Chapter 6: When Vinyl Scratch Dreams
[v]
Vinyl grinned, looking over the party inside Ponyville’s town hall. It was all for her this time; her big kick off, a going away party and a good luck party blended into one. Naturally, Pinkie Pie had done an astounding job hosting the party and everypony was having a blast. Vinyl had insisted on playing at her own party, despite Pinkie arguing that she’d ‘miss the fun,’ as if playing to a crowd like this wasn’t Vinyl’s idea of a great time.
Dropping the bass hard, she threw the crowd into a frenzy of action; it was a pit of thrashing, shouting, and dancing. Hooves stomped on the floor and tails bobbed in the air. It all made Vinyl grin that much harder.
“Awwww yeahhhh~!” Throwing her head back, Vinyl shouted over the din of the crowd, slamming into the next part of her song, sound ripping through the air like a head being smashed through glass.
This was the life!
As Vinyl cranked the bass up to eleven, she felt her blood boil and her pulse race. She was alive, more than ever, among these ponies who chanted her name.
The night progressed, as nights tend to do, and ponies left the dance floor covered in sweat and breathing heavy, but satisfied and smiling. Vinyl picked Pinkie out of the shrinking crowd, one of the ponies left still on the dance floor.
She danced recklessly, slamming into other ponies and shouting at the top of her lungs, cheering Vinyl on. Vinyl loved all of Ponyville’s ponies, but if she absolutely had to pick a favorite, it would be the pink party animal. No pony partied like Pinkie Pie partied, not even her or her father, or anypony else in Equestria for that matter – at least, none that she knew of. That was why Vinyl was determined to recruit her.
Keeping her eyes on Pinkie, she called a break in the mixing, setting the turntables to play a song she’d made special for this party. As the music blared over the crowd, Vinyl made her way down to the hostess. The crowd still danced, though with less ferocity than when Vinyl was up there egging them on, giving them reasons to really party. Shockingly, Vinyl managed to get close to Pinkie Pie without being slammed into too hard.
“Yo, Party Pie. Sup?” She held out a hoof, which Pinkie promptly bumped.
“Not too much! Rockin’ out with Gummy!” The toothless alligator stood nearby, wagging his tail in an off-beat rhythm.
Clearing her throat, Vinyl continued. “Alright, check it, here’s the thing. I got an offer for you, Pinkie.”
“An offer? Ooh ooh, lemme guess!” Pinkie bounced a bit. “Are you offering me a bigger part in the next season? Because I totally don’t need any role bigger than this, thank you. I mean, a spotlight here, a little joke there, I think I’m good. Any more and I bet I'd burn right out from exhaustion.” Vinyl tilted her head, trying to figure out what she meant.
Unconcerned, Pinkie continued. “Oh, or is it a treat for Gummy? He can do tricks for treats, you know?” Happy to put the first guess behind her, Vinyl peered down at Gummy, who peered back at her and very slowly licked his own eyeball. “Or is it a new car? I mean, I know everypony gets a new car, but—“
At that point, Vinyl started drowning her out. She knew listening at this point would only hurt her brain. After a few seconds of letting Pinkie work the energy out of her system, Vinyl held up a hoof to stall her.
“Nah, none of those things. I need your help, actually.”
“Ooooo. With what?”
Before Pinkie could start guessing, Vinyl rushed out an answer. “My scratch-off! I mean, I want you to host it. You are, like…” She paused, thinking. “The one and only true party pony. Accept no substitutes, yanno?” Vinyl grinned, Pinkie joining her.
“I’d love to set up your party! I’ll make it the awesomest party ever! Can my friends help too?”
Vinyl thought of the crew; Pinkie and her five friends. The Elements of Harmony themselves: the Princess’ student, the fastest pony in Equestria, one of the hardest workers Vinyl had ever seen, a fashion designer with Canterlot-grade class, and a cute, silent type, to attract some attention. Vinyl nodded her head with real enthusiasm.
“Of course. You’ve got full say on this, Pinkie. I’m just gonna throw some ideas your way that I’ve got bouncing around in my head, ‘kay?” Vinyl tapped her head for emphasis and Pinkie nodded.
“Sure thing, Cap’n Vinyl!” Pinkie saluted. Vinyl didn’t question it.
‘See?’ she thought to herself. ‘You are learning.’
“We’ll be headed out in a day or two, so get your stuff together. Your friends too, eh? Lets shake Canterlot until the walls come tumblin’ down! What do you say, Pinkie?”
“That we should make sure they fall outside, not in.” Pinkie replied.
