13 - Adaptation
As the days progressed, the new Vinyl Scratch seemed to worry about her past less and less. Not that she had forgotten, Robert had checked with questions, but she just didn't seem very worried about her past, more the present. "And you should too," she chastised, giving Rob a prod in the chest. "C'mon, dude. You're living in freakin' Equestria." She waved to an open window. "Every day is great here."
Robert smiled, but there was a mote of bitterness there. The new Vinyl had some of what the old Vinyl had. They were a better person than him.
Vinyl swung around to his side and threw a leg over him. "That's it, my stallion, we're busting those funky clouds of yours, once and for all."
He blinked at that. "How?"
She squeezed him tight. "I'm going to let you live a dream all guys have at some point. We're hitting the town, having fun, and I'm gonna hang off you while all the other stallions gape in jealousy."
Robert laughed at the idea. Some part of him liked it, the other part... "There's no reason to be, you know, mean about it."
Vinyl rubbed her side against his. "If they get jealous, that's their decision. It's not like I'll shove my face in theirs and go 'Look what he has or anything." She shrugged a little and pulled Robert down by the neck, locking him in a tight grip. "We're gonna have fun. That's just a side effect of having a hot mare for your +1."
"About that."
Vinyl rolled her eyes. "You did fine, and you're going to get better." She raised a hoof and pointed into the kitchen. "Just like I'm getting better at pony dishes. If we sit around moping about not being perfect on the first try, we wouldn't get anything done. Now let's move out!"
There was no further argument to be had, and she hauled her reluctant coltfriend out onto the city. Rob began walking with her shortly and they trotted side by side until they were passing his place of work, the record store. The shopkeep was chatting with the other Vinyl Scratch and receiving a guitar back from her.
He could see Rob's Vinyl Scratch first and jerked back. "C-changeling!"
Vinyl alpha spun to see Vinyl beta. Both mares stared at each other for a silent pregnant moment.
Robert broke the silence. "It's not--"
Vinyl alpha raised a hoof at him, lowered it at beta, and drew a turntable free with her magic. She nodded to beta, set down the turntable, and looked to the shopkeep.
He seemed to get the idea and rushed inside, returning with a record for her to put on it.
She nodded as she placed it carefully on the turntable and got it playing, only to give it a sudden scratch at just the right time.
Beta tilted her head and glanced between them before she reached with her magic to the same place, surprising herself when she found her own turntable. She put it down and waved at the shopkeep. With her own record installed, she gave it a little spin.
Alpha nodded approvingly and let her record go, the song resuming for a precious time before her hooves came down and she began to play a beat. A beat that Beta joined eagerly, at first a little off, but quickly matching the tempo. The two music ponies were in their own world, playing, leading, following, and working off the other without an outside concern in the world.
The shopkeep slid over to Robert. "Do you know what this is about?"
Robert shook his head slowly. "The new one's my marefriend."
That rose his brow. "You? Her?" He looked at the DJ pony laying down radical beats. "A blessing and a curse."
"Curse?"
"I can't imagine it's fun when she's carried away like this."
Robert shrugged softly. "Actually, it's... kinda nice." He liked watching her play, the pleasure on her face, the concentration in her eyes. "I can't play music, but... No, no, this is great."
The shopkeep nudged him. "No wonder she likes you."
Robert felt silly a moment. To think he had asked for a pony less skilled in music. He was glad that part hadn't quite worked out.
Alpha suddenly stopped her record, pulled the needle free and began to pack up. She gave a firm nod to Beta and held out a hoof. It was met with a loud clop. Alpha then strode away as if there was nothing wrong with another her at all.
The crowd that had gathered let out a thunderous applause and stomping of their hooves even as they began to disperse, the show over.
Beta was less unfazed, panting softly with the effort it had required to keep up with the true DJ-Pon3. But she had done it. She had spun burning hot discs with one of her favorite ponies and gotten a seal of approval. Her day was made, and the smile that spread on her face was clear evidence of it. She offered the disc back to the shopkeep, but her eyes were on Rob. "Didja see that?! The Vinyl Scratch, DJ-Pon3, and she liked my stuff!"
Robert felt an urge and did not fight it. He answered her with a sudden kiss.
She laughed into the exchange and pulled him in close. "Seeing two of me matching beats turn you on or something? Stallion." She bumped noses gently. "My stallion."
