//------------------------------// // Lone Decks // Story: Vinyl's Cutie Mark - Soft tunes and hard beatings // by VioletMichaelis //------------------------------// Song I used to write this chapter. My hooves click against the hard road. Few ponies are roaming the street. I don't dare stop. I don't dare look back. I'd give up if I did, mother is probably following me right now. I blink back tears. My body pounds at a steady rhythm, matching up with my heart beat. Click, click, click. Beat, beat, beat. I've brought rhythm back to my body. Concentrating on the pulses of the blood under my skin. I can hear music rippling through me. It's loud, harsh. I continue running, long into the night. – I open my eyes. When did I fall asleep? I rub my temples as I get to my hooves. I realise that I made it! I'm in the nightclub strip I read about. Celestia's moon is still high in the sky. I would have plenty of time. The street around me flashes with neon signs and buzzes with the noises of ponies experimenting with alcohol and drugs. I breathe in the night air through my dried red nostrils. My hooves lead me to the best looking night club. Outside stands a large stallion in a suit. He looks at me as I approach. “Can I come in?” I ask gingerly. He raises an eyebrow. “You're too young to be coming into nightclubs just yet, little filly.” He turns away from me again. “Please? I have nothing to do tonight.” He seems insistent on keeping me out. He slams his hoof down in front of me. “I said run along!” “But I'm part of Canterlot elite! I swear!” I try to run under his legs. His ears perk up suddenly as he looks me over. “You're Miss Scratch, aren't you?” He thinks for a moment. “Alright. I don't need you to say anything bad about the club.” He steps out of the way. My eyes light up. “Thank you!” I grin madly as I run inside the big black door. There's a hallway around me, neon pink on the walls. To my left are places I'm not allowed to go. On the right are two bathrooms. I walk past the bathroom and down a flight of stairs to where ponies are gathered in the centre, dancing to the beat of the club. My ears wiggle with excitement at the new sounds. My eyes look to the right of me. There's a bar where a pony is serving drinks. She's dressed in a skimpy outfit. I don't see the attraction to be honest. I look to the flight of stairs next to me. 'VIP' reads the sign that stands tall over me. I walk over to it. There's a velvet rope beside it, running my hoof along it feels great. Like satin. I look back at the crowd. Surely Canterlot elite counts as Very Important Ponies? I shrug. Must do. I duck under the rope and make my way up the stairs. I look around once I reach the top. The DJ's set is laid out there, unattended and completely open. There's one or two ponies that look totally out of it, so they probably won't mind if I jump on... I open my bag and take my headphones and mp3 player out. I walk over to the decks, running my hooves along them to look for ports and the like. I use my magic to put a cord connecting my player to an audio in cable. I slide a record on the table. As I wait for this song to end I look around the knobs and switches. The song playing fades out, and I quickly stop the next from playing. I let it fade in. I'm in my inner world now. Soft sighs of singing fade from my world to the outside. Everypony who isn't stumbling around looks up at the decks. I can felling the stares. I close my eyes again, letting my magic seep into the deck to control everything. My inner world touches up the subtlest sounds and projects them to the crowd. I keep my eyes closed. Pains from the outside seep away as I relax. My ears wiggle with excitement as I'm caressed by sound, washing through me, running its hooves through my hair. A wild tingle moves down my spine. For a moment I can feel something strange in my throat. The crowd is silent, except for the sounds of hooves clapping to the rhythm. I open my eyes. This is my world now. My beat runs through the chests of every mare and stallion as I let them feel my story, feel my emotions and feel my magic. “Go kid!” One of them screams out to me. Some others are crying with happiness. I push up the sound, letting the slow music echo off the walls of the large room. My tail swings with the beat, matching my world now. I feel a weird tingle on my flanks. It grows, I turn my head to see what's going on. There's a mark there. It's a... it's a music note... Wait... No... It couldn't be... The music slows as I let this seep in. I got my cutie mark! I got my cutie mark! The song ends as the crowd calls out to me. Others clap, some look confused. I bathe in their applause as it rockets through me. I did it! I did it! I feel a hoof tap my shoulder. I turn around, smiling from ear to ear. Dread. It's Shine. How did she find me?! “Sh-Shine I didn't... I didn't do anything. Please don't tell Mum!” Shine laughs quietly. “No way kiddo. You're not going back there.” I tilt my head to the side. “What do you mean?” “You're old enough to come and live with me, if you want.” She turns around to reveal her cutie mark. A set of headphones. “I was always a bad receptionist anyway.” The feeling in my throat returns. Tears stream from my eyes. “Yes! Let's do it!”