Vinyl spent the next two days productively, gathering supplies, preparing what songs she would play, and working on the finer details of renting a location in Canterlot. It was a bigger pain than she imagined it would have been, but thankfully Pinkie had a few locations already lined up. Eventually, Vinyl settled on a club: Club Canterlot. Pinkie had assured her that it was a premier location in Canterlot’s night life.
Vinyl had to admit, the more she wrote back and fourth with the club's sponsor the more she liked what she heard. While it wasn’t the greatest of locations, it was still a very popular establishment. They were eager to host her scratch-off, hoping to use it to boost their popularity with the event.
She was trotting back towards her house after another shopping run, levitating a box laden with party supplies that Pinkie had helped her select, when she stopped by her mail box. As usual, it was crammed with fan mail, but one letter stood out, styled more dramatically than the others. Vinyl knew it was a letter from Neon Lights – she had been writing back and forth with him for a while now. Also known as MC-W1SH, Neon was the one she’d decided to challenge to her scratch-off. He was number-two on record sales, closely behind Vinyl. The two had created a mock-rivalry a few weeks ago to help boost their record sales and saw this as a great opportunity to milk that angle.
With a wide grin, Vinyl tore open the letter and red the large-printed letters on the lone page.
‘It is on!’
The train was crowded but lively, packed with Pinkie and her friends; alongside boxes and boxes of party supplies, electronics, and other various bits-and-bobs that Pinkie had dubbed so super important that Vinyl didn’t dare leave them behind.
It had been a long time since she had been around such camaraderie outside of a party. Vinyl joined in the laughter and conversation, asking the girls what they personally wanted to see at the scratch-off.
“I can hardly wait!” Twilight Sparkle – Miss Magic herself – clapped her hooves excitedly. “I’ve never been to a nightclub before! Is it very different from your usual parties?”
“You’re in for a great time! It’s super fun,” Pinkie responded for Vinyl, blowing up a balloon after she finished. To Vinyl’s amazement – not surprise; she had been around Pinkie long enough now – it drifted up to the roof of the car.
‘By Celestia,’ Vinyl thought to herself, staring at the balloon. ‘She really is full of hot air!’
“Hey, Vinyl.” Rainbow Dash walked over, nudging the DJ with an elbow. Aside from Pinkie, Rainbow was Vinyl’s favorite of the Ponyville ponies. She was brash, fierce and dedicated; Element of Loyalty indeed. “I haven’t heard who you’re going up against yet. So tell me, who’s the unlucky pony?”
Vinyl grinned and nudged Rainbow back. “You know, RD, I’m glad you asked. I’m gonna be dueling MC-W1SH, a.k.a. Neon Lights. He’s a rising star in the dub-trot world and from what I hear his special effects are epic.”
Twilight tilted her head to the side, leaning over the back of her seat to join the conversation. “Neon Lights? I’ve heard of him. A thesis on magical practicality I read some time ago talked about his magic. Apparently, he’s developed a new kind of light-based magic for his shows, using derivatives of Fauxenhoof’s light spells. He turned an unusual style of offensive and illusion magic into flashy show-stoppers.”
“Oh?” Vinyl hadn’t expected this information. So, Neon Lights used magic to augment his shows, huh? “Well, it’s pretty clear that we’ll need to think up a way to one-up him in his own game. I’ll need my own special effects.”
Vinyl had never really cared about special effects. She normally played local parties in Ponyville and made her fame off her CDs, not through public performances. At a party, the music held the crowd’s attention, not flashing lights and pyrotechnics. This was her first time on a stage this big and she hadn’t thought about adding any flair to her performance, until now. The more she dwelled on it, the more she realized just how horribly outclassed she was in that field. If she didn’t close that gap, she would lose the scratch-off for sure.
She needed something new, something fresh. Something that involved the crowd. She voiced this thought to Pinkie and her friends, whom she was starting to consider her friends as well. “So, what do you all think I should do?”
Twilight, who looked deep in thought, spoke first. “I have an idea. It might not work – I’ve never tried it before – but if it does, it could be what you’re looking for. When we get to Canterlot, we’ll need to buy a bunch of small plastic tubes."
“You mean like these?” Pinkie Pie stepped to the seat that separated Vinyl and Twilight, holding a box full of long, thin plastic tubes.
“Pinkie,” Applejack began, trotting over. Vinyl had been glad for Applejack’s company. Ever since she’d learned Fiddlesticks had run away from home, Vinyl had heard that Applejack was almost as worried as Fiddle’s own parents about her well-being. It was pretty certain that, even if she hadn’t been invited, Applejack would have muscled her way into joining, so she could get to Canterlot and look for Fiddle. “Now, I ain’t tryin’ to seem ungrateful or nothin’, but why in tarnation do you have a box full o’ plastic tubes?”
