//------------------------------// // Routine // Story: Eyes of a Musician // by artsofallkinds //------------------------------// All characters either belong to Hasbro and the Hub or to the Brony fan base as a whole, with the exception to OC ponies, who belong to their respective owners. Enjoy! -Arts ---------- Chapter 5: Routine Thunder Roller walked along with his colleges, quietly approaching their target. Another quick Bright-Eye capture and arrest. There had been reports of music coming from the area, and he was part of the squad sent to investigate. They heard the unlawful noise, too, and were following it to its source. Routine, repetitive routine, with no change. Thunder was sick of it, but at least he knew what to expect. He shifted his wings slightly. The pegasus guard would never admit it to anypony, ever, but the sound that he heard, the sound he often heard before capturing musicians before, was by no means bad. In fact, he actually found himself drawn towards the melodies not to vanquish them, although he often did anyway against his better judgment due to his unchanging routine. He hated himself for being so weak, but what was he supposed to do? He was just one pony, and was probably just going through... Through a phase, or something. That's all; it would wear off eventually. "Psst!" whispered one of his allies. "There he is! Heh, look at that sorry excuse for a pony!" The pegasus next to him looked like a mirror image of Thunder Roller himself, with a pure white coat and golden armor. They all looked like that, because the armor was enchanted to do so. The unicorns had their own separate 'uniform', as well; silver armor with a medium-grey coat. Regardless of their type, their eyes stayed brown, if not dulled to create a kind of emotional barrier between their target and them. "Yeah, just another easy capture," laughed Thunder half-heartedly. "Aww, you scared, Shakie?" jeered the other guard. It wasn't Thunder's fault he didn't grip their standard lances well, but the other guards made fun of him for it anyway. He didn't like it, but he was... used to it. The guards had all noticed their target. Thunder looked, too, but he wasn't frightened by what he saw, though he knew he should have been. There was a pegasus, like him, sitting on a log in a small clearing, which they were approaching. His fur was rainforest green, from muzzle to flank, and his mane was black, long, and straight. His eyes were closed. But most importantly of all, he held a strange, shell-like device in his hooves. Thunder watched as the pegasus brought the device to his lips, and listened as it created an airy sound, like wind but more tangible. Thunder felt himself grow curious rather then apprehensive, as he always did before in situations like this. But, as always, nothing would change this stallion's fate. "I'm going to see your hooves in the air in three seconds, musician, or I will be forced to detain you violently," demanded the squad leader as he immerged from cover, spear pointed at the pegasus on the log. The windy sound ceased, and the pegasus lowered the instrument. The guard ponies had him completely surrounded, and, as always, Thunder's lance was pointed less evenly then the other guards. “One," counted the squad leader. The green pegasus opened his eyes. The pupils shocked Thunder; they were a sky blue sheen, seemingly no separation between pupil and color. "Two," continued the captain. The musician's eyes didn't move; he seemed to be barely using them. The circle tightened. He slid off the trunk and onto his hooves, slowly and deliberately. His long, black mane made him appear even more mysterious in the shaded afternoon light. The captain gripped his spear. "Three- umph!" The green pegasus had quickly plowed towards the captain, taking the spear and pushing it back at the owner, stunning Thunder's commander. That certainly wasn't normal, although not unexpected. Thunder fell in with his companions, knowing it was his job and his duty, but at the same time not wanting to capture the owner of such amazing musical knowledge. The resisting pegasus had reverted to a motionless stance, the fallen officer still on the ground, as the guards positioned themselves around him again. Spears had him pinned on all sides, and Thunder sighed in disappointment. He had thought maybe, just maybe, this guy would be the one to break the pattern, to prove that musicians were more then just targets, as he knew they were but would never say. But he guessed he was wrong. A unicorn levitated a rope up to tie the prisoner. The pegasus didn't move. That is, until the rope was within reach, whereupon he grabbed it and used it to quickly wrap up Thunder and another two guards' spears together and throw the tied weapons up and away, effectively disarming them all. Thunder backed