Rainbow Records Inc.

by KingDaddyDiscord

Ch. 2: Thawing Out

Magenta locked on to magenta. Vinyl Scratch looked at the pegasus in front of her. Rainbow Dash looked at her sister. The outcast of the family. Looking at the apartment, it looked like she was surviving for herself.

“It’s still hard, you know. I might look well off, but it’s not very easy to go through life while thinking your entire family hates you.” Rainbow jerked her head over and saw a faint glow around Vinyl’s horn. Unicorn magic.

“We don’t hate you.”

“Then you kicked me out for what reason? You were bored? Not enough room? Sorry, sis, but this looks a lot like you kicked me out for being different.” She looked away.

“I tried to fly home a few times. I wanted to be the flier that dad wanted me to be. His first-born to take his place on the Wonderbolts. But no, she came out a unicorn, so the next logical move is to kick her of the family!”

The pegasus mare looked at her sister. The one they never spoke of. She now saw the mare that seemed to be non-existent to her family, and she realized that she didn’t know why she was kicked out in the first place. She couldn’t believe that it was because of her being a unicorn, but it had to be something. Especially if it was so painful for her.

“Vinyl, I’m sorry. I don’t know why you had to go, but now is the time for us to get close to each other again.

“How? Why in Tartarus are you even here, Dash?” Vinyl glared at the mare, who flinched a bit at the coldness in her tone. Then she pulled the knot of the rope loose, letting her wings fall limply to her side. Vinyl’s glare instantly melted, and she reached out to touch the appendages. There was no reaction.

“What happened?” She asked.

“I had an accident. They went limp, the doc says it’s a form of paralysis. I can’t work on the weather team anymore, so they told me to find a new form of job on the ground. They recommended a family member who lived close by, and I thought of you.”

“That’s nice of you. I didn’t know I still counted as family.” Rainbow glared at her sister.

“Alright, now listen here. You can mope around as much as you want, but it wasn’t my choice. You know that.”

The fire in Vinyl’s eyes melted away as she saw the logic in that, but she still glared.

“Alright, you can stay here. ON THE CONDITIONS that you help around the apartment, you don’t mind my music, and you don’t ask about my business I may or may not go about somedays. Caphice?” Rainbow nodded, and Vinyl finally let up on her death stare.

“Come on, I’ll show you your room.” The unicorn led her injured sister to a guest room. It was dark and full of boxes.

“Job one, you can help me clean out your room. I never expected company, so I decided to use it to store my extra equipment.” She began to move the boxes without waiting for a reply. Sighing, Rainbow began to help.

~~~ ~~~ ~~~

That night, Rainbow Dash lay in her bed. She couldn’t sleep, and Vinyl wasn’t even playing her music. She couldn’t help feeling guilty about how far apart she and her sister had drifted.

When Vinyl was sent away, their father immediately began telling Rainbow Dash everything she would need to take his place as a Wonderbolt. Day after day, year after year, it had been drilled in her head. Fight to win. Don’t let a silly thing like loss get in the way of greatness. Be a Wonderbolt. Wonderbolts. Wonderbolts.

What had she wanted to be before that? It had been so long, she didn’t even remember anymore. Something better? Nah, she wasn’t even sure if there was such a thing. It was just too hard to formulate thoughts…

A slam sounded. Then silence. The pegasus mare got up quietly so as not to disturb anypony. Very carefully, she tiptoed to her door and gently opened it. It didn’t look like anypony was in the apartment. Opening it more, she lightly crossed the room to where Vinyl slept. The door was shut.

I wonder if she’s asleep. Dash thought. She gingerly reached out for the doorknob.

“Can I help you with something, sis?” A voice said from behind the mare, causing her to jump high enough to bump her head on the ceiling. Looking behind her, she saw Vinyl on the couch with the TV barely over a light hum.

“Oh, um, I was just---”

“You were just what?” The unicorn flicked the switch on her remote, shutting off the box. Rainbow looked for an excuse lying around her brain.

“I was just, you know, making sure you were okay. I heard a noise.”

“A noise?” Vinyl lifted on of her eyebrows in skepticism.

“Yeah, a noise.” Dash continued. “It was a slam.” Vinyl sighed.

“We’re in an apartment. There are ponies living all around us with different things to get to. Don’t be surprised if you hear more than a few noises in the night.” The musician rubbed her eyes and trotted over to her room.

“Get to bed, Rainbow. We have a busy day tomorrow.” The alabaster unicorn then shut the door behind her. A click sounded as the lock was put into place. Sighing, the pegasus walked back into her own room and shut the door.

I wonder what she means by ‘busy day’... The pony thought as she drifted off into the sweet embrace of dreamland.

~~~ ~~~ ~~~

MEEPMEEPMEEPMEEPMEEPMEEPMEEPMEEPMEEPMEEPMEEPMEEPMEEPMEEPMEEPMEEPMEEPMEEPMEEPMEEPMEEPMEEPMEEPMEEPMEEPMEEPMEEPMEEPMEEPMEEPMEEPMEEPMEEP!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Rainbow groaned in frustration as she pounded the alarm clock repeatedly until she heard a crack and the beeping stopped. A noise sounded from the door, and the cyan pegasus looked over to see her sister with a glare on her face.

“Come on, we have to go. And that’s coming out of your rent." She led her groggy sister out the room and into the car waiting down below in the parking lot.

“What do you mean ‘rent?’” Rainbow asked after she had drunk her coffee that Vinyl had made.

“What, you think that you’d be allowed to stay with me for free? I have bills, food, payments. All sorts of things a bit of extra dough won’t hurt. So that’s why we’re getting you a job.” The alabaster unicorn carefully pulled out of the driveway, and got onto the open road.

“A job?” Dash gulped. Vinyl nodded, then looked at her sister. Rainbow Dash’s face was white as a sheet.

“What, you’ve never gotten a job before?”

“No. Dad hooked me up with my weather patrol team.”

“Oh.” The unicorn’s mask of annoyance melted briefly, and she lightly punched the pegasus’ side.

“Don’t worry, let me tell you a bit about how to get hired…”

~~~ ~~~ ~~~

“...and that’s why you always remember to wear a tie. Works like a charm.” Vinyl finished. Rainbow seemed in awe of all the knowledge she had just been graced with, making the unicorn chuckle.

“Alright, time for the test. First stop: My day job.”

Author's Note:

A bit rushed, but I really wanted to set the plot ASAP, the next chapter is really pivotal. Stay tuned!

Comments

[Akeion98]

I had fun reading this story can't wait for the next.

[HB_DS2013]

Personality wise, Vinyl is more likely to be related to RD or Rarity than Twilight.