“Well, duh,” Pinkie said, putting the box down on the train floor. “You never know when you’ll need them. They’re like feathers!” She opened up a nearby box, filled with bright and gaudy feathers. Vinyl made a mental note that the two boxes were just one of several that Pinkie had purchased on her own. Another one such box was leaking some unknown goo onto the floor.
“I’m not cleaning that,” Rainbow Dash said, motioning to the puddle with a hoof.
Twilight studied the tubes with a satisfied look. With a single, confident nod, she closed her eyes. Her horn faintly glowing, the tube levitated up off the ground, holding midair right in front of her. With a slow release of breath, she rested her horn against it, charging it with magical energy. In a flash of bright light, the plastic was brilliantly illuminated, making Vinyl tilt her head and squint to stave off the sudden light despite her glasses.
“This will keep its glow for at least a whole day. The magic is self-sustaining.” Twilight righted her head as she spoke, seeming proud – and rightly so. She had just invented a spell on the spot, albeit a simple one.
“You’ll need to teach me that one.” Vinyl said as she levitated the glowing stick of plastic closer to her. “Hm… I could easily change the style; make them thicker and less bendy. But, there’s something…” She turned the object this way and that, staring at it. “Yo, Fluttershy.” Vinyl addressed the shy pony without taking her glasses-covered eyes off the object in her power. “Could you turn off the lights real quick? I wanna test somethin’.” As Fluttershy went to turn off the lights, Vinyl looked over to Twilight. “And can you shut those blinds? I want it really dark in here.”
With a magical glimmer, the whole car was thrust into night. Twilight shut each blind with a quick burst of levitation magic, pulling them down just as Fluttershy flipped the lights on the car off. The glowing stick highlighted Vinyl’s face, making her glasses glow like alien eyes. She tipped her head, moving the object this way and that, picking up speed. As she thought, the stick was leaving behind a glowing trail of light.
All of the girls exclaimed in surprise and joy. Twilight leaned in just as Pinkie made a sound like a vacuum sucking in air.
“It’s so pretty,” Fluttershy whispered, which Vinyl had begun to realize was a normal tone for her. It was the first full sentence the withdrawn pony had said so far. Vinyl was glad she’d finally decided to open up.
“I will admit,” Twilight said, raising an eyebrow at the stick. “I hadn’t expected that outcome. I had only planned on illuminating the stick, not giving it such a strange effect. I’ll need to study one more closely, later.”
“It’s perfect.” Vinyl bent the stick a little, marveling at its flexibility. “How hard will it be to change its color?” The soft white glow was nice, but Vinyl wanted more flash than that.
“Not too hard, I would imagine," Rarity said softly, always an expert on the finer details. "If the glow comes from inside, you could just use a different piece of plastic, correct?” She looked to Twilight for an answer, starting to smile as she got involved in the inventing.
“It isn’t as simple as an interior glow. The entire stick is the source of the light, meaning it can be broken up and manipulated without damaging the spell’s composition.” Twilight expounded, picking up and illuminating another stick.
“Well, magic might not be my greatest specialty, but beauty certainly is. I can already see several ways to beautify this even more.” Rarity levitated over the second stick and Twilight made a third – this one purple.
Vinyl was admittedly hesitant about asking Rarity for advice. She enjoyed the stylistic mare’s company, but their tastes in fashion and beauty rarely crossed over. Luckily, this was one of those rare times. With a shimmer of her magic, Rarity spun the stick in on itself and, with a little concentration, merged the two ends. Vinyl exclaimed loudly when she realized Rarity’s idea.
“A bracelet! You’re a genius, Rarity!” Vinyl shouted, snatching the bracelet out of Rarity’s magical hold with a burst of her own magic, overcome with excitement. She slipped the bracelet on her hoof, staring at it.
“I know, darling, but feel free to flatter me.” Rarity laughed a little, smiling. “Beauty is just what I do.” Twilight passed over a neon-green stick of light and Rarity made the appropriate fold and merge.
‘Beat that, Neon Lights!’ Vinyl thought to herself, grinning.
“Glowsticks. We’ll call them glowsticks. Or, at least the straight, thicker ones I was talking about. We’ll call these glow bracelets.” It was simple, but when you were rockin’ out in a crowd of frenzied ponies, complicated was a luxury nopony could afford. Vinyl thought it fit the style rather well.
