The Quickverse Chronicles

by Quick Fix

Behind the Shades (Vinyl Scratch)

Author's Note:

Sorry for going so long without any signs of life, everyone. I've been going all out on my next major fic and hope to start uploading it within a week or two. In the meantime, I've managed to put together another piece on the ponies of Equestria.

Ponyville
March 17th, Year 21 under the Four Princesses

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Ponyville was basking in the pleasant warmth of a gentle spring afternoon. Ponies throughout town were making the most of the sun to visit the bustling markets, catch up with friends or simply see where the day took them. That was part of the beauty of Ponyville, for a town of this size it was remarkably easy to spot any number of ponies that were known across Equestria. From members of the Junior Buckball League to the Elements of Harmony themselves, it was almost impossible to spend a day in town without seeing a pony of repute. It was almost an unspoken requirement for visitors or tourists to the town to spend some time around the train station, since the odds of seeing another famous pony taking or leaving a train was even higher than the already increased odds elsewhere in Ponyville. Today was no exception.

Riding aboard the latest train into town was a white unicorn, distinctive by her unkempt cobalt mane and tail that were contained a pair of electric blue streaks that ran the length of her hair, a set of deep purple glasses big enough to cover her eyes completely and a backward double quaver cutie mark. Anypony who knew anything about music knew it was none other than Vinyl Scratch, AKA DJ Pon-3, widely regarded as one of the best DJs there was. That was probably why everypony in the same train carriage was leaving her be despite being draped over two seats and snoring slightly. Being at two gigs in a row had taken a toll on her, especially when in such a rough and far-flung place as Orlon. Riding a night ferry back to Los Pegasus and an all day train on to Ponyville even more so. Despite how easy and fun her life looked, it was a lot of work.

As the train began to slow for its approach into Ponyville, one of the other commuters walked over to her and gently shook her awake. Vinyl gave a long yawn as she woke up before looking up out the window and nodding her thanks to the pony. He simply nodded back, knowing it was as good as he would get. If there was one thing you were certain to get from DJ Pon-3, it was her signature silence. She got up off her seats and stretched, grinning at the ever so pleasurable feeling of life coming back into her legs. That done, she fetched her bags out from under the seat she had originally been in and fished out her headphones before sliding them into place over her ears. She didn't actually have any magic available to play at the moment but ponies were less likely to try and interrupt her if she looked like she was jamming out.

The train pulled up and Vinyl made her way out onto the platform as soon as the doors opened, glad to be back in her hometown. As expected, there were a couple of tourists keeping an eye out on the platform and she made sure to throw them a smile and a wave while they took pictures. She couldn't linger though, one of them happened to be a gray unicorn stallion and that appearance dredged up a lot of bad memories for her. She took up a quick trot as she exited the station and started for home, taking in as many sights as she could along the way. Anything to try and distract herself. As much as she tried though, she couldn't shake the thought of him. That well built blue-gray body, rough red mane and matching short tail, the simple magnet cutie mark, those light blue eyes she had found herself admiring eleven years ago. As great as he had looked, she far more vividly remembered all the bad things about Magnet Bolt.

About her ex-husband.

She'd met him back in Year Ten. It had started a regular enough night at one of her gigs in Vanhoover. She was used to stallions trying to show their interest in her during the post-show autographs but something about Magnet Bolt had stood out, she couldn't even remember what it was beyond the looks now. Still, they'd hit it off well enough and before long she found herself inviting him to backstage just for the chance to talk to him without giving up her image. Their relationship had progressed quickly after that, to the point that he proposed to her in September of the following year and they married the February after that. In hindsight, the speed should have been her first warning sign, the second being his request that they stay at her place in Ponyville, even though she was still sharing the house with her fillyhood friend, Octavia.

