It was late in the day when Spike finally returned home.
He had stopped by the Carousel Boutique right away to deliver the good news of his new employment. Rarity was excited for him, but of course made him promise to still stop by from time to time. She also requested he stop by before his first day of work the next day, and she would have a present for him. He wasn’t sure what it was, but he was excited either way.
Spike charged through the front door of his library home, a spring in his step and a smile on his face.
“Twilight! Oh, Twiiiilight!” He glanced around the living room, seeing no sign of the unicorn in question.
“Spike, I’m in the study!” Twilight’s voice rang out from the next room over.
The young dragon wasted no time in making his way over to the room. He walked in to find her sitting at a desk, engrossed in a rather large book.
“How did your day go, Spike?” She turned her head to face her dragon assistant.
“Well, I went looking for a job.”
“And how did the hunt go?” Twilight said, with a slight grin.
“Well, I got rejected at every place I visited…”
“You see, Spike. I told you going off on impulse like that was a bad-“
“But then someone hired me! I have a job now!” Spike jumped up and down in place, letting his excitement loose. “You said I couldn’t do it, but I did!”
Twilight’s mouth hung slightly agape.“Well, I’m impressed, Spike! I honestly thought you wouldn’t be able to find one by yourself.”
“I didn’t actually do it by myself, per say. Rarity kinda helped me.” He grinned sheepishly. “But I did all the actual talking and stuff with the employer by myself!”
“Well, that’s great, Spike. I still think it was a bit rushed, but at least it worked out. I have to ask, where did you get hired at?” Her eyes widened in curiosity. “Sugarcube Corner?”
“Nope. Guess again.” Spike spread a smug grin on his face.
“Sofas and Quills?”
“Wrong.”
“The spa?”
“Not even close.”
“Oh, c’mon, Spike, there aren’t even that many businesses in town for you to get hired at.”
“Well, it’s not a business, necessarily…”
“Wait. You work for a private employer? Who is it?” Twilight asked. her voice laced with concern.
“Have you ever heard of Vinyl Scratch?”
Twilight stood there contemplatively for a moment. “Wait a second… She’s that DJ, right? White unicorn with blue hair?”
“That’s the one!”
“What do you do for her?”
“Same thing I do for you. I’m her assistant now. I’ll help her at shows, handle appointments… you know, assistant stuff. I get free passes to the clubs she plays at and everything!”
“Wait a minute… You’ll be going to dance clubs? On a regular basis?!”
“Yep. This job itself seems way cooler than the keyboard I wanted to get in the first place. I’m so excited. My first show with her is tomorrow night!”
Twilight wasn’t sure how to respond. On one hoof, she didn’t agree at all with his employment choice. On the other, this was her fault for telling him he needed to earn bits for himself. “Spike, clubs are dangerous. And how much do you even know about this pony? I mean, are you sure you can even trust her as your boss?”
“Well, I know she has awesome music taste.” Spike let out a small chuckle. “She was really nice, too. So, yes, I think I can trust her. If you don’t believe me, you can talk to Octavia, the mare who owns Ponyville Music. They’re good friends from what I could tell.”
“Being nice and liking music doesn’t make someone trustworthy.” Twilight let out a long sigh. “But I did suggest you try to earn bits for yourself, so it would be hypocritical to try and stop you. Just… be careful, alright?”
“Of course, Twilight. I mean, careful is my middle name!” He winked at her with a proud smile.
“No, Spike. Amadeus is your middle name.” Twilight let out a small chuckle.
“I thought we agreed you would never use that name!"
“Sorry, Spike, but you stepped right into that one. Now, when did you say your first show was?”
“Five O'clock tomorrow at Pop Rocks.”
“And this job won’t interfere with your duties around the library, will it?” she said with a scrutinizing look.
“Nope! It’s pretty much going to be on weekend nights, so I’ll be able to still take care of my chores,” he said with a smile.
“Huh. Well, Spike, this definitely looks like an excellent opportunity for you. I’m very proud.”
“Thanks, Twi. I think I’m gonna have a lot of fun with this job.” Spike quickly hugged Twilight before quickly turning around to exit the room. “Well, it’s getting late, so I think I’m gonna turn in early. Have a good night!”
“Alright, Spike, have a good night. I’ll see you in the morning.” Twilight let out a quick smile before turning back to her book.