There was a general agreement as every one of the girls got a different glow bracelet, each matching their coats or manes. Rainbow Dash sported two, one on each wing, while Rarity turned hers into a pair of clip-on earrings she put onto her ears. Watching everypony enjoy the new creation, Vinyl felt a profound sense of completion.
This was another piece of who she was. She had taken up some inventing, but had only ever really tinkered. Inventing was more her father’s gimmick, but now she found herself empathizing with him. Watching ponies enjoy your creation was one of the best feelings she’d ever felt. She vowed right then and there to keep creating, not just music, but also things to augment her music; to change the world with the bass of her soul. The inventions she had home were personal flights of fancy – silly things she got bored and put together. Now, she was certain she would continue to invent.
“How many do you guys think you can make before the scratch-off?” Vinyl asked as she hung her own glow bracelet from her neck.
“The magic to make them is minimal. With a little augmentation, I could easily redesign the spell to enchant that entire box all at once.” Twilight answered, her bracelet wrapped around her horn, making it look like she was casting a spell right then.
“Good. We’ll need to add a bunch of these to our shopping list.” Vinyl said as she swirled an unbent stick in front of her with magic, making a flowing circular pattern. “These will be my secret weapon. And they’re not just big for this competition. I need to think up some ways to put these to good use.”
“Maybe you could find a way to make it so you can sell them? I bet, even if they’re cheap, you could make a nice bit off these.” Applejack chimed in from where she’d taken a seat, always a savvy businessmare.
“Difficult,” Twilight muttered, her eyelids shutting slightly as she thought. “A runic spell, etched into the plastic might let a buyer activate the magic whenever they wanted, but it’ll be really difficult.”
“No rush. I was thinkin’ that, for the scratch-off, let’s try to get the most out of these. First, how do we make sure everypony gets one?” Vinyl flicked her glowstick around, watching it as she talked. It was hypnotizing to watch after a while.
“Well, that’s easy. Hand ‘em out while everypony is coming into the club. That way, they all get at least one. Selling them at the club for a bit might be good too. When the magic runs out, people will just want more.” Rainbow, who had taken a seat behind Applejack, chimed in. “What’ll be real tough will be using them to get people to root for you.”
Vinyl thought about that, chewing on her bottom lip. “I was considering shooting some out of Pinkie’s party cannon or something. Yanno, make a box full of special ones, maybe autographed or somethin’, and fire them out over the crowd.”
“Oh yeah, do that. That sounds awesome,” Rainbow voiced her opinion, laughing.
“Um… excuse me…” Fluttershy whispered from not far away, though everypony was so lost in thought, she was overlooked.
“That should work. My cannons can take it. But how would you autograph little plastic tubes?” Pinkie asked as she stared at a box. Then, she completely forgot that question and asked another. “Hey Twilight, could we use that spell on balloons?”
“I'm afraid not. At least, not yet. The spell gives off some excess energy and I don’t think something as fragile as a balloon could take it,” Twilight responded.
“M-Maybe we could…” Fluttershy attempted again.
“Maybe we could put them under the seats? It would be an easier way to make sure everypony gets one.” Twilight offered, though Pinkie was quick to respond.
“Other than the VIP booths, we won’t have many seats.” Twilight raised an eyebrow at that.
“No seats?”
“Nope!” Pinkie had been spending the past several seconds fiddling with a few glowsticks and feathers. Now she bore a peacock tail of feathers coming off the back of her head, wrapped interestingly with bright pink glowsticks. “It’ll take away from the dance floor, silly.”
“We could hand them out after the show…” Fluttershy shied back into her seat a little.
“What if ponies get tired?” Twilight continued, not noticing her meek friend.
“Well, then they’re obviously at the wrong party. We'll be going all night long!” Pinkie tossed up her hooves, giving a sudden cheer before toppling backwards onto the goopy box. There was a sickly squickly sound. “Whoopsie.”
Twilight stuck her tongue out in disgust.
“Still not cleaning that,” Rainbow muttered under her breath.
Rarity, who had at some point noticed Fluttershy, cleared her throat, drawing attention from Pinkie. “Fluttershy, dear, I believe you had an idea?” She moved to her friend’s side, offering support.
“Y-Yes… um… well, it won't be a huge deal at the show itself, but we could hand the glowsticks out after the party too, s-so ponies will be carrying the fresh sticks with them on their way home. That way, other ponies can see them and it’ll spread the word.”
Vinyl blinked a bit. “When did you become a businessmare, Flutters? Seriously, I need to make you my agent or something.”
Fluttershy blushed, which was acutely visible with her yellow-pink glowing bracelet tied into her mane. Vinyl trotted over, putting a hoof over Fluttershy’s shoulder, pulling her close. She'd hoped beyond hope that the shy pony would accept her, and now seemed like the perfect chance. “Do you wanna be the one to hand them out?”
