//------------------------------// // Interlude: A Study in Vinyl // Story: A City of Opportunities // by Sasha Nein //------------------------------//  Canterlot has always been at the tail end of the industrial revolution. Many said it was the presence of the Royal Sisters that dulled the inspiration and drive to become more self sufficient. That, in their regal shadows, all ponies felt safe to live their lives as they always had. While the rest of Equestria's many cities were booming with new inventions by productive Earth pony engineers, the citizens of Canterlot basked in the glow of their goddesses. It was, oddly enough, the princesses themselves who welcomed the technological changes into their lives before the rest of the city would catch on. Sometimes a noble, or venturous businesspony, would invest in one of the many new gizmos that were being distributed through the rest of Equestria. It was usually in an attempt to create the demand. then monopolize the availability or usage of that item. Generally, it worked, and a handful of shrewd ponies had been getting rich in the capital of Equestria. Vinyl Scratch was no different. While she didn't own the club she worked in per say. She was at the forefront of its creation and actively participating in its success. Many long hours were spent with her behind a desk writing letters and communicating with key ponies in Canterlot, trying to convince them of the opportunities that the extreme night life could bring to the city. Of course, this was but a stepping stone for her own plans. Vinyl had dreams and put a lot of thought into achieving them. One wouldn't normally associate planning with the wild party animal; her lifestyle of boisterous behavior appeared childish and immature to many of the Canterlot elite. Still, her cutting edge music and sick beats brought in the ponies. As long as that happened, Vinyl's promised bonus for her vision grew ever larger; not to mention the popularity she was garnering with the ponies of Canterlot. Soon, she would blow this joint and get a place of her own. But for now, she catered to the next generation of Canterlot's elite. Pulling out of her reverie, Vinyl peeked out onto the club’s dance floor from backstage. The night was beginning to spin up, ponies were already dancing to the generic music oozing moderately out of the speakers. The bar was half full and there was a steady trickle coming in the doors. It was time to get the party rolling in full force. A few moments of organizing later, which was mostly just popping on her shades and fuzzing her mane, she popped out onto stage. The few already dancing cheered her appearance while others began pouring out of the woodwork, waiting for Vinyl to begin her set. Fiddling with her equipment to build up suspense, she waited a few minutes longer before flipping on a microphone and holding it up in her magic. “BOOM BABY!” Vinyl's voice, quite literally, boomed through the large speakers of the nightclub. With a flamboyant nudge, her first song began playing. Before long, she lost herself in the mixing. It was the start of another night filled with bone vibrating sound and feverish grinding. That was one thing she had come to dislike about Canterlot's youth. She wasn't entirely sure this could be applied to the whole city, but in her location many of the young adults weren't so... adulty. Their snobbish attitudes, pathetic dancing, deep pocket books and smug smiles rubbed her all the wrong ways. Sure, she had grown up here. But, before she had moved away for school, or fallen in love with music, she did not know any better. Coming back, assisting in the integration of new music, she began to realize that ponies here did not view themselves to be on the same plane as the rest of Equestria. It irked her that ponies with twice the business prestige conducted themselves more humbly than those here in the city. Here, the only real pride was in blood and proximity to the Royal Sisters, and they flaunted it. They walked into the club their first night and thought they knew how everything should be done. Many of the colts used the dance floor as an excuse to get close to the mares they had brought. Any etiquette they might have had was thrown out the window. It made Vinyl feel sorry for those mares sometimes, but that was hard when they acted no better than the stallions who brought them. Not a single one of them could exert self control or even hold their drinks. Vinyl had seen a few places in Manehattan that got rowdy, but this took the cake. She could take almost every kid here and still they acted tough while drunk. Half the time they would aim things her way, both physical or verbal, and it wouldn't take much to send them packing. Yep, if she ran things, it would be a lot different out there. She snorted with irritation as ponies lined up at the bar, already half drunk from their first round of shots. Every night, always the same thing. One or two colts would be kicked out not two hours into her set. Surely they would get the idea and realize that the same behavior had gotten their friends banned the night before. Still, it was hard not to love her job, even if the ponies were immature and