna listen to the rest of the story together.”
“But…you heard what she did to me,” Octavia said, her voice audibly quivering slightly. “She abandoned me that night. She didn’t even consider showing up.”
“But it was before she really knew you, mom! You’re still with her now, what difference does the past make?”
Octavia shifted, hopping off the bed and moving towards the door slowly. “…I suppose you’re right. Very well, I’ll return to the living room and continue listening to the story. I’m still not happy with Vinyl, but…” Octavia opened the door and pulled the filly into a hug. “I’ll do this much for you, dear.”
Octavia and Spark walked back down the stairs, and Vinyl quickly rushed to the foot of the steps. “Octy, I’m so glad you’re back down here, I-“
“I don’t want to hear it, Scratch,” Octavia scoffed. “I came down again for my children, not you.”
Vinyl retracted and her expression dropped. “Oh. Okay. That’s fine, as long as you’re here. So you don’t mind if I continue with the story?”
“If my girls want to hear the rest of it, then I suppose I don’t have much of a choice, now do I?”
Vinyl sighed deeply and returned to her chair in the living room, and Octavia and the two fillies sat back down in front of the fireplace. “So, before I keep going, anypony have any questions?”
“Did you ever date anypony else?” Spark asked suddenly, and then suddenly received a swift hoof to the back of her head. “Ouch, Ballad, what was that for?”
“It was for asking a stupid question!” Ballad replied. “Mom already feels bad about telling the story. I think any further inquiries of-“
“A few, actually,” Vinyl finally replied, both interrupting and shocking Ballad.
Ballad quickly followed up her question with another. “And…you’re okay with talking to us about them?”
“As long as your mom doesn’t mind,” Vinyl replied, looking to Octavia. “Octy…what do you say?”
Octavia scoffed. “You’re actually asking for my input after what happened no more than an hour ago?”
Vinyl frowned. “Octy, please, I don’t wanna keep going unless it’s okay with you. I’m sorry about before, I should have come to you before I started reading the story.”
Octavia took a deep breath before speaking. “Oh, fine. If it will satisfy you, I don’t mind you talking about your…other relationships.”
“Okay, then…thank you, Octavia.” Vinyl cleared her throat. “So, anyway, after the night I did my first set, I started hanging out with Neon and his crew a lot more …y’know, on those rare chances the club had to be closed, or somepony else had the sets for the night. After a few months of just spending time with them…I started falling for Neon Lights.”
Author's Note
First intermission! This one took as long to write as one of the actual chapters because writer's block. So, next up is probably Boundary of Friendship and Magic. I hope.