Fluttershy shifted under the attention, but nodded and smiled. “Mmhm. I would.”
“Then I’ll leave it up to you,” Vinyl said confidently, giving Fluttershy a little pat and heading back across the cart. “Alright then,” Vinyl looked around at everypony in the crew around her, grinning wildly. “Who’s ready to rock Canterlot to its core?”
A collective cheer filled the train car.
Club Canterlot caught Vinyl’s eye, even before they arrived on it's street. From the train station, she could make it out from the bustle of nearby buildings; it's large, decorative lighting set it apart from the other, more reserved buildings on the Canterlot skyline. The club’s interior, however, Vinyl couldn’t have foresaw.
The dance floor was enormous, flanked on both sides by bars which served hard cider, among other drinks. Above the main door were four or five VIP booths, hosting their own dance floors, speakers, and a clear, unobstructed view of the stage. The stage itself dominated the far side of the club; clearly a place where greatness had been born more than once. Vinyl could feel a kind of energy in the air around her. It was the tingling charge of untapped potential, surrounding her, holding her close.
After talking to the owner about the matter of payment, Vinyl and the others began work on their preparations. The day was young and Vinyl was eager to get going.
“Neon’s been informed and will get all day tomorrow to set up his sound system, along with his effects. We have until then to do what we need to do.” Vinyl rolled her head, cracking her neck. She had planned on this event being a surprise, giving ponies only one day prior to its announcement before it's start. It wasn’t so much the event itself that would help spread Vinyl’s influence in Canterlot, but rather the aftermath. The event was large and flashy, so far from Canterlot’s usual fare that it should carry itself on the winds like lightning. The mystique of a sudden surprise party would fan the flames of rumor, driving everything to new heights. “Let’s get to it, ponies!
“Applejack, Rainbow Dash; can I get the two of you to go shopping?” Vinyl asked, turning to look at the ponies in question. “We won’t be supplied with anything but the food and drinks, and I want to be sure we’ve got everything we need.” She paused for a second, and then continued. “You two seem the best for this job. The fastest and strongest should do what’ll take the most time and energy. Sorry it’s not more exciting.”
Rainbow Dash and Applejack agreed, though in Dash’s case, it was a grudging agreement. She'd made it very clear that she'd wanted to help set up.
“Look at it this way,” Vinyl said with a nudge in Rainbow Dash's side. “You’ll be more surprised when you see the show. Plus, without this job, the show can’t go on. We’ll be counting on you two.” Rainbow seemed to brighten slightly at that as she and Applejack hurried off to purchase the list of supplies.
“Fluttershy, Rarity; you two will have a big job too.” She turned to them, and then nudged her head towards Pinkie. “You’ll be helping the party animal here decorate. Follow her advice on this. I know you’re both artistic, but—”
“Darling, Pinkie is the party expert. You talk like we don’t already know it,” Rarity said with a chuckle and a wink. “It isn’t our first time helping Pinkie set up a party. We would be honored to help her.”
Vinyl smiled happily and nodded to the pair. “Pinkie.” Vinyl turned towards the pink pony, who was currently digging through a box of balloons, pulling out all the light blue ones. “Uh… What are you doing?”
Pinkie looked back to Vinyl, a balloon sticking from her lips. With a big puff, she blew the balloon up and let it fly around the large room, blowing out all its air. “Oh, I’m just looking for— Oh, there it is!” In a flash, she snatched one of the balloons from the pile, slapping it onto her flank. Vinyl only then realized that Pinkie’s cutie-mark had been short one balloon. The pink pony hopped away from the box, saluting dramatically, balloons hanging off her. “What are your orders, mon capitaine?”
Vinyl felt her glasses slip as she tilted her head to the side. She was literally at a loss for words, a rare feeling for somepony like her. “Huh…" she said in a faint whisper, "so that’s what I’ve been doing to everypony all these years...” Pinkie’s strangeness had been ramping up ever since they left Ponyville and Vinyl was getting a little overloaded, even from the little things. “Uh… oh yeah, right right.” The musician quickly recovered, smiling and fixing her glasses. “I want you to set up my sound system and help these two out. You’ve set up my system a ton of times, so you’re the best one to do it. Remember, we need to add those special effects we talked about.”
“No problem, Vinyl! I’ll have it all up and running before you think to ask why your sound stage has legs.” With that, she bounced off to open boxes, getting ready for the grand decorating.