off, watching the pegasus with renewed hope. The other two scrambled for their spears. Four left. The other guards, Thunder's so-called friends, charged the musician with obviously violent intentions. The pegasus used his wings to flick himself over the four pointed weapons in an impressive back flip. He landed on top of all four spears at once and drove the points into the dirt. He sped at a pegasus guard, shouldering him to the ground. It didn't knock him out, but it did leave him stunned. Three left. A unicorn charged him, but a buck to his helmet changed that course of action. The pegasi and unicorn left held back, but the mysterious pegasi wasn't finished yet. He flicked up a sizable stone and wacked it, using his wing like some kind of catapult, launching the stone right into the face of the pegasus. One left. The musician charged the unicorn, but Thunder's fellow guard got smart and casted a spell to stop him and hold him. At first he just glowed yellow and didn't seem to slow, but then the pegasus's galloping became more labored until he was not two inches in front of the frantic unicorn straining himself with magic. The pegasus struggled and pushed, but the magic held him in place. Something snapped in Thunder's head. They were going to capture this musician. Even after he tried so hard, disarmed them all, got so close to showing up everything and finally settling Thunder's restless inner conflict, he was still powerless. Powerless to the force that stopped such a thing... Such a wonderful thing as music. Why was he on that side? Thunder Roller flew as fast as he could. It wasn't a flight, really; it was a launch. It wasn't a thought, either; much more of an action. He felt the collision like a million, not just physically, but emotionally too. The spell around the pegasus musician broke and, now freed, he quickly sped and grabbed Thunder, carrying them both to the edge of the clearing. Thunder felt his ears fill with blood, although one was stinging. "Why are you helping me?" the musician asked hurriedly. "I-I... I don't know..." Thunder said. His own actions confused him. "Celestia, you're in it now, bro. If you wanna live, stay with me, got it?" he skeptically smiled as he examined Thunder. "Y-yeah," stumbled the ex-guard. He stood up strait. He was scared, suddenly, very scared as friend now became foe and foe turned into friend. But in the rush, he felt a lack of something else. He didn't feel pressured anymore. "Traitor!" screamed one of the guards. "I should've known!" yelled another. Honestly, they were never friendly voices to begin with, but now he didn't have to put up with them. He could get away from it. It wasn't routine anymore. "Let's get outta here," chuckled the musician. Thunder looked to his right and was met with the odd, but still friendly, pure blue eyes. He realized this fugitive, even in just a few sentences, was being nicer and more accepting then anypony else Thunder knew. He somehow seemed to honestly care. "Sure," nodded Thunder. "Get them!" shouted the captain. All the guards charged forword. Thunder wasn't very good at much. But he knew he was faster then anyone else in his squad. The musician and the ex-guard dodged through the trees, speeding along faster then their pursuers. Every obstacle that presented itself was evaded, and soon the sounds of their pursuers quieted until they vanished completely. Thunder couldn't help but smile. His whole life had just been flipped upside down, beyond just a broken routine, and yet he was the happiest he could ever remember being. "What's so funny?" asked the musician over the sound of the whipping wind as they flew on. "I have no idea!" Thunder exclaimed. They both shared a good-hearted laugh and slowed down, listening to make sure that they left the guards in the dust. When they didn't hear anything, both pegasi landed and sat down, each out of breath. After a few seconds of gulping air, Thunder broke the silence. "I'm Thunder Roller," he said. "Cloudy Bolt," said the musician. "Um... Thank you, Cloudy." "No problem," he grinned. "You're new to this, aren't you?" "I have no idea what I'm doing," sighed Thunder. "That makes two of us," laughed Cloudy. They both relaxed after that, catching their breath as they watched the sun set. Cloudy shifted. "Hey, I have a proposition." "Yeah?" "I've heard about this place, something called the Underground. Apparently, it's far away and very hidden. But if we get there, we can listen and play as much music as we want." Cloudy looked at Thunder, and held his gaze. "Wanna... help me find it?" Thunder smiled. A place just for music sounded beyond perfect, and for whatever reason this pegasus was so happy and easy to trust. Why would he not wanna go? He was free to do whatever he wanted now. No more schedules, no more chains of restraint, no