After Spike made his exit, Twilight’s thoughts began to wander to the mare that Spike would be spending his weekend nights with from now on. "Maybe I will talk to Octavia… just to be safe."
* * * * * *
“Oh, Spike, darling! Thank you so much for stopping by!” Rarity quickly led the dragon inside.
“No problem, Rarity. You said you needed to give me something?” Spike glanced at her curiously.
“Yes! Wait right here, will you?” With a quick smile, the unicorn dashed into a different room, leaving Spike confused.
As quick as she left however, she returned, carrying a small brown bag in her magic.
“Here you are, dear!” She levitated the mystery bag to Spike’s hands. “Go on, open it!”
Spike carefully looked in the bag, and recoiled slightly at what he found. He pulled out a small black fedora with a dark purple wraparound centerpiece. He placed the hat onto his head, to find that it fit perfectly, head scales and all.
“Do you love it?!” Rarity’s eyes grew wide with excitement.
“Rarity, this is wonderful!” He stepped forward and wrapped her in a tight hug.
“Oh, I’m so glad you like it! As soon as you told me you’d be working in the music scene, I knew it was of the utmost importance for you to look the part. So I special made this fedora just for you! They’re really in fashion right now.” She giggled, shooting him a wink.
“Thanks, Rarity! I love it!” Spike looked at himself in a nearby mirror. “Now I can look sexy and stylish!” he laughed, earning a small laugh in return.
“That you will, Spike. So, you ready for your first night of work, with uh, what was her name?” Rarity walked over to her couch and took a seat.
“Vinyl Scratch.” Spike turned to face his friend. “And yea, I’m ready. I’m kind of nervous, though. I’ve never been to this club before.”
“Pop Rocks, correct? I’ve never been there either, but I know it’s relatively popular with the ponies in town. Especially the younger crowd. Cloudchaser and Flitter are regulars there, I hear.”
“Well, hopefully I’ll see some ponies I know. Either way, Vinyl said this job is really fun! And maybe there will be a local band or something playing too, and I’ll get a free concert out of it.” Spike thought to himself about the possibilities of his first day of work.
“Well, I am happy for you, Spike! I wish I could come see your first show tonight, but I’m just so swamped with work right now.” She sent a sad look in the young dragon’s direction.
“Don’t worry about it, Rarity. There’ll be a lot more in the future. Plus, I’m not sure this is exactly your ideal hangout place.”
“Perhaps you’re right. But I will make sure to come see you, soon. It’s my responsibility as your friend!” She shot a warm grin at Spike. “Now, it’s almost time for you to be at work, and you mustn’t be late on your first day! That’s terrible form.”
Spike quickly glanced at a clock hanging on a nearby wall. “Whoa! I only have thirty minutes to get there!” Spike took stock of himself in the mirror one final time. “I gotta go, Rarity. Thanks for the awesome hat!” He quickly gave the mare a tight hug and made his way to the front door.
“No problem, dear! Have a good first day, and do let me know how it goes!”
* * * * * *
Spike looked around the empty room from his location on the stage. It was a relatively small club with a bar on one end, a small stage on the other and a dance floor in between.
He had just finished setting up the music equipment to Vinyl’s specifications, and there was still forty-five minutes until the club opened. He ventured off to the prep room behind the stage where the unicorn was at.
He glanced around the small room, quickly spotting her looking through a stack of music albums. “Hey, Vinyl? Everything is set up.”
“Really? You’re awesome!” She lifted her hoof up, giving Spike a quick hoof bump. “I’ll come out and make sure everything’s right in just a second. I’m just looking over some music to find some new material to add to my playlist.” She looked over a couple more albums before selecting two and walked toward the exit. “These should do. Alright, Spike, let’s see if everything looks good.”
Spike followed her through the door to the stage. She quickly scanned over the speaker wiring, the keyboard, synthesizer and the computer system. He twiddled his thumbs, awaiting her response.
“Well, Spike. Looks great! Awesome job. We’ll be able to rock this place tonight!” She flashed him a smile of approval.
“Thanks!” He shot her a proud smile. “So, what’s on the agenda tonight? Are there any other artists playing or anything?”
“Actually, I’m glad you asked! We’re actually just playing warm-up tonight for a different band. They’re an underground band from Manehatten called I See Sombra.”
Spike searched his memory banks for any information he might know about this band. “Huh, I don’t think I’ve heard them before.”