“And last, but not least, I need your help with something personally, Sparkly.” Vinyl leaned her head towards a box she herself packed. With a flick of magical energy, she opened the box; it was filled with posters, tickets, and cards. “You know Canterlot better than any of us. Not to mention, you’re super-awesome with organizing things. I need to get the fastest route I can around town, to get the most use out of these posters. We need to hit as many doors as possible, all over the city, as fast as we can. You think you can help?”
Twilight nodded, considering the box carefully. “I could sketch out a plan on a map of Canterlot, given a few minutes. We’ll need to plan carefully though; once Applejack and Rainbow Dash get back with the un-enchanted glowsticks, we’ll need to spend time on those too.” She looked up, not really staring at anything in particular. “I couldn’t say my calculations are perfect – I’d much rather that I can write them down – but they’re close enough, I’m sure. We should be able to get them put up in only a couple hours, if we get Rainbow's help.”
“Good. We won’t be doin’ that till tomorrow night. The party’s in three days, and I want one day between the posters and the event. We’ll do some work around here, then go on a practice walk until AJ and RD get back.” Vinyl walked over to Twilight, nodding as she spoke. “That alright with you?”
“Of course, Vinyl. It’s your show.” Twilight nodded back and then turned, moving off to help the others. Vinyl sighed, seeing the party already start to take shape in her head. It’d be epic; she’d make sure of that.
Time seemed to have no meaning. The decorations spread over the club, changing it before Vinyl’s eyes. Twilight and her friends exceeded anything she could have imagined. Pinkie was the party master, but she really shined when her friends worked by her side. Vinyl was genuinely impressed. It was with amazing confidence that she set off with Twilight to plan their route.
Twilight was long-since finished with the map and was triple-checking her calculations as they walked, looking for any late additions to cut time. “I hadn’t considered that alley… if we take that corner instead, we can add two houses…” The inkpen flicked over the page as Twilight spoke. “Done!” She smiled suddenly, rolling up the map. “I’m confident I’ve gotten us the most houses in the least amount of time. Rainbow will cover the other side of town by herself.”
Vinyl had been excited about this walk from the minute they started preparing. It was the final step for her. After she put out those posters, there was no going back. The city opened its arms to Vinyl as she walked, the night showing another side of Canterlot. It was quiet, but not like Ponyville’s night life. This silence waited to be broken, making Vinyl eager to give her music to the night. She felt like she was brimming with energy. She could hardly contain herself at the idea of it all; her first scratch-off was tomorrow night!
Rounding a corner, Vinyl gave a contented sigh. She was so wrapped up in her thoughts that she nearly jumped out of her glasses when Twilight shouted. Twilight had fallen behind while Vinyl was lost in thought, making Vinyl turn to look over her shoulder. A familiar pony charged towards them, blue dress torn and cobalt mane a mess. Both of the Ponyville ponies recognized her, but the charging pony ignored their shouts and kept going, her eyes filled with tears. She probably hadn’t even recognized them.
“Vinyl, that was Fiddlesticks, wasn’t it?” Twilight rushed to meet up with Vinyl, concern for her friend’s cousin written all over her face.
“Yeah…” Vinyl said, a little too quietly. “Let’s go, Twi.” Without any other cue, the two chased after the fleeing Fiddle.
No one had been certain where Fiddlesticks had gone, but most everypony was confident she had gone to find Octavia. Vinyl was relieved to know where she was, but other emotions started to creep in along with that relief. If Fiddle was here, that meant Octavia wouldn’t be far off. It was probably where she was going, most likely. A knot wrapped itself around Vinyl’s heart. While the biggest part of it tugged after Fiddle and towards her friend, that knot held her back, rooting her to the spot.
‘What would you even say to her?’ It asked, like a vice on her desires, clamping down more and more. ‘She stopped writing you.’ It's pain reminded her. ‘I bet she hates you. She’ll never want to see you again.’
Vinyl slowed her trot to a walk, then stopped, watching Fiddle swerve down a nearby road. Twilight skidded to a stop beside her.
“Vinyl, what’s wrong? She’s getting away. Vinyl!” Vinyl heard Twilight urging her on, but her hooves felt like lead weights. She was scared – terrified – of what meeting Octavia again might entail. Silence, she could endure, but open hatred? Rejection? Vinyl felt her legs shake.
Vinyl turned slightly, but froze. Another shape was further down the road, hurrying towards them. Vinyl wasted no time hiding down an alley, ignoring the questioning Twilight, who followed her with a confused look.
A grey pony charged after Fiddle, a splash of pink and white around her neck marking a bowtie and collar. Vinyl felt her throat tighten, just as she felt the urge to cry out. She wanted to run, but her legs wouldn’t move.