more routine. Free... Finally. "Of course." ----- "Good luck, Vinyl!" Octavia closed the front door behind her as she left. Wow, a front door. Vinyl never really thought they could have a front door. Well, more like she never thought she and Octavia could ever have a house, but the front door comes with the package. Vinyl had just woken up to catch her marefriend leaving for her lessons. She was practicing really hard, that much Vinyl could see. Not to mention, every time she played Vinyl was blown away, regardless of how Octavia herself viewed her own playing. The white mare sighed and relaxed on the couch, thinking about her friend and partner. Minutes pass by both slowly and quickly as she shifts between missing Octavia and envisioning her. After awhile, Vinyl realized she did have some work to do. Octavia had found her instrument a week and a half ago, but Vinyl... It wasn't easy for her. She'd shifted through section after section of instruments, all of which sounded nice but just weren't clicking. Quick Step had come to help yesterday, even evaluated her voice to see if that was what her talent lied in, but even though he said she could figure out her way around most instruments and certainly was a good singer, she wasn't specializing in anything. Vinyl sighed and got up from the couch. She walked out of her door, closing it behind her with a small pang of magic, and made her way to the main plaza. She overlooked the town square from the second-floor balcony. No matter how often Vinyl found herself here, the biggest room in the Rhythm Underground never ceased to amaze her. There was always something going on, be it Cheerilee's classes, some sort of concert or competition, or just a group of picnics and lots of conversation. Today appeared to be dancing lessons, as couples lined the grassy field. A small orchestra started up and stopped at the conduction of the dance instructor, who'd also tell the couples what they were doing right and wrong if she wasn't teaching a new step. Among the ponies there were Lyra and Bon-Bon, who she met two days ago, Everbreeze and Big Mac, and Twilight Sparkle and some pony with a yellow coat and blue mane. Vinyl trotted across the upper platforms to the nearest staircase, descending it as she made her way to the storage room. She walked around the dancing couples, wondering if she could come by later with Octavia. But the doorway couldn't stay a destination for too long, and Vinyl found herself opening it sooner then she'd like. Once more, Vinyl trotted past shelves of instruments she had already failed at playing. She ran through her checklist. Wind instruments, x. Strings, x. Percussion, x. Today, she'd planned to look through some of the stuff she'd neglected to try, like the Harps. She had thought these were kinda boring, but who knows? Maybe she'll be good at one. Vinyl pranced around, slightly optimistic. She first sat down at what she now knew was called a piano, and pressed a few of the keys. She liked the ease at which the notes played, but didn't particularly enjoy the sound itself. She wondered if there was a way to make different sounds while using the same basic mechanic. She picked up a huge tuba next, and tried blowing through it like Quick Step had shown her. She also found the way the keys were pressed to be simple, but between the weight and the heavy, comedic sound, she knew this wasn't for her, either. Vinyl sat at the harp and tried pulling her hoof across the strings. It was a good sound, but it was heavenly and beautiful. It wasn't bad, it just wasn't Vinyl. She slammed her hoof into the harp in frustration. She took a few deep, agitated breaths. Is... Is there just no instrument for me? A crash came from Vinyl's right. She turned her head, stunned, but was only met by a wall. Wait, how had a crash come from behind a wall? Vinyl curiously got up and walked to the wall. She knocked on parts of the wall, to test if there was space beyond it. To her surprise, there was a hollow echo to each knock. Vinyl examined the wall carefully. A bit to her left, the wall seemed to be made of something else, like a different kind of wood. She walked up and pressed at this panel, but it didn't budge. The white unicorn pushed harder, feeling something creak. Old wood splintered as what used to be a door swung inward to finally allow Vinyl access. Parts of the door were still stuck to the frame, but she stepped around these parts and into the unlit room. Vinyl wandered in the dark, wondering what this room was. She decided an illumination spell would probably help. So, she lit her horn, and the room was quickly wrapped in a blue aura. She felt a tug, but not in the sense that something grabbed her. The aura of the horn itself was misting off, the waves tugged towards one corner of the room. Vinyl approached this