“Doesn’t surprise me. They’ve never played any shows in this area before. But, I went to school with a couple of the dudes in the band, so I know them pretty well.”
“That’s cool. What kind of music do they play?” Spike asked, curiously.
“They’re pretty much your basic metalcore band. Breakdowns, slam riffs, melodic choruses… you get the gist,” she said nonchalantly.
“Well, there’s nothing wrong with that in my book.” Spike chuckled lightly. “But wait a sec. If we’re only playing warm-up, how long on stage do we get?”
“Thirty minutes, so we’re not getting a whole lot of pay from the club tonight. But, one of my friends in the band asked me if I could write and perform a synth lead for a new song they’re playing tonight! So, you know what that means?” Her mouth grew into an excited grin.
“You get to play on stage with them?!”
“Yep! And there’s supposed to be a decent turnout for their show tonight, so it’s an awesome chance to get some notoriety!”
“That’s so cool! I’ve always wanted to be able to rock out with a band on-stage.” Spike grin fell ever so slightly.
“Well, you’ll be up there with me, of course!” She shot him a warm smile. “Besides, I’ll need some help with the keyboard section I wrote in to their song, and you said you can play the piano, right?”
“Uhh, yeah! Well, kind of.” Spike shuffled his feet nervously.
“Can you read sheet music?”
“Yes, I can!”
“Perfect! You’ll do great. It’s just a simple synth filler for the background. Nothing complicated. I’ll be rocking the complex stuff.” She winked at him with a cocky smile. “Now, we’ve got about thirty more minutes before the doors open, so I’d like to know a bit more about you,” she stated, while walking back into the prep room with Spike.
“Um, okay. What do you want to know?”
“Well, if I remember correctly, you had something to do with fixing that disaster in the Crystal Empire a few years back, right?” Vinyl said, taking a seat on of the chairs in the room.
“Ha, yeah, that was me.” Spike blushed slightly, surprised that she was actually bringing up such old news.
“I thought so. I was looking through some old news magazines and stuff last night, and I found an old article about it. They had a picture of the Element Bearers, and you were in it, too. Your face was covered up by an advertisement, but I assumed it was you.”
Spike silently cursed the magazine editor, remembering that article far too well.
“Well, what I was gonna ask is, what’s it like to be famous? Like, you live with a princess, and you helped save an empire. That’s pretty sweet. And that means something coming from me.” She gave him a small smirk.
“Actually, I’m not famous at all. Sure, I live with Princess Twilight, but pretty much all the attention goes to her. I’m just the tag-along as far as the public eye is concerned. Like, the Princess of the Crystal Empire herself pretty much said ‘thanks’ once, and that was it. Twilight and the other elements got parades, medals, news stories and mass media attention.” Spike looked down at his feet. “But, that’s just how it goes when you’re an assistant.”
Vinyl looked at him with a tinge of sympathy. “I know that feeling. Trust me.”
“You do?” Spike looked up with a curious expression.
“Yea. But that’s another story for another time.” She waved the thought away with a swipe of her hoof. “But don’t worry, Spike. As my assistant, I’ll make sure you get your props. Nobody gets left behind with me.” She gave the dragon a friendly smile.
“Thanks, Vinyl. I appreciate it.” He returned with his own warm smile.
“Now, if you’re gonna be on stage though, you gotta have presentation.”
“Presentation?” Spike scratched his head.
“Yeah. You gotta have a look, and a name that people will remember. For example, mine stage name is DJ PON-3, and I always wear these when performing.” She pointed up at the sunglasses hanging on her forehead. “I noticed you were carrying a pretty sweet hat when you came in.”
Spike looked over to the desk in the room where he set it down when he arrived. “Yea, one of my friends made that for me.”
“Well, it’s a great look for you, so that’s gonna be your signature style, alright?” She levitated the hat over to him with her magic. “Now, you just need a wicked stage name…” Vinyl put her hoof to her chin, turning the gears in her mind. “If we can bring something about your… dragon side to light, that’d be perfect.”
Spike thought for a moment. “Ooh, I got it! How about, ‘The Big D’?”
“Umm, let’s not use that,” she said, trying to stifle a laugh. “Well, as far as dragons go, you’re pretty awesome, so how about… the ‘Bad Baby Dragon’?!”
“Oh, come on. I’m not really a baby anymore. I’m only a couple years younger than you.” Spike gave her an annoyed look.