Octavia was chasing Fiddle.
Vinyl watched, frozen, as Octavia charged past, chasing her half-sister. Twilight froze as well, but her eyes were on Vinyl, not where Octavia had just been.
“Vinyl? Are you okay? You look a little sick.”
Vinyl didn’t answer. The knot in her chest tightened, trying with all its might to hold her back. But the sight of her friend eventually won out and, with a great burst of energy, she chased after Octavia. In that moment, the world became a little clearer. She could hear herself muttering Octavia’s name under her breath. She heard Twilight, right behind her, shouting for her to slow down. She felt her glasses fall off at some point, but she didn’t even pause to think about it.
Rounding a corner, Vinyl caught sight of Octavia finally. However, seeing her clearly again dragged all her fears back into the open. Octavia was standing on a stoop two houses down, basked in the light from the doorway. She was talking to a pony inside, but Vinyl only heard ‘Fiddlesticks,’ after which, she went inside.
Twilight observed from Vinyl’s side, seeing more than most ponies would. “That was Octavia Melody.” She peeked over to Vinyl, who winced. “Your old friend. Applejack told me about her; how she left Ponyville and became a big classical musician. Fiddlesticks must have come here to stay with her.” She was silent for a second, turning to look Vinyl in the eyes. “Why didn’t you go up to her just now? She’s your friend, right?”
Vinyl looked down, shaking her head. “Nah. She used to be, but we had a falling out a little over year or so ago and… well, now we’re completely different ponies. She wants nothing to do with me.”
Vinyl knew it wasn’t the whole truth, but it was how she felt. The knot was back, strangling her drive to continue with this. She was having trouble admitting that she wanted to rekindle their friendship. It would make it all the more crushing if there wasn’t any chance.
“So, why did you run after her?” Twilight moved to Vinyl’s front, looking into her eyes. Vinyl looked away, kicking a hoof idly.
“Don’t know.”
“I think you do. You want to be her friend again, don’t you?” Twilight smiled a bit, levitating Vinyl’s glasses back onto her face. “You dropped these.” Once Vinyl’s glasses were properly adjusted, Twilight continued. “You know, a little under a year ago, I wouldn’t have known that. But, seeing you like this, I think it’s how I would react if I got into a fight with one of my friends. Scared, maybe a little angry, but wanting nothing more than to fix the problem.”
Vinyl couldn’t move. She couldn’t even run from Twilight’s words. They were true, of course, but they tore at Vinyl’s heart and made her fear that much worse. Was she really so obvious? She bit her lip, her impotence turning to anger, boiling over from the depths of her divided heart.
“Yeah? And what do you know about me? You may be my new friend, but that doesn't give you permission to butt into my private life!” Vinyl felt her eyes water, thankful for her glasses. She felt a pang of guilt for shouting at Twilight. The purple unicorn’s eyes showed a flash of hurt, quickly replaced with concern. “You couldn’t understand how I feel.”
Vinyl hated the words, even as they left her lips. She sniffed, wiping some tears that had gone past the rims of her glasses. She turned, taking a deep breath to calm herself. Twilight didn’t deserve this anger. “I-I'm sorry... Come on. Your route is perfect. We’ll go around and hang up the posters tomorrow night.”
As Vinyl turned around, taking the first corner she could, Twilight looked back at the door Octavia had gone into. Moving quickly, Twilight hurried to the door, drawing a ticket and poster out of her bag. She had brought them along to gauge how tiring it would be, carrying them on the walk. Levitating the two items up, she stuck them to the door, sealing the poster on with a quick splash of glue. She stuck the ticket into its holding-place on the bottom corner of the poster, stepping back to be sure it all stayed in the light breeze.
With a confident nod, she galloped after Vinyl, before she was missed.
Neon Lights trotted towards Club Canterlot with a smirk, using his magic to lighten the load of his sound system and supplies as he pulled along the rest in a cart. Tipping his shades, he whistled. “Looks like Vinyl’s pullin’ out all the stops. Sweet.”
As a resident of Canterlot, Neon had seen Club Canterlot here and there; he’d even played there once. But now, the club looked really different, styled up for the biggest scratch-off this city had ever seen. Maybe it's first ever.
It was that point between ‘early’ and ‘late,’ when the night was turning to morning, two nights before the scratch-off. Neon was pretty sure the time of day was called twilight. He had been told he’d have all tomorrow to set up his gear, with the next day to rest.
Slipping inside the club, he was surprised to see the interior was just as different as the exterior. The club was decorated with all the bells and whistles he had expected, as well as many he hadn’t. A group of ponies were working on Vinyl’s sound system and special effects with a space set on the opposite side of the stage for him.