That had only been the beginning though. The longer they spend under the same room, clearer it came to Vinyl that Magnet had been one of the worst choices for a partner she could have made. No matter how she had been feeling, physically or emotionally, he had been trying to keep convincing her to perform, pushing for more of the cushy lifestyle he desired. He'd backed off for a time when it turned out that they were going to be parents and their marriage did recover after their daughter was born in Year Fourteen, a unicorn they named Silver Mint. Unfortunately it didn't last, likely not helped by the fact that Vinyl refused to get into any arguments around Mint or Octavia. Magnet had kept pressuring for more of a high and famous life though and by Year Sixteen she decided that enough was enough and filed for divorce. While the court settlement meant that their daughter had to spend time with both her parents, that still meant they could stay in Ponyville and Vinyl was satisfied that she was away from the worst of her father's tendencies.

That was the reason she'd been pushing to get home today. Silver Mint was with her for the next few weeks and she wanted to be there when she got home from school. The rest of the walk through Ponyville was fairly straightforward and before long she was back on her home street, making a mental note to catch up with her neighbours as soon as she could. Night Shade, Scootaloo and Autumn Breeze were always good for local news. With that settled she quickly approached the familiar split-down-the-middle design of the home she had shared with Octavia for years. It had undergone some modifications, from both a mix of expansions to accommodate it's new inhabitants and all the times she'd accidently blown a window or wall out from practicing too hard. At this point it had happened so often that both Vinyl and Octavia were on first name terms with their local repairpony, Quick Fix.

Opening the door with her magic, a purple aura lighter than that of her glasses, she quickly stepped inside and shut it behind her. Only then did she give a sigh of relief and took off her glasses, revealing a pair of tired cerise coloured eyes behind them. Much as she enjoyed being DJ Pon-3, bringer of wubs, she'd been doing it ever since she first got behind a turntable. Now at age thirty seven, it had started to take its toll and she enjoyed the time out of the public eye. It was time for a period where she could just be Vinyl Scratch, regular pony and devoted mother. Hanging her glasses up on a coat hanger by the door, she looked down the hallway that led through to the kitchen at its far end where sounds of life were emanating. She couldn't help but smile at that. Octavia had always been the better, and older by about four years, of the two friends and always stepped up to help Vinyl when she had been trying to make a name for herself, or even look after Silver Mint when necessary. As if on cue, the familiar gray head of her earth pony friend poked around the corner from the kitchen.

"Hey, Tavi." Vinyl said happily, trotting up to greet her friend. Octavia simply chuckled and let her step into the kitchen before hugging the unicorn.

"Good to have you back, Vinyl. How was Orlon?" She asked as she released the hug.

"Those minotaurs know how to party, but they've got a surprisingly good taste in books. Pretty sure I saw one reading some of Princess Twilight's work," Vinyl replied simply, walking over to the fridge and taking a bottle out before taking an immediate swig of the chilled water. She'd needed that since waking up on the train and gave a sigh of content as her throat was rehydrated. "So, did I get home in time?"

"You did, Silver Mint will be home soon." Octavia said with a small smile. She knew how much being here in time meant to her friend. Sure enough, Vinyl's smile grew further at that news.

"Thanks, Octy," Vinyl said cheerfully, swapping to another of her friends' nicknames before her look became more thoughtful. "Sorry, I hadn't even thought to ask how you've been without me."

"Well it's never the same without you here to break something," Octavia replied with a small chuckle. "But without both you and Mint, it's been...Quiet. I didn't notice it when we were younger but, I actually miss having you around, giving my home life a sense of excitement. Even I can't get by with just my cello as the soundtrack of my life."

Vinyl nodded as she leaned against a counter, taking another drink. That comment had made her think a lot more than probably intended. She'd spent so many years seeing every inch of Equestria on her tours, and even the surrounding lands. The Mintoris Islands, Zebahi, the Crystal Empire. You name it, she'd played there. Sure, things had gotten slower when she came back to the DJ circuit as she started tailoring her choice in performances so she could stay here as much as possible when Silver Mint was with her, but Octavia's comment had given her a new pause. She wasn't exactly in her performing prime anymore, maybe it was time for her to dial it back a little further and just enjoy her home life properly, while she still could.