“Well, I know that, but it has a ring to it, and it’s easily abbreviated! It’s perfect! DJ PON-3 and the BBD rocking the crowd.” She sat back with a content smile. “It just rolls off the tongue.”
As much as he detested being referred to as a baby, it sounded pretty good. “Alright, that’ll do. Now, what do you want me to do during our warm-up show?” Spike sent her a questioning glance.
“Your job is gonna be volume and equalizer control. Basically, if you think it’s too loud, too quiet, or needs a change in sound effects, you fix it how you want. Think you can do that?”
“Definitely!” Spike couldn’t help but smile. He was actually gonna be on stage, rocking out for a crowd in just a few minutes. “And during the performance with the other band, I just play the synth piece you wrote?”
“Yep. I have the keys and everything mapped out in my computer you set up, so you’ll have everything you need.” Vinyl glanced at a nearby clock. “We’ve still got ten minutes left, so I want you to hear something before we get on. Follow me.”
Spike followed her out to the stage again, where she began typing something into her computer. “I’m gonna play you a song from I SEE SOMBRA. This is one I provided some electronic noise for off their first demo album. Wasn’t very popular, though.” A couple seconds later, she found and selected the desired track, whilst making sure the volume was on full blast.
Spike stood at a comfortable distance as the song started up. He was greeted with a simple, yet haunting synth lead. “It sounds pretty good, but it’s nothing sp-”
He didn’t get to finish that sentence as a bone crushing riff shook the entire room, followed by possibly the heaviest synth vibration he had ever heard.
‘PUT YOUR HOOVES WHERE I CAN SEE THEM!’
Spike stood slack-jawed at the pure aggression of the music and the vocals. Every beat, every riff and every drop made his heart stop.
The song eventually settled into a modern rock sound, allowing a much needed breath of air from the brutality at the beginning. And then came Vinyl's amazingly catchy dubstep break.
“Vinyl!” Spike tried to shout over the ear splitting ear assault she was playing. “This is amaz-”
Spike forced himself quiet, as out of nowhere, the music lulled, leaving nothing but the haunting synth lead once more. That could only mean one thing.
‘PUT YOUR HOOVES WHERE I CAN SEE THEM!’
Spike found himself falling to the floor from the floor shaking beneath him. All the while, Vinyl was at her computer, a huge grin plastered on her face, completely lost in the music she helped create.
The song eventually ended in a breathtaking breakdown, and Spike was left, mouth agape on the ground.
“So, Spike! What’d you think?” Vinyl walked over and closed his mouth with a hoof.
“That. Was. INSANE! I didn’t even know a synthesizer was capable of producing something like that.” Spike shot her a look of amazement. “How is that not a massive hit?!”
“Eh, most ponies don’t buy into the genre mixing thing too much. I’m hoping to change that eventually.” Her lips curled into a confident smirk. “But I gotta tell you something, Spike.”
“What’s that?” he said, returning to his feet.
“If you liked that, just wait ‘till you see what I have planned for tonight. You haven’t heard anything yet.” She put her sunglasses on as the first customers began walking into the room. “It’s showtime!”
Spike gulped down his excitement. This was going to be a wild night.
Can't wait for the next chapter. I might see if I can put my music on a YouTube video. Or at least soundcloud. It should be under Shattered Onyx.
I LOVE this fix!!! You get mustaches!
Props to the bad name bro.
Amadeus spike? WUT
I have a feeling that this concert will only go oh so well. Yays!
Amadeus, I see what ya did there! awesome chapter yet again my friend! Can't wait to read more!
4050067 yay! if can YouTube it, I can link it to the story
Amazing cant wait for the next chapter. You've earned the most rewarding poptart ever, from me.
4050156 can it be a chocolatey fudge pop-tart? or a strawberry one?
This is killer. I could only hope my VinylXSpike story is half as good as yours. Hope you update soon.
4050086 I wrote that. at like 2 in the morning I accept. no responsibility
4050184
Whatever you want it to be, or it could be a walking poptart singing blink-182.
4050186 what group is it?
4050185 I was so happy when I saw that you wrote a Vinyl x Spike fic too. This ship needs to get out there.
This is gun be guud! :D
4050217 coming from someone who doesn't like spike ships generally, that is a huge complement! thanks
This is gonna' be badass!
hell yaaaaa PUT YOUR HANDS IN THE AIR!!!!!!!!