The shopkeep shook his head. "This one speaks far more than the original, but you are still a lucky stallion to have her. So... not a changeling?"
Vinyl raised a brow at him. "That'd be pretty cool I guess, shapeshifting and all that. Nah. I'm happy enough being me."
He shook his head. "Have fun, whatever you're doing. You have tomorrow off, so you have no excuse." He winked at the new Vinyl as he casually shot down any work-related excuses Rob might have had. He trotted into the store with his two records.
Vinyl tickled Robert under the chin with her magic even as she stuffed away her turntable. "Kinda freaky, having that hidden away all that time. Geeze, I've taken baths."
Robert laughed at that. "It does take getting used to, but it's useful, right?"
Together, they trotted side-by-side. Vinyl pointed at a night club, and soon they were inside.
The doorpony, huge and imposing, put a hoof out at the door, but stopped on seeing Vinyl and drew the hoof back.
Once they were past him, Vinyl leaned in. "Perks of having a celebrity lookalike for a mare, huh?" Her eyes wandered. "Oh christ, they have karaoke up in here? I wonder if they have any show songs. That'd be wicked." She tugged at him. As it turned out, they did have a few, but most were unknown to either, and with a few drinks and a few laughs, both were given drunken tries to keep up with the songs. Worries were discarded, new ponies were met, and fools were made of everyone there, but since everyone was in it together, no one felt the fool.
A stallion bumped Robert out of the way, sending him crashing. "Hey, hot momma, let's take this to the after party, get my drift?"
Vinyl lifted a brow. "You just dissed my colt. Get lost." Her words were flat and blunt. The other ponies around the would-be bully laughed and jeered at his failure even as some other ponies helped Robert to his hooves.
This did not sit well with the thug of a pony. He decided to take it out on Robert, raising a hoof at him. "You think you can talk to me like that!?"
Robert flinched, but didn't run. "Your hearing as bad as your manners? The one talking's over there." He pointed at Vinyl. "You heard her, get lost. We're partying here."
The thug swung, but his hoof was blocked by another, larger, hoof. The bouncer had arrived. The ill-mannered stallion was plucked up like a rag and tossed outside, allowing the revelry to continue.
They staggered home late that night, sloshed and tired. They had two separate beds, but Vinyl wasn't having that. With a bit of a glow, she brought them together. "Not gonna fall off tonight." She hopped up with the uncertain Robert, hugged him tight and promptly passed out. Her soft snores tickled at his ear as she cuddled him in her sleep.
Robert smiled a little, thinking of things in that relative quiet. Vinyl really did seem to care about him, and liked him. He was... He was starting to like her, more than a cheap one-up on the original Vinyl. His Vinyl was special, a person all her own, and kinda great. He slid his hooves around her in kind, and soon they were both faded from the world, sharing their snores.
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that would be unFAZED.
7807547 Fix'd!
7807554 I'll shall forever be unfazed by the phase of typos you go through.
<chuckles> This was, perhaps, my favorite chapter in this story so far.
Simple. Clean. Fun.
Fluttershy would be giving you a hug... and then blushing at the ending.
Summon Typo, level 2.
"That's
isit, my stallion, we're busting those funky clouds of yours, once and for all."Not bad, all things considered.
Cutie Mark assistance? Glad to see Vinyl's fears were unfounded.
Keep going! ;)
7807867 Typo remedied, and another at no extra cost. Glad you liked it though!
That certainly went better than expected. I suppose the logical next place to look would be Big Mac's replacement. I'm not as confident there, but he may surprise me.
7807861 Set your phasers to faze. Energize!
forgotten them - forgotten them
they trot - they trotted
As it turned - As it turned out
the effort it required - the effort it had required
but the hoof - but his hoofÂ
I'm glad things are looking up for Robert and that his relationship with Vinyls is mutually beneficial.
Vinyl-A is the definition of mellow. So long as her double isn't hurting her image, and has the same love and skill for the music, it's all good for her.
7808139 Typos thrown out by the bouncer. Glad you liked it! A nice fluffy chapter.
7808207 Vinyl Beta needs a different name, especially if they keeping meeting the Alpha as I think they are getting on well. Vyneta?
d'awwwww.
7809825
7809885 Typos written out of the contract before the Trot Father could see them, phew, close call.
Oh the implications! No thoughts on any other dangling threads?