spoiled brats. The pound of the music, the screams of the revelers, a song transition that only she knew had been brilliant, all of it catered to her pleasure nodes. Even if she was stuck here for a while longer, it would all be worth it when she could make the rules under a roof of her own. As her thoughts drifted around while working her set, her vibrant features soured as recent events began churning through her mind. The attack on her life had been unsettling. She had not expected anypony from this city to be so dangerous or aggressive. Before coming back to Canterlot, she had seen the shrewd protection a number of the club DJs received. Vinyl never dreamed she would need something like that here, it shattered everything she knew about her hometown. Purging her thoughts, Vinyl focused on her music. She held a hoof up to one of her earphones as she bobbed thoughtfully to its beat. The sound blasting out of the large, stage speakers was a fairly simple remix, but if fit well with her next choice. After a few deft ministrations, a flourish or two, and the song was ready. Dropping her headphones she disappeared from the stage, there was a drink with her name on it. She tried not to show it, but underneath she was having a hard time keeping her composure. If it hadn't been for that stallion's shrewd words, she might have already beat a hasty exit from Canterlot. Still, Octavia's father had made a point, no matter how strange of a pony he was. Vinyl reminded herself to ask the gray mare about him. In all honesty, they both seemed... odd, to her. He had basically told her it wouldn't do her any good to run. It made sense. At least, his words had at the time. If she ran, she would be backing out on her contract and forfeiting any chance to own a club of her own here. Then, she would never face her new found fear of Canterlot which would probably keep her from ever returning. On top of that, she owed Octavia. Vinyl's whole life was centered around promises and fair play. It only made sense to return at least some semblance of gratitude. The whole thing about getting over her fear seemed dumb now. But, she still owed Octavia. No matter how weird that mare was, Vinyl was going to find some way to pay her back. Hopefully it wouldn't involve another life threaten- Enope! Enough of that! Vinyl left the bar, her short list of songs were finishing up soon. She needed to get the main event started. Pushing her thoughts away, she returned to her equipment on stage. Nothing too fancy tonight. She had no new songs to debut or mix, no fanfare or extra cool set, no special guests, it was all rather standard. But that didn't matter, it never did. The ponies on the dance floor couldn't complain when Vinyl took the stage. She still couldn’t help but think about the walk home though. The thought that there were ponies out there that could, and would, hurt her was unsettling. Maybe she should rent a cab, did they run this late? Hiring a bodyguard seemed more and more like a good idea. Maybe she should stay at the club tonight. As she continued to idly mix and cue up more songs, Octavia returned to the forefront of her thoughts. Why had that mare saved her? It was dangerous to be out at night, no matter what training you had. What mare in their right mind would risk their life in the dead of night for somepony they didn’t even know? Against armed stallions no less. Vinyl didn’t know, but the more she thought about it, the stranger it seemed. The unlikeliness of the situation warred with Octavia’s explanation of coincidence. She would have to ask the gray mare about it again. Something didn’t add up, especially after that dinner with her. The thing Vinyl liked the most about her job was that time always passed quickly when she started playing on her equipment. It took a hoof on her shoulder to realize that it was getting late. Indeed, when she looked up at the large digital clock on the wall above the dance floor, it informed her it was almost 1 a.m.. She began wrapping up her set. With a few deft movements she brought her song to a close and engaged one of her generic loops to play for the rest of the night. A few ponies always lingered until closing time which was still a couple hours away. She had to stick around until then of course, but most of the time nobody complained as they were either engaged in their own... activities... or just too drunk to care. Being an employee allowed her a few drinks for free, although she was rather peeved it wasn’t unlimited. Still, she was going to take full advantage of what little she could tonight. There was a scary trip home waiting for her and a little confidence boost certainly wouldn’t hurt. She plunked down on a stool, leaning against the bar as she waited to be served. As late as it was, the barkeep was beginning to clean things up and wasn’t at the counter. Vinyl figured he was in the back at the sink from faint clanking sounds. It only took a minute before he was back out. “What can I get you?” Vinyl blew a halfhearted raspberry. “I don’t know, surprise me. Just don't skimp on the kick.” The bartender nodded and turned away. Vinyl laid her head on the counter and tried to relax, but a voice from behind