corner. There was a large table of some kind, wide and black- The pull in her horn suddenly increased, enough to actually knock her off balance. Like a fishing rod, she fought the pull, yanking her head back. When the magic attraction subsided, she nervously took a few steps towards the table, eyes wide for danger. The stand had three segments on it, two on the sides and one in the middle. The two side ones each had a few dials surrounding a round indent with a rod sticking over it. In the middle stood an army of dials and buttons, some labeled some not, and something that looked like a small piano, but only the keys. As she walked around the table to the side all the letters were facing, she got a weird feeling. She felt powerful, important, the entertainment of a crowd of ponies- Wait, what? The yank came back, stronger them ever. Vinyl felt her horn burn and freeze in a painful intermingling, felt everything buzz and static, a burning white noise... Wait, white noise? What's tha- But the shock continued to occupy her mind. Like a glowstick- wait, what's a- the whole magic tug burst and broke. Her illumination spell was broken, and suddenly the whole ordeal was over. Vinyl was slumped over the table, some of the knobs pointing uncomfortably into her face. How she got there, she didn't know. Breathing hard, she raised herself off the device. The white unicorn's eyes eventually became used to the low lighting of the room, and she examined the table once more, hesitantly. Many knobs and switches did have labels, but what "Pan" and "Balance" meant was beyond her. In fact, the only switch that did make sense was the "On/Off" switch... Nervously, Vinyl reached her hoof to that switch. Her hoof hovered over it for a second, questioning whether this was a good decision. Well, why not? She flicked the switch. Nothing happened. Vinyl waited a few seconds. Still, nothing happened. Wow, that's anticlimactic, she thought. "I know, right?" Vinyl jumped strait into the air. She could have sworn she was alone in here- She looked up, and standing on the other side of the table was another pony. It was dark, but Vinyl could still tell she was white in fur and blue in mane, kinda like Vinyl... Wait... The pony standing in front of her wasn't like her... She was her... "Hey, wazzap?" The other Vinyl was looking up at her from behind the same purple shades Vinyl used to wear. Vinyl hadn't recently worn them, although she still knew where they were. She had the same white fur, the same cutie mark, the same blue hair, and more then likely the same red eyes. "Y-you're..." "I'm what?" "You're me!" The other Vinyl laughed. "I look like you, yeah. But I'm not you. I'm a message, from the past. A powerful spell made by the world's greatest DJs and put on this Turntable to combat the Princesses' anti-music law. And I guess you get to be the world's second-first DJ." "What?" "Do you want the long story, or the short?" Vinyl was taken aback. She even acted like Vinyl. "Uh, short?" "Yep, you're a DJ. Short attention span, it's a trademark attribute." "...Thanks?" "Anyway, think about me as the greatest source on how to use this device." The copy placed a hoof on the table. "It's called a Turntable, and it plays music just like any other instrument." She smiled. "But... more so." Vinyl was still a bit shocked she was talking to herself. Her jaw was slack, her eyes wide. She reached out and tried to place a hoof on the other her, but her hoof went right through it. "I'm just an apparition," explained the copy, "and right now, you're the only one who can see me." Vinyl shook her head. "So... I'm crazy?" The copy cracked up. Vinyl didn't get it. "Yes, you're crazy! You have to be crazy! It's a job requirement! Sanity bores the masses; they want the crazy thump of a bass drum, weather they know it or not!" Vinyl didn't really get anything this pony was saying. "And aren't you already crazy?" the Vinyl copy said as she pointed to the real Vinyl's cutie mark. "You're a musician. The population of Equestria hates you, yet here you are approaching a Turntable. You may not believe me yet, but you're crazy." Quite the introduction, thought Vinyl. "And by the way, I know what you're thinking," grinned the copy. "I can read your mind." "Great," sighed Vinyl. "Well, you gonna tell-slash-think your name, or what?" asked the other Vinyl. "Um, I'm Vinyl Scratch." "Awesome. I guess I don't have a name, but I do really like this one name one of the DJs had. So call me DJ Pon-3!" She held out her hoof to shake with the original Vinyl. Vinyl rolled her eyes. "We can't do that, my hoof will just go through yours," she said. "Wanna bet?" asked DJ Pon-3. Vinyl turned her head. She wasn't serious... was she? The real Vinyl moved her hoof forward apprehensively. Again, she didn't know what to expect. And again, her