Her thoughts were interrupted by the sound of the front door. Shaking any plans she might have been making from her mind for now, she looked back down the hallway and her face lit up. Coming in was a silver unicorn filly with a short cut turquoise mane, a longer tail that nearly reached to the floor, clear green eyes and a cutie mark of a sparkling bit. There she was, her seven year old daughter. Vinyl quickly put her bag to one side and crouched down, knowing full well what was coming. After a second, Silver Mint noticed her and gave a squeal of pure joy, a sound that never failed to warm both Vinyl and Octavia's hearts.

"Mom, you're here!" Mint exclaimed in an energetic voice and dashed through the hallway, finishing with a running jump into Vinyl's chest, wrapping her front hooves round her mother's chest as best she could.

"I told you I would be," Vinyl replied softly, wrapping a hoof around the filly's back and the other around her flanks, holding and hugging her lovingly. Even through her life experiences, there was nothing in the world that felt quite so special to her. "You been ok with your father?"

"Yeah..." Mint nuzzled against her neck softly, poking Vinyl in the chin with her horn. "He doesn't seem to have time like you though."

"Hey, your dad's just going through a busy patch, making sure that he has everything he needs to keep you as happy as he can," Vinyl commented, hoping that she wasn't lying through her teeth. She hadn't talked to him in months after all. "He loves you just as much as I do, no matter what."

"Thanks, mom," Mint snuggled up to Vinyl and let herself be lifted up, looking over at Octavia and waving. Octavia smiled warmly and waved back, used to the filly's up close style of affection. "So what's the minotaur land like? What're they like? Do they like your music?"

"Slow up kiddo, there'll be time to tell you about it over dinner. For now, I have something for your collection." Vinyl couldn't help but chuckle at the sudden look of surprise on her daughter's face at that. Silver Mint had grown up with a fascination over bits and taken to finding spare change around town and making a coin collection out of it. She was responsible with it for her age and ultimately gotten her cutie mark when she'd finished her collection of historical Equestrian coins.

"Really mom, really?" Mint watched in fascination as Vinyl opened her bag up and lifted a coin out in her magic. It was large enough to fill an adult hoof and thicker than a normal bit, with a pea-sized hole in the middle and looked to be made of zinc.

"This is a coin for five Mintori nelph. It's value is about the same as thirteen bits and isn't that common here in Equestria. It's all yours, Silv."

Silver Mint's eyes widened as Vinyl held the coin close for her, letting the filly observe it up close. After a minute she took it and studied it in her hooves, her smile steadily growing before she hugged her mother closer, the older unicorn's grip getting a little tighter in return.

"I've been hoping for one of these for so long. Thank you thank youthankyou! I love you momma!"

"I love you too." Vinyl replied softly, leaning down and kissing Mint's forehead. The filly only referred to her as momma when she was super happy and right now she was practically radiating joy at the gift. The sight and feeling was enough to bring a small tear to Vinyl's eyes. Even if she was still small enough to hold, her legs were beginning to ache and she lowered Mint back down to the floor, watching as she immediately dashed off to add the coin to her collection.

"I'm proud of you." Octavia said simply. Vinyl looked back at her friend and nodded, knowing exactly what she meant. She was just as proud of her daughter as well. The earth pony already knew what Vinyl had in mind next and stepped out into the back garden with a good natured shake of her head.

Vinyl simply chucked and trotted toward the stairs and her daughter's room. Octavia always tended to tidy up the filly's room when it was unoccupied and Silver Mint would probably need a little help getting it the right level of messy again. As she reached the foot of the stairs she stopped and looked back to where her shades were hung up. For the first time, she properly wondered what she would do if it ever came to the point where she had to choose between her career or her home life. She'd used to think, back when she was married, that it was something that would require several sleepless nights to decide on. Really though, in her heart it wasn't even a decision anymore. Nothing felt quite as good as seeing her daughter happy and even a party animal and household name such as herself wouldn't trade that for anything in the world. Her smile grew slightly and she headed upstairs after Mint. That bedroom wasn't going to mess up itself.