made her jump. “Rough night, Vinyl?” “Celestia, Reeves!” Vinyl cursed, looking around at the pony who had spoken. She continued as the mare took a seat next to her. “What are you doing here at this time of night?” “You hired me,” the mare deadpanned. “It took a little bit, but I’ve adjusted. It’s bad form on my part to get paid and not try to work with your hours.” Vinyl nodded. It made sense, although it was more than she was expecting. When she had hired the cream colored mare to help with the legal side of her work, this wasn’t in the contract. All she had ‘officially’ agreed to do was help Vinyl promote and sell her music. It was nice to see that the healthy amount of bits she was paying for this gave her a few extra perks. “So, what’s up?” The bartender appeared with her drink, interrupting the conversation for a moment. Reeves ordered herself something fruity, but Vinyl promptly forgot the name as she almost choked taking a sip from her glass. Whatever it was, it was strong! But, somehow, it still tasted quite good! The mare turned back to her. “We need to talk, about your music.” Vinyl said nothing, but turned to show that she was paying attention. The mare chewed on her lip a moment, seeming to form a plan of attack in her mind. “There’s only so much I can do when you work on song in a collaboration setting. Now, I know it’s certainly good and all that your last song was so popular, but I’ll tell you now, it wasn’t because of you.” Vinyl opened her mouth to protest but Reeves overrode her. “Listen, Vinyl, when ponies hear a new song, the music is certainly key in whether or not they like it, but it’s the singer that gets the glory. You can certainly compose something that people would like listening to, and not have lyrics, but it will always remain a background song used at conventions or parties. “No, if you want your name to become as popular as I’m thinking you do, and I know, you’ve told me, then you’ve got to get your name on a cover. You have to sing, or at least start collaborating for minor parts. Because, that gets us money much faster. Unless we have those bits, I can’t advertise your skills well enough for DJ-P0N3 to take off. As is, your talents just aren’t going to cut it, there are plenty of other artists out there doing the same things you are.” Reeves stopped talking as the bartender returned with her drink. She took a sip, watching Vinyl play with a straw. As the silence stretched on longer, Vinyl finally responded. “Alright, that makes sense. What do you think I should do then?” The aqua maned mare blinked a few times. “I... well...” she laughed. “Well that was easier than I expected.” Vinyl removed her glasses, allowing the room to loose it’s darker, violet tint. “What? You thought I was going to argue with you? Pfft! That’s not what I hired your help for.” “Of course,” Reeves grinned. “Most other artists I’ve worked with probably wouldn’t agree though. “Anyway, I actually happen to have a plan for what you should do. Firstly, it wo--” “Ohhh! That’s not who I think it is, is it?” A voice cut through Reeves’ words from a ways down the bar. Another mare trotted up, a glass held in her magical field. This one was a rather dark green, though glossy, with a maroon mane that looked quite striking under the flashing lights of the nightclub. Vinyl rolled her eyes when she finally identified who it was. She then realized her senses were already slowing and she hadn’t even finished her drink yet, what had the bartender put in this!? It didn’t matter, but she should probably be done for the night. “Hello, Moonchaser, this isn’t exactly the time, or place, for a pony like you to be is it?” She asked snidely. “That’s none of your business,” Moonchaser said haughtily. “However, I’ll tell you what is your business: Listening to my advice.” “No,” Vinyl gasped obnoxiously, “and here I was expecting to gloat over--” “Listen well, Vinyl!” Moonchaser cut in. “You had better be careful about what names you start disrespecting or outperforming here in Canterlot. Things don’t work the same way around here as I’m sure they do in those fly holes you came from. You had best cool those composing jets of yours or you will get burned!” She turned tail and left, dropping her drink on the counter as she exited. The glass wobbled and fell over, forcing the bartender to scramble before it rolled and shattered on the floor. He gave Vinyl a disapproving glance, but saved the frown for the retreating mare. “Well,” Reeves said, tossing her drink back. “That killed the mood. Listen Vinyl, I’ll drop by before you head out to work tomorrow and give you an outline of what I think we should do, I’m going to go back to bed.” “Okay.” She got up. “Also, don’t listen to what she said. She just pissed because your first hit outshone her latest song. I’m sure I don’t need to tell you about some of the shenanigans rivals can get up to when they feel threatened.” Vinyl nodded towards Reeves, but was still lost in her own thoughts. After a hasty goodbye, the mare left, leaving Vinyl to her thoughts. That conversation did nothing to assuage her fears of walking home. Now, there were suddenly ideas of conspiracies against her swimming in her mind. The