4050244 next chapter is gonnA be a pretty hardcore party
Awesome chapter keep up the good work
Can't wait to see where this is going. I am happy to gave Vinyl a back story as well what we will hear about later. It has depth to the character and keeps her from feeling one dimensional. Dying to see when Spike falls into his groove and start becoming a presence on stage as well. Your doing a great job with this story. I would love to see you tackle other interesting pairings with Spike. ( Kinda want to see one with a older teenage Spike and the Mayor (if you cant tell have a thing for older women lol) i am sure you could bring alot with some other characters that don't get alot of play from people and the show.) Anyway can't wait to see what happens next.
4050226
I know, it's because I find that you're actually making it worth reading. :D
4050298 How does this one look?
4050333 I think It sounds interesting, That is just what i was talking about. Using characters that most people don't know about or pay attention to give you so much room to create their personalities and back stories. And Spike being such a broad character with many different sides to his personality it is easy to pair him with almost anyone.
4050358 yep! I've got Derpy scheduled next, and then Cloudchaser
4050367 Gotta love the Derp lol. Gotta throw it out there cuz I have to. My fav is older Spike, I would love to see Spike start to date Derp and kinda fall into the role of Step Dad (after finding out he can't have kids with ponies) but then must defend them when Derp asshole of a ex comes back and try to mess up the life she built.
4050367 I also kinda of had a thing for Cheerilee, always felt there was more to her then a teacher. Like more that would take a young,outgoing, smart,mature yet childish, Drake to bring out of her and show her how to live again.
4050397 my goal is to ship Spike with every mare on the site, or at least the background ones
4050410 That is a goal I can get behind 100000 and 10%. Spike is such a cool character that doesn't get anywhere near enough play in the show. I am happy to see so many fans wan to give him the props he deserves lol. As you know dude if you ever need anything don't be afraid to ask. Hell I go ideas for days, and when i don't I can pop one out faster then a Kardashian sex tape.
BABY DRAGON! GO TIME WIZARD! FUSE INTO THOUSAND DRAGON!
4050427 I'll definitely take you up on that. Especially when I get to Lightning Dust... I've been drawing blanks with her
4050430 ha! I have a baby dragon as well! and when I fuse him with the other four dragons in my hand and on the field I can summon my FIVE HEADED DRAGON!!
4050452 just came up with roughly about 3 different story ideas for Lightning Dust just by reading her bio lol.
4050410 Well then here's a challenge for you, write a story about the best shipping ever: Spilda! (Spike x Gilda)
4050483 I've thought about that. only problem is Draconian Soul has a super popular one out, and I highly. I could compete with a someone of that caliber. but if the right inspiration hits, I'll probably right it
4050483 lol can't say really a challenge because it is one of the best alright. So many ways to go about it from a young spike to older and more. They make such a interesting pair that you can't go wrong. But I would love to see more of this pairing. There is so much a spark I see there, that i want to help grow into a burning fire of hot scaly and feathery love lol.
4050202 There are a lot of Spike shippings that there should be more of. I like to think that people like us are helping get non existing Spike shipping out there.
Yay, new chapter..
And Amadeus huh?
Like rock me Amadeus?
This is gonna be good.
The next chapter cannot come soon enough.
Never thought I'd see an I See Stars reference in a fanfic, much less a FiM one. Definitely approve of their musical choices
well, besides me wonderin why didn't want to say his mid name (cause it didn't sound so bad ) n' how 's first nite with vi is gonna go . This was a sweet update n' can't wait for moar
4050724 pssh, speak for yourself. Fedoras are cool
That was fast.
Gotta say, I was super super pumped for this! And it didn't dispoint!
Expect Spike has a fedora like a mainstreamer! lol jk they're cool
I've even set it so I get emails when your story updates! Cuz it rocks! And WOW they got some good music.
I See Stars rocks hard! I See Sombra was a creative way to change it up! And you really did the name for the chapter! Legit!
So so so excited to read more!
4051382 I wanted to get it out there
4051406 I like Fedoras
but I mainly just used it Kuz the cover art has him wearing one
That's my friend's Skype name.
Hilarious chapter and overall pure enjoyment and satisfaction.
10/10, Now to wait on until the next chapter comes out
4051651
Thats his name alright, (giggles)