hoof went right through the other pony's. "Whoops, guess I'm wrong," sighed the Vinyl look-alike, moving the held-out hoof to scratch the back of her head. She wore a huge, goofy smile. "H-hey!" "Oh, we're gonna have some fun, you and me," sighed DJ Pon-3. --- Octavia frowned. Vinyl was always home. And yet their shared room was empty. The couch was un-napped-upon, their bed un-messy, and the juice un-touched. Everything was like Vinyl hadn't been there all day. Octavia set her Double Bass against the couch and left her room again, this time to search for her marefriend. She trotted to the square, past the band packing up, and to the first place Vinyl would probably be; the storage room. The bassist pony wondered if Vinyl had found her instrument, and was playing it non-stop. She giggled, imagining Vinyl holding some ridiculous device neither of them had ever heard of before. Sure enough, when Octavia opened the door, a song was playing. Strange, it didn't seem like Vinyl was alone. She could count at least three instruments being played. As the bassist listened further, she realized everything sounded... weird. The instruments, most of which had a strange sound she'd never heard of before, seemed jumpy almost, like a bunch of notes strung together rather then an actual instrument. Not to mention the drums were much heavier then was naturally possible, and yet they still reverberated the whole room. Octavia walked closer, to what appeared to be a broken door she hadn't noticed in her previous trips to the storage room. Suddenly and shockingly, the whole song stopped on a single note, even the echoes vanishing immediately. That was the last straw, and Octavia trotted through the door. "Vinyl, is that-" Vinyl stood at the other side of the room, her purple shades over her eyes. She was behind some sort of table, but it wasn't just a table; there were long cables poking out of it, leading to a stack of boxes on either side of the room. These boxes seemed to have circles in them, but were covered by some kind of fabric, so it was hard to tell. Vinyl was using her magic, but on what it wasn't obvious. The blue glow on her horn was a tell-tale sign, however. Her hooves were positioned over the table, moving things Octavia couldn't see. She looked up and froze, however, when she realized her marefriend had just walked into the room. "'Tavi!" Vinyl exclaimed. She was shocked, but suddenly ecstatic. "Oh my gosh, 'Tavi, you have got to hear this!" "Wait, was..." Octavia tried. Vinyl was the only pony in the room. But there was so much sound before, it wasn't possible she was alone with the unicorn in here. "How did you..." Vinyl appeared to be finished with her strange table. "Okay, are you ready for this to blow your mind?" she half-asked, half-giggled. With a flick of a switch and the press of a few buttons, the music began. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Agluuflcpos&feature=youtube_gdata_player The song began with something that sounded to Octavia like a guitar. The notes were coming from the weird boxes, though. How was that possible? They were boxes! Vinyl was nodding her head to the song, messing with more stuff on the table. She pressed her hoof down, and suddenly a mare's voice joined the guitar-thing inside of the boxes, but it sounded far away, or like it was just the echo in a valley. "Uh uh uh, Woa-oh-ah, oh o-oh," A male suddenly chimed in, with the same kind of effect implemented on his voice. "It's always a good time..." The female repeated her interjectory phrase: "Woa-oh-ah, oh o-oh," "It's always a good time..." A very strange sound filled the room, cheery but scratchy at the same time. The guitar-like pattern was joined by unnaturally heavy crash drums and a bass-guitar-sounding instrument, plus what sounded like a crowd of ponies clipping their hooves together in a pattern. After a small dramatic pause, the male sung another few lines, the effect from before lifted: "Woke up on the right side of the bed, What's up with this prince song inside my head? Hooves up if you're down to get down tonight!" Octavia was beyond stunned. "Vinyl, how-" "Shhh!" interrupted the white unicorn. "It gets even better!" Her face was screwed into complete elation, her eyes closing as her head beat to the heavy bass. "'Cause it's always a good time!" Light cymbals joined the too-heavy bass, making the beat sound much more peppy. Vinyl was mouthing along to the lyrics as she checked these moving, glowing bars on the table. "Slept in all my clothes, like I didn't care, Hopped into a cab; take me anywhere! I'm in, if you're down to get down tonight! 