whole of Canterlot’s musically inclined were against her, maybe they had been the ones to order the hit on her? No, it couldn’t have been, it was the very day her song had come out. With a grimace Vinyl finished her drink with a gulp. As the fiery liquid made its way down her throat she coughed slightly. Wheezing, she tried to clear her throat. That was some hard stuff! She waved off the bartender. “No, I'm done for tonight. I'll see you tomorrow.” Vinyl got up and made her way to the door. After being able to make it five steps and only tripping once, she declared herself fit to walk home. The bathrooms were located along Vinyl's path to the exit. So, it was lucky that she bumped into none other than Octavia exiting the mares room. They stumbled around for a moment. Actually, it was more like the gray mare grabbing a tottering Vinyl and steadying her. “Vinyl!” “Oh! Hi there, Tavi!” Vinyl giggled. “Funny seeing you here, too bad I'm just leaving through.” Octavia's deadpan voice snapped Vinyl into focus. “You weren't planning on walking home like this were you?” “Hey,” Vinyl countered, “I'm perfectly capable of walking ho...” She trailed off, staring hard at Octavia. It seemed the mare was wearing rather copious amounts of makeup. She confirmed it by leaning in closer and wiping off a small portion before Octavia pushed her away. “Wha' happened to you?” she asked incredulously. “I...” Octavia hesitated, glancing over Vinyl's shoulder. “It was a- a work accident. I'm fine.” Vinyl took in the rest of Octavia, now noticing quite a few more discolored splotches along her body. She then noticed the slumped, exhausted posture that the mare was exhibiting. It wasn't often an Earth Pony appeared that tired, they seemed to be able to power on for hours. Vinyl's tone turned serious. “Octavia, if there is some stallion who's-” “It's nothing like that,” Octavia said quickly... A little too quickly in Vinyl's opinion. “We were moving a cart full of s-stuff at work yesterday. I was careless and pulled a lot of things down on top my of myself.” “Jeeze, 'Ta-via,” Vinyl stuttered. “Are you sure you should be up and around?” Octavia pushed Vinyl towards the door. “I just needed to get away from everypony for a bit.” “Then, what are you doing here?” Vinyl asked, trying to turn around but Octavia continued to push her out. “I came to watch you play, idiot,” she said. “Oh.” They finally made it outside. Octavia marched Vinyl forward, her stoic features and the fresh air sobering the unicorn back up. As they walked in silence, Vinyl glanced at the gray mare a number of times before she finally spoke. “Octavia? Are you sure you're alright?” “I'm fine,” Octavia said shortly. “You don't look fine.” The gray mare said nothing, at least, nothing intelligible in her low growling. More walking in silence, Vinyl racked her brain for something to talk about but drew blanks. She still knew very little about the mare. Although Vinyl was glad that Octavia continued showing up, it was rather convenient that she was here to walk home with her. Vinyl wasn't complaining, far from it, she was glad for the company and the already tested protection. But, if she was Octavia, she'd be at home right now skipping work because of nasty bruising like that. And, admittedly, she wouldn't be that quick to jump up and go watch the gray mare play her classical music at some coffee shop either. Was Octavia showing interest in her? 'Coming on', as they say? Vinyl was getting mixed feelings from the mare. One moment she was all happy and excited to be hanging out with Vinyl, then the unicorn would say something and for a split second Octavia would give her a look that shattered all her theories. Na... Na that couldn’t be it. There was something fishy going on with Octavia. Vinyl couldn’t quite get a grasp on it, but she was going to bide her time until she figured it out. “Well, nevermind that,” she said, trying to pick up the conversation again. “You’re obviously hurting, let’s get you home.” Octavia scoffed. “Please, I could still out... I mean, I could still carry you home and be just fine.” “Awesome, I’ll just go back and have a few more shots of that crazy stuff I had.” Vinyl fistpumped and turned back. The Earth Pony was quick to grab her. “Um, no. Let’s go Vinyl, just because I can carry you doesn’t mean I want to.” “Ha! I do-” She stopped as she spotted a large, red stallion walking up the street and making a beeline for Vinyl. “Alright, Vinyl. I don’t know what you said to Moonchaser, but I darn well know what you’ve been doing to her music. You’re going to pay for all the insults right here.” Vinyl’s eyebrows shot up and she backpedalled while opening her mouth to speak. But Octavia cut in front of her and gave the stallion a cold glare. “I’m not sure who you think you are,” Octavia said quietly. “But I think you had best think twice about that.” The stallion glanced at Octavia, then did a double take. He recoiled with a startled nicker. “You’re Octavia!” He glanced back at Vinyl, his brow darkening. But, he looked at Octavia again and promptly retreated. He called back over his shoulder as he trotted away. “This isn’t over, Vinyl! You’ve not heard the last of us.”