Vinyl had, apparently, gone out. He pulled over one of the ponies, a Pegasus with a rainbow mane that looked vaguely familiar. "Hey... You know where I can find Vinyl Scratch around here?"
“Vinyl?" The Pegasus asked. "She’s out with Twilight right now, picking out the route for the posters and stuff. She shouldn’t be long.”
Neon nodded, looking the Pegasus over more critically. "Have we... met before?"
The pony shook her head. "Nah, I'd remember you. The name's Rainbow Dash; nice to meet ya."
Hearing her name confirmed his suspicions. While he'd never met her in person, who hadn’t at least heard of the name Rainbow Dash over the past year? She was the Pegasus who had saved the Wonderbolts and performed a ‘sonic rainboom’ to win the Young Flier’s Competition. Keeping his eyes hidden by his shades, he looked her over. Neon had to admit, he approved.
“Thanks loads, Rainboom.” With a smile, he walked from the conversation, starting to his spot on the stage and unloading his gear. Eyeing Vinyl’s systems, he picked out a few large-scale special effects. He was no stranger to the wilder side of music, but… was that a cannon? He chuckled to himself. Clearly, this wouldn’t be as easy as he hoped. Honestly, he’d known all along it wouldn’t be easy in the first place. Vinyl Scratch was his idol, the Princess of the Bass. He’d brought out everything he had for this scratch-off; his first and, as far as he knew, the only one so far to ever use exclusively dub-trot and EDM.
Just as he was about to get closer to check out Vinyl’s goods, a bright pink pony hopped in his way, her hooves out to either side to block him.
“Hey! No peeking! That’s cheating.”
Neon was confused at first, but then it dawned on him. “You must be Pinkie Pie. Vinyl said you’d be hosting this party.” Of course she was Pinkie Pie; she was the only pink pony in the room. The name was a real give-away.
Pinkie nodded.”Yuppers! Vinyl asked me to set up her gear. And that means I’m on guard duty to be sure you don’t peek or saccharine her stuff!”
Neon raised an eyebrow over his glasses, trying to find how that made any sense at all. “Did you mean sabotage?”
“Did I? But that doesn’t sound nearly as delicious.” Pinkie blinked a few times, seemingly lost in thought. Neon used this time to quietly slip away.
‘Crazy pony,’ he thought to himself, going back to building up his gear. He wanted plenty of time to test it out and make sure everything ran smooth. Couldn’t have a malfunction during the show.
After several minutes, Vinyl returned, walking beside a purple unicorn, both wearing saddlebags filled with rolled-up posters.
“Yo, Vinyl!” Neon shouted, waving from his place on the stage. “Sup?”
For a second, Vinyl didn’t reply. She worked her jaw for a moment more, before seemingly coming to live all at once, hurrying forward. “Neon! Hey-hey-hey! You ready to get stomped?”
“Keep dreamin’, Princess.” Neon responded, waving a dismissive hoof. “If anypony is gonna do some stomping, it’ll be me.”
“Vinyl, you’re a princess?” Pinkie peeked out from behind Vinyl’s turntables. “I had no idea!”
The playful verbal battle continued on for a few more jabs, before the two rivals broke out into laughter, wishing one another good luck. Vinyl and the others helped bring in his gear and, with one final check over her system, the group started out for lodgings. By that time it was morning, and everypony was tired from all the hard work.
“You know, I just realized something,” Rarity mused, looking to Vinyl as they stepped out the doors of the club. She walked straighter here in Canterlot than she did in Ponyville, Vinyl noted with a smile. “Where will we be staying?”
“Ah, right. I meant to tell you sooner; my bad.” Vinyl chuckled a bit. “We’ll be chillin’ up at my dad’s old studio. It’s got a few bedrooms for when he and his crew needed to stay overnight. It won’t be the most comfortable place, but it’s free and roomy.” The others agreed, all having apparently wondered about that same question at some point or another.
That day was spent relaxing, and when night fell, Vinyl and Twilight started out to post the invitations and posters. They walked along the assigned path, putting the invitations on nearly every door, a poster on every wall. It was an interesting sight, in Canterlot’s neat landscape; posters placed haphazardly here and there, with no organization, beyond their route.
As they came up on the spot the two had seen Octavia, Twilight was relieved to see the poster and the ticket missing from the door. She hoped the musician got the message and showed up. She felt a pang of worry as Vinyl stopped in front of the door’s stoop, then completely passed over it. Silently, Twilight hoped she’d done the right thing.