'Cause it's always a good time!" Somehow, the voice had harmonized with itself in those last two lines, creating an exciting effect. A drawn out clip filled the air before a light kinda-flute-sounding sound filled the air to accompany the female singer's solo: "Good morning, and good night, I'll wake up at twilight." The two singers in the boxes combined their voices in a duet as a wind seemed to pick up, emphasizing a point of interest within the song: "It's gonna be alright!" The male took over, then, and lead the song as the music sped up, the drums getting faster until they stopped completely. "We don't even have to try!" Everything held still. "It's always a good time!" The room exploded with sound. Vinyl had even exploded herself, unable to contain a "Woo!" in the middle of the last line, before everything had started up again. Octavia realized that, somehow, Vinyl was in control of the whole song, all from the table she was so interested in. "Woa-oh-ah-oh-oh! Oh ah oh! Woa-oh-ah-oh-oh! It's always a good time! Woa-oh-ah-oh-oh! Oh ah oh! We don't even have to try! It's always a good time!" The song reverted to its tamer verse pattern. Vinyl hit a few more buttons and twisted some knobs, all with a smug look. She knew what she was doing, Octavia realized. She's really into this. The female singer continued the song with the next verse: "Freaked out, dropped my phone in the pool again. Checked out of my room, hit the ATM. Let's hang out, if you're down to get down tonight. 'Cause it's always a good time!" The song reverted to the bridge, but this time the male started singing first: "Good morning and good night." "I'll wake up at twilight." They both harmonized together as the beat picked up: "It's gonna be alright!" And again, the male singer crossed the gap between the bridge and the chorus. "We don't even have to try! It's always a good time!" The chorus exploded for the second time, Vinyl losing no energy or excitement compared to the first chorus. She swung her head side to side in time with the beat. Octavia walked over to Vinyl's table looking at all the knobs, dials, switches, and buttons. Unable to contain it, her hoof tapped along with the happy beat. Vinyl looked up. "Crazy, huh?" she asked. Octavia nodded. "Woa-oh-ah-oh-oh! Oh ah oh! Woa-oh-ah-oh-oh! It's always a good time! Woa-oh-ah-oh-oh! Oh ah oh! We don't even have to try! It's always a good time! Woa-oh-ah-oh-oh! Oh ah oh! Woa-oh-ah-oh-oh! It's always a good time! Woa-oh-ah-oh-oh! Oh ah oh! We don't even have to try! It's always a good time!" Keeping a close eye on Vinyl's movements, Octavia listened as Vinyl's song was played for her. The male sung from the boxes: "Doesn't matter when, it's always a good time then!" The female continued the song: "Doesn't matter where, it's always a good time there!" And the male finished the segment: "Doesn't matter when, it's always a good time then!" What sounded like a crowd of ponies suddenly burst from the speakers. A whole crowd of ponies spoke through the device: "It's always a good time!" The final chorus blared, with its heavy bass and catchy lyrics. Octavia admitted, it was new, but it wasn't... bad. She smiled at her partner, and she smiled back. Between the song and the pony that shared it with her, she believed she had an amazing experience with whatever new instrument Vinyl had just shown off. She nodded her head with Vinyl, mouthing with her to the parts of the chorus she knew. Together, they ended the song: "Woa-oh-ah-oh-oh! Oh ah oh! Woa-oh-ah-oh-oh! It's always a good time! Woa-oh-ah-oh-oh! Oh ah oh! We don't even have to try! It's always a good time! Woa-oh-ah-oh-oh! Oh ah oh! Woa-oh-ah-oh-oh! It's always a good time! Woa-oh-ah-oh-oh! Oh ah oh! We don't even have to try! It's always a good time!" The song faded away, to the last second completely under Vinyl's control. Just like any song with any instrument in it, the whole ordeal was over. Octavia realized Vinyl was breathing heavy, with a huge smirk plastered on her face. "How was that?" asked the unicorn. Octavia thought for a second. No word in her vocabulary could even begin to describe all of these new sounds and effects. But one word stood out above them all. Octavia walked around the table-like device and placed a kiss on her marefriend's cheek. She smiled at Vinyl, whose glasses did nothing to hide her blush, and spoke the one word on her mind. "Riveting." ----- OOC: 'Sup bronies? Huge thanks to Hillbilly1 and Darkakorri for allowing me to use there characters! I took some liberties with Thunder Roller, I know, but hey, he was okay with it. Something I'd like to point out: Brown eyes do not actually mean anti-music, and colorful eyes do not actually mean pro-music. Your pony OC does not have to have colorful eyes to be on the Underground's side, should you submit them (remember, the rules are here: Chapter 2: Trust). Yay! Vinyl got an instrument! I personally like the title "The world's second-first DJ". Totally works and stuff. =P As always, thanks for reading! -Arts